Someone To Watch Over Her

by Margaret Watson

  “Go on to bed, then. I’m going to stay up for a while.”

  “You expect them tonight, don’t you?”

  He could lie and tell her no, that he wanted to read for a while. But she deserved the truth. “I think so. They don’t have anything to gain by waiting.”

  “All right.” She nodded. “Good night, Marcus.”

  “Good night,” he murmured, watching her disappear through the door to the bedroom. He listened to the rustle of her clothes as she undressed, listened to the sound of her moving around in the other room and longed to join her. He wanted nothing more than to lie down beside her, to fit her body against his and lose himself in her.

  But he turned away and went to stand by the window. The night sky shimmered with stars, and the moon hung low on the horizon, bathing the ground with pearly light. Simon was somewhere on Cascadilla, and with any luck, they’d take the first step toward capturing him tonight. That was the only thing he could afford to think about.

  He stood by the window until he could no longer hear Jessica in the bedroom. When he’d heard nothing but silence for a long time, he moved to the couch and turned out all the lights in the room.

  Slowly his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, and his other senses sharpened. He heard the night birds calling from the trees outside, heard the whisper of the surf as it crept onto the beach, then rolled out to sea. He smelled the flowers that the resort planted everywhere, sweet and mysterious. Far in the distance, he heard the low murmur of evening at the resort, the voices of people on vacation, dedicated to pleasure.

  He wasn’t here on vacation.

  Deadly serious business would be conducted here tonight. Simon would be a fool if he didn’t try to recapture Jessica tonight, before they had a chance to set up their defenses. And Simon was no fool.

  Neither am I, Marcus thought grimly. Devane and two other agents would be in place soon, waiting close by for the kidnappers to approach. They’d agreed that the kidnappers would probably wait until early morning, when there was less chance of being discovered.

  Marcus stretched out to wait, letting his mind wander. It wanted to wander in Jessica’s direction, but he tried to put her out of his mind. He would have to give her up soon, and he didn’t want to think about that. It was going to hurt too damn much.

  A tiny voice said he didn’t have to give her up. Jessica didn’t want him to go. He could read that in her eyes every time she looked at him.

  And God knew he didn’t want to leave her. But it was the only right thing to do. She deserved a chance to make a good life for herself. And waiting at home while he chased the bad guys all over the world wasn’t the kind of life he wanted for her.

  He wanted nothing but the best for Jessica. She deserved someone who would always be there for her, someone who was there every day, who came home every night. Someone who could give her all the things he couldn’t, like stability and security.

  He jumped to his feet, irritated. He didn’t want to think about Jessica with anyone else. He couldn’t bear the thought of someone else holding her, someone else kissing her. He scowled. He didn’t want to think about anyone but himself touching her.

  “So think about something else,” he growled. He moved to the window, listening. Nothing moved outside but the wind.

  He paced the tiny living room, but it didn’t help. Finally he sat, thinking about the opportunities SPEAR had had recently to catch Simon. The traitor had slipped through the net every time.

  Not this time, he vowed.

  A tiny sound outside the cottage caught his attention, and he froze. Then he heard it again. It was the sound of a small pebble rolling along the sand. And it came from the back of the cottage.

  Was one of the other guests taking a midnight swim? He strained to listen, but the sound wasn’t repeated. Anyone with innocent reasons for being on the beach would make more noise than that. Silently he moved to the door of the cottage. Devane and his men would be out there. They’d make sure no one got into the cottage and got to Jessica.

  He waited until he heard the sound again. It was closer this time. It sounded like it came from behind the next cottage. He moved silently to the door and put his hand on the doorknob. He’d let the intruder get a little closer, then he’d open the door and give the signal to Devane and the others. They were in the trees at the front of the cottage. There was no cover for them to hide on the side of the cottage facing the beach.

  He heard Jessica move in the bedroom, and he froze. Then there was silence, and he began to breathe again. Come on, he told the intruder silently. Just a little closer and we’ll have you.

  But he didn’t hear another footstep. Whoever was out there was being very cautious. And it was no less than he expected. Simon wouldn’t make their job easy. SPEAR had already found that out.

  Finally he heard it again, another tiny sound. His hand closed around the doorknob and he turned it, ready to pull the door open and leap outside. Then he heard Jessica again.

  She cried out in her sleep, sobbing with fear. He heard his name, and he instinctively moved into the cottage.

  “Get away from me,” she sobbed. “Marcus? Marcus, where are you? Help me!”

  She was dreaming, he realized immediately. Knowing that the kidnappers might try to capture her again tonight, she’d fallen asleep and dreamed of just that. She wasn’t in any real danger. He could leave her and she wouldn’t know the difference.

  But he couldn’t force himself to walk out the door and leave her suffering. He couldn’t ignore the sounds of her pain. So he opened the door and signaled to Devane, gesturing toward the back of the cottage. Then he went inside and hurried to Jessica’s side.

  “It’s all right, sweetheart,” he murmured, sliding onto the bed next to her. “I’m right here, and nothing is going to happen to you.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, and she gripped him tightly. “Wake up, Jessica. You’re dreaming.”

