Obsession Page 3
At first, he’d been hurt at the rejection. Then he realized she wasn’t rejecting him, but his knowledge of where she came from. Something to think about there. Jake had a feeling her childhood was a great deal different from his own.
His lips curled. Not too many people in his world right now were born with silver spoons in their mouths. In fact, instead of a silver spoon, his mouth would have been filled with an entire place setting. What would Lacey’s reaction be when she discovered his background? More people than he wanted to count would slap him on the back, say how cool that was, and in the next breath hold out a hand for a loan or a cash gift.
Somehow, he didn’t see Lacey doing that to him, and what a refreshing change that would be. No, his concern was she would turn away from him because of the wealth. Based on what he’d seen at her apartment, she didn’t have much money and that made him wonder about her response to his flush bank accounts.
Jake drove on the striped asphalt ribbon in silence for the next two hours. Although he hated to wake his traveling companion, he also knew she needed to walk.
He exited the interstate and parked in front of a gas pump. Might as well fill up the tank. His SUV was reinforced with steel plates and bullet-resistant glass which made the vehicle great for safely transporting friends, family, and principals. Having the extra weight also burned fuel faster than normal.
He checked on Lacey. She slept on. He climbed from the vehicle and closed the door. When the tank was full, he parked the SUV in front of the convenience store and turned off the engine.
“Lacey.”
She stirred and turned to stare at him through heavy-lidded eyes. “Where are we?”
“Two hours outside of Nashville. We need to walk a few minutes.” Jake circled the vehicle to open her door. Twenty minutes later, he and Lacey resumed their journey.
“Thank you for the banana and water, Jake.”
“I was hungry and thought you might be as well. When we stop next time, we’ll find a place for dinner.”
Her lips curved. “Do you always think about food?”
He shrugged. “We burn a lot of calories each day with our training regimen.”
“You and your teammates are in terrific shape.”
“With our jobs, we have to be in better shape than the people we go up against.”
“How many hours a day does the training take?”
“Two or three hours a day for conditioning. If we’re preparing for a mission, that time may be extended by another two or three hours.”
“Good grief! No wonder Fortress operatives are in such great shape.”
He grinned. “Noticed that, did you?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Hard not to.”
“What do I need to know before we arrive in Winston?” he asked, his voice soft. Would she tell him? Man, he hoped so. Jake didn’t want to be blindsided after they rolled into town.
Beside him, Lacey stilled. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Will you be able to keep your secrets when we’re in your hometown?”
She sighed. “No.”
“I need to know enough of the truth so I’m prepared for what I’ll face.”
“Winston law enforcement is very familiar with my family.”
Huh. “Okay.”
“That’s it? You won’t dig deeper?”
“If I need to know more, tell me the rest.”
“I have a juvie record. I didn’t do anything really bad, like kill someone.”
Those words felt like a punch to the gut. Did Lacey see him as a killer? Jake didn’t regret his military career and now his second career with Fortress Security. He saved people’s lives. Unfortunately, saving innocents might mean taking the lives of those who weren’t innocent to protect his principal. He never took a life lightly. He had yet to meet a woman who could handle his career or whose first question wasn’t to know how many people he’d killed in the line of duty. Lacey hadn’t asked for a scorecard. Would she be the one to handle the career? He supposed only time would give him the answer to that question.
Lacey dragged in a deep breath. “I need to shut up now. I keep saying the wrong thing to you.”
“Do you see me as a killer?”
Her soft hand pressed against his arm where it rested on the console between their seats. “I see you as a protector, a defender of the vulnerable. I’ve heard Brent talk to Rowan often enough that I have a pretty good idea what you face each time you’re sent on a mission.” Her hand squeezed. “I’m sorry if I offended you by my choice of words.”
“Don’t apologize. I shouldn’t be so sensitive.”
“How many people have called you a killer?”
“Too many to name.”
“They’re wrong. They should be calling you a hero.”
“I’m not a hero, Lacey. I’m doing a tough job in an ugly environment where there aren’t any good choices.” He turned the conversation back to the coffee shop. “Tell me stories about your customers.”
She launched into funny stories about the interesting customers who frequented Coffee House. By the time she ran out of steam, Jake’s mood had lifted and it was time to find a restaurant. He parked in front of a restaurant that served a variety of food. “Come on. Dinner is on Brent. He said if he had been the one driving you home, he would have insisted on paying.”
“You’re his stand in.”
He slid her a pointed glance. “Yes, ma’am, but only for dinner.”
“And for the rest?”
“I’m with you because I want to be.”
When he and Lacey left the steakhouse ninety minutes later, he said, “Do you feel like driving for a while?”
Bright blue eyes turned his direction. “I’d love to. I promise to be careful.”
Jake handed her the keys. “The SUV is heavier than your car. We’ll have to fill up when we stop again.”
“I’ll watch the gas gauge.”
“If anything makes you uneasy or you grow tired, wake me and I’ll take over.”
“You were up two hours before me this morning.”
