Love Inspired Suspense December 2015, Box Set 2 of 2

by Margaret Daley

  The linen cart still sat outside her door, and she pushed it closer to the entrance to her room in hopes of delaying him. Behind her she could hear him yelling obscenities at her as he tried to follow.

  She looked down the hall and decided her best avenue of escape was down the steps. She ran toward the stairs as fast as she could go. The sound of the door to her room crashing against the wall sent a wave of terror through her, but she didn’t look back. At the end of the hall an exit sign above a door blinked its welcome to her, and she pushed through it like a speeding rocket. Her foot slipped as she hit the first step going down, and she stumbled, barely managing to grab the handrail.

  Pain shot up her leg from her ankle, but she couldn’t slow down. Escape was just a few feet away. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when the door at the top of the stairs crashed open, and a man’s footsteps echoed on the first steps.

  She staggered down the last two steps and launched herself at the door leading into the lobby. The security officer near the hotel’s front door looked around in surprise as she plowed into the room. She stumbled toward him.

  “Help me!” she cried. “There’s a man trying to kill me!”

  The officer’s eyebrows arched as he stared past her. Before he could get his gun from the holster, a shot rang out, and he toppled to the floor. Mia glanced over her shoulder and screamed at the sight of Tony behind her, rage on his face evident under the red burn marks. He glared and pointed his gun at her.

  Mia put up her hands and glanced around the lobby. Scared guests sat huddled in chairs and on the floor as they watched Tony stride closer to her. She backed away until she was beside the concierge’s desk. His muffled voice drifted up from beneath the desk where he crouched on the floor. Her heartbeat quickened as she realized he was on the phone with the police.

  Tony must have heard him, too, because he fired one shot at the desk. A groan followed by silence sent chills racing up Mia’s spine. A woman across the lobby screamed, and Tony turned the gun in her direction.

  Mia knew it was now or never. The front door was only a few feet away. If she ran, Tony might follow her and leave the others in the lobby alone. And she might be able to evade capture until the police arrived. She had only a split second to decide before he shot the woman who had yelled.

  Breathing a quick prayer for God to watch over all of them, she turned and bolted for the front door.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Lucas pocketed the receipt for the gasoline he’d just purchased, climbed back in the car and turned the key in the ignition. Good thing he’d noticed the gas gauge had been nearing empty when he left the hotel. He felt more comfortable knowing his vehicle was ready to go if he received an urgent call in the middle of the night.

  He’d just put the car in gear when his cell phone rang. Ryan’s name and number flashed on the caller ID on the vehicle’s dashboard screen. With a frown he connected the call.

  “Hey, Ryan. What’s up?”

  “Where are you, Lucas?”

  Lucas stiffened at the curt tone. “I left Mia at the hotel, and now I’m headed home. I stopped for gas. Why?”

  “Because I’m at the house of Mrs. Peterson, who lives across the street from you. Her daughter came home from work and found her mother tied to a chair in the living room. She’s been held prisoner in her home all day by a man who’s been watching your house from her front window.”

  “What?” Lucas shouted.

  “Yeah, he stole her car and left nearly an hour ago. The EMTs are getting ready to take her to the hospital, but I pulled up Tony Chapman’s picture on my cell phone. She identified him as the man.”

  Lucas’s stomach clenched. This explained how Chapman knew Ryan had come to his house. The memory of seeing Mrs. Peterson’s car pulling out of her garage flashed into Lucas’s mind, and he sucked in his breath. How could he have dismissed what he’d seen without checking on it? He hadn’t even looked to see if Mrs. Peterson’s car had followed him to the hotel. He had to get to Mia right away. But he might already be too late. If his negligence had caused anything to happen to her, he would never forgive himself.

  “I’m heading back to the hotel,” he yelled as he floored the accelerator and did a quick turn onto the street from where he had just come.

