[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
just want my daughter."
"That's what I want too, sweetheart," he assured her. "But sometimes things
go wrong."
"Nothing better go wrong."
He nodded at her warning and handed her the ledger from his jacket pocket.
She took it, her hands trembling.
"If it came down to catching the kidnapper or saving Susannah, you know I
would let the kidnapper get away, don't you?" he asked.
She looked into his eyes and nodded, then leaned over to kiss his lips. He
pulled her to him, holding her tightly as he deepened the kiss, overpowered by
the taste and feel of her. A live wire of desire shot through him. Lord, how
he wanted her. Reluctantly, he let her go.
"We'll get your baby back," he said to her, his palm cupping her cheek.
She nodded, tears in her eyes. "I know."
He wanted to tell her what he was feeling, but he couldn't even put it into
coherent thoughts for himself, let alone words for her.
"Jesse " She seemed to stop herself. "Be careful."
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial version, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
He nodded. "You, too. I'll be there when you need me." But even as he said
the words, he knew that wouldn't always be true. He was a cop. She was a
mobster's daughter. Once Amanda got her daughter back, she planned to skip the
country. Jesse had no intention of spending the rest of his life on the run.
After tonight, it would be over between them.
His heart ached at the mere thought, but he only had himself to blame. He'd
done the worst thing he could have: he'd made love to her. And now the memory
of their lovemaking would haunt him forever. He couldn't imagine the day he
wouldn't want her, wouldn't remember her scent or the feel of her skin.
He climbed out of the van, stuffed the weapon into his waistband and waited
for her to slide behind the wheel before he closed the door. "Give me twenty
minutes."
She nodded, and he turned and hurried off into the woods, telling himself
that the next time he saw her, she would have her baby back.
Amanda waited, counting off the minutes with the steady thump of her heart.
Finally she would get to see her daughter. To hold her baby in her arms again.
To put all of this behind them.
But she didn't kid herself. She knew she would also be putting Jesse behind
her. He wouldn't be going with her and Susannah. It shocked her how much that
realization hurt. She had fallen so hard, so fast for a man who was all wrong
for her. A cop. It was almost laughable. She couldn't have done worse. Even
Gage would have been preferable in the world she'd grown up in.
But Jesse McCall was exactly the kind of man she wanted as a father for
Susannah. Exactly the kind of man she'd dreamed of for herself, although she'd
never imagined that such passion could exist between two people. Nor did she
kid herself that she could ever find a man like Jesse or that kind of passion
again.
The waiting was torture. When twenty minutes had gone by, she started the
van and drove down the narrow gravel road. The river ran entwined in the trees
off to her left. She followed it, approaching the bridge slowly, her heart in
her throat. A half-dozen fears clouded her thoughts, fears for Susannah. Fears
for Jesse. She couldn't bear the thought of losing either of them. But then
she reminded herself, Jesse wasn't hers to lose.
The bridge glittered dully in the dying light. Dust settled deep and dark
along the river's edge. Tree limbs drooped into the rushing water, pockets of
darkness pooled beneath them as the daylight slipped away.
She brought the van to a stop just before the bridge, just as she'd been
instructed, turned off the engine and climbed out. Across the expanse of steel
and rotting timbers, she could see another vehicle parked on the other side.
The car door opened. A man stepped out. He held a bundle in his arms.
She felt her heart leap. It took everything in her not to run across the
bridge to him and rip her child from his arms. She listened intently for the
sound of her baby, cooing, even crying. Any indication that Susannah was
finally within reach.
But she heard nothing over the sound of the water surging under the bridge
as she ducked under the barricade and started across. On the other side, the
man did the same. They were to meet in the middle and make the exchange. She
gripped the ledger in her hand and walked toward him.
As she grew closer, she could make out his features. She wasn't surprised
that she didn't recognize him. Kincaid would use someone she didn't know. So
would Gage. Not that it mattered now who'd kidnapped Susannah. Just as long as
Amanda got her baby back, safe and sound.
But as she walked across the old bridge, the boards making a hollow sound
beneath her soles, something cold and hard settled in her stomach, a fear she
couldn't shake off. What if she was wrong? What if the person who had her baby
wasn't going to give Susannah up easily?
She didn't dare look around for Jesse. She didn't dare stop walking. She
could feel the gun digging into her back but she knew she wouldn't draw it,
wouldn't fire it. Even though she'd learned to shoot, she'd never used a
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial version, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
weapon against anything more than a paper outline of a man.
She was almost to the man when he stopped.
"Where is the ledger?" he called out to her.
She held it up for him to see.
"Lay it down and back up," he ordered. "I'll take it and leave the baby."
"No," she said, surprising him and herself. "We make the trade, eye to
eye."
He shook his head. "No. You want the baby? Then you do it my way."
She took a breath. Susannah was so close, so close. She swallowed. What
choice did she have but to trust him? She'd come this far. "All right." Hands
shaking, she put the ledger down on the wooden boards that spanned across the
bridge supports. Through a crack, she could see the river raging far below
her. She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach with fear.
Slowly she backed up, one step at a time. The man waited until she had
retreated a good distance before he advanced. She felt her heart thundering in
her chest, her pulse so loud she couldn't hear the river anymore.
He approached the ledger lying on the boards, appearing wary. Carefully, he
put the baby down, scooped up the ledger, took a quick look inside, then
turned his back and began to walk quickly back to his car.
She could wait no longer. She took off at a run, tears blinding her, a cry
in her throat as she rushed to her baby daughter.
Jesse slowly approached the vehicle on the far side of the river. He could
see a man hunched down in the seat, hiding, waiting. For what? He had watched
the first man cross the bridge to meet Amanda, carrying the baby in his arms, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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just want my daughter."
