Paige’s lips pursed in disgust as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Thanks for the reminder. Still, I wouldn’t feel right being alone here with you.”
Nothing like being blunt. It was obvious trust was still a long way off. His heart kicked at that. Seth shifted his weight. “I understand and wouldn’t expect you to do that. So I arranged for someone else to stay here with us.” More eyes, more ears always a plus.
“You asked someone to come here to stay with us?” Paige echoed, raising an eyebrow at him. “And who would that someone be?”
Seth hesitated a moment, and then he smiled. “My mother.”
* * *
Paige borrowed an old shirt and extra toothbrush from Seth and then set off up the stairs to get ready for bed. After the long day she’d had, she was exhausted and ready for sleep. She’d just spent two hours looking up numbers and contacting three of Madison’s other coworkers, hoping to get some insight on what Amy might have known or suspected. But instead of garnering information, she’d been belittled, yelled at and hung up on. One person even threatened to call the police if she tried to contact them again.
So, like the rest of her day, unproductive. No one would talk to her, let alone discuss Madison’s murder. They already had her brother tried and convicted.
And the one possible advocate Trey had, Amy, was now dead. Fighting back tears, Paige stepped into the guest room. With a deep breath, she resolved to shelve all thoughts of her brother’s case for tonight.
She was grateful Seth didn’t seem to mind that she wouldn’t be up when his mother arrived. Not that she disliked Ruby Garrison. On the contrary, Ruby was more of a mother than she’d ever had.
But her breakup with Seth had left a lot of loose ends, and Ruby was one of them. Through no fault of Ruby’s, Paige hadn’t spoken to her since the relationship ended. She just couldn’t force herself to answer Ruby’s calls. She was dealing with enough with her brother’s arrest, and trying to rationalize feelings about Seth didn’t exactly feel like a top priority.
Distraught, grief-stricken, frustrated, broken. That pretty much summed up Paige by the time she left Boone. Then as more time wore on, she could think of fewer and fewer reasons to contact Ruby.
Paige pulled back the quilt and adjusted the pillows on the bed, feeling a slight twinge of guilt for not staying up. With a deep sigh, she climbed under the sheets. In truth, the last thing she needed today was to get tied up in one more awkward situation.
Paige tugged up the quilt and closed her eyes, trying to clear the cobwebs in her brain and focus on sleep.
Vaguely, she registered the sound of scratching when the door creaked open and Laser bounded in.
“No, boy—” She started to stop him, but before she even sat up, Laser lunged onto the bed and started making himself comfortable on the corner of the mattress.
She scooted over a little to give him more room. “Good night, puppy.” Paige laughed through a yawn.
Another battle not worth fighting, and strange to say, she really didn’t mind. It had been a long time since she’d felt this loved or missed. Ten months, to be exact. She snuggled beneath the covers, feeling safer just having Laser around. And if she was honest, Seth being downstairs gave her even more peace of mind. A temporary fix that she savored for the moment.
SEVEN
“Okay, pack what you need and let’s get in and out quickly,” Seth said, his eyes riveted to the windshield, alert and watchful as they pulled into the condo’s parking lot.
“Got it.” Paige kept low in the truck’s cab, out of sight of any reporters that might be lurking about. He hoped that with news of Amy’s murder still making headlines, Paige’s attacker would also lie low for a while.
Seth parked and climbed out of the truck. He took a quick survey of the area while Paige waited inside. Everything looked clear. He peeked back through the window, giving her a thumbs-up. “All right. Let’s go.”
They headed up the stairs to the third floor. He stayed close to Paige, intent on keeping her safe and making this a quick trip.
Once inside the condo, Seth positioned himself in the entry, the best possible place to keep an eye on both Paige and any activity outside the front door.
This wasn’t an ideal scenario, having to contend with Paige as he tried to narrow down who her attacker was. But for the time being, at least, Paige was by his side instead of trying to track down leads to solve Trey’s case and getting herself into more trouble.
