Would life ever go back to the way it was?
I shook my head, already knowing the answer.
I’d already gone down the rabbit hole. There was no way out now.
My fate rested in Matt’s hands and my safety lay in his brother’s.
“Where are we?” I asked, cringing. I hoped I didn’t sound like an impatient child on a long road trip.
Chase had just brought the Explorer to a stop in what appeared to be a campground parking lot. I’d seen the sign at the beginning of the drive, but the name hadn’t looked familiar. After loading up the Explorer with a few bags of supplies from his friend’s house, we’d taken off again and driven for at least another hour.
Chase turned around in the driver’s seat to face me. “We’re leaving the car here. Matt has a boat docked on the other side of this property. We’re going to be staying on the boat for at least a couple of days.”
“A boat?”
I glanced sidelong at Jackson and my heart melted at the excitement on his face. Ever since he was two, he’d been obsessed with boats. Henry had a yacht and the few times we’d taken Jackson out on it were some of his favorite memories. Like the kind that get brought up every few months, asking when we could go back again, kind of memories. “Sounds like it, sweetheart. What do you think?”
Jackson clapped his hands and pumped his little fists. “Let’s go, let’s go!”
Chase and I laughed and caught each other’s eye in the mirror right before he pushed out the driver’s side. A strange shiver swept over me at the lingering glance but I shoved it down. Yes, he was handsome, and kind, and had managed to soothe my frayed nerves in the course of a day, but that wasn’t a good enough reason to lose my head and read too much into a shared smile.
This wasn’t high school. He wasn’t the captain of the football team and I sure as hell wasn’t the head cheerleader.
He was a bodyguard hired to keep me away from my borderline psychotic, soon-to-be ex-husband.
Oh my God, how had this become my life? I was rapidly turning into a living and breathing soap opera star.
“Let’s go, buddy!” Chase said, lifting Jackson out of his booster seat. He set him on the ground and we started off down the paved path. Chase stopped at the booth to pay for the parking permit and then led the way toward the docks where Matt’s boat was waiting.
Jackson’s excitement grew with each step. When we finally got sight of the marina, he broke into a run, determined to see every single boat in the dock. “Jackson, stay close,” I called after him.
Beside me, Chase adjusted the large duffel he had slung over his chest. I clutched my own bag—inside of which was a grocery bag with the money I’d taken from the duffel bag. It was unnerving to have so much cash on my person, but I didn’t know what else to do with it.
“This is us,” Chase said, stopping in front of a large, white and silver boat. It was a lot smaller than Henry’s yacht, but I was impressed with the size. It looked like it had a decent amount of space for the three of us.
We boarded and Jackson immediately busied himself running all over the place until I finally barked at him to chill out. Chase smiled at him as he went up to investigate the captain's wheel. He turned to me. “I’m going to run back to the car and get the rest of the bags and then we’ll set sail.”
“Okay.”
I watched as Chase walked back down the ramp and then up the dock. Halfway there, he stopped and turned back. Our eyes locked and after a heart-stopping moment, he smiled and then continued on his way, rounding the corner of some trees and out of my line of sight.
Well, if I wasn’t in trouble before, I am now.
5
Chase
“Is he conked out?” I asked when Melissa came up from below deck.
She nodded. “Yeah. All adventured out, I suppose.”
“Here, take a seat,” I said, jerking my chin at the seat next to mine. We’d pulled out of the marina after we stopped to eat and after we’d gotten far enough away from shore, I set the auto pilot controls. We’d move slower that way, but even cruising slowly through the night, we’d be able to make a good amount of progress on the journey away from Melissa’s husband.
Melissa sat down and tugged her sweater closer around her shoulders. There was a nip in the air and she bundled up against it. Even with her big sweater and long pants, I’d memorized her curves and couldn’t help but feel a swell of attraction every time she got close enough to me. It was wrong. She was married and even if she wasn’t, as a client, she’d be off-limits.