Love Inspired Suspense June 2015 #1 (13 page)

“At least that's a step forward. I'll talk with him. Put his mind at ease about the bad man. I wonder if the man is the one who shot Michael and Harland or if he's the one Tommy remembers from the attack on the original foster home.”

Nicholas frowned, remembering when that happened. “We can't let anyone know that Tommy was the boy who dropped the glove near the murder scene.”

“I'll see what I can do to get more from him. Gavin will help, too.”

“Where's Selena? We need to leave. I know it's getting close to bedtime for the kids.”

“She's upstairs helping to get some of the young girls to bed first.”

“I'll go fetch her.” He rotated toward Isaac. “Thanks for coming out here in case we needed to put out a larger-scale search for Tommy.”

“No problem. Lately it seems like I've been on a few wild-goose chases.”

“Yeah, I heard about the Erin sighting.”

“A dead end like the one at the Jeffries house. Gavin wants me to do a perimeter search even if Tommy was found, so Abby and I are getting back out there.”

Nicholas ascended the stairs to the second floor, hearing a few giggles coming from the young girls' room. He paused in the doorway. Selena stood in the center of the room while the three girls' gazes were riveted on her. One child had her hand over her mouth, trying to contain her laughter.

Selena held up her hand, palm outward. “Honest. When I rose from that mud puddle—no, more like a muddy river—I was covered from head to toe. I even had to wipe it out of my eyes so I could see. That'll teach me to try following the big kids when they didn't want me to.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I'm going to have to leave. Tommy is safe downstairs, and it's getting late. From what I understand, it's
way
past your bedtime.”

As Selena went to each of the girls, she tucked them in then kissed them on the forehead and said, “Good night.”

Nicholas could envision Selena as a mother. She'd told him she loved kids, and it was obvious when she was around them. Why wasn't she married, with children of her own?

He backed up as Selena came to the doorway and flipped off the overhead light. Two night-lights remained on, though. Then she stepped into the hall and closed the door shut.

A loud sigh escaped her lips. “I haven't done that in years. As a teenager, I used to help working mothers and often put their children to bed.”

“You haven't lost your touch. Ready to leave?”

“Just as soon as I see Tommy with my own eyes. There are times I see him, and he's so sad. Breaks my heart.”

“I know. Mine, too. But nothing can be done until this case is over.” Especially for Tommy. He was a witness to something that happened at the congressman's house. What, he didn't know. But the child was in danger until everything was settled.

“He's probably still eating. Max is with him, so I need to get him.”

At the bottom of the staircase, Selena angled toward him. “The children had fun today. I'm glad this incident ended well.”

The kindness and concern in Selena's expression touched Nicholas, reminding him again what a special lady she was. He lifted his hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead. Her blue eyes—the color of a calm sea—captured him and held him enraptured until he heard a cough. He looked over her shoulder and caught Gavin in the entrance to the dining room, a gleam in his eyes, Max next to his captain.

The moment of connection evaporated, and Nicholas wished he could bring it back.

“I figured you needed Max.” Gavin bridged the space between them and gave Nicholas the leash. “I hope tomorrow is uneventful. We all need it.”

“I set up a meeting with my uncle. Nicholas is going with me to my uncle's estate, so I don't know how uneventful it will be. I intend to ask him all about Saul Rather.”

“I might need combat pay. See you Monday, Captain.” Nicholas guided Selena toward the exit, wishing they could have one day off from the case.

* * *

The closer Nicholas came to the Eagleton estate in Maryland, the more shallow Selena's breathing became. The past few months, her uncle and she had been tap-dancing around each other. She wanted answers today about Saul Rather and also about her mother, and didn't intend to leave until she got them. If her uncle had something to hide concerning Saul, she needed him to come clean because every lead on the Littleton case was coming up empty.

“Are you okay?” Nicholas asked as he pulled up to the redbrick mansion with a small porch with white columns.

“Yes, or I will be when I get this over with.”

“It's his loss if he doesn't swallow his pride and accept you into the family wholeheartedly.”

She tried to smile but couldn't maintain it more than a second. “I know that here—” she tapped her temple then splayed her hand over her heart “—but not here. As a little girl I would dream of being saved by a knight in shining armor like in fairy tales. I used to think my uncle might, but after a while, I realized there was no such things as a knight coming to rescue a damsel in distress. I began to look at life realistically. Then I met Erin and we became good friends. Suddenly that dream of my uncle being in my life started haunting me.” A constriction in her chest expanded, and she sucked in several deep breaths.