  He kissed her cheek and brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Wake up, sweetheart.”

  Groggily she opened her eyes. He saw her struggle to focus, saw the moment she realized he was with her. “Marcus?”

  “You were having a dream,” he said, holding her shoulders as he kept his gaze on her face. He wanted her to see him, to know that he was real and not part of her dream. “But it’s okay. I’m here and you’re all right.”

  “I dreamed they caught me again,” she said haltingly. “And I didn’t know where you were.” She searched his face. “Am I awake now?”

  He lowered his mouth and kissed her, and felt her softening against him. “Does that feel real?” he murmured.

  “Mmm.” Her low sound of pleasure hummed in his blood, and he leaned closer. Then he heard the sound of running feet pounding past the cottage, and he jerked his head up.

  She came fully awake and sat up in bed, clutching the sheet. “What was that?”

  “I think it might have been what we’ve been waiting for.”

  “Go,” she said in a low voice. “I’m awake and I’m fine.”

  He looked at her, still reluctant to leave. And then he stood slowly. He felt as if the world had suddenly tilted, throwing him off balance. He’d chosen to stay with Jessica rather than try to catch Simon.

  Simon had been the focus of his job, of his life, for the past eight months. And when faced with a choice, he’d chosen Jessica.

  His priority had always been his job. He’d never hesitated to put it first, never wanted to do otherwise.

  And all that had changed in the past three weeks.

  Since he’d met Jessica.

  “Why are you staring at me?”

  “Am I?”

  She nodded. “You look odd, Marcus. Are you all right?”

  No, he wasn’t all right. He didn’t think he’d ever be all right again. “I’m fine,” he said hoarsely. “I’m going to step outside and see what happened. Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself?”

  “Positive. Go.”

&nb
sp; He turned, his head spinning, his heart pounding in his chest. What the hell was wrong with him?

  “I’m fine,” she repeated in a low voice. “Go ahead.”

  She thought he was reluctant to leave her alone. God, if she only knew what had been going through his mind. But he pushed himself out of the bedroom and hurried to the door of the cottage.

  By the time he’d reached the beach, he saw Devane standing at the edge of the water, his weapon drawn. The moonlight illuminated the frustration on his face.

  “What happened?”

  “Someone was here, all right,” Russell Devane said, his voice tight with anger. “The clever bastard jumped into the water when he heard us coming.” He nodded toward the horizon. “There’s a raft waiting for him out there.”

  Marcus saw a dark object bobbing low in the water, too far out to be seen clearly. “What was he planning to do? Make her swim out to the raft?”

  “He probably had someone with a car close by. The others are checking it out.”

  Marcus watched as the raft tipped and a dark figure slipped over the edge. Then they heard the faint sound of an outboard motor, and the raft headed out to sea.

  “I’ll be damned,” Marcus said softly.

  “We all will be.” Devane thinned his lips. “We have to catch that slimy bastard, Waters. Before he does any more damage to SPEAR.”

  “We still have Jessica. And this proves that Simon still needs money. He’ll try again. And we’ll have him next time.”

  “I’m counting on it.” Devane jerked his head toward the cabin. “How’s she holding up?”

  “She’s doing just fine. Anxious to catch these guys.”

  “What do we do now?” Devane asked, turning away from the beach. The raft was out of sight.

  “We wait. It may not be tomorrow night or the night after that, but they’ll come back. And next time we’ll have them.”

  “Let’s go see what my men found.” Devane’s mouth tightened again. “But I’m betting they found squat.”

  Jessica glanced out the window and saw Marcus standing with another man on the beach. She heard the low murmur of their voices, and even from a distance she could hear the frustration and anger. Clearly, the kidnappers had gotten away.

  It didn’t matter. She was safe with Marcus, and they would have another chance.

  And she would have more time with Marcus. More time to make him see that what they had was unique and wonderful.

  She turned from the window and started a pot of coffee. She suspected that neither of them were going to get much more sleep tonight.

  A few minutes later the door to the cottage opened and Marcus came in, accompanied by one of the men she’d met when she’d helped draw the picture of the kidnappers. He nodded to her, his eyes stormy.

  “What happened?” she asked Marcus.

  “There was someone here. But he got away. Dove into the water as soon as he heard Devane.” He jerked his head in the other man’s direction. “He swam out to a raft. We suspect there was a car waiting somewhere close by in case he was successful.”

  She wondered if Marcus realized he had identified his partner, something he had been careful not to do. “What do we do now?”

  “We wait,” Marcus said grimly. “They’ll be back. The fact that they tried to grab you tonight means they need the ransom money badly.”

  There was more going on than a foiled kidnapping. Jessica was sure of it. Her gaze went from Marcus’s closed, tight face to the anger burning in Devane’s eyes. There was far more going on here. But she’d wait and ask Marcus about it later, when they were alone.

  “I put some coffee on. I figured you wouldn’t be sleeping tonight.”

  She saw Devane and Marcus exchange a glance. Marcus shrugged. “Might as well stay here for a while. They probably won’t be back tonight.”

  There was a knock at the door. Marcus’s hand hovered over his gun as he looked out the window, then he pulled open the door.

