Danger on the Mountain

by Lynette Eason

  “I’m sure.”

  “I’m going job hunting tomorrow. As soon as I get a job, I’ll be out of your hair, I promise.”

  Maggie pointed to her room. “Go.”

  Shannon didn’t hesitate a moment longer. She rolled her suitcase into Maggie’s room then darted into the nursery. Maggie followed, curious.

  Then watched with amusement as Shannon peered into the crib. Maggie didn’t want to laugh at Shannon’s disappointment, she knew the woman loved Belle and had missed her over the last few months they’d been gone, but her disgusted expression was quite funny. “She’s at a friend’s house for the night,” Maggie explained.

  “Bummer.” Shannon pouted. “I wanted to see her.”

  “I know you did. You can see her tomorrow. My friend Cal’s dropping her off first thing on his way in to work.” An idea occurred to Maggie. “Speaking of seeing Belle. How would you like to watch her for me while I’m teaching tomorrow?”

  Delight lit up Shannon’s face. “Are you kidding? I’d love to. We’ll stay right here and play, but we won’t get in your way.”

  Relief filled Maggie. “Wonderful.” Then she frowned. “But what about your job hunt?”

  “Are you crazy? Hunt for a job or take care of my niece?” She lifted a brow. “Hon, that’s a no-brainer.”

  On impulse, Maggie hugged the woman. “I’m glad you’re here, Shannon, I’ve missed you.”

  “Me, too, Maggie. Very glad I’m here.” She frowned. “Although, I should be completely furious with you for running off without a word.”

  “I left a note.”

  “It’s not the same thing. I looked for you for a month. I thought about hiring a private detective, but decided to wait and see if you called.”

  Maggie sighed. “I know. And I’m sorry, but I did what I had to do at the time.” She forced a smile. “Forgive me?”

  “Maybe.” Shannon’s lower lip jutted.

  Maggie’s smile this time was real. “Good night, Shannon.”

  “Night.” Shannon disappeared into Maggie’s bedroom. Maggie had spent the thirty minutes between Shannon’s call and subsequent arrival changing the sheets and cleaning the bathroom. Shannon should be fine for the night.

  Maggie walked into her office, now her bedroom, and shut the door. Shannon didn’t seem bothered by the police officer sitting outside Maggie’s house or the fact that Maggie had a need for him. And Maggie had to admit that having another adult in the house eased her fears tremendously.

  Walking over to her desk, she picked up the envelope she’d meant to mail today and sighed. She’d get it in the mail tomorrow first thing.

  Placing the envelope right where she would see it, she laid down on the daybed and closed her eyes.

  Worry took over, making them shoot wide open. Would having another woman in the house deter the man who seemed determined to terrorize her into silence? Or would he just go through Shannon to get to Maggie, if that’s what it took?

  Maggie forced her eyes closed and prayed for safety.

  * * *

  Reese walked into the office the next morning and sat at his desk while he smothered a yawn.

  “You know you can come stay with us, don’t you?” Cal asked from the doorway.

  Reese snapped his jaw shut and sniffed. “I smell coffee. Good coffee. And I know I can. I appreciate the offer, but I want to stay close to Maggie.”

  The white foam cup appeared in front of him. He snatched it and took a careful swig. “Ahhh. Thanks. My coffeemaker didn’t survive the blast.” He shook his head. “The bomb goes off in my bedroom, and the coffeemaker takes a hit in the kitchen.” He rolled his eyes. “Nothing else in the kitchen. Just the coffeemaker.”

  “No explaining how or why blasts destroy the things they destroy and leave the things they leave.”

  “Yeah.”

  “How’s Maggie?”

  Reese frowned. “She was all right. I’m getting ready to take my turn watching her house.”

  “I’ve got the shift after you.”

  Reese nodded. “I’m wondering if we should consider moving her to a safer place.”

  Cal perched himself on the edge of Reese’s desk and took a sip of his coffee. “Might not be a bad idea. Got kind of quiet there for a while then the attempt to run you off the road and a threatening call all in one night.” He shook his head. “Not good.”

