See How She Runs (A Cape Trouble Novel Book 2)

by Janice Kay Johnson

  What would he say if she chickened out? Nothing, she guessed. His feelings were too mixed about what she was doing. As if any of my options are good, she thought miserably.

  She bit her lip hard enough to sting, slid her thumb across the screen and pushed ‘send’.

  They were out here in his SUV because they’d agreed to wait until she took a break between breakfast and lunch to make the call. Adam had finally, reluctantly, delivered her to the café, late enough the breakfast menu had of necessity been somewhat abbreviated. It didn’t turn out to be one of their busier mornings, fortunately, and Anita reported that diners seemed understanding of the limited choices.

  Adam had refused to leave her alone even for a minute. If there’d been more prep areas, Naomi would have put him to work, but as it was, what she’d done was introduce a brooding, somehow dangerous presence into her kitchen. He remained unmoving except for that restless gaze. Impossible to ignore however hard she tried.

  She was still annoyed because he had also refused to take off his vest to allow either her or Daniel look at his back. “If I had a broken bone, I’d know it,” he said stubbornly.

  So not only had he been there, hovering in her kitchen, he probably hurt like hell the whole time. But, of course, he was too tough a guy to be anything but completely stoic.

  Ring.

  She’d have stiffened if she hadn’t already been rigid. Maybe Greg wouldn’t answer.

  Ring.

  Naomi gripped the phone tight, mentally rehearsing what she’d say if she had to leave a message.

  Halfway through the third ring, he answered brusquely. “Cobb.”

  She wouldn’t have sworn she’d know his voice, but she did, so well that she shuddered. She looked wildly at Adam and was steadied by his intense gray eyes.

  “Hello, Greg,” she said, going for cool and not sure she was achieving it. “This is Naomi.”

  Adam nodded as if to say, You’re doing fine.

  “Naomi,” Greg repeated, sounding…she couldn’t decide. Wary?

  “Varner. Remember me? Videographer?”

  “How did you get this number?” Greg asked sharply.

  “Oh, I have connections.” She paused to let him think about that, then hardened her voice. “You’ve violated our agreement, Greg.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Give me a break.” She sounded sharp this time. Even disgusted. “I’m not stupid. But just in case you’re not the one trying to kill me, you might want to know that someone else is. Who else is aware I was listening that night?”

  “Nobody.”

  “Uh huh. See, here’s the problem. If I die, my little video will be seen ’round the world, starting with several law enforcement agencies. You do remember that I made provisions.”

  “I remember,” he said tersely.

  “Somebody shot me a few days ago. Local police say he must have trained as a sniper, because he’d set up almost two hundred yards out. Fortunately I was only hit in the arm, and I wasn’t alone. This morning, somebody tried again and came really, really close. I can’t help thinking I know a guy who specializes in this kind of thing. And you’re telling me you know nothing about it.”

  “I have nothing to do with it, Naomi.”

  “But, see, I’ve been living such a peaceful life since the last time I saw you. So I have to believe there are only three people who want me dead enough to send someone to kill me. That would be you, a client of yours who shall remain nameless, and the third party at that meeting.”

  She gave him a minute to think both about what she’d said, and about the wiretap that he must fear was in place and allowing others to listen in. Unlike him, she was in a position to know that the FBI had only learned in the past twenty-four hours about this particular number and wasn’t yet listening. According to Adam, Sam had almost balked about supplying the number. He could be in deep shit over this. For all her inner terror, Naomi loved knowing how frantic Greg must be, trying to figure out how she’d acquired the number.

  Time to finish this. “I’m guessing you can figure out who’s causing my problem,” she said. “Let me repeat: if I’m killed, you have a problem. A really visual one.”

  She closed the connection before he could say another word.

  “Perfect,” Adam said, his voice warm. And then, “Damn, Naomi,” and his strong arms came around her. That was when she realized she had begun to shake, as if she’d had another near-death experience.

