When Love Strikes Read online

  Angie, please stay upstairs. He moved farther into the room. “There are things you need to do before you and Angie can be together.”

  “I don’t need help. I know how to make Angie happy.”

  “Then you’ve already spoken with her father? She comes from a very traditional family. It’s important to her that you get Dominic’s blessing. If you don’t, she’ll never be truly happy.” Dakota took another step closer. “What about a ring? She doesn’t just want to live with you, she wants to get married.”

  Shane glanced in the direction of the end table before glaring at Dakota again. “How the hell would you know what’ll make her happy?”

  “We’ve been friends since we were kids. Except for you, no one knows her better than I do. C’mon, let’s go over to Masterson’s. We can have a beer and make sure you’ve done everything you need to.” He nodded toward the front door. “Let me help you, Shane.”

  Sweat trickled down his temple, but he ignored it as he waited for Shane’s answer while at the same time listening for any sign the police had arrived. The last thing he wanted was for them to announce their presence. He almost had Shane. If the guy learned the police were outside waiting for him, he might lunge for his gun. Once he did that, it would be all over for him.

  Shane nodded.

  Every muscle in Dakota’s body tensed. He only had one chance at this.

  Dakota allowed Shane to exit the room first and followed him out the door. They made it down the front steps before the police converged on them.

  More than anything, he wanted to locate Angie, make sure she was okay and let her know she was safe. Instead, he waited to see the police slip handcuffs on Shane and for Captain Ellsbury to reach him.

  “His gun is on a table in the library.” The police would want to collect it as evidence. “I know you’ll need a statement from me, but first I need to find Angie.” Rather than stick around for a response, he sprinted into the house and up the staircase.

  “Angie.” He paused at the top of the stairs and waited. When all he got was silence, he walked into the last bedroom on the right. Today the bookcase wasn’t as flush against the wall as the first time she showed him the room. When designed, the owners had most likely assumed someone in the bedroom would be closing the secret entrance, not the person on the other side, making it hard for Angie to close the door. Still, it was good enough that a person could walk by the bookcase a dozen times and not know what was behind it.

  Huddled on the floor, Angie pulled her knees in closer to her chest. Until today, she’d never minded the dark. After this she might carry a flashlight around with her all the time.

  Assuming I get out of here. Left with no way to escape the house, hiding in the attic seemed like a far better idea than trying to come up with excuses for why they couldn’t leave until the police got there. After sitting in the dark, she was having second thoughts.

  What if Dakota hadn’t heard her conversation with Shane? Maybe he thought she hadn’t come back to the phone because she’d injured herself. If he didn’t know Shane was in the house, he might walk in and find Shane’s pistol pointed at his chest. Up here she couldn’t hear or see anything, but a gunshot was loud. If Shane did shoot Dakota, she’d probably hear it. And it would be her fault.

  An image of Dakota flat on the floor staring at the ceiling while blood pooled around him materialized. The gruesome image turned her blood to ice, and she shivered.

  Forcing it away, she reminded herself there was another possibility.

  Dakota might have heard what she said to Shane before coming upstairs. He might be outside right now helping the police come up with a plan. There were no windows up here, so she couldn’t peek out and see what was happening.

  On top of all that, it didn’t help that Angie had no idea how long she’d been up there. She didn’t have a watch on, so ten minutes or five hours could’ve passed since she climbed the ladder.

  A sliver of light broke the inky darkness. Slowly it grew. The ladder creaked as someone started up it, and Angie clenched her fists. She’d had a little trouble getting the door closed. Had Shane noticed it and decided to investigate? If it was Shane, she wasn’t going to leave with him without putting up a fight.

  “Angie.”

  At the sound of Dakota’s voice, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then scrambled out of the corner she’d backed herself into. “In here.”

  The door didn’t allow in much light, but it was enough to see Dakota looked unharmed as he reached the top of the ladder. “Are you okay?”

  “I should be asking you that.”

  He entered the small room, taking up the rest of the space. She winced at the sound of his head making contact with the low ceiling before sitting down. If it hurt, it didn’t stop Dakota from wrapping his arms around her and pulling her onto his lap.

  “Are you okay?” His eyes searched her face. Even in the dim light, she saw the concern lurking in them.

  Nodding, Angie wrapped her arms around him as she started to shake. She’d managed to hold it together until this point. Now that she was safe in Dakota’s arms, her body was buckling under the stress.

  “You’re shivering. Are you sure you’re not hurt?” The concern she saw in his eyes echoed in his voice as he tightened his arms around her.

  “Honest, I’m fine. He didn’t touch me.” She pulled back, forcing him to loosen his embrace. No longer plastered against his body, she kissed him. “You never answered me. How are you?”

  “I just had ten years shaved off my life, but otherwise I’m fine.”

  She didn’t need to ask for clarification. She understood the meaning behind his statement. “Where’s Shane?” She didn’t want him to ever be able to do what he’d done today again. At the same time, she didn’t want him dead on her library floor either.

  “I handed him off to the police.”

  She’d believed once Dakota figured out something was wrong, he’d call the police and either assist them in some manner or let them handle the situation. It didn’t sound like that was what happened. “Didn’t you call the police before coming over?”

