Heartbreaker

by B. J Daniels

  “I don’t know. Because they thought I was Geneva and when they found the phone, they assumed it was mine, I mean hers.” He could see that her suspicions had taken her to the same result his had, but she was having trouble accepting it.

  “What can you tell me about Geneva?” He listened as she told him that over the past two years, she’d come to know the woman’s business by overhearing her conversations when she called to make travel reservations.

  According to JJ, the headstrong, clearly spoiled twenty-two-year-old was often at odds with her grandfather when she called JJ to book a trip. Her grandfather hadn’t liked anyone she’d dated, Geneva had related to her friends in the background. He also tried to control her by threatening to do away with most of her apparently rather large allowance.

  But recently Geneva had hooked up with someone who’d been the last straw with her grandfather. A man named Zac Judson, whose father owned Judson Boats.

  A few days ago, Geneva had called to make reservations. JJ had asked where she would like to fly. Palm Springs, California.

  JJ repeated the conversation and what she’d heard.

  “Someone in the background said, ‘But I thought you were going to the French Riviera?’

  “‘I wish. My grandfather took my passport. Can you believe that? It wasn’t enough to cut off my money, but he made it so I can’t even leave the country. Jenny, would you make the reservations for two weeks? I really need a break.’”

  Thorn considered everything she’d just told him. “Is it possible she knew you would stay at her house the night she left?” He could tell that she’d been expecting the question because it was one that she’d been asking herself.

  “You think she set me up.”

  “Don’t you?”

  JJ shook her head. “I know she’s rich and spoiled and self-centered.”

  “And angry at her grandfather over...money,” he said. “So she comes up with this scheme to get ten million dollars out of him and free herself from his control. She left her phone behind that she knew had a tracking device on it and told the kidnappers to be sure and retrieve it when they grabbed you. JJ, she set you up. She knew you were sleeping at her house. Probably from hidden surveillance cameras in the house.”

  “But how could she know I would go there last night?”

  “Because you’d done it before.”

  “One other time. Maybe a couple of times.”

  He couldn’t help giving her a sympathetic look. “You played right into her kidnapping plot.”

  * * *

  “I KNOW IT looks that way,” JJ had to admit. She saw his expression. “I can tell that you think I’m naive. But it just doesn’t feel right.”

  “I guess I’m surprised you’re that...trusting of a woman you’ve never met and only taken orders from over the phone. I’m trying to save your life, and you still don’t trust me.”

  She knew he had a point. He’d come to her rescue again, hadn’t he? True, he’d thought he needed her to find Geneva, but he’d risked his life for her. “Maybe I’m starting to trust you.” She thought of the kiss. He hadn’t planned on that. “Keep working at it. Seriously, I think you’re making progress.”

  He shook his head at her. “I know you don’t want to believe it. But Geneva calls you to book a trip for her, letting you know that she’ll be gone for two weeks. You have a place to stay for two weeks. I’m surprised she didn’t ask you to house-sit, but then you might have told someone—or even invited another person to stay even if she told you not to. By now she realizes you don’t really follow rules.”

  “Sounds like you have me all worked out anyway.” She knew he made a good argument, but it wasn’t one she wanted to hear. She’d been so sure that Geneva hadn’t known that she stayed in her house when she was gone. The cleaning service always came on Saturday morning to put clean sheets on the bed and clean the entire house. JJ was always gone by then, knowing that any trace of her was scrubbed and vacuumed and dusted away. There wasn’t any way Geneva could have known, unless Thorn was right and there were hidden cameras in the house.

  “She wanted you to know that she would be gone,” Thorn continued. “Then she probably notified the kidnappers when you were asleep in her bed.”

  “If you’re right, then why wouldn’t they take my duffel bag and get rid of my car? Had anyone checked her house, they would have found both. So much for Geneva’s clean getaway.”

  “Why would she worry about your car and duffel bag? She would have ten million dollars and be gone. Or maybe they planned to take care of those details later—before things didn’t work out the way they had it planned. If anything, the police would think you were involved in the kidnapping, because eventually they would ID your body in the wrecked plane and know you weren’t Geneva. At that point, they would assume she was dead since I’m betting she planned to disappear.”

  “You can’t think the plane crash was part of the plan.”

  He gave her another patient look.

  “You think I was supposed to die in the plane crash.”

  “Or the explosion.”

  What if Thorn was right? She felt her skin crawl.

  That would mean that the pilot had been given the wrong information. Maybe the engine had been tampered with? Or the fuel supply? Or there was an explosive device on board? “That is so cold-blooded. Why would—”

  “For ten million in ransom money.”

  She frowned. “Then the men who abducted me didn’t know I wasn’t Geneva.”

  “Probably not. But at least one of them has to know by now that he was set up,” Thorn said.

  “Baker. I wonder if he got out of the mountains, and if he did...” She stopped to look at the cowboy. “He’s looking for the people who hired him and his buddies.”

