Laura's Truth

Chapter 8

Drew woke after a few short hours, his instincts cranked too high to sleep. They’d talked it through, going over each step of his initial plan for Hackett.

It all had to change now, and for good reason, but they’d argued over the details. Remembering, rehashing it now before the sun was up, Drew listened to Laura’s quiet, even breathing in the next room. He knew she was blaming herself for screwing up what could have worked so elegantly. He rolled off the couch, silently padding to the open door just to watch her sleep.

The woman got under his skin. He leaned against the door jamb, enjoying this view more than the magnificence of the ocean outside. It took more willpower than it should have to turn away and focus on preparing for the trouble on today’s agenda.

They were headed to Haleswood. Even now he couldn’t believe he’d given in, to hell with what she’d declared a necessity.

He’d be lucky if Ross didn’t shoot him at the town line. When he’d said as much to Laura, she’d smiled and assured him Ross lived just outside of Haleswood. What a relief, Drew thought, her dear friend Ross wouldn’t be ticketed for firing a gun within city limits.

Laura had made a good case for the detour, refusing to attempt even the smallest inquiry over the internet, and throwing back his words about burning a safe ID with a phone call. That was his fault, emphasizing Hackett’s reach, but Drew was confident any form of communication for Laura, Ross, and Aziz that could be tapped already was.

Finally, the demonstration of Hackett’s influence had sufficiently spooked her. Knowing a delay of a few hours to Haleswood wouldn’t matter to the endgame didn’t make it any less frustrating. Drew wanted this chapter of his life closed.

While she claimed there had been nothing incriminating in her car or hotel room, that didn’t mean Hackett felt the same way. The bastard made his living exploiting every detail to the fullest.

Drew heard the sliding door from the bedroom to the balcony draw open behind him, heard it close again.

“Good morning,” she said in a voice rough with sleep.

Sexy was only the tip of that iceberg and he struggled for a diversion. “I hope so,” he replied quietly. When he hadn’t been dreaming of being caught in the crossfire of automatic weapons, he’d dreamed of Ross pounding him to a bloody pulp on a dirt street straight out of a classic Western movie.

“Ross will understand,” she said, joining him at the balcony rail.

“That’s hardly the biggest concern,” he said, hoping she didn’t hear him trying to convince himself.

“All right.” Her hand landed softly on his shoulder, then was gone before he could enjoy it. “I’ll be ready in twenty minutes.”

Telling himself he was thankful for the solitude, he kept his gaze on the ocean. He couldn’t afford to like her, couldn’t risk everything that would follow if he let himself slide in that direction.

While she showered, he made coffee and took stock of their assets, such as they were. He packed up the laptop and hid the handguns in the shopping bags from the beach store. They’d leave the duffel and clothing here to make it appear that they’d be returning to the room. He had to keep believing they’d return victorious.

When she emerged from the bathroom dressed in a turquoise swimsuit and fluttery sun dress cover-up in a sunny shade of yellow, he got cleaned up while she put together leftovers for breakfast.

At the nineteen-minute mark, they left the room arm in arm. Following the plan, they put on a show for the security cameras. Kissing in the elevator, they were all smiles as they dropped the shopping bags into the trunk of his car before heading out to the beach for an early morning walk. He hoped her ankle would hold up to the effort, knew she wouldn’t mention it or let the pain show if it didn’t.

He gave her waist a gentle squeeze. “You look great.”

“Thanks.” She pulled her sunglasses down her nose, leaning back and giving him an admiring look from head to toe. “You’re looking all buff and yummy yourself.”

He laughed. She’d missed her calling as an actress. The way she leaned into him, the sweet, fleeting touches of lips and hands, those gorgeous eyes full of simmering desire… His body wanted to believe she was that interested. “You don’t want to oversell it,” he reminded her.

“What’s to oversell?” Her flip-flops hanging from her free hand, she strolled toward the water until the ocean lapped gently at her ankles with each step. “It’s a beautiful morning to share with my hubby.”

He glanced around, but no one was within earshot. “Are you pretending I’m your real boyfriend?”

“No such creature in my life.”

“Okay.” That shouldn’t make him feel so good. “So this is how you’ll be when you do get married?” And why was he practically holding his breath waiting for her answer? It shouldn’t matter so damned much.

She nudged her sunglasses into place. “As this is the closest I’m likely to get to that idyllic moment, I’m embracing it.”

“That can’t be true. You’re smart and gorgeous. The men should be lining up.”

