Page 25 of Fortune’s Control (Fortune’s Creek #1)

“Whose phone is that?” Jack asked.

I yelled to be heard. “Mine. Can you check it for me?” I left it in the kitchen before starting my work. Lilah planned a visit after meeting with Sam, and everyone else who called me was already here.

“It’s Pete.” Jack brought it over.

I waved him off. “It’s an order update. Lilah will take care of it for me; if it’s important, he’ll leave a voice mail.” I resumed applying caulk in the tenant’s bathroom.

My phone rang again.

“Voice mail?” Jack asked.

“No, I’ll take it.” I wiped my hands on an old towel and grabbed it, expecting to see Pete’s name lit up. “She typically texts.” A chill hit me. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

The two men paused at my visible concern.

“Shane.”

“I’m right here.”

“I need you.”

Jack and Aiden noticed my expression, and alarm grew in theirs.

“Tell me where you are. I’m coming right now.”

“City Hall. Sophie is with me.”

“I’m two minutes away. Both of you stay there. ”

I flew down the stairs, not bothering to explain. My leg wobbled on the last two steps as the quick movements threw off my balance.

“He was here, Shane.”

I didn’t waste time asking who she referred to.

******

“He drove straight at us. It wasn’t a mistake.” My sister bolted to her feet at my appearance. Messy hair and dirty arms replaced her typical neat appearance.

“Where is she?”

Lilah stayed behind the car’s left rear wheel, crouched in the muddy ditch. “He found me, Shane. He’s going to kill me.”

“No, he won’t. Do you think I’d allow that?” Her beautiful eyes moved and met mine, seeking the truth in my words. I pulled her close, crooning into her ear. “You’re safe. I’m right here, and you’re safe. He won’t hurt you, not today or ever again.” I’d kill him first.

“What happened?” Aiden asked.

Jack checked out Sophie as his hands wavered between reaching for her and staying away.

“Some freak tried to run us over,” Sophie said. She drew a hand into a fist to signal her trademark anger’s return. “We hid behind the car, and he left.”

“My dad’s car,” Aiden said.

“Tell him thanks,” Sophie said.

Lilah stayed silent.

Brown mud smeared her legs and shoes. I grabbed the edge of her dress. “You’re wet and your shoes are soaked. It’s time to go home.”

“We have a meeting with Sam,” she protested, pulling herself up.

“It’s canceled.” I pointed at Aiden. “Call your father and let him know it’s rescheduled for tomorrow, and then close up your building. We’re done working today. Jack, bring my truck.” I tossed my keys behind me, knowing he’d catch them.

“How did he find me?” Lilah leaned on me and nuzzled into the space between my arm and chest. “No one knew. I didn’t tell Detective Davis.”

She told her mother only a few hours ago. “We’ll figure out that part later, after we get you home.”

Jack returned with my truck. “I’ll follow you back,” he said, opening the passenger door.

Lilah didn’t move.

“I’m going home with Jack,” Sophie announced. Lilah grew alert for the first time since the attack as Jack scowled and something akin to hope flickered across his features. “To give you two privacy, that’s all.” To Jack, she added, “We aren’t friends. Don’t forget that.”

He lifted his brows. “That won’t be a problem.”

“My shoes are all wet.” Lilah lifted one and shook it. Standing caused a streak of dirt in her hair to catch the sun’s reflection. Dust covered her arms. “I need a shower.”

“Very soon. It’s time to go.” I scooped her up, so her legs dangled over my arm, and kept still to regain my balance. I’d carried items much heavier than Lilah, but didn’t want to risk her falling or my shame.

I tucked her into the passenger seat and took off while trusting Jack with my sister.

*****

Lilah slipped off her leather sandals after they squeaked on the kitchen’s tile floor. She stared at the different appliances. “Would anyone else enjoy a cup of hot tea?”

Sophie raised her hand.

“I’ll make it for you.” I beat her to the electric kettle and turned it on. “Make yourself comfortable in the living room. I’m right behind you.”

Sophie arched a brow at my suggestion but didn’t otherwise comment. The main living room had once been our parents’ space, and, by unspoken agreement, we rarely used it. Continuing the habit was a waste, as the living room provided Lilah with a much-needed sense of tranquility.

“Aiden called. He’s on his way and bringing Pete,” Jack said once we were alone.

I forgot he called me. “Do you know why?”

“Didn’t ask.”

Once the water boiled, I poured it and honey into matching ceramic mugs and brought the hot drinks to the living room.

Lilah thanked me as she took hers, wrapping her hands around the large cup, pressing it against one cheek as if to absorb its warmth. She took a sip and relaxed into her chair.

“From now on, you don’t go anywhere alone. If I’m unavailable, then Jack or Aiden will be with you,” I said. Her lips tightened, but she didn’t otherwise respond. “Same for you, Soph. This guy saw you two together and knows what you look like. You don’t go anywhere without one of us.”

Her expression soured. “I’m going home in a few days, and I’m not bringing one of you with me. ”

“As long as you’re in town, the rule applies.”