Seth looked at his watch—6:40 a.m.—as Paige bustled about the small condo, gathering personal items and packing her bags. He wanted to get out of there before morning traffic was in full gear. They had a full day of brainstorming ahead of them. “Ready?”
“I think I’ve got everything.” She slung her computer bag over her shoulder, and Seth grabbed her rolling suitcase.
“Do you really think my attacker would dare to come around here?” Paige asked as they started back down the stairs. “I mean, with all the press running around town, he’d be crazy to try anything now.”
She was looking for reassurance, and Seth didn’t blame her. He only wished things in life were that clear-cut. Logic only went so far when it came to murder. Even being in a gated community wasn’t much of a deterrent for someone with an agenda to kill.
“So, what do you think?” She nudged his elbow. “Maybe he’s scared and has gone into hiding?”
Her wishful thinking struck at his heart, and Seth responded with a quick glance and a wink. “Let’s not hang around and find out,” he said, playing it cool. He didn’t want to alarm her, even as every nerve ending stayed on high alert. People with an agenda stopped at nothing. And this guy was brazen; he didn’t scare easy. But if Paige’s attacker’s goal was to get to her, he’d better be prepared to contend with Seth first.
They stepped onto the ground floor from the stairs, and as they kept walking, Seth surveyed around them. No sign of anyone, at least that he could see. He strained his ears to listen.
Nothing. The place was empty. Silent.
Paige started talking, offering a long-winded update on her brother. Her favorite subject, and a difficult topic he planned to pick her brain about later.
As they continued along the sidewalk, he slowed his pace. A subtle noise caught his attention. A rustling of leaves, maybe. Then a branch snapped.
With his hand hovering over his gun, Seth wheeled around toward the sound. He panned his gaze down the walkway and into the bordering tree line. Nothing came into view.
“What is it?” Seth could read the fear in her eyes as she gazed up at him.
“Hopefully nothing. But time to get going.” He cupped her left elbow and steered her toward the parking lot. The feeling of dread settled into a hard knot in his gut.
Instinct told him something was off. And he’d learned a long time ago not to ignore his gut, because it was usually right.
They came to the end of the walkway, and as they stepped off the curb and onto the asphalt, three rapid gunshots ripped through the air, echoing like crackling thunder.
“No!” Paige screamed. Her shoulder bag hit the ground as she dropped for cover, crouching beside it, throwing her arms over her head.
Seth spun toward her, Glock raised. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” He grabbed Paige’s hand, pulling her to run. They took off in a sprint, skirting around vehicles, his gaze swinging back and forth across the lot, trying to get a handle on where to go next.
More gunshots came from behind. Bullets whizzed past their heads.
“This way,” Seth yelled and ducked right, pulling Paige with him. They rounded the corner into a smaller lot in the back of the complex just as another burst of gunshots lit the air like fireworks. Glass shattered, spitting jagged shards into the air in all directions.
“Seth! We’re going to get killed!” Paige’s panicked scream echoed above the explosive din.
Not if he could help it. Jacked on adrenaline, Seth took stock of the area and then g
estured with his gun toward a packed row of parked cars. “Paige, get down. Over there.”
Jerking from his grip, Paige darted right and flew for cover, ducking between two cars as Seth took off to the left. He hopped a low fence and then made his way up a small hill as fast as his boots could navigate the rain-soaked terrain, trying to get back to the front of Tessa’s condo unit.
More gunfire erupted. He looked back, teeth gritted at the sound of shattering glass. A cold knot of fear coiled in his gut. What if Paige had been hit? He slashed that last thought. Feelings and emotions had no place on the job. And right now his job was to take down a killer.
He picked up speed, and using the retaining block wall as a shield, he worked his way back to where the shots had been fired.
At the end of the brick embankment, he skidded to a stop, finding himself right back where he started. Breathing hard, he perked his ears and listened. A shuffling noise came from his left. He whipped his gaze around, searching for a person, a shadow. And he spotted something, a movement in the row of bushes across from him.
