Run and hide...

After overhearing a murder plot and being pursued by hit men, Mallory Roth knows she has to disappear. She leaves a warning message for her twin—and then runs. Seeking shelter in a small Wisconsin town, Mallory’s determined to leave her old life behind. She changes her name, her hair, her clothes…even her stance on faith. But big-city detective Jonah Stewart still tracks her down. And if he can find her, a killer can, too. The handsome, world-weary cop claims he wants to help Mallory—will he change his mind when he learns the harrowing secret from her past?

“Mallory, I can’t keep you safe unless you’re honest with me."

“If you tell me the truth, I’ll make sure the D.A. knows how you cooperated with our investigation.”

“What do you mean you’ll convince the D.A. I’ve cooperated with the investigation? I’m not involved in anything illegal. I’m the victim here. Caruso’s thug followed me to my sister’s town house and tried to kill me!”

“Yeah, maybe,” Jonah said, and his calm voice only fuelled her annoyance. “But just a few hours ago I was informed that Wasserman’s body was found in an alley not far from your condo, and your fingerprints are on the knife in his belly. The M.E. has deemed his death a homicide. As a result, there’s a warrant for your arrest.”

“I swear to you, Jonah, I didn’t kill him. Don’t you see? I’m being framed for murder!”

Jonah’s mouth tightened, but he didn’t say anything. And she realized that Jonah Stewart hadn’t come to Crystal Lake just to help find her twin. He’d come to take her back to Milwaukee.

To arrest her for a crime she didn’t commit.

LAURA SCOTT

grew up reading faith-based romance books by Grace Livingston Hill, but as much as she loved the stories, she longed for a bit more mystery and suspense. She is honored to write for the Love Inspired Suspense line, where a reader can find a heartwarming journey of faith amid the thrilling danger.

Laura lives with her husband of twenty-five years and has two children, a daughter and a son, who are both in college. She works as a critical-care nurse during the day at a large level-one trauma center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and spends her spare time writing romance.

Please visit Laura at www.laurascottbooks.com, as she loves to hear from her readers.

Twin Peril

Laura Scott

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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All the prophets testify about Him,

that everyone who believes in Him

receives forgiveness of sins through His name.

—Acts 10:43

This book is dedicated to Pam Hopkins

with deep appreciation for your ongoing support.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

EPILOGUE

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

ONE

Mallory Roth awoke with a start, her heart thundering against her ribs in terror.

Had she imagined the noise?

The interior of her uncle Henry’s cabin was shrouded with darkness. It was nestled in the woods in central Wisconsin with the back porch overlooking the town of Crystal Lake. The trees blocked any light from the moon, and in the darkness, she strained to listen.

Just when she figured she had let her imagination run wild, she heard it again—a low creak of the wooden floorboards from the main living area.

Her pulse surged into triple digits. There was no time to waste. Anthony Caruso had found her.

She sucked in a quick breath and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, rolling into an upright position. She knew only too well that whoever was out there intended to silence her forever. As quietly as possible, she dragged a sweatshirt over her head and jammed her feet into running shoes. She picked up the thick stick from where she’d left it propped in the corner next to her bed, tightly grasping the only weapon she possessed.

Another muffled sound came from the other room. Closer. She imagined the intruder stealthily making his way toward the bedroom.

For half a second, she considered waiting for him behind the door so she could hit the back of his head. But then her self-defense training kicked in. Running away from an attack, if at all possible, was better than staying to fight. Weapons were all too often used against the victim.

She’d been lucky to escape the last man Caruso had sent after her with nothing more serious than a cut on her arm.

Looping her purse over her head so that it lay across her chest, leaving her arms free, she crossed the room and slid the window frame upward. She winced when the window gave a small groan. She’d already removed the screen in case she needed to use this window as her escape route. She quickly threw her leg over the threshold, stick in hand as she ducked through the opening.

The door to her bedroom burst open, and she turned in time to catch a glimpse of a tall man in black with a matching ski mask covering his face. She ran.

Dressed in dark clothing, she blended into the trees as she pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt to cover her blond hair. She ducked under low-hanging branches, making her way through the woods toward the highway. Trees and thick brush lined the highway on both sides, and her closest neighbor was located just a half mile south of the cabin.

She had to stay hidden long enough to get to the Andersons.

She could hear Caruso’s thug swiping at branches and hitting trees as he followed behind her. Stark fear coated her throat.

The brush in the woods became less dense, and she could just barely make out the road. The guy behind her was closing in, and she pushed herself to go faster. But the moment she broke free of the woods, strong arms reached out to grab her. The shock of finding someone there waiting for her caused her to drop her weapon.

She’d run straight into a trap!

She tried to scream but the man clamped his hand over her mouth. “Don’t,” he whispered. “I’m a cop. If you want to stay alive, Mallory, come with me.”

A cop? Or a partner to the guy in the black ski mask? Or both? She didn’t know who to trust. The sound of the ski-masked thug crashing through the woods behind her helped make up her mind. She barely had time to pick up the stick from the ground before the cop dragged her down the road toward the car he’d parked along the side of the highway. She also noticed a large black truck parked across the street.

Pop! Pop!

“Keep your head down!” the cop yelled, yanking open the passenger-side door and shoving her inside. More popping sounds peppered the air as he ducked and ran around to the driver’s side.

She barely had time to strap on her seat belt before her rescuer cranked the engine and floored the gas. He peeled away, her heart lodging in her throat as they careened down the highway.

Gripping the handrail with white-knuckled fingers, Mallory tried to find her voice as the cop drove through the night like a madman, taking the sharp curves in the highway at breakneck speed. She glanced over her shoulder to see the headlights dropping farther behind. The cop changed directions as often as possible in order to lose the truck.

She should have been reassured by his ability to evade the man behind them but she wasn’t. Her teeth chattered and her body began to shake. She recognized the aftereffects of shock from the last time she’d narrowly escaped Caruso’s thug.

She closed her mind against the memory of the bloody room in her twin sister’s town house as she struggled to breathe.

The guy in the ski mask wasn’t the same guy as before. He was tall and broad-shouldered compared to the shorter, stockier guy she’d taken down in Alyssa’s town house just a few days ago. When her rescuer slowed his breakneck speed, she glanced back, relieved to see there were no longer any headlights following them.

