She Can Hide (She Can Series) (10 page)

“No.” Abby swiped a thumb under her eye. “I won’t endanger you or your family. Your kids have been through enough.”

“You’re not safe alone. How about I stay with you?”

Abby shook her head. “Your kids need you. I have Zeus. I’ll be fine. The police chief said he’d have someone ride by my house frequently.” Besides, Abby needed time alone.

What was she going to do?

Brooke smiled. “I know Mike and Ethan. They’ll do their best to keep you under surveillance.”

“You have that much faith in them?” Abby leaned her forehead against the cool glass. She had no idea how she’d been poisoned. A patrol car driving by her house wasn’t that reassuring.

“I do. Ethan saved your life.”

“I know.” In her head she knew she should trust him, and her heart agreed. Every time he was with her, it thumped a little faster. But her instincts, honed by a lifetime of betrayal and disappointment, weren’t controlled so rationally.

Brooke turned onto Main Street. “You still want to rent a car?”

“Yes.” Abby didn’t want to be stranded with no way to run should fleeing become necessary. The thought of leaving Westbury filled her with sadness.

They stopped at the shopping center that housed the car rental agency. Abby selected a midsize gray sedan, the kind of car no one noticed.

“I’m going to call you in a couple of hours.” Brooke hugged her good-bye in the parking lot.

Abby got into the sedan. She drove home in silence, her brain too overwhelmed for music. Her eye on the rearview mirror confirmed that Brooke followed her all the way home. Abby turned down her street. A police cruiser already sat at the curb. Ethan was at the wheel. Brooke waved, smiled, and drove off.

“I didn’t expect you here so quickly.” Abby locked the sedan with the fob. Truthfully, she was relieved to see him.

He got out of the vehicle and walked with her to the front door. Zeus barked at the window as Abby opened the door.

Ethan followed her into the foyer. “Do you always leave all the lights on?”

“I don’t like the dark.” Abby tossed her keys in the bowl on the desk. “Not anymore.”

Anger flared in Ethan’s eyes, then softened. “It’s no wonder.”

Zeus rubbed on her legs. “Good boy.” She patted his head and stumbled under the force of a head butt.

Ethan caught her elbow. “The whining is ridiculous.”

“I know.” Abby pushed the dog backward and scratched his head until he settled. “He loves me.”

“Wait here. I’ll check the house.” Ethan walked toward the closet.

Abby hung her jacket on a coat tree by the front door. “OK, but if anyone were here, Zeus would know about it.”

“Humor me.” Ethan checked the first floor and went upstairs. She heard his footsteps overhead, moving from room to room. A few minutes later, his boots clunked back down the steps. “Where’s the door to the garage?”

Abby led him through the kitchen and pointed. She reached for the phone. Even though three years had passed, the number for the prosecutor’s office that had handled her kidnapping case was burned into her brain like a brand. Two minutes later, Abby hung up with an appointment. She dialed the school and left a message that she’d be out for the rest of the week. She never missed work. In fact, she hadn’t used a single sick day the whole year. But there was no way she could focus on teaching until she got some answers, and she’d been on her way home from school when someone had tried to kill her. She could endanger her students.

Someone tried to kill me.
The truth hit her with shocking intensity. What were the chances? About the same as being struck by lightning twice? Getting bitten by two sharks?

She’d never be safe. Never.

Hands shaking, she started the teakettle. A knock at the back door startled her. Zeus barked, and the furious wag of his thin tail suggested friend not foe. With one hand pressed to the base of her neck, Abby moved the curtain and peeked out the window. Derek stood on the back stoop, his hands shoved into his pockets, his shoulders hunched in defeat. Bracing her spine and gathering her control, Abby let him in. The dog went through his wagging and whining routine. Derek dropped to a knee. Zeus wiped slobber all over the boy’s jacket.

“Where’s the cop?” Derek got to his feet. His gaze pinged around the room.

“He’s checking the house,” Abby said. What would Derek think of the GHB poisoning or her kidnapping? Should she tell him? As much as she hated to frighten him, she had to be straight with him. Being at her house could put him in danger. “The police think my accident wasn’t an accident.”

Derek’s eyes stopped roaming and snapped to meet hers. “Someone messed with your car.”

“Something like that.”

