He led Jimmy to a door in the kitchen that opened up onto a wooden stairway. With the light of the lantern only the first couple of steps were visible.
Jimmy hesitated a moment and then began to descend the stairs. Frank still hadn’t come back but Jimmy felt no fear, only a resignation that this was probably just another dead end. He was aware of Abraham’s heavy footsteps on the stairs behind him.
When he reached the bottom he spied another light switch and flipped it up, stunned when light filled the room. He turned to look at Abraham in surprise. “Perhaps your neighbors aren’t exaggerating about your English ways after all,” he said.
The basement was relatively small, with dusty shelving and boxes of what appeared to be women’s clothing stacked helter-skelter. Directly ahead of him was another door.
He frowned, mentally attempting to deduce how there could possibly be a door there. “Where does that go?” He turned toward Abraham just in time to see the older man lunging toward him with a long, thick piece of wood raised over his head.
Jimmy reacted instinctively, he dropped and rolled as the wood smashed into the concrete floor next to him and Abraham bellowed in rage.
Before he had a chance to draw his gun, Abraham attacked again. Jimmy jumped to his feet and managed to grab the end of the wooden stick Abraham wielded.
Never underestimate your opponent, his sensei’s voice whispered in his head. Abraham was much older than Jimmy, but he worked with his hands and had the strength of a bull.
For a moment they were bound by each other’s grasp on separate ends of the wooden pole. Jimmy used both of his hands in an effort to pull it out of Abraham’s strong grasp, but it appeared to be an equal match.
“It’s over, Abraham,” Jimmy said between gritted teeth. “We know she’s here. There are other police officers outside.”
“She is mine.” Abraham’s pale blue eyes flared with madness. “She will be my wife. She will clean my house and cook my meals. She will be obedient and giving, and will warm my bed at night.”
“You’re crazy,” Jimmy rasped, his arm muscles shaking with his efforts. “You can’t make a woman be your wife. What did you do with Agnes Wilson? With Liz Marcoli?”
Sweat began to appear on Abraham’s forehead as he continued in the standoff. “They were unacceptable...mistakes. But Sheri isn’t a mistake. She already has all I need and she will give it to me freely in time. She just needs to be trained and then she’ll be perfect.” His eyes darted frantically toward the door that appeared to lead nowhere.
In that wild gaze Jimmy knew that Sheri was behind that door. She was mere steps away from him. All he had to do was neutralize Abraham and Sheri would be safe.
With an inhuman roar, Abraham managed to grab the wood from Jimmy’s hand. Once again he raised it like a club and Jimmy blocked the blow with his forearms.
Pain crashed through his arms and up to his shoulders. He shook it off and kicked out to scissor-cut Abraham’s legs, and the man fell with the force of a giant tree, the length of wood flying across the room.
Instantly he was on Jimmy, his breath sour and hot in Jimmy’s face as his hands attempted to encircle Jimmy’s neck. Jimmy wrapped his own hands around his neck, making it impossible for Abraham to get a firm grip. He knew that if Abraham did manage to grab his neck he was more than strong enough to strangle Jimmy to death.
At the same time he fought to keep Abraham from his throat, he pulled his legs up and kneed Abraham in the groin. There was no such thing as a low blow when you were fighting for your life.
Abraham brayed out in pain and rolled off Jimmy as the sound of footsteps running down the stairs filled the room. Frank appeared in the doorway, gun drawn and body tense.
“I’ve got this,” Jimmy said as he got to his feet and then grabbed Abraham and yanked him up from the floor. Jimmy reached behind him for the handcuffs that were in his pocket and quickly snapped them into place around Abraham’s wrists. He shoved Abraham toward Frank. “Now he’s all yours. You can read him his rights when you get him out of my sight.”
To the sound of more footsteps clamoring down the stairs, Jimmy approached the door that appeared to lead into the very ground itself. His heart hammered madly as he threw the dead bolt back.
Every officer who had arrived on scene fell completely silent as the door creaked open. There was a gasp from somebody behind Jimmy as the underground room was exposed.
Before he could take a step inside, before he could draw a single breath, Sheri was in his arms, sobbing. He held her tight, his heart pounding with his own relief. She was in his arms only a moment and then pulled away and reappeared with her aunt.
Suddenly chaos reigned as an ambulance was called and more officers arrived on scene. Jimmy was jostled to one side as he watched Sheri and Liz being led up the stairs, Chelsea on one side of them and big Joe Jamison just behind them.
“You okay?” Frank asked as the basement quieted and it was just the two of them left.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Together the two men went into the small bunkerlike room and looked around, careful not to touch anything. The whole room was a crime scene and would have to be processed as such.
“I already called in our crime scene guys,” Frank said as if reading Jimmy’s mind. “They should be here anytime.”
“Can you imagine living in this room for four months?” Jimmy asked softly. “It’s a miracle Liz didn’t completely lose her mind in here.”
The thought of Sheri being locked away down here in the bowels of the earth for any length of time shot a sense of horror through Jimmy.
