INNOCENT FUGITIVE

Erin Eagleton has been on the run for months after her ex-boyfriend was killed in front of her. She escaped from the killer once, but the police consider her a prime suspect. She is determined to prove her innocence and bring down the real criminal…before he finishes the job. Her high school sweetheart, Capitol K-9 officer Chase Zachary, has been searching for her with his trusty police dog. Now that he’s found her, he vows to keep her safe at all costs. He’ll stop at nothing to reveal the truth—and to protect the woman he’s never forgotten.

Capitol K-9 Unit: These lawmen solve the toughest cases with the help of their brave canine partners.

She heard pounding footsteps coming toward her.

A dog’s woof caused her to stumble. Right into two waiting hands.

Erin started fighting, kicking and screaming as she tried to gain a foothold.

The dog started barking but stood back in a frenzied dance.

And the man holding her did something that surprised her and caused her whole world to tilt.

He shouted “Heel” at the big dog and then he called her by her name. “Erin? Erin? It’s me. It’s Chase.”

Erin stopped fighting, her fists relaxing against his solid chest, her gaze halting on the face she remembered so well. Her voice cracked, and she blinked to clear her head. “Chase?”

“It’s okay,” he said in a whisper. “You’re safe now, understand? You’re with me now, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

LENORA WORTH writes award-winning romance and romantic suspense. Three of her books finaled in the ACFW Carol Awards, and her Love Inspired Suspense novel Body of Evidence became a New York Times bestseller. Her novella in Mistletoe Kisses made her a USA TODAY bestselling author. With sixty books published and millions in print, she goes on adventures with her retired husband, Don, and enjoys reading, baking and shopping…especially shoe shopping.

Proof of Innocence

Lenora Worth

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,

And before honor is humility.

—Proverbs 18:12

To my fellow authors in this series: Shirlee McCoy, Terri Reed, Lynette Eason, Margaret Daley and Valerie Hansen. I love and appreciate all of you!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

EPILOGUE

DEAR READER

Extract

Copyright

ONE

An urgent heartbeat pounded through Erin Eagleton’s temples each time her sneakered feet hit the dry, packed earth. She stumbled, grabbed at a leafy sapling and checked behind her again. The tree’s slender limbs hit at her face and neck when she let go, leaving welts across her cheekbones, but she kept running. The sun slid in a shimmering-gold descent beyond the trees to the west as dusk settled like a vivid red-orange blanket over the sticky, hot Virginia hillside. Soon it would be full dark and she would have to find a safe place to hide.

Winded and damp with a cold sweat that made her shiver as it snaked down her backbone, Erin tried to catch her breath. Did she dare stop and try to find another path?

The sound of approaching footsteps behind her caused Erin to stare through her nonprescription black-framed glasses into the growing darkness. Making a split-second decision, she took off to the right and headed deeper into the woods. She had to keep running until she came to a highway or a hideaway. But she was so tired. Would she ever be free?

Dear Lord, I’m so lost. I don’t know where to turn.

Memories of Chase Zachary moved through her head, causing tears to prick at her eyes. Her first love. Her high school sweetheart who now worked as a K-9 officer with an elite Washington, DC, team. A team that was investigating her.

From what she’d read on the internet and in the local papers, Chase had been one of the first officers on the scene that horrible night.

She’d thought about calling him a hundred times over these past few months, but Erin wasn’t sure she could trust even Chase. The last time they’d seen each other, on the very evening this nightmare had taken place, he hadn’t been very friendly. And why should he be kind toward her? He probably hated her for breaking his heart when they were so young.

But then just about everybody else along the Beltway and possibly even in the entire metro area surrounding DC hated her right now. Erin had been on the run for months. She knew running made her look guilty, but she’d had no other choice since she’d witnessed the murder of Michael Jeffries, and she’d almost been killed herself. The authorities thought she was the killer and until she could prove otherwise, Erin had to stay hidden.

The media had already condemned her with a relentless assault that had her face plastered all over television news reports and newspaper headlines. Whole hours of cable news had been dedicated to dissecting her life. How could anyone stand up to such scrutiny?

The reports had at first painted her as an allegedly scorned ex-girlfriend who’d possibly murdered prominent Washington lawyer Michael Jeffries because he’d broken up with her. None of which was true. Michael had been too caught up in his crusade against corruption to even have time to break up with her, and besides, their relationship was mostly for “show,” to please their political families. Tired of the ruse, she’d actually gone to dinner with Michael on that cold night to break things off with him. But Michael had been too upset about another situation in his life for her to tell him it was over between them, publicly and privately. He’d found out he might have a young relative living in a foster home and he’d insisted he had to get home and do some more digging for the truth.

Erin still remembered Michael’s frantic attempts to explain the situation. “I can’t tell you everything, Erin. I don’t want to accuse anyone of wrongdoing, but I will find out the truth. I think I can prove I’m right. I need more time. And I’m going to talk to my father and make him tell me the truth.”

They’d parted ways, and Erin had decided to go for a walk.

Later, concerned about his state of mind, she’d searched for Michael and found him at his father’s estate outside the city.

At least the news reports had one thing right about that night. Michael had been murdered.

And she knew who’d killed him because she’d witnessed the whole horrible scene. But no one would believe her if she told the truth—that Congressman Harland Jeffries had killed his own son, had worked to pin the murder on Erin and had tried to have her killed, too.

Now Erin Eagleton was a wanted woman.

And if she couldn’t get away from the man chasing her so she could prove her innocence, she’d soon be going to jail.

Or—she’d soon be dead.

* * *

Chase Zachary held the delicate cashmere scarf to his nose, the lingering scent of the expensive floral perfume making him remember the touch of her lips on his. Chase remembered way too many things about the girl he’d loved and lost years ago in high school. But right now he’d give anything to find Erin once again.

Help me, Lord. Help me to find her before it’s too late.

She was out here in these woods, lost and afraid. Chase had been searching for her for close to five months, while on duty and often on his own time, too. He’d never believed Erin capable of murdering Congressman Jeffries’s son Michael and shooting the congressman, so he’d been trying to find enough evidence to disprove the original theory that had her as the scorned girlfriend who’d been at the scene of the crime. So many things about this case didn’t add up, but at least now they had a witness who said the congressman had shot his son.

That witness, an aide named Leon Ridge, was now in custody. After being caught a few days ago after planting a bomb, he’d finally caved and explained that the congressman had accidentally shot Michael and then, in an effort to cover it up, he’d had Leon shoot him so he could insist that some unseen assailant had attacked both of them. And the congressman had hinted that Erin might be involved. Crazy, but Leon had done a good job following orders. The congressman’s injuries had been severe enough to make it look real, but Leon Ridge swore his version was the truth.

“And what about Erin Eagleton?” Chase had asked the bouncer of an aide. Rumor around the city was that Leon’s only qualification involved handling delicate matters for the congressman.

“I don’t know anything about her,” Leon had retorted. Then he’d started fidgeting.

“You mean you haven’t heard all the news reports alleging she was the shooter? She’s missing, in case you didn’t know.”

“I don’t watch the news.”

“Right. But you probably know that Congressman Jeffries is wanted on corruption charges. He’s missing. Could have left the country.”

Shock had turned Leon’s skin a sickly pale.

The captain had stood up. “Let us know when you’re ready to tell us what really happened that night, Ridge. Think about it long and hard because until we find Erin Eagleton and the congressman, you’re our main suspect.”

“Hey, I told you the truth. The congressman accidentally shot his son.”

“And you were forced to shoot him at his request to make it look like an unknown assailant did it,” Chase had reminded him. “That’s a tall tale, for sure.” Then he’d asked Leon Ridge the one question burning through him. “Was Erin at the congressman’s estate that night?”

“Like I said,” Ridge had insisted in a quick rush of breath, “I don’t know anything about Erin Eagleton.”

Ridge still maintained he was telling the truth, but Chase didn’t believe him. More like, he was covering his own hide until Erin turned up. Ridge had clammed up even more when two fancy lawyers had visited him.

