Carefully, she opened one end of the envelope. She knew how to touch it to minimize her exposure to the paper. How to preserve evidence, though there never proved to be any of that left.
No, her stalker or would-be attacker or nightmare from her past—whoever this was—was very careful. She knew the basics of letter forensics thanks to some training, but this person knew how not to make a mistake.
She opened the folded piece of paper. The words sent a new wave of panic flooding through her.
Get rid of him or I will
Connor bent down to get a closer look then stood up straight again. “What the fuck?”
“How did . . . ?” She spun around, half expecting to see someone else standing there, watching them.
“Who would do this?”
Right now the who didn’t matter to her. Placing him in the line of fire did. “I swear I never meant for you to get involved or be in danger.”
She’d pushed her luck with dinner. Hell, she blew it before that. When everything exploded over the summer and the press showed up, she should have run again. Her safe space had caved in around her, and all of her naive thoughts about being able to move on and be normal shriveled. She knew better but she’d stayed, and now Connor might pay a price for that hubris.
“In what? I don’t even understand what’s happening.” His body froze. “Wait. Am I the him in the note?”
“You. Maybe Ben. You’ve both been here. I haven’t really seen anyone else. Not a he anyway.” But every cell inside of her screamed that it was Connor. She’d implicated him in her messed-up life. “I don’t know, but I’m betting it’s you.”
“Do you know who’s writing the notes?”
“No.”
“Really?” He lifted his hands slowly, as if giving her a chance to move or bolt. When she didn’t, he rested his palms on her forearms and brushed them up and down along her jacket sleeves in a soothing gesture. “We all have a past, Maddie. I swear I’m not judging. I really want to help here but I can’t do that with the limited information I have.”
Her insides shook. She could feel her resolve, that thick wall of determination she practiced and shored up around her, crumble. A few more minutes and she’d be on the floor, rocking back and forth while she forced her brain to focus.
Before common sense could blink out, she made herself think. Nonsense chatter filled her brain and she let some of it slide out. “Do you have secrets? From what I can tell you’re kind of perfect.”
He shook his head. “Not even close.”
“Smart. Hot. This super businessman. The stable one in a family that’s still reeling from loss.” She closed her eyes when she realized she’d said the hot part out loud.
“Maddie.”
The energy pinging around inside of her wouldn’t let her stand still. She broke out of his reassuring hold and paced. “I’ve worried about something just like this. It’s why I don’t get involved. I stick to the house. Watch the island for visitors. Weigh every move. I’m careful and always watching. It’s the only way to live.”
“That doesn’t sound like living.”
“Surviving, then. Call it whatever you want because it wasn’t enough. Not if someone can slip in and leave that, here, on an island where everyone knows everyone and strangers stick out.” She stopped and faced him, suddenly convinced she could still save him if this ended now. “You should go. This was a mistake.”
“Dinner?”
The note. Those words. How could he not get it?
She pulled and tugged on his arm to get him to move, to run to the safety of his car. Maybe keep going until he got on a ferry headed for Seattle and away from her. “Don’t you see? You’re a target now.”
He outweighed her. All the advantage was on his side. He shifted and took a step or two. Never touched her as she tried to shove him out, but didn’t back away either. “This—whatever is happening right now and all the pushing—is because you’re worried about my safety?”
Her hands dropped to her sides and she stood there, willing him to possess an ounce of self-preservation. “Of course.”
The expression on his face morphed from confusion to more of a frustrated male what-are-you-talking-about look. “I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t know that.”
He started to shake his head, then stopped. “You’re right. I don’t. But I’m not walking away from you because some anonymous asshole tells me to.”
Frustration swamped her. It was pretty hard to save a guy who refused to understand he was at risk. But under the grumbling and spiking panic lurked another feeling. A lightness that made her dizzy. Relief. All-consuming, unexpected relief.
All the fight ran out of her. “You don’t even like me very much. You know, because of the miscommunication at your cabin.”
He snorted. “Is that what we’re calling it today?”
She fought the urge to brush his damp hair off his forehead. To cup his cheek and let the warmth of his body seep into hers. “Let me save you from this, Connor.”
“Do I look like I need someone to rescue me?”
She dropped her hand. “I’ve never met a man more in need of a lifeline than you.”
His head snapped back as if she’d slapped him. “What are you talking about?”
Yeah, they could dive into that messy conversation another time. Maybe never. She spun around and headed for the kitchen counter and her cell phone.
“I’m calling Ben.” She dialed and watched him. “You can—”
“Wait for Ben. I’ll do it on the porch, if you want, but I’m not leaving you alone.”
“This—us being near each other—could end really badly.”
Connor shrugged. “Maybe, but we’re in it now.”
“What does that mean?”
“The person who sent that note has seen us together. Me going home now doesn’t stop that. We’re stuck with each other.”
She’d almost expected him to say something like that. And he didn’t disappoint. “I knew I shouldn’t have made you that pie.”
