Safe Harbor

by Hope White

  Still. Motionless. He’d been hurt trying to protect her.

  “He’s okay. He’s okay. He’s okay,” she whispered.

  And he was the first man she’d felt she could trust with her secrets.

  Her shame.

  Her life.

  She checked the rearview mirror. No sign of the driver. She pulled up alongside Alex and jumped out.

  “Alex.” She kneeled beside him to feel for a pulse. Strong and steady. That’s when she noticed a knot forming on the back of his head. She gently rolled him over. Blood stained his shirt.

  He groaned and looked at her with unfocused, confused eyes. “What...what are you doing here?”

  “Can you stand up?”

  “Yeah.”

  Keeping an eye on the potential danger hovering in the forest, she helped him up and guided him into the car.

  “You’re supposed to be—” She slammed the door on his protest and rushed to get behind the wheel. As she opened her car door, she glanced at the other car to get the plate number.

  Peeling away from the side of the road, she headed for Waverly Scenic Drive trying to get as far away from their attacker as possible.

  “What happened?” she asked. “Were you shot, stabbed, what?”

  “What?” he said groggily.

  “You’re bleeding.” She nodded at his shirt.

  He looked down, confused. “I don’t know.” He tipped his head back and closed his eyes.

  “Alex?”

  When he didn’t answer, panic threatened to consume her. “Just calm down,” she whispered to herself.

  She needed to think clearly. Alex needed medical attention and they needed to stay under the radar. Their attacker must have figured out they were hiding at the old mill, and he’d probably followed them from the chief’s house.

  Confident she hadn’t been followed, she pulled off onto a secluded roadway bordered by tall trees, cut the lights and parked. She reached over and searched Alex’s jacket pockets for his phone. Suddenly, he gripped her wrist and his eyes popped open.

  “Alex, it’s me, Nicole. I need your phone to call for help.”

  “Nicole?” he repeated.

  “Yes. Please release my hand.”

  “Nicole.” He hushed and his fingers relaxed. “Inside...left pocket,” he said in a weak voice, closing his eyes.

  She reached inside his jacket, ignoring the sticky sensation of blood on her hand, and pulled out his phone. She found his brother’s emergency contact number and made the call, glancing in the rearview mirror.

  “Donovan,” he answered.

  “Your brother’s in trouble. I need your help,” she blurted out.

  “Who is this?”

  “Nicole. We met yesterday at the resort.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’ll come to you.”

  * * *

  An hour later Nicole paced at the foot of a bed as Doctor Monroe examined Alex. She didn’t know how Quinn had gotten a doctor to come out on a Sunday night to tend to Alex, but she thanked God his little brother had that kind of influence.

  God? She just thanked God? Of course, because even if Nicole wasn’t worthy of His love she knew Alex was.

  The doctor said the bullet had nicked Alex and it wasn’t serious. Then why couldn’t she stop trembling inside?

  “Now, follow my finger,” Dr. Monroe said.

  She couldn’t bring herself to look at Alex. It would upset her to see her strong, virile protector laying there in such a vulnerable state. A white bandage stretched across his side and dirt smudged his face as he held an ice pack against his head.

  Quinn blocked her frantic pace. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” He motioned to the adjoining room.

  She glanced in Alex’s direction, hesitant to leave.

  “We’ll be right next door,” Quinn assured.

  With a nod, she padded across the carpet to the door.

  “Nicole?” Alex said. “Where are you going?”

  Guilt arced across her chest at the sight of him: bruised and beaten.

  Because of her.

  “I’ll be right next door,” she said. “Your brother needs to talk to me.”

  He eyed Quinn. “Behave.”

  Quinn shook his head and guided Nicole into the next room. It was another posh guest room, reserved for VIPs at Quinn’s new property, the Sandpiper Resort and Spa. She was sure she couldn’t afford to stay here on her budget, and appreciated Quinn giving up two of his most expensive rooms for Alex and Nicole.

  “What happened tonight?” Quinn asked.

  “We were staying at the mill, you know that part, then we went to the chief’s for brunch. Hung out there all day and headed back.”

  “Why didn’t you just stay at the chief’s?”

  “I didn’t... I wasn’t comfortable with that. We headed back to the mill and a car bumped us from behind, then Alex said he’d distract the driver while I went back to the chief’s, so he jumped out of the car and I took off, but I couldn’t leave him behind, so I broke my promise and went back to help and I saw him on the ground, and the guy was kicking him and, and...”

  Quinn took a step toward her and she put out her hand. “No, don’t. I’m okay.”

  He dropped his hand by his side. She felt bad for being rude and potentially hurting his feelings, but she didn’t like people touching her, especially when she was in a raw, emotional place.

  “And you saved him,” Quinn said.

  “I threatened to run his attacker down but he took off into the forest.”

  “Did you get a plate number?”

  “Yeah, actually I did.” She gave Quinn the number.

  “I’ll call Chief Roth.”

