Defender for Hire (14 page)

He covered the space between them in two short steps and took both her hands in his. “If you’d rather not, it can wait, Tess. I can give the information to Logan and let him use it.”

“It can’t wait. Not really. Not if I want to stay alive, and I do. What did you find?”

“An interview that Anna did about a year after the massacre. It was for a local paper, and she was talking about how God had saved her. She hinted that the mission team had gotten what it deserved. Said that she’d survived because her focus had been on helping the Kenyan people rather than making her name or building her wealth.”

Tessa stilled, her muscles tensing. “You think she knew about Andrew.”

“I don’t know, and she’s not around to question. Do you remember what she was like?”

“Sweet. Very committed to serving God. I can’t imagine her hurting anyone.”

“Tragedy changes people. It’s possible it made her bitter. Maybe even made her want revenge”

“It sure changed me.” She sighed. “But we don’t even know if Anna is alive. As a matter of fact, we don’t really know much of anything.”

“We know that someone connected to your time in Kenya is in the States, and we know that whoever it is, is coming after you. I won’t be satisfied until that person is behind bars.”

“I’ll be okay. Isn’t that what you’re always saying to me?” Her hands rested on his waist, tentative and light, her smile sweet. She smelled like sunshine and flowers, her skin soft as a rose petal as he touched her bare arms.

“Have I told you lately how beautiful you are with flour in your hair?” he asked.

“I have flour—”

“Just here.” He gently brushed the dusting of white from the fiery hair near her temple. “Of course, you’re always beautiful.”

“Seth, I—”

“How about we not discuss all the reasons why this isn’t a good idea, and spend a little time talking about why it is?” He cupped her shoulders, studying her face—her fair skin and dusting of freckles; her golden-red lashes and strong cheekbones. It wasn’t her beauty that tempted him, though. It was her. Everything about Tessa appealed to him, and he thought that if he lived another hundred years, he wouldn’t meet a woman who filled his thoughts the way that she did.

“What if I’m not ready for a relationship?” she asked, her voice soft.

“Then I’ll wait until you are, and we’ll go from there,” he responded honestly. She rewarded him with a wry smile.

“You’re too good to be true.”

“Try telling my siblings that. They’ll set you straight.”

“At your big Thanksgiving get-together?”

“If you want.”

She stared into his eyes for a moment. Finally, she nodded. “I think I do,” she whispered.

“Great. Hopefully, being around them won’t convince you that I’m less than the perfect specimen of humanity that you obviously think I am,” he teased.

“Never.” Tessa laughed, stretching up on her toes and pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

He turned his head, capturing her lips with his, and just like that he was lost in her, lost in the way it felt to be so close to her.

When his cell phone rang, it took him a minute to hear it, and he had trouble breaking away. “Sinclair here.”

“It’s Logan. One of my officers just reported movement on the hill above Tessa’s house.”

“What kind of movement?” Seth walked to the window above the sink, slowly pulled the shade aside and looked out into the backyard. A small light jumped through the woods near the top of the ridge.

“A light. It’s been there and gone a few times over the past hour. It looks like whoever it is is moving closer. I’ve dispatched officers to check it out.”

“I’m going to check it out, too.” He glanced at Tessa.

She looked scared. Good. As long as she was scared, she’d play it safe, stay close to home and make it easier for the people who were trying to help her succeed. “You have an officer stationed outside her house, right?”

“Yes, but—”

“As long as Tessa is locked in, and your man is doing his job, she’ll be fine. The more people we have up on that hill, the more likely it will be that we’ll find the guy who’s after her.” He disconnected, shoved the phone in his pocket and grabbed his coat.

“What’s going on?” Tessa asked as she followed him to the back door.

“Someone is up on the hill behind your house.”

“People walk there all the time.”

“With flashlights?”

She paused. “Not that I’ve ever noticed.”

“That’s what I figured. Logan already has an officer out searching. I’m going, too. You need to stay near the front of the house. Keep the doors locked and don’t go near the windows.”

“Maybe you should leave it to the police.” She bit her lower lip.

“I’ll be fine.” He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, the warmth of her lips making him want to stay by her side. He forced himself to move away from her and stepped out onto the back deck. “Lock the door. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He ran across the dark yard, his feet crunching the nearly frozen grass. The night seemed too still, too quiet, the air heavy with rain and the dark energy that seemed to precede trouble.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, his body humming with adrenalin.

He glanced up the hill, and saw the light bob once and then go out. He dove behind a small shrub near the edge of the property. Someone
had
been watching the house. Whoever it was had seen him walk out the back door.

Did the person have a handgun or rifle?

Did he have night-vision goggles?

The questions shot through his mind as he eased along the property line and stepped into the deep shadows at the base of the hill.

Please, God, help me find him. Please keep Tessa safe.

He continued to pray silently for the woman he was falling in love with as he slowly made his way deeper into the forest.

