Chapter 52
FIFTY-TWO
M addy squinted against the bright light hitting her eyelids. Blinked as the unfamiliar room slowly came into focus.
Wait, where was she?
This wasn’t the big, crazy comfortable guest suite with the king size bed at Blaine’s house.
She was in a different bed. A small one.
Fuck.
She jerked the covers off her chest to look down at herself as bits and pieces of last night came back to her. Realized she was wearing a black T-shirt with a rock band logo on it.
Only a T-shirt.
And it wasn’t hers.
“Noooo,” she whispered, panic slicing through her as the sound of running water registered close by.
Her eyes shot to the closed bathroom door. Lachlan was in the shower, and she was half-naked in his bed.
Had she slept with him?
She examined the bottom sheet. There was no evidence of any…bodily fluids, and she didn’t feel sore inside at all.
Maybe he’d used a condom. But she’d still be a little tender, right? Wasn’t that how it went?
Hell. She’d had way too many drinks last night at The Skelly and come to his houseboat instead of going home to Blaine’s. She vaguely recalled saying something to him about not wanting to disturb him and Xanthe.
“Shit.” She jerked upright, quickly scanned the room for her clothes. They were dumped over the back of a chair in the corner.
Embarrassed, she practically launched from the bed, almost tripped as she dragged on her panties and jeans. There was no time to worry about her bra.
She shoved it into her pocket along with her socks. Ripped Lachlan’s shirt off and dumped it before hauling her sweater over her head on the way out of his bedroom.
Vague memories of the layout of his houseboat came back to her as she rushed through the kitchen—galley—and out the door onto the…deck or whatever the hell it was called.
Last night’s storm was done. The sky was lead gray and the wind was cold but soft, gulls calling around the marina.
Reaching the dock, she fumbled in her pocket for her phone to hail a ride. Glanced behind her once to ensure Lachlan hadn’t realized she was gone and decided to come after her.
She’d made a mistake. Couldn’t remember what the hell had happened after she got here last night, and cringed to think that her first time had been while she was so drunk she didn’t even remember it.
She didn’t do relationships for a whole list of reasons. And she sure as hell didn’t want any part of whatever awkwardness that facing him the morning after would have entailed.
This was her first walk of shame, but at least it was short, and Whalebone Cove was so small that her driver was already waiting when she reached the parking lot.
She climbed into the backseat, breathing a sigh of relief that was short lived.
Because this island was so small that the chances of avoiding bumping into Lachlan before she left were almost zero.
With two extra strength painkillers and a whole lot of caffeine circulating through her bloodstream, Xanthe carried two mugs of coffee into Blaine’s sunken living room and handed one to Rafe before sitting beside Blaine on the sofa.
Her man.
It still felt surreal to think of him that way. But the past twenty-four hours had shown her hidden sides to him and a depth of character she could never have imagined.
There was no denying it. She was in love with the man who had turned her world upside down.
“Did they recover any wreckage yet?” Blaine asked Rafe.
“Some. They got lucky with the currents. The wreckage was pushed close to shore, and they were able to haul it up in mostly one piece. There’ll be a full investigation by the NTSB once they receive the wreckage.
Should arrive at their facility in Seattle this afternoon.
” Rafe gave her a nod of thanks as she handed him a mug.
She and Blaine had already walked him through everything about the flight and what came afterward step by step, building on the statements they’d given last night.
“How’s Charlie’s wife?” she asked. Rafe had been the one to go inform Naya of her husband’s death last night. One of the shittier parts of his job.
“Not good.”
No. Of course she wasn’t. “Is there anything we can do for her?”
“I don’t think so. Funeral will probably be sometime this week.”
“Anything else you need to know?” Blaine asked, curling an arm around her when she sank down beside him. They’d both slept straight through until nine this morning, worn out from everything they’d been through yesterday.
“You booked the flight with Charlie the afternoon before, correct?” Rafe asked her.
“Yes. I called him around two in the afternoon from the station.”
“Was anyone else aware of your flight, other than Blaine?”
She shrugged. “Allistair and Samantha heard me book it.”
Maddy walked in the front door. Stopped when she saw them all sitting there. She looked awkward. Or…guilty. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Blaine eyed her curiously. “Where you been?”
“In town. I’m gonna just…go take a shower.” She pointed a thumb down the hall.
In town, as in staying over at a guy’s place? Xanthe didn’t say anything, but she was curious.
“Come sit in on this meeting first,” Blaine said to her. “Rafe’s just briefing us on the investigation.”
“Sure.” Maddy walked over and sat in another chair facing Rafe. “What’ve I missed?”
“Last night, Earl told me he saw someone down at the hangar the night before the accident. Just before midnight,” Rafe said.
Blaine frowned. “Nobody should’ve been there at that time of night.”
“No. Security footage shows someone dressed in black pants and a black hoodie going in and out of the hangar. The cameras inside were off at the time.”
“Well, that’s convenient,” Xanthe said, anger building in her gut. “Charlie was always meticulous about securing his plane and hangar. Someone must have disabled the cameras.”
“It’s possible. The suspect kept their hood up on the dock, so their face is hidden on existing footage. No way to identify them or give specifics except to say medium height and build.” He paused. “But Earl said Don Rafferty drove away from the marina when he came down to investigate.”
Blaine stiffened beside her. “Don. He’s sure?”
“Positive. Which brings me to the big news.” He paused. Took a sip of his coffee as if to fortify himself. “Don’s dead.”