by Carmen Cook
“He said they walked outside because he was leaving. Regan called Joshua, the school principal? He drives the only Uber in town. She wanted to make sure he actually left. Jason came out of nowhere and pistol-whipped Todd. Jason told Todd to have you bring the bag and he wouldn’t hurt Regan.”
What the hell was Jason doing?
“Gavin!” Connor barked, getting up in his face. “What bag is Jason talking about?”
“I don’t know.” He raked his hand through his hair and paced away, trying to get a grip. Bag. What bag? Jason had been frantic when the office had been ransacked. More than reasonable, now that Gavin thought about it. Could it be that Jason had done it? Or known who did?
Mitch and Connor were in discussion as Gavin continued to piece his options together. He couldn’t lose focus. If he did, he’d lose her.
He paced back toward the glass doors and stacked his hands on his head, trying to remain calm. The weather echoed his mood, with dark clouds pouring in over the mountains and the trees swaying violently in the wind.
The realization hit him like a fist. “Fuck,” he muttered. Could it really be that simple? Without waiting for the others, he raced outside and sprinted to his truck.
Chapter Twenty-One
Regan tried to keep her teeth from chattering, but they seemed determined to click together as though she was in the tundra, rather than bundled securely and safely on a sofa. Safe for the moment, anyway. She rocked back and forth, searching for a way out. There had to be one, she just couldn’t see it yet. Jason had shoved her onto the sofa the second they came into this little shed and continued to pace between her and the door.
She stopped rocking for a second and cut her eyes his way. Jason didn’t look good. Other than scaring the crap out of her, he also had a vicious-looking black eye, was pale and sweaty, and kept reaching to the back of his waistband for his gun. His hands were shaking, which scared her even more.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
He’d been silent up until then and his voice made her jump. She glanced away from his hands to find him watching her. She sucked in a breath and tried to keep her voice steady. “Then why did you take me?”
He let out a sigh and put his gun down—thank God—on the console behind him. “Gavin has something of mine. I need it back.”
Regan just shook her head, not sure what he was talking about. “So kidnapping me and shooting my sister is the best way to get your belongings back?” Her voice was rising to a hysterical pitch and she drew in a breath to try to calm down. This was crazy. He was crazy. She needed to keep her cool. She knew it but couldn’t seem to keep her mouth closed. “Gavin told me the two of you are dissolving your partnership. I’m sure he would give you back whatever it is that you left behind.”
“I didn’t leave anything behind. He took it.” Jason began pacing again, his hand shaking, thumping his thumb against his thigh with each step he took. “I’m dead if I don’t get it back. I’m out of time. I have to get it back!” Spittle flew from Jason’s mouth as he banged his fist against his thigh.
His shout fell into the silence like a gavel. There was nothing she could say so Regan tucked her head down again to try to figure out a way out.
She needed to get out of here and back to the hospital, but she couldn’t do that with him standing by the door. She eyed the distance, mentally figuring how far it was and if she could at least get the door open before he caught up with her. Once she was outside, she could outrun him. She was sure of it.
Regan’s head started pounding once the idea took root. It was insane but she had to try. “How long has Gavin had this—this thing? Whatever it is.”
Jason puffed out his cheeks while he blew out a breath and seemed to calm down a bit, which had Regan breathing a little easier too. “It’s been three weeks.”
Her eyes flared. Three weeks ago she’d reconnected with Gavin. Ice flooded her veins and she stared at Jason. “Yeah,” he said, confirming her fears. “The day you were at his house is the day it went missing.”
Regan felt numb. “It was you. This whole time all this stuff has been happening, it’s been you. Why did you think I had whatever it is you lost? What is it?” When Jason didn’t answer, Regan snorted. “I deserve to know why you’ve broken into Kathy’s house, my sister’s car. Christ, you shot her. What could be worth my sister’s life?”