“Careful,” she warned, a smile curving her lovely mouth, “if you make me all tense, it might blow our cover.”

“If anyone at the hotel identified you, we’d know it by now.”

“And yet, here we are, playing for the oblivious—and generally invisible—bystanders.”

He stopped, drew her around until she was caught in his arms, her body brushing his from chest to thigh. “I believe in thoroughly assuming the role that needs played in any given moment.”

“Promise?”

“It’s what keeps me alive.” He tightened his embrace, feeling her breath catch and her body quiver as her hands fluttered on his shoulders. It was a heady sensation knowing he wasn’t the only one affected by whatever chemistry kept sparking between them.

If Ross killed him, if Hackett succeeded, Drew wanted a real taste of Laura to carry with him out of this life.

Slowly, he lowered his head and kissed her. Thoroughly. When her mouth softened under his, when her arms slipped around his neck, he took them both deeper. Her mouth was sweet. Intoxicating. And as hot as the sun climbing up over the water.

He eased back, wishing things could be different, and he did a mental victory dance when her tongue slid across her lower lip. “Ready?”

“I’m not sure,” she murmured, her eyes locked with his. It seemed to take a lifetime for her to step back, to continue their planned route down the beach. “Are you?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” he answered. Lacing his fingers with hers, he guided her away from the water, closer to the responsibilities and dangers waiting for them.

***

The nerves started when he saw the first sign for Haleswood. Drew had let her drive, unable to trust himself to stay on course into the proverbial lion’s den. He’d much rather face a monster like Hackett than a man of character like Ross. The flash drive he’d loaded with all the proof he had was in the pocket of his board shorts, the knife in a sheath, hidden by his shirt. As she took another turn down another featureless two-lane road, he hoped the fact that she was unarmed wouldn’t become a problem.

“Ross will understand.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Well, I thought you could use the reminder.”

“What? So I don’t accidentally shoot first and talk later?”

“Maybe.”

She was teasing him. It felt strange and it wasn’t a typical experience for a dead man exiled to the seedier parts of the world. Jokes and teasing came from getting to know someone. Getting close enough to understand their flaws and foibles, the tender spots of a person. He hadn’t let anyone that close since before he’d signed on with the CIA.

“You really believe he has the resources to prevent Hackett from noticing you’re online?”

“Not only do I believe, I’m confident you will soon believe.”

She had him there. He’d studied the other man’s reputation as part of his research before coming to Charleston. “Hackett could easily ruin him too,” he said, just to test her response.

“This from the man who’s vowed we will stop Hackett.”

Her use of ‘we’ offered another small reward. After managing to survive, his solitary search for revenge had turned into an equally lonely, if more noble, quest for justice. Now, through a strange twist, he had an ally. If what she claimed was true, he would soon have Carpenter’s team on his side as well. He should feel grateful and probably a little relieved. Instead, he withheld judgment, refusing to get too enthused.

“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” he said when she rolled to a stop in front of an electric gate. “This is his place?” Drew peered through the windshield. “The gate isn’t really subtle.”

“Do you see the house?”

“No.”

“Then reserve your conclusion until you have all the facts.”

Drew stopped trying to see beyond the trees and fields of crops. “What if it doesn’t open?”

“Then I guess we head into town.”

Carpenter’s local office was in the Haleswood courthouse, also home to the local sheriff’s department. He didn’t want to put either himself or Laura that close to law enforcement right now.

“We should’ve called,” he said, regretting his refusals when she’d asked him to do just that. Silently, he offered up a prayer to any listening gods or angels that the gate would open.

Long seconds ticked by until, finally, the light flashed on the box and a voice crackled through the speaker. Laura introduced herself and apologized for the surprise visit. Drew watched the gate open, then turned to watch it close behind them, feeling well and truly caught.

“No turning back,” he mumbled.

“It will be fine.”

Sure. “Is he paranoid or does he have that many enemies?”

“No more than any of us.” Laura reached over and patted his hand. “Relax.”

He tried, but couldn’t do it. “That’s not reassuring,” Drew said.

“He’s a professional investigator. He won’t open fire,” she stated, getting to the heart of the matter. “And if he did, it’s not like you aren’t armed to the teeth.”

“I’ve only got a knife.”

“On your person,” she said, shooting him a knowing look. “You won’t need it.”

He focused on his breathing, kept his mind on what Ross would need to hear. Just when he thought he might have calmed down, the wooded driveway opened up, revealing a gorgeous, custom-built home. “Wow. Nice place.”

