IN BED WITH BOONE

by Linda Winstead Jones

  "Everything's fine," Boone insisted. He tried to pull the motorcycle to the side of the road, but the bike wouldn't cooperate. "I have everything under control."

  Patrick laughed. "Do you really believe that?"

  Boone tried to ignore the kid on the back of the bike and keep his eyes on the road, which was heading into a hairpin curve. The speed increased, the trees and the kudzu became a vast green blur, and the motorcycle left the road and took flight…

  Boone rolled over and reached for Jayne—and found himself alone in the big bed. He cursed as he rolled upright, and then he remembered the damn bug that was planted under the bedside table. Did he talk in his sleep? God, he hoped not.

  The nightmare was still with him, in unpleasant flashes of memory. Was that why he felt panicky? The dream? Or was his heart pounding a mile a minute because Jayne was gone?

  "Jayne?" he called, standing and heading for the bathroom. The bathroom door was open. No Jayne.

  He dressed quickly. Dammit, she knew better than to roam around this house on her own! Marsh was somehow connected to Gurza, and Gurza was a very bad man.

  The house was big, but not that big. He walked toward the center wing of the house, where the living room, dining room, kitchen and library were located. There were a couple of other rooms that looked as if they were rarely used. He listened carefully and heard nothing. He hated the silence. Silence was not good.

  Finally he heard something coming from far away. A child's laughter. He headed for the south wing, but then heard the laughter again. It didn't sound any closer, but even farther away.

  Boone spun and headed back to the center of the house. This time he heard Jayne laugh, and he followed the sound unerringly.

  He found them in the courtyard, Drew and Jayne sitting on the tile floor surrounded by toy cars and homemade ramps. For a moment he just watched, while his heart returned to a normal rhythm.

  It wasn't fair that one woman should be so beautiful, he mused as he leaned against the doorjamb and watched. Jayne had a pretty face, her skin was fair and unblemished, her hair was that fascinating red-gold. But none of that made her beautiful. It was the glow of her smile, he decided. No. It was a glow from deep inside, and the warmth was always there. Smile or no smile, she … glowed.

  He could just scoop them both up right now—Jayne and the kid—and carry them out of here. The truck was out front and if he was fast enough… He scanned the area. The nanny sat at a table not far from Jayne and Drew. She wouldn't be any problem. But Harvey was inconspicuously seated not ten feet from Jayne, sipping a coffee and only every now and then lifting his eyes to check them out. Who was Harvey watching? Jayne or Drew? Didn't matter. Harvey was armed.

  Boone had noticed, when the man carried his duffel bag in last night, that he held his left arm differently from his right. Sure sign of a shoulder holster. So much for Marsh's aversion to guns. Maybe he only had an aversion to weapons carried by anyone other than his employees.

  Jayne finally realized he was there. She lifted her head and her smile changed. For him. Then she lifted a hand and crooked a finger, silently calling him over.

  "We're playing demolition derby," she said as Boone approached.

  Drew lifted his chubby face, those big brown eyes beautiful in their own heart-grabbing way. "Wanna play?"

  Boone dropped to the floor and took the little metal car Drew handed him. "Why not?"

  "As far as I can tell, the object of the game is to hit as many cars as possible," Jayne said.

  "Yeah!" Drew said with a huge smile.

  "I used to play this game with my brothers," Boone said, tapping his little car against Jayne's.

  "I don't have any brothers," Drew said with a quick frown. "But sometimes Unca Corbin or Mr. Harvey play cars with me."

  "That's nice," Jayne said sweetly.

  Boone was instantly riled that the child actually played with an armed gunman, a thug like Harvey.

  Drew leaned slightly toward Boone. "Miss Jayne plays like a girl," he confided in a whisper.

  "I know," Boone whispered back.

  They spent a few minutes banging their cars together, Drew laughing with delight at the simple game. When he tired of that, he began to run his favorite car over the ramps he'd fashioned from blocks and a couple of well-used children's books.

  Boone leaned toward Jayne and whispered in her ear, "Don't you ever do that again."

  "Do what?" she asked, wide-eyed.

  "Get up and leave without telling me where you're going."

