Wickingham Way (A Harbour Falls Mystery #3) (12 page)

Chapter Fourteen

H
ours after catching Adam in the jewelry store—signing a receipt for something contained within a black velvet ring box—I was flying high.

Adam is going to propose
, I singsonged to myself as I finished making dinner.

I pictured how it all might go down as I plated grilled chicken breasts.

I imagined Adam getting down on bended knee and asking me to marry him. A flurry of excitement coursed through me. Would Adam wine and dine me first? Would he whisk me away to somewhere exotic and then propose?

The possibilities were endless and I couldn’t begin to guess, but a part of me kind of hoped he’d keep it simple. I liked the old-fashioned bended-knee part of things, but I had no need for fancy foods or exotic locales as a preface to a proposal from the man I loved. Adam’s presence alone was enough to impress me. Additionally, some of the best times spent with my guy were ones where we just hung out together, totally relaxed and being ourselves.

I poured a white wine Adam had brought over from his collection on Fade Island. And as I set the bottle on the table, I heard the man I was always thinking of opening the front door.

Adam was home.

Since I wasn’t supposed to have seen the velvet ring box, I pushed all thoughts of proposal from my mind. Putting on my best poker face, I busied myself with straightening the flatware at the place settings on the table.

“Hey, beautiful,” Adam said as he strode into the kitchen, looking as debonair as when I’d caught him earlier in the jewelry store.

He was still dressed in the same exquisitely tailored, charcoal gray suit, and, damn, the man was
gorgeous
.

I turned back to the flatware in an effort to stay on task, but when I felt Adam come up behind me, I leaned back into his powerful chest.

“Adam,” I murmured, closing my eyes and letting myself go as I inhaled his delightfully masculine scent.

Trailing tender kisses along my neck, he asked huskily, “Can dinner wait?”

I spun so we were facing one another. Adam cupped my face in his hands, and I nodded into his warm fingers that yes, dinner could definitely wait. The chicken breasts could easily be reheated, and the salad I’d prepared as an accompaniment would stay fresh for hours.

With a sexy smirk, Adam leaned down and kissed me fully on the mouth. Neither of us mentioned the jewelry store. In fact, we did very little talking at all. Adam scooped me up in his capable arms and carried me up to the bedroom.

Clothes were hastily discarded, and foreplay was quick and frantic, but as Adam pushed me back onto the bed, he slowed our hungry and needy groping.

“I love you, Maddy,” he whispered as he held my gaze and entered me slowly.

Slowly, but so fucking skillfully.

I moaned on a particularly toe-curling stroke and murmured my own declaration of love. Our love-making continued, until we found release. Afterward, I lay in Adam’s arms, blissed out and happy. But I sensed Adam was distracted, distracted in a way that had nothing to do with my having run in to him in the jewelry store.

“Is everything all right?” I asked as I snuggled deeper into his hold.

Adam glanced down at me, and in a far from lighthearted tone, he said, “Maddy, I didn’t want to mention it earlier, but I received word a few hours ago that Ruslan was spotted not far from Harbour Falls.”

Ah, now things made sense.

No wonder Adam had been so ready to get physical with me. Danger always heightened our desire for one another. But this was bad news.

I swallowed hard. This meant Ruslan was alive.

“Where was he seen?” I softly queried.

Adam twined his fingers in my hair. “West of Harbour Falls, leaving Harbourtown.”

Shit.
“That’s less than an hour away from here,” I lamented.

“I know,” Adam whispered.

“Who spotted him? And how’d he get away?”

I exhaled harshly when Adam shared with me that the agent who’d spotted Ruslan had been shot when he tried to approach the dangerous man.

“Oh my God.” I sat up abruptly, and the sheet covering me fell to my waist. “Is the agent okay? It wasn’t Erin, was it?”

Adam coaxed me back down to him. “No, it wasn’t Erin, Maddy.” My heart beat wildly as I laid my head on his shoulder.

“And yes, the agent who was shot will be okay. But I think, all things considered, we should relocate.”

I looked up at Adam. “Again? Do we have to?”

It felt as if I’d spent the past few months settling into new places, only to be uprooted time and time again.

Adam smiled sadly. “I’m afraid so, Maddy.”

I sighed, resigned. “Back to the safe house, then?”

Adam confirmed that the safe house was our best option.

