Love Inspired Suspense December 2013 Bundle: Christmas Cover-UpForce of NatureYuletide JeopardyWilderness Peril

by Lynette Eason

  Jordan moved farther down the hill and his light bounced off metal. “Get down here, Max, Cort. I found her car.”

  Within seconds, they stood beside him. Max held a second flashlight in his left hand. They made their way to the vehicle. Jordan felt his heart shudder at the sight. “That doesn’t look good.”

  “Is she in there?”

  Jordan flashed the beam on the interior. “No. But I see blood.” Lord, let her be okay, please. “Katie?”

  A low groan reached his ears. He paused. “You hear that?”

  “Yeah. Back there.” Max aimed his light toward the trees on the other side of the vehicle. Jordan stomped through the soggy leaves and underbrush toward a large tree. Another sound.

  He rounded the tree. And there she was.

  Pale as death.

  *

  Katie was cold. So cold. She’d never been so cold in her life. She groaned and reached for the blanket she kept at the end of her bed.

  “Katie? Katie, wake up.”

  She tried, she really did. Her eyes wouldn’t open, but she felt the sensation of being lifted, cushioned. Movement. Jordan murmuring in her ear.

  A prick in her left arm. Warmth. Finally warmth.

  “Let’s get her to the hospital.”

  She tried again to open her eyes. This time she managed to pry her eyelids up to half-mast. What had happened?

  Memories rushed at her. The man in the Mustang. He’d run her off the road. Or had it been him?

  She noted she was in an ambulance. A paramedic hovered over her. “Katie? You with me?”

  “Yeah,” she croaked.

  Relief relaxed the man’s features a fraction. Slowly her muscles lost their rigid tenseness. A blood pressure cuff on her left arm tightened and released. Her nose itched. Heavy blankets weighted her down.

  And everything hurt. She gasped.

  A warm hand covered hers. She slid her eyes to the right. Jordan. “Hey, what are you doing here?” she whispered.

  “Thought I’d come along for the ride.” The concern in his eyes stirred something within her. She tried to scowl but couldn’t stop her heart from doing that little fluttering thing it did every time she thought about the man. Or heard his name. Or smelled his cologne. It was downright annoying. She did not want to be attracted to him. It would only lead to a broken heart.

  But she was. And had been since she’d started to really get to know him almost six weeks ago. And now, with his gentle hold on her hand, she felt her heart slipping even further down the slippery slope she’d put it out on.

  “Car. Ran me off the road.” It was almost too much of an effort to talk. Now that she was warming up, sleepiness invaded her body. Not the sleepiness like the cold where she knew if she went to sleep, she might not wake up. This was different. Comfortable. Welcoming. She drifted.

  Jordan’s voice jerked her back. “I know. Max and I think we came up on the vehicle.”

  “He got away.”

  “Yes. He did.”

  She sighed. And frowned. She needed to think, to figure out who wanted to see her dead. Why the man’s shadow had seemed so familiar. Later. She was so tired. Her eyes drooped.

  Katie woke with a start. Her eyes popped open and awareness hit her hard—along with a headache. She ignored the pain and forced her brain to cooperate. Someone had tried to kill her. Again. Jordan had ridden over in the ambulance and she was in the hospital. Again. This really was getting to be a really bad habit.

  And Jordan was now sitting in the chair next to her bed. Snoring softly.

  Her heart stirred with an emotion she wasn’t sure she could identify, but she found herself blinking back tears. She sighed. Just because he was good-looking and intense didn’t mean she had to act like she’d never seen a good-looking and intense man before. She needed to stop thinking about her attraction and worry about who was out to kill her.

  She blinked and licked her lips. Dry. She spotted the cup of water with the straw on the tray and tried to reach for it. Sore muscles protested and she couldn’t hold back a gasping whimper as pain rippled through her.

  Jordan stirred, lifted his head and leaned forward. “Hey, welcome back.”

  Her heart ignored her lecture of only seconds ago and fluttered at his sleepy concern. “What are you doing here?” He handed her the cup and she took a sip of the cool water.

