Trust Me (Sanctuary Lake Book 1)

by Lori Whyte

  Mason looked at Anna and she nodded slightly. They had to go and look for anything painted orange.

  And if nothing was there… why would Harry lie?

  EIGHT

  Mason leaned back in his chair with his cell phone pressed to his ear, but he wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. His mind was back in that ditch that he and Anna had searched earlier.

  There wasn't one bit of orange paint in the whole area. Not on either side of the road. Not a mile up or a mile back.

  Harry Miller had been lying through his teeth. But why?

  The voices on the phone fell silent.

  "Right," he said. "We'll meet again same time in one week. I'll join by conference call if I can't get the videoconferencing in place by then."

  That technology was unlikely in the foreseeable future, but saying that might keep his PA from quitting. He eyed the antiquated furnishings and fixtures in the room. Everything about this place was ancient, including its telecommunications connections. To be viable in this day and age, they would need some serious upgrades to the technology out here. It could be a good little business retreat with the right equipment.

  But even doing the meeting by phone had gone better than he had expected. Hell, he should consider scheduling more of these. The presentation had stayed direct and on point. Just the way he liked it. The visuals he was usually shown were nice, but it always came down to the numbers and the bottom line. Those were the important parts of the conversations he had with his team. The investment potential on any endeavor was all he cared about. And lately, the presentations had been more bells and whistles and less substance. He didn't need fifty charts scattered across the boardroom table to understand the opportunities of a project. So this, surprisingly, had worked out very nicely.

  The other meeting attendees mumbled their agreement and a moment later he was off the phone. He checked the time. The discussion had been thirty minutes shorter than was normal too. Definitely an improvement. No meeting should ever go past an hour.

  Anna's voice drifted into the room from the hallway that linked the apartment to the inn.

  He'd gone into the foyer for his call. Not that he cared about Anna listening in on his side of the conversation, but he had wanted to be able to concentrate. With her close, that was difficult. Ever since that kiss the night before, all he could think about was getting his mouth back on hers again. Finding a way to make her moan against his tongue. Only next time he wouldn't stop.

  Holding her luscious ass as she went over the fence earlier hadn't helped. He'd hardly been able to move from the tightness below his belt.

  Staying with her was a bad idea if he wanted to keep his hands off her.

  But she seemed to like having his hands on her… almost as much as he liked having them there.

  So hearing her voice now made him grin. If things worked out, he could have her sprawled across one of these settees naked… like a model for a classical painter, but not just any artist. She deserved someone who could do justice to her curves, beauty and the creamy smoothness of her skin… just like the last painting he'd picked up. His art collection had started as a way to invest but it'd grown recently.

  Now that he thought about it… a lot of his purchases had been of reclining voluptuous women with pure pale skin and long blonde hair. How had he never realized how much they looked like Anna?

  "This isn't a good time."

  Who was she talking to?

  Then she emerged from the hallway with Harry in tow. They weren't alone. Another man that Mason didn't recognize was with them. He idly waited for them to notice him, like a lion watching his prey.

  If Jake were here, he'd demand an answer about Viv's car. But that wasn't Mason's style. He could bide his time. See what Hookah revealed all on his own.

  "We need to see the place if we are going to invest in it," the stranger said.

  "But I told you," Anna said with a frown, "the Randalls haven't decided what they are doing with the property yet."

  When she spotted Mason, she stopped walking. She flushed under his steady gaze. The relief in her face at seeing him was obvious. Harry edged closer to her and she stepped away from him, moving toward Mason.

  Miller's beady eyes followed Anna, and when he saw who was sitting in the corner of the room, he emitted a strangled noise, which betrayed his immediate frustration. "What is he doing here still?"

  Mason smiled and rose unhurriedly from his chair. He strolled across the room at a leisurely pace, knowing full well that the three of them were watching him approach. The hunting instinct, as he liked to call it, swelled in his chest.

  "I don't believe we've met," he said, turning to the mystery man.

  Anna moved to stand at his side, placing the others between her and Harry. They had agreed not to make any accusations, not until they knew more, but Anna's discomfort was obvious.

  "He's a businessman from Vancouver," Harry said, punctuating his words with a scowl. "Never you mind. This is for Anna and me to discuss."

  "Oh, but if he is potentially buying my family inn, as I believe was suggested, then it is absolutely my business." He eyed the man. "Ms. Brooks is correct. Nothing is for sale. Yet."

  Mason wasn't stupid enough to brush the guy off immediately, even if he had arrived with the village idiot. Connections were the foundation of his corporation and networking with those individuals was pivotal to his success. Hookah wasn't a connection he needed to bother with, but this other man might be of interest.

  Harry stepped between him and the new guy, but the other man ducked to the side and extended his hand.

  "Name is Kevin Bull. My friends call me Bulldog."

  Huh. He was one of those. Mason resisted the urge to dismiss the man and took his hand. Men who gave themselves nicknames were not typically the kind of people he dealt with.

  Especially when the nickname was Bulldog.

  The man slipped his business card into Mason's palm.