Three, but he didn’t intend to tell her that. “Military training. I’m used to operating for days at a time with little to no sleep.” He opened the driver’s door for her and tucked her inside. Normally, he wouldn’t be eager to cede the wheel to someone else’s control. He’d deal anyway because having an active part in getting herself to Winston gave her control and he had a feeling Lacey needed that.
When they were back on the interstate with the sun setting in the distance, Jake reclined the seat and fell asleep in seconds. Sometime later, he woke when the SUV slowed to a stop. Lacey parked in front of a gas pump. “Any trouble?”
“The only trouble is I won’t want to drive anything else after this. Your SUV drives like a dream.”
“Yeah, it is pretty sweet.” Jake climbed out and filled the tank. After walking around for a few minutes, he took over driving. “You want to nap for a while?”
“I better not. I’m afraid I won’t sleep tonight.”
“Do you like audio books?”
“Love them. I borrow them from the library all the time.”
“I have a new Clive Cussler audio book. Want to try it?”
“Sure.”
For the next four hours, they listened to a book featuring Dirk Pitt. Fifteen minutes before they rolled into Winston, Jake stopped the audio file and placed a call to Zane Murphy, Fortress communications guru.
“What do you need, Jake?”
“Did you confirm the reservation for me?”
“You and Lacey have connecting rooms at the Magnolia Hotel.”
“Thanks, Z.”
“Yep. Need anything else?”
He frowned, analyzing his friend’s voice. “What’s up?”
“The Shadow Unit’s in a hot zone.”
“Do they need backup?”
“Unknown.”
Lacey laid her hand on Jake’s arm again. “Hi, Zane.”
“Worried about Mom.”
“I’ll be glad to help any way I can. All you have to do is ask.”
“If this Shadow Unit needs Jake, call him in. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“We have several units available to send as backup.”
“Jake is the best.”
He kept his gaze fixed on the road. In his chest, however, his heart skipped a beat at her words.
“No argument there,” Zane said. “If we need Jake and his team, we’ll notify him, then send an operative to Winston to aid in the search for your mother. Brent and Rowan want you to have someone you can trust at your back.”
“What did you find out about Yvonne’s disappearance?” Jake asked. He needed to know and wanted to take the heat off Lacey.
“Not much. The cops’ file is thin. Prevailing theory is she left under her own steam. They’re assuming she’ll return the same way.”
“Any sign of foul play?”
“Not that I could find. No sign of forced entry at her house. No sign of her car, either.”
“She doesn’t have one,” Lacey said. “Mom walks or takes the bus. Mostly walks.”
“Your mother has a green SUV registered to her, Lacey.”
“That’s not possible. At the end of the month, she doesn’t have two pennies to rub together. She works as a waitress in a dive, Zane. Mom can’t afford a car payment, insurance, and gas for the tank. There has to be a mistake.”
“Not according to the DMV records. Guess that’s something you and Jake can look into while you’re home.”
“The SUV is like a hundred years old, right?”
“Try two years.”
“Two…” Lacey’s voice trailed off. “This can’t be right.”
Something in her voice had Jake glancing her direction again. She was mad, but there was something else under the mad. Hurt. More secrets from the woman who had caught his interest. Would she ever fully trust him?
She looked so alone. He shifted his arm and wrapped his hand around hers. “Keep digging, Z. Let me know what you find out.”
“Copy that.”
The silence inside the SUV stretched out long enough he chanced another sideways glance at her. The fact she hadn’t moved her hand also struck him as interesting. “You okay?”
“I don’t understand what’s going on, Jake.”
“We’ll figure it out. We’ll keep digging until we discover the truth.”
“What if you have to leave to help the other team?”
“If you’re still in Winston when the mission is finished, I’ll come back to help you look for the answers.”
“Why would you do that?”
“You matter to me. Do you know where the Magnolia Hotel is?”
“You can’t miss it. The place looks like a throwback to southern plantations right on Main Street.”
“Have you ever stayed there before?”
She shook her head.
“You must stay with your mother when you’re in town.”
Lacey remained silent.
Dread settled like a rock in his stomach. “Lacey?”
“I stay in a motel outside Winston.”
“Your mother doesn’t want you to stay with her?”
She turned her head toward him. “It’s my choice to stay elsewhere.”
CHAPTER SIX
“Turn right at the corner.” Lacey peeked at Jake, grateful he’d dropped the subject of her odd sleeping arrangements when she visited her mother. He didn’t understand. If he’d grown up in the same town and in the same house as she had, he wouldn’t be sending her those puzzled looks.
She knew allowing Jake to drive her to Winston would be a terrible idea. Fortress Security was in the information business, and they were very good at their job. He wouldn’t let this rest. As he dug into her mother’s disappearance, the medic would feel compelled to uncover her secrets, too. Lacey hoped he still respected her when they returned home.
Jake parked in the hotel’s parking lot, off to the side of the building. “Do you want to wait here while I check us in?”
Her first instinct was to say no, but chances were she knew several people who worked in this hotel. She’d rather put off the smirks and innuendos as long as possible. “Sure.”
