More Than a Man Page 9

  “Uh-huh.”

  “She was in no shape to get out of there on her own.”

  Again, Noah waited.

  “Someone took some clothing from the gift shop. And someone bashed up a local thug.”

  A local thug. Interesting. Noah only shrugged.

  “Were you involved in any of that?”

  Noah shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “What makes you think so?”

  “Deductive reasoning. And the T-shirt we gave you was found in the trash can several doors down from where Ms. Stapler was being treated.”

  “I’m in a hurry,” Noah said.

  “To get to the airport?”

  Noah wished he’d kept his mouth shut. Instead of answering, he went back to the silent technique.

  “Do you know where Ms. Stapler is?” Waterford asked. “She owes the hospital for her treatment.”

  Honesty forced him to say, “I mailed them some money.”

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s resting at another hotel.”

  “Which one?” the detective demanded.

  “I’d rather not say.”

  Waterford kept his gaze on Noah. “We need to know her location.”

  This time it was impossible to keep silent. “Why? Are you charging her with something?” he asked.

  “The brother has been mouthing off. He’s threatening to kill her, if he can find her.”

  Chapter Seven

  Noah felt the blood in his veins turn to ice as he struggled not to give away his reaction. He had met a lot of women in his life and he’d come to care about some of them. Nobody in a long time had affected him the way Olivia Stapler did.

  He wanted to turn around and run back to the Royal Crescent, but if he did, Waterford was going to follow him, and he’d lead the cop straight to her.

  As they stood facing each other, Noah ordered himself to think this through. Cops were allowed to tell you anything they wanted, whether it was true or not. Which meant that Waterford could have dropped that story about the brother because he wanted to question Olivia about the scam she and Stapler had been working.

  Even if the brother had made the threat, it still might not be true. The jerk could have simply been letting off steam.

  Noah could see the detective was watching him carefully. For a split second, he thought about trusting the guy. He could tell Olivia’s location, and the cops would give her protection.

  As soon as the notion surfaced, he dismissed it. Trusting this guy was not a smart move.

  “Thanks for the information,” he said, then glanced at his watch. “I’ve got a little time left. I think I’ll get in a couple of last licks at the tables.”

  “You can play the slots at the airport,” Waterford said.

  “I hate slots. I’d rather play a game where judgment counts for something.” Quickly he turned and walked into the darkened casino. It was early in the morning now, but the lighted signs on the machines still flashed their come-hither call and the sound of coins dropping into the slots made a clanging background noise. A siren sounded and lights flashed as someone won a jackpot. A man and woman holding cups of change plowed toward the cashier, and Noah dodged around them, heading for the poker tables. After ducking around a pillar, he looked behind him.

  Waterford had entered the casino but didn’t look like he knew where his quarry had gone.

  Noah plunged farther into the noise and confusion of the card-playing area, watched a few moments, then headed for an exit—this time into the garden where he and Olivia had encountered Gary Carlson.

  That seemed like a decade ago, or maybe Noah’s life was passing at lightning speed. Certainly it had felt that way since the diving accident off Grand Cayman.

  Circling through the garden, he made it to the sidewalk again and took off along the side street. Only when he’d rounded the parking lot of the next casino did he head back in the direction of the Royal Crescent, constantly alert for Waterford or anyone else following him.

  He got back to the hotel in record time and took one of the elevators to the fifth floor. As he let himself into the suite, he allowed relief to flood through him. But when he charged into the bedroom, it was empty.

  His next stop was the bathroom, but Olivia wasn’t there, either.

  Although she had vanished, the sink felt warm, telling him she’d very recently run hot water.

  She couldn’t have been gone long.

  He dashed out of the suite again and took an elevator to the lobby. Improvising, he said to the desk clerk, “I was expecting my fiancée to be here. We were supposed to go out together. Did you see which way she went?”

  “I believe she turned left,” the clerk said without missing a beat.

  “Thanks.”

  Noah exited the building and turned left, praying that he would somehow find Olivia—before her brother did. Or the cops.

  As he jogged down the street, he studied every woman he saw. None of them was Olivia, and he felt his throat constrict with worry. He was just about to acknowledge defeat when he finally spotted her. He uttered a little prayer of thanks. She hadn’t gotten very far, only a couple of blocks from the hotel. Obviously winded, she was huddled on one of the benches provided by the city at bus stops.

  He was about to call out to her when a battered silver Honda zipped by him, then screeched to a stop beside the bench.

  Noah didn’t know who it was, not for sure. Still, his heart was in his throat as he watched the driver’s door open.

  His worst suspicions were confirmed as the brother barreled out of the car, raced around the vehicle and started yelling at Olivia.

  “Got ya, you bitch.”

  “Get away from me.”

  “In your dreams.” As he shouted the last words, Stapler grabbed Olivia and tried to drag her toward the car.

  Noah knew she was weak and in pain, but she grabbed on to the bench as Stapler struggled to pull her toward the car.

  Get off her, you bastard, he silently screamed as he ran toward the pair, praying she could keep from getting dragged into the vehicle long enough for him to get there.

