Nothing to Fear

by Claire Boston

  “Not at all. We were about finished anyway.” He was quiet for a moment. “Lincoln filled me in on the latest.”

  Hannah held up a hand. “Please, don’t. I don’t want to talk about that at the moment. I came down here to get a few minutes of peace before I go and see him.”

  “We’re disturbing you.” He nodded to Felix.

  “Oh, no. He’s fine. Joe could do with the exercise. He’s been cooped up with me for the past few days.” She hesitated. She could do this. “I was going to walk to the rocks and back. Do you and Felix want to join me?”

  He smiled. “Sure.” He got to his feet in a fluid movement and brushed the sand from his body. Hannah’s mouth went dry. She swallowed, clenching her hands to stop herself from helping him to brush off the sand, and walked down the beach.

  “The park looked almost full when we drove past,” Ryan said.

  She nodded. “I had a huge number of people check in today. It was non-stop.”

  “Is it always like this?”

  “School holidays are, and long weekends. The rest of the time we get a steady business.” She spotted a sea eagle and pointed it out to Ryan.

  When it flew away he asked, “How’s the cabin coming along?”

  “Slowly. I haven’t had much time over the last couple of days.”

  “Have you got a name for the place yet?”

  “Hideaway Resort.” Did it sound trite? Could he even understand what it was like to want to hide away from the world for a time? She glanced back to where Felix and Joe were running all over the sand, chasing each other. “Has Felix settled in?”

  “Yeah. He had a great time at the Christmas wind-up on Thursday. Mrs Z wrote down the names and numbers for the kids he made friends with and I’m going to arrange some playdates over the break.”

  “He’s welcome at the holiday park at any time,” Hannah said.

  “Thanks. I appreciate it.” His smile made her heart flutter.

  “And I appreciate all the help you’ve given me.”

  “All part of the job.”

  Of course it was. Her joy faded. “I’m sorry I hurt you yesterday.”

  “So am I.” He chuckled. “But it was the right thing to do. I shouldn’t have threatened you.”

  “Threatened me?”

  “I said I’d kiss you if you didn’t move.”

  She laughed. “That’s hardly a threat. It’s more of a reward.” Realising what she’d said, Hannah snapped her mouth shut. Aw, hell. He was staring at her, his eyes wide. “Sorry,” she muttered, heat flooding her cheeks.

  “I, uh, didn’t think you were comfortable with men.”

  She needed to be honest. “You’re becoming the exception.”

  He was silent and she didn’t dare look at him.

  “Hannah, that’s not a good idea. I mean – it’s great you’re comfortable with me – but I’m working on your case. That can only get messy.”

  She was sure her face couldn’t get any hotter. “You mean if you weren’t involved in a police capacity, it would be OK?”

  He hesitated.

  Nope. She’d read too much into it. “Forget I asked. I’m sorry. I’m messed up. It can’t be appealing.” They had reached the rocks so she turned back.

  Ryan grasped her wrist, stopping her. She tried to push away the fleeting panic as she checked where Joe was.

  “Sorry.” Ryan let go. “You’re not messed up.” His gaze was intense. “You’ve had something awful happen to you that you have to deal with.” Slowly, he took hold of her hand again and his thumb rubbed against the back of it. “You’re also incredibly attractive. Any guy would be lucky to have you.”

  The pulse in her wrist throbbed.

  He sighed, letting go of her wrist. “I’m not ready for another relationship.”

  She rubbed the spot where he touched, trying to get her heart rate under control.

  “There’s too much at stake. I have Felix to consider.”

  She recognised a rejection when she heard one. At least he was being kind, letting her down gently. Still, it hurt. “Of course. I’m sorry. I put you in an awkward position.” She continued walking, not looking back at him.

  She was foolish. Just because he was the first guy she was interested in since forever, didn’t mean he was going to reciprocate those feelings.

  An uncomfortable silence stretched between them and Hannah didn’t know how to break it.

  She really had no clue of what she was doing.