  She smiled. "But you were sleeping so well. I didn't want to bother you."

  Sleeping well? He was glad to know he hadn't given away the nightmare by tossing or talking in his sleep. Either that or she'd left before the nightmare had begun. Didn't matter. He wanted to know where she was at all times. He warned her with a glance.

  "All right," she finally agreed reluctantly. "For goodness' sake, you're such a worrywart."

  He leaned over and kissed her, telling himself that it would be the right thing to do for those who watched. It wasn't a deep kiss, just something sweet and touching to start the day with.

  "Yuck!" Drew covered his eyes with both hands. "Kissing!"

  Boone smiled as he pulled away from Jayne. "It's not so bad, kid. Just give yourself a few years."

  They played for a while longer. The nanny stayed put and so did Harvey. How was he going to get Jayne and Drew out of here without anyone getting hurt? Dean was waiting for a signal, and when the time came, Dean, Clint, Del and Shock would move in—with force if necessary.

  He'd rather get Jayne and Drew out of here quietly if possible.

  His first clue that Marsh was about to arrive on the scene came when the nanny stood up quickly. Harvey didn't stand, but his posture changed.

  "Well, everyone's up early today," Marsh said as he stepped into the courtyard, smiling but not sounding pleased. "Lacey," he said to the nanny, "shouldn't Drew be working on his letters this morning?"

  "Yes, sir," she said. "Come on, Drew. Playtime's over."

  Jayne protested. "But we were having so much fun." She stood up when Drew did, and the little boy took her hand.

  "Can Miss Jayne come see my room?"

  Boone rose slowly to his feet.

  "Perhaps after lunch," Marsh said tightly.

  "Okay." Drew released Jayne's hand and turned his face up to her. "See you later, Miss Jayne." His eyes flitted to Boone. "You, too, Unca BooBoo."

  Boone sighed and looked down at Jayne. "Why do I have the feeling this BooBoo thing is going to stick?"

  She just smiled.

  Marsh approached. He smiled, too, but something about his expression was tight. Uneasy. "You looked lovely sitting there playing with Drew. I imagine you'll be a wonderful mother someday."

  A new bloom came to Jayne's cheeks. "I do love children," she said. "Maybe … someday."

  "And what about you?" Marsh said, turning to Boone. "Do you love children, too?"

  "Not particularly," he said.

  Jayne slapped him playfully on the arm. "Boone!"

  "Drew is a cute kid," he said defensively, "but for the most part, kids are a lot of trouble."

  Jayne huffed. "You're a lot of trouble, but that doesn't mean you're not lovable." She blushed furiously.

  Marsh turned to a waiting Benita and ordered coffee and sweet rolls to be brought to the courtyard. Jayne watched as Lacey and Drew disappeared into the house.

  Boone glanced at Harvey. The big man didn't make a move to follow Drew and the young nanny. Damnation, Harvey wasn't guarding the kid; he was watching Jayne.

  * * *

  Jayne sensed that Corbin's hospitality was already wearing thin. They'd spent most of the morning talking politics. He was definitely interested, perhaps too interested, but the buoyancy she had seen in the Hollywood producer yesterday was gone. If not for Drew, she'd be on her way back to Flagstaff this afternoon.

  Instead, she held Drew's hand as he led the way to his room. Lace
y stayed directly behind them.

  They'd had lunch; she and Boone, Corbin and Drew. And after the meal was over, Drew once again asked if he could show Miss Jayne his room. Corbin had consented. Boone had stood up as if he planned to join them, but Marsh kept him behind with questions about Alabama. Something about scouting for a location, or so Corbin said.

  As they walked down a long wide hallway, Jayne wondered if Lacey would be a problem when it came time to get Drew out of here. The nanny was a quiet person who didn't smile much, but perhaps when she and Drew were alone, she was different. She hoped so. Drew needed a happy caretaker.

  "This way," Drew said, picking up the pace and all but dragging Jayne through an open doorway.

  She walked into a brightly decorated room filled with toys, a single school desk and a television complete with VCR. She'd seen daycare centers smaller and less well-equipped than this.

