Safe at Home (Warm Springs Trilogy Book 1) (23 page)

“You, okay?” Jake eyed his brother from the passenger seat.

“Yeah, or at least I think so.” Spencer saw the concern in his brother’s face. “I’ll explain when we get to your house.”

“All right then.”

“Hey, guys,” Ann called. “Perfect timing, dinner’s almost ready. How’s the hotel coming along?”

“It’s coming.” Jake pecked her cheek and then leaned down to kiss her belly. “Where’s the little man?”

“He finished all his chores, so I let him have some video game time.” Ann’s gaze fell to Spencer. “What’s on your mind, Malloy?”

The corner of Spencer’s mouth twitched. “Nothing gets by you, does it?”

“Not in this house.”

Thankful Alex was occupied, he told Ann what Betsy told him.

“I see.” Ann stirred the contents of a pot on the stove.

“That’s what I said, but I’m not sure what to do with the information. Should I call Sam, should I not call her? Am I holding back because I’m afraid she’ll leave?” He paced in front of the windows. “Am I making too big a deal out of this?” Spencer removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. After a beat, he stopped walking and turned toward Ann. “Betsy seemed really off and scared, to tell you the truth.”

“Then no, I don’t think you’re overreacting. Betsy isn’t one to be skittish. If she was concerned, there’s probably reason to be.” Ann sighed. “There’s a lot about Sam most people don’t know. I mean, there’s a reason she left Chicago and fled down here.”

Jake’s eyes traveled back and forth between them, confusion etched in his face. Ann held up a hand to signal Spencer to wait while she filled Jake in on Sam’s past.

“Jeez, no wonder the girl’s so shy.”

“I know. She came here to escape all of it, but it sounds to me as if her past has found her.” She smiled sadly at Spencer.

The warmth drained from Spencer and he dropped into a chair at the table. Somehow, hearing Ann’s confirmation of what he already believed made it real.

“Spencer, you know we care about her, too. We’ll help in whatever way we can.” Ann rested a hand on his shoulder, but instead of being comforted, his temper spiked.

“How could this happen? How could this lunatic track her here?” Spencer shot up out of his chair, pacing again. “I won’t let him hurt her. I’ll kill him if I have to.”

“Spencer,” Ann’s voice remained soft. “You have to calm down.”

“The hell I will. There’s some man here looking for Sam and you want me to calm down?”

“Well at least keep it down so you don’t alarm Alex.

“Right, sorry.” Spencer wadded his hat up in his hands. “I guess I should go over there and tell her.”

“Maybe you could tell her tomorrow. It’s getting late and if you tell her now, you’ll just send her into a panic and she won’t get any sleep.”

Jake moved over to stand beside Ann. “Besides, for all that man knows she isn’t here. Earl and Betsy said they didn’t know her.”

“What if he asked someone else and they told him where she works or lives?”

“If that had happened, don’t you think something would’ve come of it already?”

Spencer eyed his brother. “You’re not exactly making me feel any better.”

Ann intervened. “I think what Jake means to say,” she shot her husband a look. “Why not let her sleep and give yourself a chance to calm down. You being all worked up is only going to make matters worse.”

Spencer took a steadying breath, but it wasn’t enough to ease his mind. Obviously, if the guy who was looking for her had been at the hotel, he wasn’t too far off and it was a small town. Spencer sat back down and rubbed his eyes. “She’s finally happy, and now this.”

Jake dropped into the chair beside his brother. “She’s tough. You guys will get through this.”

“You don’t understand. This will send her into hiding. She’s deathly afraid of this guy. I don’t know what she’ll do. She’ll probably leave. I guess I could go with her, not that she’ll let me.”

“Spencer, don’t get ahead of yourself. One step at a time.” The phone rang and Jake got up to answer it. “We’ll be right over. I’m sure it’s nothing.” When he turned back around to face them, the color had drained from his face.

“It’s Jenny, she’s missing.”

Sam’s phone rang again. She was getting sick and tired of all the hang-ups. Whoever owned the phone before her must’ve seriously ticked off some creditors or an ex-boyfriend or something. She was beginning to think all telemarketers were evil instead of just annoying, until she recognized the area code.

