Sanders 01 - Silent Run (33 page)

Instead, in a move that reminded her exactly why she had loved him so much, Jake put his arms around both of them, pulling Sarah close, keeping Caitlyn between them. His forehead touched hers. She closed her eyes at the tender gesture. They were safe. They were back together -- at least for the moment.

“Look who I found,” Catherine said, leading a dazed Teresa into the living room. “She was tied up in the kitchen."

“Oh, my God!” Sarah whispered. Teresa had always been a short, scrappy brunette, but she looked even tougher now with a black eye and a bump the size of a golf ball on her forehead. “What did they do to you?"

“I would have gotten away if they hadn't double-teamed me,” Teresa complained. “At least I got a few punches in. I'm sorry, Sarah. I went outside to the garbage early this morning and they came up behind me. They told me they were only letting me live so I could keep the baby alive until you got here. That's when I took a swing at one of them. I guess he hit me harder than he intended, because when I woke up, I was alone and tied up in the kitchen. I heard Caitlyn screaming upstairs. It scared the shit out of me. But Catherine says they're dead -- or at least one of them is."

“Victor is dead. The other one Catherine took out with a baseball bat. I didn't do anything except grab Caitlyn.” Sarah realized that she had always felt so alone, but today her friends had risked their lives to save her and her daughter.

“Hey, I saw you,” Jake said abruptly, his gaze on Teresa. He pointed a finger at her. “You were in the hospital outside of Sarah's room a couple of days ago. I thought you were waiting for someone, but you were watching me."

“You were there?” Sarah asked in amazement.

Teresa nodded. “I saw the report of the accident on the news, and I came to see how you were. I left Caitlyn with my neighbor just for an hour. When I got to the hospital and realized you had amnesia, I wasn't sure what to do. You never told me who was after you except that it was a guy, and when I saw him,” she said, tipping her head toward Jake, “I didn't know who he was. I decided it was safer to just keep Caitlyn with me until you got your memory back. You told me not to tell anyone no matter what happened. But maybe I should have."

Sarah shook her head. “You did the right thing. I didn't get my memory back until this morning, when Jake found Victor's picture on the Internet. I'm really sorry you got hurt, Teresa. I knew I was putting you in danger. I shouldn't have done it."

“Don't say that. You were forced off the side of a cliff. If you'd had Caitlyn with you, who knows what would have happened? It was my fault they got in here today. I should have been more careful."

As Teresa finished speaking, Sarah heard sirens in the distance.

“The police,” Jake muttered. “Take Caitlyn into the living room.” He gave Sarah a gentle push.

She hesitated. “Jake -- did you kill Victor? Or did Dylan?"

“I did,” he said calmly. “We were fighting for the gun and it went off. The bullet hit him in the heart -- if he even had a heart."

“I can't believe he's dead. Are you sure?"

“Positive. You can take a look at him when the coroner brings him out, but right now you need to stay with Caitlyn."

“I don't want you to go to jail. This was my fight.

Victor was my enemy. You're the one who needs to take Caitlyn. I'll say I killed Victor in self-defense. I'll put the gun in my hand, cover your fingerprints with mine.” Her mind raced with what else should be done to protect Jake.

Jake's gaze searched hers in amazement. “You want to lie for me?"

“Well, you know I'm pretty good at it,” she said, trying to make a joke, but she choked on a sob.

“Don't tell any more lies, Sarah. It's time for the truth."

“Not at your expense."

“It's going to be all right. It was self-defense."

She shook her head at his naïveté. He didn't know what he was talking about. He'd never been on the wrong side of the law. She had. “You believe the system will work, that justice will be served, but that doesn't always happen, Jake. Sometimes the bad guys win."

He cupped her chin with his hand. “And sometimes the good guys do. Trust me. For once in your life, Sarah, trust me."

“I do, but --"

Before she could finish they heard heavy footsteps on the porch. The police and paramedics had arrived. It was time to officially end her life on the run.

“Hell of a day,” Dylan said as he joined Jake on the back deck of Teresa's house just before nine o'clock that night. “Are you all right?"