  He smiled. “You already asked me that question.” Had she? Oh. Right. In the ambulance. He reached for her hand and squeezed her fingers. “You scared us all to death.”

  She grunted. “Sorry. Scared myself pretty bad, too. Where are Max and Erica?”

  “Keeping all of your cop friends from invading your room and demanding a statement.”

  She almost smiled but was afraid it would hurt. “And Gregory?”

  “Pacing like a caged tiger while he tries to track down who ran you off the road. Last time I talked to him, he had a crime scene unit on the way and a wrecker to pull up your car.”

  “It’s raining—or at least it was. I’ll be surprised if they’re able to find anything.”

  “They’ll give it a try. I called your insurance company. I’ll be surprised if they don’t total the vehicle.”

  “Lovely,” she murmured and grimaced at the thought of dealing with everything that awaited her when she was released from the hospital. Again.

  A knock on the door interrupted them. Jordan stood and went to open it while Katie closed her eyes and wondered why Jordan was allowing himself to care when he knew as well as she did that they didn’t have a chance of working out romantically. But he did care. She could see it in his eyes. More tears surfaced because she was going to have to put the brakes on her emotions, the feelings that were rapidly developing for this man.

  Because she just wasn’t up to a broken heart.

  TWELVE

  Jordan frowned and gazed at the crowd still in the waiting room.

  He’d answered several questions from Gregory, who looked annoyed with Jordan for asserting himself as Katie’s protector. But he frankly didn’t care.

  Jordan didn’t understand his need to be with Katie, but the thought of losing her last night had done something to his heart that he couldn’t explain and wasn’t sure he even wanted to try. He just knew he’d never felt this way about anyone before and wasn’t going to let it slip through his fingers without putting up a good fight for it.

  Which was why he’d planted himself in her room: to make sure she wasn’t bothered by anyone she didn’t want to see. To check and double-check that she was going to be all right.

  She needed her rest, not the hounding of her detective friends. And so he’d appointed himself her guardian. Her protector. And so far she’d let him step into that role.

  However, he knew she needed to give a statement. He motioned to the detective and Gregory shot to his feet. Within seconds, they were back in her room. She had her eyes closed, her head tucked against the pillow. The pale cast to her skin said she was getting close to being wiped out.

  “Don’t be long,” he said to Gregory.

  Gregory grunted, and Katie opened her eyes. She gave a wan smile to her partner. “Glad to see you.”

  “Not as glad as I am to see you. Twice in one week? You keep landing in this place, they’re going to put your name on a room.”

  She grimaced. “I’m going to hear jokes about this for a long time to come, aren’t I?”

  “Since you’re going to live, yeah.”

  She gave a little laugh and grimaced. “I figured.”

  “Don’t worry, something will happen to take the heat off you in a couple of months.”

  Katie gave a pained laugh and a low groan. “Stop making me laugh, it hurts.”

  Gregory pulled out a green notebook. “I need a statement.”

  “Someone tried to kill me again. How’s that?”

  Gregory pursed his lips then said, “It’s a start.” He flipped to a blank page. “So what are the details?”

&nbs
p; “Nothing. I was on that little road that leads to Erica’s house. I was driving slow, being careful of the possibility of black ice, thinking Cort was behind me. Then Jordan called and said he wasn’t. The guy rammed me, and I dropped my phone.” Jordan handed her cell to her.

  She placed it on the bed beside her. “Thanks. Headlights came up behind me, and I sped up. The car behind me did, too, and rammed me again. I hit a couple of trees and managed not to die.”

  She kept her tone light, but Jordan could see the thread of tension in her jaw. A muscle began to tic. She rubbed her hands down the sheet covering her legs. “He got out of the car and came looking for me. I managed to crawl out the other side of the vehicle, facing away from him. When he realized I wasn’t in the car, he was mad.”

  Gregory’s gaze turned serious. “He’s been after you. He arranged to have Cort cut off so he could follow you without interruption.”

  “Yeah.” She paused. “So does that mean there are two of them after me?”

