Someone Like Her (10 page)

“Coffee, Jake?” Dani asked.

“Would love some, but sit down. I’ll get it.” She was so big and ready to pop out their son that just walking back into the kitchen might trigger labor. He knew his way around and after filling his cup, returned to the deck and took a seat opposite Kincaid.

The boss leaned over and soundly kissed his wife. “Now, get lost, sweetheart. Buchanan and I have some serious talking to do.”

Dani glanced at Jake and winked. “I don’t think so. You’re angry with him right now, so I’m sticking around to make sure you don’t kill him.”

If anyone else refused Kincaid’s orders, there would’ve been hell to pay. All he did in response to his wife’s disobedience was chuckle. Jake would love to know her secret. Especially now. He made a million-dollar wager with himself that he could guess the first words out of Kincaid’s mouth.

Cold black eyes focused on him. “Anything go on between you and my sister you’d rather me not know about?”

Bingo.
It was the moment of truth, so he lied. A bit. “Not a thing and not because I’m not interested.”

“She’s not for you, Romeo.”

Christ, he hated that name. He’d once been proud of it—the proof of his manliness—back when he was stupid enough to think his conquests said something about who he was.

Dani placed her hand on her husband’s arm. “Logan, that’s not for you to say. Maria’s a grown woman. If she wants Jake, that’s for her to decide.”

“He’s going to hurt her.”

And there it was. What everyone believed, even him. He’d thought it, worried about it, and had then decided he wanted what he wanted. In his scenario, they both tired of each other at the same time and she wouldn’t be hurt. Who was he kidding?

“And if he does, that’s still her decision,” Dani said.

Kincaid closed his laptop. “There are very few times I tell you to butt out, Dani, but this is one of them. Maria’s not for Buchanan. If he touches her, he’d better find a job on the other side of the world. There’s nothing either of you can say to change my mind. End of discussion.”

“You’re a pigheaded man, love. Excuse me for a minute, gentlemen.”

Jake pressed his lips together to keep from telling the boss to go to hell. Apparently, he had two choices, his job or Maria. He wanted both. Until he had time to consider his options, he’d best keep the angry words locked tight in his mouth.

A flock of pelicans flew over, single file, and Jake watched them until they disappeared from view. Two dolphins soared out of the water, twisted, and made a splash as they came down on their backs. The nine-o’clock sun had already turned the Gulf’s waters to an emerald green as pretty as anything one would find in the Caribbean Islands.

Could he give up everything for Maria? The boss had just made it clear that his job was on the line. He wasn’t a forever man, and whatever they had between them wouldn’t last. But what if it did and she was the one?

Dani returned, looking pale. Jake was about to ask if she was all right when Kincaid spoke.

“You’re leaving Wednesday.”

“Going where?” He was being sent away, intentionally, he was sure.

“Egypt. Nineteen-year-old kid decided a year ago the life his rich parents offered wasn’t for him and changed his name from Chad Sinclair to Abdul Haq.”

“Servant of the Truth,” Jake said.

“Yeah, and the truth he learned was the fun of being a terrorist wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, and now he wants to come home. Guess he missed beer and girls. His parents didn’t hear a word from the time he disappeared until a week ago when he managed to send a coded e-mail, which his father turned over to his good friend, a CIA code breaker.

“Unfortunately for our boy, he’s a whiz on the computer and the bad guys don’t want to let him go. Daddy’s friend worked a deal with his superiors on behalf of the family. If the kid comes home and brings all the intel he’s got access to, they’ll go easy on him. It’s your job to retrieve him.”

Because of Dani, Jake swallowed his first response. “Well hell. Who’s on this operation with me?”

Kincaid slid a folder across the table. “Everything you need to know is here. You’re going in as a reporter. Bayne’s your cameraman and Stewart’s your soundman.”

Jake picked up the file and stood. “I’ve always wanted to be on TV.”

“Logan, can’t you send someone else?” Dani asked.

“No, Saint’s taken the last two operations. I’m due,” Jake said as he thumbed through the dossier. “Think I’ll head over to the office and start planning the operation.” He pressed Dani’s shoulder. “We’ll talk another time.” Until this mission was over, he couldn’t afford distractions, and Chiquita was definitely a distraction.