Trying to remain positive, I said, “Well, at least Helena and Nate are still there. That’ll be fun. I’m sure they’re getting bored out there all by themselves.”

“Yeah,” Adam distractedly agreed. “I know Nate and Helena will be glad to see us. I’ll make arrangements for Stowe or Erin to drive us out this weekend. I think Ruslan will be laying low for the time being, so we should be fine here in Harbour Falls for a few more days. That’ll give us time to pack.”

“What about Stowe and Erin?” I asked. “Will they be okay staying here in town?”

Adam chuckled. “Maddy, Stowe and Erin are both trained assassins. They’ll be fine.”

Interesting…

I knew Stowe was an assassin, but this was the first I’d heard that Erin was trained as such as well. Sure, Agent Lenehan was a force to be reckoned with—I never doubted that—but I just didn’t picture her as being
that
lethal.

“I thought Erin was just an agent for the government?” I asked Adam.

He smoothed back my hair. “She is, Madeleine. Let’s just say Agent Lenehan is a very well-trained agent.”

“How well trained?” I whispered.

“Very.”

Well, that was vague. But I didn’t question Adam any further. Hell, I’d already been made privy to loads of classified information. I was satisfied with that. I really didn’t care for details on how many “hits” funny and sweet Erin had under her belt.

But wow, I had to say, I sure felt safe knowing all these well-trained, deadly individuals had my back.

Yeah, I felt safe, secure, and protected.

Turns out, I wasn’t any of those things.

Chapter Fifteen

T
he night before Adam and I planned to leave for the safe house—
back to the deep woods of Maine,
I thought—I felt…uneasy.

Sure, everything was packed and ready to go. And arrangements had been made for Stowe to drive us out to the safe house early Saturday morning. So I should have felt okay with things. There was something nagging at me, though, some sense of foreboding. Passing it off as the jitters from having to pick up and move again, I dismissed my bad feeling.

Just settle down, Maddy,
I thought to myself as I hunkered down in the living room and contented myself with waiting for Adam to return home. But that didn’t work out very well, since, as usual, Adam was running late.

Adam had gone over to Fade Island earlier in the day to take care of some island-related business with Max. Max was recovering nicely from the gunshot wound he’d sustained but not quite enough to resume his duties of keeping Adam Ward safe and sound. Consequently, until Max was back to 100 percent, he was picking up some light duties and filling in for the absent Nate Jackson by taking care of the day-to-day island business and all that entailed.

Why Adam needed to venture over to the island today, I had no clue. Fade Island business was generally not all that pressing. But when I thought about it more and more, I concluded I actually did have a small inkling as to why Adam needed to go to the island. I’d overheard him talking on the phone a few nights earlier, and he’d been speaking to Max about renovating the old lighthouse located at the southeastern tip of the island. I heard Adam utter words like
repaint
and
restore
, so I was fairly certain he was having the tall structure renovated.

A further tip-off as to what Adam’s plans were had been a conversation he’d started with me last night. Adam had asked me what my thoughts were on the lighthouse.

“Do you want it torn down, Maddy?” he’d questioned. Then he’d added, “’Cause if that’s the case, then it can certainly be arranged.”

“God, no,” I’d replied. “The lighthouse is a landmark, Adam. You can’t destroy it. It’s been there since Fade Island was first settled.”

“I know, Maddy, but…” Adam sighed. “After everything that’s happened down there, I wasn’t sure how you felt about it remaining.”

True, Ami and Jennifer had trapped me in the lighthouse one night back in the fall, with the intention of offing me, just like they’d done to Chelsea Hannigan. But the things that had happened at the lighthouse on one awful night didn’t color my overall opinion of the structure.

Truth be told, I actually loved the lighthouse. The lighthouse was where Adam had first attempted to kiss me, after we’d walked down from the café one foggy evening. Those good memories—the ones I held close to my heart—far outweighed any bad ones.

“Please don’t tear it down,” I’d pleaded with Adam.

He’d nodded thoughtfully, and then said, “Okay, it can stay. But I do have a plan.”

“Oh, what’s that?” I’d leaned in to Adam and nuzzled along his jaw.

Adam had taken the opportunity to distract me, and I found out nothing more that particular evening. But the phone conversation I’d overheard—and that single discussion with Adam—led me to believe he had gone over to Fade Island to get the lighthouse renovations kicked off.

The grandfather clock in the corner of Mrs. Heider’s living room chimed. “Seven o’clock, damn,” I mumbled to myself.

