Harlequin Intrigue, Box Set 1 of 2 (30 page)

“Of course. What other reason would there be?”

His mouth tightened, making her wonder what he'd expected her to say.

“Where's Gillette?”

“Gone, where no one will find him.”

He cursed and shook his head. “He's a fugitive, Faye. He needs to face up to his past.”

“We're both fugitives, according to you. But neither of us has done anything wrong.”

He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her toward him. “Faye, I found him once. I'll find him again. But if you help me, it would make things easier on you. I can tell the Feds you cooperated. That might help your own case.”

She tugged his hands off her shoulders and sat back. “Make things easier on me? In case you haven't figured it out yet, that's not the kind of person I am. I don't hurt other people so I can take the easy way out.”

He blew out a frustrated breath. “You went to college for four years. You had a future ahead of you, and you gave it up to hide out in Mystic Glades. I don't buy your fear of policemen as the only answer. There's something more. What did you and Calvin do that makes you too afraid to go to the cops even though you think a killer might be looking for you?”

When she didn't answer, his brows drew down like a dark cloud. “Faye, I can help you. But you have to trust me. You have to open up to me.”

“By telling you where Calvin is? So you can have him arrested for a crime he didn't commit?” She shook her head, her lip curling with disgust. “We may not be blood-related siblings, but I have more loyalty to him than that. I would never trade my safety for his. I thought you would understand that since you knew what it was like to lose your only sibling.”

He winced as if she'd hit him, immediately making her regret her harsh words. But what was done was done. She needed to convince him to leave so she could leave, too. She was trying to put a brave face on everything, but in reality, she was terrified. Her past had already caught up to her, and she had to get out of here before it was too late.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Jake to help her. She believed he'd do everything he could if she let him. But that would only put him in danger. And even though she wasn't a murderer, she wasn't completely innocent. If he found out what she
had
done, he'd have to make a choice. And she was very much afraid that keeping her secret was a choice he wouldn't make.

He sat there a long time, watching her, perhaps waiting for her to change her mind. But she'd already made up her mind. Nothing could make her risk Jake's life to help her out of a mess of her own making. He deserved better than that.

Finally, he stood. And without another word, he left the apartment.

She blinked in surprise. Was he letting her go then? She ran to the window at the end of the living room and looked down into the street. Moments later, Jake's black Charger turned out of the side alley beside her store, out onto the main drag. He didn't look up at the window as he drove by. And soon, he passed through the gates of Mystic Glades and disappeared from sight.

She sank down to the floor, stunned. He was letting her go. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes.
He's letting me go.
He'd forced his way into her life, into her heart, and he was letting her go. She wrapped her arms around her knees, and for the first time in a very long time, she stopped being strong, stopped trying to bottle up her frustrations, her fears, her regrets. The tears flowed freely, branding hot tracks down her cheeks and falling to the floor.

A long time later, when the room had gone dark around her, she drew a shaky breath. She went into the bathroom and washed her face. She was ashamed that she'd allowed herself to sit there so long feeling sorry for herself. She didn't have time for that. Staying here was no longer an option. The past had caught up to her and Calvin.

They'd had a terrible fight after leaving Jake in the swamp, the same fight they'd had several times over the past few months. Her answer to his question remained the same as it always had—no. He'd been furious, but there was nothing he could do about her decision. She took him to a friend's cabin near the highway. The last she saw of Calvin, he was staring at her from the passenger seat as Eddie drove him back to Naples to collect his things. The plan was for Calvin to get a bus ticket and find his own place for a new start. A few months from now, when they were both settled and Calvin's anger cooled, they'd contact each other through email and reconnect. They'd both apologize and everything would be fine. That was the constant cycle of their relationship.