“Who are you?” she finally asked. “How did you find me?”

He didn’t take his eyes off the road as he tossed a small leather case in her lap. She opened it and was slightly reassured when she saw the shiny metal glint of his badge. At least it looked real enough.

“My name is Jonah Stewart and I’m a detective with the Milwaukee Police Department.” There was a long pause, before he added, “Your sister, Alyssa, sent me to find you.”

* * *

Jonah didn’t slow down until he was a good fifteen miles outside of town. And even then, he maintained a decent clip, pushing the posted speed limit, carefully watching the rearview mirror to make sure the guy in the black truck hadn’t found them. When he was reasonably sure they were safe, he unclenched his fingers from their death grip on the steering wheel.

That had been way too close. If he’d arrived a minute later, he might have lost Mallory for good. When he’d gotten to the cabin just after midnight, he’d noticed the black truck and grown suspicious. Just as he started making his way down the driveway toward the cabin, he’d heard someone running through the woods. It only took a minute to rule out a four-legged animal—he’d heard the distinct sound of two people. He’d braced for the worst and been immensely relieved when Mallory had raced out of the woods first, apparently unharmed, just in the nick of time.

“Did you get a good look at him?” he asked in a gruff tone.

“No.” She slowly shook her head. “His face was covered by a ski mask. But why were you waiting on the road for me after midnight? You claim Alyssa sent you, but I know her and she would have come to meet me herself.”

“Alyssa did send me. How else do you think I knew about the cabin? She also told me your uncle Henry is really your mother’s cousin, and he hadn’t been up here in a long time because he recently had a stroke.” He hoped the additional information would reassure her that he was on the right side of the law.

“Yes,” she admitted. “That’s true.”

“I found the place a few minutes before you came out of the woods.” He sent a silent prayer of thanks, knowing God had been watching out for the both of them. “Alyssa didn’t come herself because we didn’t even know for sure you were here.”

Mallory’s scowl deepened. “What do you mean she didn’t know? I left a message on her cell phone. I told her to come to the place she least expected to find me. As kids, we had to stay at the cabin for two weeks in the summer while our parents took an Alaskan cruise. Alyssa loved it, but I hated every minute. Do you realize I spent the last few days in a place with no indoor plumbing?”

For the first time in a long while, he was tempted to smile. He could well imagine how a cabin on a lake with an outhouse was not Mallory’s idea of fun.

“Alyssa lost her cell phone and must not have picked up her messages. And the other reason she didn’t come is she tore the ligaments and tendons in her ankle pretty bad. I convinced her that she’d only slow us down and she agreed I could protect you better by myself. She’s scheduled for surgery later this week.”

That news made Mallory sit up in her seat. “Surgery? What happened to her?”

“It’s a long story.” He continued to drive, deciding he wasn’t stopping anywhere for a long time—maybe not even until daylight. “Several days ago Alyssa fell and hit her head. When she woke up, she had amnesia. Alyssa’s boyfriend, Gage, thought she was you. They asked for my help because someone was trying to kill them. Don’t worry, they’re safe now. And once Alyssa’s memory started to return, we realized you were missing and in possible danger. That’s when we began searching for you.” He glanced at her expectantly.

“Are you sure they’re all right?”

“I promise they’re fine,” Jonah assured her.

“Then what happened to her ankle?” Mallory asked.

Was she really worried about her sister? Or was she simply asking more questions to put off telling him the truth? He wanted to believe the former, but his instincts warned him not to trust her too easily. He’d been burned by an apparent victim before.

“According to Gage, they had to climb out of a warehouse window and drop down to the ground, about ten feet. She landed hard on her ankle. Frankly, we were both surprised she hadn’t broken it.” He turned his attention back to the road, slowing down since they were approaching a small town.

“Are we stopping here?” Mallory asked.

“No.”

“Why not?” she demanded. “How do I know I can really trust you? Let me out. I want to talk to Alyssa.”

He stifled a heavy sigh. “Be reasonable. It’s one o’clock in the morning.”

“Reasonable?” Her voice rose a few decibels and he tried not to wince. “A man in a ski mask broke into my uncle’s cabin to kill me. And suddenly you’re conveniently waiting for me when I run out of the woods? Don’t you dare accuse me of being unreasonable.”

He held up his hand in surrender. Good thing the rental car didn’t need gas—he didn’t doubt that Mallory would bolt the first chance she was given. He’d already saved her from the guy in the ski mask, so why was she so uptight?

“If you want to call your sister, go ahead. But the only number I have is Gage’s cell.” He tossed his phone into her lap.

She picked it up and grimaced. “Gage doesn’t exactly like me,” she said as she scrolled through the contact list. “How do you know him?”

“Gage and I went to high school together. Both he and Alyssa have been worried sick about you,” Jonah added. He had been worried, too, mostly because he believed Mallory was the key to solving the case. Just a little over a week ago he and Gage had uncovered a money-laundering scheme that involved a man named Hugh Jefferson. Jonah had also been betrayed by a cop who’d tried to kill him. Soon he’d discovered that Jefferson had been searching for Mallory, who’d disappeared.

Now that he’d found Mallory, he wanted to know exactly why she’d been hiding at the cabin. And why Jefferson had wanted to find her. All along they’d suspected there was a man higher up the chain of command, the one truly in charge of the money-laundering scheme. He was convinced Mallory knew the identity of that man, or at least someone working for him. Why else would Jefferson want to know where she was?

Mallory held the phone up to her ear. After several rings, the call went into voice mail. There was the faintest tremble in her voice as she spoke. “Gage? It’s Mallory. Will you please have Alyssa call this number as soon as you can? Thanks.”

She ended the call but kept a tight hold on the phone, as if waiting for her sister’s return call. In the darkness, he was able to see the glitter of tears in her eyes. His gut clenched and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. The last thing he needed was for her to break down.

“Look, I’m sorry. I understand you’ve been traumatized by everything that’s happened. But, Mallory, I am a cop. And I promise I’ll keep you safe.”

A tense silence stretched between them. She sniffled loudly and swiped at her eyes. When her chin came up again, he almost smiled, impressed by her ability to pull herself together. Mallory was obviously a lot tougher than she looked. “You better. It’s only fair to warn you, I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and besides, I can call 9-1-1.”

