Hidden Away (KGI #3)(35)

She reached up to turn off the water and stood sucking in deep breaths for several seconds before she shoved the curtain aside and stepped onto a ratty mat. She grabbed one of the towels neatly folded on the shelf over the toilet and wrapped it around her. She took another and wound it tightly around her hair before unwrapping herself again to finish drying.

Remembering Garrett’s instructions, she closed the lid to the commode and sank down and clutched the towel tightly around her. What was Garrett doing?

She couldn’t bear it if something happened to him. What if she’d sent him into a trap? What if whoever had been in her cottage was still there, waiting for her to return? If Garrett surprised him, Garrett could be hurt or killed. And she was stuck here. Alone.

She never should have let Garrett leave. They could have waited until morning when it was light and the storm had passed. Then she could go collect her things and get the hell out.

The time went by agonizingly slow. Unable to bear sitting, she stood and paced the impossibly small area. Two steps to the door. Two steps back to the toilet. Where was he?

She yanked the towel from her hair and ran her fingers through the damp strands, arranging it around her face. She still looked like a drowned, scared rat, but some of the wildness from her eyes had receded. Her pupils were normal size and color suffused her cheeks, probably thanks to the enormous heat from the shower.

How long had it been? It seemed like an hour but maybe it had only been a few minutes. Still, she stayed where she’d been told and kept the door locked. As much as not knowing frightened her, the idea of being vulnerable made her more so.

Her hair was nearly dry before she heard the footsteps down the hall. She held her breath and went completely still, her ears straining.

“Sarah, it’s me, Garrett. I’m back. You can open the door.”

She deflated like a pricked balloon. For a moment she simply sat there, her relief so staggering she couldn’t summon the energy to get up. Finally she stumbled to her feet and took the two steps to fumble with the lock on the bathroom door.

It swung open and Garrett stood there holding Patches. The cat was clearly not happy and was wet from the tip of her tail to her bedraggled ears. Garrett didn’t look much better.

She whirled around and grabbed one of the dry towels and then took the cat from Garrett and held her close to her chest. Garrett extended his other hand, which held her bag. “I packed your clothes. Get dressed and come into the kitchen. After I change, I’ll get us something to eat and drink.”

He dropped the bag at her feet and it was then she remembered she was only wearing a towel. And a very wet cat.

“Want me to take Patches so you can dress?”

Wordlessly, she thrust the cat back at him, towel and all and held both arms over her chest so the other towel didn’t slip. He backed out without a word and pulled the door shut behind him.

She hurriedly dressed, not paying attention to whether anything matched. She was anxious to hear what Garrett had found at her cottage. He hadn’t seemed too ruffled so maybe her visitor was long gone.

She shoved everything back into her bag and hung the towels on the rack to dry. Not bothering with any of the toiletries Garrett had brought, she hurried out of the bathroom and back toward the living room.

Patches sat on the couch grooming herself, and Garrett was clanking around in the kitchen. She went in his direction, pausing in the doorway as she watched him pour two glasses of tea. “What did you find?”

He turned, tea in hand and extended it to her. She took the cold glass and cupped it between her hands as she sipped at the sweet brew.

“Nothing,” he answered.

“Nothing? He was gone? I guess that’s good. I worried about you going over there and surprising him,” she babbled.

Garrett eyed her, a gleam of sympathy in his eyes. She didn’t like that look. It was a precursor to something she didn’t want to hear.

She set her tea down on the counter and squared her shoulders. “What?”

Garrett grimaced and put a hand on her shoulder to guide her back into the living room. “Honey, I didn’t find any sign of an intruder.”

She whirled around in agitation. “What are you saying? Do you think I imagined it? You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

He frowned. “Sit down and calm down.”

Blinking at the force of his command, she unconsciously obeyed, sinking onto the couch beside Patches.

“I don’t think you’re crazy, okay? All I’m saying is that I couldn’t find any sign that someone was in your cottage. But it’s raining like a son of a bitch outside. Evidence could have washed away. I couldn’t see very well, but I didn’t find any sign that anyone had been inside your cottage. I’ll be able to take a better look tomorrow. All I can tell you is that if there was someone there, he’s gone now.”

Another crack of lightning flashed through the living room and the floor vibrated under Sarah’s feet.

“I didn’t imagine it. I couldn’t have. Could I?” Her voice cracked and the last word came out in a high, hysterical note.

Garrett sighed. He nudged her chin and stared into her eyes, the deep blue of his burning her with their intensity. “Listen to me, Sarah. I didn’t say I didn’t believe you. I’m telling you what I found. Or didn’t find.”

“I’m sorry,” she said in a low voice. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. God, I came over here like a lunatic. Woke you up. Made you go out in the rain to find some nonexistent intruder.” She stood, knocking Garrett’s hand from her face. “I should go. Really. I’ve put you through too much trouble.”