But somehow she couldn’t quite bring herself to believe him.
Chapter Eighteen
After the night’s disturbances, Jenna woke late again. Automatically, she reached out to Ryker’s side of the bed, but the space was empty, though still warm.
She sat up and stretched, wondering where he’d gone to—the bathroom, or perhaps to make breakfast? But then she heard the muffled tones of two voices and she froze, her ears straining. The voices sounded hushed, but urgent, and both definitely male. Was Ryker fighting with Mikey again? But no, the other voice was not that of a teenage boy, but the deeper, gruffer timbre of a grown man.
She slipped her legs out of bed. She still wore the t-shirt and sweat pants she’d put on during the night, as she hadn’t felt secure enough to sleep naked again. She snuck out of the bedroom and out onto the landing, stopping at the top of the stairs. From here, she could see the front door was ajar, with Ryker’s body blocking the majority of it. She felt bad for eavesdropping, but something about their tone told her it was a conversation she needed to hear.
The other man’s voice came, “I don’t care, Ryker. You haven’t been into work for days now, and I turn up this morning and you’re still not in.”
Ryker’s tone was curt. “I’m allowed to have a few days off. It was the weekend after all.”
“Your father wouldn’t have wanted you to let the business go to ruin just because of some girl you’ve picked up.”
Ryker scoffed. “It’s hardly going to go to ruin because I take a few days off. Some people do have vacations, you know.”
“Not you. I’ve never known you take a single day off since your dad died.”
Jenna realized who the other male voice belonged to. Though she’d only heard him speak a handful of times, the things he was saying pointed toward the other man being Sam, the guy who worked for Ryker at the garage.
Ryker spoke again. “Yeah, well maybe this is a good thing. He wouldn’t have wanted me to spend my life working away in a dark garage. He’d have wanted me to have something to care about.”
“Maybe, but he also would have wanted you to put your brother first. If you’re not in work, you’re not earning, and you have Mikey to look after as well. Plus there are jobs waiting for you. Those parts you ordered for the girl’s car came in on Friday, and since it didn’t look like you were planning on using them any time soon, I installed them for you. The car’s been sitting there ready and waiting to go all weekend while you’ve been here playing happy families.”
Jenna’s heart leaped in her chest. Her mind swam, unsure if she’d misunderstood. The parts had come in already? Days ago, in fact? Could he be talking about someone else’s car?
But the way Ryker dropped the level of his voice even further and stepped out of the door way to pull the door shut behind him a little more, she knew with absolute certainty that what Sam had said was the truth. Ryker had been lying to her all along. She sank down onto the top stair, trembling. He was a liar and she’d trusted him. What else had he lied about? Had he been the one to go through her things? Would he even have gone as far as trying to frighten her to get her to stay?
“Well I’m heading back into work now,” said Sam, his voice muffled. “I hope I’ll see you there, sooner rather than later.”
She covered her hands with her face and tried to stifle the sob that wanted to burst from her mouth. She didn’t want to believe it, but though her mind argued with her that it might have been another girl’s car that needed parts, she knew it wasn’t. Every time she’d asked him about the car being ready, he’d not been able to meet her eye and had quickly changed the subject. He’d been feeling guilty then, but she’d been too blind to figure it out.
Well, if her car was ready, she had no reason to stay. Especially not now. She’d told herself she would need to leave as soon as she had the means to, and now she did. She couldn’t stay here with someone capable of lying to her and manipulating her. She’d known in her heart that staying was impossible anyway, at least now she had even more of a reason to leave.
Jenna pressed her lips together, and squared her jaw, forcing herself to harden her heart. She couldn’t be with a man who lied to her, not after Garrett. She needed to be with someone she could trust.
