She was immobilized.
He squeezed her hand. “I’ll be right back. Stay here. Stay safe. Okay? We can talk later.”
She stared at their clasped hands. His warm palm anchored her in the moment. She nodded.
He leaned close and kissed her forehead.
His aftershave lingered in the air.
Then he turned, racing away.
When he disappeared from view, she let her shoulders drop. In a crisis, she was powerless.
During the lighthouse fire, she’d narrowly escaped the flames. Incapable of dousing the flames, she’d run into Christopher’s arms. Within minutes, he stopped the fire.
Again, on the day of the explosion, she probably would have drowned, too shocked for her survival instincts and years of swim lessons to kick in, if Steve Prim hadn’t been nearby. Was damsel in distress her true identity?
She felt so helpless. She hated that. It wasn’t just Dad or Christopher. It was herself.
She needed to prove her value and her worth. Not just to Christopher or the community. To herself most of all. If she didn’t want to be a joke, she had to be serious. Starting now. He hadn’t responded to her question. She would prove herself to be a capable partner and take charge in the midst of the chaos.
In the distance, above the buzz of furtive conversations, another siren echoed.
The emergency vehicle came closer with each passing second. She took a shaky breath. Help was near. Above the crowd, she heard the crack of breaking branches. Paramedics and the fire department must have arrived.
Turning toward the sound, she saw movement in the darkness just past the light cast from the Inn. She squinted and narrowed her gaze. Nothing in particular stood out.A person? An animal? A ghost?She gulped. Not a ghost and not a joke. She needed to be serious and assess the threat.
On tiptoes, she raced toward the dark tree line, skirting the shrubs at the perimeter of the property, following the thick forest towards the spot where she hid in wait for a warm dinner all those nights ago. Funny how moments came full circle. She would have laughed if fear hadn’t slid its fiery grip around her throat and squeezed tight.
Did anyone see?
A low murmur came from a few yards ahead.
“No. Too focused on the Soupy fools,” a familiar voice said.
Steve.She started to shake, her teeth chattering. She clamped a hand over her mouth, an ineffectual attempt at subduing her fear. She knew the voice. She’d known it for years. What were the chances on having two such betrayals in one evening?
“Well, that was an unexpected piece of good news. You can’t control every detail. Maybe it’s better not to have that ability.” Carl Prim chuckled a horrible, raspy laugh. He coughed, a dry, hacking sound.
She strained for more.What was the unexpected good news? Why are they here?
“You okay, Dad? Let’s get out of here. We can come back and finish up in the morning.”
Steve was the voice of reason?She’d always thought him as the stooge. Had it all been an act? Under the guise of friendliness, did a killer lurk?
Ashley didn’t like her proximity to the pair. She inched her way back, unseeing. She faced her foes, hoping her shocked but familiar expression might save her from a gunshot to the back of the head.
Snap.
She froze, squeezing her eyes shut. She’d stepped on a fallen limb in Christopher’s otherwise meticulously manicured manor. Her bad luck continued.
“What was that?” Carl rasped.
“Who’s there?” Steve called.
Her lungs burned with the breath she held. Could she somehow disappear? Her body refused to move as her brain whirred with terrifying scenarios at top speed. Would they kill her? Take her somewhere? How long before anyone looked for her?
The crunch of sneakers against the fallen pine needles was as loud as roller skates gliding over a sheet of bubble wrap.
