Chapter 9
As the week went on, Nina was starting to feel a thousand times better. Spratt hadn’t done anything aggressive, even though the authorities had yet to find him. Boone hadn’t picked any more fights and he’d stopped harping on her about taking care of herself. He seemed pleased that she ate the croissants he kept delivering. Nina was simply grateful that something tasted good. She should go over and thank Lila for her miracle croissants. Thank Boone for thinking of her day after day. The satisfying pastry had a calming effect on her nervous stomach. She could rethink her daily habit once her life got back to normal.
Boone had fixed the leaky faucet and found other things to keep him busy between his rounds and daily check-in calls. After conferring with Nina and Molly, he was systematically doing a deep clean in the back room. All the things she and Molly had been putting off, Boone just tackled head on. He was a marvel.
She should speak with Jess and find a way to pay him for the extra work. Every time she mentioned it, Boone got grumpy, so she dropped the subject to keep the peace.
Nina was once again at her design table, the customers few and far between on a gusty, overcast day. When someone walked into the shop, she glanced up. Seeing Boone, she smiled, her heart filled with gratitude. But he didn’t smile back. Fear chilled her skin and her knife landed on the work table with a clatter.
“What did he do?” Spratt hadn’t been here, so he must’ve gone after her family or… Her stomach dropped. What if it was Molly? She’d sent her assistant home early. Oh, no. Had Henry been attacked? He was practically a sitting duck in the delivery car wrapped with the Island Bloomers logo.
“Stop.” Boone’s order was sharp, but not unkind. He walked right up and took her hands in his. “Nothing happened. Everyone’s fine.”
“Something happened.”
“Kind of.”
“Boone!” Exasperated, her heart racing, she couldn’t get her thoughts in order. Jess had called—Nina had heard him answer—and he’d walked outside and now he was back. The dark look in his eyes, the furrowed brow, none of that signaled good news. “Just spit it out.”
“Jess wants to meet with us at her office,” he said. That cool calmness only cranked up her distress. “Yes, Spratt was spotted, but not apprehended.”
She jerked the ties of her apron. They had to do something. Where was her phone? She needed to know everyone was all right.
“Hey.” He stilled her hands. “Jess said it can wait until after closing.”
“Great. No problem.” Nina waved at the empty showroom. “We’ll close early.” She tugged, but his grasp held. “Boone, please. I just need ten minutes.”
“Nina, there’s no real rush. Jess is monitoring the situation.” He gave her hands a soft squeeze and released her. “If we wait, she might have better news by the time we get there.”
Fine. She’d take her time. It was the responsible option considering tomorrow was Sunday and the shop would be closed all day. Molly had culled the stock in the cooler before heading out, so it was only a matter of cleaning tools and sweeping floors. She double-checked the list for her supply order next week and then asked Boone to turn the sign and lock the door.
“We’re alone,” Nina pointed out the obvious. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Probably best to go over it once with Jess and be done.”
She sighed. Maybe that meant this entire mess would be over. Except he’d said Spratt was still loose. Free to stir up more trouble for her and anyone else unlucky enough to become a target.
“Fine.”
She was too anxious to chat on the short drive and by the time they reached Jess’s office, she felt lightheaded. Annoyed with herself, she took a couple of deep breaths before she got out of the truck.
“Nina.” Boone was in front of her and she hadn’t even noticed his approach. “We’re not going to let anything bad happen. Not to you, not to the people you care about.”
Her gaze found his and she realized with a jolt that he was on that list too. She didn’t want anything to happen to Boone, even if stopping trouble was his job. She should tell him that. Tell him she wanted him to be safe. Maybe Jess could assign a different bodyguard, just to keep Boone out of harm’s way. The best way to protect him would be sending him far away. Too bad the idea only upset her more.
She was in serious trouble here. This was more than a simple physical attraction. They might’ve met over a shared taste in music, but her feelings for him went deeper. After barely a week of knowing his name.
Typical move, falling for a guy who was clearly out of reach. Not literally right this moment, but travel was at the top of his job description .
“I’m a mess,” she grumbled. “Sorry.”
“You’re doing great,” he insisted, walking her into the office.
She’d have to take his word on that. It seemed like a lifetime since she’d walked into this office, feeling afraid and alone. The past days only emphasized just how much help and support she did have. She reached for Boone’s hand, lacing her fingers through his.
