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  “I took Noah to protect him,” she argued.

  “Speaking strictly as your lawyer, in the eyes of the State, you’ve kidnapped him.”

  Kendra closed her eyes against that truth. Surely doing something wrong for the sake of the greater good would be considered? Tension shortened her breath, but she forced air into her lungs. No sense worrying about that now; the consequences would be faced when the time came.

  Maybe Robert wouldn’t even fight her after she had access to her trust fund and legal custody of Noah. He wouldn’t have the resources for the legal battle she’d wage. Not to mention, the fact that he hadn’t reported Noah missing proved he didn’t have Noah’s best interests at heart.

  If anything happened before her birthday, the letter she’d written documenting her suspicions—the sealed letter she planned to add to her Will tomorrow—would be delivered to Joel. She only prayed he would fight Robert for Noah in her place.

  “Have you obtained the copy of my father’s Will yet?” she asked, abruptly changing the subject.

  Michael sighed. “Like I originally explained, I’ve been working with associates in three states to create a paper maze that’s hard to trace, but, unfortunately, without formal confirmation of who’s requesting it, the lawyers in New York are fighting the release—just like we knew they would. It’s going to take more time.”

  “Robert and his damn lawyers,” she muttered.

  “Your father died two years ago, why do you need a copy of his Will now?”

  She leaned back in her chair and wiped a hand over her face. “I overheard Robert on the phone with one of his gambling buddies, saying that he’d take care of everything after my birthday. The only thing significant about my birthday is that I gain custody of Noah and control of my trust fund. When I asked to see a copy of my father’s Will again, to see the pages missing from my original copy, the lawyers stopped returning my phone calls—on Robert’s orders, I’m sure.” She drew in a breath. “That’s when Robert…um…well, let’s just say I got the feeling he didn’t want me around, so I took Noah and we left.”

  It was as close as she’d get to saying what was going on.

  “And you think your brother’s actions have something to do with your father’s Will or your trust fund?”

  “There’s something important in those missing pages,” she whispered. “I know it.”

  “All right then, I’ll keep working on getting a copy,” Michael assured her.

  “Thank you.” Kendra hung up and buried her face in her hands. Less than two weeks before her birthday. Ten more days and hopefully this whole nightmare would be over. She took a few deep breaths before pushing to her feet to head to her room. Realistically, she knew turning twenty-five wouldn’t magically make everything perfect, but once she had access to her money and the court placed Noah in her custody, Robert would have no legal leg to stand on. She’d have the law on her side and there would be nothing he could do—

  Kendra’s step faltered just inside her room. Colton reclined on her bed, his boots propped on the bedspread and crossed at the ankles, arms folded across his chest.

  “W-what are you doing in here?”

  “Who’s Robert?”

  Oh my God! How’d he find out about Robert? Her initial panic buckled under a wave of anger when she realized he must have eavesdropped on her conversation a few minutes ago. God, how had she not heard him come in? She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind but he shook his head, swung his legs off the bed and sat up. “Don’t bother with the ‘none of your business’ line.”

  She crossed her arms in silent refusal to tell him a single damn thing.

  He gave an unconcerned shrug. “Then it’s going to be a long night, because I’m not leaving until you answer my questions.”

  Her eyes narrowed, then she stalked to the dresser, pulled out a pair of pajamas and proceeded to lock herself in the bathroom. Jerk thought he could strong arm her? Fine. She’d just go watch TV until he grew tired of his stupid interrogation tactic. She changed, washed her face, combed her hair, and stepped back into the room.

  Frustration whipped through her to find him leaning against the door instead of reclining on the bed. White teeth flashed in a self-satisfied grin before his gaze took a leisurely trip down the length of her and back up. A frisson of awareness set her whole body on edge and she fought the knee-weakening sensation.

  “I suggest you either get out or let me leave,” she warned in a tight voice.

  He didn’t move a single muscle. Didn’t even blink. She ground her molars together in impotent frustration. What leverage did she even have to force his hand? Not a damn thing.

