Baehrly Alive (23 page)

The back of her building had been built on a downward slant of land, so what should have been a four or five foot drop to the ground, ended up being eight.

The doorknob rattled. There was no time to debate the pros and cons of jumping. She could either jump now or…. She didn’t want to wait for the or.

So much for choices, she thought grimly, and jumped feet first.

Her ankle twisted as she hit the ground, causing her to fall to her knees and suck in a breath at the sharp pain. She looked up and saw a shadowed figure standing at the window. As she pushed herself up, she turned her head, managing another quick glance. After sticking his head out the window, he threw one leg over the edge.

He was going to do what she’d just done, she realized as she took off around the side of the building.

Lana made her way toward the front of the apartment complex, running as fast as her injured ankle would allow, not even noticing that she’d lost a slipper somewhere along the way.

Footsteps echoed behind her, but she ignored the natural urge to turn around. If she could just make it across the street to the twenty-four hour store, she would be able to get help.

She stumbled and barely managed to catch her balance. The convenience store, and a man standing outside, finally came into view as she passed the edge of her building, and she almost wept with relief. Never before had the sight of dim lights and a stranger made her so happy. It was going to be okay.

Without slowing her pace, Lana finally dared a glance over her shoulder to see if the figure was still following her, and saw him round the corner.

§§§

Cole needed a cigarette. For the umpteenth time he wondered why he’d quit the week before. The temptation to light up surged through him, but he had better control than that. Barely. The urges weren’t as frequent now, but when they hit, he really wanted to give in to them. Maybe he should have tried one of the patches or that new medication. He was not one to give in, though, once he’d made up his mind. Why had he decided to quit again? Oh yeah—cancer.

If he couldn’t smoke, he needed gum, and he needed it ten minutes ago.

He saw a convenience store up ahead and debated whether or not to stop. The one closer to his house was only fifteen minutes away, but that meant fifteen minutes longer without gum.

Not to mention the pack of Marlboro that was sitting in his glove box. It had been easier somehow to quit when he knew that there was a pack waiting. So far, it had worked well knowing it was there if he really needed it.

The internal debate didn’t last long. He’d quit. He wasn’t giving up, so he pulled in the parking lot and parked by the front entrance. It was nearly deserted, which suited him just fine. He really wanted that gum.

As he jumped out of his car and headed for the door, a tingling at the back of his neck had him turning his head.

He saw her immediately.

A woman out for a run at one thirty in the morning? Not likely, and certainly not wearing anything but what appeared to be a robe. Obviously something was wrong.

She ran with a limp, wearing only one slipper, and glanced over her shoulder.

Gum forgotten, Cole headed toward the edge of the parking lot. A man came darting from behind the building. Instincts—not to mention the terror on the woman’s face—told him the guy following her wasn’t someone she wanted to catch her.

Cole hesitated only a second before sprinting across the street. Horns blasted, and a driver yelled obscenities, but he ignored them.

The woman ran into him fast enough to spin him around. She would have sent them both sprawling to the sidewalk had he not put his hands around her waist to catch her. Either she hadn’t noticed him cross the street, or she was too preoccupied with the man chasing her to care.

“There’s someone after me,” she said breathlessly.

“I know.” He turned back around to get a better glimpse of the man, but he was gone, and that worried him.

She bent over, hands resting on the tops of her legs, trying to catch her breath. “I’m sorry,” she said and straightened.

She brushed long curls out of her face, finally giving him a chance to get a good look at her.

Her brown hair glinted with reddish highlights in the glow from the convenience store lights. Fear and pain tainted the smoky blue of her eyes. She stood almost a foot shorter than his own six-two and his innate protective nature kicked in instinctively.

Her dark blue robe looked as though she had rolled around in the mud—the remaining slipper on her foot didn’t look much better.

“Are you okay?” Cole asked, his voice soothing. He wanted her to stay calm enough to tell him what was going on, and that wouldn’t happen if she hyperventilated or got hysterical on him. Hell, leave it to me to be in the wrong place at the right time.

She nodded. “I’m okay. I think.”

“Go on into the store and wait for me, alright? I’m going to go see if he’s still around.”

He gave her a hang-in-there smile and a pat on the arm before running in the direction from which she’d come. He didn’t expect to find the guy, but if he could figure out which way he went or where he came from, it might give the cops a place to start.

If she wanted to call the cops.

The thought made him cringe. He hated dealing with the cops. They were the bane of his existence. They didn’t like dealing with him, even though he was a private investigator and one of the good guys. Well, too bad for them. He was involved—whether the cops, or the pretty little thing at the store, liked it or not.

The edge of the woods and the area he’d seen the woman running in showed no recent sign of foot traffic, other than his own.

It had rained the day before, and if anyone had been there, he should have found tracks in the mud. As it stood, the only tracks he found belonged to the woman at the convenience store.

Damn, what’d the bastard do? Disappear into thin air? He frowned. There wouldn’t be anything to show the cops.

If he had the time, he would have shape shifted, but she was still waiting for him at the store and likely terrified.

How did the guy just seem to vanish off the face of the earth in a matter of seconds? He couldn’t explain that one. Yet.

Another niggling feeling pricked at him as he performed one more walk-by of the area, looking for clues he might have missed. Something was missing. At the moment, he didn’t know what exactly, but he wouldn’t drop it until he had some answers.

She might not know it, but she would have a shadow until he found them. He wasn’t one to leave a puzzle unsolved.

“Did you find anything?” she asked as soon as he walked back to the store. Her tone was still anxious, but stronger than before.

