Valerie Hansen - Threat Of Darkness

Or had she? A dark-colored pickup truck was stopped by the bank of rural mailboxes that served her immediate area.

As she drew nearer, it pulled out. One threat lay behind her and another now completely blocked the narrow road ahead.

She was trapped!

FOUR

John saw Samantha’s car approaching. He wouldn’t have thought much about her excessive speed if he hadn’t seen the condition of the vehicle she was driving. Its doors were flapping like the wings of a wounded duck and every time Samantha hit a bump, the trunk lid bounced erratically.

There was no way he was going to let her pass and continue to town when her car was obviously unsafe. He eased forward into the roadway and blocked her exit.

For a few moments it seemed as if she was going to ram his truck. Her tires threw up clouds of dust and gravel as she finally applied the brakes and started to skid.

John braced himself, ready for impact. It didn’t come. Instead, Samantha bailed out of her car and started to sprint away.

He stepped down from the cab of the pickup and hollered, “Hey, Sam! Hold on. It’s just me.”

In the seconds it took for her to come to her senses he saw no change in her actions. Then, as if in slow motion, she wheeled and came straight at him. Instead of slowing her pace, however, she barreled into his chest so forcefully it staggered him.

He grasped her upper arms and held her away so he could look her in the eyes when he asked, “What’s going on?”

“My—my car. Somebody ransacked it.”

“Why are the doors open?”

She was gulping air, fighting to catch her breath. “Be-because…”

“Okay. Calm down. I’ve got you,” John said, wrapping her in a tight embrace and steadying them both against the side of his truck. “Take your time.”

While both her arms encircled his waist and her cheek lay against his chest, she continued to try to explain.

“At the house. A man. Coming at me. I didn’t have time to…”

“Just now? You saw a prowler just now?”

Samantha nodded, lifting her head. “Uh-huh.”

“What did he look like?”

“It was a big shadow. I know somebody was after me.”

“Maybe you imagined it.”

As she eased away from him and looked up into his eyes, she was shaking her head. “No way. I may have a good imagination but I’ve never heard one of my daydreams curse before.”

That was enough for John. He ushered her into his truck and closed the door before using his cell to call the station with a report.

In case there was anyone leaving Sam’s he wanted to be in place to at least get an ID. If nobody came by, that would be okay, too, because it would mean that whoever had trashed her car was still up there.

Only one dirt drive led in and out. Anyone who had been present when she’d left the house had a choice of trying to flee past him or being discovered by the officers he’d summoned.

Either way, he won. And so did Sam.

* * *

Sirens broke the peaceful, Sunday morning silence. Samantha shivered, glad when John slipped his arm around her shoulders.

“Take it easy. It’s almost over.”

“Oh, yeah? Says who?”

He gave her a quick squeeze. “Says me. I’m always right, remember?”

“I remember that you thought you were,” she countered. “I’ll reserve judgment.”

“Some things never change, do they, Sam?” He chuckled. “Think about this situation. You said you saw someone up at your house. There’s only one way in and out and we’re parked in the road. Therefore, whoever was up there before is still there, the cops will catch him and your troubles will be over. Simple.”

“I hope you’re right, but…”

“But you can’t believe I can be? That’s hardly a surprise,” he said flatly as he removed his arm from her shoulders and prepared to get out of the truck to meet his fellow officers.

He hesitated only long enough to gesture in a blocking motion. “You stay put. I’ll be back as soon as I’ve briefed Glenn and Walter.”

If Samantha hadn’t been so shaky she might have argued or at least tried to follow. Unfortunately, her knocking knees didn’t feel ready to support her, let alone help her pretend she hadn’t been terrified.

This is ridiculous, she reasoned, angry with herself. Here she was, an independent, capable career woman who had handled her private life just fine until John Waltham had returned to Serenity.

Was he the real problem? She couldn’t accept that theory without reservations. Not when so many outside influences seemed to be in play. Even without John she would have been accosted in the hospital parking lot and her car would have been vandalized. Perhaps it was time she confessed everything the purse snatcher had said.

That conclusion brought a deep sigh. Yes. It was not only time, it was long past the time when she should have told the authorities the whole story. There was only so much she could do to protect the Boland boy, and she certainly didn’t want to become his enabler by letting him get away with criminal activities.

Fully decided, Samantha scooted across the seat, opened the passenger door and slid out. She paused to make sure her legs would support her well enough before trying to follow John.

The older, taller, gray-haired member of the team he’d been speaking with pointed in her direction as she approached. Since she knew both men she greeted them with a smile. “Morning, Walter. Good to see you.”

The cop who was closer to her age removed his hat, ran his palm over his blond crew cut and blushed slightly when she added, “Hi, Glenn.”

John whirled to face her, his brow furrowed and his jaw set firmly. “I thought I told you…”

“I know, I know. But there’s one more thing you should all know before you go looking for the vandal who trashed my car.”

Now that she had everyone’s undivided attention she found her mouth excessively dry and her words hard to form. “Um, it’s like this,” she began, staying focused mostly on Walter because she saw him as the least likely to chastise her. “I may know what the guy who tore up my car was after.”

John stared through narrowed eyes. “Go on.”

“That night, when that man snatched my purse, he mentioned something about a package Bobby Joe Boland was supposed to have given me. I don’t have it, of course, but apparently somebody thinks I do.”

The look on John’s face was far darker than that of his companions. While the other two officers merely nodded and Glenn made notes, John was clearly fighting to control his rising temper.

“You didn’t say a thing about this that night.”

“I—I guess I forgot.”

“You always were a lousy liar,” he countered before turning to the others. “Okay. Now this whole thing is starting to make sense. I can stay here and continue to block the road if you want. Just be careful. Boland was into drugs so this prowler is probably frantic to get his hands on whatever stash the kid was carrying before he was arrested at the hospital.”

Samantha was sorry to see the others nod, get back into their patrol unit and start for her house. That meant she was alone with John. And with his temper.

When he turned back to face her, he looked more irate than she had ever seen him. That impression was so strong it caused her to cringe when he reached toward her.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Sam,” he said, dropping his hand to his side and shaking his head soberly. “I’m not like your father, okay?”

“I know.”

“Then stop looking at me as if you expect me to start yelling and swinging.”

“Sorry. Old habits die hard.”

“That, they do.” A smile lifted the corners of his mouth but the emotion didn’t quite reach his eyes.