MANHUNT (Manhunt - a romantic suspense collection) Read online

  “Outside Lenora Lockhart’s Bridal Shop.”

  “How’d she take the news?”

  “As well as can be expected. She’s worried about her mother and coworker, afraid Simpleton will try to use one of them to get to her.”

  “She’s probably right.”

  “She’s going to warn them. If they can’t stay with a friend or leave town, I want to assign them protection in case Simpleton shows up.”

  “Good idea. If he does, maybe we can catch him and put the bastard back in jail where he belongs.”

  “Do we have any idea who helped him?”

  “We might have a lead. We’ve been studying the visitor logs for the escaped inmates. Some hairdresser named Cissy Cornwell used to visit Simpleton. She might have been helping him.”

  Micah glanced at the beauty parlor, wondering if she’d set up shop there to spy on Lenora. “Did she know him before he was locked up?”

  “No, she met him when she visited her brother in the pen. They started writing, and she became his sole visitor.”

  “Must have her own sadistic side to fall for a man who brutalized women the way Simpleton did.”

  “There are a lot of nutcases out there.”

  “I’ll check her out.” He copied down her address, hoping Cissy might give them information to help find Simpleton.

  “We’re interviewing other inmates and the feds have Simpleton’s cell mate in interrogation. I’ll let you know what we learn.”

  Micah hung up, images of Simpleton’s other victims flashing back. Then an image of Lenora the day he’d rescued her. Lenora beaten and bruised, dehydrated, dirty, traumatized and covered in filth.

  Locking Simpleton up had been one of the best days of his life.

  This time, he might not bother with jail. He’d put the bastard in the ground.

  LENORA GRITTED HER TEETH AS SHE ANSWERED HER MOTHER’S phone call. “Mom, I was getting ready to call you.”

  “Then you know that monster escaped from prison. It’s been all over the news.” Terror streaked her mother’s shrill voice.

  “Yes, Sgt. Hardin is here with me now.”

  “Ask him how in the hell he let this happen.”

  “Mother,” Lenora said, injecting a calmness to her voice when she felt like screaming at the situation herself. “It’s not his fault,” she said instead. “The police have a statewide manhunt underway now. They’ll find him.”

  Her mother made a sarcastic sound. “But he never should have escaped. And what if he finds you?” She exhaled a shaky breath. “He threatened you in court. He’s probably on his way—”

  “You don’t need to remind me.” Lenora’s voice took on a razor edge as painful memories assaulted her. She could feel the oppressive darkness closing around her. Smell the scent of his sweaty body. Sense his breath on her neck.

  “Pack your bags and stay with me until he’s caught,” her mother said. “I’ll hire a bodyguard for you.”

  “No,” Lenora said emphatically. God help her. She appreciated the fact that her mother had taken care of her after she was released from the hospital, but her hovering and worrying and constant crying had only made things worse. Lenora found herself comforting her mother and trying to assure her that her captivity hadn’t been that bad, but it had been. And neither of them could change it.

  Only therapy and time had helped her heal and quieted the nightmares.

  “I appreciate your offer, Mom, but Sgt. Hardin is here now. I want you to stay with a friend, or maybe have Aunt Gladys stay with you until Simpleton is caught.”

  A tense heartbeat passed. “You think he’ll come to me?”

  “I don’t know, Mother, but we can’t take any chances. Will you do that for me?”

  Her mother sighed. “Yes, but only if you promise that you have protection.” Her mother’s voice cracked. “I don’t want that psycho to hurt you again. You’re all I have left, Lenora.”

  Emotions welled in Lenora’s throat. “I promise, Mom.”

  “All right,” her mother said. “Please be careful, sweetheart.”

  “You, too.” Lenora wiped at a tear as she ended the call.

  Micah stepped back inside, his eyes searching hers. “Are you okay?”

  A nervous laugh bubbled in her throat. “No. But I will be.”

  His eyes twinkled with something akin to admiration. Or maybe she’d imagined it because a second later it was gone.

  “I want to warn Jenny in person.”