  She nodded and mustered up a grateful smile. She was glad to have Quinn’s help and hoped the attacker would be found, but her primary focus was Alex. “I hate this.”

  “He’s going to be okay,” he said in a comforting tone.

  Which only made her angrier. “No, I mean I hate that I’m the reason he’s lying there, being stitched up and examined by a doctor.”

  “You’re being ridiculous,” he said.

  “Excuse me?”

  He leveled her with intense blue-green eyes. “Did you shoot him or kick him or try to run him down with the car?”

  She clenched her jaw and crossed her arms over her chest.

  “No, some jerk did that. Maybe the same jerk who killed Edward Lange or even someone who’s working for him—the same guy who wanted to hurt you. Yet you raced back into his line of fire to save my brother. Why would you do that?” he questioned, sternly. “Alex told you to leave. Knowing him, he ordered you to leave and not look back.”

  “I couldn’t leave him like that.”

  “He’s survived worse, I’m sure.”

  “So you would have left him to fight for his life if it was your fault he was in that situation to begin with?”

  “If he’d given me an order? Yes.”

  She shook her head. “Well, I’m not that selfish. I care too much about people.”

  “Obviously you care a lot about my brother.”

  “You make it sound like that’s a bad thing.”

  “He wouldn’t want you risking your life.”

  “Tough. I didn’t think I had a choice.”

  “I assume he never told you about his girlfriend who died.”

  “Actually, he did.”

  “Then you know he blamed himself for her death. It ripped him apart. Don’t do that to him again. I’m not sure he could handle it.”

  “This is just a job for him. He keeps reminding me of that fact.”

  “We both know that’s not true.”

 
“How do you know anything? I was under the impression the two of you barely talk.”

  She couldn’t believe she was attacking Quinn with such hurtful words, but he’d pushed her too far, exposing the truth: she was falling in love with Alex, and he was possibly falling in love with her.

  “It’s true,” Quinn suddenly said with a hint of melancholy in his voice. “We’re not the closest of brothers.”

  “Quinn, I’m—”

  “Don’t say you’re sorry. It’s not your fault. Alex and I are complete opposites and have a hard time understanding each other.” He pinned her with sincere eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t love him or understand how he thinks.”

  “I was going to apologize for what I said. It was hurtful and rude.”

  “Because I hit a nerve?” He raised an eyebrow and the left side of his mouth curled in a playful smile.

  She guessed it was a cover for pain, so she played along. “I supposed I’ve developed an attachment to your brother.”

  “What kind of attachment?” he pressed.

  Although she sensed he was teasing, Nicole took a second to consider her feelings for Alex.

  The adjoining door cracked open and Alex studied Nicole’s expression. He narrowed his eyes at Quinn. “What did you do?”

  Quinn shook his head and headed for the door. “I’ll call in the plate number. If you guys get hungry, order room service. I’ve got you booked under an alias.” He turned and winked at Alex. “Mr. and Mrs. Charles.”

  “Quinn—”

  “I’ve got a business to run,” he said, cutting Alex off. Quinn shut the door, leaving Alex and Nicole alone.

  “He upset you, didn’t he?” Alex asked.

  “No. I’m upset about what happened to you.” She motioned him back into his room. The doctor had left.

  Alex ambled to the table by the window.

  “What did the doctor say?” she asked.

  “Mild concussion, not serious. You know about the stitches. I recall you were in the room when he patched me up.”

  “Does it hurt?” She sat next to him at the table.

  “Not too badly,” he said.

  But she noticed that he winced when he sat down.

  “Maybe you should lay down,” she suggested.

  Gripping his side, he leaned forward and looked deep into her eyes. “Why did you come back like that?”

  “You wouldn’t have left me there.”

  “That’s different.”

  “Right, you wouldn’t have left because it’s your job, whereas I came back because I care about you and didn’t want you to get hurt.”

  He reached out for her hand and she automatically offered it to him. When he took it, warmth crept up her arm and wrapped around her heart.

  “I care about you, too, Nicole, which is why I explicitly asked you to get away, so you’d be safe. I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you because of my incompetence.”

  “You couldn’t have known we’d be followed from the chief’s house. No one even knew we were there.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You’ve got to promise me you’ll put your safety first, before anything else.”

  “I can’t anticipate what I’ll do in any given situation, Alex. I wouldn’t have believed I was capable of chasing a guy down with a car but I’m stronger than I was a week ago.” She squeezed his hand. “Thanks to you.”

  “Unfortunately, I’m weaker.” He tried to pull his hand away, but she held on.

  “Weaker?”

  “I’m distracted by the chemistry between us.”

  “So you feel it, too?” she asked.

  He glanced down at their hands, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. “Of course I do. And because of those feelings I want to protect you but I can’t if I’m unable to focus. The thought of the killer getting near you blows my focus to pieces.”

  “Listen, I’m not the fragile victim you pulled out of the closet. In the past few days you’ve taught me to be strong and have confidence. That strength has made it possible for me to help you.”

