“Let me worry about that. All I’m concerned about right now is where that bastard is. He could still be out there waiting for one of us to leave. For all we know, he could have set up camp by now.”
“So you’re going to try to pick him off before he can get one of us?” I don’t like how hysterical I sound, but my stomach is doing flip-flops. I can’t get the image of Adam outside in the sniper’s line of sight.
He hesitates and looks up at me. “This isn’t about those four men I told you about, Emily. It’s different.”
“I didn’t say it was about them, but if you go out there with that, and he’s watching…” I don’t finish my sentence because I don’t need to.
Adam shoulders the rifle and gets to his feet. “We don’t know where he is. He could be gone by now, but I need to check. Waiting for him to make the next move is too risky.”
“Shouldn’t you call someone? What about Gary? Or Richardson?”
“I will call them, but not to bring them here. The last thing we need are more targets.” He brushes past me then stops and returns to cup my face with one hand. “I don’t handle being trapped very well, Emily. Knowing that guy is somewhere outside these windows, probably laughing his ass off, well, that just heats things up for me.”
I curl my fingers around his and close my eyes. “The only way this is going to end is for him to die.” The second the words are out, a chill dances down my spine. I’ve no doubt who will have to kill him, and knowing it won’t be Adam’s first time doesn’t make it any easier.
“I’ve known that all along.” He kisses me hard then drops his hand. “Go back into the living room and stay with Art and Francine.”
I watch him walk away even though I want to follow him, pull him back from danger. But Adam doesn’t need me to protect him. My legs are heavy as I return to the living room.
The back door opens with the slightest of creaks. I wouldn’t have paid attention to it had I not heard it before. Being with Adam these last few weeks, I’ve discovered his minute attention to detail which translates into a nightly patrol of the perimeter of his house while I’m there. He always goes out the back door with his gun at the ready. I wish I was lying in his bed waiting for him to return instead of pacing in front of the couch.
“You should sit,” Francine mumbles from her reclining position. “He’s going to do what he’s going to do, and nothing you can say will stop him.”
Art sighs and points to a chair behind me. “She’s right. Sit down. Nothing you can do now but wait for him.”
At least he sounds a little more like the Art I first met. I drop to the thick cushion, but I remain on the edge of the seat. “Art, you have to know I never meant for any of this to happen, that I would never knowingly risk Francine’s life or anyone else here, for that matter. I care about all of you.”
Francine pokes him with her index finger. “He knows that, but he’s got this caveman quality that he’s had since we were kids. For some reason, he thinks I can’t take care of myself.”
“Is that how you got shot? By taking care of yourself?” Art glowers at her. “And you know as well as I do why I protect you.”
It’s her turn to sigh. “That relationship was a long time ago, and I’m not the same person I was then.”
Art slides his gaze toward me. “She’s probably told you about what she went through.”
“Of course I told her. We’re friends.”
I lean forward. “She—”
A pinging sound, much like a marble hitting porcelain, shatters the rest of my sentence. “That was another shot.” I lunge to my feet and race down the hallway. Blood roars through my veins, causing my head to pound. My fingers refuse to function when they close around the doorknob, and I’m swallowing tears while calling Adam’s name.
“I’m here.” He answers me before he gently pushes the door open, giving me time to stumble backwards. I don’t give him time to close the door before I jump into his arms. He holds me close, his hands splaying across my back. “It’s okay. The bullet bounced off the door knob, didn’t come anywhere near me. It was a warning shot.”
My heartbeat slows to a normal rhythm before anger kicks it into overdrive again. I drop from Adam’s arms and smack his chest with my open palm. “Which he wouldn’t have had to fire had you not strolled around outside like a deer looking for corn.”
He catches my wrist before I can smack him again. “If I can’t see him, Emily, I can’t find him. And I damn sure can’t find him walled up inside.”
“In case you don’t get it, that was a real bullet, Adam. That alone should tell you he doesn’t want to be found.”
“He’s not shooting to kill. He wants us trapped, to think he’s in total control.”
“Right now, he is.” I can’t be blamed for any hysteria he might hear in my voice.
Adam cups my face. “No, he’s not, but we’re going to let him think that for now.”
“What does that mean?” I don’t like the look on his face. He’s too calm, almost icily so.
“He made a mistake with that shot. When the bullet bounced, it embedded in the wall below the kitchen window. Once I get it out, I can find out what kind of gun he’s using. I’ve got a friend at the National Tracing Center.”
“I’m assuming that has something to do with tracing the gun, but if it’s stolen, that’s not going to help you much.”
“It’ll tell me if it’s owned or was owned by the military. If it is, add that to the military vehicle, and we’re probably looking at someone who’s active duty or reserve. That gets us one step closer to IDing this bastard.” His hand at the small of my back, Adam guides me into the kitchen. “Stay away from the windows.”
“That’s a given.” I press my back against the china cabinet and watch Adam raising the narrow window close to the back door. He dips his hand outside and pats the wall, searching for the bullet hole.
“What’s going on?”
The suddenness of Art’s voice surprises me, and I gasp, one hand covering my chest. He doesn’t apologize nor does he look at me.