Now Erin was still out there on the run, afraid for her life. Chase needed to find her to tell her that they had new information that might clear her name.

And he wanted to tell her that it had all started with a two-year-old boy.

A maid named Rosa Gomez who worked for the congressman had been found dead the day before Michael Jeffries was shot. The congressman was wounded the night Michael died and at first claimed he hadn’t seen the shooter. Erin’s starfish necklace was found at the scene of the shooting—Chase had verified that since he’d seen her earlier on the night of the shooting. After that, everything pointed to Erin as a witness or person of interest, but no one had been able to find her.

Then a kid named Tommy Benson from the All Our Kids foster home not far from the congressman’s estate confessed that he’d sneaked out that night and witnessed the congressman holding a gun. But the kid also said Michael was still alive when he was there. Tommy hadn’t seen Erin there. He didn’t even recognize her in a picture. Chase couldn’t imagine Erin arriving after that and committing such a cold-blooded crime. No way.

But things were unraveling for the pompous congressman. The dead maid had left behind a little boy who carried the same scallop-shaped light brown birthmark as the congressman and his son Michael. Strong evidence that the rumors about the boy being Harland Jeffries’s son could be true. And maybe...it was one of the reasons Michael had been murdered. Congressman Jeffries stood to lose everything if he’d been having an affair with his maid and had a secret child whom he’d let languish in foster care.

But would that alone force him to kill his adult son?

The team had finally found evidence of corruption by the congressman...in his own meticulous records. They’d also had a break when they’d arrested several of his top aides, but no one wanted to talk. They’d planned to bring in Congressman Harland Jeffries on corruption charges and to question him about the murdered maid since the evidence was mounting on that one, too. But the congressman had fled. No one could locate him and Leon Ridge talked only about his version of what had happened the night Michael had died.

But Ridge had admitted to planting a bomb to kill K-9 team member Isaac Black and DC General Hospital nurse Daniella Dunne, trying to make it look as if Daniella’s mobster father, Terence Fagan, had done the job. Congressman Jeffries knew the nurse had seen his birthmark, the same birthmark that Michael and little Juan Gomez had on their shoulder. More evidence that Juan was a Jeffries.

That admission at least showed Leon Ridge as a henchman for the congressman and proved that the congressman wanted the Capitol K-9 team to stop this investigation.

Ridge was a witness to whatever really happened the night Michael was murdered, but he refused to even discuss Erin’s involvement.

Someone had put a muzzle on Ridge. Why?

Was the congressman trying to get to Erin before she could finally tell the truth about what happened at his estate that night?

“I know you didn’t do this,” Chase said, his gaze scanning the countryside. Fiona Fargo, who worked as a technician for the team, had been helping to track any chatter regarding Congressman Jeffries or Erin Eagleton, and had seen some interesting search efforts in the internet cafés in and around this area. When she’d found a Wi-Fi hot spot at a local hotel, she’d let the team know some of the searches might be coming from Erin. And she’d found evidence that Erin was picking up work there as a waitress. That explained how she had cash to carry her through.

Chase hoped he could find Erin soon, and he wished he could have helped her the night of the murder, or at least stopped her from going to the Jeffries estate. But they’d bumped into each other near the Washington Monument and the tension between them had somehow overshadowed any clear thinking.

She hadn’t even realized Chase was jogging along the path until he stopped and called her name. “Erin?”

Erin had whirled, her honey-blond curls collapsing in a silky waterfall around her face and shoulders. She wore a patterned scarf bundled loosely around her shoulders and a short wool jacket over jeans and high-heeled boots. A gold necklace sparkled against her skin and the blue pattern in the cream-colored scarf matched her deep blue eyes.

“Hey, Chase.” Her gaze moved over his fleece hoodie and back to his face, surprise masking her obvious discomfort. “Still staying in shape, huh?”

He jogged in place, and then relaxed. “Yep. Part of the job.”

She walked closer, her arms wrapped against her midsection to ward off the winter chill. He could see she’d been crying.

“Are you okay?”

Lowering her head, she looked down at her boots. “I’m fine. Just working through some things.” She stared off into the lights twinkling all around the city. “I wonder if it’ll snow tonight.”

Her tone suggested she didn’t want to talk about anything but the weather.

Chase had never known when to give up, however. “Erin, are you sure you’re all right? You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

“I told you, I’m fine.”

He tried one more time. Seeing her made his life hard, but he cherished their brief encounters all the same. “Anything I can do?”

She shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “No, nothing. I have to go.” She pivoted, her eyes holding his. “It was...good to see you again, Chase.”

Chase reached out to her, his fingers brushing against her scarf. “Erin, you know I’d do anything for you, no matter what.”

“I don’t need your help,” she replied, ripping away from his touch. “Not anymore.”

That comment brought out a pent-up bitterness in Chase. “You mean, because you don’t need me in your life now, right? I saw you with Michael Jeffries at that recent White House dinner. I guess your father is still calling the shots.”

“I have my own life now, Chase. No one tells me what to do.”

“Okay,” he said, hating himself for caring. “Or maybe you still don’t have the courage to stand up to your daddy.”

The hurt in her eyes as she turned away made Chase want to take back that accusation. But it was too late for that. Too late for a lot of things.

“Erin?”

“I have to go,” she’d said, her expression as chilly as the night wind blustering through the bare branches of the nearby cherry trees.

She’d taken off so fast her scarf fell away from her jacket. The soft material fluttered toward the ground like a dying butterfly, but Chase caught it up in his hands.

Chase had held it and called out to her. “Erin?”

But she’d already slipped out of sight.

Chase had been one of the last people to see her the day of the murder, and he’d beaten himself up over that tense conversation. What had she been crying about that night? Why hadn’t she let him help her?

A few hours later, he’d seen her broken starfish necklace in an evidence bag and Chase had become obsessed with finding Erin. It might be too late for them, but he wouldn’t let time run out on saving her.

This latest lead from Fiona and the research team had brought him to a rural area of Virginia about forty miles southwest of DC. Months ago, someone matching Erin’s description had been seen by a couple, Edward and Mavis Appleton. The elderly Virginia husband and wife had helped Erin in the days after the murder, but they’d been attacked by some thugs also looking for Erin. Since then, no one had come forward with any concrete sightings, but the team had proof that she’d been using internet cafés and remote libraries to do some online research, all of it pointing toward a strong corruption case against the supposedly upstanding Congressman Jeffries. Smart. She’d tried to bring down Jeffries on her own.

Since the man was now wanted on said corruption charges, Erin had obviously been onto the truth. Because the congressman had fled and was now missing, Chase wanted to find Erin before one of the congressman’s henchmen did.

The big dog at his feet whimpered and danced around, dark eyes staring up at Chase with anxious clarity. Valor was ready to get on with things, too.

“Yeah, boy, I know,” Chase said to his K-9 partner. Trained in search and rescue, Valor knew only that he was needed to find someone. But how could Chase explain to his faithful companion that they’d gone off the grid—way off the grid?

Leaning down, Chase allowed the fawn-colored Belgian Malinois to sniff the now-familiar cream-and-blue patterned cashmere scarf.

“We need to find her, Valor,” he said, praying that after so many months of uncertainty regarding Erin Eagleton’s whereabouts, one of his leads would finally pay off.

Valor sniffed the delicate material, then started trembling. The big dog was ready to go. Chase held tight to the leash and made sure Valor’s protective vest was secure. Then he gave the command to “Find.”

Valor took off into the Virginia woods located along a jogging trail near a narrow stream. Chase held tight and ran along with the animal. Had they hit on something so soon?

Was Erin somewhere nearby?

TWO

She was running in circles. Every tree hulked like a giant monster waiting to grab her. Every snap of a branch caused her to whirl in a dizzy spin of fear and slap at some unseen assailant. Earlier, unable to sleep, she’d heard someone outside her room—and she’d seen a man dressed in dark clothing and carrying a gun. Erin hadn’t stayed around to see if he’d come to call on her. She was used to mysterious assailants trying to kill her. Going out the back and over the balcony, she’d taken the first path into the dense woods, thinking she could circle back and hide somewhere in the small town and then board a bus out. Somehow.

