Aweek later, JP was able to move back to his own house. Jude enjoyed not being so tied down, but he admitted he’d gotten used to having his big brother around. Although the circumstances were obviously not what they would have chosen, living together for a couple of weeks had given them a chance to reconnect after having JP out of the country for so long.
It had also resulted in me spending way more time with JP than I otherwise would have.
I genuinely liked him and wished I knew what had happened between him and Myla. I’d mentioned her one evening, saying I was excited that her TDY was due to end in another week or so, and I was hoping she’d come for a visit soon after that.
JP wasn’t expecting that and for a brief moment his expression was completely unguarded. The pain in his eyes was raw and deep, and even though he quickly looked away and changed the subject, I was more convinced than ever that there was as much unresolved emotion on his part as on Myla’s.
I didn’t mention her again after that, but I sure hoped they could one day talk and find some closure. Or….maybe even find something else. Something they’d lost. It would be so incredible to have Myla come home to stay.
I spent most evenings at Jude’s house now that we didn’t have to worry about bothering JP. His appliances had been installed, and I loved cooking in his beautiful kitchen, especially when he helped.
My security system had also been installed, and although I still wasn’t worried about Abigail, me having the latest and greatest system made Jude feel better.
As far as work, things seemed to have settled down with the team. We won a big new contract, and that had done Ian a world of good. He was actively looking for someone to replace Abigail, and I’d decided to stay put, at least until the new person was up to speed.
Ian had still seen no virtual signs of Abigail, but we both knew it was way too soon to relax.
As for me personally, I’d almost forgotten what life had been like before my move to Hidden Creek. I still talked to my mom a couple times a week, and my sisters and I texted pretty regularly, but I felt like I was in my own little world, with a completely new set of people in my life.
Jude. Chase and Hannah. Jude’s family. My group of church ladies. Meredith and the other volunteers at the rec center. It was a big change for me, but I was loving it.
I was also completely in love with Jude Keller, and it was getting harder to hold it in. I said those three words so often in my own head when I was with him that it was only a matter of time before I just blurted it out without meaning to. Which wouldn’t be completely terrible. I didn’t care if he knew how I felt, it’s just that I didn’t want him to feel pressured to say the words back to me if he wasn’t quite there yet.
I’d gone to Jude’s church with him on Sunday, and I had to admit it gave Hidden Creek Methodist a run for its money. It also resulted in seven phone calls the next day, from my girls. Each call was spaced an hour apart, and I was pretty sure that was by design. Priscilla had probably provided each of them with a schedule.
I admitted to each of the ladies that I’d gone to Horizons with Jude, but I would be back at Hidden Creek Methodist the next Sunday, as usual. Of course, they wondered if Jude would be with me, and I told them I honestly didn’t know, as we had yet to discuss it.
On the following Saturday, I was kind of at loose ends. Jude had left early in the morning for an out-of-town trip with several other people from Owens Construction. The company was bidding on a large project for a nearby university and they needed to check out another campus that had a building similar to what they were proposing. They’d left from the Hidden Creek office, and Jude hoped to get back in time to come over for a while in the evening.
I’d told him any time before midnight was fine with me. I’d also baked a pan of blonde brownies, because Jude had a sweet tooth and I enjoyed feeding it.
I’d just finished eating a sandwich for supper when a call from Donna came in. I figured she was either calling to make sure I hadn’t changed my mind about church the next morning or to see if I wanted to join her and Rosie for their evening walk. Maybe both.
Since I was still planning to go to the Methodist church, and I wouldn’t mind a nice walk to pass the time, I answered.
“Ava, dear, Rosie and I are running a little late, but if you’re up for a walk we’d love to have you join us.”
“I’d love to,” I said readily. “What time will you ladies be passing by?”
“About fifteen minutes.”
“Perfect. I’ll be waiting for you on the trail.”
“All rightie. See you soon, dear.”
I changed into shorts, T-shirt, and sneakers, then went outside and through the Owens’ yard to the woods. The walking trail was deserted as far as I could see, which I’d found was often the case. It was surprising that such a nice outdoor activity wasn’t utilized more.
