THE MARINE'S LAST DEFENSE (8 page)

Chapter Nine

Bree’s captors had taped her to the dining room chair in the same way they had at the warehouse. Brenda Ellen’s home was eerily empty. She didn’t know why she’d hoped police or anyone else would have been here. Her friend and employer had mentioned that her parents had retired to the Hill Country near Llano, Texas, and they didn’t travel long distances.

“Remember what I told you. We’ll be close by. If your cop buddy thinks about throwing you in jail, he’s dead. Then we start on your family. We’ll be watching.” The man who’d choked Brenda Ellen was dangerously crazy and determined to get the money. He would have killed anyone here.

Somehow, she had to convince Jake to take her to Amarillo. No, she could get to her uncle on her own. She just needed her phone to call, then Uncle Jerry would know it was okay to give her the money.
Please have the money, Jake.
She’d been instructed to leave with the cop, bring him with her and prevent him from seeking help from other cops. Maybe she could escape if the keys to the car were still in the kitchen. She could borrow Brenda Ellen’s car without the police realizing it was missing.

Jake didn’t have to help her. He was safer if he didn’t.

Now that she had a plan, waiting was miserable. Her wrists were sore, her legs weak. She had eaten only two fries since she’d met Jake that morning at the diner. Even then it had only been some toast and coffee to tide her over until she could cook her own here.

This morning seemed so long ago.

The interior of the house was pitch-black. The blinds and drapes covered the windows. It had been different this morning, full of light and the promise of a soft bed for two weeks. Bree wanted to cry, recalling once again that Brenda Ellen was gone.

No, she hadn’t just died. She’d been violently murdered. Her own throat ached, her stomach growled again and she desperately needed water. At the moment there was nothing to do except think and pray. She heard the click of a doorknob turning in the silence of the empty house.

“Detective Craig?” Her whisper came out dry and hoarse.

He silently moved through the kitchen and dining room doorway, raising a finger to his lips to silence her. Then he replaced his hand under his handgun. She’d seen actors imitate “clearing the room,” as they put it. Experiencing a strong man like Jake coming to rescue her sort of made her insides jump around like an excited Chihuahua.

“They left right after they phoned you. We’re alone.” Did she sound convincing? She didn’t want to get him killed. Two souls on her conscience were enough.

“Are you injured?” he whispered, kneeling at her side with his back to her, weapon ready to defend.

Natural posture for a police officer. It wasn’t just for her.
Remember that.
She’d been so alone, having dreamed too often that someone would swoop into the picture and save her. The delight that he’d come to her rescue stemmed from that wishful thinking—not reality. He was just doing his job.

“No.” She cleared her parched throat. “I’m a little shaky, but what about you? I thought he’d killed you. I just need you to cut me loose and we can get out of here. Did Dallas stay with you? Is she back at the animal shelter?”

He didn’t acknowledge her. He stood and pressed his back to the wall next to the staircase. There was a stark white bandage just above his ear. He must have sliced it when he’d fallen into the lake.

Poor little Dallas. The thought of the puppy roaming in the snow saddened her heart.

She remained silent while he searched the house. There was no way for her to prove they were alone. The crazy murderer could have returned to the house, lying in wait to kill them both. She wouldn’t put it past him. Her only hope was that those men needed the money and knew they wouldn’t recover it if they killed her.

“The house looks clear,” he said as he stepped from the stairs. His gun disappeared behind his back and he pulled his pocketknife, slicing through the silver tape strapping her in place.

“I hope you have the key to these.” She jangled the cuffs, hearing them clink in the dark. “A girl loves jewelry, but this is a little much.”

She couldn’t get to Amarillo if she was handcuffed.
Please have the key.

“Good to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor. The cuffs stay until I get some satisfactory answers. I’ve already broken enough laws without freeing a wanted fugitive trying to escape.”

“Wanted fugitive?”

“Dallas P.D. wants you for questioning about your employer’s murder. Along with this business of identity theft, embezzlement and arson. Then there’s the body Amarillo P.D. assumed was you when your business burned.” Dark brown eyes, even darker now, kept searching the room and sliding to the door to the backyard, watching for the enemy. If he knew what these men were capable of, he’d want to leave as quickly as possible.

