Loe raamatut: «Ranger Protector»

Chapter One

Paranoia shimmied up her spine, pinning her to the tight airplane seat. A genuine fear kept Megan Harper where she was while most of the passengers paraded slowly up the aisle.

Carefully gathering her things, she waited. For what? A flight attendant lifted her bag and dropped it next to her. “This yours?” he asked and moved toward the back of the plane, checking seat pockets.

The forty-five-minute flight from Dallas to Austin had been a little bumpy, but not enough to make her feel this way. She’d barely finished three paragraphs of the book she’d spontaneously purchased before they left the gate.

Her breathing was still fast, her pulse still racing. She still felt like something was...well, wrong. She’d felt this shakiness since she was dropped at Love Field.

Thinking back, she realized that was when the apprehension had begun. Not about flying or plane crashes or anything to make a traveler feel anxiety. This was different. Something she hadn’t felt since she was at the San Antonio Police Academy.

That had been ages ago. She’d barely been a cop before transferring to the State Fire Marshal’s Office. But still...the sense that she was being watched—Check that. She knew she was being watched. It bothered her that she couldn’t pin down the person doing the watching before she’d boarded.

“Miss, is there a problem? Do you need assistance leaving the plane?”

“Oh, no. Sorry.”

There was no one left to watch her leave. The unrest should have subsided.

But it didn’t.

The anxiety grew with each step up the jet bridge. Alone by necessity for her job, she had no hand to squeeze for comfort. She really hadn’t been the comfort-seeking type—even in her childhood.

What was wrong with her? She threw her hand against the wall as a wave of dizziness overtook her. Catching her breath, she straightened her laptop-bag strap and continued. The faster she got to her house, the better.

Strangers were lined up at the gate, ready to fill the seats for the next flight. None of them watched a crazy woman who expected someone to jump out and...and... Do what?

This is ridiculous. Shake it off. Nothing’s wrong.

“Megan Harper?”

She looked up toward the man who’d called her name. When their eyes met, it was clear he’d been waiting for her. He wasn’t asking—he already knew who she was. She quickly glanced around, trying to find a free airport employee, but no one would look her way. She changed directions to get closer to the gate, to give herself time to assess the threat. She sprang past the man, toward the security exit.

How he’d gotten to the gate was a question for later. Something about the way he walked, with one hand on his hip, sort of under his jacket, set off alarms. Once again her neck broke out with the pricklies, as her mother called them. She ignored him and had barely gotten three steps ahead when his hand grabbed her arm and swung her back to face him.

“You’re prettier than the picture. Here.”

Shoving her against the wall out of the flow of traffic turned a few heads for a few seconds. Before she could react, he had her free arm pinned and the other wrapped up in her luggage.

“Back away or you’re going to regret this.” She could still use her legs, which were strategically placed to play football with his privates.

With his free hand, he opened a note and held it for her to read: “You have to go with this man to be safe. No questions.”

She laughed. “Do you really think I’m just going to walk out of a crowded airport with you? That note is straight from a movie. And I can take care of myself.”

“You need to come with me—”

“No way in hell! Security!” She rammed her knee against his groin.

The man doubled over.

Her pricklies were gone. She was breathing calmly when she sort of trotted through the nearest revolving door to baggage claim before anyone could respond to her cry for help. On the other side she realized she’d left her rolling carry-on next to the wall. She headed directly to a counter with two employees for help.

“I wouldn’t do that.” The deep voice slowed her steps.

A couple of steps away from her, a man lifted his finger in the air. He wasn’t the same as the man who’d accosted her at the gate. His serious scrutiny caught her off guard as he guided her out of the way of the revolving door.

“Are you following me?” She looked through the glass—the man trying to accost her and the carry-on were gone.

“Nope. Someone wants to chat with you.” Serious Guy extended a phone, and she heard an unfamiliar voice of a friend she hadn’t seen in years.

