Sandra Robbins - Fugitive Trackdown

She heard running footsteps, and then someone crashed out of the forest and stopped next to her. “Are you all right?” She could hear concern in the man’s question.

Claire flattened her palms on the ground and tried to sit up. “I—I think so. Thanks to you.”

“Let me help you.” He leaned down, gripped her arm and helped her sit up.

“Thank you again,” she said. “If it hadn’t been for you...” The words froze in her throat, and she stared up at the last person in the world she would have expected to meet outside a cabin in rural Mississippi.

* * *

“Adam? What are you doing here?”

Adam Knight released Claire, blinked and then shook his head. An angry growl came from his throat, and he bent over her until their noses almost touched. “Me? I think the question is what are you doing here?”

Claire scooted a few inches away and propped her hands on her hips. “I was trying to bring Peter Willis back to Memphis. He killed my father.”

Adam’s eyes grew large. “What?”

“You heard me. My father posted his bail, Willis left town and my dad went after him. Then Willis killed him. Now, what about you?”

“I was after the other guy, James Lester. The company that posted his bond hired the Knight Agency to bring him in after he jumped bail on an attempted murder charge.”

“Well, your guy got away, too.”

“I know that, Claire, but I still don’t understand why you thought you could bring a guy like Peter Willis in by yourself. If you needed help, why didn’t you call me?”

Claire sniffed and shook her head. “As if I’d ever ask you for anything, Mister Big-Time Bounty Hunter. Besides, I couldn’t afford your fees.”

Adam turned his back on Claire, raked his hand through his hair and muttered under his breath before he faced her again. “Claire, you’ve been my sister’s best friend since middle school, you practically grew up at our house and you know my family owns the biggest fugitive recovery group in Memphis. We wouldn’t have charged you anything. Why didn’t you come to us?”

Claire doubled her fists and pounded them against the ground. “Because I didn’t want to see you, that’s why.”

He inhaled a deep breath and attempted to control the anger rising inside him. “You didn’t want to see me? Then what about Jessica? You could have called her. She would have helped you.”

“Because I knew Jessica was busy on another case. Besides, this is my problem. I can take care of it by myself.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Like you did tonight?”

She pounded the ground again with her fists. “Oh, that remark is so like you. You never miss an opportunity to let me know what your opinion is of me.”

He glared down at her. “So we’re back to that again. I’m sorry I caused you problems years ago, but I only wanted to save you a boatload of grief. That has nothing to do with what happened tonight. Your pride almost got you killed.”

“It wasn’t pride. It’s just that I don’t like to be reminded of what a fool I was to think I saw something in you that wasn’t there.”

He gave a short gasp and swallowed hard. “I’m sorry you feel that way. Contrary to what you think, I’ve always admired you a lot. But I don’t see any reason for us to be discussing what happened between us years ago. Don’t you understand what I just said? You were almost killed tonight. If I hadn’t been following James, they would have shot you without giving it a second thought.”

She bit down on her lip and sighed. “I know, and I do appreciate your help. It’s just that everything has been so difficult since my dad died. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“I’m sorry.” He wanted to say more, but he knew his sympathy was the last thing in the world she wanted at this this moment. Instead he held out his hand to her. “We need to get out of here. Let me help you up.”

She hesitated a moment before she reached for his hand. With a groan she pushed to her feet. He held on to her for a moment. “Can you stand on your own?”

She nodded. “I think so.”

Adam released her hand, and she took a tentative step. Then a low moan escaped her throat, and she lurched sideways. She clawed at the air in an effort to regain her balance, but it was no use. She toppled straight into Adam’s arms.

It happened so quickly Adam didn’t have a chance to react. One moment he was yelling at Claire for taking on a job she obviously wasn’t qualified for, and the next he had scooped her up into his arms. He gazed down into her face and saw her bite down on her lip.

“Are you in pain?” She nodded but didn’t say anything. He stood there a moment, trying to decide what to do, and then she shivered. “Are you cold?”

“Yes.”

He turned and walked around the cabin to the front door. It still stood open. He carried Claire into the house, kicked the door closed behind them and looked around. A fire warmed the room, and a couch faced the fireplace. He set her on the sofa and knelt in front of her.

“Let me take a look at that ankle.”

She flinched from his touch as he began to pull her boot off. “No, really. I’ll be okay. I just need to get home.”

He stared up at her. “Why do you always have to be so independent? You may need to go to the hospital. I need to see what your ankle looks like.”

She exhaled and leaned back against the cushions. “Then do it. I don’t think I’m in any condition to fight you right now.”

He tried to hide the smirk that pulled at his lips. “It’s good to see you can be sensible sometimes.”

Adam slipped her boot and sock off her foot. He frowned and sucked in his breath at the sight of how swollen the ankle was. He touched it lightly, and she groaned. “That hurt.”

He sat back on his heels and stared for a moment before he stood up. “I’m sorry. I think we need to get you to a hospital.”

Claire shook her head. “We need to get after those men. I had a hard time finding Peter, and I don’t want to lose his trail.”

“I’m afraid we already have. We’ll have to rethink what’s to be done. The first thing is I’d like to talk you into letting us find Willis for you.”

“Your sister is my best friend. I’m not going to impose on her family to help me out when I can’t pay them.”

Adam sat back on his heels and stared at her. “Claire, we would never think you were imposing.”

“Maybe not, but I can’t do it.”

He sighed and rose to his feet. “I will give you credit for one thing, though. You found Willis. A lot of bounty hunters are never able to find the guy they’re looking for. How did you know he was here?”

Her face flushed, a sign that his compliment hadn’t gone unnoticed, and she smiled. “I remember hearing your dad talking to you one time about being a bounty hunter. He said you had to research your fugitive until you knew everything about him. I found out that Peter likes to gamble in Tunica and that his family had this cabin nearby. I asked around about him and finally spotted him at a blackjack table in one of the local casinos. I followed him back here tonight and was just about to take him into custody when your guy showed up.”

Adam pushed to his feet and glanced around the cabin. “Well, we’ve lost both of them now. But as long as we’re inside the Willis cabin, we should take a look around.”

Claire started to stand, but she groaned and sank back to the sofa. “I can’t. See if you can find anything that might help us.”

He pointed to the room just off the living area. “This looks like it could be his bedroom. I’ll look in there.”

She nodded and patted the couch. “Okay. I’ll wait right here.”

Adam walked into the room and looked around. A lamp on a bedside table cast a glow across the room, and he glanced around to see if Peter Willis might have left anything behind. An open suitcase sat on the floor against one wall, and he squatted down beside it. A few rumpled clothes that looked as if they were ready to be laundered lay inside. Rising, he walked across the room to the closet and opened the door. Two pairs of pants and three shirts hung there. One thing was evident. Peter Willis hadn’t taken enough clothing for an extended trip.