  *****

  Her breakdown was brief. So brief, Adam was awed. Damn it, watching her threaten Greg Cobb, cool as could be no matter how scared she really was, had shaken him.

  Now all Naomi did was lean against him and quake for maybe a minute, her face pressed against his neck. No tears, and she didn’t say a word. Then came a few shuddering breaths, and finally she straightened.

  “I need to get started on lunch.”

  Reluctantly, he let her go. He understood how much she needed to focus on the routine of her everyday life, believe that upholding the reputation of The Sea Watch Café mattered. “You’re okay?” he asked, doubting she’d be honest if she wasn’t.

  “Yes.” She’d composed herself, but the turmoil in her eyes gave her away. Looking into them was enough to make him feel as if that damn bullet had hit his chest instead of his back. “Do you think this did any good?” she asked after a moment, very softly.

  “I think you scared him,” he said honestly. “We know from the way he discards cell phones that he’s aware he’s been listened to, or at least that he’s paranoid about that possibility. He’s going to make the same leap we did. An FBI agent could have found you through him. Greer, though, is another story.”

  “But…what will he do about it?”

  Adam only shook his head. He knew she hoped Gregory Cobb would go turncoat to save his own ass. Sell out the former ally/employee, even though if word got out he had, it would damage his reputation. Who’d sign on with him if he couldn’t be trusted?

  Adam didn’t want to say what he really thought would happen: the hunter would shortly find himself hunted, and no one would ever know for sure who was responsible.

  And Adam felt no pity at all.

  “It’ll be interesting to find out,” he said, voice neutral. “Whatever he does, I hope it’s quick.”

  After checking out the alley, he rushed her back into the restaurant and locked the door behind them, then took up his station as she went straight to the sink to wash her hands. He admired her ability to compartmentalize; she was already thinking about food, at least on one level.

  Him, he settled into plotting how he could get her away from Cape Trouble unseen. There’d been two attempts on her life. Three struck him as an unlucky number in this context. Maybe she did need to go on the run again.

  Her own attempt last week to take off had been doomed even if he hadn’t stopped her. He wasn’t the only watcher waiting for her to do something like slip out the back door and run for it. The strange vehicle had been a good thought, but wouldn’t have saved her.

  If a policewoman could be substituted for Naomi, though, so Adam could be seen hustling her out of the restaurant and taking her home like he did every day, while really she’d left earlier out the front door, disguised…

  His main objection to that plan was that he’d be trusting someone else with her safety.

  Yeah, and chances are you’ll never see her again. That’s what you like least of all.

  Wrong, he thought grimly. What he’d like least of all was to see her go down. If she was killed on his watch, he’d never get over it.

  Spoon in hand, she turned to look at him, making him wonder what sound he’d made. He shook his head slightly, Naomi searched his face and finally went back to work.

  Anita kept hanging new orders on the carousel, keeping Naomi busy. That was good for her. The stress was less evident on her face now.

  Adam’s back hurt enough he finally consented to half-sit on a tall stool.
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  Anita had just called, “We’re closed,” when Adam’s phone rang. Daniel’s number.

  “Mackay’s guy came through,” he said. “Naomi’s video is damn near Oscar quality. Slam dunk for a jury.”

  “I want to see it.”

  “You heading back to the house? I can bring it.”

  Adam covered his phone to ask Naomi how close she was to being ready to go, then said, “Half an hour.”

  “Good, I’ll be right behind you.”

  Adam stowed his phone. “Colburn says the video cleaned up nicely.” He heard how coldly satisfied his voice was. “He’s bringing it over for us to see.”

  Shock and something else slid across her face, a shadow that left him wondering.

  All she said was “Oh” before she turned away quickly, plunging her hands back into soapy water. He watched her, but didn’t ask questions. He would, but later.

  Anita, as cheerful as ever despite her curiosity about his presence, departed out the front. He left Naomi long enough to prowl the alley, checking behind dumpsters and parked vehicles, then moved his rental SUV close to the back door. Even then, he did his best to shield her as she locked and hopped in. He wished again for bullet-resistant glass.