Adam was still not home.

“Ugh, I am so bored,” I complained out loud as I leaned my head back on the sofa.

Just then my cell buzzed.

I glanced at the screen.
Adam.
Thank God.

“Where are you?” I asked without preamble.

Adam laughed. “That’s how you answer the phone, Madeleine? I’m thinking someone must be feeling restless.”

He knew me so well.

“I am,” I confirmed. “Where are you?”

“Well, the ferry just docked down at Cove Beach. I should be home in less than an hour.”

“Another hour?” I lamented, frustrated at the prospect of more downtime.

Then, I suddenly had a brainstorm. “Hey, what if I meet you in Harbour Falls? We can eat dinner in town. I didn’t make anything here since I didn’t know what time you’d be back. And you must be hungry, right? Lord knows I’m famished.”

Adam chuckled a little and confirmed he was indeed hungry, but then he grew quiet. I knew he was probably about to veto my idea of eating out. He’d been especially protective of me the past few days, ever since news of Ruslan’s reappearance near Harbourtown had surfaced. Adam was being so cautious, in fact, that I’d only been permitted to visit with Erin next door. Other than those couple of forays to my neighbor’s abode, I’d remained holed up in the house. As a result, I was feeling more than a touch stir-crazy at the moment.

“Please, Adam,” I pleaded when I sensed he was about to nix my proposal. “Nothing’s going to happen. I’m sure Ruslan is staying as far away from this area as he can, especially after almost being apprehended.”

Adam sighed and, to my delight, relented. “Okay, Maddy,” he said, “but come straight to my Harbour Falls office. I’ll meet you outside the front entrance in half an hour. We can decide where we want to eat then, all right?”

I happily agreed and disconnected with Adam. I grabbed up my car keys from the little table in the entry hall, and then I was off.

*

Adam was right where he said he’d be, waiting for me out in front of his Harbour Falls office. It was dark, though, and I couldn’t be sure he saw me when I gave him a little wave. In any case, I felt sure he’d recognize my maroon BMW, especially when I parked close by. I was directly in front of his Escalade, in fact.

After I got out of my car and hit the lock button on the key fob, I took a moment to glance around and assess my surroundings. Having spent so much time lately around Adam, Stowe, and Erin, I found myself thinking these days much as they did—always assess the area you’re in, check for threats, and remain on the lookout for irregularities.

If I’d been this savvy back when I was investigating the Harbour Falls mystery, I might not have made so many mistakes, or miscalculated so much. Maybe Jimmy would never have ended up dead; and then maybe I wouldn’t have found myself under suspicion for murder. One thing for sure, I certainly would have never allowed myself to be duped by a forged note that resulted in me being trapped down at the lighthouse by two crazed women.

But those things were in the past. I’d learned a lot since then; I’d changed.

I blew out a breath and had just stepped away from the side of my car when a vehicle driving by—very slowly—drew my attention.

I quickly noted the details: large sedan, black-tinted windows. Not the kind of car that typically cruised down the streets of Harbour Falls on a Friday evening. I found it odd, yes, but I dismissed my concern when I heard Adam call out my name.

I tightened the belt on my jacket and hurried over to where Adam stood, waiting for me on the sidewalk. Adam was dressed casually—faded jeans and a dark green shirt. I had to smile. Typical Adam, he was still all hot and put together, even when dressed down.

I greeted my man with a chaste peck to the cheek that he, with a slant of his head, turned into a full-on kiss. Within seconds a steamy make-out session was underway. It didn’t matter, as the streets of Harbour Falls were more or less empty. Sure, a few cars drove by, but most of the storefronts were dark, closed up for the night. Some of the intermittent restaurants and coffee shops were open and brightly lit, but the sidewalks around us were still empty.

I let out a little moan, and Adam pulled me close to his body, kissing me with abandon.

When our make-out session finally cooled to a simmer, Adam, arms still around me, leaned back. “Well, hello there, Madeleine.”

“Hello back at you, Mr. Ward.” I giggled, and added, “Guess we better go eat before we end up completely sidetracked, eh?”

“Probably a good idea.” Adam nodded. “So where should we eat dinner? Have any suggestions?”

We began to walk to where the cars were parked. “Actually I do have a thought,” I said. “Do you want to try out that new fusion-cuisine restaurant? I heard it’s really good, and it’s only a couple of blocks from here.”

