by Nia Arthurs
Finn opened the door for her and strode out of the room, making sure to check the lock before he left.
Together, they strode down the stairs to the lobby. Jewel was quiet, but that wasn’t particularly out of character for her. Finn put concerted effort into shortening his stride so he didn’t walk ahead of her, but tempering his steps was a challenge.
They arrived downstairs.
Finn nodded to the receptionist who sat behind the large desk in the lobby and then glanced away.
He’d find a taco joint and have breakfast, then he’d help Jewel buy some new clothes. During his week of observation, he noticed that she rarely wore any T-shirts or jeans. Her clothes were always long-sleeved, baggy and faded.
He understood why she felt the need to hide her body from view, but she’d already shown that she was ready to break out of that timidity and live life without fear. He wanted to be a part of that.
For reasons that, again, he didn’t feel like exploring right now.
“Wait up, Mr. Robinson!” the clerk said. Finn stopped in his tracks and glanced over his shoulder at the man laboring to his feet. He had brown skin, bushy black hair and an oversized paunch that said he drank too much.
“Go ahead.” Jewel pointed to the worn chairs in the lobby and whispered, “I’ll wait over there.”
Finn nodded and ambled to the clerk. “Is there a problem?”
“No, no problem.” He eyed Jewel with clear appreciation. “I didn’t know you had a guest.”
Finn stepped to the side, blocking the clerk’s view of Jewel. “Is that a problem?”
“No. No problem. Not unless she’s staying with you indefinitely? Then we would need to sign her in. No extra charge of course.” The clerk arched an eyebrow in question. “Will she be here a while?”
He rubbed his chin. Kross could show up today, tomorrow or next month. Things were up in the air until he figured out what his and Jewel’s next step would be.
“I’ll get back to you on that,” Finn said, tapping the desk. “By the way, I’m expecting a friend to arrive in a few days. He’ll need a room too.”
“I’ll reserve the suite next to yours.”
“Great.” Finn straightened and turned to stride away.
“Wait, Mr. Robinson.” The clerk called him back. “That wasn’t the reason I needed to see you.”
Finn folded his arms over his chest, slightly annoyed. The clerk’s eyes kept darting to Jewel and it bothered him. “What?”
“Someone left a package for you last night.”
“Really?” Intrigued, he stepped closer. “When?”
“I wasn’t the one working the desk, so I couldn’t tell you.” He pulled out a slim envelope and handed it over.
Finn inspected the package. It felt lighter than a feather.
Was it dangerous? It was too light to be a bomb. Was it a threat?
The first thing that popped into mind was Kross, but the maniac didn’t strike him as the type to go to all the trouble of cutting letters out of newspaper.
From all he’d learned, Kross loved appearances more than anything. Taking the time to pen a letter just to scare someone was beneath him.
“Who’s it from?” Finn asked.
“Don’t know. You’ll have to ask the other guy and he won’t be back until tonight for his shift.”
Finn inspected every inch of the envelope and finally noticed the postage stamp. It was from his hometown.
Tiffany.
He hesitated a second before he slid his thumb beneath the flap and slowly preened it open. When he looked into the yawning gap, he found a document.
The clerk craned his thick neck, eyes bulging. “What is it?”
“Could you send this to my room?” Finn asked. He’d check it fully later. Whatever Tiff had sent him, it wasn’t something he could deal with now.
“No problem.” The clerk sighed and wiped his temple. “But those stairs are steep, noh? He slid his hand, palm up, over the desk. “If only I could buy a nice cool drink…”
Finn dug into his pocket for some change. He slapped a five-dollar bill into the man’s hand. “Thanks.”
“No, thank you.”
Finn turned stiffly on his heels and returned to Jewel’s side. She shot to her feet when she saw him coming. Her fingers nervously scratched at her wrist as she said, “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine.” He nodded to the exits. “You ready?”
She strode ahead of him.
Finn hung back, lost in his thoughts. Tiff wanted him to return to reality, but that was one request he couldn’t honor.
He’d left her to do whatever she wanted without complaint. They’d both reeled from the loss of Courtney, exploding in different ways. Just… his coping mechanism was avoiding a nine-to-five so he could travel the world hunting his sister’s killer.
His eyes wandered to Jewel.
He’d complete his mission first and then return to the real world later.
18
Jewel picked at her tacos. She glanced around the shed where thick wooden benches were lined up. Every bench was occupied. A crowd hovered around the taco vendor. Chatter filled the air.
She darted her eyes to the right and left. Kross wasn’t here, as far as she could see, but it was still dangerous to be out like this. They were too vulnerable here.
How could Finn eat so comfortably when her insides were churning like this? Wasn’t he scared? Didn’t he understand how crazy Kross was? Perhaps she hadn’t been clear last night?
Kross. Was. Nuts.
And he was coming for her.
She’d decided the moment she woke up this morning that she couldn’t depend on Finn anymore. He’d bailed her out of a sticky situation, more than once, but Kross wasn’t his problem.
She only had herself to rely on.
Knowing Finn the way she did now, which wasn’t much since they’d only spent a day and a half in each other’s company, he didn’t seem like the type that would just walk away. She didn’t want him feeling guilty for leaving her behind when he got on his plane today.
