Her P.I. Protector

by Jennifer Morey

  * * *

  When she opened her eyes, she was in the back of an SUV. She sat up and discovered her ankles and wrists had been zip-tied. Her heart raced with fear.

  Calm down.

  Panicking would do her no good. The masked man was driving the SUV. His eyes shifted to the mirror and saw her.

  “Who are you?” she asked, not expecting an answer. “Where are you taking me?”

  Probably somewhere to kill her.

  He didn’t reply.

  She glanced around and didn’t recognize the road. How long had she been out? Several minutes, it would seem.

  The driver turned onto a dirt road and, about fifteen minutes later, came to another one. This road was a driveway. There were a lot of trees here.

  She searched around for something to use as a weapon. There was nothing in the back and nothing in the back seat. She could see a gun on the console next to the driver. That made her sick to her stomach. Was that how he would kill her?

  Ahead, she could see a small cabin. It was in terrible disrepair and had likely been abandoned, or at least not visited in several years. The driver parked and got out, taking the gun with him.

  Skylar’s heart beat frantically and she began breathing fast.

  Stay calm!

  The man opened the back and aimed the gun at her while he used a big knife to cut the zip-tie at her ankles. “Get out,” he spat, his voice raspy and low.

  She did as he ordered.

  With the gun digging into her back, he grabbed her arm and forced her toward the cabin.

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked. “All I saw was you digging and that plastic bag lying on the ground.” She had to assume this was the killer, as he had abducted her and now would murder her.

  “Be quiet,” he said.

  She didn’t recognize the voice. Was he disguising it? She tried to identify him. Physically, he was about the same size as Wes McKann, but she couldn’t see his face.

  At the door, he let go of her and turned the knob. She looked around. The clearing was too large. She would never make it to the cover of trees before he shot her.

  He shoved her inside and kicked the door shut. There was no furniture in the cabin, no kitchen appliances, either. The wood floor was dirty.

  “Sit down,” he said.

  Skylar went to the wall between the kitchen and living room and sat with her back against where the wall ended.

  She looked up. The man had turned to look out a window, though he still had his gun aimed at her. What had him so distracted?

  Not wasting any time, she kicked upward and knocked the gun out of his hand. It sailed through the air and fell to the living room floor. She scrambled to reach it first, but the man dove for it and rolled away.

  Instead of shooting her, he went back to the window.

  He glanced at her. “If you try anything like that again, I’ll kill you.”

  Wasn’t he going to kill her anyway?

  He aimed his pistol through the window and fired. Then he went to the door and disappeared outside, firing some more.

  What the...?

  She heard answering gunfire and knew Julien had arrived. Relief flooded her body. She went to the window and saw that the masked man had climbed into the SUV.

  Julien fired at him, breaking the passenger window. The masked man kept low as he turned the SUV around and raced down the dirt road.

  “Skylar!” Julien shouted. He sounded desperate.

  “In here!” she shouted back.

  Seeing her in the window, he visibly sagged with relief. He charged into the dilapidated cabin and took her into his arms.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.” She leaned back as he took out a pocketknife and cut the tie on her wrists. “How did you find me so fast?”

  “He took your phone with him. I tracked you all the way here,” he said.

  “Thank God for your gadgets.” She let her head fall to his chest, having started shaking with the easing of adrenaline.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  “He ran me off the road. I crashed into a tree and was knocked unconscious. He tied me up and put me in the back of his SUV and brought me here.”

  Julien began to check the place out. He searched every room and returned to the living room.

  “There’s nothing here,” he said.

  “He must have found this place and planned to get rid of me. Maybe he thought it would be a long time before anyone found my body.” Skylar rubbed her wrists, which had turned red from the tight zip-tie.

  Julien saw her and took her hands. “You aren’t okay,” he said.

  “It’s nothing. I’m fine.” Thanks to him and his loyal vigilance.

  He looked into her eyes and she saw his concern.

  Pulling her to him, he held her close. “No more leaving me,” he said.

  She shook her head. “No more leaving you.”

  Keeping her hand, he walked with her to his BMW. After her two days of reflecting on their night together, Skylar felt much more confident about handling Julien. She had thought seeing him would send her back to that fearful, hesitant state of mind, but all she felt was good to be with him again.

  Of course, that was probably because he had saved her. She’d see how she felt later, after a long, hot bath and a funny movie. And Julien right by her side.

  * * *

  Sheriff McKenzie met them at Skylar’s house, Julien having made the call on their way back. She explained all that had transpired and described the man.

  “He looked like Wes,” she said.

  “It wasn’t him,” the sheriff said, stunning her. Why would he say such a thing?

  “Charlotte called earlier today and said she was staying with her parents,” he said. “She didn’t tell anyone because she didn’t want Wes to know. I had the local authorities verify that it was Charlotte McKann I spoke with and they did.”

  That came as a startling blow. Skylar looked at Julien, who didn’t appear as surprised as her.

