Twisted Secrets

by Amy McKinley

  God, he could be so self-centered. “You’re only trying on your terms.” I struggled not to shout. He would use that against me. I hated to argue. My heart hurt. We’d talked about marriage, and that was part of the reason I continued to hang in there. I’d put so much time and effort into making the relationship work, but I couldn’t do it alone.

  Xander flashed in my mind, stunning me for a half a second. I gritted my teeth and pushed on. It wasn’t because I’d met someone new. It was because things weren’t working with Charles. No one else had anything to do with that. “I like spending time with you at my place, but it’s not enough. I want more. And if you can’t give it to me, then maybe this isn’t going to work.”

  “Don’t give me that, Riley. It’s one instance. We’ll talk at your place. I’ll be there after my last class.”

  “I can’t. I’m meeting a friend and going shopping.”

  “That’s where your priorities are? You complain to me about not making time, yet when I make an effort, you have an excuse.”

  I couldn’t argue anymore. Silence stretched between us while I jogged up the last couple of stairs, shoved open the heavy door to my floor, then rounded the corner to my apartment. Hand on the knob, I wedged my cell between my shoulder and ear. Swinging my backpack around, I unzipped the pocket for my keys, but just the slight pressure from my hand caused the door to swing wide open. My heart pounded, and my hands tingled. It was unlocked. “Oh God.”

  “What?” Charles’s voice sharpened.

  “The door to my apartment was open.” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “What if someone’s inside?” I had never been so glad to be on the phone as I was in that moment.

  “You must have forgotten to lock it, but I’ll stay on the phone while you check.”

  His strained tone ignited my temper. “I don’t want to inconvenience you,” I snapped, completely affronted by his offhanded passive-aggressive response. Where the hell was his concern for my well-being?

  “I have about two minutes until I have to leave, Riley.”

  It took about half a second for me to decide if I should even go in. I let my pack slide back around and gripped my phone like a lifeline. I didn’t even care that he was acting like an ass. I needed him on the line to call 911 if there was someone in my apartment.

  I crept closer with my heart pounding against my rib cage. Silence greeted me. Nothing jumped out as I pushed the door farther open. I didn’t enter yet. My gaze scanned every inch of the living room. I could see the small kitchen off in the corner. Everything was in its place, from what I could tell. Light spilled across the rooms from the windows. Did I forget to lock the door?

  “Well?”

  I jumped. I’d forgotten Charles was still there. “It looks okay.”

  “Good. I’ve got to go to class, but I’ll stop by later tonight.”

  I disconnected the call and worried my lower lip. Do I even want him to? I did a quick check of my bedroom and the bathroom, even looking in the closet, under the bed, and in the shower.

  Maybe I had left it unlocked. I’d been in a hurry that morning. I’d overslept and had to rush around to get out the door in time.

  After dropping my book bag on my bed, changing, and transferring a few things into my purse, I left, making sure to lock up. Goose bumps took permanent residence on my arms. Everything seemed to be in its place, but I couldn’t shake the nagging sensation that someone else had been inside my apartment.

  I jumped as my phone pinged with a text from Ava. She was already downtown. Shaking off my concern, I hurried out of the almost-oceanfront building and walked the few short blocks to meet her. It didn’t take long before I spotted Ava’s signature blond bun and her perfectly pressed clothes. I grimaced. She always appeared so put together, while I looked like I’d just rolled out of bed or had spent the day on the beach. I lifted my hand and waved as she turned to me with a smile on her face.

  She stood from the bench where she waited and gave me a quick squeeze. “You look stressed. Is there trouble in paradise? Is that professor giving you a hard time?”

  I shook my head. “That obvious?”

  We fell into step, and she pointed to the boutique we’d planned to visit. “Let’s go there and get some shopping in. Then we can have lunch at the café across the street, and you can tell me all about it.” She winked.

  “I could use some retail therapy.” It was better than actual therapy—I wasn’t much of a fan of that.

