The Girl from Her Mirror (Mirrors Don't Lie Book 1) (10 page)

She floored the gas pedal and Hardin was
jerked inside at an awkward angle. “Go, go!” he insisted, pulling his foot in
and slamming the door, even as they sped onto the highway. Makenna pulled out
in front of an oncoming car, eliciting a long lay on the horn and some crude
sign language. The back-end of the sports car threatened to switch ends with
the front, but Makenna held it steady as she stomped once again on the gas
pedal.

“Oh my god! What- What is going on? Why
are these people chasing me?” Makenna finally found her voice. It came out high
pitched and breathless.

Hardin didn’t answer. He was turned
around in the seat, watching as the bald man discovered his destroyed tires.
The angry man kicked at the useless rubber, slapped his hand on the car’s roof,
then turned to glare at the retreating sports car as he raised a menacing fist
and shook it. At least he didn’t pull out his gun. “I bought us some time with
the tires,” Hardin said, turning back around. “All the same, get us the hell
out of here.”

Makenna concentrated on driving. Her
legs were weak, her side was cramping, her hands were shaking. The combination
of physical exertion, running, and fear for her very life left her breathing
ragged and her nerves raw. She kept a tight grip on the steering wheel as her
foot remained heavy on the gas pedal. They sailed past more amazing scenery,
both oblivious to the roadside beauty as they compulsively watched the road
behind them; even knowing the green car was disabled for now didn’t stop either
of them from watching for its reappearance.

After a long stretch of road traveled in
tense silence, Makenna glanced over at Hardin. She had never seen a jaw so
tightly clamped. His handsome face was more the mask of a stranger, hard and
staunch and filled with tightly reined anger. He looked so fierce, so nearly
dangerous, that her heart lurked just a bit in fright. He was not a man to have
as an enemy, she realized.

“What-What now?” She forced the words
out around the lump in her throat.

“We’ve got to ditch this car,” he said,
eyes steadily scanning the rearview mirror. He tensed when a pick-up truck came
into view behind them.

“But it’s a rental!” she protested.

“It’s an easy target,” he said bluntly.
“Might as well take out an advertisement on which hotel you’re staying at. Hard
to miss a sweet little number like this.”

“I suppose you’re right,” she murmured
fretfully. They went another mile or so, with the pick-up still traveling
behind them at a steady pace. It wasn’t until the truck turned off onto a
wooded lane that Makenna released the muscles she hadn’t realized she clinched.

Beside her, Hardin obviously relaxed.
Though several minutes had lapsed during their conversation, he picked up on
the thread. “The police station is right beside our hotel. You could park it
there. We’ll go in and make a report, ask if you can leave the car in their
parking lot.”

“No!”

Hardin looked at her sharply. “Why not?”

“I-I don’t want to bring the police into
this.” When he still looked dubious, she went on quickly, “I just want to go
back to my hotel room and soak in a long, hot bath. My calves are screaming,
from all that climbing uphill while crouched down so low, and my back is
starting to really hurt. Not to mention my hand.” She waved her ripped and
bloodied palm his way. “I need a bath and a glass of wine. Not the police.”

“We need to report this, Kenzie,” he
said sternly.

“And tell them what?” she asked.
That
I’m not who I claim to be? That I’ve been lying to you this whole time and that
I’ve committed fraud against Homeland Security?
“That a gray car was in a
hurry to get around us and nearly ran us off the road, but that we didn’t get
the license plate number or even the make of the car?”

“Honda Civic, dark gray, probably a 2013
model. Massachusetts plates, red lettering, last numbers 27.”

She refused to be impressed, continuing
as if he hadn’t spoken. “Or that some man shows up in several of my
photographs, but never approaches me, never speaks to me, never threatens me?
They’ll say he was just a tourist, just like us.”

“What about the gun?”

Makenna squirmed. “Maybe I didn’t see a
gun after all. Maybe it really was just a pair of binoculars. I don’t think he
could have hidden a rifle under his jacket, and I didn’t see a long barrel
sticking out when he came down the trail.”

“You can put a scope on a Colt 357 or a
45 revolver.”

Still she protested. “Maybe he’s a
hunter. Maybe it’s squirrel season or rabbit season or something. I don’t know
and I don’t care. I just want to go back to the hotel and soak in my tub and
call it a day.”

His jaw remained clinched as he studied
her with his piercing blue eyes. After a long moment, she saw his curt nod out
of her peripheral vision. “Fine. You take your bubble bath, I’ll drop the car
off at the police station.”

“Then how am I supposed to get around? I
have a job to do, you know. I promised K-” She caught herself just in time.
“-ate, my editor, that I would do this.”