Jake glanced down at his daughter in his arms and smiled. “Better than ever."

The past ten hours had been filled with grueling questions from both the local police and the feds, but he had finally been released. He'd come straight back to Teresa's house, and now he was right where he wanted to be. Caitlyn had one hand on his shoulder and the other hand on the bottle of milk she was sucking down. She stared up at him with complete trust and love. He didn't know if she remembered him or if she was just happy with her bottle, but whatever the reason for her joy, he was thrilled. His daughter was safe, and he had her in his arms, where she belonged.

“I picked up some food,” Dylan said. “If you're hungry. It's inside."

“Maybe later. Is Sarah back yet?"

“No. She's still down at the station."

Jake was sorry to hear that. He wondered why they were keeping her so long. She hadn't even been in the room when he'd shot Victor. He hoped to God that Sarah wasn't right about the justice system not always being just. “I wish they'd release her,” he said aloud.

“There was a time when you would have wanted them to lock her up and throw away the key."

“It's more complicated now,” he muttered.

“I know. The feds want Sarah to retrace her steps since she disappeared out of Witness Protection eight years ago,” Dylan replied. “I'm sure they also want her to help them link Victor to some of the other deaths in his circle of friends.” Dylan sat down in the chair across from Jake. “I think Sarah is going to get some unexpected help in that regard."

“What do you mean?"

“I just checked on the condition of Victor's buddy, Rick Adams. He has a concussion, but he's awake. Apparently when he learned that Victor was dead, he was eager to talk about how Victor had killed off a bunch of people, including that guy you tangled with earlier, Shane Hollis. That should back up your self-defense argument.” Dylan paused, frowning at him. “By the way, you should have let me tell them I killed Victor. No one else would have known. We were the only ones in the room -- well, except for Catherine, but she wouldn't have told."

“I would have known,” Jake snapped back. “For God's sake, I'm not going to let you go to prison for me. What the hell kind of brother do you think I am?"

“You have a kid to take care of. I don't have anyone. You have a lot more to lose than me."

“I don't lie. I don't shirk my responsibility. I wouldn't let Sarah take the fall for me, and I certainly wouldn't let you."

Dylan appeared surprised by his statement. “Sarah offered to take the fall for you?"

“Yeah, before the police got there."

“That seems out of character, but I guess neither one of us really knows who she is, do we?"

Jake was about to agree, but the words wouldn't come. He'd learned a lot about Sarah in the past few days, more than he'd learned in the entire two years that they were together. And now that he knew about her past, her behavior made a lot more sense. Still, he wasn't quite ready to talk about Sarah with Dylan. He decided to change the subject. “I don't think I said thank-you for saving my ass."

“Sure you have -- about a dozen times. And you saved your own ass. I was just your wingman."

“If you hadn't come in when you did, we'd all be dead."

“Finally, my timing was right.” Dylan's gaze moved to Caitlyn, then back to Jake. “You look good doing that. Like a dad."

“I'm not sure I know how to be a father. We certainly didn't have a good example."

“You'll figure it out. You have a heart. Our own father didn't. You actually love your kid."

“More than I ever imagined. I wasn't sure I'd ever see her again. I hope to God she never remembers being held or taunted by that bastard. When I saw him with his gun at her head, I wanted to kill him."

“He had the gun at her head?” Dylan echoed.

Jake nodded grimly, still remembering that moment when he'd run into the bedroom and seen his daughter's life in jeopardy. “But this little angel here, she knocked the gun out of his hand and started screaming. I tackled him, but his buddy showed up and distracted me, and the next thing I knew I was halfway to unconscious. Then you came in. I hope Caitlyn doesn't remember what she went through."

“She won't. She's forgotten already. Look at her. She's happy as can be."

“I think the bottle might have more to do with her good mood than me."

“Her hair is darker than I remember,” Dylan commented.

“Sarah colored it so it would match her own hair and they would look like mother and daughter."

“That woman is always thinking. I'll give her that."

