Harlequin Romantic Suspense July 2021 Box Set

by Carla Cassidy

  He truly believed he needed to get her away from Chicago and he’d made the perfect arrangements. The only thing he needed to do now was convince her to go with him.

  “Simone, you have no work to worry about right now. You have nothing on your plate that is more important than your very life,” Tatum said.

  Simone looked at both her sisters and then released an audible deep sigh. She looked back at Brad. “Okay. What do you have in mind?”

  “My buddy has a small fishing cabin about five hours from here. Nobody will know we’re there and I can keep you safe .”

  She frowned. “Do we really need to do this?”

  “Yes,” both of her sisters exclaimed at the same time.

  Simone looked at Brad once again. “When would we have to leave?”

  “Immediately. I already have my bags packed and in the car. All you need to do is pack whatever you need for a week or two and then we’ll get on the road,” he replied.

  Tatum got up from the sofa and grabbed Simone’s hand. “Come on, I’ll help you pack.”

  “You’ll keep her safe?” January asked him as the other two left the room.

  “I’ll die before I let anything happen to her,” he replied with all the determination in his heart, in his very soul.

  January held his gaze for a long moment and then nodded, as if satisfied. It was true. He would protect Simone with his life, not just because it was his job, but also because it was his desire. He couldn’t imagine anyone hurting her and it wouldn’t happen on his watch. The Colton families had already endured enough.

  “Let me go see how they’re doing,” January said and then disappeared into the room where the other two had gone.

  Brad walked over to the window that looked out onto the street. He was eager to get on the road, but before they left town, they needed to stop by a grocery store and get food and anything else they might need for the next couple of weeks.

  If he remembered right, Glen’s cabin was fairly isolated and there was just a very small general store a few miles away. The store sold only the very basics but had a large supply of alcohol.

  Rain had begun to fall again from the gray clouds above. He hadn’t heard any weather reports in the last couple of days, but he was definitely hoping the clouds would break up and the rain would stop once they got underway.

  He’d received permission from his superior to get Simone out of town. There were only a few people at the police station who knew where he was taking Simone. He definitely hoped there would be no leaks that might let the Garners, or anyone else nefarious, know where they had gone.

  He turned around from the window when the three women returned to the room. Simone carried one medium-sized suitcase and Tatum had a smaller one.

  “All set?” Brad asked.

  “Not really,” Simone replied. “I’m not happy about any of this.”

  “Simone, I’d rather have you unhappy and safe than happy and dead,” Tatum said. “Go with Agent Howard and don’t be stubborn about things.”

  “You need to listen to him and do everything he tells you to do,” January added. “We’ll explain all of this to Mom.”

  “Let’s get on the road,” Brad said.

  He took her bags and they left the condo. The sisters all hugged and said their goodbyes and then it was just him and Simone in the car and he pulled away from her condo.

  “Well, that was certainly quite manipulative of you, Agent Howard,” she said coolly.

  He shot her a look of surprise. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

  “Planning ahead to have my sisters there to coerce me into coming with you. It was a really sneaky thing to do.”

  “Okay, I’ll admit it was a little manipulative, but I just wanted to make sure you came with me. As far as I’m concerned, this is a matter of life or death and I would do it all over again for this intended result.”

  “I much would have preferred if you had approached me on an intellectual level rather than on an emotional one,” she said, her voice still decidedly cool. “If I were a man, would you have had my two brothers waiting to talk me into coming with you?”

  “It would depend on how stubborn you were as a man,” he said in an attempt at levity. It didn’t work. Without even looking at her, he felt the weight of her baleful stare.

  He released a deep sigh. They were about to be alone for a week or two in an isolated cabin by a river in the woods. He hoped she managed to forgive him soon. Otherwise, rather than being a hideaway of protection, it would wind up being the hideaway from hell.

  * * *

  The foul mood had Simone around the throat and she was having trouble climbing out of it. There was no question that she was irritated with Brad for involving her family members in her drama, but she could admit to herself that she probably wouldn’t have agreed to come without her sisters’ insistence.

  However, her real irritation was at the whole situation, at the fact that she was now in a car heading to a cabin in the woods because some psychopath decided she was a danger to him and his family. Her well-structured life was now no longer in her control and she felt as if her world had been tossed on its head.

  “There’s a grocery store a couple of blocks from here,” he said. “We’ll stop there to shop for food to take with us. I’ve got a cooler in the trunk full of ice for the trip.”

  “Sounds like you’ve thought of everything,” she replied. Good grief, even to herself she sounded cranky.

  “I’ve tried to,” he replied, as if oblivious of her current mood.

  Minutes later they entered the grocery store and she walked beside him as he pushed the cart. As they shopped, she felt her bad mood slowly lifting.

  Even though she didn’t want to be here, she needed to make the best of things. Just as it really wasn’t her fault that Rob Garner had a problem with her, it wasn’t Brad’s fault, either. He was just trying to keep her safe and that was what she needed to remember.