At least Donna and Rosie put it to good use.
I didn’t bother stretching while I waited, as I’d learned that walking with those two didn’t require it. Instead I leaned up against a tree and enjoyed the nice evening. The lingering warmth in the air, the fresh piney smell of the woods.
I watched as a squirrel scurried up a tree across the trail, then ran along a branch and jumped into the neighboring tree.
I let out a contented sigh. It was so peaceful and calm out here. I looked forward to the walk with my gals, and then hopefully some time with Jude later on—if he got back in time. I smiled at the thought. I loved that man so much.
The squirrel reappeared in the first tree and started back down the trunk, only to startle and scamper up and away, leaves rustling in its wake. A shadow behind the tree moved, and a split second later I caught the scent of cigarette smoke carried on a light wisp of breeze, replacing the pine I’d been enjoying.
I wrinkled my nose. It wasn’t the smell of fresh smoke—it was the stale, rancid mix of smoke and body odor that clung to smokers’ clothing when it wasn’t laundered often enough.
I slowly pushed away from the tree I’d been leaning against, my whole body tensing up. Somehow, I sensed that whatever—whoever—was behind that tree was an ominous presence. All thoughts of the pleasant evening fled as my heart completely stopped for a beat. When it started again, it thudded so hard I could feel it beating in my ears.
I was poised to turn and run when a man stepped out of the shadows, smiling at me like I was just who he’d been waiting for. But although his lips were curved upward, his eyes were cold. The iciest blue I’d ever seen.
I stared at him as he slowly crossed the trail toward me, and I suddenly realized I’d seen that shade of icy blue before…..rimmed in thick black liner, goth-style.
My stomach dropped to my toes and I knew I was in trouble.
“Well, well, well, we finally meet,” he drawled. He was trying to appear casual, but I could tell he was totally alert, anticipating any sudden moves on my part. “It’s about time you showed up, Ava Milton. You haven’t gone for a run in three days. Don’t you think you need more activity than that? Desk jobs are real killers, you know.”
He raised his brows, waiting for a response, but fear had closed my throat. I knew this man was related to Abigail, probably a brother because the resemblance was so strong. Except, where Abigail was petite and soft, this guy was tall and, although not exactly buff, he was a lot bigger and stronger than me. I guessed him to be a few years younger than Abigail, and I wondered if his unwashed, thuggish appearance hid an intelligence equal to hers.
“You don’t speak, Ava?” he asked sarcastically. “Abby neglected to tell me that.”
I didn’t give him the satisfaction of a reply. I just watched him carefully, trying to get a good read on him. He was dressed in jeans that had seen better days and a dark brown hoodie, even though it was still really warm out. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, and unlike Abigail, his arms were free of tattoos. As I watched, he raised his right arm slightly, the inside of his wrist rubbing a spot at his waistline. It seemed like a reflexive movement, one he’d done so many times before it had become habit, and I suddenly realized why.
Beneath the hoodie was a slight bulge that could only be a gun.
I quickly looked up at his face and his eyes narrowed, cold and sinister. He knew I’d seen the telling bulge, but he didn’t appear to care. He rubbed his hands together slowly.
“I’m more than a little ticked off, Ava,” he growled. “I saw you come for a run here on Wednesday and figured you’d be right back at it the next day. So I came back and waited, thinking this would be easier than trying to get past that fancy security system in your house. Then you got lazy and left me sitting out here for three evenings of nothing. Just hiding from the old ladies and dog walkers.”
His smile warmed then, but not in a good way. “I’m looking on the bright side, though. You’re here now, and I had plenty of time to plan out exactly how this is gonna go.”
I swallowed hard, my heart still racing. I glanced to the right and then the left, but the trail was deserted.
The man came another step closer and looked me up and down.
“Guess we can finally get this show on the road,” he went on, no longer waiting for me to reply. “You’ve been a thorn in my sister’s side for a long, long time, ya know?” He cocked his head. “Funny, I thought you’d look a little more like the devil and a lot less like an angel, but Abby never was good at descriptions. And the picture she sent me was pretty bad.”
