The Gift (The Protectors Book 6)

by Leeanna Morgan

  “I hope they’re not both Easter brides?”

  Claire smiled. “Only one. What’s wrong with getting married at Easter?”

  “Nothing, as long as you’re not picky about your caterer, venue, and florist. Some people book everything two years in advance for an Easter wedding.”

  “Well, that bride and groom only need us to stage their reception. Everything else is booked.”

  “I’m glad.” Hannah glanced at her phone. Brett still hadn’t sent her a text.

  With a quick tug, Claire took the blanket away from their legs. “Come on. If we stay here we’ll both go crazy wondering what’s happening. How about I make two super-duper hot chocolates?”

  “That sounds like a good idea.” Mrs. Bennett walked into the living room wearing a fluffy pink dressing gown. “Could you make that three?”

  Hannah pulled herself off the sofa. “Couldn’t you sleep, either?”

  “Sleep is a rare commodity around this house. I heard Dave moving around upstairs, too.”

  “I’ll make four mugs of chocolate,” Claire said as she moved toward the kitchen. “We might as well be together while we wait for news about Mrs. McConachie.”

  “Do you think we should call the hospital?” Hannah asked Mrs. Bennett.

  “It won’t do any good. The hospital won’t discuss patient information over the phone.”

  “But I could call Brett.” Hannah pulled out her phone and found his cell phone number. “Even if he can’t talk to me, he’ll eventually get the message.”

  Mrs. Bennett patted Hannah’s hand. “You don’t need to worry about Brett. He’ll let us know what’s happening as soon as he can.”

  A loud thumping filled the hallway.

  Dave rushed into the living room. “Someone’s driving toward the house. I don’t think it’s Brett’s truck.”

  Hannah ran to the living room window. The glow of the vehicle’s headlights lit the dark night. “It’s too early for Brett to be back.”

  “I’ll call the police.” Mrs. Bennett moved quickly toward the kitchen.

  Dave peered through the window. “What if it’s the same people who attacked me?”

  Before Hannah could answer him, he ran out of room. She checked the doors and windows and made sure the security system was still working.

  With a pounding heart, she watched the truck’s headlights getting closer.

  Mrs. Bennett and Claire hurried back into the living room.

  “It isn’t the police,” Mrs. Bennett said. “They’re sending a patrol car, but it’s fifteen minutes away.”

  Hannah took a deep breath. “We need to go to the basement. Where’s Dave?”

  “Here.” He sped into the room. “I’ve got my gun.”

  Mrs. Bennett’s eyes widened. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

  Dave turned off the living room lights. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”

  Hannah made sure the rest of the lights were turned off before running toward the basement. Brett had told them what to do if this happened. At the time, she thought he was overreacting, but not now. No one visited a ranch this late unless they were looking for trouble.

  When Pat’s new security system had been installed, the basement was chosen as the safe room. With a quick tug, Hannah pulled their first line of defense into place. The security door and triple lock would keep more than your average burglar away. But with the door closed, the staircase was plunged into complete darkness.

  “I’ve already pushed the panic button,” Mrs. Bennett said from somewhere below her.

  The beam of Mrs. Bennett’s flashlight settled on the stairs and Hannah quickly moved toward her.

  Dave was standing beside one of the best-kept secrets in the entire house. When Fletcher Security was here, Pat had shown them a hidden, underground tunnel. The first section connected the main house to the barn. During the Prohibition, it had been used by bootleggers to move alcohol between the two buildings. The second section was too damaged to use, but would have given them even more escape options.

  With the crates pushed away from the tunnel’s opening, they were ready to leave the building. “Brett said not to go into the tunnel unless we’re sure the barn is safe,” Hannah said quietly. “If the person in the truck stops at the barn, we stay here until they make a move.”

  “How do we know where they are?” Claire asked.

  Hannah pulled out her cell phone. “Brett gave Dave and I a link to the cameras Fletcher Security installed. If anyone triggers one of the cameras, we’ll know their location right away.” She tapped the security app and waited. A series of infrared images appeared on her screen. “Once we’re in the tunnel, my Internet connection won’t work. We need to make sure we don’t leave the house too early.”

