“You, too,” he murmured, kissing her again and then turning for the doorway. He grabbed his jacket off the lumpy looking bed and shut the door on the storm.
She touched her lips in the sudden silence. Well, except for the rushing river. Sighing, she hobbled to her bag and removed her laptop to write and match some of the illustrations she’d created the last few days. The table by the back window was solid, and she worked away, trying to keep her mind off Quint and Zena and what a rough afternoon they were probably having.
When darkness began to arrive, she ordered pizza, already starving. There was a small fridge beneath the television set, so she could save plenty for Quint.
A knock sounded on the door and she grasped her purse, hopping to open the door. A second too late, she caught her mistake when she sighted the man standing there. “Jack.”
“You’re in danger.” He pushed her back and slammed the door, rushing over to the window and peeking out the blinds. A bandage covered his temple from his injury the other day. “You were followed. How could you not have noticed?” He looked over his shoulder, his eyes wild. “This is crazy. I mean, the whole situation is nuts. We have to go out the back.”
Her mouth went dry. “It’s okay,” she croaked. Just how delusional was he? “How about we go out the front?”
“No.” He pushed past her toward the rear windows. “These are big enough. We can just get through. I’ll carry you. It’s okay.” His fingers fumbled, but he managed to shove the frozen window to the side. “Come on, Heather. Now. Let’s go.” A knife handle stuck out of his pocket.
Her gaze dropped to the weapon. She could go out the front door, but with her crutches, she might not get far. Of course, she could scream for help, but if the motel was occupied only by the firefighters, they’d all be gone. Perhaps there was somebody in the office. She could scream that loud.
“Heather. Now.” His dilated gaze tracked her and he lumbered across the shag carpet to grab her arm.
She patted his elbow. There had to be a way to get out of this. “All right, Jack. Take a deep breath. You’re the only one who followed me.” She kept her voice as calm and soothing as she could considering the lump that was in her throat. Could she get the knife from him? “I’m going to get you help.”
He manacled both her arms and shook her. “Listen to me. I saw you get on the interstate and then a car followed you. I followed it, and we all ended up here. All day I’ve been waiting for your stalker to make a move, and now that it’s getting dark, we have to get out of here. Please trust me. Let’s go.”
“You’re whack-a-doodle, Jack.” She jerked free. How had she not seen him behind her? She’d checked several times. “Nobody followed me but you.”
The door shoved open. “Well, that’s not exactly true.”
Heather jolted as her mind fought to catch up with her sight. “Chrissy?” The woman stood in the doorway with a very shiny silver gun pointed right at Heather’s chest.
Chapter 13
“Back up.” Chrissy motioned with the gun, reaching behind herself with her free hand to lock the door.
Heather hopped back to sit on the bed, her mind spinning.
Jack sighed, dropped his hands, and moved to sit by her. “I told you.”
Chrissy was dressed in curvy jeans, a pastel sweater, and topaz jewelry. She shut the door and leaned back against it, her eyes hard. “I wanted to wait until Quint returned to have this discussion, but your buddy here ruined that idea. So I guess we figure this out together.”
Heather tried to listen for any movement outside, but only the river echoed back. “What’s going on, Chrissy?” Did she have a chance to calm the woman?
Chrissy pointed the gun at Heather’s face.
Heather winced and fought the need to cover her head. Her hands shook around her purse. “Don’t shoot me. Just hold on a minute.”
“Don’t ask me for favors,” the woman spat. “Everything was getting better until you showed up. Howdareyou come to the family barbecue!”
All right. Batshit crazy town. Heather swallowed. “I thought you were dating Trick.”
“Ha. He was just my way to get back to the family and to Quint. We’re meant to be together. He’s mine.” Red flushed ugly from Chrissy’s neck to her forehead, making her eyes bulge. “I had a plan, and then you went and got stuck on a mountain. Quint’s a fucking hero, and once he became that to you, he was all in.”
Heather turned her head. “Jack? Why didn’t you just call the police if you knew I was being followed?”
His gaze remained on the barrel of the gun. “I wanted to be your hero. Figured if I helped you out of here, that you’d want to come to the cabin with me.” Then his attention turned to Chrissy’s curvy form. “Wait a minute.”
Her smile rivaled a cat’s. “Yeah. I keyed your car. I had crutches from an injury years ago and thought I could hide my face well enough. I figured Heather would look like a psycho and Quint would drop her instantly.” Her hand shook on the gun. “But that didn’t happen, did it?”
Jack cleared his throat. “I thought she was nuts.”
Chrissy’s nostrils flared. “Quint didn’t. In fact, he stayed the night at your house, didn’t he, Heather? I watched his truck all night, and he stayed with you.” Her voice rose to shrill at the end of the sentence.
