by Rachel Dylan
He looked at Annie. She looked fragile lying in the hospital bed. Her long brown hair tousled and the color having left her cheeks. He realized that she was right. If he messed this up, something could happen to her. But he refused to let that happen. “Don’t worry, Annie. You have my word that I will protect you.”
She didn’t say anything in response, and he could see that she still had some doubt in her eyes. She was truly concerned for her safety. And he understood that. But it still felt like she was holding something back from him. That he was only hearing part of the story. “I’m giving you my word, and I’m a man of my word. You decided to let me in on your problem, so now let me do what I can. Okay?”
She nodded. “Thank you, Caleb.” She paused. “And for what it’s worth, I believe you.”
The instant connection he had with this woman was undeniable. He didn’t know where it was coming from, but he had a strong urge to protect her at all costs. Lord, did you send Annie to Maxwell?
But protection would be where it would stop. Caleb had long since given up on finding love. The wounds of war had made him wary of romantic relationships. He’d suffered enough pain and loss in his life.
He pulled out his phone and texted his brother that he needed to talk to him ASAP. “We’ll see if he responds.”
“I’m ready to get out of here.” She looked around the hospital room.
“I don’t blame you. The doctor should be coming by soon to discharge you.”
“Then we’ll go back to Maxwell, right? I didn’t show up for work today. That doesn’t look good.”
“Don’t worry. I already called in and covered for you.”
“You did?”
“Yes. And they are fine. Missy is going to sub today.”
“Can I still keep working at Pa’s?”
“I’d actually prefer you to keep working at Pa’s so you won’t be alone. There’s always customers around, and in addition to myself, I’ll have officers do regular check-ins on you just to be on the safe side. But for now, things should be safe because Silva and his men have no reason to look for you there.”
“Thank you. I need to keep myself busy or I’ll go crazy. I can’t stay cooped up all day and night by myself in the Inn.”
“I’ve also sent an officer to your apartment this morning to gather more clothes and essentials for you. They didn’t report any signs of suspicious activity when they were there. But I need to start a full investigation to figure out what the real threats are here.” Now that he’d jumped into this, it was his mission to keep this woman safe.
Chapter Three
Annie was relieved that Caleb hadn’t stopped her from working the day shift at Pa’s Diner. Two days had passed by quickly with no problems, and she had enjoyed staying busy during the day, and having the companionship of the diners.
But she also knew that Caleb had taken some security precautions. Each day a couple of different officers stopped by to check on her—even though they didn’t say a word. She felt a mix of comfort and anxiety at their presence.
Even though she was doing okay in Maxwell, she knew this was far from over. Right now, she didn’t see how it could end well. But she had to trust that Caleb would be able to protect her, even if that required her to go far outside her comfort zone.
It was mid-afternoon when Caleb walked into Pa’s and sat down at the counter. She noticed it was the same spot he had sat in the other day. At that time of day there wasn’t much going on, so she walked out of the kitchen to speak to him.
“Hi,” she said.
“All going okay here?” he asked.
“Yes. Do you want something to eat?”
“No, thanks. I had something earlier during our staff meeting.”
The front door to Pa’s opened and Annie watched as a striking long haired brunette walked in. She wore a tailored black pantsuit with a lavender blouse. The woman made eye contact with her before making a direct path to Caleb and throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace.
This had to be Caleb’s girlfriend. And she was stunning. But why did she care? It wasn’t like she and Caleb had anything going on. He was doing his job. Nothing more.
“Annie,” Caleb said as he put his arm around the brunette. “I’d like you to meet my baby sister, Gabby.”
For a moment she didn’t respond. Then she processed what Caleb had just said, and she felt like an idiot as she shook Gabby’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Gabby smiled at her, but she could see the questions in Gabby’s piercing dark eyes.
“Gabby is a private investigator,” Caleb said. “I thought she could help us.”
She took in a breath. This was good news. “That’s a great idea. We need someone who isn’t on the inside of law enforcement.” She much preferred someone on the outside although she wasn’t going to tell them her other reasons for feeling that way right now.
“Caleb, if you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Annie alone for a few minutes,” Gabby said.
Uh oh. Annie’s antenna immediately went up.
“Sure. Annie, I’ll be back when your shift is over to pick you up to take you to the Inn,” he said.
He’d been escorting her to the Inn each evening. “Thank you.” All a sudden, Annie hoped for an influx of customers, but that was highly unlikely at three in the afternoon.
“Why don’t we have a seat and chat,” Gabby said.
Annie forced a smile and sat down at the booth across from Gabby.
“So my brother filled me in on the situation.”
Annie nodded. “Okay.”
“But I still have some questions.” Gabby leaned forward in her seat.
This all of a sudden didn’t feel much like a chat and much more like an interrogation. She had flashbacks of her police interrogations in Florida after the shooting when she was only seventeen. Yes, she’d claimed self-defense and rightfully so. But the police had never acted like they had believed her. They’d accused her of wrongdoing—of telling lies—even though she had visible injuries. She tried to steady herself and focus on Gabby. “Sure. I’ll answer whatever I can.”
