Expert Witness: A Romantic Suspense Novel (17 page)

“Damn it, this guy is an idiot.” In the dim moonlight, Jordan could see that Chase’s jaw was clenched tight as he concentrated on trying to stay ahead of their pursuer. “I’m going to head to the police department. You call nine-one-one and report our location now. Maybe there’s an officer in the area.” The driver was gaining speed behind them, but Chase’s voice was steady and his tone calm.
 

Feeding on his strength, Jordan reached down to grab her phone from her purse. She fumbled around for a second until her hands wrapped around the familiar device.
 

“Hang on.” Chase barely got the words out before the SUV took another sharp turn and centrifugal force plastered her against the center console.
 

The phone she’d just retrieved flew out of her hand and hit the floorboard. Ironically, the three bags on her lap stayed put. As the scenery flew by her, she noticed they’d turned onto a less crowded side street that would lead them downtown. But they were still minutes away from the station. After hoisting the bags over her shoulder into the back seat, she began rummaging around the floorboard again for the lost phone. Headlights growing brighter behind them let her know the driver of the other car was almost caught up to them.
 

“Sit up,” Chase instructed. “I think he may try to hit us.”

She popped up right as the car swerved around to their left. A hard jolt charged through her and she grazed the side of her head on the window beside her.
Did we collide?
Gravel hit the undercarriage of the vehicle as the BMW spun onto the shoulder of the road. Turning the wheel in the same direction, Chase wrangled to gain back control. The edge of the woods came looming toward them. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for the crash. But there was no impact. Instead, they jerked to a sudden stop. She peeked out to see that they were now perpendicular to the line of trees. The vehicle had rotated enough to avoid hitting them head on. She craned her neck around to look for the other car but saw no hint of movement.
 

“Are you all right?” Chase asked. She could hear the concern in his voice.

“I’m fine,” Jordan said, her breath catching. She felt disoriented, but other than some pressure from the seat belt, she was relieved to realize she was okay. Physically, anyway. “Where’d it go?” She didn’t see the other car, but she didn’t trust that the maniac was truly gone.

“It’s okay.” He rubbed her shoulder. “He passed us after he ran us off the road. I tried to get a tag number, but there was no way from our position.” His hands returned to the steering wheel, and she immediately missed the comfort of his touch. “You sure you’re okay?” He looked over at her as he put the vehicle in reverse and eased the SUV back onto the road. “I thought your head hit when we turned.”

“It was only a bump.” She rubbed the spot that had grazed the window. There was no wetness that could be blood. Only a small knot. Verifying her head wasn’t injured, she abandoned her assessment in favor of monitoring their surroundings as they began driving. The BMW seemed no worse for the wear, and she was thankful his car offered more protection than hers would have.
 
“You don’t think he’ll come back, do you?” Her voice shook as she asked the question.

“I don’t think so. But I’m not sure. I have no intention of sitting here and waiting to find out. I’ll call Detective Larson once we’re back at your house. I’m sure he’s gone for today, but I’ll leave him a message with the gist of what happened and fill in the details tomorrow. He’ll want to file a report so the incident will be on record.”

“We aren’t going to the station?”

“No point now. Larson can file the report tomorrow. There’s no evidence to preserve tonight that won’t be there in the morning. I’d rather get you home.”

She didn’t argue. Being at home sounded much better to her. The sooner she was off of the roads, the better. Would she ever feel safe again?
 

Jordan hadn’t gone into work that morning. Between the events of last night and the nightmares that followed, she was in no shape to be there. She’d briefed Karen over the phone, and she, Mike, and Derek had all come over to her house during their lunch hour.

“I’m sorry. You’ve been through so much. I can’t believe this is really happening.” Karen gave her a tight hug, tears glistening in her eyes.

“Me neither,” she said, shaking her head. She pulled a chair out and motioned for her friend to sit.
 

Everyone else followed suit.
 

“I feel terrible about being out today, but for the first time since this all started, I don’t think I should be at work.” Her voice cracked and she fought back tears of defeat. “I’m not sleeping. I can’t concentrate. All I can think of is what this guy is going to do next. It’s consuming me.”
 

Karen grabbed her hand and held it in her own. Jordan was grateful for the gesture.
 

Mike rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “What about leaving town for a while?” Jordan began to protest, but Mike raised a hand to stop her. “Hear me out. Not for long. Maybe just until the cops have made an arrest or even have a suspect.”
 

“Weren’t you the one who said that wasn’t a good idea because he could follow me?” She wasn’t trying to argue. In truth, she didn’t have the strength. But it felt like they were going in circles, or more like this creep had them jumping through hoops in an obstacle course with no endpoint.
 

“That was then. It’s gone too far now,” Mike said, his voice firm. He’d torn the label from his bottle of water as he spoke and was now shredding it into a pile in front of him.

“I agree with Mike. There are too many unknowns,” Derek said. “It’s hard to figure out what to do when we don’t have much to work with. This guy has managed to evade being caught at every turn. It’s uncanny, really, that he’s left nothing for the cops to trace back to him.”

“Yeah,” Chase said. “Makes me think he may be involved in some type of law enforcement or investigative work.”

“But why hire the hitman then? If he could have carried his plan out better himself?” Derek looked at Chase for an answer.
 

“Don’t know. If I did, maybe we’d have a better handle on who he is.” Chase shoved his chair back and stomped over to her fridge to refill his glass.
 

Jordan looked over at Derek. He opened his mouth then closed it as if he thought better of saying what he’d intended. Probably a smart move. She could tell by Chase’s forceful movements that he was frustrated. He hadn’t shared that theory with her before. She wondered if he’d given Detective Larson his hypothesis. Not that it changed anything about her current predicament. Nausea turned in her stomach as her friends continued to debate suggestions.

