to being rammed off the road toward the icy lake, to being shot at as they sped away on a borrowed boat, the bad guys, no doubt hired by Pietro, had remained one step behind them.
Too close for comfort.
Noah cranked the wheel of the boat into a sharp right, toward the much smaller and not as brightly lit Racine Marina. When they were a nautical mile away, he pulled back the throttle so that they drifted quietly toward the pier. Sweeping his gaze over the area, he didn’t see anyone lurking around, but he refused to relax his guard.
“I need you to hold the wheel steady,” he instructed Maddy. “Then when I give the signal, put the engine in Reverse, see here? Just enough to prevent us from ramming into the dock, okay?”
“No problem.” She placed her small hands near his, taking over the wheel the way he’d showed her. Fighting the instinct to hold her close, Noah moved away and headed out to the deck. He grasped the edge of the pier and quickly looped one of the boat’s mooring lines over it.
“Now,” he said and she instantly pulled the lever down, sending the engine into Reverse. “Off,” he said, as he quickly secured the second rope. She turned off the key, and he waited for her to come over to join him.
“Ready?” He helped her step off the boat onto the pier first, then came up behind her.
“What’s next?” Maddy’s voice sounded weak, betraying her exhaustion.
The area was far more deserted; only a few boats were stored here for the winter. He spied an old building off to the left. “This way.” He headed in that direction, relieved to see that the place was a snack bar used during the sailing season. It was boarded up for the winter.
Banking on the fact that there would be a phone inside, he examined the door. It was locked up tight and the windows were covered, as well. Refusing to give up, he checked every bit of plywood, finding one that wasn’t secured as tightly as the others.
“Are you breaking in?” Maddy asked, sounding horrified.
“We need access to a phone.”
“Even if there is a phone inside, that doesn’t mean it will work,” Maddy argued, sounding so much like her old self that it made him smile. “If they were smart, they’d shut down the phone line over winter.”
“Yeah, but there’s a chance they didn’t bother. The sailing season extends beyond just the summer months.”
“I—I guess it’s worth a sh-shot.” Her teeth were chattering again and Noah hoped that his instincts were right. Prying the plywood away, he managed to reveal a broken window.
Using his leather jacket–clad elbow, he knocked the rest of the glass out of the way and then poked his head inside. There were boxes stored beneath a counter, and thankfully a phone hung on the wall near the door.
“I’ll be right back.” He didn’t like leaving Maddy alone, but this wouldn’t take long. He handed her the computer case for the time being, then levered himself up through the window. It wasn’t easy—his shoulders were stuck momentarily—but then he was inside. Lifting the phone receiver, he closed his eyes with gratitude when he heard a dial tone.
He punched in Jackson’s number. The ringing seemed to go on forever and just when he was afraid he wouldn’t answer, he picked up.
“H’lo?” His partner’s voice was slurred with sleep.
“Jackson? It’s Noah. I need your help.”
“Noah?” Now he sounded more awake. “Do you realize it’s almost three o’clock in the morning?”
“I know, I’m sorry, but I’m in a jam. Can you meet me down at the Racine Marina?”
“Now? Seriously? Is it important?”
“Yes.”
Long silence, then, “Yeah, okay. Give me fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you.” He replaced the receiver then checked the door. A giant padlock hung through the latch, so he gave up and crawled back out the window. Maddy was huddled against the building, her arms crossed and her chin ducked into the collar of her coat.
After taking the computer case from her, he didn’t hesitate to gather her into his arms. “Jackson will be here soon. I need you to hang in there for a little while longer, okay?”
“I—I can’t get warm,” she whispered.
“I know.” He rubbed his hands up and down her back, hoping to ward off the possibility of hypothermia. She had a winter coat on, but no hat or gloves or decent boots. No wonder she was shivering. He tucked her head into his shoulder and tried not to be distracted by the cinnamon scent of her hair.
If Matt knew what a terrible job Noah was doing in protecting Maddy, he’d be furious. Which made him wonder why Matt hadn’t called him back. The only thing he could imagine that would keep Matt from returning his call was if he was out on a case. Of course now that his phone was in the bottom of the lake, it didn’t matter much.
He should have mentioned Maddy being in danger; then for sure nothing would have stopped Matt from returning his call. But back when he’d made that initial contact, he hadn’t realized just how serious Maddy’s situation was.
For a moment, Noah debated going back inside the building to make another call to Matt, but decided against it. He didn’t want to leave Maddy alone and Jackson would be here soon. He could easily borrow his partner’s phone to make the call. This time, Noah would be sure to give Matt the specifics on how many attempts had been made on Maddy’s life.
“Headlights,” Maddy whispered, her body going tense, her breath warm against his throat.
“I’m sure it’s Jackson,” he assured her. They stood in the shadow of the building, a spot that provided them a broad view of the parking lot while keeping them hidden. He knew his partner drove a large pickup, so he waited until the vehicle pulled into a parking space to make sure. Yep, the truck looked familiar, so he felt certain Jackson was the one behind the wheel.
Sure enough, the driver-side door sprung open, revealing a short redheaded guy. Jackson climbed out and stood for a moment, glancing around expectantly, his expression irritated that Noah wasn’t anywhere in sight.
He released Maddy and tried to step away, but she tightened her grip. “No, wait. I don’t like this.”
“That’s my partner,” he reminded her. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“Noah, please...” Her voice trailed off.
“We don’t have another option,” he told her. “We need to get someplace warm.”
She hesitated for a moment, then capitulated. “All right.”
Before they could step out from the shadows, there was a loud crack and Jackson Dellis crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Noah sucked in a harsh breath, horrified to see his partner shot before his eyes, thinking, Not again, not again! But then he focused on protecting Maddy, dragging her deeper into the shadows, trying to comprehend what had happened.
Their
