Page 10 of Lies Beneath Secrets (Skeleton Crew #1)

CHAPTER TEN

Lauren

I look down at my phone and press the little red circle to hang up. My sister didn’t answer, yet again. That’s the third time this week. We normally talk at least once a week, briefly, but we still do. Sometimes I think those calls are just so I don’t worry about her; they always feel so… informative. “James and I did this, or James and I are thinking about that.”

James

The day I met him, something just felt off about the guy. He seemed too good to be true. Great job, clean cut, and so nice. Almost as if he had no flaws. To me, that was the biggest red flag of all, but my sister insisted he was the one. She married him within a couple months of meeting him. Their son Tyler was born shortly after.

“It’s windy today.”

“What?” I look up from my phone to find Conner standing by a pickup truck in the small parking lot for the tenants.

“The wind. It’s crazy today,” he says, pointing at me as my hair whips around my face.

“I couldn’t tell,” I say dryly, pushing my glasses up the bridge of my nose.

“At least the sun is out.” The wrinkles on my forehead probably deepen to epic proportions at his comment.

“Why are you talking to me about the weather?” I tilt my head to the side and watch as he reaches to his chin like he’s going to rub it. When he touches the bare skin, he instantly drops his hand.

“Just making conversation. Sorry to bother you.” He starts to open the door to what I assume is his truck, but I stop him.

“No, wait. I’m sorry. I’m frustrated because I’ve been trying to call my sister for the last three days, and she hasn’t answered. It’s really bothering me. We don’t normally go this long without talking.” Conner stands there for a moment, probably just as shocked as I am that I just unloaded my problem so easily.

“Or yes, complete stranger. It’s windy out,” I say and shake my head, looking down at my phone again. “Sorry.”

“How far away does she live?”

“What?”

“Your sister. How far does she live from here?”

“About an hour away.” I look up at my neighbor, wondering why he would ask how far away my sister lives. “Why?”

“I don’t have much to do today, would you like a ride there? I assume you don’t have a vehicle. I only ever see you walk and that Suburban doesn’t look like a ride you would be caught dead in.” He points to the vehicle that the loud couple in apartment 3B own. I don’t think it even runs to be honest. It’s a cross between a green and a vibrant yellow and has so much rust on it that I’m sure it isn’t highway safe.

“You want to give me a ride? To Windbrook? To see my sister?” I ask each with a pause as if I don’t understand him. Or maybe to see if he even understands himself.

“If you’re comfortable that is. I understand if you aren’t.”

“I—” I start to answer when Gabby knocks on the back window of the truck. I look at her, and she waves.

“I’m taking Gabby to a friend’s place. They have a swing set thing. She loves the hell out of it. They’re out in the woods, shouldn’t be too windy there for her to play.” Gabby smiles at me, and I give her a little wave back. “If you don’t mind the extra stop, I’d be more than happy to help you out. What are neighbors for? Right?” He gives me a little smile, and a strange sense of calm washes over me. The man is a good foot taller than I am and should be intimidating with his broad shoulders and thick, muscular arms. He could overpower me easily. But the kindness in his gaze and the way he is with his daughter seems to put me at ease. Everything about him says protector.

We’ve seen each other in passing since they both moved in three weeks ago. I may or may not have snuck a peek through the spy hole on my door each time I heard noise out in the hallway. Then of course, they’ve come to the diner a couple of times as well. But having a conversation with the man? Not really. I’ve had more of a conversation with his daughter than him, and she hasn’t even spoken to me. Riding in a vehicle with him for two hours doesn’t sit high on my list of things to do today, but a small voice in the back of my mind telling me my sister isn’t okay has me willing to forgo that. Two hours isn’t that long, right?

“Yeah. That would be great, thank you,” I say, surprising myself and maybe even him. Conner walks to the other side of the truck and opens the door for me.

“My friend lives about ten minutes from here. His name is Knox,” he explains when he gets into the truck. I nod and watch as the black tree hanging from the rearview mirror swings back and forth as he drives out of the parking lot. We sit in silence for what seems like forever until he speaks again. “How long have you lived in town?”

“Um, in the apartment? About two years. Before that, I was with my mom.”

“Yeah? Does she still live in town too?”

“A little outside of town, yes.” I’d rather not get into where she lives on the outside of town. Hello neighbor, my name is Lauren, and the baggage I have needs to be hauled around in a giant wagon everywhere I go. Here, let me show you. Not happening.

“That’s good you have her around.” I shrug in response and turn to Gabby in the backseat.

“How old are you, Gabby?” She holds up five fingers. “That’s the same age as my nephew Tyler. You two would get along really well, I’m sure. He loves to color too.” She smiles at me and swings her little legs back and forth, kicking her booster seat. I glance over at Conner for a moment and see him watching her from the rearview mirror. “Are you new to this area?” I decide to ask.