“Megan. Megan, are you there?” The moment caught her off guard, and she paused. The stranger gently took her elbow, guiding her out of foot traffic, nodding as a couple of people passed and then handing her the phone.

She flipped the cell over and was on a video call. “Therese? I haven’t heard from you since I moved to Austin. What in the world is going on?”

“Thank God he found you. Listen, the man with you is Jack MacKinnon. He’s a friend and you need to leave with him. Now. I’ll explain later. Trust that your life is in danger.”

Megan looked straight into aviator shades and an expressionless pair of lips over a dimpled chin. His gesture to wrap up the call infuriated her a little bit more. But when she stumbled it was nice to have him there to steady her.

“I can explain everything in three or four days. Until then, MacKinnon can keep you safe.” Therese’s voice was shaky with fear. The man looked around without offering any explanation.

“I can take care of myself. But why do you think I need to? And why don’t I just go to the police?” She was certain she was capable.

Therese’s fear seemed to be seeping through the speaker, affecting her ability to reason. Either that or... Great—the room was spinning. “Why does it feel like I’m on that baggage carousel?”

“Wrap it up. They must have slipped you something.” The man gripped her elbow tighter and headed toward the exit.

“Someone’s trying to kill you, Megan. We don’t know who. At least not yet. And until we get a handle on this, you need to stay someplace safe. We think you’re being framed—What?” There was some noise on Therese’s end, and the screen went dark, like she’d covered the phone’s camera. Then nothing for a long couple of seconds. “I wish I had time to explain and I’m sorry I put you into this position. You can trust MacKinnon. He’s practically one of us. Maybe better since he’s a Texas—”

The phone went dark again. The connection was gone.

“Can you walk faster? I’m parked in a loading zone.” Therese’s friend wrapped his arm around her waist.

The mirrored aviator shades he wore blocked wherever he was looking, but it didn’t matter. She was quickly losing her footing and the grip on her laptop. “My bagsheze ish...”

Slurred speech and no muscle coordination. Her inability didn’t slow her escort down. He lifted her laptop bag onto one shoulder and stretched her arm around his other. She couldn’t even protest now. Her eyes were getting heavy, right along with every other part of her body.

“Stay with me, Megan,” he whispered close to her ear. “Yeah, we’re good. Pregnant. Just need to get her home.”

He’d told someone she was pregnant, and she couldn’t make her mouth object. Her brain seemed to be working, but nothing else. He lifted her onto the front seat of a giant truck and pulled the seat belt around her.

Eyes closed, her head fell to the window with a thud. They moved forward, and that was it. She’d been kidnapped, abducted. If anyone asked her to identify the man driving, she had a good image of a dimpled chin under shiny, reflective aviator shades.

* * *

THEY ARRIVED AT his destination—not hers. According to Mr. MacKinnon, he’d been assured her home was compromised. He pulled into a driveway of a house that looked as if it had been built just after World War II.

How had she gotten here?

Shoot, she didn’t really know where here was. Someplace she’d never been. Someplace that didn’t look anything like an abductor’s lair. She thought they’d pulled off the main road at the first sign of a town and then kept turning.

Main road? She’d missed which way they left Austin. She’d been in and out. While she was in, the winding roads she recognized west of Austin kicked in and made her queasy. So she just closed her eyes and concentrated on not throwing up.

Now at a stop, she tried to pull on the door handle. Nothing. Her arms were just too weak. No strength.

The porch light flickered on—one of those energy-saver bulbs that she didn’t care for but bought herself. The porch had a swing, a couple of tall-fronded plants in the corner. It looked more like where her parents used to live—more than she wanted to admit.

If she admitted it, she’d feel safe. She’d let her guard down, and she couldn’t. She had to escape. Had to somehow get to the police.

“Megan?” He tapped on the truck. “You can get out now. We’re here.” The truck door opened, and her driver caught her in a bear hug. Not that he was as big as a bear. He just held her tight in his strong arms before lifting her into them and carrying her up the porch steps.

