“You are so lucky you broke up with him, Sam.” Daniella shuddered with fear. “I know you would never have run off with him like Valerie did.”

  “Never,” Samantha said firmly. She realized she had been in a lonely place in her life and wanted to believe the picture Nathan was painting. With Jackson it was different. She felt his love when he put his arms around her and when she looked into his eyes. He didn’t spout fancy, practiced lies for her. He got upset but, she knew his feelings were honest. Nathan hid his greed under a sophisticated mask.

  “I can’t wait for all of this to be over. I miss work and seeing you both every day.” Samantha pouted. She did not make a good patient. She didn’t like not having something to do. Now she realized how hard it had been for Jackson to lie in bed all day.

  “We all miss you, too, Sam. Dr. Miller said to tell you hello and if you need anything to call him,” Nancy told her. Samantha was touched. Wanda had called her every day and promised to come by soon. She was so glad Jackson had such a nice big family. It gave her such a warm feeling to be included.

  She spent the rest of the evening with the girls until Jackson called to let her know he was on his way to her apartment. The girls decided to leave when they saw his truck pulling up.

  “We’ll see you soon, Sam.” Nancy hugged her. “Enjoy your time off with that sexy hunk of yours.”

  Samantha giggled. “I will.”

  She said good-bye to Daniella. Jackson came in the apartment and looked at the empty pizza box and wineglasses scattered on the coffee table. “I guess you had a fun night with the girls.”

  She nodded and leaned into him, careful with her arm. “But I missed you. Everything okay?”

  He wrapped his arms around her and ran one hand up and down her back. “Yeah, it is now that I’m here with you and not in a truck with Blake whining about eating a greasy burger for dinner.”

  She smiled up at him and yawned. “Let’s stay here tonight. I feel sleepy.”

  He locked her door and chuckled. “Sleepy or tipsy?”

  She smiled up at him. “Why? You going to take advantage of me, Agent Rutherford?”

  She certainly hoped so. She felt relaxed and ready to be in bed with Jackson. He gave her a wicked grin and leaned down to kiss her. Before their lips could meet his cell phone buzzed. He groaned with frustration but answered it. Samantha watched him listen to whoever was on the other line. She assumed it was Blake. When he hung up she knew she was right. He kissed her nose. “Someone called in. They saw a man matching Nick’s description by my uncle’s clinic. He should know you won’t be at work right now. What an idiot.”

  Samantha shuddered and rubbed her arms. “Be careful, Jackson. He might want to steal drugs or something.”

  “Promise. Lock up.” He kissed her again.

  “I will be waiting for you,” she whispered as he walked out the door.

  Samantha headed for bed. It had been a long day. She had been happy to see her friends though and soon she would be back to her routine. And if all went well Nick would be behind bars for many years to come. Samantha felt pity for Nathan, but his greed put him behind bars. She also felt sad for Valerie’s family.

  Samantha turned the lamp on her night stand off and felt herself drift off to dreamland.

  She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when she heard a noise that was loud enough to wake her up. She sat up carefully holding her arm. She had not taken a sleeping pill before bed since the wine had relaxed her. She was about to yell out Jackson’s name when she heard a loud bump and curse. That didn’t sound like Jackson. Jackson knew his way around her apartment. She got up and tiptoed to her bedroom door, which was open a crack. She could see a shadow. She felt goose bumps all over when she realized it could not be Jackson running into furniture. She closed the door slowly and quietly and turned the lock. It would give her time to think of a way out. The bathroom window was too small for her to squeeze out of. She looked out her bedroom window. Jackson’s truck was not sitting by hers in the parking lot. She threw some clothes on quickly. She grabbed her cell phone and stuck it into the pockets of her shorts.

  She had no choice but to go down the fire escape, which would not be easy with one good arm. She had not put the sling on today, but it didn’t hurt as much as it had before. She opened her window slowly. She heard the doorknob turn and held her breath. Jackson would have called out to her. She slid out into the fire escape just as she heard banging on the bedroom door.