She tensed under his palm and pressed her hands over her stomach. “Oh . . . Oh.”

The boss turned over his chair in his haste to kneel in front of his wife. “How far apart?”

“Three minutes. Oh . . . crap, that one hurt.”

“Dammit, Dani, why didn’t you tell me when the contractions started?” Kincaid said.

“Anything I can do?” Jake asked. It was the first time Jake had ever heard fear in the boss’s voice. Even in a fierce firefight, the Iceman was always cool and calm.

“Yeah,” Dani said. “Ask Mrs. Jankowski to grab my overnight case.”

Happy to be useful, he ran through the house calling for Mrs. Jankowski. Dani’s five-year-old daughter, Regan, ran out of her bedroom as he raced up the stairs.

“Jake! Did you come to play with me? Mommy wrote me a book about my real daddy and we can read it together. He died in the war when I wasn’t born yet. Did you know that?”

The awful night was etched in Jake’s memory. He knelt and brushed a strand of damp hair from her face. “Yes, sweetheart, I did know that, and I knew your daddy. He was a very brave man, and I do want to read your book with you but I can’t right now. I promise I’ll come back soon so you can share your daddy book with me.” Standing, he started down the hall. “Where’s Mrs. Jankowski?”

Regan jogged along beside him. “She’s in my bathroom. We’re giving Luke a bath.”

He made an about-turn. “You still have that rat?” Not only had Kincaid rescued his wife when she’d been kidnapped, but he’d also brought Luke back with him.

Regan giggled. “I keep telling you he’s a doggie. Why can’t you remember that?”

The girl was adorable and the very image of her mother except for her eyes, and those were straight from Evan Prescott, her daddy. “Mrs. Jankowski!” he called at the door to Regan’s room.

She peeked around the corner of the bathroom. “Goodness, what’s all the yelling about?”

“I need Dani’s overnight bag.”

“Oh my, is it time?” She hurried off, and a soaped-up Doberman took the opportunity to escape.

“Luke, come back,” Regan yelled, chasing after him.

“Here you go. You call me as soon as that baby comes,” Mrs. Jankowski said, handing Jake the tote.

“I will.” Jake grabbed it and ran down the stairs.

Dani and Kincaid were in the car, the engine running, when Jake reached them. He opened the back door and tossed the case in.

“Do me a favor, Jake, and call Maria. Let her know,” Dani said.

As it was Friday and she would be out of classes for the weekend, that meant she would come home. His mind needed to be on his new mission and not on Maria. He’d lock himself up with his team while she was in town and avoid her as much as possible. After he brought the kid back from Egypt, he’d decide whether he was prepared to risk it all for her.

CHAPTER TEN

I
just realized I need to stop by my apartment and get a book I need for today,” Maria said after leaving the IHOP. One benefit about having breakfast with Jamie was he didn’t give the stink eye to her chocolate chip pancakes topped with syrup and whipped cream.

When they pulled into her parking slot, Maria’s stomach gave a sickening roll at the thought of going inside and seeing her destroyed apartment again. “I don’t want to go in there.”

“It’s that bad?” Jamie asked.

“He destroyed it. I need to get past these last few days of school before I deal with it.”

“Tell me where the book is, and I’ll get it for you.”

She handed him her keys. “On the kitchen table, there’re two of them. I’ll need both. And the notebook they’re sitting on.” Hopefully, they’d not been destroyed. She had been too upset to even notice if they were still there when she’d first discovered her apartment had been ransacked.

“Keep the doors locked. I’ll be right back.” At the front of the car, he stopped and scanned the area in a full circle before jogging up the sidewalk.

Maria slipped her phone out of her pocket, clicking it on. Nothing else from Jake. Fine, she needed to concentrate on her last few days of school anyway. Once she was done with her exams, she could go home and then . . . What? Wait for him to call? Call him? She was twenty-four years old and should know how the dating game worked, but she was pathetically clueless about such things.

The window crashed in on her, a rock landing on her lap and glass hitting her in the face. The startled scream died in her throat at the sight of Fortunada reaching in and grabbing the door handle. For a split second, she froze, unable to believe this was happening.