  “Robert’s your brother,” he finally stated.

  Her jaw tightened, and her chest rose as she drew in a breath. “Half-brother.”

  “Does Joel know about him?”

  “How do you know about him?” she demanded, though she already knew.

  “Noah.”

  The unexpected answer fanned her anger and she balled her fists at her sides. “How dare you interrogate him!”

  “He told my mom that he liked Joel better than his other brother.”

  Her shoulders slumped slightly. Damn it, Noah!

  “Does Joel know you have another half-brother?” he repeated.

  “Yes.”

  He tilted his head. “And how can I be sure that’s the truth?”

  “Ask him.”

  He paused and raised his brows. “Should I also ask him why you kidnapped Noah?”

  “I did not kidnap Noah.” Kendra turned to brace her hands on the dresser. She hadn’t even heard her own whisper over the pounding of her heart. Because, technically, according to the law and the State of New York, and Michael Kabara, she had.

  “Why are you scared of your brother?” Colton asked softly.

  Her head jerked up to meet his gaze in the mirror. The hint of concern confused her. “Who says I’m scared?”

  “Noah.”

  She spun around. “It’s pretty despicable to ask your mother to do your dirty work.”

  “I didn’t—”

  Her loud snort of disbelief cut him off.

  “Look,” Colton said, straightening from his sentry post at the door. “I don’t know how the subject came up, but she said Noah seemed concerned about Robert following the two of you to California, and he was afraid he’d follow you to Colorado, too.”

  Kendra looked away, despair rising inside. She’d told Noah not to say anything! What had he been thinking?

  She closed her eyes and steadied herself with a slow breath. He was just a kid, she shouldn’t get angry with him. Obviously it’d been a rough month, and while outwardly he appeared to accept everything she’d told him, she now wondered what else her little brother worried about.

  Colton watched her like a hawk from across the room as she paced to the half open window to slam it shut. She stared outside and rubbed her arms to get rid of the chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of the air.

  “Noah has nothing to worry about,” she said firmly, as much to herself as to Colton.

  “What about you, Kendra?”

  The soft words from directly behind her made her jump. She hadn’t heard him move across the room. Heat engulfed her limbs. Colton had her all keyed up. All his questions made her think about Robert more than she wanted to. She was angry that he’d found out so much and scared he’d tell Joel, yet conversely, she wanted nothing more than to turn into his arms for the security he’d offered up on the rock. The conflicting emotions were more than she could take.

  “Please,” she whispered, eyes closed, voice raw. “Just leave me alone.”

  After a long moment of half-hoping he’d force her hand and demand more answers, she heard the door click shut. She turned to make sure he’d left before releasing a soft sigh of dismay. Her legs finally succumbed to the trembling, and she sunk to her knees before crawling over to lean against the bed.

  The same fear
she’d felt when she’d seen Robert in California that morning a few weeks ago washed over her again. In her mind, she saw the agitation in his stride, the anger in his tight features as he questioned the attendant at the corner store where she’d used one of her credit cards. He’d been desperate enough to follow them all the way across the country. If he found them here…

  “He won’t.” She spoke the forceful assertion out loud, needing to hear the words as she concentrated on taking deep breaths to curtail the panic that threatened to take over. Besides the few pages Joel had read, no one else knew about the letter her mom had given to her that last day. It had been sealed, passed directly from her mom’s hand to hers. No one knew about Joel. She focused on that fact, letting the thought calm her.

  When she’d smoothed the edges of her raw nerves, she went to talk to Noah. She wouldn’t yell at him for talking to Colton’s mother, but she did want to make sure he knew she’d take care of everything, including him. Especially him.

  Even if it meant they had to leave again.

  She knocked softly on her brother’s door before opening it. He sat on his bed, reading.

  “Good book?”