  “Bitch, open this up and I will kill you quickly.” She heard the angry male voice and kept going. She had socks on but no shoes. She carefully ignored the pain in her arm and went down the ladder. She could not panic and possibly fall. She wasn’t sure how many minutes it took her, but she finally reached the ground. She got her cell phone and dialed 911. She looked up as she reported a break-in and gave her address and apartment number. A man with dark short hair was leaning out the window cursing. She assumed it must be Nick.

  Samantha cursed when she realized she had not grabbed her car keys, which were on her nightstand. The manager’s office was closed at night, so she wasn’t sure where to run. She thought of knocking on random doors, but she didn’t want innocent bystanders getting hurt.

  Samantha ran out of the apartment parking lot. The street adjacent to the lot was a busy street. Maybe she could flag down a car or even better a cop. She ran as fast as she could without shoes. She crossed the street, dismayed to find there were not many people still out. It was late at night and most people were asleep. She headed for a gas station across the street. It was closed, but she walked along the side of the building and hid by the Dumpster. She pulled out her phone again and dialed Jackson’s cell. He answered in a panicked voice. “We heard the police report, Sam. Jesus, I was scared to death.”

  “I climbed down the fire escape. I’m hiding behind the gas station on Franklin Street. I think it’s Nick,” she whispered, afraid to speak too loudly. She poked her head out and saw him scanning the sidewalk looking for her. “He’s wearing all black clothes and looking for me.”

  She could hear sirens in the distance, but she didn’t want to come out of her hiding place. “What do I do, Jackson? I’m scared.”

  “Stay there out of sight,” he said firmly. “We’re two minutes away.”

  Samantha hung up and gripped her phone tightly in her hand. She looked behind her, but all she could see was an open field. She had no idea where it led or if Jackson would find her.

  Jackson wasn’t far away and neither were the city cops, so she decided to stay put. She poked her head around again and saw the red-and-blue lights of the police cars. They were turning into her apartment lot. Samantha breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully Nick was still in the apartment lot looking around and they would catch him. She took a step out from behind the Dumpster and ran into a hard chest. She opened her mouth to scream, but he clamped his hand over her mouth to muffle it. Samantha dropped her phone and did her best to pull away. He was too strong.

  “Finally, sweetheart,” he whispered into her ear. His breath on her neck made her feel scared. He killed his own girlfriend without any remorse. She knew she would not find any compassion in him. “You are a slippery one. Challenging and exciting. Why Nathan wanted that whiny kid over you is a mystery.”

  He let go of her mouth and warned her not to scream. She felt the gun he had dug into her side. Samantha stood still trying to hold on until Jackson showed up.

  “Why are you still after me? You must know Nathan is in jail.” she asked. His hair was short as if he was in the military, but Samantha knew he wasn’t. His eyes were dark and scary looking. He looked to be close to forty or maybe it was just the hard life he led.

  “I know,” he muttered, looking furious. “That little weasel did nothing but whine. Felicia was right about him. She told me he was a wimpy Momma’s boy. I thought he at least had brains.”

  “Let me go. My boyfriend is on his way,” she warned him, feeling terrified and light-headed. She wasn’t ready to die yet.

  “Maybe I’ll shoot you in front of him. He almost had me at the park. His buddy caught Nathan before I could torture the account number out of him. That pisses me off,” he muttered.

  “Why did you kill your own girlfriend?” She wanted to stall him. Jackson would come to the gas station first. She trusted him to save her. It was hard to act calm, but she was not about to burst into tears in front of this man.

  Nick laughed, but it was an evil laugh. “That bitch doesn’t know when to shut up. She wanted to head to Mexico and leave the eighty thousand behind just because a few cops were after us. She said Nathan would squeal right away. We argued and I choked her to shut her up.”

  Samantha was really terrified now. If he could kill his own lover he would not think twice about shooting her. Her heart was beating so fast and her chest hurt. She heard the squeal of tires and looked over Nick’s shoulders. Jackson and Blake were finally here. They would know what to do.

