Читать книгу His Child - Delores Fossen - Страница 13

Jake frowned and looked at the watery blue ring that had appeared in bottom of the tube. According to the directions, that meant the test was positive. Positive, as in the rabbit died.

So the woman really was pregnant. He hadn’t counted on that, but it meant nothing to him.

Or did it?

The baby wasn’t his, that was for sure, but it didn’t mean someone hadn’t tried to use her to get to him. Well, maybe. Maybe this really was a scheme she’d come up with on her own. No kidnappers. No being held hostage for three months. Just her plot to get him to pay up. Or Markham’s plot to ruin him.

Except, she did look surprised by that little ring. Stunned, really. And maybe just a little scared. There was something in those gray eyes of hers that made him want to comfort her.

He resisted. Of course.

It would be stupid to comfort her.

“I don’t know why you look so shocked,” he said, when she sank back onto the chair. “Just two days ago you broke into my suite and told me you were pregnant. Now you’re acting like this is some big surprise.”

“It is.” Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. “Seeing the proof. It’s true. My God, it’s true. There’s really a baby.”

She put her arms on the table and leaned forward to cushion her face on them. She reminded Jake of a schoolgirl who was being punished. He only hoped she didn’t start to cry. The tears would be fake, no doubt, but he didn’t want to handle even fake crying right now.

He had to admit Jessie did seem genuinely upset, though. Maybe because he had discovered her lie. Yes, that was it. Or maybe because the pregnancy was unplanned, and that created a lot of personal problems for her. Without the blackmail money, her resources no doubt were limited, and she was probably trying to figure out a way to pay for her slip-up.

“Guess you’ll have to call the father and let him know about that little blue ring,” he calmly suggested.

Jessie raised her head slowly and gave him a look that could have frozen molten lava. “Don’t you have somewhere else to go?”

“Not at the moment.” He scraped his thumbnail over a strip of loose varnish on the nightstand. For some reason, he couldn’t stop looking at the test tube. Such a little thing to deliver what was, apparently, a bombshell. He hadn’t remembered his late wife, Anne, taking such a test. But of course, her pregnancy had been closely monitored by doctors right from the beginning.

For all the good it had done.

That’s why this scheme bothered him so much. If Abel Markham had put this together, he certainly knew the right buttons to push. A pregnancy. A child. Nothing could have stirred up old wounds as much as this did. It had been nearly four years to the day since Anne died trying to give birth to their child. To their son. Four years of hell. Four years of blaming himself.

Yes, somebody knew exactly which buttons to push. If it wasn’t Markham, then it was this woman. Either way, Jake wouldn’t let them get away with it.

“Tell me about the baby’s father,” he insisted, forcing himself away from the memories of Anne and his son. “Was he in on this scheme, too?”

He hadn’t thought the lava-freezing look could get worse, but it did. Significantly worse. She glared at him. Her jaw tightened, and her voice got louder with each word. “Yes, I think he’s in on it up to his proverbial eyeballs. He’s a bottom-feeding, pompous, smart-mouth jerk. My greatest wish is that at this very minute a bolt of lightning will come streaking down on him and fry him to a crispy critter.”

“Careful. One might think you’re talking about me.”

She opened her mouth as if to add more to her name-calling litany, but then wearily shook her head. “Just go away.”

“I will, after you look me in the eye and answer two questions. What’s the name of the baby’s father, and is Abel Markham the one who hired you?”

She slowly met his gaze again. “You don’t want answers, McClendon. What you want is for me to lie. You want me to deny everything, so you can go home to your nice big ranch and put all of this behind you. Well, I can’t do that.”

“Because you think I’ll call the cops. I won’t. All I want is the truth.”

“You mean the truth according to Jake McClendon.”

“The truth. Is Markham behind this?”

“I don’t know.” She repeated it, but then her tone changed. No longer confrontational. No easily flung insults. Jessie stared at the floor and ran her fingers over her temple. “Maybe. Maybe that’s why they said your name, so I would suspect you. I hadn’t considered that until now.”

He groaned. “Now we’re back to kidnapping and vials?”

“Look, why don’t you just go—”

“Not until you tell me who got you pregnant.”

