Page 21 of Deadly Peril

Chapter 6

Jana’s truck had nearly exploded and killed her in the process. Her heart was still pounding hard; she couldn’t seem to calm down. It had been so unexpected, so terrifying.

Trembling, she leaned against Thaddeus. He’d saved her life, and almost lost his while doing so. She was grateful that he’d been there, and clung to his strong arm for support.

She couldn’t believe that, minutes before, she’d shunned his protection. It hadn’t seemed real that a killer was after her. But it certainly did after coming so close to getting blown to bits.

Jana shuddered, and Thaddeus put his arm around her. “The authorities will arrive soon. I’ll stay here to keep cars from entering the lot. You go inside the restaurant, where you’ll be safe.”

The last thing Jana wanted to do was leave his side. Thaddeus and safety seemed connected. If she moved away from him, anything might happen.

But that wasn’t rational. Jana knew it, even though she felt differently. She nodded and pulled away from his arm. “I’ll go and tell the manager. He can keep people from coming out.”

Jana walked through the parking lot, a bit wobbly but determined to take action. Doing something made her feel more in control. It was likely that she was in shock, as her perceptions were weird. It was as though she was walking through water or something.

At the entrance, Jana bumped into Coley. She grabbed her arm and headed her back inside. “You can’t go out there.”

“Why? Where’s your bodyguard? What happened?”

Jana told her quickly about the car bomb, ignoring Coley’s gasp. “We have to find the manager and ask him to keep everyone inside.” She hugged her friend. “I’m okay; don’t worry. Stand by the door and don’t let any customers leave.”

Then she went in search of the manager. It didn’t take much explaining. The bomb alert would be easy to verify with the police. The authorities would arrive and take over.

Jana was just glad to be in one piece. She wrapped her arms around her waist, telling herself that she was fine. She was alive and breathing.

What she really wanted was to feel the powerful arms of her bodyguard around her. She hoped she didn’t have to wait too long, although every minute seemed like an eternity.

The restaurant was buzzing with the noise of customers eating and talking. Most didn’t realize that anything had happened. The manager posted staff at the door to instruct people to wait, due to an emergency.

Then uniformed police entered, with Thaddeus following, and took over. Jana breathed a sigh of relief. She wanted to get away, to go home, and forget what had happened.

Thaddeus stood close and Jana introduced him to Coley. She should have done so earlier in the evening. She should have done a lot of things. But now wasn’t the time to think about that.

Before the bomb squad could dismantle the bomb, the lot had to be cleared. Customers and employees were guided to their vehicles. Officers directed them carefully out of the lot. Names and phone numbers were noted, so contact could be made later.

Coley was reluctant to leave. “I can stay with you.”

“You should go,” Thaddeus said. “It’s the safest thing. I’ll be taking Jana home, as soon as she answers a few quick questions.” He glanced at the officers dealing with the public. “Any further interview will be at the station in a day or so. I need to get Jana out of here, so she can recover.”

Coley hugged Jana then Thaddeus. “I’ll call…soon.” Then she left.

Fortunately, the interview with authorities was short. There wasn’t much Jana or Thaddeus could tell them. It piqued the officer’s interest that Jana had hired security. She’d need to come in for further questioning.

The Ram truck wasn’t going anywhere. The bomb squad wasn’t going to rush standard procedure. Once the explosive was deactivated, the police would inspect the vehicle and dust for prints. Likely they’d impound it.

Thaddeus took Jana’s arm and guided her to the Jeep. She was so glad he was driving, because she didn’t think she could. Unexpected sadness swamped her, but she resisted crying. That wouldn’t have been so embarrassing. After all, she’d almost died.

Jana looked over at her protector. He might have died, too. Or someone else might have. And it would have been her fault for not listening, for not heeding clear warning signs. She’d been aware of trouble, and deep inside, she had been afraid.

But that wasn’t something she liked to admit. She was strong, independent. And she didn’t need anyone looking out for her. Only she’d taken that too far.

There were times when accepting another’s backup and support was smart. And this had been one of those times. Until the source of the danger was located and fully handled, Jana planned to stay close to Thaddeus. He’d proven that he had abilities and skills that she didn’t—like detecting a hidden car bomb.

As the Jeep rolled along, Jana stared at the headlights shining on the roadway, feeling a little lost. She was under attack. That was a fact that she could no longer deny.

She reflected on the evening’s events and anger rose inside her. The more she thought about it, the madder she got. At first, she was mad at herself. She should have seen it coming, should have behaved differently.

But that didn’t mean that she deserved to die. Blaming herself wouldn’t solve anything. Someone had planted a bomb in her vehicle, for God’s sake. She had a difficult time understanding that. What sort of person would do that?

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