Unforgettable

by Cassie Miles

  One of them was limping. He grabbed the other man’s wrist and growled, “Give me the keys. I’ll drive.”

  “You’re injured. You should sit back and shut up.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do.”

  The uninjured man shook off the other’s grasp and took a couple of quick steps away from him.

  Jack hoped these two would drive away before Rojas emerged from the house with Danny. If they left, he had two fewer adversaries to worry about.

  “Hey!” The man with the limp rushed forward. The effort of ignoring his pain showed in his clenched jaw. “I’m driving. You’ll get lost.”

  “How can I get lost? We’re supposed to follow the SUV.”

  That wasn’t what Jack wanted to hear. With these two armed men in the car behind the SUV, he couldn’t pull Danny away from his captors without getting both of them shot.

  The threat from these two had to be eliminated, but quietly. If Jack fired a gun, he’d alert Rojas to his presence. That wouldn’t be good for Danny.

  It took a minimum exertion of stealth to approach the twosome as they fought over the car keys. They were so engrossed in their petty griping that Jack could have announced himself with a coronet fanfare and they wouldn’t have noticed.

  He aimed for the uninjured man first. A quick blow from the hammer took him down.

  The second man reacted. He went for his gun. Dumb move.

  Jack didn’t think he’d been trained in martial arts, but he had experience in street fighting. Striking fast was key. While the other man reached for his gun, closed his fingers around the grip and drew the weapon, Jack made a single move—a backhanded slash with the screwdriver. The edge tore a deep gash. The gorilla gasped, looked down at the blood oozing from his gut. Jack finished him off with a roundhouse right to the jaw.

  In a matter of seconds, both men lay unconscious at his feet. Jack took the car keys they’d been arguing about and threw them into the weeds.

  Three down, four to go. One of the remaining men was Drew Kelso, the guy who would be slowed down by his leg injury. Another was Rojas who probably wasn’t accustomed to doing his own dirty work. That left two armed thugs.

  Jack holstered his hammer and screwdriver in the tool belt. His work as Mister Fix-it was over. For this portion of the rescue, he needed firepower. He gripped one of the semiautomatic handguns and ran toward the SUV that still had the engine running.

  He resumed his position at the front of the SUV and crouched between the headlights. The bad thing about street fighting was that you couldn’t plan ahead. Winning the fight was all about instinct and reaction. His only goal was to get Danny away from here unharmed.

  Looking up the road, he tried to see where Caitlyn had parked her car. The outline was barely visible through a stand of trees. It wasn’t going to be easy to get Danny all the way up that driveway, but he didn’t want Caitlyn to come closer. He wanted her to stay safe, untouched. When he was done here, he wanted to be able to look into her clear blue eyes and assure her that the world wasn’t a terrible place. Sometimes, the good guys came out on top.

  The last group appeared in the doorway of the safe house. One man escorted Danny, holding his arm and shoving him forward. The black hood still covered Danny’s head, and his wrists were handcuffed in front of him. He stumbled, and his escort yanked him upright.

  Kelso and Rojas had not yet appeared.

  Another man went to open the back door of the SUV.

  Jack made his move. Using the butt of the gun, he smacked the guy holding Danny on the head. The guy staggered a step forward, leaning against the car. His legs folded.

  “Danny,” Jack whispered, “I’m on your side. Don’t resist.”

  With one hand he yanked the hood off the deputy’s head. With the other he pulled him out of the line of fire.

  The guy who had been opening the car door grabbed for his holster. He was out of reach; Jack had to shoot. At this point-blank range, he’d blow a hole six inches wide in the guy’s gut.

  Though the automatic handgun was unfamiliar, Jack aimed for the thug’s weapon and squeezed off a single shot. The thug’s gun went flying. He screamed in pain and clutched his hand to his chest. Then he took off running.

  Rojas and Kelso came onto the porch. They looked surprised by the chaos in the yard. These men weren’t accustomed to being hunted. They considered themselves to be the attackers, the predators at the top of the food chain. Not this time.