  His gaze met hers. “Does she know about Simpleton?”

  She shook her head, wondering if that was censure in his eyes. “I hashed everything over enough in court and therapy. I wanted her to respect me, not look at me with pity or like I was too fragile to handle a business.”

  “I respect you, Lenora,” Micah said softly. “It took guts to stand up to that psychopath and testify.”

  Lenora’s heart fluttered. Micah had known her during the most difficult time of her life. She’d wondered what he thought about her, had even thought that if they’d met under different circumstances there could have been more between them.

  But Robert Simpleton had ruined her future with any man.

  “Thank you for saying that, Sergeant.”

  “Micah.” He shifted as if he wanted to say something else then cleared his throat. “We may have a lead on a woman who visited Simpleton in prison.” He gestured toward the door. “If you want to lock up, I’ll drive you to see your friend and you can stay with her while I pay her a visit.”

  “I can’t stay with Jenny. It would be too dangerous for her.”

  “Then you’ll go with me. I’m not leaving you alone until he’s caught.”

  Lenora moved on autopilot, straightening the store and closing up, well aware of Micah’s presence. His big body seemed to occupy all the air in the room, but not the way Robert Simpleton’s had. The very memory of the man’s filthy hands on her made nausea churn in her belly.

  Micah’s masculine scent evoked a sense of safety, as if he would protect her no matter what.

  And those dark eyes of his stirred a longing that she’d never thought she’d feel again.

  MICAH’S CHEST POUNDED WITH THE EFFORT IT TOOK HIM NOT TO pull Lenora up against him and comfort her. He knew every vile thing the man had done to her, had seen her brutalized body when he’d rescued her. And the images of the crime photos were forever imprinted in his brain.

  He would not let Simpleton touch her again.

  But an odd tingling had started in his body when she’d looked into his eyes. She looked vulnerable, but…tough. Determined to survive.

  Just as she had at the trial. She had survived because she was strong and had used her wits with Simpleton.

  She’d even tried to save the other two women who’d been held captive with her, had offered to trade her life for theirs.

  Unfortunately Simpleton had gotten off on her spunk and had punished her by making her watch him torture them.

  ROBERT STUFFED THE CASH CISSY HAD GIVEN HIM INTO HIS DUFFEL bag, then searched her house for the secret stash she’d confessed she kept for emergencies. Five thousand. Not a lot, but enough for food and a cheap motel for the night. He needed to lay low, stay off the grid.

  Keep hidden until he found the perfect place to take Lenora. He’d look for it tomorrow. Another house just like the one he’d grown up in.

  But first things first.

  His pattern was threes. Even the stupid cunt reporter Jamie Thornton had picked up on that. She’d dubbed him with that ridiculous name, the Trio Killer, which was pathetic compared to some of the famous serial killers in history.

  At least she could have given him a respectable title like the Hunter or Casanova or the Heartbreaker.

  Except he didn’t really break his victims’ hearts. He just drove a knife into them.

  Laughter gurgled in his throat as he lifted the lid off the shoebox in Cissy’s closet and dug out the cash. Her vibrator lay inside as if it was a prized possess
ion she had to take with her in case of a hasty escape.

  Damn dildo was puny compared to him. Yes, Cissy had liked his giant cock. So had the other women.

  Well, maybe some of them wouldn’t admit it, but all whores liked it rough. Hell, they’d deserved what he’d done to them. They’d screamed in pain when he rammed it inside them as if their delicate little chambers were too fragile to fuck him.

  He’d shown them.

  He was in control.

  He tossed the shoebox and dildo back in the closet, grabbed the beer Cissy had stored in the frig for him and hurried out the back door. A second later, he was cruising down the road in the old pickup Cissy had bought for him. With a chaw of tobacco in his mouth, a cowboy hat and the jeans and shirt she’d bought for him, he looked like any other cowboy in Texas, not an escaped felon on the run.

  Yes, little Cissy had been so helpful. She’d done everything he’d told her to do. Followed his orders to the T. Made sure she used cash to buy the truck so no one could trace him through it.