  "This is my playroom," Drew said. "Miss Lacey is teaching me my letters, but we just play most of the time. Maybe next year I'll go to a real school."

  "Maybe so," Jayne said softly.

  Drew pulled her through another doorway into a plain but very nice bedroom, simply decorated in white and yellow. "This is Miss Lacey's room," Drew explained as he led Jayne to yet another doorway.

  His own bedroom was decorated as the playroom was, in bright primary colors. It was the kind of room every child dreamed of having, except for the wrought-iron bars on the windows.

  Jayne glanced around. "What a lovely room," she exclaimed. There were two doorways. One that led back to Lacey's bedroom and one that opened onto a bathroom. How on earth were they going to sneak Drew out of here?

  Drew dropped her hand as he headed back to the playroom. Jayne lagged behind and walked beside Lacey. "This is very nice," she said. "Have you been here long?"

  "Just a few months," Lacey said softly.

  "Do you like working here?"

  "Of course." Lacey sounded positive, but her eyes … her eyes were uncertain.

  If there were listening devices in the guest rooms, there were surely microphones hidden throughout the house. Perhaps security in this wing was even tighter, since this is where Corbin and Drew spent most of their time. As Jayne walked into the playroom where Drew had already begun to construct a building out of brightly colored blocks, she looked around. The security camera in the corner was there for everyone to see.

  Lacey definitely seemed nervous to have Jayne there observing. Maybe that was just the young woman's manner, but it didn't seem right to Jayne. Not right at all. If the nanny and the child were alone, would Lacey be on the floor building something out of blocks along with Drew?

  "Drew seems to have every toy imaginable," Jayne observed.

  "Mr. Marsh sees that his nephew gets anything he wants, as long as it's appropriate for his age."

  Again it looked to her as if Drew was being more than well taken care of.

  "This is such a nice place to work, but it's so far away from everything," Jayne observed casually. "Don't you miss … going shopping or to the movies?"

  "Not really," Lacey said, her voice remaining low. "I owe Mr. Marsh so much, and if I want anything, he gets it for me."

  "You owe him?" Jayne asked.

  Lacey nodded. "I left home when I was seventeen. For a long time I was living on the streets. Mr. Marsh took me in, and I haven't had to … to struggle to survive since."

  "How old are you now?"

  "Nineteen."

  "You should be in school," Jayne said.

  "I'm happy here."

  Jayne looked into Lacey's pale eyes and she didn't believe her. Not for a minute. "Are you and Corbin … involved?"

  Lacey blanched. "No."

  Jayne didn't believe that was a complete answer, but she didn't know the girl well enough to push. Not yet.

  "Drew needs his nap," Lacey said, guiding Jayne to the door. "If he doesn't get one, he'll be cranky tonight."

  "I understand," Jayne said as she stepped into the hallway.

  Lacey closed the door practically in her face. Jayne took a deep breath. Now what? Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement at the opposite end of the hallway. Harvey stood there, seeming very casual, checking out the inch or so of white cuff that peeked out of his jacket sleeve.

  As Jayne headed back to the center of the house, she was quite sure Harvey followed. She didn't look back and he didn't make a sound, but she knew he was there. A chill danced down her spine.

  She was going back to her room, hoping that maybe she'd find Boone there, when he stepped out of the library and took her arm.

  "There you are, sugar," he said with a smile. "Did you miss me?"

  "In the past fifteen minutes?"

  "I missed you." He led her down the wide hallway and through the glass doors into the courtyard, then headed for the fountain that bubbled and sprayed. There he sat, dragging her down not to sit beside him, but onto his knees. He locked his arms around her and nuzzled her neck.

  "I don't know if there's security out here or not," he said softly, "but if we keep our voices low and stay close to the fountain, we should be okay. What did you find?"

  Jayne rotated so she faced Boone and laid her head on his shoulder. "Impossible. You have to go through an outer room, where there's at least one security camera, and then through Lacey's room just to get to Drew's. There are bars on the windows, too."

  Boone cursed, low and very clearly.

  "Is it possible that Corbin doesn't know that Drew was kidnapped? That maybe this Gurza told him a sad story and asked him to keep the boy here? Drew is well treated, and Corbin seems to adore him."