  Rojas stared into his face. “You. Nick Racine.”

  The name stopped him short. Echoes of memory surged inside him. An angry voice, his father, yelled the name. A woman whispered it in soft, sultry tones. A teacher took roll call. Racine, Racine, Racine.

  “No.” That wasn’t him. He unleashed a spray of bullets toward the porch. Too late.

  His few seconds of hesitation cost him dearly. It had been just enough time for Kelso and Rojas to retreat into the house.

  Though Jack cursed himself for his lapse, he wasn’t entirely sure that he would have shot them. It was his duty to take them into custody. Death was too easy for these bastards; they deserved a life sentence in a small, gray cell. His duty? What the hell was he thinking?

  He pulled Danny around to the opposite side of the car. If he could maneuver them into the vehicle, he might be able to drive away. As he reached for the door handle, a burst of gunfire exploded from inside the house. Bullets pinged against the black SUV. A window shattered. Using this vehicle wasn’t a good option. It was directly in the line of fire. There had to be another way.

  He looked at Danny. His face was battered and swollen. His eyes seemed unfocused. When he leaned against the car, he slid to the ground. His cuffed hands fell into his lap.

  “Danny, can you hear me?”

  He nodded slowly.

  “Do you think you can run?”

  He raised his hand to wipe the blood from his split lip. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  His fighting spirit was admirable. But was he physically capable of moving fast? If Jack was alone, he could have easily escaped, but he couldn’t make a dash across the open meadow while dragging an injured man. Peering around the front end of the car, he returned fire. Should have killed Rojas and Kelso when he had the chance. Shouldn’t have held back.

  He and Danny were trapped, pinned down.

  He turned his head and saw Caitlyn’s green SUV zooming down the driveway. She was driving in reverse, coming to their rescue.

  For once in his life, he wasn’t alone. He had Caitlyn for a partner, and she was one hell of a good woman.

  Chapter Eleven

  Driving backward down a long driveway wasn’t easy. Caitlyn slipped off the asphalt and heard the slap of brush against the side of her SUV. Her tires skittered on the loose gravel at the edge of the drive.

  The bursts of gunfire rattled inside her brain, but she didn’t succumb to a paralyzed PTSD flashback. When she’d been standing at the barbed-wire fence and had seen Jack and Danny pinned down by gunfire, she knew she had to rescue them. Nothing else mattered.

  Looking over her shoulder, she saw the headlights of the black SUV. There was plenty of time to hit her brakes, but she decided to use Ms. Peacock as a battering ram, putting the other vehicle out of commission.

  Her rear end smacked the front grille of the black SUV with a satisfying crash that jolted her back against the seat. Good thing she’d buckled up. Bullets snapped against her car. The rear windows splintered. Ducking low in her seat, she should have been terrified, but her focus was on the rescue. Please, God, let them get away unharmed. Don’t let anything happen to…

  The back door to her SUV swung open. Danny crawled inside. He’d been beaten. His face was red as raw meat. She’d never been so glad to see him.

  “Caitlyn, I didn’t mean for you to come after me. When I gave you the ‘Red Fire’ signal, I thought you’d call the sheriff and—”

  “Shut up, Danny.”

  Looking over her shoulder, she saw
Jack take aim and blast the tires of the black SUV before he dove in beside Danny. As soon as his door closed, she slipped into Drive and took off. At the turn to the main road, the tail end of her SUV fishtailed, but she maintained control. Ms. Peacock was doing a fine job. Caitlyn might have to change her name to something less ladylike and more daring. Maybe she should be the Green Hornet.

  Jack reached between the seats and rested his hand on her shoulder. His fingers tightened in a gentle squeeze. “Thanks.”

  “You told me not to move, but when I saw you and Danny trapped, I had to help you.”

  “You did exactly the right thing, babe.”

  Usually when a man called her “babe” or “honey” or “sweetheart,” she snapped at him. “Babe” sounded sexy when Jack said it. “Where are we going?”

