by Clare Revell
As she gazed at the man standing there, Sara’s eyes widened in recognition. Her heart leapt. He’d found her. It was over, and she was free.
Austin smirked. “Sara, I believe you know DCI Shepherds?”
Sara’s heart plummeted. No, it couldn’t be. He was here to free her. Surely he wasn’t involved in this. Her eyes flitted desperately from Austin to Shepherds. The smirk on Austin’s face matched the one on Shepherds.
“But I thought…” The words died on her lips.
Austin’s harsh laugh echoed in the small room. “Everyone has their price, Sara. You should remember that.”
“Not everyone.” Sara took a deep breath.
Shepherds looked at her. “Just thought ye’d like an update on yer case. It’s closed. Lieutenant Nemec is on a plane back tae the States. Yer aunt is arranging yer funeral.”
Sara shook her head. “You can’t do that.”
“Och, I can and I have. If ye dinna like it, take it up with the boss. He’ll be here after breakfast.” He paused, running his eyes up and down her body. “Ye should get some sleep. Ye’ve a long day tomorrow.”
Sara watched them leave. Sleep? How was she meant to sleep now? She leaned back against the bed. Luke wouldn’t leave her. Closing her eyes she handed everything to the One person she knew was in control, no matter how messed up things were.
****
Luke woke before five, not having got into bed until after three. He got up, showered, dressed, and sat on the window seat, waiting for the daylight. The creased photo of Jamie lay beside him. When it came, the sky was gray, overcast and threatening more snow. His attention was caught by the shoreline and the houses along the harbor. They gave him pause. He had seen that view somewhere else...Of course. It’s Sara’s painting.
Distracted by a knock on the door, he turned. “Come in.”
Dave opened the door. “Morning. Have ye been there all night?”
“Most of it,” Luke replied honestly. “I couldn’t sleep. My mind is too active. I have never felt this way about anyone, and the first time I do, this happens. What if we don’t get her back?”
“I told ye last night, we will. Emphasis on the will. Failure is not an option.”
Luke rubbed his arms. “And what if she doesn’t feel the same way about me? I never realized how much of a risk love is. Or how vulnerable it makes you feel.”
“She does feel the same way.”
“How do you know?”
“Ye’ll have tae trust me on that one. She’s afraid ye don’t like her.”
Carole stuck her head around the door and glanced out of the window. She frowned. “What’s going on over at the Drover’s place?”
“There are new people in there.” Dave answered.
Carole peered out of the window. “That’s a lot of cars though. They must have visitors.”
Luke shrugged. “It’s Christmas Eve. What are your plans for today?”
“If yer dad’s here for Christmas, ye’ll need a turkey and more food than ye’ve got. Dave’s working this morning. I’ll take Mary food shopping.”
That hadn’t even occurred to Luke. Grocery shopping wasn’t high on his list of priorities. “Why don’t you two come here for the day tomorrow? We were meant to be coming to you, but with Dad coming and Sara…”
Dave shook his head. “Ye spend the day with yer family. Give me the flight details, and I’ll arrange for someone tae pick him up from the airport.”
“Thanks.” Luke pulled the piece of paper from his shirt pocket and handed it over. He picked up the creased photo and looked at it. “Wait a minute…” He bolted to his feet and ran from the room.
****
Sara opened her eyes and jumped as she saw Phil sitting on the bed next to her. He frightened her, but it was more than that. Maybe it was his resemblance to Jamie.
Phil tucked her hair behind her ear. “Sleep well?”
Sara jerked her head away. “No.”
Phil untied her, pulled her to her feet, and took her to the bathroom. “You should shower and change. Leave what you have on in here.”
“I have nothing else to wear.”
Phil pointed to a dress and change of underwear on top of the cistern. “Make yourself pretty for him. He’d like that.”
“Can I have the door closed?”
“Can I trust you?”
“What do you think?” she snapped. She held out her hands. “I can’t change or shower with my hands like this.”