Now it was dark and she was soaked with sweat and the bugs were trying to finish her off. The short dark auburn wig she wore seemed to be shrinking on her head. It pressed into her skull like a wet mesh helmet and had her whole head itching with a fire that burned all the way down her backbone. The few possessions she managed to carry around bounced together in the deep pocket of the old jeans she’d been wearing for days now. She had a little cash left and she had her research notebook. She sure didn’t want to lose that since it had all her memories and all of her questions and, maybe, a few answers. Erin had to get somewhere safe before morning. Another hotel with a front and back entry, so she wouldn’t be cornered, more attempts to search online for information and clues, news articles and tips.

This was her life now, a never-ending nightmare of always looking over her shoulder with an ingrained fear that might not ever leave her. She was pretty sure she’d finally outrun her pursuer, so she planned to hike out of the woods.

Searching for any sign of the lights toward the town, she shifted in the gray moonlight and slid behind a big tree. What was that sound? Was someone running toward her again?

Footsteps echoed out over the woods and the swish of bushes being shoved aside followed. Someone was still after her.

Holding her breath, Erin closed her eyes and prayed for guidance. She would survive this. She’d heard the news reports regarding the vast array of corruption charges being brought up against Congressman Jeffries. Now he’d been indicted for some of his crimes. But surprise—he’d fled like the coward he was. At least she wouldn’t have to be the one to prove he was corrupt. But she still had to prove she hadn’t killed Michael. She knew the truth and she intended to tell that truth once she...once she what?

Turned herself in and tried to reason with the police?

Or maybe gave a long statement over the airwaves and screamed to the world that she was on the right side of the law?

Or maybe she could call her powerful father and hope that the scandal of having a fugitive daughter hadn’t ruined his position in the Senate or severed his strong ties with the Washington elite. But she’d been careful about not having contact with her father so she couldn’t start now. He’d have to report hearing from her. Knowing that being involved in such a scandal could indeed ruin her father’s career right along with any thoughts she had of her life going back to normal, Erin didn’t know where to turn next.

She dropped her head and stood there, defeated and exhausted. When she heard pounding footsteps coming toward her, she knew she had no choice. She had to run as fast as she could.

But a thought occurred to her. In the cover of darkness, she could at least try to stop the gunman in his tracks before she took off. She’d trip him up and try to hit him over the head, maybe use some of the self-defense maneuvers her father had his security team teach her. That had worked when the congressman’s aide Leon Ridge had tried to kill her the night of the murder. Maybe she could find the strength to fight off this latest assailant.

Erin crouched behind a huge live oak’s aged trunk, a broken limb her only means of protection. She waited, holding her breath, her mind whirling with the vision of her hitting her stalker over the head, tripping him with one foot while she hit at him with all her might. Then she’d run. As fast as she could.

But when she turned to put her foot out, a dog’s woof caused her to stumble. Right into two waiting hands.

Erin started fighting, kicking and screaming as she tried to gain a foothold.

The dog started barking but stood back in a frenzied dance.

And the man holding her did something that surprised her and caused her whole world to tilt.

He shouted “Heel” at the big dog, and then he called her by her name. “Erin? Erin? It’s me. It’s Chase.”

Erin stopped fighting, her fists relaxing against his solid chest, her gaze halting on the face she remembered so well. Her voice cracked and she blinked to clear her head. “Chase?”

“It’s okay,” he said on a whisper. “You’re safe now, understand? You’re with me now and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Chase.” She said his name on the wings of a prayer and thanked God for sending her a hero. Chase Zachary. A hero who had once been the love of her life, her high school sweetheart.

A man who’d also been after her for over five months.

Should she try to run from him, too?

She hadn’t asked for this and she wasn’t prepared for what seeing Chase now could mean, but for a few brief seconds, she was so very glad to see him again. “Chase? Is it really you?”

“Yes.” His fingers gentled on her skin. “Relax, okay?”

Then he pulled her into his arms and held her close while she cried. Somewhere in the back of her frayed mind, she heard the big dog woof again. But this time the sound only reinforced how relieved she felt. Relieved and safe—unless he planned to take her into custody.

“Where are you taking me?”

Erin couldn’t quite wrap her brain around Chase finding her in these lonely, isolated woods. But when she glanced ahead at the dog leading them through the overgrown bramble and tangled vines, she understood. He’d had a little help from a friend. She could try to run again, but the dog would track her down. A weight of fatigue pulled at her like a heavy, stifling blanket. The enormity of Chase finding her caught up with her until panic set in. She had to run. These people would kill her and Chase, too.

Did she really want to go back out there alone? No. So she asked again, “Chase, where are we going?”

“Away from this place,” he said, his words just above a growl.

Earlier when she’d explained someone had been after her, Chase had quickly checked the woods before moving on, and then he’d made sure he and the dog guarded her at all times. They’d zigzagged back and forth, the dog stopping here and there to sniff the wind and the ground, but never alerting. Chase hadn’t made any small talk. He was intent on doing his job—which she figured now meant keeping her alive until he could get her under lock and key. Maybe the gunman who’d stalked her was gone. But she knew others would keep coming.

She thanked God the dog had led Chase to her at a time when she’d been out of options. But that joy was short-lived. “You tracked me.”

He nodded, his hand still on her arm. But then he stopped and tugged something out from under his shirt and shoved it at her. “I believe this belongs to you.”

Erin took the soft white-tinged bundle, but it was hard to see what it was in the dark. The material glistened in the moonlight and she let out a gasp. “My elephant scarf. How did you—”

“You dropped it the last time we talked.”

Erin swallowed back the emotional agony that scraped across her frazzled nerve endings. Their chance meeting so many months ago had stayed with her all this time. They’d had a brief argument that night just hours before Michael had died. Chase had made a sarcastic remark about seeing her at a White House dinner with Michael. He’d accused her of never being able to stand up to her formidable daddy. And he had been right. She was such a coward, she’d been afraid to tell anyone what had happened later that same night—the night she’d watched the congressman shoot Michael.

She’d been afraid to contact her father, afraid the congressman would make good on his threats to kill her father or ruin his career. And she’d been afraid to reach out to the one man who could have possibly helped her. The man now guiding her out of the dark woods.

And yet Chase had kept her scarf. “You’ve had this all this time?”

“Yep. I asked your father if I could hold on to it—to help track you.”

Chase had gone to her father? Of course they’d have to cooperate with each other regarding her whereabouts. She wondered how many times the authorities had questioned the senator. She could never be sure of her father’s true motives, but she loved him dearly and since her mother had died, Erin had tried to be the good daughter everyone expected her to be. She wanted to believe the senator would tell the truth no matter what. He’d taught her that much at least. Erin had managed to stay away from her father while on the run, so he wouldn’t be forced to lie on her behalf. But she missed him so much.

“Is he okay?” she asked, tears hot in her eyes. She’d heard her father had been injured in an attack a few weeks ago, and she’d managed to sneak into a DC hospital to check on him but only long enough to make sure he wasn’t seriously hurt. He never knew she was there. But she wasn’t ready to admit that to Chase.

“Your father is fine,” he answered. “He’s concerned about you, of course.”

Chase obviously didn’t want to discuss the man who’d come between them when they were so young and full of idealistic love. But then, Chase wasn’t one to discuss his feelings with anybody.

“I’m sure he’s concerned,” she replied, wishing she could explain everything to Chase right now. “And the Eagleton Foundation? Any word on that?”

“Kind of in a holding pattern from what we’ve heard. We questioned everyone who works for the foundation. No one knew anything about your whereabouts.” He gave her a quick glance. “They’re all concerned about you.”

She’d probably be voted out as CEO of the Eagleton Foundation. If that hadn’t already happened.

“I couldn’t contact anyone. It would have put them in danger, too.”

