by L. P. Dover
“Work? I thought you played for a living?”
He shrugged. “It pays the bills, but it’s not enough yet. The guys and I are hoping to change that one day. Right now, I work at the aquarium.”
That was when I noticed the aquarium logo on his green polo shirt. “Sounds like fun. Do you get to feed the fish?”
Chuckling, he took a sip of his coffee. “That and clean the tanks.”
“I’ll have to stop by.” I might as well. I didn’t have anything else to do, since Preston basically left me on my own.
“I’ll be happy to show you around. How long are you in town for?” he asked.
“Til next Wednesday, then I’m heading back to Charlotte. I have a few more bands to consider.”
Clearing his throat, he glanced down at his coffee. “Have you and your partner made any decisions yet?”
I snorted. Preston had completely distanced himself the past two days. I kept trying to tell myself it didn’t bother me, but it did. Especially when he’d leave late at night and not come back until dawn. I couldn’t help but wonder where he went. “His opinion doesn’t matter to me. I’ll be making the decision on my own. But I can say that your band is one of my favorites. It reminds me of the one I used to be in many years ago.”
His face lit up. “You were in a band?”
“Is it so hard to believe?” I laughed.
He shook his head. “Not at all. Did you play or sing?”
“Both,” I confessed. “I play the keyboard. It was an amazing feeling being on stage.”
“What happened? Why aren’t you in one now?”
I thought back to that time and how heartbroken I was when Preston left. “The leader of our band left, and we never quite recovered.”
His gaze softened. “I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have my band.”
“Just hold on to it for as long as you can.”
“I plan on it.” He looked down at his phone and sighed. “I should probably get going. Don’t want to be late for work.” His gaze shifted to my left, then back to me, before doing it again. When his brows furrowed, I turned and looked behind me. There was nothing there.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Do you have a boyfriend, or a husband?” His gaze shifted to my left hand.
“No, why?”
He nodded toward the door. “There was a guy outside who couldn’t stop staring at you. He was over by the tree. But when he saw me notice him, he walked away.”
I jerked my attention to the windows again. “Really? What did he look like?”
“Couldn’t tell,” he replied. “But he looked around our age.”
“Was it my partner?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know. I never paid much attention to him the other day.”
Goose bumps flittered across my arms and up my neck. “That’s strange. Maybe this guy thought he knew me.”
“Don’t know. Seemed kind of weird though,” he said, getting to his feet. “Just be careful. Do you want me to walk you to your car?”
I took another bite of my scone and waved him off. “I’ll be fine. Go, before you’re late for work. I’ll call you with my decision early next week.”
He smiled again. “I look forward to it.”
Once he was gone, I finished my scone and hot chocolate, keeping my gaze on the tree just outside the window. If Preston was following me, we were going to have some serious problems. I wasn’t about to put up with it.
I looked down at my phone. There was still thirty minutes before I had to be at the theater. Making a split decision, I got up and headed home.
Preston’s black sports car was in the driveway. Storming past the side gate, I circled around to the pool house. The blinds were open on all the windows, and I could see him walking around inside before sitting down with his back to me at the kitchen table. Instead of knocking, I slammed open the door.
Clearly knowing it was me, he didn’t even bother turning around. “Can I help you?” he asked.
The man was seriously going to drive me insane. “Yeah, you can stop following me around.”
“And why would I be doing that?”
“Hell if I know. You’ve been skulking around all hours of the night, so there’s no telling. Maybe you get off on it. Who the fuck knows. But I’ll let you know—right fucking now—I don’t like being watched.”
He jerked around, eyes blazing as he shot up out of the chair. “What do you mean being watched?”
His reaction wasn’t what I expected. Instead of anger, like I’d seen for days, there was concern in his gray eyes. Holding up my hands, I backed away. It was best to just stay away from him. “I don’t have time to deal with this shit right now. Consider yourself warned.” Turning on my heel, I hurried off.
“Emma!” he shouted after me, but I couldn’t be bothered to stop.
If it wasn’t him watching me . . . then who was it?
Preston
It was nine o’clock and I knew she wouldn’t be done at the theater until two. I had plenty of time to do what I needed to do and then meet her there to make sure she got back okay. She wasn’t going to like it, but I didn’t give a shit. The only person who could follow her around was me . . . and it hadn’t been me earlier this morning.
After searching for my sister’s best friend, Lainey McGee, on the internet, I found all of her information. She was now an accountant in Mt. Pleasant, only a short drive away, and married to a Dillon Walsh.
Picking up my phone, I called her office. I hadn’t seen her since I left home for college.
“Hello, Lainey Walsh,” she answered.
I closed my eyes, clenching my teeth hard. “Lainey, it’s Preston, Cameron’s brother.” She gasped and the line went quiet. “I need to talk to you.”
“Jesus Christ, Preston. I haven’t seen or heard about you in years. How are you?”
“Not good.” There was no reason to lie. “We need to talk. I have some questions I need to ask you.”
“O-okay,” she stuttered uneasily. “I’m here until three. If you want, you can come here.”
“Be there in twenty.” I hung up and got in my car.