“All right, I’ll tell you.” Jessie grabbed his arm and shoved him into the tiny bathroom. She jabbed a finger at the filmy mirror and his reflection. “That’s him. That’s the father of this baby. Now I know you don’t want that to be true. Believe me, neither do I, but I can’t change things. I can’t go back three months and stop myself from being kidnapped. I can’t stop them from violating me and using me as some pawn in their sick game.”

The burst of emotion left as quickly as it came. She sagged against the wall. “Will you please just go?”

“Not yet.” He roughly cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Give me one good reason why I should believe anything you’ve said. I know who you are, remember? I know you worked at some sleazy joint where you probably turned tricks on the side or danced naked on tables for money.”

Her mouth dropped open. “I was a cocktail waitress. Look at me, for heaven’s sake. Do I look like a hooker or exotic dancer?” Jake did look at her. She was still sickly pale, and it seemed as if she’d cut her hair with a dull weed whacker. Far from sexy. Still, there was something appealing about her. The mouth, he figured. It was full and sensuous. That mouth would attract some men. And her eyes. When she wasn’t ready to spit bullets at him, her eyes mellowed to a soft platinum color.

His gaze traveled downward. Voluptuous, she wasn’t. Not by anybody’s standards. Her breasts were small, well-shaped, and because she obviously wasn’t wearing a bra, he could see her nipples pressed against the stretchy fabric of her top. After feeling his body clench, he decided it wasn’t good to look at her breasts. Jessie Barrett might be a natural-born liar, and pregnant, but for reasons he didn’t want to explore, his body seemed to respond to her.

Her waist was small, as well. A flat stomach that made him wonder just how many weeks’ pregnant she really was. The jeans she wore gapped at the waist and barely skimmed over her hips. Her legs, like the rest of her, were slender. And long. She was easily five feet eight inches tall. He was just over six feet and didn’t have to drop his gaze too much to look her in the eye.

Not that he especially wanted to look into her eyes.

“Well?” she demanded.

Jake realized she was still waiting for an answer. Somehow, he’d forgotten the question. “Well what?”

She pushed out a frustrated breath. “Do I look like I could earn a living with this body?”

Maybe not earn a living, but she could do a fair job of stirring him up. Best to keep that to himself. It’d been a long time since he’d felt a physical attraction for a woman. Any woman. He wasn’t about to let his libido stir him in her direction.

She shook her head. “Don’t bother answering. I know what I look like, especially now. Trust me, you wouldn’t look much better if you’d been through what I have.” She gave a tired, cynical laugh. “You actually thought I was a hooker. What a joke. I don’t even like sex, and I haven’t been with a man in years.”

It didn’t seem a subject he wanted to explore. With her, anyway. He liked sex. And missed having it. She reminded him of that.

“Besides,” she continued, “my job and lifestyle have nothing to do with what went on at that warehouse.”

Maybe. But he wasn’t about to discount it yet. “So you’re sticking to the story that this kidnapping really happened?”

She squeezed her hands into fists, groaned in frustration and stormed out of the room. Jake followed her because he didn’t want her to try to escape again. He was still looking for answers, and she was his best bet. Maybe his only bet.

He caught her wrist and whirled her around to face him. Not the best idea he’d ever had. It caused a major problem. Because of the way he turned her, Jessie really faced him. Right up close. Barely inches away. And her warm, rapid breath hit against his throat.

Jake took in her scent, then. Not the smell of the cheap motel room, or even odors from the sweltering Texas heat outside. Her scent. A mingle of everything that was female. And something else. Something deeper, that he thought he might recognize but didn’t want to.

Great. He was obviously letting this fast-breathing, skinny liar get to him. He couldn’t possibly recognize her scent because there was nothing about it to recognize. Nothing. He didn’t know her, and she only knew him in the confines of her warped imagination.

Still, he felt the uncomfortable shiver go down his spine. It seemed a primitive signal that tried to override his common sense. Well, Jake had news for primitive signals—nothing overrode his common sense.

Nothing.

“How long are you going to hang around here and harass me?” Jessie demanded. She looked resolute enough. Her back was stiff, her chin up. Her eyes were focused and narrowed. But then he heard her swallow. She gulped. As if all of this closeness had some kind of weird effect on her, too.