Chapter 10
Ben rested his palms on Maddie’s dining room table and studied the note through the plastic bag. He’d been in the house for ten minutes and hadn’t said a word. When he finally looked up, he pinned her with his gaze. “Have you ever received notes this close together in time before?”
“Hold up.” Connor cleared his throat. “Did you say notes? As in plural?”
Yeah, she’d forgotten to fill him in on that part. Blame the unwanted attraction and blinding panic. The combination took her off her game.
“The number doesn’t matter.” She turned from Connor back to Ben. “And no.”
“How long of a period are we talking about here?” Connor asked.
“The notes started shortly after the excitement and horror of the summer died down and your brother headed back to D.C., so a few months ago. Maybe four.”
“How close together, Maddie?” Ben asked.
“They usually come a few weeks apart, then there will sometimes be a break, then a few more, but never on top of each other.” Terse and lecturing. They scared her but they were nothing compared to her life before. This felt like a way of letting her know she couldn’t hide and would never find peace. A very specific warning not to ever get too comfortable. Last time they skipped the threats and went directly to trying to kill her.
Ben stretched as he stood up, then glanced over at Connor. “This one mentions you.”
“No.” She refused to concede that part. “Not specifically.”
“It’s not a big mental leap,” Ben said. “We can assume it’s about Connor since you two are dating.”
Connor winced. “That’s not—”
“It was one dinner,” she said at the same time.
Ben let out a heavy sigh. “The point is, someone is watching Maddie and knows where she’s going and who she’s seeing.”
“Then it’s settled.” Connor stared at her, as if daring her to fi
ght with him.
“What is?”
“You’re not safe here.”
She followed his argument and cut it off before he could elaborate. “I’m not leaving my home.”
A screeching sound echoed through the quiet house as Ben pulled out a chair and sat down in it. “That’s the wrong answer, Maddie.”
Connor gestured in Ben’s general direction. “Listen to the man. He’s law enforcement. He knows what he’s talking about.”
These two on the same side would be the death of her. “You don’t understand. Either of you.”
Connor crossed his arms in front of him. “I get that someone is coming after you. You don’t need to tell me why, but you do need to accept Ben’s help and then make a decision.”
She knew she’d hate his answer but the curiosity ate at her. She’d always been an instant gratification type. When she needed to know, she needed to know now. “About what?”
“You stay at the Lodge, you come to my cabin, or I stay here with you.” Connor counted out the options on his fingers. “Those are the only choices you get until Ben figures this out.”
“When did you become the boss?”
“When some asshole started including me in your threatening notes.”
He knew the exact right argument to make. The one that sent a shot of guilt spiraling through her. “Solving this could take forever.”
Ben let out a harsh laugh. “Thanks.”
“You know what I mean.” She looked from Ben to Connor. “These notes . . . they’ve been happening. I don’t see them stopping anytime soon.”
Connor’s eyes narrowed. “Which is why you need to be careful.”
“I am.” She’d been over this with Ben, so she waved Connor off. “I watch out for myself and the entire island.”
“Maddie.”
Ben stood up, drawing her attention. “I thought you two weren’t dating. Here’s a hint. It kind of sounds like you are.”
“You’re not helping.” She pointed at Ben, then at Connor. “And you’re out of line. For the record, I’m not a fan of the guy-knows-all thing you’re doing.”
“I’ll apologize for my behavior once you’re safe. Until then, get used to me making some demands because—and I want to be very clear about this—my only goal is to make sure you’re here for me to apologize to in the future and not the victim of some deranged psychopath.”
“It’s just a note.” She was trying to placate him and convince herself.
Neither worked.
“The one thing I’ve learned is that some creep who gets his thrills threatening a woman will eventually try to hurt her, and I plan on standing in the way.”
“That’s actually my job,” Ben said.
She heard Ben mumble about his work but her focus stayed locked on Connor. The concern was sweet, but she wasn’t convinced she was the one on his mind right now. “I’m not your sister, Connor.”
“No, and your story will have a different, much happier, ending.” Connor’s voice shook as he spoke. When the last word bounced off the walls, a deathly quiet settled in again.
She could feel his determination. It wound its way inside her and the lure, that temptation to grab on, tugged hard.
A full minute passed before Ben broke the silence. “Maddie, he’s not wrong. This guy is escalating.”
He was right. They were both right. She hated that. “Why do you assume the notes are from a guy?”
“Do you know who they’re from?” Connor asked in a flat voice.
“No.” And until she did, she would tolerate the whole hero flex by Connor. She’d protect him right back, without him knowing of course, but the idea of pushing through this with reinforcements kept the panic from settling in. “Your house. One night.”
He rolled his eyes. “This isn’t a negotiation.”
“No, it’s not.” Somewhere during the discussion she’d moved until she stood just inches away from Connor. Now she stepped back and headed for the bedroom. “I’ll pack a bag.”
