By the Book

Chapter Twelve

Amanda was just putting the last dish in the tray to drain when Jonah’s phone rang.

He tossed aside the dishtowel he’d been using and plucked the phone out of his pocket, glancing at the call display before answering. “Hey.”

He walked toward the window in the eating area as he listened to the caller. Amanda pulled the plug on the sink and let the dishwater flow down the drain. After rinsing the sink, she picked up the dishtowel Jonah had been using and began to finish drying the last of their breakfast dishes.

“Elizabeth, honey, slow down. What did Jim say?” Jonah raked his hand through his hair as he turned around and began to pace. “He’s not coming over, is he?” He glanced her way and then turned his attention back to his sister. “I’ll be there as quickly as I can.

No, I’ll be there before he gets there. Just don’t let him in until I’m there.” He listened for another few seconds. “Okay, I’m on my way.”

He closed his phone and turned to her. “That was Elizabeth.”

“I guessed as much.” Hanging up the dishtowel, she went to him. “Problem?” She wasn’t certain if she should even ask, Jonah hadn’t shared much about his life. She’d told him about her past, giving him plenty of opportunity to talk to her about his. He’d listened attentively to her, asked questions and seemed genuinely interested, but he’d never shared with her. Sure, she knew he used to be in the military and came home when his father died. She knew he ran his own business, was loyal and loved his sister and niece. Other than that, she knew nothing about his past.

If they were engaged in a long-term or permanent relationship, that would have been a problem. But they were having an affair. He didn’t owe her any explanations. She ignored the fact that her breakfast suddenly felt like a lead weight in her stomach.

“I’ve got to leave. Jim told Elizabeth he was coming over this morning. Seems he’s decided that she has something that belongs to him.”

“I thought their divorce was final.”

“It is, but he likes to make trouble.”

Amanda wasn’t quite certain how to react to that statement. Whatever the relationship between Elizabeth and her ex-husband, it was none of her business. “Of course you have to go if she needs you.”

“You keep the doors locked while I’m gone. Or better yet, you can come with me.”

She seriously thought about going with him, but really didn’t think his sister would appreciate Jonah dragging a virtual stranger into the midst of her problems with her ex-husband. “No, you go on. I’ll be fine.”

Jonah tugged her into his arms. “I wouldn’t leave you if it wasn’t important.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t know.” He released her and took a deep breath. She could almost see him debating with himself. Finally, he came to a conclusion. “He abused her.”

“What?”

“He mentally abused her and it turned physical near the end. Not many people know that. She didn’t have any proof that would have stood up in court, but the threat of exposure got her a quick divorce.”

Amanda could hardly reconcile the smooth realtor who’d sold her the house with the image of an abusive husband. But then again, she was smart enough to know that abusers came in all forms. “You have to go.” She couldn’t imagine how frightening it would be for Elizabeth to face her ex alone. No wonder the woman was adamant about getting rid of almost all their books. She didn’t need the reminders of him in her new home.

“I’ll be as quick as I can, but I have to wait until he’s come and gone.”

“Of course you do.” She gave him a shove toward the door. “Go. Elizabeth is waiting for you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” Jonah needed to be with his sister. Amanda didn’t want to be in the center of what was bound to be an unpleasant situation. Besides, she had work to take care of and chores to do. She mulled over her to-do list and came to a quick decision.

“Actually, I’m going to leave with you. I need to pick up some things at the grocery store.” Jonah paused halfway down the hallway, but she slid around him and kept going.

“I’ll just run upstairs and get my purse.”

“Amanda.” She ignored him and ran up the stairs. Grabbing her purse and sweater, she bound down the stairs again. He was waiting, his jacket already on, keys in his hand.

“This isn’t a good idea,” he protested as she went out the door in front of him.

“It’s a perfect idea. By the time I finish running errands and get home, you’ll probably already be back.” She hurried down the front walkway to her car. “Besides, I can’t stop living just because someone is harassing me.”

Jonah held her door as she slid into the driver’s seat. “It’s more than simple harassment.” His gaze went to the woods surrounding her home. “Promise me you’ll leave the groceries in the car until I get back.”

