Rescuing A Runaway Bride (5 page)

“So, what happened? What did that boy do to my baby?”

Jake hesitated. Samantha would never learn to trust him if he betrayed her confidences. He’d handle St. James personally when they returned and make sure he knew he was a dead man if he dared touch her again. Although he had to agree with Samantha’s assessment that Grayson was basically a coward. He was probably sweating though his three-piece suit right now wondering when he was going to be fired.
Good, let the bastard suffer.
“I can’t tell you. I gave her my word that I’d let her handle it. I promised.”

“Promised?” Samuel shouted, adding sourly, “Damn it all, I’m your employer, and I’m ordering you to tell me.”

“I can’t.” He patiently waited for his boss to finish sputtering. “But trust me, when I get back to town if she hasn’t taken care of him, the sleaze is toast.”

“Well, I’ll be damned. She’s got you wrapped around her little finger.”

Jake sighed, hearing the grudging amusement in Samuel’s voice. “Not true. I’m the one in charge around here.”

“Right.
Keep me apprised of the situation.
That fool
stake-out you insisted on come up with anything yet?”

“No.” Jake relaxed, satisfied by his dismissive tone. Big Sam had enough to worry about without fretting over Tad’s involvement. He’d just as soon downplay things until he knew the truth.

“Told you it was all a mare’s nest.
Wrap things up soon and bring my daughter back.
And, Ramsey!”

“Yes, sir?”

“You take good care of my little girl. Let nature take its course.”

Jake frowned into the phone. Cryptic messages weren’t usually his boss’ style. “What?”

“Simple. I’m through playing Cupid, boy. One lesson I learned while I spent the morning canceling the wedding, calming down her mother and matchmaking uncle Delbert, and worrying about my daughter is that I’m lousy at it. From now on she can find her own beaus.”

Chapter 5

Samantha was still tingling when she reached the Sunrise Diner, her bottom still heated from the shockingly hot spanking Jake had given her. She noticed Kathy’s cruiser in the parking lot and turned in. Before she gave into her urge to make Ramsey make good on his sexual teasing, she needed answers.
Why is he here all by his lonesome? Why are he and Kathy so chummy? What the hell is going on?

The question succeeded in suppressing her tingles like nothing else could as she stepped into the half-full diner. She immediately picked out Kathy sitting alone at the counter and homed in on her. “Hey, girlfriend,” she said, popping onto the empty stool next to her.

Kathy turned a surprised glance her way. “Wow, I wasn’t expecting to see you so early in the morning.
Especially with Mister Sexy at your fingertips.”

Samantha felt herself blush remembering how she’d done just that.
Stroked her fingertips down his washboard abs to his thrusting cock.
“Yeah well there’s a lot to be said for slowing things down.” She speared Kathy with a steady look. “Tell me why he’s here.”

Kathy let out a sigh. “Well, you always were direct. But it’s on a need-to-know basis. And you, sister, don’t need
¼
”

“The heck I don’t. Look at me, Kathy. You know this is important.” She weathered Kathy’s firm cop glance suddenly seeing the trained officer in her. “Please.”

“
Shh
, keep it down,” she said.

Samantha tensed as she watched Kathy scan the diner.
Probably looking for fellow cops.
What the hell is so hush-hush?
She had to restrain her outburst. She needed to be just as stealthy as Jake if she was going to get to the bottom of this and rescue him.

Kathy spun back to look at her saying in a low tone, “We’re working in concert with the Chicago PD and the FBI. The big time, girlfriend,” she said with a grin, adding in a hushed tone. “The chief is babysitting this one personally and I’m only a pawn in the game.”

“What game would that be?” Samantha asked.

“From what I’ve picked up, there was trouble back in Chicago. I’m not high enough on the food chain at the PD for much Intel. All I know was he had some thefts back home and he’s super paranoid about burglars, thus the silent alarm and patrols.”

“So that explains why he completely overreacted when I showed up,” she said, remembering the way he’d tackled her. But it didn’t explain his standoffish attitude today. Why was he trying to get rid of her? The only way to find out was to confront the big lug. She surged to her feet. “I’ll see you later, Kath. I’ve got a goon to interrogate.”

Kathy smiled. “Just don’t kick his sexy ass. I’d hate to have to arrest you.”

Samantha breezed out of the diner with a smile on her face. Kicking his ass wouldn’t be necessary she hoped as she started her car and took off. But whatever it took she was going to save his stubborn ass. She was still coming up with a game plan as she drove out of the sleepy little town and turned onto the road that wound around the lake to the cabin. She’d get to the bottom of whatever was bugging Jake and then propose her offer to make him her erotic arts instructor. He’d be the perfect intro to erotica one-o-one. She sighed relaxing.

Then a big black SUV roared up behind her making her jump. Good lord, had she been dawdling? Chagrinned she sped up apologetically looking in the rearview mirror. The SUV’s dark windows were so dirty she couldn’t see who was inside. Loud rock music blasted out of the vehicle’s windows as it gunned its engine and weaved in the lane behind her. A drunk driver this early, crap he was probably partying all night from the looks of things.