“Shouldn’t you be reading me my rights or something? If that’s the case, I may as well ask for a lawyer now.”

His eyes narrowed, bringing his brows into a straight line. “But I didn’t Mirandize you.”

Her eyes had adjusted to the dark long before his arrival. She noticed the sharp angles making up his intense face. “What does that mean?”

“I’d like to hear what happened directly from you before I make up my mind. Right now I think we should get someplace safe.”

Nowhere was safe until the money was back in Griffin’s grubby paws. Jake lifted her to her numb legs, continuing to hold her elbow when she stumbled, encouraging her to the edge of the kitchen.

“Wait. Please. Did you bring the phone and the money from my suitcase?”

He shook his head and she couldn’t breathe. It was worse than being choked. And just like that, her knees were on the carpeted floor. Tears blurred her vision and she couldn’t prevent the incoherent babbling about thinking he was dead or getting him killed. It all ran together in her head and especially across her lips.

“No one’s going to harm you,” Jake said, now on his knee beside her. “I can call for backup. You’re safe now.”

“We can’t go out there yet.” She shook her head and took hold of his hand. “Please don’t.” She lowered her voice to a whisper so they couldn’t be heard. “If they can’t kill you or me...they’ll kill my family.” There was no doubt in her mind everyone she loved was in danger. No one would be safe. “They want their money back.”

He leaned in close to her ear. “I assume they’re listening. Just remember I’m on your side. How much did you steal?”

“I didn’t—” Jake knew they were listening.
“That monster will kill anyone who gets in his way. He likes hurting and killing. I have to get Griffin the rest of the money and I need my phone to get it. You have to help me, Jake.”

Jake wanted them to hear what they said. She could see it in his eyes and the slight nod of his head.

“I need more than that you feel threatened, Bree,” he said louder. “Do you want to have this conversation here? Okay. Who are these men? Where did they take you? Why does the Amarillo P.D. think you’re dead? What’s so important about this particular phone? There’s nothing stored on it. I checked.”

“I must use that number to call the person who has the money. If I use any other phone, he won’t come. There aren’t any exceptions. No one will ever find the money.” She covered her face with her cold hands. The handcuffs jingling snapped her attention back to Jake before she spilled all her secrets.

Stay calm.
Griffin’s men already knew too much. Then what would they do? Force her to make a call to her uncle on the off chance they wouldn’t kill everyone she loved? If the deep furrow between Jake’s brows meant he was confused, that was good. She’d almost told him her uncle’s name.

“Let me get you somewhere safe and you can start from the beginning. Maybe I’ll actually understand some of this,” he said, lifting her to her feet and guiding her to the door.

“Do you have a way to get the phone, Jake?”

“That might be possible.” He gently tugged, attempting to get her outside—she stayed put. “You told me to bring the money from your case, but there was only a few grand. Not enough to kill over.”

“I only brought one bundle for emergency. I think there was around two million in the briefcase. I didn’t stop to count. I was in a hurry at the time.”

“No wonder they want the money back. Let’s go.” He twisted at his waist and took another look around the room. “You need police protection while they sort this mess out.”

“I can’t go to jail.” His gun was right at her fingers. She knew how to use it. She didn’t want to hurt or betray him—he’d already sacrificed so much for her. But she couldn’t let him take her to the police. He wouldn’t believe her story. Why would they? She sounded crazy and just didn’t have a choice.

“It’s better if we sort through—”

The gun shook in her hands. She was more afraid she’d pull the trigger by accident than what would happen if he took it away. The straight edge of his hand chopped hard on her wrist, numbing her fingers, which dropped his weapon. He snatched it before she had feeling again.

“Weren’t you ever taught not to play with loaded guns. Don’t be foolish, Miss Watkins.” He stashed the pistol behind him again.

“I think you’d try to get away if it were your family they were threatening,” she said, to focus her thoughts on what was important.

“I wouldn’t try. I’d succeed. Are they threatening your family, Bree?”

He held out his hand and she placed both of hers in his grasp. He pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her waist, keeping her on her feet. Still cuffed, her hands were between them, separating their chests. She could feel the rapid beating of her heart and his. She didn’t miss the sharp intake of his breathing as her body connected with his.