“Sure. I don’t mind leaving that chore for you,” she teased. “I’ll just take the couple bags of perishables in with me and leave the rest for you.” When he hesitated, she added,

“I have my cell phone and your sister needs you.”

He leaned down and planted a hard kiss on her lips. “Be careful.” He closed her door with a solid thunk and then strode to his truck. She backed out of the driveway and followed his truck down the road.

An hour later, Amanda let herself into her house. She struggled with the four bags of perishables she had in her arms. She’d bought more than she’d anticipated, but then Jonah had a large appetite. And not just for food. That thought brought a smile to her lips.

Humming, she locked the door and hurried to the kitchen, dropping the grocery sacks on the counter. It didn’t take her long to unpack the milk, fruit and meat and store them in the refrigerator. The rest of the groceries would be fine in her trunk until Jonah got back.

Deciding a cup of tea was what she needed, she filled the kettle and plugged it in.

She had a supply of herbal teas thanks to Cyndi and was quickly becoming addicted to them. Grabbing her favorite mug and a teabag, she waited patiently for the kettle to boil.

While she waited, she made a mental list of everything she had to accomplish today.

It was Saturday, but her business was a seven-day-a-week operation. The nice thing was that she could also take time off whenever she wanted. By the Book provided her with a good living, but more than that, she loved what she did. Yesterday had been a good day for her online store. She’d sold three of her more valuable books to a collector in California. She planned to box up the books and send them out by courier later today.

The kettle began to whistle and Amanda poured hot water over her tea bag. Not bothering to wait until the tea steeped, she picked up her mug and decided to check her email. There had been several inquiries about two of Elizabeth’s more collectible books yesterday, plus she’d had an email regarding an estate collection.

Wandering down the hallway, she sighed with satisfaction. The house was beginning to feel like home. By the Book was ready for her to open to the general public any time she wanted. The rest of the downstairs was now a cozy living space, and the last of the empty moving boxes were ready to be carried to the basement. Every room had been painted, paintings and artwork were hung and furniture was arranged. Best of all, her electrical system worked like a charm.

She went into the shop, pausing just inside the doorway to admire how good all the books looked on the shelves. Pleased, she walked to her desk, placing her mug on the corner. She was about to turn on her computer when she thought she heard a noise.

“Jonah?” Amanda went to the window and checked the driveway, but there was no sign of his truck. “This is an old house and it makes odd noises. It’s part of its charm,”

she assured herself. “Nothing to worry about.” Her nerves were on edge since the phone call yesterday.

As she turned away from the window, the phone rang. Amanda jumped and gave a nervous laugh as she reached into her pocket and withdrew her cell phone. Her heart was pounding as she answered. “Hello.”

“Hey, sugar. You okay? You sound like you’re out of breath?” Jonah’s voice washed over her, calming her racing heart.

“I’m fine. How is everything with Elizabeth?” She thought it was prudent to change the subject before Jonah pushed it. There was no way she’d admit that she was nervous being alone.

Jonah snorted. “Still no sign of Brown yet. I’m beginning to think he changed his mind. Either that or he’s just messing with Elizabeth.”

“I’m sure he’ll be there soon.”

She heard someone calling his name in the background.

“I’ve got to go, but I’ll be home soon. Elizabeth has to take Susie to dance lessons in ten minutes, regardless if Brown makes it here by then or not.” He paused and his voice lowered to what Amanda thought of as his bedroom voice. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

Amanda smiled as warmth suffused her. “I’ll see you in a bit.” She ended the call and shoved her phone back into her pocket. A whisper of a sound caught her ear, but she dismissed it. “Got to be the wind,” she muttered, feeling more alone now than she had before Jonah called.

She went back to her desk and started to sit, but changed her mind. There was no way she’d be able to settle down and work until she’d checked the house from top to bottom. Closing her eyes, she listened, but all she heard were the normal creaks and groans of her one-hundred-year-old house. The wind gusted up and the trees outside the house shivered. It was the middle of the day, for heaven’s sake. She was completely safe.

Still, she was no fool. Grabbing her cell phone, she opened it and held her finger poised over the buttons. One press would put her through to the sheriff’s office. She’d programmed it in right after the attack.