Laura echoed the sentiment. “Do me a favor and leave the knife here,” she said as she cut the engine.

“Then he won’t have the thrill of finding it when he searches me.”

“He’s not going to search you.”

“Wanna bet?” Drew knew better. More, he’d think less of Ross if the man didn’t check for concealed weapons. Stepping out of the car, he held his hands up, kept his mouth shut. Ross Carpenter stood under the shade of the wide porch, a pretty blond woman Drew assumed was Mrs. Carpenter at his side.

“Good morning,” Laura said brightly. “Sorry to drop in so early.”

“We were up.” Ross shifted his hard gaze to Drew. “You aren’t dead.”

“No.”

“That’s a shame. Put your hands down,” he ordered. He tipped his head toward the blond. “My wife, Allie.”

“Mrs. Carpenter,” Drew said with a nod.

“Pleased to meet you. Come on in. Breakfast is almost ready.”

“We already ate.” Laura came around the car, nudging Drew forward when he didn’t move on his own. “You were expecting us?”

“No,” Carpenter answered, holding the door wide. “We were expecting to spend the day tracking you down.”

Drew kept putting one foot in front of the other, trying not to think of this as a trip to a very elaborate gallows. “You contacted him?”

“Only that one time,” Laura reminded him. “After the airport. I know what you’re thinking, but Ross has security down to a science.”

“The number I gave her was corporate, not personal, registered to an office in Columbia.” Ross added. “You were smart to come to the house.”

“I hope you feel that way in the days to come,” Drew said. Given a choice, Hackett would take it all with a gloating smile.

As the women moved deeper into the house, Ross stopped Drew and conducted the search, examining the knife, his wallet, and the flash drive.

“Who’s Thomas Ketterly?”

“A clean ID. Used it for the first time on this op. Bought a car a few days ago and used the credit card for yesterday’s expenses.”

“Let’s hope that’s clean enough,” Ross said, handing everything back.

Drew didn’t show his surprise over the return of his things or dignify the smart-ass remark. But he glanced down the hall when he caught the sound of more voices. “Who else is here?”

“Just my partners. We closed ranks when Eva tracked you down last night.”

“Tracked us down?” Drew echoed. “That’s impossible.”

Ross stared at him. “You’re welcome to ask her how she does it. I gave up and I’m just grateful she’s on my side. Come on in.”

Drew didn’t reply. Instead he stopped, hesitant to take those last steps. Laura would be safe here, Ross would see to that. If he left now, she’d be safe and he could finish off Hackett. Problem solved. Ross would understand.

“Forget bolting,” Ross said, coming back to stand toe to toe with Drew. “You stay in sight until I say otherwise.”

Drew gritted his teeth against the automatic and harsh reply to the threat. He was playing in Ross’s sandbox, he’d have to obey the rules.

“Are we clear?”

Drew gave a short nod. For now.

Ross led him back into a big kitchen crowded with people. A quick head count proved there were only five more people, two women and one man he hadn’t met, but as they all looked his way, it felt more like five hundred.

“Everyone, meet Andrew Garner,” Ross said by way of introduction. “Who isn’t nearly as dead as I’d hoped.”

“Formerly of the CIA,” Laura added, coming to his side.

While he appreciated her generous show of support, he didn’t think she could do a thing to stop them from having him drawn and quartered if they were so inclined.

Drew recognized the other man as Rick Dreyer, who’d also been on the security detail when Drew’s mission had literally blown up around them. Rick lifted his chin in greeting, but his eyes were cold, assessing.

“I’m Eva,” a woman with dark hair said from her place on a counter stool. “One of the CS partners. Out of courtesy to Laura, my fiancé isn’t here.”

“Her fiancé is a Haleswood deputy,” Allie explained. “We didn’t want him to feel obligated to haul you or Laura in.”

The words were delivered in a friendly way, her smile sincere, but he wasn’t ready to call any of them friends.

“Taking Drew in would be my jurisdiction,” Laura reminded all of them. “And the charges against me are bogus. We came here for help, not hostility.”

“It’s a two for one,” Eva said, raising her coffee mug. “We multitask around here.”

Drew laughed. He liked her.

The woman next to Rick kept a wary eye on Drew. “I’m Nicole. Allie and I used to work for a pharmaceutical company in Virginia.”

Drew felt Laura go tense beside him and he was grateful for the distraction when Allie set a full mug of coffee in front of him. “Cream or sugar?”

“No, thanks.”

“I don’t forget faces,” Nicole said. “Why were you there?”