  Fueled by determination, Noah put on a burst of speed.

  Finally, between pants for breath, the words shrieking inside him burst from his lips. “Leave her alone.”

  He was less than half a block away, and both Stapler and Olivia jerked toward him. He could see the shock on Olivia’s face and the determination on the brother’s.

  When Stapler redoubled his efforts, Noah knew that he had to get there in the next few seconds or it would be all over.

  He had never run faster in his life as he flew toward the car. His lungs were burning and he could feel the pavement pounding the bottoms of his feet through the soles of his shoes.

  The effort was wasted.

  Stapler lifted Olivia off the ground. As Noah watched in sick horror, the brother managed to throw her into the car and slam the door, then run back to the driver’s side.

  Get out. You can get out, Noah screamed inside his mind.

  But she must have used up all her strength in the fight, because she didn’t open the door.

  PEARSON slammed Olivia against the car door, stunning her and jarring her injured side. Her vision swam and she fought to catch her breath.

  When she fumbled for the door handle, he slapped her, then stepped on the accelerator.

  “You want to get killed? Go ahead and jump,” he taunted.

  Her body ached and her head throbbed as she stared at him through eyes that stung. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because you lied to me. You never had any intentions of helping me, did you? The one time you went upstairs with a guy, you screwed up.”

  Unable to play games with him any longer, she whispered, “That’s right.”

  “You bitch. You were always a bitch, weren’t you, even back home with Pop, when you were pretending to be oh-so-nice.”

  “I worked to make a home for the two of you. I cooked di
nner. I kept the house clean. I did the laundry. You didn’t help.”

  Ignoring her protest, he plowed ahead. “All you cared about was your damn dancing.”

  “That’s not true. Let me go.”

  “And you got what you wanted, didn’t you? Pop loved you. He never loved me.”

  “Is that what this is about?”

  “Shut up.”

  He flicked her a look, probably thinking he had her under his control. He might be her brother, but he’d resented her all these years. Maybe he’d even forced her into his wild scheme because he wanted her to get in trouble with the law. Never mind what happened to him.

  Now he had her in his clutches, and the look in his eyes made her blood run cold. But she had always been a fighter and she wasn’t going to let him win.

  She had to get away and even if she made him wreck the car, that would be better than whatever he had in mind for her.

  She wanted to close her eyes, but she was afraid to take them off Pearson as she huddled against the door, gathering her strength.

  NOAH kept running after the Honda, his eye never leaving the vehicle. He wanted to howl in anger and frustration, but he couldn’t waste the breath on anything besides running.

  The brother had said he’d kill Olivia. Well, he had her and he could take her anywhere and do whatever he wanted.

  The thought kept Noah running.

  As the car sped straight up the street, Noah almost gave up hope of catching them. Then, as he watched, it jerked to the right and then to the left.

  Noah tried to imagine what was happening. Was Olivia grabbing the wheel?

  He didn’t know for sure, but he could tell she was doing something.

  “Yes!” he shouted, redoubling his efforts as he watched the vehicle weave from one lane to the other. Another driver swerved to the side, honking loudly as the Honda barely avoided a collision.

  The car lurched into oncoming traffic, straight into the path of a truck, and Noah’s heart leaped into his throat. At the last second, it jerked out of the way of the two-ton truck, but overcompensated and jumped the curb. A pedestrian leaped out of the way as the Honda plowed across the cement. The car came to a stop, but not before it bashed into a trash can and dragged the container down the sidewalk.

  Noah was ten yards from the car when the passenger door opened and Olivia rolled out. The brother came crashing out of the driver’s side and barreled toward her, murder in his eyes.

  Noah reached him first, spun him around and delivered a right hook to his jaw. As he had in their previous fight, the bastard went down.

  Noah rounded the car and knelt beside Olivia. “Are you all right?”

  Her lips moved but no words were spoken. She looked dazed.

  “We’ve got to get out of here.” Lifting her up, he carried her back to the car, set her gently on the front seat, then climbed behind the wheel. The engine was still running, and all he had to do was turn the wheel and back up to disengage the trash can.

  The vehicle made a rattling sound but kept moving.

  Noah took his eyes from the wheel long enough to look at Olivia. “What did you do to make the car swerve like that?” he asked.

  “I started hitting him.” She’d found her voice.

  “Good.”

  “He was yelling and cursing at me.”

  “But you kept him from driving straight.”

  She heaved in a breath and let it out. “I guess I should have pressed charges.”

  “Yeah.”

  He turned down a side street and circled back toward the hotel.

  “When I went back to the Calvanio for my stuff, I ran into Detective Waterford. He said your brother was telling people he wanted to kill you. When I rushed back to the Royal Crescent, you were gone.”

  “Sorry,” she whispered.

  “How did he find you?”

  She made a snorting sound. “It was just blind luck! He was driving around and spotted me.”

  He swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Why did you leave?”

  “I…” She spread her hands.

  “Why?” he pressed.

  She kept her gaze straight ahead. “You’ve done too much for me already, and I figured I was only going to get you into trouble. It looks like I was right.”