“You said that you went back to the Perry house the night of the murder because of a recipe?”
“Yes. I’d left some notes there for the dessert I was planning to do the next day and I wanted to pick them up to test it out. I like to try to perfect recipes before I serve them.”
“There was no other reason?”
“No. I’m sorry, but I feel like I’m missing something.”
Gabby cocked her head to the side. “It just seems strange that you’d want to go to work on your night off.”
“Being a chef is a way of life for me. I’m constantly thinking about recipes and ideas. I’d been working on a complicated soufflé recipe, and I wanted to test some changes on my day off.” She tried to keep her voice even, but she couldn’t help being a bit annoyed about what Gabby seemed to be questioning.
“And you never heard anything before that night that seemed suspicious at the Perry household? Anything at all?”
“No. It was very much what you would expect.” It didn’t matter that this was Caleb’s sister. She wasn’t going to sit back and take the bullying. “I’m sorry, Gabby. But if you want to accuse me of something, please just come out and say it.”
Gabby smiled which puzzled Annie even more.
“You’ve got a backbone. I like that,” Gabby said. “And I’m sorry if you think my questioning is out of line. But the way I see it, I don’t only have your safety in mind, but also that of my big brother.”
“I wouldn’t do anything to try to harm your brother.”
“It would be very convenient if you were working with Silva. You could be one of his moles.”
Annie couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, because I’m so the type that would work for an organized crime boss. Just look at me. I’m a chef. I have no criminal abilities or desires for that matter. I live a very modest lifestyle. Feel free to
verify that for yourself.”
“So you think you were just at the wrong place at the wrong time?” Gabby asked.
“Yes, and now I appear to have a huge target on my back. You have to understand that I feel a bit ill equipped to handle that.”
Gabby nodded. “I’m going to help you because my brother has asked me to, and I’d do almost anything for him. But let me make one thing abundantly clear. If I find out that you’ve been lying to Caleb—or to me—then there will be consequences. No one messes with my family.”
She couldn’t help but appreciate Gabby’s fierce protective streak. Annie didn’t have that in her own family. Growing up it was Annie always trying to protect her mom. Not the other way around. And now Annie was all alone in the world.
“I’m going to do some digging and see what I can figure out about Doc’s connection to Silva and how Phil Perry comes into play.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Annie asked.
“Yes, but it’s what I do. Don’t worry. I live and operate under the radar.”
“Is that why you’re a PI instead of law enforcement? You like that better?”
“You’re very perceptive, Annie.”
A customer walked in and took a seat. Jen came out of the back to go take his order.
“Looks like you need to get back to work,” Gabby said. “I’ll be in touch. And be careful, Annie. These guys are dangerous.”
Annie walked back to the kitchen as a wave of unease washed over her. It was clear that Gabby didn’t trust her. But hopefully Gabby could find out information—information that might save her life.
For the next hour, Annie busied herself in the kitchen. Trying to keep her mind off of Silva and on cleaning up from her shift, she only had about an hour left to work when Jen walked into the kitchen. Jen stood a few inches taller than her, and she wore her long blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Annie had instantly liked her.
“Can you hold down the fort for a minute?” Jen asked. “I need to run up to the store and pick up some cough medicine for Cindy.”
“Sure. I don’t think the dinner crowd will come in for a bit.”
“Thank you. It’s easier for me to pick it up before I get her from her after school program. I hope she’s not coming down with something.”
“Don’t worry about it at all. I’ll be fine here until you get back.” Annie had a good idea of how hard it was to be a single mom because she had been raised by one.
Jen surprised her by grabbing her into a tight hug. “Thank you.”
Jen left, leaving Annie to finish up her work. Annie could get used to having a friend like Jen. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been hugged by anyone. It was part of her solitary lifestyle.
A couple of minutes later, she heard a sound behind her. “You’re back super quick.” Annie turned expecting to see Jen. But her heart skipped a beat when she saw the familiar blond muscle man who had murdered Doc.
She took a step back, but he caught her with a lunge forward. “It was a smart move to try to hide out in a town like this, Annie.”
At the sound of him using her name, a chill shot down her arm. Dear Lord, please save me from this man. “How did you find me?” she asked. She had no connection to this town. That’s why she thought it was safe to hide out in Maxwell.
“Your license was run by a police officer in this town. And I happen to have access into multiple law enforcement electronic systems.”
“What do you want from me?” she asked. “I’m a nobody. I’m just a cook.” Was there anyway she could talk him out of hurting her?
He smiled. “You don’t expect me to believe that your presence at the Perry’s was purely coincidental do you?”
“It w-was,” she stuttered, hoping she could keep him talking.
But she also feared for Jen’s life. The last thing she wanted to do was get Jen killed too. Jen had a little girl. Annie had to do everything in her power to stop this man. She had to think of a way out of this—and quick.