He shook his head and frowned. “Nothing at all.”

A sigh escaped her lips. “I appreciate you looking, Mr…?”

Cole extended his hand. “My name’s Cole Thomas, ma’am.”

“Thank you. I’m Lana. Lana Summers.” She shook his hand, her grip surprisingly strong. “I suppose I should go see if anything is missing.”

Well, that told him that it wasn’t likely a domestic problem, and since it was an apartment building, he was guessing someone had broken in.

Part of him was glad she didn’t look too happy about it going to check on her own. He was going to help, and the look on her face said she didn’t really want to go look by herself. “Would you mind if I went along with you, just to make sure there’s no one around?”

She studied him for a moment, wariness clear in her eyes. He didn’t mind, though. Had someone just broken into his house and chased him down, he’d probably be a tad suspicious of strangers, too.

After a moment of silence, he almost bet her answer would be no.

“No, I would appreciate that, thank you.”

Cole gestured for her to lead the way and took hold of her elbow. “How bad is the ankle?”

“It’s not bad. I can walk on it, so it’s not broken.” She attempted a smile, but it fell short. “Some ice and aspirin and it’ll be good as new. I just landed on it wrong.”

He didn’t agree or disagree, but decided he’d check the damage for himself at the first opportunity.

“Mr. Thomas—”

“Cole. Please, call me Cole,” he said.

This time she managed to smile and it almost reached her eyes. “Cole,” she repeated, “I really appreciate your help. I could be polite and say that you don’t have to go with me, but I won’t.”

He laughed. “That’s quite alright. I’m just glad I can help, ma’am.”

Lana stopped and gave him a look. “If I’m going to call you Cole, then the least you could do is call me Lana. ‘Ma’am’ makes me sound old.”

“Lana it is, then,” he said with a chuckle. “You’ve got some sense of humor, considering the circumstances.” He glanced over, noticed she’d crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you cold?”

She turned her head in his direction, startled. “What? Oh, no. I’m fine, it’s just….”

He nodded. He’d begun to wonder how a woman could act so nonchalant about having her house broken into and having a man chase her down. Hell, most men would have either panicked or done something stupid and ended up hurt—and he wasn’t being sexist. She’d gotten her butt in gear and escaped. Which posed another good question….

“Just how did you get out of your apartment?”

She turned to face him. “I woke up a minute before I heard footsteps, and then I realized someone was in my apartment, so I jumped out of the window.”

He whistled. “Out of the window? No wonder you hurt your ankle. Quick thinking, I might add.”

“Thanks.” She paused in front of a door. “This is my apartment.”

“Bet you’re glad you picked a ground floor apartment.”

It was her turn to laugh. “Yes, I am. And it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact carrying furniture up flights of stairs is a pain.”

Lana grabbed the doorknob and turned. “Crap,” she hissed under her breath and swung back around, a look of absolute disgust on her face. “I don’t have my keys. If you could give me a boost to get back in through my window, I’d appreciate it.”

She started to walk past him, but he placed his hand on her arm. “I’ll go. You don’t need to walk on that ankle any more than necessary and we’re not sure it’s safe.” It was an order, one he’d make sure she followed, but she didn’t need to know that.

He saw the hesitation in her eyes as she thought over what he said. Finally, she sighed. “You’re probably right.”

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he said and jogged his way to the back of the building.

Why did her window have to be so high? He could shift, but that was always dicey out in the open, and he didn’t take unnecessary risks unless he absolutely had to.

As he studied the wall, he noticed a small space where a brick had been broken or fallen out. Using that for a foothold, he boosted himself up and climbed in through the open window.

Since she didn’t have her keys, there would be no way for her to get in until he let her in. Knowing he may not get another opportunity, he took a deep breath and imagined the animal he needed to become. He shifted quickly into his tiger.

Somehow, the intruder had hidden his tracks, but it wasn’t as easy to hide his scent.

He didn’t have long before she would expect him to let her in, so he moved fast, sniffing around the room. He’d been inside less than a minute and knew, without question, that the only human scent belonged to Lana. Lavender, soap—nothing else.

Quickly, he checked the rest of her apartment, going room-by-room, still puzzling over the fact that the only smells he came across in the entire place belonged to her. Someone had been in her apartment, she’d said. Considering he’d seen the person chasing after her, he really didn’t think she had lied.

This was wrong, dreadfully wrong. There must’ve been something more sinister going on than a bungled burglary or attempted rape. This was getting deeper and deeper by the minute. He should have smelled some other scent—anything. So why hadn’t he?

Trying one last time, he held still, his back completely rigid. His nose moved from side to side as his nostrils flared, his ears taut, listening for sounds that didn’t belong.

Nothing.

Did she know more than she let on? If she didn’t, should he keep it that way and investigate it quietly on the side, or should he question her more and find out if she was hiding anything?

On a frustrated growl, he changed back into human form. He still had no answers, just a stockpile of new questions.

“I was afraid someone might have still been inside,” Lana commented when he opened the door. The corner of her mouth twitched. “Well, that or you just weren’t going to let me in.”

“No, just being cautious.” He grinned widely. “Why? Did you miss me?”

Lana tilted her chin up in a silent challenge. “Maybe.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “You know, Lana, I do believe I like your style and sense of humor.”

She chuckled. “Who said I was joking?”

Without thinking, he reached out and brushed a hand slowly down her cheek. “I do like you,” he decided. It was the truth, but he still had a nagging feeling that he was missing something important. He’d be damned if he wasn’t going to figure it out.