Yuletide Fugitive Threat. Sandra Robbins

“I’m so sorry, Lucas. I hope I didn’t keep you from going to work.”

      “I have an office here. I had some paperwork I took care of, so it was no problem.”

      She pushed to her feet and busied herself folding the afghan. “I’ll get out of here. Thank you for everything today. I’ll give you my cell phone number so you can contact me when you have any news about Tony Chapman.”

      She reached to put the afghan on the back of the sofa, but she froze at the sharp words he uttered. “And where are you going?”

      His voice had a hoarse rasp to it. Was that anger she heard? Or was she so used to hearing Kyle’s harsh tone that she looked for it in everyone she encountered? She bit her lip and laid the afghan down before she turned to face him. “I don’t know yet, but I’ll let you know when I get settled, maybe in a hotel.”

      “I thought you didn’t have any money.”

      She frowned. What was with the interrogation? She swallowed hard and tried to remain calm. “I have a little. I think I can afford a cheap motel.”

      He pushed to his feet and took a step toward her. He stuck his hands in his pockets and stared at her without blinking. “I have a few questions before you leave.”

      “Okay.”

      He advanced, and she inched backward until her legs bumped the sofa, and she sank onto it. Lucas took a deep breath as he towered over her. “I need to know more about Kyle, so I can figure out what might have made someone want to kill him. You said he isolated you from friends, he wouldn’t let you work, and in the past few years, he never took you with him to business events. Other than that, how did he treat you?”

      Her fingers shook, and she laced them together to hold them still. “H-he was my husband. H-he treated me like I was his wife.”

      Lucas’s steel blue eyes bored into hers, and she dropped her gaze. “And what does that mean? Was he kind? Did he make you happy? Did he love you?”

      Her face burned from his intense gaze, and she cast a furtive glance down at her hands. “Lucas, I don’t see what this has to do with finding the man who killed him.”

      With a sigh, he sat on the sofa next to her. When she peeked over at him, she saw him staring down at his feet for a moment before he reached over, pulled one of her hands loose from the other and wrapped his fingers around hers. She started to draw away from him, but he tightened his grip. She opened her mouth to protest, but the sad look in his eyes stopped her. “It’s all right, Mia,” he said, his gentle tone piercing the barricades around her heart. “I know what kind of love he gave you. So tell me the truth.”

      For a moment she couldn’t respond. Her mouth trembled as she realized that for years, there’d been nobody she could tell. Now a man who had been kinder to her than any other in her entire life was asking for the truth. She couldn’t refuse, but when she opened her mouth to speak, the words wouldn’t come. A keening wail drifted from her throat, and she closed her eyes as the tears began to stream down her face. She took a deep breath.

      “All right!” she sobbed. “My marriage was a nightmare. Kyle was a monster, and I lived in fear that every day would be the one when he would finally go too far and kill me.”

      She felt him move closer, and she glanced up just as he reached out and patted her shoulder. That only produced more tears. “Why didn’t you come to me?” he whispered. “I would have helped you.”

      The sorrow in his eyes pierced her heart, and she pulled free of him and turned her face into the soft afghan she’d just folded minutes before. He didn’t say anything as she sobbed but patted her shoulder from time to time and uttered some soothing words.

      After several minutes she sat up and wiped at her eyes. Her pulse was still racing, but it was freeing to finally admit to someone what her life had been like. And she was glad Lucas was the one she could tell.

      “After Kyle and I were married, I discovered very quickly why my father had wanted me to marry him. He was like my father, but worse. He didn’t allow me to make any decisions, not even about the clothes I wore. He picked out everything, provided everything and wanted me at home when he got there. The abuse wasn’t too bad at first. If I displeased him, didn’t cook a meal the way he liked it, he would slap me. Then one night things escalated.”

      “What happened?”

      “He was watching the news, and the reporter did a story about your brother, Adam, bringing in a fugitive wanted in a high-profile case. Adam told about the Knight Agency, and he mentioned that his younger brother was serving in the navy SEALs but was arriving home on leave soon. I made the mistake of saying that I was glad you had pursued your goal, and Kyle went wild. He accused me of still being in love with you and of plotting to meet you when you came home on leave. That’s the first night I had to go to the hospital.”

      Lucas’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he swallowed hard. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

      She waved her hand in dismissal. “It wasn’t your fault. I’d made the mistake of marrying him. After that, though, things got worse.”

      “Why didn’t you leave?”

      She shrugged. “I tried to once, but he found me and brought me back. That was one of the worst beatings. He told me if I ever left again, he’d kill me. He hired a maid after that to keep tabs on me. She reported every little thing I did to Kyle.”

      Lucas squeezed her hand tighter and then released it. “I’m so sorry you had to endure this. I wish I could have helped you.”

      “It’s okay, Lucas. I’ve been alone for so long that I don’t expect much from anybody anymore.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she could barely make out his image even though he sat next to her. “But, please, help me now. I’m never going to be free of Kyle and the life he made me live until his killer is caught.”

      He smiled at her, and for the first time in years she felt some hope. Maybe she could overcome the fear she’d lived in for so long.

      “Don’t worry, Mia. I’ll help you, and I promise I’ll do everything in my power to find this guy and keep you safe from him.”

      Her eyes filled with tears again. “I was so afraid to come here. I didn’t know if you’d even listen to me. I can never tell you how much I appreciate your help.”

      Telling Lucas about her life hadn’t been easy, but she felt better, almost as if a dam had burst and all the memories that threatened her sanity had poured out. Maybe this was the beginning of a new life for her. She hoped so.

      She had no idea what she’d do once Tony Chapman was back in jail where he belonged, but at least she’d be free. Free to go and do as she pleased. And free of everything that tied her to the past. And Lucas was going to make that happen.

       THREE

      Lucas walked to the window in the living room and stared outside. The discovery of what Mia’s marriage had been like had almost sucked the breath out of him. He raked his hand through his hair and groaned. Even if he had spent the past seven years trying to come to grips with the anger he’d felt for her, he would never have wanted her to endure what she’d had to go through.

      He glanced around. She still sat on the sofa, her eyes downcast and her hands clasped in her lap. He’d thought she looked like a waif when she’d arrived. Now he realized she was a battered woman. Not only had Kyle hurt her physically, he had hurt her emotionally, and Lucas had no idea how to deal with it.

      However, he did know how to deal with danger, and, from what Mia had told him, she was in a lot of danger right now. The one thing he still hadn’t figured out was how Mia’s caller had known she was at his house. If he hadn’t followed her here, he had to have some way of keeping tabs on her. The answer hit him, and he groaned again.

      “Of course. The car.” He whirled around from