Safe In His Arms (Manhunt) (14 page)

A cold knot of fear gripped him at the thought of her being hurt, and he sped up, veered onto the main highway and hightailed it toward his place.  But just as he made it onto the highway, a dark sedan raced up behind him.

Alex heard the engine accelerate then headlights blinded him. He pressed the gas, wondering if the driver was drunk or if he was the shooter from the woods.

The driver increased his speed, closing the distance, and Alex glanced in the rearview mirror, straining to see the driver’s face. But the windows were tinted, the headlights so bright that he couldn’t make out a damn thing.

Suddenly the sedan sped up and rammed into them.

Mia cried out and gave him a panicked look. He jerked the wheel to try to maintain control, but his tires screeched and the ditch loomed in front of them only inches away.

The driver rammed them again, sending his vehicle into a spin, then suddenly the car raced up beside him and a gunshot rang out.

He pushed Mia down. “Stay low!”

She ducked her head into his lap, and he yanked his gun from his holster and fired back just as the car shot past. His SUV spun out of control, and he had to force himself not to fight the spin or they’d roll.

The other car screeched ahead, did a one-eighty, then the driver gunned the engine and roared straight toward them.  Mia glanced up and screamed.

Alex cursed, swung his weapon outside his window and fired at the sedan.  The sedan swerved to avoid the bullet, and he fired another round. Glass exploded and the vehicle skidded toward the embankment.

It spun in circles, then flipped, metal screeching as it slid across the road and careened into the ravine.

“Alex!” Mia cried.

He yanked the SUV to the right, his breathing rasping out as he wrangled for control. Finally the brakes kicked in and he spun to a stop. He cut the engine, keeping his eyes trained on the embankment in case the driver surfaced.

“Stay here.” Alex shoved her purse toward her. “And get that revolver out. If anyone approaches, shoot.”

Fear streaked her face, but she nodded and caught his arm. “Be careful, Alex.”

Touched by the concern in her voice, he gave her a quick nod, then pitched her his cell phone.  “Call the sheriff and tell him what happened.”

Chest heaving with adrenaline, he gripped his gun, climbed from his SUV and strode toward the ditch, casting his eyes in all directions in the case the driver had escaped and tried to sneak up on them.

Another car whizzed by, and he waited until it passed, then inched across the highway to the edge of the road. The sedan had crashed upside down into the ravine. From his vantage point, it appeared that the doors were still closed.

Rocks and dirt skittered below his feet as he descended the bank. He held his gun at the ready, searching around the vehicle in case the driver had escaped.

The scent of gasoline hit him, and his heart pounded. Was the gas tank going to blow?

He eased toward the car, carefully watching for the driver, but as he stepped closer, everything seemed still. Quiet. Eerily quiet.

He knelt, gun aimed at the window, and looked through the broken glass of the driver’s window.

The driver was slumped over the steering wheel, blood covering the steering column. Alex reached in with one hand and yanked the man’s head back, breathing easier when he realized the driver was dead.

But it wasn’t Jones.

Hell, he wished the dead man was Jones. How many hired guns did the bastard have working for him?

The sudden thought that this man might have also a partner sent him running up the hill. He ran to the SUV and expelled a relieved breath when he saw Mia still inside.

Sirens wailed, and the sheriff’s patrol car raced up. Alex waved him down. The sheriff’s face was agitated as he climbed from his car.

“The driver’s dead.” Alex explained about the vehicle trying to run them off the road.  The bullet holes puncturing the side of his car and shattered glass confirmed his story.

“This is unbelievable,” the sheriff said. “Joleen’s murder, the fire, an attack against Mia, a dead man, and now this.”

“I told you Jones was one dangerous son of a bitch,” Alex muttered.

“Take Mia some place safe,” the sheriff said. “I’ll make sure the CSU identifies the driver and we’ll process the scene.”

Alex thanked him, dug one of the bullets from his SUV, put it in an evidence bag, and then handed it to the sheriff. 

Then he crawled back in the car with Mia. 

“What happened?” Mia asked.

He pressed a hand over hers. “The driver’s dead.”

“Was it Geoff?” she asked in a trembling voice.

“No, but we’ll find out who he is.”

Mia leaned back and closed her eyes, her breath a ragged whisper.

He started the engine then drove to his house, a rustic log cabin on the edge of a creek. He had a security system in place and an arsenal of weapons to choose from if Jones attacked.

Mia shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself to keep from falling apart as Alex drove. She felt numb, guilty, afraid.

Angry.

God help her.

She wanted Alex to hold her in his arms where she’d be safe.

But rational thoughts urged her to run so
he
would be safe.

Seconds ticked by, tension mounting inside her as they passed another ranch and more farmland, then Alex veered onto a dirt road about a half an hour from town.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To my cabin,” Alex said.  “Hopefully Jones won’t look for you there. And if he does show up, I have a state of the art security system.”