Seth slipped from his hiding spot and inched his way along the tree-dotted walk, keeping alert for any more gunfire. When he reached a thick wooden post that served as a marker for the walking trails in the community, he leaned up against it. He leveled his gun and projected his voice. “This is the Watauga County Sheriff’s Department. Drop your weapon and step out with your hands up.”
The silence that came next was unsettling. Deafening.
Seth yanked out his cell phone, speed-dialed for backup. God, if You’re watching out there, please take care of Paige.
Gun ready, heart racing, Seth waited. Time ticked by. His adrenaline, already through the roof, sparked higher at the sudden roar of an approaching automobile. He jerked a look over his shoulder to see a small SUV turn into the parking lot.
It was traveling slowly. Seth eased around the wood post to the other side. From that vantage point he could see there were two people inside. They were talking. Probably oblivious to danger lurking just outside their doors.
The SUV pulled to a stop. Seth held his breath as they parked in an open spot. Away from other parked vehicles. Right out in the open. Without even realizing it, they were stepping into a war zone.
No. Seth cringed as he saw them start to unbuckle. Still talking. Still oblivious. Just stay in the car. He tightened his grip on his Glock, mentally chanting the order.
Come on. Come on, guys. Where are you? Seth craned his neck, hoping to see flashing lights. He needed his comrades here now.
His gaze landed back on the couple’s car. He watched as the door opened. The man stepped out. A deep yawn as he did a quick stretch, waiting near the hood of the vehicle as the woman climbed out of the passenger door.
Silence. Deadly silence. Seth swung his gaze down the highway. No signs of law enforcement or the shooter. Maybe the creep had taken off.
A shot cracked, and an earsplitting scream followed. Seth looked past the man to see Paige in the main parking area. She was in a frantic run, zigzagging around vehicles, leaping over concrete parking bumpers. Before Seth could do anything, panicked gasps and squeals flew from the man and woman as they ran to Paige’s aid.
No! Busting away from his hiding spot, Seth hollered down through the lot, making himself a target, as well. “Shooter! Get down!”
An instant later, another shot rang out, and the man crumpled to the asphalt, blood gushing from his lower limb. Oh, no! Paige’s voice crashed into his ears as she dropped down beside him.
“Get him between the vehicles.”
As Paige and the woman pulled the man to safety, another shot whooshed past his head. Anger burned like an inferno in his chest. He was ready to take this guy down. He spun and dropped to a squatting position beside a small sedan. He lifted his weapon. Aimed. He was ready.
He wildly whipped his gaze around, watching for movement. A shadow. Anything. Come on, coward. Show yourself. Minutes passed. His heart pounded.
Then from the east side of the lot, Seth heard the loud roar of an engine. He jerked his gaze over his shoulder to see a truck in a smaller dirt-and-gravel construction lot peel out, kicking up dust in its wake.
White truck. Long bed. Extended cab. Fury kicked Seth’s pulse into overdrive. Paige’s perpetrator. The driver gunned it out of the lot and down a service road.
No way! Seth huffed out a breath through clenched teeth and lowered his gun. He tucked it into his waistband holster beneath his leather jacket and pulled out his phone. He called dispatch with a description. But in his heart of hearts, he knew there was no stopping this guy.
At least not today.
God, I think I’m going to need Your help on this one. For a second time that day, an automatic prayer came. Seth couldn’t explain it and actually felt at peace at the relationship he was gaining.
* * *
Paige pushed up from her crouch and took a step back as EMS medics took over. The man, pale and shivering, was hefted onto a stretcher, his distressed moans echoing around them.
His wife stood off to the side, hands over her face, shaking and sobbing. Paige had learned that the couple were newlyweds, just home from their honeymoon. She rubbed the woman’s shoulder as medics strapped her husband on the gurney. “It’s going to be okay. Please hang in there.”
The woman nodded, even as she sobbed harder.
Her husband had taken a bullet to the left leg, midthigh. With Seth’s help Paige had been able to slow the bleeding by wrapping the man’s leg with a blanket from the couple’s vehicle. He’d been alert. Oriented. Even managed to answer a few questions. He looked like was going to make it. One blessing amid the chaos.