Phil ran a hand down her arm. “I could always help you.”
“I bet you could, but I can manage.”
Phil undid the handcuffs. “The door stays open. You have ten minutes then I’m coming in to get you.”
“Promises, promises.” Sara pulled free and went into the bathroom. She pushed the door closed behind her.
“You lock that door, and I break it down.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Why don’t you go away for a bit?” She stood there for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. Who was this boss they kept referring to? She turned on the shower and stripped quickly, glad to be out of the dirty clothes.
Sara stood under the steaming water. She pushed her hands over her face and through her hair. Finding soap, she rubbed it over her skin and hair, trying to scrub every last trace of this place off her.
“Hurry up. One minute, and I’m coming in there.” Phil’s voice echoed through the door.
“All right.” She switched off the water. Grabbing a towel, she dried and dressed.
“Time’s up,” Phil said, pushing open the door. His eyes moved slowly and greedily up and down her body. “That color suits you.”
Put your eyes back in your head. “Does it now?”
“Yes, it does. He said it would.” Taking firm hold of her arm, he led her back to the bedroom. He cuffed one of her wrists to the headboard. He turned and headed to the door. “I’ll be back in a bit. Your breakfast is on the side.”
Wishing she hadn’t cut her hair all those weeks ago and had a hair pin with which to pick the lock on the handcuffs, Sara ate the bread. She picked up the cup and drank the coffee, her mind running over what Phil said. He said it would. Other than Luke, there was only one person who knew her that well. And he was—
The door opened, and Phil came in. Sara glared at him. “I thought I told you to go away.”
“I thought I told you to learn some manners.”
There was someone standing behind him. She couldn’t make him out as he was in the shadows. Was this the boss they kept mentioning?
“Sara, I’d like you to meet the boss of the whole operation. The man who holds your life, and your fate, entirely in his hands. And the man who spent months grooming you and setting you up so well. Oscar.”
The other man stepped into the light. Sara’s eyes widened as she saw him. Her heart stopped, and her stomach plummeted. It couldn’t be. For a moment she thought her eyes were deceiving her. She opened her mouth to speak, but the sound dried in her throat.
Jamie smiled at her. “Hey, babe. Long time no see. Missed me?”
28
Luke hissed impatiently waiting for the computer to boot up. He glanced up as Dave came into the room. “I know why he’s so familiar…Finally.” He clicked several times and brought up the enlarged photo of the man on the beach. He held the creased photo next to it. “Sara was right all along. Jamie’s alive. I’ve seen him outside on a couple of occasions, just didn’t recognize him, but no one ever caught him.”
“Until now.” Dave pulled out his phone. “I’m on it.”
****
“Jamie?” Sara could hardly believe her eyes.
Jamie moved over to her and ran a hand down her face. “Yeah, babe, it’s me.” His gaze moved down her body, and his hands caressed her swollen stomach. “When are you due?”
She shied away from his touch. “March. I thought you were dead. I buried you.”
Jamie reached up and unfastened her from the headboard. “Rumors of
my death have been greatly exaggerated.” Tossing the handcuffs to the floor, he kissed her torn wrists and pulled her into his arms. “Oh, babe, I missed you so much.”
His sparkling blue eyes darkened as he leaned forward, sliding a hand around her neck and brushed his lips over hers. “Sara.”
Sara closed her eyes, not reacting at all. He was a criminal. He’d never loved her. If he had, he wouldn’t have abandoned her and faked his own death. More than that, if he really was Oscar, her being here was his fault. The only man she wanted was Luke. This should be him. She twisted in his grip. “I want to go home.”
“You are home, babe. We’re together now. Let me introduce you properly. PJ, this is my wife, Sara. Sara, this is my twin brother, Phil or PJ. Say hi to PJ, Sara.”
Everything fell into place with a thud. Jamie was a twin. That was why Phil reminded her of Jamie—genetically the same, yet different. And it explained the twins she was carrying. “Hi to PJ, Sara,” she muttered sarcastically.