God, her mind was jumping all over the place. She needed a few minutes to take everything in. Should she go inside with a stranger who had practically abducted her? She could trust Therese. They might not have seen each other in the past couple of years, but when you went through the police academy together...it created a bond that didn’t go away.

A dog bayed at the fence next door.

“Hush, Junior, hush.”

“Getting out of that truck might be the most stupid thing I’ve ever done in my life. I have no idea what’s going on. Why is it so hard to think straight?”

“Not surprising, since someone drugged you. Not me. I assume it was the guy who followed you off the plane and who has your carry-on.” He set her on the couch and switched on the table lamp before securing the front door.

“When would they have drugged me? Why would they? I don’t get it. Scratch that. It doesn’t make sense. I’m a nobody.” Megan struggled to cover her eyes with a hand. She could have been drugged at any time before or during the flight. It was possible no matter how unlikely she thought it might be.

“I have no idea. Your friend didn’t bother to give either of us much information.” He patted her softly on her back. “You feeling okay? Should I have taken you to the emergency room? To be honest, I wasn’t given too much instruction. Other than you needed a protective escort and place to stay this weekend.”

“I’m better than when I was at the airport. I...I don’t think I need a doctor, but what do I know?” She did feel better than before. “My head is throbbing and every muscle I have is aching.”

“I’ll get you some water and aspirin.”

“If Therese asked you to help me, then I think I deserve some answers.” She spoke louder, following his movements through the gaps between her fingers.

He returned with a bottle of water under his biceps, shaking pills from a bottle. Could she trust that it wasn’t more of whatever had been slipped to her earlier?

“I think I’ll just take the water for now.”

He gave it to her and she gulped it down.

He popped the two pills into his mouth and swallowed. She watched his Adam’s apple bob under that cute dimple and took an inventory of his brown eyes and the thick eyelashes that men naturally had. Straight eyebrows quirked as he stared back at her, then shook his head.

“No one hired me. I’d answer your questions if I could. But my deal is to keep you safe. I made a promise not to leave you alone. That’s all I know until someone lets me in on more.”

“I’m not really the helpless type.” At the moment, she did appear helpless to herself. She said that she wasn’t. Even said it out loud after someone had just drugged her. She didn’t know how or where. If this guy hadn’t been there, who knew what would have happened? Or where she would have ended up?

“You probably don’t think anyone would want to kill you, either.” He took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest.

“How do I know that Therese wasn’t being forced to tell me to go with you?”

“I guess you don’t. Neither do I. But one thing in our favor is that I’m not forcing you to stay. You aren’t tied up or anything.”

She needed to test that challenge. Could she get up? Get closer to the back door? What would he do?

Even though the house was sparsely decorated, the photographs on the wall really stood out and called to her. She stood and swayed toward one near her—an action picture of a retriever flying into a pond. Water droplets were caught forever hanging in midair.

“That was Birdie. I took that picture when I was in college. She was a great retriever.”

“It’s exceptional. So alive.” Megan looked for signs of a dog. “Is she around?”

“Naw, she died a few years back.” He shoved his fingers through his hair before settling his arms in front of his chest again. And he stayed where he was, not making a move to stop her from wandering.

Even if she was stumbling and leaning on the backs of chairs.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” Her head really wanted to check out that aspirin bottle.

“She was a great dog.” He shrugged.

“What did you say your name was?”

“Jack MacKinnon. I’m a Tex—”

“Jack, um...what did you do with my stuff? My laptop? Phone? I don’t see my carry-on.”

“You left it by the gate. Sorry, but there wasn’t time to explain to airport security. Your phone and laptop are still in the truck. Safe for tonight.”

“What if someone sees it and breaks in? Isn’t that risky?”

“Not too many break-ins around here. Everybody knows me and that I’m home this week. Your stuff is safe.”

She shifted to another chair, closer to her goal. “You really don’t know what all this is about?” she asked.

