Perfect Stranger: Mason Creek #17 Page 6

  “No, but it sounds delicious.”

  He grinned. “It’s an old-fashioned Southern dish and I’ll have to make it. I have it mastered.”

  I pressed him further. “What other things can you make?”

  “I make killer chicken soup, chicken potpie” —and he held up a hand— “with homemade crust for the top.”

  “Hold on. You make homemade pie crust?”

  “You bet.”

  “I should call you Betty Crocker.”

  “I’d prefer a more manly name, please.”

  “Marty Stewart?”

  His head shook. “I wouldn’t go that far. My presentation skills are lacking.”

  “Eh, doesn’t matter. The fact that you can cook impresses me. I do okay, but not great. I’m good at basic stuff.”

  “Like what?”

  I had to stop and think since it had been a while since I’d cooked anything. I clicked my fingers, saying, “Tacos and quesadillas.”

  “Using a kit?”

  Frowning, I asked, “Is there another way?”

  He threw back his head and laughed.

  “What?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. Those taco kits are the best and have everything you need except the ground beef.”

  “I usually make soft tacos with fish or steak or sometimes chicken.”

  “Dang, that’s fancy. Nope, I use the boxed kits.”

  He held up a finger. “Spaghetti?”

  “Sure. A jar of sauce with some noodles.”

  He looked up at the ceiling for a second. “As soon as you’re on your feet again, cooking classes commence.”

  His phone rang and he answered, “Miller Campbell.” Then he said, “Yes, here she is.” He held the phone out, saying, “It’s your friend.”

  I grabbed it and heard the words, “I’m in Idaho and I have a flat tire.”

  “Where in Idaho?”

  “I passed through Coeur d’Alene over an hour ago.”

  “Shit. Shit. Shit.” I glance up at Miller and said, “She has a flat tire.”

  “Give me the phone.” I handed it back to him and he said, “Can you pull up a list of towing services on your phone near you?”

  “Sure.”

  “Do it and take a screenshot. Then call back.”

  “Okay.”

  After he ended the conversation, I asked, “What if he catches up with her?”

  “I’m going to call Aiden right now.”

  He explained it all and then told me Aiden would call Spokane to let them know and then alert the highway patrol in Idaho so they could send someone out to her.

  The phone rang again and it was Lilly. She’d sent the list to Miller and he told her he’d call a tow truck so they could come out and change her tire. He also explained what Aiden was doing. Then Miller called the towing agency and gave them her location, and also gave them his credit card information so they could charge him for the service. I would be indebted to this man forever.

  “Miller, I swear, I am going to find a way to pay you back for all of this. I’ll figure it out, I will.”

  “Stop worrying about it. It’s nothing.”

  Elise brought Claire in and she was rubbing her eyes. “Looks like it’s bedtime for someone.”

  “Sleepy, Mommy.”

  Miller offered to push the chair into her room, but I said, “Let me try this. I need to learn to be good at it.”

  It was a proud moment when I made it to her room. Elise placed her in my lap and I hugged and kissed her. Then she went into her little bed without a fuss.

  “Look how she loves this bed,” I said. “I wanted to keep her in a crib for as long as she’d stay because knowing her, I was worried she’d get out of bed and ramble around the house during the night.”

  Elise agreed. “I’ve heard tales of kids doing that.”

  “I know, and it scares me!”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be on duty tonight and if I hear her, I’ll put her back to bed.”

  I pushed myself back to the living area and Elise headed off to the other den. Miller was talking on the phone when I got there, but his expression was nothing like I expected.

  He ended the call and said, “That was Aiden. The Spokane police located Petrov but he gave them the slip and now they don’t know where he is.”

  The dinner I ate threatened to reappear after this news. “What about his car?”

  “It’s gone too and a manhunt is on for him. Aiden is assigning a deputy to watch the house here. No one is to come in without being vetted.”

  That news certainly didn’t help my gut any. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my thighs. “What about Lilly?”

  “Hopefully, the highway patrol will get to her soon. Aiden said he’d call when they did.”

  A hundred scenarios flew through my head, none of them good. If Lilly got hurt because of me, I’d never forgive myself. Ever.

  I asked Miller, “What if—”

  But he cut me off. “No what-ifs, Mariah. We can’t go down that rabbit hole because it will only accomplish one thing and that is make us worry about something we know nothing about. Let the police handle it.”

  My mouth opened and then closed. I thought about that for a second, but it didn’t satisfy me. “See, here’s the thing. The police haven’t exactly done a stellar job of finding him so far. He’s slippery and cunning.”

  “Even the most cunning of criminals eventually slip up.”

  I wasn’t able to relax until Lilly called and said her tire had been changed and she was on the road again.

  Miller asked her if the state highway patrol ever showed up and she said no, which was weird. Then we decided maybe they didn’t have enough time. He called Aiden to let him know just in case.

  It wasn’t much later when Aiden called back. “The state patrol finally got there and they spotted the tow truck, but the owner wasn’t anywhere to be found. The passenger door of the truck was wide open and there was a clipboard on the seat, like the kind service workers use. A portion of the order for him to change the tire was torn away. It was the bottom part that had the billing information on it.”