She sighed and started packing another one of her backpacks. Eddie had been insistent that she didn't need to pay him for taking Calvin to Naples. But he didn't make much money and she knew he couldn't afford the gas. Since neither she nor Calvin had cash on them, she'd promised to return later. She would stop at Eddie's place first, then continue south to the Tamiami Trail. Maybe she'd keep going all the way to the Florida Keys. It was probably beautiful this time of year. And she could probably get a job waiting tables at any number of tourist traps down there. It wouldn't be her beloved Everglades, but she could think of worse things than living near the ocean every day.

Since she couldn't be sure that Jake wouldn't change his mind and come back, possibly bringing the police with him, she couldn't risk taking the extra time to say goodbye to her friends. She'd have to tell Amy, of course, since she took care of the shop. And she'd have to make sure Amy continued to feed Sampson every day. But other than that, it was time to go.

The grief over leaving her friends, and leaving Mystic Glades, clogged her throat. But she couldn't give in. She had to hurry.

She hid another knife in the sheath sewn into the folds of her skirts. The knife and pistol Jake had made her toss back in the woods had ended up somewhere in the muddy bog. She hadn't taken the time to try to find them. She regretted that now. Hopefully she wouldn't get into a tight spot where she needed a gun.

Her money situation wasn't great, but thanks to the generosity of her “adopted” Callahan family, she'd be okay for several months before she'd start getting desperate. By then, hopefully she'd have a new job—one that paid cash under the table and didn't require a Social Security number.

She took one last look around, then headed downstairs.

* * *

J
AKE
HAD
TAKEN
a gamble. Based on Faye's pattern, he was assuming she would run again after he left. The gamble was that he was betting she wouldn't be watching out the window for his car to turn around and drive back through the main entrance of Mystic Glades. As soon as he'd driven back inside, he'd turned a sharp left and parked his car behind one of the other businesses off the main road, a bookstore called Between the Covers.

He hopped out and hurried back toward The Moon and Star, keeping to the backs of the shops, close to the tree line. He'd just tucked himself behind a thick live oak behind Faye's store when the back door opened. She stood in the doorway with Amy. They said something to each other and hugged. Faye had her backpack on, and from the tears streaming down Amy's face, it was obvious Faye had no intention of coming back.

She jogged to the edge of the trees, only ten feet from where Jake stood watching her. She waved at Amy and disappeared with a flick of her deep blue skirts.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Faye was moving fast, so fast that Jake had a hard time keeping up with her. Not that he couldn't outrun her. His legs were much longer than hers. But to make his way through the unfamiliar terrain of the Everglades, at night, without getting stuck in a bog or crashing through the low-hanging tree limbs and alerting her of his presence slowed him down far more than he'd anticipated. Hopefully he'd catch her before she got so far ahead that he couldn't hear her.

He followed her for over two hours, something he couldn't have done if the moon wasn't so bright. But then again, if the moon wasn't bright tonight he'd have never let her take off into the woods. He'd have had to come up with a new plan.

She rarely stopped to catch her breath. He was usually gasping for air by the time she did. He considered himself to be in excellent shape, but he wasn't in the habit of running marathons.

There were a couple of times when he lost her and started to panic. But since she obviously didn't think anyone was following her, she made no attempt to be quiet or disguise her tracks. He watched for broken branches and footprints as she'd done when they'd been searching for Gillette together, and he was able to pick up her trail again.

When they started on their third hour, everything suddenly went silent. Jake hurried forward until he could see her and ducked behind some bushes. Thirty feet ahead, she stood in what appeared to be as much of a yard as one could have out in the marsh. In front of her was a tiny building, one of the smallest houses Jake had ever seen. But it was well kept, with a lean-to on the side that sheltered the car parked there. She looked around, as if to make sure she was alone, before knocking on the door.

“It's Faye, Eddie,” she said. “Can I come in?”

A full minute went by. No one opened the door. She knocked again and tried the doorknob. The door cracked open a few inches.

“Eddie?” she called, before stepping inside and closing the door.

Who the hell was Eddie? Was Calvin in there with him?

Jake checked his phone, hoping to call Dex again and give him an update. But unsurprisingly, there wasn't any service.

