by B. J Daniels
TJ bristled. A few too many people had been telling her what to do. She wasn’t one of this woman’s students anymore.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I want to walk so I’ll take my chances getting run down on the road.” She turned and stalked off, keeping to the edge of the road facing traffic so the elderly woman didn’t mow her down on principle.
She heard Ester mumble, “Always was too stubborn for her own good,” before she hit the gas and took off with the chirp of the tires.
Fortunately, town was only a short walk. She found her sisters coming out of the drugstore, both carrying an assortment of packages. They really had been Christmas shopping. She realized that she should be doing some of her own. But she couldn’t get into a holiday mood—not with True Fan so close by.
“Where have you been?” Chloe asked with her usual suspicion.
“Didn’t Annabelle tell you?”
Annabelle, who had been looking into one of her bags she was carrying, looked up at the sound of her name.
“You didn’t tell Chloe where I’d gone?” TJ chastised. What if Tommy had been True Fan? What if she was bound and gagged in his basement?
“Oops, sorry.” Annabelle turned to Chloe. “She went to Tommy Harwood’s house.”
“Not all that helpful now, sis,” TJ said.
“Why in the world would you do that?” Chloe cried.
“I thought he might be True Fan,” she said, suddenly tired. She watched Ester Brown drive by, glaring at her as she passed and turned away from the street. She was reminded of all the reasons she’d left here, threatening never to come back. “Tommy gave me a lecture on my mistakes when it comes to the men I choose.”
Both of her sisters lifted brows at that.
“I’m starved,” Annabelle said quickly to change the subject before they got into an argument on the street. “Let’s go to the Great Northern and have some lunch.”
TJ looked up the street and saw Silas coming out of the Mint Bar. He spotted her and stopped. He’d been headed toward his pickup parked across the street when he saw her. Now he stood as if unsure what to do.
“You guys go on ahead. I’m tired and not hungry right now. I think I’m going to walk home.” She headed toward Silas, ignoring Chloe’s comment that for the first time Tommy Harwood might actually know what he was talking about.
* * *
JUST THE SIGHT of TJ stopped Silas in his tracks. His spirits instantly lifted and just as quickly dropped. Nathan DeAngelo was a lot of things, a liar among them. But this time, Silas believed the man. He’d found over the years that there really was often some misguided honor among thieves. He also knew how much Nathan had hoped that Silas would adopt his way of thinking when it came to following the letter of the law.
“Hi,” TJ said as she approached. She was frowning.
He realized that she’d seen him come out of the bar. She’d also seen his reaction earlier when he’d spotted DeAngelo crossing the street to the bar. She was too sharp not to have put it together.
As he looked into her beautiful face, he knew he had to keep his distance from her. It was bad enough that Nathan had seen him with TJ. He couldn’t have his enemies using her against him. And at the same time, he couldn’t just dump her unceremoniously.
The thought surprised him since it wasn’t like they were a couple. But he’d promised to help her find True Fan and the one thing he’d lived by all his life was making good on his promises. He also couldn’t put her in any more danger than he had and yet, seeing her, all he wanted to do was take her somewhere, just the two of them. He felt torn. While he shouldn’t be with her right now, he also couldn’t explain himself on the busy street.
A snowflake drifted down, followed by another large lacy one. His breath came out frosty white as he stepped to her. “Is there somewhere we can go and talk?” he asked. “Alone?”
She nodded and let him take her arm as they crossed the street to his pickup. Once inside, he started the engine, waiting for the heater to warm up enough to chase off the frosty chill in the cab. TJ hadn’t said anything since climbing into the passenger seat. Outside, snow began to fall in a blur of white.
“I could take you to one of my favorite places outside of town,” she said, breaking the quiet.
He looked over at her, telling himself all the reasons this was a bad idea and yet unable to simply walk away from her. The heater began to warm, clearing off the frost on the windshield enough that he would be able to see to drive.
Shifting the pickup into gear, he pulled out and followed her directions as they left town and headed northeast. Neither of them spoke as he drove. Snow blew across the highway. He recalled someone telling him they were called snow-snakes. It had a hypnotizing effect. He had to concentrate to keep the pickup on the highway as both the snow on the ground and the now falling snowflakes whipped around the truck.
They’d gone out of town some miles before she told him to turn. He checked his rearview mirror, not for the first time. He didn’t believe they’d been followed. That was the problem with a small town. There was no reason to follow them. All the killer had to do was wait. It would be easy to find Silas’s cabin. This was the kind of job even an amateur should be able to handle.
The road TJ had him turn onto went from snow-packed pavement to deeper snow-covered gravel before she told him to turn once more. He could see an expanse of flat white through the falling snow. As they neared it, he realized it was a frozen-over lake. He saw picnic tables covered with snow under the trees along the edge of the lake and pulled down into one of the campsites.
This one was somewhat sheltered by the trees. He left the engine running, knowing how quickly the cab would get cold without the heater, and watched the snow whirling around them. He liked the intimate feeling. He could almost pretend that they were the only two people on earth in the warm cocoon of the pickup’s cab.