  The jingle over the door alerted the salesperson to our entrance. After giving the two of us a quick scan, she headed straight to Ava, who oozed money. They started chatting about what she was looking for, and I made my escape to the clearance rack. I could’ve bought whatever I wanted. My income from the gallery enabled me to do that and live comfortably, but I liked finding deals on clothes. It was something that’d stayed with me after living with my aunt. I didn’t want for much, but I didn’t have a lot, either.

  I found a long, beautiful, plum-colored skirt that flowed around my legs like a cloud. Paired with a black spaghetti-strap top, I knew it would become one of my favorite outfits. I had strappy sandals and a long turquoise-pendant necklace I could wear with it. Artsy and comfortable—my go-to style.

  After our purchases were bought and packaged, we headed to eat at the outdoor patio of the café Ava had mentioned. The waiter came to take our orders, and after he set down our drinks, I leaned back into my chair and sipped on my iced tea. “Did you make your deadline?”

  “Yes.” She laughed, and her blue eyes sparkled. “It was tight, but I got it turned into editing on time. I have a small window before I have to start researching for the next installment, and then a meeting with a new client for some procedural manuscript they want. But that’s what today is about, celebrating handing off that monumental pain.” She pursed her lips. “Enough about me. Tell me what happened with you and the professor.”

  I grimaced again. Is he still my boyfriend? Do I want him to be? Lately, staying with him and working through our problems, versus throwing in the towel, had been at war in my mind. I wasn’t entirely sure. We had history that was worth salvaging, but the unfortunate relationships my mom and aunt endured made me afraid to try with Charles. “Nothing new. He’s being demanding of my time and I…” I what? “I don’t know. Maybe I’m selfish.”

  “Look.” Ava grimaced. “I don’t know what you’re referencing here, but we all make compromises for our significant others, within reason. Speaking as a married woman, I can tell you that no relationship is perfect. There are always ups and downs.”

  “I get that, I do. It’s just that he’s been almost callous in the way he treats me. At first, he pursued me like crazy. It was a little off-putting.”

  “So he was relentless, and you couldn’t resist him?” Ava stirred Splenda into her coffee. “And now that he’s got you, some of the magic is gone?”

  “Something like that.” I took another sip of tea. “It was fun. I mean, he was serious about his career, so we were careful, as I’m in one of his classes, and he’s my advisor, but when we were alone, he listened to me. We would spend hours talking and laughing. I thought we had more than what it seems like we do. He’d even mentioned marriage.” I didn’t see the point about telling Ava about his prior girlfriends or the details about the threat to his career.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know yet.” It was hard to let go of the feelings I had for him or of what we could have had.

  “Is that why you tried to get in touch yesterday?” Ava brushed back a hair that dared to come loose behind her ear. “I’m sorry about not answering. It was too late last night for me to return your texts when I came up from the writing cave and saw them.”

  I waved her concern away. “It was, but I’m fine. I’m not making any rash decisions yet.”

  Our food arrived, and we fell silent until the waiter left.

  A rush of warmth came over me, and I smiled at Ava. “I’m so g
lad we met.” It made things easier, having someone to talk with and do something with. I was used to being a bit of a loner, but having a good friend made a huge difference, compared to what my life had been like in Chicago. There, I’d focused on getting my degree and succeeding. I didn’t have time for a social life of any sort. Things felt more established for me in Hawaii, and I could take time away from school and my work.

  Chloe from work and Melanie from school were also friends, but they were a bit younger. Mel and I hung out, but I couldn’t talk to her about Charles.

  “I’m glad we met too.” Ava’s eyes sparkled. “If I hadn’t switched coffee shops, I don’t know if our paths would have crossed.”

  She used to go to the Java Stop, which was bigger than ours. They also had better seating for the couple of times a week she went to write for hours. I tilted my head and voiced what I was thinking. “Why did you switch?”

  “The atmosphere there changed, and I found I couldn’t get any work done.”