When she actually punched in the buttons, prepared to make the call, he reached over to take his phone back. She didn’t let go. In the brief tussle, she brushed her arm against the side of his chest.

“What is this? Are you bleeding?” She stared in horror at the stain on her arm.

He glanced down in surprise, feeling the dampness against his shirt. It wasn’t easy to see in the darkness, but he could feel blood oozing through the dressing along the right side of his chest.

“Yuck. I faint at the sight of blood.” She rummaged through her purse, pulled out a small packet of wipes and cleaned the stain from her arm before glancing over to frown at him. “Are you sure you’re okay? Were you hit by a bullet back there?” The concern in her eyes was nice even though he didn’t deserve it. He wasn’t here just to save her life—he was here to close his case.

“No, I’m fine.” He realized the fresh surgical incision located along his rib cage was throbbing painfully. There was ibuprofen in his duffel bag, which was all he was willing to take. “It’s just an old injury that must have opened up a bit.”

“We’ll have to stop at a drugstore and get some bandages,” she murmured. “Too bad I’m not Alyssa—you could probably use a nurse.” She made a face as she placed a hand over her stomach. “I really am not much help when it comes to blood.”

He gave a brief nod, even though he had no intention of stopping at a drugstore anytime soon. Right now, his reopened wound was the least of his worries.

First he needed to find a safe haven, somewhere they could stay for the next twenty-four hours. And then he needed to figure out a way to make Mallory trust him enough to tell him the identity of the man who was in charge of the money-laundering operation that had almost gotten them all killed.

* * *

Mallory sensed there was far more to the story regarding how Alyssa was injured than Jonah Stewart was telling her. But as much as she wanted to keep after him, she couldn’t fight the wave of exhaustion washing over her, the adrenaline crash hitting hard. She wished she could talk to Alyssa.

She supposed it was logical that Gage wouldn’t answer the phone in the middle of the night. And if Alyssa really had lost her cell phone, then there was nothing more she could do except wait until morning. She wondered how Gage and Alyssa were getting along. Jonah had made it sound as if they were a couple saying they were both worried about her. But Mallory knew better than to think Gage was worried—she could only hope he wouldn’t let his personal feelings toward her get in the way of responding to her voice-mail message.

Back when Gage and Alyssa had started dating, she hadn’t trusted Gage’s feelings, especially the way he’d proposed so quickly. She’d shamelessly flirted with him as a way to test his feelings because, in her experience, men usually went for the easy, no-strings-attached type of relationship. But he’d surprised her by instantly shutting her down. He had claimed to love Alyssa, although just a short month later, she had returned his engagement ring.

Mallory suspected Alyssa still harbored deep feelings for Gage Drummond.

Since thinking about her past—and the way she’d messed up one relationship after another—was depressing, she concentrated on the present. Glancing over at Jonah, she focused on his wound. It wasn’t easy to see the stain on his navy T-shirt, but she could tell the damp spot was spreading.

“Jonah, what happened? Why would an old wound bleed like that?”

“I had surgery about a week ago, and a few of the stitches must have popped open.”

“What happened? Were you injured on the job?”

He clenched his jaw. “I was stabbed by a dirty cop Gage and I discovered was working for Hugh Jefferson.”

Mallory twisted her fingers together nervously. The architectural firm she worked for had been awarded the design contract for the Jefferson Project—fancy high-rise condos overlooking the Milwaukee River. She was the firm’s interior designer, and her boss, Rick Meyers, was the one who’d introduced her to Anthony Caruso.

Caruso had talked often to Hugh Jefferson. The mere memory of what she’d overheard made her stomach roll with nausea. “What are you saying? That you have proof Jefferson was involved with illegal activities?”

“Yeah. We have proof of how he was involved in a money-laundering scheme. But now he’s dead.”

Her mouth dropped open in shock. Hugh Jefferson was dead? “Are you sure all this happened while I was making my way to the cabin?” She hated thinking she’d left Alyssa in danger.

“I’m sure.” Jonah’s tone was terse. “Jefferson’s yacht caught on fire, and while Gage and Alyssa managed to escape, he and his cohorts didn’t. All three of them died—Aaron Crane, the dirty cop, Hugh Jefferson and Eric Holden, the newly elected Milwaukee mayor. Well, technically, Holden died before he could be sworn into office.”

She was disappointed that he hadn’t mentioned

Caruso. Listening to Jonah talk about the Jefferson Project confirmed that everything she’d suspected all along was true. There hadn’t been some horrible mistake. Caruso really had sent that thug to kill her at Alyssa’s town house, hoping to silence her forever. And then Caruso had found her again, at Uncle Henry’s cabin. She licked her suddenly dry lips. “I’m relieved to know Alyssa and Gage escaped. But why were they even on the yacht in the first place? What possessed Gage to put Alyssa in danger?”

“Gage didn’t put her in danger on purpose. In fact, he went to great lengths to keep her safe. But we didn’t know exactly who she was running from, because of her amnesia.”

She rubbed her temples, trying to make sense of what Jonah was saying. “I was the one they wanted to silence.” She felt sick at the thought she’d inadvertently put Alyssa in danger. “They must have thought she was me.”

“No, it wasn’t that,” Jonah said reassuringly. “Alyssa was working in the trauma room the night Councilman Schaefer was brought in with his stab wound. He told Alyssa that Jefferson was responsible. She believed him and reported the crime to Officer Crane, who happened to be working for Jefferson. He tried to kill her. More than once. If not for Gage’s help, he might have succeeded.”

Mallory shook her head, unable to process what he was saying. Wave after wave of regret battered her. She’d been so worried about her own well-being, especially after Wasserman followed her to Alyssa’s town house, that she’d never considered her sister might be in just as much danger. She’d left the urgent message—assuming Alyssa would drop everything to come out to meet her—then ditched her phone, worried that

Caruso had the means to track it. If only she and Alyssa had been able to talk to each other. They could have disappeared together.

“So now, Mallory, it’s your turn. We know why Alyssa was in danger, but we don’t know what happened to you. Did you stumble onto something you shouldn’t have? Did you find out about the money-

laundering scheme?”

“I don’t even know what money laundering is.” She kept her tone even with an effort.

“It’s taking money received from illegal activities and putting it into legal activities,” he explained, not willing to be distracted from his purpose. “You left a lot of blood on the floor of Alyssa’s town house, along with a blood-stained blouse.”

