by Jen Talty
“Penny loves to sit outside on a chilly night.” Chuck squinted, peering over the bow of the boat.
“What would Penny do with the keys to your boat?”
“Knowing her, she’d leave them in the boat.” Chuck glanced over to Jared. “This doesn’t seem right, does it?”
Jared ignored the panic setting in, using every trick in the book to clear his mind and think only about his job. “Once the boat is docked, give me a minute to check things out. I’ll wave you up when I know it’s safe.”
Chuck jumped out on the dock, securing the boat, all the while looking up at the site.
Jared held his finger to his lips, then pulled his weapon out. He set his feet on solid ground.
He scanned the site. The fire in the pit had reduced to hot coals. Voices echoed from other sites. “Ryan? Penny?” he whispered. If they were sleeping, he didn’t really want to scare the crap out of them. He paused about ten paces from the tent. The hair on the back of his neck prickled. “Ryan,” he said a little louder.
Something stirred inside the tent. “Ryan, it’s Jared, is everything okay—” A twig snapped behind him. He glanced over his shoulder. Chuck stood on the dock, then took a sudden step. Jared held up his hand, hoping Chuck understood he needed him to stay… “Shit.”
“Drop it, asshole.” Tom pushed something cold against Jared’s temple. Jared tossed his weapon to the ground. “You don’t want to do this, Tom. Or is it William?”
“Actually, if you must know, the name’s Fred, but I’ve had so many, I’ve lost track.” He pressed the barrel of the gun harder. “Ryan, get your ass out here. I want you to watch this. And you down at the dock--get up here, unless you want me to kill your girl, too. And toss the keys in the lake.”
Jared nodded to Chuck. “Do what he says.”
Chuck reached into the boat, dangled something, then tossed it to the lake with a splash.
“Move it, asshole. You don’t want a bullet hole in your head, do you?”
Chuck practically ran up the path. “Where are they?” he questioned, his lips set in a determined line.
Jared had to give the guy kudos for being so ballsy.
“Come on, girls. Out you go.”
Two shaky shadows moved behind the thin layer of nylon before the zipper echoed across the night. A few seconds later, Ryan stepped from the tent, her face bruised.
Jared swallowed his breath.
“Ahh, there you are. Come over here.” Tom’s voice echoed insanity.
“Stay where you are,” Jared said, surveying the situation. Those bruises hadn’t just appeared on her face without help, and Jared planned on making sure Tom paid for them. Big time.
“He’ll kill you, Jared.” Her voice trembled.
“I might not. Not if you cooperate.”
Jared watched Ryan take a tentative step from the platform. Her body visibly shook with fear. He figured he had about three seconds before losing any chance of taking control of the situation.
“You fucked with the wrong man,” Jared whispered, then sent his elbow crashing into Tom’s gut.
Something hard and cold smacked Jared in the back of the neck at the same time a loud pop rang out. Jared hit the ground. Closing his eyes, he focused on the sounds around him, a scream from Ryan and loud gasp from Penny, along with a few unflattering curses by Chuck echoed in his ears. None of which helped the pounding pain in his head. Thank God the bullet missed.
“Stupid man,” Tom spat.
“You killed him?” Ryan whispered.
Feeling footsteps approach him, Jared held his breath and kept very still. A bullet in the back wasn’t part of the plan.
“You belong to me, remember that,” Tom said.
The footsteps moved away. Slowly, Jared let out his breath until he could no longer feel the earth shake.
Tom’s voice echoed, but Jared couldn’t hear the words as the engine to the boat sputtered to life. Then two gunshots rang out. Jumping to his feet, he ignored the blinding pain in his head and wiped the dirt from his face.
“Jared?” Penny squealed. “You’re okay?”
“He shot the engine out,” Chuck said, pulling Penny into his arms. “What are you going to do?”