  “They’ve had some domestic issues for some time now and she’s filing for divorce,” Sheriff McKenzie continued. “There’s been no physical or verbal abuse. From what I can gather, Charlotte is not happy being a cowgirl.”

  Skylar almost laughed at the way the sheriff said that. She didn’t, though, because something rang true in her soul. She had grown up a cowgirl and had loved every minute. Still did. But was that her true calling? Oddly, she could relate to Charlotte. Maybe not completely. Charlotte had likely never had an affinity for ranch life but had married Wes anyway. Skylar could hardly blame her. Wes was an extremely masculine man, with good looks to attract just about any woman he chose—if they could get around his brooding tendencies. He truly did need a woman to break through that austere wall.

  “I’ve closed her missing person case,” the sheriff said, looking at Julien.

  “Why didn’t she want Wes to know where she was?” Skylar asked, still unwilling to dismiss Wes as a suspect.

  Sheriff McKenzie shrugged. “She claimed he loved her and would do anything to hang on to her.”

  “She feared him?” Skylar asked.

  “She’s alive, Sky,” Julien said.

  Yes, and she understood that. She was just having a difficult time wrapping her mind around Wes’s character. Okay, so he wasn’t a murderer, but why had Charlotte run?

  “Right,” Sheriff McKenzie said. “He isn’t a killer, but he isn’t a man who gives up easily.”

  That painted Wes in a much more romantic light. He would fight for a woman he loved. Now he had lost that woman. Charlotte had disappeared from his life. Abandoned him. A man like Wes McCann wouldn’t take that lightly. Charlotte feared him. Made him feel like a monster.

  When he wasn’t.

  Skylar now realized t
hat Wes was a misunderstood man. He kept to himself and lashed out when he perceived threats. Social threats. Personal threats. She suddenly felt contrite for not seeing that sooner. And yet, he reacted poorly to those perceived threats.

  Skylar suspected Wes had a history that impacted his ability to socially interact and she wondered what it was. He may not realize the dysfunctional parts of his past, but he was not beyond redemption.

  Be that as it may, she and Julien were at a roadblock in the investigation. Charlotte was alive and well. The last missing person was Benson’s wife, Audrey.

  Hearing Julien continue the conversation with the sheriff, Skylar returned to the present.

  “With Charlotte safe, that leaves Davett the only other suspect,” Julien said.

  “Yes, and my office will be looking into him a lot closer. I’ll keep you posted,” Sheriff McKenzie said.

  Julien nodded. “This changes my focus considerably.” He turned to Skylar. “Is it possible that the masked man fits the physical description of Benson Davett?”

  Skylar thought on that, mentally comparing build, height, size and other physical characteristics. She recalled seeing the masked man’s dark hair and eyes. His eyes had also been dark. His voice had not been loud, but she could say it had been commanding. The timbre, however, was different.

  “It’s possible if Davett deliberately changed the tone of his voice.” She looked at Julien and could immediately tell he had decided Davett was his number one suspect.

  * * *

  A few days later, Skylar got her wish to take Julien to a festival. He walked with her toward the food trucks lined up around a flurry of activity. A country music band played. A Ferris wheel turned and other rides had kids screaming. People walked with dogs, and children held cotton candy, sodas and stuffed animals. Skylar came for the fun and Julien came because he knew the lawyer would be there today. He knew because he had arranged to have his phone bugged, something he had done without police knowledge.

  Skylar looked fetching in a blue spring dress with a light, flowy, waist-length jacket. She had her hair down and wore some light makeup. She didn’t dress like this very often and he had a feeling he had something to do with it. He preferred to think that anyway.

  “Do they have hayrides here?” he asked.

  “Hayrides. Pony rides. Carnival rides. Everything.”

  “Let’s start with the Ferris wheel, then maybe win you a stuffed animal, take in some food trucks and country music and finish up with a hayride.”

  “Now you’re talking like a cowboy,” she said.

  “A city man who has been coerced into a hayride.”

  She laughed lightly. “You saved the best for last.”

  “Cities have festivals, too,” he said.

  “Yes, but not in this kind of setting.” She reached her arms out and turned in a circle.

  This festival was on the county fairgrounds. It smelled like horse manure and hay, and rolling hills surrounded the buildings and festival grounds.

  She took his hand and all but dragged him to the Ferris wheel. They stood in line and shortly thereafter had their seats.

  Julien enjoyed being with her. It didn’t matter where. He hadn’t told her, but he had needed that break as much as she had. Their lovemaking had rocked him far more than he had anticipated. Sure, he had known sex with her would be great, but he had not anticipated it’d be life-changing. Add to that the incredible fear that had gripped him with the thought of losing her to a madman, and a sense of panic and lack of control had hung over him ever since.

  Although he never felt a stronger need to guard his heart, he didn’t want Skylar to know. He didn’t want to hurt her. He could not get past the fact that he had been severely burned before with Renee. He had told Skylar about her but he had not revealed the extent of the damage her betrayal had caused him. Yes, he considered it a betrayal.