Jake shook his head to clear it. If there was some kind of odd feeling between them, he didn’t want to explore it. Not with this woman. “I’ll hang around and harass you, as you call it, until I get the truth.”

“I’ve told you the truth, but you’ve chosen not to believe it. Well, you know what? That’s fine, as long as you get out of here and leave me alone. I think I’d like to have a nervous breakdown now and I can’t do that with you calling me a liar every few minutes.”

“Your nervous breakdown will have to wait.” Jake glanced at the blue circle in the vial again, and then at her. He had some things to work out and there was only one place to start. With her. “Come on. I think I know of a way we can settle all of this right now.” He caught her by the arm, but she shook off his grip just as quickly.

“What do you mean by come on? Do you honestly think I’d go anywhere with you?”

“I don’t think you have a choice. I can still call the cops, remember?”

She threw up her hands. “Then, why don’t you? Go ahead. I want you to do it. Since I don’t have a phone, that means you’ll have to go elsewhere to make that call, and elsewhere is exactly where I want you to be.”

“I will be elsewhere. Soon. All I want is to get some facts straight, and we can do that with a visit to Cryogen Labs. If I remember correctly, it’s open until eight. We’ll have plenty of time to get there before they close.”

“And just what would that accomplish?”

“They can tell you to your lying face that my vials were destroyed four months ago.”

Again, she gave him one of those gritty looks. “And? Why would I believe them, when I saw proof that one existed?”

Jake tried to put a choke hold on what was left of his self-control. Somehow, he had to get her to confess that she’d lied, and yelling at her didn’t seem to work. Nor did intimidation. Actually, so far nothing had worked.

“Look, this visit isn’t just for me,” he explained, forcing himself to calm down. “It could give you some peace of mind, too.”

Her hands went to her hips. “How, pray tell?”

“If you really believe this asinine theory of kidnapping and insemination, then it stands to reason that someone at Cryogen was in on this. Only a handful of people work there. You could see if you recognize them.”

“I didn’t see their faces. They wore surgical masks.”

Of course. What else had he expected her to say? “Maybe you could recognize their voices?”

She rearranged her expression, apparently giving that some thought. “Maybe.” But then she shook her head. “I can’t go walking into Cryogen Labs. Someone wants to kill me, remember? It could be the people who work there.”

“Oh, yes. That.” He didn’t intend to let her get away that easily, not when he was this close to the truth. “Well, I can’t imagine anyone trying to kill you with a witness around, and I make one heck of a witness. Don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen while you’re with me.”

JESSIE DIDN’T HAVE a good feeling about this little trip at all, and Jake McClendon’s assurance was probably worth a thimble full of spit. Nothing bad will happen while you’re with me.

Yeah, right.

Easy for him to say. Nobody wanted to kill him. Well, except for her. And that was only in a figurative sense.

“You’re not about to throw up, are you?” he asked.

It was the first thing Jake had said since he forced her into his sleek silver luxury car. This was probably his idea of chitchat. Fine. Her idea of answering him was to continue to look out the window as he drove down St. Mary’s Street.

“Because you look like you’re about to throw up,” he added.

This wasn’t a conversation Jessie wanted to have. Her stomach was queasy enough as it was, without discussing the potential outcome of queasiness. “Will you leave me alone? If and when I have to throw up, you’ll be the first to know. Well, maybe the second. What? Are you afraid I’ll ruin the carpet in your overpriced, foreign car?”

“No. I’m more concerned about that look on your face. When’s the last time you had something to eat?”

It took Jessie several moments to gather her breath so she could answer him. “I’m not sure.”

“Well, I’m getting some food in you.”

She frowned at the concern she saw when she glanced at him. “What’s with you? One minute you threaten to call the cops, and the next minute you want to feed me? Make up your mind, McClendon. All this flip-flopping is making me dizzy.”

“Feeding you has nothing to do with whether or not I believe you’re a con artist. Right now, I’m thinking about that baby you’re carrying.”

Jessie felt as if he’d punched her. She didn’t want him to think about the baby. Well, not beyond thinking about how it fit into the general scheme of things, she didn’t. She certainly didn’t want him concerned about it.