  “I did, but when I got here, they hadn’t arrived. So I did what I needed to do. Every second you were in here alone with that guy was a second too long.”

  The sudden burst of anger surprised her. “He had a gun. He could’ve killed you.” The image of Dakota’s lifeless body on the floor returned. “You should’ve waited for the police.”

  “I couldn’t wait. Not when you were in danger.”

  His words melted away her anger. If their positions had been reversed, she would’ve done anything within her power to protect him. “You should’ve at least put on your body armor.” She’d never seen him wearing it, but she knew he had some. She’d even asked him to show it to her last week.

  “The police need to speak with you. Are you ready to go downstairs?”

  “Is Shane still out there?” She could handle talking to the police, but she didn’t want to see Shane again.

  Dakota pressed a kiss against her forehead. “I don’t know if they’ve taken him away yet, but the police will come inside to talk to you. If you’re not ready, you can stay here a few more minutes, but I need to go down and tell them you’re safe.”

  She’d spent more than enough time alone in the tiny room. “The sooner I do it, the sooner it’ll be over.” Angie hugged him again, both to reassure herself he was okay and to express her feelings. “Thank you.” The two words seemed insufficient. He’d saved her from being kidnapped. If not for Dakota, she’d be with Shane right now, off to whatever destination he had planned for them.

  “No thank-you required. I’ll be here whenever you need me.”

  Angie disagreed, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. Moving off his lap, she started down the ladder.

  There were several police officers downstairs, and she could see the patrol cars parked outside. Her neighbors must be wondering what was going on. Of course, it would
n’t be long before the whole town knew what happened.

  She paused at the bottom of the stairs. She needed to call Mia as soon as possible. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to hear about what happened from someone else. But that conversation would need to wait, because Captain Ellsbury, whom she’d met at her sister’s wedding, was approaching her.

  The captain gestured toward the door after they exchanged a greeting. “The paramedics are here to check you out and bring you to the ER if necessary.”

  “I’m okay. He didn’t hurt me.” At least he didn’t hurt her physically; emotionally was another story. She might be safe, but her emotions were still on a roller coaster. She expected them to be that way for a long time.

  Relief spread across Captain Ellsbury’s face. “I’m glad to hear it. If you’re up to it, we do need to get a statement from you.”

  Her stomach roiled at the mere thought of detailing the events of the afternoon. Angie nodded and swallowed the excessive saliva pooling in her mouth. “I’ll tell you whatever you need to know.”

  Epilogue

  Two months later

  Angie watched the fire burning in the fireplace while she listened to her sister. An unusually early snowstorm had dropped three inches of snow on the area yesterday. She’d taken that to be Mother Nature’s hint it was cold enough to light a fire in the fireplace. Thanks to Dakota’s lesson when they went camping back in September, she’d managed to get it going on her first try. She’d been in the library ever since, writing.

  She’d hoped to be further along with the project by now, but setbacks kept popping up. The first had been her parents’ unexpected visit in September following the kidnapping attempt. Dad had accepted her reassurance that she was fine. Mom, on the other hand, had insisted she move back to her Los Angeles home in its gated community. They’d had multiple heated arguments about it during the three days her parents were in town. Then it seemed no sooner had they left than they were back in October for their planned visit. While Mom stopped pestering her about moving because North Salem wasn’t safe, she constantly complained about every other decision she’d made in the past few months, including her relationship with Dakota.

  She’d spent enough time listening to Mom’s views of Sean that she’d anticipated her attitude when she met Dakota. Mom hadn’t disappointed. It didn’t seem to matter that Dakota had risked his life to save her. In Mom’s eyes, he was wrong for her. According to her, Angie needed someone who could enhance her career and who knew how to handle media attention. Dad hadn’t shared his wife’s views, which didn’t surprise Angie. Her parents often disagreed. Sometimes she wondered how they’d remained married after all these years.

  Avery, on the other hand, had surprised her.

  In the beginning, her sister had been dead set against Angie’s move and, to some extent, her involvement with Dakota. Over the past two months, Avery’s opinion had changed. She no longer pestered Angie about taking new roles. When her sister did call, they discussed every other topic under the sun, but work never entered their conversations. Perhaps even more surprising was the number of visits Avery had made to town since Angie’s move. Angie wasn’t sure of the exact number because she’d stopped counting after her sister’s sixth trip.

  “You are not.” Angie reached for her hot chocolate and waited for Avery’s reply.

  “I’m serious.”

  Avery sounded sincere, but Angie wasn’t buying it. “You hate it here.” Maybe hate was a strong word, but North Salem wasn’t her sister’s favorite place either.

  “I never said I hated it. I just didn’t understand what you loved about it so much. But it’s grown on me. Trust me, I’m not going to live there all year round. You know I hate the snow. But since you, Mia, and Natalie are all there, I plan on being around more and want a place of my own.”

  Her eldest sister had fallen in love with their niece as quickly as she had. “Do you want to rent or buy?”

