Protecting His Heart (A James Family Novel Book 1) Read online

  Apparently, when you refuse a proposal from the boss's son, you lose your good graces with the whole family and have no choice but to go into hiding.

  But, hey, now she got to live in some podunk town in the Blue Ridge Mountains and share her parking space with the annoying Mr. Smith. What more could a girl ask for?

  No, she wasn't bitter. Not one little bit.

  Her cell phone rang loudly in her purse causing Lucy to jerk the wheel of her car violently. When would she stop reacting so hard to such innocent sounds?

  Grabbing the cell, she took a deep breath to settle her nerves before she spoke.

  "Hello?"

  "Lucy? It's Mulholland." Her witsec agent. Damn it. If Jack Mulholland was calling her something was up. Something not good. Not good at all.

  "What's up, Jack? Haven't heard from you in months."

  "Unfortunately, this isn't a social call."

  She groaned. Mulholland never made social calls but to have him be so frank about it unnerved her. "So, what sort of call is it then?"

  "Salvatore Junior is on the move. Word is he didn't take kindly to being rejected and not having the chance to redeem his honor with your untimely demise. From what I gather, he's convinced you are still alive so he hired some big shot private detectives to look for you. There's been a lot of activity on your old name."

  "So, have they found me yet, Jack?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. Mulholland wouldn't have called if there wasn't some concern for her safety.

  "I don't rightly know, Luce. I'm looking into it, but I thought you needed a heads up, just in case. So, watch your back. The Riccis have put a hit out on you. You haven't told anyone who you are, have you?"

  "Of course not!" Anger and indignation at his accusation colored her words.

  "I didn't think so. Really, I didn't. I just had to ask to be sure. We've never had a better charge in the program than you, Lucy. I'm so sorry the news wasn't better."

  She sighed heavily. "Honestly, Jack, the only thing that surprises me is that it took Sal this long to make a move. He was not at all happy with me when I refused his ring."

  "Well, girl, you just watch your step and you call me if anything—and I mean anything out of the ordinary happens, okay?"

  "I will. I promise."

  "Good girl. I'll be in touch."

  The line went dead. Salvatore Ricci Jr. was looking for her. It was only a matter of time before he found her. Sal always got his way and his father's crime contacts were as deep and far reaching as the roots of a hundred year old oak tree.

  At least one thing worked in her favor. Sal had a sick sense of humor. He liked to toy with people like a cat tortures a mouse before pouncing on it and killing it. She would become his prey. He would take his time, enjoy the hunt a little before trying to snuff her out. Plenty of time for her to disappear into witness protection again.

  She groaned as she wondered what sort of persona they would cook up for her next time. Nanny? Nun? Oh, wouldn't that be a hoot. Angelina Ferrara, former NYPD detective, undercover as a nun.

  Lucy sighed again. She was so tired of being on the run, hiding away from everything she loved. She missed her family, her friends, her job. Being a cop was who she was. Something Lucy—Angelina—had wanted since she was old enough to say the word. If she had had her way, she would have stayed in the city instead of being forced out. She would have fought the Riccis. Sure, she would have been constantly watching over her shoulder for shadows, checking under her car for explosives, and making sure there were no mysterious "gas leaks" in her apartment, but at least she would have been home in the city where things made sense. Her captain had not even given her a choice.

  There was an upside to her predicament. She didn't have to listen to her mother rant and rave any more about not having a house full of bambinos and bambinas to fill her days as a grandmother. Floria Ferrara had never understood her only daughter's choice to do a menial job like police work. In her mind, Angelina was destined to be a mother and a wife to some Italian businessman—it didn't matter whether the business was legal as long as the babies kept coming. Poor Floria must be a real mess losing her only daughter. According to Jack, the world thought she had died at the hands of the Ricci family. If they already thought she was dead, no one would miss her if one of Sal's goons got his hands on her.