“What I had in mind was going through a drive-thru to get you a soft drink or something,” he added. “It might settle your stomach.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me or my stomach.”

“I wasn’t worrying.” But he turned into the parking lot of a fast-food place and stopped in front of the huge menu board. “What do you want to eat?”

She fired him an annoyed glance. “Nothing.”

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll just order for you.”

The cheerful, young voice on the speaker welcomed them and asked what she could do for them. Jessie ignored the voice. “Are you always this pushy, Mr. McClendon?”

“Always.”

She didn’t doubt him. And she didn’t want to argue. Besides, some food just might help her queasy stomach. “A cheeseburger and a chocolate milk shake.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out a five-dollar bill and tossed it into his lap.

“I’ll pay for it.” And he picked up the money and sent it right back in her direction.

“No. You won’t.” She wouldn’t budge on this, either. She didn’t want one cent of his money.

Jessie latched on to the bill just as he latched on to her hand. She supposed he was trying to stuff the money back into her pocket. He succeeded.

Well, to some extent.

He got his fingers, and the five, about halfway into the front pocket of her jeans before it must have occurred to him that wasn’t a place his hand should be. It also occurred to Jessie that having his hand there felt somewhat better than it should have. He managed to touch some kind of nerve that went from her hipbone all the way to a place that suddenly seemed filled with nerves.

Jake snatched back his hand, leaving the money sticking out of her pocket. The cheerful voice on the speaker asked them if they needed more time to make up their minds about the order. Neither answered her.

Jessie glanced at the five. Then at him. “This money is going somewhere on your body, preferably your shirt pocket. But don’t tempt me.”

When he didn’t take it, she slipped the bill into his pocket, trying to touch as little of him as possible. It was hard not to notice that solid chest, though. Very solid. Lord, she hoped that wasn’t his nipple her fingers grazed. Judging from the way he sucked in his breath, it was.

Scowling, Jake ordered for her and added a hamburger combo meal for himself. After he paid for the food and picked it up at the window, he parked in a spot near the street. That made Jessie feel a little better. If necessary, they could make a quick getaway. Well, maybe. Since her host didn’t believe her, he might not realize in time that there was anything to get away from.

“So who are you, really?” he asked.

She shoved the plastic straw into her drink and took a sip, before placing the milk shake in the cup holder. “We’ve been through that, and I’m not up to another argument. If you want conversation with your burger, then pick a less volatile subject.”

“All right.” His hesitation let her know he couldn’t come up with anything right away. “Why did you become a cocktail waitress?”

“What you really mean is, why didn’t I become something better?”

“If that’s what I wanted to know, I would have asked. I don’t mince words, and I’m trying not to be volatile here.”

Jessie nibbled on her cheeseburger so it would give her time to think up an answer. “I only worked at the cantina for a week, but I suppose I became a waitress because I like the idea of eating regularly and paying my bills. That’s something I’m sure you’ve never had to worry about.”

There was no stinging comeback. No sarcasm. Just silence. Jessie glanced at him to make sure he wasn’t quietly choking on his burger. He wasn’t. He was staring at her.

The light came through the window at an odd angle, slanting over his face. A strong face. Handsome, she reluctantly admitted.

Yes.

There it was again. That odd feeling when she looked at him. More than a twinge. Less than a jolt. Something. Something, she didn’t want to feel. What the heck was it about this overbearing man that made her insides turn to mush?

“What?” he asked.

“What do you mean what?”

“You’re looking at me.”

Well, he started it. Jessie forced her gaze away. “Sorry. I didn’t know looking at someone was against the law.”

“It isn’t. Under normal circumstances,” he mumbled, making it sound like an afterthought. “Listen, let’s declare a short truce. That way, you can do more than pick at that cheeseburger, and neither of us will get indigestion.”

It was too late. She already had indigestion. Jessie reached for her milk shake just as he reached for his drink. The back of his hand grazed hers. It was only a whisper of a touch. She might not have noticed it if it had been another man. This time she noticed. Apparently so did he, because when she glanced up, he had his gaze fixed on her.

Mush again.

