Hidden Away (KGI #3)(32)

Even now, there were probably any number of people looking for her. Marcus included, though she couldn’t imagine him not being able to find her if he was set on it. She thought it likely he already knew of her whereabouts, but he was no fool. He had to know that it wasn’t smart for her to be anywhere near him while Allen’s murder was being investigated. His emails had gone from where the hell are you to asking her if she was okay. Yeah, he probably knew exactly where she was.

Stanley Cross was another matter. A shiver stole down her neck. He wasn’t the type to sit idle and allow just the authorities to investigate his brother’s death. He too would be looking for her and she was well aware of how ruthless he could be.

“You don’t look like you’re thinking fantastic thoughts,” Garrett broke in.

Startled, she settled her gaze back on him to see him watching her thoughtfully. “Sorry. Wandered off for a minute there.”

“Wherever it was, I’d say it wasn’t a pleasant trip.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Want to talk about it?”

She wasn’t sure what surprised her more. His blunt question or the fact that for a moment she had an overwhelming urge to unburden herself. She could just see the direction of that conversation. Garrett struck her as a black-and-white kind of guy. No shades of gray. And her entire situation was so murky that it would make swamp water look like the crystal Caribbean waters.

“Wouldn’t want to ruin what’s been a perfect day,” she said lightly.

He stared intently into her eyes. “Everyone needs somebody to talk to, Sarah. If you ever change your mind, I don’t mind being that person.”

She smiled, warmed to her toes by the sincerity in his tone. “Thank you, Garrett. You’ve been so wonderful.”

“No, thank you,” he countered. “Dinner was wonderful. Dessert was delicious. But the company was superb.”

He rose as he said the last, and panic hit her. She nearly laughed. She wasn’t panicking because he was here in her personal space. She was panicking because he was about to leave.

“It was the least I could do. You’ve done so much for me, Garrett. I really can’t thank you enough.”

He smiled. “Ain’t no thang. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

It came out more as a question, and she realized he was leaving it up to her.

“I’d like that. Maybe we could swim again.”

He reached across the bar and cupped his hand over hers. Warm and slightly rough. The feel of his fingers over her skin was electric. Heat pooled in her belly and she was shocked by the instant reaction, that she was capable of responding. She wanted to run around the bar and hug him. She wanted to do a lot more than that, but she stood there, stock still, not wanting the moment to end.

“I’ll be around.”

His hand slid away from hers and she curled her fingers, determined to keep the sensation alive for as long as possible. With a grin and a jaunty wave, he let himself out the door, leaving her in the kitchen to stare after him long after he’d gone.

CHAPTER 11

THE next day another storm rolled in and by early afternoon, the skies were black and threatening and the wind blew in a ceaseless line from the water to shore. Sarah was vexed. She’d woken up feeling alive and ready to roll. She’d planned a trip into town for picnic supplies and then she was going to march over to Garrett’s cottage and invite him to go swimming and have a late lunch.

Now she was stuck indoors watching it rain when she wanted to be outside. With Garrett.

Instead, she curled up with one of the books Garrett had bought her and she cracked open the last chocolate bar. Still, there was a niggling of hope that Garrett would pop over. At what point she’d come to rely on his company, she wasn’t sure, but he’d crept in, slipped through her defenses and she found she quite liked it—a lot. It was nice to have a friend. Someone she could let her guard down around even just for a little while.

She ate some of the leftover brisket. Even cut a piece of the chocolate cake. Then she went back to her book, but unease had settled over her as the sky grew blacker and the wind blew harder. Eventually she gave up on trying to read when she figured out she’d read the same page no less than a dozen times.

She walked back and forth between the front window, which overlooked the beach, and the side window, which afforded her a view of Garrett’s cottage. Waves crashed on the beach with angry slaps and the water, which the day before had been aquamarine was now gray and ominous.

She was being fanciful and letting her anxiety have far too much control.

Then her lights flickered and her pulse ratcheted up about twenty beats per minute. She held her breath as the flickering stopped and let out a sigh of relief.

Her head pounded from all the stress. What she needed was some Tylenol and then she was going to bed and hoping for a better tomorrow. No reason she couldn’t have that swim and picnic then.

She chased the medication down with a glass of water and then changed into her pajamas. Patches was waiting on the bed, having given up her perch beside Sarah on the couch at the first boom of thunder.

“Coward,” Sarah muttered as she crawled under the covers.

Patches gave her a bored look and began licking her paw.

“The least you could have done was keep me company.”

Patches settled her chin flat on the mattress and closed her eyes to show Sarah how really impressed she was with her disdain. With a sigh, Sarah flipped off the lamp and snuggled under the sheets.