  She shouldn’t have bothered to try.

  Chapter 10

  Hannah had never been so happy to reach the path back to the caravan park. She fought the urge to run as she called Joe to her side. “I’ll see you both later.” She gave Felix a friendly wave before getting out of there. It was mortifying. She’d practically thrown herself at the man and he wasn’t interested in catching.

  Of course he wasn’t.

  Reaching the pavement, she brushed most of the sand off her feet before slipping her shoes back on. She didn’t want to still be there when Ryan came up.

  “Hannah! Hi!”

  She turned at the call, glad for the distraction, and found herself face to face with Justin and his friends, all wet and dishevelled and carrying their surfboards. She recognised Smithy, who had been Justin’s roommate when they’d dated.

  Her embarrassment faded as anger welled up. She’d had it with men today. It was his fault that she was in this predicament. He’d made her into this pathetic mess. Well she was done with it. She’d given Justin power over her for far too long. “What do you want?” she demanded.

  He took a step back, his grin fading. “I, uh, well, we’re leaving tomorrow, so I was hoping to catch up before we did.”

  She shook her head, the disbelief making her almost lightheaded. “Why the hell would I want to catch up with you after what you did?”

  His friends glanced at each other, but Justin looked confused. “What did I do?”

  Her breath left her and she stared at him. She lowered her voice and hissed, “You raped me.”

  His eyes widened. “No, I didn’t.”

  She blinked, not quite believing what he was saying. “Yes, you did.” She said it slowly, clearly. “I asked you to stop, I said I wasn’t ready, I struggled and you held me down until you’d got what you wanted.” It hadn’t been her fault, no it had all been Justin.

  His friends were gaping at him. “That’s not how I remember it.” His smile was forced.

  The rage welled up in Hannah so fast she couldn’t control it. She slapped him hard across the face, her palm stinging at the contact. “Go to hell.” She strode away as one of his friends said, “What the fuck, Justin?”

  She had done it. She had confronted Justin, she hadn’t frozen, hadn’t run, she had told him the truth. And now his friends knew.

  A part of her that had been locked away for so long sprang open, making it easier to breathe. Justin may never go to jail for what he did, but he wasn’t going to get away with it scot-free. His friends wouldn’t see him in the same light as they had before.

  Hannah made it all the way to her car, fighting back the tears of relief, the footpath in front of her a blur. She didn’t check what his reaction was, she didn’t care. She was done with him, done with men in general.

  She slammed the door of the car shut, cocooning herself inside the vehicle before the tears overwhelmed her. Lowering her head to the steering wheel, she sat and sobbed.

  Her throat hurt by the time she’d cried herself out. Wiping her face with the bottom of her polo shirt, she then drove to Lincoln’s house. She could deal with anything now.

  “Rough day?” he asked as he opened the door to her and Joe.

  She sniffed. “I look that bad, do I?”

  “You’ve looked better.” He glanced both ways down the street before closing the door. “Want a drink?”

  “A Coke would be great.” She sat at his kitchen table and braced herself for whatever he had to tell her. “So,
what’s the latest?”

  “We got the same prints from the envelope, but there’s nothing on file.” He handed her a glass of Coke with ice, and took a sip from his beer. “The lock had been jimmied open at your place. I’m going to need you to check if anything else has been taken.”

  She nodded. The thought that he’d been in her home gave her the heebie-jeebies. She wanted to wash everything in case he’d touched anything.

  “The ground is too dry and hard to get any footprints or tyre marks,” Lincoln continued, “but I found the same fingerprints there.”

  “So, it’s just one guy.”

  “Seems that way.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “I bought some surveillance cameras,” he said. “He leaves the gifts some time at night, so we’ll set them up at the park office, your place, and at Kit’s and Fleur’s.”

  She shook her head. “No. If he’s watching me, he’ll see you do it.” She squeezed her eyes shut. She wouldn’t cry anymore. “I need this to be over, Lincoln. I’ll spend the night at my own place. Give him a chance to come and say what he needs to say to me and we can move on.”