  A deep chill ran up my spine. Miller and I glanced at each other as he told Aiden, “That had all my information on it as I paid for the tire to be changed.”

  “Then he knows where you are and will most likely deduce that Mariah is there with you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  MILLER

  There was no doubt he was coming here. We had a couple of choices. Stay here or go to a hotel. Aiden said he would send a couple of deputies to stay inside while the local police could watch the outside. If this character was as wily as Mariah said, I wasn’t so sure that would work.

  “The last thing I want is for someone to get hurt.”

  “Dr. Campbell, I’m in law enforcement. That’s my goal. I don’t want to get too personal here, but it might be best if you and Mariah slept in the same room. We know she’s the one he’s after. Then we can station a guard outside the door.”

  “Good idea. We’ll do that.” I hoped she wasn’t too opposed to the idea. I certainly wasn’t.

  She was staring at me as I spoke. When I finished, I told her what he suggested.

  “That does make sense. Are you comfortable with that?”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Because I have to use pillows under this leg and I haven’t been sleeping well. I don’t want to keep you awake.”

  “Mariah, you might keep me awake, but it won’t be because of your leg.”

  “Then wh—”

  When she realized what I meant, her cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

  “Sorry, not sorry. You’re beautiful and I can’t help being attracted to you, but I want to clarify that’s not why I wanted to help you out.”

  “I have a confession to make. I’m attracted to you too,” she whispered.

  “Is that right?”

  “Yes, but can we talk about this later? We have a lunatic on the way here, plus Lilly is coming and I’m really worried about her.”

  “You’re right. Forgive me.” This really was an inappropriate time to discuss this.

  “There’s nothing to forgive. Aiden is sending some deputies over and calling the local police so they can watch the outside. He’s made a little change.”

  “So we’ll have protection inside and out and I think that’s a great idea.”

  She twisted her hands. “It seems like it’s taking Lilly forever.”

  He checked his watch. “It’s only been about three and a half hours. And don’t forget she lost time with that tire issue, so she has another three at least. What can we do to get your mind off this?”

  “I don’t think there’s a thing.”

  “A movie?” I suggested.

  “Honestly, I doubt I could focus.”

  “I get it. Then let’s just watch TV and hang out here.”

  She laughed. “That’s what I’ve been doing for eons now.”

  “Oh, come on. It hasn’t been that long.”

  She bowed her head. “Don’t get me wrong. I am more appreciative than I can say. The thing is, I’m not used to sitting around like this and it’s depressing.”

  “I’ve heard athletes say that after they’ve been injured and have to take time off. Their bodies are so used to being active, they sink into depression fairly fast.”

  “And I’m not even close to their level but going through this gives me a better appreciation for that.”

  I’d never had an injury that had put me down like that so I couldn’t imagine what it was like. I had great sympathy for her and others like her.

  “At least there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and you won’t be here like this forever.” He flipped the TV on and scrolled until we found a murder show we both agreed on.

  “I’m surprised you enjoy crime shows.”

  “Oh, yeah. I am definitely a crime junkie. I could watch these all day long.”

  “They fascinate me.” She twisted in the chair and asked, “Could you do me a favor and help me to the sofa? My butt is numb from sitting in this chair.”

  I picked her up and set her down in the cushions and pulled up the large ottoman so she would have a place to rest her leg. “Are you comfortable?”

  “Very, thank you.”

  I took a seat next to her, which was not a bad thing at all. She smelled of lavender and it was nice. No, better than nice. It was light and fresh, not heavy like some perfumes. She thought her focus was off. What would she think if she climbed into my head and saw the sexy visions I kept having? Most likely she’d think I was a perv.

  We watched TV and she dozed off, but not for long. The doorbell rang and I jumped up to answer it, startling her. “Sorry, it’s the door. Must be the deputies.”

  Sure enough, two of them stood on the porch and on the street was a police car, along with the county police SUV.

  “Come in.”

  “No, first we want you to call Aiden to confirm our identity.”

  “Wow, you guys are good. Hang on.”

  I made the call and Aiden asked me to tell him their names, which I did. Once he approved, after I also gave him a description of them, I allowed them inside.

  “Sheriff Moon wants you to know he’ll help in any way to apprehend Petrov,” the first one said. “The way this works is you go about your usual business and pretend we’re not here unless you hear something. Then call us. One of us will be stationed out here and the other closer to the bedrooms so you can sleep. We’ll change out every eight hours. How does that sound?”

  “Great and we can’t tell you how much we appreciate this,” I answered.

  Mariah piped in. “Beware of him. He’s tricky. And mean.”

  “Yes, ma’am. We’ve read all the information about him so we’re prepared.”

  “Oh, one other thing. A friend of mine is on her way here and should arrive—”

  “In about an hour or so,” I answered after checking the time.

  “Her name?”

  “Lilly Hill.”

  “Let me inform the officer outside.”

  “Thank you.”

  I took Mariah’s hand and asked, “Do you feel better now?”

  “Somewhat. Honestly, I won’t feel good about any of this until he’s behind bars for good.”

