“You know them?”
“Shawn’s brother, Jason. And the woman, her name is Laurel.” It advanced to a picture of that same couple in a garden, wearing wedding attire. “I haven’t seen her look like that... in a while.”
Outside, the sun was setting, and it allowed exhaustion to sneak up on me. Even though I usually didn’t need much sleep, the past few days had been anything but normal, and the long nap this morning hadn’t recharged me.
So I remained standing, rather than sink onto the couch beneath a gorgeous black and white framed picture of the Osterhägen brewery. The last thing I wanted to do right now was accidentally drift off.
The front door swung open, and a woman stepped in. She set her purse on the entryway table, took off her coat, and hung it in the closet. Kara Hayward was shockingly tall, perched on top of heels and dressed in a beautifully cut navy business suit. She moved leisurely, not calling out or looking for us. It was as if she didn’t know anyone was there.
My suspicions were confirmed when she strolled toward the kitchen, discovered me standing there, and froze in place. Fear flooded her expression as she stared at me, the unannounced stranger who lurked in her home.
Then Ethan stepped into view and her pale blue eyes filled with shock. “Ethan?”
“Kara,” he said. “How are you?”
She peered up at him like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. But she blinked it away and smoothed her palms down the sides of her skirt. “Good,” she said. “Much better than the last time we saw each other. And you?”
His tone was steady, revealing nothing. “I’m all right.”
She brushed back a lock of hair as if she could push away the bad memory just as easily. “I never got a chance to say it, you know. Thank you. Thank you for helping us.”
He shifted as if uncomfortable. “You don’t need to thank me.”
Her pretty face took on a dubious cast. “You saved my life. You saved Laurel’s life.” She reached out and set her hands on the counter, perhaps bracing herself. “Has something happened?”
“Did Shawn not tell you we were coming?”
She pulled out her phone, took one look at her screen, and her face fell. “Scheiße. I have seven missed calls.” She lifted her embarrassed gaze to him. “My phone’s on silent.”
“That’s okay,” Ethan said, gesturing to me. “This is Olivia. We’ve run into some trouble, and Shawn and Jason offered to help. She needs a place to stay and lay low for a few weeks. But things have?—”
The front door burst open, slammed shut, and heavy footsteps pounded closer. A dark form appeared in the entryway, moving swiftly forward. A black suit wrapped around the man who was almost as tall as Ethan, but his frame was lanky whereas Ethan’s was broad and hardened.
Shawn Dunn was as traditionally handsome as Kara was classically beautiful.
“Fuck, Kara,” he said, a German accent flavoring his words. “I’ve been trying your mobile for the last hour. I almost sent my assistant to get you.”
He pulled to a stop when he noticed there were other people in the room.
“That would have gone over well during my meeting,” she quipped.
Ethan cut straight to business. “This is the pilot we spoke about.”
I was exhausted and wearing sweatpants, of all things, but I steeled my expression to look professional and confident. Shawn Dunn ran one of the largest beer companies on the planet. Even if he didn’t have a position for me, he was sure to have connections.
I straightened my posture and approached with a hand out.
“Mr. Dunn, I’m Olivia Wallace. Nice to meet you.”
“Please, it’s Shawn.” His grip was firm. “He didn’t say you were a woman.”
Kara beat me to it. “Does that make a difference?”
“Of course not,” he said quickly. “It’s just unusual.”
It had secured my last job, the one where I’d almost died.Where you did die, remember?The sting of my hand had faded enough to let me temporarily forget Ethan’s knife.
“It’s uncommon,” I said, “but I have plenty of experience.”
