She held his gaze, and he felt something inside him snap. When he’d realized she was in trouble, he’d known that he’d had no choice but to go after her. The odds weren’t good that he could save her. But time was running out. He had to make sure she was safe before the hitmen hired by the mob turned up. Even as he’d headed for Canada, he hadn’t been sure he was up to saving himself—let alone her. He still wasn’t. The odds were against them both—especially if some of the cops up here were involved in the drug business and had friends in low places.
But looking at her standing there, he knew nothing could have kept him from coming after her. This woman had broken down the barriers he’d built around him, going straight for his heart with her stories about an undying love. She’d weathered twenty years alone, living on hope as if it was oxygen. He had no idea how they were going to get out of this, but he would die to save her.
“You must be exhausted,” he said quietly.
Kate shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “I need to know the truth. Who are you?”
He’d known this was coming. He wished it didn’t have to be under these circumstances. He didn’t want to give her false hope. “Don’t you want to try to get a few hours’ sleep? Or how about some food? I understand they have twenty-four-hour room service.” Her defiant look said she wanted nothing but answers.
“At least sit down. Please.” He softened the last word, seeing the stubborn set of her jaw. He needed to sit down. His leg was aching. He could stand all day at his workbench, but walking especially in deep snow wore him out quickly because of his injury from the car bombing. The flying pieces of metal had nearly torn off his leg. He’d been told he would need more surgeries, but that hadn’t been possible with a bounty on his head.
Kate looked around, found a chair and practically dropped into it. She held her purse on her lap, her knuckles white from the grip she had on it. He saw how afraid she was. They were practically strangers, and now he’d made her suspicious. She’d seen him choke Collin into unconsciousness—a man she had loved enough to accept his wedding proposal. Clearly, something like that would have changed her impression of him. He suspected she no longer saw him as her saintly husband, Danny. He hauled one of the other fabric-covered chairs closer to her. He thought it might make her relax with his sitting near her. It seemed to have the opposite effect.
They were safe for the moment, but by now Collin would be conscious again. Jon had no idea what the man would do. Contact his friends? He suspected Collin’s so-called friends were even further on the wrong side of the law and much more dangerous. Were people out there looking for them right now?
“My name isn’t Jon Harper.”
“I know that,” she said too sharply and seemed to catch herself. “I’m sorry, but Collin already told me that you were a cop by the name of Justin Brown.”
He nodded. She’d called him Justin back in Buckhorn right before she’d left with Collin. He thought she’d been trying to warn him that Collin knew. She couldn’t know how much he appreciated that—except it hadn’t given him a head start so he could run. He’d had to come after her.
“He also told me that Justin Brown might not be your real name, either,” she said. “Is that true?”
He met her gaze and held it. “It’s true.” He watched her swallow. He knew what was coming next.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
COLLIN WENT BACK into the kitchen and checked the time. It would be getting light soon. He began to pace. If he wasn’t in so deep, he’d bail and take off. Run. But he knew they would track him down and kill him.
He thought about having another beer but changed his mind. He had to think. Think clearly. Gerald would be coming soon. He cringed at the thought. The man wasn’t going to like this. Hell, Collin didn’t like this. He would just have to assure the boss that Kate wasn’t going to tell anyone. He had her daughter as insurance, and Jon Harper wasn’t going to the cops, either.
Collin frowned and stopped pacing to squint down at the floor as he thought about the earlier phone call to Eric. He did still have her daughter, didn’t he? He just couldn’t understand why Kate would leave knowing what would happen and still she’d gone. That wasn’t like her. He thought about his earlier call. Eric had sounded...strange. He’d been half-asleep, he assured himself.
But he couldn’t help the niggling feeling that had wormed its way into his skull. He placed the call again, his fingers trembling. “What’s going on, Eric?” he demanded.
“Nothing. I’m just trying to get some sleep, but you keep calling.”
“You’re still at the apartment. You still have Danielle?”
“Of course.” Except the answer hadn’t come quite quick enough.
“Okay,” Collin said slowly, hearing something in his friend’s voice this time that he couldn’t ignore. “Well, I won’t be needing you to babysit her anymore. You should go on home.”
Silence, then, “Okay, sure. If you think she doesn’t need my protection anymore.”
“Exactly. Thanks for watching out for her.” Collin disconnected and swore. How the hell had someone found out? The ex-cop had to have more connections than Collin had thought. Somehow, someone had gotten to Eric. Jon Harper had known that Danielle was safe when he’d broken into the house and taken Kate. Otherwise, Kate wouldn’t have gone with him.
He swore as he paced the floor, almost too angry and upset to think. He’d lost his leverage, and Jon Harper hadn’t just found him, he’d taken Kate. It was one thing to know which direction they had been headed. It was another to find this house. How was that possible? Had Kate seen the address the cop had given him? Even if she had, she couldn’t have phoned the carpenter. Collin had her phone.
His head hurt but nothing like his throat. So, how the hell...? It didn’t matter. Everything would be fine, he assured himself again. As long as he got back across the border and—He swore.
Money. He wasn’t going anywhere without gas money. He hurried back into her bedroom, not surprised to find she hadn’t taken her suitcase in her hurry to leave. But she had taken her purse. Earlier she’d lied about how much cash she had with her. He’d been counting on that money. He should have taken it from her then.
Now he was going to have to get an advance from Gerald to even leave Canada. The humiliation of it galled him. Not to mention this latest setback. When he caught up with Kate—and he would—he was going to strangle her the way Jon Harper had him. Only he wouldn’t stop until she gasped her last breath.
He would find her, too. Somehow. Find her like Jon had found the two of them. The thought brought him back to the question of how Jon Harper had found them at this rental house in a quiet neighborhood outside of Moose Jaw. Collin was sure he hadn’t been followed and Kate hadn’t told.