An Unlikely Hero (1) (31 page)

Chase stood and faced her, continuing to toss the ball in the air with one hand, then catching it repeatedly. “Another lie. You’re nervous now because you’ve not been in a motel room with a man, besides Robert, of course, in a very long time.” He watched her comfort level tank. “I bet the only man you’ve ever slept with is Robert. Am I right?” he grinned as the ball stopped.

“I-I-I’ve slept with many men, actually,” Tessa said backing away and looking down at the floor.

“Well whata ya know. Robert’s a lucky man,” he said shaking his head. “I’m number two!”

“Excuse me!”

“You’re practically a virgin in this day and time.” His face went stern as he tossed the ball on the bed. Chase moved toward Tessa forcing her to awkwardly take backward steps. “I’ll have to say I’ve never met anyone quite like you.” He made eye contact with Tessa causing her to stumble against the table then into the door. “I know why you ran, thinking your family was in danger but we never did talk about how you managed to get away from Essid.”

Tessa dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. “I simply told him it wasn’t a good idea. He agreed and left.” A large hand went up on the door beside her head. “Didn’t you talk to Mr. Crawley about this?”

“I wanna hear it from you, Tessa,” he said as he brought his other hand up on the other side of her head.

“You are invading my personal space, Captain Hunter. I’m warning you, I’ve had a self-defense class!”

Chase pressed himself up against Tessa lightly so that she couldn’t knee him like she had the last time she’d felt threatened by his close proximity. “We’re back to captain again. Tell me, Tessa and I’ll stand back.”

She shivered and nodded as Chase slowly took two steps back. Her eyes blinked rapidly, remembering her encounter with Essid. She owed it to Captain Hunter to fill in the gaps of the morning.

“I didn’t see him come up behind me. Mr. Crawley was in bad shape when I got to him.”

“He told me how you got him out of the trunk. Where did you learn to do that?” Chase searched her face as her eyes seem to focus on events that occurred earlier in the day. Events he could not see.

Her eyes met his. “Boy Scouts.” A confused look sprang to his eyes. “I’m a den mother for my boys. I taught the survival merit badge.” Tessa pushed her hair away from her face. “Well, I actually taught myself first.”

Captain Chase Hunter smiled at the simplicity of it all. “I’m somehow not surprised. Go on.”

Tessa began telling how one of Essid’s thugs yanked Mr. Crawley out of the car, bound his hands and mouth with duct tape then shoved him onto the floorboard of the backseat of Essid’s Volvo. When Tessa tried to scream for help, Essid slapped her so hard she spun back against the door and cut her forehead. “One of his men tried to put tape on my mouth. I started to cry,” she sniffed back tears as a show of strength. “The next thing I knew he had a gun pointed at my stomach. I…” Tessa swallowed hard as a tear escaped squeezed from the corner of her eye, “I told him you would be there any minute and…” Tessa reached out as if to lay her palm on Chase’s chest, “I’m so sorry, Chase! I told him you were coming for me.” Tessa shook her head. “I could’ve gotten you killed too, just because I was trying to save myself!” Tessa pushed past Chase and started to rub her arms as if she were suddenly cold. “He’s an evil man.”

Chase gently turned Tessa around to face him. “Then what happened?”

Tessa blinked back more tears and swallowed. “When he glanced away, looking to see if you were there, I took out the red pepper spray I had in my pocket.”

Chase remembered that Tessa had used it on one of the terrorists in Knoxville, and had taken it from her later. “I thought I took that.”

Tessa smiled weakly. “I had another canister in the front zipper section of my purse. I took it out this morning and stuck it in my jean’s pocket in case…you know---just in case.”

Chase smiled warmly, feeling that surge of respect and something unfamiliar well up inside him. “Please tell me you assaulted him.”

“When Essid looked back at me he reached out and grabbed my blouse.” Tessa pointed to the front just over her breasts. “He said something in a language I didn’t understand. It didn’t sound like he was paying me a compliment. So I,” she paused.

Chase chuckled. “You didn’t!”

Tessa had rammed her knee into Essid’s groin, rendering him unable to make good on his threats. When the second thug had caught Essid and pushed him aside to rest against their car, he lunged at Tessa only to be sprayed in the eyes with her pepper spray. He collapsed moaning and cursing into her Equinox, rubbing madly at his face and eyes. Another pair of hands from behind knocked the spray from her grip and managed to duct tape her hands behind her back. They secured her feet by tying them to her hands after pushing her onto the backseat of Essid’s car onto her stomach.