She didn’t need to hear any more of the conversation. She got to her feet and headed back into the bedroom to grab her things. At least by traveling light, packing wouldn’t take her long. In a way, she was almost relieved at having this decision made for her. At least now she wouldn’t need to worry about her choices possibly getting innocent people hurt. She’d be back on the road again, and there was a certain sense of freedom in that, though at the moment the idea of that freedom left her feeling untethered and slightly agoraphobic.
She stuffed her belongings into her hold-all, forgoing the normally obsessive layering of her clothing, and went into the bathroom to get her toiletries. Her hands shook, and she knocked her toothbrush into the sink, the item clattering against the porcelain.
The slam of the front door sounded from downstairs, and she hurried, dreading the confrontation with Ryker. It would be better if she could just make herself disappear. She didn’t want to hear his excuses or reasoning.
She just wanted to go.
Jenna turned to leave to find Ryker standing in the bedroom doorway, staring at her. His hair was messy from sleep, and he wore only a pair of jeans, his chest and feet bare. His brows drew together as he assessed her fully dressed and holding her bags.
“Somewhere you needed to be?”
Her mouth ran dry. She didn’t want to fight with him. After everything she’d been through, she hated confrontation. But she had no choice.
“I overheard your conversation with Sam. You lied about my car not being ready.”
Understanding dawned on his face. He stepped toward her, his hands out held. “Jenna, baby, I only lied because I wanted you to stay. I knew the moment you got that damn car back you would leave Arlington, and me, far behind.”
“You didn’t know that. We could have swapped numbers. I could have visited.”
He shook his head, his mouth twisted in sadness. “No, you wouldn’t have. We were barely acquaintances back then. You’d have continued this crazy journey of yours and have been gone and never looked back. You would have barely given me a second thought.”
Yes, she would have left with no attachment, and without her heart in pieces. Hadn’t that been the idea all along? Keep moving so she never had to experience the pain of having someone she loved hurt her again. No, it had been Garrett she’d been running from, hadn’t it? Only Garrett, not all men.
The little voice in her head piped up, Are you sure about that? Are you sure you didn’t just keep moving so you’d never give anyone the chance of breaking your heart again?
“You still lied to me, Ryker,” she said. “My life is in danger and you lied about the one thing that could get me to safety.”
“Jenna, not a single thing has happened that has put your life in danger! You saw a dead bird, you heard a bit of banging, your clothes weren’t in the right order, and you thought you saw someone. Not a single one of those things means anything except for in your head.”
She gasped as if he had slapped her. “Are you saying you don’t believe me? That Garrett isn’t out to get me? What about the call about Stephen Francis being dead? Am I imagining that, too?”
“No, but at the same time you don’t know for sure Garrett was responsible for his death. Nothing that has happened has been directly linked to him.”
“That’s how he works! He’s sneaky! He would want everyone to think I’m crazy and that he’s nowhere near. He’s been playing with me this whole time and you’re the one who’s falling for it.”
“Jenna,” he said, his voice measured. “You’re obviously frightened and your mind is turning otherwise normal situations into threatening ones. I’m not saying that you’re lying—I think you believe in what you think is happening completely—I’m just saying
that there might not be anything to be frightened of at all.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I can’t believe you don’t think this is all real! I trusted you!”
She pushed past him and headed for the stairs.
He gave a tired sigh. “Where are you going now?”
She turned to glance back at him. “Where do you think? I’m going to collect the car that’s been ready for the last three days.”
She ran down the stairs. He followed her and grabbed his keys from the hall console. “Wait, I’ll take you.”
“No, you won’t. Sam said he’ll be there. I’ll get a cab.”
“Jenna, please.” He reached out and grabbed her arm.
She wrenched away. “Get the fuck off of me, Ryker. Just leave me alone, I mean it. I’ve had enough of men lie to me and manipulate me to get what they want. Stay the hell away from me.”
She ran from the house, down to the street and headed toward town. She kept her head low, fighting the urge to turn around and see if he was following her. Though she was horribly hurt, it was the idea of breaking up with Ryker that hurt the most.