Jess stood, her eyes dropped to their joined hands as she rushed forward. But she didn’t comment on the clearly personal connection as she hugged Nina. “I’m so sorry to drag you over here.”
“It’s fine.” Nina attempted a smile. “Especially if Spratt’s been found.”
“We’re closer.” Jess urged them both to sit in the chairs in front of her desk.
“Spratt was recognized on the ferry,” Jess began. Her jaw firmed and it was obvious she had worse news to share. “The Guardian Agency research team has been combing through every available surveillance camera we can tap into.”
“Because?” Boone prompted.
“We haven’t found how Spratt got to Brookwell. While he was on the ferry, he didn’t ever disembark here.”
Nina didn’t fight the tremor that skittered down her back. “But you’re sure he was on the island?”
“Yes,” Jess replied. “As sure as I can be.”
“Does the Charleston PD have anything to go on?” Boone asked.
Jess shook her head. “They lost him. We’re all running facial recognition programs, but they aren’t as instantaneous as we’d like to believe.”
Nina’s breath caught in her chest. This wasn’t right. She didn’t do anything wrong. This guy was seriously disturbed. “What did he do while he was here? ”
“He didn’t come anywhere near you or your shop. Your home,” Jess explained. “We have every inch of Central covered by surveillance.”
“Thanks.”
Jess closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, Nina could see there was more bad news. “Learning he was here, I drove all over the island today.”
Boone’s hand, still linked with hers, tightened. “What are you two not telling me?”
“We found graffiti at the nursery. Trash cans were upended over at Molly’s place. And some of the landscaping around Nico and Roxy’s home was vandalized.”
Her parents had been targeted, as well as her assistant. It was untenable. She pulled away from Boone’s grasp, suddenly afraid that everyone she touched would become a victim. “He’s making a point.”
“I don’t have any solid proof it was Spratt,” Jess admitted. “None of those specific places were within sight of a surveillance camera.”
“Which is why he chose those areas.” Boone shoved to his feet.
Jess agreed with the assessment. “Brookwell isn’t as camera heavy as other places.”
“We didn’t need them,” Nina muttered. “Until now.” Until she’d drawn a crazy criminal into their idyllic seaside town.
“He came all the way to Brookwell at some point in the past twenty-four hours—the timeline is our best guess—he was last seen near the ferry stop in Mount Pleasant.”
Nina shivered, helpless to conceal the reaction. “And no one recognized him there?”
Jess took a breath. “A hat, sunglasses, standard tourist attire. He didn’t give anyone reason to look at him twice. I’m not sure we would’ve caught him at all, except he dumped the hat and sunglasses in a trash can on his way off the ferry. That move caught the attention of our research team.”
“He came here, somehow, to prove a point,” Nina reiterated. “He knows who I am. He connected me to the car with the shop logo.”
“That’s the assumption, yes.”
Although it wasn’t much of a surprise, Jess’s confirmation rattled Nina. “And the police are resuming their search for him now in Mt. Pleasant?”
“Yes.”
Nina was trembling and she couldn’t get it under control. Mt. Pleasant was too close. Anywhere was too close with Spratt on the loose. She didn’t regret taking the video or sharing it with police, but she was ready for this to be over. The man wasn’t invisible. Why couldn’t the police find him?
“Take a breath,” Boone murmured.
Right. Breathing was about all she could control lately. She appreciated his attempts to comfort her. Appreciated that he clearly wasn’t going to stop protecting her. The fact was, a dangerous criminal had given himself a tour of the people who mattered most in her life. It was terrifying. How had she managed to put everyone in jeopardy?
“Nina.” Jess paused, waited for eye contact. “Nina, I’d like Boone to take you to a safe house.”
“What?” She shook her head. “Why now?” She’d said no before and she didn’t see any reason to change her mind now. “A safe house only means I won’t be around when he attacks my family.”
“That’s not true. A safe house is for your protection. He clearly wants to make an example of you.”
But he was targeting the people closest to her. “To end this, he needs to believe he can get to me. Right?” She glanced at Boone and away. “No safe house. I understand where you’re coming from, but no. I can’t hide while he swipes at my friends and family instead. Are you worried Boone can’t keep me safe?”
“Of course not,” Jess replied immediately. “Although I do believe Spratt is devious and unpredictable.”
“Nash and my parents are pressuring you, aren’t they?” She caught the nervous swallow. “In my place, what would you do, Jess?”
