A Man Like Him

by Rachel Brimble

  “I can’t afford to believe anything conclusively yet. Angela is scared, emotional...angry. She was on a date with you, the first man she’s taken a risk with since God knows when. Jeez, I’d be jumping at my own shadow, too. But this bartender, if he’s saying he saw Masters, too, then it gives us more than Angela potentially seeing something that’s not there. He’s calling us about it, right?”

  Chris looked toward the door through which the bartender disappeared. “As far as I know, yes. He went out back.”

  “Good. Well, it’s something else to work on.”

  “Hmm.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that. What are you thinking?”

  “I’m thinking I was right when I told you not to get me involved.”

  “Maybe. But as you said yourself, you like Angela. A lot. When all this is put to bed, who’s to say you and she...couldn’t see if you have something to work on?”

  Chris closed his eyes. He wouldn’t even allow himself to ponder on that particular scenario. “I’ve got an idea.”

  “Chris...”

  “I warned you. I warned you if I got involved, I’d do things my way.”

  “You have to stay out of this now. Masters isn’t a man to mess with. Leave this to the police both here and in Masters’s hometown. Now, get off the phone. I’m going to make sure that bartender made the call. I’ll send someone straight down there to get the security tapes.”

  “Okay.” Chris stood and drained his beer bottle.

  “Okay? You’re leaving things with me?”

  “Yep.”

  “Chris—”

  “See you later.”

  “You’ll be back at my house when I get there, right?”

  “Right.”

  Chris snapped his phone shut and made his way out of the bar. He strode past his car onto the street. He’d collect it in the morning. He was over his limit and the walk would clear his head. If the plan currently taking shape in his head was going to work, tomorrow he needed to be firing on all cylinders.

  He shoved all his doubts he was doing the right thing into submission. He pulled out his BlackBerry and went to the search engine. He typed in the name of the local paper that featured the double-page spread of him and Angela. Complete with the damning photos that had brought Masters out from beneath his evil resting place.

  No more waiting around. No more wondering what Masters would or wouldn’t do next. The day after the flood, Chris warned Cat to leave him out of it. She’d ignored him, told him he had to get involved. Then, once Angela spoke to her, Cat warned him off. He shook his head. His sister didn’t know him if she thought she could pick and choose what he did with his life. He was involved up to his ears whether she liked it or not. Not only involved but harboring real, undeniable feelings for Angela.

  He wanted to take the pain from her heart, wanted the heat of her skin beneath his palms. Most of all, he wanted to see how her caramel eyes looked with laughter and passion behind them instead of fear and doubt.

  The alcohol swirled in his mind, the fresh air sweeping over his skin and making him suck in a breath. Something pulled at his chest. “I’m going to make her happy. I’m going to make her laugh again. This has to end. No more Masters in the driver’s seat. It will be Angela in charge from now on.”

  Finding the number of the newspaper office, Chris dialed. Uncertainty he was doing the right thing lingering in his conscience but he didn’t hang up. He had to do something.

  As it was nearing ten-thirty, voice mail kicked in. Satisfaction furled in his gut. There was nothing he liked better than making decisions. Admittedly they didn’t always turn out the way he planned, but no one could ever accuse him of not taking action. He cleared his throat.

  “This is a message for the reporter who covered the flood last week. My name is Chris Forrester and I am one half of the couple you photographed and claimed we were a dynamic duo—” he spat out the words “—that saved lives in the Good Time Holiday Park.

  “Well, I thought it would be newsworthy that the disaster led to at least some good news. Miss Taylor, the woman in the picture, and myself got engaged tonight. We’d love it if you could possibly print a follow-up story. I look forward to hearing from you.”

  Chris jabbed his finger on the end button and tossed the phone in the air, catching it on the downfall. Angela would see his plan made sense. If they brought Masters here before he was truly ready, the chances were he’d slip up. They could get the police in place and he could be arrested before the scumbag knew what hit him. Chris pulled in a breath through his clenched teeth. The priority was ensuring Angela’s safety. The only way to do that was for him to never leave her side.

