Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Noah walked with Charlotte toward the car, the scent of french fries following them from Dockside Burgers. Charlotte’s small hand swung his arm back and forth, her fingers warm against his palm.
The dinner with Lisa, her husband, Wilt, and their daughter had been incident-free—the kind of evening that made him believe he might actually be getting the hang of this parenting thing.
Charlotte had eaten her chicken fingers without complaint and even giggled at something Shanyn’s father had said.
It was the most relaxed he’d seen her in public.
Noah’s conversation with Wilt had been refreshingly ordinary—talk of business, fishing spots, and coastal weather patterns. No probing questions about Charlotte’s parentage, no sly mentions of magazine articles naming him the region’s most eligible bachelor. Just guys talking about guy stuff.
“Did you have fun with Shanyn?” He glanced down at his niece.
“Uh-huh.” She nodded, her blond curls bouncing.
“I’m glad we came then.” His attention snagged on a man emerging from a black Cadillac sedan parked next to Noah’s BMW, all well lit by the lights brightening the parking lot. Noah recognized him immediately. Frederick Hayes, owner of Hayes Industries, MidAtlantic’s rival in the Tidewater merger.
Frederick Hayes was tall and imposing in his custom-tailored suit that had probably cost more than what most people in Driftwood made in a month. His steel-gray hair was perfectly styled, not a strand out of place despite the wind.
Noah had met him only once before, but he’d heard enough about him to tighten his grip on Charlotte’s hand.
“Noah Aylett.” Frederick spoke over his shiny car, his voice carrying a polished, boarding-school cadence that grated on Noah’s nerves. “What a pleasant surprise.”
“Frederick. Bit far from home, aren’t you?”
Hayes’s smile widened as he approached, revealing teeth that were too perfect, too white. “Business brings me to all sorts of places these days. The coastal towns have such…charm.” His gaze drifted down to Charlotte, who had partially hidden herself behind Noah’s leg. “And who might this be?”
Noah didn’t want Frederick anywhere near Charlotte. His phone rang in his pocket, giving him an excuse to avoid the question.
He pulled it out. “I’d better get this.” He tugged Charlotte away from Hayes and toward his car, thankful for the distraction.
Charlotte tugged at his sleeve as he checked the phone screen.
“It’s Miss Laney,” he told her, hiding his flicker of concern. She rarely called him, generally texting if she had a question about Charlotte.
“Hello?”
“I’m sorry to bother you”—her voice was high and panicked—“but my brakes failed and I crashed my car and now there’s someone—”
“Slow down.” Worry crawled up his spine. “Are you hurt?”
“I don’t think so. I’m at an abandoned strip mall and there’s a car just sitting there with its high beams on me. They won’t leave or help or anything. They’re just…watching.”
Lena. The woman was unhinged, but was she dangerous? He picked up Charlotte and carried her to his BMW. “Call 911. Right now.”
“I already did. The police are on their way.”
“Good, good. Stay in your car. Lock the doors. Don’t get out for anyone except the police or me.” He opened the rear door of his sedan as his phone dinged. After he settled Charlotte in her seat, he checked the pin she’d sent marking her location. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Okay. Thank you.” She ended the call.
Noah buckled Charlotte quickly. His niece sensed his urgency, her eyes wide and solemn.
“Is Miss Laney okay?”
“She’s going to be fine.” He hoped to God that was true. “She just needs a ride.”
He pulled out of the restaurant parking lot faster than he should have, his mind racing. The abandoned strip mall was on the highway leading out of town—isolated, dark, the perfect place to corner someone.
His phone rang through the car’s speakers. Richard’s name appeared on the dashboard display.
“Not now,” he muttered, declining the call.
He made the ten-minute drive in seven.
Flashing red and blue lights cut through the darkness as Noah turned onto the gravel driveway. Two police cruisers flanked Delaney’s Highlander, which was wrapped around a thick oak tree, the hood crumpled like an accordion.