She looked at his mouth. It was a well-shaped mouth. He was probably a champion kisser. Now why the heck had she thought of something like that? To the best of her knowledge, she’d never, never looked at a man and declared him a champion kisser.

Along with the indigestion, she was probably losing it.

This was stupid. Just plain stupid. She didn’t get all hot and bothered when she looked at a man’s mouth. Especially the mouth of a man she didn’t trust.

“Go ahead,” Jessie mumbled. “Say something volatile.”

His hamburger stopped halfway to his mouth. “Huh?”

Jessie couldn’t tell him she needed an attitude adjustment, but she did. If he said something irritating, it would probably get her back on track. It would at least get her attention off his mouth.

“Volatile,” she repeated. “Ask me more of those dumb questions. Accuse me of being a hooker or a stripper. Anything.”

He frowned. “Are you having that nervous breakdown now?”

No, but it might be a good time for it. “We should go,” she said quickly. “I don’t want to waste any more time sitting around here.”

He mumbled something under his breath and shoved his burger back into the paper sack. He had the car started and back on the street within seconds.

From the corner of her eye, she saw his grip tighten on the steering wheel. “I’m surprised you haven’t tried to jump out of the car by now,” he commented.

Now he came up with the volatile stuff. A bit late but still effective. It got her mind off him and onto her situation.

Jessie had considered jumping out of the car, but had ruled it out. She really didn’t want a bunch of scrapes and bruises, especially when he no doubt had someone following them. If she did try to jump out, then one of his hired goons would likely grab her and put her back into the car. Besides, this trip to Cryogen Labs just might provide her with some answers.

“I guess I’m just not in the mood for jumping out of cars,” she said. She put the rest of her cheeseburger into the bag and leaned her head against the back of the seat.

“So what are you in the mood for—talking?”

“Not that, either. I’ll be in the mood for talking when you’re in the mood to listen.”

He mumbled under his breath again. “You might have to wait a couple hundred years for that. Well, unless you’re interested in telling me the truth.”

“I’ve already told you the truth.” Well, as much of the truth as she knew.

Just what was the whole truth, anyway?

Had this man, Abel Markham, used her as his pawn? Or was Jake McClendon the mastermind? Maybe it was neither of them. Maybe it was someone she hadn’t even considered. If that was true, then she was back to square one, the same place she’d been for days.

“Well, there’s your Waterloo,” he said, pointing to the building that lay ahead. “Cryogen Labs. Are you sure you don’t want to come clean now? It could save you from being humiliated.”

“The only person risking humiliation is you.” But Jessie had no idea if that was even true.

Cryogen Labs looked innocuous enough with its buttermilk-colored brick exterior and white lacquered shutters, but it still frightened her enough to make her tremble. With reason. Somehow, somebody connected with that lab had possibly been in on the plan to kidnap her. The plan that had resulted in her becoming pregnant.

Pregnant.

She gulped in a deep breath and tried to shake off that thought. It wasn’t the time to think about the ramifications of a pregnancy. Or the baby. It would only distract her. She couldn’t afford any more distractions now. Later, she would work out what she was going to do.

Jake parked his car, and they walked toward the building. “Well, I have to give it to you, Ms. Barrett. I really thought you’d try to run away by now.”

She came to a complete stop and spun around, intending to give him a piece of her mind. The only thing she gave him was a weak head butt to his shoulder, when the dizzy spell sent her right into him. Her legs turned to rubber, and he caught her in his arms.

“Christ,” he mumbled. “Are you all right?”

Jessie tried to nod and push herself away from him. She failed. Because it seemed she had no other choice, she rested her head against his shoulder and tried to wait out the dizziness.

He smelled good. Warm and musky. There was the underlying scent of an expensive aftershave. And his arm that slid around her waist was strong, corded with muscles. The smooth fabric of his shirt sleeve brushed against her arm. Sweet heaven. She didn’t want this. Too bad her head was in the middle of her own personal F-5 tornado.

“Take a deep breath,” he instructed.

She did. It helped a little. “I hate this light-headedness.”

“I can see why. It’s hard to work out diabolical schemes when you’re as pale as a ghost and ready to lose your lunch.”

