Expertly steering the boat through the waters she knew so well. Summer tried to ignore Jack’s compelling stare as she listened for anything that signaled a remaining problem. But the even hum of the engine told her she’d diagnosed and repaired the craft properly.
Lulled by the even drone, Summer frowned at the sudden pinging noise. She angled her head toward the engine, wondering what had made it suddenly begin to act up.
“Down!” Jack shouted, rushing forward and grabbing her.
Before she could open her mouth to respond, Jack pushed her to the deck of the boat alongside Danny’s carrier.
“What the—?” she protested, raising her head and trying to push herself up on both elbows.
Without a word, he plunked her back into the prone position, one strong arm anchored over her head and shoulders. Twisting to see, she could make out that his other arm was similarly stretched across Danny.
Maybe he was as manic as she’d originally thought. “If you don’t—”
“Unless you want to have your head shot off, I suggest you keep it down,” he ordered, not giving her a choice as he continued to restrain her.
But her struggles had ceased. “Shot? What are you talking about?”
The pinging sound intensified.
“That’s not the engine,” he muttered grimly, the blue of his eyes darkening to nearly black.
“It’s just missing,” Summer replied, hearing her own voice fade as the realization sunk in. Of course it wasn’t the engine.
“I wish it was. I’d take a stranded boat anyday.”
“Why is someone shooting at us?” She paused. “At you?”
“Is that relevant?”
Summer could only manage a gasp.
“Wouldn’t you rather concentrate on staying alive?” Jack asked, crawling forward to slide Danny beneath a storage bin, creating a safe harbor for the toddler.
“I’d like both,” she snapped. “To stay alive and to know what’s going on.”
“I think keeping us alive is going to take all my attention right now,” he replied, ignoring her demand. Jack’s gaze rested on his son. “Yours isn’t the only bide I’m trying to protect.”
Exasperation oozed from every pore of her terrified body. “I wasn’t suggesting that it was. But I can help more if I know what’s going on.”
“Fine,” he agreed readily. Too readily, she realized an instant later.
Lunging forward, Jack grabbed the wheel, accelerating madly. The pinging sharpened, screeching along the bow, skittering across the wake their boat left behind in the calm water.
Seeing that Jack’s attention was on escape, Summer dared a peek at their pursuers. A sleek racing boat skimmed across the water as though propelled by rockets. Gasping, she realized they were completely outmatched. From Jack’s face, it was clear he knew it, too.
“We can’t outrun them!” she hollered against the wind.
He spared a glance at her, then at his son. “We have to try.”
Summer thought quickly. “We’ll have to outmaneuver them.” Crawling forward on the deck, she inched closer to him. “Those aren’t local boys. I’d recognize the boat. So we can use the home-court advantage.”
One of his brows lifted. “Which is?”
“Number one, turning the wheel over to me.”
Jack’s gaze immediately skipped to Danny.
Watching him, she could see his internal struggle. “You can play macho hero and remain in control, or you can give Danny his best chance at safety.”
The struggle showed on his face, and he didn’t release the wheel. “And what would step two be?”
“I know these waters, where the shoals and reefs are. I’m betting they don’t.” Summer fought to sound reasonable, fought not to reach out and rip the wheel from his hands.
Although it clearly was difficult for him, slowly Jack nodded, relinquishing control.
In an instant, Summer captured the wheel. She reversed direction, away from the open sea toward the coast she knew so well. Here, she had learned at her father’s knee, navigating the straits, memorizing the underwater ledges that could tear a boat to pieces. And that was where she was headed.
It was tricky maneuvering. One slip and their boat, too, could become driftwood. But confidence born of knowledge and experience took over. She could almost hear her father whispering in her ear, guiding her toward the hidden ledges, the deceptive minefields of nature.
Glancing quickly over her shoulder, she could see the distance between the two boats narrowing. Fear filled her. Meeting Jack’s grim gaze, she could see that he fairly itched to regain control, but he kept a check on the desire. Summer knew that she had taken on a huge responsibility. If she failed, she sacrificed an innocent child. For a moment, she hesitated.
But Jack’s voice was suddenly in her ear, the litheness of his muscled body surprising her as he moved soundlessly and gracefully. “You can do it, Summer.”
She gulped, her eyes momentarily locked on his. “What if—?”
“You can do it You have to. Danny’s counting on you.” His voice softened almost imperceptibly. “You won’t fail him.”
Her hands tightened on the wheel, and she dared not risk one more glance to see how close their pursuers were. It was blindman’s buff with the highest stakes.
Stomach knotted, fingers clenched almost bloodlessly, she tried to disregard the trickle of sweat that beaded between her breasts, the sudden dryness in her throat. Approaching the hidden ledges at a rapid pace, she blocked out everything but the mental map of what lurked beneath the water.
She had to lure the racing boat close, yet she dared not misstep. Spotting her destination, she slowed a bit, enough to bring their pursuers perilously close. A renewed pinging sound reminded her of the barrage of bullets awaiting them. She nearly froze when one bullet furrowed along the wood beside her, ripping a ferocious path.