  Nick put his arm around her throat and used her as a shield. Jackson stopped the truck in front of them. Samantha saw Blake on the radio talking to someone. She hoped it was for backup. Lots of backup.

  Nick aimed the gun at her head. “Stop right there unless you want your girlfriend’s brains all over the pavement.”

  Jackson put his hands up. “Take it easy, Nick. Let’s talk about this. What do you want with Samantha? Nathan is in jail and the money is back where it belongs.”

  Samantha drank in Jackson’s appearance just in case it was her last. He looked so calm, so serious. Here she was so scared she felt like she wanted to pass out or throw up or both. How did he stay so calm? Blake was standing right behind him also with his hands up in the air.

  “I figured as much. Nathan is nothing but a pussy.” Nick sneered, tightening his hold on her neck. She coughed and felt her eyes water.

  “Take it easy,” Jackson said coldly. “If you hurt her there will be no negotiating.”

  Nick laughed. “I think I’m the one holding the gun here. I have proved I’m smarter than you and your buddies.”

  Samantha wanted Jackson to look at her so she could mouth the words I love you. She felt a little dizzy from the tight hold and her arm was throbbing. Jackson was keeping his eyes right on Nick.

  “What is it that you want? You killed your girlfriend. Why?” Blake asked from behind Jackson.

  “I was tired of the nagging bitch. She was just like Nathan’s chick, lots of talking and getting on my nerves.” Nick shrugged as if it was no big deal. That made Samantha feel cold and frightened. He had no conscience. “I like your truck. You’re going to let me and your tasty little morsel have it.”

  “You can have the truck, but Samantha is not leaving with you,” Jackson said in a hard, cold voice. He looked right at her and she could see he was telling her with his eyes it would be okay. She mouthed I love you. He nodded slightly, but she knew he read her silent words. She felt better and let the tension flow out of her body. Jackson had to have a plan. He wouldn’t let Nick leave with her.

  Nick pointed the gun in Jackson’s direction and yelled, “I am in charge here. I have the gun and the girl. I might even leave her alive, after I have my fun of course.”

  Jackson and Blake took a step back. They had their hands up in the air. Jackson looked into her eyes briefly before looking back at Nick. “You have one more chance, Nick. Let her go and take the truck or deal with the consequences.”

  “Who? Those idiots across the street searching the apartment building for me?” Nick laughed loudly. The streets were empty and the gas station had no customers. Samantha was glad about that. She didn’t want someone getting hurt. Just as soon as that thought passed through her head a small white car turned into the gas station and parked by the pump. The window was partially rolled down and loud music was coming from the inside of it. It distracted Nick for just a minute. He loosened his hold to see who was getting out of the small car, which had just turned the engine off. Samantha nodded to Jackson hoping he understood she was about to give him an opening to take Nick out. She let herself fall to the ground as if she fainted.

  “What the hell,” Nick grumbled. A sharp sound went through the air and the next thing Samantha knew Nick was lying on the ground with his chest bleeding. He was moaning in pain and his eyes were closed.

  Jackson hurried and picked her up while Blake dealt with Nick. Blake kicked Nick’s gun away from his reach.

  Jackson hugged her and she wrapped herself around his trembling body. His cool demeanor was gone. He looked at her face and she could see how scared he had been himself. His skin was pale and his eyes were moist. “Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head no. “Who shot him?” There was no one else around. The person at the pump had turned the car back on and left in a hurry.

  “Hank was waiting for the perfect chance,” Jackson whispered, hugging her again. “He’s behind us.”

  Samantha looked behind Jackson and saw Hank coming out from behind a tall sign on the curb of the street with a rifle of some sort.

  “He’s our best shot. We dropped him off down the block and he walked to get into position. The cops know you were here, but we didn’t want Nick running off with you before we got here, so they stayed across the street.”

  Samantha leaned against him and sighed. Her knees felt weak with relief. “It’s finally over, isn’t it?”

  Blake came up to them as police cars filled up the lot. “He’s dead. Just as well. Saves us a long expensive trial.”