“Steal a boat.” Jared picked up his weapon, then headed toward the next campsite, focusing on the sound of his boat. “Call 911 and tell them what’s going on,” he yelled over his shoulder, then whipped out his badge. “Sorry, folks, police business. I need to borrow your boat.” He jumped in, ignoring the stunned faces; grateful the keys were in the small cruiser, and headed out onto the dark lake. The bastard wouldn’t get away with it. He’d make sure of it.
Chapter Eighteen
Unable to take a deep breath, Ryan could feel the panic set in. She blinked, trying to get her bearings. They were headed north, toward a group of islands called the Mother Bunch. Easy to dodge behind and around, but once past the islands, it was open water.
Swallowing, she prayed Jared wasn’t dead. Seeing him lying on the ground, his body not moving, she felt like her whole world had crashed around her.
It took every ounce of courage she had to keep herself from passing out. She glanced around the boat. There had to be a way out of this mess. She couldn’t die without finding out why Jared had come back. Not without telling him how she felt.
The fire extinguisher rattled next to her leg. She wondered if it was loose. She looked up at Tom who seemed to be lost in driving. He kept glancing over his shoulder and all around. Another boat hummed in the distance.
If Jared had been shot, he was going to need her. Here goes nothing. She grabbed the fire extinguisher and yanked. Thank God it broke free. She swung the metal canister up at Tom as hard as she could.
Smack!
His head jerked to the side and his eyes went wide. He stumbled, but caught the steering wheel. “You bitch.” He held his head with his free hand as he tried to pull himself up, but stumbled to the floor.
She wasn’t going to let him get the upper hand. “You messed with the wrong woman.” She rose, lifting the extinguisher high over her head, then slammed it into Tom’s head.
This time his body sprawled out on the bottom of the boat. His head rolled to the side, and his eyes fluttered closed. Her hands trembled. She dropped the canister to the side. Then, without thought, Ryan grabbed the wheel and turned the boat around. She headed straight for the oncoming boat. If Tom wasn’t dead, he wouldn’t stay unconscious forever. She had to get back to Jared.
She slowed the boat down, waving both hands over her head. Hopefully, whoever it was had a working cell phone and could call for help.
The boats collided with a bounce. She blinked and focused on the driver. “Oh, my God! Jared!”
“Ryan,” he said calmly. “Grab the wheel and maneuver the boat again.”
“You’re not hurt?” Frantically, she turned the boat to the left, then back to the right, trying desperately to get to Jared. “He didn’t shoot you?”
“Missed, but I got a nasty bump.” He held the boats together with one hand, reaching for her with the other. “Come here, please.”
“I was so scared,” she whispered leaping into his arms. “When he showed up…I couldn’t believe it. At first I thought, the nerve of the guy, I mean I told him to buzz off earlier.”
Jared cupped her face. “Are you okay?” His finger traced a path over her swollen cheek. “He hit you.” Jared’s eyes narrowed, then he peered over her shoulder. “Bastard,” he muttered. “Wait right here.” He vaulted from one boat to the other.
A loud moan echoed in the still of the dark night.
“Oh, shut up,” Jared said. “One of your rights. Along with the right to an attorney, but you already understand those rights, don’t you.” Jared pulled Tom to the driver’s seat, yanking his hands behind his back and tying them with the stern line.
“I’ll get you for this,” Tom sneered.
“Not where you’re going.”
Sirens rang out in th
e distance.
“Here comes the cavalry.” Jared looked over his shoulder and pointed, then looked to Ryan and frowned. “Let’s get you to the hospital.”
“I’m fine, really.” She rubbed her tender cheek. “He only hit me once, and I’m more worried about that lump on the back of your neck. It’s huge.”
“It’s nothing, but we’ll go together, okay?” He heaved her to his chest and held her tight, but said nothing.
She clutched at him like he was the air she needed to live, but before she could muster up the courage to tell him how she felt, cops surrounded them.
* * * *
A few hours later, she found herself in the back of Frank’s personal car, getting a ride home. Jared sat next to her, holding her hand, but staring out into the dark night. He seemed distant and unreachable.