  They passed an aisle with candy bars and she grabbed a chocolate bar and tossed it into the cart. “Chocolate makes me less witchy,” she said and then laughed when Brad grabbed a handful and added them to the cart.

  Forty-five minutes later they were back in the car. “I think we bought enough groceries to last a month,” she said as he pulled out of the grocery store parking lot.

  “I’m sure we won’t be gone that long, but I like to be prepared,” he replied.

  “Could you please do something about this rain?” she asked as the wipers worked overtime to keep the car window clean.

  “Ha, wish I could. Hopefully it will stop soon or we’ll eventually drive out of it.”

  “So, tell me about this cabin we’re going to.”

  “Glen Tankersley works as a police officer in a small town in Wisconsin. I met him while investigating a serial killer that was working there and we became good friends. He’s a fishing freak and years ago bought a cabin that’s on the bank of a small river. He did tell me it’s been a while since he’d been there.”

  “You still haven’t told me about the cabin itself,” she replied. She looked at him, unable to ignore his handsome profile.

  “It’s been years since I’ve been there, but it’s a one-bedroom with pretty much everything you need. It has a stove and fridge, a wood-burning fireplace and a bathroom. Unfortunately, there’s no tub, just a shower. I remember it as a cozy little getaway.”

  “Sounds like the perfect hideaway,” she agreed and then looked back out her passenger window. A one-bedroom cabin. Did he assume that they would sleep together in the bed?

  And why did the very idea shoot a tiny whisper of a thrill through her? It was going to be difficult to share a small space with him and stay as completely distant from him as she knew she should.

  Still, she couldn’t remember ever feeling the kind of physical attract
ion that she felt toward Brad for any other man. She had to keep reminding herself that he was just doing his job, and when his job was finished, he’d go back to his life in Washington, DC.

  The windshield wipers beat in a rhythmic manner that, along with the grayness of the day, slowly relaxed her. Oddly enough she hadn’t felt any danger, but right now in this moment with Brad taking control, she felt completely safe and protected. She closed her eyes and let the movement of the car and the patter of the rain against the window lull her to sleep.

  She awakened to the darkness of night and the windshield wipers still working overtime. “Wow, how long have I been asleep?”

  “About four and a half hours. We’re pretty close to the cabin now,” he replied.

  “I’m so sorry. I certainly didn’t intend to fall asleep or to sleep so long,” she said. She hadn’t realized how bone-weary she’d been since her father’s murder. Between the grief and the nightmares, she’d apparently gone without any real, good sleep for too long.

  He flashed her a smile, his perfect white teeth visible in the illumination from the dashboard. “Don’t apologize. You must have needed the sleep.”

  “Are you doing okay? Do you want me to drive for a little while?” she offered. “You can tell me the way if you’re tired of being behind the wheel.”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “I see the rain is still falling,” she said. She sat up straighter in her seat.

  “Yeah, although it’s lighter than it was. I’m still hoping it stops altogether by the time we get to the cabin.”

  “At least there’s been no thunder or lightning with the rain we’ve had.” She wrapped her arms around herself and tried not to think of her irrational fear of storms.

  “I’m definitely ready for some sunshine. Have you ever been fishing?”

  “Never,” she replied. “I like my fish perfectly cooked on a plate and served with maybe some rice pilaf on the side.”

  He laughed. “And I’ll bet you’ve never been camping before, either.”

  “You would win that bet. But please don’t tell me there isn’t really a cabin and we’re going to be living in a tent and catching our own fish to eat,” she said.

  He laughed again. “I promise you there really is a cabin and I believe you were with me when we bought all the meat at the store to bring with us.”

  She really liked the sound of his laughter. It was a deep and smooth rumble, and it warmed her insides like a jigger of good whiskey. “So, are you a camper and a fisherman in your spare time?” she asked curiously.

  “Not really. I visited the cabin with Glen a couple of times and we did some fishing, but I’m not really the type to sit around and commune with nature.”

  “Too high-strung?” she asked, half-teasingly.

  He flashed a grin at her. “Probably, and I’ve been called a lot worse.”

  “Oh, interesting. So, what else have you been called?” she asked.

  “Arrogant, demanding and a control freak, just to name a few.”

  “People have called you those things to your face?” she asked incredulously.

  He laughed again. “Rarely to my face, but I eventually hear about them anyway.”

  “And are you all those things?” She hoped he said yes. She hoped he was actually an arrogant jerk. That would certainly cool her attraction to him.

  “I hope I’m not really those things. Yes, I expect a lot from the people I work with, but I expect the same things of myself. I can be demanding when it comes to hunting down a killer. I never lose sight of the victims and the need to get a murderer behind bars.” He shot her a glance. “What about you? What do your students say about you behind your back?”

  “Probably that I’m arrogant, demanding and a control freak,” she replied with a small laugh.

  “Then I think you and I might have issues,” he replied lightly. “But I’m sure we’ll work together just fine for the duration that we’re in the cabin. And speaking of the cabin, it’s just up ahead.”