“The only other time you’ve been stateside,” Laura murmured. She’d sure as hell learned to read him, and obviously it was too much to hope that she might forget any details he blurted out along the way. Such was the nature of their work. He took a deep breath and waded in with less enthusiasm than a swimmer in shark-filled waters.

“My loss that I don’t recall either of you.” No surprise his attempt at charm wasn’t well-received. “I was in Virginia for the sole purpose of gaining evidence against a man by the name of Jonathon Hackett.”

“Hackett?” Ross exchanged a look with Rick. “He was a JAG officer when we were out in Iraq.”

“He was,” Drew confirmed as Dreyer nodded his recollection. “And he’s the reason your men died.” He watched Ross process the bold statement, but when he didn’t toss out questions, Drew continued his story. “The pharma company was doing research that interested Hackett, so it interested me. I managed to interrupt the deal he was making.”

“What kind of deal?”

Drew looked at Allie, then his gaze slid to Laura. She trusted everyone in this room. He’d barely started trusting her. Still, he pulled the flash drive from his pocket, set in gently on the countertop. “It’s a long story, but the details are on this.”

He saw Laura’s eyebrows rise in surprise and he enjoyed the contact when she patted his shoulder in approval. Once more, he thought of leaving her here, safe and protected, while he finished off Hackett in Charleston. It felt like the simpler solution, it would certainly put fewer lives at risk, but it wasn’t the smart solution now that the element of surprise was gone.

At some invisible signal, Eva snatched up the drive. “I’ll take care of this at the office.”

“It won’t be smart to search any background online. Hackett is looking for something like that already.”

“No worries. I’d know,” Eva countered shaking her head. “And I can respond appropriately. But if I do any online research here…”

“Please don’t.” Laura aimed a pleading look at Ross.

“Relax,” Eva said. “If this Hackett guy is as good as advertised, he’ll soon learn I’m better.”

“Unless his tech support is one of the men he killed in Laura’s hotel room, he might have an advantage,” Drew said.

Ross exchanged a look with Laura. “You agree?”

Laura rubbed the handle of her coffee cup, thinking over how best to share what they’d learned and how they wanted to proceed. “Yes, I do. There’s no doubt he dug into my work email and traced my phone. He tried to kidnap and then kill me. Us,” she said. “Now he’s framed me for murder.”

“Serious accusations.”

“Yes. Someone working with him has exceptional access. Drew and I believe it was Hackett who killed the men in my hotel room and aimed the police at me.”

“Not a hired gun?”

“Doubtful. He’s edgy and irritated.” Laura glanced at Drew. “I don’t think he wants to rely on hired help anymore.” She wished she had some good news to report. “Ross, the way he presses an advantage, I’d say he doesn’t seem worried about the consequences. His access is too good, his reach too swift. He had police on us within minutes of leaving the airport.”

“How?”

Laura shrugged, but Eva answered. “I’ll find out.”

The oven timer went off, putting the conversation on hold while Allie removed two large, steaming casseroles. “Almost done,” she said, topping each with a sprinkling of cheese before putting them back in the oven.

“Praise God. I’m famished.” Eva patted her stomach when it rumbled loud enough for all of them to hear.

To Laura’s surprise, Ross didn’t grill Drew about the past over breakfast. Instead, he asked for details about the present situation in Charleston. More shocking, Drew cooperated, answering honestly. The open charm she’d learned signaled a lie was absent. She hadn’t been sure they’d made much progress on the trust issues last night. Maybe the man just opened up over good food.

Or maybe it was the subtle undercurrent of power pulsing through the room. Despite Drew’s understandable reluctance, as she assessed each of the players here she knew she’d been right to insist on seeking help from Ross and his team.

She’d accepted Drew’s story, fully committed to his cause even before he’d handed over the flash drive loaded with the incontrovertible evidence last night. Together they’d make sure Hackett paid for every crime they could pin on him, from murder to petty theft.

Together.

She waited, expecting the word, the concept, to generate something close to fear near her heart. She didn’t really know a ‘together’ beyond the context of Army life and a few close friends. The demands of her job had worn away her trusting nature, eroding it as effectively and persistently as water carving out a riverbed. Her work was her life, essential as air in her lungs, and she did it well. Took pride in it.

Or thought she had until Andrew Garner showed up alive and spoiling for revenge. Had there been anything she might have done differently in that case? With a sigh, she let it go. That was long gone and what she did here and now mattered more. Dealing with the present trouble would be the best chance to make Hackett pay. For Drew as well as for Ross and his team.