Then her brain kicked in and she scrambled over the console, intending to jump out the driver’s side door. Fortunada caught her by the foot, and for a few seconds a tug of war ensued as she desperately held on to the steering wheel. With the heel of her sandals, she kicked at the fingers digging into her ankle.

“Fucking bitch.”

He reached inside and stomach punched her so hard she reflexively clutched her waist and struggled to get air back into her lungs. Before she could catch her breath, he opened the door and dragged her out of the car. At the last moment, she grabbed her phone from where it had fallen on the floor and pushed it into her bra.

When she fell in a heap on the pavement, he dragged her up, almost pulling her arms out of their sockets. Oh, God. Where was Jamie? He’d come out any second, she just had to keep Fortunada from carrying her off first. Hoping Jamie or her neighbors would hear, she screamed and kept screaming. Unfortunately, the majority of the residents were college students and would’ve been on their way to class by then. No one would sleep in and skip final exams.

Fortunada fisted her hair around his hand and dragged her behind him toward the complex’s pool house. With the way he had hold of her, she was helpless to do anything but stumble along behind him. Was he so enraged he didn’t hear her yelling for help or did he just not care? The last thought frightened her the most.

Think, Maria!
A trail, she should leave a trail. She stepped out of one of her sandals, hoping he wouldn’t notice. At the beginning of the sidewalk leading up to the pool house, she kicked off her other shoe. When they reached the door the maintenance guys kept locked, he yanked it open and pushed her inside. Just before he did, however, she managed to drop her watch on the grass next to the sidewalk.

That the door was unlocked meant he’d lain in wait for her to return home.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.
Was he going to kill her?

He flipped on the light switch and just stood there, staring at her with the coldest eyes she’d ever seen. As she backed into the corner, she frantically searched for anything she could use as a weapon. There were lots of things: pool vacs, nets on long poles, and large bottles of chlorine. If she could get one of them opened, she could throw it in his face. If she went for one though, he’d be on her before she could get the cap off.

She heard a whimper and knew it had come from her. “What do you want?” The sound of her voice surprised her, her heart pounding so hard she hadn’t thought she was capable of forming words. The back of her legs bumped into something and her knees gave out. Glancing down, she saw she was sitting on a pile of bagged grass fertilizer. On the floor next to the bottom bag was a trowel.

“What do I want?” He took a step toward her. “You owe me, bitch. Because of you, the cops are looking for me.”

As subtly as possible, she shifted, sliding her foot over the trowel to keep him from seeing it. “I didn’t do anything.”

Another step brought him closer. “Why were you at my house?”

“I-I
. . .
” If she told him she might be his daughter would it keep him from hurting her? Before she could decide what to say, he lunged. She twisted so that he came down on her back; she reached down and grabbed the trowel.

With her stomach pressed to the bags of fertilizer and the weight of him on top of her, it was impossible to turn around. With one hand, he cradled her head and smashed her face into the plastic bag. The other hand pushed its way under her and into the top of her capris.

There’d been too many times growing up in her mother’s house when she’d had to fight off the advances of men, many of them drunk. No way was the bastard trying to fondle her going to be the one to take what she’d never willingly given. That he might be her father sent a rush of adrenaline racing through her, a resolve to keep the unthinkable from happening.

If only she could get herself turned around, she could aim the trowel at his throat, even better, one of his eyes. Knowing she didn’t have his strength and couldn’t move as long as he was on top of her, she went limp, pretending to pass out.

When his weight suddenly left her, she thought her plan had worked. She twisted and brought the trowel up, preparing to plunge it into him, father or not. He wasn’t there. Instead, he and Jamie were in an all-out fight on the floor of the pool house. Maria pushed herself up and fumbled in her blouse for her phone. Her hands shook so hard, she dropped it and it skittered across the room. As she crawled to it, a toolbox against the wall caught her eye. Scrambling to it, she found a hammer inside, then snatched up her phone. A better weapon in hand, she watched for a chance to bring the hammer down on Fortunada’s head. The two men were rolling and moving too fast. Afraid she would hit Jamie, she stood back and watched, feeling helpless as her shaking fingers tried to dial 911.