  “Definitely someone who has help. You think the guy who ran you off the road had something to do with Bobby Young’s murder?”

  “I don’t know, Gregory. I really don’t know. Probably. Everything seems tied together.” She gave a hard smile. “But that’s good. That means we’re getting closer. It means someone’s nervous.”

  “So you think this has something to do with your sister’s case?” Gregory asked.

  “Yes. Definitely,” she said.

  Gregory raised a brow. “You’re still chasing that?”

  Katie eyed him, steel in her gaze. “You know I am.” She would never have been able to keep that a secret from him. And she hadn’t tried. Had no reason to. Gregory understood her need to find Lucy and had even offered to help if she wanted.

  He nodded. “Let’s just assume that this doesn’t have anything to do with Lucy. Is there anything new you’ve been digging around in? Anything out of the ordinary?”

  Katie’s eyes shot to Jordan’s. “No. I’ve been thinking along those lines, too. The only thing I’ve done different is hiring Finding the Lost and getting them involved.”

  “Then maybe that’s the answer,” Gregory said. He looked at Jordan. “Someone is nervous about the questions you’ve been asking. Looks like you’ve kicked over a beehive.”

  “Looks like,” Jordan murmured.

  Another knock on the door caught their attention. Jordan opened it, and Erica and Molly stepped inside. Erica rushed over. “Are you all right? I tried to see you earlier, but you were still out cold. Max and Jordan have been keeping me updated.”

  Molly moved close enough to lean against the edge of the bed. “Aunt Katie, are you gonna die?”

  Erica flushed and clapped a hand over the seven-year-old’s mouth. She shot an apologetic look at Katie. “No filters, as you know very well.”

  Katie grinned, grateful for the lighthearted moment in the midst of the thick tension. “I’m not going to die. At least not today. I’m very glad you came to see me, though.”

  “Me, too. And guess what?”

  “What?”

  “I’m getting another puppy. A friend for Nellie, only this one’s gonna be a baby dog. And I get to walk him and feed him and give him a bath whether he wants it or not, and—”

  “All right, kiddo,” Erica interrupted. “The puppy’s not a done deal, remember?”

  The little girl’s face dropped, and Katie wanted to hug her. “I’ll talk to her,” she whispered.

  Molly’s face lit up, and she shot a triumphant look at her mother, who in turn sent Katie an exasperated frown. Katie shrugged and a pang hit her as she realized her interaction with Erica was one she might have had with Lucy had her sister not disappeared. She blinked away the sudden moisture and tapped Molly’s nose. Composed once again, she looked up at Erica, whose eyes had turned serious.

  She said, “This hospital thing is starting to be a habit with you.”

  Katie grimaced. “So I’ve been told. Don’t worry, I plan on breaking it, and fast.” She knew she would be sore and achy for a couple of days. She supposed she should be used to it by now. A yawn caught her off guard. Embarrassed, she said, “I think my painkillers are catching up with me.”

  Erica squeezed her hand. “Get some rest. I’m serious, though. I would love for you to come stay with us if you need to.”

  Katie swallowed. “Thanks, Erica. But—” she shot a glance at Molly “—I’d never put your family in danger.” Erica squeezed her hand and Molly gave her a gentle hug.

  They left and Jordan said, “You should take her up on it.”

  Katie shut her eyes. “You know I can’t do that.”

  “Yeah.”

  She heard Jordan leave just before sleep claimed her.

  *

  Jordan decided to grab a few hours of sleep. The exhaustion pursuing him had finally caught up, and Katie had pushed him to go home and rest. Jordan caved, realizing he wasn’t going to be any good for her if he was punchy and less alert than usual. After assessing the security situation, he had agreed he should take advantage of the willingness of others to help and get some sleep.

  She had a guard on her door in case the guy who had tried to kill her decided to come back and finish the job. Plus a few of her off-duty police officer buddies milled in the waiting room. Most had gone home, but the ones she was close to remained, determined to watch over one of their own.

  It was obvious Katie was well-liked and respected by those she worked with. She was good at her job. She cared and yet managed to keep her sanity. Not everyone did.

