She couldn’t lose control now. She had to keep herself together if she had any hope of coming out of this alive. If Gordon found her, she didn’t stand a chance in hand to hand combat with him. He was taller, heavier, and stronger and could easily overpower her small frame.
Time seemed to stand still as she waited in the silence. It could have been seconds or minutes, the only measure the frantic beating of her heart. Teeth chattering together from the chill of terror that swept through her body, she sat perched in the tree shaking like one of its leaves in the cruel Montana wind. It was almost a relief when Gordon came striding into sight. Whatever daze he’d been in after she’d hit him was long gone, although the back of his head was matted with blood.
He paused under the shade trees, looking from side to side as if she might be hiding behind one of the thick trunks. Maybe he’d think she ran in another direction. Or perhaps found a way into the house. Even from where she sat, she could hear his labored breathing and see the angry set of his shoulders and features. Far from the calm, almost robotic man he’d been earlier, now he was clearly enraged.
Jazz relaxed slightly as he stalked off to the front side of the house. Pressing her hands to her face, hot, salty tears leaked down her dirty cheeks even as the smoke from the barn made her throat ache. She had to swallow hard several times to keep from coughing and giving herself away. Gordon wasn’t far and he could come back at any minute. She tried to scrub away the wetness from her face as she silently screamed in her head.
Wrapping her arms around her torso to stop the shaking, she closed her eyes and imagined Griffin’s handsome face. So strong and good, he’d captured her interest, then her respect, and now her heart.
Yes, her heart.
No more denying or pretending it hadn’t happened. She loved Griffin Sawyer. Every part of him. The passionate lover. The considerate boyfriend. Heck, even the control-freak roommate who didn’t want to share the remote. She loved him. She was only sorry she might not get a chance to see him again. To tell him he was loved.
She’d spent her whole life trying to get love and approval. First from her parents and then from an audience. Twisting and molding herself into something new with each role. Something she wasn’t and never would be. With Griffin she was simply herself. All the struggling to become a star suddenly seemed silly and stupid. She wanted to be loved for who she really was. End of story.
When Gordon came back into her sight, she bit down onto her knuckles to keep from whimpering. His head was whipping from side to side and his breathing was even heavier now, whether from fury or the smoke she couldn’t tell.
Her breath caught as he stood still under the tree and leaned his head back so he was looking up into the branches. She froze in place, every muscle in her body paralyzed with fear as he circled the tree gazing up. Directly at her.
“You fucking cunt. Get down here right now.”
* * * *
The three vehicles pulled up to the burning building, tires screeching. Griffin barely had the SUV in park before he jumped out, running toward the now destroyed stable. The roof had caved in and flames leaped from the rubble as thick, black smoke filled the air. If anyone was in that building there was no way they could have survived.
The bile in his stomach rose to his throat, choking him along with the dust and smoke. He stared at the destruction for a long moment before praying to the God he hadn’t spoken to in quite awhile that Jazz wasn’t in there. That she was somewhere safe.
“That’s Gordon’s rental car.” Levi was pointing to the sedan sitting about ten feet away. Griffin ran over to the vehicle and circled it, coming to a horrified halt near the trunk.
“Blood.”
A smear of blood was on the bumper easily seen on the shiny surface. He didn’t know for sure it was Jazz’s blood but his the gut instinct he’d come to rely on so heavily when he was overseas was screaming at him now. His woman was in danger.
Casting his gaze around the property, his eyes went to the abandoned home on the top of the hill. Was that the kill site? Or the stable that was now in ashes, any evidence destroyed?
“Let’s spread out and search. Reed, Jared, and I will search the house. You guys head for the outbuildings.”
There were still several smaller buildings on the property where Gordon might take Jazz. But Griffin’s money was on the house. Running up the hill with Jared and Reed at his heels, he froze when he heard a man’s shouting.
