by Maya Banks
He scowled. “Not scared. Cautious. Maybe a little apprehensive. Okay, terrified. I mean, they’re terrorists disguised as cute little people.”
She laughed that full throaty laugh that sent a shiver up his spine. Damn but she was beautiful when she laughed. She lit up like a Christmas tree and her eyes sparkled. Too bad he wasn’t a humorous guy. He’d give anything to make her laugh again.
“They aren’t that bad. They just need attention. And love. Just like everyone else.”
“Everyone else doesn’t puke on you. Or rub their snot on your shirt.”
She grinned. “That’s what antibacterial wipes are for.”
“Try full-body armor,” Garrett muttered.
She rolled her eyes. “A big muscled out guy like you, terrified of women and children. What a wimp.”
“Hey.” He pressed the cold bottle against the bare skin of her leg and she yelped as she slid away. “No need to get personal.”
She laughed again and God if he didn’t get all gooey inside. She was right. He was a first-class pansy. He scowled and gave thanks his brothers weren’t here to give him shit.
“Better check the steaks. It’s a sin to burn good meat.”
He hoisted himself to his feet and made it a point to “accidentally” get her with the cold bottle again. She giggled and pushed herself up as well. She followed him toward the grill and sniffed appreciatively when he propped open the lid.
“Smells great.”
“Yeah, just needs another minute or two. Want to grab plates and eat out here?”
She glanced over to the small patio table with the umbrella that tilted precariously to one side. “Yeah, that sounds great. I’ll get the stuff and set the table.”
They ate in companionable silence as dusk settled over the water. The skies faded from the brilliant blue of earlier, and shades of pink and gold spread like gossamer wings over the horizon. There was something to be said for this whole R and R thing. Not that he’d ever admit it to his brothers. But damn if he wasn’t enjoying himself. And the company.
When they pushed aside their plates, neither made a move to get up, and he was content to follow her lead. He settled back in his chair as the water turned dark with impending nightfall. The moon was barely visible as it crept over the horizon. It was nearly full and in two nights it would be, but it was still bright as it splashed across the surface of the ocean.
“I’ve kept you far too long,” Sarah said, breaking the silence. There was a note of discomfort in her voice, not that she’d spent the time with him, but a hesitancy that signaled her regret for what she considered an inconvenience.
“I had a good time. You’re great company.”
“So are you,” she said after a pause. “I had a good time too.”
The tone of her voice suggested that fact surprised her. And it probably did. Kind of tough to relax for a few hours when you’re looking over your shoulder at every turn.
He rose and began collecting the plates, but she reached over and put her hand on his wrist. Cool soft fingers and yet they burned his skin like coals.
“I’ll do it,” she said huskily. “You already did so much.”
“You sure you’re going to be okay?”
She nodded and released his wrist. He wanted to take her hand back so she kept touching him. He liked her hands. Small and so dainty and feminine. She had slender fingers with tapered nails. And the pads of her fingertips were smooth and infinitely soft.
“I’ll be fine, and again, thank you for doing so much to make me feel better. I really appreciate it.”
He wondered what she’d do if he told her he wanted to kiss her. Not that he would. Tell her, that is. If he was going to kiss her, he’d want her to have no warning. No time to think. But he didn’t want to scare the hell out of her either. So he stood there, watching her mouth and wondering what she’d taste like.
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate, okay? I’m just down the beach. And I mean anything. If you get scared, I’ll come over. It’s not a problem.”
For a long moment she simply stared at him, her heart in her eyes. They gleamed shiny in the soft moonlight and her lips were drawn almost as if she were in pain.
“I stopped believing they made men like you,” she said in a voice that made him ache. “Thank you for proving me wrong.”
He almost went back and kissed her anyway. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but he turned and walked down the beach to his cottage. He stopped midway to look back and she was still standing there, moon splashing silver on her skin.
He lifted his hand in a wave and then traveled the rest of the way in the dark.
