by Rebecca Deel
The glare of headlights from an oncoming car lit his SUV’s interior. The vehicle slowed and turned into the driveway across the street. Ethan angled the form, keeping the drive in his peripheral vision. Was Harrington curious enough to investigate?
The tall figure slammed the door and strode across the street. Grim satisfaction curled one corner of Ethan’s mouth.
Already unbuckled, he slid the form back into his work file. Without saying a word, he climbed from the vehicle and waited.
“What’s with the business cards on my windshield, Blackhawk?”
“Delivering a message.”
Harrington glared up at him. “You can’t pick up a phone or convey it in person?”
“Wouldn’t be as effective.” Serena’s bruised lip and tear-streaked face flashed in his mind. He waited a beat, clamping down on the fury swirling in his gut.
“Well, get on with it. I’m on deadline, an assignment for the Gazette. What’s the message?”
“I know what you did.”
“What did Grace . . ?”
Ethan caught the uncertainty before Harrington’s bravado mask slipped into place. What did he mean to say about Grace before he stopped himself? A visit with the caterer might be interesting.
“Nice try, Chief. If you were going to charge me with anything, you’d have me in cuffs already. Now, why are you parked outside my house?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Got a guilty conscience?”
“You didn’t answer my question.” A sly smile crossed his mouth. “Wonder what the town council would think of their new police chief harassing innocent citizens instead of catching a serial burglar?”
Ethan shrugged. “Go ahead and complain. It’s a public street and a visible police presence deters crime.” He opened his door. “See you around, Harrington.”
#
Serena inserted the last bowl, and closed the dishwasher. Steam rose from the blueberry muffins and apple cinnamon muffins cooling on the rack. When they cooled enough, she would wrap them for the early morning trip to the police department.
She wiped her sand-colored countertop. Should she call Ethan? She glanced at the clock on her oven. Just after 8:00. If last night’s late conversation indicated his normal schedule, he may not be home yet. Better not call right now. Plus, she needed to map out the set-up schedule for Saturday’s dinner party.
Her phone rang. Serena eyed the instrument. Another crank call? A flutter brushed against her stomach. Maybe the caller was Ethan. She grabbed the phone in mid-ring. “Hello.”
“Serena?”
She caught her breath and dropped into the nearest chair. “Pam! Where are you? Are you all right?”
“Serena, I’m in trouble.”
What an understatement considering the police and the mob were scouring the countryside for her. “What’s going on, Pam?” Her hand tightened around the phone.
“I can’t tell you.”
“It’s too late for that. Whatever you’re mixed up in has already cost your grandfather his life.” The instant she said those words, Serena wished she could take them back. She didn’t mean to sound so harsh, even if it was the truth.
Pam’s soft sobs drifted through the phone line. “I know. I tried to keep him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“How can I help?” How did Pam progress from being a behind-the-scenes accountant to a fugitive from the mob? Pam had laughed off Serena’s words of caution when she accepted an accounting position with the casino. Had she been in the wrong place at the wrong time or a willing participant in something illegal? And where did that leave Serena? Caught in the middle. Not a good place to be with a killer targeting Pam.
“I need money. They can track me if I use my own funds. Serena, I have to get away from here before they find me.” She sounded desperate. Based on the frenzied destruction at Pam’s house, her friend was right to be scared.
“Money?” Serena winced at her mouse-pitched voice. She coughed and tried for a more moderate tone. “Where can you go? These guys act as if they’ve got deep pocket resources and they’re furious. I don’t have enough money to help you relocate to the moon.”
“I already have a new passport. I just need money to get out of the country.”
“Pam, you can’t run. The police are looking for you.” Jewel plopped down on the floor beside her feet and whined, eyes focused on Serena. She scratched between the dog’s ears, comforting her pet. “You have to turn yourself in. They will protect you.”
“They’ll kill me.” Pam sobbed in earnest now.