  He ignored the last part and said, “I haven’t done nearly enough. I’m getting you out of town. I’m taking you where you’ll be safe.”

  “He’ll come after me. Then you’ll get hurt, too.”

  “He won’t be able to find us. And you’ll be safe—if you’re under my protection as my wife.”

  Her head jerked toward him and she stared at him, wide-eyed. “What did you say?”

  “I said, you’re going to marry me.”

  “I—I can’t marry you.”

  “Of course you can.”

  She leaned back against the seat, her eyes closed. “You could be making the worst mistake of your life.”

  He laughed. “You’d be surprised at some of the mistakes I’ve made.”

  “Like what?”

  “We’ll talk about it later,” he answered, wondering exactly what he was going to say. He could give her plenty of incidents, like the time he’d led a group of insurgents into battle against an overwhelming force. They’d had right on their side, but he was the only one who had survived. He thrust that memory away. He wasn’t going to tell her about that, even if he changed some details and changed the century.

  He tightened his hands on the wheel. More lies. That was the central tenet of his life. Lies.

  Could he have something better with her? After keeping his own counsel for years, he longed for an honest relationship, even if he couldn’t have it yet. But if he told her the truth, it would change the way she thought about him, and he wasn’t ready for that.

  He hadn’t been paying attention to his driving and he hit the brake hard when the car in front of him stopped for a red light.

  Beside him, Olivia made a sharp sound, and his gaze shot to her. Her skin had turned pale and her brow was covered with sweat.

  “You’re hurting.”

  “I’ll be okay.”

  “As soon as we get back to the hotel, I’m getting you a doctor.” And a minister, he silently added. Well, maybe not a minister, but someone who would marry them. In this town, that shouldn’t be a problem.

  She’d go along with it, because Noah Fielding usually got what he wanted.

  He pulled up at the hotel entrance, where the doorman was obviously shocked to see a car with a caved-in bumper at the Royal Crescent.

  “Have this put in valet parking,” Noah said as he stepped out and hurried to the passenger door. “And call the house doctor. My fiancée got a little bashed up.”

  As the doorman scurried to obey, Noah helped Olivia out of the car. She winced as she stood, then wavered on unsteady legs.

  Noah glanced around, half expecting Detective Waterford to come popping out of the shadows like a jack-in-the-box. But the detective apparently hadn’t found their hideout.

  They made it to the suite without incident, and Noah eased Olivia onto the bed.

  A few minutes later, the front desk called to say Doctor Turnbull was on his way up.

  “I understand you wanted a physician right away,” he said when Noah opened the door. The way he said it conveyed the definite impression that the speedy service was going to be expensive.

  Sticking to the medical issues, Noah said, “My fiancée was cut. And then she was in a car accident. I’m afraid she hasn’t done the original wound any good.”

  “Cut?”

  “Her brother attacked her with a knife,” Noah clipped out, making it clear that he didn’t want to get into a long discussion about the incident. “She’s resting in the bedroom.”

  Taking the hint, Turnbull crossed the sitting room.

  When the door opened, Olivia turned her head toward them, and Noah could see that she was ready to slide off the bed and bolt, although he knew she
couldn’t get very far.

  “This is Doctor Turnbull,” he said in a soothing voice. “He’s going to examine you and give you some medication for the pain.”

  The doctor asked him to leave while he did an examination. When he opened the door again, Noah tried to read his expression.

  “How is she?”

  “Pretty good, under the circumstances. But she needs to mend. No more excitement. I’ve already given her a painkiller. I can leave a prescription for more with the concierge, and also for an antibiotic.”

  “Thanks so much.”

  “And my fee will be included in your hotel bill.”

  “That’s fine. Thanks again,” Noah said. He could tell the doctor wanted to ask some questions about the knife incident, but Noah had no intention of answering them. Instead, he ushered the man out of the suite so he could hurry back to Olivia.

  JARRED Bainbridge picked up the phone and spoke to one of the men who did special jobs for him. “Did you get him?”

  “Negative.”

  “What the hell happened this time?”

  “After he assaulted Lex, he took the woman out of the hospital and disappeared.”

  “Left town?”

  “We don’t know.”

  “Find him.”

  “If he’s in town, we will.”

  “Check the airports. And the car rental companies.” He thought for a moment. “How did he get to the hospital? How did he leave?”

  “We’re working on that.”

  “And canvass the other hotels.”

  “We’re already on that.”

  He considered the female angle. “What about the woman?”

  “She signed into the emergency room as Olivia Stapler.”

  “Did you check her address?”

  “Yes. She hasn’t been back.”

  “Call me as soon as you know anything, and see what you can find out about her. And the brother. Maybe he’ll turn out to be useful.”

  Jarred set down the receiver very carefully so as to avoid the temptation of throwing the instrument across the room. Once, he would have indulged in such behavior. Now he had to be careful about his bones.

  Noah Fielding had disappeared again, which meant that he had something to hide. But he couldn’t stay hidden forever, not from someone with the massive resources of Jarred Bainbridge.