His eyes widened. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” She didn’t provide the details. It was enough that he was informed about the risk. Maybe he should stay away from her for a while. But what about his mom’s latest? “You need to be careful.”

He gave her a
no kidding
shrug.

“Maybe you shouldn’t hang around here for a couple of days. I don’t know when or where it happened. It might not be safe here.”

“Safety isn’t a guarantee anywhere.” The look in his eyes was as weary as Abby felt.

The stamp of boots signaled Ethan’s return from the garage. He stopped short. “Hey, Derek.”

“Hey.” Derek didn’t bolt, but his sneakers pointed toward the door as if he wanted to run.

“I was checking to make sure Abby’s house was all clear.” Ethan unzipped his coat. He caught Abby’s gaze. “I didn’t find any sign of an attempted break-in.”

Which meant her Gatorade had probably been tampered with at school. Goose bumps swept across Abby’s exposed skin, and she was relieved that she wouldn’t have to go back to work this week. The thought that her house hadn’t been violated was comforting, though.

“Are you going to be home tonight?” Ethan asked Derek.

Derek sniffed. “Yeah. Probably.”

“Would you mind keeping a lookout?” Ethan took off his jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair. “There’ll be a cop here, but you know what’s normal and what’s not for the neighborhood. If you see anything suspicious, please call me.” He dug a business card out of his chest pocket and held it out.

Derek hesitated. Indecision stiffened his stance. He plucked the card from Ethan’s two fingers.

“I can do that,” the boy said, his back straightening.

Ethan nodded. “Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem.” Derek turned to Abby. “You still want me to take Zeus for his walk?”

“I’m sure he’d love that.” Abby smiled. “But be careful.”

“Always.” Derek snapped the leash onto Zeus’s collar, and the two headed out of the kitchen. Abby heard the front door open and close.

She turned to Ethan. “He’s usually shy. How did you charm him?”

“You think I’m charming?” A wicked glint shone in Ethan’s eyes.

Yes
. “I didn’t say that.” Abby blushed. “I was talking about Derek.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “I spotted him walking to school this morning and gave him a ride. No big deal.”

“He got into your police car?” Abby asked. Derek would walk to the coast before he willingly got into a cop car.

“No.” Ethan sighed. “I was driving my brothers’ car. It’s a MINI Cooper, probably the least intimidating vehicle on the face of the earth. It’s a bright red shoebox outfitted with a lawnmower engine.”

“Thank you. Derek needs more people he can trust.”

Ethan shifted his weight. “What’s his story?”

Abby went into evasive maneuvers. She couldn’t forget that Ethan was a cop. There were things he couldn’t know. Things that could make Derek vulnerable. “Single mom. She has to work a lot.” OK, well that wasn’t a total lie. When Krista was working, she
did
work a lot, mostly to make up her late bills from her bi-annual man and booze binge. “They’ve had some rough times.”

“Where’s his dad?”

“Neither Krista nor Derek has ever mentioned him.”

“He seems like a good kid. He was going to walk to school today. That’s a long haul in this cold. Most kids would’ve gone home and skipped it.”

“He’s very diligent about school.” Abby’s chest warmed. Her tutoring had helped, as if that one small bright spot in Derek’s life mitigated a small part of the horror that overshadowed hers.

On the stove, the kettle whistled. Abby reached for it. “Tea?”

“No, thanks.” Ethan leaned a hip against the counter. “What does Derek’s mom do?”

“She’s a waitress.” Time for a subject change. “If you didn’t find any sign that someone broke into the garage, how did my Gatorade get poisoned?”

“We’ll have to assume for now that the GHB was put into your drink while it sat in your car in the school parking lot.”

“That’s not much better.”

“No. It isn’t. It means whoever did it knew your routine. He planned for you to drink the Gatorade on your way to the park. He must have followed you.” Ethan stopped there, but his eyes said more.

Abby shuddered. Whoever had tried to kill her had been watching her long enough to predict her activity.

She poured steaming water into her mug. “After the kidnapping, I couldn’t stay in the same house where I’d been attacked. I didn’t even want to stay in the same area. I needed a fresh start. Now I’m thinking I’ll never be able to get away from it.”

“I can’t imagine what you went through,” Ethan said. “And I’m pissed off that he got out of jail early. If he’s the one behind this, we’ll get him. What I can’t figure out is why he’d risk his freedom for revenge.”

