Page 66 of Secret Sins

She didn't speak, but she kissed the spot over my heart. Words were unnecessary as we curled up together until the need for food overtook everything else. Heidi and Charlie waited for us in the kitchen, curled up as close as Bailey and I had just been.

"Look at how sweet they are together," she said.

"We're creating our own little family."

"I love you, Van." Facing me, she laced her fingers behind my head and pulled me down for a kiss. "I love this life we're creating together."

A knock on the door interrupted us, and I made certain Bailey's clothes weren't in disarray before stepping back. She glanced through the peephole and then pulled the front door open, smiling up at Alex.

"Bailey." He darted a glance at me, and that was the moment I knew deep fear once again. Greeting me like an old enemy, it bloomed in my chest, spreading and unfurling along my nerve endings.

In defense, I walked up behind her. I would have her back, no matter what had happened.

"Alex, what's wrong?"

"There was a guy downstairs. Tall, dark cap pulled low. He was looking for Van."

Ice water sluiced down my back. "But there's no one else looking for me."

Like a child, I wanted to scream and shout. But Bethy said I was safe!

"He fit the description of the guy Bailey saw in Bookish."

With a worried expression, she turned to me.

Of course, I didn't have to protect her. It was me who was broken; lost, trapped, hunted. Endlessly running.

Chapter 24

Bailey

I should have been shocked, but I wasn't. Not after everything Van had gone through already. He had to be the unluckiest man I knew.

Alex promised to keep an eye out for the guy and even suggested I get security cameras for the shop. I wasn't sure I wanted to go that far, but something had to be done. Van would shut down, I was positive, and I had to do what I could to prevent it.

We'd managed to salvage our night, albeit less enthusiastically. I'd cooked for him, and we'd gone back to curl up in bed—silently. Despite my urge to press him, I held it inside me to give him time to come to terms with this recent development.

He went to work as usual, but I hated to see him leave. God only knew what lurked in the night shadows, and he had to walk three blocks east and one more to the south to reach the plant. Not surprisingly, he refused my offer to drive him.

We stood by my front door, and I squeezed him tightly. "Be careful." Inevitably, my life would end up changing to match his schedule. I could already feel it coming.

"Always am," he responded, and that was one truth I knew in my bones.

Unable to go back to sleep, I brewed coffee and cleaned my apartment. Heidi watched me from the couch as I vacuumed, apparently unaffected by the noise. Charlie bolted under my bed, of course, only to return once I put away the mechanical beast. Wiping a small bead of sweat off my forehead, I tried to put my worries out of my mind.

It was impossible.

I needed to plan; that was how I thrived. A schedule, a to-do list, days of the year set aside for grieving, and a few for adventure and vacation. That way, I knew what was expected of me. But, Jesus, Van had turned all of that on its head. Hell, it had to mean something that I met him on the anniversary of my parents’ death. A day that always felt like it was full of despair had instead given me something immeasurably beautiful this year.

If we went to the police, maybe they could help us figure out who this stranger was. Lurking around wasn't exactly illegal, but given Van's past, we could reasonably assume it was someone with ill intentions. If they identified him, it might assuage our fears. Van didn't need to hide anymore if what Beth said was true. One random loner looking to cause trouble shouldn't be enough to force him back into his shell.

Only once my place was spotless did I give in and get dressed for the day. It was still stupidly early, but sitting at home wouldn't cut it today. Instead, I leashed Heidi and took her out back, walking to the water's edge to let her chase squirrels and waves. Foam built at her feet with the succession of the water's movement, and she yipped happily, snapping at it and then looking confused that she hadn't been able to catch the ethereal surf. Watching her play was enough to make me happy for a bit.

On the way back home, I thought about the Saint Andrew medal my father wore every day without fail. I'd seen it in pictures of him, but I had no actual memory of it. It hadn't helped him in the end, had it? Superstition, religion, caution . . . none of it had worked when the storm came to claim their vessel. In this instance, I couldn't say why my parents popped into my head, but I knew my subconscious was trying to tell me something. Maybe it was the idea that all the bubble wrap in the world can't save the unsavable or change what fate has planned for us.

That caused a shiver to come over me, and Heidi turned to look at me as we walked down the sidewalk. Letting us back inside the apartment, I made sure she had water before calling to Charlie to follow me downstairs.

I needed my friends.