“I didn’t shoot her.” Jason ran his hand through his hair. “That was Dickey. I didn’t know he had the gun or that he was going to shoot. We were just driving by because we thought we could search your house. Is she going to be okay?” he asked, looking oddly like a little kid who knew he’d done something wrong and felt bad about it.
“I don’t know. You kidnapped me before she was out of surgery.”
Jason shook his head and stood, piling his hands on his head and turned to look out the little window looking over the lake. “This is out of control.”
His voice was so soft Regan wasn’t sure she heard him correctly. “I agree,” she said as she scooted herself to the edge of her seat, getting ready for her chance to bolt. “It is out of control, but it doesn’t have to be.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jason replied without any heat. “You don’t know anything about it. It’s better if you don’t.”
Regan snorted. “Bullshit. You’re so scared you’ve been running around scaring everyone else. It’s not going to solve whatever it is that’s going on.”
Shaking his head Jason turned, a faint grin pulling at his lips. “I can see why Gavin likes you. You’ve got spunk.”
“That makes me sound like a six-year-old,” she groused. Why was she talking to this guy like he was a friend? Because she was trying to get him to relax, that was why.
Gavin had to know she was gone by now and she had no doubt he’d be coming for her. Whether he knew about this thing that Jason was looking for was anyone’s guess. Right now she just needed to figure out how to keep him calm and get the heck out of here before anyone else got hurt.
She shifted her weight, ready to launch herself off the couch when his hand landed on her shoulder. “Don’t,” he warned.
“You really expect me to sit here like a good little captive, waiting to be rescued? Newsflash, it’s not the eighteenth century anymore. I can save myself.”
Jason cocked his head and studied her. “I know you can. And you can save other people as well, which is why you’re here. You can save Gavin, Regan. It’s up to you to stay here while Gavin comes and brings me the bag. If he’s here, he’ll be safe.”
“What are you talking about? Safe from what?”
A loud bang shook the walls of the guard shack, shattering glass and sending Regan’s heart right into her ribs. She crashed to the ground as Jason lunged over the top of her. “What was that?” Regan gasped, trying to push herself up off the ground.
“Stay here,” Jason ground out, pushing off her. He staggered to the side, crashing into a chair, which rolled out of the way. The gentleness of the movement was absurd in light of everything else going on. Regan closed her eyes and threw her arms up over her head as another bang shattered the night.
The gunshot rang out just as they pulled to a stop in front of the guard shack of the Jensen estate. Gavin was out of the truck before it had come to a stop, sprinting across the lawn. His heart lodged in his throat when he’d heard the first shot.
He hit the ground, Mitch on his back, shoving him into the gravel. “Stay down,” he ordered, keeping his knee in Gavin’s back.
“Get off me! Regan’s in there.”
Mitch gave him another shove. “Focus for a second and you’ll realize someone was shooting into the shack. Get your head out of your ass or you’re going to get everyone killed.”
This last bit was said with a push that had Gavin spitting out a bit of dirt. He took inventory. Other than a sore shoulder, he was fine. But Mitch was right, the shot hadn’t come from the guard house. He needed to figure out where e
lse it had come from. “We need to get to cover.”
“Finally, some sense,” Mitch answered, getting to his feet. “Come on.” He dragged Gavin up by his collar and raced to the trees, keeping them both low in the process.
Gavin swung his gaze over the grounds, searching where the shooter could be hiding. The pool house with its gabled roof. Someone could be hiding there with a gun.
They made it to the tree line and waited for the sign that Logan and Connor were in place. As much as he wanted to just rush in, he wasn’t about to put Regan’s life in any more danger than it already was. The fact that she was caught up in this because of him didn’t make him happy. That sliver of doubt crept in that maybe Kathy had been right all those years ago, saying if he went into security he was putting his family in danger.
He pushed those thoughts aside and tried to see into the guard shack. The wind had picked up and the night shrouded everything in shadows, making it hard to see anything, let alone across the huge manicured lawn of the estate. “Can you see anything?” he asked Mitch.