Jake didn't reply. His feelings were too conflicted, too confused, and he already knew Dylan's opinion on the subject of Sarah. He just wanted to savor this time with Caitlyn. Sooner rather than later he'd have to think about what was going to happen next, but not at this moment.

“How are Catherine and Teresa?” he asked, changing the subject. He was thankful the cops had let the women watch Caitlyn at the house while the rest of them had gone down to the station. Neither Catherine nor Teresa had seen Sarah in years, and yet when she'd needed them, they'd come through. Sarah had probably never expected that to happen.

“Teresa has a mild concussion,” Dylan said. “She apparently isn't the type of woman to let that get her down. She's a female boxer, you know."

“No kidding? She's not that big."

“That's what I said, but she told me that she's very quick and crafty,” Dylan added with a grin. “She's a pistol, that girl. They have very different personalities, the three of them."

“Catherine doesn't seem to be short on courage either. She did quite a job with that bat. She took Rick Adams out with one swing."

“She shocked the hell out of me,” Dylan admitted. “I can't quite figure her out. She's a vegetarian psychic with a menagerie of pets. She is innocent and wise, hard and soft all at the same time."

Jake caught something in his brother's voice he hadn't heard in a while -- interest. “You got a thing for Catherine?” he asked in surprise.

Dylan snorted. “I don't think so. She actually claims to have had a vision about my future, something that involves two women."

Jake laughed. “That sounds right up your alley."

“Yeah, well, Catherine didn't make it sound fun, more like ominous. She has this dark side to her. You should see the stuff she paints -- abstracts of evil, the essence of nightmares. It's crazy."

“I think I'll pass. I've had enough nightmares to last me a lifetime."

Dylan leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “I know I was hard on Sarah. I guess there are two and sometimes three sides to every story. Something I should have learned a long time ago, considering I'm supposed to be an objective journalist."

Jake raised an eyebrow. “You sound like you've changed your mind."

“I wouldn't go that far. Maybe I understand her a little better. What she did to you -- I still think it was wrong.” He paused, giving Jake a thoughtful look. “But my opinion isn't important. What do you think now that you know everything?"

Jake shook his head. “I'm done thinking for the night. I just want to enjoy being with my daughter.” He pulled Caitlyn's blanket more tightly around her. The heat lamp on the deck provided warmth, but it was getting a little chilly. He could take her inside now. He'd wanted to keep her away from the cleanup and the chaos inside the house, but things had quieted down.

“I'm tired, too. I'm going to turn in.” Dylan got to his feet. “Teresa generously offered me the couch in her office. She also moved the crib into the master bedroom for you or Sarah or both of you.” He cleared his throat. “Look, whatever you decide to do about Sarah, I'm behind you -- one hundred percent."

“Thanks. The truth is, I don't know what to do. Sarah lied to me so many times, I don't know if I can forgive her. I don't know if I can trust her. But I also don't know if I can stay away from her,” he confessed. “She's got her hooks in me. I'm not even sure I want her to let go. And then there's Caitlyn -- how can I deprive her of her mother? When Mom left it almost killed us. How can I do that to my own child?"

Dylan stared back at him. “I think there's another story as to why Mom left -- why she stayed away and never once tried to see us. I've thought so for a long time.” He gazed down at the ground for a moment, then back up at Jake. “Catherine told me that I investigate other people's lives so I don't have to look too closely at my own past. That might be more perceptive than psychic, but it's still right on the money. I'm thinking about tracking down Mom. I've been thinking about it for a while."

“Really?” Jake asked, not too happy about the thought. “I don't think that's a good idea."

“Why not? I'm getting good at finding people."

“You might not want to find her. She left a long time ago, twenty-three years. She could have returned at any moment. She didn't. Aside from a few Christmas cards and random birthday presents, she didn't want us in her life. How could finding her now possibly make things better for any of us?"

Dylan shrugged. “Yeah, you're probably right. I'll think about it later. Tomorrow I need to get home and go back to work before I lose my job.” He stretched his arms over his head and let out a yawn. “Anything else I can do for you tonight?"