Gripping the wheel, Summer whirled around, seeing that they were in position. The racing boat was directly behind them, gaining at full speed. At that moment, she wrenched the wheel, turning their boat in a sudden pivot away from the ledge. But the racing boat, traveling at a high speed, couldn’t duplicate the maneuver.
In moments, the sleek boat bottomed out, a huge wrenching noise ricocheting through the air as the fiberglass splintered. Watching the two men on board, Summer gasped in relief as she saw rifles fly through the air and into the water as the men slid wildly across the deck, then careened into the water, grabbing for pieces of wreckage.
But Jack didn’t look relieved. She wondered suddenly if he’d hoped the men wouldn’t survive the crash. The enormity of that conclusion stunned her. What was he running from? Standing mere inches from him, she wondered suddenly what she’d gotten herself into.
Jack reached over, resuming control of the boat, ignoring the questions in her expression. “You’re better off not knowing,” he told her, accurately reading her thoughts.
Another shiver of fear skittered up her spine. Then it blossomed into full alarm as she saw him turn the boat away from her home. Licking dry lips, she swallowed the sudden knot in her throat. “You’re heading away from Edisto.”
His eyes darkened even further, his entire expression grim. “I know.”
Jack glanced back at Summer, regretting the alarm he clearly caused. Not that it could be helped, but he hadn’t intended to frighten her. He knew he had lingered too long in the seemingly safe harbor. But his choices had been limited. He could hardly remember a time when they hadn’t been, when Danny’s mother had still been alive, when their future looked bright. Right now, he would settle for simply normal.
But that, too, seemed hopelessly out of reach.
Summer glanced at the coastline they cruised by. “Jack, I think we’re getting close to a place where we can dock.”
“I can’t risk it.”
He expected the stunned silence and wasn’t disappointed. But she recovered quickly. “What do you mean?”
“I h
ave to put as many miles as possible between me and them.”
“But they’re not going anywhere on that boat,” she protested.
“No, but it won’t take long for them to regroup.”
Summer stared at him. “And it won’t take you that long to dock and let me off.”
“I can’t afford to take the risk.”
Incredulous, Summer continued staring at him. “Surely you don’t expect me to ride along until you either run out of fuel or decide it’s safe to stop?”
Jack knew she wouldn’t like his reply. “I’m afraid so.”
“That’s ridiculous. I insist that you let me off as soon as possible.”
Jack shook back his heavy mane of longish hair. “Can’t do it. As soon as I’ve put some distance between us and them, I’ll dock and you can leave. But not before.”
He watched her struggle for an appropriately heated response, considering Danny was angled within easy listening distance. Frustration laced her toned-down words that emerged as a hiss. “Don’t think I won’t add this to your brill!”
If their situation weren’t so critical, he would have laughed at the absurdity of her reply. “Let me guess. The labor’s gonna kill me.”
“No, but I might,” she muttered.
Jack turned as the whisper of a smile finally escaped him. He suspected she wanted to throttle him.
“You’ve thrown them off the trail,” she added. “And I’m guessing by the course you’ve set that you’re changing your spots.”
“Not enough.” But her words gave him pause. They could change spots, though. He glanced at Summer, his mind turning over the possibilities. New possibilities. Maybe even new hope.
At Summer’s urging, Jack agreed that it wasn’t wise to navigate the unknown waters in the approaching darkness. When the boat docked, she rose and sighed audibly. “Not that it hasn’t been real fun, but I think I’ll find the bus station and call it a night.”
“Your mother’s probably worried,” Jack replied, watching her expression. “Don’t you want to find a phone first? One that’s close?”
Summer stopped abruptly. “Oh. You’re right. She’s probably called out the coast guard.”
Jack scooped up a sleepy Danny. “Let’s ask at the pier. They should know of a place close by where I can buy you a cup of coffee and you can use the phone.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Oh?”
“It’s the least I can do. Truce?” He shifted Danny. “Your mother was awfully good to this little guy. I don’t want to repay her kindness by worrying her.”
Summer didn’t bother trying to hide her reluctance. “I suppose so. But just a cup of coffee and I’m out of here.”
Jack smoothed the soft, ruffled hair over Danny’s forehead. “Sure. It’s been a pretty big day for Danny, too.”
Summer’s expression softened as she watched them, then she straightened, stiffening her back. “One cup of coffee.”
Jack nodded before she turned away. Coffee was just the appetizer. He thought of the wall he was backed against. Coercion would be the main course.
Summer finished relating an edited version of the day’s events to her mother, assured her that she was safe, asked if her mother could use her computer to E-mail the office that she would be away, then returned to the table. “I told my mother I’d call when I knew what time the bus would get to Edisto.”
“Uh-huh,” Jack replied, coaxing Danny to eat some tapioca pudding while the toddler banged on the tray of the high chair.
“Did you feed him something besides dessert?” Summer questioned, looking at the toddler in concern.
Jack called on his patience. Did she think the child had survived on sugar since his wife died? “He gummed the toast—” he pointed to the empty jar of baby food “—after downing that.”
“Oh.” Summer glanced at the obviously healthy baby. “I guess you know what he’s supposed to eat.”