“No.” The other man pulled out his phone and hit a button. “We’re here, where are you?”
Gavin stopped listening. He knew the plan. Both Connor and Mitchell had drilled it into him since he discovered what was in the bag he’d tossed behind the seat of his truck and mindlessly brought into his home. The little baggies had been tucked in a side pocket he hadn’t opened when he stuffed his wet clothes in it and left the shack weeks ago. Or when he’d tossed Regan’s torn clothes in it after the tree fell on her car. Suddenly everything that had been happening made a sick sort of sense.
Connor had followed him to the truck and taken the bag from him, spewing something about evidence and chain of custody. Frankly, Gavin didn’t give a shit. He only wanted to get Regan and he wasn’t going to let anyone get in his way.
The third shot rang out, making both Gavin and Mitch hit the dirt again. “Fuck this,” Gavin grunted out, grabbing a bag identical to the one that was the source of his trouble and taking off. He was done waiting. Connor was going to be pissed, but he’d deal with that later. He was getting Regan out of there. Now.
The shouts filled the air behind him, calling for him to wait, but they disappeared in the wind as he made his way across the clearing. He hit the door of the guard shack, not breaking his stride as he shoved the door open. Throwing the bag to the floor, he pulled his gun and cleared the room.
There was no one there.
“Regan?” he called out in a low voice.
Relief flooded him when she answered, “Back here.” Stepping behind the sofa, dodging the broken chair he’d spent too many hours to count in, he came to an abrupt stop.
“Are you okay?” She was crouched over Jason, who was sprawled on the floor, a pool of blood behind his head.
“Fine,” she replied. “I’m fine. But Jason…Gavin, he sh-shot himself. I don’t know what happened. He’s dead.” Gavin stepped forward and toed Jason’s Glock out of reach before he holstered his own gun and did a quick pat-down to the nonresponsive body.
Connor and a couple of his deputies flew into the room, followed by Mitchell. Gavin pulled Regan to her feet and pulled her out of the way.
She was pale and shaky, so he wrapped his arms around her. “Are you okay?” he asked her again, hoping to pull her attention from Jason and reassure her she was safe.
Instead, she leaned back in his embrace and eyed him suspiciously. “Are you?” She reached up and gently wiped her fingers along his cheek, showing him they were wet. Leaning forward she placed her lips against his, giving him the softest kiss he’d ever experienced. “I’m okay,” she whispered against his lips.
“I was so scared,” he confessed, leaning his forehead against hers. “I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t,” she assured him. “Ever.”
Regan leaned back against Gavin as they stood at the foot of Chloe’s hospital bed. After enduring hours of questions from Connor, then again by the sheriff when Connor had called him in, they’d come back to the hospital. It was long past visiting hours, but she’d needed to see for herself that Chloe was going to be okay.
Pale and grumpy, Chloe was propped up with piles of gauze and bandages around her shoulder and upper arm. “It’s about time you showed up,” she exclaimed. “No one will tell me anything.”
“What do you want to know?” Regan asked, moving away from Gavin’s warmth and sitting next to the bed.
“Everything,” Chloe insisted. “What happened with Dad in the house? I was trying to keep Todd outside, so I missed it.”
“Oh.” Regan felt a stab of guilt when she realized that the reason Chloe had been outside her house where she’d been shot was for her.
Gavin’s hand landed on her shoulder. “Not your fault,” he said with certainty, seeming to read her thoughts. “But you were about to make an announcement before your dad interrupted.”
“I was?” Regan thought back to earlier that day, which felt like ages ago rather than just a few hours. “I was,” she finally remembered.
“I thanked everyone for coming,” Regan told her sister. “And that I’d decided to stay here, in Sapphire Creek. I applied for the nursing position at the Main Street Clinic yesterday.” She glanced up at Gavin, hoping he’d be happy with her news.
His blinding smile told her he was.