  Two men stood there. When Marcus looked at them, they shook their heads. “Gone. There was a car parked between two cottages a few doors down. We heard it leaving before we reached it. We looked around for any evidence they might have left behind, but we didn’t see a thing.”

  “Check it out in the morning,” Marcus said, and the two men nodded.

  “I’m going back to bed,” Jessica announced. It was clear that her presence was inhibiting the men from talking.

  Marcus looked at her. “Will you be all right?”

  She summoned a tired smile. “With the amount of firepower in this cottage right now, I should sleep like a baby.”

  His face softened. “Good night,” he murmured.

  His voice was a caress, and she wanted to reach out and touch him. Instead, she nodded and turned away. As she closed the door to the bedroom, she heard the men’s voices, the words muffled and unclear but the tone urgent and angry.

  Chapter 15

  The next three days passed agonizingly slowly. Jessica watched as Marcus paced the cottage. They didn’t go outdoors. They ordered their meals from room service. And when Jessica questioned the wisdom of revealing her presence, Marcus shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now,” he’d said. “They already know you’re here.”

  They read the books on the bookshelves, but she couldn’t concentrate on the words. They talked, but Marcus was uncommunicative, answering her questions in short phrases and not offering any conversation. Finally, on the third night, Jessica said, “I need to go to bed.” She needed to get away from the unrelenting tension that swirled through the cottage.

  “Go ahead,” he said absently. “I’m waiting to hear from Devane.”

  She wanted to question him about Devane, and about himself. Clearly Marcus knew more about her kidnapping than he had told her. But she told herself to wait until after the kidnappers were caught, when she would have his undivided attention. She didn’t intend to let Marcus brush her off with partial answers or placate her with half-truths.

  “Good night,” she said softly.

  He turned to look at her, and his face softened. For an instant he was the Marcus she had fallen in love with. “I’m sorry this has turned out this way,” he said in a low voice.

  “It hasn’t turned out any way yet,” she retorted. “But I know you’re going to catch them.”

  He leaned forward and kissed her. “You’re good for my ego,” he said, running his finger down her cheek. “But I don’t walk on water, you know.”

  She gave him a tired smile. “I know that. If you did, you would have caught the guy the other night. But you’re close enough.”

  He smiled at her, kissed her again, then straightened. She realized it was as much as she was going to get from him. “I’ll see you in the morning,” she said.

  He nodded absently, already looking out the window. “I’ll be here.”

  She closed the door behind her and got ready for bed. She knew Devane would be here shortly, and they would want to talk. And she didn’t want to eavesdrop on them.

  The sheets were crisp and cool, but the bed felt too large and too empty. She wanted Marcus beside her, wanted to wrap her arms around him and lose herself in him. He had been pulling away from her the past three days, distancing himself, as if he was already preparing to leave her.

  She didn’t intend to let that happen. She wanted to make Marcus see that they belonged together, that they could make a life together. But she was afraid he was going to be stubborn.

  She smiled as she cuddled Marcus’s pillow to her chest. He didn’t know how stubborn she could be when she was determined. And she was determined to make Marcus see that they fit together perfectly.

  She heard the front door open, and as she drifted off to sleep she heard the low murmur of voices from the other room. It was surprisingly reassuring. Marcus would protect her. She was safe.

  Marcus watched Russell Devane walk in the door to the cottage and felt a deep pang of regret that he wasn’t with Jessica in th
e bedroom. But that was the way it had to be.

  “Are your men in place?” he asked quietly as Devane closed the door.

  “They have been for several hours now. I don’t want to take any chances this time.”

  “I thought we would stay in the house from now on, let him get inside the next time he shows up. It’ll be a lot easier to grab him in here.”

  Devane looked toward the closed bedroom door. “She doesn’t mind?”

  “I haven’t told her.” His voice softened. “But she would tell me to do what we needed to do.”

  “She’s okay,” Devane said gruffly.

  She was more than okay, Marcus thought. But he couldn’t afford to think about Jessica right now. He had to be focused completely on what might happen here tonight.

  “You all set?” he asked the other agent.

  When Devane nodded, Marcus said, “Then I’m going to turn off the lights. We’ll sit and wait for them.”

  They sat in the darkness for hours. The noise from the resort gradually faded until the only sounds were the night birds and the surf breaking over the beach. The moon slowly set until it shed only a vague hint of light low on the horizon. And still there was no sound from beyond the cottage.

  Finally, close to three o’clock, Marcus heard the sound he’d been waiting for. It was only a whisper, the careless scrape of a shoe against the sand. But it brought him out of his chair. Devane moved at the same time.

  Soundlessly they took their places on either side of the door. Marcus glanced at his fellow agent, and Devane nodded. The men waiting in the trees outside wouldn’t interrupt. They would allow the intruder to enter the cottage unchallenged. No one wanted a repeat of the other night, when the kidnapper had fled into the water and out of reach.

  Endless minutes passed. Marcus strained to listen, but didn’t hear any other sounds. Either the kidnapper was being remarkably careful or something had spooked him and he’d changed his mind.