Chapter Nineteen
Though Jenna trudged down the main route into town, barely a single car drove past her and none of them were cabs. The hour was late enough for everyone who was going to work to be in already, and the school run had ended an hour ago. She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of a cab office, but in this suburban area, she was lucky to pass so much as a convenience store.
The sun beat down on her head. Her bags grew heavier with every step, and pulled down on her shoulders, the straps digging into her skin. Her stomach ached with a sickening, hollow sensation. She’d not eaten anything yet that day, but what she felt was more than just hunger. She felt as if her insides had been torn out and she was little more than a shell. Ryker lying to her was a betrayal of her trust, and more than anything she’d wanted to trust him. Plus she felt so hurt that he hadn’t believed how serious this thing was with Garrett. It was as if he’d thought she was some hysterical woman who was over exaggerating. Ryker not taking her seriously hurt as much as him lying to her. He’d taken her choices away from her and manipulated her to get what he wanted, yet still her heart ached for him. Was this really it? Was she about to walk away from him forever?
She felt so torn. Going back to him would be like telling him what he did was okay. After the quite literal car crash of her last relationship, she needed for the man in her life to know she wouldn’t be pushed around.
Then there was Garrett. Even if Ryker thought she was exaggerating, she knew her ex-boyfriend was near. Ryker could explain away everything with coincidences, or jealous wanna-be girlfriends, or angry little brothers, but in her heart, she knew Garrett was close.
What else could she do but leave?
Though she’d walked a good mile now, still she saw no sign of any cabs. Jenna gave a sigh and came to the decision that she’d reach the garage herself before she happened upon one, so she gave up and decided to walk the couple of miles.
Her t-shirt clung to her skin with sweat. She did her best to hold back the tears, but the occasional tear escaped her eye and slipped down her cheek. The day was too hot for her to be walking any distance. Her thighs chaffed on the inside of her pants, and the underwire in her bra started to rub. Her throat felt like a huge painful ball had lodged inside it, and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.
Another couple of blocks on, she finally passed a convenience store, and her dry mouth and empty stomach forced her to stop. She pushed open the door and entered the air-conditioned shop, grateful to be out of the heat. She selected a bottle of water from the chiller cabinet and a breakfast sandwich, which she nuked in the microwave. She was tempted to eat and drink while standing in the store, but decided that would look weird, so she took her items back into the sunshine and walked a little farther before finding a bench to sit on. A park was opposite, where a couple of mothers chatted while their small children chased each other around the slides and climbing frames. The scene made Jenna sad. Would she ever have that? A family of her own. It was all she’d ever wanted from life, just a man who loved her and a couple of children. A simple existence. Her life was so complicated.
She cracked open the water and gulped down half the bottle, before unwrapping her sandwich and demolishing it in several bites. She wished she was one of those people who found themselves unable to eat when they were upset, but she went the other way. The food comforted her, made her feel warm and loved, and she considered going back inside for one of the cherry cake donuts with chocolate frosting that had been in the chiller.
No, she didn’t need a donut. It would only delay her getting to the garage, and she’d already been walking for ages. Jenna hauled herself back to her feet, and lifted her bags. At least now she was hydrated and had something in her stomach, physically she felt a little better. She started her walk again.
Why hasn’t he followed me?
She kept hoping Ryker would come after her, and every car that drove by made her heart leap, praying it was him. All the walking left her with plenty of time to think, and she found herself fighting herself in her head.
She imagined him telling her there had been a huge mistake and he’d misunderstood about her car being ready, so it hadn’t been a deliberate lie after all. But as she grew closer and closer to the location of the garage, she had to admit to herself that he wasn’t going to follow her.
How can he not come? He said he loved me, and he knows exactly where I’m going.
She couldn’t quite bring herself to believe he would allow her to collect her car and drive out of his life forever. They’d had the sort of connection that only happened once in a lifetime. Surely he’d want to fight for her?