She stood transfixed, confused, and unbelieving. Wearing PJ’s, with her hair wrapped in a towel, her blood turned to ice in her veins. She dropped the phone onto the coffee table with a clang. All the warmth from her shower was replaced with a feeling of dread. He’d found her. How could she have been so stupid? All the hang-ups. It was just like before, exactly how it started in Chicago. She began to pace her living room. Maybe he didn’t know where she was. Maybe he only found her phone number. It was a chance she couldn’t take.

He could be anywhere. It was possible he was still in Chicago, but unlikely. Chances were he was on the run. She knew he was the one responsible for Denise. She fought back tears building at the back of her eyes.
Where would he go next?
She chewed at the skin beside her fingernail as she paced. He would find her, like he promised.

The freshly vacuumed carpet reflected her path as she continued to make laps in front of her table. She’d been so careful. Her parents moved while he was in jail and left no forwarding address. They had new cell phone numbers, no land lines. Her parents were retired so they didn’t have work addresses.

She was tired of paying for her mistake. She didn’t mean for any of it to happen. It had been an accident, one she’d paid a high price for. She lost her love, her future husband. She watched a little boy die in his mother’s arms, but she didn’t pull the trigger. She wasn’t the one who was trying to rob a bank for Christ sake. When was enough, enough?

Sam raked her arm across her coffee table, flinging magazines in every direction. Her shoulders rose and fell as she fought for control. She was finally happy again. She knew better. She should’ve broken things off with Spencer. She had no right to drag him down with her. Maybe she should move on. She was sure she could sell the house. With all the work she and Spencer had put into it, it was probably worth more than what she’d paid for it.

She stopped moving and looked around her living room at all the details that were uniquely hers. It broke her heart to even think of selling the house. It was her home now. Her new life was here. The first happy memories she’d had in years started with this house.

Feeling tired and defeated, Sam sat down on her couch and wept.

“Still no answer?” asked Lt. Martin.

“No, and I’ve been trying to call her half the day.” Stephens replaced the receiver, sat back, and massaged his temples.

“I think it’s time we brought in the local authorities from Warm Springs.”

“I’ll get right on it.” Stephens turned to his computer.

“After you let them know we have reason to believe Eric’s in the area, see if you can get them to send a couple officers over to Samantha’s house. Maybe they’ll have better luck.” Martin flipped his jacket back and placed his fists on his hips. “I have a bad feeling about this one. He’s been off the grid so long he could be anywhere.” Martin turned and started back to his office.

“It’s a shame you have such shitty taste in friends.” Eric turned his knife over in his hands and watched the firelight reflect off the blade.

A whimper sounded from Jenny as tears streaked through the dirt clinging to her face.

“Don’t cry. I haven’t even given you a reason to cry yet.”

Her hands were tied behind her back and she was anchored to a tree. He watched her as he kept twisting the knife. He could see in her wide eyes she assumed the worst about him and what was going to happen to her. He’d been threatening her since he’d found her stumbling away from his camp.

He left her unconscious at his campsite while he went to dispose of her car and returned to find her trying to get away. She’d woken up a little sooner than he’d expected and she was a fighter. She surprised him by trying to kick him between the legs, but she hadn’t been steady enough on her feet so she missed the mark. He rewarded her with another backhand across the face. He hated to mess her up, but she needed to learn who was in charge.

“You must think I’m crazy,” Eric said. “I’m not the one who’s at fault here. Do you know what that bitch did to me?”

“No,” Jenny whispered.

“Guess,” he said, his smile fading.

“No, I can’t imagine.”

“I said guess.” He pointed his knife at her.

“Did she break up with you?”

“Break up with me,” he screamed. His voice echoed through the woods surrounding them. He crossed over to where she was tied up and held the knife an inch from her face.

Jenny pressed her head back into the bark of the tree. “I’m sorry, I really have no idea. I don’t know much about Sam.”

“You know enough to call her Sam.” He slammed his knife into the earth beside her legs and placed a hand on her thigh. “What you don’t know is that your friend,
Sam
,” he spat the name at her, “is a murderer.”

