What did she do in her previous life to deserve this? She finally meets a genuinely nice guy and he’s so unavailable, it’s not even funny. Meg rolled her eyes. Who was she going to fall for next? Some mafia drug lord?
She shifted in the tub, not wanting to stand up, but she knew she had to get out before the water got too cold. It wouldn’t be fair to Cade. She wrung out the washcloth and draped it over the side of the tub. Then she stood and grabbed her towel.
She dressed and wrapped her hair in the towel before leaving the bathroom. The house was completely dark, so she picked up one of the jar candles and made her way through the maze of rooms until she got to the great room. Cade sat by the fireplace, a book in his hands. He looked up when she entered. “You done?”
“It’s all yours. What are you reading?”
He tossed the book onto her pile of blankets. “Just something I found in the library. Thought it looked interesting.”
As she neared, she saw the title. A Time to Kill. John Grisham. A shiver went through her and she couldn’t help but think of Cade’s girlfriend. She lifted her gaze to him. He didn’t seem to see her unease. He stood and crossed the room.
“I hope the water is still warm,” she said.
He didn’t turn to her. “I’m sure it is.”
Meg tossed the book onto the coffee table and made herself comfortable by the fire. It was stupid to think Cade was capable of murdering his girlfriend. Right? He was so considerate. Surely, he was wrongly accused. Or she was being stupid, like all the years she clung to Travis while he hurt her, making excuses for him.
The thought that she was doing the same thing here that she’d done with Travis didn’t sit well with her. Could Cade really have a dark side to him? A shudder went through her, and she pushed all thoughts of murder out of her head. He hadn’t touched her once since she’d been with him. Actions spoke louder than anything.
Exhaustion seeped into her bones as she piled up the pillows behind her back. She would sleep well tonight. She pulled her ukulele onto her lap and strummed it. The sound was comforting, so she continued. She played with chords for a while before a song started to form. Meg closed her eyes and let the song materialize. Once she had the tune, she worked on the lyrics, singing a verse and then reworking it in her head, and then repeating it.
When she thought she had it how she wanted it, she started at the beginning and sang it all the way through. As she finished the last of the chords, the hardwood floor creaked and she jerked her head.
Cade stood at the doorway. He held out his hand, a guilty look on his face. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“That’s okay.” She’d been songwriting for a while and had gotten caught up in it and forgotten where she was.
“I’ve never heard that song before.” He joined her on the blankets. He wore a pair of lounge pants and a T-shirt. They looked good on him. He must have picked them up at the store today. He sat cross-legged, and his gaze probed hers.
“I made it up.”
His eyebrows rose. “Just now?”
She nodded, feeling a bit self-conscious. How much of the song had he heard?
“It was good. Really good.”
Was he just saying that? She wasn’t sure. She didn’t know him that well. Fingering the strings on the instrument, she stared at the blankets. “How long were you standing there?”
“Long enough.”
She dared a glance at him. His gaze was soft, the corners of his eyes crinkled in an unseen smile. He motioned to her lap. “Play more.”
It was one thing to sing while Cade was in the other part of the house and have him hear her when she didn’t know he was behind her. It was another altogether to sing with him sitting right there, looking at her. Nerves shot through her and she shook her head. “I can’t.”
His emerald gaze seemed to penetrate through her. “It’s just me. Pretend I’m not even here.”
She fiddled with the corner of the blanket, studying the stitching. Maybe it would be okay to sing one song. It was only Cade, right? She slowly raised her gaze. “All right.”
Cade’s lips curled up into a smile. He nodded at her when she hesitated. Then she picked up her ukulele and started strumming. She didn’t even know which song she was going to sing until it started coming out of her. It was one she’d written six months ago as she was going through a tough time with Travis.
She closed her eyes and let the melody wash over her. The song was therapeutic, and the lyrics made her emotional. When she finished, she let the sound fade away before opening her eyes. Cade sat staring at her, an unreadable look on his face.
“That was amazing.”
“You don’t have to say that.” Meg could feel a blush cover her cheeks.
“I’m serious. Your voice is so unique and so beautiful. You’ll be a star someday, Meg. I know it.”
She wanted to laugh at him, but something held her back. He was paying her a genuine compliment, she knew it. “Thanks.”
The sound of breaking glass came from the back of the house and Cade jumped to his feet, his eyes wide. “Did you hear that?”
Meg’s heart pounded. “Yes. What was it?”
“I don’t know. Stay here. I’ll go check it out.” Cade scanned the room and grabbed the iron poker from beside the fireplace. He walked to the arched doorway, his bare feet padding on the hardwood flooring. He peeked around the corner, then he slipped into the darkness.
Meg clutched the blankets. Was there a burglar? Or maybe another animal had gotten in and knocked her water glass off the kitchen counter? She held her breath as she waited for a sound. Any sound that would be louder than the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.
Chapter 10
Cade clutched the fireplace poker in his hand and stepped into the music room. The sound had come from this part of the house, he was sure of it. Moonlight streamed in from the high circular window, hitting the shiny black wood on the grand piano. He scanned the room. The curtains moved, and he froze. Was someone hiding?