He didn’t respond to that, but he shot her a cautious glance and guided her over a tree root.

Holding on to the scarf like a lifeline, Erin loved the softness it brought back into her life. Knowing Chase had carried her scarf all these months gave her renewed hope. But the memories the exquisite piece of her past life brought out made her want to weep. She was no longer that girl and she was no longer a part of Washington’s elite society either. The nation’s capital was a very unforgiving place.

But she had her memories, good and bad. “My dad gave me this scarf for my birthday a few years ago. You know how I love animals.”

Chase glanced over at her. “Yep. I remember you going on a safari...one summer.”

The summer after they’d broken up.

Erin wrapped the delicate cream material stamped with blue elephants around her neck. “Chase, are you taking me back to DC?”

“No.”

Thinking he’d never been a man of words, she tried again. “Where are we going?”

“Where were you before?”

And so like him to answer a question with a question.

“In a hotel up on the highway.” They wound around a curve in the path. “I’ve tried to stay in cheap hotels to save cash. I’ve worked odd jobs to keep me going.”

Which he had to have known. He’d found her, hadn’t he? Was he testing her for the truth?

If so, he didn’t let on. “Then we won’t be going back to any of those places. They’ll be looking for you at every cheap motel in the area.”

They finally emerged from the woods and she saw a white SUV with official trim work and the words Capitol K-9 Unit stamped in dark letters on its sides. In bright red underneath, it stated Caution. Police Dog. Chase and the dog he’d called Valor stopped, both of them shielding her while the man did a visual of the area and the dog lifted his nose for any air scents.

“He’s beautiful,” she said after Chase used his key fob to open the high-tech vehicle. He helped her into the passenger’s seat, where what looked like an assault rifle was mounted inside the console between the seats. Valor jumped into a clean metal compartment right behind the two front seats, his doleful dark eyes washing over Erin with a certain curiosity that belied his training.

She automatically held her knuckles to his brown nose and allowed him to get to know her. “Hey there, Valor. Thank you so much for finding me.”

Valor whimpered a reply and did a little dance to show he understood. Chase patted the dog’s head and made sure he had some water. Then he closed the side door and got into the SUV.

“He’s a hard worker,” he said while he buckled up and checked the area again. Once he appeared satisfied that no one was lurking in the woods, he let out a sigh. “Erin, are you okay? Really?”

Did he actually care how she felt? “I am now.”

He nodded and she could almost feel his gaze hot on her skin. She’d thought about his green eyes a lot when she’d been trudging through lush hills full of birch and hickory trees and old mushrooming oaks. Her heart lifted, but a solid dread brought it back down to earth. Would Chase understand her predicament?

He watched the shadows around the vehicle and then glanced over at her. “Then tell me what’s going on.”

She was so glad to be able to talk to someone she needed to trust that she pulled off the offending wig and tugged at the fake eyeglasses. Her now chin-length hair tumbled out in damp dark tufts of mixed brown and blond highlights. “Someone was chasing me. Again.”

“We’ve established that,” he said, his gaze moving over her hair. “I need to know the whole story, starting with the night you went missing.”

Erin tried to detangle her curls. “You might not believe the whole story.”

“Try me.”

She wanted to tell him everything so he could help her piece it all together. “Can we find someplace else to discuss this? I’ve been hiding out so long and I hate these woods.” She glanced out the window. “I have a mortal fear that someone is always watching me.”

He cranked the big SUV. “Okay, but... I’m about to make a call to Captain McCord and... I need to know one thing first and what I tell him will depend entirely on your answer to my question.”

“What do you need to know, Chase?” she asked, already understanding. Already seeing reluctance in his doubtful, hopeful gaze.

He held on to the steering wheel with both hands, but his gaze held hers. “Did you murder Michael Jeffries?”

Erin understood he had to ask, but her heart hurt at hearing that question coming from his lips. “No,” she said. “No, Chase. I didn’t murder Michael. But I know who did.”

Then she went on before he could say anything. “And before you make that call, I need to know if I can trust you.” She slanted her head and stared him down. “Do you believe me?”

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “I told you—you’re safe now.”

“Okay,” she said, her shoulders feeling as if a great weight had been shoved off them. “Make the call.”

He heaved a breath then took out his cell and asked to speak to Captain Gavin McCord. Erin listened and held her breath while Chase gave the captain his location.

His next words startled her. “I have Erin Eagleton with me and I hope to be able to...bring her in soon.” Chase listened and then replied, “Yes, sir. I understand. It’s late and she’s exhausted. I plan on stopping for the night to throw anyone off our trail.”

Erin lifted her chin and pivoted on the seat. Had he tricked her? Would he turn her over to the DC authorities and just walk away?

She’d get out of this car and take off again if he planned to do that.

But when Chase ended the call, he turned to her. “Okay, I bought us some time, but Captain McCord is probably calling General Margaret Meyer right now to read her in on this. Meantime, I’m going to find us a safe place to stay tonight so we can talk. Just you and me.”

Just you and me.

His stoic, matter-of-fact words held a hint of intimacy that only reminded her of their time together.

As if to cover that, he said, “I need to hear the whole story from you before things get chaotic.”

Erin put a hand on his arm. “Thank you.”

He didn’t say anything, but she saw the way he glanced down at her finger curled against his arm. The heat between them radiated like a warm wind that rivaled the humid summer night. She moved her hand away and he put the vehicle in Reverse and took the bumpy dirt path to the main road. Soon they were speeding away into the night.

Since she didn’t have to watch over her shoulder at every turn, Erin relaxed for the first time in a long while. Chase was here. But so many questions remained between them. Maybe Chase would help her sort out all of this before Congressman Jeffries found her and silenced her forever.

“Rest,” he said. “We’ll figure this out, I promise.”

Erin leaned her head against the car door, his words echoing in her head as she drifted into the first peaceful sleep she’d had in months.

THREE

Chase put his hand on Erin’s shoulder. She’d fallen asleep almost immediately after they’d left the deserted park about twenty miles back. He’d driven in circles for at least an hour and he’d watched the road for anyone who might be following them. Now he was on a remote back road where a sign boasted a bed-and-breakfast that promised privacy.

He’d have to do a quick sweep with Valor after they checked in, but maybe this place would be safe for the night at least.

“Erin?”

She jumped and grabbed at his hand then started hitting and slapping him, a scream tearing through her throat.

“Erin, it’s me. Chase!”

She gulped in deep breaths, her eyes wide with fear and then awareness. Her whole body relaxing, she asked, “Where...where are we?”

“An old inn. Way off the beaten path.” He had to take her inside and find her some food and a good soft bed so she could get some sleep. Handing her a generic navy-colored ball cap he kept in the SUV, he said, “Put your hair up underneath this and put those glasses back on.”

“I have the wig,” she said on a groggy note.

Chase did a visual and saw nothing but dark woods and the winding road up to the inn. “But someone’s seen you in that wig,” he retorted. “Put on the cap until I can get you in a room.”

“Okay.”

Her meek tone tore through Chase. Erin wasn’t one to be meek or subdued. She was honest and frank and smart. Never afraid and never this quiet. She’d gone on the run for a reason and Chase believed that reason consisted of staying alive so she could prove her innocence. But it also showed him that right now, she didn’t trust anyone. Especially not him.

Trying to ignore the disturbing feelings being near her seemed to be unleashing, he helped her with her now-mismatched hair. She’d obviously dyed it a couple of times. And she’d cut it. Still shorter than he remembered, it hit in soft waves against her chin. He remembered the softness of her hair, remembered pulling the light caramel-colored strands through his fingers so he could tug her close. Now he had to keep a safe distance. And keep her safe.

He had to stop reliving the past and start focusing on keeping her alive. That was his duty.

Your duty was to find her and bring her in for questioning.

He planned to question Erin. A lot. He’d report in again after he’d heard her side of things.

But he wasn’t letting her out of his sight until he knew the truth. He figured there was much more to this story and he didn’t know whom he could trust right now.

