Twin Peril
Run and hide...
After overhearing a murder plot and being pursued by hit men, Mallory Roth knows she has to disappear. She leaves a warning message for her twin—and then runs. Seeking shelter in a small Wisconsin town, Mallory’s determined to leave her old life behind. She changes her name, her hair, her clothes…even her stance on faith. But big-city detective Jonah Stewart still tracks her down. And if he can find her, a killer can, too. The handsome, world-weary cop claims he wants to help Mallory—will he change his mind when he learns the harrowing secret from her past?
“Mallory, I can’t keep you safe unless you’re honest with me."
“If you tell me the truth, I’ll make sure the D.A. knows how you cooperated with our investigation.”
“What do you mean you’ll convince the D.A. I’ve cooperated with the investigation? I’m not involved in anything illegal. I’m the victim here. Caruso’s thug followed me to my sister’s town house and tried to kill me!”
“Yeah, maybe,” Jonah said, and his calm voice only fuelled her annoyance. “But just a few hours ago I was informed that Wasserman’s body was found in an alley not far from your condo, and your fingerprints are on the knife in his belly. The M.E. has deemed his death a homicide. As a result, there’s a warrant for your arrest.”
“I swear to you, Jonah, I didn’t kill him. Don’t you see? I’m being framed for murder!”
Jonah’s mouth tightened, but he didn’t say anything. And she realized that Jonah Stewart hadn’t come to Crystal Lake just to help find her twin. He’d come to take her back to Milwaukee.
To arrest her for a crime she didn’t commit.
Books by Laura Scott
Love Inspired Suspense
The Thanksgiving Target
Secret Agent Father
The Christmas Rescue
Lawman-in-Charge
Proof of Life
Identity Crisis
Twin Peril
LAURA SCOTT
grew up reading faith-based romance books by Grace Livingston Hill, but as much as she loved the stories, she longed for a bit more mystery and suspense. She is honored to write for the Love Inspired Suspense line, where a reader can find a heartwarming journey of faith amid the thrilling danger.
Laura lives with her husband of twenty-five years and has two children, a daughter and a son, who are both in college. She works as a critical-care nurse during the day at a large level-one trauma center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and spends her spare time writing romance.
Please visit Laura at www.laurascottbooks.com, as she loves to hear from her readers.
Laura Scott
Twin Peril
All the prophets testify about Him,
that everyone who believes in Him
receives forgiveness of sins through His name.
—Acts 10:43
This book is dedicated to Pam Hopkins
with deep appreciation for your ongoing support.
Contents
ONE
M
allory Roth awoke with a start, her heart thundering against her ribs in terror.
Had she imagined the noise?
The interior of her uncle Henry’s cabin was shrouded with darkness. It was nestled in the woods in central Wisconsin with the back porch overlooking the town of Crystal Lake. The trees blocked any light from the moon, and in the darkness, she strained to listen.
Just when she figured she had let her imagination run wild, she heard it again—a low creak of the wooden floorboards from the main living area.
Her pulse surged into triple digits. There was no time to waste. Anthony Caruso had found her.
She sucked in a quick breath and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, rolling into an upright position. She knew only too well that whoever was out there intended to silence her forever. As quietly as possible, she dragged a sweatshirt over her head and jammed her feet into running shoes. She picked up the thick stick from where she’d left it propped in the corner next to her bed, tightly grasping the only weapon she possessed.
Another muffled sound came from the other room. Closer. She imagined the intruder stealthily making his way toward the bedroom.
For half a second, she considered waiting for him behind the door so she could hit the back of his head. But then her self-defense training kicked in. Running away from an attack, if at all possible, was better than staying to fight. Weapons were all too often used against the victim.
She’d been lucky to escape the last man Caruso had sent after her with nothing more serious than a cut on her arm.
Looping her purse over her head so that it lay across her chest, leaving her arms free, she crossed the room and slid the window frame upward. She winced when the window gave a small groan. She’d already removed the screen in case she needed to use this window as her escape route. She quickly threw her leg over the threshold, stick in hand as she ducked through the opening.
