Page 147 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

THIRTEEN

Why hadshe agreed to this again? Jules slumped against the passenger seat of Dante’s Mazda, staring out the side window at the endless expanse of lakes and mountains and trees just beginning to turn gold and orange and scarlet in the cool autumn nights. This was breathtaking country.

It certainly wasn’t viewing the scenery that she was second-guessing but the fact that she had agreed to this crazy plan of Dante’s. She shifted on the seat. Too late now. And maybe it wasn’t the worst idea. Her captain had informed her that he didn’t want to see her back at work for at least a week, and she was getting a little tired of looking over her shoulder every second for the monster who refused to leave her alone. Brie and Kelli were staying with Brie’s parents, and the staff on her mom’s floor had assured Jules they would take extra security precautions and keep an eye on her mother. Everyone she cared about the most was safe.

Was she?

The stench of burning wood, the wailing of sirens, the feel ofhisgloved fingers wrapped around her wrist slammed into her, and she closed her eyes and breathed in slowly until a paroxysm of coughing shattered the tentative calm she’d been seeking.

“You okay?”

Jules caught her breath before turning away from the scenery to contemplate her companion for the week. Who could have guessed after their disastrous first date that they would end up here? Together. Prickles of apprehension dug into her skin. She still wasn’t entirely sure how real the kind, patient, protective Dante was. If this was truly him, who was the guy at the pub, and why had Dante felt the need to hide behind him? “I’ve been better, but I’ll survive.”

“That’s the plan.” He shot her that grin that always sent conflicting feelings swirling through her.

Before she could respond, he flicked on the turn signal. “We’re here.” They drove up a winding lane until, after the last curve, his parents’ cottage came into view. Jules’ jaw dropped a little. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” The two-story timber-frame home blended beautifully into its surroundings—more trees and mountains, with a small lake glistening in the sun at the foot of a sloping hill.

A tiny v appeared between Dante’s eyebrows. “What?”

“This is your cottage? You’re rich.”

“No, I’m not.” He shook his head vigorously. “My parents are well off, I guess, but it’s their money and their cottage, not mine.” After pulling up in front of a detached, four-car garage, he eased to a stop and killed the engine. “Anyway, it’s safe. That’s all that matters, right?”

“I suppose.”

Dante climbed out of the vehicle and opened the rear door to grab both their bags. After he’d persuaded her not to return home to pack, they had stopped at a department store on the way up. Thankfully, she had enough cash on her to purchase a few clothes and toiletries, since it likely wasn’t a good idea to use a credit card, given the killer’s uncanny ability to track her every digital move.

She followed him to the entrance and waited as he shifted her bag to his other hand so he could unlock the door and turn off the alarm. The inside of the place was as stunning as the outside, with cozy, rustic furniture, a massive kitchen, floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, and walls of windows that brought the outdoors right inside.

When she stopped at the back of the place to gaze out over the breathtaking vista, she noted a pool, hot tub, and sauna in the backyard. Definitely not her definition of a cottage, but okay. She wandered over to the kitchen area, where Dante was unloading bags of groceries into the refrigerator. “This place is gorgeous.”

He tugged a carton of coffee cream from a paper bag. “I’m glad you like it. Consider it home for the next few days.”

“I think I can do that.” Jules pulled a second bag closer and lifted items out one at a time to hand to him. Once they finished that task, he showed her to her room on the second floor. This space was lovely too, with a wood-framed queen-sized bed covered with a multi-colored quilt, plush area rug, and a rocking chair in the corner.

Dante set her bag on the bed. “I’m going down to make dinner. I’ll leave you to get settled.”

Jules had stopped in front of a large window overlooking the lake, a ring of mountains behind it. Mesmerized by the view, she only nodded.

Once he’d gone, she continued to gaze at the breathtaking scenery. A hawk glided over the water, and, far out, a lone kayaker paddled by.

Her stomach tightened. Who was that? Was it possible that psycho could have followed them here? She had noted Dante glancing in the rearview mirror numerous times, especially when they were first starting out. He’d have noticed if anyone was following them, right?

She drew in a long, slow breath. Dante was right. Being safe was all that mattered. The problem was, even here, Jules still struggled to fully believe that she was.

What she wasn’t finding hard to believe as she contemplated the stunning view was that there was a God out there somewhere. A creator. She had always believed that. After what had happened with her sister, though…

Not wanting to go there, she turned away from the window, unpacked her few things, and then went downstairs to help Dante with dinner.

The weather had warmed up, so they sat on the patio and chatted about their work over the burgers he had barbequed. The contrast between this dinner and their initial meetup in the pub—the peace and tranquility, the way he gave her his full attention and asked question after question as though genuinely interested in her—was startling. When Jules couldn’t stand not knowing a second longer, she set down her salad fork and tilted her head. “You were right.”

A smirk crossed his face. “You have no idea how long I have waited to hear those words from you. About what?”

“I am here with Dante de Marco, not Frat Boy. So why did I spend our first date in the presence of that guy?”

Dante sighed and reached for a napkin to wipe off his face. After crumpling it up and tossing it onto his plate, he said, “It’s a long story.”

Jules glanced around before lifting both hands, palms up. “We have all the time and privacy in the world.”