can I say? You inspire me.” Her tone was dry as she stepped in front of him and hefted herself into the seat. He chuckled, shut the door, and then climbed in the driver’s side. Heat crept from her belly to her cheeks. Her hand on her thigh trembled. He was staring at her. Slowly, she met his gaze. Her breath hitched at the intensity in his eyes. “What is it you want to talk about?”
His hand fell to the console between them as he shifted to face her. His fingers lay only inches from her arm. Her skin tingled as if he’d touched her. “I want to apologize for the other night.” His tone was even and as warm as the air outside of the truck.
She raised her eyebrows. He’d brought her out here just to say sorry? She lifted her shoulder. “Fine. Apology accepted.” Her fingers closed on the door handle, but before she could open the door and hop out, he grabbed her wrist. His fingers were hot and firm. A tingle shot down to her toes.
“Wait.” He didn’t let go until she turned to face him. “I’ve been pretty concerned about you the last few days. Where are you staying?”
She didn’t owe him a thing, but something in his face made her answer. “I’ve been staying with Jenny, tonight will be my first night back. The landlord had the locks changed yesterday.”
He nodded. “Because there was no sign of a break-in? Someone had a key.”
She held her hand in the air. “I really don’t want to talk about it, okay? He could have picked the lock you know.”
His lips dipped at the corner. “Could have.”
She inched closer to the door. “Is that all?”
“No,” he said softly.
She blew out an exasperated breath. “What now?”
“Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”
The words take a hike burned on her tongue. Some of the intensity had left his eyes, and his face had softened. She couldn’t outright insult him, at least not after he’d apologized.
“You want me to say sorry?”
Humor sparked a glow in his eyes. The skin around them crinkled with the hint of a smile. “You were pretty snarky.”
She sucked the inside of her cheek between her teeth. “I don’t get what you’re trying to do, Ethan.” Her tongue slid over the letters of his name.
“I’m trying to do what I’ve been doing all along–be nice to you. Wouldn’t it be great if I could come in and ask how your day was? You could smile without hurting your face and respond with something other than a sneer?”
A smile tugged at her lips—the first one in a month. Although she didn’t give in to the grin that nagged her, he beamed as if she had. He had a nice smile. Her nerve endings vibrated under the heat of his gaze.
“Look at that, you almost smiled.” The tip of his finger tapped the corner of her mouth. She clenched her jaw to fight the urge, but lost. “See? We can be friends.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and squinted skeptically at him. “I thought you said if I came out here, you wouldn’t come into the restaurant anymore while I was working?”
“I might have told a small white lie.” He pinched his thumb and forefinger together. “Besides, I never got that apology.”
Her shoulders sagged as if the weight she’d been carrying had been lifted a few pounds. “All right, I’m sorry for snapping at you. You seem like a decent guy, but to be honest, I don’t need any friends.”
His eyes darkened a shade and his fingers fell from her arm. Regret burned a hole in her stomach. She was pushing him away…but she had to. If only things could be different. If only she could have met him before all this. But right now she couldn’t explore the interest in him that burned inside her.
“I appreciate that.”
“Can I go now?”
“Yes.” His lips thinned. “But I have one more question.”
She rolled her eyes to stare at the ceiling of his truck, then brought them back to his face. “Of course you do.”
“That woman at the bar, who was she? From what I can tell, she couldn’t be more different than the Riley sitting in front of me.”
Her stomach pitched. It hadn’t been an insult, and the gentle way he spoke oozed concern. “Good-bye, Ethan.” This time he didn’t stop her when she slid out of the truck. She wasn’t sure if she was happy about that or not.
“That was quick.” Jenny’s eyebrows bobbed when Riley strode back inside.
“Not much to talk about.” She sailed passed Jenny and into the back room. She made a quick sandwich in the kitchen, sat, and nibbled while she pulled her phone from her purse.
A missed call and new voicemail flashed across her screen. She’d forgotten it was on silent since she’d gone to bed last night, so she hadn’t heard it ring when she was in the truck with Ethan. Her stomach plummeted and turkey salad threatened to catapult up from her stomach. She placed the sandwich on the plate in front of her and sucked in a deep breath.
It was a local number she didn’t recognize.
But that didn’t mean it was him. She pressed the voicemail icon and entered her password.
One new message.
She tightened her grip on the phone and curled her other hand around the edge of the small table. She hit the number one to listen to the new recording. The line crackled in her ear.
A scream split through her eardrum and died.
Riley bolted to her feet, terror slammed against her palate. Hanna. Her hand trembled and vomit climbed up the back of her throat.
Her fingers shook as she pressed Save and then dialed Joe’s number. Her lungs cried out for her to take a breath, but for the life of her, she couldn’t summon the strength. Joe answered on the second ring and words came tumbling out in a desperate plea.
“Joe, it’s Riley. He left me a voice mail—he has Hanna.” Her voice teetered on the verge of hysteria.
“Calm down, Riley. Where are you?”
She swallowed and held her palm to her pulsating temple. “At work.”
“Sit tight. I’ll be right over.”
She disconnected and set her phone down on the table in front of her. Her breastbone vibrated with every sharp beat of her heart. She pressed her elbows to the counter and rested her forehead on her closed fists. She had to get a grip or she’d be no use to the police.
This was the first major clue that Hanna was alive. The bastard was tormenting her. He wanted her to search for Hanna. But she didn’t need his threatening calls and antics. She needed him to attempt to take her—that was the only way she’d find Hanna.
He’d slip up. He had to.
Chapter 3
He sucked in a slow breath through his nose and pulled into his parking spot at work. From the moment he’d learned she was back in Beaufort, his instincts had screamed at him that Riley Reynolds would be a problem. It wasn’t a coincidence that she’d shown up within a week after he’d taken Hanna. And all she’d done was talk about Hanna’s disappearance with everyone. By now, the residents of the small town just wanted to forget the horror and devastation of the missing young woman. But Riley wouldn’t let it die. He’d left her a voicemail from his encrypted phone today, and maybe between that and her catching him in her house she’d take the fucking hint.
Had she not caught him in her house and run like hell, she’d have been his. She’d been lucky. She had no idea that moving into Hanna’s old place had put her right where he wanted her. He’d set up a camera and sound bug months ago to watch Hanna, and now