  He nodded with enthusiasm. “It’s a Hardy Boys Mystery Cody lent me. Joe and Frank are searching for lost treasure in…”

  She sat on the edge of the mattress and listened with half an ear as she pondered how to broach the subject. Colton’s direct approach might be best.

  When Noah paused for a breath of air, she asked, “Noah, you know we’re safe here, right?”

  He marked his page and set the book down. “I feel safe. With Joel and Colton here, I’m not scared of anything.”

  She nodded. “Good.”

  Joel and Colton. For someone who hadn’t seemed to like the guy at first, Noah sure had done a complete one-eighty. Much as she wanted to resent the man for that, she couldn’t begrudge Noah his security.

  “I don’t want you to worry about anything. After my birthday I’ll be your legal guardian. Robert will have to leave us alone and we can go home.”

  It dawned on her that New York wasn’t the first place that came to mind with the word home. Noah made a face. “Do we have to?”

  She shook away the strange thoughts in her head. “Of course we do—it’s where we live. And you have school at the academy.”

  “We can live here. You like it here, don’t you? I can go to school with Cody, and you can keep working for Colton.”

  Funny he looked at it that way, instead of her working for the ranch—for Joel. “Sorry, bud, but New York is where we belong.”

  “Says who?” he challenged in a surprise burst of defiance.

  Kendra blinked. She bit her tongue to keep from admonishing him for his tone of voice. “I don’t want to talk about this right now. I just want you to let me handle things, and for you to enjoy the rest of your summer, okay?”

  He nodded solemnly, and then brightened. “I almost forgot, can we go camping with Joel and Britt and Cody and Dustin this weekend?”

  “We?”

  “Aww, come on Ken, it’ll be fun, it’s just three days.”

  She’d enjoyed the hike, but wasn’t so sure she wanted to spend two whole nights out in mountain lion country. Just yesterday there’d been a program on a local station about victims who’d been attacked in the mountains. Yeah, okay, so even the program said the odds of an attack were slim, and most people could live their whole lives in mountain areas without ever spotting a cougar, but it didn’t mean she wanted to test those odds.

  Noah seemed to have no such reservations. He’d come out of his shell so much since they’d arrived at the ranch, pretty much since that first day. Who was she to deny him the experience of camping with his big brother and his nephew? A smile tugged her lips at that last bit. Besides, she knew them well enough already to know Joel and Britt wouldn’t take their own boys unless it was safe.

  “Three days in the great outdoors, Noah? I’m not quite ready for that, but I don’t mind if you go.”

  “Maybe someday you’ll come?” he asked.

  She smiled and leaned over to kiss his forehead. “Yeah, maybe someday.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Darkness pricked her skin. Cold seeped into her bones. A stumble in the malice-drenched shadows shoved her heart into her throat. Something hard and unyielding barred the way and she fumbled her way past, one desperate objective consuming her entire being.

  Escape.

  Footsteps rose up behind her.

  Run.

  The steps echoed with increasing frequency.

  Faster!

  Lungs screaming, burning to the point of bursting, she strove to obey the strident demand. Lurking in the dark, unseen evil clawed at her feet, thwarting her frantic flight. A cry ripped from her lips when she pitched headlong into the unknown.

  Blackness stretched forever as her hands instinctively thrust out to break the fall. She sucked huge gulps of air through her constricted throat, preparing for the brutal impact of unyielding earth. And still, the mantra pulsed in her veins.

  Escape. Survive.

  Landing jarred her bones and stole her breath. Rough ground abraded her skin. Eerie silence weighted the air, suspended time. She twisted one way, then the other, searching in the ominous gloom.

  Had she escaped? This time, finally, would she be free of the terror?

  Piercing radiance cut the darkness so suddenly she threw up her arm for protection. The fuzzy, faceless figure—

  No. Something was different. Everything felt off. Unfamiliar. More sinister.

  This man wore no badge as he loomed over her. The glaring light dimmed. Her vision sharpened and she gasped in shock.

  Robert!