Phil laughed. “You called me Jamie when we first met, remember?”
“How could I forget?”
“Not that RJ and I are that similar.”
“RJ?”
Jamie grinned. “That’s me. Robert James or RJ. He’s PJ, Philip Joseph. We call him PJ because he’s a lazy toad who hates getting out of bed.”
She needed this confirmed, needed to hear him say it. “He said you were the boss—Oscar.”
“He has a name, babe. Use it.”
“Phil said you were the boss, the man in charge. That I’d been emailing and chatting to you for months. That you’re Oscar…But you can’t be. I watched you die. They stabbed you. You died in my arms. I mourned you, buried you.”
Jamie’s eyes glinted. “And you moved on. This cop you’re living with. You’re on first name terms. You hold hands when you go out. He buys you things. You come across as very comfortable with him.”
“There’s nothing between us.”
“Sara, Sara, Sara. You told Phil the phone was your husband’s. You took his name, slept in his bed.”
“What?” Where’d that come from? It had been three times, maybe four, and each time nothing happened. How had he known that? The only ones who knew were her and Luke.
“You replaced me, Sara. You can’t deny it. I’ve been watching you.”
“That’s rubbish and if you were really watching, you’ll know it was my bed, not his. Nothing happened, not that it’s any of your business. Luke is far too much of a gentleman to take advantage of a lady.”
“A lady? Is that what you think you are, babe?”
All her intentions to reason with the man flew out of the window. What had she ever seen in him in the first place? She wasn’t going to give an inch. She’d rather give as good as she got, even if she did regret it.
Jamie grabbed her left hand. He gave the ring a cold hard stare then fixed the same gaze on her. She shivered. “This isn’t your ring. Where’s the one I gave you?”
“I tossed it out with the rest of the trash. This is Luke’s. He gave it to me to borrow.”
Jamie tried to pull it off her finger. Sara fought not to show the pain. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. “That hurts.”
Jamie twisted harder, finally forcing the ring from her finger. He tossed it across the room. “You are mine, Sara, mine. Not his. Never his.”
“I’m not yours. Luke was protecting me.”
Jamie smirked. “And he did such a good job. I really should thank him sometime.” He kissed her hard, his fingers digging into her arms.
Sara froze in his arms, not kissing him back. She turned her head away, his kiss cold, unfeeling and unwelcome. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Jamie pushed her hair back from her face. “All these questions. Aren’t you pleased to see me?” He went to kiss her again, glaring at her as she moved her face away. “Well?”
“Are you Oscar?”
“Yes, doll. I always have been. Stalked little gullible you. I ran the entire operation for years. Turning Queen’s evidence was one of my better ideas. I got a new name, new start, police protection, a wife and all the time, running the drug operation right under their noses. It was a stroke of genius, even if I do say so myself. Of course it’d have been better if you’d not insisted on holding out until the wedding night.”
“Sorry?”
“We could have had so much more fun. You know that’s what hurts the most. You held out on me, but you’re sharing a bed with the cop.”
“I’m not even going to dignify that with a reply.”
His voice turned into a hiss. “Save it. I’ve been watching you for weeks.”
Sara pulled out of his arms. “You’re a murderer, a thief, an arsonist, and a liar. You killed your parents.”
“Yes, I killed them,” he snarled. “And I’ll do the same to anyone who gets in my way or hurts my brother.” His tone changed, becoming softer, beguiling. “But everything’s going to be all right, babe. We’re together now. You, me, the baby, and Phil. One big happy family.”
He glanced behind him at Phil. “Leave us for a bit, bro. I want to spend some quality time with my wife. We have a lot of time to make up.”
“Sure thing, RJ.” Phil winked and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Jamie wrapped his arms around Sara, his lips running kisses down her neck. His fingers tangled in her hair. “What did you do to it? I don’t like it this short.”
“Well I do. It was too long. Besides I hoped Austin wouldn’t recognize me with short hair. Guess I was wrong.”