She glanced up, feeling Drew’s gaze. Thoughts of work were vaporized by memories of his mouth on hers. This strange, twisting interlude, from the moment he’d grabbed her at the churchyard to the hot kiss they’d shared under the sunrise, marked the most contact she’d had with a man in months. Thirteen months, if she counted precisely.

Desire couldn’t be allowed to cloud her judgment, but she couldn’t help wishing for another opportunity. A chance to explore what might be a mutual passion lurking for her under his tempting kiss. Knowing it couldn’t be long term, would she have the courage to take that chance anyway?

“How do you want to proceed, Laura?”

Carefully, she thought, dragging her thoughts away from Drew to address Ross’s question about the precarious situation. “Are you wondering about an official capacity?”

“Is that an option?”

“No,” she admitted. “Not since I was forced to accept Hackett’s been snooping through official channels. I haven’t even risked reaching out to my boss about my service weapon being at the scene of a double murder while I was supposed to be enjoying a few personal days.”

“He used it, you know,” Drew said, addressing the room at large. “He doesn’t stage something and hope for the best. He used your gun to kill them.”

Heads bobbed in agreement.

“The gun you knocked out of my hand near the churchyard.”

“True.” Drew held his hands up in surrender. “But it wasn’t the right time or place to fire back. I had no idea things would go sideways so fast.”

“Water under the bridge,” she said, with a little smile.

“If you want, I can get you a secure line to your boss,” Eva offered. “Unless you suspect him or her.”

“No,” Laura said. “My guess is Hackett is exploiting a system weakness, not a personal weakness. I’m with a training unit now up at Bragg. We don’t deal with anything sensitive enough to be of interest or profit to Hackett.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Every scenario we use is based on old, declassified material.”

“Yeah, it looked that way to me,” Eva agreed. “What?” She grinned when Ross groaned. “Need I remind you why I’m a partner again?”

Ignoring Eva, Ross gestured for Laura to continue. “I really think he managed to set up an alert for when anything pertaining to the day he tried to kill Drew was accessed,” she explained.

“Again, agreeing,” Eva said. “It’s not that hard to do, especially if Hackett or his tech guy ever had access to begin with.”

“So do we want to take a look at personnel?” Rick asked.

“No time,” Drew said, shaking his head. “With his service record it’s too much to weed through. He wants to eliminate Aziz and make one last sale before he fades into oblivion. It’s his first deal brokered in the states and it’s best if we use those issues to catch him. Recent charges will be easier to prosecute and harder for him to evade.”

“Once he’s in custody, we can pile on with the other material you’ve gathered,” Eva said.

“Provided it gets to the right authorities in a way they can use it,” Laura reminded them.

“Count on me,” Eva said. “I’ll use this,” she said, holding up the flash drive, “and start being you.”

Nicole piped up, “How can we keep him from killing Aziz before we reel him in?”

“We can bring Hackett here to us,” Ross suggested.

“Here?” Laura stared at him, as shocked as the rest of the group. “That’s a terrible idea.”

“It would buy us time. He travels here to take a swing at Garner while you,” he pointed at Laura, “and the girls set things in motion in Charleston.”

“I’m a wanted woman in Charleston.”

“Not after Drew confesses to Sheriff Cochran for killing those men with your gun.”

“Hang on, Ross. I’m not confessing to any of Hackett’s crimes just so you can get a little revenge.”

Laura agreed wholeheartedly, but she knew Ross wouldn’t have suggested it simply out of vengeance or spite. It wasn’t his way.

“Hackett set up Laura to keep her out of the equation and flush you out. We’re just giving him a little twist he won’t expect.”

“How does that help? Assuming I play along.”

“We’re a team here,” Rick said.

“Yeah, I noticed that from my place over here on the outside.” Drew’s eyes were hard, his expression grim.

Laura knew he wanted to bolt. Couldn’t really blame him. “Spell it out for those of us who haven’t had enough coffee,” Laura suggested.

“Sure.” Ross picked up the carafe and topped off Laura’s cup. “The double homicide is all over the news. If you go into Charleston, you’ll be picked up in no time for those murders. Letting the media broadcast that someone is confessing to the crime will draw Hackett out. I can’t believe he’d miss a chance to take a shot at Drew. Playing it by the book, Sheriff Cochran will share your statement with the Charleston authorities. He can even take a statement from Laura and share that too, while keeping Garner in custody. That leaves Eva continuing on as Drew, Hackett’s contact, while the ladies are free to set up a trap for him to walk into.”

