A Man Like Him

by Rachel Brimble

  He took in a shaky inhalation and slowly opened his eyes. He smiled. “Good morning.”

  Angela’s heart kicked. Yep, falling in love. She grinned. “Good morning.”

  “Have I got drool coming from my mouth?”

  She laughed. “No.”

  He lifted his head and inched closer. “Good.”

  He brushed his lips over hers before dropping back against the pillow. His eyes searched her face. “Did you sleep okay?”

  “Better than I have since the flood.” She put her head down on his chest and trailed her fingers through his chest hair. “It obviously makes a difference knowing you’re sleeping next to me.”

  “Then I’d better stay tonight. And tomorrow. And the next day.”

  Unease rippled through her. Her emotions might be moving along at the speed of a freight train, but no part of her was ready to have him move in. She enjoyed her independence. Cherished her freedom of being alone and unencumbered when making decisions. She opened her mouth to respond when his phone vibrated on the bedside table beside him. She shifted away so he could reach it.

  He looked at the display and grimaced. “Uh-oh.”

  Dread immediately shot into Angela’s stomach and her nerves tightened. All thoughts of Chris’s intentions obliterated with the possibility of Robert being on the other end. “Who is it?”

  “Cat.”

  She released her held breath. “Aren’t you going to answer it?”

  He glanced again at the phone. “I didn’t go home. She’s going to fry my ass. I’ll put her on loudspeaker.”

  Angela laughed. “Don’t. It’s not right. She won’t want me to hear her telling you off.”

  He grinned, his gorgeous eyes glinting with mischief. “Listen.” He hit the talk button. “Hey, sis. How’s it going? Beautiful morning, isn’t it?”

  “Don’t act innocent with me, Chris Forrester. Where are you? Why hasn’t your bed been slept in?”

  “I’m—”

  “I know exactly where you are.”

  He grimaced again and Angela mirrored his expression, feeling like a naughty schoolgirl caught skipping class by the local police officer.

  “You do?” Chris asked.

  “I hope I’m wrong, but you’re more than likely at Angela’s and if you are, you’d better hope you slept on her sofa because if you’ve slept with her, I’m going to kill you.”

  “Cat—”

  “Dead, Chris. I will shoot you dead.”

  “Um...”

  “Brilliant. Well, that’s just brilliant.” DI Garrett tutted. “You’re one hundred percent completely and utterly toast the next time I see you.”

  Angela put her face into the pillow to muffle her laughter. Chris cleared his throat. “So, were you ringing for any other reason or just to tell me how you intend to kill me at some point over the next twenty-four hours?”

  Silence.

  Angela slowly lifted her head and her gaze locked with Chris’s. The silence did not bode well. Their smiles dissolved. He frowned. “Cat?”

  Her exhalation rasped down the line. “Is Angela with you right now?”

  Chris nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then take me off speaker and give the phone to her.”

  “How did you know you were on speaker?”

  “Because I have an older brother who is more predictable than some two-bit crime show, that’s why.”

  “Fine.”

  He held out the phone and Angela took it. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Angela.”

  Angela smiled. DI Garrett’s voice completely changed to one of soft friendliness as opposed to murderous intent. “Hi.”

  “I wanted to give you an update on what we’ve been doing overnight.” She sighed. “There have been no reported sightings of your ex-husband anywhere in the Cove or at the train station, ferry port or toll bridge. As far as we know, he’s not entered the Cove in the past twelve hours.”

  “But you can’t guarantee he hasn’t been here for longer than that.”

  “No.”

  Angela closed her eyes against Chris’s relentless study. “Right.”

  “There’s no evidence he’s here. Clearly he’s on the run so I’m not going to lie to you. I think sooner or later, he’ll try something. We’re going back to interview people on the list you gave me, but apart from that...” She exhaled a heavy breath. “All I can promise is we’re looking for him. You need to be vigilant. Anything you can think of, call me.”