He walked toward the back dirt wall where there were several lines drawn, as if Liz had been keeping time somehow by making marks. He froze as he saw what was unmistakably a skeletal human hand half-buried in the dirt.
He turned back to Frank. “I think I just found Agnes Wilson.”
Frank walked over to where he stood and frowned. “He must have lost his mind when he lost his wife. Only a madman would do something like this.” He clapped Jimmy on the back. “Let’s get out of here.”
In the distance the sounds of sirens created a sense of peace through Jimmy. They had been far too late to save Agnes Wilson, but Liz and Sheri would be fine with the love and support of Roxy, Marlene and Ramona. Their family was back together again.
He walked out of the house just in time to see Sheri and Liz being placed in the back of an ambulance. They would be whisked away to the Wolf Creek Hospital and checked out for any injuries or traumas.
They were in good hands and Jimmy’s work here was done. The bad guy was behind bars, the princess had been saved and it was time for him to head into the station, fill out his reports and then go home to his toadstool, for no matter how badly he wanted to be with Sheri, he was the prince of nothing.
* * *
Dawn came and went with Steve interviewing Sheri and Liz after which a reunion at the Dollhouse took place with Sheri’s sisters and Ramona.
Roxy manned the kitchen, fixing omelets and toast and thick bacon for everyone while the joy of having Sheri and Liz back where they belonged overflowed.
They both had been released from the hospital fairly quickly. Sheri with no injuries and Liz suffered only a weight loss that the doctor assured her wasn’t an alarming issue. He jokingly told her she just needed to eat some of her own baked pies and cakes.
Sheri was beyond exhausted when at eleven the next morning she finally headed home to her enchanted cottage. Highway greeted her with frantic barks of joy and lavish licks that she tolerated even though she rarely allowed him to lick her.
She knew it had to have been Jimmy who had laid down the fresh food and filled up the water for her furry companion and her heart both ached and expanded with emotion.
It didn’t take her long to shower and then change into a comforta
ble bright yellow sundress. She then collapsed on the sofa, with Highway next to her. As she stroked his fur and replayed the events of the time spent in hell with her aunt, of those moments of interaction with Abraham, she felt only the relief of rescue.
According to what the officers had told her, it had been Isaaic who had told Jimmy about Abraham having electricity and that was what had brought Jimmy and the others to the house where they were being held.
Sheri had been amazed to realize that Aunt Liz had been so close to them all during her captivity and she was appalled that the man who made magic with his hands in building sturdy, beautiful furniture was also responsible for the death of Agnes Wilson and would have killed her aunt in his quest for the perfect wife.
Jimmy.
His name reverberated through her brain. He’d fought Abraham to save her. She’d heard from the others that Jimmy had gone head-to-head with the big man in an effort to get through the door that separated her and Aunt Liz from safety.
She had glimpsed him only once as she’d been loaded into the ambulance, but hadn’t seen him anymore after that. And why would he want to see her? He’d done his job and now he was ready to move on.
And why shouldn’t he? She’d virtually shoved him away, out of her life because of her own stupidity. She was grateful to have her aunt Liz back. She was relieved to be safe in her own home, but for the first time since she’d moved in here, even Highway’s gentle snores didn’t soothe the regret of love lost, of an aching heart.
She’d been a fool, blinded by childish dreams and afraid to let them go. She deserved to be alone now. At least Abraham wouldn’t be able to prey on any other women.
When she awakened again it was just after six in the evening. Highway had long ago abandoned the sofa for a more comfortable spot on the floor and as she sat up, he did the same, his ears pricked forward as if to anticipate something happening.
She got off the sofa and padded into the kitchen where she snagged a soda from the fridge and then opened the back door. Highway darted out, but even his silly romping in the grass couldn’t drag a smile out of Sheri.
She settled into one of the lawn chairs on the patio, grateful that she no longer had to be afraid to be in her own backyard. The bad man was in jail, and her mother just might eventually become a friend instead of an anonymous stalker.
There should be peace in her heart, but instead it felt as if a huge chunk had been torn out. S-Stuttering S-Sheri had been looking for a prince to make her world right, to make all her peers accept her.
She knew now that her prince had been right beside her all the time and she’d been too blinded by her childish fantasies to see him.
She pulled herself up and out of her chair and went to the small storage shed where she kept the birdseed and squirrel corn. As she began to fill the feeders, Highway ran circles around her legs.
He suddenly halted, ears pricked forward as he stared at the side of the house. He gave a joyful bark at the same time that Jimmy came around to the back.
Her heart immediately jumped into her throat at the sight of him. He was clad in tight jeans and a white T-shirt and the evening sun played in his dark hair. At the sight of her his lips curved into a hesitant smile.
“You aren’t going to sic that dog on me, are you?” he asked teasingly.
“And why would I do that? The way I hear it you saved him from having to live the rest of his life without me.” She kept her tone light and easy to match his.
There was no reason to get excited just because he was here. It was probably natural that he’d want some sort of follow-up or check-in with her after everything that had happened, after everything they had shared. A friend checking in on a friend, that’s all it was, she told herself.