“You’re in some kind of trouble, aren’t you?” TJ said after a few moments.
He glanced over at her and simply nodded. “I can’t let you get dragged into it so I’m going to have to stay away from you for a while.”
“What if that isn’t what I want?” she asked, her voice breaking.
He met her gaze. His blue eyes shone. “It is the last thing I want. I know I promised to help you find True Fan—”
“Is that the only reason?”
“I think you know better than that.” He let out a frustrated sigh and reached over to brush a lock of her hair back from her face.
* * *
TJ CLOSED HER eyes at the warm caress of his fingertips on her cheek.
“Tessa Jane.” He said her name like a curse, his voice thick with emotion. “All I can think about is you. You’ve completely captivated me.”
She opened her eyes and met his blue gaze. Without another word, he reached for her, drawing her across the bench seat of the pickup. She felt a burst of pleasure expand inside her as he wrapped her in his strong arms and kissed her. His mouth was warm and sweet on hers.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since the first time I saw you,” he said pulling back to look into her face.
She kissed him in response, weaving her fingers through the curls at his nape, breathing in the male scent of him. Desire sparked into a blaze inside her. She didn’t care what Tommy or her sisters said. Silas was all man and more enticing than any she’d ever met. She felt safe in his strong arms and desperately wanted to lose herself in him.
He kissed her again, this time slowly, expertly. He deepened the kiss as he slid out from under the steering wheel to pull her onto his lap. She pushed aside his coat and opened the buttons on his shirt until she could press her palms to his rock-solid chest. She felt him shudder, desire a blowtorch in all that blue. Heat pulsed through her to her center.
Silas unzipped her coat and found his way to her bare breast. She arched against him as he thumbed
the already hard nipple to an aching point. His hand slipped into her jeans and panties. He found the spot and she knew this had been building for some time because she cried out as the release came almost immediately.
He drew her to him, holding her as she felt the waves of release ebb through her, leaving her feeling weak. She started to reach for him, but he stopped her and kissed her tenderly. “I hadn’t meant for it to go this far. The first time I make love to you, I don’t want it to be in the front seat of my pickup. I want to take this up sometime soon.” He touched her cheek, his fingertips warm, his gaze filled with desire. He groaned and pulled back his hand. “We should get going.”
She fixed her clothing, zipping her coat. Even with the heater going, the windows had fogged over. This was so not like her. She barely knew this man. This was the kind of thing that Constance would do. For some reason that made her smile to herself.
Silas slid back over under the wheel and turned up the heat. “I’m not going to be able to see you for a while.” He glanced over at her.
“You’re not going to tell me what kind of trouble you’re in.”
He shook his head as he reached over and caressed her shoulder for a moment. “I can’t tell you how much I hate this. But while I’m worried about you and True Fan, being around me right now is more dangerous.”
“I’m getting it narrowed down. I talked to Tommy Harwood today.” She shook her head at the memory. Wouldn’t Tommy love to know about this? She felt her face heat and looked out at the lake for a moment. “It’s not him. I’ve reached a dead end.”
“I thought by following the paper trail we might find this creep. I’m sorry. The paper didn’t lead us anywhere.”
She agreed. “Too many people could have gotten some of that paper even if they hadn’t bought it at the garage sale. But I think you’re right. True Fan is a coward.” She turned toward Silas. “So take care of your trouble and don’t worry about me.”
“That won’t be easy,” he said as he removed his hand from her shoulder and got the truck going. She heard the worry in his voice and knew that whatever trouble he was in, it was serious.
Chapter Sixteen
Silas dropped her off at her house after another kiss. TJ could tell that he hadn’t wanted to let her go any more than she had wanted to leave him. Their feelings for each other had happened so quickly, it scared her. But it also excited her. For the first time in her life, she was being adventurous. It felt good.
She thought about his kisses. It felt wonderful.
“I don’t know when I’ll see you again,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “But know that you won’t be far from my mind.”
She’d wanted to ask him how dangerous this trouble was, but in her heart she knew. She’d seen how scared he’d been when he’d recognized the man crossing the street earlier. Someone from his past? Someone he’d helped put in jail? Whoever it was, the man was dangerous.
Her heart ached. She and Silas had just found each other and now... Both of them had someone who was clearly threatening to hurt them and it had thrown them together. Earlier, at the lake, that feeling of impending doom had pushed them together faster than either of them had wanted.
But there was no denying the chemistry between them. They’d bonded at the cabin. She thought of their card games late at night with a blizzard howling outside the cabin and hugged that memory to her, afraid she might never see Silas alive again.
“This is about those cops you put in prison, isn’t it?” she asked.
He looked at her. She could see him fighting not telling her the truth. “Was that man in town to kill you?”
“No. Warn me.”
Her chest felt as if an elephant had settled on it. “Can you go to the sheriff?”
He shook his head. “I have to take care of it myself.”
“Oh, Silas.”
He touched her cheek again. “I need you to be careful.”