Jessie forced her eyes to focus. She didn’t think she quite managed a scowl, but she tried. Especially when she realized how close they were. Her body was pressed against his. Right against his. Even through her cotton shirt, she could feel his belt buckle on her stomach. She wouldn’t think about anything below his belt, even though she would have had to be paralyzed not to notice he was a man. All man.

Their faces were so close she could count his eyelashes, which were too long, she decided. His breath was sweet. From the soft drink, not his disposition. He also needed a shave. His five o’clock shadow was dark and coarse. And it made him look a little like an outlaw. She wouldn’t allow herself to look at his mouth. No. Even the dizziness wouldn’t counteract that. That mouth had her hormonal number.

She stepped back. “Thank you, Mr. McClendon, for reminding me that you’re a jerk. No, worse than a jerk. You’re navel lint.”

“Anytime.” But his comment lacked sarcasm.

When Jessie glanced up, she saw more of that concern in his expression. He was still close, despite that step she had taken away from him. She took another, but he caught her arm. She was thankful. The inside of her head was still whirling around. If he hadn’t caught her, she no doubt would have fallen on her face.

“Let’s go in,” she insisted. “That way, I can sit down, and you don’t have to hold me.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not holding you for your sake. My concern is for your child. I don’t want you blaming me for pushing you too hard.”

She gave a hollow laugh. “That’s a joke, right? You’ve done nothing but push me hard. You’ve hounded me, harassed me and called me names.”

He didn’t say anything for several seconds. “I want answers, and I’m sorry if you don’t like my methods. Once we’re through inside, your game will be over. You can get out of my face and I can get out of yours.”

“Good.” She wiggled out of his grip and walked to the door on her own. Fortunately, the anger eased the dizziness.

“Yes. Good.” He jerked open the door and led her inside.

The reception area looked like any other place of business. Monochrome shades of beige. It looked too clean. Almost sterile, which seemed ironic to Jessie, since the place stored one of the most basic elements needed for human reproduction.

The blond woman behind the desk greeted them with a businesslike smile. “Welcome to Cryogen Labs. How may I help you?”

“I’m Jake McClendon.”

“Yes, Mr. McClendon.” The perky-looking blonde became flustered and blushed. “Wow, it really is you. I saw you on the news, but you look much better in person.”

Jessie tried not to roll her eyes. The icing on the cake. A fan of Jake McClendon’s. It was bad enough that she had to be here with him, but now she had to experience some woman who was neck-deep in hero worship, as well. That sexy mouth of his must have the same effect on all females.

Apparently he didn’t want to indulge too much in the adoration, either, because he got right to the point. “I need to speak to Dr. Radelman.”

“Oh. He doesn’t work here anymore.”

“Since when? He’s the man who contacted me after my vials were destroyed.”

“Yes, and he left, um, let me see when…” She flipped through her calendar. “About two weeks later.”

Two weeks after the vials were destroyed and about two weeks before someone kidnapped her. Jessie didn’t think that was a coincidence. A doctor probably would have been the one to do the actual insemination.

“Why did Dr. Radelman leave?” Jake demanded.

“He transferred to another job.” She snapped her fingers as if trying to recall something. “Harvest Place, I think it’s called. Something like that, anyway. It’s not connected with Cryogen.”

Jessie started to ask if the woman had the address or phone number of the place, but Jake spoke before she could. “There was a nurse who worked here. She had a soft voice and she was tall. Red hair. She wasn’t the one I spoke to on the phone a couple of days ago.”

Soft voice. That got Jessie’s attention. The woman who held her captive had had a soft voice. And she’d no doubt been a nurse, since she was the one who had administered the injections. She was tall, too. Jessie remembered that about her, even though she’d never seen the woman’s face. Nor her hair. Her hair had always been bundled under a surgical cap. But the eyes. Yes, she’d seen her eyes. And they were dark green.

“You must mean Marion Cameron,” the blonde said with a grin. “But she doesn’t work here anymore, either. She left the same time Dr. Radelman did.”

Jake shook his head in apparent frustration. “To take another job?”

The woman shrugged. “A sabbatical. She’d been under a lot of stress. Her husband walked out on her, so she was going through all this emotional stuff.”

