License to Love: Holiday Box Set (Contemporary Romance)

by Kristen James

  The car stopped and Herald got out. Nick touched her face. He looked concerned, like he was checking to see if she was really there. Maybe she wasn’t. “Cora, we’re getting a room. You can take a shower and rest a while, and then we’ll try to visit Jerry.”

  Another room? She was so tired of running around. “I need a change of clothes…can’t I go home?”

  Adam glanced at Nick. She could tell they communicated entire conversations through those looks.

  “Cora, you probably know that’s not safe,” Nick said.

  She knew, but it sounded nice to soak in her own bath tub and sleep in clean pajamas in her own bed.

  Adam added, “We’ll keep you safe here.”

  She shuddered. It wasn’t over yet. She needed to keep her guard up. That’s why Adam was keeping watch while they waited in the car.

  Herald tapped on the window. Nick and Adam hurried out and she followed their lead. It was hard to imagine Alexander being able to track them down, but he’d shot Jerry. Keith still didn’t have his million dollars back. She wondered if he ever figured out that Alexander stole it.

  Upstairs in the bathroom, Cora turned the water on hot. Her entire body felt numb, disconnected from her. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the soothing water running down her and almost forgot she was in the shower. When the water started to grow cold, she snapped awake and remembered that she needed to wash. She had to force herself to forget what she was washing off.

  Pictures flashed in her mind, one after another, of her father, Nick, and the other men that had been at Keith’s home. She could hardly believe Nick had shown up and helped her after she ran from him. She couldn’t fathom what might have happened if he hadn’t stepped in.

  She wrapped herself in the small hotel towel. There was no way she could put her clothes back on, not with…

  Someone knocked. “Cora, I have a change of clothes for you.”

  Nick had known. She opened the door to see him holding her bag. “How did you…oh, this was in your car from before.”

  She’d packed a skirt, but at least it was something different and semi clean. Nick was waiting for her outside the door and when she emerged he pulled her into a much needed tight embrace. She ran her hands over him and breathed in his scent. After hanging onto him for a minute, she remembered Herald and Adam. Herald was gone and Adam was playing solitaire on a small table by the door. His handgun sat on the table.

  The TV was turned on without anyone watching it, maybe for the noise.

  “Come over here with me.” He pulled her onto the couch with him. She gladly curled up against him and laid her head on his chest.

  There was a lot to talk about, but maybe Nick was trying to wrap his head around it too. She wasn’t sure where to start or where they would go. She wasn’t even sure how she felt. Was she running through fire or drowning in a freezing ocean? She felt Nick’s arms around her, holding her together, and she felt his steady heartbeat beckoning hers to continue.

  With new clarity, Cora realized she had been thinking with her head, which had always been her saving attribute, but this last week she had ignored her heart. Her heart had been right.

  Nick rested his face on her hair. “Are you doing okay? Do you want something for dinner yet?”

  “I’m only twenty five and I’ve lost both my parents.” She angrily wiped at the tears that flooded her eyes.

  “You don’t know that.” He took her chin and gently turned her face toward his. “Jerry’s tough. He’s fighting for you.”

  That was true. Her dad would fight the world for her. She almost smiled.

  “I’m here for you. I’ll do whatever you need.” He watched her eyes like he was watching a beautiful sunrise. Now she could finally follow her heart and believe him.

  “I’m sorry, Nick.”

  “For what?”

  “Alexander. He completely fooled me.” Tears sprang up in her eyes. A tear escaped and ran down one cheek. She had listened to Alexander and it almost got her dad, and Nick, killed. She had been so focused that she didn’t see thing clearly.

  Nick kissed her tears. “He fooled everyone from my father to Jerry. That’s how the guy operates.”

  “All I could think about was finding my father. I didn’t consider his motives at all.”