“Listen,” he hissed, holding his arm out so his friends would halt. The yelling was coming from the back of the house. Pulling his firearm, he nodded to Jared and Reed who both fanned out, circling around the far side of the structure. Griffin could clearly hear Gordon screaming curses but had yet to lay eyes on him.
Flattening his back against the side of the house, Griffin slid slowly to the corner and peered around to the backyard. Gordon was shouting up into a tree and struggling to climb the slippery bark, coughing as he breathed in the smoky air.
“Freeze, Gordon. This is Sheriff Griffin Sawyer with the Hope Lake Police Department.” Griffin’s voice cut through the heavy air. “Drop whatever weapon you may have and get on your knees on the ground.”
“You fucking bitch! You goddamn cunt!” Gordon ranted and raved in a raspy voice even as he slid down the trunk once again and onto the ground. From Griffin’s vantage point, the man didn’t appear to have a weapon but one could never tell. Far too experienced to assume anything, Griffin kept his own firearm drawn and ready.
“Kneel on the ground,” he commanded but Gordon wasn’t listening. Screaming at the top of his smoke-filled lungs, he looked past furious and bordering on crazed.
Griffin moved out into the backyard and Reed and Jared followed. Gordon seemed oblivious to the fact that he had three loaded guns pointed right at him, instead ranting about some cosmic unfairness.
Stopping about three feet from Gordon, Griffin lifted the gun higher and inspected the scene. Gordon’s hands were empty but he still might have a weapon in his pockets or pants.
“Shut up.” Griffin normally had copious amounts of patience, but when it came to Jazz…
“Where is Jazz?”
Gordon began yelling again but this time he pointed to the top of the tree. Taking a few deep breaths, Griffin braced himself for the question he was afraid to ask.
“Jazz? Is that you? Are you okay?”
Miraculously, his voice sounded even and in control despite him feeling anything but. If this guy had hurt Griffin’s woman, he was going to wish he’d never been born at all.
“Jazz?” he repeated when there was no answer. Was Gordon just one crazy bastard and shouting at trees? If so, where was Jazz?
“Yes. Yes, I’m okay.”
The voice was small and the coughing and hacking that followed sounded terrible but Griffin had never heard such sweet music. Almost dizzy with relief, he had to discipline himself to keep from taking his eyes from Gordon and looking up into the tree. Until he could see for himself that she was alright, he wouldn’t truly believe it.
The sound of sirens in the distance but growing closer alerted him to the fact that firemen would soon be swarming the scene. He had to do everything he could to shut down this situation now so they wouldn’t be heading into a dangerous stand-off.
“Get down on the ground, Gordon.”
Griffin’s teeth were gritted together and he could see Jared and Reed moving closer and surrounding their suspect. Gordon finally appeared to be cognizant of the fact that he had three cops with drawn guns on him. His eyes were darting back and forth as if looking for somewhere to escape.
“There’s nowhere to go. It’s all over. Get down on the ground.”
There was no sound but the rustle of a few leaves as Gordon weighed his options, none of them good. For a moment it looked like the man might run, and Griffin tightened his hold of the firearm. Instead Gordon fell to his knees, his shoulders shaking with heavy sobs.
Jared and Reed kept their g
uns on Gordon as Griffin holstered his weapon and then pressed the man to his stomach. Cuffing his hands behind his back. Heaving a sigh of relief, he exhaled the breath he’d been holding as he’d waited for Gordon to decide what he was going to do.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he let Jared and Reed deal with the prisoner while Griffin stood to coax Jazz down from her perch in the tree.
“C’mon, Hollywood,” he crooned. She was barely visible through the thick cover of greenery, but he could see her pink blouse and part of a bare leg. “We’ve got him. It’s safe, honey.”
A small movement in the branches, then her pink tennis shoes, and then the bottom half of her tiny frame. So slowly he almost went up after her, she climbed down from the tree. Once on a lower branch, he held his arms out to her.
“I’ve got you, honey. Just jump. I’ve got you.”