“We’ll call the rental agency, tell them
there’s something wrong with the car.” He opened the glove compartment and
found the pamphlet with the rental agreement. “Says here they have a branch a
couple of towns over. I’m sure they’ll be willing to swap out cars, especially
if you’ll settle for a lesser car than you paid for.”

“In other words, not another flashy
sports car.”

“Here, we’ll call them right now. Tell
them you were stranded on the side of the road and had someone pull you to the
police station. Tell them you have the mechanic here with you and hand me the
phone.”

“I-I’m not sure I can sound convincing.”

“Sure you can.”

Did his words have an edge to them, or
was it just her nerves? He dialed the number, waited for the call to connect,
then handed the phone to her.

“Yes sir, my name is Kenzie Reese. I was
driving a car I rented from your company at the Manchester Airport, and all of
sudden, it just died on me.” She let her voice tremble just a bit, and injected
just enough simpering Southern charm to sound vulnerable. “I don’t know what to
do! A nice gentleman came along and offered to tow me back to town, but now the
car’s just sitting in front of the police station and won’t start. What on
earth am I going to do? … Yes, sir. In fact, the mechanic is here with me now.
Would you like to talk to him?”

She gladly handed the phone to Hardin,
eager to get both hands back on the wheel. They were taking the winding road
faster than she felt comfortable with, but getting back to the hotel was her
main concern just now. She only half-listened as Hardin spouted off technical
terms that she assumed had something to do with an engine, his voice taking on
the nasal twang of a native New Englander. Again, she couldn’t help but be
impressed with his attention to detail.

When he finished his portion of the
conversation, he handed the phone back to her. They were coming into the edge
of town when she finally hung up and announced, “They’ll swap me a four door
sedan for the convertible, no later than day after tomorrow.”

“And in the meantime, the convertible
says parked at the police station.” His tone brooked no argument, so Makenna
merely nodded. “Pull up at the hotel and go on it,” he continued, somewhat
gentler. “I’ll take care of the car. I’ll come to your room when I’m done.”

Again, she merely nodded. She was
officially exhausted, and even talking seemed to be more effort than it was
worth. She pulled into the circular drive at the front door and retrieved the
picnic basket and her borrowed camera.

“Don’t worry about anything else. I’ll
get it all out before I lock up. I don’t want this car parked here any longer
than necessary,” Hardin told her, his eyes scanning the roadway as he slid
behind the wheel.  

“Okay, thanks,” she murmured. She
trudged into the front lobby, her mind already on the hot bath she was headed
for.

Makenna didn’t see the woman sitting in
the lobby waiting for her, but she definitely heard her. “Yoo-hoo! Kenzie! Hi,
there!”

“L-Lisa.” She was absolutely the last
person Makenna wanted to see just now. Willing herself not to cringe, she
attempted a smile. “What-What are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at
the restaurant.”

“We are, we are. I was just hoping to
have a little chat with you, girl to girl. Got a minute? Where’s that handsome
hunk of a man you’re usually with?” Her round eyes looked about eagerly for a
glimpse of Hardin.

“He’s, ah, taking care of the car,” she
said vaguely. She wavered where she was, before reluctantly going forward to
join Lisa in the seating area. Better to talk here than in her room. “I’m
headed up for a hot bath, but I’ve got a couple of minutes.”

Lisa eyed the basket in her hand. “Ooh,
romantic picnic in the mountains?”

“Something like that,” Makenna murmured.

Lisa looked at her more pointedly,
taking in her pale face and her bloodied palm. “Are you all right? You don’t
look so good.”

“We were hiking in the woods and I took
a tumble.” For the most part, that much was true. “I’m pretty sore. In fact, I
doubt I’ll make dinner tonight. I think I’ll just stay in.”

“Oh, of course, of course. We
understand. It’s a good thing I dropped by this afternoon, then.” She bobbed
her head, setting off the motion of her full cheeks. Scooting to the edge of
her seat, she touched Makenna’s jean clad knee. “Sweetie, there’s something I
wanted to talk to you about, without Hardin around.”

“Oh?”

Lisa glanced at the door to make certain
the man in question had not returned. “I’m not sure how to say this, so please
don’t take offense. But I think there’s more to your friend than meets the
eye.”

“I find that’s the case with most
people,” Makenna replied slowly. She was tired, her palm hurt, her muscles
ached, and her patience was wearing thin. If she had to listen to Lisa much
longer, her ears would be in agony, as well. 

“I hope you don’t think I’m
interfering,” Lisa continued, not giving her a chance to reply, “but I knew his
name sounded familiar. I have a friend who lives in New Braunfels, so I called
her. Sure enough, she knows Hardin quite well. And she didn’t have much nice to
say about him.”