I suppressed a shiver and tried to push aside my panic so I could focus. I needed a plan, but all I could think about at the moment was that Jude had been right to insist Abigail was dangerous. I’d been so sure she wouldn’t come here herself, and I was right about that. But I should have considered the possibility of her sending someone else to do her dirty work.
“Here’s the thing, angel,” the man said. “My big sister wants to…. talk to you. She wants it real bad, and she asked me nicely to come fetch you for her. So that’s what I’m gonna do. You and me are gonna walk out of here nice and quiet, all the way to my car down the street. If we meet anyone, we’re just two good friends out for a quiet stroll, ya know?” His mouth twisted cruelly. “You might be tempted to scream or otherwise sound the alarm, but I wouldn’t advise that. Abby wants you delivered alive and well, so if anyone shows up and tries to help you get away, it’s them I’m gonna shoot, not you. And I’m sure a nice girl like you won’t want that on your conscience, am I right? Oh, and I have a beauty of a silencer on my gun, so getting me to take a shot isn’t going to bring anyone rushing to your rescue.”
My mind was slowly starting to work again, and the knowledge that he didn’t want to shoot me—yet—gave me courage. He might be bigger and stronger, but I was pretty sure I could run faster and longer. Without warning I bolted to the right, intending to dodge through the trees and run to the trailhead down from my house. If I could make it out to the street, maybe someone would see him chasing me and call 911.
My simple plan might have succeeded, only there was a thick vine twining around the tree I’d been standing by, and my toe caught on it right where it came out of the ground. I fell hard and then scrambled to get up, but I only made it to my knees before he was there, his feet planted right in front of me, his hand wrapping tightly around a thick swatch of my hair and jerking it.
“Oops,” he said, his laugh taunting. “Guess you didn’t see that coming.” He jerked again. “Get up, and for the record, if you try that again, I don’t mind taking you to Abby a little banged up. In fact, I’d prefer it. Give me a reason, angel. Just give me a reason.”
His voice had gone higher and when I looked up at him, his eyes were gleaming with anticipation. When he said he wouldn’t mind hurting me, he meant it.
“Wait!” The paralysis left my throat and the word came out loud and shrill. All I could think about now was what they stressed at every self-defense class. Never, ever, ever get in the car with your captor. Once he has you there, your chance of survival becomes almost nil.
His brows shot up and he pulled on my hair again, forcing me to my feet. “She speaks!” he said dryly. “But, no, we aren’t waiting, angel—this is already taking too long. Get a move on. And remember, nice and friendly. We’re just pals takin’ a nice walk through the woods.”
“No one’s going to think friendly when they see you yanking on my hair,” I ground out, raising my hands to try to pry his away.
He let go but clamped it over my right shoulder like a claw. “Watch yourself, angel. I can do a lot of damage if I get a mind to.”
I tried to pull from his painful grasp, and as I did I caught a flash of fuchsia between some trees, just beyond where the trail took a sharp curve. A terrible dread hit me when I realized it had to be Rosie and Donna coming to meet me. In about thirty feet we’d round the curve and they’d be fully visible.
I couldn’t let that happen. They’d never buy the “taking a walk with a friend” thing, and the man seemed all too eager to put his silenced gun to use. I wasn’t going to risk it.
I spoke loudly, praying the sound would carry and that the ladies’ hearing aids would pick it up. I also made sure to sound as panicked as I could, hoping it would appeal to his need to intimidate so he wouldn’t notice the volume.
“I’m coming, okay? I’m coming with you! You don’t need the gun!” I hoped and prayed the ladies heard the word gun so they knew to run the other way and go for help. In case they hadn’t, I repeated it, even more loudly. “There’s no one here! You don’t need the gun!”
“Shut up!” he growled, then he swore, his face ugly with rage. I cried out when he backhanded me across the mouth, but I didn’t lose my focus. I used the blow as an excuse to fall to the ground, allowing me to stall in order to give the women more time to get away. I stayed on my hands and knees, my head down, pretending to sob while I prayed as hard as I could for the safety of my friends.
