“I think you’re right, Mom. Come on. You three need to get into the truck.”
A fire truck raced toward the house as Chance helped his mother into the front seat, handed her the keys. “Go ahead and turn it on. I’ll take care of things out here.”
He started to open the passenger door, but Rayne put a hand on his arm.
“Chance, no matter what your mother says, we both know this is my fault. I should never have come here.”
“The only person who is at fault is the person who tossed the bomb.”
“Is that what it was?”
“I don’t know, but I want to find out. Get in the truck before you and Emma freeze. I’ll let you know what happened as soon as I know.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, but Emma whimpered, and she nodded instead.
“Okay, but even if the house is habitable, I want to find another place to stay. I don’t want to put your mother in any more danger than I already have.”
“I’ll find a place for you.”
“Thanks.” She climbed into the truck, and he closed the door, all three women safely tucked away.
Now he could concentrate on gathering the clues, piecing them together.
A marked police car sped up the drive and skidded to a halt a few yards away. An officer jumped out. Five-ten. Lean runner’s build. Cropped dark hair. Kai Parker.
“Hey, man. Looks like you’ve got more trouble than you bargained for.” He glanced at the smoldering front porch, met Chance’s eyes.
“Looks like it.”
“The way dispatch called it, someone threw an explosive at the house?”
“That’s right.”
“You tell the fire department?”
“When I called it in.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“No. Thank God.”
“Don’t know how much I’d be thanking Him for this.” Kai gestured at the house, the brigade of firefighters spraying it down, the snow pouring from the sky.
“Things could be a lot worse. I’m thanking Him for not letting them be.”
“How about we just focus on figuring out what went down here. Can you tell me anything about the guy who tossed the explosive?”
“His truck had no license plates. Looked like the truck I saw earlier. I got a glimpse of the perp, but he had a hood hiding his face.”
“I’ll put an APB out on the truck. Did you get a look at the make?”
“Mitsubishi.”
“That’ll help. Any chance this isn’t about Rayne and Darren Leon?”
“My mother doesn’t have any enemies, so I doubt the perp was going after her.”
“You’re a private investigator. I’m sure you’ve made an enemy or two. And it’s possible there are other abusive husbands out there with grudges against Rayne for helping their wives get away.”
“Maybe, but let’s not look for zebras when a horse is standing right in front of us.”
“The horse being Leon?”
“Exactly.”
“We’re searching for him here. Phoenix P.D. is still searching for him there. I’ve got no doubt we’re going to find him.”
“But will you find him before he accomplishes his goal?” Chance asked, but there wasn’t time for Kai to answer before Rayne stepped up beside him.
“How is everything going?” Her teeth chattered, and she rubbed her hands up and down her arms.
“I thought you were waiting in the truck.”
“I wanted to see what was going on.”
“You don’t have a coat. You’re going to freeze.”
“You don’t have a coat, either.”
“She’s got a point, Chance. Here. Throw these over your shoulders.” Kai pulled blankets from the trunk of his car, handed one to each of them.
“Deputy Kai Parker, this is Rayne Sampson. Rayne, Kai is an old friend of mine. He’s also an excellent police officer.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Deputy Parker.” Rayne offered her hand, the subtle trembling of her arm nearly unnoticeable.
But Chance noticed.
Just as he noticed her pallid skin, her discomfort, the way she shifted from foot to foot. Impatient, anxious, scared.
“Nice to meet you, too. Though I could think of better circumstances to do it under. How about we have a seat in my cruiser while the fire crew finishes up? We can talk in there.”
“That’s fine,” Rayne said, allowing herself to be led to the cruiser. Chance followed, waiting while Kai helped her into the passenger seat. Another police cruiser pulled up before he could shut the door.
“That’s the sheriff,” Kai said. “I’ll check in with him and be right back. Just hold tight, okay?” He hurried across the space that separated the cars, and Chance leaned down, looked into Rayne’s face.
“You doing okay?”
“Aside from the fact that I feel terrible about your mother’s house? Yes.”
“I told you that it’s not your fault.”
“It doesn’t feel that way to me. If Leon followed me up here, if he’s the reason for all this…” She shook her head, winced and rubbed her forehead.
“Headache?”
“Not any worse than it’s been.”
“Once Kai finishes interviewing you, I’ll call Kane. Between the two of us, we should be able to find a safe place for you and Emma to stay for the night. You’ll feel better once you get some sleep.”
“So I’m running again, right? From Arizona to Spokane. From Spokane to wherever you and Kane think I should go. I wish I believed all the running would keep trouble from finding me, but I don’t.”
“All we need it to do is buy us some time.”
“I’m not sure it’s going to do that, either.”
“Things will be okay.”
“You can’t know that.”
“No, I guess I can’t.”
“At least you’re honest about it. Deputy Parker is on his way back. I’ll talk to him. Then, I’ll see if the fire crew will let me in to get a few things. If Emma and I have to run again, it would be nice to bring some of her favorite things along.” Chance knew there was nothing he could say that would make her feel better. Nothing he could say that would change the dejected slope of her shoulders, the drawn look on her face.
