Fourteen

Gerome, Greg, and the two FBI agents made good time up the road toward the lodge. Gerome studied the heavy forest bisected by the one-lane drive. No wonder Herman had bought this property. A far cry from his everyday world of high finance, it could take him back to simplicity and nature. When Gerome was younger, the old man had often told him the importance of not losing touch with the simple life.

Majestic trees soared above them, sentinels of God’s magnificent creation. The density of the underbrush probably held a myriad of wildlife. Gerome wasn’t sure Herman ever hunted when he was at the lodge. He probably spent the time communing with God.

Now Gerome wished he had taken Herman up on one of his offers to use the property. Herman thought Gerome needed it for a refuge since he thought his stepson was shiftless. When this was over, Herman would finally know the truth about what Gerome had done with his life.

One of the agents who’d been watching the lodge met them on the road before they reached the clearing barely visible up the hill a ways. Gerome jumped out of the vehicle. “What’s happening, Hilton?”

“We’re not sure.” The man kept his hand on his holster. “They arrived awhile ago and went into the lodge.”

Maybe she wasn’t here against her will after all. Gerome frowned. Hopefully, his gut finally had made a mistake. “Did she look all right?”

The man nodded. “She seemed to be. Although she didn’t look happy. Shortly after they went inside, the man came out and scouted the area. Then he went down a path behind the house. One of our agents followed him but kept out of sight.”

“Where does the path lead?” Gerome visualized what happened as the agent described it.

“It ends at a large slab of rock above a steep cliff.”

Gerome rubbed the sides of his forehead with the thumb and middle finger of one hand. “Did Smith go that far?”

“He stood on the rock for a few minutes. Studied everything around him.”

“Did he go all the way to the edge?” A frightening scenario formed in Gerome’s mind.

“Yes. He stood there for a few moments, looking down.” The agent pressed a hand against his earpiece. “The man is almost back at the house.”

“What happens now?”

“Myers and I will go around to the back of the house.” Hilton, the senior agent, turned toward his partner. “You take the north side, and I’ll take the south.”

Gerome had seen these men handle a case before. He knew they were good. “Would it be all right if Greg and I go, too?”

“If you stay back in the cover of the woods.”

Greg followed Myers, and Gerome went after Hilton, being careful to stay in the underbrush.

When they were almost even with the front of the lodge, Hilton whispered, “Targets sighted exiting the rear of the structure. Male is armed and holding female hostage.”

Gerome’s heart double-timed as he zigzagged through the dense forestation, trying to get close enough to see what was going on.

“Keep them in sight. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary.” Hilton continued toward the back of the lodge.

Gerome strained to hear what Eric was saying to Leiann. From what he could make out, it was obvious the man and his sister had been swindling Herman for a long time. Gerome almost laughed out loud when Eric said Prudence was going to try to convince Herman to marry her. The two must not realize just how astute his stepfather really was. He wouldn’t be fooled by any wiles that woman tried to exert on him.

When Eric jabbed the gun into Leiann’s back, Gerome wanted to tackle him and give him the beating he deserved. He whispered a prayer for patience. The man sounded insane, and crazy people were unpredictable.

Gerome studied Leiann. She seemed to be taking in her surroundings, as if looking for a way of escape. That could work to their advantage.

Hilton walked around the lodge toward the pathway, stopping a few feet behind Eric and Leiann. “Is anybody here? I need some help.” His words resounded through the trees as he walked toward the couple. “I think I’m lost.”

Eric whirled around. With his attention diverted, Leiann ducked behind the wide trunk of a nearby tree.

Myers launched himself toward Eric, grabbing him from behind. Eric twisted and turned, trying to point the gun at the agent. But Myers managed to keep Eric’s hand turned away from him.

The woods exploded with other agents, all leveling their weapons at Eric. The man’s eyes widened, and he let his guard down for an instant. Hilton grabbed the hand with the gun and forced Eric to drop the weapon before pulling both arms behind his back.

“Don’t move,” Hilton hissed.

Agent Myers pulled out handcuffs while the other agents kept their weapons trained on the prisoner.

Once Eric was subdued, Leiann stepped out from behind the tree. She crossed her arms over her chest and gripped her biceps with white knuckles, shaking from head to toe.

Gerome hurried toward her and gathered her against him. He pressed his face against her hair and whispered soothing words into her ear. Grabbing his shirt with both fists, she leaned against him and burst into tears. He pulled her even closer. His love for her swelled in his chest. She felt so right in his arms.

❧

Is this Your answer to my cry for help, Lord?

Leiann clung to the front of Gerome’s shirt and reveled in the feeling of his arms cradling her to his chest. How could she have been so wrong?