  Swerving in and out of traffic, his hand pressed to the car’s horn and his caution lights blinking, he drove like a madman toward the hotel. Behind him he could hear sirens. The police had to be after him for speeding. Good. He increased his speed. Now to lead them right to the hotel.

  He roared into the hotel driveway and screeched to a stop at the front door. He was out of the car by the time the engine died. Suddenly the front door of the hotel swung open, and Mia ran outside, her face a mask of terror.

  Her eyes grew wide when she saw him. “Lucas!” she screamed. “Tony Chapman’s after me.”

  He reached her in two steps, grabbed her by the arm and propelled her behind him. He held her with one arm protectively as he shielded her with his body and pulled his gun from its holster with his other hand. Behind him three police cars and two ambulances came to a halt, and suddenly officers swarmed around them.

  “Where is the shooter, ma’am?” one of the men asked.

  Mia raised a shaking hand and pointed toward the hotel entrance. “Inside.”

  Lucas glanced at the door, and the image of a man holding a gun was visible through the glass. A surprised look flashed on his face before he turned and disappeared from sight.

  Mia had seen the same thing. “That’s him!” she screamed.

  The police officers fanned out, some going around the side of the hotel and others toward the door. As they moved forward, their guns drawn, Lucas pulled Mia back toward his car. Two EMTs jumped from each of the ambulances, and the four crouched low as they followed the lawmen to the door. Evidently they expected a large number of injuries and had come prepared. Within minutes all of them disappeared into the building.

  Lucas pulled Mia around to the far side of his car, using the vehicle as somewhat of a shield for them. He stopped beside the car’s back door, shoved his gun in its holster and grasped her by both arms. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, and then it was as if the fight went out of her body. She sagged and would have dropped to the ground if he hadn’t been holding her. His grip on her tightened, and he pulled her to him. She clutched his jacket with both hands and buried her face in his chest as she sobbed. He wrapped one arm around her waist and held her as his other hand stroked the back of her head. She’d taken her hair down from its earlier ponytail, and the strands felt like silk slipping through his fingers. He swallowed at the memory that hit him in the pit of his stomach, but he couldn’t pull his hand away.

  “Don’t cry,” he whispered. “It’s over now. The police will catch him.”

  “H-he shot two people inside, and he was going to kill me.”

  A shiver went through her, and her fingers tightened on his coat. After a moment she quieted, and he loosened his hold on her. “Tell me what happened.”

  She took a deep breath and pulled away. Another tear trickled from her eye, and she swiped at it with her fingers. “I shouldn’t have opened the door,” she said.

  He listened as she told him what had transpired in her room after he had left. When she’d finished, he shook his head in regret. “I shouldn’t have brought you here and left you alone. I’m sorry.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. I didn’t think it would be so easy for him to find me.”

  Lucas exhaled. “I’m afraid that’s my fault, too.”

  Her eyes grew wide as he related what Ryan had told him on the phone. “So, I made a mistake, and you almost died because of it,” he said. “I’m so sorry, Mia, but I promise you it won’t happen again. I’m going to protect you until this guy is caught.”

  At that moment the hotel door opened, and one of the policemen walked outside. Mia straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. “Maybe they already hav
e captured him.”

  Lucas recognized Matt Devlin, the officer walking toward him. He’d met him several times at the precinct when Lucas had been returning a fugitive to custody. It wasn’t difficult to tell from Matt’s somber expression that he didn’t have good news for them.

  Matt stopped in front of them and shook his head. “Looks like he gave us the slip. The officers that circled to the back of the hotel saw him run out the rear entrance as they were coming around the corner of the building. They chased him for two blocks before he circled back around, jumped in a car and took off. They got the license plate and notified dispatch, but no one has spotted the car yet.”

  “Probably my neighbor’s car. He’ll ditch it and steal another one soon.”

  Mia glanced at the hotel entrance and then back to Matt. “What about the security officer and the concierge that Tony shot? How are they?”