She couldn’t pull off to let him pass. A guardrail was the only thing separating her from the lake on her passenger side, and a rocky outcropping flanked the other side. Shit she stepped on the gas shooting ahead of the dangerous drunk. He zoomed up behind her
blaring
his horn as he revved his engine. A chill went up her spine at the classic show of road rage. Apparently her slow driving pissed him off.

Concentrating, she gripped the wheel tightly focusing on the smooth stretch of road coming into view. If she could just make it there, she’d be in the clear. There was a cornfield on the left and a grassy verge on the right. At least she wouldn’t hurtle off into the drink. Reaching her safe zone she eased to the side letting out a sigh. Then in a millisecond the maniac behind the wheel of the van cranked his wheels her way. The bone-rattling smack on her rear fender sent her spinning
dizzily
into the cornfield
as she screamed.

Cornstalks snapped off
all around her buffeting the car and almost blotting out the sun as her car skidded to a halt. Shaking as she took a deep breath, she was amazed that she’d survived the crash without an injury.
But w
hat about the drunk?
She needed to summon help, check on the jerk.
She fished her cell phone out and frowned when she saw it was dead. Apparently she was too far out in the boonies to pick up a signal. Then the sound of the SUV’s roaring engine as he sped away made her growl.
Typical hit-and-run driver, the jerk.
Well at least she wouldn’t have to worry about him. And she was still alive and so was her old beater. It was still running, rough, but running. She might be able to scrape up the extra cash to bang out the dents but it would be tight.

Opening her new branch of Samantha’s Special Affairs Catering and
Ice Cream Parlor extended her finances. But she’d deal with that later. Now she had to get out of here. She’d just have to save herself. Gripping the wheel she stepped on the gas and the tires bit into the ground. She let out a sigh of relief. Now all she had to do was drive out of the corn maze. Easier said than done as she drove blind through the tall cornstalks but eventually she came to the edge of the field. Smiling when she was near the rutted farm driveway ahead she eased up onto it and managed to get up on the road.

A bit more shakily than she would have liked, she drove off toward the cabin and Jake. She had a lover to interrogate. Dealing with the cops and her insurance company would have to wait until she got there
and found a working phone
.

Chapter 6

Jake smiled when he heard Samantha’s car return then tensed when he heard her tire whine as it grated against her fender.
What the fuck? Had she gotten in a fender-bender in town?
He was about to check when he told himself to hold back. Shit a rich girl like her probably didn’t sweat a dented fender but then that didn’t jive with the ten-year-old compact car she was driving. He’d eventually find out her secrets. But now he needed to cling to the game plan he’d concocted. If Samantha wanted sex lessons from him, he’d give her all she could handle but he wasn’t going to get emotionally involved. Hell, once she found out he was here to bust Tad, she’d hate him anyway.

Then she trooped into the cabin and he ran out of time to think. He stood motionless looking her over for signs of trouble. She appeared unhurt despite the fender bender but the fiercely demanding look she pinned him with was anything but tame. What the hell was wrong? Had someone told her what he was here for, poisoned her mind against him? He closed the distance between them in a flash and reached for her arm only to have her give him a scared look and back away. He felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. “What happened?” he demanded, stepping into her personal space.

“Who are you doing the surveillance on?” she shot back.

Well
hell, that
answered a lot of questions. Had Samantha been so pissed she slammed her fender against a telephone pole? He rejected the thought immediately, the teenage joyriding version Sammy Jo might have reacted that way. Samantha wouldn’t. “Who told you?” he demanded, closing in on her.

“Does it really matter?” she asked tiredly.

“It might,” he said, taking in her shaken look. “What the hell happened out there? What
has
you so scared?”

She scowled up at him. “I’m not scared, I’m mad as hell. Some
drunk
ass road rage idiot ran me off the damned road.”

His gut tightened at her words. “Grayson,” he bit out angrily.

“Now who’s paranoid?” she questioned with a smile then frowned. “He drives a bright red sports car. Not the battered black SUV blowing out cranked-up tunes and beer cans that clipped me.”

He tried to keep his cool as he took in the picture she made. Anger turned her cheeks red and her breasts were heaving as she glared up at him. But he tried not to take it personally as he contemplated the accident. Damn she could have been killed. “Where and when?”

“The lake road about twenty minutes ago.”

“Did you report it?”

“No. I couldn’t get a signal. Never mind the diversionary tactics
cause
they’re not going to work on me. Tell me who you’re doing the surveillance on.”

Damn, had Kathy talked? She wasn’t supposed to be in the know. But people gossiped, especially cops. He decided in that instant he trusted Samantha not to play him. If she wanted to go after him she’d do it directly. He closed the distance between them pressing her against the countertop with his stupid cock throbbing at her proximity. “Who told you that?”

She frowned up at him refusing to be intimidated. “I have my sources.”

Jake had to admire her loyalty and her spunk. When she started to feint to the side his hands came down on the countertop on either side of her holding her trapped. The fact he felt even more trapped by her sexy intoxicating presence made him a little crazy. How the hell was he supposed to concentrate on this mission with her close enough to touch? Heat surged through him as she gazed up at him defiantly. They still wanted each other
¼
nothing could change that.
Except when you take her baby brother down for espionage then she’ll drop you in a New York minute.
Shit there was no way he could keep her.