  “I see.”

  “Are you okay?”

  Angela trembled and gripped the phone tighter as frustration coursed through her. Am I okay? Nothing had changed. They were no further forward to finding Robert or stopping him from stealing her new life away. Anger simmered beneath the surface of her self-control.

  She opened her eyes. “No, Inspector, I’m not okay. Maybe I saw something that wasn’t there in the restaurant, but I don’t understand how I’m supposed to pretend that everything is all right when Robert knows where I am and one day, be it next week or next year, he will come for me.”

  “If he does, we’ll get him before he gets you.”

  “With all due respect, I don’t know that.”

  “Angela, listen to me. I am not leaving you alone on this. If he puts one foot wrong, I want to make sure it sticks. Make sure he is locked up for a very, very long time.”

  “Fine. Then you do your bit, and I’ll do mine. I’ve lived through everything he can throw at me. I will again.”

  Angela tossed the phone to Chris and it landed with a slap against his chest. “Sorry.” She scrambled off the bed. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

  “Angela—”

  “Don’t say it, Chris. Don’t say don’t worry and don’t say we’ll fix this. We won’t. This will never be fixed.”

  She snatched her phone from the table beside her and hurried toward the en suite bathroom, locking the door behind her. Her heart pounded painfully against her rib cage and her hands shook. She’d thought she had an ally in DI Garrett, a woman who would understand the capability of someone like Robert. Clearly the inspector was as deluded about him as everyone else had been prior to his sentencing. Well, that was fine because from now on she was taking matters into her own hands.

  Robert would never let her go. Never let her have a possible relationship with Chris. Stupid. Stupid and weak. She’d let herself feel something for another person. Now she was back to where she was years ago. Back to having to push people she cared about away for fear of them getting hurt. After years of keeping people away from her and safe, she’d let Chris walk in and burrow deep into her heart. Risking him and herself. Stupid. Stupid and weak.

  Angela swallowed the urge to scream out in frustration.

  “Damn you, Robert. Damn you to hell.”

  She pulled down the toilet seat and sat on the closed lid. With shaking fingers, she dialed Eloise’s number and waited.

  Her sister picked up. “Hi, Ange. You okay?”

  Angela’s shoulders relaxed a little just from the sound of her sister’s voice. “Hi, yourself. No, I’m not. Not really.”

  “What’s happened?”

  “Nothing. That’s the problem. Robert’s missing, and the police are doing nothing more than chasing their damn tails.”

  Silence.

  Angela frowned. “Ellie?”

  “He’ll not let you go, Ange. That’s why I’m coming down there. I’m coming down there and bringing you home.”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  Angela squeezed her eyes shut. “You can’t come to the Cove. Not now. I want you to stay away. Stay with Tim and the twins. Promise me.”

  “I can’t do that. I want to be with you. If you won’t come h
ome, at least let me come and stay awhile until you feel safer, stronger. I’m going out of my head with worry stuck here. I want to see you.”

  Tears burned Angela’s eyes as she stared ahead. She wanted nothing more than to see Eloise and wrap her arms around her older sister. “I can’t.”

  “Please, Ange.”

  Forcing her determination to the surface, Angela stood and shook her head. “No. You stay home. I mean it.” She snapped the phone shut and her tears broke. She stifled a sob with her hand over her mouth.

  The soft knock at the door made her jump.

  She hastily wiped the tears from her face. “I’ll be just a minute.”

  “Are you all right?” Chris’s voice drifted through the door.

  “I’m fine.”

  Thoughts and options raced through Angela’s mind as she stared blindly ahead. What was she supposed to do? Sit here and hide or get her ass out of the bathroom and fight. Fight for her and Chris. Fight for a future of her own making. She trembled with suppressed fury, her feet bouncing upon the tiles at her feet.

  Goddamn it, she was falling in love. and as inconvenient as that was, it was the truth.

  With Chris beside her, who was to say they couldn’t put an end to Robert’s tirade?