She shivered, remembering that night all too clearly.

“Mallory, are you listening to me? I can’t keep you safe unless you’re honest with me. Tell me the name of the man you’re running from. If you do, I’ll make sure the D.A. knows you cooperated with our investigation.”

She snapped her head up to glare at him. A flash of anger blurred her vision, forcing her to wrestle it back to maintain control.

“What do you mean you’ll convince the D.A. I’ve cooperated with the investigation? I’m not involved in anything illegal. I’m the victim here. Caruso’s thug, a guy named Kent Wasserman, followed me to Alyssa’s town house and tried to kill me!”

“Yeah, maybe,” Jonah said, his calm voice only fueling her annoyance. “But just a few hours ago, I was informed that Wasserman’s body was found in an alley not far from your condo, and your fingerprints are on the knife in his belly. The ME has deemed his death a homicide. As a result, there’s a warrant for your arrest.”

She couldn’t have been more surprised if the car had sprouted wings to fly. How could there possibly be a warrant out for her arrest? He was the one who’d tried to kill her! She’d fought with Wasserman, sure, but only in self-defense. She’d barely escaped. And she didn’t touch the knife.

At least, not that she remembered.

“I didn’t kill him,” she whispered, the images she’d tried to forget crowding in her mind. Somehow, someway, she had to make him believe her. “I swear to you, Jonah, I didn’t kill him. Don’t you see? I’m being framed for murder!”

Jonah’s mouth tightened, but he didn’t say anything. And that was when she realized that Jonah Stewart hadn’t just come to Crystal Lake to help find her. He’d come to take her back to Milwaukee.

To arrest her for a crime she didn’t commit.

TWO

“Jonah, please. You have to believe me. I didn’t kill him!” Mallory fought to control the fear that began to constrict her throat.

“I guess it’s possible you’re being framed,” Jonah said slowly, in a tone laced with doubt. “But we’d have to prove it, which isn’t going to be easy. You have to tell me everything, Mallory, from the very beginning. I can’t help you if you hold back on me.”

For a moment she stared through the darkness at the trees passing in a blur outside her passenger-side window. She didn’t know if she could trust Jonah. What if she told him what she knew and he still arrested her? Caruso was a powerful man—she had no doubt he’d find a way to kill her even if she happened to be in jail. Yet if she didn’t tell him, Jonah would take her back to Milwaukee and arrest her for sure.

A no-win situation, either way.

She took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “I started dating Anthony Caruso a few months ago,” she admitted, avoiding his gaze.

“Anthony Caruso?” Jonah interrupted with a frown. “Who’s he?”

“He’s an Illinois senator. I’m not normally into the political scene, but when I met him, I liked him. He told me he was providing Hugh Jefferson with capital for his condo project.”

At the time, dating him had seemed harmless. Caruso had been older than most of the men she’d dated—thirty-nine to her twenty-seven—but he’d been charming so she’d figured, why not? Looking back, she wondered how she could have been so stupid.

“An Illinois senator,” Jonah repeated under his breath, as if he couldn’t believe it. “I recognize his name now. It’s been all over the news. He’s a big deal in Washington. Exactly how did you meet him?”

“My boss, Rick Meyer, introduced me to him at one of the meetings about the Jefferson Project.” She glanced away, not wanting to see the censure in his eyes. “I— Things moved pretty fast. He literally swept me off my feet. Bought me gifts, took me to fancy restaurants and even flew me to New York to see a Broadway show.” She felt like an idiot now, knowing she’d been blinded by the wealth. And power. Anthony Caruso wielded a lot of power—more than she could have possibly suspected. “I never, in a million years, suspected he would get involved with anything illegal.”

She forced herself to look at Jonah. Sure enough, his eyebrows levered upward in surprise. “Caruso himself is involved? Seriously? Are you absolutely certain?”

He didn’t believe her, and that hurt. Why didn’t anyone take her seriously? She tilted her chin stubbornly. “Yes, I’m sure. I was leaving his office suite in the hotel after we’d had lunch but I forgot my purse. I went back in quietly so I wouldn’t disturb him. I saw him standing out on his terrace by himself, talking on his cell. He sounded very angry. I paused and overheard him telling the person on the other end of the line to do whatever was necessary to make sure the condo project went forward as planned because he had too much riding on it.”

“That statement isn’t necessarily incriminating,” Jonah pointed out. “Could be interpreted as having money on the line, which isn’t illegal. Anyone would be upset with losing money on a business deal.”

“I know. But then he said, ‘My sources tell me Schaefer was alive when he hit the E.R., so you better make sure our guy on the inside convinces the public his death was the result of gang violence.’” She remembered how horrified she’d felt in that moment, realizing the senator was actually discussing how to cover up a murder. “I retraced my steps, trying to sneak away, but I think he must have heard me. I caught a glimpse of his face as he came in from the terrace just as I closed the door behind me. I ran down the hall and avoided the elevator, choosing the stairs instead. I managed to get out of the building, but I couldn’t go home. I kept calling Alyssa’s place, but she didn’t pick up. I eventually went to her town house, using my key to get in. I had this crazy idea of borrowing her identity, but then I heard someone at the door and assumed it was my sister. Kent Wasserman barged in, holding a knife. We’d briefly met a few weeks earlier through Anthony. I was shocked to see him at Alyssa’s and knew he must have followed me. He lunged but I managed to get away, taking him down in the process. He fell on his knife.”

“You took him down?” Doubt radiated from his tone.

She narrowed her gaze. “Try me.” She didn’t bother explaining she’d been training in martial arts since her senior year in high school—specifically, since the night of the assault that had changed her life forever. She had absolutely no intention of explaining the private horror of her past to Jonah.

Besides, her past was old news. She’d moved beyond the assault, and she’d get herself out of this mess, as well. If necessary, she’d figure out something on her own. But she wasn’t going to allow any man to hold her helpless ever again. That included all of the thugs

Caruso sent out after her.

And Jonah Stewart, who was perhaps the most dangerous of all.

* * *

Jonah tried to mask his surprise. First, he found it hard to believe a state senator could actually be calling the shots in the Jefferson Project. And then of course there was the rest of Mallory’s story. Including the part where she claimed to have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. But she didn’t hedge the way people sometimes did when they were lying, and he found himself believing her.

