Midnight Exposure (Midnight #1)(51)

But the cop was right about one thing. The whole situation was all her fault. If Jayne hadn’t come to Huntsville to spy on R. S. Morgan, the police chief would still be alive. Reed wouldn’t be suffering from smoke inhalation and burns. She wouldn’t have been kidnapped. Jayne pressed a hand to her stomach. Nausea churned.

The cop shot Reed a pointed glare. “If you’re interested, there’ll be a press conference later today. News crews are on the way. Be here in a couple hours. And they just might be interested in a certain piece of information about Jefferson Kimball. Miss Sullivan isn’t the only one who isn’t as innocent as she pretends to be.” Doug stormed out. The door slammed behind him.

Who is Jefferson Kimball?

Jayne caught Reed’s eye. Beneath the grime and soot, Reed’s face drained. He looked away, his Adam’s apple moving with a hard swallow.

Now was obviously not the time to ask him.

The doctor guided Jayne to the exam table. “Reed, you should talk to Nathan. Maybe he’ll put a leash on Doug.”

“Good idea,” Reed said, his tone tight as his bloodless lips. “But I’m not holding my breath. Nathan has his own agenda.”

Reed had a secret. Something to do with Jefferson Kimball. Would he share it with her? She studied his face as his expressionless mask slid back into place.

Guess not.

The one man who’d managed to gain her confidence was pulling away. The trust and connection that had been in his eyes minutes before the interview had vanished.

Doug’s statement must have hit home. Reed had nearly lost his life because of her. My God, she’d nearly orphaned Scott. This morning’s incidents had proved her assailant wasn’t going to let her go. Just being near her put Reed and his son in jeopardy. If Reed was smart, he’d keep his distance from her.

And he was a very intelligent man.

The doctor selected a pair of scissors and began enlarging one of the rips in Jayne’s jeans. Antiseptic followed with a sharp sting that brought tears to Jayne’s eyes. She told herself it was the antiseptic fumes, not Reed’s justified withdrawal, that caused her next breath to rattle in her chest.

The doctor bandaged her skinned knees and turned his attention to her wrists. “I’m sorry, Miss Sullivan, but these look like they’re going to leave scars.”

“I know.” Hardly mattered at this point. She’d finally warmed up to a man and look how that had turned out. She’d nearly gotten him killed.





CHAPTER TWENTY


How much does Doug know?

Reed stared through the plate glass window. Outside the closed diner, firemen milled. Across the chrome-edged table, Nathan sat back in the tattered booth. “I’m sorry about Doug. He’s just upset about Hugh. We all are.”

Reed bit back his response. The only thing that was upsetting Doug was the fact that he hadn’t officially been made chief yet.

Does Nathan know? Chances were the cop had run panting to the mayor the second he’d uncovered Reed’s past. Reed studied the mayor. Nathan was a hard person to read. He always looked earnest. He probably practiced expressions in the mirror.

The mayor turned his attention to Jayne, who was sitting on Reed’s right. “Miss Sullivan, can I get you something to eat or drink? It’s lunchtime. I sent the cook home, but I can still heat something up for you. Soup maybe? You look cold.” Nathan took Jayne’s hand between his palms and held it a few seconds too long.

Reed doused the unexpected spark of anger. He had no claim on Jayne. As soon as they were finished with Nathan, Reed would take her to collect her stuff and her Jeep. Then he had to figure out how to get her home safe. She couldn’t drive all the way to Philadelphia by herself. But if Hugh had made other arrangements, he hadn’t shared them with his staff or Reed. Hugh’s death had left Jayne’s fate hanging.

But Doug’s threat underscored the reason Reed had avoided relationships all this time.

Because it was the right thing to do.

Jayne had to be long gone before the press arrived and his past turned into a ratings boost for the local media. Wouldn’t take them long to discover his identity. Camp outside his house, cameras and mics in hand, ready to attack. The pit of Reed’s stomach went sour as he pictured TV vans parked at the curb beside Scott’s school, waiting to snap a picture of the child of tragedy.

Again.

“No, thank you.” Jayne extracted her hand and shifted a hair closer to Reed. Their shoulders touched. He wanted to put his arm around her but didn’t. The fire, Hugh’s death, Doug’s callous questioning, and yet another attempt on her life added up to a hell of a day.

Reed still hadn’t fully processed the day’s events. Freaking out over Doug’s announcement had been stupid with a capital S, though. Of course the press was coming. A kidnap victim had escaped her abductor and the municipal building had burned to the ground. The police chief had been killed. That was a lot of news for a small town. Doug’s statement shouldn’t have been a surprise. The cop’s use of Reed’s real name had, however, been a real shocker.

Reed was still choking on it.

After he removed Jayne to safety, he and Scott could lie low. They could drive down to Bangor and hole up in a hotel for a couple of days while Reed kept an eye on the news.

But running felt cowardly. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He didn’t feel he could trust Doug to adequately investigate Hugh’s death or Jayne’s abduction. Without a proper investigation, a psycho would continue to roam Huntsville or go after Jayne in Philadelphia.