Sandra Robbins - Fugitive Trackdown

Adam exhaled a deep breath. “That looks like the car Peter was driving.”

“Do you think we’ve lost them?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, but I hope so. I don’t want them finding their way to Jessica’s apartment.”

With their followers out of sight, Adam started the car again and pulled back onto the street headed toward the interstate they’d been on minutes before. Thirty minutes later he pulled into the midtown apartment complex where his sister lived.

Claire let out a sigh of relief when they parked. “You did a great job of losing whoever was chasing us. In fact, you’ve done a good job of everything tonight. Thank you for helping me.”

He looped his arm over the steering wheel and swiveled in the seat to face her. “The things I’ve done tonight require the skills I’ve picked up from the work I do. It’s not easy bringing fugitives back to face the court. If they wanted to go to jail, they wouldn’t have run away to start with. I hope what you’ve seen tonight has shown you how foolish it was for you to think you could bring Peter Willis in.”

His words stung, and she fought back tears. “I’m glad to see nothing’s changed with you. I’ve always been foolish as far as you’re concerned. Now you’ll have one more thing to add to your long list of complaints about me.”

She pushed the car door opened and tried to step out onto the pavement, but he reached out and grabbed her by the arm. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m going to Jessica’s apartment.”

He shook his head. “Wait a minute, Claire. You need some help.”

Before she could protest, he’d jumped from the car and walked around to the open passenger door. He reached into the backseat and grabbed her crutches. Then taking her by the arm, he helped her to her feet and positioned the crutches in place.

Claire braced herself on the supports and took a tentative step, but she staggered. Adam’s hand grasped her arm. She tried to jerk free of his grip, but it was no use. She sighed in resignation. “Okay, you win. These are a bit harder to maneuver than I thought.”

He didn’t say anything but tightened his hold on her as they slowly made their way into the building and to Jessica’s apartment. They stopped outside the door, and Adam pushed the buzzer. The door flew open right away, and Jessica stood there, her dark hair tumbling around her shoulders and her eyebrows pulled down in a worried frown.

“Where have you two been? I’ve nearly gone out of my mind waiting.”

She pulled Claire into the apartment and helped her to the sofa where she dropped down with a groan. “We had a little problem getting here,” Claire said.

Jessica looked at Adam. “What happened?”

“I had to lose a tail. I didn’t want to bring him straight here.”

Claire propped a sofa pillow behind her back and frowned at Adam. “It’s a wonder we got here alive at all the way you were driving.” She turned to Jessica. “Don’t be surprised if your brother decides to take up stock car racing. He’s got all the skills.”

Jessica’s eyes grew wide, and she looked from her brother back to Claire. “What are you talking about?”

Adam waved his had in dismissal. “Claire’s exaggerating. I had to outrun a car, so I had to move fast.”

Jessica nodded as if she understood before she turned back to Claire. “Adam told me a little of what happened tonight when he called, but I want the whole story. Why were you at a cabin in the Mississippi woods trying to bring in a bail jumper?”

Claire closed her eyes and shook her head. She’d known telling Jessica about her father’s failing business and her efforts to keep it afloat was going to be difficult, but there was nothing she could do about it now. “I’ve been having a hard time ever since my father’s death,” she began.

For the next few minutes she related the problems she’d discovered about her father’s murder, fugitive bail jumpers, penalties that had accumulated from the courts and how she had decided the only way to save her business was to go after some of the fugitives herself.

Jessica didn’t say a word until she finished, then she reached out and grasped Claire’s hand. “Why didn’t you tell me this? We would have helped you.”

“It’s not your family’s responsibility to take care of my problems. Besides, I thought if you can do it, so can I.”

Jessica arched an eyebrow and regarded Claire with a skeptical look. “You’re forgetting I was a police officer before I went to work in my family’s business. I’ve had training that you haven’t. You could have been killed tonight.”

“I couldn’t ask you or your family for help. I felt like I needed to do it on my own.”

Jessica pursed her lips and shook her head. “You’ve always been too independent, Claire. There are times when a person needs help.”

“That’s what I told her,” Adam said.

Jessica glanced up her brother and smiled. “Then I’m sure you’ll be glad to help her.”

“Oh, no,” Claire interrupted. “He’s already done enough tonight.”

Jessica pushed to her feet as if she hadn’t heard Claire and faced her brother. “It looks to me like the guy you’re after and Claire’s bail jumper are tied together some way. So if you find one of them, you’ll be able to find both of them. Adam, you need to bring these guys in. Then Claire can get paid for Willis. That will be a start toward helping her and toward putting her father’s killer in jail.”

Claire tried to push up from the sofa, but she couldn’t. “Jessica, listen to me. I don’t want Adam to help me. I can do it myself.”

Jessica ignored her. “I would do it, but I’m leaving in the morning for Louisiana to pick up a guy down there. Lucas won’t be back from Illinois until the day after tomorrow. So that leaves you, Adam. You’re the only one who can do this.”

Adam rubbed the back of his neck and cast a doubtful glance in Claire’s direction. “I don’t know, Jessica. Claire doesn’t want me to help her.”

Claire reached out and grabbed her friend’s arm. “Jessica, listen to me. I don’t need Adam’s help.”

She smiled down at Claire and then looked back at Adam. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you years ago, but it’s time you let it go. Claire needs help, and you, Adam, are the only one who can do it.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he nodded and glanced down at Claire. “Jessica is right. Whether or not you want any help, you need it. But we’re all tired tonight. So get some rest, and we’ll talk about this in the morning.”

“Good,” Jessica said. “Now, you go home and get some sleep. I’ll take care of Claire.”

They walked to the door, and Adam kissed his sister on the cheek before he stepped into the hall. Jessica closed the door behind him and came back to where Claire sat. “Let’s get you to bed. I have the spare bedroom made up for you.”

She helped Claire to her feet, and they made their way down the hallway toward the bedrooms. “What time are you leaving tomorrow?” Claire asked.

“I’ll have breakfast with you and make sure you can move around before I leave. I don’t know what time Adam will be here. But if you can’t get to the door, he can let himself in with his key.”

They entered the bedroom, and Claire smiled at the nightgown Jessica had laid out on the bed for her. She dropped down on the side of the bed and smiled up at her friend. “Thank you, Jessica. It’s good to be here with you.”

Jessica squatted down and took Claire’s hands in hers. “Although we’ve been friends since middle school, I’ve never pushed you to tell me what happened between you and Adam. I know you don’t like him, but he’s really a wonderful person. The problem is, he’s never thought of himself that way. I don’t think you have, either, but I can’t stand to see two people I love continuing to holding some kind of grudge from years ago. I hope you can reach the point where you can let it go.”