“You too.” They locked gazes for a long moment before he reached over and opened her door. There was nothing more either of them could say.
She watched him drive away before making her way up the porch steps and into the house. Her sisters were in the living room. They’d opened a bottle of wine. Both looked up expectantly at her as she came in and hung up her coat.
“Oh no, you didn’t,” Chloe said.
TJ turned, feeling her face heat even as she denied it. “We kissed and made out some...”
Her sister groaned.
“Oh let her have some fun,” Annabelle said.
As TJ joined them and poured herself a glass of wine, she found herself near tears with worry. “I like him.”
“We can see that,” Chloe said.
“You should invite him to the Christmas dance at the old gym,” Annabelle suggested. “Everyone in town will be there. Dawson and I are going.” She grinned, hugging herself.
“The two of you are killing me,” Chloe said.
“Isn’t there someone you were interested in at the newspaper?” Annabelle asked.
Their sister shrugged. “I dated some, but no, I’ve never met The One.”
“How do you know?” Annabelle said, turning in her chair as she warmed to the subject. “Look at Dawson and me. I left him even when he bought a ring and asked me to marry him. I thought he’d never forgive me. He said I broke his heart.” Her voice cracked with emotion and tears flooded her blue eyes. “But we found our way back to each other. What about your old boyfriend, Justin Calhoun?”
Chloe shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “He wasn’t my boyfriend exactly. Anyway, that ship sailed a long time ago. Didn’t he marry...what was her name?”
“Nicole Kent,” Annabelle said. “But he didn’t marry her. They were engaged—at least according to Nici—but they broke up. She married someone else, got divorced. She lives here with a couple of her sisters and their kids.”
“You’ve certainly gotten caught up on local gossip,” TJ said, and took a sip of her wine. “Didn’t Tommy live with his mother for a long time?”
Annabelle laughed. “As a matter of fact, he did. She died a few years ago and he sold her house and bought that one out by the tracks.”
TJ looked over at Chloe. She seemed to be lost in thought. Justin? The two of them had seemed perfect for each other but Chloe had been on her way to college so nothing had come of it. But TJ had always wondered if Nicole Kent hadn’t been the reason the two hadn’t seen each other after that. She remembered the girl and felt a shiver. That one had always been trouble.
They all jumped at a knock on the door. Exchanging looks, TJ got up this time to answer it.
“You really should get a post office box,” Carol said as she handed her the letter that had come for her. “You’re going to get me fired.”
“Thanks for bringing it by, but if anymore come—”
“Don’t worry. I’ll see that you get them.” Carol turned on the step and, the bells she was wearing jingling, took off toward her vehicle. Carol always wore bells at work this time of year.
TJ looked down at the letter in her hand and realized her hand was shaking.
“Here, let me open that,” Chloe said, taking the letter from her as TJ stepped back inside. She tore it open and pulled out the sheet, discolored like all the others.
This time True Fan didn’t even bother with her name.
I told myself not to take it personally. But you have ignored everything I’ve told you. You seem to think you’re so much smarter than me. You don’t need my help. You never have.
All my attempts to make your books better have been ignored. You find me to be nothing more than a pest you can’t seem to get rid of. Well, that will soon be over. I’ve tried to let it go. But in good conscience I can’t let you go on the way you are.
I don’t think of myself as a violent person. But someone needs to
stop you. This time you’ve gone too far. I guess I’m going to have to do it myself since you didn’t take my advice. You could have done the world a favor by taking your own life, but why would you listen to me now? I’m going to have to take care of this myself. There is apparently no one else.
There was no True Fan to the end. The letter just ended.
Chloe threw it down in disgust. “This person is crazy. I think it’s time to take it to the sheriff.” She got to her feet. “Do you have the other letters that have come since we’ve been here?”
TJ nodded. There was a chilling violence to the letter, as if the person had reached some breaking point. She hugged herself as her big sister made the call.
Annabelle took the empty wine bottle and glasses into the kitchen. She’d finished washing the glasses when there was a knock at the door.
* * *
THERE’D BEEN FEW times in Silas Walker’s life that he hadn’t known what to do. He prided himself on making quick decisions, the kind that had saved his life more than once. But right now he felt adrift. He had no idea who had been sent to kill him—not that it would make much of a difference if he did.
He’d like to think that DeAngelo had exaggerated about just how professional this hit man was. He hoped for an amateur. Or at least someone who would give him a fighting chance by being just bumbling enough to give him a slight edge.
As he drove through the falling snow back toward the cabin, he considered his options. He could return to New York City. Or he could take his chances at the cabin. He couldn’t get TJ off his mind. Right now, the last thing he needed was his mind on anything but staying alive.
Earlier, he and TJ had come close to making love in his pickup. He’d wanted her more than he’d wanted to stay alive at that moment. To find someone like her now, now when his life was on the line, seemed too cruel a cosmic joke. It made him more determined to come out of this kickin’.
He stopped at the turnoff where he still had good cell phone coverage and called his friend and boss. “I just had a visit from my former NYPD partner. My buddies hired a hit man to take me out.”
