Hidden Away (KGI #3)(37)

The difference here was that he hadn’t ever wanted to kiss his sisters-in-law. Oh he was hugely protective of them. No doubt there. But with Sarah, it was different. And he didn’t like it. Not even a little bit. But neither could he help the reaction to her.

It was as if he went on auto pilot around her. No matter what he thought, it all went out the window the moment he looked into her eyes.

“This bullshit has to stop,” he muttered. He was fast losing objectivity and worse, he was forgetting the task at hand. All he was supposed to do was keep her safe and wait for Lattimer to make his move.

The sun hadn’t yet to creep over the horizon. Sarah would likely sleep awhile. It would give him a chance to go back over to her cottage and check things out. The copious downpour from the night before made it difficult to find outside evidence, but he was going to give the cottage a thorough checking-over now that it was getting light.

SARAH opened her eyes as soon as she heard the front door close. She scrambled out of bed and peeked out the window to see Garrett jog down the beach toward her cottage. She would have to move fast if she was going to get out before he came back.

She might very well be going crazy. Maybe there hadn’t been anyone in her cottage, but she wasn’t about to stick around on the off chance she was losing her marbles. She had an escape plan—a darn good one for as little resources as she had. And it was time to ask Marcus for help, as much as the thought scared her.

She went to her bag and hauled out a change of clothing but dug deeper until her fingers glanced over the bulge in the inside pocket. She pulled out the pay-as-you-go cell phone she’d only used once so far and punched in the number she’d committed to memory.

“Allo?”

“Frederick, it’s Sarah. It’s time.”

“D’accord.”

She ignored the sound of amusement in his voice and hung up. Her heart beat so fast and hard that she couldn’t squeeze in a breath. She closed her eyes to shake the light-headedness, and when she reopened them, the room spun at a dizzying speed.

“Get it together,” she bit out.

Her gaze snagged on the note that Garrett had left her. She paused and then went back to the bed where Patches lay purring. She picked up the piece of paper and scanned the uneven scrawl.

Be back soon. Don’t worry.

She blew out a long breath. There was a part of her that hated leaving. Maybe the entire night had been her imagination, but it had shaken her confidence enough that she knew she couldn’t stay here. She was terrified to go back to her cottage, and she couldn’t stay with Garrett forever. She didn’t even know how long he was here for.

And if she hadn’t imagined her intruder, she’d only bring trouble, and with him recovering from a bullet wound, trouble was the last thing Garrett needed.

She picked up the pen on the nightstand and turned the paper over. She sighed. How to tell him everything she wanted to? That the days spent here on the island with him had saved her life. Well, if she survived her current problems, he’d saved it. Okay, she was being way too melodramatic. A simple thanks would have to suffice. She scribbled a quick note and laid it back on the bed next to the cat. She rubbed Patches on the head and whispered good-bye before hurrying out the front door.

Once on the beach, she turned in the opposite direction of town. The path narrowed to nothing and the sand gave way to a rocky coastline the farther west she went. There were no houses on the westernmost point of the island. The beach was rugged and gave no opportunity for lounging.

By the time she reached the rendezvous point, she was winded and stood holding her side as she sucked in breaths. She scanned the water, looking for a boat, but all she saw were the waves crashing against the rock outcroppings.

Then a distant sound, like the wine of an engine, drifted to her on the breeze. It grew louder and louder until she saw what looked like an inflatable boat with an engine ’round the bend and zip between two outcroppings. It sped toward the beach and the pilot cut the engine just as the nose slid onto the sand.

She hurried forward, clutching her bag and the carryall with her laptop in it.

Frederick waved to her and smiled. The man thought she was an idiot—but an idiot who paid well nonetheless.

He held out his hand to help her into the boat. She climbed over, making sure she didn’t drop her bags, and the pilot gestured for her to take a seat in the middle.

He backed away from the beach and executed a sharp turn just as a wave rolled in. He gunned it over the swell and sped away.

Sarah huddled in her seat, holding on to her bags as the craft bounced and swayed over the water. She looked back as the island got smaller and smaller in the distance. Her throat knotted and she rubbed to assuage the ache. It was silly to have regret over what she’d left behind. There was nothing. She had no ties to the island. She’d only been there a short time. But still, she couldn’t shake the sense of sadness over leaving Garrett—a man who had helped her when he didn’t have to. A man who seemed to understand the demons she fought.

GARRETT left the constable’s office in town and started to jog down the road back to his cottage. After closely scrutinizing the area around Sarah’s cottage, he’d discovered a few footprints that hadn’t been washed out by the rain. He also found a window with muddy fingerprints.

He hadn’t spent a lot of time the night before because it was as dark as sin and he’d been anxious to get back to Sarah, but there had been someone at her cottage and whoever it was hadn’t been the least bit careful. Which to him meant it was likely someone local looking to score a little cash or whatever he could come across. But on the other hand, it could be someone else completely. Garrett couldn’t afford to assume anything.