  “I know.” He smiled. “But on the bright side, Maggie’s not alone right now. She has a visitor.”

  “Who?”

  “Her former sister-in-law, Shannon Bennett.”

  “That’s good to know. She the one driving that white Mercedes around town?”

  “Yep.”

  “Nice.” He paused and his expression turned thoughtful. “She was in the diner last night and caused quite a stir in some of the regulars. Several men were tripping over themselves trying to buy her a drink or her supper.”

  “It’s a small town, where the men outnumber the women by five to one. She’s bound to stir things up as long as she’s here.”

  “Better keep our eyes open.”

  “And our backs to the wall,” Reese grunted.

  * * *

  Maggie turned off her computer and stretched. Wednesday was her busiest day with four classes practically back to back, time for a quick lunch then two more classes. Her stomach rumbled, and she glanced at the clock. Time to think about dinner.

  She could hear Shannon singing a silly song about horses and cowgirls to Belle. The two had hit it right off the minute Cal had dropped Belle at the house this morning. Maggie had watched them for a little while and then gone to work with a smile.

  She’d joined them for lunch, then heard Shannon in Belle’s room rocking the baby to sleep. All in all, Maggie felt good about the situation. Good enough to wonder if Shannon might consider doing this for a while.

  At least until she found another job.

  If she intended to find one. She still couldn’t believe Shannon had quit her job back in Spartanburg. She thought she’d planned to just take a leave of absence or some vacation time.

  Belle was still sleeping, and Maggie found Shannon in the den reading a novel. “Would you like to stay for Thanksgiving?” she found herself asking.

  Shannon looked up, surprise on her face. Then pleasure. “I’d love it.”

  Maggie felt warmth start to thaw the area around her heart. Shannon really did seem different than when she’d last been around her. Softer, more content. Happy.

  “Great.” Then she frowned. “What about your parents? Won’t they expect you to be with them?”

  A grimace crossed Shannon’s face. “My parents. I suppose we need to talk about them.”

  Maggie lifted a brow. “What do you mean?”

  “I told them I was going to be moving to Rose Mountain to be closer to you and Belle, and they flipped.”

  “Flipped?”

  “They weren’t happy with me.”

  “Well—” Maggie gave a soft sigh “—they’ve never liked me and never wanted anything to do with Belle, so that’s not surprising, is it?”

  This time it was Shannon’s turn to look surprised. “What do you mean? Of course they wanted something to do with Belle. But you’re right, they didn’t approve of you.” She shrugged. “No offense, it’s just a fact.”

  Maggie was beyond taking offense at something she’d known and accepted for years. But to hear they wanted to be part of Belle’s life?

  “But Kent said—”

  Shannon waved off her protest with a sharp jab of her hand. An angry glint sparked in the woman’s eyes. “Every word out of my brother’s mouth was a lie. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”

  Maggie sank onto the couch. Yes, she’d figured it out before the first year of her marriage had passed. But his parents... “Then why didn’t they ever let me know that they wanted to see her?”

  “Because Kent wouldn’t let them.”

  Maggie’s jaw dropped. “Wouldn’t let them
?” She knew she sounded like a parrot, repeating Shannon’s words, but shock had frozen her brain.

  Shannon shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “Kent needed money. He asked them to give it to him. They wouldn’t.”

  More shock settled over her. She wilted into the pillow behind her. “Money? But we weren’t hurting for money. You saw the house we lived in, the car Kent drove.” He hadn’t allowed her to drive, but spared no expense when it came to his own automobile. Fortunately, they lived within walking distance of a small grocery store. When he left for work, she often went walking, sometimes to the grocery store, sometimes to the small church on the outskirts of the neighborhood.

  Shannon gave a small, uncharacteristic snort. “It was all image with him. And, yeah, he made good money as a stockbroker, but he also liked to gamble, and that wasn’t a good thing for his bank account.”

  “Gamble?” Maggie felt the blood drain from her face. “I never really knew him at all, did I?”

  “No, unfortunately, you didn’t.”

  Belle’s “I’m awake” cry sounded and Shannon jumped to her feet, the book tumbling onto the floor. “I’ll get her,” she said as she raced toward the nursery.