  Thorn nodded. “If Geneva was behind it, he’ll be looking for her next.”

  JJ felt sick, and yet when she thought of the woman she’d listened to talk about her problems while on the phone with her... “Maybe what I can’t see is her putting something like this together. Also, those men who took me to the cabin? They thought I was Geneva. They’re still looking for her. But I don’t think they were involved in the original kidnapping. I think she owes their boss money. Apparently he’s been trying to collect for some time and his patience had run out.”

  Thorn seemed to consider that. “Which could also explain why she cooked up this plan to get the money. Now that things have gone south, she’s probably bailed,” Thorn said. “If she left the area at all.”

  Geneva was young and impulsive. If she was involved, then JJ wondered if she had any idea how much trouble she was in. How much danger she was in. JJ could see her bailing and leaving her hired kidnappers high and dry. Not to mention the man and his crew who were also looking for her. JJ could attest to how angry and anxious the man was to find her.

  Thorn sighed. “And now neither group has her—or the money—and if either of you shows up before they get it...”

  “A week ago, Geneva asked me what it took to become a luxury travel adviser,” JJ said. “She was interested in learning more about the job. Does that sound like someone who was planning her own kidnapping?”

  “JJ,” Thorn said, “she was befriending you. She wanted to make sure you would be sleeping in her bed last night.”

  She knew she was clutching at straws. Thorn had made a good argument that definitely made Geneva look guilty. But even if she was, JJ didn’t believe that she was working alone. “I guess I could believe it if her boyfriend, Zac Judson, was behind it.”

  “You don’t trust him? What do you know about him?”

  “Just what I’ve heard over the phone. Her grandfather doesn’t like him at all, which could say something about him. If she really went away with him like she had planned when she made the reservations for Palm Springs, he has to be in on it, right?” />
  Thorn pushed to his feet. “Even if she can trust her boyfriend, Geneva is in trouble. If we could find Baker, he might just lead us to who hired him—and probably tried to kill him.” He pulled out the two phones that JJ had taken from the men in the plane before it blew up. “Let’s start with these guys, but not tonight. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough for one day.” As he rose, he flinched as if his back still hurt, reminding her of earlier.

  “I’m sorry I hit you with the chair. In retrospect, it was a mistake.”

  “It’s all right. You’ve been through a lot. Seriously, we’re no good to Geneva like this. In the morning, we’ll find her, and we’ll get this all sorted out.”

  Miguel came into the room to see if they needed anything else. Music from the bar flowed in with him.

  “The food was delicious,” JJ said. “Your recipes?”

  He smiled. “My grandmother’s. She was quite the cook. I used to watch her make tortillas.” He patted his hands together. “I make my own now just like she did.”

  “Thank you for everything,” Thorn said, and looked at her. “If you don’t mind, I think we’ll stay the night in your cabin.” That was news to her. The cabin was small, and there was only the one double bed. “We both could use some rest.”

  “Let me know if there is anything else you need,” Miguel said. “Stay as long as you like.”

  As they walked over to the cabin, JJ admitted that she was exhausted after the long day she’d had. Apparently, she’d proved earlier that she could sleep anywhere—except in a small bed with the cowboy.

  “If you’re worried about where we’re going to sleep, don’t be,” he said, as if reading her mind. She saw his amused grin. “I’ll sleep on the floor.” He glanced over at her. “You’ll be perfectly safe, I promise.” He made an X over his heart as if that would reassure her. He looked like he wanted to say something about that kiss earlier, but she cut him off before he could.

  “What are you going to do with me when, as you say, we get this all sorted out?” she asked.

  They’d stopped at the door to the cabin. A small dim bare bulb hung over the door. It was enough to see that he was frowning down at her. “Do with you?”

  “I’m just wondering at what point you plan to turn me over to the authorities.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Not yet. Not until you find Geneva.”

  “What is it you want me to say? I thought we agreed that you were going to help me find Geneva because you seem to know more about her than even her grandfather does. Also, until we do, your life is in danger too. If I’m right, you were supposed to have died in the plane crash. You didn’t. That makes you a loose end someone is going to want to tie up.” He pushed open the cabin door, but she didn’t move. “Look, you’re safer with me than you would be on your own. Haven’t you realized that by now?”

  Was she? She thought of the kiss and her reaction to it. That certainly hadn’t felt safe. “I’m not your problem.”

  He scoffed at that. “You became my problem when the judge asked me to find you. Well, find Geneva. Instead, I found you.” His gray gaze locked with hers. “The only way to clear your name and not end up dead or in jail is to stick with me.”

  “You’re that good at whatever it is you do?”

  “Yeah, I am.” He looked away. “I was trained in the military. Is that what you need to hear? JJ, what do I have to do to make you trust me?” He shook his head in obvious exasperation.

  “How do I know that when we find her, you won’t kill us both, take the ten million and disappear?”

  He swore. “The way your mind works scares me.”

  “Me too,” she admitted. “But I like to cover all the bases.”