  From the backseat, Danny said, “Circle L. We were supposed to go there for dinner, Sandra and me. I’ve got to make sure she’s okay. And Heather, too.”

  “It’s going to be okay,” Jack said calmly. “Let’s see if we can get those cuffs off.”

  “Not important.” Danny’s voice was hoarse with urgency. “I have to see them. You don’t understand.”

  “Sure, I do,” Jack said. “Rojas threatened you. He told you that your wife and sister would be harmed if you didn’t cooperate. Is that right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I expect that he went into brutal details because that’s the kind of man he is. Sadistic bastard.” Though Jack kept his tone low and controlled, she heard the steely echo of his anger. “Those look like they might be your own cuffs. Got a key?”

  “There’s an extra key in my wallet. Back pocket.”

  Keeping her eyes on the road, Caitlyn said, “We can telephone Heather if you want.”

  “Good idea,” Jack said. “We won’t be bothered by Rojas for a little while. His big, black SUV isn’t going anywhere. Why don’t you pull over, Caitlyn. You can take care of Danny, and I’ll drive.”

  She guided the car to a stop on the shoulder. When she turned in her seat, she saw that Jack had removed the tool belt and was unlocking Danny’s cuffs. She took out her cell phone and hit the speed dial for the Circle L Ranch. Heather answered in a brisk, no-nonsense tone.

  “It’s Caitlyn. Are you all right?”

  “Sure am.”

  “And Sandra? Is she there?”

  “I’m fine. Sandra’s fine. I picked up your tethered horses, and they’re fine.” Her voice dropped. “What’s going on? What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?”

  Caitlyn was satisfied. If Heather had been in danger, she would have found a way to tell her. “There’s somebody here who wants to talk to you.”

  She passed the phone to Danny. His hand was shaking so much that he could barely hold it. “I love you, sis. I don’t tell you enough. But I do.” He gasped out a sob. “Put my wife on the phone.”

  Giving Danny some privacy, Caitlyn left the car and circled around to the back. She winced as she observed the amount of damage she’d done. One fender and the tail-light were smashed. The rear door to her SUV was beyond repair. Three windows were broken, and there were bullet holes along the driver’s side. Explaining this incident to her insurance company wasn’t going to be easy.

  Jack stepped around the other side of the car and stood facing her. His hand slid down her arm in a caress, and he took the car keys from her. “If anything happens to me, there’s something I want you to know.”

  “What do you mean?” As far as she was concerned, they were out of danger. Almost. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”

  His mouth curved in that teasing grin that made her want to kiss him. “Just in case.”

  “Damn it, Jack. Do you always have to look on the dark side?”

  “Like I told you before, I always plan for the worst.”

  Reaching up, she stroked the rough stubble on his jaw. The light from the waning moon and the stars outlined the rugged planes of his face. “I couldn’t tell exactly what you did at the safe house, but from what I saw, you were amazing. You caused enough concussions to keep a brain specialist busy for weeks.”

  “Assuming those guys had functional brains.”

  One thing she had observed didn’t make sense. “It looked like you had the drop on Rojas. But you didn’t shoot.”

  “Not my job,” he said.

  As far as she knew, he’d been an enforcer for the Santoro family. In that line of work, she was fairly sure that his duties included murder. When she thought about it, she realized that Jack hadn’t killed anyone. Not at the safe house. Not at her cabin. “I’d like to know more about this job of yours.”

  “So would I.” He tapped the side of his head. “Amnesia.”

  “Convenient.”

  “Not really.”

  His large hand slipped around her neck, and he pulled her closer. His lips were warm against hers. As she leaned toward him, the tips of her breasts grazed his chest. A shiver of awareness washed through her, leaving a tingling sensation.

  When they kissed, she was hungry for more. Especially now. She knew her time with Jack was limited. Her torso pressed firmly against him. Her arms encircled him.

  “Caitlyn,” Danny bellowed from inside the car.

  She tore herself away from Jack’s embrace. As guilty as a teenager caught in the act, she put a polite distance between them. “I guess we have places to go.”