  Lincoln sat back and crossed his arms. “Don’t be dumb.”

  Hannah scowled. “I’m not. We’re making this into more than it is. He’s done nothing to threaten me, and I’ve been with someone pretty much the entire time since it began. Maybe he just wants to talk to me in person.” OK, so the argument sounded thin to her ears as well, but she was so over this.

  “He killed those chickens.”

  That made her pause. “Maybe it was an accident, maybe he was mad at seeing me kiss Ryan.” Maybe he was like her father and had lost his temper. Hannah’s blood ran cold. “OK, you’re right. Let’s do the cameras.”

  “I’m glad you agree because I’ve already set up the ones at Fleur’s and Kit’s, so we just need to do your office and shed.”

  She stared at him.

  “What? It didn’t occur to me that you’d disagree, and you didn’t really, so it’s done.” He placed a hand over hers. “I swore to protect the musketeers.”

  She was unable to be mad at him. “All right. Shall we go and do it now?”

  “You don’t have to come with me. I’ll drop off your keys wherever you’re staying tonight.”

  “I want to go home, Lincoln.”

  “No.”

  “I have to check if he stole anything anyway.” She sighed. “And get more clothes. I hate that I’ve brought the musketeers into this.”

  “That wasn’t your fault,” he said. “We’ll go to the office first, and then I’ll take you out to your place.” He stood up. “But first, I’ve made some spaghetti.”

  Hannah grinned at the first bit of good news she’d had all day. “Nonna’s recipe?”

  “Of course.”

  She sat back. “Bring it on.”

  An hour later, Lincoln had installed the camera at the office and they arrived at her shed. The big roller door was shut, but the side door was wide open and her outdoor chairs had been tipped over. The shed wasn’t much, but it still hurt that it had been left so open.

  “You could have shut the door,” Hannah complained as she came around the side of the car.

  “I did.” Lincoln put a hand on her arm. “Stay here while I check it out.”

  Nerves thrummed over her skin. Had her stalker come back? Was he inside right now, waiting for her? As fear fought with logic, Lincoln walked towards the door. Fear for Lincoln had her calling out, “You can’t go in there by yourself.”

  “I’m a cop, Hannah.”

  “An off-duty, unarmed cop,” she reminded him, pulling out her phone and moving forward with him. “I’m not letting you go in alone.” She couldn’t live with herself if something happened to him.

  He frowned. “Stay behind me, then.”

  They approached the door and he carefully nudged it wider. There was no one inside, but the place was a shambles. The sheets had been ripped off her bed, photo frames had been smashed and the clothes that had hung on a rack were spread out on the floor. In the kitchenette, doors were open, bits of broken crockery were strewn on the floor and food had been emptied out of its packets.

  Her place had been destroyed. She wrapped her arms around herself, taking a step backwards. It was much worse than she’d expected. Surely, Lincoln should have warned her about the mess. All of her things had been gone through. She felt violated. She placed a hand on her stomach to keep the nausea down.

  Lincoln swore. “I didn’t leave it like this.”

  Hannah swallowed as anger welled inside her. “You mean he came back?”

  “Looks like it unless something else happened today.”

  She’d not left the office all day. The only place she’d gone was … “I saw Ryan on the beach. We went for a walk together.”

  “That could have been it.” He sighed. “Justin’s still in town, isn’t he?”

  Red-hot anger swept through her. “That bastard!” she growled.

  Lincoln gripped her arm. “What happened?”

  She took a breath to calm the anger and told him what happened on the beach.

  “Hell. What did he say?”

  “Nothing. I didn’t let him, but his friends all heard.”

  “Well, that definitely could be the catalyst, if it is Justin.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, Hannah. I’m going to have to process this. You can’t stay here and you can’t take anything away yet.”

  Damn it. She was tired of this affecting her life. “Are you going to call Sue in?”