“Adam is trying to get the bullet.”
“Huh.” Art strolls forward to stand beside the window. “I got an idea.”
Adam straightens to look at him. “What is it?”
“One of us can draw this bastard’s fire while the other gets help. He can’t keep an eye on both of us.”
“Absolutely not,” Francine calls from the living room. “I know which one you’re thinking should go for help, Arthur, and you’ve got no business—”
The blaring ring of Adam’s cell phone interrupts her diatribe. He curses and answers the summons to silence the sound. “Yeah?” He turns his back, but not before I recognize Gary’s voice. “I called to inform you. I wasn’t asking for an army.”
“Art, you’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you go anywhere beyond that front door.”
“You’re not my keeper, Frannie.”
“Art, please.” My attempt to keep the peace falls on deaf ears, but a roaring engine silences all of us. Art is at the front door before Adam can bark at him to retreat. “He’s leaving! I see his truck!”
Adam comes up behind him, pushes him to one side, and quickly slams the door. “We can’t be sure that was him. It could be a decoy.”
“You mean like someone working with him?” The pitch in Art’s voice climbs higher.
“I wouldn’t discount anything when it comes to this guy. In spite of my order, Gary is on his way. When he gets here, I’m going to have him take the two of you home.” Adam points to Art and Francine.
“I can get us home.” Art sniffs and hitches up his pants. “My truck’s right outside.”
“And I’m sure you noticed the flat right tire.”
Scowling, Art heads to the window. “That SOB slashed my tire?”
“Or you ran over something.” Francine’s alternative explanation earns her a glower. She shoves the afghan aside and makes an effort to stand. I help her to her feet, an
d she holds my hand as we move to the door as one.
Gary pulls up in a marked sedan. Leaving the engine running, he jogs to the front porch. “Everyone okay?” Though he includes all of us, his gaze is trained on Francine.
“All in one piece. I want you to take these two home. Art’s house not Francine’s.” Adam makes the clarification to the sound of Art’s grunt.
“Got it.” Gary takes my place at Francine’s side, his arm going around her waist. Art’s brows lower into another scowl, and he tromps ahead of them to the car.
“He’s really angry,” I whisper to Adam who doesn’t appear anywhere near as concerned as I think he should be.
“He’ll get over it.”
I lift my hand in a goodbye wave to Francine before Adam closes the door and secures the locks. “So what now? Does this change our plan?”
“No. We’re still going back to Broomtown, but we’re leaving tonight.” He doesn’t give me time to protest before heading back into the kitchen to focus on the bullet.
“Tonight?” I call out after him, but he doesn’t reply. “Dammit, Adam.” I follow him, coming to a stop a few feet from the window. “Why are we leaving tonight? Wouldn’t it be safer to leave in the morning?”
“Yeah, but that’s what this guy will think, too. Right now, darkness is one of the best things we have going for us.”
Chapter Ten
The last streetlight of Juniper Springs fades in the truck’s rearview. Now, all we can see is the slash of road the headlights illuminate. I slide closer to Adam as complete darkness surrounds us.
His hand drops to my thigh. “We’ll stay the night in Cranfield then double back to Broomtown tomorrow morning.”
“Did you tell anyone we were leaving tonight?”
“Just Gary. He needs to cover the office.” He squeezes my knee. “By this time tomorrow, we’re going to know who this guy is.”
I wish I could be so sure. “Why do you think so?”
“Because I’m tired of playing the games, Emily. We either flush him out or continue to wait for him to pull the trigger. That doesn’t work for me. One of our first stops tomorrow morning is going to be that lawyer that tried to talk to you at the funeral.”
“You really think he might know something about this?”
“I think he’s the only one who knows anything about Ike Metzger’s financials.”
“He’s not going to share anything with you without a warrant.”
“We’ll see.” Adam slid his hand up to take hold of mine. “Sometimes, people will cooperate when they realize they’re protecting a snake.”
“You think he doesn’t know that? He saw Ike Metzger behind the façade, Adam. There’s no way Ike kept his polite face on when dealing with the family business. No, that attorney, whatever his name was, knows exactly who he represented.”
“Even better.” Adam adjusts the rearview mirror. “He’ll protect that license of his as if it was his child. And if he knowingly assisted Ike with criminal activities, he’s in a world of hurt.”
Something doesn’t fit. Why would the attorney approach me if he’d been doing anything illegal? Wouldn’t he want to hide from any attention rather than draw it? I’d never called him after the reading of the will so I don’t know what kind of game Ike wanted to continue. Maybe it would have given me the answers I need now.
“You think the will might have had something in it about all this?”
“What do you mean?” Adam’s voice has an edge to it.
“Ike liked puzzles, making people work for the answers. It’s possible the reading of the will might was meant to give me some clues. Maybe that’s why that lawyer said it was really important for me to be there.”
“Just one more reason why we’ll pay a visit to Mr. Hein first thing tomorrow morning.”
His cell phone rings. He quickly silences it without checking then he tucks it underneath his left leg.
“Gary already?” My curiosity gets the best of me, especially since he moved his phone. Ordinarily, it stays on the console between the two of us.