A scream sounded from inside the house.

Jake vaulted over a bush and sprinted for the door, pulling his pistol as he went. The door burst open just as he reached it. Faye ran outside, practically knocking him down as she barreled into him.

He grabbed her arms, steadying her. “What's wrong? Are you hurt?”

She blinked, her shock at seeing him overriding the shock of whatever she'd just seen. Her brow wrinkled in confusion. “Jake? What are you doing here?”

He lightly shook her. “Are you hurt? You screamed.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my God. Eddie. Someone...someone killed Eddie.”

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him toward the door.

“No, I'm not going back in there.” She tugged, trying to free herself.

“And I'm not leaving you alone out here. We're sticking together. I won't let anything happen to you. Come on.”

She swallowed hard and allowed him to pull her inside. He quickly cleared the main room, checking behind the couch and chair, the only places big enough for anyone to hide. The tiny kitchen to the left was completely open. There weren't any doors on the cabinets. He shut the front door and locked it before shoving her down on the floor beneath the window.

“Don't move. I mean it, Faye. Don't go outside, and don't move from this spot. Promise me. And for once, mean what you say.”

Her shoulders stiffened, just as he'd intended. He'd insulted her to get her angry, to snap her out of the shock she was sliding into.

“I won't go anywhere,” she bit out. “Promise.”

Hoping she really was telling the truth, he swung his pistol out in front of him and headed into the tiny hallway. To his left was a bathroom, empty. He steeled himself for what he was about to find in the only other room. He crouched down, and kicked the door open. It slammed against the wall as he ran inside, sweeping his pistol back and forth.

Ignoring the gory scene on the bed since the man there posed no threat, he checked the closet and beneath the bed before holstering his gun. There wasn't any point in checking the man's pulse. He didn't have one. His throat was slit from ear to ear.

Jake pressed his finger against one of the man's wrists just because it was one of the few places not covered in blood. Warm. Which meant the killer might still be close by. He tried his phone again as he headed back into the main room. Still no service. He put it away and knelt down in front of Faye.

“Did you see anyone else when you arrived?” He gently swept her hair out of her eyes.

“No. No one. Just you.
After.
” She shuddered and pressed her hand to her throat as if struggling not to gag.

He nudged her chin up to get her to look at him. “You didn't kill Genovese.”

Her eyes widened. “You believe me now?”

“Yes. You would have thrown up all over the crime scene. You don't have it in you to kill anyone.”

“You picked a great time to start believing me.”

He smiled sadly. “Sorry about that. Sometimes we city slickers can be a little slow. Who was Eddie?”

She gagged again and clapped her hands over her mouth.

Jake grabbed her and ran with her to the kitchen, reaching the sink just in time. He held her hair back from her face as she retched over and over, until there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up.

“Deep breaths, baby,” he said. “Slow, deep breaths.”

She gave him a startled look. He realized what he'd just said. Calling her “baby” wasn't exactly keeping his professional distance.

He sighed and grabbed the towel hanging from the stove handle. He wet it beneath the faucet and handed it to her. While she washed her face and rinsed her mouth, he made another quick circuit around the room, hoping to find a landline so he could call the police. There wasn't one.

Faye met up with him in the middle of the main room. “You followed me here?”

“Yes.” There was no point in denying it.

“I should have expected that.” She looked toward the bedroom and shuddered again. “I won't fight you anymore. I'll go with you into town, tell the police everything I know.”

“Why? Why now? Because of Eddie?”

“Yes, because of Eddie. He didn't have any enemies, nothing of value to steal. He's dead because of me, because I thought I could outrun my past. But obviously I can't. And I can't risk anyone else getting hurt. I'll turn myself in.”

If she'd told him that a few days ago, he'd have jumped at her offer. But suddenly
he
was the one who was hesitant. He wanted nothing more than to grab her in his arms and carry her somewhere far, far away. Where she wouldn't have to face the ugliness of being arrested and going through a trial. Where he wouldn't have to worry about whether she was adequately protected if Rossi came looking for her.