He wanted to change things for her, though.
Wanted to be able to offer her the happily-ever-after that he hadn’t been able to give to Jessica. Wanted to succeed where he had failed before. Wanted more than anything to believe he could.
He watched as Rayne settled deeper into Kai’s patrol car, then dialed Kane’s number, praying desperately that God would help him save Rayne and Emma and help him find the redemption he so desperately sought.
NINE
Two hours, ten minutes, fifteen seconds.
That’s how long it had been since Kane had driven Rayne away from Lila’s house. From Lila. From Chance. From the fire fighters who had still been milling around the burnt porch.
Two hours, ten minutes and sixteen seconds.
Seventeen.
Emma whimpered, drawing Rayne’s attention away from her watch.
“Shh. Go back to sleep, sweetie.” She smoothed Emma’s hair, wishing she could cuddle her close.
“Is she okay?” Kane asked, his deep voice more familiar than his face had been when he’d shown up at the farmhouse. She’d spoken to him several times before she’d moved to Spokane, interviewing over the phone for the job as family advocate for his private investigation service. Her sister-in-law, Skylar, a private detective with the firm, had recommended her for the job, and Rayne had jumped at the opportunity.
“I think she’s getting hungry.”
“We’ll be at the house in another few minutes. Sorry for the long ride, but I wanted to make sure we weren’t followed. I made a thirty-minute trip into a two-hour journey.”
“I should be the one to apologize for dragging you out on a night like this.”
“You didn’t drag me. Chance
did, and I don’t mind. He’s right to be concerned. Neither of us wanted you standing around waiting while he got his mother settled in at this place.”
“I hope Lila’s okay. She seemed really shaken.” Rayne had been reluctant to leave her. Only the thought of what could happen to Emma if she stayed had got her moving away from Lila and into Kane’s SUV. She had to keep her daughter safe. Had to do whatever it took to protect her from whomever had thrown the bomb.
“She’ll be fine. She’s a strong lady.”
“I know she is. I just wish…”
“That none of this had happened?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t. All this, everything that’s happened, it’s for a reason. You may not see it now, but you will eventually.”
“Skylar said you were a smart guy.”
“Yeah? Well, she told me that if anything happened to you, she’d hold me personally responsible.”
“She did?”
“She said a few other things, but I’m trying to forget them. Something about hanging me up by my toes and quitting her job to work for the competition.” He sounded amused, and Rayne could almost hear Skylar’s voice, her New York accent rich and colorful as she explained exactly what she intended to do.
“Was that before I left Arizona?”
“That was this afternoon. She called to ask when Information Unlimited was going to find Darren Leon. She thinks things are taking too long and demanded that I put a few more men on the case.”
“I’m so sorry, Kane.”
“No need to apologize. Skylar and I have a long history, and I wouldn’t have expected anything less from her. As a matter of fact, I’d have been disappointed if she hadn’t called to give me grief.”
Rayne could think of a few things besides disappointment that she’d have felt.
Relief, for one.
Not that she was surprised by Skylar’s actions.
Like Rayne’s brother, Jonas, Skylar believed in taking action. She didn’t sit back, didn’t wait, didn’t allow others to control her life or her destiny. There’d been plenty of times since they’d met that Rayne wished she was more like her sister-in-law. As a matter of fact, Skylar had been the inspiration for rule number one.
The rule Rayne had broken a dozen times in the past twenty-four hours.
Which was why she was sitting in an SUV, being driven to a house out in the middle of nowhere.
Chance had called Kane.
They’d made the decision.
Rayne had gone along with it, letting herself rely on them to keep her and Emma safe.
It was the smart thing to do, of course.
The thing that made the most sense.
Still, she couldn’t help thinking that Skylar would have done something else. Maybe climbed a mountain bare-handed and hidden in a cave until things cooled down.
“Your brother called, too. I’m happy to report that he was much more civilized. No graphic threats, just a reminder that he was trusting me with his only sister and that I’d better not let him down.”
“Wonderful.” Things just kept getting better and better.
“It’s good to have family who care.”
“I know. I just don’t want them to fly up here because they think they can solve my problems for me.”
“There are worse things in life than having family trying to take care of you.”
“That’s not what it’s about, Kane. I’m twenty-eight. I’ve been independent for a long time, and my family needs to see that I can take care of myself. Besides, I’m worried about Skylar. I don’t want her to put herself in danger because of me.”
“She survived six days alone in the desert. I think she can take care of herself.”
“I know, but she has more to worry about than herself now.”
“Your brother is tough, too. He can hold his own against a guy like Leon blindfolded.”
“That’s not what I meant, either. After what happened to my brother’s first wife and son, I don’t want Skylar to take any unnecessary risks while she’s pregnant.”
“Skylar? Pregnant?”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“Not yet. She’s probably afraid I’ll cut down on her workload when I find out. I think she and I are going to have a long talk tomorrow.”