“That’s a very serious allegation, Mallory. You’d better be sure about this. Anthony Caruso carries a lot of weight on Capitol Hill. There’s been talk about him being a candidate for vice president, or even for the presidency itself in a few years. I don’t think many people are going to believe your word over his.”

“I know.” She twisted her hands together in a nervous gesture. “That’s the reason I ran. But I promise you, I’m not lying about this. I know what I heard.”

“I believe you. But we need proof, Mallory. If we’re accusing a state senator of being involved, we need hard-core proof.”

“I know,” she murmured. Her face was grim and she sighed heavily. “Up until that point, I had no idea Anthony was involved in anything shady. I’d been dating him for almost a month and I never heard so much as an inkling of anything dangerous. It was a total fluke that I heard that snippet of his conversation at all. But I knew Councilman Schaefer had been stabbed so it didn’t take much to put two and two together.”

Jonah nodded, discovering he didn’t particularly care to hear about how she’d dated the guy.

Not that Mallory’s personal life was any of his concern.

He told himself to get a grip. “Okay, so you left

Alyssa’s town house after being attacked by Wasserman and escaped to Crystal Lake. Then what?”

She lifted one shoulder in a helpless shrug. “Then nothing. I left Alyssa a message to meet me and hunkered down to wait.”

“Anything out of the ordinary happen before tonight?” he persisted. “Anything at all to indicate Caruso had found you?”

“No. Not until I heard the guy sneaking through the cabin.”

If nothing else, the guy in the ski mask helped reinforce her story about overhearing Caruso’s conversation. There was no other reason for Caruso to try to kill her.

Unless there was far more to the story than she was telling him.

He didn’t want to think Mallory may have been a part of the crime, but he couldn’t totally discount the idea, either.

“Why didn’t you go to the police with your story?”

In the darkness he saw her scowl. “Because Anthony referred to our guy on the inside, making it difficult to know who to trust. Besides, I was waiting for Alyssa to meet me at the cabin. I guess I hoped we’d work together to figure out the next step.”

Grudgingly, he had to admit her instincts were right. It was actually a good thing that Mallory hadn’t gone to the police or Crane might have tried to silence her, too, the way he’d gone after Alyssa. “Do you remember anything else?”

“No. I wish I did. I wish I had proof I could simply hand over to you.” She looked totally dejected. He found himself wanting to reassure her, to make her feel better.

Which was totally ridiculous.

Getting too close to someone in the case was unacceptable. Hadn’t he learned that the hard way? It only took a fraction of a second to bring the image of his partner’s widow to mind.

He’d failed his partner, Drew Massey, when he’d lowered his guard with a young drug runner. And when Drew’s wife, Elaine, had accused him of causing Drew’s death, he couldn’t defend himself. Because she’d been right. Thanks to the eyewitness’s cell-phone video, the whole world had been able to see how he’d failed his partner. Including his fiancée. Cheryl had wasted no time in leaving him.

“I’m sorry, Jonah,” she said, interrupting his tumultuous thoughts. “I wish now that I had paid more attention.”

“Don’t worry about it. Why don’t you try to get some sleep? I’m not planning to stop for a while yet.”

“I’ll try,” she murmured.

She didn’t sleep, but she didn’t talk, either. He was oddly relieved to discover Mallory wasn’t the type to fill a silence with small talk.

No matter how much he told himself to keep an open mind, deep down, he believed Mallory’s story. For the past twenty-four hours, he’d been hoping that finding her would be the key to blowing his case wide open. But overhearing a snippet of a conversation wouldn’t get him anywhere close to pressing charges. If they couldn’t corroborate Mallory’s story, they had nothing.

Which meant not only was Mallory’s life still in danger, but he was right back to square one.

* * *

Mallory yawned so wide her jaw popped. She scrubbed at her gritty eyes, trying to force herself to stay awake. Finally, just as dawn was breaking over the horizon, Jonah pulled into a motel with a flashing vacancy sign out front.

“Where are we?” she asked, realizing she hadn’t even noticed the name of the town.

“Glen Hollow,” Jonah replied as he shut off the car and opened his door. “Population less than nine hundred.”

She slid out of the passenger seat. “Honestly, as long as there’s running water and a shower, I don’t care how many people live here.”

He flashed a tired grin, and she was struck by how handsome Jonah was. He wasn’t overly tall, just barely six feet in her estimation, but he was muscular. And she liked the way he wore his dark hair short. He opened the back door and rummaged around in a duffel bag. Before she could ask what he was doing, he stripped off his old shirt, revealing the blood-stained dressing covering the right side of his chest, before he pulled a black T-shirt over his head.

She turned away, feeling light-headed but unsure whether it was the blood or Jonah causing the sensation.

Must be the blood because she was immune to handsome men. She only dated men on her terms, determined to be the one in control. Never again would she let her guard down.

“Wait for me in the car,” he said in a low voice. “I don’t want the clerk to be able to identify you.”

Unable to argue with his logic, she nodded and slid back into the passenger seat. It was only a few minutes before he returned.

“Here.” He handed her a key. “We have adjoining rooms, numbers ten and twelve.”

“Ah, okay.” She was surprised he cared enough to respect her need for privacy. She couldn’t remember the last guy who’d put her needs before his own.

She told herself not to place too much emphasis on Jonah’s kindness. For all she knew, he was simply biding his time before he slipped handcuffs on her and hauled her off to jail.

If he tried that, he’d learn firsthand what it meant to be a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

* * *

Jonah grabbed his laptop and his duffel bag from the backseat of his car. He caught Mallory eyeing his duffel with longing. Luckily he had plenty of cash—there would be time to pick up a few things for her later.

They went into their rooms. Jonah dropped his duffel bag on the bed and then crossed over to unlock the connecting door on his side of the two rooms. He was surprised to find that Mallory had already opened her side, too. He hovered in the doorway, not wanting to encroach on her personal space. The faint scent of juniper greeted him, as if Mallory had stashed a few Christmas trees inside. “I—uh—thought we’d head over to the diner for breakfast before we get some sleep.”

“Sure.” Her smile was weary. “But if you could stop at the front desk to get me a toothbrush, I’d appreciate it.”

“No problem.” He grabbed his computer and followed her outside.

