Captivating Witness

As he put his foot to the gas, he let himself lift his eyes to the rearview mirror. Reggie had disappeared into the bulky blanket; her waiflike form was but invisible. Only a wisp of her dark hair peeked over one corner. For a second, it actually made him smile.

Then a flash of red and blue caught his eye, and as he adjusted his gaze to find the source, his smile dropped off completely. Straight ahead, a police car was cruising toward them. Flashers on. Sirens off. A solo, uniformed man at the wheel.

Something about the sight of the car deepened his worry. Generally speaking, when working a case that crossed jurisdictions, his boss made sure to alert the local authorities. Brayden knew that wasn’t the case here. His captain at the Freemont City PD had authorized the investigation—even if he hadn’t provided the time and the resources—and that sanction was enough. But the man they were investigating had entrenched himself in the Whispering Woods community. He had the mayor’s ear, and many pieces of the town’s property in his pocket, and the local police probably wouldn’t take kindly to having one of their favorite citizens investigated. So the case was more covert than most, and Brayden’s presence a well-kept secret.

Moments later, the cruiser pulled up behind him. The cop inside pointed sideways, and Brayden’s concern spiked. Still, he had no choice but to pull over. He flipped on his signal and slowed the already moving-at-a-crawl vehicle. The cop waved again, and Brayden pulled the car over completely. He rolled down his window and waited with barely contained impatience as the other officer climbed out.

Brayden noted that the man was barely more than a kid. Clean shaven, fresh faced. But with a stiffness to his shoulders. Straight out of the academy, maybe, with something to prove.

Brayden sighed, forced a smile and readied his license and registration. “’Evening, Officer.”

“Sir.” The younger man gave the paperwork a cursory once-over, then handed it back. “You’re not a local. You just passing through?”

The question made Brayden want to frown, but he held it in. No one just passed through Whispering Woods. There was one road into the town, and nothing but mountains and trees on the other side.

“I’ve got a business venture in mind,” Brayden said. “Got a short-term lease on one of the cabins out by the creek.”

“Ah.”

“Yep. Was I speeding, Officer?”

The kid shook his head. “Nah. I’m just investigating a report on a disturbance.”

Brayden felt his eyebrow twitch. The guy had to be inexperienced if he was giving even that bit of information away so freely.

“Anything I should worry about?”

“Nah,” the rookie said again. “What about you? You see anything suspicious happening around here in the last few minutes?”

Brayden made himself laugh. “Around here? I’ve been in town for over a week and I don’t think I’ve even seen a misbehaving squirrel.”

The kid’s face relaxed marginally. “Does tend to be a bit quiet. From Freemont City myself. Used to a faster pace.”

Freemont.

The mention of his own hometown made Brayden want to stiffen. He guessed it wasn’t entirely improbable that it was a coincidence. Whispering Woods was two hundred miles north of the Oregon city, and even though it was a bit off the beaten path, it was still a decently popular tourist destination. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to file away the information for later. He made a mental note, then relaxed his face into another smile.

“Guess that’ll do it,” Brayden said. “Good to be vigilant, though. Even in a small town.”

“You bet.” The kid gave his bare face a scratch, then stepped back. “Have a good night.”

“You, too.”

Brayden put the car back into Drive and flicked on his signal. He didn’t make it as far as pulling out, though, before the young cop called out again.

“Sir?”

“Yep.”

He braced himself for a question about the human-shaped pile of blankets on the back seat. It didn’t come. Instead, the officer held out a business card.

“That’s my direct line,” the kid said. “If you do see anything, feel free to skip the middleman and call me right away.”

“You got it.”

Stifling a relieved sigh and suppressing a need to hit the gas as hard as he could, Brayden eased the car onto the street. As he pulled out, he glanced in the rearview mirror. What he saw just about made him swerve into a fire hydrant. The kid had turned away and was heading back to his patrol car. And jammed into his belt at the rear of his waistband was a woman’s shoe.

Chapter 2 (#u2204ce21-736c-5b15-9194-ffac0c5ac214)

Reggie kept her mouth shut. Partly because she was still terrified. Partly because her head ached. And partly because she wasn’t sure exactly what to say to the big man who’d scooped her up like she weighed nothing, then tucked her into the back of his car with a gentleness that was completely at odds with his obvious strength. Especially since he’d—thank God—hidden her presence from Chuck, the gun-wielding cop.

Why had he done it? Normal people went to the police when there was an issue. And having a panicked woman run straight into your car was definitely an issue.

So maybe he’s not normal.

She hazarded a tiny peek over the edge of the warm blanket. She didn’t have the best view of him, but she could tell that his eyes were fixed on the road ahead. And she could also see that there was a definite edge to the way he held himself. His stubble-covered jaw was stiff. The hand he had on the steering wheel was tight. Tension everywhere. Maybe from lying to the cop. Maybe from something else.

Remembering she’d thought there was something familiar about him, she studied his features surreptitiously, trying to see more. When he cast a quick glance in the side-view mirror, she got a fuller look at his face. He had wide lips and a well-proportioned nose. His eyes were a pale brown that bordered on amber, and thick lashes framed them, making their unusual color stand out all the more. Beyond a doubt, he was one of the best-looking men she’d ever seen. But she couldn’t place where exactly she knew him from. The diner, probably, but she was sure he wasn’t a regular, and she doubted a tourist would be so eager to mislead the local police.

She closed her eyes for a second, considering whether or not the bump on her head was making her short-term memory fuzzy. A strong possibility. When she lifted her lids again, he’d turned back to the road, and all she could see now was his profile. She had to admit to a weird stab of disappointment that she couldn’t stare at him for a bit longer.

Apparently the bump didn’t affect your libido, she thought sarcastically.

Reggie fought the need to study him further, knowing full well that she should be worried about what he planned to do with her rather than be distracted by his looks. She had no clue where they were headed or what his intentions were. Something in her gut told her she could trust him, but at the moment, she wasn’t sure she should rely on the instinct. If someone had asked her twenty minutes earlier whether or not Chuck was a good guy, she probably would’ve said yes without even considering another answer.

She fought a shiver as the memory of his furious tone came back to her. The man in the front seat was a far better option than being back there. He had to be.

At least until I’m far away from Chuck. That’s all that matters right this second.

Except as quickly as the thought came, it was replaced with the realization that it wasn’t quite true. In her panicked run, she’d forgotten all about the man on the other end of the gun.

“Oh, my God!” she gasped.

The man in the front seat tossed a concerned look over his shoulder. “What’s the matter?”

“We have to go back!”

“What?”

“The man...the other one...” She tried to push up to a sitting position, but a wave dizziness hit her, overriding the worry and guilt and keeping her in place. “Oh, God.”

“Take it easy.”

She shook her head, making the dizziness even worse. “I can’t.”

“Just give yourself a minute. Breathe.”

Reggie closed hers eyes and took his advice, her mind reeling. What had happened to the other man? Could he possibly have lived? Should she be calling someone for help? Probably. Yes. Definitely, actually.