She briefly wondered what kind of place the rugged cowboy lived in, then smiled for the first time in days when she spotted the rustic log cabin perched in the woods with the creek rippling in back.

“This is beautiful,” she said softly as he parked in his garage.

Alex shrugged, a sheepish look on his face. “It’s not fancy.”

“I had fancy,” Mia said. “I much prefer country. That’s why I chose the ranch.”

His eyes warmed, a small smile tilting his mouth as if her comment pleased him, then he climbed out and came around to help her. Mia was already pulling herself from the car, although her muscles ached and her head was throbbing.

Alex retrieved her bag from the trunk of the SUV, took her arm and led her up the porch steps. A rocking chair and porch swing dominated the front porch, gorgeous giant trees engulfing the cabin, the scent of fresh air and something sweet, maybe honeysuckle, scenting the air.

He unlocked the door, then rushed to turn off the security system, while she stood in the entry admiring the wood floors, the stone fireplace that ran from the floor to ceiling, and the paintings of landscapes and horses that decorated the walls.

“Would you like to get a shower?” he asked.

Mia nodded. “Please.” She needed the stench of that man’s hands and his sweat off of her. Needed to forget that he’d dragged her through the woods, and that if it wasn’t for Alex, she’d be in Geoff’s clutches now.

Or worse. Dead.

Then again, death would be preferable than being with Geoff.

Alex showed her to a guest room and bath with plush towels and a claw foot tub. The bedroom was homey but elegant with a handmade quilt covering a four-poster pine bed and an antique armoire in the corner.

“This is beautiful,” she said again.

He shrugged.  “I’m a simple man. I like simple things.”

Alex was anything but simple. He never talked about himself; he only took care of others. Put his life on the line every day for strangers just as he’d done for her.

And he was all man -- rugged, no nonsense, muscular, a cowboy, and …the sexiest man she’d ever met.

Her stomach fluttered with nerves, desire heating her insides. But she glanced down at her disheveled clothing, felt the blood drying in her hair and dashed into the bathroom.

What man would want her?

Other than a sick one like Geoff…

Seconds later, she slipped into a warm bubble bath and relaxed, desperate to shove thoughts of Geoff and murder and his sick twisted ways from her mind.

Instead, she imagined Alex sinking into the tub with her, and her body tingled with need.

She wanted to be with him tonight. To crawl in his bed and feel his warm arms embracing her, to feel his breath on her body, to have him make her feel alive.

Alex quickly showered while Mia soaked in the tub, then yanked on a pair of jeans and a denim shirt although he hadn’t yet buttoned it when Mia appeared from the guestroom.

Her hair was damp and lay in soft tendrils around her face. She’d pulled on a thick terry cloth robe and looked clean and fresh and …relaxed.

Until he looked into her eyes. The old fear was there, haunting her, the night’s events weighing on her.

“You don’t deserve this,” he said softly.

“Maybe I do for being swayed by Geoff in the first place.”

“He hurt a lot of people,” Alex said, forcing himself not to frighten her by touching her. “But I don’t want you to think about him tonight.”

She fiddled with her hair, then walked to the picture window overlooking his backyard. Woods, the creek, the natural beauty was so scenic it looked peaceful, like a postcard.

Of course, the woods were also the perfect place a predator could hide.

“Geoff doesn’t know where you are, Mia.” He walked up behind her, saw their reflections in the glass, recognized her wariness. And a hint of relief that she could take a break from the terror her ex husband had instilled.

God, she looked so damn beautiful that his chest tightened, straining for a breath.

He couldn’t resist. He lifted one hand and touched a strand of her hair, then brushed it back and closed his arms around her.

She sighed deeply and leaned against him, a heartfelt agonized sound, then turned in his arms and gazed up at him. Hunger, need, desire…passion replaced the fear he’d seen earlier.

Unable to let the moment pass or resist, he lowered his head and closed his lips over hers.

C
HAPTER
T
WELVE

Mia clung to Alex, savoring the sweet seductive allure of his mouth against hers.

She had been alone for so long.

Always terrified and looking over her shoulder. And just when she’d finally found peace, Geoff was back torturing her. Killing innocents to punish her for leaving him and testifying against him.

He would never stop hunting for her, never let her go.

“Don’t think about him,” Alex whispered in a hoarse voice against her ear.

“I can’t help it,” Mia murmured. “I want to forget about him, but he won’t let me.”

“I know it’s hard, Mia.” Alex kissed her again, slow and tender, achingly passionate. “But you’re safe. I’m holding you, and nothing else matters right now.”

A myriad of contradictory emotions pummeled her. Mia dug her fingers into his arms, willing herself to pull away for his safety. Willing him to hold her tighter and never release her. “I wish that were true.”

“It is.” Alex massaged the base of her neck with one hand. “For tonight, it’s just you and me here alone.” He claimed her lips again. “Just the two of us.”