  In spite of the things she’d just learned about her former in-laws and the disturbing news about Kent, Maggie smiled and shook her head as she picked up the book. It might be nice having Shannon around.

  She thought about the envelope still sitting on her desk to be mailed and looked down the hall where Shannon had disappeared into Belle’s room.

  Maybe she’d wait another couple of days before mailing it after all.

  * * *

  Reese knocked on Deputy White’s cruiser window. The glass lowered and Reese caught the man on the tail end of a yawn. “Sorry,” White said. “It’s just boring as all get out watching this place.”

  “Wasn’t boring a few nights ago.”

  “Yeah. I know.” He said it as if he wished something would happen.

  “Reese?”

  He turned to see Maggie standing in the doorway. Her flushed cheeks and the white substance on her nose and cheeks said she’d been busy in the kitchen. He tapped the door and said to Jason, “You can take off. I’ve got the evening covered.”

  “You don’t have to say it twice.” Deputy White started the car and left, a spray of gravel spitting up behind him as he turned out of the driveway.

  Reese gave the area around him a good look as he walked toward Maggie. He admired her beauty, and wondered what she saw in him. Then decided he didn’t care as long as she liked what she saw.

  The look in her eyes said she did.

  A strange, peaceful feeling flowed through him, taking him by surprise. And making him smile.

  “Would you like to join us for dinner?” she asked.

  “Shannon’s still here?”

  “She is.”

  He swiped a finger down her nose. “What did that belong to?”

  Maggie giggled. And his heart did strange things. Things it hadn’t done in a very long time. She backed up and motioned him inside, saying, “I made cookies for dessert. I haven’t baked in a while and decided we needed some sweets.”

  “I’m always up for cookies.” He followed her into the small foyer and saw Shannon holding Belle. She smiled and he nodded. “I’m glad you’re here to keep Maggie company.”

  “Me, too.”

  Reese felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. Uneasiness flowed through him and he shivered at the sudden unexpected feeling.

  The foyer window shattered inward and Reese felt a sting under his right eye even as he dove for Maggie, heard Shannon scream, and two more bullets pound the wooden door.

  TWELVE

  Maggie whirled, her first thought to grab Belle and cover her. A hard arm around her waist stopped her midflight and took her to the floor. She cried out. “Belle!”

  “Stay here,” Reese demanded. Maggie flipped around to see him pull Shannon and Belle to the floor behind the recliner in the den.

  He was already reaching for his phone when the glass on the other side of the door mimicked the first one, shattering all over the foyer floor and spraying into the den.

  Reese barked, “Shooter at Maggie Bennett’s house with a good view of her front door.”

  Trembling, breaths coming in pants and tears blurring her eyes, she crawled toward Belle and Shannon, her only thought to get to her baby and cover her, protect her.

  “Maggie! Stop! Stay still!”

  She froze.

  And realized she was crawling over the glass on the floor. And her arms were bleeding. “Belle,” she cried as she frantically searched for Shannon and the baby.

  “She’s fine, Maggie. I have her. She’s fine,” Shannon reassured her. Maggie wasn’t reassured. She wanted to see her baby for herself, hold her in her arms and keep her safe.

  A bullet hit just above her head. She ducked with a scream.

  Glass crunched under Reese’s feet as he moved toward her. What was he doing? He’d be exposed. She felt him gently grasp her upper arm and pull her up and way from the line of fire. “Down the hall, into the bedroom and under the bed.”

  She jerked from his grasp. “Not without my baby.”

  “I’ll get Belle and bring her to you, but go.”

  Three more shots beat a staccato beat against her door, and one whizzed by Reese, who flinched and pulled her down once more. “Go!”

  She went. Crying and begging God to spare the life of her child.

  And everyone in her house.

  Anger, hot and furious flowed through her, drying her tears, fueling her determination, even as she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Shannon leading the way, followed by Reese who had Belle tucked up against his chest, shoulders hunched over her.

  Maggie slipped into the bedroom and sank to the floor next to the bed, making sure she was out of sight of the window on the opposite wall.