“I really am just a cook. I don’t want to be involved in your business.”
“Unfortunately for you, Mr. Silva doesn’t feel that way. You were employed by a traitor. That’s two strikes against you right there.”
“I can’t do anything to you. I don’t even know who this Silva person is. I’d never even heard of him until the other night. Don’t you understand that I have no interest in any of this? I’m not a part of that world, and I have no interest in becoming a part of it.”
He took another step closing the gap between them. Her pulse kicked up even more.
“That isn’t what Phil told me.”
She let out a breath. “I didn’t even think Phil was involved with his father’s business. I’m telling you. I’m the one in the dark here, and I’m absolutely not a threat to anyone else.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I have a job to do, and I can’t take that chance.”
Before she could take another breath, he wrapped his strong hands tightly around her neck and squeezed tightly, causing her vision to blur.
“I can make this quick. Or you can resist and it will be much more painful. Do you understand me?”
She nodded in response as she frantically tried to think about her options. She was absolutely no match for this man who appeared to be a trained killer. But she refused to just give up as she sent up another prayer.
As his grip tightened on her neck, she had a decision to make. Because if she didn’t try to resist now, she’d be dead within the next minute.
With all the strength she could muster up, she picked up her right foot and slammed it down onto his left. Then she repeated the same move.
He grunted but he probably had at least a hundred pounds on her. There was no chance she could actually prevail in a fight with this man. She feared that he could break her neck with one swift movement.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said. He loosened his grip for a fraction of a second.
But it was enough time for her to break free and hop back grabbing a large knife from the counter. Feeling like a cornered animal, she jabbed the knife toward him when he approached her.
But he was too fast and strong and was able to get the knife away from her. He lifted his arm, ready to strike. She shrieked.
“Don’t move!”
She looked up and saw Caleb behind the assailant—his gun drawn.
“Drop the knife and turn around slowly,” Caleb commanded. “Very slowly.”
Annie realized she was holding her breath and she let it out. She watched as the man dropped the knife.
“Good,” Caleb said. “Now turn around with your hands up.”
The man started to turn slowly as Caleb had directed. But then he reached into his jacket and before Annie could even process what was happening, the man pulled out a gun. But Caleb reacted even faster. A gunshot rang out as Annie crouched down by the counter. She peered up after a minute. She heard a groaning sound. The man was on the ground. Shot. But still alive.
She could hear Caleb calling in backup. Her entire body was shaking but she forced herself to keep it together. That had been way too close. Thank you, Lord.
“Annie, are you okay?” Caleb asked.
“Yes.” But she was really far from it.
“Stay put until I can deal with him. The bullet just grazed him I think.”
She took a seat in the corner of the kitchen and wrapped her arms tightly around her body. She realized she was probably in a bit of shock. The next few minutes went by in a blur as another officer arrived on the scene along with paramedics. Then Caleb came over to her.
“We need to get you checked out.”
She shook her head. “I’m not really injured.”
“By the look of the marks on your neck, I’d say otherwise.”
She touched her neck and could feel the tender spots. But the thought of going to a hospital unsettled her. “Please,” she said, “I don’t want to go back to the hospital.”
His eyes softened and he reached out and gently touched her shoulder. “Let the paramedics check you out. It won’t take them long. And then you’re going to stay at my place. I have plenty of extra space. I don’t think it’s safe for you to be alone at the Inn.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”
“You aren’t imposing. Today showed that it’s not safe for you to be by yourself.”
She grabbed onto his arm. “Thank you. You just saved my life. Again.”
**
“Here we are,” Caleb said.
She took in a deep breath as he pulled the unmarked SUV up into his driveway. She couldn’t believe she was going to be staying with a police officer. But Caleb had shown himself to be fiercely protective and loyal thus far and she had run out of options. They’d stopped by the Inn and picked up her stuff.
“This is your house?” Annie stared in awe up at the historic two-story home with the large front porch and tall white columns.
“Yes, it is. Gabby stays here sometimes when she’s in town but she has her own apartment. She does a bit of traveling for her job. Your car is in the garage. One of my officers picked it up from the Inn and brought it here.”
“Thank you. I hadn’t even thought about that,” she said.
“That’s why I’m here.”
“This is a big place.”
“Tons of room for me plus other family who come and visit. And of course, my two dogs. I got a great deal on the place when the owner decided to retire down to Florida. I’ve loved this house since I was a kid, and knew one day if I could, I wanted to live here.”
“It’s amazing. So much character. Not like all the new construction.”
“It has its benefits and disadvantages but overall I love it, and I have a nice big fenced-in yard in the back for the dogs.” He ushered her up the front steps. She heard the sound of his dogs barking loudly with excitement.
He stopped outside the front door. “I hope you’re okay with dogs.”
She nodded. “I love dogs.”
“Come on inside. I don’t want to stand out here in the open.”
She walked in and was greeted by two very excited balls of fur. One dog looked like a black lab and the other looked like a brown mix of some sort. But they were both large and very friendly.