  “Here’s what I want you to know,” he said. “You’re going to be all right.”

  Why was he telling her this? She cocked her head to one side. “Explain.”

  “You have doubts about yourself and your career. That’s why you’re living in the mountains like a hermit.”

  Though his characterization irked her, she didn’t deny it. “Go on.”

  “You’re scared. But you don’t have to be. You’re tough, Caitlyn. You’re strong enough to take whatever life throws at you. If we had more time together, I’d—”

  “Caitlyn,” Danny called again. “We need to get going.”

  Jack shrugged. “I believe in you. Whatever happens, you’re going to be fine.”

  As he walked past her on his way to the driver’s seat, he patted her butt. Again, this wasn’t a gesture she would usually accept without complaint, but she said nothing.

  His reassurance was shockingly perceptive. It didn’t seem fair that a man who was so good-looking and capable would also be wise.

  In spite of the time she’d spent alone—time that was supposed to be for reflection and renewal—she hadn’t made the connection between her PTSD fear and her doubts about her career. She’d been afraid of just about everything. Until now.

  When she’d realized that Jack and Danny needed her, she’d been able to overcome her fear and do what had to be done. I’m going to be all right.

  She was damaged but not broken. Her life would mend. All the energy she’d poured into fixing up the cabin could be turned into something she was actually good at.

  In her heart, she’d always known what she was meant to do. She was a journalist, a seeker of truth. Losing her assignment in the Middle East didn’t negate her skill or her talent. There were plenty of other stories to write…starting with Jack. He had a story she was itching to write.

  As she settled into the backseat next to Danny, she asked Jack, “Do you need directions to the Circle L?”

  “I remember the way.”

  Of course he would. He did everything well. When she turned her attention to Danny, her mood darkened. She was accustomed to seeing her old friend as a cool, confident leader—the most popular guy in the county, the local hero. Being held hostage had devastated him, and she feared that these wounds went deeper than the bruises on his face. His shoulders slumped. His uniform was stained with blood, torn and disheveled. The acrid smell of sweat clung to him.

  Gently, she took his hand. Instead of offering false reassurances, she said the only positive thing she could think of. “We’re almost at the Circle L. You’ll be wit
h your wife soon.”

  “I called the sheriff,” he said. “He’ll arrange for bodyguards for Sandra and Heather until that sick bastard is in custody.”

  From the front seat, Jack said, “Arresting Rojas will be dangerous.”

  “You don’t have to tell me.” With an effort, Danny lifted his head and looked toward the front seat. “You’re the man they’re looking for, aren’t you? The witness.”

  “That’s right,” Caitlyn informed him. “He’s also the guy who saved your butt.”

  “And I thank you for that,” Danny said. “I didn’t think I’d get away in one piece. Thought I was a dead man.”

  She didn’t like seeing him this way. She missed his natural arrogance. “I wish there was something I could do for you. I don’t have any first-aid stuff in the car.”

  “It’s all right.” He exhaled slowly and spoke to the back of Jack’s head. “You did a good job negotiating. I only heard one side, but you convinced them to do what you wanted.”

  “I had an advantage,” Jack said. “I knew Rojas would lie. He’d try to set up a meet where he could get there first and set up an ambush. I just had to stall him long enough so that I could beat him to the punch.”

  “What’s your name?” Danny asked.

  Caitlyn answered, “You can call him Jack.”

  “As in Jack Dalton?” Danny turned toward her. “I thought we established that Jack Dalton was in jail sleeping off a drunk and disorderly.”

  There was no simple way to explain how she’d gotten involved with Jack and how he had amnesia. “Just call him Jack for now.”

  Danny sank back against the seat and closed his eyes. His lips barely moved as he spoke. “You were always good at getting yourself into trouble, Caitlyn. Remember? And you thought you were so smart. A regular Little Miss Know-It-All.”

  “I don’t just think I’m smart,” she said. “I really am.”

  “Not always.”

  He seemed to be implying that she’d made a mistake. “Is there something you need to tell me?”