Jax sat up in the bed so quickly that he saw the gun in Sam’s hand flash toward him. Then she lowered the weapon, and he knew she’d been reacting to his sudden movement.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” he said.

“Why?”

“He’s coming.” As he spoke, he pulled the bed aside and threw open the trapdoor in the floor.

She blinked at him as though she couldn’t process what he was doing. “How . . . how does he know where we are?”

“That stick was part of an alarm system.”

He snatched up the weapon and the goggles he’d left on the floor. “Come on. Quick,” he said, crossing the room and urging her toward the yawning opening.

“Down the ladder,” he said. “Hurry.”

She was still moving stiffly. “What’s going on?”

“Patton is coming.”

That got her moving faster. She set the safety on the semi and tucked it into her pocket before climbing down into the tunnel, slowly at first and then more quickly.

When she had left enough room for him on the rungs, he also pocketed his weapon and stepped onto the ladder, closing the trapdoor above him before joining her on the dirt floor below.

“Down the tunnel,” he urged.  Again she did as he asked, but neither of them got very far before a deafening explosion shook the walls around them.  Sam stumbled, fell, and hit the dirt floor. Jax came down on top of her, shielding her body with his own as dirt and debris fell from the ceiling of the tunnel.

The ground continued to tremble with aftershocks as Jax kept his position. He heard a roaring above them and felt heat radiating down from the cabin. When he saw flames licking at the boards above them, he stood.  “Come on. We have to get farther away from the cabin.”

She looked up, gasping as she saw a burning board fall into the space behind them.  He helped her stand, and she clung to him as they hurried down the passageway. Smoke billowed behind them, and the heat increased.

When they reached a wooden door, he stopped and put his ear against the barrier.  Hearing nothing but the wind, he opened the door a few inches. That was all it would move. Something was blocking the exit.

Through the crack, both of them took grateful drafts of the cold night air.

“What happened?” Sam gasped.

“He firebombed the cabin,” Jax answered, speaking in a low voice.

She turned to face him.  “And you knew it was going to happen.” she whispered.

“Yeah. But only a few minutes before.”

“How?”

He coughed, as much from his own discomfort as from the smoke. “When I went out to check the area, I felt . . . something.  I knew trouble was coming.  But the only way I could—see it—was to focus on you, the way I’ve been doing.”

“So you told me you wanted to lie down?”

“Yeah. Because I knew that you’d think I was whacked out if I tried to explain.”

She looked at him with a kind of awe. “You’re right. I didn’t quite believe it before—all that stuff you were telling me.”

He shrugged.

”I’m sorry,” she said in a low voice.

He heard himself ask, “You’ve stopped thinking I’m a nut or a peeping Tom?”

“Don’t put it that way.”

“What way would you put it?”

She coughed from the smoke wafting around them. “That you’ve made a convert to the Decorah Security way of thinking.”

He knew the balance had shifted between them, and he wished he could enjoy the moment—and a lot more moments.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” he murmured.

“He doesn’t think we’re dead?”

Jax gave her a direct look. “I don’t know, but we’re not safe with him out there.” he made an angry sound. “In fact, a lot of women aren’t safe.”

She shuddered.  “Then what are we going to do?”

Jax gave another massive push at the door and hardly widened the opening.

“Something blocking it,” he muttered, jarred by the unease he’d felt all day. Only now it was like a volcano threatening to erupt.

Trying not to look frantic, he began pulling at the door, then pushing, hoping to get some leverage. He looked back over his shoulder, then to the door again. They couldn’t go back toward the burning building. But Patton could be out there, waiting for them to make a run for it.

He had just given the door another frustrated shove when he heard a noise behind him. Whirling, he saw a white clad figure jump from the ruined cabin to the floor of the tunnel. In one hand was a powerful flashlight—aimed at them.

Jax knew at once what had happened. The killer had planned his moves carefully. He was wearing a fire-protective suit. And while Jax had been focused on prying open the door, Patton had come through the burning house and was attacking where they least expected.

Fear for Sam leaped inside Jax as he pushed her behind him. He got off a couple of shots, but saw the bullets were having no effect.

Patton wasn’t just wearing a fire suit, he also had on body armor.

The killer lifted his semi. He knew they were trapped, and he was taking his time, enjoying the moment.

“I found this cabin when I was scouting the area,” he called out. “I would have used it for a base of operations, but I saw somebody had taken up residence. I asked myself why. Too bad for you that you had to come back here. You would have gotten away if I hadn’t shot up your car, wouldn’t you?”

His voice was taunting, but he stopped talking and went very still when a low rumbling noise filled the tunnel. It had caught him off guard, and he looked up.

As Jax watched, the end of the tunnel that was under the floor of the cabin began to shudder. Then huge chunks of charred lumber began to rain down. He jumped forward, flung aside the weapon and the flashlight and lifted his arms across his head trying to protect himself. But the whole floor of the cabin was unstable. Jax heard a scream and watched in horrible fascination as more debris clattered down, burying the man in the white suit. When the dust settled, nothing moved, but the flashlight still shone at the edge of the mess.

Beside Jax, Sam stirred. Lifting her head, she peered into the cloud of dust choking the enclosure.

“Stay here,” Jax called out as he started forward, gun still drawn.

“No.  You stay back,” Sam countered, grabbing his arm. “More of the cabin could fall.”

They held their positions, both focused on the pile of rubble. Nothing moved.

“I’ve got to make sure he’s not going anywhere,” Jax said.

“And have the rest of the tunnel fall on you?  No,” Sam repeated her earlier objection, her voice urgent. “We’re getting out of here.”