So Chase did what he’d always done when he had doubts.

He went with his instincts. And his instincts told him that this woman would never hurt another human being. Much less kill one. Now he just had to match her story with what Leon Ridge had told them. Maybe soon, they’d all know the truth.

* * *

The Moonlight Inn lived up to its name. The big Victorian house glistened with an eerie grayish-white wash from the light of a crescent moon. Surrounded by towering old live oaks, it looked at once both welcoming and sinister.

Erin loved the quaint old white clapboard exterior with the wraparound porch, but she wasn’t so sure about the isolation of the place. Still, being away from the main road allowed Chase and her some time to get all the facts straight. If she could keep her eyes open long enough to talk to him. It took all she had to put one foot in front of the other.

“You look plum wore out,” the cheerful lady behind the front desk said, her concerned brown eyes washing over Erin’s soiled T-shirt and jeans with a keen interest. “Did you two go on a long hike today?”

“Yes,” Chase answered with a smile. He glanced down at Valor. “And we chased this fellow around a lot. We’re ready to settle in for the night.”

The woman’s gaze moved from Erin to the dog at their feet. “What a beautiful animal.”

“Thank you,” Chase said. He’d already removed Valor’s working vest so no one would ask too many questions. “He’s tired, too. He loves to...search the countryside.”

“Chasing squirrels, huh, boy?” The lady chuckled, her white hair as stiff as the fake pink flowers clustered in a pretty red vase next to the antique cash register.

The woman glanced at Erin, causing Erin to realize that she hadn’t spoken.

“Yes, always chasing something,” she said, her tone forced. Chase hadn’t clarified anything with the desk clerk. Erin wondered how he’d handle the room situation.

“If it’s available, we’d like the deluxe suite with the sitting room,” he said, pointing to some pictures underneath the glass on the counter.

The old lady nodded. “Our best suite. Roomy and private.”

Chase didn’t respond. He simply paid the bill and kept smiling. Erin took in her surroundings, a habit she’d developed after being forced to watch her back. The inn was clean and uncluttered with the front entrance and lobby here and a long hallway to the back of the house. If she had to run...

“All set,” the woman said, handing Chase a receipt. “I hope you have a good stay.”

Chase glanced toward Erin, his green eyes going soft. “Thanks. I hope so, too.”

Erin managed a smile to hide the way her throat tightened and went dry at that glance. Now that they were inside, the glow from the lamplight clearly showed her all the features of his face for the first time.

He’d aged into someone she recognized and yet didn’t really know. His dark blond hair was cut in a crisp military style that stood in curling spikes across his forehead, and he had a few laugh lines, or maybe worry lines, around his eyes. He was buff and tan and healthy. Her heart, which had shriveled up in a corner to die when she’d lost all hope, seemed to unfold like a blossoming rose. She didn’t want to depend on this man. She could turn and bolt out the door, but she was so weary. She felt safe just being near him.

Chase looked as good as she remembered and then some.

While she was dirty and tired and mousy. And then some. A far cry from her sorority days and the whirlwind social life of the nation’s capital.

But she was relieved. She couldn’t help the relief that pushed through her numb system like a cooling wind to prove she was still alive. This kind of comfort could come only from knowing someone she’d once loved had found her when she thought she’d be lost forever. Erin glanced at a still life on the wall of a stream flowing down a mountainside. This was how she felt each time she sat in the dark and prayed, the image of Christ front and center in her frazzled mind. Lately, she’d almost given up on that image. But Chase stood here, an answer to a prayer she hadn’t even known she’d prayed.

“There you go,” the woman with the name tag that said Janey told them. “You’re all set. Breakfast is from six until nine each day and if you’d like, I can send up a midnight snack to tide you over. Since you’re arriving so late and all.” She glanced at the go bag Chase had grabbed from the SUV and then she let her gaze sweep over Erin’s torn, dirt-stained jeans, old hoodie and ratty T-shirt. “There’s a washer/dryer combination in the hallway to my left if you need to wash some clothes.”

Chase didn’t take her up on that offer. “We’ll take the snack. With hot tea and coffee.”

“And I’d like some water,” Erin added, touched that he remembered her preference for hot tea. “With lots of ice.”

“Okay. I’ll get right on that.” The woman smiled at Erin. “And you can enjoy a good, long bath, honey.”

“That sounds perfect,” Erin replied, true joy racing through her heart. It had been a long time since she’d had a bubble bath.

But when they got upstairs, she watched Chase checking all the windows and doors and decided that in spite of the wonderful, old-fashioned claw-footed tub in the adjoining bathroom, she might not get that bath. A quick shower would have to suffice.

Because they didn’t have time for the luxuries. Chase was here on a mission to either bring her in as a wanted murder suspect, or to help her prove her innocence.

And tonight was all about her convincing him on which option he should choose.

* * *

Chase took Valor for a quick walk, telling the way-too-interested Janey that the big dog needed to have a bathroom break. She nodded and explained where the dog walk was located. That was fine by Chase since it allowed him a chance to patrol the perimeters of the property and check around bushes and shrubs. Satisfied that the place was secure for now, he glanced up at the window where the deluxe suite was located. The room where Erin sat right now, jotting down notes she wanted to present to him when he got back. A small balcony was centered near two French doors, but it should be safe since it would be difficult for anyone to climb up the side of the house to get in. Difficult, but with a big oak tree nearby, it could be done if a person was determined. He and Valor would keep watch all night.

When they turned back toward the front door, Chase heard a twig snap down past the slope in the yard. Valor’s ears went up while Chase’s system buzzed with a new awareness.

He could release Valor to search, but this could be a trap, a means of distraction to draw them away from the house.

Not wanting to take any chances, he kept an eye on the front entrance and hurried Valor along so they could get back. He’d already had a quick shower, but a new sheen of perspiration worked its way down his spine, and not from the snap of a twig. Erin Eagleton had always made him sweat.

It had been obvious from their first glance several years ago that Erin was way out of his league. She’d been the popular socialite cheerleader at the small, private high school they’d both attended. And Chase had been the poor kid who’d been given a football scholarship to the school where all the politicians’ children had first dibs on everything. She’d lived in one of the gated estates that dotted the countryside surrounding Washington and he’d lived in a standard farmhouse that his hardworking family had hung on to for nearly a century.

First class meets middle class and love at first sight for him. Maybe even for her. They’d both fallen hard, and then they’d been torn apart way too soon.

But that was all over now. Erin had been dating Michael Jeffries for years. No way she could have killed him.

It had been common knowledge that Erin and Michael were considered a power couple along the Beltway. She was the beautiful daughter of a popular senator and Michael was the son of Congressman Harland Jeffries. She and Michael were often seen together all over Washington, attending high-level parties and dinners. The kind of parties that a rookie K-9 officer who was former Secret Service usually patrolled rather than attended.

Reminding himself that he was part of an elite unit of officers, soldiers and special agents who had been handpicked by the president’s special in-house security chief, Margaret Meyer, Chase hoped he could earn his merit by bringing Erin back alive so they could get to the truth.

She was here and safe for the time being. He hurried back upstairs, remembering how she’d looked in a huge white terry cloth robe she’d found in the closet, thrown over a pair of black running shorts and a T-shirt he’d dug from his go-bag. At least the extra clothes had been clean. Baggy and cute on her, but clean.

And she looked...beautiful.

Tired, worried, fragile and beautiful.

It had taken a lot of willpower for him not to rush across the room and hold on to her forever. They might not have forever if he couldn’t clear her name. They might not have a forever even after he cleared her name. Erin would want to go back to her posh life and leave him to get on with his simple life.

Which now only reminded Chase that he didn’t have time to go down memory lane and he sure didn’t have time for daydreams of how Erin looked all fresh faced and blushing.

Waving good-night to Janey—did the woman ever go to sleep?—he took the stairs two at a time and rapped on the locked door twice. “It’s Chase.”