She glanced at the computer in surprise. “Do you really think the café has Wi-Fi?”

“According to the desk clerk they do.” He’d made sure there was an internet connection in the rooms, too. “Figured I’d do some research on your former boyfriend over breakfast.”

Mallory didn’t say anything in response, but followed him inside the café. He chose a booth in the back. But when he booted up the computer, Mallory slid in beside him.

“What are you doing?” he asked in alarm, trying to ignore her juniper scent.

“I’m not just going to sit there and watch you work,” Mallory said in exasperation. “I can help.”

He wished he’d brought more than one computer, to keep Mallory on the opposite side of the booth where she belonged. Yet he could hardly blame her for wanting to help. When the waitress came over with a pot of coffee, he stopped her from filling his cup. “Just orange juice for me, please.”

“Me, too,” Mallory chimed in.

While they waited for their order, he began to search for recent information about Anthony Caruso.

“Do you know what we’re looking for?” Mallory asked.

“A needle in a haystack,” he muttered. His computer skills were decent, but attempting to breach the security of a state senator’s home computer probably wasn’t smart, especially on a public network, so he refrained. Thinking clearly wasn’t easy with Mallory glued to his side. He hadn’t been this distracted by a woman in a long time.

And he shouldn’t be now, while he was in the middle of a case.

They took a break from the computer search when their food arrived, and thankfully Mallory went back to her side of the booth. Neither of them said much as they ate. His original plan was to stay at the café and work while Mallory went back to the room to get some sleep. But exhaustion was already weighing him down.

Once they’d finished breakfast, Mallory again abandoned her side of the booth to slide in beside him.

“Why don’t you cross-reference Caruso’s name with Jefferson’s?” she suggested.

He typed in the two names, and the first item to come up was a newspaper article regarding a charity event that had been held a week ago, down at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. When a color photo bloomed on the screen, he heard Mallory gasp softly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. And then he noticed the slender woman in a deep blue gown standing off to the side. The photographer had only caught her back, but the woman’s short, curly blond hair matched Mallory’s. He glanced over at her as he lightly tapped the computer screen. “This is you, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I attended the event with Anthony—he’s in the photo, too, right here, but you can’t see him very well.” Her face had gone pale as she stared at the photo.

“Did you remember something from that night?” he pressed, watching her carefully. “Maybe another conversation you overheard?”

“Anthony was angry when this guy came by to take our pictures. In fact, at the time I thought he was completely overreacting when he had stomped over to the photographer, demanding the photo be erased from his digital camera. Of course the camera guy had refused, and Hugh Jefferson had come over to calm down Anthony. Anthony and Jefferson went off to talk, and the next thing I knew, the entire incident was glossed over. When I asked Anthony about it later, he told me not to worry about it, because Jefferson convinced the cameraman not to list his name.”

He frowned and glanced back at the photograph he’d enlarged on the screen. “Strikes me as odd that the senator didn’t want his picture taken. Normally politicians love to be splashed all over the media.”

She nodded slowly. “Yeah, I thought it was odd, too. In fact, up until that point, I hadn’t heard Anthony raise his voice to anyone. I think that was partially why I listened to his phone conversation the next night. He was always so smoothly charming.”

He swiveled in his seat to stare at her. “Are you telling me this charity event was the night before you overheard him trying to cover up Councilman Schaefer’s murder?”

“Yes. The benefit was on Thursday night, and I overheard the conversation the next day. We’d originally made plans to have lunch, but then Anthony backed out, saying something important at work had come up. Next thing I knew, he was talking about covering up a murder.”

His gut clenched when he realized how lucky she’d been to get away from Caruso’s thug not just once, but twice. He was thankful Mallory had managed to get away, or the outcome of Wasserman’s attack could have been very different.

God was definitely watching over her. Watching over both of them.

And this time, he wouldn’t mess up like he had the night his partner had died.

Please, God, give me the strength and the knowledge to keep Mallory safe.

He stared at the surprisingly clear photograph. It was easy to recognize Senator Caruso now that she’d pointed him out. But why would the guy go to a public charity event only to become upset when he was photographed? None of this made any sense.

Had something else happened that night? Something significant enough to put Caruso on edge? Something that may have sent the entire house of cards that Jefferson built tumbling to the ground?

His blood ran cold.

What if Mallory had become a target not just because she’d overheard Caruso’s patio conversation, but because she saw or heard something with even more significance? Something so damaging, Caruso had no choice but to silence her forever?

THREE

Mallory rubbed the back of her neck. Holding her head at an awkward angle in order to read Jonah’s computer screen was giving her a neck ache to match her headache.

They were crazy to think they might find something on the internet that would lead them to incriminating evidence against Anthony Caruso. She eased away from Jonah and reached for her orange juice.

She was too exhausted to do any more surfing and Jonah must have been, too, since he shut down the computer and pulled out his wallet to pay the bill.

“I have some cash, too, if you need some,” she offered.

He scowled, apparently chauvinistic enough to dislike the idea of a woman paying her own way. “I’m fine. Let’s go. We both need a couple hours of sleep.”

She followed him out of the café and across the street to their motel rooms. He opened the door, checking to make sure the room was safe before he stood back and allowed her to go inside.

“Keep the connecting door unlocked, okay? Just in case.”

Just in case what? She suppressed a shiver. “There’s no way the ski-mask guy could have followed us, right?”

“No. But we can’t afford to let down our guard,

either. Just humor me, okay?”

She hesitated and then nodded. “Okay.”

Jonah stared at her for a moment, as if he wanted to say more, but then he turned and disappeared inside his room. She partially closed the connecting door on her side, before testing out the running water in the

bathroom—which was pure bliss—and then climbing into bed. She fell asleep the instant her head hit the pillow.

Mallory had no idea how long she slept, but much like the night before, a strange sound dragged her awake. She stayed perfectly still, straining to listen.

She heard it again. A muffled sound coming from Jonah’s room. She climbed from her bed, pulled on her grungy clothes and pushed open the connecting door.

Jonah was talking in his sleep, thrashing on the bed, obviously in the throes of a nightmare. She crossed over to shake his shoulder. “Jonah, wake up. You’re having a bad dream.”

Almost instantly, he shot upward and grabbed his gun. She shrank away, holding out her hand to calm him down. “It’s me, Jonah. Mallory. I was only trying to wake you up from your nightmare.”

