Part 8 (1/2)
Lily moved a step closer to him as she peered warily into the darkness of the woods. ”Are there wild animals out here?”
”I've heard the rabbits roam around in packs.”
”Very funny.”
Jonas could feel rather than see her glare. ”The deer have vicious tempers too.”
”Ha-b.l.o.o.d.y-ha.”
Jonas gave another chuckle. ”There are no wild animals here, City Girl. The most dangerous thing you'll find in this forest is the savage who lives here.”
Jonas was dangerous, as far as Lily was concerned. To her emotions and her self-control. ”You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?”
”Immensely.”
She snorted. ”Why did you tell me not to veer off the track?”
”Because we're going along the edge of a valley for part of the walk, and I would hate for you to slip on the snow and fall down it. I've been known to turn into that savage if I'm not fed when I'm hungry, and having to rescue you would delay dinner even further.” Jonas set off at a brisk pace.
Lily took his warning to heart, one of her hands grasping hold of the back of his coat as the two of them set off along the track Jonas had worn over time to his house.
Jonas didn't bother using a flashlight to guide their way through the woods. He knew the way blindfolded. Besides which, it wasn't as dark as Lily seemed to think it was, once your eyes became accustomed to the dappled silver light of the moon and stars overhead.
This remoteness was one of the things that had appealed to Jonas when he looked for a property in England five years ago. Somewhere he could call home when he was here, but also a place that could be locked up and left for months at a time, if necessary. And sometimes, in his job, it became necessary. But it was always there, waiting for him, a haven of peace and solitude to return to after whatever mission he had been on.
Except he wasn't returning alone this time, and he doubted there would be much peace involved either.
”This is incredible.” Lily's eyes glowed as she looked about the home she had a.s.sumed would be a log cabin but was in fact more like a one-level mansion, albeit one fas.h.i.+oned completely out of wood.
From the outside, it was a huge, sprawling building, surrounded on all sides by a wooden deck and the thick forest beyond. Inside was even more of a surprise. The lights all came on with the flick of a switch, for one thing.
It felt warmer as soon as they walked inside, and Jonas had already put a match to the log fire laid ready and waiting in the hearth, its cheery crackle and the warmth of the flames adding to the comfort of the huge, open-plan living area.
There appeared to be several bedrooms and bathrooms down a hallway to the right, and the country-style kitchen was all mellow oak cupboards, with copper pans hanging over the worktable in the center of that area. The furnis.h.i.+ngs in the main part of the house were simplistic, even rustic, but obviously expensive and bought for comfort rather than fas.h.i.+on.
The polished wooden floors were covered in brightly colored rugs, with several framed and professionally taken photographs adorning the walls. Lily had always admired Finn Devlin's work, and these ones of the American prairie were no exception.
”Who are you?” The house itself was impressive, even more so considering it had been built out here, in the middle of nowhere. But the fixtures and fittings were obviously top of the range, and those Finn Devlin originals were worth a small fortune.
”Jonas Grayfeather.” Jonas folded his arms across the ma.s.sive width of his chest as he eyed her guardedly.
Lily's own gaze challenged. ”That isn't what I meant, and you know it.”
He shrugged. ”Private security is a lucrative business.”
She knew that from the company her brothers owned and ran, but this, the extensive private woodland and this house, the obvious wealth of the furnis.h.i.+ngs inside, were so much more than that. Besides which, Jonas didn't own Grayson Security; he was an employee there. So where had all this wealth come from?
”You don't rob banks on the side, do you?” she prompted warily.
Jonas grinned. ”No.”
Which, Lily guessed, was as far as she was going to get on the subject of Jonas's obvious wealth. ”Can we get a signal here for my cell phone and laptop?”
”We can.” Jonas straightened. ”But I would rather you didn't use either of them for now.”
She frowned. ”Why not?”
”Because if someone has the right software and the ability, a cell phone and laptop connection can both be traced.”
”I doubt my stalker has either of those things.”
”We don't know that. We don't know anything about the cowardly little f.u.c.ker,” Jonas added fiercely. ”But we will,” he a.s.sured her, expression grim.
”I don't see how...”
”Slow but sure progress. I pa.s.sed the envelopes on to staff at Grayson Security, and they've already established from the postmarks that three of the last six letters were posted within the same area in London.”
”Why didn't you tell me that earlier?”
”Because so far today, there hasn't been time to do anything more than stay one step ahead of the b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”
He had a point. ”What area?”
”Clapham.”
”And the rest of them?”
”Random locations about the city.”
Which meant they were basically no further forward. ”I need to call the hospital to see how Evan is.”
”As you aren't family, I very much doubt they will tell you, but you can use the landline for that.” He indicated the phone on the wall in the kitchen area as he slipped off the leather duster and hung it on the coat stand beside the front door. ”I want you to keep your cell phone switched off, and remove the battery too. And absolutely no contact with anyone on your laptop or any other device you might have.”
”How am I supposed to keep in touch with Giles? To know when the theater will be opening again?” Once again Lily found herself distracted by the play of muscles across the width of Jonas's back beneath the dark T-s.h.i.+rt he wore, along with the pleasure of looking at the tautness of his backside in faded denims.
”As I said, use the landline. It's totally secure.”
Of course it was. ”How about my brothers? Do they know where I am?”
”I've given the police this telephone number where you can be reached, if necessary. But your brothers and I all agreed it was for the best if they knew only that you were still in England rather than the exact location, and that I would be the one to report back to them on a regular basis.”
”I didn't agree.”
Jonas gave a distracted shrug as he strode through to the kitchen area. ”If you think you can find your own way out of here, then go for it.” His expression was unconcerned as he began to take food out of the fridge.
Because he knew there was no way Lily would be able to walk herself back out of here tonight, that she would become completely lost within minutes of losing sight of this house. Which meant she was completely alone in the middle of this forest, with a man she barely knew.