  “Not sure. I guess I’m open to either. But I don’t want anything old. You and Mia can keep your historic houses. I want something built in this century. ”

  She sipped her drink. Already she knew the perfect place for her sister. Before she could suggest it, she had one other person to talk to. “There’s a nice house not far from me. I think it’ll be available soon. I’ll let you know.”

  Their conversation moved away from Avery’s interest in getting a house and to what they’d both already purchased their niece for Christmas, which was quickly approaching.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” Angie said when she heard the front door open.

  Rarely did they spend a night apart. In fact, since the kidnapping attempt, they’d spent only eight nights apart, and three of those had been when Dakota traveled to Florida for work. They’d spent most nights at Dakota’s house while the contractor finished the kitchen and back stairs. These days they spent two or three nights at his house and the rest of the week here. She didn’t mind staying at his house, but in her opinion it was silly for them to be constantly going back and forth. And she had a plan for putting an end to it. She’d just been waiting for a good time to suggest it. Today seemed as good a day any.

  The scent of tomato sauce wafted in the room before Dakota. The monthly poker game was tonight, and she’d offered to host. Before he left for work, he promised to pick food up on the way home. He knew her plan was to write all day, and once she got going, she often lost track of time. In fact, if Avery hadn’t called and disturbed her, she’d still probably be typing away.

  Leaning toward her, Dakota brushed his lips against hers. Although they usually weren’t pulse-altering kisses, every morning before Dakota left and every night when he came home, he kissed her. “Still working?”

  “Nope. I was talking to Avery.” She pointed toward the bags. “Something smells good.”

  “Pizzas and an order of bruschetta from Tuscany. And before you ask, yes, I remembered an order of the calamari.”

  The calamari served at Tuscany, the Italian restaurant in town, was her favorite dish on their menu. It was possible she’d eat all of it before their friends arrived for the game.

  “I knew I loved you for a reason.”

  Following him into the kitchen, she waited for him to notice the cake on the counter. Thanks to her sister and Maureen, she’d learned her way around the kitchen enough that she’d never starve. Today, she’d decided to challenge herself before sitting down to write. The three-tier vanilla cake with homemade buttercream frosting and raspberry filling was the end result.

  After putting the pizzas in the oven to keep them warm, Dakota pointed toward the cake. “Is this to share tonight, or can I try some now?”

  “You’ll need to wait. But there is some leftover frosting in the fridge if you want to sample some.” Ice cream might be his biggest weakness, but he never turned down anything sweet.

  He didn’t hesitate to grab the plastic container and dip a spoon inside it. Rather than lick it off, he swiped his finger through the sugar concoction. Before she could ask what he was up to, he spread it on her lips and kissed her.

  Unlike in the library, he took his time teasing her lips before touching his tongue to hers. Once inside, he set about making love to her mouth while setting a fire in her blood.

  Dakota slid his palms beneath the fabric of her leggings and pulled her closer to him. At the moment he wanted nothing more than to strip her clothes off and make love to her. He was debating whether to start undressing her in here or wait until they were in the bedroom. Before he could make up his mind, Angie’s hands closed around his wrists and she pulled his hands free.

  “We don’t have time.” Her voice simmered with the same desire racing through his body.

  Freeing his arm, he slipped her top off her shoulder and kissed her bare skin. “Not even if we’re quick?”

  “Right, like that’ll ever happen.” She gave him a gentle push and pulled her shirt back into place.

  She had a point. When t
hey made love, it was never quick. He enjoyed pleasing her too much to rush. The same was true on her part.

  “Then I hope everyone loses their money and leaves early tonight.” In the meantime, he’d have to deal with the discomfort he was currently in. “Do you want to set things up in the dining room or in here?”

  Either room was large enough to hold everyone, and both were fully furnished.

  “In the dining room. I thought we could use the fireplace.”

  Dakota grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and popped it open. Although she enjoyed the blood orange sour brewed at a local brewery, she wasn’t a huge beer drinker. She preferred wine or fruity mixed drinks, but she always kept some of his favorite beers around. In return he made sure plenty of her favorite beverages and foods were in his kitchen. “Tell me what you need me to do.”

  “I’m not sure we need to do much. I already left plates and utensils on the buffet. We should be able to fit all the food on it too. And the cards and poker chips are in the dining room. There are plenty of chairs in there, so we don’t need to move any from in here.”

  Sounded like she had everything under control. “Do you want a quick refresher?” Unless she’d been playing against the computer, she hadn’t touched a deck of cards since last month’s poker game. While she had fun, or at least she said she did, Angie hadn’t won a single hand.

  “Nah, if I lose, I lose. It’s just for fun.”

  It was her money. If she wanted to hand it all over to Tony or Sean, it was her business. Pulling out a chair, he sat at the table. “How’s Avery? Is she planning another visit soon?”

  In the beginning, he’d been apprehensive about her eldest sister. Especially after the conversation they had at Sean’s house when the pictures of Angie and him first hit the media. Either he’d misjudged her, or Avery’s attitude had changed, because over the past couple months, a good relationship had developed between them. When she came to town, their interactions were easygoing and friendly—the complete opposite of the two times Angie’s mom had been in town.