“How?”

“Through the door,” a man’s voice answered from outside.

Jax glanced toward Sam. The gun was still in her hand. “Don’t shoot. They’re friends,” he said.

She lowered her weapon, and as he watched, the door was wrenched most of the way open to reveal three Decorah men—Jonah Raider, Cole Marshall, and Steve Outlaw.

Jax stared at them. “How did you get here?”

“Four-wheel drive. We figured when we didn’t hear from you that you might need some help,” Cole answered

“Appreciated,” Jax said.

Jonah turned toward Sam.  “That’s your car a few miles back?”

She stood up straighter. “Yes. Thank you for coming.”

“Looks like we missed the good part,” Steve said.  

“I’ll give you a full report later,” Jax answered.  “Did you find my SUV on that side road a mile from here?”

“Yeah.  With a bunch of bullet holes.” Cole pulled the door back on its hinges.

Sam and Jax stepped out into the snowy night.

“This is Samantha Donovan,” Jax said. “The woman I was worried about. But I didn’t know her name until we talked.”

“Glad Jax found you in time,” Jonah said.  He, Cole, and Steve all introduced themselves.

“What happened?” Jonah asked.

“The killer tried to snatch her after her car went off the road. I couldn’t shoot at him because he had hold of Sam, so I tried to ram his car. That’s when he started shooting. Then he cut his losses and hightailed it.”

“He had an SUV with a metal ring in the back,” Sam added.

“We saw it,” Cole said, his voice gritty. He looked at Sam. “Where were you going in this storm?”                                                                     

“Home for Christmas.”

From down the tunnel, they all heard a low moan and turned toward the sound.

“He must be alive under all that stuff,” Sam gasped.

Steve stepped inside and shined a light on the mess of timbers.

“He’s under there?”

Jax made a rough sound. “Caught in his own trap.”

Steve turned back to the group. “Jonah and I can get him out of there and find out what shape he’s in, and Cole can drive you home.”

“Shouldn’t we stay?” Jax asked.

Steve shook his head. “No, you go on. You’re due for a break. Let’s hope he’s coherent enough to talk to the cops and tell them where the victims are buried.”  He looked at Sam. “Maybe I should have kept my big mouth shut about that.”

She shuddered. “That’s okay. Jax said he’d been operating around here.” She dragged in a breath and let it out. “He told me his name is James Patton. Only he likes to call himself James Patterson, like the author.”

“Why?”

“He copies some of the author’s suspense-novel ideas.”

Steve whistled through his teeth. “Nice.”

Jax put his hand on her arm. “Let’s get going while the getting’s good.”

After the three men were out of earshot, Sam asked, “Will you come home with me?”

Jax went very still. “You want me to?”

“Yes. I want you to meet my family and stay over for Christmas.”  She stopped and swallowed. “That is, if you want to.”

He had longed for that kind of connection with her. He had wanted it more than anything else he could imagine, but he forced himself to say, “Won’t I be intruding?”

“Of course not.” Her cheeks flushed. “They’ll love that I brought a guy with me.”

His heart was bursting with all the things he wanted to say to her. But he still felt uncertain, hoping her invitation wasn’t simply being polite to the guy who had rescued her. He saw her glance toward the backs of his friends.

“I don’t want to tell my parents how we met—not yet, anyway.”

“Probably a good idea. But you don’t have the food you were bringing.”

She put her hand against her mouth. “Oh, that’s right.”

“Maybe we have to say we had a little accident and had to leave some stuff.”

“Yes. Okay.” She hesitated again, then barreled ahead, “But I want them to think we’re in a relationship.” As soon as she said it, she flushed. “Sorry. That’s pretty forward.”

“No. I like it.” At least he could say that much.

She looked like a small war was going on inside her head. “Maybe we should, you know, practice being . . . more than friends.”

He caught her meaning when she leaned in and lifted her face toward his. He accepted the invitation, bringing his mouth down to hers. She tasted wonderful, just as he’d imagined she would.

She moved her lips against his, and he gathered her to him, craving more, a lot more. Reaching between them, he unzipped both their coats, then pulled her body against his. There were still layers of clothing between them, but this was a lot more intimate than with the heavy outerwear in the way.

He wanted her. He’d wanted her almost since he’d met her in his dream- like state.  But he wasn’t going to push her into anything, not when so much was riding on this new reality.

Still, he couldn’t stop himself from hugging her tightly. He was so thankful she was safe. Now he wanted to hold her forever, but they couldn’t stay here. She must have come to the same realization. She eased back, but she didn’t break the connection.

Her face broke into a grin. “Tonight didn’t start off too well, but I think this is going to be the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

“I think I can make it even better,” he said in a husky voice.

“How?”

“With something that came to me when I was in that trance, right at the end, but after that I was too busy to tell you about it.  Your mom’s going to be okay.”

She stared at him with hope in her eyes “How do you know?”

“I can’t explain how, but I just do.  And I would never say it unless I were sure.”

“Oh Jax,” she murmured, tears welling in her eyes. “That’s the most wonderful present you could have given me. Thank you so much.”

“I could see how worried you were. I wanted you to know.”

She leaned against him, and he slung an arm around her.

He’d fallen in love with Samantha while he’d tried to figure out who she was and how he could save her, and at the same time he’d been afraid the two of them could never have a real relationship.  Now he understood that, as bad as the past few hours had been, they were the start of something wonderful.

“You two coming?” Cole called.

“Yes.” He reached for Sam’s hand as they walked toward the car—toward the future he’d never thought he could have with her.

THE END