Page 91 of The Cottage on Plum Island
Jennifer’s heart was beating like a wild bird trapped in a cage, but she refused to let fear rule her. She looked at the man driving beside her. While Jennifer could see he wasn’t emotionally stable and he’d kidnapped her at gunpoint, she wasn’t afraid of him. As soon as he’d locked her in the car and taken off, he’d started to explain to her why he’d kidnapped her. He’d even dropped the gun on the back floor, telling her it wasn’t loaded.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” he told her again, glancing at her as they headed through the streets of Plum Island. “I’m sorry I scared you like this. But I can’t let another person I care about get hurt because I’ve been a scared little boy for the past forty years, but no more.”
“I know it’s probably in a different way,” Jennifer sympathized. “I can understand how you feel. You think you have control of your own life and can push the fear, anger, and frustration aside and ignore it because acknowledging it means they’ve won.”
“That’s right, you’re Andrew Gains’s daughter.” He nodded. “We call him the white knight in dark armor.”
“I don’t think there’s any white knight in Andrew,” Jennifer disagreed and moved the subject back toward him. “Who’s made you feel like a scared little boy?”
“Like you, I have father issues,” he admitted. “I’ve tried to cling to the time when he was my hero. I used to think he was the greatest father and such a caring human being.” He snorted. “I was ten when I found out who my father really was!” He shook his head. “He’s a brilliant man. Scarily so and can turn any situation into one favoring him even if he has to lie and cheat to do it.”
“Sounds like we have the same kind of fathers,” Jennifer commented.
“Andrew?” His brows shot up in surprise. “Andrew isnothinglike my father. Growing up, I used to wish Andrew was my father. He was always kind to me and never believed my father’s lies.“ Pain shadowed his eyes, and he shook his. “Even my own mother believed my fatherover me.” He glanced at her. “She believed a man she hates over the son she professes to love more than life itself.”
“How can you say that about Andrew?” Jennifer looked at him, shocked. “Didn’t Andrew defend your father and destroy a family’s life by getting your father acquitted? Andrew got in that family’s way of getting justice for what your father did.”
“No, you have it all wrong.” He shook his head. “What Andrew did was ensure that his family were safe and well looked after for the rest of their lives.”
“He got a settlement for them?” Jennifer frowned. “I never read anything about that.”
“Of course not.” His eyes narrowed. “It wouldn’t have looked good for my father or his buddies if that came to light.”
“Your father should never have gotten off like that.” Jennifer wasn’t apologetic for her statement about Andrew.
“I can’t agree with you more about my father,” he told her. “We finally got the evidence we needed to prove he was guilty, and now Clair’s dead.”
His eyes misted, and knuckles whitened on the steering wheel.
“So you didn’t kill Clair?” Jennifer knew that wasn’t the most intelligent question to ask.
He turned his head to look at her with pain searing through his eyes.
“No. I loved Clair.” His voice was gravely. “Even after everything she’d done, I loved her.”
Jennifer wanted to believe him, and her gut told her he didn’t kill her, but her mind was on the fence about it.
“Turn here,” Jennifer said, pointing at the turn-off to Beach Plum Cottage. She looked at the man. “Seriously, you’d better be telling me the truth because Idohave a loaded gun at my house.”
He gave a soft snort. “If it makes you feel better, get your gun when we get to your house.” Sadness and a look of resignation clouded his eyes. “In fact, we may need it ifthey’vegot here first.”
“Who?” Jennifer frowned. It was the second time he’d mentioned them, or them getting to Angela first. “When you first dragged me to your car, you kept saying you couldn’t let them get to Angela first.”
He slowed down as they neared the gates to the property. Jennifer’s heart started thudding again when she saw a strange car in the driveway.
“Do you recognize that car?” Jennifer asked, and he nodded. “Is it a good sign or a bad sign?”
“Good.” He looked around. “Are those garages?” He pointed.
“Yes.” Jennifer nodded. “The remote for them is inside, though.” She looked at him as realization dawned. “You want to hide the cars in the garage?”
“I think that would be best, don’t you?” He looked at her questioningly.
“Yes.” Jennifer nodded and tried the door handle as he slowed to a stop. “I can’t get out.”
“Sorry.” He took the child lock off, and Jennifer jumped out of the car.
She rushed toward the front door, remembering she didn’t have her keys, and turned to go back to the old beach plum tree. Jennifer cringed, looking at the knot where her aunt had left the spare key.