Noah’s stomach dropped. She could have been killed.
“Uncle Noah?” Charlotte’s voice was barely a whisper from the backseat. Even so, he heard panic in it. “I don’t wanna go with them. I wanna stay with you.”
“Charlie-Bear, nobody is taking you away from me. I promise.”
“What about Miss Laney?”
He shifted the car into Park, stepped out, and unbuckled his niece. “She had an accident, that’s all. She’s okay.”
He didn’t want her to get a better view of the damaged car, but Charlotte’s fear of the police, fear that they’d take her away, had him unclipping her from the car seat.
With Charlotte clinging to him, he approached the cluster of people, scanning the faces.
There she was. She stood beside a uniformed officer, clutching a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
“Miss Wright?” He kept his voice gentle as he approached.
She turned, and her shoulders relaxed. “Thank God you’re here.”
That reaction did something wonky to his body, and suddenly, the urge to pull her into his arms had him keeping his distance. “Are you hurt?”
“Just shaken up. The airbag deployed.” She touched her sternum, the action defying her casual remark.
One of the cops shifted, and Noah realized it was Mason, Jasper’s old high school friend.
“It was probably just someone who wanted to make sure you were all right.” He must be continuing a conversation from before Noah arrived.
“Then why not get out and ask?” Her voice was low and tentative. “Why sit there and watch me?”
The cop seemed to consider that. “My guess, when you got out of the car, the driver realized you were okay and took off.”
“He didn’t take off, though. He sat there, and then…” Miss Wright sighed. “No, you’re probably right. I guess that makes sense.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Noah faced the cop. “Did another call come in about a wreck tonight?”
“Not as far as I know, but I can check.”
“You do that. And while you’re at it, check on Lena Monroe. She was outside my office this afternoon and made some…concerning remarks.”
“Like…?”
Noah shifted Charlotte in his arms, trying to convey everything he couldn’t say right now. “She drove by my house last night. She saw Miss Wright and me having a conversation on the porch swing.”
Mason’s eyebrows lifted, his gaze flicking from the nanny to him. “I didn’t realize you and Delaney were—“
“We’re not anything,” Miss Wright said quickly. “I’m Charlotte’s nanny. Mr. Aylett and I were just talking. Sort of a normal thing to do.”
Noah was thankful for her quick explanation. “My point is, Lena was watching my house. And now”—he nodded to the car—“this freak accident. Too many coincidences.”
Mason’s expression shifted from skepticism to concern. “I’ll look into it. What kind of car does Ms. Monroe drive?”
“She used to drive a black SUV.” Noah glanced at Miss Wright. “Was it an SUV behind you?”
“I think so.” She tugged the blanket tighter. “I only saw the silhouette of it when it drove away, but it was too big to be a sedan, and it wasn’t a pickup.”
Charlotte’s fingers dug into Noah’s shoulder as she buried her face against his neck.
“It’s okay, Charlie-Bear.” He rubbed circles on her small back. “Miss Laney is safe, and so are we. We’re going to go home soon. All three of us.” His words seemed to soothe her a little.
A wrecker pulled up, and the police moved their cruisers so it could get close to the Toyota.
“Mr. Aylett?” Miss Wright’s voice came from right beside him. “Will you help me get the things I bought tonight?”
“Of course. You and Charlotte wait in my car, and I’ll take care of it.”
He didn’t hand his niece to her, unsure about her injuries, just settled Charlotte back in her car seat.
Miss Wright climbed in beside Charlotte, understanding without being told that she was traumatized.
He shifted her purchases to his trunk, then grabbed her purse and cell phone from the passenger seat and gave them to her, earning a slight smile and a quiet thank-you.
As if he’d done anything for her except drag her into his crazy life.
An accident was bad enough, but then to feel threatened by some unknown lurker. He prayed Miss Wright wouldn’t be so frightened that she would run all the way back to Maine, leaving Charlotte alone again.