Serena stared at the phone. Huh? “Who? The police?”
“Those men.”
Serena shook her head, frustrated. She found their conversation about as helpful as Jewel’s tail-chasing exercise, going nowhere fast. Pam didn’t make much sense. “You said you needed money. How much?”
Pam sniffed. “Maybe $5,000?”
Serena’s mouth dropped open. Five thousand dollars? Pam had to be joking. She’d balanced her checkbook earlier in the morning, and unless some miraculous deposit had appeared in her account, the balance hovered a great deal closer to a couple hundred. In fact, if Serena lost many more clients, she might be the one asking family for loans.
“I know it’s a lot, but I’ll pay you back when all this blows over.”
“Where are you?”
“Promise not to tell anyone where I am first.”
“But Pam . . .”
“I mean it, Serena. I can’t trust anyone but you.”
She wrestled with Pam’s demand. Her instincts told her to get Ethan involved. She promised to let him know if her friend got in touch with her. But if Pam found out about Ethan, she would flee. What should she say? She couldn’t leave her out there without help. Reluctance gave way to resignation. “All right, I promise. Now, where are you?”
Serena wrote the hurried directions Pam gave her to a lodge near Gatlinburg.
“Please hurry, Serena. I’m afraid to stay here much longer. And make sure no one follows you.”
“I can’t use my car. Everyone knows what it looks like, and I can’t guarantee I’d make it anyway. I don’t know yet what I’ll be driving. I’ll call you when I get to the parking lot so you’ll be expecting my knock.”
Serena hung up the phone. What could she do? These guys had already killed one person. Nothing would stop them from coming after her if they found out she helped Pam get away.
There was much about this situation with Pam she didn’t understand. Somehow she had to get Pam help without breaking her promise to her friend or Ethan.
She strode back to her bedroom, Jewel trailing behind. If she intended to act like her favorite private investigator, Olivia Tutweiler, she better dress like her. Dark clothes for sneaking past bad guys and jogging shoes for running if they saw her. She swallowed, her throat tight. For the sake of her own health, they better not see her. In the middle of tying her laces, Serena straightened up and smiled.
#
Ethan pulled into the intersection and turned right. His stomach growled. Good thing he didn’t have a dog. With his weird hours, it would either starve or mope with loneliness.
He turned into his driveway and shut off the SUV’s engine. His cell phone rang. “Blackhawk.” He hoped he didn’t get called out to another domestic abuse case. He didn’t think his bruised heart could take another injured child this soon.
“Ethan, where are you?”
Serena. A smile curved his lips. “I just pulled into my driveway. Why?”
“I need you to do something for me without asking any questions.” Her voice shook with an emotion he couldn’t identify. She sounded strange, tense, maybe afraid. What was going on?
His muscles tightened. “What do you want me to do?” His voice projected a calmness he didn’t feel.
“Are you still in uniform?”
His eyebrows rose. “Yes.” He hadn’t expected that question.
“Change into street clothes, something that
won’t draw attention.” He heard something rattling across the connection, like a paper bag. “Do you have another vehicle besides the SUV?”
“A black pickup.”
“Will you come get me in the truck? I’m at home.”
His heart pounded, adrenaline surging through his body. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Ethan?” She hesitated. “Could you sort of act like we’re going out on a date?” Serena sounded embarrassed and unsure of herself.
Ethan sat silent a moment, his uneasiness growing. Was someone else with Serena making her call him? Would he be walking into a trap? “Serena, can you answer one question?”
“Depends on what it is.” Caution edged her voice.
“Are you alone? Are you all right?”
Serena chuckled. “That’s two questions, and the answer to both is yes. I’m sorry about the cloak and dagger thing, but I don’t know how else to do this.”
The tension in his body eased. He filled his lungs, waiting for his racing pulse to slow. He threw open his door. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Ethan unlocked his apartment door and glanced at his clean kitchen on the way to his bedroom. It would stay clean again tonight.