  Lucy cursed the whole Ricci family as she drove down the quiet Virginia road. In time, the aggravation simmered to a low boil, and she began to relax a little, taking in her surroundings. Although she missed the excitement and familiarity of the city, the Blue Ridge Mountains were stunning in the late afternoon light. She watched the haze of fall circle around the distant peaks as she made her way to her little rental house on the lake. It wasn't her parent's fancy place in the city, but it was cute and cozy, and she felt safe there.

  The loud roar of an engine pulled Lucy from her reverie. Glancing in her rearview mirror, she caught sight of a dark colored SUV with darkly tinted windows bearing down on her.

  "You need to slow down, buddy," she muttered as she tried to gauge the other vehicle's speed, but it was coming up on her at an alarming rate. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Lucy ran through her options. She didn't have many.

  Her little car had an engine about as powerful as a hamster wheel. There was no way she was going to outrun the truck that was accelerating with lightning speed. On one side of her was a deep ravine, the other the steep slope of a mountain towered high and tree covered. The steering wheel shook violently as she pushed her little car to its limits, sheer adrenaline keeping her focused on the winding road. As she rounded a sharp curve, the back tires spun and fishtailed out from behind her. The tiny car shook violently as Lucy struggled to maintain control. The SUV caught up with her then, ramming into her rear bumper. The car groaned but held on. Lucy spun the wheel to make the next sharp curve, all the while her eyes searched for a way off the dangerous mountain highway. Another crash from behind jolted her car forward with such force Lucy lost her grip on the steering wheel. The car veered right but she managed to straighten it out before hitting the tree line.

  "What the hell do you want with me?" she screamed at the truck in her rear-view mirror.

  The driver responded by slamming into the back of her car again. Metal ground against metal, gravel flew everywhere, and the car careened toward a thick bank of trees to her left. Straightening the car once more, Lucy crushed the gas pedal to the floor and watched as the speedometer climbed quickly. Lucy felt the little rush of excitement she always got in a good pursuit despite the fact that now she was the one being pursued.

  She whipped around yet another curve, and the SUV caught up with her. Just as she managed to get her little car under control again, the SUV crashed into her back end again with such force Lucy thought her car might shatter there in the middle of the road. The little car veered to the right, aiming straight for the side of the road and the ravine beyond. Lucy tried to regain control but the effort was in vain. She braced herself as the car plowed through thick vegetation, hit something, and started to slide down the steep embankment.

  She heard the growl of the SUV's engine roaring away over the revving of her own engine as the tiny car crashed through the underbrush. The car flew over a log and landed on the slick vegetation covering the incline then slowly rolled its way down the slope, finally landing up against the trunk of a large pine tree where the engine died. Lucy's head smacked against the steering wheel knocking her near to senseless. Everything fell deathly silent as she fought to remain conscious.

  A loud crack broke the silence. As she watched through the broken windshield, the tree in front of her began to wobble. Blood trailed from her forehead into her left eye blurring her already shaky vision. Rubbing at it with the back of her arm, she used her other hand to desperately claw at the seat belt release.

  If she didn't get out of the car, the tree was going to fall right on top of her.

  The giant pine swayed once and then began
its descent toward Lucy and her crumpled car. Yanking hard at the jammed seat belt, her head swimming and her stomach churning, Lucy finally freed herself. Just as the tree crushed the roof of her car, like it were nothing more than a tin can, Lucy pulled her body through the opening that used to be the driver's side window.

  Cracking wood and crunching metal stirred up a cacophony of birds and small animals protesting the intrusion in their habitat. Lucy lay on the damp moss and rotting leaves, her heart banging against her chest wall. The sound of her pulse racing in her ears muted the sound of the creaks and groans as the tree settled against what was left of her car. Every inch of her body hurt, but her head ached most of all.

  "What do I do now?" Lucy called out to the empty forest. For the first time since Jack Mulholland whisked her away into witness protection, she cried.