Erin opened the door with a cup of tea in her hand. Someone from the staff had brought up food earlier. He’d checked the waiter and the food and waited for her to come out of the bathroom so they could eat. But his appetite had disappeared at the sight of her. Using the excuse of walking the dog, he’d bolted out of the suite with a terse order for her to lock all the doors and stay put.

Now he was hungry. For food. For her story. For just being with her again. “Mind if I eat while we talk?”

“No,” she said, motioning to the pushcart full of tiny crustless sandwiches along with fruit and cheese and two giant chocolate chip cookies. “Your coffee is in that little pot.” She pointed to a silver carafe.

Chase settled Valor with a treat and then came to sit on a cushiony blue love seat across from her cream-colored leather chair. After downing two of the ham-and-cheese sandwiches, he poured some coffee and rubbed a hand over his hair. “Everything looked okay outside. We should be safe for the night.”

She nodded. “I can’t seem to stay awake.”

“That’s the letdown,” he explained. “You’ve been living on adrenaline for months now.”

“Oh, and here I thought I was just tired.” She bit into a slice of rich cheddar cheese and grabbed a couple of plump grapes.

“You are tired, but... Erin, before things get crazy tomorrow, I need to hear the whole story and then I’ll tell you what I know.”

He didn’t want to give her any details that might color her own perception or blur her story. They could compare notes after he got her statement down.

She put down her tea and pushed away the plate of food. “Okay.” Then she took a deep breath and tugged the big robe around her. After picking up her crumbled notebook, she opened it as if she were about to read a book. Then she slapped it shut and lifted her gaze to meet his.

“I had planned to break things off with Michael,” she began. “Our fathers pushed us together in our last year of college, but honestly, we never got past being friends. We had fun together and I guess you could say we looked good together, according to the tabloids anyway, but it was mostly for show.”

Chase took that in as he remembered Erin in flowing formal gowns and on the arm of the man known as “The Capitol Crusader.” Michael Jeffries had been a bit cocky and smug, but the man at least had a good heart since he fought for less fortunate people. He sure didn’t deserve to be shot even if he had made Chase jealous at times. Chase always told himself Erin was better off with someone who had as much money and clout as her father. That’s the way the senator saw things anyway.

“So you did see Michael on the night that he died?”

Erin took a sip of tea and then continued. “Yes, I did. That morning he called me and asked if we could go to dinner and...well, he was so upset when he picked me up I didn’t have the heart to break up with him.”

Chase jotted notes since this was a new development. “Why was he upset?”

She pushed at her still-damp hair. “He said he’d found out a young relative of his was stuck in foster care and possibly living at the All Our Kids home—you know the one that his father started years ago. Michael was determined to get the child out, but he wouldn’t tell me who the kid was or why doing this was so important to him.” She shrugged and looked down at her hands. “We parted at around nine or so, but later—not long after I saw you—he didn’t answer my calls and I got worried about him.”

Chase checked his notes. “You and I spoke around ten that night,” he reminded her. “I remember glancing at my watch and wondering why you were out walking so late.”

“I needed to think about things,” she replied. “I was worried about Michael’s frame of mind and I was upset that...I couldn’t make it work with him. I went to his condo to check on him and he wasn’t there. I figured he’d driven out to his father’s estate to possibly discuss getting the congressman’s help with this child he was so worried about. He told me he needed to talk to his father, so I headed out there.”

Chase held up a hand and decided he could tell her what he knew for a fact. “Let’s stop for a minute. We’ve confirmed that Michael was talking about a two-year-old boy who belonged to his father’s housekeeper, Rosa Gomez—”

She shook her head and held her hand toward him. “But then the child couldn’t be related to him.”

Chase hated to spill things to her in this way, but he had to get all the facts straight and he had to feed them to her one by one. “Erin, the little boy—Juan Gomez—is the son of the congressman. We’ve pretty much established that he’s Michael’s half brother.”

FOUR

Erin went still, her eyes widening. “I can’t believe this. Do you think...Michael went to his father’s house to confront him or to at least ask him to take Juan out of foster care?” Then she gasped. “They were in a heated argument when I came around the corner to the patio. What if that’s why the congressman shot Michael?”

It was Chase’s turn to be shocked. Leon Ridge had told them it was an accident. “Are you saying that’s what happened that night?”

She nodded, tears forming in her eyes. “Yes, Chase. I went there to find Michael and...I walked up on them arguing. The congressman said something about Michael ruining everything. He reached for a gun and then they were struggling, pushing and shoving, and the next thing I knew the gun went off and...Michael fell to the ground.” She put a hand to her heart. “Then blood went everywhere and...I screamed and ran toward Michael.”

Chase saw the terror in her eyes. “And then what happened?”

“I took off my jacket and tried to stop the bleeding. Congressman Jeffries stood there in shock, or so I thought. He tried to explain that it was an accident, but I saw him hold that gun to Michael’s stomach and pull the trigger.

“After that, I didn’t know what to say, but I kept begging him to call for help. He didn’t move and then he turned nasty and pointed the gun at me, telling me if I told anyone what I’d witnessed he’d swear that I shot Michael. When I took out my phone, he grabbed it from me and even threatened to kill my father.”

She gulped in a breath. “When I begged him to call 911, he said he’d ruin my father, that he’d frame him and destroy his career. He asked me if I wanted that on my conscience.” She put a hand to her mouth and shook her head. “I didn’t know what to do.”

Chase got up and came to kneel in front of her. “Hey, it’s okay. If you’re telling the truth and Michael did know about Juan Gomez, we have more than enough information to prove his father had a strong motive for shooting him.”

“I am telling the truth,” she said, pushing him away. “Why would I lie?”

Chase didn’t think she was lying, but he had to keep questioning her. “Why didn’t you call your dad or even me? Why did you run, Erin?”

She lifted her head and stared at Chase, her dark blue eyes still moist. “One of the congressman’s goons showed up when I was trying to help Michael. Leon Ridge—that creepy aide who was always hanging around. I asked him to help me and that’s when the congressman told his aide to rip off the starfish necklace Michael had given me for my birthday and to drop it near Michael’s body—and then he demanded that Leon shoot him in the shoulder so it would look like I’d done it. But before he let that stupid man shoot him, he told Leon to take care of me. He never wanted anyone to hear what I had to say about that night. He made it look as if I’d shot Michael and I’d run off. Only, he never figured I’d live to tell the truth.”

Chase could understand the fear in her eyes. Leon Ridge had pretty much told them a similar story. Funny that Ridge hadn’t mentioned that he’d taken Erin out to be shot. Ridge refused to even talk about Erin or her whereabouts. He said he had no idea where Erin was and he didn’t care.

When Chase thought about how close she’d come to dying, he asked the obvious. “But you got away?”

“Yes, but only after Leon Ridge put me in a car and took me out to the woods. The minute he dragged me out of the car, I kicked him and used one of my boot heels to dig into his foot. He shot at me and missed. Then I ran and ran and...I’ve been running since then, hiding out all around Maryland and Virginia.” She grabbed at Chase’s shirt. “Now do you believe me?”

Chase lifted her up and tugged her into his arms. “Yes, Erin. I believe you. And now that I’ve heard your side of the story, we’ll compare notes and I promise I’m going to do everything I can to clear your name.”

Erin nodded. “I’ve blocked out a lot of that night. Michael wanted to tell me something.” She closed her eyes. “He said something. He kept looking over my shoulder and he whispered a word.” She gasped and grabbed at Chase’s sleeve. “I thought he was trying to say gone. That he was telling me I needed to leave. But Chase, what if he was saying a name?”

“Juan,” Chase said, the horror in her words chilling him in spite of the hot summer night.

She bobbed her head again, tears falling down her face. “Juan.”

Chase drew back, deciding he needed to be honest. “We have Leon Ridge in custody and he told us Jeffries shot Michael, but we found that hard to accept. He claims the shooting was an accident, and that the congressman and he came up with an alibi. He said he shot the congressman to make it look as if an unknown assailant had done it, but he never mentioned that he saw you that night. And he refused to discuss Juan Gomez and the boy’s connection to the congressman.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me that before now?” Her expression changed, an angry frown clouding her face. “Let me guess. You were waiting to see what I’d tell you, right?”