  Renee had led him to believe she’d felt the same as he had. She’d talked of a house in a rural subdivision, with two kids and a dog. Going on vacations. She had said she loved him, that she had never met a man who made her feel the way she did. Then she’d turned around and thrown it in his face. Everything she had said about having a family with him had been a lie. She had lied about loving him, too. After they broke up, Julien surmised it had been his trust fund that had attracted her to him. But when faced with what she’d have to do to get it, Renee had abandoned her gold-digging plan.

  He really did not want to go through the pain of betrayal again.

  “Well, that isn’t how a Ferris wheel ride should go.” Skylar’s words jolted him from his reverie.

  Julien looked up and realized he had been in troubled thought the entire ride, paying no attention to her. The wheel stopped and they exited the ride.

  “Sorry.”

  “What were you thinking about?” she asked.

  He wouldn’t get into that now. Not today. “Come on. Let’s go win you a stuffed animal.” He took her hand and walked with her to the Shoot Out the Star game.

  “Of course, a gun game,” Skylar said.

  Though she sounded jovial, he could see she wondered what had had him so preoccupied.

  At his turn, he picked up the BB gun and aimed for the tiny red star. He fired several times until the star was gone, then put the gun down and looked from Skylar to the booth attendant. She wore an openmouthed smile while the young man with long hair looked stunned.

  “You Jessie James or somethin’?” the man asked.

  “I was a cop.”

  “No fair, man.”

  Skylar chose the giant white tiger and on they went to the country music band and food trucks. There were tacos, hotdogs and hamburgers, three types of barbecue, ice cream, mac ’n’ cheese, and one that offered Cuban sandwiches.

  Skylar veered toward the Cuban and ordered a traditional roasted pork sandwich, as did Julien. They found a picnic table and listened to the music while they ate. All the while, he felt Skylar’s curiosity, or maybe it was trepidation, as though she didn’t have to be told what had transported Julien so far away from the present. She couldn’t promise him his dream and he couldn’t promise her a future.

  Nevertheless, being with her made him feel good.

  He looked around for Benson and spotted him sitting with his paralegal, Maria Morales. No one else from his firm was there and Julien found it peculiar that the lawyer would not only attend a food truck festival, but that he would come to a small town like this. Benson didn’t strike him as a country guy. He also didn’t seem to be thinking much of his missing wife. Rather, he seemed relaxed.

  As Julien watched, Maria leaned closer and said something that made Benson smile. Maria was a stunning, dark-haired, dark-eyed woman who wore a low-dipping red blouse. The way the lawyer looked at her set off an alert inside Julien.

  Were they having an affair?

  As he and Skylar sat there listening to the music, Julien didn’t take his eyes off the couple. After about thirty minutes, Benson and Maria headed for the parking area. Julien planned to look into their relationship further. For now...

  “How about that hayride?” he said to Skylar.

  She smiled and he knew that being with him made her feel good, too.

  As they threw out their trash and headed for the horses and buggies, the mood began to lift. Julien was going to enjoy this. He had never been on a wagon before; this would be a first. He had never ridden a horse before that last time, either. Though he had grown up on a farm, it had been nothing like Skylar’s ranch. There’d been no livestock. Still, being here brought back memories of his boyhood, none of which were bad. He began to wonder what had driven him to the city. The isolation, yes. Being far away from his friends, yes. Nothing fun to do...

  Now that he’d thought about it, he realized those had all been the aspirations of a young man embarking on manhood. Isolation w
asn’t terrible. His friends had all gone their own ways and were now living their own lives. And as for fun things to do? He was having fun right now.

  “You’re doing it again,” Skylar said.

  He climbed up onto the back of the wagon and took a seat beside her on a bale of hay.

  “Sorry,” he said. “It won’t happen again.”

  “It’s all right. What’s on your mind?”

  He put his arm along the back of the wood rail behind her. “Let’s not talk about that now.”

  She met his eyes in an intuitively understanding way. “I’m torn, too, Julien. No matter what, we’ll both make the right choice.”

  Her time alone had given her closure, apparently. He wished he could say the same. The lesson the past had taught him was too painful to ignore, however. Judging from what Skylar had just said to him, she likely already knew that. He felt connected to her more than ever, and didn’t see how he could ever give her up.

  Chapter 13

  Julien waited with Skylar in his BMW outside Benson’s law firm. Rather than announce their arrival this afternoon, they’d question Benson’s workers again—this time about his personal relationship with his paralegal. Scanning the parking lot, he recognized the lawyer’s executive assistant from their earlier meeting. At the time, Harper Evans had had nothing to say, but he’d try again. Julien opened his door.

  Skylar stopped him. “I’ll stay here. I don’t want her to feel intimidated. Having two people descend on her might make her clam up.”

  “All right.” He got out and walked toward the woman.

  A brunette in her early twenties, Harper stopped walking when she saw him. She held herself in a refined manner, but her eyes took on a wary look. That was enough to tell Julien she feared what he would ask.

  “Hello, Ms. Evans,” Julien greeted. “I’d like a word with you.”

  “You already had a word with me. What do you want now?” She turned a worried glance back at the office building.