Connor pressed his hand against the bandage on his forehead as he tried to make sense of what had happened since dinner. The night turned from unexpectedly enjoyable to a nightmare. Someone wanted to hurt Maddie. He couldn’t fathom that. She could be short and possessed a mile-thick defensive wall, but that struck him as smart. People should be more self-protective.
But the note . . . notes. The idea of her being watched and tracked, potentially hurt, made his stomach roll.
He looked up at the one man who might be able to make the danger go away. “What the hell is going on?”
Ben shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Ask her.” That sounded like a dead end, so he turned to a more radical idea. “Or, I don’t know, can’t you force her to tell you?”
“We’re talking about Maddie here. How would I do that?”
“I have no idea, Ben. I’m out of my depth.” Connor felt useless and that made his temper spike. Sitting there, unable to help . . . he refused to go through that shit again.
It didn’t matter that he just arrived on Whitaker or that he barely knew her. This wasn’t about timing. It was about making sure he never again played the role of passive bystander when someone was in trouble and afraid to reach out for help. He owed Alexis that. He wouldn’t make the mistake a second time with Maddie.
“Her past is locked in a mental vault and she’s not sharing.” Ben shook his head. “I can’t blame her. Not many people on Whitaker open up about their lives before getting here without a lot of prodding, and she is more careful than most.”
Connor refused to take that as an answer. “Yet they stared at us all through dinner and feel perfectly comfortable asking me all sorts of personal questions.”
“I didn’t say they weren’t nosy.”
Before they got derailed, Connor tried to drag them back onto the main topic. “But you could investigate her past. Call in favors. Right?”
A series of thuds sounded from the bedroom. Maddie’s voice followed a second later. “No, don’t come running or anything. I’m fine.”
Connor shook his head. “Are you?”
A mumbled reply shot right back at him. “I just said so, didn’t I?”
Ben stepped in closer to Connor, lowering his voice. “I know you’re trying to help, but there are things you don’t know about her. Some facts that make all of this more difficult than it would normally be.”
More cryptic bullshit. Connor had just about maxed out on that for one day. “Like?”
Ben scoffed. “Things I’m not sharing.”
“Someone is leaving her threatening notes. Someone on this island that only has about two hundred residents on it is after her.” Connor glanced toward the bedroom before continuing. “That means they’re close. She’s been lucky they haven’t moved in, but they will.”
“You want me to do a door-to-door search?”
Connor ignored the sarcasm in Ben’s voice. “Kind of.”
“Okay, I get it.” Ben visibly calmed. The tension ran out of him as he stood there, being far too sensible for the circumstances. “You want her safe. So do I. I’ll check with my contacts and call in for some help from Seattle, but we don’t have much to go on. I’m willing to give her some time to open up, time we’ll—I’ll—use to investigate.”
“What if she doesn’t have time? This person is watching. Could be unraveling.” He’d already lived this. One day his sister was fine and talking about going on a hike. The next, she was dead.
“This isn’t your fight, Connor. You’re here to relax and—”
“I’m not going anywhere.” The defiance in his voice shocked even him.
Footsteps caught Connor’s attention. Both men turned as Maddie walked out of the bedroom with a computer bag on one shoulder and a gym bag slung over the other.
She kept going until she stood in front of Connor. In a few quick moves she had the bags in her hands and shoved them into his stomach. “Here.”
On
e of the bags felt like she’d packed a piece of furniture in it. He poked at the zipper. “What’s in here?”
“Don’t push your luck.” She broke eye contact with Connor and looked at Ben. “You have one day to solve this.”
“That’s not possible and you know it. You’re going to stay with Connor and at some point you have to tell me something. Give me some direction. If your past is coming back to haunt you, I’ll need some details.”
“You know there are limits on what I can say.”
“What does that mean?” Connor thought his head would explode. They both treated threatening letters as no big deal no matter how much he yelled about it. “Maddie, come on.”
“My past might be unrelated.”
“Explain,” Ben said.
She sighed before answering. “I mean, I don’t see how this has anything to do with what happened before.”
It was the way she said it that made Connor wary. “Because?”
She stared right at him. “Because the people who tried to kill me last time are already dead.”
Chapter 11
Once Maddie dropped that verbal bomb, all talk of investigations and her past stopped. No surprise there.
She’d held back, refrained from sharing the final tidbit of truth about her then would-be attackers, but the worried looks on their faces—the absolute determination to protect her no matter what—sent her mind spinning and she caved. She saw weeks of them hunting for answers and walking deeper into danger. If they weren’t careful, they would ratchet up an already volatile situation. As of now, the note writer hadn’t escalated past tough talk. She hoped to keep it that way.
Connor set her bags at the base of the ladder to the loft. He hadn’t said much since she cut him off with the dead comment and took her back to his house. She knew he had to be burning to ask questions. She would be in his position. Yet he busied himself with tossing pillows to the floor and removing the cushions on what she now guessed was a sofa bed.
The Secret She Keeps EPB Page 7