He shook his head, and she believed him. It was her job to know when someone was lying or telling the truth. Jack seemed to be completely at ease telling her everything—or as little as—he knew.

“I really need to call Therese and find out what this is all about.” She needed to know why she needed protecting. She didn’t doubt that she could handle herself when put to the test. But what test?

Oh, yeah, sure.

“I tried your friend. Tried my partner. Voice mail. You’re safe and need some rest, so how ’bout we try again in the morning?”

Scolding herself was nothing new. Being in a life-threatening position wasn’t, either. Shoot, being alone with arrogant men who thought they knew more than her was something she’d dealt with since joining the police academy. The State Fire Marshal’s Office wasn’t much better.

The strange new sensation was that she could trust this man. Weird. She rarely trusted anyone. Getting her feet to even slide was beginning to be a chore. So maybe she could wait until her legs were more stable and could make it out to his truck. Then she’d find out what was going on for herself.

He pushed his hands through his tangled short mop, smoothing and looping some of it behind his ears. “I wasn’t expecting anyone, so I’m not sure what I have in the fridge. You feel like eating? Need another bottle of water?”

“No. Thanks. Look, all I need is a couch for the night and I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow.”

“Why don’t we talk about that in the morning?” He reached forward, and they touched with an electric shock.

Not the kind she’d felt wrapped in his arms. It was a sincere static-electricity pop that had them both waving their hands in pain.

Megan looked between the blinds and saw a couple of porch lights. “Ouch, you pack a wallop.” The houses were far apart and she wasn’t certain the road—that was at least forty yards away—was even a public street. An older neighborhood in a small town? “Maybe I should call a cab to take me home.”

“You could try, but I doubt you’d get one to come here.”

“Where did you bring me?”

“We’re outside Liberty Hill. It’s about forty-five minutes from Austin.”

Doubt was back. No matter how much confidence she had in Therese, shouldn’t she be more upset about being alone with this guy?

Maybe it was the remnants of the drug still in her system. She couldn’t tell or keep her thoughts straight. Why had she allowed herself to be brought here by a stranger in the first place? What had Therese meant? Not having answers was more likely to kill her than a stranger at the airport.

“This is ridiculous.”

“What do you mean?” Jack asked, resting one hand in a pocket and the other at the back of his head.

“I need a phone, please.” She held out her hand, expecting him to accommodate her. Why wouldn’t he? “May I borrow yours or will you get mine from your truck?”

“No. Tomorrow.” Jack clapped his hands together and then opened them, palms up. He stood at attention, ready for something. “Our instructions are that they’ll contact us tomorrow.”

“I am not a helpless victim from a slasher movie. I’m not staying here.”

“Come on, Megan. If you need someplace safe to stay, we’ve done everything right. Why mess it up with a phone call to friends?”

He relaxed, shrugged and took a step away from her. Did he expect her to attack or something? She might have if she hadn’t still been sluggish.

“Right.” She sank to the couch, finally admitting she was too unstable on her feet. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but this situation is absurd and confusing.”

“I get it. Your friend Therese was more than a little cryptic.” He perched on the armchair. “All I got was that you were in trouble and needed protection.”

“I appreciate your willingness to help. Really. But if I am in trouble like Therese thinks, then my best bet is to call the police. I can’t put you in danger, too.”

She was used to being around officers and macho firefighters. She’d taken a lot of years to study guys, their psychology, their body language. And Jack didn’t appear to be surprised by their situation. Or surprised that she was in trouble. If she had to make a guess, he probably had a gun holster under the back of his shirt.

“I’m not worried about it.” He lifted his hands in mock surrender. Mock because it was apparent there wasn’t a cell in his being that would make him change his mind. “I gave my word, okay? If you can clear things up, fine. But you can’t have a phone until the morning.”

Even without her knowing him, there was something about the way he held his mouth that convinced her he was serious. Compressed lips with the corner barely raised. Serious or sure of himself?

Jack MacKinnon was as stubborn as she was.

“Why are you doing this? What’s in it for you?”