He squeezed her hand, climbed from the vehicle and walked into the hotel.
Lacey opened the passenger door and slid to the asphalt. She contemplated the beautiful landscape noticeable in the strategically placed lights. The hotel was three stories of white splendor, the Georgian architecture reminding her of houses in movies about the Civil War. She couldn’t wait to see how the interior looked.
Headlights swept over the exterior of the hotel, drawing her attention. She stiffened. Really? They couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning before starting the campaign to make her look like the worst criminal ever born?
Lacey wanted to hurry into the hotel after Jake, but that would only delay the inevitable. Besides, if she dealt with this now, maybe he’d leave her alone while Jake was with her. Not only that, she didn’t dare turn her back on the Winston cop. He made her skin crawl.
Hoping the cop would move along before Jake returned, she folded her arms across her chest and waited.
“What are you doing here?” Will Beckett demanded to know, his voice a deep growl that sent a shiver of distaste through her.
“My mother is missing.”
A snort. “Missing? Your mom is out of town with a friend.” He sneered. “Probably a boyfriend or someone willing to pay her for sex.”
Her stomach churned as old memories shoved to the forefront of her mind. “My mother isn’t hooking.” At least she hadn’t been for a while. Was that how she’d been able to afford an SUV? Man, she hoped not.
“You’re blind if you can’t see what’s right in front of you.” He shifted closer until he forced her back against the side of Jake’s SUV. “I don’t see your clunker. How’d you get here?”
“It’s none of your business how I came to town.”
“I’m a town cop, baby. Everything and everyone in this town is my business.”
“You have an inflated opinion of yourself. You’re just a beat cop.”
Will closed the last inch of distance between them, his face twisted with anger as he grabbed her upper arms and squeezed. “What did you say?” he snapped, rage filling his expression.
“Take your hands off my woman.” Jake’s hard voice had the cop spinning to face the unknown threat.
With his attention diverted, Lacey sidled out of his reach.
“What did you say to me?” Will swaggered forward.
“You heard me.” Without taking his eyes from the cop, the medic held out his left hand to Lacey.
“I’m the law in this town. I have the right to stop and frisk anyone.”
Jake wrapped his arm around Lacey’s waist and pulled her against his side. “You need probable cause or a warrant. You don’t have either.”
“Who are you?”
“Jake Davenport.”
“Got proof of that?” An ugly smile settled on his lips. “If I don’t like what I see, you’ll be spending time in the town lockup.”
Lacey stared in disbelief. If he expected Jake to quail in fear at the threat, he was doomed to disappointment. Was Will really that stupid? Even a fool could see the man holding her against his side wasn’t intimidated in the least.
“That would be a costly mistake on your part. My wallet is in the side pocket of my pants.” He slowly reached down and pulled out his wallet, then removed his license for Will to examine.
“Wait here,” he said curtly and stalked to his cruiser.
Jake turned and cupped Lacey’s cheek with his rough palm. “Did he hurt you?”
“Not really.”
His eyes narrowed. “Lacey.”
“I’m fine, I promise. He scared me a little.” A lot, but she didn’t want to upset Jake more.
�
�Who is he?”
“Will Beckett. He’s the police chief’s son.” He’d been the bane of her existence growing up along with his buddy, Noah Holt. The two of them had always watched her, a knowing look in their eyes. Hadn’t taken her long to figure out Will’s father had a big mouth. Didn’t matter, she supposed. You couldn’t keep secrets in Winston. Everyone knew everyone else’s business.
“He’ll be twitchy when he returns. When he runs my name, he’ll find out I’m licensed to carry.”
“He’ll make trouble for you if he can. I’m sorry, Jake.”
Jake’s thumb brushed lightly over her cheek. “Everything will be fine. I’m covered.”
She was about to ask him to explain that statement when Will returned, gun in his hand.
“Hands up, Davenport. Lock your fingers behind your head and get on your knees.”
The medic handed a plastic card to Lacey, released her, then complied with Will’s order. “Give the card to him,” he said to Lacey, his voice soft.
She handed the card to the policeman and shifted closer to Jake. She didn’t know what she could do if Will decided to rough up her friend, but she would do her best to help.
“Get away from him, Lacey. Your boyfriend is dangerous.”
“He would never lay a hand on me in anger.” Not like Frank. He was in her past, she reminded herself. She’d escaped his clutches.
“Then you’re a stupid twit like your mother.”
Jake didn’t say a word, but he turned his head to stare at Will. Whatever the cop saw made him swallow hard and back up another step.
“You armed?” Will asked.
“Always.”
“Take out your weapon, and put it on the ground, slowly. You make a move too fast, I’ll fill you full of holes.” Another sneer. “One or two bullets might accidentally hit your girlfriend.”
Jake’s eyes narrowed.
Not wanting things to escalate out of control, Lacey laid her hand on his shoulder.
He bent his head just enough to kiss the back of her hand and slowly unclasped his fingers. He tugged his pant leg up and pulled a gun from an ankle holster and laid it on the ground within easy reach.