  When he woke, it was Friday morning. As he dressed, he debated his feelings for Katie. He remembered the sense of loss he’d felt when he realized Cort wasn’t behind her and she was in danger once again.

  He swallowed hard. He could have lost her. Almost had. The fact that he was even debating pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman his parents held such animosity for told him he was in way over his head.

  And he knew he was going to have to talk to his parents. Tell them the truth about Neil. And not for the first time, he second-guessed himself in withholding the truth from them. Was he being selfish? Allowing them to put their youngest son on a pedestal? He hadn’t wanted to tarnish their memories by telling them, but was that the right thing to do?

  He grappled with the questions until a headache started to build. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door to climb into his car. He dialed Katie’s number at the first red light. “I’m guessing you had a quiet night?” he asked.

  “I did. No one was getting in this room with all of my volunteer bodyguards outside. Gregory sent them all home around midnight, then he stayed outside the door the rest of the night.”

  “Glad to hear it.” She sounded better. Stronger. “Have you gotten a clean bill of health yet?”

  “Somewhat. Erica’s on her way to take me home.”

  “I was on the way to do that, but I can catch up with you later if you prefer.” If she had a ride, he could go by his parents’ house.

  “Erica’s bringing me some clothes and other items, but I appreciate the offer.”

  “Of course. Do you have an escort?”

  “Max. And I think Gregory was going to come, too.”

  “Good.” She should have enough help if someone tried anything. He paused and made a decision. “I’ve got an errand to run. Should take me about an hour. After that I was going to talk to Mrs. Johnson and see if she remembered anything about a strange car in the neighborhood. I thought if you felt up to it, you could go with me.”

  “Oh. Okay. Right.”

  He wondered if she was fidgeting with the sheet like she’d done yesterday when she was uncomfortable. “What’s going on, Katie?”

  A sigh greeted him. “I’m considering dropping the investigation.”

  For a moment, he wasn’t sure what to say. “Those are the last words I expected to come out of your mouth.”

  “I know.” He pictured her rubbing her forehead. �
�My father called me again this morning. He keeps trying to convince me to stop investigating. He’s really worried. And I’m…torn.” She blew out a sigh. “It’s so odd. I never thought I’d hear him say anything like that. When I became a detective and started looking for Lucy, he was so…hopeful. And now—” He heard commotion in the background. She said, “Erica’s here.”

  “All right. I’ll meet you at your hotel in thirty minutes. I can run my errand a little later. We’ll go see Mrs. Johnson first.”

  “Okay, sure.”

  “I’ll be right there.” He hung up and took the next left. His parents needed to know what had happened to Neil. He didn’t want to tell them—in fact he dreaded doing so. But he’d been a coward for long enough. It was time to lay the truth on the table. He wasn’t going to let a lie keep him from finding happiness with Katie. He didn’t want to hurt his parents or taint their memories of Neil, but if he was ever going to be able to have a relationship with Katie, his parents had to hear the truth. He just had to find the words to do it.

  As for Lucy Randall, she was a missing child who would now be an adult if she was still alive. But fourteen years ago, she’d been a child who had lived and breathed, had hopes and dreams. Just like the child Jordan had failed to find, just like the one he’d let die. The emotions that came with the memory came hard and swift and he gasped.

  No. He was going to find Lucy. It didn’t matter that fourteen years had passed. She needed to be found. She deserved to be given justice. And no matter what Katie said, Jordan was determined to make sure Lucy got what she deserved.

  THIRTEEN

  Friday, midmorning, Katie stood at the window of her hotel room. Jordan pulled into the space in front of her door, and Cort climbed from his vehicle to greet him. He crossed the parking lot to shake Jordan’s hand. Katie stepped outside. “You made good time.”

  “You look like you’ve been hit by a truck.” His soft-voiced concern dispelled any indignation that might have risen at his words. And he was right. She looked awful.

  Cort shot Katie a guilty look. “I guess I’m losing my touch. That’s twice now he’s gotten to you.”

  “It’s not really your fault. I’m beginning to think this guy is trained and has inside information.”