Nicholas ran his hand down her arm and captured her hand. Cold. Sweaty with her fear, this would be a death to her dream once and for all. “Remember, I'm here for you.”

She moistened her dry lips and swallowed to coat her parched throat. “And I appreciate that. I need to do this. For years I denied I cared about my family. I need to put an end to my dream one way or another.” This time she smiled into Nicholas's beautiful deep brown eyes. “Let's get this over with.”

After retrieving Max from the back, Nicholas joined Selena on the walkway and started for the mansion, clasping her hand again as though to tell her she wasn't alone. She knew the reality. She'd always been alone.

A maid admitted them into the house, the foyer huge, elegant and opulent, reminding her of the family her mother had come from. “Senator Eagleton told me to show you to the gazebo. He has lunch set up there.”

Selena, with Nicholas by her side, followed the young woman to a long veranda that overlooked a beautifully landscaped yard, full of flowers already blooming. She saw the gazebo at the end of a brick walk nestled in front of a stand of towering oaks and maples. “I know my way.”

After the maid excused herself and returned to the house, Selena faced Nicholas. “I need to talk with him alone first. This conversation has been years in the making. I'll call your cell and you can join us. I won't say anything about Saul Rather until then.”

“I understand. I'll stay here until you let me know otherwise.”

Selena leaned over and petted Max, the feel of the animal comforting beneath her fingers. Then she descended the steps.

As she strolled toward the gazebo, she admired the different colors of tulips, other flowers she didn't know the names of and the cherry blossoms on a few trees scattered around the gardens. Tranquil. A place to commune with God's creation. Although unsure of the conversation she would have with her uncle, she began to relax with each step as if the Lord walked with her.

She mounted the steps to the gazebo. Her uncle stood, and as she came toward him, he moved forward, uncharacteristically clasped her by the arms and drew her to him.

The sound of a gunshot blasted the moment to shreds.

TEN

N
icholas paced the veranda, his attention switching between Selena and her surroundings. Her uncle hugged her. The sight gave Nicholas hope she would work everything out with the senator.

The crack of a gun going off hit Nicholas as though he had been shot. But the noise came in the direction of the gazebo and the stand of trees nearby. Two hundred yards away.

Clenching Max's leash, he flew down the stairs to the path, and instead of taking it, he raced through the immaculate flower beds—the most direct route to where Selena and the senator were. He scanned the area then returned his focus on the gazebo.

His heart beating a mad staccato, he pumped his legs harder while pulling his Glock from his holster. When he reached the gazebo, he prepared himself for the worst. One or both were dead.

Selena swiveled her head toward him, her eyes dilated. “It came from there.” She pointed to the thick trees twenty feet away from them. “When Uncle Preston collapsed against me, I saw a black movement over there. I called 911. Go.”

“I'll be back.” Nicholas jumped over the shrubs on the perimeter of the small woods, Max's leash in one hand, gun in the other.

He spied evidence of trampled ground and a broken stem on a young plant. “Max, check it.” When the rottweiler latched onto a scent, Nicholas said, “Find.”

Giving Max a long leash, Nicholas jogged behind his K-9 zigzagging the diameter of the stand of trees. A motorcycle starting up reverberated through the woods. When Nicholas came out the other side, he caught sight of a bike zipping away on the road in front of the senator's estate, a person all in black seated on it. Max yanked on his leash, wanting to go after the assailant. He was too far away for Max to catch up with him, even if the K-9 managed to get over the six-foot-high chain-link fence.

“Stay.”

Nicholas took out his cell phone and called the police and headquarters. By the time he talked to Isaac, he'd climbed the fence and reached the place where the bike must have been. “No license plate visible. An older Harley chrome and black. I informed the Maryland state police and they are coming. The senator was hit, but I don't know how serious. Selena is with him.” He studied the ground nearby. “There are tire tracks and shoe prints. Looks like boots—small size—maybe nine.”

“I'm coming. I want to get copies of the evidence, too. Who was the target?”

“I don't know. I'm going back to talk with Selena and, hopefully, the senator.”

After he scaled the fence, he petted Max and gave him a treat. Nicholas made his way to the gazebo by way of the perimeter of the woods. He didn't want to disturb the evidence any more than he already had chasing the shooter.

When he returned to Selena, her uncle was alert, scowling, while she held a white handkerchief pressed into the upper left side of his back. Nicholas noticed there was no exit wound.

She glanced at him. “The ambulance is on the way. They should be here by now, but I don't hear any sirens.”

