Safe at Home (Warm Springs Trilogy Book 1) Read online

  “Oh, you were thinking about someone all right. And I bet I know who,” Jenny added in a singsong voice.

  “There are worse ways to pass the time.”

  “You got that right.” Jenny followed Sam and bounced on her toes. “So, what’re you getting Spencer for Christmas?”

  “That’s exactly what I was trying to figure out. Any ideas?”

  Jenny straightened a red and green velvet doll dress and then turned and leaned against a marble-topped buffet table. “Um . . . well there’s always fishing gear. Or a manly tool. But, that’s not what I’d give the guy who’s totally in love with me.”

  Sam’s face ignited in flames. “Oh, Jenny, come on. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

  “Please, I’ve known that boy my entire life and he’s never looked at another woman the way he looks at you. I can’t wait for a man to feel that way about me.” Jenny placed a hand over her heart and sighed.

  Sam shook her head, but couldn’t erase her smile.

  “Well, I was just popping in to say hi. I’m off to finish some more shopping. Then, I have a showing this afternoon.”

  “Good luck with your showing.”

  “Thanks.” Jenny picked her bags up off the floor and moved to the door. “We should get Ann and grab lunch later this week.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Okay, bye.” With a wave Jenny was out the door.

  Spencer nailed another board into place as he thought through possible gifts for Sam. Nothing seemed to hit the mark. The last week had been the best of his life. Sam seemed more open than ever, not to mention she was sexy as hell.

  He knew what he wanted to get her, but he didn’t want to scare her. The velvet box his mother gave him after his father’s death still sat waiting in his top drawer. He reached in his tool belt for another nail and paused when he saw his brother smirking at him. “What?”

  Jake chuckled. “Nothing, Spence. How’s Sam?”

  “She’s fine. Watch what you’re doing with that hammer. You don’t want to smash a finger.”

  “Quit changing the subject. She’s a good match for you, Mr. Bachelor of the family.”

  Spencer threw a dirty rag at his brother.

  Jake caught it with one hand. “All kidding aside, Ann’s crazy about her, you know? And obviously, you are too.”

  Spencer rubbed his arm across his forehead. His brother could be a real pain in the ass, but for once, he wasn’t wrong.

  “Spencer, honey, can you come down for a minute and help me with something.” Betsy stood on the ground looking up at them while shielding her eyes from the sun.

  “Sure thing.” Spencer climbed down his ladder. “What can I do for you?”

  “Listen, I know I’ve have been a little unlike myself lately.” She wrung her hands together as she seemed to search for the right words.

  “Betsy anyone would after being through what you and Earl have been through.” He placed consoling hand on her shoulder.

  “Well, it’s just that I thought of something last night. The night you came over for dinner, I tried to tell Sam something, but then we got distracted and there was the fire and Earl and I forgot. And now with everything… Anyway, I don’t want to put it off any longer so I thought I’d tell you and let you make sense of it.”

  “Okay, tell me what you’ve remembered.” He did his best to remain expressionless even though his insides were churning.

  “A man stopped by and asked Earl and me if we could help him find his cousin. He said he had reason to believe she was here, but he didn’t know exactly where.” Betsy fiddled with her apron. “The picture he showed us was of Sam.”

  “I see,” was all Spencer could manage. “Do you think it was her cousin?”

  “Well, that’s the problem, there was something about him. He wasn’t impolite, but he was a little standoffish. Earl and I decided the best thing was to say we couldn’t help him and then ask Sam about it, but when the fire happened I forgot about him completely.”

  “It’s okay, Betsy. You and Earl did the right thing. You never know what kind of person you’re dealing with.”

  Betsy glanced behind her. “One other thing. The guy, he seemed to get mad when we told him we couldn’t help him. Why would her cousin get mad? He balled his hand into a fist until his knuckles turned white. He probably thought I couldn’t see him because of the counter, but I could. And his teeth were clenched together when he said thanks and turned for the door. There was something about him,” she repeated.

  “I’ll talk to Sam. If he is her cousin, she can just call him and apologize for the mix up. It won’t be a big deal. It was kind of you and Earl to look out for her that way.”

  Betsy smiled and her shoulders relaxed. “She feels like part of our own family. We used to worry about her, but she seems happy now. I think you might have something to do with that.”

  One side of Spencer’s mouth raised in a smile. “I’m lucky she puts up with me. Betsy, rest easy. I think it’s all going to be fine. Did you tell Chase about the guy for investigation purposes?”

  “I called him this morning. Gave him the best description I could. They’re still waiting on the DNA results to come in.” Betsy lowered her voice. “This is all so scary.”

  “I know it is, but you’ll be up and running again soon.”

  “You boys have been wonderful. As soon as the kitchen’s in working order I promise to make a dinner you won’t soon forget.”

  “Then I’ll work twice as fast.” He winked at her and kept his smile plastered on his face until Betsy was back inside.

  Eric watched as she pulled up to the curb in front of the townhomes. The new, empty development would make the perfect backdrop for their introduction. He could see her move around in her car. First, she touched up her makeup and brushed her blond hair. She leaned back in her seat and read over some papers in her hands. A squirrel bolted up the trunk beside him, its eyes wide with fear. Eric ran a hand through his greasy hair, and with the trees at his back, stepped out into the sun.