It didn’t take long to get there, and when I arrived, she was outside by her car. The short, red hair she’d had before was now long, and she was pregnant. Years back, I remembered listening to her and Cameron talk about how they were going to get married at the same time and have kids together. It was what they’d planned all their lives.
Lainey’s eyes went wide when she saw me get out of my car. She slapped a hand to her mouth and walked toward me, her arms outstretched. “It’s so good to see you,” she cried, trying to hug me. Her stomach got in the way, so it ended up being more of a pat on the shoulders.
She wiped tears from under her eyes. “How’s your dad doing?” she asked.
I shrugged, not interested in talking about my father. “Don’t know. Just got into town. I need to ask you some questions about Cameron though.” Her lips trembled and she rubbed her stomach like she was in pain. Great. The last thing I needed was for her to have her baby because I stressed her out. “Are you okay?”
She blew out a shaky breath and nodded. “I’m fine. Been having contractions. What all do you want to know?” Her watery gaze looked up at me.
“Do you know if Cameron ever gave anyone a key to our house?”
With pursed lips, she shook her head. “Not that I know of. Unless she gave one to Adam. Why do you ask?” Adam Payne had been Cameron’s boyfriend of five years, up until she was killed. She grabbed my arm. “You don’t think he did something, do you?”
Adam had been playing in a football game at Duke the night she was killed. He was never even a suspect. “No,” I answered truthfully. “Someone broke into the house recently, and ransacked Cameron’s room. They had to have gotten in by key.”
She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh no. What were they looking for?”
“I don’t know
, but I was hoping you’d have some ideas. Do you know if Cam hid anything in her room? Like secret things she didn’t want anyone to find?”
Lainey shrugged. “We all did stuff like that. I know she had a diary. Where she kept it, I have no clue.”
If she had a diary, all I had to do was find it. In order to do that, I had to go back. “Thanks, Lainey. I’m sorry I had to come to you like this.”
Her lips trembled as she smiled. “It was good to see you, Preston. You and Cameron have the same eyes. It’s like I can see her in them.”
Chest tightening, I turned on my heel. “Take care of yourself, Lainey. Congrats on the baby.”
“I’m naming her Cameron,” she called out. I paused and glanced over my shoulder. Lainey rubbed her stomach and smiled at me.
“Cam would’ve liked that,” was all I could say. I had to get out of there. Hopping in my car, I sped away, hands shaking. The pain triggered the need to kill. Eventually, I’d find the fucker who murdered my sister and mother, but until then, I had to do what needed to be done.
Once I was back at the pool house, I ripped open my laptop and logged onto the list. There were countless targets all over the fucking country. Until the day I died, I would go after them. It just so happened there was a target a couple hours away, in Myrtle Beach.
But first, I had to make sure Emma was safe.
She walked out of the theater at two o’clock, with a smile on her face. She loved music. I knew it from the very beginning, back when I first met her in college. It was why I agreed to let her sing with me.
Her smile disappeared the second she saw me standing by her car. “What are you doing here?” Her face turned red, nostrils flaring. She was sexy as hell when she was pissed.
I blocked her from getting into her car. “I wanted to make sure you got back to Glenn’s safely.”
She scoffed. “Why do you care? Get out of my way.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you listen to me,” I said, standing firm. I looked into her bright green eyes, something I’d tried to avoid since being around her. Once I had her attention, I continued, “It wasn’t me who was watching you earlier.”
Her face paled and she froze. “If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”
“I don’t know, but it’s best you not wander around the city alone.”
She snorted. “Please, Mary Poppins, I’ve done just fine on my own for years. It’s not like I need a nanny, I know how to take care of myself. Besides, aren’t you the one who left me alone the last few days?”
Narrowing my gaze, I crossed my arms over my chest. “It was a mistake. It won’t happen again.”
Her scowl turned into a leer and she laughed, but I could see the pain in her eyes. “Don’t you get it? I don’t want you around. I’m just here to do my job until next Wednesday, when I can go home, and hopefully never see you again.” We stared at each other for the longest time, but she broke contact first. “Can you please move out of the way? I’d like to get back.”
Knowing she was about to break down, I stepped out of the way so she could get in the car. “I’ll follow you home.”
Glenn’s car roared to life and she sped away before I could get back in mine. It wasn’t hard to keep up with her, and when we arrived, she bolted inside. I followed behind her, giving her the distance she needed. It didn’t surprise me when she slammed the door to her bedroom.
“My goodness,” Mrs. Walker called out, hurrying from the kitchen. She looked at me, then up the stairs. “Is everything okay?”
I shrugged. “I’m used to people being pissed at me.”
She grinned. “Something tells me you bring it on yourself. Don’t worry, she’ll get over it. I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”
“With what, disgust?”
“No.” She chuckled with a wave of her hand. “She cares about you. But I have to say, you’re going about it all wrong.”
“Trust me, it’s for the best.”
“Suit yourself.” She turned to head back into the kitchen, her voice echoing down the hall. “If you were my husband, I’d have beaten you silly by now.” I’d have done a lot worse than that if I was Emma. “Do you want me to bring your dinner out to the pool house?”