  Matt’s forehead wrinkled. “The security officer has lost a lot of blood. The EMTs are trying to get him stabilized so they can transport him. The concierge has a flesh wound in the shoulder and should be okay. If he hadn’t taken the chance on making the call to 911, Chapman might have shot a lot more people. He’s the hero today.”

  Mia swallowed, and her eyes filled with tears. “May I see him?”

  Matt nodded. “They’ll be out with him in a minute. You should be able to speak to him then.” He turned toward Lucas and fixed him with a steady gaze. “What’s your connection to this, Knight?”

  “Mrs. Lockhart hired me to find Tony Chapman since he jumped bail and has been threatening her. I thought this hotel would be a safe place for her to stay, but I seem to have been wrong.”

  Matt chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.” He glanced back at the entrance and then to Mia. “I have to get back inside, but I’ll need to take your statement before you leave.”

  Lucas nodded. “We’ll wait for you.”

  Matt nodded and turned back to the front doors just as they opened. Two of the EMTs emerged pushing a gurney bearing the concierge. Pain etched his pale face, and he bit down on his lip. Mia ran forward and met the stretcher as they approached the waiting ambulance. She grasped his hand.

  “Thank you so much for making that call,” she said. “You saved the lives of many people today.”

  A wan smile pulled at his lips. “It’s all part of the job, ma’am. We try to keep our guests safe.”

  “Well, you certainly kept me safe, and I’ll never forget you.”

  He smiled, and then the EMTs hoisted the gurney into the back of the ambulance and shut the door. Lucas stepped up beside Mia and watched as the vehicle pulled out into traffic, its lights flashing.

  Mia exhaled a long breath and turned to stare at Lucas. “I want you to know I’ve learned my lesson. Next time I won’t open the door to my room.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She gave a short chuckle. “I mean that next time I’ll call down to the desk and make sure someone from the hotel has come to my room.”

  Lucas shook his head. “There’s not going to be a next time. You’re not staying here now that Chapman knows where you are.”

  She frowned and tilted her head to one side. “Then do you have another hotel in mind where I can stay?”

  He nodded. “I have the perfect place, and I’m taking you there now.”

  “Where is it?”

  “My parents’ house. You’re going to be their guest until Tony Chapman is caught.”

  *

  “But I can’t go to your parents’ home,” Mia argued for perhaps the tenth time.

  Lucas, who so far had concentrated on driving and appearing deaf to her objections, finally released a long breath and glanced her way. “Knock it off, Mia. You’re going, and that’s all there is to it.”

  “But I haven’t seen them in years, and I’m sure they hate me because of how things ended with us.”

  A muscle in Lucas’s jaw flexed, and his mouth tightened into a grim line. “They don’t hate you. My parents don’t hold grudges.”

  Mia crossed her arms, leaned back and stared out the window at the streetlights as Lucas’s car sped along the Memphis streets. Her stomach roiled at the thought of having to see Lucas’s parents after all this time. How could she face them after she’d treated their son so badly seven years ago?

  “Have you told your mother you’re bringing me there?”

  “No. I called, but her phone went to voice mail. I figured they might have gone out to dinner.”

  She stared at him. “So, you’re going to show up at their door after all these years with me in tow and expect them to unfurl the red carpet? I don’t think so.”

  Lucas glanced at her and rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Mia. My parents are committed to doing whatever they can to help clients of the Knight Agency.”

  “Even if that client is someone who hurt their son in the past?”

  Lucas narrowed his eyes. “Like you said, that’s in the past. It has nothing to do with this case. Now, don’t worry about it anymore.”

  Mia started to protest, but she knew it would do no good. She stared at him for a moment before she cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “You’re sure I won’t make them uncomfortable?”

  “I’m sure. They’re remarkable people, even if they are my parents. When I was going through such a rough time after you broke up with me, they would always tell me that I needed to pray for you. My mother would say that we often don’t like things that people do, but we can still like the person that they are. She encouraged me to pray for you, and I did.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “You did?”