“How about you wait until she tells you the news herself?”
“So you can avoid taking the heat for revealing something she wasn’t ready to share?”
“Something like that.”
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll keep quiet if you agree to stay in the safe house until Chance and I decide it’s safe for you to leave.”
“That’s blackmail.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
“Yet you sound as if you don’t feel the least bit guilty about it.”
“Why should I when it’s for a good cause? As long as you stay concealed, you’ll be safe, Emma will be safe and a woman I love like a sister won’t feel compelled to fly into danger to protect either of you.”
“When you put it that way, I guess I can see your point.”
“Good. Lord willing, you and I will be working together for a long time. I’d hate for there to be hard feelings between us.”
“You mean, I’m still going to have a job after this is over?”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Because I may not be able to work until Leon is found, and I haven’t accrued much personal leave.”
“You won’t be able to work until then, but that isn’t a reason for you to lose your job. As I said, my employees are like family. I take care of them. Here we are. Your home for the foreseeable future.” He turned onto a snow-covered road, pulled up in front of a two-story bungalow. Lights were blazing in the lower level, and a shadow moved in front of a window.
“Someone is in there.”
“Sydney Linden. She owns the house. She and my wife are friends. Syd used to be a sniper with the Seattle Police Department.”
“I didn’t realize I’d be staying with someone.”
“I must have forgotten to mention it.”
“Forgot or decided not to?”
“Does it matter?”
“I guess not. I’m here now, and Emma is about ready to start howling. Staying with a stranger seems preferable to sitting in this car for another few hours with a screaming baby.” She unbuckled Emma, lifted her from the car seat and got out of the SUV, her eyes drawn to another vehicle in the driveway.
Another SUV.
One she recognized.
One she’d ridden in several times.
One that belonged to someone she had definitely not planned to see at the safe house.
“Is there something else you decided not to mention?” she asked.
“Would my mentioning that Chance was going to be staying here with you have changed anything?”
Probably not.
For sure, not.
But knowing would have helped her prepare her fickle, foolish heart. Instead, butterflies danced in her stomach and her heart did a happy little jig. All because she was going to see Chance again.
Stupid heart. When would it learn?
The door opened before they reached it, and a pretty red-haired woman motioned for them to come in. Pale, with deep circles beneath her eyes, she looked tired, her smile just shy of sincere. “Come on in.”
“Sorry for barging in on you like this, Sydney.”
“No, you’re not, but if I didn’t want you here, I would have said so.”
“Thanks. I think. This is Rayne Sampson, and the baby is her daughter, Emma.”
“The upstairs guest room is ready for both of you. The bed is just a futon, but there’s a crib for the baby. My friends from Seattle use it when they come to visit with their son. Worked out well for you and Emma that I had it.”
“Thanks for putting us up on such short notice. I know it’s an inconvenience,” Rayne responded, but her focus was on the room beyond the foyer. A large, cozy f
ire crackled in the fireplace, and Chance stood in the center of the room, hands in his pockets, dark hair falling over his forehead.
She’d thought for sure she’d left him behind at his mother’s place. Had said goodbye as if she meant it forever.
And as quickly as she’d said it, they were back in each other’s lives.
“There’s no need for thanks. I’ve got stew on the stove. Come into the kitchen when you’re ready. I’ll dish it up for you.” Sydney shot a hard look in Kane’s direction and stalked away.
“She’s not happy I’m here.”
“Syd is a hermit. She prefers being alone to being with people.”
“Then maybe we should leave and let her be alone.”
“She’s also an expert marksman, Rayne. You’ll be safer here than anywhere else I can think of. Besides, as Sydney said, if she didn’t want you here, you wouldn’t be here.”
“I still don’t feel comfortable staying.” Rayne frowned, juggling Emma in one arm and reaching into the diaper bag with the other. Trying not to look as Chance walked into the foyer, trying not to drink him in as some lovelorn Victorian maid might drink in the sight of the lord of the manor.
Lovelorn? There it was.
That word.
The one that went with rule number three.
Never, ever, ever, ever fall in love again.
“Sydney is as blunt as they come. If she gets tired of having you here, she’ll let me know. In the meantime, don’t let her intimidate you. I’ll grab your overnight case from the SUV and bring it in. Then I’d better get out of here. The snow is piling up quick.” He walked outside before she could think of a way to get out of spending another minute in the same house with her taciturn hostess and Chance.
Chance.
The man she’d broken rules one and two for.
The man she should not, would not, could not break rule three for.
She’d made her one big mistake in love.
She wouldn’t make another one.
Never, ever, ever, ever.
“You can’t avoid looking at me forever,” he said, and she walked into the living room, pulled Emma’s bottle from the diaper bag.
“I can try,” she muttered, and he had the nerve to laugh. “It’s not funny, Chance. You weren’t supposed to be here.”
“Who says?”
“Me.”
Private Eye Protector Page 9
