Shielding His Christmas Witness

“All right.” She unbuckled her seat belt and then awkwardly climbed over the center console to get into the driver’s seat. She fumbled for the button to adjust the seat, moving it forward until her right foot reached the pedal.

Marc worked quickly, opening the doors just wide enough for her to drive inside. The minute she cleared the threshold, he began closing the doors behind her. She watched in the rearview mirror, frowning when she noticed he didn’t close them all the way. He disappeared for several long moments before returning inside. This time, he closed the doors tightly.

Darkness surrounded them, forcing her to turn on the headlights.

Marc opened the passenger-side door and rummaged in the glove box, taking out a flashlight and testing the batteries. “I’m going to see if I can find some sort of tracking device on the vehicle. Sit tight for a few minutes.”

She huddled behind the wheel as Marc examined the car. The task seemed to take forever before he returned. “Okay, turn off the engine.”

She switched off the headlights and twisted the key, shutting down the car. Then she scooted back over to the passenger-side seat, giving him room to get inside.

“Did you find anything?”

“No.”

“Now what?” she asked, trying to read his facial expression in the darkness.

“We wait.”

She shivered, even though the temperature inside the vehicle was relatively warm. At least for the moment. “For how long?”

He skimmed his hand over his short brown hair and let out a sigh. “For as long as it takes.”

Kari didn’t like that answer, but what could she say? Arguing wasn’t going to help. And hiding from gunmen wasn’t exactly her forte. She had to have faith, to trust that Marc knew what he was doing.

She shivered again, and he reached out to put his hand on her arm. “You okay?”

“Yes.” Even through her winter jacket, his touch had the ability to calm her nerves. Not just because he was armed.

But because she liked him. Trusted him. Not only with her life, but with that of her unborn child.

She felt safe in his care.

* * *

Marc wished he knew how on earth they’d been found at the motel. Miles would never put him in harm’s way, and being a detective, his brother was smart enough to make sure he wasn’t followed to the motel. He hadn’t found a tracking device, either, so the only logical possibility was that somehow their location had been traced through the voice-mail message that Marc had left for his boss.

Obviously, returning to the Ravenswood Motel wasn’t an option, but he also didn’t like the fact that the SUV had followed his car. He had no way of knowing if they’d managed to trace his license-plate number.

He’d feel better if they were able to obtain a new car as soon as possible.

For now, however, they were well hidden inside the ramshackle barn.

Even surrounded by darkness and the musty scent of stale hay, Marc was hyperaware of Kari sitting beside him. Her cranberry-vanilla scent reminded him of the upcoming Christmas holiday.

Normally, he volunteered to work over the holiday. He didn’t have a wife or children like so many of the other agents did and keeping busy helped pass the time. Granted, he usually spent Christmas with his mom, Nan and siblings, but that wasn’t the same as having a family of his own.

Oddly enough, the holiday season was about the only time he missed Jessica. At least the early years of their marriage, when they’d cuddled by the fire, sipping hot apple cider and talking about their future.

But then things changed. Not all at once, but little by little over time. At first Jess complained about the hours he spent working, then their arguments became more frequent, especially surrounding his disinterest in attending parties that lasted way into the night.

His mistake was encouraging her to go out without him.

A mistake that had ultimately cost Jess her life, along with the baby she carried. Identifying his wife in the morgue had been the hardest thing he’d ever done.

Slamming a door against the gut-wrenching memories, Marc forced himself to focus on the present. He needed to figure out how he was going to keep Kari safe while continuing his investigation. He felt Kari shivering beside him, so he reached up intending to start the engine.

Kari stopped him by covering his hand with hers. “Don’t,” she said in a low voice. “I don’t think running the car in an enclosed space is a good idea.”

The softness of her hand was momentarily distracting. His emotions had been in a deep freeze for years, so why were they thawing for Kari now? He gave himself a mental shake and pointed through the windshield. “See the open spaces up in the loft? They’re enough to prevent the exhaust fumes from building up to a dangerous level.”

“I’d rather not take any chances with the baby,” she protested.

He didn’t necessarily agree, but dropped his hand from the key and turned toward her. “All right, then scoot closer and lean against me as much as you can. Staying close together will maintain our body heat.”

The console between the seats prevented them from getting too close, but he managed to get his muscular arm around her slim shoulders, sharing a bit of body warmth. She held herself tensely at first, but then relaxed enough to rest her head against his shoulder.

“How long do we have to stay here?” she asked.

“As long as we can stand it.” The coldness of winter would push them to move before he liked, considering the longer they could remain hidden, the better off they would be. The Washington County Sheriff’s deputies would be on the lookout for them over the next twenty-four hours, along with the SUV that had been shooting at them, but Marc hoped to slip out of the county before that happened.

Of course, the deputies here would likely put all the surrounding counties on notice, as well. And even though they were victims, he knew the police would still want to question them.

“Marc? Is there any way for me to avoid testifying in court?”

He frowned at her question. “Listen, Kari, I’m going to keep you safe, okay?”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment. “I know you’re going to do your best, but I just wondered if my testimony was really all that critical to the case.”

He understood why she wanted out of this mess, but refusing to testify? He swallowed a surge of unease. “Yes, we do need your testimony. Jamison’s tattoo was a major factor in his arrest. You’re our key witness. Not only did you see the tattoo, but you drew it so that the officers could recognize it. I know you’re scared, especially after everything you’ve been through, but we need you to do this, Kari. We need you to testify against Jamison.”

She let out a heavy sigh. “I know. I just thought...” her voice trailed off.

He wished he could see her expression clearly. “Taking you off the witness list doesn’t guarantee that you’d be safe. I believe Jamison’s accomplices would still come after you in an attempt to silence you once and for all.” He hated making her more afraid, but she needed to understand the full extent of the danger she faced.

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