Laura mulled that over. It had potential, but she could see more than one pitfall.

“Hackett won’t tolerate looking like a fool,” Drew said, voicing her first concern.

“That works for us,” Ross insisted. “It pushes him into a corner—one we’ve designed. We’ll make him increasingly uncomfortable as we drip out false information that gives him more cause to go after Laura.”

“I can do that,” Eva said, with a fast crack of her knuckles. “All of that.”

Laura understood the ploy and in her head she saw it play out perfectly. Hackett would think she was poking into his past, she’d become a more immediate target, and they’d catch him as he moved in to kill her. She agreed with a confident ‘yes’ even as Drew said ‘no’.

The chatter stopped and all eyes turned to them. “Why not?” She studied Drew over the rim of her coffee cup, wondering about the sudden protective vibe. He knew she could take care of herself. He shifted in his seat, clearly wanting to get up, to pace. He wanted to lie, she realized, curious if he’d lean on his old habits or test his new options.

“It’s my fight,” he began. “I think you’re all underestimating him.”

Honesty. Something inside Laura turned like a worn key finally opening an old lock. He kept surprising her.

“So enlighten us,” Eva said.

Drew sighed. “Yes, it will irritate him if he hears Laura’s been questioned and released. He had the perfect opportunity to wrap up any and all loose ends and Laura got away. Then, thanks to my big mouth, he learned I was still alive. Another potential witness against him is an embarrassment and a big problem for him. Worse, since it looks like she and I are working together.” He pointed at Laura. “Now, instead of sitting back, waiting for the news to break about the Aziz assassination he arranged to look like a random crime, he’s dealing with two moving targets and his hit man has gone quiet.”

“Then why, needing manpower, did he kill two of his men?”

“First, they failed. Second, they undermine his authority if they turn on him and ID Drew or me,” Laura replied. “Drew infiltrated his systems over the years. He knows how Hackett thinks.”

“He’s already going back through it,” Drew explained. “He’ll review every detail of his operation, looking for me in every questionable glitch through the years.”

Ross slid an arm around Allie’s shoulders, the picture of a man at ease. “Will he find you?”

“Not a chance.”

“Are you sure?” Eva leaned forward, tipped her head toward Nicole. “She found you. I found you.”

“Only because I’m exceptional with faces,” Nicole explained with an apologetic shrug. “Your face popped up in the background of a surveillance shot for a different case.”

Drew groaned. “The number of people with cameras in Charleston is insane.”

“True.” Nicole laughed. “Made my job much easier.”

“And it will work in our favor as we maintain your backup,” Ross said. “If you want to outwit Hackett and bring him down, a team effort is your best play.” He circled his finger in the air, encompassing all of them.

“He sure as hell wouldn’t expect it.”

Laura smiled at Drew’s reluctant admission.

“Let me make a few calls.” With a tender look and soft kiss for Allie, Ross left the table.

Laura waited with the others, listening to the banter and discussion over the situation and weighing in as needed. Ross had assembled a skilled and smart team, and she said as much to Allie as she moved to gather up dishes.

“You worked with him when he was Special Forces, right?”

“Peripherally,” Laura answered. “He led an excellent team then too, but it’s nice to see him settled as a civilian.”

“I think so too.” Allie laid a hand on Laura’s arm. “He won’t let anything happen to you or Drew.”

“Thanks.” Laura almost added more, but if things went according to Ross’s plan, she’d have time to say those words when Drew wasn’t nearby.

“It’s cleared with the sheriff,” Ross reported, returning from his office. “He’ll take official statements from both of you whenever you’re ready.”

“And we can spread the news quickly once we’re back in Charleston, right?”

Ross and Eva nodded in unison. “I guarantee it,” Eva said.

Laura took small consolation that they’d resolve this far from Haleswood. Bringing someone as sneaky and as deadly as Hackett into a small town felt like a huge mistake, a danger to too many innocent lives.

“Well here’s to an unexpected girl’s day,” Allie said. She smiled at Eva and Nicole, then turned that same warm, open expression on Laura. “Lovely as it is, Mrs. Ketterly can’t keep running around in only her beachwear. I’ve got yoga pants and a top to get you through your meeting with the sheriff.”

Nicole slid out of her chair with a wild whoop and a smacking kiss for Rick, while Eva hopped up and did a fast happy dance.

“Oh yes. Field trip!” Eva pumped a fist in the air. “Give me a couple of hours in the office and then, bam! Look out, Chuck-town.”