  Claire sat on a crate. “I hope the police or someone from Fletcher Security arrives soon.”

  So did Hannah.

  ***

  Brett turned off his phone and walked toward Ida’s room. Pat was in front of him, standing beside a nurse. She’d already told them about Ida’s new treatment plan and how each machine was helping her.

  But no words could describe the utter helplessness he felt as stood in the doorway of her room. The woman who had filled his life with endless patience and love was as fragile as a sheet of glass.

  With tears in his eyes, he moved closer to Pat. Apart from the hiss of the ventilator as it sent oxygen into her helpless body and the beep of a monitor, the room was otherwise silent. Drugs, strapped to a pole, dripped into her narrow veins. Everything in the room had a purpose, except perhaps, Brett and Pat.

  Pat sat in a chair beside the bed and held his wife’s hand.

  Her eyes stayed closed.

  Brett took a deep breath. Ida was so still, so pale, that he was worried she’d already left them.

  After a few minutes, the nurse touched Pat’s shoulder. “If you need me, press the red button beside the bed.”

  Pat nodded, not taking his eyes off his wife’s tired face. With a heart-wrenching sigh, he leaned forward and kissed her hand. “I’ll be back soon, my love,” he whispered, and left the room.

  Brett kissed Ida’s cheek before following him.

  He found Pat outside the ward, sitting in a black plastic seat.

  More tears filled Brett’s eyes. The big-hearted man who had given him so much was bent in half, sobbing into his chest.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Claire shuffled closer to Hannah. “I heard a mouse.”

  The last thing Hannah needed was her sister bursting into hysterical shrieks. “It must have been the wind,” she whispered.

  A tremor ran through Claire’s body. “You know how much I hate them. I don’t know if I can stay here.”

  “You’ll be okay,” Dave said with the confidence of not seeing Claire react to rodents of any size. “Mrs. Bennett has mice traps everywhere.”

  Claire peered around the basement, probably looking for any dead mice.

  “Don’t worry,” Mrs. Bennett said. “I haven’t found a mouse in here for a long time. You’re perfectly safe with us.”

  Hannah pushed her sister’s mouse phobia to the back of her mind. Instead, she concentrated on the security camera image on her phone. “What are they doing?” she asked.

  Claire turned Hannah’s phone toward her. They’d been watching the live feed for the last few minutes.

  Dave’s phone glowed in the darkness as he showed Mrs. Bennett the same pictures. “They’ve stopped beside the barn.”

  Claire leaned closer to Hannah. “There’s only one person in the truck. They’re getting out!”

  Hannah was trying to keep calm, but her sister’s gasp sent ripples of fear along her spine. “Would you stop doing that. We’re not in a horror movie.”

  “At least he hasn’t got a chainsaw or ax,” Dave said unhelpfully.

  “He could still have a gun,” Mrs. Bennett said as she squinted at Dave’s cell phone. “I should have brought my glasses. I can�
�t see a thing without them.”

  “He’s a cowboy,” Claire whispered. “I thought there was some sort of moral code that meant all cowboys were good guys.”

  Dave snorted. “I don’t know where you heard that stuff. Just because you wear a cowboy hat and jeans, it doesn’t make you any better than the next person.”

  “I’ve known more than my fair share of cowboys,” Mrs. Bennett added. “And each of them was a gentleman.”

  Claire’s sharp intake of breath scared the living daylights out of Hannah.

  “He’s taking off his hat,” her sister whispered. “He’s tall. Can you zoom in on his face?”

  Hannah tried to remember what Brett had said about switching camera angles. “I don’t want to lose the connection.”

  “You push the button with number three under it,” Dave said. “Do you want me to do it?”

  “Are you sure we won’t lose the picture?”

  “Positive.” Dave tapped his phone and the image now came from the unit on the barn wall. “We should take a photo of his face and send it to the police.”