  I set my sandwich down, perplexed by her comment. “What do you mean? They’re busy, and whenever I’ve passed by, I haven’t noticed anything odd.”

  “One of the baristas went missing.” She leaned back in her chair, nibbling on a cucumber slice. “Eventually, she was found but not in the same condition. There was something about a shoe floating in the ocean. Her shoe. It washed ashore, I believe. Since it looked like her ankle had been gnawed on by a shark, they ruled out foul play.”

  I shuddered at the image she portrayed. “Her foot washed up here, still in her shoe?”

  Ava nodded.

  I frowned. “I can see why you don’t go there anymore.”

  “It was depressing, and the dry material I write didn’t help. But all that led me to you.” She smiled then shrugged.

  My stomach was queasy after her story, and I pushed what was left of my food away. That wasn’t something I ever wanted to find in the ocean.

  Although I was glad we’d found one another, and I knew one most likely didn’t have to do with the other, the story of the bodiless foot added to the sense of impending doom that had been growing since finding my apartment unlocked.

  5

  Xander

  The musty scent of pine and chemicals was thick in the air as Jaxon and I stood in the hardware store, vacillating between two bathroom vanities. Neither of us wanted to do it, but he needed to pick one so it could be ordered.

  There wasn’t anyone in the aisle, and Jaxon questioned my lack of tact regarding getting booted off base for the remainder of the month. It wasn’t like me, but neither were the extenuating circumstances.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” Jaxon dug deeper.

  “Not much. No one trusts him.” We were talking about Daryl again.

  Jaxon blew out a breath. “That’s a problem.”

  “Tell me about it.” I should have clarified that no one trusted him on a personal level, not skill-wise. But he knew what I’d meant.

  There were many changes we’d had to get used to after the mission before the last one. Losing our team leader, John, wasn’t the only blow we’d taken. Jaxon had been a huge loss, too, but at least he was alive. I’d take that over spending another term serving on Team 9 with him.

  “He isn’t John.”

  “I know damn well that Daryl isn’t John.” The closed expression on Jaxon’s face only pissed me off further. He was doing his big-brother thing, and I knew why. He felt helpless, and the only way he thought he could make things easier was to do the fall-in-line-sailor act. When I thought I could control myself, I tried to explain again what I’d experienced. Despite how much Jaxon annoyed me, he was strategically brilliant.

  “John was an exceptional leader. The problem isn’t that Daryl’s methods are different. It’s that he lets his ego get in the way. He’s standoffish, and we don’t know what’s in his head—case in point, the op switch-up at the last minute. The only reason we’re able to have any level of success as a unit is that the rest of us have worked together for so many years. There’s trust there. You know that. But there is none when it comes to Daryl or his decisions.”

  Jaxon narrowed his eyes, his stiff posture radiating suppressed authority. “What exactly are you insinuating here?” What I was voicing could have caused problems, and he knew it. “What are you or the team going to do based on observations with Daryl?”

  I ran my hands through my hair. “I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.”

  Jaxon tilted his head. “Have you and Tyler talked about this?”

  The youngest in our family was scarily perceptive. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t figure out. “Not in detail, but he was there when I confronted Daryl. Ty’s frustrated too.” I shrugged. “Aside from the personal stuff, it’s not something I can put my finger on, but I’m worried about fatalities, not just the usual risks we signed up for.” Daryl couldn’t climb the ladder on fatalities and failed missions, but something smelled funny.

  “Could the reaction you have to him be based on how he stole your girlfriend?”

  “Possibly, but that last mission—”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “It’s eerily similar to the one where you were injured, where John died.”

  Jaxon cleared his throat, his face an impenetrable mask. “I don’t see the connection with Daryl. We’re dealing with war-torn areas of Venezuela and Colombia. Fatalities are likely. But—and this is the last-case scenario—if you think there’s anything other than ego driving Daryl to make shitty last-minute decisions, we should look closely at his background.”

