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“Are they dangerous?” I pressed.
“Oh no. Not to anyone else. I’m sorry to be cagey. I don’t mean to be. I also need somewhere new to live, if you’ve heard of a place.” She winced as if she’d said too much.
A phone trilled, and Mia jumped then stooped to search in her bag. “So sorry. I have it on do-not-disturb for all but one person.”
I swapped a glance with my friend. I knew she’d want to help, but I really wanted to know more about the trouble Mia was in.
The interviewee answered her call with another whispered apology to us. She listened and cringed again. “Of course. I’m on my way. I’ll be as quick as I can.”
She hung up and stood.
I didn’t miss how her fingers trembled as she slid her phone back into her bag.
“I’m so sorry, but the woman watching my daughter has to bail. I need to run.”
We both stood, too.
“Don’t worry. We were about done anyway,” Daisy said.
Mia’s face fell. “We weren’t, though. I wanted to give you a demonstration. I make my own cleaning products, and they smell amazing. Here, have this one. But then this place is so clean, maybe I wouldn’t be able to show anything at all.”
Crestfallen, she retreated to the door, leaving on the table a spray bottle with a handwritten label.
“You did great,” Daisy promised.
“We’ll be in touch,” I added, squeezing Daisy’s hand so she didn’t immediately blurt out an offer.
Mia left, her car zooming off at speed.
Another came in the opposite direction.
Jackson. Early.
I had to ready myself for a second kind of interview while stopping all thoughts of his body on mine.
Chapter 11
Jackson
Ariel held back in the shadows beyond Daisy’s front door. I parked up, watching her. She wasn’t that visible, but she needed to hide better. We had no trace on Larson and no clues either. Since the crash, I’d driven around at night on patrol. Ben had, too. Raphael had pulled daytime shifts. The staff at the snowboarding centre were on alert for any stranger with Larson’s description.
Still nothing.
He had to be hiding and waiting for her to make a move. But how did he plan to find her without sitting in plain sight? I had no answer to that, and it was driving me fucking nuts.
Killing the engine, I grabbed my phone, ready to get out.
At the cottage, Ariel leaned in and whispered something to Daisy. The second lass giggled and shot me a knowing glance.
She’d told her about the kiss, then. Fuck.
Some unknown sensation had me slowing my moves to leave the safety of my car. A sudden rush of concern, like I’d arrived for a date and had to walk the line of judgement from her friends first.
Excitement coloured that, as well.
I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Ariel. Professionally, personally, in my bed, on her sofa, against a wall. Endless images warred for dominance.
She’d categorically told me there was no second chance. Exactly as I wanted.