  “Good idea,” Mrs. Bennett said. “Do you know how to do that?”

  “I think so.”

  “Don’t fiddle with the buttons,” Hannah said quickly. “His location is more important than what he looks like.”

  Claire leaned even closer to Hannah’s phone. “Wow. He’s handsome.”

  Mrs. Bennett sighed. “No one could beat my Louis. He had such a way about him.”

  Hannah dropped her head to her chest. Hiding in the basement with Claire, Mrs. Bennett, and Dave was like being in a black comedy show. Their lives could be in danger and they were discussing the physical attributes of their stalker.

  Dave moved the phone closer to his face. “He’s pulling out night vision goggles. Where did he get those?”

  “Do you think that’s a good or a bad thing?” Mrs. Bennett asked.

  Hannah didn’t care what he had in his truck. As long as he stayed beside the barn, she was happy.

  “He’s picking up his cell phone,” Dave hissed. “He could be getting orders to come closer.”

  Hannah nearly dropped her phone. “I’m calling the police again. Let me know if he does anything else.”

  “He’s getting in his truck.”

  With a shaking hand, Hannah hit the emergency button on her phone.

  “What is he doing?” Dave muttered.

  Claire crawled across to Dave. “Let me see. Why is he flashing his headlights at the house?”

  “He wants us to know he’s there,” Mrs. Bennett whispered. “Maybe he’s a psycho serial killer?”

  “You’ve been watching too many TV shows,” Dave whispered back.

  “Ssh!” Hannah said. “I’m talking to the police.” By the time she’d ended her call, she knew exactly why the man was flashing his headlights.

  She leaned her head against the basement wall and sighed. “We don’t have to worry. The man beside the barn is Jason Smith. He works for Fletcher Security.”

  “What’s he doing here?” Mrs. Bennett asked. “It’s one o’clock in the morning.”

  Hannah used the flashlight on her cell phone to find the basement’s light switches. “I guess we’ll find out. He’s on his way to the house.”

  Claire helped Mrs. Bennett to her feet. “Maybe I was right. Cowboys are the good guys.”

  Dave snapped the cover of his phone into place. “Good guys don’t sneak onto someone’s property. He could have let us know he was coming.”

  Hannah had to agree with Dave. Jason Smith had some serious explaining to do.

  ***

  Hannah opened the front door and glared at the man standing on the porch. “Why were you standing beside the McConachies’ barn?”

  “I was making sure you were all right.”

  Mrs. Bennett bustled along the hallway. “Don’t keep the man standing there. It’s freezing outside. Bring him into the living room.”

  As far as Hannah was concerned, Jason Smith didn’t deserve to be warm. He’d sent them into panic mode, triggered a police call, and made her sister’s heart flutter.

  Mrs. Bennett ushered Jason down the hallway. “You gave us quite a fright. We thought the people who have been looking for Dave were here.”

  Jason removed his hat. “I’m sorry about that. You were supposed to receive a call to let you know I was coming. Unfortunately, the message didn’t get through to the police.”

  “Has someone let them know they don’t need to come here?” Dave asked.

  Jason nodded. “Fletcher Security have called them.”

  Hannah watched Jason as he looked around the living room. Her sister was right. He was handsome, but there was an intensity about him that was almost scary. Talking about her sister, where was she?

  “Has anyone seen Claire?”

  “She went upstairs to get changed,” Mrs. Bennett said. “Who would like a nice hot cup of coffee?”

  Dave and Jason both said yes.

  Hannah didn’t need caffeine running through her body. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked her messages.

  “Has Brett let you know how Mrs. McConachie is doing?” Dave asked her.

  “Not yet. I hope everything is all right.” It wasn’t like Brett to not call her. Even if he couldn’t use his phone in the Intensive Care Unit, she was sure he would have found somewhere else to send her a message.

  Claire came into the living room carrying a plate of cookies. When she saw Jason, she stopped so quickly the cookies almost slid onto the floor. “Oops.” She slid the plate onto the nearest table and smiled at their mysterious visitor. “Hi. I’m Claire.”