  Boone shook his head. "Then why the lie about Drew being his nephew?"

  "I don't know." She cupped Boone's cheeks and kissed him quickly. "I think we should take Lacey with us."

  "The nanny?" His lips were close to hers.

  "She's a runaway," Jayne said. "She says she's happy here, but I don't believe her."

  "She might be just as big a part of this as Marsh is."

  "If she's not, and if Corbin is as crooked as you seem to think he is, then he might take his anger out on her when we take Drew out of here."

  Boone parted his lips, paused, then whispered, "Fudge."

  Jayne kissed him again, soft and lingering. "Now what?"

  "I'm not sure. We have a problem."

  "What kind of problem?" There were so many!

  "I came in here with three possible ways to signal Dean. My cell phone doesn't get a signal out here, and the fireworks I stored in the bottom of my duffel bag are gone, and so is the backup gun I'd stashed there. I suspect Harvey took them when he carried my bag in last night. He's watching us, by the way."

  "What about the third signal?"

  Boone sighed and tightened the arms that encircled her. "Last night I left my truck parked in the drive out front. I looked out the front window while you were with Drew and Lacey. It's gone."

  "I only caught a glimpse of it through the open door, but it was rather … unsightly. Maybe Corbin had it moved." She rested her head on his shoulder. "The third signal is in the truck?"

  "You could say that."

  Boone's hand caressed her back. "You should've gotten out of here when you had the chance. Now … everything's complicated."

  Jayne smiled and rubbed her nose against his. "Well, for once in my life being a senator's daughter might come in handy. Daddy knows where I am, and Corbin is well aware of that fact. They actually spoke on the phone. I'm safe here. He wouldn't dare try anything."

  "Then you should go now. We stage a fight, you insist that Harvey drive you back to Flagstaff—"

  "No." She briefly pressed her lips to Boone's. "I'm not leaving here without Drew or without you. Or without Lacey," she added. "Besides, if I leave the house, Corbin isn't likely to ask you to stay."

  "So now you're out to save the world all by yourself?" Boone's lips brushed hers enticingly, but his voice was angry.

  "Not by mys
elf," she whispered. "And three people are hardly the world." She skimmed her fingers across the back of his neck.

  "Stop this," Boone whispered testily.

  "I can't help it. I just can't walk out of here and leave three people—"

  "Not that," he interrupted sharply. "We're under constant surveillance, Marsh took my gun away, Harvey—who most definitely has a gun—is following you around like an ugly guard dog, I have no idea how we're going to get out of here … and right now I'm thinking with my favorite body part."

  "I know," she whispered with a wicked grin.

  She put her mouth close to his ear. Long hair tickled her cheek. "When we get out of here, you really should make a visit to Mississippi. Hooker Bend isn't all that far from Birmingham."

  "Hooker Bend?" he repeated.

  "Named for the founder," she said primly. "Not an occupation."

  "If you say so."

  She ignored the shift in the conversation and continued with purpose. "You could drive over for Sunday dinner. Meet Daddy and Mother and Grandmother. Maybe stay for a few days."

  "With Daddy?" Boone asked suspiciously.

  Jayne drew back so she could see his eyes. "With me."

  Boone didn't answer, and the time for a response came and went. Corbin stepped into the courtyard.

  "There you are," he said cordially. "I feel guilty for leaving my guests to their own devices, though you two do seem more than capable of entertaining yourselves."

  Jayne kept her arms around Boone's neck and turned to smile at Corbin. He didn't look at all like a man who would become involved with criminals.

  But then, Boone didn't look at all like an angel.

  * * *

  Chapter 14

  « ^ »

  Jayne had insisted on going back to her room to dress for dinner. Boone didn't understand why. Her blue dress was nice enough. She looked great. Besides, he didn't like having her out of his sight for any longer than necessary.

  He wasn't changing for dinner. Besides, all he could do was trade one pair of jeans and one black T-shirt for another. Marsh hadn't excused himself to change, either. He wore another loose outfit, blue today, instead of beige. There was some kind of embroidery down the front. Boone found his clothing very strange, but then, it was probably some Hollywood thing.