  As Harry watched the exchange, twin circles of red-orange stained his jaundice-colored cheeks. He probably wanted to pluck that rectangular bit of cardstock from Mason’s hand. Accepting the card was worth it, just for that.

  "I'm looking for some investment property in the area and Miller here said he thought this place was coming up for sale soon." He smiled, but the result was a smarmy one. This guy wasn't impressing Mason. "While I was in town, I wanted to take a look. Anna was good enough to let us in. I hope it isn't inconvenient." As he spoke, Bulldog's eyes darted over the room. From the chipped baseboards to the cracks in the plaster ceiling, he seemed to see it all. "Looks like it might be out of my budget, though. It's in bad shape."

  Harry looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek so hard he would be spitting blood soon. Mason tucked the card in his back pocket and nodded.

  "I guess you'd know if it is too rich for you or not," Mason said. "Although since the price hasn't been determined yet, your assessment might be a little premature."

  The corner of the guy's mouth lifted in a little smile. "When you do…"

  Mason didn't say anything.

  "Well, keep me in mind if the situation changes," Bulldog said.

  And things might change, but never enough that he would sell Sanctuary Inn to Harry Miller.

  And he'd never put Anna in a position where she thought her only option would be to get into a partnership with a man like that.

  Mason would finance the place himself before he let that happen.

  NINE

  "Do you think he did it?" Anna asked as soon as Harry and his buddy Bulldog left.

  "It's possible." The look on Mason's face suggested it was more than possible.

  The unease that had been rolling up and down her spine for the last hour shuddered over her again.

  "Listen," he said as he rubbed his hands over her arms and stared into her eyes. "I told you, I won't let anything happen to you."

  "I'm not worried about me. But how could we prove something like th
is? Who would believe us?"

  "It's time to call my brothers."

  She frowned. "Whereas I think we should start driving around town, maybe out to his place, and look for an orange vehicle with a dent."

  "Let's sit tight for a bit," Mason said. "My brothers can help us."

  Anna pursed her lips and nodded. Fine. But she couldn't just wander through the empty inn twiddling her thumbs. Restlessness was making her crazy.

  She left him to make his phone calls and went upstairs to the third floor. She and Viv had started doing upgrades on this level a few months ago but had been sidetracked along the way. The paint supplies were still up there, waiting. Smearing a fresh coat of pale creamy yellow on the walls would give her something to do.

  She worked for hours, moving from room to room. Taping the baseboards and the windowsills was the worst. The work did little to stop her worries and speculation, but it made the time pass.

  Darkness had settled over the lake by the time her stomach started to rumble. She set her roller down and unkinked her fingers, which were tight and sore. The rooms were looking good though. She stretched and admired the color. They'd chosen well. Viv had loved it from the beginning and she'd been right. Anna's chest tightened as memories flowed over her, but she'd cried so much in the last week, she just couldn't do it anymore.

  Her stomach gurgled again. The sound was loud in the otherwise silent inn. They never had many guests out here, but someone was usually kicking around the place. At the very least, Viv had always been there.

  This evening, though, the stillness was suffocating. Eerily so. Was this how it would be if she stayed here by herself? That was her plan, but… She swallowed. It was so damned quiet.

  Where was Mason?

  Shadows were everywhere as she navigated the route through the inn to the apartment, but she didn't turn on any extra lights. The weak safety lighting was all she needed. She'd been connected to this place since she was thirteen and knew it inside and out. She'd started out in housekeeping after school and had never left. When she'd started, she'd been too young, so they paid her off the books. George and Edna didn't worry too much about rules like that. But over the years this place had become a part of her and she was a part of it, no matter whose name was on the land title.

  She went straight for the kitchen. When she yanked the refrigerator door open, a piece of paper fluttered to the floor. She scooped it up and read it in the light cast from the fridge.

  Gone to Aiden's. Will be back later. M

  So, she was on her own for supper. She poked through the moldy cheese, expired milk and questionable sandwich meat. All of the easy stuff was rotten. God, she really didn't want to have to cook tonight. She turned to the cupboard, but she couldn't see a thing. She would need a light after all.

  She crossed to where the switch was, but just as she raised her hand, a movement in the window caught her eye. On instinct, she froze. She pressed against the wall, hoping that the shadows obscured her.

  After Viv's death, she'd yanked the new window coverings open to keep the place from seeming like a tomb. But that meant anyone could just look right into the apartment.

  Her mind told her she was overreacting. The shadow had just been a bird or the wind moving a tree branch or something equally innocent. But the tingling at the back of her neck said otherwise. Everything else seemed to slow as she crept toward the gun locker by the door. She grabbed the key and then fumbled with the lock.

  It was taking too long.

  Then finally the key slipped in. Yes. She reached in and grabbed the rifle. She put her back to the wall as she loaded the bullets. Viv had taught her how to use it. She had reasoned that there were times when wild animals came up to the inn and if one of them attacked a guest, they needed to be able to react. But Anna had always wondered if that was the only reason… She suspected it had also been for situations like this. When she was alone and…

  And what?

  Whatever had caught her attention had disappeared.

  Was it just an animal?