  He tapped on her window and made her jump. “Sorry to scare you.” He smiled. “You must be, Jenny.”

  “Yes, I am.” Her voice was muted behind the glass and then she opened her door and got out of the car. “I didn’t hear you pull up.”

  He looked her up and down, his gaze resting on her exposed legs. Blood filled her cheeks and then she pulled at her skirt self-consciously.

  She straightened and scanned the area. “Where did you park?”

  “I’m staying close to here, so it made sense to walk.”

  She turned on a sales smile and gestured to the door. “Would you like to take a look inside? These townhomes are brand new, as I’m sure you can tell. You’d be the first tenant.”

  He remained quiet and walked to the door. “After you.” He said it politely, but didn’t allow her enough room to pass without brushing against him.

  The same flush colored her cheeks. “Thank you.”

  She unlocked the door and the smell of fresh paint greeted them. “As you can see, this is the dining area, but it could also be used as a study. A lot of people seem to be doing that these days. This unit is a three bedroom and two bath and it has a lovely little fenced-in backyard. The kitchen is big for this kind of setup. It’s one of its best features.”

  When she turned around, he was right behind her. He wasn’t looking at the house. He was memorizing her smell, studying her movements.

  “D-Do you have any questions about what you’ve seen so far or the area?” she stammered.

  He loved the way he was beginning to make her nervous. Her voice was audibly higher pitched than it had been outside. “Just one.” He sneered and stepped toward her. “Why would you want to be friends with a lying bitch like Samantha?”

  Her eyes widened. “I’m sorry, what?” Jenny tried to step back to regain some of her personal space.

  “Samantha Parker, I saw you talking to her. It’s such a pity really, you’re very pret
ty. Such a waste to die over one simple mistake.” He took another slow step toward her.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Do you know Sam?” She took a few more backward steps and smacked into the wall.

  Eric slammed his hand against the wall beside her head. “Do I know her?” He turned his head to the side and spit on the fresh carpet. “You could say that.” His slow deliberate movements stopped then and his hand flew up and closed around her throat.

  “Please,” Jenny gasped. “What do you want from me?”

  He slung her to the ground by the neck and knelt over her while she continued to try to catch her breath. She kicked at him and tried to claw her way toward the front door. Pain shot through his ribs from the blow, but there wasn’t enough power behind her kick to stop him for long. He grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her away from the door. The back of his hand cracked across her face. Tears sprang into her eyes.

  Pleasure pulsed through him. In prison it had been blind hate driving him when he slit the throat of the little punk who killed his brother. He’d never killed anyone before and he decided he liked the way it made him feel. Powerful, better than any high he’d ever had. Though he enjoyed the feel of the knife as it slid across his victim’s throat, it hadn’t lasted long enough.

  With Denise he’d been able to take his time. The memory of watching her suffer excited him. If he really concentrated he could remember the smell of her burning hair and flesh. The act satiated his rage temporarily, but no one was an ample substitute for Samantha.

  His mother would be proud of him. Her little boy was all grown up and taking care of the family. He was the man of the house now. He wondered for a second what she’d say about his time with Jenny, but a man had needs. Needs he intended to take care of with the sweet little blond who whimpered beneath him.

  He stood and drug her across the hall to the front door, pausing to look out the window. The area was still clear. His eyes fell on Jenny who lay curled in a ball at his feet. She really was pretty. The purple beginning to show around her right eye didn’t hide the fact that she looked like a prom queen. He’d never had a girl like her before. He was going to enjoy this.

  Her keys lay on the floor, glinting in the afternoon sun. He grabbed them and stuffed them into his pocket. She took the opportunity to crawl down the front steps and she’d nearly made it to the sidewalk, when he yanked her back by the hair.

  When he pulled her to her feet and pressed his lips against her ear, he inhaled deeply. “Time to go for a little ride.”

  Chapter 28

  “I’m glad you’re getting out of my hair tonight. I had some reading I wanted to do anyway,” Sam teased. “Maybe a warm bath.”

  “Reading? You’re choosing reading over…” He kissed her neck.

  “Don’t start that, you’ll be late for dinner.” She giggled.

  “What dinner?”

  She shoved at his chest. “Spencer.”

  “I’m going. I’m going. I know when I’m not wanted.” He pinched her backside making her jump. “See you tomorrow?”

  “Of course. Have fun and tell Jake and Ann I say hello.”

  “Will do.” He opened her car door and waited while she climbed inside before jogging back across the street to meet up with Jake. At least he’d been able to act like there wasn’t anything bothering him long enough to say goodnight to her. He glanced back over his shoulder at her car as she pulled out into traffic. Letting her go had never been so hard.

  “You ready to go?” he called to Jake.

  “Just got to grab my bag. Meet you at the truck,” Jake hollered.

  Spencer took his time and thought about what Betsy said on their drive. He agreed with her, something wasn’t adding up. He didn’t want to overreact, but the sickening twist in his gut proved it might be impossible. He didn’t want to freak Sam out if there wasn’t a reason to.