The trust on her face as she did as he asked almost did him in. He didn’t deserve that trust. Hadn’t earned it with how he’d handled this case but she’d given it to him anyway. His chest didn’t feel big enough for his heart as he cradled her trembling body to his own.
His throat tightened painfully and he carried her down the hill to where fire trucks and an ambulance had arrived. If he stayed anywhere near Gordon Schofield, Griffin was going to do something that would definitely get him fired. And maybe some jail time. He knew his friends would handle Gordon.
“Griffin, I–” Jazz broke out into a coughing fit, her shoulders shaking.
“Easy, honey. Let these guys help you and then you can tell me all about it. I know Gordon killed Casey and Sandy.”
He kept his tone low and soothing and her head dropped onto his shoulder. By the time the EMTs ran to him with a stretcher, he didn’t want to hand her over.
He never wanted to let her go.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jazz luxuriated in the steamy water of Griffin’s bathtub, sinking down to her chin. She had three butterfly bandages on a nasty gash on her forehead, a black eye, minor scrapes and cuts on her legs and arms, and a myriad of bruises. But she was alive.
She’d been kept overnight at the county hospital for observation as she’d sucked down quite a bit of smoke. They’d given her a pain pill and she’d slept for hours, only waking this morning when the nurse had bustled in to help her dress.
She’d been horrified at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. They’d tried to clean her up last night but she was still dirty and sweaty. Her hair had burned where sparks had fallen on her head and at least six inches would need to be lopped off. The purplish shiner on her eye was puffy and sore but it could have been much worse. She was grateful Griffin and his friends had saved her. Some bruises and a haircut seemed minor, really.
Even now as she ran the events of yesterday through her mind, it seemed like a really terrible dream that suddenly turned out okay. When Griffin had shown up, Jazz hadn’t believed it was real. Perhaps she’d dreamed him up out of her subconscious? That her fear had conjured up the man she loved just when she needed him most? It had been too good to be true.
Then as it had dawned on her that she wasn’t hearing things, that it was real and Griffin was truly there to save her, she’d been afraid to make a sound in case she distracted him. The thought seemed silly now as Gordon would never win over Griffin, but at the time she hadn’t wanted to take the chance.
“I have to go back to the office, honey. Just for a little while.” Griffin was standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He’d been great about picking her up from the hospital and making her comfortable today but she knew he’d rather be anywhere else. He’d made it very clear when they’d first met that he didn’t do the caring and nursing thing. “Ava and Presley are here to keep you company. Madison is going to check in later today. She’s a doctor.”
“I’m fine. Where is Gordon?”
For some reason, she still needed to hear that he was behind bars. Logically she knew he wasn’t going to break out of jail, but emotionally she needed the reassurance.
“He’s in jail,” Griffin said, his tone gentle. “That’s where he’s staying until the county authorities come get him. Hope Lake doesn’t have the facilities to keep a prisoner more than overnight. He won’t come near you again, I promise.”
“I know,” she said in a small voice. She hated being like this, being scared. Griffin probably felt as though he was obligated to care for her. She needed to get over this and start standing on her own two feet.
When he’d pulled her from that tree yesterday, she’d almost told him how much she loved him and that she didn’t want to be a star anymore. Today she was glad she hadn’t. In the emotion of the moment, he might have said it back whether he really felt it or not. She didn’t want to have to wonder if he’d said it out of duress. There had to be a better time to tell him.
“You’ve been in the tub awhile, are you ready to get out? I can help you get dressed. You won’t want anything rough on your scratched skin so I was thinking you could wear one of my t-shirts.”
Griffin didn’t wait for her to answer. He reached down, his strong hands under her arms, and lifted her from the water until she stood on the bathmat. Wrapping a thick towel around her, he pressed a chaste kiss to the undamaged side of her face, and then proceeded to gently dry her skin. His touch was so tender she almost cried and had to swallow back a sob.
“Wait here and I’ll get you something to wear.”