  He shook his head. “You did what you had to. I was trying to protect you, but I should have told you more. When Adam first told me what was going on, he said Alexander watched the news every night just to see you. Alexander ‘exposed’ Jerry for skimming money, and he suggested right off the bat that you were the perfect tool for coercing Jerry into repaying the money. He had a master plan all along and you were a big part of it.”

  Cora leaned back to look at him, sighing in irritation and frustration. She felt invaded. “So everything happened as he planned it, but why did he want to trick me like that? I was walking around town, tired, hot and hungry. I was trying to figure out where to look first, and then there was Alexander with lemonade and a plan. Why did he pretend to help me?”

  “I think he planned to take the money, and you, and run.”

  It chilled her to see inside his mind, and scared her even more that she had spent two days with him. Laying her head back on Nick’s chest, she whispered, “Thank you for what you did.”

  He started to say something when his cell vibrated in his pocket.

  “It’s Keith.”

  Thirteen

  “See what he says.” The reporter in her couldn’t let the opportunity pass.

  Nick answered it with a cold, “Hello.”

  “Is that woman with you?” His voice was loud enough for Cora to hear.

  “Why does that matter now?” Nick asked. “The police know Alexander shot Jerry, and that you’re involved.”

  Adam moved over to hear as well.

  “I think it’s in your best interest to bring her back here.”

  “Hardly.” Nick shook his head at Cora and Adam as if to say, Can you believe this guy?

  “Don’t think the police will protect you. You’ll be their first suspect.”

  Nick glanced at Cora, and she saw the doubt in his eyes. The police had questioned them and let them go. Keith would have to be one hell of a liar to convince them of another story, unless he could by them.

  “We can take care of ourselves.”

  “Believe whatever you want to. I just want that key. The police are looking for you now, and the only place they won’t look is with me. Actually, you’ll be very lucky if the police find you before Alexander does. I’ve got you cornered. Come talk to me, and this can be over.” Keith hung up.

  Cora rubbed her forehead and sat back, wrapping an arm through one of Nick’s. That had sounded like several threats. It sounded like Keith had his men and the police both looking for them, and that Alexander was hunting them down with his own agenda.

  “How is that possible?” Adam quickly stood. “The police talked to each of us, and we told them what really happened.”

  “I don’t know. Together we provide three witnesses,” Nick said. “And it’s our word against Keith’s. I have a feeling Alexander split.”

  Her father could clear this up if they would believe him. They had to after Keith had him beat within an inch of his life.

  “But,” Adam said, pacing. “This is Keith Holloway. He could have a few dirty cops working for him. Do the police know we’re staying here?”

  Nick nodded. His phone, still in his hand, vibrated again. “Herald this time,” he told them before answering.

  “Nick, you need to move.”

  “Adam thinks so too…but did something else happen?”

  “That missing money was in a trust fund set up in Cora’s name.” Nick looked at her like he wanted to get up and out of her ear shot. However, he saw that she heard.

  The possible explanations rolled through her head and sent her stomach into a tumble. A jackhammer headache started in her temple.

  “Alexander could have set u
p the account,” Nick told Herald.

  “Yes, possible. However, Keith claims that Cora shot Jerry because he wouldn’t release the money to her. I’m on my way over. Meet me outside.”

  They made a b-line to the parking garage, crammed into Herald’s Lincoln, and took off. She guessed they were headed out of town.

  Nick watched out the back window for a few minutes but he didn’t see any cars keeping up with them. She grilled Herald about who was watching her father at the hospital.

  “Nick,” Herald said. “Is there anything else about this case? It’s getting ugly and complicated fast.” Herald turned to Cora and continued, “Somehow, this seems personal to your father. I need to know everything.”

  It was his money, but was it more than that? Cora noticed Nick hesitated so she looked at him, finding him looking down at his hands thoughtfully.

  Adam turned around for a second and they shared one of those looks.