“Honestly, Lisa, I appreciate your
concern, but -”

“No, no, please hear me out. Oh, I know
he seems charming enough, and Lord knows he’s nice to look at, but there’s
something about Hardin Kaczmarek that you need to know.” She lowered her voice
conspiratorially and leaned in even closer. “He’s had several run-ins with the
law, particularly for domestic battery.”

“Hardin?” Makenna couldn’t keep the
surprise from her voice. The man in question had been nothing but a gentleman,
even chivalrous.

“I know, I know, but it’s true,” Lisa
insisted in her nasally whine. “My friend, Cara Sims, was in a relationship
with him. She said in the beginning he was charming and romantic. Then he
became jealous and possessive and quite volatile. Abusive. She had to call the
law several times.”

“Hardin?” Makenna repeated in utter
disbelief.

“She even described him, to make certain
we were talking about the right man. Just under six feet, a hundred and seventy
pounds of pure muscle, killer abs, great butt, amazing blue eyes, sexy smile.”

“That definitely describes him.”

“Apparently he has a terrible temper.”

Makenna’s mind flashed to glimpses she
had seen of that temper. More than once today, she had thought he was not a man
she would want to make angry. But that hardly made him abusive…. Did it?

“He’s been arrested for disturbing the
peace, destruction of public property, and several times for domestic abuse and
battery. And not with just Cara. It appears to be a pattern with him,” Lisa
continued. Her husband wasn’t there to elbow for emphasis, so she tapped
Makenna on the knee smartly. She saw the younger woman’s look of disbelief and
hurried on to say, “Apparently his family has money and has kept his name out
of the news and him out of jail. But Cara swears to me that he’s the man who
put her in the hospital with broken ribs and a concussion. I don’t want to hurt
you, I just wanted you to know what kind of man you were dealing with, honey.
When you meet someone on vacation, you’re meeting them out of context. You
really know nothing about them, other than what they want you to know.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Makenna murmured,
thinking of her own situation.

“We girls have to stick together, you
know. After all, if we don’t look out for one another, who will? I just want
you to be cautious, dear.” The older woman patted her on the knee and gave her
a sympathetic smile.

“I-I appreciate your concern, Lisa. I’ll
definitely keep it in mind.”

Lisa rummaged through her purse and
pulled out a small piece of paper. “Here. This has my cell phone number and the
resort where we’re staying. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to call
me. Even if it’s just to talk, or if you need a new place to stay.” Seeing her
frown again, Lisa shrugged her rounded shoulders. “You never know, dear. If you
give him the cold shoulder, he may become angry. He may stalk you after that. I
also jotted down Cara’s number, if you have any questions you’d like to ask
her.”

“Oh. Okay, thanks.”

Much to Makenna’s relief, Lisa stood up,
signaling her visit was over. “You go on up and take that hot bath, dear. Wrap
up that hand and get a good night’s rest. Will you still join us for dinner
tomorrow night?”

“Well, I -.”

“With or without Hardin, dear. We’d be
delighted to see you, either way.”

Makenna felt a stab of guilt. Lisa’s
concern was heartfelt, yet Makenna had been quick to judge her based on her
unfortunate voice. Vowing to give the woman a second chance, Makenna nodded.
“I’ll do my best to make it tomorrow night. And thanks again for the
information, Lisa. I appreciate your concern.”

“Of course, dear. Of course.” After
giving her an impulsive hug, picnic basket and all, Lisa scuttled out the door,
leaving a very weary Makenna with too much to think about.

Ten minutes later, Makenna was immersed
up to her neck in a bubble bath. She was surrounded by the essentials: soothing
music, dimmed lights, hot water, and a glass of chilled wine. She didn’t want
to think about drivers with road rage or men with guns or handsome strangers
with violent tempers. Blanking her mind, she methodically recalled all the
beautiful scenery of the day - the mountains, waterfalls, covered bridges, and
breathtaking vistas that were the White Mountains. A smile came to her face as
she thought only of the beauty.

Her phone buzzed, alerting her to a text
message. Hardin’s name flashed on the screen, along with the words,

Can I come up?

Flinging suds from her fingers, Makenna
dried them on a towel before texting back.

Asleep in tub right now.

TTY soon.

She took a sip of her wine and
leaned
back in the tub. Lisa’s words kept swirling in her mind. Could it be true, was
Hardin truly a man of violence? Domestic violence? Her heart screamed that it
couldn’t be so; he was so charming, so attentive, so easy to talk to. But her
mind argued that he fit the MO so well; most abusers were charming in the
beginning, until they lured their victims into their net. And she knew for
certain Hardin had a dark side. She had seen his tightly coiled anger, his
intensity, his hard mask of determination.