At the look of horror on Jenny’s face, he snickered. “That’s right poor, pitiful Sam is nothing but a murderer. A selfish waste of space, but that won’t last much longer.”

He traced circles on her leg with his thumb. The smoothness of her skin exciting him and distracting him from his rage. Her body shook. He didn’t know if it was from the cold or her fear and he didn’t care. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her cheek into the tree and away from him. His temper flared.

“Look at me.” He abandoned her thigh and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “You will not treat me like I’m nothing. No other friend of Samantha’s will ever treat me that way again.”

Fresh tears welled in her eyes. “Please, don’t hurt me.”

Chapter 29

Their voices carried across the road. Using a pine tree for cover, Eric listened to the officers standing on Samantha’s porch.

“C’mon, man, no one’s home,” the blond one said to his partner. “We can continue to call. Let’s go eat.”

“Sounds good.” The officers descended the stairs and walked back to their car. “The odds of that guy being out here are pretty slim.”

The stupid pigs didn’t realize he was less than fifteen feet from them. The one she feared. The one they’d come to warn her about was right behind them. They would fail her just like they’d failed his mother. Eric didn’t move until the cops were out of view. He wanted to torture her a little longer before the big finale, but the cops’ presence meant plans were going to have to change.

With a final look at the dark windows, he turned and headed back to his camp. At least he had something, or rather someone, to keep him busy. He studied the bite mark on his arm and flexed. He hoped Jenny was conscious when he got back, not that it mattered.

Sam spent the morning packing a suitcase. For now, she could head out of town and deal with the rest of her stuff later. A knock on the front door echoed throughout the house and sent her heart into her throat. She crossed to the window and looked down, but couldn’t see a car. It was too early for a friendly house call.

Slowly, she walked down the stairs willing herself to stay calm. It was probably nothing. Plus if it were him, he wouldn’t be knocking on the door.
Get control Sam
. She held her breath as she looked through the peephole and saw Spencer standing on the other side. She exhaled in relief and opened the door.

“This is a nice surprise.” She leaned in to hug him and then stopped short, when she took a second look at his face. “Or is it?”

The bags under his eyes and the beard starting to form made him look as though he hadn’t slept.

“Hey, Sam.” He leaned in and pecked her cheek. “I know we had plans today, but we’re going to have to postpone them.”

“That’s no problem,” she stuttered. He wasn’t acting like himself. Guilty or worried, she wasn’t sure which. “Do you want some coffee?”

“Coffee would be great.” He followed her inside and paused by the couch.

She waited to see if he would say more, but he didn’t. His fingers fiddled with the edge of her couch cushions and he avoided eye contact. His actions caused her chest to tighten. She wasn’t sure she could deal with any more bad news. “There’s something I need to talk to you about, Spencer, but let me get the coffee first.”

He offered her a half smile upon her return from the kitchen. “Thanks.” He took the steaming mug from her.

She decided it would be better just to tear the band aid off all at once. “Spencer, I’m leaving for a little while.”

His head snapped up and his eyes searched hers.

“I’m sorry to spring this on you. I was going to call you this morning, but I hadn’t had a chance yet.”

“What do you mean you’re leaving?” He set his mug on the table, his coffee untouched.

“Some things have been happening and I think it would be best.”

“What do you mean,
some things
?”

“Well, for example, us. You’re amazing and I hadn’t planned on meeting someone like you. It’s just getting complicated and I think it would be best if we took some time off.” Her throat burned at her words. Leaving him was the last thing she wanted to do, but she needed to.

“Sam look, we’re great, more than great actually, but we’ll get to that in a minute. There’s something you need to know.” He shuffled his feet and took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to say this so I’m just going to say it. We have reason to believe that the guy you’ve been running from is here.”

Stunned, Sam simply stared at him.

“There was a guy in town asking about you at the hotel and—”

“Someone was asking about me?” Sam rose and headed for the stairs.

“Yes, at the hotel. Betsy told me.” He followed her.

“What did Betsy say, exactly?” Her hands began to shake. She hugged herself to steady them and met Spencer’s eyes.

“Betsy just said a guy from out of town was asking for you. There’s something else though.” He filled her in on what Jake had told him about the fire, and then his eyes flicked to the suitcase lying open on the bed.