  After a year's worth of anger, fear, and sadness had fallen from her eyes, Lucy wiped away the moisture and forced herself to sit up. Even with no one around to witness it, Lucy was embarrassed at the show of weakness.

  The sun was setting; soon the woods would be really dark. It was time to find a way back to the top of the ravine.

  Ignoring her pounding head, Lucy grabbed a low hanging branch and used it to pull herself up off the ground. The world spun and tilted, and her legs were shaky, but she managed to remain upright after a couple of tries. When she was confident she wouldn't collapse, she stumbled to her completely totaled car and peered inside. Her purse—and the cell phone inside—sat on the passenger side floorboard completely out of reach. The doors were too crushed to open. Tree branches heavy with pine sap poked at her clothes. One particularly sharp branch caught on her blouse and tore it across the top of her left breast leaving a gaping hole in the fabric and a bright red scratch on the tender flesh beneath.

  Lucy cursed, a long string of four letter words that would have made a truck driver blush.

  "There has to be a way to get that phone. Your life depends on it, lady," Lucy told herself when she had calmed down enough to think straight.

  If she could find something to use like a fishing pole to grab her bag, she might be able to drag it out of the car. Searching her surroundings in the quickly waning light, Lucy's eyes settled on a long, thin branch that had broken off the tree when it fell. One end was hook shaped—just right to grab the strap of her bag and drag it closer to her.

  Praying the branch wouldn't snap in half, she fed it through the driver's side window a little at a time until the hooked end reached her bag. After a few false starts, she managed to hook the strap and slowly pull it across the console and onto the driver's seat. Her phone was tucked inside the front pocket, right where she always kept it. Her hands shaking, Lucy turned it on and began to dial 911.

  No service. Damn it all to hell. Cell service could be shaky out by her lake house, but was she really so far from town now that her phone couldn't even manage a 911 call?

  Sighing heavily, Lucy resisted the urge to throw the phone on the ground and stomp on it. If she could find a way to get back up to the road, the phone might have service there.

  She just had to get to the top. No problem, right? Her head ached, but the cut on her forehead seemed to have stopped bleeding at least.

  Tucking her phone into her bra so it would be easily accessible, she pulled the long strap of her bag onto her shoulder and across her body. Scowling at that morning's choice of footwear, Lucy wished she'd chosen a more practical flat over the heel she had on.

  She'd have to take her chances. Going barefoot would be dangerous. The heels would have to do. Taking a deep breath to try and calm the nausea churning in her stomach, Lucy began her trek up the ravine.

  The terrain was rough, the climb treacherous. She slipped, struggling to find hand and foot holds but she persevered. Lucy wasn't a quitter. If she were, she would have died that last night in the city. No, she wasn't going to live through that and the year and a half that followed only to die alone in the middle of the woods somewhere. She'd make her way back up to the road and call Jack for help. He'd come to her rescue, and they would find out who had just tried to kill her. As if she didn't already know.

  Halfway up, the sun had completely set. It would have been impossible to see anything, but a full moon had risen, its brilliant reflectance breaking through the canopy often enough to light her way. Lucy never even considered not making it to the road until she reached to grab a tree root that wasn't attached to a tree anymore. Rocks and dirt and Lucy tumbled down the slope of the ravine. She rolled uncontrollably, fear and pain making her cry out with every turn. Unable to stop her descent, she continued down the ground she had just covered until her body settled up against a rotting stump.

  Rotten wood and termites filled the air in a cloud of dust making her cough. She clawed at her hair and clothes to get the insects off. She could take a lot of things, but not bugs. She steered clear of anything that didn't walk on two legs, but bugs were the worst. She slapped at herself over and over making sure they were gone until her skin stung and her hair was an even bigger mess. Sharp pain shot through her side as she rose to her feet. She could already feel the bruises starting to form along her rib cage.