His eyes had dropped to her breasts. Her nipples—hard from a damp bra and the cold—poked through the thin cotton turtleneck. Any man would have taken a look, right? Her coat and sweater had been sopping wet. The man who’d thrown her over his shoulder had scared her half to death by using a knife as long as her hand to hack the coat off her arms since the handcuffs were in the way.

How could she be so aware of everything around her and so unfocused where her family was concerned?

“Hired thugs are on their way to abduct my family in Amarillo right now. If I don’t get the money to them in three days, the man you fought with is going to kill my little sister. They could be hurting them already. Please don’t put their lives in danger by taking me to jail.”

“Let’s go.”

“Jake, please,” she begged. It was the only option left for her. “Please give me the phone and let me go.”

He yanked her closer. “Why don’t you tell me the truth?”

She tugged his shirt collar until he bent low enough to get her lips close to his ear, then she whispered, “They’re listening to us through a phone that’s taped to the edge of the table. If we don’t prove that I have the cash, we’re both dead. Right now. They told me not to say anything or they’d shoot you. I swear.”

His warm breath brushed her ear, sending the wrong type of message to her body, before he whispered, “Trust me, Bree. I can get you out of here safely, but you can’t lie to me again.”

Jake stood tall, giving her a moment for her head to catch up to his words. It had been so long since she’d been this close to a man... No, wait, she was light-headed from dehydration, lack of sleep and too much stress. The adrenaline of being abducted and rescued was doing weird things to her insides. Jake Craig had nothing to do with it.

He glared intently through the sliding door into the darkness of the backyard. “It goes against my better judgment,” he said firmly, loud enough to be heard. “I’m already in hot water with the captain. I took some of the money that was with the phone.”

He put a finger over her lips. Then slipped his hand into his pocket and showed her the money she’d hidden in her bag. He removed several bills and slapped them onto the dining table. “I could only grab a couple of thousand or they’d realize something was wrong with the inventory.”

“You’re going to help me?”

“Nothing’s holding me here. I can help you get past the cops and protect you from the men who abducted you. I just want a piece of the action. Have we got a deal?”

If she hadn’t known it was all an act, she might have been fooled. The quirk of his eyebrow and the slight rise of the corner of his mouth would have convinced her he was sincere and just in it for the money.

But after the day they’d shared, she knew this man was much too honorable to succumb to a bribe.

Thank goodness the men listening at the other end of the phone had no clue.

Chapter Ten

Jake didn’t let go of her as they left the house. Greeted by Dallas at the truck window, Bree’s face lit up. He unlocked his truck door, ready to let her scoot across the seat. Instead, she faced him, blowing on her fingers, her dark eyes darting around as if she was thinking hard on her next words.

“I need to call my family as soon as possible,” she finally said.

“I need more information before I allow you to call anyone. Get in.”

“Hi, Dallas.” Bree’s voice changed. No longer sounding worried, she made kissy noises and leaned across the seat to pet the dog.

The pup left the warmth of the emergency blanket stretching from seat to seat, trying to get to his suspect. Bree lifted her, kissing the pup between her ears. He’d acted the same way while the captain handed down his suspension. Rubbing those silky ears between his fingers, the news just hadn’t felt as bad.

The officers he’d been working with resented his promotion, but he’d screwed up more than a couple of times today. So maybe he’d been expecting bad news from the captain. Just not a suspension.

Jake took his notebook, which had been drying in the cup holder, and wrote “R U bugged,” then showed it to Bree.

“No. They were using one of their cells on speakerphone to listen. He said they’d be watching through binoculars.”

He pulled the phone from the console and began to dial.

“What are you doing?”

“Calling the police to pick these guys up. They’ve got to get inside the house again if they intend on grabbing their phone.”

Bree hit the cell from his hand and it tumbled to his feet. “If these two are caught, there are more in Amarillo to do the killing.”

“What the hell are you involved in? Drug running? What money are they talking about?” His hands shook a bit. He was tired, but he’d noticed the tremor had shown up more this past week with the additional stress of the promotion.