Because I’m stubborn, of course. She had turned her back on the Lord when she felt He had let her down, and she no longer had His discernment active in her thoughts.

She thanked God for intervening in the dangerous situation. How could she ever have thought Eric was a friend? And Gerome had never given her any reason not to trust him. Eric’s lies had planted those doubts.

She raised her head and gazed up at the handsome face above hers. His eyes were trained on her even though chaos reigned around them.

“Are you all right?” His gentle tone arrowed straight to her heart.

“I am. Thanks to you.”

Gerome’s gaze caressed her features. For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her, but he loosened his hold. “Did he hurt you?”

Leiann shook her head. “No. But he would have if everyone hadn’t shown up when they did.”

He leaned closer when her words became a whisper. This wonderful man was her hero in more ways than one.

❧

Gerome stepped back from Leiann and glanced around. Eric was lashing out with loud, vile language. He strode over to the prisoner. “If you don’t want them to gag you, you’ll watch what you say around the lady.”

Eric held his head high. Curses belched from his mouth, blistering the air.

Gerome reached for the man’s throat, gripping it hard, but not enough to do any real damage. “I’d like nothing better than to beat you to a pulp. But I think the FBI has other plans for you.”

Eric spat on the closest agent.

Leiann gasped, and Gerome pushed her behind him, shielding her from Eric.

“How did you know about this place, Mays? Herman bought it after you left home to become a bum.” The sneer on Eric’s face scorched Gerome.

If the man knew the truth, he wouldn’t be so condescending. “Contrary to what you might believe, my stepfather and I have always had a good relationship, even though he thought I was wasting my life without a good job.” Gerome glanced at the large log house. “More than once, he offered to let me stay here if I needed to.”

Two FBI agents hauled Eric toward their vehicle. He continued to fight, trying to get out of their grasp.

Gerome turned toward Leiann and nodded at his friend, who stood nearby. “This is Greg. We work for a global security firm. He helped me track you down.”

Leiann’s eyes widened as she held out her hand. “Thank you very much.” Her voice had a catch in it.

Greg grinned while he shook her hand. “Glad to help, Miss Hambrick.”

The three of them stopped outside the back door of the lodge. Agent Myers stood just inside.

Gerome looked down at Leiann. “This a crime scene. We don’t want to contaminate it.” He glanced at the FBI agent. “When do you think you’ll be finished?”

“Can’t say.” Myers shrugged. “We’ll let you know when we’re through.”

Gerome nodded.

Leiann leaned toward him. “My purse is in one of the bedrooms upstairs.”

“You’ll get it back after the agents finish with the crime scene.” Gerome put his arm around her shoulders. “In the meantime, you, Greg, and I are going to fly back to Massachusetts. We want to be there when the FBI arrests Prudence.”

Hilton came into the kitchen and saw them beside the door. “Mays, as usual you were right about this one. I radioed headquarters. They’re sending a team to the mansion.”

“Could you wait to close in until we have Leiann back home? Herman has had some trouble with his heart. And he’ll be worried about his granddaughter if she’s not there when the agents close in.”

“Okay. We’ll have them on the premises, but they won’t make the arrest until after you’re there.”

“Thanks.” Gerome headed around the lodge with Leiann.

Greg and Myers stood beside the SUV, waiting for them. Gerome helped Leiann into the backseat, then sat beside her, pulling her close to his side. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight.

❧

Leiann welcomed the comfort of the SUV, and the trip to Hunter’s Glen from the lodge didn’t seem to take as long as the journey up with Eric had. Greg and Gerome must have been longtime friends, because their banter filled the vehicle with laughter, helping her relax.

She watched these men interact and realized that even though she had fallen in love with Gerome, she didn’t really know him. She’d had fun with him before, when she thought of him as just a handyman. What had happened here today revealed his true character. From his conversation with Eric when he was in custody, she knew he was her grandfather’s stepson, but this man would never try to get her out of the way so he could be the only heir.

So Gerome worked for a global security firm. And he had tracked her down and saved her life. This was a lot of information to process at once. She wondered if they could have a future together.

When the SUV arrived in the tiny town near the lake, the driver stopped in a field behind the store where Leiann had tried to use the outside phone. A large helicopter, with Ozbourne Global Security painted in gold letters along the tail, waited for them. Gerome introduced her to the pilot when they got into the craft, and within a short time they were airborne.

Leiann had never flown in a helicopter. Being so close to the tops of the trees unsettled her. Even though she knew the pilot wouldn’t hit anything, everything felt very close.

Wrinkles puckered Gerome’s forehead. “Herman’s doctor should be waiting for us when we arrive, just in case.”