“No. Is there anything else you need to get from the house? We might as well get it while we’re here.”
That was not the way to quash my suspicion, but I choose not to push it. For some reason, Adam doesn’t want me to know who called. He might even be doing me a favor to keep me from worrying. Either way, I’ll let it rest…for the night.
Then my cell rings. “It’s Francine.” I let him know seconds before I answer. “How are you doing?”
“I’ve been better,” she grumbles. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but no one seems to believe that.”
Adam is pressing his finger against his lip as a reminder that no one is to know we’re on the road or where we’re going. I don’t see the harm in telling Francine, but I give him a nod anyway and cup my phone closer to my face to drown out any extraneous noise. “Are you in bed? Because that’s where you should be.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ve already got Art riding my ass like a jockey. And speaking of Art, I wanted to call you while he was in the shower to tell you I’m sorry for his mouth. He’s always been protective of me, and that just went into overdrive after my relationship went south. He doesn’t even care for Gary, and Gary’s a cop.”
“You don’t have to keep apologizing for him.”
“Someone has to. God knows he won’t.”
“He doesn’t need to, either. I know why he’s upset, and he has every right to be. He thought you were safe, and ever since I came into town, that’s changed. And he doesn’t know how to handle all these emotions he has running around inside his mind.”
Francine snickers. “If he knew we were talking about feelings and him in the same sentence, he’d be mortified. Serves him right. He doesn’t have any right to take his irritation out on you. It’s not your fault you had a crazy ex.”
“No, but I could have kept him in Broomtown.” I feel Adam’s gaze on my face, but I don’t look at him.
“Then you would have had to stay there. No, you’re right where you belong. Things are going to work out just fine. Until then, if I have to start smacking Art around to remind him to hold his tongue, that’s what I’ll do.”
“Don’t be too hard on him. He’s only worried because he loves you.”
“Yeah, and it’s the people we love the most that can drive us the craziest.”
Adam shifts in the seat, drawing my gaze to his profile. “I agree.” When he hears how close my voice sounds, he turns his head to look at me.
The dim glow of the cabin lights illuminate his smile. He’s just as worried as I am, but he’ll never show it. That in itself drives me crazy, but it makes sense to him to hide his feelings. Just like Art.
“Oh, shoot. He just got out of the shower. I’d better let you go, hon. He threatened to crush up some sleeping pills in my lemonade if I don’t get some rest on my own. I wouldn’t put it past him to do it. Ornery old geezer.”
I laugh at the love hidden between the lines of Francine’s grumbles and wish her a good night. When we end the call, I hold the phone in my lap. “I never meant to bring my problems to anyone else’s doorstep.”
“You think we don’t know that? Art’s just being Art. You don’t know him as well as we do. He’s mostly bluster.”
“Then why did you go toe to toe with him today? Have you ever done that before?”
Adam taps the steering wheel with two fingers. “Once. It had to do with Francine’s ex. Art wanted to take him out. I had to threaten to lock him up to keep him out of trouble.”
“So he backed down.” Relief had me smiling.
“No. He pushed.” Before I could ask, Adam continued, “And I knocked him on his ass and put him behind bars for the night to give him time to cool off.”
Now that I’d seen how far Art would go, it didn’t surprise me, but the men had still maintained a friendship. Obviously, the older man didn’t hold grudges. “How long did it take him to forgi
ve you?”
“A few weeks. But I didn’t care. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect someone I care about.”
“Even putting yourself in danger.” The conversation veers from Art to me. “I won’t let you get yourself hurt because of me, Adam.”
“Sometimes, things happen that are beyond our control, but, if it makes you feel better, I have no intention of getting hurt.”
“It doesn’t. What you intend to do and what will happen are two vastly different things.” I place my hand on this thigh. “If it were up to me, we’d be headed to another state tonight instead of just another town.”
“Are you serious? You really want to run away?” There’s a frown in his voice and a hint of disbelief. “And leave your friends behind?”
“I don’t want to, but if it would keep my friends safe, yes.”
“You can’t protect everyone from the world, and this guy will follow you.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because catching guys like him is what I do.”
“Really? In Juniper Springs? I haven’t seen that much of a criminal element. Or are we back to talking about the guys who shot you?”
He goes quiet, but the whiteness of his knuckles speaks volumes.
“It’s not that easy for me to forget.” I know I sound defensive.
“I’m not asking you to forget anything, but I don’t want it thrown in my face every time you happen to think about it. It’s happened, and there’s nothing I can do to change it.”
“Would you?”
“You mean do I wish I hadn’t killed them?”
“Or gone after them.”
“Wishes change nothing, Emily. You know that as well as I do. Like I said, it happened.”
“And you don’t regret it.” The long silence that follows saddens me. I’m not sure how you take a human life without regret. Was it possible those men weren’t his first kills? I’d never asked him. As sheriff, he might have run into situations that required the use of deadly force, but I have to wonder if he’s haunted by the faces of those men he killed.
Adam increases the speed of the truck before responding. “If I hadn’t killed them, they would have come after me again. And again. They got a kick out of putting me in the hospital and thought they’d found an easy target.”
Being Lovers Page 9