“That works for me,” Adam replied as he unlocked the doors to his Escalade.

I paused at the curb. “We can just walk there, Adam. It’s just a few roads over.”

Adam frowned.

I knew he didn’t like the idea of walking to the restaurant, leaving us exposed like that. But I hated the thought of climbing back into one of our vehicles.

“Please, Adam,” I pressed. “It’s such a nice evening for a walk.”

After what appeared to be a moment of deliberation, Adam gave in. He snatched up my hand, and we started in the direction of the new restaurant.

“Thank you,” I murmured as I leaned into him.

“Maddy, Maddy,” he sighed.

Traffic was light, so when I caught sight of the same car—black sedan, tinted windows—that had driven by when I’d been parking my car I drew in a quick breath.

Adam glanced over at me. “Everything all right?” he questioned.

“I think so.”

But I wasn’t sure, so I asked, “Did you see that car before?” I pointed to the red taillights of the black sedan, now in the distance, as it turned onto a side road.

Adam squinted. “I don’t think so,” he replied. “Why?”

“Well, I saw a dark car exactly like that one right after I parked. I think it might have been the same car.”

The ever-cautious Mr. Ward tensed. “Maddy, you should have said something right away. You know we have to be careful.”

“I know…and I’m sorry.”

Adam flipped up the snap of the holster that held in place the firearm at his waist. I didn’t want to cause any undue concern, so I told Adam that though the two cars were similar, I couldn’t be
completely
certain they were one and the same.

Still, Adam insisted we return to where we’d parked. He said we’d have to forget about dinner in town, and just eat at home instead. “In fact,” he continued, “I want you to drive home with me. Leave your car. We’ll pick it up tomorrow.”

“But we’re leaving for the safe house in the morning,” I reminded him.

Adam swore and raked his fingers through his hair. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll make arrangements for Erin to pick your car up while Stowe is driving us out to the safe house.”

“Okay.” I nodded as we turned back.

I really wished we could still try out the new restaurant, maybe grab a takeout order at the very least, but I knew not to press the issue. Ruslan could very easily be behind the wheel of the dark mystery car with the tinted windows. Hell, he’d been spotted a couple of days earlier not far from where we were right now. And I certainly didn’t want to hang around long enough for Adam to end up hurt…or worse.

My hand was still entwined with Adam’s, so when he picked up the pace, I had to as well. His long strides gave me no choice, and we began to walk faster and faster. We were moving so quickly, in fact, that I almost stumbled when we ground to a stop at a red light at a cross street.

There was no traffic, though, so we stepped out onto the road.

And that was when all hell broke loose.

When we were halfway across the street, the black sedan came into view. It was somehow only yards away. The bright headlights were blinding, causing both Adam and me to freeze in the middle of the street.

Only seconds were elapsing, but each one felt more like a drawn-out minute.

Seemingly in slow motion, I screamed, “Adam, watch out.”

As the words left my mouth, Adam shoved me up to the sidewalk.

I was out of danger. I was safe.

But the man I loved remained in danger. Adam was still partially on the street. And the black car was bearing down on him at a high rate of speed.

I glanced at Adam, and he shook his head at me. “Don’t do anything stupid,” his expression was saying.

Feeling helpless, I watched as the car approached, faster and faster. Adam drew his gun, but what would it matter? He was about to be run down.

I thought of all the choices I’d made since returning to Harbour Falls. I thought of the lies I’d told Adam in the past. Sure, I’d long since come clean, but I supposed a part of me would always feel guilty for lying so much.

So, at that very second, I knew what I had to do, what was required of me to make amends for my former selfish behavior.

I had to save Adam.

And the only way to do that was to sacrifice myself.

But, for Adam, I could be selfless.

I stepped back out onto the road, and with every ounce of strength I had, I shoved Adam Ward out of the path of the oncoming vehicle.

It was no easy task, but since I’d caught him off-guard—focused on the car heading toward him—I was successful in pushing him off-balance. Just a touch, but in the time it took for him to recover, he remained out of the path of danger.

I, unfortunately, remained right the hell in that path.

The impact came quickly, knocking me off my feet and knocking the wind out of my lungs. My left shoulder burned like a fire had been ignited in my veins. I was sure my arm was dislocated, as it seemed to sustain the brunt of the impact.

In what still felt like slow-motion, my head hit the pavement.

And that was when everything went dark.