  He drove straight to her cottage, a little surprised to see two marked police cars in front, one Cape Trouble and one county. Both Daniel and Alex Mackay walked around the corner of the carport as Adam pulled in.

  After greeting the sheriff, Naomi joked that only the best was good enough for her. Adam appreciated her attempt at humor, able to see how hard she was working to hide how she really felt.

  Mackay went straight in with them while Daniel retrieved his laptop from his car. Naomi’s gaze flicked to it, then rose to his face, her eyes desperate. “You can really see the men? And…and hear what they were saying?”

  “Yes.” He sounded gentle. “It’s a shocker. Everything you hoped for.”

  She swung away and pressed her hand to her mouth, but not in time to entirely silence the sob that tore through her.

  “Naomi.” Adam moved between her and the other men, his hands resting on her shoulders..

  “No. I won’t cry. I just—” She turned to face him, naked misery in her brown eyes again. “If only I’d gone to the police in the first place—”

  “Unless you’d gone to the wrong person.” He shook his head. “You had good reason to be afraid. Don’t second-guess yourself, Naomi.”

  “I have to!” she cried. “A man died because I didn’t do enough.”

  It was as if they were completely alone. All he saw was her face, made stark by guilt. Not pretty right now.

  “You might not have prevented it no matter what. You could have been unlucky and spoken to someone on Cobb’s payroll. Even if you’d talked to the investigating officers and they were honest, would they have believed you?”

  “I had the video.”

  “Which was lousy. It wouldn’t have gone to the lab if they hadn’t believed what you said. And then, who knows, it might have taken days, weeks. Depends how backed up they were, how much of a rush was put on it. Maybe Cobb would have told Greer sorry, forget it, but I can pretty well guarantee that if you’d stuck around, you’d be dead. He didn’t know how much of the conversation you captured with your phone, but without your testimony? Odds are it wouldn’t have been enough.” This was truth, and he made his voice hard to emphasize it. “He couldn’t afford for you to live to testify.”

  “That’s not what you believed at first,” Naomi whispered.

  His hands still rested on her. His fingers tightened. “I hadn’t had time to think it through. I came to Cape Trouble with some flawed preconceptions.”

  Something changed on her face. Suddenly, she withdrew from him, even before she physically backed away and then turned to the other two men.

  “I want to see it.”

  Daniel nodded, set the laptop on the small kitchen table and opened it. Nobody said a word as they waited for it to come alive and for him to click on a desktop icon. As aware as he was of Naomi beside him, Adam couldn’t look away from the computer.

  The lighting was still dim, but the faces clear. The way the image wobbled – because Naomi’s hand was trembling in terror – kept it from the Oscar quality Daniel had claimed. But…God damn. That was unmistakably U.S. Congressman Dominic Greer.

  “You’re sure you can get it done in time?”

  Gregory Cobb leaned forward, his tone edgy. “I’ve already told you, not until I study my target. I’ll pick the time.” He sat back. “Once you’ve made the down payment.”

  “You think I’m going to pay a hundred and fifty thousand up front without knowing whether you can actually take care of Heath?” Scathing and angry, Greer slashed one hand through the air. He must be accustomed to instant compliance. “And you won’t even agree to my timetable? You know when the primary is. If you drag your fucking feet, I’ll be at risk because too many people will already have voted by mail. I’ll pay you the other half if he’s dead within a week. No later.”

  “Two—” Sound and picture both cut off.

  “Unbelievable,” Adam murmured. Then he gave a fierce grin and swung Naomi off her feet. “That was beautiful. You did it! We’ll get them both.”

  She smiled, but he saw in her eyes how troubled she still was.

  “No question,” Mackay said, “but who do we go to?”

  Adam set Naomi back on her feet. He had a little trouble convincing his hands to release her. “My friend in the FBI. He knows the story and is ready to move. He’s high enough up to run with this.”

  “He’ll want to talk to me.” Sounding alarmed, Naomi crossed her arms protectively over her breasts.

