Page 24 of Dead in the Water (Lily Larkin Mysteries #4)

Chapter Twenty-Four

At the sight of the figure outside the shop, Lily wasn’t sure whether to be grateful to Sean or curse him.

He was supposed to stay out of sight so Lily might find out more from Russell.

Admittedly, she probably wouldn’t get more out of him now, and didn’t relish the thought of saying goodbye to him alone on her doorstep.

She squinted into the shadows. How had he arrived before them? She’d have sworn he was behind them somewhere.

“Oh!” Her heart soared and she was glad the gentle moonlight would keep the flush on her cheeks hidden. “What are you doing here?” she asked Flynn, trying to get her head around the fact that she suddenly felt as though she hadn’t seen him in weeks when she’d actually seen him the previous day.

Beside her, Russell’s head swivelled, apparently trying to figure out who she was speaking to.

“Looking for you,” Flynn said, strolling out from the shadowed doorway. “I was worried about you.”

As he stepped closer, the earnestness in his features made her insides twist with another hit of guilt.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“Who are you?” Russell said. “And what are you doing lurking around Lily’s place like some creepy stalker?”

Flynn pulled his shoulders back. “We’ve actually met, Mr Hart. You probably don’t recognise me out of uniform.”

“Ah.” Russell scratched at his jaw and the action seemed to throw him off balance. He pitched to his left before righting himself. “The copper… PC…”

“Grainger,” Flynn said. “Lovely to see you again.”

“Yes.” This time Russell pitched to the right. “I was just seeing that Lily got home safely.”

“That was good of you,” Flynn said, with a glare that could melt ice. “It seems you’ve accomplished your mission.”

“Yep.” Russell turned to Lily. “Home safe and sound, just like I promised.”

She took a subtle step backwards. “Thanks for a lovely evening.”

“Pleasure was all mine,” he slurred.

Lily forced a smile. “Good night.”

Taking the hint, he raised a hand in salute, then set off back the way they’d come, swaying in a zigzag pattern.

“What was that all about?” Flynn said through gritted teeth, eyes fixed on Russell as he retreated.

“I had dinner with them.”

“And you thought it was a good idea to let that creep walk you home in the dark?”

“It was fine. I had it under control.”

Flynn shook his head. “I know you can look after yourself, and I should probably have been more concerned for his safety if he tried anything, but even so… it seems like a dodgy situation to put yourself in.”

“I realise that,” Lily said, unsure whether to be peeved at him for thinking she was that stupid, or endeared by his concern. “I wasn’t on my own.”

“What do you mean?”

She glanced around, searching the shadows. Perhaps he’d ditched her after all. “Sean?” she whisper-hissed.

It was a little chilling, the way he slinked out of the shadow of the building a few doors down. Like a panther stalking its prey.

“Bloody hell.” Her heart rate went crazy even though she’d known he was there. “You’re a bit too good at stalking. It’s unnerving.”

“That was fun,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows as he passed her and Flynn. “You owe me a drink.”

“Sure,” she said to his retreating form.

“Who was that?” Flynn asked, but his gaze was on Russell, who appeared to have stopped on the promenade.

“Sean. He works in the hotel. I asked him to escort me home, because I’m not as stupid as you seem to think I am.”

“I didn’t say you were stupid.” He released a loud exhale. “I’m sorry if I implied it, but I was worried about you. You’ve been ignoring me.”

“Yeah.” There didn’t seem to be any point in denying it. Not that Flynn was listening to her. His attention was on Russell, whose dark outline was only just visible as he stumbled along again.

“I really want to talk to you,” Flynn said. “But I need to follow him and make sure he makes it back to the hotel. The guy is wasted.”

“Yeah he is,” Lily agreed, going after Flynn when he began to walk away.

“Are you coming with me?”

She shrugged. “I don’t like to think of you on a covert mission without me.”

He chuckled quietly. “I thought you’d be happy with the excuse to get rid of me and avoid talking to me.”

“We have to be quiet for covert missions,” she said.

“We’ll talk on the way back then.”

Lily trained her gaze on Russell. “If we must.”