Chase tried to calm her down. “I had to be careful, Erin. I didn’t want to confuse you or upset you.”

“You don’t believe me after all.” She pushed him away. “You probably think I’m lying about him taking me out to kill me.”

Chase tugged her back around. “I told you, I believe you. Ridge never told us he’d even seen you. He clams up when we ask about you being there that night.”

“That’s because Jeffries will have him killed if he says anything else. I’m surprised he said that much, He was there when the congressman decided to pin the whole thing on me, but I got away from Leon. The congressman can’t be too happy about that.”

“Ridge is obviously the fall guy,” Chase explained. “We interviewed the congressman about Juan and the murder, but he denied any involvement. He tried to convince us that Juan was Michael’s child.”

“That’s not possible,” Erin exclaimed. “Michael couldn’t have children. It was...always a sore subject between us.”

“We know the child isn’t Michael’s for that very reason. Leon tried to convince us of that, too. We reminded Leon of the opinion piece Michael wrote for one of the local papers, promoting foster care and adoption. The congressman got tripped up in his own lies on that one. He’s wanted on corruption charges, but...now we’re talking murder, too.”

“I asked you to trust me,” she reminded him. “You have to trust that I’m telling you the truth. The congressman shot Michael and Michael was trying to tell me why. It’s all about that little boy. That makes sense now that I know he’s the congressman’s son. Leon Ridge planned to kill me, but he won’t admit that. And since he failed, Congressman Jeffries will keep sending people to do the job.”

“You don’t need to convince me anymore,” Chase said. “We’ve all been concerned about your safety. That’s why I asked my captain to let me get you somewhere safe for the night.”

“Are you sure? Or is that a ploy to take me into custody?”

“Listen, Erin. If we do take you into custody, it will be for your protection. You won’t be safe out there on your own. You have to see that.”

“I do,” she said on a weary voice. “I... I don’t know who I can trust, who I can turn to. The congressman obviously always finds me. Jeffries’s reach is far and wide.”

“So is General Meyer’s power,” he reminded her. “Let me do my job. Let me help you.”

“Thank you,” she said on a soft sigh. “I don’t have any choice. If I can’t trust you then I’m doomed already.”

Chase held his hand to her chin. “I’m here and I’m doing everything I can for you.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and held tight. Chase guided her toward the love seat and pulled her down and back into his arms. He believed Erin’s story completely, but...he wasn’t sure how to go about proving her innocence to the world. They were fighting a very powerful enemy. He couldn’t let his emotions and his involvement with Erin get in the way of his job.

So he held her tight and prayed to God to give him the strength to keep the promise he’d made. And he remembered that with God on his side, he could fight all enemies.

* * *

Much later, after he’d sent Erin to bed in the adjoining room, Chase lay awake on the sofa, Valor by his feet, and went back over this case and tried to make a plan of action. First, he needed to let the team know that he’d heard her statement. They’d want to question her, too. Then he needed to go back to Leon Ridge and interrogate him about what had really happened that night and he also wanted to once again interview some of Michael’s friends and coworkers. They’d have to go from there, but Chase wasn’t sure what might happen.

He was a rookie, only a year into being on the elite handpicked K-9 team. What if they took him off the case? How could he protect her then? Chase was former Secret Service, so he knew how things worked. But he also knew he had a duty to protect Erin, no matter what.

He said a little prayer for guidance and hoped General Meyer would allow him to continue protecting Erin. She would be in a lot of danger once word got out that she’d been located.

Chase finally gave in to his fatigue and dozed on the uncomfortable little couch for a while. Around 2:00 a.m. Valor alerted with a low growl and Chase was up and holding a weapon toward the French doors out to the upstairs porch. The doors he’d believed no one would breach.

A few minutes later, the intruder broke into the room and found them waiting for him. Chase gave Valor the “Attack” command and Valor leaped into the air and went for the man’s throat while Chase circled the culprit.

The man screamed and covered his face, causing Valor to go for his arm. Chase let Valor hold the culprit until he could move in. The man squirmed and writhed in pain, which only made Valor’s teeth sink deeper into his bleeding wounds.

“Drop the weapon,” Chase said, motioning to the gun the man held in his right hand. Valor backed him up with a low growl and another show of his teeth sinking into the man’s left arm. But the man wasn’t ready to give in. He pulled the trigger and a shot hit the ceiling with a loud ping. Chase fired back and the man crumbled onto the floor, Valor still holding his arm.

“Release,” Chase said. “It’s too late for this one, Valor.”

When he turned around, Erin was standing in the open door to the other room, her gaze falling across the dead man at Chase’s feet.

* * *

“You okay?” he asked over his shoulder while he checked the man’s pulse and found none.

“Yes,” she said behind him, the one word breathless. “That’s the man who was chasing me in the woods.”

Chase looked back to make sure Erin really was all right. She stood inside the door, wearing the oversize robe, her arms held tightly against her waist.

Chase commanded Valor, “Stay.”

Erin advanced a step into the room, her gaze still on the dead assailant. “He was wearing a hat, but I saw his face when I was running away from the hotel. I don’t recognize him.”

A knock shook the door. “Hey, what’s going on in there?”

Janey. Chase gave Erin a warning glance. “Let me handle this.”

He opened the door and showed the wide-eyed Janey his badge. After explaining things, he told Janey he was about to make some calls. “I’d appreciate it if you inform the other guests about what’s happening and keep them out of the way,” he told the frightened woman.

“This won’t be good for business,” Janey whined. “A dead intruder in the best suite we have. That’s a first.”

Chase turned to Erin after Janey left and tugged her across the room away from the body. “I need to call this in.”

Her eyes narrowed, a flicker of fear deepening them to midnight blue. “You can’t take me back. I’ll go to jail for something I didn’t do.”

Chase leaned close, his hand on her elbow. “I don’t believe that’s gonna happen now. Think about it, Erin. The congressman fled because of the corruption charges and...we now know that Juan Gomez is his son. That’s enough to bring him in on murder charges, too, since we have witnesses who say Rosa Gomez was shaking him down for more money right before she died.” He also reminded her about Leon Ridge. “We have him in custody and when he hears you’re alive and well even though they sent someone to kill you yet again, he’s gonna panic.”

“But...none of that can help me, Chase. Leon will accuse me since the congressman is pulling his strings. He’s too scared to tell the truth and we both know it.”

“I’m going to make him tell the truth,” Chase said. “Now we have one of Jeffries’s thugs breaking in on your room—a room only you and I should have known about. Why would he go to all of this trouble if he isn’t trying to kill you?”

“He could convince everyone that he wanted to bring me in to prove I did this.”

“But the congressman hasn’t told any of us that he was conducting his own investigation and he never fully admitted to seeing you at the scene. We’ll question Ridge until he gives us what we need.”

“And in the meantime, what happens to me?” she asked.

Chase glanced back toward the dead guy and then turned to her again. “In the meantime, I’m going to make sure you stay safe.”

* * *

Erin sat on the sofa and watched as law-enforcement people tramped back and forth in what had started out as a beautiful suite in a quiet country bed-and-breakfast. She’d been questioned and prodded and interrogated and analyzed to the point that she was no longer coherent. All she wanted right now was a soft bed and sleep. Lots of sleep without nightmares or visions of people chasing her through the woods.

“How you holding up?” Chase asked, sitting down beside her for a brief moment. Valor had stayed by her side while his human partner did his job and filed his own report.

“I’m okay,” she said. Then she shook her head. “No, that’s not true. I’m tired, scared and worried that I’ll be hauled away the minute they’re done here. Poor Janey is probably afraid they’ll take her in, too. I think every branch of law enforcement sent several representatives to gawk at me and get me to confess to anything and everything. I’ll probably be blamed for Leon Ridge’s confession, too.” She lifted her hand toward the window. “Not to mention the reporters already gathering out there. I’m the topic of the day.”