  The temptation to press the accelerator hit him. He’d been penned up so damn long he wanted to roll down the window and feel the warm Texas air blowing in his face as he flew down the highway. He flipped on the radio to a good country station and began to belt along with Johnny Cash.

  But a siren wailed in the distance, reminding him that he was a wanted man, and he slowed, then veered onto a side road. The cops couldn’t be everywhere. They’d be putting up roadblocks on major highways, checking airports, bus and train stations. But no way they had enough manpower to cover all the offbeat little roads that wove through the countryside.

  He simply had to focus on not drawing attention to himself.

  And decide whom he was going to snatch first before he went after Lenora. It had to be someone she knew. Someone she wouldn’t want to suffer.

  Someone she’d let him do anything he wanted to do to her in order to save them.

  He had a list he’d compiled in prison. He tapped his fingers on the steering column to Walk the Line, laughing as he tried to decide which woman to take first.

  CHAPTER THREE

  MICAH PLUGGED CISSY CORNWELL’S ADDRESS INTO HIS PHONE TO get directions while Lenora ducked into a back room and grabbed her purse. Once he had the address, he phoned the beauty parlor down the street on the off chance that Cissy was there.

  A female answered. “Susie Jo’s Salon.”

  “I’m looking for Cissy Cornwall. Is she working today?”

  A hesitation. “No, she only worked here for a couple of weeks. Got her paycheck then disappeared on us.”

  Just enough time to stalk Lenora and tell her boyfriend where she was. “You haven’t spoken to her this week?”

  “No, and I tried her cell but her phone was disconnected.”

  Figured. “Okay, thanks.”

  He ended the call just as Lenora returned. “I’m ready.”

  “Why don’t I follow you home, then we can drop your car and I’ll drive you to your friend’s.”

  She nodded, her expression grim as she headed to the door. He stood by her side, eyeing the outside of the shop and the street as she locked the door, although he couldn’t help but notice her hands were trembling, and she almost dropped the keys twice.

  “Sorry,” she said with a wary smile.

  He couldn’t help himself. He gently touched her elbow, aching to do something to assuage her pain. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Lenora. You have good reason to be nervous. But I’m here, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe.”

  Emotions flickered in her eyes as she looked up at him. “I won’t let him break me,” she said with a stubborn tilt to her chin.

  Admiration for her made his chest squeeze. “I know. But you’re not alone. This time we know he’s coming. We’ll be ready.”

  She studied him for a moment, anguish in her eyes. No doubt she was reliving the night of the abduction. Simpleton had stalked her for weeks. Learned her routine. Gone through her garbage. Even known her time of the month.

  He’d cleverly watched her leave her aerobics class and snatched her when she’d reached her car. She had no idea what had happened until she’d regained consciousness in that cell of a room where he’d kept her.

  Micah followed her to her car, a red Toyota, not surprised that she’d changed vehicles. Blood from where she’d scratched at Simpleton during the attack had been found on the driver’s side of her Honda Civic.

  And then there had been her blood.

  She climbed in, and he got in his SUV and followed her as she maneuvered the small town and turned into a gated townhome complex that looked modern and impersonal, not the kind of place where he pictured Lenora. She paused at the gate to input a security code, making him feel marginally better about the location and the fact that at least she lived in a secure neighborhood.

  She parked in an assigned spot in front of a two-story stucco unit then slid from the driver’s seat.

  “Do you like it here?” he asked as she slipped into his SUV.

  She shrugged. “I wanted some place with people around. The floor plan offers space, but the second floor terrace is where I spend a lot of time.”

  He nodded, remembering her statement after the attack about not being able to breathe. That she wanted open spaces, not to feel confined. Somehow, he pictured her on a ranch, his ranch, with acres of land to roam, plush pastures, ponds and creeks.

  “You have a view?”

  “From the terrace, you can see the town and the canyon. At night it’s beautiful.”

  So was she.

  But he bit his tongue, wondering what in the hell was wrong with him. He’d never been attracted to a witness or victim before.