“Someone took a picture of you two tied up and sent it to me. We thought you were in the back of the Equinox.” Chase realized after he’d found her alive neither he nor Zoric had taken the time to distinguish between the vehicles.

“The phone I stole from Ms. Coleman’s desk, I guess. He threw it on the ground and stomped it before throwing it at my head. My mouth was taped, and I couldn’t move.”

Chase thought she must have turned her cheek to receive the full impact of the phone. The bruise was now visible in a soft shade of blue. “Mr. Crawley says they locked the doors with the windows up and took off.”

“I saw the Equinox back out with two of the men, but Essid wasn’t with them. They must have been trying to lure you away from him.”

Chase nodded, hating he’d fallen for such an amateur’s trick. “And then?”

“It was so hot! Mr. Crawley hadn’t recovered from being in the trunk. It was even hotter in the car. I scooted as close to the door as possible and started kicking the door, but no one came. I heard gunfire and thought you’d arrived. Just when I thought I’d pass out I heard two women screaming for others to get down. I started kicking again. The next thing I knew the fire department was breaking out the window and pulling us out.” Tessa unconsciously rubbed her hands together as if finishing something important. “I, I was so scared!” she confessed rubbing her arms again as if chilled.

“You’ve been through a lot these last couple of days.”

“This was far worse than at the house, nearly going over the cliff or in Knoxville,” she said meeting his softened gaze.

Chase grinned boyishly. “Why is that?”

“Because I thought you might not come in time,” she said with a helpless shrug. Chase stepped forward and Tessa fell into his arms. He held her so close he could feel her heart beat and the warmth of her cheek on his skin. Without thinking his hand went to the back of her head where he could feel the blond curls twist around his fingers. Chase felt her begin to breath normally and then stiffen as if she became aware of her close proximity to his body. Carefully Tessa pulled away, straightening her shirt, her hair and tear streaked face. “Thanks. Robert always says I’m such a baby.”

Chase cringed at her husband’s name and took out his phone. He saw that he had a message; read it then deleted. His eyes went back to Tessa. “Tell you what…” he pushed a button on the phone. “Why don’t we give ole Robert a call? You can catch up; reassure yourself that someone really is looking after your family.” He handed her the phone and went back to the edge of the bed to watch the game.

Tessa had no illusions of privacy. Chase appeared to be intent on the baseball game, tossing his ball in the air and catching it over and over again without so much as looking at it. But Tessa knew the captain would not miss a word.

“Robert!” Tessa clasped the phone like a romantic embrace. “How are you?”

Robert watched the boys cooking marshmallows over the grill with Honey. She bent down and helped Heather shove her marshmallow on a long stick she’d found earlier. Laughter drifted up from the four as they began making s’mores. This scene almost didn’t happen, he reminded himself. If it hadn’t been for Honey shooting that bear… Robert thanked God again for Honey Lynch.

“Great! Let me just say how much I love and miss you, sweetheart.”

Although the volume was low, Tessa knew the speaker phone could be heard over the ballgame. “I miss you too, sweetie. How are the kids? They doin’ okay? Do they miss me?”

Robert’s warm laugh helped relieve Tessa without him ever knowing it. “The kids are great and yes they miss you.”

“Are you guys staying safe?” Tessa just had to ask as her eyes cut to Chase who appeared to be ignoring her.

“Well, actually we had a near miss this morning, babe. Now don’t get crazy on me before you hear the whole story.”

Robert retold the incident about the Ponderosa breakfast in detail, trying to remain calm, even though talking about it unnerved him more than he’d expected. When Tessa didn’t say a word Robert anticipated a meltdown at the other end of the phone line. But instead he heard a calm, rational voice.

“Let me talk to them, Robert.”

Robert felt uneasy at Tessa’s acceptance of the story. The children were soon chatting away with their mother telling about the Ponderosa and how much they liked their new friend, Honey. Soon they scooted off to finish the s’mores and left the talking to their father.

“You’re lucky she was there, Robert,” Tessa said carefully. “What’s she like?”

“I donno. Young.”

“Attractive too, I bet.” Tessa already knew she was more than attractive. Usually her husband fell all over himself for a pretty woman, trying to impress them with his wit and charm.