Sophie’s stubborn jaw stuck out. “Fine.”

Lilah’s comment came in a much softer tone. “You’re going to be bored, stuck with me all the time.”

“I doubt it.” Following her around wouldn’t be a chore, as it meant time in her company.

I enjoyed our simple conversations and our warm silences.

Dad once told me to find someone I enjoyed sharing boredom with, and I found that with Lilah.

The townsfolk reminded me how alike Dad and I were, and it appeared they were right.

“I promised to show you the area, so this is as good a time as any.”

Lilah’s eyes brightened at the suggestion, and I regretted not offering earlier. She’d asked about Fortune’s Creek more than once, with occasional jokes about the necessity of gator wrestling. I couldn’t fix that mistake, but I could make it right.

Jack interrupted any response. “Aiden is here.”

“How do you know?” Sophie asked.

“We recognized the sound of his truck,” I said for him.

Jack left the room and returned with our new guests.

“He looked for you and found me. I figured you’d want to hear it directly.” Aiden tilted his head toward Pete.

Pete glanced toward Lilah with a hint of discomfort and steeled his shoulders. “Someone was looking for her. A stranger.”

Everyone, save Aiden, stiffened at Pete’s announcement.

It’s why he called me earlier. I assumed he wanted to yammer about baseball or deck chairs and let it go to voicemail.

Instead, his concern led to repeated attempts to contact me.

Guilt pricked. The time between his original call and Lilah’s wasn’t long enough to matter, but I should have answered.

I nodded, taking it in. “Tell us what happened.”

Pete tapped his boot toe against the wooden floor.

“It was after you two finished your ice cream. I noticed because he parked right in front of my store, and there was a duck.” He waved his hand in a strange bobbing motion.

“It moved. He came in and said he was looking for a person named Delilah Mayberry. He said she had information about a murder.”

He glanced toward Lilah, so I put him at ease. “She does, which is one reason she’s hiding here in Fortune’s Creek. I’d appreciate your help protecting her.”

Pete somehow grew taller at my request. “Yes, yes, of course. I told him I didn’t recognize her, and that we get so many tourists through the antique stores, it was difficult to keep track. He thanked me and left.”

“Is that it?”

“No. This is the strange part. He got a black sweatshirt from his trunk and put it on. I thought it was warm for Florida, you know? Then, he got in his car and drove away.”

“Did he show you a badge? Did you get a license plate?”

Pete shook his head. “I didn’t think of it, but I can tell you what he looks like.”

“Middle height. Brown hair and a goatee?” Lilah asked.

“Yes, ma’am. That and a bit of a southern lilt in his voice. More of a drawl than a twang.”

“I don’t remember what he sounded like,” Lilah said in answer to my unasked question.

“He left Pete’s store, saw you two, and decided there was no point in looking any further.” The attack showed he knew she was in town, but not where she lived. “We need to contact the sheriff’s office and report this. Pete, care to stay for dinner? This may be awhile.”

“I invited Diane to an evening meal. ”

“Invite her here.” I checked Lilah over and saw a pleased smile. Our quiet evening vanished into this chaos. For that smile, I could put up with house guests for dinner.

*****

Jack scraped his lower lip against his teeth as Sophie entered the kitchen. “I’ll be back in the morning.” His eyes narrowed as he considered saying more, before leaving without another word.

“That was enjoyable,” Sophie said, and joined me at the sink. “I’ll help you clean up.”

The water pipe’s dull echo sounded, letting me know Lilah had started her shower. She changed clothes for dinner, but put that part off until everyone left for the night.

“We need more groceries.”

“Correction. You need more groceries. I have a little kitchen of my own, and I’ll leave soon.”

“Any plans to return?” My casual question hid how much I wondered. Sophie put long breaks between trips home, and now, with Lilah here and her sudden interest in working with Sam, I hoped that would change.

“I have a job waiting for me.” She tilted her head toward me. “The timing depends on a few things.” Sophie pinched her lips. “I need to tell you something.” She crossed her arms.

I picked up the serious tone and turned off the faucet. “What’s wrong? Did you remember something else about today?”

“It’s not about our new local psycho. It’s Lilah’s grandmother. Lilah said her mother had been kicked out instead of running away. That sounded familiar, but I couldn’t remember for the longest time, and then it hit me in the middle of dinner.”

“What did?” My hope for Lilah grew.

“In high school, I did a local history project for one of my classes.”

“We checked high school yearbooks and found no one with that name.”

“There wouldn’t be. I interviewed some women about how their lives changed here in old Florida.

One of them worked at the university in Gainesville and told me about a family member who stole a family heirloom, so she made them leave.

She was upset, and I was a teenager, so I ignored the comment and kept going.

” Sophie shrugged. “Maybe I should have asked more.”

“Is there anything else you remember?”

“She lived outside of town, closer to Gainesville. I never checked, so she might still be there.”

That would explain why Lainey found so little information. “Do you remember her name?”

“Evelyn Carter.”