“I’ve been trying to figure that out for six very long months. Are you okay, Jake? You look kind of weird.”

“What?”

“I said, I’ve been thinking it has something to do with money laundering. But I have no idea what.”

He popped his neck, relaxing, preventing the anxiety or stress from interfering with his work. “Did you get a look at their faces? Any chance you can identify them? Do you remember the vehicles they used today? Anything special about where they held you?”

“Can you interrogate me after we get moving, Jake? It’s freezing in here.” She brought her hands under her chin, shivering. “They’re also watching. Remember?”

He’d noticed at the house she’d been cold and hadn’t given it a second thought. He’d been too busy making the decision to cross yet another line for this woman. Why was he trusting her and willing to deceive the very men he’d been working with hours before? Did it go back to the attraction he’d felt at the diner? It couldn’t be. There’s no way he’d give everything up again for a woman. Just no way.

“Sorry.” He cranked his truck, turned the heater to high and jerked his jacket from his shoulders to drape around her. “What happened to your coat and gloves?”

“They were wet and he...um, the one called Larry, cut off my coat.” Her voice changed as if she’d made up her mind to say something that wasn’t the complete truth. “I’d be warmer if I could put my arms through the sleeves.” She shook her latched wrists in his direction, then dropped them back to cradle the pup in her lap.

“I’ve got a key at my apartment.”
And police headquarters and in my pocket.
“We should call 911 and leave an anonymous tip that we saw strangers at the crime scene. That sort of thing. At least let the department know something’s up. They might get prints this time.”

“Please, Jake. We can’t do that. Somehow, they’ll make sure we go to Amarillo. If I don’t, they’ll kill my family. Are you taking me there? Will it cause you more problems?”

“I was suspended today and have broken several laws in the past couple of hours. I don’t seem to be too concerned about causing myself problems.”

“Suspended because of me? But you’re the one who found me and— Why would they suspend a good detective?”

“It’s complicated. This murder was actually my first and last case for the Dallas P.D. Your turn to share some details about what’s going on.”

“I’m so sorry that I’ve wrecked your life.”

“You don’t get to wear that title, Bree. My ex-wife claimed it a while back.”

She covered her face with her hands, acting ashamed. “Have I endangered even more people? Do you have kids?”

He shook his head, glad for the first time in years that he and Jennifer hadn’t pursued children. He hadn’t wanted to be an absentee father. And now, if they had, he’d wonder if they were even his.

The more pressing issue was to get Sabrina Watkins to tell him the entire story. Start to finish—or near finish. It was clear she didn’t trust him enough to share yet. She kept dodging his questions.

It was a long drive to Amarillo and eventually he’d get it out of her.
Gain her trust. Then you can help and maybe get your job back or some other type of employment.

“You were flying under the radar by house-sitting. That was a good idea with characters like that searching for you. You’ll need new civvies and a coat before we hit the road.”

The snowfall was heavy again. He’d listened to the weather off and on today. Dallas wouldn’t see much more, then the temperature would warm up and most of the roads would be clear by late morning.

“I appreciate everything you’ve done. You’ve saved my life twice today. But after you take these handcuffs off, don’t you think I should leave? You shouldn’t get more involved. It’s already cost you your job and almost your life. Maybe you could exaggerate my escape abilities and let your supervisor think I conked you on the head or something.”

He rubbed the lump under the bandage on the right side of his head where he’d been “conked” for real that afternoon. He hadn’t meant to draw her attention to it, but her intake of breath and immediate touch proved he had.

“What happened to your head? Did you hit it on something?”

“The bullet grazed me. If it hadn’t been for the pup pawing at my ear, I might have completely passed out and drowned.” He watched for a vehicle that might be tailing them. Those two goons might try to follow, but he was determined not to be a step behind this time.

“You’ve been shot and suspended and it’s all my fault.” She dropped her forehead to the passenger window.

He could only see her shoulder and matted hair. “I think we need to clean up before we drive five or six hours. Even Dallas is smelling like a sewer.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea? They could be right behind us.”

