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“Because you know me so well.”
“That I do.”
As we approached my car, he pulled me in for one more hug and touched a kiss to my cheek.
A sudden chill trickled down my spine, but it wasn’t from the feel of Liam’s lips on my skin. Instead, the same sensation of being watched creeped over me.
Pushing out of Liam’s embrace, I nervously scanned the street for anything that appeared out of place.
But like last night, there was nothing unusual.
That still didn’t dampen the unease filling me.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”Liam asked, sweeping his concerned gaze over me. “You seem…jumpy.”
“I’m fine. I just drank a bit too much wine last night. I’ll be better once I get more coffee in me.” I lifted my travel mug to my lips, savoring the robust flavor.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” I rolled my eyes, feigning annoyance, then reached for my car door.
Before I could touch the handle, Liam beat me to it, opening the door and helping me in. Once I was settled, he gently closed the door behind me. I cranked the engine and lowered the window.
“Thanks again for everything.”
“Anytime, Gin.”
I shifted the car into reverse and backed out onto the street, waving to Liam as I pulled away from my house.
Finally alone, I expelled a long breath, relishing in the first moment of solitude I’d had since surfing this morning.
The ocean was one of the few places I always managed to find peace and serenity. Bobbing up and down on my board when the world was still dark, waiting for the perfect wave to ride into shore. No phone. No laptop. Just me, my board, and the vast expanse of ocean.
After last night, I needed some time on the water more than anything.
I never expected to seehimagain.
To see those eyes again.
The shade of blue was so similar to Samuel’s.
Even more so this morning, since I was able to get a much closer view than I did yesterday.
As I gazed into those haunting eyes, it felt as if I’d been transported back in time.
Especially when I saw him doing a crossword puzzle, just like we once did together.
But Samuel Tate was gone.
Over five years had passed since he disappeared without a trace, apart from the blood staining the driver’s seat of his abandoned car. According to the police, he’d been shot by one of the kids in the teen program he’d founded.
But Jonah Pruitt didn’t seem the type. He’d repeatedly claimed he was innocent, that he was being framed, even when a gun containing his fingerprints was found in a dumpster mere feet from Samuel’s abandoned car.
The one thing they never found was Samuel’s body, though.It was as if he had vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a pool of blood containing his DNA.
Maybe that was why I often questioned whether he was really dead. It didn’t matter that every medical professional claimed the amount of blood he lost was too much for anyone to survive.
A part of me still hoped he was alive, despite the improbability.