  He shook his head. “I’ll do it myself. I’ve had enough practice at it lately.” He grimaced.

  She didn’t want to leave. Leaving felt like she was letting this arsehole win. “Take my car and drive into town to get what you need. I’ll stay out here, make sure no possums explore the mess.”

  “I’m not leaving you out here alone.”

  She couldn’t explain her need to stay. She’d been constantly running away, hiding, and she didn’t want to any longer. She’d stood up to Justin, she’d been rejected by Ryan, and if she could handle that, she could damn well deal with this creep. The anger felt good and she embraced it, but kept her argument logical. “I need to clean up after you’re done,” she said. “And I want a few minutes to myself.”

  Lincoln opened his mouth to refuse.

  “Please, Lincoln. He’s not likely to come back again.”

  He huffed out a breath. “All right. Ryan is just down the road.”

  She nodded, though she wasn’t going to call him unless she was in real danger. Not after their conversation on the beach. She tossed him her car keys, picked up the deck chair that had been knocked over and sat down. Joe was off exploring in the bush, rustling through the undergrowth. “I’ll see you when you get back.”

  “I won’t be long,” he promised.

  She waited until the sound of the car faded and then she closed her eyes with a sigh.

  There was a crunch in the bushes and her eyes flew open. It was Joe. She put a hand to her heart and then picked up one of the heavy sticks that Joe had collected and tested its weight.

  It wasn’t much, but she felt better having a weapon in her hand.

  Ryan sat on his verandah staring out at the dusk. Today had not been a stellar day. He’d completely stuffed up his conversation with Hannah. What was worse was his reaction to her admission. The surge of pleasure and need at her words was unexpected and had scared the hell out of him.

  It didn’t matter that it had been over a year since he’d split up with Paula. He was still gun-shy. Life with Paula had been a constant roller-coaster ride and it had got to the stage where he couldn’t enjoy the highs because the lows weren’t far away. He wasn’t ready to try the ride again.

  The thought of Paula made him feel ill – the manipulation, the neediness, the secrets. She had him constantly guessing what she was thinking and when he inevitably got it wrong, she’d let him know in no uncertain terms.

/>   He sipped his beer to rid himself of the bad taste in his mouth.

  Paula was a case study in everything that could go wrong in a relationship.

  Even after the split she’d appear at events he was at, or drop by his house with the excuse that she wanted to see Felix. The one time he’d accepted an invitation to drinks with a female colleague, it had ended with Paula slapping the woman and being charged with assault. That had been when he’d decided to make a complete break from her and take Felix as far away as possible.

  But it was hardly fair to compare Hannah with Paula. She was nothing like his ex.

  He shook his head. Perhaps he was foolish to have shut Hannah down like that. They could have casually dated, with no expectations. He liked her and she was kind to Felix. But what if Felix fell in love with her and things didn’t work out between them? He’d be devastated. Ryan had let Paula’s influence scar them both and they needed more time to heal.

  The crunch of tyres on the gravel cut through the silence. Felix had just gone to sleep so he hurried out the front to make sure whoever it was wouldn’t wake him.

  It was Hannah’s four-wheel drive and his heart jumped in excitement until Lincoln climbed down from the driver’s side. Ryan frowned. “What’s up?”

  “I took Hannah back to her place and it’s been trashed.”

  Ryan swore.

  “I need to head into town to get my kit and she insisted on staying. I wanted to tell you in case you hear anything.”

  Ryan didn’t like the idea of Hannah being there alone, but he couldn’t leave his son alone either. “Felix is sleeping, but I could bundle him up and go and say hello.”

  Lincoln grinned at him. “Thanks, mate. I appreciate it. I won’t be long.” He got back into the car and drove off.

  Felix was a heavy sleeper, and didn’t stir when Ryan picked him up and carried him to the car.

  Light reflected off the shed’s silver sides, making it shine. Hannah was sitting on a deck chair, staring out at the darkness, looking lost. He wanted to hug her, tell her everything was going to be all right.