“Get up!” He yanked at my hair again, furious at my unexpected breakdown. I cowered and made my sobbing even louder. My brain was zeroed in now, and I wasn’t above using every tactic I could think of to get out of this without anyone getting hurt. The crying and cowering might be mostly fake, but the guy didn’t know that. All he saw was a panicked, out-of-control girl.
He kicked my hip. It wasn’t a hard blow, just enough to try to jar me out of my hysteria.
“Get up!” he snarled. “Geez, I can’t believe Abby saw you as a threat. You’ve got the backbone of a jellyfish.”
I grabbed my hair below his hand to stop him pulling on it. “I can’t get up if you keep hitting me,” I wailed. I was really getting into my role now, and I rocked forward, my forehead near the ground. “And….and jellyfish don’t even have backbones!” I added, as if I was completely losing my mind from the terror.
“Exactly, you stupid wench,” he said, disbelief in his voice. “Geez, one little smack and you turn into a bawling idiot.” He kicked me in the same spot, considerably harder this time. “Shut up and get up, angel, or I’ll tell Abby she can screw it and I’ll put you out of your misery right now.”
I raised my head enough to see through the trees again. No color and no movement—that was good. I pushed slowly to my feet.
“Don’t hurt me,” I keened, wrapping my arms around my middle. “I’ll come with you, just don’t hurt me.”
He was so livid his face was scarlet. He had no idea what to do with a girl he couldn’t control due to a freak-out.
I suspected he was beginning to feel some panic of his own as he looked up and down the trail. This was taking too long and he knew it. Someone could come along at any moment.
I had to play it smart now. It appeared Donna and Rosie had been successfully scared into running away, so I needed to quiet down before my sounds of distress lured in any other unsuspecting Good Samaritans. With the man as worked up as he was, he’d probably be even more trigger-happy.
I couldn’t be loud anymore, but I still needed to stall for time. I pretended to take several deep, gasping breaths in an effort to calm down my overwrought self.
“Okay, okay,” I moaned between breaths. “I’m going to shut up. I’ll come with you. Just—just give me a minute. I feel like I’m going to pass out.”
I reached out and grabbed a tree, pretending to sway. “I just hafta breathe. I’m so dizzy. Hafta….breathe.”
His voice shook with anger. “If you aren’t moving in two seconds you’re going to have a lot more than being dizzy to worry about.”
I pressed a hand to my forehead and looked over just in time to see him raising his hand to show me he was serious about that threat. I ducked my head and dodged the worst of it, getting a glancing blow across the top of my head.
“Okay, I’m coming,” I groaned, holding both my head and my stomach now and taking baby steps onto the trail. “I don’t know why you’re doing this. I didn’t do anything. Abigail thinks I was after Ian but I wasn’t. Please believe me. They didn’t break up because of me.”
He shoved me, which was a dumb move because it gave me a chance to fall again. It took more quiet sobbing and another hard kick before he got me up again.
“I didn’t do anything,” I insisted again. “You’re doing this for nothing.”
“Shut up! Just shut up!” He swore, looking furtively behind us. “Wipe your mouth. It’s bleeding and if we meet someone they’re going to get nosey.”
I made a show of wiping my mouth with my shirt, which made him swear yet again because the blood was bright red on the white fabric.
“Not with that!” he said through clenched teeth.
“But I don’t have anything else!” I cried, sobbing again, hoping he didn’t notice I hadn’t yet managed to produce tears.
“Oh for—” He broke off and grabbed my arm, dragging me off the trail into the trees. He was panting now, worked up and sweating, trying to regroup.
“This should have been so freaking easy,” he growled, his fingers digging painfully into my arm. “Now we’re gonna have to wait for dark, when I know for sure we aren’t going to run into anyone.” His eyes narrowed and he honestly looked like he wanted to kill me. “If you make so much as a peep—” he warned. He didn’t give me the consequence, but he got his point across.
Since I’d succeeded in getting exactly what I’d wanted—time—I nodded and followed him deeper into the woods. Surely Donna and Rosie had called for help by now. Soon there would be sheriff’s deputies combing the woods, right?