  What the hell? She was the one feeling guilty because she hadn’t come forward. Here was her chance to exact justice.

  “He will,” Adam agreed.

  “Will I…have to go down there?” She retreated a step, then another, as if driven by instinct. To run? “And what about all the laws I’ve broken?”

  “What laws?”

  She tore her gaze from Adam to look at Daniel, who’d spoken.

  “I lied to investigators. Isn’t that obstruction of justice, or something like that? I got a new social security number under false pretenses.”

  “So you could continue paying taxes. You were protecting yourself and trying to be honest, too. What’s so bad about that?”

  “Sam can guarantee you immunity against any charges,” Adam put in. “That’s pretty standard in a situation like this.”

  “Like this?”

  “When a witness has been terrorized into silence.” Adam heard the roughness in his voice. The idea of her fear had become increasingly unendurable for him.

  She looked from one of them to the next as if seeking an escape. Alex Mackay still didn’t say anything, although his expression was thoughtful. Daniel did bland but kind well. Adam had no idea what she saw on his face.

  She closed her eyes, her arms tightening if anything, then nodded. “Of course I will,” she said softly. “I can hardly live with myself for having run away. Now…at least I’ll have the chance to do the right thing.”

  “We’ll keep you safe,” Adam said.

  The look in her eyes sliced him to the bone. It said, I don’t believe you can. And, after today’s near miss, how could he blame her?

  And maybe he was wrong about what she feared. The sense she still had secrets or fears he didn’t understand stayed with him.

  After the other two men left, he’d intended to call Sam immediately, but instead leaned a hip against the counter and watched Naomi, who still sat at the table looking lost.

  “You’re having trouble taking this all in,” he said after a minute.

  Her shoulders moved, but she didn’t look at him. “It’s…everything I wanted it to be, only it wasn’t. And now someone waves a magic wand and it turns out I was wrong. Do you blame me for feeling dumb?”

  “Dumb?”

  Her eyes
flashed quick anger. “I feel guilty, all right? You know that! Why do you keep making me say it?”

  “Because you shouldn’t. I’m a detective, and I understand why you made the choices you did. Those choices kept you alive.”

  “But if you’d been the detective who talked to me the morning after and I’d told you my story, you would have believed me enough to check it out, wouldn’t you?”

  He frowned. “Maybe. Yes. But I tend to be more open-minded than some. Flexible. And, yeah, honest. If you had a couple of long-timers…I don’t know.”

  Naomi lifted her head and her eyes met his. No, more than that; she looked deep, making him uneasy. What was she searching for?

  “But you came searching for me now, two years later, because you didn’t believe I’d told the truth. So who knows?” She abruptly stood and said, “I need a shower,” and hurried out of the kitchen, leaving him staring after her and thinking again about her hidden depths.

  *****

  Naomi felt like a coward lurking in her bedroom, but knew it wasn’t that simple.

  She craved his understanding, his belief in her, and desperately wanted to push it away, to tell him he was wrong about her.

  Or maybe that he’d been right all along. Which he was.

  She also wanted the comfort of his presence, the undeniable connection she felt to him, the weight of the air when they were alone in a room.

  Soon, he would either learn the truth, or she’d have to start a new life far away. The idea that all her enemies would go away and she could placidly go on here in Cape Trouble seemed least likely, but that possibility, too, meant Adam would return home to his job and life. She didn’t think he would have kissed her the way he had, looked at her the way he did, if he had a girlfriend waiting, but his extraordinary face, his lean, strong, quick body and the tension and sense of danger he exuded must be irresistible to woman. Look at her, drawn despite all common sense even when she hadn’t known anything about him and should have been wary of too many coincidences. And the truth was, all that made her special in his eyes was what she’d done one night, a long time ago.

  Both things she’d done that night: film two men making a diabolical bargain, and save herself by thrusting a knife beneath a man’s ribs and wrenching it upwards. He only knew about one of those things, but if the second hadn’t happened, too, he’d never have come to Cape Trouble searching for her.