  Making a snap decision, Angela stood and marched for the door.

  We’re coming for you, Robert. Ready or not.

  She unlocked the door and yanked it back on the hinges. Chris had his arm raised on the doorjamb. He stared at her, his gaze dark and intense. “You’ve been crying.”

  She brushed past him into the bedroom. “Yes, well, I’m done now.” She faced him and crossed her arms. “I want you to call the paper and tell that reporter we’ll meet him at the newspaper as planned.”

  He lifted an eyebrow and pushed away from the door, mirroring her stance. “You want to do it? You want to pretend we’re engaged even after what Cat just told you?”

  She glared. “Nothing’s changed. She’s not getting any further...so we will.”

  He took a step toward her, his hand outstretched as if to touch her. “Hey, Cat will be doing everything—”

  She raised her hand and his hand fell to his side. Angela glared. “As long as you believe in me, we can do this. Robert has either already been here or is coming any day now. As much as it hurts me to admit it, I need to know if you’re on my side. If not, you might as well go.”

  “I—”

  “It’s a simple yes or no.”

  He came forward and gripped her elbows. “I’m on your side.” He kissed her, his lips soft, gentle and certain. “I’m on your side.”

  Relief pumped through her veins in an undulating wave and she uncrossed her arms to step into his. She pressed her cheek to his muscular chest. “Good. Then let’s get engaged and find the guy from the bar.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  TWO HOURS LATER, Chris held Angela’s hand as they stared up at the lavish facade of Templeton’s most expensive hotel, The Pickerton. The hotel that currently housed the mysterious man from the restaurant and bar. His bartender friend had done good. Chris glanced to the side. Angela’s blank expression gave no clue to what she was thinking.

  He squeezed her hand. “You want to go in?”

  She turned. “The bartender is sure this is where our mystery man is staying?”

  “Yep. That’s what he said. He told me before the guy was dressed as though he wasn’t short of a penny or two. Clearly he was right.”

  “Now I’m here, I’m not so sure this is the right thing to do.”

  “It is.” He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and winked. “We’ll make sure it’s the same guy and then I’ll ring Cat.”

  “But she isn’t convinced he has anything to do with Robert. She’ll go mad when she learns what we’ve been up to.”

  He smiled. “I’m willing to take a slapped wrist if you are.”

  Angela shot him a glare. “Are you finding this funny? Because I’m sure as hell not.”

  His smile vanished. “Neither am I. Let’s just find out what we can and make sure we know enough that Cat can’t dismiss this out of hand, okay?”

  Angela stared and took a deep breath. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  They walked through the doors and into the fancy marble-and-gold lobby. They approached the elevator in the far right-hand corner. A room in this place had to set someone back at least a hundred and fifty, maybe two hundred pounds a night. Who was this guy? Or was Masters paying for his friend’s luxurious stay? Chris’s gut clenched with the knowledge the bastard could easily be paying to bed and breakfast his spy.

  He plastered on a smile and turned to Angela. “Keep smiling, sweetheart. We’re in love and desperate to get to our room.”

  Her gaze locked on his and she quirked an eyebrow. “Of course we are.” She slapped on a smile and slid her free arm up his biceps and held it there. “Why else would we be walking toward an elevator in a hotel like this unless we had every right to be here.”

  The doors brushed closed and the adrenaline that ripped through Chris was too much to contain. He needed to release some of it. So he turned, gripped Angela’s waist and eased her against the wall.

  Her eyes widened. “What are you... Oh.”

  His mouth covered hers and her body melted against his. With one hand still gripping her waist, he used the other to explore the exquisite curves of her perfect figure. From hip to waist, to a faint brush of her breast against his thumb. She moaned into his mouth, her tongue taking his.

  God, she was so passionate. So determined. So his.

  They broke apart, their breathing harried. She smiled. “What was that for?”