We stopped behind a large pine tree and he finally let go of my arm. The bruises were already showing and I rubbed it, cowering again, trying to figure out how to lead the deputies to us without risking them getting shot. How much longer before they’d get there? Ten minutes? Fifteen? Surely no longer than that.
The man was still in a rage, his hands on his hips as he glared at me. I backed up and turned to the side as if I couldn’t face him, when I really just wanted a better view of our surroundings.
As it happened, I turned just in time to see a blur of violet erupt from a cluster of trees, coming in hot, preceded by a large, leafy branch held aloft like a javelin. A loud, warbling, war-cry accompanied the charge; it was probably meant to be intimidating, but instead it served as a warning to the man. He pivoted, bringing his arms up to protect his face as he jumped back, eluding the brunt of the thrust.
It ended with both him and Donna going down hard, her glasses askew and barely hanging onto the tip of her nose. She looked so startled and dazed it broke my heart. I ran and dropped to my knees beside her, shielding her as the man rose up, his fury evident in every tense line of his body.
His hand went to his waistband and I froze, watching in horror as he pulled out the gun the fall hadn’t managed to displace.
“Don’t hurt her,” I said, so surprised by what had just happened that I forgot to keep up my terrified-girl façade. My words came out more as a succinct demand than a desperate plea, and he noticed. Maybe he was a little brighter than I thought.
His eyes narrowed to gleaming slits. “Playing me for a fool, huh, angel?” he bit out. “All that sniveling around—you’re gonna regret that. Starting with your friend here.”
My terror was suddenly all too real. “No, please.” I tried to cover as much of Donna as possible with my own body. “She’ll stay right here. We can tie her up and take her phone. Just, please, don’t hurt her. I’ll go wherever you want me to go and I won’t make a sound. I promise.”
Donna began struggling under my hold. “Let me up, Ava. We can take him together—” She broke off when she got her head up far enough to see the gun. “Oh, dear Heavenly Father,” she murmured fervently, “watch over us, your helpless children.”
“It’s okay, Donna,” I soothed, making sure I stayed between her and the gun as she sat up. I met the man’s gaze hopefully. “Can we just go? I’m not going to cause anymore trouble and I won’t make any noise.”
“That’s right, you won’t,” he snarled, “because you’re going to be shocked silent.”
Without warning he stepped to the side, pointing the gun right at Donna.
“Noooo!” I screamed, flinging myself sideways to cover her again, just as something crashed through the brush behind the man, startling him. His gun arm swung wild as he whirled around, and my terror level hit a whole new high as I watched Jude launch himself at the man.
He went down under Jude’s weight and momentum, but he somehow retained his grasp on the gun. I saw him bringing it up as Jude braced one hand on the man’s chest and brought his other fist back, preparing for a lights-out blow.
The powerful hit connected just as the pfffft of the silenced gun sounded. I was motionless, my jaw slack as I tried to comprehend what had just happened.
The man was out cold. Jude was still over him, breathing heavily, as if he’d been running through the woods full speed to get here in time. Which he probably had been. He raised his head and his beautiful blue eyes met mine. His lips tilted up in a crooked smile that ended in a grimace.
He put a hand to his side and it came away shiny red. The sight of his blood punched through my frozen state and I scrambled over to him, hanging onto my composure by a thread.
“Oh no, oh Jude, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” I mumbled, pressing my own hand to the spreading redness on his shirt, applying pressure. “Donna, do you have your phone? We have to call 911. Please, call 911.”
“Hey, babe, calm down.” Jude’s big hand came down over mine. “I’m okay. I don’t think it hit anything vital. I’m going to be fine.”
My tears were all too real now. “You don’t know that,” I said. “Oh my word, he actually shot you. I can’t believe he shot you.”
Jude continued to press his hand over mine, helping to keep the pressure on the wound as he crawled off the man.
“Don’t try to stand,” I begged, then noticed there was even more blood on the back of his shirt than the front. Of course—the exit wound.
