6. Matt #2
“Neighbor?” Trent’s voice sharpened with suspicion. “What do you really know about this neighbor? And what about the detective?”
“They are both good people,” Carrie said firmly, though she felt the same hesitation she always did when she had to explain her situation to her son.
“Listen, Trent, Maggie is in Key West. She is with my neighbor’s daughter, Alisha, and her son, Cody.
They are stranded there because of the storm.
If I give you Alisha’s number, can you find them and make sure they are safe? ”
“Of course,” Trent said immediately and paused. “You must trust these neighbors to allow someone to take Maggie on a trip to Key West.”
“I do.” Carrie’s voice grew with urgency. She didn’t have time to get into trust issues with her son right now. “Look, honey. Let me call Alisha first to let her know you’ll be contacting her, so she doesn’t think some random guy pretending to be my son is calling her.”
“Fair enough. But call me right back,” Trent ordered, his voice low and insistent.
“I will.” She ended the call and dialed Alisha.
The phone rang three times before Alisha picked up. Relief lasted only a second before Carrie heard the panic in her voice.
“Carrie! Is my dad there?”
“What is wrong?” Carrie demanded, ignoring the question.
“I might be paranoid,” Alisha said quickly, “but I think someone is following us.”
Carrie’s skin prickled. “What does he look like?”
"I didn't get a good look. He was sitting at a booth in the movie house, hunched behind a magazine—one of those glossy travel ones with palm trees on the cover.
When we walked past, I caught a flash of a dark baseball cap pulled low.
" She paused, her breath whistling through the phone.
"I didn't think anything of it until I saw him again across the food court of the mall, pretending to study a storm evacuation map.
" Her voice broke off into ragged breathing that crackled against Carrie's ear.
When she spoke again, her words came out staccato, sharp with fear.
"We have to go." In the background, Carrie heard Alisha's urgent whisper: "Cody, take Maggie's hand—tight, like we practiced—and don't let go no matter what.
" Then Alisha's voice returned, closer to the phone.
"He's across the street now, under the awning of a shell shop, and.
.. I swear he's watching us through the window reflection. "
Carrie's heart slammed against her ribs, each beat a hammer strike that echoed in her temples.
"Alisha, wait," Carrie cried, gripping the phone so tightly her knuckles bleached white. "My son Trent will call you. He's in Key West. He's an FBI agent with a badge and gun—he'll help you."
"Okay, tell him to hurry—" The rest dissolved into twin high-pitched screams that pierced through the connection. "What the—" Alisha hissed, followed by a sickening thud. The line went dead.
Carrie stared at the phone's blank screen, her hand trembling like a palm frond in the rising wind.
She dialed Trent with fingers that felt disconnected from her body, missing the screen twice before connecting.
"Mom?" His voice came at once, solid as bedrock.
“Trent, find Alisha and the kids now,” Carrie said, her voice breaking. “Someone is following them. It’s connected to what is happening here. I’m sending you her number.” She typed quickly and hit send.
“I have it,” Trent said. “Mom, what is?—”
The call cut out. Carrie pulled the phone away and stared at the screen. No bars.
The wind rattled the shutters hard enough to make her jump. She turned to find Matt and Andy striding toward her, both looking grim.
“Carrie,” Matt began, his eyes steady on hers and his brow pulling into a frown when he noticed the look on her face. “You have heard, haven’t you?”
Her pulse jumped. “Heard what?”
“About Ian Marshall,” Andy said, glancing at Matt before continuing.
“Matt told me about my partner, Detective Lawrence. He was supposed to take Ian across to Key West after the collapse. I called the department to check. But Detective Lawerence never radioed it in. They found the dinghy tied up, but there was no sign of either of them.”
Cold spread through Carrie’s chest. The memory of Detective Lawrence stepping from the study before Ian went in flashed before her eyes. His nervous expression. His overly expressive declaration that nothing was amiss in the study.
Were Detective Lawrence and Paula working together? The thought sprang into her mind.
Before she could share Alisha’s call, the sharp ring of a landline echoed from Trevor’s old study. Carrie’s stomach tightened. She hurried toward it and lifted the receiver.
“Mom?” Trent’s voice came through, calm. Too calm. She knew that tone.
“Honey,” Carrie answered. “How did you get this number?”
“That is not important. Listen to me. I found Alisha.” Trent’s voice was still way too steady, and Carrie didn’t like it.
Carrie’s chest seized. “Is she all right? The kids?”
“No,” Trent said, his voice flat with control. “Alisha is not alright. She has a gash on her head and will need stitches.”
Carrie’s knees weakened. “And the kids?”
There was a muffled sound, then a weak voice in the background. “Tell Carrie I am so, so sorry. Please tell my dad.”
“Sorry for what?” Carrie whispered, her ears roaring.
“Mom,” Trent’s voice returned, quiet and grim. “Stay calm, okay?” No, Carrie did not like the sound of his tone at all. “Look, someone knocked Alisha out. She came to a few minutes ago.” He paused, and his voice dropped. “But whoever did this to her took Maggie and Cody.”
The words landed like a blow. Carrie pressed her hand to the desk, her breath strangled.
“They have the children,” Trent said softly. “But I will find them.”
The storm outside roared louder, rattling the glass panes. Carrie closed her eyes for a moment, her heart breaking with fear.
END OF BOOK TWO
Take me to Book 3 of Lost Love Cove!
Lost Love Cove (Sunset Keys Romance Series Book 3)
She came to the cove to escape her past. He came to rebuild his future. Neither expected to find the one thing they’d both given up on—love.
After a near-fatal shooting and a broken heart, sixty-year-old police captain Carrie Ware heads to Florida’s dreamy Sunset Keys to regroup. Swapping homes with her childhood best friend for the summer, she hopes Lost Love Cove will offer the peace her soul desperately needs.
But peace is hard to find next door to Matt Parker.
At sixty-five, Matt is a gruff, grieving widower with a hammer in one hand and a broken past in the other. He's not just rebuilding a house—he’s rebuilding a life. The last thing he expects is to clash with his new neighbor… or feel anything again.
When an unexpected land dispute unearths whispers of fraud, missing heirs, and old betrayals, Carrie’s instincts kick in—and so does her heart.
As the mystery deepens and danger creeps closer, Carrie and Matt must decide if they’re ready to let go of their ghosts and trust the tide that brought them together.
Set against a lush, coastal backdrop where the sea carries secrets and legends promise redemption, Lost Love Cove is an uplifting later-in-life romance with a light twist of mystery and magic.
Fans of heartfelt second chances, seaside legends, and clean, sweet romance with a touch of mystery will fall in love with Sunset Keys. Don’t just read the legend—live it.
Grab your copy ofLost Love Covenow and discover why love always returns to the cove.
Take me to Book 3!