  Hank reached them and smiled at Samantha. Samantha smiled back and let go of Jackson for a minute. She hugged Hank. “Thank you, Hank. You saved me.”

  Hank hugged her back. “You gave me a good opening dropping like that.”

  Jackson put his hands on his hips. “Hey, I was here, too.”

  Samantha laughed and went back to his side. She kissed his chin. “I know, babe. I’m so happy. No more hiding.”

  Jackson walked her to his truck to wait while he dealt with his official duties. Samantha leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes. The adrenaline of this crazy night was seeping out and leaving her tired. Wait until Daniella and Nancy heard this part of the story. She smiled as she pictured Daniella wanting the story to be made into a movie. Samantha was just happy to be free to concentrate on her relationship with Jackson. She had so many dreams to fulfill. The past was going to stay behind her finally.

  Chapter 13

  Samantha wrapped her arms around Jackson’s neck. She smiled into his sexy brown eyes.

  “I love camping,” she admitted. It had taken him time to convince her to experience his love for staying overnight in the woods. She had been afraid of animals and bugs. “I love seeing the clear sky filled with stars. The sound of the owls is okay as long as they stay on their side of the woods.”

  Jackson chuckled, hovering over her. He leaned down and kissed her lips. They had hiked a mile to set up near a river. Then they had fished and grilled outside. She had been apprehensive about being so far away from civilization, but it turned out to be relaxing and peaceful.

  “I am not sure they understand which side is theirs.” His smile was happy and relaxed. She loved seeing him like this. Even if she had hated camping she would have kept it to herself just to see the happiness in his eyes.

  She snuggled into the sleeping bag, feeling warm inside the tent. It had been a month since that night Nick held her hostage. Her arm was fine and she was back to work. She had agreed to give up her apartment and move into Jackson’s house. She felt sorrow for Valerie’s family and for Nathan losing his sister and facing a long jail sentence. But they made their choices and she had to put it behind her, too. Her present and future is what counted.

  “Making love out here is exciting, too.” She sighed, feeling satisfied and content.

  He agreed with a wink. He moved to her side and hoisted her to his chest. She leaned her head on him and heard his heartbeat. It was steady just like him. She could trust him. “Anywhere with you is exciting, babe.”

  They had learned not to take any time together for granted. Even though her experience with Nathan was behind her Jackson still had a dangerous job. She tried not to dwell on it but to make the most out of every moment they had together. He was careful, he promised. He had a lifetime of love to look forward to he assured her.

  “I feel the same.” She sighed with a yawn. “We should come out here often. Your mom is really into this wedding planning. She has roped Theresa and Melanie into helping so my phone buzzes a lot. Out here I can’t answer.”

  Jackson had popped the question before she moved in with him. He wanted her to know he was serious about his commitment to making a life with her. He didn’t want her to ever feel insecure again. She was amazed at how lucky she had been in meeting Jackson. She had her boss to thank for that. Eddie Miller was happy to embrace her into the family fold.

  She felt Jackson chuckle. “I have it easy. Blake is my best man and all I have to do is show up.”

  She pinched his chest for bragging. Wanda and his aunt Edith had been so eager to give them a big wedding when she just wanted to go to the court house and do the deed.

  “Absolutely not,” Wanda had remarked with horror. “This will be your only wedding, Sam. You want pictures and memories to show your children. You want a fancy dress and your friends there to bless you.”

  Samantha had given in and handed the reigns over to her future mother-in-law. Jackson got along famously with Joe and his daughter Theresa. Everything was great and she had no worries about the future. “Enjoy it now, buster. When the kids come you won’t get off so easily.”

  Jackson kissed her forehead. He had confessed he always wanted a few kids. He leaned on his arms again and held himself above her. He moved her legs open with his knee, knowing she was naked under her sleeping bag. “Let’s get started, then. I’m not getting any younger. I don’t want to be a senior citizen when we have family hiking and camping trips. I might even convince you to try skiing.”

 

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