“We’re talking about a man who kidnapped me because I wouldn’t go on a date with him. That’s not exactly rational behavior. He spent a couple of years in prison because of me. I can’t imagine how angry he is now.” Helplessness filled Abby’s chest. God, she despised feeling vulnerable. Deep inside her a switch flipped. She couldn’t take it anymore. Regardless of the risk, this time was going to be different. She was taking offensive action. No more running and hiding.

The decision empowered her. Yes, she was still scared. She would be foolish not to be. But she wasn’t going to sit around and wait for another attack or give other people control over her future. She was taking charge.

Ethan’s jaw tightened. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”

“First I need to find out how and why he got released.” Abby tossed her tea bag and added a spoonful of sugar to her drink. “The prosecutor who handled my case died of a heart attack a few months ago. I have an appointment with his replacement tomorrow. I want to know what happened. I was registered to receive a notification if Faulkner was released.” Abby wrapped her hands around her mug and sipped. The hot liquid warmed her belly but couldn’t cut through the chill in her veins. “Obviously, that didn’t happen.”

She turned toward the table, but Ethan blocked her path. Her tiny kitchen wasn’t designed for entertaining. He made no move to get out of her way. “I think you should let me handle it.”

Abby shook her head. “I can’t. For my own sanity, I have to be proactive. I won’t hide.” Not anymore.

Ethan nodded. “I don’t like it, but I understand.”

Their gazes met. His acceptance soldered the connection between them. He wasn’t going to demand she cede control.

Respect flared bright blue in his gaze. “How did you get an appointment that fast?”

“I convinced the secretary that the new prosecutor wouldn’t like to hear about my case on the news.” Not that Abby would ever go to the media. The last thing she wanted was publicity. But her bluff had worked like magic.

“I’m sure that’s true.” Ethan stepped closer. “I’d like to drive you.”

Abby leaned away, but her heels hit the cabinets. “That’s not necessary.”

His lean body crowded her. “I know. But it’s my day off, and I don’t want to spend it worrying about you.”

“You would worry?” The heat in Abby’s stomach spread. She should want to run and hide from Ethan. Instead, he made her blood sing through her veins. Desire flared in his eyes, mesmerizing her.

“Yes.” Ethan took her mug from her hands and set it on the counter. His irises darkened as he squared his body off with hers. “I would. All day. Just because I understand and respect your need to be involved in your case, I still want to protect you.”

“Um. OK then.” Abby’s trapped heart skittered. “I have to leave by seven.”

“I’m an early riser.” A car engine sounded outside. “That’ll be Pete,” he said against her cheek. His minty breath wafted over her face. “He’s going to watch your house tonight.” Ethan pressed a kiss to her temple, near the stamp-size Band-Aid that covered the healing cut. The contact of his lips sent tingles radiating through Abby’s body. Her eyes drifted closed, and her hand strayed to Ethan’s chest. Her fingers splayed, touching as much of him as possible with one hand. Under the uniform shirt, his muscles were hard under her palm. He smelled of peppermint, and his lips lingered a few seconds longer than she expected, but disappointment washed through her when he lifted his mouth from her skin. “Be careful, Abby. Call me if anything scares you.”

“I will.”

“Pete will come in to introduce himself.” He pulled away and searched her face. “He’s a good cop. You can trust him.”

Abby nodded. She believed him. Why? What was different about Ethan?

He grabbed his jacket and walked out of the kitchen.

Swaying slightly, Abby put a steadying hand on the counter next to her. Wow. She touched her cheek. He hadn’t even kissed her on the mouth and she was practically swooning like a schoolgirl. What would he taste like?

The front door opened. Zeus and Derek trooped in. Abby walked to the front window. Outside, Ethan was talking to a short, stout, older cop. Ethan looked at the window as if he sensed her presence. His gaze burned through the chill that hovered near the glass.

Uh-oh.
Her hand fluttered to her throat. There was no mistaking that look. He wanted her. She wondered if the rest of his muscles were as solid as his chest. Abby shut down her imagination before it ran with the idea.

This was not the time.

Ethan turned toward his car, while the older cop started up the walk. She wished it were Ethan watching over her through the night.