When he entered his cottage, he groaned as he caught sight of the sat phone where he’d left it on the kitchen counter. Donovan was going to kill him. Better to get it over with sooner rather than later, and he was eager to hear what his brother had dug up on Sarah Daniels.
He dialed the number and waited as it rang. A moment later, a decidedly feminine voice bled over the line.
“Hello?”
“Sophie? What the hell are you doing answering this line?” Garrett asked. “Everything okay there?”
“Hi, Garrett.”
“Still pregnant, sweetheart?”
She made a sound that came out as a grunt. Maybe he should have just kept his mouth shut.
“Where’s Van?”
“He’s asleep at the computer,” his sister-in-law said. “Ethan and Rachel came over after you called earlier so he never went back to bed.”
“How is Rachel doing?”
“She seems to be doing well. She and Ethan went swimming. Sam wouldn’t let me go. He said if I started to drown there wasn’t a life preserver that would fit around me.”
Garrett snorted. “What an asshole. Want me to kick his ass for you?”
She laughed and Garrett smiled. “Rachel kicked him for me. I couldn’t lift my leg that high without falling over.”
“You take good care of yourself and my niece. I’ll expect a phone call the minute you go into labor.”
“I think the entire world will know when the day finally comes,” she said tiredly. “I mean, I don’t think even elephants are pregnant this long.”
“Poor sweetie. Make Sam give you a foot rub.”
“Donovan is stirring and I need to wipe up the drool off the desk. Do you want to speak to him?” Sophie asked.
“Yeah, thanks. Take care, okay?”
Muffled sounds came through the phone and then Donovan’s irritated growl and Sophie’s laughter.
“For someone who was in such a goddamn hurry, you took your sweet time calling back.”
Garrett winced. “Sorry, Van. Something came up. You got anything for me?”
Donovan sighed. “Actually, no. I’ve been on it all afternoon. If something happened to her, it’s not on record anywhere. I have a contact in Boston who is doing some more digging for me. He’ll poke around her neighbors, acquaintances and coworkers to see what he can come up with but we have to be careful because she has a lot of damn people looking for her.”
Garrett sighed. No record. Meaning whatever had happened to her went unreported. He wanted to put his fist through the wall. Had she been in an abusive relationship? Was she a victim of random violence?
“Do me a favor, Van. Look up any past relationships. Boyfriends, casual dates, whatever. I need some blanks filled. Resnick either didn’t tell us the whole story or he doesn’t know it himself, which is hard to believe since he’s such a meticulous bastard.”
“What are you really looking for, Garrett? Help me out here. I need to know what I’m searching for.”
Garrett rubbed a hand over his face. “I think she was attacked. Maybe raped. I feel pretty sure it was by someone she trusted. So I don’t know if she was abused, if some guy she was with beat the hell out of her or sexually assaulted her. There’s something going on here beyond her witnessing someone being murdered.”
“Christ,” Donovan mu
ttered.
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
All of the Kellys had a strong protective urge when it came to women and children, but Donovan especially had a soft spot a mile wide for women and children. A lot of times it was to his detriment because he simply couldn’t turn down a job if a child or a woman was in jeopardy. He was putty in a woman’s hands. He adored women and they adored him. Garrett teased him that it was the geek that appealed to the “fairer sex.” But the truth of the matter was, Donovan was extremely intelligent and he was good to his toes. Women sensed that and they flocked to him like flies.
He was quieter than his brothers. He wasn’t as big and broad shouldered as the rest. Often he was most comfortable taking a backseat to everyone else. He stood on the fringes and watched. As a result, Donovan had more dirt on people than Garrett could imagine.
And there wasn’t anyone else Garrett would rather have at his back.
“Garrett, that bullshit Resnick spouted ... You can’t go in like that if some son of a bitch hurt her.”
Garrett controlled his irritation because he knew Donovan was doing what Donovan did best. Looking out for the woman. “I know that, Van. Sarah ... She’s vulnerable right now. She needs a friend. I intend to be that friend.”