After giving the dispatcher their location, Maria kept the phone line open, but set her cell on a nearby shelf. The hammer clutched in her hands, she watched the two men fight. Neither man seemed to be aware of anything but doing as much damage as possible to the other.

Sirens finally sounded in the distance, and she hoped they were responding to her call. In a move that happened so fast she gasped in surprised, Jamie hooked his leg around Fortunada’s, flipped him, and straddled his back. A gun appeared as if out of nowhere and Jamie pressed it to the man’s head.

“You move, you die, you fucking bastard.”

If he hadn’t used words she’d never heard Saint say before, she wouldn’t have known how upset he was. He wasn’t even breathing hard and he’d sounded like he was talking about the weather—all cool, calm, and collected.

The sirens were earsplitting now, and she sank onto the bags, her legs suddenly refusing to hold her up. The hammer fell out of her hands, clanking as it hit the floor. The next twenty minutes passed in a daze as she answered Detective Nolan’s questions. Finally, the patrol car drove off with Fortunada in the back, and a few minutes later the detective left.

Jamie led her to his car, his hand protectively clasping her elbow. He made her sit in the back while he used a shop vac he’d found in the pool house to clean the glass from her seat. All she could think about—just couldn’t get it out of her mind—was that her possible father had tried to rape her. She shuddered, afraid she might lose her breakfast.

“I think you should skip your classes today,” Jamie said when he finished.

“I ca-can’t. It’s a review for . . . for one of my last exams next week.” And hopefully, it would help get her mind back where it needed to be.

He studied her for a moment before sighing heavily. “Then I need to go back inside and get your books. You’re coming with me.”

The last thing she wanted was to see her destroyed apartment again, but she didn’t want to be alone either, even knowing the cops had Fortunada.
Paranoid much, Maria?
“I’ll stand just inside the door.”

A few minutes later and they were back in the car. Hot wind was blowing in the broken window and battling with the air-conditioning
Jamie had turned on high.

“I’m sorry.”

She reached over and gave his arm an awkward little pat. “I know, and you don’t have to keep saying it. There was no way for you to know he would be there.” It hadn’t occurred to either of them that Fortunada would be inside her apartment, behind the door. That he’d hit Jamie over the head with her bronze statue of Lady Justice just seemed wrong.

“I should have been prepared for the possibility.”

She heard the disgust—aimed at himself—in his voice. She’d been around SEALs long enough to know they took failure to heart, and nothing she could say would keep him from beating himself up about it. Maybe he should have considered Fortunada to be a devious rat bastard, and Logan would no doubt blow his top when he heard, but what was done was done.

“How’s your head? You really should have it checked.” Both she and Detective Nolan had tried to get him to go to the hospital, but he’d refused to leave her side. She was grateful he hadn’t been knocked out for long.

“It’s fine.”

Okay, he wanted to stew about it for a while.

He slapped the heel of his hand against the steering wheel. “If you hadn’t left me a trail to follow, I might not have found you in time. I’m not sure I could’ve lived with that.”

So that’s what was really bothering him. She shifted in her seat to face him. “Jamie, you did find me in time and I’m okay.” Not true, but he was doing a fine job of wallowing in guilt without any help from her.

He looked at her for the first time since they’d gotten in the car. “Are you? Really?”

Wanting to see the guilt in his eyes go away, she smiled. “I am. I won’t deny he scared the crap out of me, but nothing happened and I wasn’t hurt. He’s a creep, one I don’t plan to think about after today.” And how she wished that were true. It would probably be easier to get him out of her mind if she knew for sure he wasn’t her father.

“Good.” Jamie flipped on the blinker to turn into the school’s entrance.

How hard was it going to be to get him to keep this between the two of them? “I don’t think we should tell Logan and Jake about today.”

“No can do.”

Well, it was worth a try. She’d expected he would feel obligated to tell her brother. “Just Logan then. Jake will likely freak out and do something stupid like come back here. Then Logan will get pissed . . . well, you can see how that would play out.”

“I’ll leave it up to the boss whether or not he wants to tell Jake.”

“Fair enough.” It was better than nothing, and she would ask Logan not to tell Jake. Jamie parked the car and walked her to her classroom, taking a position against the wall outside the door. She knew he wouldn’t move from that spot until she came out.