He slowly lowered his weapon, letting out his breath in a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry. I— You took me by surprise.”

He avoided her gaze. A faint sheen of sweat covered his face and dampened the hair at his temples. Definitely a nightmare. “Jonah, who’s Drew? You were muttering something about Drew.”

His expression closed, and she sensed that whatever the source of his nightmare, he wasn’t inclined to talk about it. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“No need to apologize.” She noticed with surprise that the Gideon Bible was lying open on his bedside table. Had Jonah actually been reading the Bible? The only person she knew who’d ever read the Bible on a regular basis was Alyssa.

He must have noticed her gaze because he flashed a lopsided smile. “Renewing my faith helps me relax, especially in times of stress. You might want to give it a try.”

She frowned and shook her head. “No thanks. Not after everything I’ve been through.”

He frowned, but didn’t look surprised by her attitude. “I’m sure you have your reasons for not believing, Mallory, but have you ever considered how God might help shoulder your burden rather than add to it?”

She wished there was a tactful way to change the subject. “You have no idea what I’ve been through. Having Anthony Caruso attempt to kill me isn’t the worst I’ve suffered.” She told herself to shut up before she found herself blubbering about her past.

The last thing she wanted or needed was Jonah’s sympathy.

“You’re right, Mallory. I don’t know everything you’ve suffered. But I do know about my own experience.” There was a long pause before he continued. “Drew was my partner. He was a few years older than me, and he taught me everything I needed to know about being a cop.”

The stark agony in his eyes made her wish she’d never asked about his nightmare. She knew, only too well, how reliving the past only made it harder to forget.

“One day, we caught this kid running drugs. He was young, barely eleven, and I wanted the guy who was pulling the strings on this kid. Drew wanted to haul him in, but I convinced him to try it my way first. The kid was so young, and he looked up at me with big eyes, telling me he’d show us where he was supposed to take the money. I believed him. Drew tried to talk me out of it, but I insisted. The kid led us right into a trap.”

She gasped, the scene so vivid she felt as if she was right there with him.

“And when the shooting started, I instinctively protected the kid who’d betrayed us, leaving my partner open. He died as a result of my actions.” Jonah’s expression was grim as he faced her. “So while I don’t know what you’ve been through, Mallory, I do know that God can help carry a heavy burden.”

A long silence stretched between them, and she had no idea what to say. But she realized that Jonah’s past was just as difficult to live with as hers.

Jonah reached out to touch the Bible. “Without faith, I would never have made it through the worst time of my life.”

She gave a helpless shrug. “I guess I just don’t understand how believing in God helps.”

“It’s hard to explain,” he admitted. “But I can tell you that God doesn’t abandon us when we need Him. He’s there for us, always.”

She didn’t believe God was there for her. Not back when she was seventeen, or when Caruso’s thug tried to kill her.

Unless God had sent Jonah to save her?

No, she didn’t really believe that, and this wasn’t the time or place to argue with Jonah over religion.

“Maybe at some point, you’ll give it a try,” Jonah said. “However, right now, we need to think of some way to get evidence against Caruso.”

She was glad he let the subject drop. “I went back over the night of the fundraiser, and there is one other thing I remember. Although I’m not sure it means much.”

He leaned forward. “What is it?”

“There was a brief disagreement between Jefferson and Caruso. I didn’t really pay much attention then, but looking back, it was right about the time Jefferson took a phone call. I think the news may have been about Schaefer.”

“Can you remember exactly what was said? By

either Jefferson or Caruso?”

“Caruso said something like, ‘I wouldn’t have to worry if you weren’t such an amateur.’” She wished she’d heard what they were saying. “At the time, I assumed they were talking about investments, but now I’m thinking the conversation may have referred to having Schaefer stabbed and being forced to attribute the stabbing to gang activity.”

“You could be right. Nice detective work, Mallory.”

She blushed and shrugged off the compliment. No doubt Jonah was simply trying to stay on her good side. “So now what? Where do we go from here?”

He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Good question. Give me some time to pull myself together, and I’ll try to come up with a plan.”

“As long as your plan doesn’t involve me turning myself in to the D.A.,” she murmured as she turned away. No matter how good of a detective Jonah was, he couldn’t possibly find proof she couldn’t even be sure existed. And they couldn’t stay on the run forever—they both had jobs, careers to get back to.

A wave of hopelessness washed over her. For a fleeting moment, she surprised herself and considered trying to pray. Except she didn’t know how and didn’t really think God would listen to someone like her even if she did.

She was better off relying only on herself—the way she’d always done.

* * *

Jonah examined his incision as well as he could in the mirror above the sink in the bathroom. It looked worse than he’d anticipated. He applied some antibacterial ointment before slapping a new gauze dressing over the area where he’d popped two stitches. At least the wound had stopped bleeding. He was glad Alyssa had forced him to bring first-aid supplies, although she’d no doubt be upset that he’d opened the wound. Belatedly remembering his antibiotics, he popped one, hoping the pills would be strong enough to ward off infection.

For a moment he stared grimly at his reflection in the mirror. What he really needed to do was call his boss and ask for someone else to watch over Mallory. Not only was he still recuperating from his stab wound and subsequent surgery, he also was too close to making the same mistake he had in the past—letting his emotions get in the way of his job.

He couldn’t cross the line and begin caring about Mallory. He never should have accepted her help in finding evidence against Caruso. She wasn’t a cop. What he needed to do was to convince his boss to put her up in some sort of safe house. A place where able-bodied cops could watch over her instead of a wounded warrior like him.

As he dressed, his cell phone rang. He picked up his phone to see who’d called.

He was expecting his boss, but it was Gage. Knowing Mallory would be thrilled to hear from her sister, he crossed over to gently tap on the door between their rooms. “Mallory? It’s Gage. Do you want to talk?”

“Yes!” She eagerly took the phone. “Alyssa?” Her face lit up with joy, and he turned away to give her some privacy. “What happened?”

Jonah knew Alyssa would fill Mallory in on everything, in much greater detail than he had. He went back into his room and waited. When she was done, he’d call his boss.

Mallory didn’t return for a good fifteen minutes, but when she handed him the phone, she was smiling. “Alyssa’s fine. She told me everything and then offered to blow off her surgery to come up here. I convinced her to stay put and take care of herself. Thankfully, for the first time ever, Gage agreed with me.”