  Shannon burst through the door and dropped beside her. Maggie held her arms out for Belle and flinched when Reese hesitated, then handed the crying baby to Shannon. He stumbled back so fast he nearly tripped and fell. Her stomach dipped as she realized how hard it was for him to hold Belle even in this crazy situation. But to give the baby to Shannon, that hurt. Then she saw her outstretched arms and knew why he’d hesitated.

  Blood covered her arms from elbow to wrist where she’d tried to crawl army-style across the glass in her foyer.

  “We’ll get you some medical help soon,” he promised.

  “I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” But the trembling wouldn’t stop, and the terrible nerve-shattering fear just kept building. Shannon looked pale, but surprisingly calm as she huddled over a now-screaming Belle. Maggie’s heart wrenched at her daughter’s angry and scared cries, but with her arms the mess they were, Maggie couldn’t do anything but whisper comforting words in her ear.

  “I’m going after him,” Reese said. “Stay put and stay away from the windows.”

  “Reese, no! You can’t! Not without your backup.” She blinked. “Where is your backup? Why are they taking so long to get here?”

  “It’s not taking them that long,” he grunted as he pushed the tall dresser in front of the window. “It just seems like it is when you’ve got bullets whizzing all around you.”

  And then he was gone, locking the bedroom door behind him.

  * * *

  The sudden silence made Reese’s ears ring. No more bullets came his way, but that didn’t mean the shooter was gone. In the foyer, he waited by the door, his gun ready. Where was Jason? When no more shots sounded, he headed for the kitchen door and threw it open, staying off to the side, well clear of the opening.

  More silence.

  Reese waited then said into his phone, “How far away are you?”

  “You should hear us coming in about a minute.”

  “I’m going after him, Eli.”

  “Reese...” The warning in Eli’s voice didn’t deter him.

  “He
’s already stopped shooting. If I wait any longer, he’s going to be long gone.”

  “Where’s Jason?”

  “Good question.” Reese looked out the window and saw the deputy behind his car, weapon drawn. “I see him. The two of us will get started looking for him.”

  “Where’s he shooting from?”

  He looked across the lake. “My house.” Reese stiffened as he saw a lone figure racing along the edge of his property, a rifle clutched in his right hand. Reese shoved his Bluetooth piece into his ear and kept his phone on so Eli could hear what was going on. “I see him. He’s at the edge of the lake. I’m using the trees for cover.”

  Over the radio, Reese said, “Jason, watch the house.”

  “Copy that.” Jason’s voice sounded a bit wobbly. Could be he’d gotten a little more excitement than he’d wanted. Lord, don’t let him get shot.

  Slipping the phone into his pocket, he kept his eyes on the figure who still moved along the edge of the lake.

  He was heading this way, toward Maggie’s house, not away from it. Coming to check and make sure his bullets hit home?

  Reese frowned at the man’s uneven gait. He kept weaving, unsteady, losing his footing every now and then.

  Now at the top of the semicircle the cove made, the shooter kept up his awkward pace and came toward Maggie’s house at a good clip, then stumbled and went down on one knee. He got up and continued on the same path. Coming straight toward Reese, who stayed hidden in the edge of the trees.

  Then the silence was broken by the sound of sirens in the distance. Eli was on his way. Jason had the house covered. Maggie, Belle and Shannon were safe as long as Reese had eyes on the shooter. The man stopped, and Reese finally got a good look at him. The one named Slim. His indecision was plain to see from where Reese stood.

  Keeping to the trees at the top of the property, Reese started making his way toward the shooter. Soon he would be in the exposed grassy area that led toward the muddy area of the lake.

  Then Slim was moving again, having come to an apparent decision on what he planned to do.

  And that was to run.

  Reese quit trying to be quiet and took off after the now-fleeing shooter, leaving the cover of the trees and praying Slim didn’t turn and start taking shots at him. Slim probably had a car waiting near Reese’s house and wanted to get back to it now that he could hear that help was on the way. Reese felt sure that the man hadn’t planned on leaving anyone alive to call the cops. Fortunately, Slim didn’t seem to be such a great shot.