“Janey can use all of this as PR,” Chase said, obviously trying to make her smile. “She’s handling the reporters with cookies and coffee. I don’t even want to think about what she’s telling them. She’ll have gawkers driving by for weeks.”

“At least someone will profit from my notoriety,” Erin replied with a frown.

Chase touched his hand to hers in a quick gesture. “It’s going to be all right. Oh, by the way, your father’s on his way, too.”

Erin moaned and held a hand in her hair. “I was hoping I’d see him back at his town house in DC. He shouldn’t drive all the way out here. We’re at least two hours away from the city.”

“He’s bringing lawyers,” Chase said, his eyes full of understanding and sympathy. “I tried—”

“—to talk him out of it,” she finished. “I know how that goes.” Then she turned serious. “Will I have to be arraigned or post bail or whatever comes next?”

Chase’s smile was soft and swift. “Hold on, Sherlock. You aren’t going to be charged with anything right now. But you will be questioned.”

She pushed at her hair. “Again?”

“And again,” he said, his eyes holding hers. “You are innocent until proven guilty, remember? Leon Ridge did tell us that the congressman accidentally shot his son.”

“I am innocent,” she said, hoping he really did believe her. “But Chase...if it’s all over the news that... I’ve been brought in, what do you think Congressman Jeffries will do?”

Chase glanced around to where Captain Gavin McCord stood talking to two FBI agents. They’d already taken the dead man away, but Erin wondered what they would do with her. Did Chase really think he could stop this steamroller?

“Chase?”

He turned back to her. “The congressman will come after you.”

Erin tried to ignore the shudder creeping down her spine. “He’ll be in a panic knowing Leon’s been arrested and that another of his minions is now dead. He still wants me dead. I can’t see that changing. I think it’ll only get worse.”

“He’s running out of options so he’s getting desperate,” Chase said. “Look, let’s get done here and...if you don’t want to go back to your place or to your father’s house, you can come home with me.”

“That won’t be necessary, Officer Zachary.”

Erin cringed and turned, recognizing her father’s stern voice. She shot Chase a glance and saw the dare in his green eyes. Getting up, she hurried to her father before Chase said anything. “Dad.”

“Baby.” Her father pulled her close and for a moment, Erin felt like a little girl again. Tall with hair that had once been dark brown but was now mostly a silvery white, Senator Preston Eagleton had always been a handsome man. And right now, with the scent of expensive cigars and spicy aftershave engulfing her, Erin felt safe again. It was good to be back in her father’s strong arms. Her dad drew back to look at her. “Are you all right?”

“I am now,” she said, tears pricking at her eyes. “I’m sorry I worried you all these months.”

Her father looked her over. “My doctor will meet us and give you a thorough checkup after we move you out to our house. I thought you’d have more privacy out from the city.”

“That’s not necessary,” she said, shaking her head at the thought of heading to her father’s vast country estate. “I’m tired and I have a few bug bites, but—”

“My daughter, hiding out in the woods.” Her father gave her a harsh glance. “Why didn’t you call me, Erin?”

“I had my reasons,” she said, “and I don’t want to talk about all of that right now.”

FIVE

Seeing the formidable Washington attorney her father kept on retainer, Erin’s pulse escalated. “Do you think I killed Congressman Jeffries, Daddy?”

“Or course not,” her father retorted. “I only brought my lawyer with me as a precaution.” He glanced at Chase. “I’ve had my own team working on finding you since General Meyer didn’t want to divulge her K-9 team’s investigation with me.”

“For your own safety and protection, sir,” Chase said, stepping forward.

He held out a hand and her father shook it, but Erin saw the gesture was out of politeness and nothing more. “I know how to take care of myself and...my daughter,” her father said to Chase. “Now, if you’re done with her...”

“Erin, what do you want to do?” Chase asked, his tone firm and sure. “We can take you to a safe house right now.”

Torn between staying secure near Chase and wanting to visit with her father, she glanced between the both of them. “I’ll be okay, Chase,” she finally said. “That is, if I’m free to go.”

Her father’s lawyer stepped forward. “Erin, I’m so glad you’re all right. Let me go and talk to Captain McCord and the other officers and we’ll have you out of here in a few minutes.”

Chase gave her a reassuring look. “I’ll speak to Gavin, too.” He leaned close. “I’ll explain things to him. We need to know you’ll be safe.”

Her father frowned after Chase hurried away. “What was that all about?”

Erin didn’t want to argue with her father so soon after seeing him again, but she had to be honest. “I’m still in danger, Daddy.”

Her father glanced around as if someone in the room might be after her. “Oh, and how’s that?”

“I didn’t kill Michael, but...I know who did.”

Shocked, her father pulled her close. “What are you saying, Erin?”

“I’m not sure, but I think Congressman Jeffries will keep sending people after me.”

“Are you suggesting that Harland Jeffries is trying to kill you?”

“I know he’s trying to kill me,” she retorted, wondering if her own father doubted her. “That’s why I had to go into hiding. I saw him murder Michael.”

Her father’s features were schooled in a calm facade, but she’d seen the disbelief in his eyes. “All the more reason to get you away from the city and home where we can talk in private.”

Erin glanced over at Chase. “I’ll go with you if they let me leave, but I might have to go to Capitol K-9 headquarters for more questioning.”

“Not tonight,” her father replied. “You need to be checked over and you need to rest.” He shot a condemning glance toward Chase. “After all, he didn’t do a very good job of protecting you.”

Erin had learned a thing or two out there on her own. One being that if she didn’t stand up to people, she’d never learn how to survive anything. “Dad, Chase did more than protect me tonight. He’s been searching for me since the night Michael died. He found me and he saved my life. You might consider that before you dismiss him completely.”

Her father looked suitably chastised, his gaze moving from her to behind her. When Erin looked around, Chase was standing close enough to have heard what she’d said.

He gave her a look of appreciation then turned to her father. “You’re free to go, Erin,” he said, his eyes on Senator Eagleton. “Sir, we’re depending on you to keep her close to home for now since we’ll need to interrogate Erin again. Captain McCord will send some officers to help patrol your estate.” Then he glanced back at Erin. “I’ll come by first thing in the morning to check on you.”

“That won’t be—” the senator began, then he changed his tune. “Don’t be too early, son. She needs a good night’s sleep.” He reached out his hand to Chase. “And...thank you for finding my daughter.”

* * *

Back at headquarters early the next morning, Chase was questioned by everyone from the president’s special in-house security chief, General Meyer, to Metro Police Detective David Delvecchio and Secret Service Agent Dan Calvert. All of the interagency big guns wanted in on this one. And his boss, Captain Gavin McCord, wanted a play-by-play of everything leading up to Chase finding Erin and what happened afterward.

“Someone was chasing her when I found her so I had to make the choice of protecting Erin instead of going after the perpetrator. After that, it was late and she was tired, but I called you right away to report I had her,” he repeated for about the tenth time. “I was pretty sure we were being tailed so I took her to the inn until morning. But the tail obviously followed us since the assailant showed up where we were staying.”

“She could have easily escaped again,” Captain McCord pointed out with an intimidating frown. “I should have ordered you to bring her in right away.”

That same frown shadowed just about every face on the entire Capitol K-9 team. Metro Police Detective Delvecchio cleared his throat in what could have been a skeptical snort. The cynical detective had cooperated, but he hadn’t been happy with having to share information with the K-9 team. Captain McCord had managed to get past that, at least.

“She didn’t run,” Chase retorted. “Valor was on alert and besides, she was so exhausted she fell asleep as soon as she went to bed. I took her statement and I caught yet another man trying to kill her.”

“Or at least breaking into her room,” General Meyer said, her vivid blue eyes nailing Chase to his chair. But he’d also seen a hint of compassion in those all-knowing eyes. The general was a smart cookie and this team had her heart. Maybe she’d cut Chase some slack since he’d been working this case since the night they’d found Michael Jeffries dead and the congressman wounded.

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