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CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

Olivia squeezed the straps of her backpack as she stared at the boat.

She didn’t know much about boats. But this one appeared to be a cabin cruiser. It wasn’t huge, but it was nicer than she’d expected.

The boat nestled in its slip, gently rising and falling with each passing wave. The motion created soft creaking sounds as the fenders squeezed between boat and dock. The watercraft’s lines strained with each swell, then slackened while halyards clinked softly against aluminum masts like distant wind chimes.

“How in the world did you manage to get this?” Olivia asked as she stood on the dock, the breeze blowing through her hair.

“My dad was an avid fisherman. He used to come to this area quite a bit. I still had some connections. But don’t worry—I was discrete.”

“Nice.” Wes really had thought of everything, hadn’t he? She’d known she could depend on him.

He stepped onto the boat and extended his hand to help her aboard.

After a moment of hesitation, Olivia placed her hand in his and hopped onto the boat.

It took a moment to find her balance as the choppy water swayed the boat.

Her nerves tightened. “Is it okay to take this out with these waves?”

“We should be fine,” Wes said. “We’ll head out of the harbor and then head into the Pamlico Sound toward the mainland.”

She nodded, knowing she had no choice but to trust him. “What can I do to help?”

“Untie the dock lines while I start the engine.”

She unwound the ropes from the pier where they’d been secured.

A few minutes later, Wes pressed the throttle forward, and they gently eased from the slip.

Then they were off.

Olivia breathed in the fresh air.

She wished she felt relief as she left Tyson behind.

But she didn’t.

She only felt anxiety. But she couldn’t afford to question her decision. She had to believe this was for the best.

When the harbor became mere lights twinkling in the distance, Wes slowed the boat. But the waves continued to rock them back and forth, occasionally splashing over the edge and onto the deck.

She was ready to be out of these rough waters and somewhere more stable.

She glanced up at Wes as he stood at the helm. “What should I do now?”

“You can go into the cabin and wait if you want. It’s more comfortable down there. You should just relax for a while.”

Olivia thanked him before walking toward the glossy brown door leading below deck.

She opened it and paused as darkness stared back at her.

She swallowed hard, chastising herself for being irrational. Of course it was dark. No one had been down here since they boarded.

She reached for the light and flicked it on.

She stepped down into the boat’s hull, curious as to what she’d see below deck.

But when she reached the cabin, her world began to spin.

A single rose waited on the table there.

* * *

Olivia took a step back and collided with . . . something.

She flinched and spun around.

Wes stood there. But his expression had morphed into one she’d never seen before.

He no longer looked like her friend. He looked . . . diabolical.

“Do you like it?” His voice sounded gravelly and intimate.

“Do I like what?” Her voice trembled as she tried to buy some time to think. To adjust to the fact that all this time she hadn’t known Wes at all. Not the real Wes.

“The rose.” His tone warmed. “This wasn’t how I planned to surprise you. But I think it worked out well.”

She took a step back, trying to put distance between them. The boat continued quietly rocking.

That was when she realized Wes had cut off the engine.

A lump formed in her throat.

“Wes? You’re not The Admirer . . . are you?”

He grinned and stepped closer. “I thought you would’ve figured it out. I thought you’d see through me.”

Her lungs tightened until she could hardly breathe.

This couldn’t be happening.

But it was.

How could she have been so stupid? But she’d never suspected Wes.

He had alibis.

She’d trusted him.

Thought he was her friend.

“Why would you do this?” Her voice trembled as she asked the question.

“I’ve loved you for so long, Olivia.” He reached for her, tucking a hair behind her ear. “So long. Only you never realized it.”

Nausea rose in her, but she forced herself not to react.

She feared the slight movement could set him off.

Could make him hurt her.

“You never told me,” she finally said, reaching for the table to brace herself.

Her wrist brushed the rose, its thorny stem scraping her skin.

She was trapped, she realized. Totally trapped.

She’d trusted the wrong person. And now she was going to pay for that decision.

“You set up Brian Elliot?” Maybe Olivia could keep him talking until she could figure out how to get away. It was the only plan she could think of right now.

“It was so easy, really.” He smirked. “That man loved flowers. I used to buy them from him. He sold them on the side of the road. That’s how I got to know him. I’d stop and get some before I went on dates. It was how I made sure his fingerprint was on that evidence.”

“That’s . . .” Olivia wanted to say disgusting, but she didn’t. “That’s really clever of you.”

“You know the best part?” Wes charged ahead. “After you escaped and when the public heard what happened to you, your popularity grew. Your show numbers tripled. All because of what happened. All because of me .”

The nausea in her stomach grew stronger. “What are you going to do with me now, Wes?”

He grinned, but his eyes appeared absent of any soul. “Now the two of us can be together . . . forever.”

Don’t throw up. Hold yourself together. Keep your wits. “But Wes . . . you really think that’s going to work?”

He didn’t seem to hear her. “At first, I didn’t like this boat. I like places where I’m surrounded by dirt. That’s where roses grow, you know? Roses are beautiful . . . just like you.”

“There’s not much dirt around us now.”

“Then I realized there are three things a rose needs to thrive—dirt, sun, and . . . water. And we have plenty of water here, don’t we?”

“But saltwater kills roses.” Pointing that out was risky, but she hoped it paid off.

She held her breath as she waited for his response.

Wes’ gaze darkened, and he skimmed his fingers across her jaw. “Don’t you worry about that, my darling. Let me worry about it. If there’s one thing I know, it’s how to tend to flowers.”