SIXTEEN

T
essa knew exactly what she was supposed to do.

Stay near the front of the house.

With two police cars parked on her street there was little chance that someone was going to take a shot at her from that direction.

The woods behind her house were a different story. They were so dense that it would be fairly easy for someone to hide there during the day. At night, a person would be almost impossible to spot. If an attack were going to come, it would come from that direction.

But even though she needed to stay near the front, she wanted to go look out back. That’s the way Seth had gone, and she had the absurd urge to go after him, to drag him back to the safety of the house.

She walked into the living room, pacing near the fireplace.

Seth was risking his life for her.

It didn’t feel good.

It felt even worse to cower in the house while he did it.

“Please, Lord, keep him safe,” she prayed aloud, because she didn’t know what else to do. She wanted desperately to believe that He was there, ready and willing to help.

Bentley whined in response, his tail brushing the living room floor. If she let him out back, he’d probably take off in whatever direction Seth had gone. More than likely, he’d make enough noise to scare any bad guys away.

Or to get himself shot again.

She frowned, crouching next to the big dog and scratching his knobby head. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt again, Bentley. You’re going to have to stay close to home for a while. As a matter of fact, I want you to stay right here. Stay!”

He barked, licked her hand and sat at attention, waiting for her next command.

Good. One problem solved.

Tessa turned off the living room light and the light in the hall, making sure there was no way she’d be backlit when she went into the kitchen. Then she crept through the dining room, crouching low as she passed the windows.

Bentley barked, the sound so startling that Tessa jumped.

She glanced back and saw that he was inching toward her on his belly.

“I said
stay,
” she commanded, and he sat near the dining room doorway, even though she could tell he didn’t like doing it one bit.

Hopefully, he’d stay there.

The house fell silent again as she inched her way to the sink and looked out the window. Nothing moved in the yard. Not even the leaves on the trees near the edge of the lawn. The forest stretched black and thick along the hill. Whatever light Seth had seen was gone. Hopefully, whoever had been carrying the light was gone, too.

Please, Lord, please keep him safe,
she prayed as she scanned the ridge at the top of the hill. She’d walked there dozens of times during the day. She’d always felt safe—the trail that led through the woods was well traveled by people in the community. She’d been on it after dark only a few times. Things were different then, of course. What was safe during the day often seemed dangerous when the sun went down.

She felt that as she stared up the hill. A million eyes could be staring back, and she wouldn’t know it. She shivered, but didn’t go back to the living room.

Seth had gone to hunt for the person who was hunting her. She didn’t take that lightly. Everything he’d said about dating and meeting his family and moving forward to see where they were heading would mean nothing if he died. And if he did, it would be because of her.

Please.

She prayed again, wondering if God were listening. If He cared. She’d often wondered where He’d been when Daniel was murdered. She’d wondered if He’d heard when children and their mothers were screaming for mercy. A piece of her soul had rebelled at the idea of God allowing such carnage. She’d believed in His mercy, His love, even His judgment, but she’d never believed Him to be cruel. Seeing the bodies lying between the huts, holding Daniel bleeding body while he whispered for her to go and not look back, living through the horror of all those things had made her wonder if God had turned His back and didn’t care enough to intervene.

Her faith had been shaken, but then, she wasn’t sure how strong it had been to begin with.

She’d wanted it to be strong, because Daniel had always been so certain and committed. His zeal had been infectious, and she had to admit that he had carried the weight of their faith. She’d allowed it because it had been more comfortable than searching her heart and finding out how hollow her own faith was.

While Daniel had asked for God’s will to be revealed, Tessa had simply asked that He reveal Himself to her.

Are You there?
That’s what she’d wanted to ask more often than not. If Daniel had suspected her spiritual failure, he’d never let on. They’d prayed together, worshiped together, put their lives in God’s hands together.

But, Tessa’s faith had been a dim reflection of Daniel’s, and when she’d needed it most, she hadn’t been able to find it. She hadn’t felt God’s presence that night of the massacre, but maybe her shock and horror blinded her to it. Her eyes burned at the thought, her throat tight and hot. She’d spent five years feeling alone, running from one town to another to avoid the past and all its troubles. Was it possible that God had been directing her every step? That He truly had intended for her to end up exactly where she was—in Pine Bluff, Washington, with Seth Sinclair?

Being with Seth seemed right when so many other things in her life hadn’t.

That had to mean something.

Didn’t it?

She sighed and paced through the living room, looking out the front window. The police car was still parked at the curb. She waved, but couldn’t quite see the officer through the darkness.

She wanted to go outside and ask if he’d heard anything about the person on the hill. But she doubted he’d appreciate her questions, and he’d probably be unhappy to have her walking across the yard when someone could be skulking in the gloom.

A year ago, she would have packed her bags and run, found a new house in a new town, tried to forget that trouble was following her. She wouldn’t do that this time. She loved Pine Bluff. She loved her house and job.

And Seth...