  She’d understand.... Course she would.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  “I FEEL SO STUPID.” Angela fell back against the sofa, clutching her cell phone to her ear. “How could I think Robert would ever let me have a life again?”

  Her sister drew in a shaky breath. “I can’t stand hearing you talk this way. You need to come home. Where you’ll be safe. You’re happy in Templeton, I know that, but now he’s there—”

  “I have to give it all up?” Angela clenched her jaw as she stared toward the windows facing her driveway. The female officer who’d been her housemate for the past twenty-four hours walked around outside talking into her radio. “There’s no way I’m giving up my liberty again. Not now, not ever.”

  “Don’t look at it as giving it up. Look at it as saving your life.”

  Angela closed her eyes. “I just can’t help feeling I was mistaken.”

  “About what?”

  “About seeing him at the restaurant. I know Robert and if he was here, he would have done something by now. Rang me. Written me. Something. Why would he just want to make sure I saw him only to disappear again?” Frustration burned behind her rib cage. “I’m not being sucked into his stupid mind games again.”

  “Good because that’s exactly what he wants you to do. You weren’t wrong, Ange. There’s no way you would mistake Robert for someone else. He was there and he’s playing with you. The difference is, this time you’re strong and he won’t win.”

  Angela opened her eyes as her heart sank. “So why am I so scared he will? I thought I was moving on, Ellie. For a fleeting moment, I took a risk. I’ve met someone I really like—”

  “That Chris guy, right?” Her sister’s voice softened. “The one Robert saw you with.”

  “Yes. He’s really great. Strong and real and, most of all, honest. God, I look into his eyes and nothing but honesty shines back. After everything Robert did to me, you have no idea how it feels to have a man look at me like Chris does.”

  “Wow. Well, I’m sorry for saying his sister got his share of the balls and for calling the guy a jerk.”

  Angela laughed for the first time all day. “Apology accepted. He’s a great guy. He really is.”

  “I’m happy for you. But it’s too risky. God, more than anything, I wish you could start something with him, but you can’t. Not yet.”

  “I know. He’d be a target for Robert and I can’t let that happen. I’ve told him to leave me alone, but sometimes...” She inhaled a shaky breath. “I want to see it through, you know?”

  “When this is over, maybe—”

  “It will never be over until Robert’s dead.” Raw anger ripped through her. She wanted to pick up something and hurl it against the wall. “DI Garrett thinks I was mistaken about seeing Robert, too. I know she does. Unfortunately she’s got the same honest gaze as her brother whether she realizes it or not. When she looked at me yesterday, I saw the concern...worse, the doubt.”

  A moment passed in silence before Eloise cleared her throat. “I want to come down there. I want to be with you, and this time I’m not taking no for an answer. We’ll call it a
vacation.”

  Angela huffed out a laugh. “A vacation? My violent ex-husband is potentially back to kill me and you call it a vacation?”

  “He’s not going to come within fifty feet of you. Don’t even think about him hurting you again. If you have that little faith in this inspector, then I need to be with you. I’d like to see him take the pair of us on.”

  The thought of having her sister there suddenly felt so much more appealing than it had a few days before when Eloise suggested coming to the Cove. With Chris gone, Angela felt his absence deep inside. She hadn’t considered the possibility of being attracted to another man for a long, long time and now she wanted someone with her, but...

  “Ellie, if you come down here, you’ll be as much at risk as Chris. Who’s to say Robert won’t go after you to get to me? I know how he thinks, how he feels.” She closed her eyes as memories shuddered through her. “He always enjoyed the torment more than the beating.”

  “I don’t care if I’m at risk. I care about you. You’re all alone down there. You have no one close to you. You haven’t let anyone get close to you.”

  “And for good reason. I’m glad. Especially now.”