Jess swallowed again. “I have different skills than you,” her future sister-in-law replied.
Nina rolled her eyes. “That’s an evasion if ever there was one.”
“Maybe it is,” Jess allowed. “But I am worried for you. As confident as I am in our protection team, a safe house is a smart strategy here.”
“Only if everybody I love comes along with me.”
“I think they call that a commune,” Boone interjected with a low chuckle. “Spratt coming here is a sign. He must be growing impatient.”
“Oddly enough, that doesn’t comfort me,” Jess admitted. “If you won’t go to a safe house, then I’m calling in more backup.”
Nina felt a niggle of guilt for making Jess’s job harder. She silently pleaded with Boone, hoping he’d offer his opinion.
“Backup is a good compromise,” Boone said. He took her hand in his warm grasp. “It’s going to work out,” he assured Nina.
“Is a safe house easier for the two of you?” She suddenly felt uncertain. She didn’t want to be more of a burden for Jess or Boone.
“Not necessarily,” Jess replied, her gaze on her computer. “It’s a matter of which resources work best for the situation.”
“Resources meaning people.”
Jess pinned her with a stern look. “Nina, the police and the Guardian Agency are doing all we can to capture Spratt. Other than his little vandalism tour, he hasn’t attacked anyone else since becoming fixated on you.” Her gaze slid to Boone and back again. “That doesn’t sound like good news, but it is.”
“Great.” Nina wasn’t convinced. The good news she wanted to hear was that Spratt had been captured and was back behind bars. She wouldn’t be content with anything else.
“Why don’t the two of you go do something fun tonight?” Jess suggested. “We know Spratt is not here and we’re doing all we can to keep it that way. One way or another he’ll be found. The two of you should do your best to forget about it. At least for a little while.”
Nina wasn’t sure that was possible.
“You think I can forget my responsibilities and just relax after this update?” Boone demanded, his voice hard.
“Of course not,” Jess soothed. “Think of it as a mental break. Spratt isn’t close—”
“As far as you know,” Nina interjected.
“True,” Jess allowed. “But the best intel implies that we have a brief reprieve. Take advantage of it. Relax. Is there a good band playing at the Pelican tonight?”
“Probably.” Nina explained, “This time of year, the Pelican has live music on Saturdays. Usually new bands so the community can weigh in on who gets an invitation to the summer music festival.”
“So go,” Jess urged. “Dance. Have fun. I’ll have other protectors watching the two of you and the island.”
Nina gave a little nod. She wasn’t really in the mood for dancing, even if it was with Boone.
“A change up can be beneficial.” Boone didn’t sound like he believed it.
“That’s the spirit.” Jess shooed them away. “Blow off a little steam. You’re both clearly stressed. Go remember how it is to just cut loose. ”
“Fine.” Nina pushed to her feet, trying to ignore the fatigue dragging at her. “Guess we’ll see you tomorrow at dinner.”
Boone stopped. “What dinner?”
“Sunday afternoon at Nico and Roxy’s,” Jess replied. “It’s a weekly thing.”
“Weekly? I thought last week was just because we all needed to get acquainted,” Boone said.
Jess laughed. “The Billings family does Sunday dinner. Part of the package. You’ll get used to it.”
Nina bit back the contradiction. Boone wasn’t staying long enough to get used to anything. Sure, he’d been holding her hand through this meeting, but that didn’t mean anything. He was her protector, end of story.
“Seriously? Every week?”
“It’s not a requirement,” Nina said, aiming a glare at Jess. He held her hand, helped her stay calm, but they weren’t a package. Not like Jess and Nash who were head over heels in love and eager for their upcoming wedding.
Hand-holding aside, she and Boone had a professional arrangement, nothing more. The heat and attraction she wrestled with every time he walked into view was her problem. Most likely, that was based on her memories of their one-night stand and her guilt for walking out on him.
Her family knew nothing about their past interaction. Another reason why she’d insisted on introducing Boone as her protector, not her boyfriend. Whatever she might wish for her life in general, right now wasn’t the time to make that kind of change.
“Come on Nina,” Boone gave her a little tug. “Let’s pretend I’m a tourist tonight. ”
They’d done that already. Sort of. She glared at her future sister-in-law. She didn’t know why Jess was pushing this agenda, but there was no more arguing to do here. She and Boone could hash this out privately and adjust their plans.
He couldn’t possibly want to go out on a fake-date any more than she did.