Jewel shook her head and pursed her lips, wondering if she should beg him to stay. The thought was rejected as soon as it landed.
No, this was her war.
Even confiding in Finn had been a gamble. He was starting to grow on her and Jewel would feel immeasurable guilt if Kross hurt him just to make a point.
Finn would be safe.
Her safety was another matter. Since most of the money she made from Sweet Treats was tied up in Juney’s expensive boarding school, Jewel had little cash on hand to buy a plane ticket.
The best she could do was drag Juney out of school and buy a bus ticket to Mexico. From there, she could get another job and figure things out.
A chair scraped against the concrete.
A shout tore the air.
She gasped and whipped her head to the left. A child skipped past her, a huge grin on his dark face. His frantic mother followed, calling his name.
They were harmless.
Relief coursed through her veins.
“Is there a problem?” Finn asked. Jewel dragged her gaze to his and noticed him dipping his chin toward her soggy mass of tacos.
“No, the food is great.”
“That so?” He studied her with an inscrutable expression and wiped his fingers on a napkin. “If you’re done, we should head out.”
She sighed in relief. “We’re going back to the guesthouse?”
“Nope.” Finn didn’t share more.
Jewel stumbled out of the bench and followed him out into the street. Instead of turning toward his car, Finn strode in the opposite direction.
She scurried after him. “Do you even know where you’re going?”
“I’ve got a general idea.” He smirked. “Why is every store closed on Sunday?”
Puzzled, she answered, “Most people are at church or resting before Monday.”
“Then this is the only option.” He took determined steps for
ward.
Jewel squinted against the harsh sunlight and took off after him. Sweat beaded on her chest beneath the thick sweatshirt.
Gosh, she hated wearing these suffocating long-sleeved straitjackets.
Finn led her into the Belize City market. Most of the wooden stalls were closed, but a few had thrown their doors wide and placed open signs on the posts. The scent of sawdust and spices filled the air.
Jewel frowned. “Finn, what are we doing here?”
“What do people do at markets, Jewel?” He arched an eyebrow.
Annoyance filled her at his smug tone. “Is this really the time for sightseeing? I thought you had a flight that leaves at ten?” And I have to book a boat ride to San Pedro so I can grab my brother.
“Oh, I cancelled that,” he said casually.
Her jaw dropped. “What?”
“Yeah.” Finn strode into a booth that had clothes hooked up on a wire line.
She thrust a long dress aside and dove in after him. “When did you decide to do that?”
“Good morning!” A thick woman with tan skin, thin black hair pasted back into a bun and a pudgy build greeted them.
“Morning,” Finn said, smiling charmingly at her.
The woman immediately adopted a Yankee accent, talking in near-perfect English. “I have many clothes. Almost new. Very good prices. Are you looking for yourself or your lady?”
“I’m not his lady,” Jewel mumbled.
Finn gestured to her. “Bring me everything you think will fit.”
A huge grin growing on her face, the woman wandered off to complete Finn’s task.
Jewel frowned and spun in front of him. “What are you doing?”
“Buying clothes.”
“For me?”
“Did I say that? I don’t remember using those words…”
“I don’t need clothes,” Jewel huffed. “And even if I did, I wouldn’t ask you to buy them for me. I’m not a charity case.”
Finn stepped closer to her, his impressive height forcing her to tip her chin back just to stare into his eyes. “Look, you ran away from home with nothing but the clothes on your back and now you’re stewing in this heat”—he gestured to the sunlight—“with a hoodie on. Just let me do this for you.”
Do I really look that pathetic.
“You’re not pathetic or a charity case,” Finn said as if he could read her thoughts.
“I can’t,” Jewel insisted.
“Why not?”
“Because you shouldn’t be wasting your money on me.”
Finn glanced around the shack. “I hardly think anything in here will break the bank.” He leaned closer. “I would have preferred to take you to a boutique or something, but since this is an emergency, we’ll just have to make do.”
Jewel sucked in a breath. He was so close and he smelled so good.
Her usual discomfort gave way to something else, something equally unnerving but no less potent.
Jewel saw the softness in Finn’s eyes and her knees buckled. Rescuing her from a mugger was one thing. Shielding her from the rain and those tourists was another. But this…?
She couldn’t give in to it.
Her voice warbled as she said, “I get it. I get that I’m pathetic and pitiful and it’s easy to mistake your concern as something else, but I don’t need you.”
“Maybe I need you, Jewls.”
She froze.
He was staring at her, making her stomach flip and her heart thunder in her chest.
I’m insane.
Breathlessly, Jewel whispered, “Why aren’t you leaving Belize, Finn?”
He blinked, leaning even closer. “Why do you think?”
Jewel trembled. He was invading her personal space, filling her little bubble with his manly, visceral presence. His hazel eyes slammed past the cage her heart was locked in and left her rattled.
She wanted to touch him.
Her heart bucked.
Her? Jewel? Wanting a man? What was wrong with her? Hadn’t she learned anything from her years with Kross?
That desire, that heat… it was disgusting.