  “I’m glad you’re feeling stronger.” He let go of her hand and wandered across the room.

  “But?” she prompted.

  “In tonight’s case I think it was unrealistic confidence.” He glanced at her with concern in his eyes. “What if you didn’t scare him off? What if he’d pulled you out of the car or shot you? He obviously had a gun.”

  “Alex—”

  “Don’t, just listen. I want you to feel strong and unafraid, I do. But I don’t want you to act foolishly like you did tonight.”

  “You’re okay, I got a plate number, we’re both safe. It doesn’t seem foolish to me. What’s really going on here?”

  He sighed and ran his hand across his jaw. “It’s late. Let’s get some sleep.”

  Without waiting for her response he went into her room and she followed. He checked the closet, the bathroom and flipped the dead bolt. As he approached the door connecting their rooms he hesitated. “Don’t answer the door, phone, anything, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  “Call me in the morning when you’re up and ready to eat. We’ll order room service.”

  He wanted her to call instead of knocking on the door between them.

  “Alex?”

  “Yup.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  He eyed her questioningly.

  “Jessica.”

  “Sure it was, but I’m not letting it happen again.”

  With a nod, he closed the door. A second later she heard the click of a lock.

  Shifting onto the edge of the bed, she stared at the door. At least he’d admitted he had feelings for her. With that out in the open they could stop pretending the only reason they were together was because of Edward Lange’s murder.

  There could be so much more between them than danger and violence. If only they’d met under different circumstances. Yet the constant threat was what inspired Alex to teach her self-defense, leading to a sense of confidence she’d never felt before.

  If only she could ease his guilt about his girlfriend. She hated to see him in that kind of pain.

  She wasn’t sure why, but she opened the nightstand drawer and pulled out the Bible. Gripping it to her chest, she flopped back on the bed.

  And for the first time in her adult life she found herself praying to God, not for herself, but for Alex. “Please, God, show me how I can help him.”

  * * *

  The next morning Alex awoke early, anxious to get a description of their attacker to Chief Roth. Not that Alex saw much while he was on the ground being kicked like a sack of grain.

  But why not just kill him? Alex wondered, gazing out the window at Waverly Harbor. He took a sip of coffee and replayed last night’s scene in his head.

  As he ran for cover, he was shot, went down, and was assaulted by the driver. The guy kicked Alex in the ribs, over and over again, without saying a word. He could have put a bullet through Alex’s head, but didn’t. It was like the driver didn’t want to kill Alex—he wanted him to suffer.

  Then Nicole showed up, threatening to run the guy over.

  The attacker took off but Alex wondered if she’d seen something that could help them identify the man. Obviously not his face since he wore a ski mask, but still she could guess his height, weight and build.

  Alex took a few aspirin to ease the pounding in his head and eyed the list of suspects. He checked his phone and spotted the HR director’s email. He clicked it open and scanned the information about the three suspects: Gerry Walker worked from

  6:00 a.m.—2:30 p.m. on Friday; Adam Fluke had taken that entire week off; and Lance Anders was seen in the office at 5:00 p.m., so Alex could scratch him off the
list.

  If only he could head down to Seattle and interview them in person, look into their eyes and read what was going on there. Instead, he called one of the detectives he knew from a task force he’d worked on a few years ago.

  “Beck,” he answered.

  “Detective Beck, it’s Detective Donovan from Waverly Harbor.”

  “Is this about the Lange murder?”

  “It is. A few of my suspects are in Seattle and I was wondering if you could follow up, maybe ask them a few questions.”

  “Sure.”

  Alex gave him names and home addresses.

  “What do you want to know?” Detective Beck asked.

  “Ask them how they liked working at Lange Industries and if they can think of anyone who’d want Lange dead.”

  “The subtext being did they want him dead?”

  “You got it. If you actually do track them down I doubt either of them are the killer but they could have valuable information.”

  “Why wouldn’t they be your killer?”

  “Our witness has been assaulted since the murder so we think the killer’s still here in Waverly Harbor.”

  “Or he’s got a partner.”

  Alex didn’t want to consider that possibility, but couldn’t deny it any longer.

  “Don’t you have her in protective custody?” Detective Beck asked.

  “We do.”

  “Sounds like your killer has an inside track if he’s able to get access to your witness.”

  The thought had occurred to Alex, as well, but he didn’t like considering that one of his own team members could be involved in Edward’s murder.

  “At this point nothing would surprise me,” Alex said. “Let me know if you can’t locate them and I’ll put out a bulletin with the sheriff’s office.”

  “Sounds good. If there’s anything else I can do to help you nail this guy let me know. From everything I’ve heard Lange was a good guy.”

  “Yes, he was. Thanks.”

  “I’ll be in touch.”

  Alex ended the call and considered Beck’s comment. If someone had a direct line to the police department’s next move...

  Alex stood and paced his room. No, he couldn’t believe it. There was Officer Mark Adams, Officer Greg Preston—who Alex hadn’t spoken to since the murder—Wendy and...