Lisa touched his arm, trying to reassure him. “Really. I’ll be okay.”
It didn’t work. Wes was too good a friend to simply leave, especially if Lisa might be in danger. He was in protective mode, and he wasn’t going to back down this easily.
“Can I talk to you a minute? Outside?”
“Of course.” Lisa knew exactly what was coming, but she followed Wes outside anyway.
The bright sun showered them in a lemonade-colored light. But, despite the sunny day, the wind was still cold. It might be forty degrees outside, but the breeze easily made it feel below freezing.
She looked up at Wes and the determined, assessing look in his eyes. One day, he’d be a great boyfriend. He wasn’t Lisa’s type—and he wasn’t ready to settle down—but he was strong and smart. He was cultured and informed, yet up for an adventure.
And all of his smart, informed attention was on Lisa now. “Are you sure you’re safe alone with this guy?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
He glanced at Braden inside at the table. “He could have beaten that guy to a pulp. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“I’m not scared of him, Wes. I know how that might sound—like I’m naïve or too optimistic for my own good. But I’m trusting my gut here, and my gut is telling me that he’s okay.”
Wes still didn’t look convinced as he shifted his weight. “Look, you’re a grown woman, Lisa, and you’re capable of making your own choices. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“He won’t hurt me, Wes.”
He continued to study her, a good dose of skepticism in his gaze. “You really like this guy, don’t you?”
Lisa’s throat burned as she contemplated what to say. Why deny it? she finally decided.
She shoved a hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I do.”
“I hope this all works out then. You can call me if you need me. I’ll come right away.”
“I know. And I really appreciate that—more than you can know.” She truly was grateful for her friends. They were lifesavers, in more ways than one.
Wes cast one more glance back inside before heading toward his truck.
Lisa felt the jitters racing through her as she stepped back inside the restaurant. She’d talked tough, but now she had to face Braden. She prayed she’d made a wise choice.
“Your friend left,” Braden said, glancing behind her.
“He did.”
Braden’s eyes were soulful as he looked up at her. And maybe that’s what got to her. It was like she could glimpse into his soul, and she saw the gentleness beneath the tough exterior.
She slid into the booth across from him, her muscles feeling wired and the neurons in her brain firing so rapidly she could hardly keep up. “Now we need to prove that you didn’t beat up John.”
His eyebrows shot up. “How are we going to do that?”
“I have one lead I’d like to follow.” It was a long shot. Lisa knew it was. But she needed something.
Curiosity sparked in Braden’s gaze. “What’s that?”
“We’re going to have to drive there. I can tell you in the car.”
He still didn’t move. “I don’t want to pull you into the middle of anything unsafe.”
“You’re not. This is my idea. Besides, you’ll be there to protect me.”
His gaze locked with hers, no hint of teasing in the depths of his eyes. “What if I’m the one you need protection from?”
“You’re not.” Lisa heard the certainty in her voice. It was there because it was true. She really didn’t believe Braden would hurt her.
“You seem convinced.”
She offered an affirmative nod. “I am.”
Braden stood, pulling himself to full height—full imposing height. “Okay then. Let’s go. Because there’s nothing more that I want right now than a good lead.”
As Braden sat in Lisa’s small sedan, the scent of watermelon and patchouli teased his senses.
He closed his eyes.
Why did that combination seem so familiar?
Memories felt like they wanted to fight their way through the fog—yet they couldn’t. The harder Braden tried to claw through the mist, the more closed off the recollections became.
And Braden was left with only an inkling, some type of vague emotion in place of actual facts.
He glanced over at Lisa as she sat behind the steering wheel. Saw her delicate features. Her sparkling eyes. The determined set of her jaw.
Normally, she wouldn’t be his type. At least, she wouldn’t be the type of woman the old Braden would like. The old Braden liked to go to clubs and meet women who were out just looking for a good time.
No, Lisa was the kind of woman a guy met and wanted to marry.
Back in Braden’s wilder days, he would have run far from that type because marriage was the last thing on his mind.
But maybe some good had come from his injury. It had brought him back to God. Brought him back to what was important in life.
He’d put those wild days behind him.
Lisa turned the car around at the end of a lane. A massive sand dune now stood protectively behind them, and a row of houses were before them. Most of the homes looked empty, probably the result of tourist season being over with. But one house—a smaller one with aged cedar siding—had a Volvo sedan in the driveway.
He could only assume that was the house they were keeping an eye on.
“So, you want to tell me what we’re doing here?” he finally asked.
Lisa shoved on some aviator sunglasses and nodded toward the aforementioned house. “You told me that someone from The Revolt is trying to kill you.”
“Wow. I usually don’t talk about that.” Had he lost his mind? That information . . . it was what he shared with his therapist. Maybe his comrades in arms. Maybe the police.
But not strangers.
Then again, Lisa hadn’t been a stranger to him, had she? Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that.