  “Yeah. I didn’t know where you were or what you were doing. But I would pray that God would watch over you. I prayed that even on the days I was the angriest with you, and that’s what finally saved me. One day I realized there was no need to hate you anymore. Of course if I had known what you were going through, I might have prayed harder.”

  She stared off into space a few seconds before she turned to him and smiled. “Maybe it was those prayers that protected me when I thought nothing could. Thank you, Lucas.”

  He reached over and took her hand in his. “I’m sorry I forgot that when you appeared on my doorstep. At the first sight of you I’m afraid all my old feelings came back, but I have them under control now. If I’m going to help you, we need to be friends. So let’s put the past behind us and live in the present. There’s a killer out there who needs to be caught.”

  Her vision blurred with unshed tears, and she smiled. “That sounds good. Thank you, Lucas.”

  He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he cleared his throat and smiled. “What do you say to getting something to eat before I take you to my parents’ house? I promise I’ll keep a better lookout for someone following us this time. I won’t let anything happen to you again.”

  She only hoped that no harm came to him or his family because of the trouble she’d brought here. The thought that she might be the cause of misfortune for them was even more worrying than the thought of Tony Chapman making good on his threat to put three bullet holes in her head.

  *

  Lucas drained the last drop from his coffee cup and set it back in the saucer as he let his gaze drift over the other customers in the restaurant. He’d chosen this place because it was blocks away from the hotel where Mia had encountered Tony Chapman. He’d taken a circuitous route getting there and had kept a close watch for any car that might be following, but he’d seen nothing out of the ordinary.

  Across from him, Mia slid the last bite of pecan pie into her mouth and reached for her coffee cup. She’d raised it a few inches when it suddenly slipped from her hand and clattered to the saucer. Before he could say anything she grabbed her napkin and swabbed at the stain on the white tablecloth.

  A waitress appeared at the side of the table, a dish towel in her hand, and smiled down at Mia. “Let me help you with that.”

  Mia’s face flushed as she stare
d up at the young woman and then back to Lucas. “I’m sorry.”

  The waitress shook her head. “No problem. We have accidents like this all the time.” She finished soaking up the stain and set Mia’s cup upright in the saucer. “Would you like some more coffee?”

  Mia shook her head. “No, but thank you for your help.”

  The woman smiled again before heading toward the kitchen. When she’d disappeared inside, Mia folded her hands in her lap and stared down at them. “I’m sorry to be so clumsy, Lucas. I’ll be more careful next time.”

  Something in the tone of her voice made Lucas’s stomach twist, and he almost gasped aloud. The expression on Mia’s face reminded him of a penitent child, one who was awaiting some harsh punishment. Mia might be away from Kyle, but apparently she was still paying the price of what he’d done to her emotionally.

  After a moment he clasped his hands in front of him on the table and leaned closer. “Mia,” he said softly, “it’s okay. No big deal. Just some spilled coffee. No one’s angry with you.”

  She didn’t look up right away, but when she did, his heart pricked at the fear in her eyes. “Old habits die hard, Lucas. If this had happened at home with Kyle, I would be lying on the floor with blood pouring from my nose right now.”

  Lucas swallowed the bile that rushed into his mouth and tried to smile. “Well, you’re not at home, and Kyle is never going to hurt you again. In fact, we need to get going so I can get you to my parents’ home.”

  Her gaze drifted over his face for a moment before a weak smile pulled at her lips. “Thank you for being so nice to me, Lucas. But I should have known you would be. You always were a wonderful person, and I treated you so badly. I have regretted that more than you’ll ever know.” She took a deep breath and straightened her back. “But I want you to know that you don’t have anything to fear from me. I haven’t come back into your life expecting that we can regain what we once had. I think we both know that isn’t possible. We’re different people now than we were then.”

  “I’m glad you see it that way, Mia. It makes it easier for me to work for you.”