Why would she think he’d be anything else?
He’d only come back because he’d found out about Tom.
“Thanks, Frank,” Jared said.
Ryan blinked, then realized they’d pulled into Jared’s driveway. He held his hand out to her. She glanced at her watch; it was well past two in the morning. “Pat’s probably worried sick. We should just go there.”
“I spoke to him before we left the hospital.
He’ll be here in the morning. Besides, we need to talk.” He tugged at her hand.
Swallowing, she glanced at Frank. “Thanks,” she mumbled, feeling the exhaustion hit her bones as she scooted from the car.
“See ya around.” Frank waved, then backed out, his taillights disappearing down the road.
“Finally,” Jared muttered. He yanked her to his body, pressing her against the cold metal of his pickup.
She opened her mouth, but couldn’t say anything because his tongue dove in. Grabbing his shoulders, she intended to shove him away, but just rested her hands there instead, lost in the moment. But the better the kiss got, the more she knew it had to stop. She gave him a good shove.
“What?” He scowled. “I’ve been waiting hours to do that.”
“Thought you said we need to talk.”
“Oh, that.” He took a step back. “I suppose we need to do that, too.”
“I appreciate you coming back here to help when you heard about—”
He chuckled, pressing his fingers against her lips. “I turned around long before I knew what was going on with Tom.”
“You did?” Her heart raced in a panicked frenzy. “Why?”
“To do this.” He walked over to the For Sale sign, kicked it a few times, then lifted it from the ground.
“You sold the house?” she asked, anger surging through her body.
“Usually when that happens, a ‘Sold’ sign goes up for a while. I’m taking it off the market.”
“What?” She put her hands on her hips and shook her head. Nothing made sense. “I’m tired. I need some sleep.”
“Might happen, eventually.” He tossed the sign behind the garage, then sauntered over toward her with the weirdest smile on his face.
“I must have fallen asleep, because this doesn’t make any sense.”
He laughed and pressed his hand on the small of her back. “Come on, I think I have some explaining to do.”
“Can the explaining happen when I’m awake?” she mumbled, unable to believe any of this was real. “Are we still at the hospital and I’ve just fallen asleep on that ugly blue couch or something?”
He pushed open the kitchen door and nudged her forward. The bright lights forced her to blink a few times before she adjusted to the brightness.
“Let’s go intp the family room. Would you like a drink?”
She shook her head, letting her body relax into his strong arm. “I hope you won’t get in trouble with your new boss.”
Jared laughed.
“I don’t think that’s funny. I know what that job means to you.”
“You mean more,” he whispered, pressing his soft lips against her neck.
Dropping her head to the side, she closed her eyes, getting lost in the sensation.
“Sit down,” he said softly, easing her back onto the couch. “Open your eyes.”
“I don’t want to wake up. Jared just told me I meant more to him than his job.” She curled herself in a ball, fiddling with what she assumed was a pillow and let herself drift off into a land where Jared loved her.
It was nice to dream.
* * * *
Jared listened to the soft, even breathing of the woman he knew he couldn’t live without, waiting for her to wake up. He shifted, hoping to upset her sleep, but she just kept snuggling in, using his lap for a pillow.
“Great,” he mumbled, letting out a long breath and threading his fingers through her hair. He couldn’t sleep if he tried. How the hell could she? He tossed his head back and stared at the ceiling. Hours had passed since Frank had dropped them off. Jared couldn’t wait any longer. “Ryan,” he said.
“What?” She jumped, smacking the back of her head against his nose.
“Damn it.” He covered his nose as water welled in his eyes. “Sleeping with you is going to break my nose yet.”
“Huh?” She sat up, recoiling to the other side of the sofa. “What happened? What’s going on?”
“I was trying to have a serious conversation with you, but you fell asleep on me.”
“Oh.” She adjusted her hair, tucking her feet under her butt. “I do remember you telling me you wanted to talk. Then I had the most bizarre dream.”