Lisa shrugged, sadness grazing her features. “Maybe my apple pie warmed you up.”
Apple pie . . . there was more to that memory, wasn’t there? He’d ask more about that later. Right now, what he really wanted to know why they were here and what Lisa hoped to prove.
“So who do you think is in that house?” He stared at the cottage in the distance.
“I have it on good authority that the man staying here is from Virginia Beach, and he’s here looking for someone.”
“There are probably a lot of people in this area who come down from Virginia Beach, don’t you think?” Braden had been hoping for something a little more solid.
“Yes, there are.”
“And is looking for someone that unusual?”
She let out a soft breath, the first sign of exhaustion and doubt creeping in. “I don’t know, to be honest. Doing stuff like this? It’s not my thing. But there are so few visitors on the island this time of year. If someone did follow you here . . . the options are limited. It shouldn’t be terribly hard to pinpoint who this person is.”
“I see.”
“I’m not saying we need to take action or anything. I’m just saying that maybe you’ll see this person and recognize him. Maybe you’ll be able to get some answers. It’s . . . well, it’s all I’ve got.”
Braden turned toward Lisa, studying her face for a moment and trying to find answers that weren’t within his grasp. “Why do you want to help me so much, Lisa?”
Her cheeks reddened again.
It was adorable how they did that when she felt embarrassed—not that Braden wanted to embarrass her. But the reaction was so genuine and refreshing.
She shrugged. “I just . . . I just think everyone needs someone.”
There was more to that explanation. Braden could hear it in her voice.
Desire burned inside him. Desire for answers. For normalcy. For . . . resolution.
“What happened to your hands?” she asked, her voic
e cracking.
He glanced at his knuckles. “I have no idea.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Her voice contained a certain wistfulness that had him curious.
“Lisa, what am I forgetting? I feel like it’s something important and—”
Before he could finish his question, Lisa’s arm jutted out. “There he is! Do you recognize him?”
Braden swiveled his head toward the house just as a man emerged. He appeared to be in his forties, with a black leather jacket, stylish sunglasses, and polished shoes.
All in all, it wasn’t the look most people here on the beach employed.
The man flipped some keys in his hands before climbing into his sedan.
Braden held his breath, waiting for a sign of recognition. But, first, he needed a better glimpse of the man’s face. Because, right now, he had nothing.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lisa’s gaze veered back and forth between the man emerging from the house and Braden. Braden’s expression didn’t show anything, though. No recognition. Nothing.
Lisa had waded out into hope, she realized. Unreasonable hope. And she’d waded too deep, until it was no longer safe.
What if this whole situation didn’t have the happy ending she was searching for? What if, instead, it left her feeling more in over her head than before?
No, she couldn’t think like that.
This could be it. This man could be the explanation they were looking for.
“Anything?” Lisa’s voice cracked as the word left her throat.
Braden shook his head—quickly. Too quickly to be relaxed or casual, yet quickly enough to show his frustration.
He ran his hand over his face. “I don’t know. But I don’t think so.”
Lisa’s gaze swerved back to the man. “He’s going somewhere.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“That we follow him.” Lisa cranked the car before Braden could argue.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea—”
She eased her car out behind the mystery man and followed him through town. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea. But, again, it was all she had.
The man parked near the boardwalk—an area that stretched for a half-mile and was filled with shops, restaurants, and even a small carnival area.
Lisa pulled into a space at the edge of the same lot and opened her door, not wasting any time. “We should follow him.”
Braden stepped out behind her. “What’s this going to prove?”
“That’s what we need to find out. Are you in?”
Braden nodded, glancing at the man who also climbed out. “Yeah, yeah. I’m in. I just don’t want to put you in a situation—”
“You’re not putting me in anything, so no worries. Now, let’s follow his guy before he gets away.” The last thing she needed was to lose him.
“Okay, okay.” He raised his hands in surrender.
Lisa watched as the man pulled something from his trunk. A duffel bag.
A duffel bag?
Why in the world was he bringing a duffel bag to the beach? Another red flag went up.
Lisa and Braden hurried toward the boardwalk and got there just as the man slipped into a store. They paused outside the big windows at the front of the place.
It was All for Fun and Fun for All—the town’s toy store.
An interesting place for a grown man to go into by himself.
Lisa casually stood near the entrance, trying to ignore the cool breeze that swept across the ocean and chilled everything within reach. Turning carefully, she attempted to see beyond the window. A giant teddy bear blocked her view.
Of course.
She glanced over at Braden, who stood on the other side of the door. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, making him look casual—or like he’d done this surveillance thing a million times before. Maybe he had. There was still so much she didn’t know about him.
“You’re still not sure if he looks familiar?” she asked Braden.
“Not really.” He shrugged and glanced through the window again. “I mean, that’s the thing with this terrorist group. I haven’t seen all their faces. They could send an operative to kill me, and it might be someone I’ve never seen before.”