"That's what I want too, sweetheart," he assured her. "But sometimes things
go wrong."
"Nothing better go wrong."
He nodded at her warning and handed her the ledger from his jacket pocket.
She took it, her hands trembling.
"If it came down to catching the kidnapper or saving Susannah, you know I
would let the kidnapper get away, don't you?" he asked.
She looked into his eyes and nodded, then leaned over to kiss his lips. He
pulled her to him, holding her tightly as he deepened the kiss, overpowered by
the taste and feel of her. A live wire of desire shot through him. Lord, how
he wanted her. Reluctantly, he let her go.
"We'll get your baby back," he said to her, his palm cupping her cheek.
She nodded, tears in her eyes. "I know."
He wanted to tell her what he was feeling, but he couldn't even put it into
coherent thoughts for himself, let alone words for her.
"Jesse " She seemed to stop herself. "Be careful."
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial version, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
He nodded. "You, too. I'll be there when you need me." But even as he said
the words, he knew that wouldn't always be true. He was a cop. She was a
mobster's daughter. Once Amanda got her daughter back, she planned to skip the
country. Jesse had no intention of spending the rest of his life on the run.
After tonight, it would be over between them.
His heart ached at the mere thought, but he only had himself to blame. He'd
done the worst thing he could have: he'd made love to her. And now the memory
of their lovemaking would haunt him forever. He couldn't imagine the day he
wouldn't want her, wouldn't remember her scent or the feel of her skin.
He climbed out of the van, stuffed the weapon into his waistband and waited
for her to slide behind the wheel before he closed the door. "Give me twenty
minutes."
She nodded, and he turned and hurried off into the woods, telling himself
that the next time he saw her, she would have her baby back.
Amanda waited, counting off the minutes with the steady thump of her heart.
Finally she would get to see her daughter. To hold her baby in her arms again.
To put all of this behind them.
But she didn't kid herself. She knew she would also be putting Jesse behind
her. He wouldn't be going with her and Susannah. It shocked her how much that
realization hurt. She had fallen so hard, so fast for a man who was all wrong
for her. A cop. It was almost laughable. She couldn't have done worse. Even
Gage would have been preferable in the world she'd grown up in.
But Jesse McCall was exactly the kind of man she wanted as a father for
Susannah. Exactly the kind of man she'd dreamed of for herself, although she'd
never imagined that such passion could exist between two people. Nor did she
kid herself that she could ever find a man like Jesse or that kind of passion
again.
The waiting was torture. When twenty minutes had gone by, she started the
van and drove down the narrow gravel road. The river ran entwined in the trees
off to her left. She followed it, approaching the bridge slowly, her heart in
her throat. A half-dozen fears clouded her thoughts, fears for Susannah. Fears
for Jesse. She couldn't bear the thought of losing either of them. But then
she reminded herself, Jesse wasn't hers to lose.
The bridge glittered dully in the dying light. Dust settled deep and dark
along the river's edge. Tree limbs drooped into the rushing water, pockets of
darkness pooled beneath them as the daylight slipped away.
She brought the van to a stop just before the bridge, just as she'd been
instructed, turned off the engine and climbed out. Across the expanse of steel
and rotting timbers, she could see another vehicle parked on the other side.
The car door opened. A man stepped out. He held a bundle in his arms.
She felt her heart leap. It took everything in her not to run across the
bridge to him and rip her child from his arms. She listened intently for the
sound of her baby, cooing, even crying. Any indication that Susannah was
finally within reach.
But she heard nothing over the sound of the water surging under the bridge
as she ducked under the barricade and started across. On the other side, the
man did the same. They were to meet in the middle and make the exchange. She
gripped the ledger in her hand and walked toward him.
As she grew closer, she could make out his features. She wasn't surprised
that she didn't recognize him. Kincaid would use someone she didn't know. So
would Gage. Not that it mattered now who'd kidnapped Susannah. Just as long as
Amanda got her baby back, safe and sound.
But as she walked across the old bridge, the boards making a hollow sound
beneath her soles, something cold and hard settled in her stomach, a fear she
couldn't shake off. What if she was wrong? What if the person who had her baby
wasn't going to give Susannah up easily?
She didn't dare look around for Jesse. She didn't dare stop walking. She
could feel the gun digging into her back but she knew she wouldn't draw it,
wouldn't fire it. Even though she'd learned to shoot, she'd never used a
ABC Amber Text Converter Trial version, http://www.processtext.com/abctxt.html
weapon against anything more than a paper outline of a man.
She was almost to the man when he stopped.
"Where is the ledger?" he called out to her.
She held it up for him to see.
"Lay it down and back up," he ordered. "I'll take it and leave the baby."
"No," she said, surprising him and herself. "We make the trade, eye to
eye."
He shook his head. "No. You want the baby? Then you do it my way."
She took a breath. Susannah was so close, so close. She swallowed. What
choice did she have but to trust him? She'd come this far. "All right." Hands
shaking, she put the ledger down on the wooden boards that spanned across the
bridge supports. Through a crack, she could see the river raging far below
her. She felt dizzy and sick to her stomach with fear.
Slowly she backed up, one step at a time. The man waited until she had
retreated a good distance before he advanced. She felt her heart thundering in
her chest, her pulse so loud she couldn't hear the river anymore.
He approached the ledger lying on the boards, appearing wary. Carefully, he
put the baby down, scooped up the ledger, took a quick look inside, then
turned his back and began to walk quickly back to his car.
She could wait no longer. She took off at a run, tears blinding her, a cry
in her throat as she rushed to her baby daughter.
Jesse slowly approached the vehicle on the far side of the river. He could
see a man hunched down in the seat, hiding, waiting. For what? He had watched
the first man cross the bridge to meet Amanda, carrying the baby in his arms, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]