  Mrs. Bennett hadn’t been joking when she said Claire was changing her clothes. Her old Yankees nightshirt had been replaced with jeans and a sweatshirt. At least she hadn’t spent half the night applying makeup.

  Jason sent Claire one of his intense stares before shaking her hand. “I’m Jason Smith.” He glanced at Hannah, then back at Claire. “John wasn’t joking when he said you look alike.”

  “John?” Hannah asked.

  “My boss and the owner of Fletcher Security. I was on my way home when he asked if I could check on you. Brett told him he was heading to the hospital with Mr. McConachie.”

  Jason’s explanation sounded almost too good to be true. “Why did you stop at the barn instead of coming straight to the house?” Hannah asked.

  “I wanted to check the front yard before coming any closer. When the lights went off in the house, I thought you were going to bed. I didn’t want to disturb you. Fletcher Security called me when you hit the panic button. By that stage, I didn’t know what was happening.”

  “You weren’t the only one,” Hannah muttered. “Do you have any identification?”

  Claire’s eyebrows rose.

  Hannah shrugged. “He could be anyone.”

  Jason held out his security license. “I’ve been working for Fletcher Security for about three years. If you want a character reference, you could call John Fletcher. Only I wouldn’t do it now.”

  Claire sent her an ‘I-told-you-so’ stare and offered Jason a cookie.

  “I need to call Brett,” Hannah muttered.

  “Don’t forget to tell us what’s happening,” Mrs. Bennett said as she carried four mugs of coffee into the room. “I made you a cup of raspberry herbal tea, Hannah. It’s sitting on the counter.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Tell Brett I’m keeping Ida in my prayers.”

  Hannah glanced at her sister before heading into the kitchen. She had no idea what Claire was up to, but cookies wouldn’t make Jason any more approachable.

  With her cell phone sitting in her hand, Hannah leaned against the kitchen counter. Thinking someone was about to attack them wasn’t as stressful as being with a family member in the hospital. She just hoped Brett answered his phone and that Ida was okay.

  ***

  Six hours later, Brett stumbled in
to Pat’s home. After spending most of the night on a chair in Ida’s room, he was exhausted.

  “You’re back!” Hannah rushed downstairs. “How is Ida?”

  “No different to when we last talked. Pat’s still at the hospital with her.”

  “You look terrible.”

  He almost smiled. “Thanks. How was your night?”

  “Okay.” Hannah took his jacket out of his hands. “I’ll hang this up. Mrs. Bennett kept some breakfast aside for you. If you’re lucky, it should still be warm.”

  Even though he was tired, he could have sworn Hannah was avoiding his question. “Hannah?”

  Her blue eyes connected with his. “Yes?”

  “When you called me, you said you’d had a quiet night. What happened after I went back to see Ida?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Really?”

  She glanced at him before folding her arms across her chest. “I didn’t want you to worry. Jason stayed with us for a few hours before we shooed him away.”

  “You’re not making sense. Who is Jason?”

  “He works for Fletcher Security. We had a small incident here last night. It turned out to be nothing major, but it was a little unsettling.”

  Dave thumped down the stairs. “That’s one way of putting it. Hi, boss. How is Mrs. McConachie?”

  “She’s not doing so well.” If Hannah wouldn’t give him a straight answer, Dave would. “What happened last night?”

  “I saw a truck drive onto the ranch. You should have seen us. It was like one of those Harrison Ford movies you like watching. We turned off the lights and ran to the basement. I had my gun.”

  Brett’s eyes widened. “Why did you need your gun?”

  “It turned out I didn’t. Jason decided to check on us, only no one told us he was coming. We freaked out and thought he was coming after me.”

  He looked at Hannah’s flushed face. “That sounds like more than a small incident.”

  “It was huge. We were ready to escape through the tunnel.”

  Hannah bit her bottom lip. “It sounds a lot worse than it was.”

  Brett couldn’t believe she hadn’t told him what had happened.