  My phone rang and it was Aiden again. “Do you think Mariah would be willing to speak to the FBI about him?”

  “I’ll let her talk to you.” I handed her the phone and from what I could tell, she was all in. When she finished, she explained.

  “Apparently an FBI agent is coming in tomorrow to interview me about Michael. They want to know everything I can tell them about him.”

  I hoped they gleaned enough information from her to nab this guy. He was bad news and needed to go to prison.

  Lilly finally arrived and it was the first time that day the lines around Mariah’s eyes and mouth eased. She smiled when Lilly rushed inside and hugged her friend. I was not prepared for the whirling tornado of a human that entered my home.

  Loud didn’t begin to capture her tone. And then there was… her presence. Lilly was larger than… me. She must’ve had at least two inches on me, and another forty to fifty pounds. Her long hair was green on the sides with a large purple streak running straight down the middle. She wore an outfit that resembled the jokers on a deck of cards. I was dumbstruck and all I could do was stare at the woman. The two of them conversed but when she turned to me, I got the full-blown Lilly treatment.

  She came at me and initially I feared she was going to tackle me, but instead, she wrapped her arms around me and lifted me off the ground in a giant hug. I was fairly confident my ribs would be bruised or broken.

  “Can’t breathe,” I wheezed.

  “Oh, sorry.” She released her hold and I fell on my ass. I sat there stunned, trying to get a solid breath in.

  “You okay?” she asked. “You’re not gonna pussy out on me are you?”

  “Lilly! Don’t say that,” Mariah admonished. The truth was, I actually did feel like a pussy, sitting there on my ass, in front of this woman.

  “Jesus, you’re strong.”

  She grinned. “Yeah, I know. I’m working out cuz I entered a wrestling contest. Guess I have to give that up now. But hey, anything for my girl over there. You really did her a solid but I’m here now, so I’ll handle things here on out.”

  With her around, who needed a bodyguard?

  “Yeah, that’s all good, but we have law enforcement to do that.”

  “Pfft. They can’t do what I can. I’ll take any of them down in a wrestling contest.” She elbowed the one who was still in the living room. “You interested?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  He appeared genuinely frightened. I didn’t blame him. If one hug ruined me, then a wrestling contest might put someone in the hospital for weeks. I’d rather take my chances with a grizzly.

  Mariah called out from her seat on the sofa. “Lilly, you can’t possibly challenge everyone you meet up with.”

  “Why not? I’d like the chance to try.”

  “Good grief. I want you to come and sit so we can talk. I need to tell you some things.”

  Lilly huffed. “Fine, but I don’t want to sit. My ass is tired of sitting.”

  “Tell me,” Mariah said.

  “I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you call me to tell me you were abandoning me?”

  “I didn’t abandon you. I was planning to tell you when I got to my final destination, but then I got in that stupid wreck and well, it slipped my mind.”

  For the life of me, I couldn’t understand how Lilly could slip anyone’s mind. I would never forget this woman.

  Lilly pouted, which was hilarious. Seeing this giant of a woman pouting made me want to crack up, but I was afraid to.

  “I’ll let that pass,” she finally said. “How’s my little cuddle nugget? Has she missed her aunt LilHil?”

  “Of course she has.”

  “LilHil? Can I call you that too?” I asked.

  “No, not unless you want a busted lip.”

  “Jeez, sorry.”

  Mariah chuckled. “I gave her that name and she hates it but I thought it would be cute for Claire. Lilly’s last name is Hill.”

  “I like it too.”

  “Yeah, it’s only to be used by my cuddle nugget. Got it, buster?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” I saluted her.

  “If you do that once more, I’m going to pound your ass into the floor.”

  Wow, what a grouch. “Are you in a bad mood?”

  “What do you think? I had to pack a bag in twenty seconds, leave my charming home, drive here, had a flat tire, and my ass is sore from sitting.”

  “Got it.” I decided it was time to keep my mouth shut. Except I had a thought. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starved. Where’s the food?”

  Maybe I could score some brownie points here. We were just about to head toward the kitchen when a voice said, “Nobody move.”

  I glanced up to see a man standing there, aiming a gun at us.

  Chapter Twelve

  MARIAH

  No! How did he get past the police?

  “Michael, what do you want?” Maybe I could defray this situation.

  “You stupid bitch. What do you think I came all the way here for?”

  “If I go with you, will you leave everyone else alone?”

  He scoffed. “You? You think I came all this way for you?”

  I was confused. Why else would he have come here?

  “If not me, then who?”

  “My daughter, that’s who.”

  This completely puzzled me. He never had any interest in Claire. Why would he want her now?

  After those words left his mouth, all I heard was a deep growl, and then a blur of green and purple. She moved so fast I was astonished. My heart stepped up its beat to where I could barely breathe as I watched Lilly tackle Michael to the ground, and then commence to give him the pounding of his life.

  The deputies tried to pull her off, along with Miller, and Elise ran outside to call in the other guy sitting in his car. It took every one of them to get her away from him. She kept shouting something about her cuddle nugget and not touching her.