“Let me know if you need me, okay? I can be over there in a day. In the meantime, I’ll do some more digging and let you know what I find out.”
“Thanks, Van. Now go get some sleep. You sound like hell.”
“Fuck you.”
Garrett grinned and cut the connection. He rubbed the back of his neck, fingers digging into the base of his skull. He was tired and right now a hot shower sounded better than sex. He needed to get to bed and get some rest because he had an early morning errand to run the next day. Preferably before Sarah had a chance to get up and around.
CHAPTER 9
SARAH opened her eyes to sunlight streaming through her window. She blinked the grogginess away and turned to look at the clock. Sure she hadn’t seen the numbers correctly, she shoved to her elbow and squinted to get a better look. Ten A.M.? Holy cow.
Pathches jumped onto the bed and eyed her suspiciously. Usually Sarah was the first out of bed and the cat always protested being moved from her warm spot.
Sarah flopped back onto her pillow and stared up at the ceiling. The cat rubbed against her side and purred loudly. Sarah put her hand down to rub the animal’s ears and received a delicate meow in thanks.
It was the most she’d slept since arriving. Most nights she was lucky to get in a few hours. Her dreams haunted her, and at times she refused to close her eyes because she’d do anything to keep the demons at bay.
Somehow she’d managed not only an entire night’s sleep, but she’d slept well past daybreak into midmorning. She stretched and then cuddled deeper into her covers. It was then she realized that some of her sense of panic was gone. Anxiety had been ever present for months, so much so that she couldn’t remember what her life had felt like without it. This morning she felt remarkably ... light.
She lay there for another half hour, simply enjoying the peace. The growl of her stomach finally forced her into the bathroom to take a quick shower. When she was done, she wrapped a towel around her head and headed into the kitchen.
She put on a pot of coffee to brew and stared out the window as it bubbled and hissed. The water was so blue it almost hurt her eyes to look at it. The sun bounced off the surface and reflected like a million tiny diamonds. There wasn’t a single cloud in sight although the talk in town the day before had been a storm system expected through by the evening.
As the coffeemaker hissed its last, she removed the pot and poured a cupful of the savory brew. It was too perfect a morning to waste indoors. Sitting on her porch with a cup of coffee sounded heavenly, and maybe she’d see Garrett.
Heat tingled her cheeks and she shook her head. She was acting like a giddy teenager crushing on her first boy. Still, she smiled as she opened her front door. Her gaze was drawn to the water and she nearly tripped over something in the doorway. She stumbled and her coffee sloshed over the rim. She righted herself, put down her coffee on the window ledge and then looked down to see a basket sitting on her porch.
Astonished, she knelt to find two bottles of white wine and the books that she’d dropped in the alley when she’d been attacked. She lovingly stroked the spines of the paperbacks and pulled them away so she could see each of the titles. There were even a few additions to the ones she’d purchased. Next to the wine, were several chocolate bars and a folded note with her name on it.
Her chest was so tight and she was smiling so big her cheeks ached. With shaking fingers, she opened the note.
I’m told no woman can resist wine, books and chocolate.
Enjoy your day.
—G
She hugged the note to her and stared down at her goodies. He’d gone and gotten her books! She was ridiculously touched by the notion of him making a special trip to retrieve her books and to buy her wine and chocolate.
Her eyes were suspiciously watery as she rose and hoisted the basket into her arms. Her coffee forgotten, she set the basket on the patio table and began going through the assortment of paperbacks. After settling on the one she wanted to read first, she hurried back inside to set the wine to chilling in the fridge. She added the chocolate so it wouldn’t melt and then returned outside to her book.
After an hour, she went back inside to prepare lunch. The wine was cold and she poured a glass to have with her meal. She took her time, actually enjoying the food as the sun soaked into her skin. Today ... she was in no hurry today. The events of the previous day melted away and she savored the freedom to just ... enjoy.