The senator clutched her forearm. “This won't keep me down. I'll be fine in no time.”

“Not until a doctor sees you and takes the bullet out of you.”

If the bullet had gone through the senator, Selena would have been hit, too. The thought chilled Nicholas. Who was the target? Was this a second attempt on her life or was someone after the senator, too?

* * *

Selena paced the hospital room, checking every few minutes to see if her uncle had awakened yet. After his surgery earlier to repair the damage the bullet had done to his shoulder, he'd been brought to his room, where he would stay at least overnight, possibly a couple days. He told her again he would be fine and for her to contact his chief of staff about what happened, then he'd fallen asleep. Carly Jones was downstairs right now letting the gathering press know what had occurred at the Eagleton estate.

Finally exhausted from the stress and worry, Selena collapsed on a small couch and leaned her head back against the wall. She was safe. Her uncle was safe now. A police officer stood guard outside the door. She closed her eyes and tried to wipe her mind clear.

But the memories of earlier inundated her. Her uncle coming toward her, stepping in front of her and hugging her. And because he had, he'd been shot.
Instead of me
. The realization that
she
might have been the target iced the blood pounding through her veins. She shuddered and wrapped her arms across her chest.

She'd known it in the back of her mind and had refused to acknowledge the possibility until now. This had to do with her looking into the Littleton case. It had all started then. She'd been investigating Michael Jeffries since Erin's disappearance and nothing had occurred until she'd gone to visit Greg in prison. Who had she made nervous enough to try to kill her? Had she discovered something and didn't know it yet? She needed to delve into the files she'd collected—at least the ones she still had. Some were gone, the files on her stolen personal tablet. She'd tried to rack her brains to reconstruct what she'd found, but with everything happening, she hadn't completely.

When the door opened, she straightened, tensing in spite of the fact her uncle was guarded. Everything was making her jumpy. She relaxed when she saw her uncle's chief of staff, a well-dressed woman with short brown hair and brown eyes.

Carly entered, glanced at her boss in bed and frowned. “The press can be brutal. They kept wanting to know if this had anything to do with the attempt on Harland Jeffries.” She plopped into the chair near the couch.

“What did you tell them?”

“The truth. No one knows the motive behind the shooting, but the police are working on the case. The reporters want answers instantly.”

“So do I.” Selena breathed deeply, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat.

“Where's your handsome bodyguard?”

“Who?” Selena asked, knowing full well to whom Carly referred.

“Nicholas Cole. Who else? Do you have another gorgeous man following you around?”

“He's on his way. Should be here any moment.” Then she hoped Carly would leave. She didn't care to socialize right now. With Nicholas she didn't feel the need to fill the silence with chitchat.

“The senator's shooting has caused quite a stir on Capitol Hill. I've been handling calls all afternoon and evening. I finally forwarded my calls to another aide. He'll let me know if there is anything critical I need to take care of.” The woman relaxed in her chair, stretching her legs out as though she was settling in for the night.

“You don't have to stay. I'm his closest family member here. I'll call you if you're needed. I prefer he have quiet when he wakes up. No worries about work.”

Carly's eyes grew round. “But—but...” She looked long and hard at Selena and didn't move to leave.

The door to the room opened, and Nicholas came inside.

Carly's gaze swept between Selena and him, then her uncle's chief of staff rose. “I'll leave you two alone.” When she flounced toward the exit, she passed so close to Nicholas she nearly brushed up against him.

“What's wrong with her?” Nicholas asked when Carly was gone and took the chair she'd been in.

“I'm staking my territory. Since Erin isn't here, I'm stepping in as his nearest family member. I'm doing it for Erin—” her gaze shifted to her uncle “—and for him. If it hadn't been for him, I would have been shot.”

“Do you think he saw something and did that to save you?”

“I don't know, but I'd like for a little while to think my uncle loved me enough to try to save me.”

“I know he can be a hard, demanding man, but when we had lunch last week, I didn't get that sense from him. In fact, I think he was acting a bit awkward, as if he didn't know what to do with you.”

Love me. Accept me
. Those words slipped into her thoughts unexpectedly and caught her off guard. She'd always thought of herself as tough, a loner who needed no one.

“Selena?”

She focused on Nicholas only feet from her, a man who had been there for the past couple of weeks, and realized she cared for him—beyond a friend. Maybe she was just vulnerable right now, with what was going on.

She cleared her throat and swallowed hard. “Sorry, thinking about today. Did you get any leads from the crime scene?”

