Silent Run - Barbara Freethy [110]
“Hey, I saw you,” Jake said abruptly, his gaze on Teresa. He pointed a finger at her. “You were in the hospital outside of Sarah’s room a couple of days ago. I thought you were waiting for someone, but you were watching me.”
“You were there?” Sarah asked in amazement.
Teresa nodded. “I saw the report of the accident on the news, and I came to see how you were. I left Caitlyn with my neighbor just for an hour. When I got to the hospital and realized you had amnesia, I wasn’t sure what to do. You never told me who was after you except that it was a guy, and when I saw him,” she said, tipping her head toward Jake, “I didn’t know who he was. I decided it was safer to just keep Caitlyn with me until you got your memory back. You told me not to tell anyone no matter what happened. But maybe I should have.”
Sarah shook her head. “You did the right thing. I didn’t get my memory back until this morning, when Jake found Victor’s picture on the Internet. I’m really sorry you got hurt, Teresa. I knew I was putting you in danger. I shouldn’t have done it.”
“Don’t say that. You were forced off the side of a cliff. If you’d had Caitlyn with you, who knows what would have happened? It was my fault they got in here today. I should have been more careful.”
As Teresa finished speaking, Sarah heard sirens in the distance.
“The police,” Jake muttered. “Take Caitlyn into the living room.” He gave Sarah a gentle push.
She hesitated. “Jake—did you kill Victor? Or did Dylan?”
“I did,” he said calmly. “We were fighting for the gun and it went off. The bullet hit him in the heart— if he even had a heart.”
“I can’t believe he’s dead. Are you sure?”
“Positive. You can take a look at him when the coroner brings him out, but right now you need to stay with Caitlyn.”
“I don’t want you to go to jail. This was my fight.
Victor was my enemy. You’re the one who needs to take Caitlyn. I’ll say I killed Victor in self-defense. I’ll put the gun in my hand, cover your fingerprints with mine.” Her mind raced with what else should be done to protect Jake.
Jake’s gaze searched hers in amazement. “You want to lie for me?”
“Well, you know I’m pretty good at it,” she said, trying to make a joke, but she choked on a sob.
“Don’t tell any more lies, Sarah. It’s time for the truth.”
“Not at your expense.”
“It’s going to be all right. It was self-defense.”
She shook her head at his naïveté. He didn’t know what he was talking about. He’d never been on the wrong side of the law. She had. “You believe the system will work, that justice will be served, but that doesn’t always happen, Jake. Sometimes the bad guys win.”
He cupped her chin with his hand. “And sometimes the good guys do. Trust me. For once in your life, Sarah, trust me.”
“I do, but—”
Before she could finish they heard heavy footsteps on the porch. The police and paramedics had arrived. It was time to officially end her life on the run.
Chapter Twenty-two
“Hell of a day,” Dylan said as he joined Jake on the back deck of Teresa’s house just before nine o’clock that night. “Are you all right?”
Jake glanced down at his daughter in his arms and smiled. “Better than ever.”
The past ten hours had been filled with grueling questions from both the local police and the feds, but he had finally been released. He’d come straight back to Teresa’s house, and now he was right where he wanted to be. Caitlyn had one hand on his shoulder and the other hand on the bottle of milk she was sucking down. She stared up at him with complete trust and love. He didn’t know if she remembered him or if she was just happy with her bottle, but whatever the reason for her joy, he was thrilled. His daughter was safe, and he had her in his arms, where she belonged.
“I picked up some food,” Dylan said. “If you’re hungry. It’s inside.”
“Maybe later. Is Sarah back yet?”
“No. She’s still down at the station.”
Jake was sorry to hear that. He wondered why they were keeping her so long. She hadn’t even been in the room when he’d shot Victor. He hoped