“That’s why I think she needs to leave,” Mike said. “We can’t stop something or someone we have nothing on. We still don’t even know what this creep is after. It just pisses me off.” He slammed his hand down on the table, sending the slivers of paper fluttering into the air.
 

Jordan flinched.
 

Karen squeezed her hand, offering reassurance while giving Mike a stern look.
 

“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I think we all feel pretty helpless right now.” He used the side of his hand to scrape the bits back into a pile.
 

Jordan looked across the table at him. “Don’t worry about it. If it were one of you, I’m sure I’d feel the same way.” She gave him a weak smile.
 

“So, what do you think, Jordan?” Karen asked. “I know before that you believed it would be letting him win if you left town. Do you still feel that way?”

Jordan remembered making the comment back then. So much had changed since that conversation. Before, worrying about the hit and who’d ordered it had been more of a nuisance to her. Now, it still felt like she would be letting him win by leaving, but the feelings of defeat were nothing compared to the worry over what might happen if she stayed.
 

“It sounds like an option. But where would I go? I’m not putting anyone else in danger. My parents, family and friends… No, he could follow me, or worse, he may have some of this information already.”

“What about our condo in Panama City Beach?” Mike volunteered. “If you’ve got to get out of town, might as well get away to somewhere beautiful.”

“Hmmm. That could be a workable option.” Jordan considered his suggestion. It would mean leaving her house, her business, and her clients with little notice. But her ability to work was compromised anyway.
 

As if reading her mind, Karen said, “I realize it’s hard to leave everything like this, but Mike’s right. If you have to do this, the condo is the perfect spot. No one would associate it with any of us, because the deed is still in my maiden name. Plus, it’s a good distance away from here.” Her forehead lifted and she pinned her friend with a stare. “You’re a great asset to this practice, but we’ll handle everything while you’re gone. No worries about that part, okay?”
 

Derek turned to Chase. “Are you going, too?”
 

Jordan’s eyes widened at the question. She hadn’t thought of that. When they’d first entertained the idea of hiring Chase, it was so she wouldn’t have to leave the practice while all of this was going on. Now, she’d be generating no income and the practice would still be paying for Chase’s protection. Though, given how reasonable his rate is, she was hoping to cover the cost herself.
 

Karen weighed in before Chase could respond. “I think he should. It would be crazy to leave her alone.” She turned to Jordan. “No offense. You’re smart and tough, but you aren’t trained for this like he is. And I’ve felt one hundred percent better since we hired him.”

“I agree. Not even a question as far as I’m concerned,” Mike said.
 

“Absolutely,” Derek said. “I just wanted to make sure we’re all on the same page. Chase? Does the trip work for you?”

Chase looked around the table. “I hate the idea of leaving, too. But at this point, until the PD is able to learn more about who it is we’re dealing with here, then I think it’s the best option.” His eyes met Jordan’s with an unspoken apology. “I know it isn’t what you’d wanted, but the objective is to keep you safe, and I think it’s the best way to do that. I can take precautions to make sure we aren’t followed, and Karen’s got a point about the lack of association—our current names aren’t documented anywhere in connection to the place.”

Jordan nodded at him and then looked at the others. “Well, I guess it’s the best decision, then. I’ll pack up today, have Nancy rearrange my schedule, and we can leave any time after that.”
 

There wasn’t much else to say. In a way it felt like she was running, but she trusted Chase’s judgment. She just prayed that the ordeal would be over soon.
 

CHAPTER TEN

Chase observed Jordan as the elevator rose to the fourteenth floor. A piece of her hair was falling into her face as she stared down at the lighted pushbuttons on the control panel. She was dressed casually in a cobalt-blue sleeveless dress made from some type of airy, gauze-like material. The outfit suited the warm weather they’d driven into that day.
 

It had taken the good part of the previous day to rearrange her schedule and pack what she needed for the trip. Wanting to leave in the daylight when visibility was better and he could see any tails, Chase had made the decision to drive out early the next morning. He was glad her colleagues had decided to keep him on board because it had stopped him from telling them that he wasn’t going anywhere. He was involved now, and fee for services be damned—there was no way he was leaving Jordan before this guy was locked up for a long time.
 

The elevator stopped at the tenth floor, and a young woman pushing a cleaning cart stepped in, mashing the button for the eleventh floor. Though he sensed no threat, he remained alert as they climbed up one floor. He’d taken numerous precautions to make sure no one had followed them up there, even checking his SUV for tracking devices. He could almost say with certainty that the perp hadn’t followed them by car.
 

“You folks enjoy your stay,” she said, pulling the cart out behind her.
 

“Thank you,” Jordan said, pushing the loose strand of hair out of her eyes. She chewed on her bottom lip as they continued their way up.
 

He watched her worry on her full pink lip. She’d been restless and on edge until they’d hit the turnpike, then he’d seen her posture relax a little.
 
Does she feel better since we left town?
 
Jumping inconspicuously over the nonexistent button for a thirteenth floor, the number fourteen lit up and the bell dinged, signaling they’d reached their destination.
 

As they exited the elevator to the front balcony, the winds caught Jordan’s dress, causing the skirt to swirl around her ankles. The material was no match for the wind tunnel, and the dress was now pressed tight against her entire body, accentuating every curve. His pulse revved up at the sight of her sexy silhouette, and dots of perspiration beaded along his forehead. Sweet Jesus. Prying his eyes away from her body, he hurried through the six-digit code and threw open the door. He tried to forget that it was now only the two of them. Maybe he was a masochist and never knew it?