“I’ve been driving in circles to make sure we weren’t followed. We’re clear. My apartment is just around the corner.” He wouldn’t gain her trust if she knew he’d been close to taking her to the police station. Dang if he knew why he’d changed direction. “Tell me about Dallas. Why would anyone adopt a half-blind dog?”

“You’ve met her.” She raised the head of the pup and kissed her fur. “First, she’s absolutely adorable and doesn’t let the blindness slow her down at all. I volunteered at the shelter and introduced Brenda Ellen to her after she lost her first dog. She brought her home the next day.”

“So you really like dogs.” He slowed the truck for the last stop light before his complex.

Bree didn’t allow the handcuffs to encumber her. He watched her stroke the black fur, keeping Dallas calm and silent. His dad always said you could tell a man’s true character by how he treated his animals. If that were true about this woman...maybe it was the reason he’d sided with her.

“I’m glad you kept her,” she said softly.

He parked at the rear of his lot with easy access to leave in a hurry. He’d half expected that his fellow officers would have the place surrounded. He’d stolen evidence in order to save this woman’s life.

“Listen.” He held her arm through his jacket and she raised those violet eyes questioningly at him. “Stealing evidence isn’t the most honorable thing I’ve done. Probably not the most dishonorable, either.”

“You’re saving my family. What could be dishonorable about that?”

His mind was made up and he needed to be honest. “You’ve got two choices. Either go to jail now. Or turn the rest of the money and evidence over to me and go to jail in Amarillo.”

She sat straighter, stiff, looking petrified. “I see.”

“I’m a cop. What did you really expect?”

Almost spilling Carl’s coffee and the woman who had shyly giggled at his awkwardness seemed like a distant memory.
Be honest.
Okay, his physical attraction to Bree had influenced his decisions earlier in the day. But he couldn’t admit that to her. He could barely admit it to himself.

“I’m not certain,” she whispered. “A lot’s happened today that I was unprepared for and I’m so tired it’s hard to think straight. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

“We’ll make certain your family’s safe. It’ll work out, Bree.”

“I’m sure you think so.”

“I’ll be with you the entire time. Nothing will happen to you, but I need to know everything.”

“I understand. Now? Or can we go inside first?”

They got out of the truck. Dallas was in Bree’s arms and he wrapped his jacket around her. She shrugged it away, along with his arm as he tried to take the forty pounds of Lab to his door.

Inside, she set Dallas on the floor, untied the makeshift silver leash and held her hands out for him to remove the cuffs. He reached into his pocket for the key and a sound of disgust escaped her lips.

“I could have lied to you about why I’m taking you to Amarillo,” he said as he pocketed the cuffs again.

“Thanks for reminding me that I’m a fugitive. I know what to expect now.” She rubbed her wrists and then pointed down the hall. “Is the bathroom this way?” He nodded and she ran the short distance. Hand on the knob, she hesitated. “Do you need to come in with me?”

“It has to be this way, Bree. I promised to uphold the law.” He’d sworn several oaths over his lifetime. Did he still believe he could keep all of them?

Her hands dropped against her sides as she faced him, visibly defeated. He hated what he had to do, what she must think of him. He admitted, “I don’t have a choice.”

“Neither do I. No one ever asked me if destroying my life was okay. They didn’t ask if I wanted to give up everything I’d ever known. Or if I wanted to lose my family and have them think I was dead. And they didn’t ask if it was okay to blow up my business and destroy everything I’d worked for since high school. I’m hiding from men who want to kill me for the reason that I was a convenient scapegoat. I completely understand about not having a choice.”

He could argue with her, but why? Because he’d wanted her phone number that morning? That path was off-limits now. Why? Maybe she was the first woman inside his apartment since the divorce. So what? Maybe he’d brought her here because he couldn’t let her out of his sight.

Again, so what? She was an attractive woman who he happened to be helping with a problem.

Stop lying.
She’s a suspect who might be as guilty as those men who’d abducted her. How was he lying to himself? A victim of circumstances or a lying con artist? Did it matter? No more questions. No more ifs. He’d save the Watkins family or put Bree in jail.

Across the room, Dallas circled as if she was about to curl up and sleep. “I should probably walk you before you settle down.” The pup squatted instead. Too late again. He was finished being a step behind. Time to act like who he was.

A marine.