“I’m glad.” He took the phone and punched in his boss’s number.

“Who are you calling?” she asked.

“My boss. Lieutenant Michael Finley.”

Her jaw dropped open in shock. “Your boss? I thought you said Alyssa sent you. I didn’t realize you were reporting everything to your boss.” She’d trusted Jonah with her life and didn’t appreciate how he’d held back important information.

“I’m keeping Finley updated. He knows the plan is to find the top guy involved in Jefferson’s money-

laundering scheme. Jefferson used way too much cash, and we were also able to trace his funds for the condo project to a Swiss bank account. I need to let Finley know we suspect Caruso.”

The expression on her face indicated she wasn’t happy with that news. “I thought you said there was a warrant out for my arrest.”

“There is, but I think I can convince Finley you’re being framed for Wasserman’s murder. And I think he’ll agree to put you up in a safe house.”

“A safe house?” She glared at him with dismay. “Why would I want to do that? I’d rather stay with you.”

He hardened his heart against the hurt reflected in her eyes. But he refused to let his emotions sway his decision. Putting Mallory in a safe house was the right thing to do. “Because you need to be safe, no matter what.”

“Oh, yeah?” Her blue eyes narrowed with suspicion. “And what about you?”

He looked away. “Once I know you’re safe, I plan to head back to Milwaukee or maybe even Chicago so I can find hard evidence against Caruso.”

* * *

Mallory watched with helpless anger as Jonah went outside to make his phone call, obviously seeking privacy. She went over to the door but she was unable to decipher any specific words. Dejected, she went back to her own room, waiting in the connecting doorway for him to return.

What had she done to make Jonah so anxious to be rid of her? Apparently the closeness she believed might be growing between them was nothing more than her overactive imagination. No big surprise there. She couldn’t help feeling hurt by the idea he’d leave her alone in a police safe house while continuing his investigation without her.

Apparently, Jonah preferred to work alone.

Granted, she didn’t exactly have the skills or background that Jonah did, but she knew Anthony Caruso on a personal level. Certainly that knowledge alone gave her some value.

When Jonah returned to the motel room, his closed expression reinforced her deepest fears. She wanted to scream and yell that he couldn’t leave her alone in some safe house, but knew instinctively that theatrics weren’t going to sway him off course.

Through the open connecting doors between their rooms, she saw that he’d picked up the Bible. The way he settled down to read, as if he didn’t have a care in the world, made her seethe with frustration. What was wrong with him? Didn’t he have any feelings for her at all?

Of course he didn’t, she reminded herself sternly. She wasn’t the type of woman he could ever care about on a personal level. She didn’t believe in God the way he did, for one thing. And she was part of his case against Caruso. A woman he was responsible for protecting. Until he could hand her over to someone else.

“Mallory? Are you all right?”

His soft question pulled her from her thoughts. “No, I’m not. But why would you bother asking? Haven’t you already decided the next step without caring about what I want?”

When he glanced away, she knew her point had hit home. Being right didn’t make her feel any better, though.

Jonah was silent for several long minutes. “‘He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart,’” Jonah murmured.

The phrase didn’t sound the least bit familiar, but struck a chord deep within, nonetheless. “Is that really from the Bible? It sounds more like a poem.” She was intrigued by the lyrical words.

“In a way. The Book of Psalms reads like a book of poems.”

She was surprised to hear Bible verses actually read like poems. She’d always thought they were dry and preachy. Alyssa’s friends had been involved in church activities, but she’d resisted going along, no matter how much Alyssa tried to convince her. Reluctantly curious, she walked across the threshold into his room to see for herself. As she approached, she caught sight of Jonah’s car keys sitting on top of the dresser. Without giving herself time to consider the consequences of her actions, she silently swept them into her hand and stuck them into the front pocket of her sweatshirt.

“Here, start at the beginning,” Jonah urged.

She took the Bible from his hands and tried to read but she couldn’t concentrate. The car keys were practically burning a hole clear through the fleece to her skin. Finally, she handed the Bible back to Jonah. “Sorry, it doesn’t really work for me.”

The flash of disappointment in his eyes shouldn’t have bothered her. She turned and tried not to rush as she made her way back to her room.

Once she was out of his line of vision, she paused long enough to take a deep breath. She looped her purse over her shoulder and tried to edge closer to the door.

She felt bad about leaving him here, but he’d called his boss, hadn’t he? Someone would be here soon enough to rescue him. By that time she’d be far out of reach.

She didn’t know how to explain to Jonah why she didn’t trust anyone but him. Partially because Gage and Alyssa had vouched for his integrity. Partially because he believed in God.

And most of all, because she liked him. She couldn’t remember the last time she had met a man she actually liked. A man she felt comfortable being around. She didn’t need to constantly have her guard up with Jonah.

She crossed to the door and silently turned the handle. Holding her breath, she opened it, slipped through and tried to shut it quietly behind her.

But she’d only gone two steps when Jonah’s door burst open. She was shocked speechless when he grabbed her hand, prying the car keys from her numb fingers. It happened so fast, she didn’t have a chance to react, to strike out with a roundhouse kick or a blow to his arm.

Or maybe she just couldn’t bring herself to hit Jonah.

“Nice try, Mallory,” he said in a patronizing tone.

A red haze of fury blinded her. “Let me go! I’d rather be out there on my own than stuck in some safe house with someone I don’t know!”

“Why?” he demanded, sliding the car keys deep into his pocket, far out of her reach. “I’m only doing this for your own good, Mallory. Can’t you understand I want you to be safe?”

She ground her teeth together, fighting the urge to pummel him with her fists. Were all men this annoying? She’d never been emotionally involved enough to find out. “You said yourself that there was a dirty cop working with Jefferson, helping him from the inside. How do you know there aren’t more? How do you know that Officer Crane, the cop who died, wasn’t working with someone?”

He stood there, staring at her uncertainly. Sensing she might have an edge, she pushed a little more.

“Jonah, think about it. Can you live with your decision, knowing there is a slim chance Caruso might find me and kill me inside the safe house?” She held her breath, hoping, praying he’d understand.

Because the last thing she wanted to do was go off on her own—without Jonah Stewart.

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