As he crept across the room, he kept his gaze trained on the bottom of the fabric. When he was close enough, he took the poker and moved the curtain. Cool air rushed at him from an open window. He stared at it. How had he not noticed? He’d thought he’d checked all the windows.
He took a step forward to close it and pain sliced through his foot. Glass. He froze. Upon further examination, he realized a section of glass near the window lock was broken. Someone was in the house. He picked the piece of glass out of the bottom of his foot, wincing at the stabbing.
Scanning the room again, he turned and raised the fireplace poker, gripping it harder. “Come out,” he called. “I know you’re in here.” Silence answered him.
After he checked the music room thoroughly and found no one, he checked the library and the kitchen. He winced as each step sent a stab of pain up his heel. He opened the door to the pool room and stepped onto the concrete. A rough hand grabbed him from behind and Cade dropped the poker. It clattered on the cement, echoing through the massive room.
The man wrapped his arm around Cade’s neck, cutting off his air. “Don’t move.” His voice was gruff, and he smelled of cigarettes.
Cade struggled against the man until he pressed a gun to Cade’s temple. “I mean it. Stop moving.”
Cade froze, and the man loosened his grip. Cade sucked in a breath of air. “What do you want?”
“There’s a girl here with you. Where is she?”
Travis. It had to be. How had he found them? There was no way he was going to take him to Meg. Cade nodded, but as soon as the man let go of his neck, he turned and threw a punch. His fist smashed into Travis’s jaw. His head snapped back, and Cade grabbed for the gun.
Travis’s grip was tight, and he yanked the gun away. Cade picked up the poker and swung it. It connected with Travis’s arm. He cried out and Cade made another grab for the gun.
“Stop fighting or you’ll regret it,” the man said as Cade desperat
ely tried to get the weapon away from him.
“I’m going to call the police.” Cade couldn’t call the police, but Travis wouldn’t know that.
The man tried to get the gun pointed at Cade’s head, but Cade was too strong. The gun went off and one of the high windows shattered. Cade twisted Travis’s arm, so the pistol was pointed at Travis’s chest.
Travis scowled and moved forward, forcing Cade back toward the empty pool. Cade struggled to gain his footing, but Travis wore boots and Cade’s bare feet slid helplessly on the concrete, his injured foot leaving streaks of blood.
“Where is the girl?” Travis said.
Cade shoved the iron poker under the man’s chin, trying to cut off his air while still holding the gun off himself. “What do you want with her?”
The man snarled. “I don’t leave witnesses.”
Cade’s foot was to the edge of the pool. He could feel the rough corner. Travis shoved Cade just as Cade twisted, sending them both over the edge. Travis hit the dry cement, Cade landing on top of him, the gun still pointed at Travis’s chest.
A shot sounded.
Cade scrambled off the man as a pool of blood formed under Travis’s lifeless body. A scream pierced the air. Cade turned to see Meg standing on the edge of the pool.
He ran to the ladder and climbed up, then he pulled Meg into his arms. “It’s okay now. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
Meg stiffened in his arms, and when he released her, she took a step back from him. Her gaze bounced from him to Travis lying on the bottom of the empty pool. “You killed him.”
Cade felt a slow panic rise in his chest. “He was after you. He had a gun. I was protecting you.”
“What do you mean, he was after me? I don’t even know who that man is.”
His throat constricted, and he had to force air through. The man at the bottom of the pool stared up at the high ceiling, his long hair fanned out around his head. He had a scar under his left eye. “That’s not Travis?”
“No!” Meg stepped back again, her face a deathly white. “You killed a stranger.”
Meg’s words filtered through the fog in his brain. If this wasn’t Travis, who was he? Had Travis sent him?
He took a step toward Meg, but she shied away from him, staring at him with wide eyes. Cade swallowed the bile burning his throat. “He broke into the house. He had a gun.”
Meg didn’t move, didn’t even acknowledge he’d spoken, and Cade grew desperate. “He would have killed both of us. It was self-defense, I swear.”
She seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in. “Yes. Of course.” She turned from the pool as if to shield herself from the grotesque scene. “You had to.”
“We have to get out of here.”
Meg’s gaze snapped back to him. “What?”
“Someone knows we’re here.”
“Your brother,” she whispered as her hand flew to her face.
“No. Travis.”
“How would Travis know where we are? He can barely figure out how to cook a microwave dinner. How could he track us?”
A sick feeling started in Cade’s belly. She was right. He had told his brother about Meg, and exactly where they were. It only made sense that Nicholas had sent someone. But Nicholas couldn’t...could he? It was his brother. His own flesh and blood. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “Maybe. All I know is we’re in trouble.”
Cade peered down at the man still clutching the gun. They needed protection. Even though it was almost too disturbing to think about, he started down the ladder.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting the gun.”
Meg’s high-pitched voice echoed through the room. “You’re going to touch him?”
Cade knelt, careful to avoid the pool of blood. “I have to. We need to be able to defend ourselves.”
Meg didn’t say anything else while he pulled the gun out of the man’s hand and climbed back up the ladder. “We need to leave. Now.”
Meg swallowed and nodded. “Okay.”