  She looked out the front window. The headlights shone on a small, rustic-looking cabin tucked inside a stand of tall trees. It looked like a pretty picture postcard, a serene little place in the woods.

  Maybe this short getaway would be good for her soul. For the last six months she’d been totally immersed in grief and thoughts of murder. Maybe she could find a little peace here in the charming cabin and then go back to her life with a new perspective. She knew her sisters were right, that she hadn’t even begun to move on from her grief. And it was time.

  Brad pulled up and parked, and then together they got out of the car. Thank goodness it had stopped raining again. She could immediately hear the sound of the nearby river running in its bank, a sound that, along with the wind rustling through the tops of the trees, was oddly soothing.

  “Why don’t we go inside and check out everything before we unload,” he suggested.

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” she agreed. They both got out of the car and approached the cabin.

  He turned on the flashlight on his phone and stepped to the right of the small porch. He moved aside some of the tall grass and then picked up a rock and grabbed a key that was hidden beneath. He turned and flashed her a grin. “I think this key has been hidden under that rock for the last fifteen years or so.”

  With the key in hand, he grabbed the handle of the screen door and opened it. It screeched like a cat in heat. “We’ll definitely have to find some oil for that,” he murmured.

  He unlocked and opened the front door. He flipped on a light just inside and then ushered her in. The air smelled nasty, like layers of dust and old wood with a hint of mildew.

  The sofa was a horrendous lime-green color and appeared to be lumpy and half-broken-down. A beige-and-green-striped chair looked to be in the same poor condition.

  Large cobwebs hung from every corner of the room, looking like creepy, dirty lace. It was obvious that nobody had been inside for a very long time. A large supply of split logs was stacked next to a blackened stone fireplace and the nearby oven and refrigerator looked like they belonged in another century. She was scared to even look in the bedroom and bathroom.

  Was this some kind of a joke? Did he really think she would be comfortable here? She wasn’t a snob, but this place was absolutely filthy.

  She turned to stare at him. He offered her a weak smile. “Maybe everything will look better in the morning,” he said.

  “I don’t think so,” she replied. “Are we really going to stay here?”

  “We are,” he said firmly. “We’re completely off the grid here and my number one priority is keeping you safe. Now, you just relax and I’m going to unload the car.”

  The moment he left the cabin, she gingerly sat on the edge of the sofa. She might be safe here, but she was pretty sure there wouldn’t be any peace. In fact, she’d be lucky if she got out of this experience without completely losing her mind.

  CHAPTER 7

  Brad awakened early the next morning, his body aching and burning from sleeping on the lumpy sofa all night long. He got up and quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and then walked over to the window, where no sun shone and instead the skies looked dark and angry. He stretched in an effort to alleviate the kinks in his back, and once he felt a little better, he turned and headed for the kitchen area.

  Thankfully there was a coffee maker on the small countertop by the stove. He found the dishwashing liquid they’d brought with them and immediately cleaned the machine. He then started a pot and returned to the sofa to wait for it to brew.

  He could definitely use a cup of strong coffee. The cabin was definitely not in the same shape he had remembered it to be. But it had been years since Brad had been here. Glen had said it’d been several years since he’d been here, too, but something hadn’t connected in Brad’s mind when he’d thought of bringing Simone
here.

  He hadn’t thought of the mustiness, of the cobwebs and the overall neglect of the place. Seeing it through the eyes of a wealthy Colton woman had been particularly disheartening. He was vaguely surprised that Simone hadn’t jumped back in the car and demanded he take her someplace else.

  It had helped that he had brought along clean sheets and towels. The bedroom had been as depressing as the rest of the place. The queen-size bed had been bare and thankfully stain-free, but cobwebs hung in every corner and the mustiness smelled worse in the small room.

  She’d been quiet when he’d helped make up the bed and then she’d gone to bed right after that. The bedroom door was still closed when he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the small table for two.

  He’d charged his cell phone overnight and he now checked it for messages concerning the case. He was disappointed that there was no breaking news from anyone.

  Checking the local weather was equally as disappointing and a tad bit concerning. Rain, rain and more rain. Flood watches were beginning to show up in areas and he could only hope the rain would stop before any flooding could occur.

  The cabin was located on a six-mile area on high ground, but it was between two winding rivers that, if the waters rose a lot, would cut them off and isolate them from any outside resources. There was one road in and that was it. Still, they would have to get a ton of rain for the road to flood and cut them off.

  He finished his cup of coffee and then, in hopes of putting Simone in a good mood for the morning, he pulled on a T-shirt and grabbed an iron skillet and a pound of bacon. He hoped it was hard for her to be in a bad mood when a man cooked breakfast for her.

  He was just taking the crispy fried bacon out of the skillet when the bedroom door opened and she stepped out. She was once again dressed in jeans but had a different blue blouse on than the day before. Her hair was slightly and charmingly mussed and she appeared to still be half-asleep. “Ah, just in time to tell me how you like your eggs,” he said brightly.