“Paige, are you ready?” Seth’s deep voice soothed over her frazzled nerves as he came up beside her. He was her hero today. “Brett’s going to hang out on the scene for a while.”
More than ready. She nodded. “I hope you guys catch that creep.”
“Me, too,” Seth agreed, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulder. “Let’s get out of here.”
Paige leaned into his protective hold, knowing it was a dangerous place to be, but she felt helpless to pull away, especially as she thought about how close her attacker had gotten once again. And he wasn’t going to rest until he accomplished his plan. Her stomach cramped at that reality.
On unsteady legs she walked with Seth into the parking lot. A chill needled her deep to the bone as her gaze took in the collateral damage left from targeted attacks on her life—rows of parked vehicles, pocked and riddled with bullets, shattered glass and shiny shell casings. Evidence and more evidence, and still no suspect to be apprehended.
Would she ever feel safe again?
She breathed deep to settle her prickly nerves. Hopefully, they could learn something about her attacker from all this.
Back at the cabin, as Seth walked straight to his office to do some research on his computer, Paige melted against the entry wall and pulled in a deep breath. Seth was tough, she’d have to give him that. He’d just spent the morning dodging bullets, and his nerves appeared perfectly intact. While she, on the other hand, could barely breathe. And she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.
Fighting the fleeting impulse to just pack up and head home to Durham, Paige fixated on a faint glow of hope that with Seth’s help she could finally uncover the truth. Only six days until her brother’s trial, but she now had Seth on her team. Sort of, she reminded herself.
A high-pitched whistle sounded, and Paige jumped up and straightened as her mind flooded with the horrific events of yesterday’s murder. Fighting back tears, she shoved the memories aside and refocused. Her emotions were tattered enough without reliving that nightmare.
Quickly, she shrugged out of her coat, hanging it on a hook by the door. She was a guest in Seth’s house, and as awkward as it was, she still needed to be sociable.
As she crossed the threshold into the kitchen, she found Ruby pulling the squealing kettle from the sto
ve. A savory scent lingered in the air, reminding her she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. Actually, she decided, after the morning she’d had and the churning in her stomach, she was better off.
Ruby lingered, her back to Paige as she filled her cup.
Paige sucked in a deep breath, still not a hundred percent comfortable with her accommodations, or the people she was sharing them with.
“Good morning.” Paige strove for jovial, although frazzled was more accurate.
Ruby turned around, steeping a tea bag in her steamy cup. “Oh, Paige. Good morning.” She broke into a smile.
She seemed genuinely happy to see her, making Paige feel guilty for her tentative nerves and not waiting up last night to see her.
“You and Seth were up and out the door early,” Ruby continued. “I was beginning to wonder when you’d be back.”
Paige actually had those same thoughts. “I had some things at the condo I needed to get. But we’re back now.” She offered a small smile and didn’t elaborate, deciding it was better to spare Ruby the disturbing details of the morning shoot-out for the time being. She remembered how she worried about Seth.
“Good. I hope you got what you needed. Now, how about some breakfast? I have bacon already cooked, and I could whip you up a couple eggs?”
“Oh, no, thank you.” Paige’s acid-soaked stomach wasn’t quite ready for food. “But I might have some tea.” She pointed to the cabinet over the microwave. “Does Seth still keep the coffee and tea there?”
“He sure does.” Ruby nodded tightly, the overhead lights picking up the silver highlighting her short bob of mahogany hair. “I don’t think he’s changed much of anything since you two split up.” Her tone was melancholy. And no one better than Ruby to bear testimony to the disheartening effects of their breakup. She was never one to keep her opinions to herself—like her son.
“Some people are slow to change things.” Paige forced a laugh, trying to keep things light, even though the reference to their previous relationship sent a sick roll through her midsection. Not the conversation she wanted to get into right now. Talking about a failed relationship with her ex-boyfriend’s mother didn’t feel right. Especially with her conflicting emotions from just being around Seth again battling inside.
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