“Tire tracks from the motorcycle. I think the bike was picked up at an intersection on that road close to I-95. The police are looking for it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was stolen, like the one in the underground parking garage. The person was dressed all in black like the other one.”

“The same attacker?”

“It makes sense, but how did he know the senator was in the gazebo, and if you were the target, that you'd be there at that time.”

“Followed us?”

“I didn't see any motorcycle or someone following us and, believe me, I checked a lot on the trip to your uncle's.” His forehead creased. “No, I think the shooter was waiting.”

“Which probably means I was the target, or he would have shot the senator earlier.”

“Although we need to consider both options, that's my thoughts, too. It had to be someone who knew you were meeting with your uncle.”

“I've been thinking. These assaults are tied to the Littleton case.”

“You're probably right.” One corner of his mouth tilted in a half grin. “I'm not going to let him have another chance. I'm pulling Isaac's help in on the Littleton case. We need to find that aide who was at Tabitha's the day Littleton had the argument with Rather at the pool. Janice Neill might remember who was there that day since the others didn't.”

“We can't count out them, but maybe Janice will be able to help. Have you found out anything about Tabitha and Saul?”

“They went out but weren't dating at that time. The few people I talked to said there was no indication it ended on a bad note.”

“I wonder who ended it.”

“According to two busybodies at the apartment complex, Tabitha, so what would be her motive for murdering Saul?”

“Okay, if she wasn't rejected, maybe Saul was harassing her. From what I hear about her, she isn't a wimp and wouldn't take much from anyone.”

“Don't you think she would have told her friends at the time?” Nicholas asked. “Sally, Janice or Becky?”

“Probably. I don't see her being quiet about it.”

“I'm still looking into her, especially her whereabouts when certain incidents went down.”

“Does she have an alibi for the time I was run down in the garage? The person riding the bike could have been a female. It happened so fast I'm not sure about much other than the attacker was dressed all in black with a dark motorcycle helmet.”

“No alibi. Claims she was home alone, and I will be asking her about today, too. What I saw was from a distance as the shooter went over the fence. The person was a smaller man or a bigger woman.”

“That fits Tabitha. I know there's no love lost between my uncle and Harland. What if she was dating Saul to get information about Uncle Preston's activities? Someone hired the PI to report on the visitors to Littleton. Lots of questions, no answers.”

“Maybe Tabitha was using Saul. She wouldn't be the first here in Washington.” Nicholas sat forward and grasped her hands. “How are you holding up?”

“I'm okay.”

One of his eyebrows lifted. “Are you?”

“I'm not one of those women who fall apart at the sight of blood.”

“Men do, too.”

She sent him a small smile. “What I'm trying to say is I'll be okay with time. It was traumatic, but sadly not my first time to hold a person who had been shot.”

“When?”

“A good friend in high school angered a gang member in the neighborhood and was wounded in a drive-by shooting.” Talking about that sunny day when she'd turned sixteen brought back a rush of memories. The fear of her friend dying. Jasmine clinging to her until the paramedics arrived. The blood that covered Selena and trying to scrub it off her and feeling as if she hadn't succeeded.

Nicholas gave a low whistle. “Did your friend live?”

“Jasmine did, but she basically lost the use of her left arm.” The tears she'd refused to shed when it happened surged to the foreground. She swallowed over and over, but they still wanted their release after all these years.

“Did the gang member go to prison?” Nicholas moved to the couch and sat beside her.

“No, he was killed in a shootout.” The words came out in a hoarse stream as tears ran down her cheeks.

Nicholas slipped his arm around her and pulled her against him. He held her while she cried, wetting his shirt. His quiet support reinforced her growing feelings for him, but everything was such a mess. She felt as though she were on a merry-go-round that would never stop and was picking up speed, the world flying by.

“My childhood was very different from yours, but I've had my share of caring for a wounded buddy while waiting for medical help to come or in some cases until he died. War isn't for the faint of heart, and it sounds like you lived in a war zone while growing up.”

“My home wasn't in the thick of things, but some of my friends lived in the middle of it. I'd been visiting Jasmine that day.”

“I'm—sorry,” her uncle murmured in a raspy voice.

Selena pulled from Nicholas's embrace and twisted toward the bed. Uncle Preston's eyes, half-open, were fixed on her. She rose and went to him. “How are you doing?”

“I've had—better days. Water. Please.”

Selena poured some into a plastic cup and helped him drink. When he finished, he relaxed back on the pillow, his eyes closing.

Nicholas approached her. “Why don't I go get you something to eat and bring it back here, unless you want to go with me to the cafeteria downstairs.”