She dozed off with a book propped on her chest, her feet resting in the chair opposite her. A fat raindrop hit her square in the forehead, startling her from her slumber. Her eyes flew open to find the sky vastly changed. Instead of the sheer blue canvas, angry thunderheads had rolled in, billowing in the sky like giant mushroom caps.
It was dark and shadows fell over the beach, turning the serene paradise into something sinister. The water rolled and frothy wave caps blew over the surface, rolling onto the beach and spreading over the sand.
She put her feet down and stretched her aching muscles. After collecting her wineglass and book, she retreated indoors. Disappointment nagged at her. She hadn’t seen Garrett even once.
Garrett stood at his window and watched as Sarah went indoors. He’d been on the verge of going over there himself to wake her before the storm kicked up too bad. She’d been sleeping the entire afternoon, and he’d watched over her from afar.
He’s purposely stayed away today to give her time to process the evening they spent together. He wanted her trust and found that he was willing for things to progress as slowly as necessary to achieve that goal.
Lightning stabbed through the sky, flashing and illuminating the rolling sea. Thunder echoed in the distance. The storm was moving fast and getting closer with each passing second.
He turned away and let the curtain fall. He loved a good thunderstorm. It was a perfect evening to kick back with a beer and listen to the rain.
Soon the rain picked up and fell with steady rhythm. It beat against the tin roof of the cottage with a muted roar. Just the sound made him yawn; lethargy stole over him, turning his muscles to jelly.
He slouched on the sofa and kicked his legs up. Of course as soon as he got comfortable, the sat phone beeped. He raised his head and glared across the room to where it lay on the on the chair by the window.
Grumbling the entire way, he pushed himself up and went over to snag the phone.
“This better be good,” he said as he sank back onto the couch.
“This coming from the asshole who woke me up twice?”
Garrett chuckled. “I was comfortable, man. Just laid down on the couch.”
Donovan made a derisive noise before continuing. “Do you want what I got or what?”
Garr
ett sat up, suddenly very serious. His stomach knotted and he sucked in a deep breath. Yeah, he wanted to know but then again he wasn’t sure he did. He sighed. “Yeah, hit me with it.”
“Sarah Daniels leads a very ordinary life, lives in a very ordinary apartment. No one has a single bad word to say about her. As far as I can tell there are no recent boyfriends. No medical records other than a few routine check-ups. I’m trying to get the actual reports now but it’ll take some time. She’s been jobless for months. She has conservative spending habits but her bank account isn’t hefty so she’s getting support from somewhere. My bet is Lattimer. But in short, she’s normal. She’s disgustingly perfect.”
No. Not perfect. Broken. And infinitely fragile.
Garrett blew out his breath. “Then what the fuck?”
“Maybe you’re misinterpreting things, Garrett. She witnessed a murder. She’s either scared of her brother. Or she’s trying to protect him. That’s a lot of shit to deal with. Of course she’s jumpy.”
Bullshit. Yeah, she was scared, and she was cautious, but there was more to it. Garrett wasn’t wrong about this. He’d touched her. He’d felt her tension. Saw the grief and the pain in her eyes.
“I’m not wrong about this, Van.”
Donovan sighed. “The thing is, if she was attacked but never reported it, she probably didn’t tell anyone. Not even those closest to her. Unfortunately a lot of crimes against women go unreported.”
Garrett cursed, knowing that Donovan was right. If Sarah had been hurt, there was a distinct possibility that the only person who knew anything of it ... was her. And the son of a bitch who attacked her.
“Damn it,” Garrett muttered. “This is complicated.”
“I’ll keep digging. If I come up with anything, I’ll call you.”
“Thanks, man. How is Sophie doing? And have you talked to Rachel?”
Donovan chuckled. “Trust you to want to know about the women.”
Garrett scowled. “I didn’t get to go by and see Rachel before I left. I just want to make sure she’s doing okay. I worry about her. And Sophie. She looked about fourteen months’ pregnant when I left.”