Chapter Twenty-Five

TAYLOR GRABBED JACKS ARM. “SOMEONES BACK AT THE cabin!”

Jack swore. He had to gather his thoughts.

“He must have had a partner. This is bad. They’ll use that man’s death to their advantage.”

“What do you mean?”

Jack looked at her.

“My fingerprints are all over that cabin and so are yours. Since we got away, they’ll make it look like I’m a murderer and a kidnapper.” He hit his hand hard on the steering wheel. “I don’t understand how they found us. It’s my friend Craig’s cabin, and he’s the only person who should have known we were there. I just tried calling him again before we left, but there was no answer. If he was alive, he would have answered my call.”

“If Malcolm knew about the cabin, maybe whoever killed him did, too,” Taylor said.

Jack bit his lip. “Maybe. The guy said he was the doctor I’d asked for. So somehow he knew about the conversation I had with Craig.”

“Could Craig’s phone have been tapped?”

“Doubtful. It’s a burner. And no one should have been able to trace the call—we didn’t talk long enough.”

He had a sinking feeling he knew what had happened. “Someone must have tapped into my conversation with Craig. His house may have been wired without his knowledge. Whoever we’re up against must have one massive intelligence network. If they’ve investigated my background, they’d know Craig and I worked together in Colombia. After they heard the details, they could have gotten to him before he had a chance to call a real doctor.”

“This is unreal. Who are these people?”

“I wish I knew. Damn it! I know in my gut that they killed him. He would never betray me. We can’t reach out to anyone, Taylor. Not your dad. None of my friends. I won’t be responsible for putting anyone else in harm’s way.”

They had even less time now. By tomorrow morning Jack’s face would be all over every news station, every paper, every media outlet. He might even make the FBI top ten. If they arrested him, Taylor would be on her own—an easy target. His thoughts turned back to Taylor.

“How are you feeling? Any more spotting?” he asked, worry suddenly flooding him.

She shook her head. “No, not since yesterday morning. I’m hoping it was a fluke.”

“I wish I could take you to the doctor, but we can’t take a chance right now of being found.”

He felt so impotent. He’d promised Malcolm he would keep her safe. How was he supposed to do that when he couldn’t even make sure she received proper medical care?

“Jack?”

“Yeah?”

She cleared her throat. “What happened with the baby?”

He felt the color rise to his cheeks, and he tightened his grip on the wheel.

She pressed on. “I read about it and followed the trial. Did you have any idea she was capable of something like that?”

He sighed. “Things were bad for a long time. I tried to help her, but she didn’t want any help. All she wanted was an audience for her suffering. I was ready to leave her when she told me she was pregnant, and then I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving a child alone in her care. She was five months along by the time she told me. She was so thin I couldn’t even tell.”

“Did you tell her how you felt?”

“She didn’t care how anyone else felt. I don’t think she even wanted kids. It was just another way for her to manipulate me.”

“What do you mean?”

He didn’t want to rehash it all, but she was looking at him with that expression, the one that said you can tell me anything. “She refused to take her prenatal vitamins. Once I came home and found her doing a line of coke.”

“What? That’s horrible. I can’t imagine. Couldn’t you talk some sense into her?”

“I tried. It backfired. She held that baby hostage, and I had no choice but to go along.”

“Tell me the rest,” Taylor whispered.

Jack shook his head. “I can’t talk about it, Taylor. Please.” Jack was sorry for what he’d put Taylor through, but it was a long time ago. She had no right to go dredging up memories that he wanted to keep buried.