  He smiled. “For you. For this. For what we’re about to do. We’re going to find out what this guy knows and then we’re going to wait for Cat to come and toss his ass in jail. I’ve got a good feeling about this. A really good feeling.”

  Her gaze darted over his face before she gripped his lapels and yanked him forward. She pressed a firm kiss to his mouth. “So do I.”

  She stepped back just as the doors opened on the fourth floor. Chris took her hand and led her outside. “My new best friend, Dave the bartender, said the guy mentioned the view from the fourth floor, but that’s all we’ve got.” He looked left and right along the corridor. “Goddamn, there have to be thirty rooms on this floor. How are we going to... Angela?”

  She slipped her hand from his and, leaving him standing alone, approached the cleaning lady farther down the corridor. She raised her hand in a wave. “Excuse me, is it possible you could help me?”

  Chris stayed where he was as Angela spoke to the woman, gesturing with her hands, putting one hand to her head then her throat. What was she up to? Pride filled his chest like a balloon. Whatever she was saying had the cleaning woman pointing past him to the rooms beyond.

  God, she’s something else.

  With a gentle squeeze to the woman’s arm, Angela turned and came back toward him. She winked as she got closer, her smile wider than the sun. “Mac Garroway, if that’s his real name, is in room 329.”

  She pushed her hand through the crook of his elbow and they walked along the corridor.

  “What did you say to her? Why did she give you his room number?”

  She stared ahead. “That’s for me to know, nosy. Now, are we ready for this or not?”

  Chris grinned. “We’re ready.”

  They stopped outside room 329 and Chris released a sigh of relief when the cleaning lady disappeared with her trolley around the corner. He turned and met Angela’s eyes. He nodded and scooted along the wall out of sight of the door.

  Angela straightened her spine and knocked, staring resolutely ahead.

  Chris’s heart beat hard as they waited, then the door swung open.

 
; “Hello, Mac. Do you mind if I come in?”

  As they’d anticipated, Mac Garroway attempted to shove the door in her face, but Chris joined Angela and together they pushed, toppling their target inside. Garroway landed in a heap on the floor. He stared up at them, his face flushed and his eyes mad. Chris towered over him as Angela slammed the door behind them, the chain sliding into place.

  “Hello, Mac.” Chris smiled. “We understand you’re new in town and, clearly from your reaction just now, you know Miss Taylor. The question is why would you slam the door in the face of someone you were so pleased to see at The Oceanside the other night that you actually stopped to smile at her?”

  Chris grabbed him by his collar and dragged Garroway to his feet. He pushed him against the wall. “Call, Cat, Angela. Now.” He shoved Garroway harder. “Now, who the hell are you? And why are you following her?”

  “Get out of my room, you son of a bitch.” Garroway’s face turned bloodred.

  Chris hitched his grip up under his chin. “Who are you?”

  Garroway grinned, revealing expensive white teeth. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  Fury burned inside Chris’s chest like a fireball. Angela talked urgently into the phone behind him. “...I know, Inspector, but Mac Garroway knows me. He knows me and I’m pretty sure he knows Robert. You need to come down here. Yes. No. We won’t do anything stupid but no, we’re not leaving, either.”

  Chris bit back a smile and he heard a decisive snap as Angela ended the call.

  She moved behind him but Chris didn’t take his eyes off Garroway, not trusting the guy wouldn’t take the opportunity to bite his damn ear off, judging by the manic look in his eyes. Garroway trembled with suppressed fury.

  Angela cleared her throat to the side of him. “Well, maybe this will help you to tell us who you are, Mac.”

  The click that followed poured ice into Chris’s blood and drained the color from Garroway’s face. Chris risked a glance at her. The gun was steady in her hand. Worse, Angela’s face was entirely blank of emotion as she pointed it directly at Garroway’s face. Chris’s gut tightened. He was unsure what to do or say. He wanted nothing more than to take the gun from her and toss it across the room, but he sensed she had to do this, had to take control.