  “It’s drug money,” he said. “They contract out to people who grow marijuana and others who make harder drugs. They traffic it up and down I-5. It could be bigger than that, involving Mexico possibly. I’ve tried to stay clear of all of it and don’t know everything about the operation.”

  No one said anything for a minute. She hoped Herald wasn’t angry at Nick for not sharing that information sooner, but who could blame him? Nick was still looking at his hands.

  “So he has a lot at stake,” Herald said. “This is about controlling everyone that works for him or knows about this.”

  “It also means he knows how to cover things up and get to the police,” Adam said.

  Jerry must have known. What had her father gotten himself involved in?

  “You’re right,” Nick said. “It is personal. He’s a control freak. Keith thinks he’s built his little kingdom and Alexander convinced him that Jerry has been stealing from him for the last few years. Money is everything to Keith and Alexander. I think Keith is so enraged by the thought that Jerry stole from him that he won’t look at facts or logic.”

  “I wonder,” Herald said, “Why hasn’t Alexander just grabbed the money and run?”

  “Apparently he can’t get to the money.” Nick’s soft words caught everyone’s attention and silence filled the car again.

  Where did this mess end? Jerry had told her he knew where the money was. They knew that part now, unless… “Herald, is that money still in the trust fund?”

  “No. Maybe Jerry took the money out of the account to protect you, since the account is in your name. It’s definitely gone.”

  She knew Jerry didn’t have it. He would have given it back to keep her safe.

  “Do we have anywhere to go?” Cora asked as they drove on. She wondered if they were simply running, or running with a purpose.

  “I’m headed to an address Nick gave me,” Herald responded. “He rented a house out this way.”

  Adam’s head swung around to look at Nick in the back seat. “You rented a house out here and didn’t tell me?”

  “I rented it right after you told me what was going on. I figured it might be helpful to have something out of the way, out of town. It’s about twenty minutes off a country highway.”

  “Is it safe?” Adam asked.

  “I used an assumed name, and I haven’t told anyone about it except Herald until now.”

  The setting sun put on a spectacular show of blazing reds and oranges on the horizon that faded into a darker and darker blue. They neared the cabin an hour after nightfall. In the car’s headlights, she could see the road ahead of them carved out of the forest. A towering wall of evergreens grew on both sides of the gravel road.

  The house was only a few years old and was a good size for one person. Nick let them in, set the alarm, and checked all the locks. Seeing the television, Cora asked Nick, “Is the cable hooked up?”

  “I didn’t set it up, but I think it’s still on from the last renter,” he said. “Are you looking for the news?”

  She nodded, it was ten o’clock and the news must have picked up their story by now. Yup. The top story was the attempted murder of a local man and the disappearance of his daughter, “our own Cora Evans.”

  Sheila Conery, one of Cora’s coworkers rehashed the details the police had released about the incident.

  “The police are currently seeking several people for questioning in connection to the shooting. They found it mysterious that not only did his own daughter bring him to the hospital, but she was accompanied by Nick Holloway, son of Keith Holloway. Neither Cora Evans nor Nick Holloway have been seen since the initial questioning.”

  As Sheila Spoke, pictures of both of them appeared on screen, as well as the appropriate number to call with information.

  “The police didn’t comment on whether Cora Evans is in any danger, but of course we’re anxious to find her. Cora, if you can to see this broadcast, our thoughts and prayers are with you.”

  Wow, Sheila usually had only wisecracks for Cora. The station went on to cover another story and then Cora changed the channel. She wanted to see if their competitor station had picked it up too. She loved her job, and her news station, but she wondered if they had remained completely unbiased in a story about her.

  A story about them started as Adam commented, “We’re on this station too.”

  “And now Brent MaCathy is on the scene to tell us about today’s press release from Keith Holloway.”

  “Thank you, Tim. I’m here with Keith Holloway, who today revealed that the shooting occurred here at his home. Mr. Holloway, please tell us what happened, and why you think your son and Cora Evans are missing.”