“Does she have green eyes?” Jessie asked.

Jake looked at her.

So did the blonde, who said, “Yes, as a matter of fact she does.”

Jessie didn’t know whether to be relieved or not. Finally, there was some proof, little though it was, to back up what she’d been saying.

“Thank you for the information,” Jake told the woman. “By any chance do you have addresses for Marion Cameron and Dr. Radelman?”

“Sorry.” The blush on her cheeks deepened. “I’m not allowed to give that out.”

Jessie thought he might argue, but he didn’t. That was probably because he knew his people could easily come up with that kind of information. He took her by the arm and led her out of the building.

“Still think I’m lying?” she asked briskly, as they walked across the parking lot.

He didn’t answer for several seconds. “Yes.”

Of course. What had she expected? “But what about the missing doctor and nurse? You can’t believe it’s a coincidence they would leave right after your vials were supposedly destroyed.”

“I don’t know what to believe yet—not until I’ve spoken with them.” He put his hand on the car door, but didn’t open it. “I’ll make some calls and find out where they are.”

“And then what?”

His mouth thinned. “Well, I won’t be buying cigars anytime soon. Even if by some miracle these people were involved in a plot to kidnap you, it doesn’t mean you’re carrying my baby.”

Jessie would have returned verbal fire, but she caught some movement out of the corner of her eye. A late-model, white, four-door sedan. And it was going much too slowly. She turned toward it, her own body seemingly moving in slow motion, as well. Before she could respond, before she could brace herself, there was a deafening blast. The back window of Jake’s car shattered and the pebbled sheet of safety glass crashed onto the seat with a walloping thud.

“Get down!” she yelled. Jake shouted something similar at the same time, but he punctuated it with some vicious profanity.

A rapid fire of bullets sizzled across the roof. Just like that, in the span of a heartbeat, Jessie’s anger evaporated. In its place, her instincts kicked in. And her fear. A sickening fear that clawed away at her. God, she didn’t want to die this way.

She hit the pavement, her knees catching the brunt of the fall. Jake shoved her the rest of the way down and followed on top of her, sheltering her body with his. She got only a glimpse of a man in the white car.

“Someone’s shooting at us.” But it wasn’t necessary for Jessie to relay that information. Jake apparently knew exactly what was happening.

It was an awful time to say that she told him so, but blast it, she had told him so. Nothing bad will happen while you’re with me. Yeah, right. She’d warned him that somebody wanted her dead and he hadn’t believed her. Well, maybe this would finally convince him.

If they lived long enough for it to convince him.

A bullet, then another, tore into the car. The sounds of lead ripping through metal were all around them. Her heart was in her throat. And her pulse pounded violently. Her every instinct screamed for her to fight back. To protect herself. But there was no way to do that in an open parking lot.

A thousand thoughts crossed her mind. None good. This was the culmination of her worst fears. She was unarmed, with a gunman after her. This time, he just might succeed in killing her. Maybe even killing Jake, as well. They could both die right here, right now, and she wouldn’t even know why she’d been murdered.

There was the squeal of tires, followed by another shot. She didn’t dare hope the gunman was leaving. From the sound of it, he was simply circling around to get a better angle. Jessie sucked in a hard breath, trying to keep the veneer over the panic that was so close to the surface she could taste it, fiery and bitter in her mouth.

Jake pressed himself against her, a reminder that he had placed himself right in the path of those bullets. Like hers, his breath came out in short, fast spurts. Jessie could feel the knots in his muscles. The hot scent of adrenaline and scorched metal was all around them.

When the white car momentarily darted out of her line of sight, Jake reached up and fumbled around until he located the handle. He popped open the door. “Stay down and get on the floor.”

He rolled to his side so she could slip into the car. Doing so, he put himself in even greater danger. Jessie wouldn’t let herself consider why he did that. No use thinking about him as a Boy Scout.

She crunched herself as far under the dash as she could and latched onto his shirt. “Get in!” she yelled.

He did. Somehow, he snaked through the narrow opening and across the seats, slamming the door behind him. Within seconds he had the car started and gunned the engine.

They sped away, just as another bullet demolished the window right above Jessie’s head.