Feeling stupid and paranoid, she crept from the shop and headed toward the living room. There was no one there. She continued on through the other entrance on the far end of the room and checked out the dining room. From there, she went to the kitchen. Steam still wafted from the kettle, but the house was quiet.

Something wasn’t right. She knew it, but couldn’t exactly put her finger on what it was. “You’re losing it, you know that.” She took a deep breath to settle her jumpy stomach. Her nerves were jittery and she could feel a bead of sweat on her forehead.

“This is ridiculous.”

But ridiculous or not, she knew she had to get out of here. Tucking her cell phone into her back pocket, she grabbed her purse and keys from the counter. She’d go to Jessie’s and buy herself some lunch. Maybe she’d even call Jonah and see if he could meet her there.

Making herself walk at a sedate pace, she made her way toward the front door. She’d probably end up feeling really foolish later, but that was fine by her. She couldn’t stay here a second longer.

Amanda smelled it then, the slightest whiff of cologne. Jonah didn’t wear cologne.

She knew that scent from somewhere, but where? Her mind jumped back in time to the night of the break-in. Her attacker had been wearing that scent.

Throwing caution aside, she raced for the door, her fingers scrabbling at the lock.

Footsteps thudded behind her, but she didn’t dare look back. All her focus was on opening the door and getting out. The lock turned. She grabbed the handle.

Her heart pounded, creating a roaring sound in her ears as she yanked the door open.

A heavy male body struck hers, knocking the door closed. Amanda’s head hit the heavy panel with a hard smack. Her knees buckled, but she remained upright, reaching for the handle. She had to escape.

A hand grabbed her hair, yanking her head back. “This could have been avoided if you’d only left the damn book somewhere I could find it.”

The voice was muffled, but it was vaguely familiar. Amanda tried to place it as she struggled with her attacker. A sharp knife flashed in front of her face.

“Don’t move or I’ll cut you.” He said it so matter-of-factly that she had no doubt he’d do it.

He was taller than her and had one hand wrapped around her hair, while the other held the knife. With her back to him, she couldn’t even see what he was wearing beyond the black gloves on his hands and the black sleeves of his coat.

She stopped struggling and started to think. Jonah would be home soon. All she had to do was stall him until that happened. Or maybe she could distract her attacker long enough to make a break for it. “What do you want?”

“The book.” He said it as if she should know what he was talking about.

She licked her dry lips and tried to focus. “I have a lot of books.”

He tightened his grip on her hair and pressed the edge of the blade against her cheek.

Amanda felt the sharp bite of the knife as it sank into her flesh. She tried to jerk her head away, but it was impossible. Pain made her cry out. Blood trickled down her cheek.

“Don’t make me hurt you.” She sensed his growing excitement and knew he was enjoying her fear.

That made her angry. Taking a slow breath, she released it. “You need to tell me what book you want. You can have it. I just want you gone.”

He dragged the flat of the blade over her face. “We don’t always get what we want, Amanda.”

She shivered with revulsion as he said her name and knew he wasn’t going to leave here without hurting her. She no longer questioned her instincts. He was going to kill her when he got what he wanted. She had to watch for her chance to escape.

“I want the journal.” He dragged her backward toward her shop. She barely kept from tripping. The knife went from her face to her neck. She swallowed hard, but kept moving as he towed her into the shop.

“What journal? I keep all the journals on this shelf.” She pointed to one of the shelves just to the side of her desk. He pulled her alongside it.

Keeping the knife pressed to her neck, he released his grip on her hair and began to yank out book after book, tossing it angrily aside. When he got to the last one, he pushed her up against the bookcase. “What game are you playing? It’s not here.”

How much time had passed since he’d grabbed her? It felt like an eternity, but it was probably less than five minutes. “Those are all the journals I have.” Even as she said it, she remembered the book upstairs in her nightstand.

Seizing her by the hair again, he yanked her head back. “Where is the journal Elizabeth Brown gave you?”

Everything clicked into place and she suddenly knew who he was. She had to stay calm and not let on that she knew his identity or he might kill her now and be done with it. “Upstairs. It’s upstairs.”