I stripped off my T-shirt, not even caring that I was down to a white sports bra. I folded the shirt into a small square and pushed it against Jude’s back.
“Donna, did you call?” I asked impatiently. “We need help here.”
“She doesn’t have to call,” Jude said gently, calmly. “Help will be here any minute. Rosie called 911 before she found me waiting for you on your front porch.”
As soon as the words were out, I heard the wonderful sounds of sirens, lots of them, and they were closing in fast. The adrenaline that had spiked at the gunshot now drained quickly away, leaving me limp and shaking.
Jude tried to comfort me, but I shook my head angrily, trying to stop my trembling. “I’m fine, you’re the one who’s shot! I’m so sorry, Jude, you were right about Abigail all along and I wouldn’t listen, and now look what happened.”
I felt a steady hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Donna leaning over us. “There, there, Ava dear. Jude’s going to be just fine. He has to be, because he saved my life and I need him to stick around so I can give him a proper thank you.”
Jude chuckled and it was the best sound I’d ever heard. “I look forward to that, Donna, although we’ll never know if he was really going to shoot you. He might not have shot me, either, if I wouldn’t have taken him by surprise.”
“Oh, he was going to shoot,” the woman said emphatically. “I saw it in his eyes.”
“Could be.” Jude winced as I increased the pressure on his back due to the bright red blood that was starting to seep around the edges of the shirt. “Donna, maybe you should walk back out to the trail and direct the deputies and EMTs to where we are,” he suggested. “I don’t want them to have to fan out through the whole woods looking for us.”
Donna, seeming no worse for wear, eagerly accepted that task and set off through the trees.
Jude looked at my would-be abductor to make sure he was still out, then switched his gaze to me, one dark brow raised. “I take it Abigail sent him?”
I nodded. “He’s her brother. He never got around to telling me his name, but he was here to get me and take me to her. He said she wanted to talk to me.”
“I’ll bet she wanted more than that,” Jude said grimly, his free hand coming up to cradle my head. “We won’t think about that now, though. You’re okay, and that’s all that matters.”
My tears started flowing again. “It’s not all that matters. You got shot, Jude, and if I’d listened to you and been more careful, it wouldn’t have happened.”
“You don’t know that,” he said softly. He shifted his weight and couldn’t quite hide another wince. “The end result is that we have this guy, and if the deputies can convince him to talk, we’ve got a good shot at getting Abigail, too. Then she’ll get what she has coming and it’ll be over. No more loose ends.”
I wanted to sink into him and feel his strong arms around me, but instead all I felt was his warm blood seeping through my fingers. How could he be so calm and rational when he’d been shot?
“You’re bleeding a lot, Jude. What’s taking so long?”
He was squinting over my shoulder. “I think I see Donna out there jumping up and down and waving her arms, so I’m guessing they’re close.”
They were. Two minutes later, Donna and I were standing back out of the way while a pair of EMTs worked on Jude and three sheriff’s deputies surrounded the shooter, who was now handcuffed and slowly coming to.
He didn’t look nearly as threatening with glazed eyes, a badly swollen jaw, and his hands immobilized, but I remembered the way he’d looked before Jude’s arrival all too well. Especially his expression when he’d been about to shoot Donna.
One of the EMTs, whose uniform shirt proclaimed him to be Adam, approached me.
“Ma’am, we’re going to stretcher him to the ambulance, which we parked right at the edge of the woods. He’s lost some blood, but it looks like a clean in-and-out shot to me. They’ll do tests at the hospital to make sure no organs were compromised.”
I looked at Jude. He was pale, but still alert and now talking to a deputy. He was the strongest, most incredible man I’d ever known. I knew he’d saved not only Donna’s life, but ultimately mine as well.
I watched as Adam and one of the deputies carefully lifted the stretcher and started through the woods. Donna and I fell in behind them, holding tightly to each others’ hands. I smiled gratefully when we cleared the woods and one of the sheriff’s deputies went to his car and came back with a black T-shirt for me to wear.
“Do you want to ride along?” EMT Adam asked kindly as they loaded the stretcher into the ambulance.
“Try to stop me,” I replied softly.