Maybe he’s had enough of fighting? She hadn’t exactly been the easiest person to get to know. She’d plunged his life into uncertainty, even if he hadn’t bought in on how dangerous Garrett could be. Maybe he’d come to his senses and decided Mikey was more important than she was, which was exactly the right thing he should think, even though Jenna felt horrible and selfish for hoping he’d think of her too. Maybe she didn’t deserve to be loved if that was the type of person she was? Mikey deserved as much stability as possible, and her being in the picture did the exact opposite.
Yet, still, her stupid, hopeful heart clung to the possibility that he’d come after her.
He might already be at the garage. He might be waiting for me there.
She clutched the final strands of her hope as she trudged the final half mile to the garage.
The square, concrete building came into sight up ahead. Jenna sighed with relief, but at the same time her stomach twisted with nerves. There was no sign of Ryker’s truck parked outside, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t there. He might have parked his vehicle inside the building.
She reached the open front of the garage and dumped her bags to one side of the metal roller door which was rolled up and suspended in brackets overhead. There was no sign of Ryker’s truck parked inside, and her heart sank. She’d been wrong about him. He hadn’t bothered to come after her after all. The only assumption she could make was that he decided he didn’t love her as much as he’d declared he had.
Her car sat on the forecourt, and she gave a small, sad smile at the sight. She walked over and gave the hood a pat like a pet. “Hey, old fella,” she said, softly, despite knowing vehicles were supposed to be female. “Did you miss me?”
She turned her attention from her car to try and find Sam. She needed to settle up for the work he’d done and get the keys back.
“Hello?”
She didn’t get any sense of movement from the back of the garage. Perhaps he was out back making coffee?
“Hello?” she called again, her neck craning to one side to try to see through the door leading into the back. She didn’t want to interrupt him if he was doing something private. “It’s Jenna Armstrong. I’m here to collect my car.” Her voice sounded ech
oey and hollow in the shell of the garage.
Still no answer came. Jenna frowned. Strange, she was sure he’d said he was working up here this morning. Maybe be got called out on a job? But then she didn’t think he’d leave the whole place unlocked. Anyone could walk in and help themselves to the till, or to the numerous tools lying around.
Yeah, but Ryker said the town had a low crime rate. Maybe people were simply more trusting around here than she was.
Damn it. Now what was she supposed to do? She couldn’t go back to Ryker with her tail between her legs and ask him to bring her back here.
Jenna made a decision. The keys for her car must be here somewhere. She’d leave him a note with her email address asking him to invoice her what she owed, and she’d find the keys and get the hell away from Arlington.
With her mind made up, she approached the counter which held the till, where she’d sat nursing her coffee, watching Ryker work, only a few days earlier. The memory made her heart clench with pain. It was hard to believe that had only been a matter of days ago. She felt as if she’d known Ryker for months not days. He’d settled into her heart as if he’d been there all along.
A board with hooks embedded into the wood and keys hung from them was positioned on the wall behind the counter. She scanned the sets of keys and quickly recognized her own.
Jenna rounded the counter and froze. Her heart clambered into her throat, her eyes widening, all the blood draining from her face.
Sam lay on his back on the floor behind the counter. His eyes were open, but unseeing, staring sightlessly at the roof of the garage. His skin was white and almost waxy-looking. Even in death—and she had no doubt that he was dead—an expression of surprise remained on his face. But it wasn’t his expression that was the worst thing. Behind his head, a dark pool of blood spread down to his shoulders and beyond. A heavy wrench lay abandoned in the pool, clumps of hair and flesh still clinging to the silver metal. Jenna’s eyes flicked back to Sam, and she saw the cause of his death. Above his ear, a large part of his skull had been crushed in, creating a strange crater in his head, as if the inside of his skull had become a vacuum and had sucked in on itself.
Dangerous Encounters: A Romantic Suspense Boxed Set Page 56