  “I know the feeling,” he said. “That’s why I think Geneva is up to her ears in this.” Thorn seemed to study her for a long moment. “You have to be the most fascinating woman I think I’ve ever met. And the most stubborn, impossible and frustrating. You’ve made it difficult, but whether you like it or not I’m going to keep you alive. We’re going to find Geneva, and then we can part ways. Is that what you need to hear? You can go back to your job at the travel agency and—”

  “You can go back to your mountain hermit retreat?”

  He sighed and looked away. She was too tired to be having this discussion. True, she wanted to find Geneva. But maybe she just wanted this cowboy to know that she had options other than turning her life over to him, which felt dangerous to her. Especially after that kiss earlier.

  Or maybe she just didn’t trust not being on her own like she had been since her father’s death—just like she’d been as a girl. That was something she knew and trusted. Depending on this cowboy was taking a risk, and that scared her. “What if I decide to go to the cops with all of it and let them find her?”

  His smile transformed his face in the overhead light. She was struck again how handsome he could be when he wasn’t trying to intimidate her. “Jenny Jo? If you were going to the cops, you would have already done it. Involving the authorities could get Geneva killed and you locked up.”

  “I thought you were so sure that she was behind her own kidnapping.”

  “Right now, I’m not sure of anything except that we both need rest. So stop arguing with me. Please.” He motioned for her to enter the cabin.

  She hesitated only a moment, because he was right. She was exhausted and probably not thinking straight. She’d already made mistakes. Could she really afford to make another one that might have disastrous consequences?

  But she didn’t kid herself that getting too close to this man wasn’t dangerous, even without having kidnappers on her trail. His kiss was imprinted on her lips—not to mention what it had stirred up inside her. But more dangerous was leaning on someone else. Especially this cowboy with his own painful past.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “WHAT DID YOU tell this judge of yours about me?” JJ asked as she stopped in the middle of the room, avoiding the only bed and the thought of their sleeping arrangements. She felt anxious. Tomorrow they would try to find Geneva. He was so sure she knew how to do that. It was what happened after they did that worried her. She felt as if she was getting in deeper into something even more dangerous.

  “I told him that the woman in the plane wasn’t Geneva. That there was a mix-up. That you’re not involved in the kidnapping.”

  That surprised her. “You told him that you had me.”

  He chuckled at that. “Until you get it in your head to take off again.”

  She met his gaze and held it. “What are you risking here?”

  “No more than you’re risking.”

  “Your judge doesn’t want to see me? Question me? Franklin Davenport doesn’t?”

  He sighed. “I’m not turning you over to anyone.”

  “Not even your judge?” That surprised her.

  “No, not even to him. Now could we please get some rest, and tomorrow I plan to find Geneva and turn her over to her grandfather, guilty or not. Are you going to help me?”

  She thought about the young woman who always asked for her at the travel agency. “I definitely want to find her before anyone else does.”

  “That reminds me. I need to look at the cut on your leg.”

  “It’s fine.” She started to step past him, but he grabbed her arm.

  His gaze held her in a viselike grip much like his fingers, though he was barely touching her. “Let me look at your leg.”

  She sighed and sat down on the foot of the bed. He knelt before her and pushed her jeans pant leg up for him to see the cut.

  “You should see a doctor to make sure it doesn’t get infected.”

  “It doesn’t look that bad. Can’t you tape it up?”

  “You’ll have a scar.”

  She smiled at that. “It won’t be my first or probably my
last.”

  He looked up at her, a smile playing at his lips. “You live that dangerously?”

  “Seems that way.” She met his eyes. They appeared silvery in the cabin’s light. Her chest tightened. It had been ages. She’d kept her head down for so long, working and paying bills, that she’d forgotten what it was like to have a man look at her that way.

  Thorn cleared his throat and rose. “I’m going to take a shower.” She thought about his fingers in her hair, the scent of shampoo filling the air. How long had it been for him, she wondered. Was his wife the woman he’d helped shampoo her hair in front of that fire? Or was the cabin and that life after whatever had happened to the woman?

  He started to turn toward the bathroom, but then glanced back toward the cabin door.

  She saw at once what he was thinking. “Going to lock me in?”

  He gave her a tired smile. “It crossed my mind, probably the same way leaving crossed yours.”

  JJ let out a sigh and rose from the bed. “I know you think I’m difficult. But I’ve been on my own for a good part of my life. I’m okay with that. It’s trusting my life to others that I have trouble with.”

  “Has there never been a man in your life, other than your father?”

  She felt heat rush to her cheeks. “It isn’t like I haven’t dated.” There’d been some boyfriends in high school and college, but after her father died she’d been too busy to even date.

  “You’ve never been in love.”

  She started to argue that maybe she’d come close a couple of times, but he didn’t give her a chance.

  “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business,” he said. “And I understand about going it alone. It’s easier than taking a chance on someone who can rip out your heart and stomp on it.” He met her gaze. “Sorry.”

  “Do you want to talk about her?”