“That’s great,” Chloe exclaimed, leaning forward to grab Regan’s hand, only to fall back against the pillows with a groan. “Damn, that hurt.
Regan shook her head. “We’ll go so you can get some rest.” She started to stand when Chloe shook her head.
“No, tell me the rest of it.”
“Rest of what? You know Jason died. He shot himself after someone started firing on the shed.”
“Do you know who that was?”
“No, not yet,” Gavin replied. “Some of the pieces are being filled in. Deanna found out you were shot and went to the police to report that Jason was the one who ransacked our office.”
Regan’s head swiveled toward him at that. “How’d she know?”
“Apparently he admitted it. Gave her some bullshit story about lost equipment and blamed Julian. The kid swore he didn’t do it, but Deanna believed Jason. For a while anyway.”
They all fell silent at that. Regan couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Deanna and Julian. Jason, she wasn’t sure what she felt for him.
“What about Todd?” Chloe asked. “Is he finally gone?”
“Not yet. He was admitted for observation. Dad is going to take him to the airport as soon as he’s released.”
Chloe closed her eyes. “I still can’t believe they did that to you.”
Regan shrugged. When they’d come back to the hospital her parents were still here, waiting for her. Wanting to grudgingly apologize for everything. It didn’t make it better, but it seemed like they finally understood the boundary they’d crossed.
Exhaustion and conflicting emotions threatened to pull her under. She opened her mouth to say good-bye when Gavin gave her a nudge. “We’ll go now so you guys can have some privacy.”
Turning, Regan saw Mitchell standing in the doorway, a small teddy bear in his hands. Chloe’s eyes were glued to him. Regan leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Go easy on him,” she whispered to her sister. “He was really afraid for you.”
Chloe’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Regan nodded and stepped back to allow Mitch to sink in the chair. “I’ll touch base tomorrow,” she said. Chloe gave her a wave, not looking away from the big man sitting next to her.
Closing the door softly behind her, Regan found herself pressed up against Gavin, being held securely against him. “Hey,” she whispered, rubbing her hands up his back. “I’m okay. We’re okay.”
He dropped his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. “Did you mean it?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
“Mean what?”
“Are you staying?”
“Oh.” Regan leaned
back and cupped his face with her hands. “Yes,” she said. “I’m staying.”
His mouth softened, but he held himself back from her kiss. “What about your dreams?”
“That’s the thing about dreams. They are adaptable.” Tired of not getting her way, she stood on her toes and captured his mouth for a hot kiss. Once he started responding, she pulled back, a grin dancing across her lips at his groan.
“I love you, Gavin. I think I always have.” He opened his mouth to say something, but she stopped his words by placing her fingers over his lips. “When you asked me to give you a chance I realized that I had a different dream a long time ago. And that was to be with you. To be loved by you.
“That dream is coming true.”
Gavin nipped at her fingertips until she pulled them away. Then he lowered his head and captured her mouth in a kiss that curled her toes. “I love you,” he murmured against her lips. “Let me take you home.”
“Yes, please.”
Epilogue
The sun reflected off the freshly fallen snow, blinding Gavin. The kids had woken up before dawn and piled into bed with him and Regan without any regard to the fact that they’d been up half the night celebrating. And now he was outside with the kids, enjoying the crisp weather.
“Daddy, look!” Jackson screamed, pointing to the huge snowball he’d rolled for the base of their snowman.
“That’s great, buddy! Good job.”
“I did a good job, too,” Savannah cried from where she was struggling to roll another ball, which would be the middle.
“You did,” he agreed, setting his insulated coffee mug aside to go help her.
It had been his idea to bring the kids outside to build a snowman before breakfast so Regan could call her family. Things were improving on that front, which made him happy for her. He didn’t think they’d ever be the traditional, supportive family, but her parents seemed to realize how close they’d coming to losing two of their daughters and were desperate not to let that happen. He could see how she wanted to believe in them, but he was still nervous, so he kept his own feelings to himself for now.
