Out of the Storm (Buckhorn, Montana #1) - B.J. Daniels Page 0,53

was as if he was trying to reach out to her from some dark place inside him.

But the moment had passed, and she’d known it was time for her to leave. Talking about the past was exhausting enough without the weight of hope she felt each time she told Jon her treasured memories.

Now as she neared the motel, she saw with regret that the rental car was still parked out front of Collin’s room. She’d hoped he’d left without telling her goodbye. Drawing closer, she saw exhaust coming from the back of the SUV. He had the engine running. She hesitated, not wanting to argue with him, hoping he was still congenial and would just leave. After all, he’d be back in a couple days. He hadn’t wanted to leave her here. She figured he’d come back to try to convince her to leave with him.

As she started to reach for her motel room key, she realized the door was already ajar. She pushed it open and blinked into the dimness. Collin had her suitcase on the end of one of the double beds. He was just closing it.

“What are you—”

He cut her off before she could ask what he thought he was doing. Anyway, it seemed pretty obvious.

“I packed your suitcase for you,” Collin said. “I heard from my associates. We’re meeting them this evening on the other side of the border. Which means we have to leave now.”

“We? Collin, we discussed this. You were going alone. I already told you—”

“I know what you told me, Kate. And I just told you. You’re going with me.”

“Collin,” she said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her to get out of the cold and away from any prying eyes. She’d gotten the feeling that Shirley only cleaned the motel room next to theirs when they were in one of theirs arguing. All day she’d felt as if she were being watched. “You can’t force me to go with you.”

He looked at the floor. His hands fisted at his sides. When he looked up, she saw that his face was flushed, and even though it was cool in the motel room, he appeared to be perspiring. “You don’t seem to get it. I need you.”

Was he still talking marriage? “After everything that has happened, I would think—”

“Nothing’s happened,” he said too loudly for the size of the room. “This man has told you repeatedly that he isn’t your husband.”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe him.”

He scoffed at that. “I’d hoped that by now you would have come to your senses.”

“I’m not delusional,” she snapped.

“But you are incredibly gullible,” he spat right back. “I’m curious. What were you planning to do? Stay here the rest of your life? Or are you still thinking that you’ll take him back to Houston to live in your big house?” He let out a snort. “Even if he would go, he wouldn’t fit into your life any more than you fit into his. I got news for you, baby—”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not your baby. I’m a grown woman. I know my own mind.”

“Do you?” He ground his jaw muscles as if holding back sharp words that promised to bring blood. “His name isn’t Jon Harper. You got that much right, anyway. But it’s also not Daniel Jackson. It’s Justin Brown. He used to be cop. He took down some crime syndicate, and even behind bars, they want him dead. They have a bounty on his head. Someone already tried to kill him. Blew up his car. He’s hiding out here. See why he wanted you to get lost and leave him alone?”

She stared at him, telling herself it was a lie. Just something he’d made up to try to convince her to leave with him. “That’s not true.”

“Oh, it is. I borrowed his coffee mug and sent it to a friend of mine. He ran the man’s prints. There is no doubt. He’s not your Danny, and all I have to do is drop a dime on him, and those mobster henchmen looking for him will come up here and—”

“You wouldn’t do that.” Even as she said it, she knew he would. If he was telling the truth...

She turned to pick up a sweater of hers that he had missed stuffing into her suitcase, her back to him, breathing hard as she tried to calm down. Jon wasn’t Danny. Collin had found proof. Not that it mattered. She’d known he might