shoulder, she left Seth to carry on and headed for her car, mulling over her situation. Her mind raced with things beyond her control. Under the circumstances, Baker would be laying low, not hanging out at his usual haunts. It would now be a major waiting game—waiting for him to contact her or hunting him down again. Only this time he’d be warier and harder to find.
Hell, what choice did she have?
And from the looks of her apartment, the guy had anger management issues. Baker was beyond pissed. She had a feeling trashing her place was only the first installment tohis payback. It wouldn’t be so bad if this was only a head-on collision between her and Baker, but she knew it wasn’t that simple. Other lives would be at stake, and that thought weighed heavy in the pit of her stomach. Whatever was going to happen, she had to pull her part off clean.
As Jess crossed the street with Baker’s laptop slung on her shoulder, she squinted into the late afternoon sun, unable to shake the image of Baker’s angry face. Even in broad daylight the man triggered a deeply rooted jumble of rage and degrading fear in her—an all too vivid taste of her past. She knew she’d have to find a way to control such feelings or he would have the upper hand.
With other lives at risk, she had to come out on top. And instinct told her time was running thin. Real thin .
CHAPTER 7
Payton drove to a building at the junction of the Talkeetna Spur Road and Parks Highway where the state maintained a small troopers’ office only fifteen miles from Susannah’s place. He couldn’t get his mind off the mysterious Anchorage schoolteacher who’d driven Nikki out of town. Taking a kid in the middle of the night, without the knowledge of her mother, was completely irresponsible. No way the woman could claim the incident was one big misunderstanding. What would compel a complete stranger to do such a thing?
But his more immediate problem would be Trooper Dan Fitzgerald.
How could he convince the man to trust him—to allow him to accompany the troopers when they talked to this teacher? He quickly came up with a simple plan. When they entered the troopers’ office, he would let Joe Tanu take charge. It made perfect sense. It was Joe’s turf, and he appreciated Joe’s influence with an organization he’d worked with for years.
When they walked in, they were greeted by a familiar voice.
“Hey, Joe. Figured we’d see you sooner or later.” At her desk behind a counter, Bernice Fleming looked up from her dispatch duties. “Sorry to hear about Nikki, Payton. Susannah and her daughter sure got their share of trouble.”
Bernice shook her head. The older woman’s face was a mix of concocted sympathy and the righteous superiority of a regular churchgoer.
Payton didn’t want to talk about Nikki with Bernice. He had no patience for it. For whatever reason, the woman thrived on other people’s misery. Some folks were like that. Given the woman’s reputation, the implication he heard in her voice was that his niece had probably brought this on herself and Susannah played a hand in it, though he also knew that his hangover had tainted his perspective.
“Thanks, Bernice.” It was all he could get out.
With the incessant pounding in his head, anything from his mouth echoed like a bass drum inside his skull, triggering other painful twinges. He caught a sideways glance from Joe, who picked up on his mounting irritability. In his understated manner, Joe zapped him with a heavy dose of “stick eye.” His friend had practically invented the disapproving look.
Payton shrugged and heaved a sigh.
Let Joe handle this part, jackass! You’re in no condition to play nice.
A handful of folks in town still treated him like a celebrity, leaving him with the empty ache of knowing he never measured up. Bernice Fleming was one of those people who probably thought she meant well, but the way she expressed her sympathy, it seemed she straddled the fence
Hell, what choice did she have?
And from the looks of her apartment, the guy had anger management issues. Baker was beyond pissed. She had a feeling trashing her place was only the first installment tohis payback. It wouldn’t be so bad if this was only a head-on collision between her and Baker, but she knew it wasn’t that simple. Other lives would be at stake, and that thought weighed heavy in the pit of her stomach. Whatever was going to happen, she had to pull her part off clean.
As Jess crossed the street with Baker’s laptop slung on her shoulder, she squinted into the late afternoon sun, unable to shake the image of Baker’s angry face. Even in broad daylight the man triggered a deeply rooted jumble of rage and degrading fear in her—an all too vivid taste of her past. She knew she’d have to find a way to control such feelings or he would have the upper hand.
With other lives at risk, she had to come out on top. And instinct told her time was running thin. Real thin .
CHAPTER 7
Payton drove to a building at the junction of the Talkeetna Spur Road and Parks Highway where the state maintained a small troopers’ office only fifteen miles from Susannah’s place. He couldn’t get his mind off the mysterious Anchorage schoolteacher who’d driven Nikki out of town. Taking a kid in the middle of the night, without the knowledge of her mother, was completely irresponsible. No way the woman could claim the incident was one big misunderstanding. What would compel a complete stranger to do such a thing?
But his more immediate problem would be Trooper Dan Fitzgerald.
How could he convince the man to trust him—to allow him to accompany the troopers when they talked to this teacher? He quickly came up with a simple plan. When they entered the troopers’ office, he would let Joe Tanu take charge. It made perfect sense. It was Joe’s turf, and he appreciated Joe’s influence with an organization he’d worked with for years.
When they walked in, they were greeted by a familiar voice.
“Hey, Joe. Figured we’d see you sooner or later.” At her desk behind a counter, Bernice Fleming looked up from her dispatch duties. “Sorry to hear about Nikki, Payton. Susannah and her daughter sure got their share of trouble.”
Bernice shook her head. The older woman’s face was a mix of concocted sympathy and the righteous superiority of a regular churchgoer.
Payton didn’t want to talk about Nikki with Bernice. He had no patience for it. For whatever reason, the woman thrived on other people’s misery. Some folks were like that. Given the woman’s reputation, the implication he heard in her voice was that his niece had probably brought this on herself and Susannah played a hand in it, though he also knew that his hangover had tainted his perspective.
“Thanks, Bernice.” It was all he could get out.
With the incessant pounding in his head, anything from his mouth echoed like a bass drum inside his skull, triggering other painful twinges. He caught a sideways glance from Joe, who picked up on his mounting irritability. In his understated manner, Joe zapped him with a heavy dose of “stick eye.” His friend had practically invented the disapproving look.
Payton shrugged and heaved a sigh.
Let Joe handle this part, jackass! You’re in no condition to play nice.
A handful of folks in town still treated him like a celebrity, leaving him with the empty ache of knowing he never measured up. Bernice Fleming was one of those people who probably thought she meant well, but the way she expressed her sympathy, it seemed she straddled the fence
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