“I don’t think it was all a dream.” He rubbed his nose, satisfied it wasn’t really hurt, then scooted closer to her. “Tell me about your dream.”
“No way.”
“Was I in it?”
“I’ll take the Fifth.” She reached out and ran her finger down his nose. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Seems to be a habit with us.”
“Did you take the house off the market?”
He nodded, inching closer. “I’m not taking that job.”
Her lips pursed together and her nose flared.
“I took a different one, right here. And it’s not because of you, well, not entirely.”
She rubbed her temples. “That job was everything to you.”
“Not when some lunatic was waving a gun at the woman I love.” His heart skipped a beat and his hand trembled when he touched the bruise on her face. “I do love you, Ryan.”
She met his gaze dead on. “That’s not love. That’s guilt.”
“Oh, no, you don’t.” He cupped her face. “I won’t let you tell me how I feel or don’t feel.”
She laced her fingers around his wrists. “You care about me, always have. But you don’t just all of a sudden fall in love with someone in a situation like that.” Then she pushed him away.
“Damn it, Ryan.” He stood up and started to pace. This wasn’t going quite like he had planned. Then again, he didn’t know what he was doing. “You’re right.” He stopped and stared at her. “But that’s not when I fell in love with you. Hell, I have no idea when it happened, and I sure as hell didn’t want it to happen. I pulled over on that damned highway half a dozen times before I decided I had to tell you I loved you. Now, either you love me or you don’t. So just tell me one way or the other.” He let out a puff of air and planted his hands on his hips and waited.
She just sat there and gaped at him with an open mouth and wide eyes.
The longer she sat there, the faster his pulse raced. “Well,” he said. “I can’t stand here much longer. Do you love me, yes or no?”
She blinked a few times, then shook her head. “You came back because you love me? Not because you knew that Tom wasn’t who he said he was?” She stood, facing him dead-on.
“Yes,” he said. “I wanted you to know, and hoped you’d let me spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”
“Are you suggesting we get married?” Her brows shot up.
“Well, yeah. I’d like that.” This really wasn’t going as planned.
She turned from him and did her own pacing on the other side of the coffee table.
“What about my job? I mean, I won’t quit.”
“Wouldn’t ask you to,” he said, with a scowl.
“What about kids? That would be a deal breaker.” She locked gazes with him.
“I didn’t realize we were making a deal.” He swallowed the large lump in his throat.
She narrowed her eyes. “This isn’t a joke, Jared. I’m not putting myself out there for you to tell me I can’t have what I want.”
“I want to give you everything,” he admitted. “I want it all, and I want it with you.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared into a pair of scrutinizing blue eyes. He couldn’t blame her for being suspicious. He’d given her every reason to believe that love, marriage, and kids weren’t for him. Hell, a few weeks ago he thought the same thing. “I love you. I don’t know how else to say it.”
“That works.” She put her foot on the coffee table, then hurled herself at him.
“Humph. Good Lord, woman, are you trying to kill me?” He stumbled backward, landing on the couch with her on top of him.
“Just wanted to let you know I love you, too.” She smiled, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry.” He kissed the salty tears, needing to taste every inch of her. “I don’t like it when I make you cry.”
“Trust me, these are happy tears.”
He pushed the coffee table back with his foot, then rolled her to the floor, setting himself between the softness of her legs, where he belonged.
She ran her hands across the top of his head, then down his back. “Tell me again,” she whispered.
“I love you.” He pressed his lips against hers. “I think I always have, I’ve just been too stubborn to admit it.” His pulse hammered in his ears so fast he didn’t think he’d be able to breathe. But the softness of her body pressed firmly against his gave him everything he needed.
“Condoms are upstairs,” he said with ragged breath. “Unless you want to work on that aspect of our lives right now. Not sure I want to wait.” Tears filled his eyes. “I want to have children with you.” He stroked his thumb across her bruised cheek, then kissed it with tender care. “Whenever you’re ready. Don’t want to rush you or anything.”