“I was just doing my job,” he said. He stood some distance away from her and watched as she finished filling the last bird feeder. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay...grateful.” She gestured toward the chairs on the patio. “Do you want to sit?”
“No, I’m fine.” His dark eyes held her gaze for a long moment. “You look beautiful in yellow.”
“Thank you.” Self-consciously she ran her hands down the skirt of the sundress. So many words she wanted to say to him, so many words she wanted to take back. “Jimmy...”
He held up a hand to halt whatever she was about to say and took several steps closer to her, close enough that she could smell his fragrant cologne, a smell that evoked warmth and a feeling of security and love.
“I’ve been told by a couple of guys who know that you Marcoli women can be quite hardheaded at times.”
She looked at him in surprise. As he took another step closer to her, she couldn’t help the way her heart leaped alive, how her senses seemed to become more acute.
“I’ve been thinking about this prince thing of yours,” he continued.
“I...”
He pressed his index finger over her mouth, a look of fierce determination on his handsome face. “I know you’ve been waiting for this blond-haired, blue-eyed prince to give you a happy ever after. But, have you ever considered the possibility that your prince might not be over six feet tall, that he might not be blond-haired or blue-eyed?”
He didn’t give her an opportunity to respond. He dropped his finger from her mouth and instead took her hand in his. “You know I’m an orphan and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking today. I think maybe my father was the king of some faraway country and my mother was queen. They had to give me up for my own safety because they were under siege and feared that if my true identity was known, then assassins would try to kill me.”
Sheri stared at him, amazed by the fantasy he had spun in response to hers. “I believe I’m a prince, Sheri. In any case, at one time I thought I was the Prince of Philly. But, more important, I believe I’m your prince, the man who can give you your happy ever after.”
He slammed his mouth closed and appeared to be holding his breath while he waited for her response. Lord, but she loved this man. Her love for him blossomed inside her like a flower to the sun.
“You know what I think?” she said.
His eyes remained dark and slightly anxious. “What?”
“I think I’ve been waiting for a prince when all I really needed was you, Jimmy Carmani. I think it’s far past time for me to put away silly fantasies and build my fairy-tale ending with a hot, sexy detective who makes my heart sing whenever he’s near.”
Jimmy’s eyes widened and he grabbed her by the waist and drew her close enough that his mouth could take full possession of hers. She melted against him, heart wide-open, spirit soaring, for she knew this man was, indeed, her prince of men, her happy ever after.
Epilogue
It was pure chaos in the Dollhouse green dining room. It had been almost a month since Liz and Sheri had been pulled out of the bunker. Tonight they had all gathered because first thing in the morning Ramona was returning to Arizona.
In the past month Ramona had found peace with the girls she had abandoned so long ago. She would never be a mother to them, but she had become a friend. Even Roxy had finally accepted Ramona’s olive branch, and during the past month the two had been busy working on planning Roxy and Steve’s wedding that would take place in September.
“Have another piece of pecan pie,” Aunt Liz urged Steve, who groaned and held his belly.
“I can’t stuff another bite into my mouth,” he protested.
Aunt Liz was back at home, baking goodies for Roxy to sell at the restaurant and enjoying just being with the people she loved. She was also helping Roxy with the wedding preparations.
Marlene’s grand opening of her bakery was set for the next weekend and Sheri knew it was going to be a huge success. The black-and-pink awning above the door announced the chic little establishment as Marlene’s Magic Bites.
At the moment, Sheri sat at the large table next to Jimmy, who had become as important to her as breathing. Each and every day her love for him only grew stronger and she knew he felt the same way about her.
Most nights he spent at the cottage and with his presence it truly was an enchanted place. He reached out and placed a hand over hers as if he could read her thoughts.
“You okay?” he asked.
She smiled. “Better than okay.”
She’d had several nightmares since being rescued, but each time she’d been pulled from the horror by Jimmy’s arms wrapped around her and his voice whispering soft comfort. She knew in time the nightmares would leave her, but Jimmy’s arms would always be there for her.
Jimmy leaned toward her. “How much longer do we need to stay here and make nice?” he whispered.
“Do you have someplace else to be?” she asked.
His eyes lit with a desire that stole her breath away. “Yeah, in bed with my princess.”
Sheri dabbed her mouth with her napkin and placed it on the table next to her plate. “I think we’ve been here long enough,” she whispered back, love swelling tight in her chest. “Jimmy and I need to head out,” she said as she got up from her chair.
Goodbyes were said all around and Ramona promised to call and write often. Together, Sheri and Jimmy stepped out of the Dollhouse and he grabbed her hand and tugged her hurriedly toward his car.
She laughed at his eagerness as her own grew. This was passion. This was love. In minutes they would be at the cottage where Highway awaited them and happy ever after was a reality.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from SECRET SERVICE RESCUE by Elle James.
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Romantic Suspense title.
You want sparks to fly! Harlequin Romantic Suspense stories deliver, with strong and adventurous women, brave and powerful men and the life-and-death situations that bring them together.
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