Finding Carly (SEAL Team Hawaii #5)(43)

“Am I supposed to know who that is?” Kenna asked.

“Yes!” Carly hissed. “I mean no.” She took a breath. “That’s one of Shawn’s friends. One of the men I told the detective might be involved in Shawn’s kidnapping plot.”

“Holy shit. I can’t believe this. What are the odds of running into two suspects on the same day, in the same place?” Kenna asked. “Get in the car,” she ordered.

“But we have to take the cart back,” Carly protested.

“I’ll do it. Get in.”

Carly did as her friend ordered. She felt like a coward, but standing up to Luke was all she could manage for one day. She kept her eye on Beau, but he didn’t even look in her direction. He put his own groceries into his trunk, then shut it. Carly hadn’t even seen him in the store, but it was obvious he’d been there.

By the time Kenna opened her door and climbed in, Beau was backing out of his parking spot. Just when Carly thought he’d been totally oblivious to her presence, he turned his head and met her gaze.

Time seemed to stop as they stared at each other. For a second, Beau looked as if he didn’t recognize her. Then his lip curled into a scowl, and he put his car in drive and drove away as fast as he could.

“Okay, I know the island is small, but this is ridiculous,” Kenna bitched as she started the engine.

Carly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so she settled on simply shaking her head. “Right? This feels like some sort of immersion therapy or something. Who’s next? Wes? Shawn’s landlord? His ex?”

“No. Next is no one,” Kenna said. “Next is you going home, telling Jag about your tough day—and how amazing you did being out and about by yourself—then putting it all behind you and telling your man that you want to jump his bones.”

Carly burst out laughing. God, Kenna always seemed to know just what to say. “Right,” she said sarcastically.

“I’m serious,” Kenna protested.

“I want him, I can’t lie about that, but I kinda like how things are between us right now. They’re…comfortable.”

“There’s more to life than being comfortable,” Kenna said.

“I know, but for now, it’s what I need,” Carly told her friend.

“Okay. But when you’re ready to get out of that comfort zone, I’m sure he’ll be ready too.”

Carly nodded. Kenna had more experience when it came to relationships than she did, but because she’d been such a bad judge of character in the past, she was liking the way things were with her and Jag right now. “And…for the record…I’m not out and about by myself today.”

“You know what I meant,” Kenna said, waving her hand dismissively. “Without Jag by your side. I know firsthand how our men can be a crutch. It’s hard to worry about anything when they’re with us. And you coming out with me today, and trusting me to have your back, means the world.”

She smiled at her friend. She knew exactly what Kenna meant about their men being crutches. It was part of the reason she’d forced herself to say yes when Kenna asked her to go to the store. It was scary, but Carly didn’t want to cower in her apartment anymore.

The ride back to Jag’s complex didn’t take very long and, to her relief, she didn’t see any more of Shawn’s buddies. Kenna parked and helped Carly carry her bags up to Jag’s apartment. He lived on the sixth floor, and his building was much safer than hers.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” Kenna asked.

“Same time?”

“Yup. Mark and I’ll be here around noon.”

Mark was the former Marine and all-around badass who drove them to work. “Sounds good,” Carly said.

“Talk to Jag,” Kenna ordered.

“I will.”

“Good. See you tomorrow.”

Carly watched out the window facing the parking lot until Kenna got into her car and drove off, then began putting away the groceries she’d bought. It felt good having money in her bank account again. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. She didn’t want to mooch off Jag, though he’d said he had no problem paying for food, since he had to eat too.

Sitting on the couch after she was done, Carly stared off into space as she thought about the day. Seeing Luke, and Beau, had been stressful…but she was beginning to think she’d overreacted.

She used to believe that someone had to be waiting to pick up Shawn from the beach. Of course he had to have an escape plan. But Detective Lee had worked his ass off to try to come up with leads on someone, anyone, with no luck. Even the amazing Baker, who Carly still hadn’t met, hadn’t found any concrete evidence against anyone yet.

It really was beginning to look like she’d overreacted. All those months of hiding out, of feeling like she was being watched, of feeling her skin crawl when she left her apartment, just might’ve been her imagination.

Carly wasn’t going to be like one of those stupid women in horror movies who recklessly put herself in danger, but she felt some of the dread that had lingered within her for months slowly begin to slip away.

She wanted the old Carly back. The woman she’d been before Shawn had started trying to beat her down. She resolved to purge him from her life and mind once and for all. She wasn’t the stupid, useless person he’d tried to make her into. She was Carly Stewart. Smart, funny, and a damn good catch for someone.