“Something like that, yeah.”

“Oh.” Then the truck goes quiet again. Not for the first time, I wonder if I made the right decision taking him up on this offer to bring me to see my sister. I wring my fingers together, pondering if I should make up something I forgot to do. Pushing my thumbnail into the palm of my hand, I open my mouth to speak, when Conner speaks.

“This is it. Place looks like a dump on the outside; don’t let that fool you though.” He pulls up outside of a tall brown building that seems like it would have been a small warehouse or factory of some kind. Now, it just looks like an abandoned building out in the woods. The closer we get, the more I realize that the brown is actually rust because in some places, gray steel panels peek out. “You can wait out here or come inside. I’ll leave that up to you.” Conner doesn’t wait to hear my decision before getting out of the truck and opening the back door to get Gabby. She happily runs toward the metal door on the side of the building and tries to open it. Conner is right there behind her to help with the knob. When he opens it, she runs inside, and he turns back to see if I’m following. I’m torn between wanting to stay put and wait or go inside just to see what it looks like in there. My curiosity wins, and I step out of the truck. The corner of Conner’s mouth tugs slightly upward, and he turns his head back toward the inside of the building. Was he going to smile? I push the thought aside and walk over to the door he’s still standing at. I look around at all the trees. They’re still a vibrant green as they sway with the wind that doesn’t seem to be as harsh as it was in town. Suppose he might have been right about that. “Straight ahead to the stairs,” he tells me when I step past him. I hear the door close behind us, the noise echoing around the open garage-like area.

There are two spaces being taken up by cars and a motorcycle. “Are these all your friends?” I ask as I reach the stairs.

“No. His brother runs a small mechanic business here.” Conner points to the opposite side of the building where a red door sits. “Through there is the office. Kaleb is probably in there right now.” When I reach the top of the stairs, I notice not just a door but a long walkway, almost like a catwalk.

“What’s down there?” I point at the door at the very end.

“Knox’s… office.” I wonder why he paused a little as he gestures toward the door to go inside. It’s not a knob like the one on the front door, which is probably how Gabby could get it open. “After you,” Conner says as I walk into a small area with coats hanging on the wall and a hallway to the right. A few steps further, and I’m in a wide-open space housing a kitchen, dining room, and living room. The walls are all white, and the floor is a deep, rich brown. Hardwood floors. Conner was right; I’m surprised to see what’s inside. Like something right out of that idea app Piper is always ‘pinning’ stuff on. She has her dream home all planned out there.

“This is beautiful,” I say not, knowing what better word to describe it.

“The place puts meaning to that saying, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’ doesn’t it?” Conner says and walks to the big windows that are letting in the sunlight. There are two doors that open side by side, but he only opens one. I follow, almost under a trance. We step outside onto a covered deck that has a small sitting area and two grills with covers on them. There’s a set of stairs that leads down into the yard, complete with a big, beautiful fire pit. Gabby is out playing on that so-called swing set thing that he had mentioned before, but that’s hardly what it is. While yes, it has swings, it also has what looks like a little playhouse with a slide attached to it. Definitely not one of those wooden ones someone would buy at the store. All custom made.

“What the hell does your friend do exactly?” I look up at Conner, who’s watching Gabby go down the slide.

“He’s in sales.” His answer makes me chuckle.

“You mean he’s a drug dealer?” I laugh even harder when I say it aloud. Really, what else could the guy do to afford all of this?

“Guns mostly.” Conner levels me with a serious expression. My throat goes dry, and I can’t seem to find the brainpower to even form words until he cracks the first full smile I’ve seen on his face and laughs.

“Oh my gosh, that’s so not funny.” I laugh with him.

“You should have seen your face. Priceless.” I listen to the sound of his laughter, finding I like the way it rumbles from his chest and sends tingles into my own.

“I didn’t think you were a funny guy to be honest.”

“This motherfucker? He’s the king of funny.” A man about the same height as Conner walks up to us. He has a gray tee shirt on that’s damp along his chest and covered in sawdust. His jeans are worn and hang loose on him. They are dirty too. He doesn’t have the same build as Conner, but the way his shirt clings to him, there’s definitely a toned body underneath it. “You must be the neighbor.” He extends his hand out toward me. “I’m Knox.”

“How did you—” Slowly, I extend my hand and take his. I fully expect his hand to be sweaty as well, but it’s only rough calloused skin I feel against my soft palm.

“I’m going to drive her to her sister’s place. You good to watch Gabby for a bit?” Knox nods, not taking his eyes off me. The way his gaze lingers on me gives me a shiver, and I pull away, pushing my glasses up my nose. Something dark in his blue eyes has me stepping a little closer to Conner.

“Yeah, no problem at all. Nice to meet you, Lauren.”

“You, too.” With that, Conner directs me back through the house again and to the truck. All the while, I’m wondering how the hell Knox knew my name.