She took a giant step back. “I should… try on a few things. Just in case.”
“Take your time, Jewls.”
Jewel froze at the sound of her nickname tumbling from his firm, pink lips. It made their relationship feel more intimate, more personal, than it really was.
Finn pulled up a ratty plastic chair waiting by the barrels of clothes and settled in it. When he saw her staring at him, he smiled. “You need me to come with you?”
“No,” she blurted and hurried away.
The sound of his soft chuckles washed over her back, chasing her deeper into the store.
Jewel narrowly avoided skidding into the woman who was waiting for her in the recesses of the shack. She whispered an apology and brushed her shirt down to hide her heated face.
When she glanced up again, the woman was watching her with a big grin. She had a missing canine and another tooth wrapped in gold foil. A twinkle lit her glassy brown eyes.
“You got yourself a white boy,” she said with a note of approval.
“No, he’s not my boyfriend.”
“He’s handsome.”
Jewel shook her head, a little frustrated that the clerk didn’t believe her.
“Where did you meet?”
“A wedding,” she grumbled.
“Very nice. He treats you right?”
Jewel paused, studied the woman’s face and slowly nodded.
Finn treated her like… someone important. Not a sex object. Not a voyeur. Not a slave. He made her feel like they were on the same plane.
In another life, one where she’d never met Kross, she could probably have a boyfriend like Finn.
They’d take long walks, watch movies and hold hands.
They’d have lazy Sunday afternoons eating baked chicken and cuddling in the hammock after lunch.
In another life, she’d be normal.
For a few minutes, Jewel tried on clothes, chatted with the clerk and enjoyed a taste of normalcy before she grabbed her brother and uprooted both their lives.
She’d run far away, never to see Sky, Jo, Carrie or Finn ever again.
Finn…
The feelings that coursed through her chest when he looked at her—they were a problem, but she could get over it.
He could stay in Belize if he wanted. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered.
When she walked out of this shack, life would find another way to kick her down again. Kross would still be a threat. And normal? It just wasn’t in the cards.
19
Pinpricks of sunlight seeped through the holes in the shack’s zinc roof. He’d never seen so many clothes stuffed into one cramped room before. They were T-shirts, jeans and underwear overflowing from barrels, hung up on wires and gracing yellow-stained mannequins.
Finn was starting to regret dragging Jewel here. He hoped the clothes were better quality than the appearance of the shop.
His phone chirped.
Nolan.
He opened the message and saw a selfie. Nolan’s face filled the screen, behind him was an airplane window that looked out into a filmy blue sky.
Finn wished Nolan a safe trip and then scrolled through the files he kept on his cloud.
He flipped to the files on Kross’s most recent victims.
At least the guy’s diverse.
He’d slept with and then choked every type of woman—from white to black to yellow to brown. Didn’t matter their skin color or their shape. Kross seemed to delight in variety.
After talking to Jewel, Finn realized why. There was something off about Kross, some broken nerve in his brain that made him both addicted to sex and bored with it.
His sister had died at the hands of a maniac, but after years of chasing empty leads and running into the wind only to return with fistfuls of air, he was relieved to have some answers.
Footsteps resounded.
/> Finn glanced up and found Jewel and the seller nearing him. She was smiling and talking freely, her hands gesturing out at her sides. She clutched a T-shirt and jeans in one hand.
The owner threw her head back and laughed at whatever Jewel said. Her arms held a heap of clothes.
He scrambled to his feet. “You ladies good?”
“Yes, you have a very funny woman.”
Jewel cringed.
Finn pinned his lips together to hide his amusement. “You can give the clothes to me, ma’am.”
The woman shook her head and pointed to the tiny bundle in Jewel’s arms. “She’s only getting that.”
“And what I’m wearing,” Jewel added.
Finn gave Jewel a proper once-over and realized she wasn’t hiding behind his hoodie anymore. Instead, she wore a fitted T-shirt and jeans. The arms of his jacket were tied around her waist, hiding her rear-end from view.
He almost smirked.
That was definitely intentional.
Baby steps.
Jewel noticed where his eyes had ducked and cleared her throat nervously, “Do you have a problem?”
“None. I’m happy if you are.” He pulled out his wallet and handed the money over. Winking, he thanked the clerk. “You did a great job.”
“No problem.” She laughed and tucked the money into her purse.
They waited around for a plastic bag and then headed out of the store to explore the rest of the market.
Jewel seemed more relaxed now than earlier.
Curious, he studied her. “What were you two talking about back at the shop?”
“Her kitten. She was sleeping behind the dressing rooms so we had to tiptoe around her,” Jewel said, smiling sweetly.
Moments like this, the fact that she was only nineteen smacked him in the face. Nineteen. Only four years older than Courtney when she died. Practically a kid.
They’d both been forced to grow up before their time, but his heart was completely hardened.
That wasn’t the case with Jewel. There were still glimmers of innocence, still a thirst for the better things in life—love, trust, companionship.
Finn almost envied her for that.
“Sweet tambran, cut-a-brut, powda bun!” a voice called from a nearby booth.
Finn noticed the way Jewel’s gaze darted to the pastries. He jutted his chin that way. “You want any?”