“So what Prudence and Eric said about my grandfather having heart trouble wasn’t a lie?”

“No, but it’s a recent development.” Gerome smiled at her. “He has always been very healthy.”

While she and Eric had made the cross-country jaunt, she’d hoped Prudence had called the sheriff so they would investigate the attempts on her life. And all the time, Prudence and Eric had been the ones trying to kill her. “Eric probably doesn’t have acrophobia, either.”

Gerome frowned. “What?”

“He told me he couldn’t come up the tower to rescue me because he has a fear of heights.” She tucked her hair behind her ears.

Gerome snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure he doesn’t.”

“I’m glad you don’t, either.”

❧

When the helicopter touched down in the same field they had picked him up from earlier, Gerome unbuckled his seat belt and helped Leiann to the ground. They ran across the field toward his pickup, followed closely by Greg.

Gerome liked the way they fit so closely together on the bench seat. As they drove toward the mansion, Leiann’s shoulder brushed against his arm whenever they hit a bump.

Halfway across the estate, they came upon an FBI command post. Three SUVs and one paneled van clustered together, and agents in full gear filled the seats. Two others stood in front of the van, watching the pickup approach. Gerome stopped the truck and rolled down the window so he could talk to the agent coming toward them.

“You heading to the mansion, Mays?” The man crossed his arms, his eyes shielded by reflective sunglasses.

Gerome nodded. “I want Leiann to be with her grandfather while the arrest is going down.”

“We asked Mr. Johnson’s doctor to be present, too,” Greg added.

“Good idea.” The agent stepped back.

After Gerome started driving again, Leiann touched his forearm. “Do you think Grandfather will be all right?”

“I’ve talked to his doctor. He doesn’t think the heart problems are life-threatening, but we don’t want to take any chances.”

Leiann stared through the windshield toward the mansion, which was barely visible over the next hill. “I hope he lives a long time. We have a lot of lost years to make up for.”

When Gerome stopped at the side of the house, the doctor’s car pulled up in front. Gerome and Greg took Leiann around to greet him.

“What are you going to tell Herman about why you’re here?” Gerome asked the doctor.

“That I wasn’t satisfied with his blood pressure the last time I took it.” A grin split the man’s wrinkled face. “I’ve always wanted to put one over on Herman. He’s a hard man to fool. This’ll be fun.” He offered his arm to Leiann, and they entered the house, leaving Gerome and Greg outside.

An FBI agent came from around the building. “If you can get the Smith woman out of her office, we’ll secure her computers without giving her time to erase any of her files.”

Gerome liked the way this man worked. “Her office has doors that open onto the back terrace. I’ll point out which ones they are. Greg and I will go in the front and get her to come out into the hall. Your agents can enter her office through the back doors.”

After all the details were worked out, Gerome and Greg went inside, talking loud and joking. As expected, Prudence came out of her office before they were very far down the long hallway.

She stalked toward them, meeting them close to the foyer. “What are you doing in here, Mr. Mays? Aren’t you supposed to be working in the gardens? And who is this with you?”

Just wait until you see who’s here. Gerome shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

❧

Leiann knocked on the French door of her grandfather’s office, then opened the door. “Can I come in?”

He raised his gaze from the open laptop on his desk to look at her. “Leiann, I thought you and Eric went to the Cape.”

“I came back.” Smiling, she approached, trying to decide how much to tell him.

“Herman.” The doctor followed her in and went around to the front of the desk. “I’ve come to check your blood pressure.”

Her grandfather stood and held out his hand. “You old saw-bones. Don’t you have anyone else who needs to be poked or prodded?” He winked at Leiann. “I think you just wanted an excuse for some of Mrs. Shields’s good cooking.”

“I can’t hide anything from you, can I?” After the handshake, the doctor set his bag on the desk and had Herman sit down. “Your blood pressure hasn’t remained as stable as I’d like it to be, so I wanted to do a spot check. Roll up your sleeve.”

Grandfather leaned forward, took off his suit jacket, and slung it across the desk. Then he turned up his shirtsleeve. The doctor took a blood pressure cuff out of his bag and fitted it around his upper arm.

Herman turned his attention toward Leiann. “Did you enjoy your time at the Cape?”

While the doctor pumped up the cuff, he chided his long-time friend. “You’re going to have to sit perfectly still so I can get an accurate reading. You can talk to your granddaughter when I’m finished.”

Out of the corners of her eyes, Leiann glanced out the window. She saw several agents taking up positions outside the office next door. She was glad the doorway to the hall was closed and the doctor had him facing that way. No need to upset him before they had to.