They had plans. Together.

Thanksgiving with his family.

She had spent one too many holidays alone. Five years’ worth of holidays that had echoed the silence and emptiness of her life.

Last year, she’d spent Thanksgiving serving food at a homeless shelter. She’d needed to remind herself how blessed and fortunate she was to have a house, food, clothes. She’d needed to make sure that she didn’t dwell in the self-pity that seemed to rear its ugly head during holiday seasons.

This year, she could have something different. She could be part of a family celebration. She clenched her fists, worried about just how much she wanted that. It scared her to think of how vulnerable it made her, how easily she could be hurt if she wasn’t careful.

She settled onto the rocking chair, wishing she had the guts to walk into the mudroom and grab a couple of pieces of wood for the fireplace. A little warmth and light wouldn’t be a bad thing. The wind picked up, rattling the windows and blowing icy rain against the glass. Seth was out in this mess, struggling through the forest with an injured shoulder—for her.

While she sat like a lump and waited.

She fingered her cell phone, wanting desperately to call him, to make sure he was okay. But she was afraid that if she did, she’d somehow thrust him into worse danger.

The wind rattled the window again, and she jumped up.

No way could she keep sitting and waiting—she had to do something.

She grabbed her coat and wrapped a scarf around her neck.

“Stay,” she ordered Bentley as he jumped up to follow her. She walked to the back door, yanked it open and nearly barreled into Seth’s hard chest. He grabbed her arms, holding her steady as he walked her backward into the mudroom. He closed the door and locked it.

“What in the world are you doing?” He pulled her into the living room, his eyes such a dark blue they were almost black.

“I was worried. You’re walking around in the middle of a storm with a bad shoulder, and—”

“My shoulder is fine. My temper, on the other hand, is getting the better of me,” he growled. “How do you think I’d have felt if I got back and you were gone—or worse?” He looked tired, his eyes deeply shadowed, and Tessa’s heart responded, opening to him in a way she hadn’t expected it could.

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t sit still, thinking of you out there in danger because of me.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and lay her head against his chest. She could hear the rapid beat of his heart, feel its solid thud beneath her ear.

She wanted to cry. For everything she missed, for all the things she thought she’d never have again, for what she just might find in the safety of Seth’s arms.

She felt his anger give way as he put his arms around her. “Don’t ever do something like that again,” he said gruffly.

“I won’t.”

“Even if you’re worried?” He slid his hands inside her coat, his palms resting against her back.

“I’m not going to make any promises.”

“Tess—”

“Did you find anything in the woods?” She cut him off, because she didn’t want to ruin the moment with an argument.

He frowned but switched gears. “I followed the light up to the service road and heard a car driving away. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a look at it.”

“Maybe Logan—”

“His men came up empty, too. He’s calling in a search-and-rescue dog, hoping to pick up a scent, but unless we find something that belongs to the perpetrator, that will be tough to do.”

“Too bad. I was hoping that this nightmare was finally going to end.”

“I know, and it will. Soon.” He dropped a quick kiss on her forehead. “Until it does, Logan is going to keep several patrol cars stationed on your street. There’s an officer out back, too. You’ll be safe as long as you stay inside.”

“Are you leaving?”

“I wish I didn’t have to,” he frowned, his finger skimming along the tender flesh beneath her eyes. “But, you’re exhausted, and I have work to do.”

“What kind of work?”

“I want to see what else I can find out about your brother-in-law.”

“You really think there’s a chance that he’s alive, don’t you?”

“Yes, and if he is, he’s the person we’re looking for. Stay safe, okay?” He kissed her tenderly, and walked outside, closing the door and leaving her there, his kiss still warm on her lips.

Tessa sighed and flicked off the foyer light, whistled for Bentley and went into her room. She kept the light off as she changed into flannel pajamas and dropped onto the bed. The hallway light shone under the door, casting the room in shades of gray and black. It was early, but she was exhausted, her brain foggy from too many sleepless nights. Bentley lumbered up beside her, circled around and finally settled down, his heavy body taking up half the bed. She didn’t have the heart to nudge him away. Besides, it felt good to have her friend back.

She closed her eyes, thought about the light Seth had seen on the hill behind her house and opened them again.

Someone was stalking her, biding his time, waiting for the right opportunity to finish what he’d started.

Could it really be Andrew?

Seth seemed to think so.

What if he was right? What if Andrew really were alive? Maybe he’d just been biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to get rid of some loose ends. Jack. Anna.
Tessa.

Was it truly possible that her own brother-in-law—the brother of the man she had dedicated her life to—was coming for her because of what she knew?

Of course it was.

If Andrew had been willing to use children to do his dirty work in Kenya, there probably wasn’t much he wouldn’t do. Including killing her.

She frowned, turning on her side, Bentley moaning as she jostled him.

She pulled the covers up a little higher, listening to the silent house and wishing that she was still standing in her kitchen, safe in Seth’s arms.