She bit her lip, halfway disappointed. She had to figure out who’d beaten up John.
It was the only way to prove Braden was innocent . . . and that the two of them might have a chance.
Yet so much was working against them.
Namely the fact that Braden couldn’t even remember the incredibly romantic moment they’d shared last night.
Lisa’s heart sagged with disappointment at the thought.
Was she willing to live like this for the foreseeable future—knowing Braden could forget again? She didn’t know. She only knew she saw something special in Braden, and she wasn’t willing to let that go yet.
Nor was she willing to remind him of what they’d shared. No, Braden needed to remember that for himself.
Most of all, Lisa needed to remind herself to stay in check. At the end of all this, she might not get the results she wanted. Braden might not remember. Braden might not be innocent, for that matter. Lisa would be wise to keep those warnings fresh.
A moment later, the man emerged from the toy store. He didn’t even give the two of them a second glance as he hurried out with a shopping bag in one hand and that duffel bag in the other.
Lisa and Braden glanced at each other before falling into step behind him. Normally the boardwalk was bustling with people, but not today. No, today, it was only the three of them.
Which would make it harder for them to stay concealed.
The man glanced at his watch and quickened his steps even more. As he stepped around the corner of a building, Lisa heard a yell.
She sucked in a breath, wondering what was going on.
As she rounded the building, the man came into view again. A little boy—probably three years old—had his arms around the man. A woman, about the same age as the man, stood off in the distance, watching everything unfold.
The man was visiting his son, if Lisa had to guess. Maybe a visitation after a divorce? Lisa had no idea.
As if to confirm her thought, the boy yelled, “Daddy, I’ve missed you so much!”
Lisa knew one thing: this wasn’t their guy.
As if to confirm it, the man unzipped his duffel bag and revealed a stuffed dog. The boy squealed and hugged the well-worn animal.
She released the air from her lungs and tried to hold back her disappointment. But she honestly had no idea where else to look for answers.
She wished she thought more like Cassidy. The police chief had a knack for finding answers. But Lisa wasn’t programmed to think like an investigator. But she could, however, think like a scientist.
She glanced at Braden and saw a moment of disappointment wash over him also.
What was she going to do now?
She had no idea.
“I appreciate that you tried,” Braden said, seeing the disappointment on Lisa’s face as they both stood there on the bitingly cold boardwalk. They turned their back on the reunion scene. The false lead.
Lisa had really hoped this would work out. Her effort had been valiant, even if her theory had been incorrect.
“It was my best lead.” She lowered herself—more like dropped—onto a nearby park bench.
“And I appreciate that. Maybe I just need to face the fact that when I black out, something very dark happens to me.” He didn’t want to believe it, but the facts were staring him in the face. The sooner he owned up to his deadly potential, the better it would be for everyone.
Lisa’s gaze was filled with conviction as she glanced up at him. “I don’t believe that.”
Her belief in him was inspiring, but perhaps misplaced. He lowered himself beside her. “Why don’t you believe that?”
“Because . . . I just can’t see that side of you.” She stared off in the distance and rubbed her hands
against her jeans, almost like her palms were sweaty. Yet it seemed too cold for that—unless she was dealing with some kind of internal heat.
Maybe he needed to help her see that side of him. He wasn’t as innocent as Lisa might think. “I did some horrible things in the name of justice while I was in the military, Lisa.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re doing them now.”
Braden’s heart hammered in his chest. He wanted to say more. To spell things out in detail.
Yet he didn’t.
That part of his past was something he wanted to put to rest. He didn’t find any joy in talking about or rehashing those moments.
And, if he did tell Lisa about some of the missions he’d been on, then certainly that bright-eyed look she was giving him now would be erased. He’d been on the verge earlier, but he just couldn’t do it.
Something about her look brought him hope.
Someone believed him.
And that one person could make all the difference.
The burden of his past, his present, and his future pressed on him. He couldn’t do this anymore. It was time to surrender to the truth.
“Listen, would you mind dropping me at Ty’s place?” he asked. “I think I need to talk to my therapist and then rest some. My head is beginning to pound.”
“Of course.” Was that more disappointment in Lisa’s voice?
He didn’t know. Maybe he was reading more into this than he should. Or maybe he was reading into it what he wanted to read into it. Either way, it shouldn’t matter. The facts were the facts.
Braden would stay here for another week or so. Then he’d go back to his regular life.
Except he didn’t like his regular life all that much. Living in recovery mode didn’t feel much like living at all.
Still, the only alternative was staying here in Lantern Beach. But he had no place here, and as soon as Ty and his wife returned, Braden would need to leave before he tarnished their reputations as well.
Of course, he didn’t want that.
No, what he needed was hope.
Hope like what he saw in Lisa’s eyes.
“Let’s go,” Lisa stood and nodded toward the parking lot where her car was.
Shadow of Intrigue Page 12
