“He threatened you too,” she said, staring at him with those gorgeous blue eyes he couldn’t resist. “You’re the one who needs to stay safe.”
“That loser can’t hurt me.”
She jutted out her chin. “Well, he can’t hurt me either.”
Papa looked back and forth between them. “You’re okay having Esther stay at your place?” he asked Reed.
“Sure,” Reed said. He’d personally keep Esther safe, they’d catch this guy, and he’d get more time with Esther.
“No way,” Esther protested. “I can stay here.”
“I don’t know if he’d risk coming back here,” Papa said. “He has succeeded in killing and getting away with it so he might think he’s invincible, but sadly he’s also wicked smart or he would have been caught long ago.”
Reed pursed his lips. “Would he risk coming back to the valley at all?” His mind scrambled. “What about the Angel Falls Retreat in Lonepeak? We know the owners. I saw individual cabins spread out from the main lodge. Esther and I could check in as if we’re on a romantic getaway. If he already wants to kill me, that will really tick him off.”
Esther’s eyes widened, and his stomach heated up at the concern he saw there. Did she truly care for him?
“Some of you can set up in the surrounding cabins with surveillance on our cabin,” he continued. He had to be decisive and pray she’d go for his idea. “We give it a few days and see if he takes the bait.”
Papa nodded. “It would feel less risky to him than coming back to our valley. I like it. Call your friends at Angel Falls, have them keep it quiet, no employees knowing what we’re doing, and let’s see if we can trap this weasel.”
“I’m on it.” Reed let his gaze stray to Esther.
She stared back. Apprehension and longing warred in her blue eyes.
Alone with Esther in a cabin for a few days? He’d take any time alone with her, even if she claimed their relationship was fake and she didn’t need him.
Unfortunately, her family would be listening in to their every conversation and watching them on surveillance. How would that work if he convinced her to kiss him again? Fortunately, her family liked him and he thought they were all rooting for him. He’d have to push the awkwardness of anyone watching aside and focus on getting through to her.
This might be his chance to trap the loser Garret Thomson, and more importantly his chance to win Esther back. He’d keep her physically safe, no matter what.
Now how to convince her to let him love her?
ChapterTwelve
Esther paced the luxurious but far-too-small cabin at Angel Falls Retreat. Just being back in this beautiful valley and especially at this resort had her fixating on the wonderful evening spent with Reed at the restaurant and spa. Unfortunately for her in-danger-of-throwing-herself-at-Reed heart, they were posing as if they were on a romantic retreat. They weren’t supposed to leave their cabin, giving Garret every chance to attack them and to think they were having a dreamy tryst, therefore increasing his jealousy and irrationality. They knew he wouldn’t give up on killing them, and once he knew they were together, he would have to act.
Her dad, Thor, Greer, and Colt were staying in a cabin as close as they could book on such short notice. Luckily, there were a few cabins available. Gavin and Kari had been incredible and supportive, but Reed and Papa insisted they not move guests around. It was best to keep things as normal as possible so it wouldn’t alert Garret that anyone but Esther and Reed were here and to make sure no employees wagged their tongues. Esther could somehow imagine him lurking around the resort.
Garret. The thought of that scum of the earth made her blood boil. Her throat was still tender when she swallowed, her neck had bruising from being strangled, and the whites of her eyes had red dots in them. Did she really have some tracker in her cheek? She unconsciously touched where her cavity was, sickened that he had secretly implanted something when he’d numbed her mouth for the dental work. Then he’d targeted and stalked her, She was even more sickened at the women and men he had killed. More reports came in every few hours of another woman he’d dated and probably killed. He was sickeningly brilliant to have gotten away with so many deaths.
Thankfully, Esther had fought her way free. She wasn’t afraid of him. With Reed, her dad, brothers, and cousin watching over them, what could Garret possibly do to her?
Reed came out of the bathroom. He gave her a patient smile as she continued to do circles around the room. Just looking at him made her body warm up and made her wish she hadn’t put him in danger. It was interesting that she wasn’t afraid for herself, but somehow she thought the tough sheriff was in danger from the nerdy-looking, murderous dentist.
She was also even more concerned about Reed finding out about her OCD. Different people had thrown around the condition OCD in relation to Garret’s disturbed behavior, making Esther more embarrassed and anxious. Would the look in Reed’s eyes be pity, sadness, disgust, or would he try to “fix” her problem as an alpha male law enforcement personality would be wont to do?
It had been a very long night last night. The cabin was one beautiful open room and a spacious bathroom. The main area had a kitchen nook, a table and chairs, a couch and loveseat, and a huge king-sized bed. The only privacy was in the bathroom. Reed had taken the couch last night—luckily there had been extra sheets, pillows, and blankets in the closet. Esther had guiltily slept in the bed. Reed was doing all of this for her, but no matter how much she protested, he had refused to take the bed.
There had been a funky tension between them as she’d tried to fall asleep. When sleep was elusive, she’d faked it with slow, deep breaths. She’d known he wanted to talk, but what was there to say? Unless she laid all her issues on the table, which would never happen, and he somehow convinced her he could live with her emotional disorder and it would never put him in danger, which she would never believe, they had no future together.
She’d finally crashed in the early morning. Reed had let her sleep in, but then they’d had nothing to do all day except prepare and eat the food they’d brought, play card games, watch movies, pace the cabin, try to exercise with no equipment or space, and philosophize about Garret, what he had done, and what he might do.
She could tell Reed wanted to talk about their relationship and he hoped she hadn’t meant it when she’d said it was fake for her. She had lied, but she didn’t want to talk about it. It was hard to even imagine trying to explain her past experiences, her issues, and her fears.
If they talked, she’d probably reveal that she loved him, and then he’d never let her walk away. He was a strong, smart, determined man, and he wouldn’t want to accept how miserable her condition could make him. Maybe he’d claim he could help her or that they could deal with it together. Whenever she thought of that, she remembered him calming her down as he wiped her feet dry then put on her socks at the waterfall or when he rushed her out of the steam room and helped her take deep breaths until her world had settled.
She pushed all of that away. It might be beautiful how he could help and be there for her, but it wasn’t fair to him. She’d never saddle someone with a lifetime of emotional disability. Especially someone like Reed. He deserved a wife who could inspire and lift him and especially support him in his career.