Page 88

I adjust the beach chair to an upright position and move it under the shade of the umbrella. Then, put my hair in a ponytail. “Thanks.”

I go back to the book on my lap, but after reading a page and not remembering a single word, I set it on my towel. Digging my feet into the sand, I stretch my back and shoulders.

Next to me, Lynn adjusts her beach chair to match mine. “Want to talk about it?”

I look around the beach and the open space around us. Closer to the water, two kids make sandcastles under the watchful eyes of their mother. People are scattered around, but the beach is surprisingly empty, even for a mid-week summer day.

I sigh. I’ve been putting this off for four days now, and I’ve had enough time to process everything. “Yeah. I do.” I’ll feel better after I share the rest of the story with her. “So, where do I start?”

“You already told me about Jake’s boss walking in on the two of you and the three of you going into the park.”

I rub sand off my bare legs and adjust my bikini top. “Walking into the woods and finding her was easy. I may as well have had a GPS to follow. What happened after, well, that I never saw coming.”

Lynn shifts to face me, her eyes wide in expectation. I tell her the rest of the story, every detail.

“The chief—” Lynn stops, looks over her shoulder, and leans closer. “He pointed a gun at you?” There’s rage in her hushed voice.

“He sure did.”

“What the fuck. Who is this asshole? What’s his name? I want to talk to him.”

I laugh, picturing her doing just that, like a Chihuahua going after a Great Dane. “Dude, he’s twice our age and three times our size. At least. The man makes Jake look small standing next to him.”

She frowns. “I don’t care. I have words for that man. Jesus. Were you scared?”

“Yes and no. I mean, the first time you see someone point a gun at you is kind of shocking. I didn’t have a chance to react. Jake stepped in front of me.”

“Aww, he would take a bullet for you.”

Of that, I have no doubt. I tell Lynn the rest, and it somewhat appeases her.

“And that’s why Jake hasn’t come by in days?”

“Yeah, I think the whole thing about the chief freaked him out. Plus, he wants me away from the station while the dust settles. But at least his boss is taking over all the press stuff, which Jake hates doing.”

“When are you going to see him again?”

“Now.” The masculine voice has us both jumping.

“Motherfu—” Lynn is the first to recover. “How long have you been there spying on us?”

“I just got here. All I heard was you asking Ava when she was going to see him again. I’m hoping thehimyou're talking about is me.”

I stand up and walk around the chair. Jake’s sunglasses hide his eyes, but his gaze touches every inch of my exposed skin in the tiny red bikini Lynn made me buy for this vacation.

He kisses me, lingering a little longer than a hello kiss warrants, and then leans closer to nuzzle my ear. “Are you trying to kill me?”

I can’t stop the grin that takes over my face. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

Lynn stands. “You can take my chair. I’m going to take a dip in the water.”

“Thanks, but you don’t have to go. I don’t have a lot of time.”

She gestures at his jeans and T-shirt. “You’re overdressed.” Then frowns. “How did you find us?”

Jake laughs. “I was driving by and someone flagged me down and told me you were at the beach. Pointed straight at the two of you.”