For that matter, Rossi could be outside right now, waiting for her to come back out.

Jake tugged her over to the couch and pressed her down on the cushion. He sat beside her and took her hands in his.

“How does Eddie figure into this? What's his connection to you and Gillette?”

“This morning, when Calvin and I got away from you, I brought him here. I asked Eddie for a favor, to take Calvin to a bus station. Calvin insisted on going to his apartment first. He said he had to grab some of his things. After that he'd go to the station by himself, go somewhere far away and lie low for a while. But Eddie can't...couldn't...afford the gas for a trip like that. He doesn't have much money. So I told him I'd stop here tonight and reimburse him for a tank. That's all. There's no other connection.”

“Calvin went back to his apartment? Didn't he say that he saw one of Rossi's thugs prowling around Naples days ago? That's why he left in the first place, right?”

Her eyes widened in dismay. “Yes. He'd left in a hurry, though. So he didn't have many of his belongings with him. I didn't think about him being in danger going back. He was just supposed to run in and out, a fast trip. Do you think someone might have been watching his apartment?”

“I think it's a real possibility.”

She jumped up from the couch. Jake stood in front of her, in case she tried to go out the door.

“We have to get out of here,” she said. “We have to warn him. There's a good spot for cell service about three miles north of here. If you can...get Eddie's keys, we can drive there. We can call the police from there, too.”

“All right. Wait here and I'll check Eddie's pockets for the keys.”

“Faye,” a voice called from outside. “Get out here.”

“That's Calvin!” She stepped around Jake.

He grabbed her before she could run to the door. “Wait. Let me talk to him first.”

Her brows creased. “Why?”

“Because we're in a secluded area, with one dead body and three live ones. And since neither you nor I killed Eddie, do the math.”

She glared up at him. “Calvin didn't do this.”

“Humor me. Let me check out the situation first.”

She crossed her arms and plopped back down on the couch. “Go ahead.”

He flattened himself against the wall and peeked out through the blinds. Relief shot through him as he viewed the scene outside. For once, one of his plans was working out. Not exactly the way he'd planned, but he'd take it. Unfortunately, Faye wasn't going to be happy when she realized what had happened.

He crossed to the door and pulled it open. “Come on. Let's go.”

“I thought you wanted to talk to him first.”

“I've seen what I need to see. It's safe.”

Confusion warred with relief on her face as she hurried out the door with him. Guilt reared its ugly head again as Jake watched her eyes widen in shock. He hated that she was upset. But at least the worst was over. She was safe now. That was what mattered.

Calvin stood ten feet away, his hands tied in front of him with a white nylon rope. Another length of rope circled his waist, like a long leash. And behind him, holding the other end of that leash, with a rifle pointed at Gillette's back, was Quinn Fugate.

“It's good to see you, Quinn,” Jake said. “Dex called you?”

“Yes, he did. Early this afternoon. I got into Naples just a little while ago. I was going to go straight to that Mystic Glades place Dex told me about. But I stopped by Gillette's apartment first. Guess who showed up? I followed him out here and, well, you can see what happened.” He flicked the end of the rope.

Gillette stumbled but righted himself. He swore beneath his breath.

“Oh my God, oh no, oh no,” Faye whispered, from behind Jake. She tugged on his shirt.

He turned back to look at her. She was shaking, pale, even worse than when she'd seen Eddie.

He was shocked at how terrified she looked. Then it dawned on him why she was so scared. Regret shot through him. “Honey, it's okay. I'm sorry. I know how bad this must look. But it's okay. The man who has Calvin tied up is an FBI agent. That's Quinn Fugate. Everything's okay. Calvin isn't in any danger.”

She shook her head violently back and forth. “That's not Quinn. That's Kevin Rossi, the man I saw shoot Genovese.”