I sat down on the couch and flipped the TV on. “Nah, I’ll be eating in here tonight.” I needed to make sure Emma was safe in bed, before I left.
Emma
The wind picked up and a sheet of gray clouds moved in across the horizon. We were about to get a nasty storm. I could smell the rain approaching as I sat on the balcony. Thankfully, it wasn’t hurricane season.
Scouring through my notepad, I finally landed on one from my past. It was one Preston and I wrote together but never got a chance to perform. Seeing it reminded me of the place we’d go to in Boone, where we’d picnic and just get away. It was the place we’d go to think up new songs. And before he disappeared, we’d spent the day there, writing this particular song.
Thinking about how he acted this afternoon, I wondered what in the hell was going on? One minute, Preston was a gigantic ass and now he was trying to keep me safe? It was like I was in a twilight zone.
I mean, in college he used to be overprotective, never letting me walk around campus at night by myself, but I understood the reasoning. There were too many incidents where girls were attacked, and some even raped. But now, he was just being ridiculous. We weren’t in college anymore. Hell, I didn’t even know him anymore.
A soft knock sounded on the door to my room. When I opened it, Mrs. Walker was there, her gentle smiling face a breath of fresh air.
“Hey. Sorry for slamming the door earlier,” I apologized.
She waved me off. “No worries, sweetheart. If I had to deal with that man, I’d have done the same thing.”
“Is he still down there?” I asked, whispering the words.
She nodded. “He is. I believe he wants to eat dinner with you.”
“No,” I hissed low. “Is there any way to bring my food up here? Please.”
A mischievous smile spread across her face. “Of course. He deserves it.” Turning on her heel, she disappeared down the hall. Coming back quickly, she handed me a tray of food and it smelled heavenly. There was meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a homemade biscuit.
“Thank you so much,” I gushed, breathing in the aroma.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” She nodded toward the stairs. “I don’t think the young man downstairs is happy about you eating up here.”
I scoffed. “He can get over it.”
“Well, you enjoy and I’ll see you in the morning.” Her gaze shifted to the window. “Hopefully the rain will let up.” She smiled again before heading toward the stairs.
I shut the door and locked it before setting my tray on the bed. Instead of watching TV while I ate, I watched the rain. It reminded me of the time Preston and I got stuck in the rain on a hiking trip all those years ago. It was the first and only time we’d ever kissed.
Hours passed and after a long phone call with Andrea, the time had closed in on ten o’clock. Everything was silent downstairs, but I had yet to hear Preston leave . . . which meant he was still inside. I refrained from turning on the TV, for fear he’d come up the stairs and I wouldn’t hear him. I wanted to be prepared.
However, nothing could prepare me for Preston Hale. His footsteps thumped up the hardwood stairs and down the hall to my room. My door was locked, but that didn’t stop him from twisting the knob. I held in my gasp and jumped in bed, pulling the covers as close to my face as possible.
A light knock sounded on the door. “Emma,” he called out, his voice dark yet soft. He knocked again. “Emma, let me in.”
I wasn’t about to get up. He turned the knob and it rattled. I smiled triumphantly, but that changed when the hallway light shone into my room. No! How’d he get in? Closing my eyes, I laid still and slowed my breathing. His steps drew near and my heart raced. What the hell was he doing in my room?
H
e stopped at the edge of the bed and I realized I’d left my notepad wide open. Our song was there, in plain sight. The last thing I wanted him to think was that I still cared about him. The sound of the paper rustled and I bit my cheek. Fuck my life. His steps quickly retreated and the door shut gently behind him.
Sitting up, I tiptoed to the door, pressing my ear to it. He was setting the alarm. Little beeps sounded before the front door shut. It was a good thing I knew how to turn it off. Slipping on my shoes, I rushed downstairs and peeked out of one of the kitchen windows. There were lights on in the pool house, but then Preston emerged, carrying a bag in his hand—not even caring that he was being drenched by the rain.
He disappeared around the side of the house and I hurried to the living room so I could watch him get in his car. It was then I got a good look at what he had strapped to his side . . . it was a gun. What the hell was he doing with a gun?
Once in his car, he slowly backed out of the driveway. Grabbing my purse and the keys to Glenn’s car, I turned off the alarm and locked the door behind me. I had no clue if I was going to catch up to him, but I had to try. If he wasn’t going to tell me where he was sneaking off to, I would find out myself.
Luckily, the rain made people drive slowly and I was able to see him up ahead, stopped at a traffic light. As soon as we hopped on US-17 North, I had a feeling we were headed to Myrtle Beach. Why would he want to go there so late?
Two hours later, we arrived in Myrtle Beach. I hadn’t been there in years, not since I was a little girl and it was the prime spot for vacations. There were at least eight cars between me and Preston, but it didn’t look like he knew I was behind him. However, when he turned into the parking lot of a questionable bar, I rode past, trying my best to blend in with the other cars.
Out of all the bars in Charleston, why would he choose one in Myrtle Beach? Especially one littered with violent drunks, judging by the fight going on in the parking lot. There was nothing around but an old warehouse, dark alleys, and a twenty-four-hour diner across the street. Not a place I’d go to by myself.