“Let’s go.” He marched her toward the door. “And if you’re playing games with me, I’ll slit your pretty little throat. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” She didn’t dare nod with the knife pressed so tightly to her throat.

As they entered the hallway, she felt a stirring in the air. Danger seemed to fill the space around them. Without seeing him, she knew Jonah had arrived.

“Brown!”

Her captor spun both of them around to face the end of the hallway near the kitchen.

But it wasn’t Jonah who stood there. This man was massive. About six-foot-six, he was as wide as a mountain. Where Jonah was lithe and lean, this man was wide and solid. His hair was black and his eyes were a piercing golden-brown.

Amanda had no idea who he was.

“I’ll cut her.” As if to prove his point, he pressed the blade against her throat and she felt the warm trickle of her blood yet again as it glided down her neck.

The massive stranger held his hands out at his sides as if to show them he wasn’t armed. Amanda almost snorted. The man didn’t need to have a weapon to be a threat.

Even she could see that. And it wasn’t just his size. It was the confident way he held himself. He reminded her of Jonah.

“Now you don’t want to hurt the pretty lady.” The stranger kept his voice low, his tone conversational.

“I will if I have to.” She could feel her captor start to shake. With fear or anger, she wasn’t sure, but either way it didn’t bode well for her. The blade rested at the edge of her flesh, ready to slice deep at any second.

She tensed her muscles, waiting for an opportunity. If her captor got distracted even for one second, she was going to make a break for it.

The stranger leaned negligently against the wall, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Now if you do that Jonah’s going to have to kill you.”

Her captor jerked back at the threat. Amanda felt the blade drop slightly. Striking as fast as she could, she shoved her hands upward with all her might, knocking her captor’s arms aside.

The world exploded around her, yet it all seemed to happen in slow motion.

The stranger reached out and grabbed her, pulling her away from her captor. She felt the warmth of his hand around hers as he jerked her to safety. At the same moment, her captor yelled in agony as his hand was ruthlessly yanked away. Amanda heard the sharp snap of a bone breaking.

The world sped up again, returning to normal. Amanda gasped as strong arms wrapped around her. The stranger was talking to her, but she wasn’t listening. She couldn’t take her eyes off the scene in front of her.

Jonah had appeared from out of nowhere and had her captor facedown on the floor.

He must have been waiting in the living room for his chance to pounce, although she hadn’t seen or heard him. Jonah fastened some sort of plastic restraints around her attacker’s wrists, ignoring the man’s scream as he pulled them tight.

It was obvious to her that her attacker’s hand was broken. The knife he’d held on her was on the floor a few feet from her. She shivered at the sight of her blood on the weapon. Jonah had his knee in the other man’s back and had his head pulled back at an awkward angle. “I should just kill you now and be done with it,” he growled. “But that would be too easy.” Jonah slammed the man’s head down onto the floor and then ripped off the mask he was wearing.

Although she’d guessed who her attacker was, seeing Jim Brown lying on her floor was still somewhat of a shock.

“Jonah.” She’d meant to speak louder, but his name barely came out as a whisper.

Jonah’s head snapped around and their eyes met. He was beside her before she could blink, pulling her into his arms. “Let me see how badly you’re hurt.” He tilted her head back and examined the cut on her neck and the one on her cheek. “It might leave a scar, but I don’t think either of them will need stitches.”

She started to shiver from the shock. Jonah sat down on the stairs and pulled her into his arms. The stranger took off his jacket and laid it over her. “I’m Levi Mann, ma’am.

It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His touch was gentle as he tucked it around her.

“Amanda Barrington.” She slipped her hand out from beneath his coat and offered it to him. “Thank you for helping to save me.”

He nodded solemnly. “My pleasure, ma’am.” He gave her hand a light squeeze before tucking it back beneath the coat.

“I don’t understand.” Amanda was still confused. “Why are you here?”

A brief grin flashed on his face. “Jonah’s had me out in the woods this past week watching your house.” Sirens blared in the distance. “Here come the cops.”

Jonah tightened his hold on her and she snuggled closer. Once again, Jonah had saved her life. “I’ve got you,” he promised.

She closed her eyes and nodded, wishing he’d never let her go.