“Good. I’ll see you out.” He’d lock the door behind him, too.
“That’s not necessary.”
His jaw firmed. “I insist.”
With that, he escorted Seeley James from the building, and waited on the front porch until the asshole drove away in his pretentious car. He had an uncomfortable feeling that it wouldn’t be the last Sanctuary saw of him.
* * *
Megan listenedto the Ferrari rumble off the property, but didn’t move from her vantage point behind the cabin. She watched Tione emerge into the garden alone, and searched for any sign that he’d sold her out. She knew he didn’t really want her there, but they’d been getting along well enough, and the fact Seeley had left gave her hope.
He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Megan, you can come out now.”
She didn’t move. Her skin prickled with awareness as two thoughts crossed her mind simultaneously. One, he hadn’t told Seeley she was there. Two, he’d called her by her real name, which meant that Seeley had exposed her.
“Is he gone?” she called, peeking around the corner.
“Yeah.” The single word gave away nothing. What had Seeley told him? She knew the private investigator better than to believe it had been the truth.
“Did you mention anything about seeing me?”
“No.” His chin tilted skyward and he sighed loudly. “Please come out. I didn’t tell the slimyto rahoyou were here.”
“To raho?”
“Dickhead,” he explained. “Come on, Megan. Come back and play with Trevor again.”
She forced her feet to take one step, then another. Her legs moved robotically, carrying her away from her hiding place, and into the open. She scanned the yard, but didn’t see anyone other than him and relaxed slightly. His arms dropped to his sides and when she was tempted to stop at a safe distance, he urged her closer with a gesture.
“I told him the truth. I’ve never met Megan Talbot. Do you believe me?”
She nodded. He wasn’t the type to bullshit. He’d been straight with her from the beginning. “Thank you. Don’t worry, I’ll get out of your hair before he comes back.” She had no doubt that he would return. Tione might have put him off for now, but Seeley was wily and would have sensed something was up. He’d think up a better plan of attack and the second time around, he wouldn’t be dissuaded.
But how had he found her in the first place? She’d been careful. She’d left her phone behind in case it had tracking software installed, and she’d squirreled away money from baking jobs that Charles didn’t know about to finance her escape. She’d left behind the credit cards he’d given her and hadn’t even brought her own clothing. Instead, she’d made a trip to the Salvation Army store a week ago and stocked up on cheap secondhand outfits. The only things she’d brought from home were her toiletries.
So how had he known to come here? She hadn’t mentioned this place to anyone. She’d searched it on the internet once or twice, but she’d wiped her browsing history and never printed any information. She must have missed something when she’d cleaned up after herself.
“Where will you go?” Tione asked now.
She ignored the question because the truth was, she had no idea, but she wasn’t about to be a sitting duck. “I don’t know how he found me,” she said. “But I won’t stick around to cause any problems for you. That’s the last thing I want.”
Tione stared at her with those dark, unfathomable eyes. She shifted, uncomfortable with his scrutiny. In her recent experience, people paying attention to her ended badly. Either she’d upset someone, or she’d garnered unwanted admirers, which Charles would no doubt notice and punish her for later.
“I’ll just—”
He extended a hand. She frowned at it. He rolled his eyes and shoved it into his pocket. “Let’s talk in my cabin.”
She stiffened. The last thing she wanted was to be alone with a man who outweighed her, and whose mood she couldn’t interpret. “I don’t think that’s the best idea.”
“Bring Trevor with us if it makes you feel better. I promise I won’t touch you.”
She nibbled her lip, then decided that if he wished her harm, he could have handed her over to Seeley. “Okay.”
He whistled, and Trevor bounded over to them. Megan turned and walked on unsteady legs back up the sloping lawn and onto the cabin’s deck. She waited while he opened the door, then followed him in.
The interior wasn’t what she’d expected. The walls were bare wood, giving it a cozy feel that made her want to snuggle up in front of the fire with a book—and there were many books to choose from. They were stacked on nearly every flat surface. The desk, the nightstand, the counter, the dresser. Many of them were well-read; the kind found in thrift shops and dusty secondhand bookstores. One or two newer volumes were present, as well as half a dozen on a shelf at head height that looked to be old editions of the classics.
A smile spread over her face. The furniture was wooden too; the lamps ornately carved, giving the impression she’d stepped back in time. There was no computer. No television. Not much in the way of technology. Lamps, a toaster, a kettle, and an ancient brick of a phone on the nightstand, but that was all.