  “You, okay?” Jake eyed his brother from the passenger seat.

  “Yeah, or at least I think so.” Spencer saw the concern in his brother’s face. “I’ll explain when we get to your house.”

  “All right then.”

  “Hey, guys,” Ann called. “Perfect timing, dinner’s almost ready. How’s the hotel coming along?”

  “It’s coming.” Jake pecked her cheek and then leaned down to kiss her belly. “Where’s the little man?”

  “He finished all his chores, so I let him have some video game time.” Ann’s gaze fell to Spencer. “What’s on your mind, Malloy?”

  The corner of Spencer’s mouth twitched. “Nothing gets by you, does it?”

  “Not in this house.”

  Thankful Alex was occupied, he told Ann what Betsy told him.

  “I see.” Ann stirred the contents of a pot on the stove.

  “That’s what I said, but I’m not sure what to do with the information. Should I call Sam, should I not call her? Am I holding back because I’m afraid she’ll leave?” He paced in front of the windows. “Am I making too big a deal out of this?” Spencer removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. After a beat, he stopped walking and turned toward Ann. “Betsy seemed really off and scared, to tell you the truth.”

  “Then no, I don’t think you’re overreacting. Betsy isn’t one to be skittish. If she was concerned, there’s probably reason to be.” Ann sighed. “There’s a lot about Sam most people don’t know. I mean, there’s a reason she left Chicago and fled down here.”

  Jake’s eyes traveled back and forth between them, confusion etched in his face. Ann held up a hand to signal Spencer to wait while she filled Jake in on Sam’s past.

  “Jeez, no wonder the girl’s so shy.”

  “I know. She came here to escape all of it, but it sounds to me as if her past has found her.” She smiled sadly at Spencer.

  The warmth drained from Spencer and he dropped into a chair at the table. Somehow, hearing Ann’s confirmation of what he already believed made it real.

  “Spencer, you know we care about her, too. We’ll help in whatever way we can.” Ann rested a hand on his shoulder, but instead of being comforted, his temper spiked.

  “How could this happen? How could this lunatic track her here?” Spencer shot up out of his chair, pacing again. “I won’t let him hurt her. I’ll kill him if I have to.”

  “Spencer,” Ann’s voice remained soft. “You have to calm down.”

  “The hell I will. There’s some man here looking for Sam and you want me to calm down?”

  “Well at least keep it down so you don’t alarm Alex.

  “Right, sorry.” Spencer wadded his hat up in his hands. “I guess I should go over there and tell her.”

  “Maybe you could tell her tomorrow. It’s getting late and if you tell her now, you’ll just send her into a panic and she won’t get any sleep.”

  Jake moved over to stand beside Ann. “Besides, for all that man knows she isn’t here. Earl and Betsy said they didn’t know her.”

  “What if he asked someone else and they told him where she works or lives?”

  “If that had happened, don’t you think something would’ve come of it already?”

  Spencer eyed his brother. “You’re not exactly making me feel any better.”

  Ann intervened. “I think what Jake means to say,” she shot her husband a look. “Why not let her sleep and give yourself a chance to calm down. You being all worked up is only going to make matters worse.”

  Spencer took a steadying breath, but it wasn’t enough to ease his mind. Obviously, if the guy who was looking for her had been at the hotel, he wasn’t too far off and it was a small town. Spencer sat back down and rubbed his eyes. “She’s finally happy, and now this.”

  Jake dropped into the chair beside his brother. “She’s tough. You guys will get through this.”

  “You don’t understand. This will send her into hiding. She’s deathly afraid of this guy. I don’t know what she’ll do. She’ll probably leave. I guess I could go with her, not that she’ll let me.�
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  “Spencer, don’t get ahead of yourself. One step at a time.” The phone rang and Jake got up to answer it. “We’ll be right over. I’m sure it’s nothing.” When he turned back around to face them, the color had drained from his face.

  “It’s Jenny, she’s missing.”

  Sam’s phone rang again. She was getting sick and tired of all the hang-ups. Whoever owned the phone before her must’ve seriously ticked off some creditors or an ex-boyfriend or something. She was beginning to think all telemarketers were evil instead of just annoying, until she recognized the area code.

  She stood transfixed, confused, and unbelieving. Wearing PJ’s, with her hair wrapped in a towel, her blood turned to ice in her veins. She dropped the phone onto the coffee table with a clang. All the warmth from her shower was replaced with a feeling of dread. He’d found her. How could she have been so stupid? All the hang-ups. It was just like before, exactly how it started in Chicago. She began to pace her living room. Maybe he didn’t know where she was. Maybe he only found her phone number. It was a chance she couldn’t take.

  He could be anywhere. It was possible he was still in Chicago, but unlikely. Chances were he was on the run. She knew he was the one responsible for Denise. She fought back tears building at the back of her eyes. Where would he go next? She chewed at the skin beside her fingernail as she paced. He would find her, like he promised.

  The freshly vacuumed carpet reflected her path as she continued to make laps in front of her table. She’d been so careful. Her parents moved while he was in jail and left no forwarding address. They had new cell phone numbers, no land lines. Her parents were retired so they didn’t have work addresses.