  At least she hadn't rolled all the way back down. Her wrecked car sat about fifty feet below. Lucy's tumble had settled her on a bit of a ledge. Maybe she was close enough to the road to get a signal on her cell phone. A great idea except her phone was no longer in her bra where she had tucked it earlier.

  "Damn it all to hell!"

  The words echoed through the trees, aggravating her even more. She needed a plan. No knight in shining armor was going to come along and rescue her. She'd have to take care of herself, like she always had.

  As Lucy stood there in the dark contemplating what, if any, options she had left, the clouds parted overhead allowing moonlight to filter between the tree tops again. A slight reflection caught the corner of her eye.

  "There you are! Thank God!"

  Her phone lay face down in the rotting leaves and underbrush. Using every bit of energy she had left, Lucy bent over ignoring the sharp, searing pain in her ribs and scooped up the cellular device.

  The phone was in several pieces at the base of a tree.

  "Am I really going die here alone in the middle of the woods?" she yelled to the dark sky. She was going to die—for real this time—and no one would ever know.

  What did it really matter if she never got out of the damned ravine anyway? Who would miss her? Not a single soul.

  That's enough! You are smart and resourceful. Find a way out of this. And when you do, find Salvatore Junior and kick his ass!

  Lucy was a New York City cop, and she was Italian. Genetically, she was incapable of giving up. Ferraras never caved...ever...and she was a Ferrara through and through. As stubborn as a bull, her mother always claimed.

  Ignoring the soreness in her side, Lucy started trudging back up the side of the ravine. God help Salvatore Junior...

  As Lucy was planning the many ways she wanted to inflict pain on Salvatore, a voice called out, echoing across the ravine.

  "Hello? Anybody down there?" The words were like music to her ears.

  "Here!" she called out. "I'm here!"

  "Are you hurt?"

  "Banged up a little and I have one hell of a headache, but I'm okay."

  "Okay! Sit tight! I'll be back in a minute!"

  Leaning her weight against one of the many pine trees, Lucy closed her eyes and held her injured side gingerly. It felt good to rest for a minute. "No problem!" she called up the incline. "I needed a break anyway!"

  5

  Logan

  He wasn't sure how far down she was or how badly she was hurt, but her voice was faint enough to worry him.

  Logan drove his Jeep off the roadway so the winch faced the ravine. Getting as close as he dared without risking the vehicle toppling over the side, he set the emergency brake and wrapped the strong chain attached to his back bumper around a sturdy looking tree.


  "You still doing all right down there?" he called over the slope as he worked.

  "So far!" the faint voice answered.

  Grateful that rappelling was one of his favorite hobbies, he pulled a strong harness and some carabineers from a duffle bag in the back to secure to the chain on the winch. He really hoped whoever was at the bottom of that gully was strong enough and knowledgeable enough to get strapped into the harness. When the full moon slipped behind a cloud, he switched on the Jeep's headlights. The bright lights were blinding at first. His eyes had been accustomed to the darkness, but once they adjusted he could almost make out the outline of the trunk of a small car. Judging from what little he could see, the woman was lucky to have survived the wreck.

  "Are you getting any light?" His voice carried through the night. Logan tried to keep his tone light as he set up the equipment.

  "A little." Her words wavered some.

  He had to keep her talking, if she lost consciousness, he would have to go down there after her. "Can you tell me what happened?"

  "I went off the road. Car's in pretty bad shape," came the very faint reply. Logan worked faster tying knots and hooking up ropes.

  "Just give me another half a minute. Almost ready!"

  "Okay."

  It was sheer luck that Logan had even noticed the short skid marks veering off the shoulder. He'd been so preoccupied after his quick burger and fries at McCauly's Pub that he made a wrong turn and ended up on the mostly deserted highway. If he hadn't been watching so closely for street signs, he might never have noticed the trampled brush.

  If he had just driven on by, like he almost did, the poor woman stranded down there might have spent the night. Or worse, never have been found.