  “To be curt, they’re running because Cora Evans tried to kill her own father.”

  “She shot her own father?”

  “Jerry Evans was my accountant for over five years. I believed him to be a good, honest worker, but recently I discovered he was stealing money right under my nose. His daughter knew what he was doing and demanded her share. I brought him here to my own home to protect him after she threatened him. Then she broke in and shot him.”

  At this point, Nick had to hold Cora because she looked so fuming mad.

  “Why weren’t the police brought into the situation sooner, Mr. Holloway?”

  “Jerry loved his daughter, and I didn’t want to see him prosecuted. I thought we could work it out. Now I’m fully cooperating with the police to find Cora.”

  “What about your own son? Do you believe he is in any danger?”

  “I think this young woman has him fooled. I hope we can find them both and bring him home safely.”

  Adam roughly hit the power button, rocking the TV set and turning the screen black. The day had been the longest of her life, but this was just the beginning of this nightmare.

  “We’re on our own.” Adam slammed himself down in a chair. “And outnumbered.”

  “You’re sure there’s no way Alexander knows about this place?” Cora asked, her arms folded as if she was standing in a cold wind.

  “I rented it just two weeks ago,” Nick told her. “I turned the alarm on, and we’ll keep a close watch tonight.”

  “He got into your father’s house...I don’t think an alarm system will keep him out.”

  Nick pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her, “No one’s hurting you here, I promise. Alexander knows the codes to Keith’s alarm system, he doesn’t know mine.”

  She wasn’t helping them with her doubts. “You’re right.” Cora spoke quietly but with steel determination. “We can’t give up hope. I’ve always had the odds against me, but I’ve never given up. Our only chance is to start with faith and believe we’ll make it.”

  In unison, Herald and Adam nodded. Nick kissed the top of her head and said, “Let’s decide on a plan.”

  “First, let’s get something to eat.” Adam ransacked Nick’s kitchen and found some frozen dinners in the freezer. They ate quietly around his kitchen table.

  “We’ll rest, refuel, and then we’
ll be able to think better,” Nick said. “There’s no point in all of us staying awake all night long.”

  Herald nodded while covering a yawn.

  “Get some rest, Herald.”

  “Trying to tell me I’m old?” His friend joked, “Because I’m not arguing.”

  “You too, bro,” Adam said, “I’ll take the first watch and wake you in a few hours.”

  “You sure?”

  Adam nodded and looked at Cora. It was a quick look but she still caught it. They were all taking care of her. Nick stood and pulled Cora to her feet. “Thanks, Adam. Herald.”

  He reached his arm around her shoulders and gently led her off to rest. Luckily Nick had already moved in a few pieces of furniture, so Herald had a couch to sleep on. Adam took to a chair with a book, while promising Cora that no one could get past the alarm, through the dead bolts, and through him.

  Nick took her to the master bedroom. It contained a queen size bed and a small box of clothes.

  “I’ll find you something else to sleep in, if you’d like.”

  “Thank you...and maybe a toothbrush?” She paused after she realized what it could imply, especially once she noticed Nick’s quick up-and-down glance at her. “I’m serious; I can’t sleep without brushing my teeth.”

  He went into the bathroom and opened a drawer. He pulled out a toothbrush still in the packaging. She was leaning on the doorframe of the bathroom, and he paused inside the door to caress her face. He traced her jaw line and ran a finger across her bottom lip. The touch awakened something inside her and helped bring her back from the shock of the day. Tingles ran down her neck. She let her eyes flutter shut. His finger slid down her neck, causing a reaction.

  “Somebody’s ticklish,” he teased, while walking his fingers behind her ear. It had been a game, but then his hand reached the back of her head and he suddenly pulled her close and kissed her on the mouth.

  It was soft and slow, like a hello and welcome back, but it was also a smoldering fire. She suddenly wanted him. When she pulled back, she saw his brown eyes were glazed with desire.