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He should sleep. He knew this. His body was tired.
But his mind wouldn’t shut down.
The events of this evening played on an endless loop, a movie reel he couldn’t turn off. Making Ainsley’s coffee. Talking with her at the table. Kissing her by the sink...
In some ways, he was grateful the window had broken at that moment. He hadn’t meant to kiss Ainsley, but once he’d started, he hadn’t wanted to stop. And given his determination to keep his distance, kissing her was the last thing he needed to be doing.
It was strange, though. The more group discussions and couple’s therapy sessions they attended together, the more he realized how good their relationship had been. Listening to other people talk about the problems in their marriages made him realize he and Ainsley had been lucky—they hadn’t argued all the time, hadn’t had big, fundamental disagreements about life, the kind that tore a couple apart. He’d never been tempted to cheat on her, and as far as he could tell, she’d never wanted to cheat on him. Compared to these unhappy couples at the retreat, he and Ainsley had had a charmed relationship.
It was enough to make him wonder if he’d made the right choice five years ago.
He flipped onto his back with a sigh. On the other hand, perhaps the past seemed so good because he was currently surrounded by people contemplating divorce. After all, happy couples didn’t consider breaking up. It was easy to think their relationship had been ideal compared to the stories he’d heard over the last several days.
Though he couldn’t deny they had worked well together...still did, come to that.
There was no one he’d rather have by his side this week. Ainsley was the best partner he could ask for; not only was she helping him gather evidence against the Woodses and their cronies, but she provided him with the emotional support he’d unexpectedly needed to continue this deception.
Santiago only hoped he was helping her the same way she was helping him.
Which led him to a new set of worries; now that they knew the broken window had been no accident, was he doing the right thing by keeping them here?
He’d never forgive himself if Ainsley was hurt. He knew, too, that she wasn’t going to walk away. She was too stubborn to give in to intimidation, especially now that she’d seen firsthand the people who were being hurt by the Woodses. He could tell by the way she’d talked about Jenny that she had a soft spot for the other woman, and he couldn’t blame her.
That didn’t mean he wanted her risking her own neck to help. It was one thing to provide moral support and to be there as a friend, even if it annoyed Jenny’s husband. But now that someone had thrown a tree branch through the cabin window, Santiago feared the stakes were considerably higher.
There was no guarantee the disgruntled husband was responsible for the act of vandalism, though Santiago didn’t know who else it could be. It was possible the Woodses had figured out he and Ainsley were not who they seemed—perhaps they were trying to send a message? Though it must be an awfully subtle one, if that was the case. No, if the Woodses suspected their real motives, he doubted they would bother with something as small as a broken window. They’d simply force them out of the retreat and that would be that.
He doubted it was anyone on their staff, either. The employee who had come out to help clean up was perfectly pleasant, apologizing for the accident, saying it happened sometimes. The young woman had definitely stuck to the script, just as all the other staffers had during the week. And while that made them seem a little...creepy, it also made Santiago think they wouldn’t do anything unless the Woodses ordered it. So the idea that an employee had broken the window didn’t make sense, either.
Which brought him back to Steve, Jenny’s husband. He was the only logical suspect so far.
Thanks to the two of them being in the same group, Santiago had seen flashes of the other man’s temper. It was easy for him to imagine Steve picking up the branch and thrusting it through the window—it was just the kind of hotheaded, impulsive move men like Steve specialized in. The only question was, now that he’d gotten the anger out of his system for the moment, was he going to leave them alone?
Or would he escalate his behavior?
Santiago wasn’t afraid for himself. Steve and his ilk were bullies, only picking on people they viewed as weaker. Even though Ainsley was smarter and stronger than Steve could ever hope to be, she was physically smaller and therefore, in his eyes, vulnerable. That made her an easy target.
And since Santiago couldn’t be by her side every minute of the day, it posed a dilemma for him.
Carry on with the operation and risk Ainsley’s safety?
Or leave now before someone was seriously hurt?
He knew what he wanted to do. If it was up to him, they’d leave in the morning. As much as he wanted to bring these guys down, to make them pay for their deceptions, the fact was that Ainsley’s well-being meant more to him than anything else.
Feeling uncomfortably warm, he flipped the pillow over once more, searching for a cooler spot on the fabric. It shouldn’t be this hard, he told himself. He didn’t want to risk Ainsley, so they should leave. But she’d made it clear she wasn’t going anywhere.
And...ultimately, he had to respect her choice.
&n
bsp; Even though he hated the risk she was taking, it was hers to assume. He’d do everything in his power to keep her safe, for as long as possible. It wasn’t in her nature to rely on someone to take care of her, but hopefully she’d have the sense to accept his help.
Because the only way they were going to get through the rest of this retreat was if they acted as a team.
Chapter 8
At six in the morning, Ainsley decided she’d had enough. Rather than stay in bed, tossing and turning in a vain search for rest, she slipped out from under the covers and began to dress. An early morning run was her usual solution to the problem of an overactive brain. Hopefully, it would work today.