Griffin disappeared out of the bathroom so she tucked the towel around her and reached for her toothbrush. She wasn’t so helpless that she couldn’t clean her own teeth.
She was done by the time he returned and he very carefully, avoiding her scraped skin, slid the panties up her legs and pulled the soft cotton shirt over her head. Several sizes too big, it hung to her knees. She couldn’t hold back a giggle at the irony of the situation.
“What’s so funny, Hollywood?” His lips had curved into a smile.
“You,” she admitted. “Normally you’re taking those panties off, not putting them on.”
“That’s true, but I don’t think you’re in any shape to be playing bedroom games. But I promise when you get better I’ll take them off.” His fingers brushed her cheek. “It’s good to see you smile, honey.”
“It’s good to be smiling.” It did feel good. She didn’t want to wallow in the events of yesterday. Something bad had happened to her but she was standing here alive and well with the man she loved. “I’m okay, Griffin.”
“I know you are.” He nodded in a somber manner. “But you had a traumatic experience yesterday and you’re all banged up. Maybe taking a day or two to heal wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
Griffin barked with laughter. “Since you asked, telling you. Remember what the doctor said. Take it easy.”
Looking down, her hands were wrung together tightly. She slowly pulled them apart and took a deep breath. “I will. I promise. Now tell me about Ava and Presley. I met Ava that one day, but I’ve never met Presley. What is she like? What are they both like?”
“Ava is now completely normal since she’s finished her book. You’ll really like her—she’s a real sweetheart. Presley is too, although much livelier. She really keeps Seth on his toes.”
“It’s nice of them to keep me company today.”
It was an understatement to say that Jazz didn’t want to be left alone.
“I’m sorry I have to go in to the station.” Griffin’s expression was troubled and she tried to wave away his concerns but he stubbornly shook his head. “No, I mean it. I’m sorry I have to go but there’s paperwork that need to be filed and formal statements. Gordon is talking and I need to be there for that.”
“I know you have to work. I can take care of myself.”
“After what you’ve been through you should let yourself be spoiled a little. In fact, Ava brought some fresh fruit and yogurt. She thought it might be easy on your stomach.”
They’d tried t
o feed her at the hospital last night and again this morning, but Jazz’s system had rebelled at the mere thought. Her insides were still twisted into knots of fear.
“That was thoughtful,” Jazz said instead as he shoved his hat on his head. She had to squelch her desire to beg him to stay and hold her all day long. “What time will you be home?”
She shouldn’t have asked but she couldn’t help herself. She wanted him close by.
“As soon as I can. I’ll call and check on you later.”
Griffin pulled her into his strong arms, his warmth and scent enfolding her protectively. She sighed and rested her head on his broad chest. For the first time this morning she felt completely safe. He stroked her back and hair but then reluctantly pulled away with a sigh.
“Go to work. I’ll be okay,” she assured him, feeling crappy about his conflicted expression. He wanted to go and she was making this difficult. “Why don’t you introduce me to our guests?”
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, they walked toward the living room. She’d be fine today. She’d talk girl talk with her guests and pretend that everything was exactly the same as it was before yesterday. Before she was afraid. Afraid that Gordon would kill her.
And terrified that Griffin didn’t love her.
* * * *
“Jazz can stay with us,” Griffin’s mother insisted, her voice loud enough the whole damn station could probably hear. “Since you have to work, it’s the perfect solution.”
Griffin intended to get through work and get back to Jazz as quickly as humanly possible. He wasn’t hanging out here at the station house for fun. As for Jazz going to stay with his parents, that was far from a perfect solution. He needed her to be in his home.
“Once I get done with these statements I’m heading home. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of Jazz, Mom. Ava and Presley are staying with her today and I’ll try and stay home with her tomorrow if I can. We’re fine.”
His mother crossed her arms over her chest and lifted an eyebrow. He knew that look and he was about to get cross-examined like a suspect. He’d learned at the feet of a master.
Cowboy Famous: Book 4 (Cowboy Justice Association) Page 22