“Guess you were. I missed you so much. And I know you missed me.” He kissed her.
Sara turned away. “Don’t.”
“You’re my wife. You can’t refuse me.”
She struggled. Oh, yes, she could. “I’m not your wife. I got an annulment.”
“I’ll contest it. You need my signature as I’m not dead.” He kissed her again.
She pulled her arms up between then, locking them across her chest. “No, I don’t feel so good. I’ve got a really bad headache.”
He pushed her back down on the bed. “Then let me kiss it better. I read that intimate relations are actually good at getting rid of headaches. Then afterwards, we can get out of here and start over.”
“I said, no.” He’d betrayed her. Her heart belonged to someone else.
His hand slid down her arm. “I love you, Sara Barnes.”
“It’s Sara Daniels. I changed my name.”
He buried his face in her neck, kissing it. “We’ll change it back.”
Sara struggled, trying to pull away, but he held her too tightly. Her wrist caught on something tucked into his waistband. “No. Stop...Luke.”
A sharp slap made her jump. Her eyes sprung open filling with tears. “What did I do?”
“What did you do?” Jamie glared at her, his eyes sparkling with anger. “What did you do? You called Luke’s name. How dare you lie here in my arms, in my bed, and think of him? You are my wife, Sara,” he told her, spitting out each word emphatically. “Not his. Mine.”
Sara’s cheek hurt, but she refused to touch it. “I am not your wife. Not legally, not any more. You never loved me. You left me and pretended you were dead. Austin was right. I am just a possession to you.” She folded her arms tightly across her chest.
“You shouldn’t believe everything Frank tells you. Maybe I loved you a little. I’d have loved you more if you’d been a bit more responsive from the beginning. And I did change my mind over having you killed in Blackpool. I know you want me, babe, as much as I want you. Once I kill your cop friend, there will be no one to come between us.”
“No.”
Jamie raised an eyebrow. “No? So you do love him then?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. You don’t want him dead. You call out his name when I’m kissing you. You wear his ring. You don’t really think he could love someone like you, do you?
You’re only alive for one reason, Sara.” His hand rubbed her stomach and laughed. “And once he’s born, you have a choice. Work with me, as my wife, or die.”
Sara shook her head, bile rising in her throat. “No. And that’s when she’s born.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “You have to admit, babe, we are pretty good together. We make a good team, Sara, you and I. Now be a good girl and kiss me.”
Sara looked at him, a plan forming in her mind. “Say please.”
He smirked. “I like this game. Sara, please kiss me.”
She closed her eyes, raising one hand to his face, her fingers entwining in his hair. As she kissed him, her other hand slid down his back, untucking his shirt. She moved her fingers slowly up his back, bringing out goose bumps on his flesh.
Jamie moaned into the kiss as she touched him. Sara’s hand slid down to his waist, her fingers trailing along it, searching for what she’d so briefly touched.
Jamie’s eyes sprung open as Sara pulled the gun from the small of his back and pointed it at him. “What are you doing, Sara?”
Her hands trembled. “I want to go home.”
“Don’t be stupid. Give me the gun, Sara.”
“No.” Her finger tightened on the trigger as she held the gun at arm’s length, aiming at his chest.
“I said, give me the gun.”
“And I said, no.” She pulled the trigger, but all that happened was a loud click. She looked at it and tried again. Nothing. “It won’t work.”
Laughing, Jamie snatched the gun. “It helps if you remove the safety.” He flipped it off and pointed the gun at Sara. “Now it’ll work.”
Sara pushed back into the bed, terrified. “Jamie.”
Jamie grinned. “Love you, babe.”
He aimed, and fired.
29
Sara sat on the bed, unable to move, her heart thudding so loud she was convinced they could hear it downstairs. The bullet had missed her by an inch and thudded into the wall behind her.
Phil burst into the room, gun out. “What the…”
Jamie raised a hand. “Everything’s under control, bro. I’m teaching my wife an object lesson in obedience.”