  “Don’t say that. No one should have to spend their life alone. No one.”

  She opened her eyes. “I’ve got no idea how to trust my judgment anymore. He did that to me. He made me doubt everything I think or feel. Even that look in Chris’s eyes.”

  “Oh, Ange.”

  They lapsed into silence. She loved the way Chris looked at her. It was so real, so potent, it called out to her on such a primal level and she trembled for his touch.

  She swallowed the ball of apprehension in her throat. Having her sister in the Cove would be just the distraction she needed to get over this stupid infatuation with the guy who saved her from the flood. That’s all he was. A guy.

  Angela tilted her chin. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” Eloise echoed. “You’re going to let me come?”

  She grinned, loving the sound of her sister’s smile. “If I can clear it with DI Garrett, I’d kind of like you with me...as long as you know the risks.”

  “I do. Everything will be fine.” Eloise’s excitement permeated along the line. “We should be together. Robert won’t stand a chance with us side by side. It’s why he separated us in the first place.”

  Angela pushed to her feet, guilt twisting like a knife in her heart. “Please don’t talk about that. I never should’ve let it happen.”

  “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound accusatory. You know I don’t blame you. The man got inside your head, messed with your mind and forced you to do the unimaginable. I love you and hate him. Got it?”

  Angela nodded and blinked back the tears burning her eyes. “Got it.”

  “So you’ll speak to the inspector?”

  “Yes, give me a couple of hours and I’ll call you back.”

  “Okay. Love you. Speak soon.”

  “Love you, too.”

  Eloise hung up and Angela put the phone back in its cradle on the kitchen wall. Now what? Part of her desperately wanted Eloise by her side. Another part felt as though it was a stupid, dangerous and selfish desire. Yet, as each hour ticked by, Angela was more and more convinced the man she’d seen at the restaurant was little more than a figment of her overwrought imagination and not Robert at all.

  Her front door clicked open and Officer Sheldon stepped into the house. “Miss Taylor?”

  Angela turned.

  The officer’s brow was furrowed, her gaze somber. “I’ve just had a call from Inspector Garrett. She’d like you to come to the station. She has something she needs to discuss with you.”

  Unease rippled through Angela, making goose bumps erupt along her forearms. “Is it Robert? Has he been seen somewhere?”

  “I really don’t know any more. I just have orders to bring you to the station straight away.” She offered an encouraging smile. “Shall we go? The sooner we get there, the sooner your mind will be put to rest.”

  “Or sent straight back into the chaos of my ex’s stupid mind games.”

  Snatching her handbag from the hook by the door, Angela checked for her wallet and phone and followed Officer Sheldon to her car.

  * * *

  ANGELA’S MIND WAS numb but her body hummed with frustration. “So I was wrong. Is that what you’re saying? I was definitely wrong and the guy at the restaurant wasn’t him? Or at the bar? Neither sighting can be confirmed?”

  DI Garrett shifted in her seat and leaned forward, her elbows planted firmly on her desk and her green eyes somber. “I have watched the video on the guy the bartender thought was Mr. Masters and both myself and my colleagues believe it isn’t him. I want to play you the tape and see what you think. The chances are this is the same guy you saw in the restaurant.”

  Disappointment lingered like lead in Angela’s stomach. “I assume you’ve tracked the guy down?”

  DI Garrett nodded. “Yes...he checks out but we’re keeping an eye on him.”

  “Why?”

  “There’s something about him that doesn’t feel right to me, but I have no idea what. He gave us ID that checked out and he’s lived in the Cove for a while. It should just be pure coincidence that he bears a resemblance to your ex-husband, but until we find Masters, I’m not closing any line of inquiry.”

  Angela slumped back in her seat, exhaustion settling around her shoulders. “Good. I’m glad to hear it. But if you feel that strongly he has no connection to Robert why do I need to see the tape? You clearly know I’m hallucinating and no doubt won’t believe a word I say from here on in.”