  Why couldn’t he get her out of his mind?

  LENORA TEXTED JENNY THAT SHE HAD TO TALK TO HER AND THAT she was on her way. Jenny promised to wait.

  Lenora gave Micah directions, grateful he didn’t push her for conversation. She was struggling to keep her emotions at bay and silently willing herself not to fall apart. Micah would protect her. Police were looking for Robert Simpleton. They would find him.

  Shuddering at the memory of that knife at her throat while he forced himself on her, she blinked to stem the tears. Micah reached across the console and laid his hand cover hers. A gentle squeeze. A tender touch.

  It was almost enough to make her come undone.

  After the attack, she’d handled the press, the questions, even the brutal way Simpleton’s attorney had questioned her. Had she seduced Simpleton? Had they met before? Maybe she’d come on to him and given him the wrong idea.

  She’d even tolerated the curious stares and horrified looks of those who’d heard her story.

  But the simple kind touches nearly brought her to her knees.

  She spotted Jenny’s bungalow at the dead end of the street and pointed it out to Micah. “There. That’s Jenny’s with the bird sanctuary.”

  Micah steered the SUV into the drive and cut the engine, then climbed out and started around to her side. Lenora opened the door, deciding she couldn’t lean on him too much.

  That might get to be a habit. Then what would she do when he left?

  She needed her independence. She’d worked too hard to regain it to relinquish it now.

  A muscle ticked in his jaw as they walked up to the front door. Jenny had planted a flower garden to the right, the flowers dancing in the evening breeze, orange and yellow against the green grass. The sun had set, the rainbow of colors majestic on the horizon, reminding her how beautiful Texas was.

  Yet there was nothing beautiful about what she’d come to do. She would be exposing her worst pain, her biggest humiliation. Bringing her new friend into the dark world she’d barely survived.

  Damn Robert Simpleton. She hated him more than she’d ever thought possible to hate another living soul.

  Micah knocked, and a second later Jenny answered, a handsome blond guy beside her dressed in jeans, a dressy western shirt a
nd boots. Lenora had met him once; his name was Troy Benson. Jenny was totally in love, and Lenora could see the adoration on Troy’s face as he threw an arm around Jenny.

  But a worried look pulled at Jenny’s heart shaped face as she glanced at Micah. “Come on in, Lenora. What’s going on?”

  Lenora gestured toward Micah. “This is Sgt. Micah Hardin with the Texas Rangers.”

  Jenny introduced her boyfriend then led them to the den. Light colors and lots of throw pillows and rugs gave it a classy but comfortable feel.

  Lenora folded her hands in her lap, twisting her fingers. “There’s something I have to tell you.” She exhaled a deep breath. “Something I should have told you a long time ago.”

  Jenny’s eyes clouded over. “He escaped, didn’t he?”

  Lenora swallowed hard. “What?”

  “The man who kidnapped you and…hurt you,” Jenny said softly. “I saw the news. He escaped from prison.”

  Lenora was too stunned to speak for a moment. “You knew? How? When?” Lenora gulped. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  Jenny’s expression softened. “I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”

  Jenny opened her arms and wrapped them around Lenora. Lenora choked on a sob, desperately trying to hold herself together. Footsteps shuffled, and she realized Micah and Troy had discreetly left the room to give them some privacy.

  “I’m sorry, Jenny,” Lenora said, swiping at her tears. “It’s just been so…hard.”

  “I hope they kill the maniac,” Jenny said, her voice fierce.

  Lenora laughed through her tears. “Me, too.” She pulled away and clenched Jenny’s hands. Maybe while she’d been hiding out here, trying not to get close to anyone, trying to shield herself, she’d actually found a new best friend.

  “SO YOU THINK THIS CREEP IS COMING AFTER LENORA?” TROY

  asked.

  Micah nodded. “Oh, yeah. He wants revenge.”

  Troy raked a hand through his thick hair, sending the ends standing up. “So why did Lenora come to see Jenny? Is Lenora going to disappear until he’s caught?”