#
When Ethan’s truck pulled into her driveway, Serena led Jewel into the bedroom and shut her in. She didn’t intend to spend hours chasing her dog around the neighborhood. Jewel’s sensitive nose encouraged her to explore every scent, heedless of her owner dashing after her with a leash.
Serena grinned at the whines and yips coming from her bedroom. Jewel would sulk tomorrow. Her dog’s personality reminded her of her Sunday school class. All two-year-olds must act alike, including the furry ones.
Answering Ethan’s knock, she opened her front door and stared. The gathering darkness did nothing to hide Ethan’s broad chest and shoulders filling out the black t-shirt, and muscular thighs encased in black jeans.
He swept her into a close hug and whispered, “Will I pass muster?”
Knowing laughter in his voice caused a rush of heat in her cheeks. Serena smiled. Pass muster? Who was he kidding? The joke fell on her. “The way you look, I’ll be lucky if I don’t navigate us into Siberia.”
He chuckled. “Glad to know I’m a distraction.” He released his hold on her and lifted a hand to caress her cheek. His expression sobered.
Her heart skipped a beat, then lurched into a pounding rhythm. She reminded herself this was just pretense. She asked him to do this. Right. That’s why her stomach now joined her feet on the floor. He didn’t act as if he pretended.
“Do we need to take anything with us?”
She stared into his warm brown eyes, uncomprehending. Serena blinked, then followed his gaze to the picnic basket behind her. Ethan settled his arm around her shoulders. Her cheeks burned. Good thing the daylight had faded into dusk. She knew the heat in her cheeks told more about how she felt than she wanted known.
She cleared her throat. “Sorry, yes. We need the basket.”
He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze before stepping around her. “I’ll get it,” he murmured.
Serena locked her door and turned to the waiting, alert cop. He held out his hand. He had to feel her shaking. Did he realize her fear made it hard to breathe? Pam said to make sure no one followed her. Her gaze darted around the area, probing into the shadows. Did the darkness hide someone watching her? Serena’s legs felt as if she’d run a marathon.
Ethan pressed her hand, his smile reassuring. He walked her to the truck, and opened the passenger door. After placing the basket in the crew cab of his truck, he backed Serena against the truck with an easy nudge. He stepped in front of her, cupped her chin with his hand and tipped her face up to meet his.
Her breath caught, her pulse kicking into overdrive. Was he really going to kiss her? She almost cried at the lousy timing. She wanted him to kiss her, but not under these circumstances, not with a possible audience. She shuddered.
He brushed her cheek with his lips, a soft caress. “I didn’t see anyone when I drove up or as we walked to the truck, Serena.” Ethan eased back and studied her face. “But even if I missed them, you can relax. No one can see you right now.”
In that moment, Serena realized Ethan had positioned himself to block the view of anyone looking their way. He knew or he’d guessed somehow. Relief nearly palpable, she closed her eyes, biting her trembling lower lip. Hot tears slid down her cheeks. “Thank you,” she whispered, sniffing.
“Better dry the water works, or Megan will have my hide.” Ethan helped her into the black Silverado, handed her the seatbelt, and closed the door.
Why did he say that about Megan? Wonder if her conversation this morning with Meg had anything to do with it?
He climbed into the truck and strapped himself in. “Which way?”
“Take 40 East.” She hesitated, but forced herself to add, “We have to make sure we’re not followed.”
Ethan stared at her a moment. He slipped the truck into gear. “Yes, ma’am.”
When her curiosity wouldn’t let her be silent any longer, she asked, “Why did you say Megan would have your hide if I kept crying?”
Ethan glanced at her. “She came to see me this afternoon.”
Serena covered her face with her hands. “What did she want?” Her hands muffled her voice.
“Information about Pam’s disappearance.”
“And?” Serena prompted.
“And she let me know the Cahills protect their own.”