  “We believe anything you have to tell us. We’ll check out whatever you think merits it. We are not on a witch hunt to disprove anything you say. We are here to keep you safe.”

  Why did the inspector looking after her have to look so much like the man she longed to let protect her? The man whose arms she suddenly wanted to hold her, whose words she wanted to hear telling her she wasn’t mad or wrong.

  DI Garrett cleared her throat. “Angela? Do you want to see the tape? I think it will be good for you to see it.” She smiled. “This is good news. It means the likelihood your ex-husband is in Templeton is minimal. Which leads me to another question... We’ve spoken to every person on the list you gave me who knew him, and to the inmates we know he forged relationships with on the inside. No one is saying they’ve seen or heard from him.”

  Angela shook her head. “His mother would give her life for him. She’s lying.”

  “There’s nothing we can do about that until we can prove it. She’s distraught he’s gone missing. Even more so, when we told her he’ll get another ten years at least if he comes anywhere near you. He hasn’t used his passport, so we know he hasn’t left the country. Is there anyone else you can think of? Anywhere, however small a chance, he might go. Past lovers? Friends? A business associate? Small, intimate places you might have gone as a couple?”

  Hopelessness drifted through Angela as she scrambled for names and addresses, memories of something, anything that might be a clue to where Robert could be. She shook her head. “No. I can’t think of anyone or anywhere. He kept me excluded, isolated. I rarely met anyone...I rarely left the house.” Shame burned hot and heavy in her stomach. “That’s what they do, Inspector. They isolate you from family and friends, convince you it’s a good idea to give up your job, your hobbies...” Angela shook as tears threatened. “God, I hate him.”

  DI Garrett touched Angela’s hand where it lay on the desk. “Hey. It’s okay.”

  “It’s not. It’s not okay.”

  DI Garrett gently squeezed her hand. “It will be okay. We’ll find him. He’s more than likely staying with someone he’s met over the past twelve months since he’s been free. I’ve got officers working around the
clock.”

  She pushed to her feet and held out her arm as she came around the desk. “Come on. Let’s get you into the viewing room to look at this tape.” She stopped. “There’s one more thing you should know.”

  Angela didn’t move. “What?”

  DI Garrett smiled. “I’ve authorized Officer Sheldon to stay with you at all times. There’s no time you’ll have to be alone.”

  Dread stole through Angela’s blood at the thought of being babysat; of losing even the tiniest piece of her independence. “No.”

  “No?” The inspector’s smile vanished.

  Angela shook her head. “No. I’ve already agreed to more than I wanted to as far as you and the rest of the police are concerned. I don’t want somebody with me 24/7 telling me what I can and can’t do. I rejected your brother’s protection in favor of the police. I’m better off on my own. I know the dangers. I know I’m leaving myself exposed to God knows what, but I will not have an officer with me all the time. If you want me to sign a form or whatever you need to protect yourself, then that’s what I’ll do but I’m not having a damn bodyguard.”

  “Look—” DI Garrett moved to touch her elbow.

  “No.” Angela leaped to her feet and made for the door. “I’ve made my decision,”

  Yanking the door back on its hinges, she walked from DI Garrett’s office into the main area of the station. Once there, everything around her spun and blurred. She squeezed her eyes shut. There was no way she would faint in front of these people. She counted her breaths and the noise in her ears subsided.

  Pulling back her shoulders, she faced the inspector. “Show me the tape. Then I’m going home.”

  Their eyes locked until DI Garrett tilted her head and gestured toward a door to the left. “This way. Follow me.”

  With her heart hammering and her mind whirling, Angela followed her through the doorway and along a passage until they came to a stop outside another door. DI Garrett knocked and they walked in.

  Sitting at a desk with several monitors and nameless equipment covering every square inch, a uniformed male officer turned. DI Garrett gave a small smile. “This is Miss Taylor. Could we see the video from the bar?”