Mistletoe Reunion Threat. Virginia Vaughan
her? Was it possible this was all about something Stephen had been into? He needed to know more about Ashlynn’s ex.
He turned to her to demand more information but stopped himself when he saw she was shaking. Her arms were folded over her chest and she appeared small and frightened in the lush leather seat.
Garrett came to a stop at the side of the road and pulled her close.
She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face deep into his shoulder as sobs racked her body. She had every right to be upset. She’d been through a lot in the past several hours. Her son was missing, both her nanny and her ex-husband were dead, and someone was trying to kill her, too.
He might not be able to ever be a real part of her life, but Garrett knew he wouldn’t rest until Jacob was back safely in her arms.
* * *
“What do we do now?” Ashlynn asked when her tears were spent.
She knew she should pull away from Garrett’s embrace, but she couldn’t. She felt safer here with him than she had since this mess started. If anyone could help her through this and get her son back alive, it was Garrett.
“I’ll call Vince and let him know about Stephen, then we’ll head to my house. You’ll be safe there, I promise.”
He drove while Ashlynn tried to keep her bubbling emotions in check. She hated that she’d lost control. He’d been understanding about it, but she didn’t like being so vulnerable in front of Garrett. She had to keep her emotions in check around him or she would be of no help in finding her son. She needed to remain strong, at least until they found Jacob. After that, Garrett would be on his way, moving on with his life and she with hers.
He pulled into the driveway of a craftsman-style house in a neighborhood she recognized and led her inside. The house was neat and orderly but homey. Garrett motioned toward the living room. “I’ll take the couch tonight. You can have the bedroom.”
She nodded absently. Of all that had happened to her tonight, being here seemed the most surreal. She’d first met Garrett when she was placed in a group home after her foster mother had nearly killed her. He’d been young and rebellious, and into more trouble than she’d known at the time. She hadn’t fallen for him then, but many years later, when they reconnected at a party given by one of her college friends, she’d fallen hard and fast.
He went to a cabinet and pulled something out of a box. It was a cell phone. “I know you lost yours this afternoon. This one is clean and no one can track you with it. I’m not planning on us splitting up, but in case it happens you’ll be able to contact me.” He quickly programmed his number into it then handed her the phone. “Do you have any other electronic devices on you that the killer could be using to locate you?”
She shook her head. “No, everything I had was in the car when it exploded. Why?”
“The killer found you at Stephen’s house. Possibly he was there for Stephen, but we need to be sure he doesn’t have some way of finding you.” He reached out and took her hand, an act that put her nerve endings on alert. “Don’t worry, Ashlynn. We’ll figure out who is after you and why. And I promise you I won’t rest until we’ve found your son and brought him home.”
She thanked him again for his help, claimed she was tired and went upstairs. While it was true she was exhausted, she wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight. How could she with Jacob still missing?
She pulled out the phone Garrett had given her and dialed her friend and neighbor, Olivia Williams, thinking she should at least let someone know she was safe. But it was more than that. She longed for someone to talk to about what was happening.
Olivia sounded stunned to hear from her. “I thought you were dead,” she whispered, her voice choked with grief. “Your house is surrounded by police and crowds. The news has been saying there was a shooting there and a woman was killed.”
“It wasn’t me,” Ashlynn told her, then recounted the events of the night.
Once the shock of the situation wore off, Olivia turned to worrying about Ashlynn’s safety. “So where are you now? Are you safe?”
“I’m safe. Remember I told you about my old friend Garrett Lewis?”
“The hunky army ranger?”
She smiled at Olivia’s very accurate description of him. “That’s the one. I ran into him at the courthouse this afternoon. I’m with him. If anyone can help me find Jacob, it’s him.”
“I hope you’re right. Jacob is such a sweet little boy. He doesn’t deserve this. I’m just happy you’re alive,” Olivia said. “I thought I’d lost my best friend. Is there anything else I can do?”
“I don’t know,” Ashlynn said honestly. “The police will probably question you if they haven’t already. If there’s anything you can tell them that might help find Jacob...”
“Of course. I just don’t know how helpful I can be. I didn’t see anything. In fact, the first I’d heard about this was from the news.” She huffed. “That just goes to prove you can’t believe everything you see on television. Be safe. I’ll be praying for you,” Olivia told her before hanging up.
Ashlynn clicked off with her friend. She was glad she’d phoned her and glad Olivia was the praying type. Maybe God would listen to her and intervene to bring Jacob home safely. Ashlynn suspected they would need all the prayers they could get.
* * *
Garrett stretched out fully clothed on the couch. His mind was alert, replaying every moment of the night. Someone with serious firepower was after Ashlynn, and there was no denying that. That man had come prepared to kill her. Garrett knew she was terrified. He’d been in combat, was trained and experienced to handle such incidents, but he’d certainly never expected to come across them in his hometown in Mississippi.
He liked Vince and the other guys he worked with, but he couldn’t say he trusted any of them with his life. There were only five men who’d garnered that kind of confidence—Josh, Colton, Matt, Levi and Blake, all that remained of his ranger squad after the ambush. Since the night the rest of his friends, including his best friend, Marcus, were killed, trusting had come as hard for him as it had for the others. They’d been betrayed by someone they’d relied upon, their translator, who’d turned out to be an enemy spy.
He glanced at the ceiling, knowing that Ashlynn was only one floor away from him yet they remained so far apart. He’d chosen this life and he deserved it, but a pang of jealousy still nipped at him that she’d gotten on with her life. She’d married and started a family. Logic told him he had no right to be angry about that, but when had logic ever factored into his feelings?
He should have died on that mountain with his friends, but God had allowed him to live and there had to be a reason for that. He thought that reason might be sleeping upstairs in his bed right now. She needed him and, if he was honest, it felt good to have her need him again. He’d been crazy to let her go. It had taken him years to realize he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. He didn’t deserve her and he knew she could never love him again after all that he’d done, but he couldn’t deny he still cared for her.
A light shone through the living room window, grabbing his attention. It was a red light, like the kind on high-powered targeting rifles. He knew exactly what it was the moment he saw it. The killer had found them.
He slid from the couch to the floor and crawled toward the hall where he’d be able to safely stand without being exposed. He had to get to Ashlynn and warn her. They had only minutes to escape before the killer came bursting through the door, and Garrett had no way of knowing how many there were. He’d only seen one man at her house, but the more he considered it, the more he thought the shooter had made it inside a little too quickly. He might not have been acting alone.
But how had they been found, and so quickly? No one knew he and Ashlynn had a connection so no one should know to look for her here. Yet here they were, approaching