Serena dropped her hands and stared at Ethan’s amused profile. She thought Ethan knowing about Mitch was the worst thing that could happen. But the Cahills circling the wagons had that beat, hands down.
“I’m sorry. I hope Megan didn’t offend you.” She couldn’t dig up the courage to say she hoped her sister hadn’t scared him off.
He reached for her hand. “I feel the same way about Aunt Ruth. Your family loves you, Serena. Don’t apologize.” He glanced back at the picnic basket. “Is the basket just a prop?”
“Are you kidding? My culinary reputation would be ruined if anyone found out I put plastic fruit and ceramic bread in there.” She smiled at his hopeful expression. “Besides, I figured even if you had time to grab dinner, we might grow hungry before we returned.”
“I could deal with a snack.” His stomach growled.
Serena’s laughter filled the truck cab. “I’ll find something you can eat while driving.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Serena squinted to read Pam’s directions in the dark truck. Clouds obscured the moonlight, and she hadn’t seen a street light for miles.
“Here.” Ethan reached under his seat and pulled out a flashlight.
She almost dropped the flashlight he handed her. It weighed at least a couple of pounds. “What’s this made of? Concrete?”
“Heavy duty flashlights come in handy,” he replied, maneuvering through another hairpin curve in the road.
His answer smacked of a setup, but Serena’s curiosity made her ask the question. “Handy for what?”
“If you’re expecting a war story about my life being saved by a faithful flashlight, I’ll have to disappoint you. They’re good for emergencies and reading at night.” He smiled. “And in a pinch, it’ll serve as a weapon.”
“Ah ha. I knew you had a reason for the extra weight.” Serena turned on the flashlight, angling it so the light wouldn’t shine in Ethan’s eyes. She read the last part of the directions again, and peered out the windshield at the winding road.
A light flickered through the trees at the top of the mountain. She eyed the steep incline ahead, grateful the calendar showed late spring instead of the middle of winter. A few weeks ago, this road lay under layers of sleet and snow. Unless she sprouted wings, she couldn’t have reached Pam.
“See that light up ahead? That’s where we’re going.”
Ethan nodded, his gaze fixed on the twisting road.
Minutes later, they pull
ed into a parking area illuminated by dim lights. Ethan backed into a space at the edge of the lot and turned off the motor. “Wait.” He sat motionless, his gaze scanning the asphalt’s shifting shadows.
Why did he hesitate? Serena wanted to fidget, but Ethan’s stillness made her wary of movement. In the silent minutes that followed, she realized he watched for lurkers in the darkness waiting to jump them. She was grateful for Ethan and his experience. Serena hadn’t thought about the possibility of someone targeting her in the parking lot.
A few more minutes passed before Ethan appeared satisfied. “Does Pam know I’m with you?”
Serena lips curved upward. “How did you know?”
“Once I determined no one had you at gunpoint, it was the only answer that made sense.”
“You thought you were walking into a trap?” And yet he still came.
“You sounded afraid. After lunch today, I didn’t think calling me or asking for a date should cause the fear I heard in your voice.”
“You’re amazing.” She reached for his hand. “I’m sorry about the deception. Pam made me promise not to tell anyone her location. I couldn’t think of another way to help her and keep my promise to you.” Serena strained to read the expression in his eyes.
He squeezed her hand. “You were right to bring me with you. She’s in more danger than you realize.”
#
Ethan positioned himself to the side of the door and nodded to Serena. Picnic basket at her feet, she knocked on the rustic wooden door. The door opened a crack, the glow from an interior light falling on her face.
“Serena.” Pam unlatched the chain and threw open the door. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She engulfed her in a hug.
A little after midnight and still dressed down to her tennis shoes. Ready to run at the first provocation. Ethan stepped into view.
She stiffened, broke from Serena’s arms and backed away. “Blackhawk.” Hurt, betrayal and fear warred for dominance on Pam’s face. She rounded on Serena with accusing eyes. “I trusted you.”