  She edged toward the window and looked out. Nothing seemed out of place. The back light, which was motion-activated, was out, suggesting maybe all of this talk of Viv's death not being an accident was messing with her.

  There was only one way to find out.

  With a shaking hand, she turned the deadbolt on the door. As soon as she had the door open a crack, she thrust the muzzle of the gun through the gap. Then, with her toe, she pulled the door open wider. Inch by inch.

  Nothing but silence and darkness greeted her.

  She swallowed and peered out the door. The light didn't pop on. She put her hand out and waved it where it should be caught by the sensor. Maybe Mason had flicked the switch by mistake and turned off the sensor… Or the filament was burned out… Or…

  She crept out farther and shot a look at the light. The bulb was missing. How had that happened? It had been there last night. She was positive.

  Then there was a crack. In the distance. She searched the shadows…

  There!

  A shadowy figure was sprinting across the lawn toward the trees. She braced the gun and followed the person with her eyes. Then they were gone.

  She stayed frozen with the weapon pointed toward the last place she'd seen them for several long minutes. There was no other movement. For all she knew, they were hiding at the tree line watching her. She turned on the light inside the front entrance, then leaned out to examine the area again. Sure enough, there were fresh shoe prints in the muddy dirt by the wall.

  Sweat pricked over her forehead.

  Someone had been peering into her windows.

  Was it a burglar, a peeping Tom or Viv's stalker?

  She pulled back her gun and slammed the door shut. A heartbeat later she had the light off again and the lock turned. She stared out the window for a long while before accepting that whoever had been at her house wasn't coming back.

  She hastily gathered a bag of ready-to-eat food… apples, granola bars and a carrot. Then, with that in one hand and her gun in the other, Anna went back to the inn. The silence, which had seemed so out of place earlier, was more unnerving now. But she wasn't going to stay in the apartment. Not now. Not when someone was trying to spy on her.

  At least on the third floor no one could look in the windows.

  When she got there, she turned on every light. Then, about halfway down the hallway across from the elevator, right where she could see both fire exits, she slid to the carpet. She set the gun beside her and then pulled out a granola bar.

  She'd just finished her second apple when a rhythmic noise thumped through the quiet. Someone was running up the stairs. With shaking hands, she grabbed the rifle and pointed it at the exit.

  The door swung open…

  A figure burst into the hall.

  He froze immediately and put his hands up.

  "Anna? Jesus," Mason said. "Why the hell do you have a gun?"

  TEN

  Mason waited in the threshold, one leg still on the landing in the stairwell and one in the hallway, as Anna lowered her gun. Her hands were trembling and her face was ashen. When the gun was safely on the floor and pointing away from him, he approached her. She chewed her bottom lip and stared at him.

  "What happened?" he asked as he crouched beside her.

  "Someone was watching me. Well, sort of… I mean, I wasn't actually in the apartment except for a few minutes, but…"

  He sat on the floor and pulled her into his arms. She was shivering.

  "Take a deep breath and start from the beginning."

  As she told him about a shadowy figure, footprints and a missing light bulb, his anger rose. And it was mostly directed at himself. He hadn't thought it'd take so long to organize things with his brothers. If he had, he would have suggested doing it here. They could have brought Cassy here instead of him having to go halfway around the lake to Aiden's place.

  When Anna finished, he simply held her and waited until she stop
ped shaking.

  Then he took a deep breath and loosened his hold.

  "I want to go take a look around out there. Are you okay by yourself for a few minutes?" He hadn't seen anything suspicious when he'd come in, but he hadn't been looking either.

  She braced her shoulders. "I had things under control before you got here."

  Right. Because cowering in a corridor with a rifle at her side was considered normal and in control.

  "I'll be right back."

  She grabbed his arm before he could stand. A little more color was returning to her cheeks. She met his gaze and held it for a moment, then she took a shaky breath. "I'm coming with you."

  As she stood, she picked up the gun. He lifted an eyebrow, but elected not to say anything. If she felt safer with that thing in her hand, so be it.

  "How did you know where I was?"

  "I saw the lights on when I drove up." He held the door to the stairwell open for her. "What are you doing up here?"

  "Viv and I were making some cosmetic fixes… you know, paint and stuff. I thought with the inn closed for the time being, it made sense to take advantage of the downtime and keep plugging away."

  "You don't have to, you know."

  She was walking in front of him so he couldn't see her face, but he did see the way her fingers tightened around the stock of the gun.

  "I know. I could… maybe even should… leave it for the new owners." She bit out the words. "But this is what Viv and I talked about. We had a plan. And I want to see it through. Besides, the paint has been purchased and I needed something to do."

  "I told you, nothing is decided yet."

  She muttered something. It sounded like "yeah, right."

  As they exited the stairwell, they left the conversation behind, both of them switching their focus to what they might find ahead. Darkness surrounded them. He hadn't turned on any lights when he'd returned from Aiden's. He'd been too focused on finding Anna.

  They peered out the window. The moon was midway through waxing and cast an anemic glow over the landscape. They could see enough of the gap between the inn and the dark shadows of the trees in the distance to know there wasn't anyone there.