The door to her bedroom burst open, and she turned in time to catch a glimpse of a tall man in black with a matching ski mask covering his face. She ran.
Dressed in dark clothing, she blended into the trees as she pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt to cover her blond hair. She ducked under low-hanging branches, making her way through the woods toward the highway. Trees and thick brush lined the highway on both sides, and her closest neighbor was located just a half mile south of the cabin.
She had to stay hidden long enough to get to the Andersons.
She could hear Caruso’s thug swiping at branches and hitting trees as he followed behind her. Stark fear coated her throat.
The brush in the woods became less dense, and she could just barely make out the road. The guy behind her was closing in, and she pushed herself to go faster. But the moment she broke free of the woods, strong arms reached out to grab her. The shock of finding someone there waiting for her caused her to drop her weapon.
She’d run straight into a trap!
She tried to scream but the man clamped his hand over her mouth. “Don’t,” he whispered. “I’m a cop. If you want to stay alive, Mallory, come with me.”
A cop? Or a partner to the guy in the black ski mask? Or both? She didn’t know who to trust. The sound of the ski-masked thug crashing through the woods behind her helped make up her mind. She barely had time to pick up the stick from the ground before the cop dragged her down the road toward the car he’d parked along the side of the highway. She also noticed a large black truck parked across the street.
Pop! Pop!
“Keep your head down!” the cop yelled, yanking open the passenger-side door and shoving her inside. More popping sounds peppered the air as he ducked and ran around to the driver’s side.
She barely had time to strap on her seat belt before her rescuer cranked the engine and floored the gas. He peeled away, her heart lodging in her throat as they careened down the highway.
Gripping the handrail with white-knuckled fingers, Mallory tried to find her voice as the cop drove through the night like a madman, taking the sharp curves in the highway at breakneck speed. She glanced over her shoulder to see the headlights dropping farther behind. The cop changed directions as often as possible in order to lose the truck.
She should have been reassured by his ability to evade the man behind them but she wasn’t. Her teeth chattered and her body began to shake. She recognized the aftereffects of shock from the last time she’d narrowly escaped Caruso’s thug.
She closed her mind against the memory of the bloody room in her twin sister’s town house as she struggled to breathe.
The guy in the ski mask wasn’t the same guy as before. He was tall and broad-shouldered compared to the shorter, stockier guy she’d taken down in Alyssa’s town house just a few days ago. When her rescuer slowed his breakneck speed, she glanced back, relieved to see there were no longer any headlights following them.
“Who are you?” she finally asked. “How did you find me?”
He didn’t take his eyes off the road as he tossed a small leather case in her lap. She opened it and was slightly reassured when she saw the shiny metal glint of his badge. At least it looked real enough.
“My name is Jonah Stewart and I’m a detective with the Milwaukee Police Department.” There was a long pause, before he added, “Your sister, Alyssa, sent me to find you.”
* * *
Jonah didn’t slow down until he was a good fifteen miles outside of town. And even then, he maintained a decent clip, pushing the posted speed limit, carefully watching the rearview mirror to make sure the guy in the black truck hadn’t found them. When he was reasonably sure they were safe, he unclenched his fingers from their death grip on the steering wheel.
That had been way too close. If he’d arrived a minute later, he might have lost Mallory for good. When he’d gotten to the cabin just after midnight, he’d noticed the black truck and grown suspicious. Just as he started making his way down the driveway toward the cabin, he’d heard someone running through the woods. It only took a minute to rule out a four-legged animal—he’d heard the distinct sound of two people. He’d braced for the worst and been immensely relieved when Mallory had raced out of the woods first, apparently unharmed, just in the nick of time.
“Did you get a good look at him?” he asked in a gruff tone.
“No.” She slowly shook her head. “His face was covered by a ski mask. But why were you waiting on the road for me after midnight? You claim Alyssa sent you, but I know her and she would have come to meet me herself.”