“Just grab your essentials. We have no idea if anyone else is coming.”
“You’re limping. Is that blood?”
Cade didn’t stop. “It’s nothing. We have to hurry.”
“It’s not nothing. You’re hurt.” Meg pulled on his arm until he slowed. “How bad is it?”
“Not bad. I just stepped on some glass. It will heal.”
“Let me clean the cut before we leave then.”
Panic rose again in him. “Let’s clean it after we get to a hotel. Right now, we have to get out of here.” The gun felt heavy in his hand.
Meg seemed to quickly calculate something in her head before she nodded. “All right.”
He rushed to gather his clothes and some toiletries, stuffing them into a duffle bag along with the cash his brother had wired. He pulled on his shoes, not even bothering with socks. Meg grabbed her ukulele and headed toward the front door.
“Is that all you’re taking?”
“Most of my clothes are still in the back seat. This is all I care about.”
Cade blew out the jar candles. “All right then. Let’s go.” When they got to the front door, he grabbed Meg. “Wait. Let me go first, in case that guy wasn’t alone.”
Meg jumped back. “You think there could be more of them?”
“I don’t know, but it’s best to be careful.” He opened the door and scanned the front yard, holding the gun. A black truck sat next to Meg’s car. He couldn’t see anyone in the windows, so he crept out onto the front steps.
“I think we’re okay,” he whispered. “But wait there for me. Once I get to your car, I’ll drive up and you can get in.”
“All right.” She handed him the keys. “Don’t take too long. I’m jumpier than a hamster hopped up on caffeine.”
He made a face at her. “What?”
She shoved him forward. “Just go!”
Cade crept toward the Mustang. Nothing moved inside the truck. As he neared, he could see the truck was empty. Relief flooded over him as he unlocked the Mustang and took the driver’s seat. He tossed his bag into the back along with the gun and cranked the key. After the car started, he shoved it into drive and floored it. He jerked to a stop beside the front steps.
Meg got into the car and slammed the door. He pulled out onto the driveway then followed it to where it connected to the road. “I think we’re okay. No one else was in the truck. I think he was alone.”
She tugged her seatbelt over her and clicked it into place. “Where will we go?”
“It doesn’t matter. Anywhere. I have money now.”
“Cash?”
Cade nodded.
“How much?”
“Ten thousand.”
Meg choked. “You have ten thousand dollars in cash?”
“Yes.” He concentrated on following the twisty road down the mountain. The last thing they needed was to get into an accident. The adrenaline pumping through him was making his pulse race.
Meg gripped the armrest. “Do you have to drive so fast?”
“I want to get as far away from here as I can.”
“Speeding will only get you pulled over. By a cop. You’re a wanted man, with a murder weapon. And ten thousand dollars.”
Cade slowed the car. “You’re right. We don’t want to get stopped.”
Meg rubbed her forehead, a frown on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
She cringed and shook her head. “Nothing.”
“No, tell me.” He gripped the steering wheel so hard, it felt like he was going to pull the thing off.
“We’re both fugitives now, aren’t we?”
A wave of guilt crashed into Cade. He’d pulled Meg into this. She was innocent. He was the criminal. He was the one who had run when he saw the chance. He’d dragged her into his crazy world. He sighed. “No. You’re not.”
She gave him a flat look. “I’m aiding and abetting. I could go to prison for running with you. Helping you
.”
She was right, and he suddenly hated himself for what he’d done. He should never have involved this woman in his life. He should have taken off on foot instead of climbing into her car. His life was in shambles, and now he’d dragged Meg into it. He could have gotten her killed.
Cade clenched his jaw. Maybe he could make things right again. He could get her settled in a hotel room somewhere. Then after he was sure she was safe, he could leave. If he left her some money, she’d be fine.
His resolve hardened as he saw the desperate look on Meg’s face. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
Chapter 11
Meg woke with a start. When had she fallen asleep? She’d been too keyed up to sleep the first few hours on the road. She must have dozed off somewhere around two o’clock. She sat up and peered out the car window. They were stopped, and Cade was pumping gas. It was still dark outside, and she checked the clock. Four-thirty.
The driver’s side door opened, and Cade stuck his head in. “Do you need anything?”
Meg shook her head. “No.”
“Then I’ll go in and pay, and we can head back out on the road.”
She nodded, feeling disoriented. “Where are we?”
“Buffalo, Wyoming.”
That didn’t mean much to Meg. She closed her eyes and laid her head back on the headrest. As he walked into the gas station, she noticed he’d changed out of his clothes. Good thing. He had some of that man’s blood on his shirt.
She moaned and rubbed her temples. What was she doing? She shouldn’t be anywhere near this man. He’d killed that intruder. He may have killed his girlfriend too. Why was she helping him run from the law?
And now he was headed north. To Canada? He couldn’t get across the border, could he? She had to get out of this situation. This was such a bad idea, it wasn’t even funny. If she stuck with him, his brother would just send another goon after them and she’d end up worse off than if she’d just stayed with Travis. She subconsciously touched the bruise on her cheek.
Saving Cade: A Romantic Suspense Page 6