Still, she had trouble believing the
worst of him. Her instincts about people were rarely wrong, and her instinct
was telling her that Hardin Kaczmarek was one of the good guys. The Lewises, on
the other hand…. Despite her earlier resolve to give them another chance,
something about them still felt off.

With a sigh, Makenna took another sip of
wine. If she got any more relaxed, she might really fall asleep in the tub.

When Hardin arrived, he was bearing gifts.
He had a pizza in one hand, a bag of tortilla chips and salsa in the other.

Makenna breathed in the glorious aroma
of a supreme pizza with something akin to reverence. “How did you know?”

“After a day like today, nothing else
would ever do.”

“See, this is why we get along so well,”
Makenna grinned, closing the door behind him. Surely she could trust a man who
brought pizza and salsa! “Take it on over to the coffee table, we’ll devour it
there.”

“How’s the hand?” he asked, stepping
into the sitting area.

“Sore, but fine. Just like the rest of
me.”

“At least you look refreshed.” He let
his eyes roam over her, not bothering to hide the appreciation in them. Her
hair was still slightly damp, curling around her face and shoulders in dark
rivulets. When wet, her locks appeared more chocolate than chestnut. She was
wearing a pair of leopard print lounge pants, a simple white tank top, and a
ridiculous pair of fuzzy green and pink slippers, all compliments of her
friend.

“A hot bath does wonders for the soul,”
she quipped, ignoring the heat in his eyes. He, too, had showered and changed.
He now wore navy wind pants and a light blue t- shirt that set off his abs and
eyes.

“You’re telling me. I feel like a new
man.” He plopped down on the sofa, smack in the middle of the cushions.

“What would you like to drink?”

Lifting a hip off the couch, he reached
into his pants pocket and produced a bottle of beer. “I know you prefer wine,”
he said, “so I just brought the one.”

“Looks like you thought of everything.”
She grabbed the rest of the wine from the refrigerator and a stack of napkins
before joining him on the sofa.

They ate pizza straight from the box and
poured salsa from the jar onto individual chips. It was casual and cozy and
just what Makenna needed. She pushed thoughts of Lisa’s accusations and car
chases aside, concentrating on the easy conversation and good food and her oh,
so charming companion.

“One last chip, and I’m done,” Makenna
proclaimed.

“You said that five chips ago,” he
teased.

“But this time I mean it. And stop
counting.” To prove she was done, she made a show of wiping her hands and
brushing away all traces of crumbs from her face and her clothes. She sat back
against the couch cushions, propping her slippered feet up on the coffee table
in casual bad manners.

“Good thing I was done eating, Miss
Stinky Feet.”

“My feet do not stink!” she protested.
“And what were you going to eat, cardboard? We wolfed down that entire pizza.”

Nudging the empty box aside with his own
shoe, he propped his feet up against hers. “Good point.”

They sat in silence for a moment, until
Makenna finally had to ask. “The car?”

“Safe and sound next door at the police
station.”

“What-What did you tell them?”

He looked at her for a long second
before answering with a shrug. “Pretty much what you told the rental company.
It seemed easier that way.”

She blew out a relieved breath. She
hadn’t wanted to call any undue attention to herself from the police. “Now I
just have to figure out how I’m going to get around tomorrow, until my
replacement arrives.”

“I’ll take you where you need to go.”

“That’s not necessary.” She answered so
quickly, she wondered if Lisa’s warning had anything to do with it. “I-I know
you need to practice.”

“I can still get in a few miles. Where
do you need to go?”

“I was going to go further north, where
the main power lines are slated to come through.”

“Tell me again why Lisa Lewis thought
the mob was involved?”

“Something about the Zaffino family. Apparently,
they’re an Italian mafia family with ties to renewable energy sources. The
governments, both here and abroad, offer generous grants and subsidies to power
companies who use green energy. That’s just the kind of thing the mafia likes
to exploit. It happened in Italy, but from everything I’ve been able to read,
our government is keeping a close handle on things here.” Makenna shrugged. “I
think she was just being dramatic.”

“I think I’ve heard that name before,”
he said thoughtfully.

“It sounds familiar to me, too, but I
couldn’t find much about them on the internet. There was one company in Chicago
with a Zaffino on their board of directors, and another mention of that name in
Houston. That was about it.”

“So where does NorthWind come in?”

“They’re the power company putting in
the wind farms and the lines. From what I can see, they’re perfectly legit.”

“And what exactly is your assignment?”

“I’m covering the sociological and
environmental effects of a major power company coming through the area. What it
means for the landowner, the average citizen, that sort of thing.”