AllFreeNovel
Share Us
At the sound of the front door closing, a new wave of nerves overcame me.
Spying the bottle of chardonnay Naomi had opened, I poured a bit into a glass to take the edge off. With my clutch hanging from my wrist, I headed outside, hoping some fresh air would help calm me.
I walked toward the edge of the lanai and leaned against the stone wall, marveling at the breathtaking view of the water as darkness chased the sun away. I may have been on the east side of the island, but the view at sunset was still spectacular.
As the breeze wrapped around me, I inhaled the fragrant air, summoning all my determination and confidence.
I could do this. It was just sex. Nothing more. I wouldn’t overthink it. Wouldn’t obsess over every single one of my imperfections. Wouldn’t question what he possibly saw in me when he could be with someone closer to his age whose body didn’t exhibit the signs of childbirth. No. For the first time in my life, I would live in the moment. After all, it had been years since I’d been intimate with anyone. I deserved this. I deserved him.
A loud ringing ripped through my solitude. I placed my glass on the ledge in front of me and pulled my cell out of my clutch. Confusion wrinkled my brow when I saw my brother’s name flash across the screen. I’d already spoken to him earlier when he called to wish me a happy birthday. While we were pretty close, it wasn’t like him to call twice in one day. Not to mention it was almost eight o’clock in Hawaii. That meant it was nearly two in the morning in Atlanta. He wouldn’t call at this hour unless it was important.
Frantically pressing the answer button, I brought the phone up to my ear.
“Wes, is everything okay?”
“Jules,” he exhaled, voice laden with exhaustion. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to call so late.”
“What’s going on? Is Imogene okay?”
“She’s fine. It’s just…” He hesitated. I could sense his reluctance from five thousand miles away. “I wasn’t going to say anything until you got home, didn’t want you to worry, but I felt like you needed to know.”
I swallowed hard, an unsettled premonition forming in the pit of my stomach. “Tell me what?”
He blew out a long breath. “Another package was delivered to one of your bakeries.”
I pinched my lips together, fully aware it wasn’t simply a run-of-the-mill delivery. It never was.
“And?”
“It was like the others. Dropped in the mail. Used your corporate headquarters as the return address.”
“And the contents?”
“Another piece of jewelry. This one a necklace.”
“Did you call Agent Curran?”
“I did. He sent it to the lab for analysis. Like the others, there weren’t any prints on the piece itself, and any on the packaging were traced to postal workers or your employees, all of whom were interviewed and cleared. Agent Curran believes it’s another true crime fanatic. Most likely harmless.”
I nodded, not surprised. Agent Curran had been looking into this since I received the very first package over five years ago. After ruling out everyone with a possible motive, the only reasonable explanation was someone obsessed with all those true crime shows. Someone who’d read about my ex-husband’s actions and became fascinated to the point of going to the extreme to get my attention. But to what end? What was the purpose?
“How’s Imogene? Does she—”
“She’s fine,” Wes assured me. “I reached out to the camp counselors to make sure nothing was sent to her. Nothing has been. She’s safe there.”
“Do you agree?”
“With what?”
“With Curran. Do you agree it’s some true crime fanatic who’s crazy enough to go through the hassle of sending me a gift just like—”
“I agree it seems farfetched,” Wes interrupted, preventing me from reliving the truth of who my ex-husband was.
A truth that blindsided everyone.
Except me.
I knew. Maybe not on the surface, but I saw what he was like behind closed doors. Saw the wolf hiding in sheep’s clothing.