“If I didn’t, he’d probably have starved by now,” he replied without malice.
“Has it been difficult...raising him alone?”
Jack tried to disregard the shaft of pain. “I suppose parenthood isn’t ever easy, but then it probably hasn’t been a picnic for Danny, either.”
Guiltily Summer regretted the insensitive words. “I didn’t mean that. He looks happy and well cared for.”
Jack wiped the baby’s chin. “Still, he doesn’t have a mother. Nothing will make up for that.”
At a loss for words, Summer wished she hadn’t ventured down this path. “You’ll just have to love him twice as much.”
Momentarily sidetracked, Jack stroked the child’s downy cheek. “That’s not so tough.”
Strangely moved, Summer reached blindly for her coffee. When not giving orders or kidnapping her, Jack was damnably appealing. “I can see that.”
“Then you can also see why I’d do anything for him.” When she nodded, Jack met her gaze directly. “Including asking you to help save his life.”
Wheezing as hot coffee traveled down the wrong pipes, Summer tried to imagine what he meant. Jack pulled up her left arm, thumping her soundly on the back. Oddly the thwack eased her choking. She reached for a paper napkin and wiped her mouth. “What do you mean?”
“Danny and I are sitting ducks unless we change our profile. And that’s something I can’t do alone.” He met her eyes, intensity burning in his. “Will you help us? To escape, that is?”
Shocked, Summer stared at him, wondering if he could possibly be serious. Deciding he was, she measured her words carefully. “If I said yes, how could I help?”
“Those guys are looking for a man and a baby boy, not a couple. As far away as they were on their boat—” Jack gestured at her baggy overalls “—and with you dressed like that, they won’t even suspect you’re a woman.”
Summer felt the sting of his words. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“I wasn’t trying to flatter you.”
“Good. Because you didn’t succeed.”
“This is too important to take lightly,” he admonished. “I wouldn’t ask you if I had another choice—any other choice.” His voice flattened. “I don’t. My back’s against the wall. I wouldn’t ask for myself. This is for Danny.”
Glancing up sharply, Summer could see he wasn’t playing on her emotions. He was completely sincere. She suspected this macho man had great difficulty asking for assistance. “And you want my help?”
“Only for as long as absolutely necessary. Then you’re back to Edisto—” Jack snapped his fingers “—like that. If I didn’t think we needed you for a safe escape, I wouldn’t ask.”
She searched his face, once again sensing only honesty and concern. “Uh-huh.”
“We need a cover,” he continued. “They’re not looking for a couple.”
“This sounds rather well thought out,” she noted suspiciously.
“Don’t worry. The plan hasn’t been hatching for days. Actually you gave me the idea.”
Summer blinked. “Me?”
“When you mentioned I was changing spots. I hadn’t, but your comment made me realize we could. But I need help—something more than a wig and a fake nose. I need to change the dynamics.”
“Enter the convenient boat mechanic,” she supplied.
“Exactly. But even better. You’re a woman.”
“It’s too late now to try buttering me up.”
Jack twisted his face into a puzzled scowl. “I don’t understand.”
She sighed. “Clearly. So, you’re asking me to be part of your getaway. But there’s one hitch.”
He eyed her warily. “Which is?”
“I’m not signing on to your Bonnie and Clyde mission until I know what’s going on.” She stared at him steadily. “Everything.”
Jack took a deep breath. It wasn’t a story he’d told many people. Relating portions of it, even to his own parents, had been intensely painful. But then, what had happened had been nearly unbearable. At times he wished he
hadn’t survived to tell the tale. Only his small son had given him the will to live.
In fact, the events leading him to this point had begun when his wife was expecting Danny. “It seemed we had everything,” he told Summer. “What you might call a golden life. We were happy, in love, expecting our first child. I had a great job that I loved.”
“Which was?” Summer prompted when he lost himself in the memories.
“An architect,” he replied, pulling himself back to the present. “We lived in Chicago. I had just designed a sixtystory skyscraper.” He paused, bitterness seeping into his voice. “It was the crowning achievement of my career. Based on its success, I was offered a partnership in the firm—unheard of for anyone under forty. I was on top of the world. A successful career, a beautiful wife, a baby on the way—what else could a man want from life?”
Her voice was soft, quietly concerned. “And then something happened to change that?”
Jack pushed past the pain. He also had to get past the mistrust that dogged him since that fateful time. What if he told everything to Summer and she double-crossed him. Sure, it seemed as though she was an unassuming boat owner living on an idyllic island. But what if she was more than that? What if Fisher and Wilcox had somehow gotten to her? “Isn’t it enough for you to know that Danny’s life hangs in the balance?”
She showed a sudden stubborn streak. “No, it’s not. You could be stringing me along. How do I know you didn’t rob a bank and that’s why you’re running away?”
Jack realized she was right. He was asking her to risk everything based on little or no information. It was a gamble, telling her everything, but what choice did he have? He met her eyes, willing her to be what she said she was. “I guess you don’t. I’m no criminal. I stumbled onto a high-level crime scheme. Members of a mob syndicate were using the construction of my building to launder money from its drug ring.”
The Hijacked Wife Page 3