“Yeah, in an outdoorsy kind of way.”

“Honey has your s’mores, Dad. Better come eat it!” called Daniel.

Tessa felt a wave of panic knowing a known killer was near her family. “She’s there now!” Tessa hadn’t meant to sound alarmed. Looking over at Chase, she noticed the ball had stopped flipping into the air.

“We took her out to dinner for saving the day then the kids invited her back for s’mores.” Chase cleared his throat. “You know I was thinking about coming back tomorrow to get you.”

Tessa smiled and switched the phone to the other ear. “Oh? Why is that?”

“I miss your cold feet,” he laughed.

Chase began tossing the ball up a little higher this time.

“And I want to show you how much I love you,” he said sincerely. “I’m such a jerk.” He paused before going on. “But, this has been amazing, Tessa. You’ve done a great job with these kids and I’ve just let them slip away.”

“Can you survive a few more days?” Tessa said hopefully.

“I’m getting the hang of this now! Sure! And I’ll keep them away from cougars, bears and convicts.”

“Don’t forget terrorists and assassins,” she said feeling a cold shiver creep up her spine.

Chapter 22

“Excuse me, kids! I’ve got to take this call.” Honey stepped off the deck and walked further into the yard out of earshot. Darkness had fallen, stars scattered recklessly across the sky with brilliance and the air had cooled to the point of needing a jacket. She let the darkness swallow her so that her observant eyes could follow the Scott family activities without notice. Honey smiled when she’d seen Captain Chase Hunter’s picture appear on her phone. She let it ring longer than she needed before answering.

“Ahh, the mighty Captain Hunter. What do I owe the pleasure?”

“Mrs. Scott wants to speak with you. She knows all about you, Honey so don’t play games.”

Chase would put her on speaker phone. “Only with you, baby.” Remembering fondly his preoccupation to detail, she knew he would listen to every word. “Put her on,” she said somewhat amused. There could be no doubt Chase intended to manage both women at the same time. She blew him a kiss just as he handed the phone to Tessa Scott.

Honey frowned seeing Robert’s wife for the first time. Tessa Scott wasn’t what she’d anticipated. Although the day’s events had left her exhausted and her eyes were puffy from either allergies or crying, Robert’s wife was pretty. Maybe wholesome was a better description, with her shoulder length blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and pale smooth skin. She looked like a cosmetic ad, Honey decided. That could be the reason why her husband hadn’t been tempted to stray from the marital nest, what with having an angel-type looking wife.

“Mrs. Scott.” It was not a greeting; more of a declaration.

Tessa smiled weakly, trying not to notice that the park ranger guarding her family was more than a little attractive. “Honey?”

Honey’s eyes smiled but her mouth remained unmoving. “Yes.”

“What you did for my boys today…” Tessa could feel her heart in her throat. “I’m indebted to you. If I can ever return the favor…”

“Tessa,” she cut in, “if I may call you that.”

“Of course,” Tessa said eagerly.

“Let’s not pretend here. You’re never going to help someone like me.”

Tessa looked bewildered. “Why? Because…” Tessa let the words fall.

“Because I’m not exactly one of your typical book club members.”

“Well, thank goodness for that,” Tessa chuckled noticing a look of disbelief spring to Honey’s eyes as she cocked her head sideways. “I’ve got plenty of those friends, Honey. But thank you for being the hero for my kids. Sounds like they adore you. They’re a pretty good judge of character.”

Honey watched Chase move up behind Tessa and stare over her shoulder into the phone with critical appraisal. She arched an eyebrow and looked up at the deck where Tessa’s family laughed and sang songs. Suddenly a lurch of loneliness washed over her. Honey fought back the sudden feeling of isolation. “Your husband is a pretty good judge of character too,” she smiled wickedly.

Tessa had no way of knowing that Chase frowned over her shoulder or that he’d given Honey the ‘let’s wrap this up’ sign. The implied meaning to Honey’s words both terrified and angered her. Swallowing a threatening retort, Tessa smiled sweetly. “You’re absolutely correct, Honey. That’s why I trust you completely. Thanks again.”

Handing the phone to Chase, Tessa grabbed her bag and pointed to the bathroom for her turn at the shower. Chase nodded and pointed that he’d be outside talking to Honey. Closing the door behind him he saw Zoric come around the back of the Hummer. Honey waited patiently while Chase found his spot, leaning against the hood of the car.