  I got where he was going. It would raise red flags. “What about the Gray Ghost Security connection? Those guys could quietly look into things.”

  Jaxon nodded. “Yeah, I can make a call, but let’s talk with Tyler first.”

  He was right. While my intuition was good, Tyler’s was exceptional. We needed a change of subject. Our conversation wasn’t going to resolve the loss of lives.

  “How are you liking working as a beat cop?”

  A familiar crooked grin stretched across Jaxon’s mouth, identical to mine and Tyler’s. “It’s different. I’m not policing our own, but I miss being a part of a team.”

  “You’re not going to stick with it when Chief Kane is back on the job?”

  He shook his head. “No. I don’t think this is where I want to go with the next chapter of my life. I’m liking the plan we came up with about working with Jack and the rest of the Gray Ghost guys.”

  It had its appeal. I wasn’t sure if I wanted out of the Navy yet, but when I did, I wanted to join a group of former SEALs for rescue-and-recovery missions or whatever else they had going on. Those guys were tight. My brothers and I would fit right in.

  I left my brother at the hardware store, checking out bathroom vanities. Most of the stuff I would need over the next week was already purchased and on the island. There were only a few other things that we both had to agree upon—or not. It didn’t matter. We could alter whatever we wanted in our individual cabins, but I would get the majority done while he played at a job he got guilted into.

  I shook my head, unable to stop the grin that spread from the thought of my big brother trapped in an office, doing paperwork or whatever he had to while helping Chief Kane. Not only that, but Kane was Kayla’s dad, and I couldn’t help but wonder what blowup would result if she came home and ran into Jaxon.

  Jaxon had been good friends with Kayla’s brother in high school. The problem had been that Jaxon had a thing for Kayla. But he’d never acted on it because of her brother, at least not to my knowledge. From what Jaxon told me, her brother would have had a coronary if he’d asked her out. And Kayla had grown to hate Jaxon. So something was bound to happen, sooner rather than later, with Chief Kane laid up and my brother stepping in for him.

  The entire time I was in the store, I couldn’t stop thinking about Riley and the time we’d spent together the day before. There was something about her that made me wan
t to get to know her better. She liked to walk when she could, or at least that was the impression I’d gotten after we had lunch and she declined a ride home. I couldn’t help but hope I would run into her if I was outside and close by where she worked.

  Intent on helping the guys in the back load my truck with the larger purchases, I went the long way outside rather than cutting through the store. I needed some air. Jaxon was driving me nuts.

  Not far from the Coffee Hut, I rounded the corner that took me to the side of the building and found a woman doubled over, coughing and gasping for breath. There was something familiar about her form… Shit. Sprinting forward, I dropped to my knees in front of Riley, carefully moving her long, dark hair out of the way so I could see her face. Tears dripped from her eyes. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, her features pale.

  “Riley. What happened?”

  She gave only a fraction of an exhale, and not much air went in on the inhale. Pain pulled her features tight.

  “Can you lift your arms?” She tried to straighten as her breathing normalized, but she whimpered. I slipped my arm around then helped her to stand fully and extend her arms over her head so her lungs could expand. Several seconds passed before she was able to take a full breath, and I repeated my question.

  “Something hit me.” She looked around, confusion knitting her brows together. “I don’t know what. I was right there. Then something slammed into my stomach.”

  There wasn’t anyone nearby. The only obstacle in her path was the park bench in front of the corner grocery store. “Could you have tripped and fallen against the back of the bench?”

  After swiping the tears from her face, she shook her head, and her gaze grew wary. “No. I didn’t fall.”

  I couldn’t figure out what had happened. I smoothed her hair from her face then tucked a few strands behind her ears, unable to resist touching her. “Okay. Let me take a look?” I waited to lift the hem of her shirt until she gave me a small nod. Tan skin met my gaze, and I smoothed the back of my hand over her toned stomach where a bar of angry red had formed. I tried ignoring the silkiness of her skin as much as I could. It wasn’t the time.