  Why had he taken Jeremy’s place? How had he found them?

  She struggled to rise, but her limbs were frozen, as if a hundred thousand pounds weighed each one down. Robert’s arm rose. Light glinted off the steel blade in his hand before it descended in slow motion.

  In one blink of her terrified eyes, she was floating above him, watching his arm plunge the knife toward her helpless body. An instinctive inhale filled her lungs and she opened her mouth to scream. No sound vibrated her vocal cords, yet a blood-curdling cry pierced the air. Staring in horror at her own face below, she realized her other self was already screaming.

  ****

  Colton woke with a start. Disorientated, he looked around the living room, wondering how long he’d dozed. Fumbling with the remote, he sat up to turn off the TV.

  A terrified scream made him jump so violently the remote flew from his hand. His heart lodged in his throat as he raced down to Kendra’s room, adrenaline pumping hard. The hall light revealed Kendra on the bed. Alone.

  She moaned and rolled, and he realized she was dreaming. One slim leg kicked at the covers. He hurried to her side, but when he leaned over to shake her, she gave a distressed cry and her clenched fist caught him in the jaw. Wincing, he gently caught the offending arm.

  “Kendra, wake up.”

  His words triggered renewed panic. He knelt on the bed in an attempt to subdue her thrashing limbs. Another swing connected with the side of his head, and her knee bruised his ribs before he succeeded.

  Tears glistened on her pale cheeks. Air rasped between her dry lips as if she’d run for miles. Her distress tightened an invisible band around his heart. Instead of pinning her to the bed, he shifted around until he could pull her back against his chest while crossing his arms securely over her flailing ones.

  “Easy girl,” he murmured as if talking to a frightened filly. “I’ve got you.”

  He wasn’t sure how many times he said the words, rocking back and forth until she stopped fighting him and sagged in his arms.

  “Okay now?” he finally asked.

  Silence.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Still she refused to answer. He slowly became aware of the even rise and fall of her chest. She’s still sleeping.

  Ama
zed, Colton began to ease her onto the bed. She made a sound of protest and clutched his T-shirt in the hand that rested against his stomach. He waited until she relaxed before slipping further away. She moved restlessly, then grabbed his shirt again in a frantic motion. He took her free hand in his, and she latched on as if she’d never let go.

  Standing next to the bed, half bent over, Colton struggled with his dilemma. He pulled on his hand. She mumbled and gripped tighter, deep creases in her brow. When he stopped pulling, her fingers and forehead relaxed. He tried to ease free; she made another soft sound of protest.

  Well, damn. He couldn’t stand here all night. His gaze swept over the mattress. The thought of lying next to her stirred the panic that had gripped him during their earlier confrontation in this same room.

  God, he’d practically run for the hall—right when he should have pressed home his advantage. She’d been vulnerable, her guard down, he could’ve gotten his answers.

  But instead of going in for the kill, he’d had to fight the overwhelming urge to pull her close and promise everything would be okay. Only an idiot would sympathize with her now after all the lies.

  He tried to pull away again. She whimpered and he swore under his breath.

  Murmuring quiet assurances, he positioned himself on the bed to lean back against the headboard without losing hold of her hand. She shifted, scooted tight to his side and threw an arm across his stomach. His chest became her pillow. Then she heaved a restful sigh.

  That small sound of trust twisted the invisible band in his chest. He wondered how the violent thumping of his heart didn’t wake her. Then she shifted again and one of her legs brushed against his before moving away. As if sensing heat, it soon returned to intertwine with his. The silky slide of her pajamas elicited a soft groan from Colton. It was going to be one hell of a long night. The memory of their out-of-control kiss on the rock surfaced to torment him. It was no use thinking of that, though. Hadn’t she told him the only place that would happen again was in his dreams?

  Then again…his brows rose…what about in her dreams? He smiled wryly. She did sleep awfully soundly for a person who professed to have trouble doing so. And she snuggled her tempting curves so damn close.