Frantic, I rolled to my side, the rough concrete scraping my palms as I pushed myself to my knees. Amid jarring, angry claps, the sky strobed overhead. I peered through the unnaturally dark greenish-yellow atmosphere as familiar loud pops pierced my heart with numbing fear.
I crawled forward and spotted Trey lying unmoving a few feet from where I’d landed. I screamed his name to no avail. My trembling fingers gripped his lifeless hand, the cold from his skin seeping into mine, reaching deep into my bones. His eyes were staring sightlessly at the raging sky. Red bloomed in several spots across his chest, and the water spread and muted the color but not the meaning.
It was my fault. Death was meant for me. But again, it’d missed its mark and taken another I loved.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
HAILEY
Iawoke on the wrong side of the bed, the nightmare plaguing me all day. We were back in Chicago and smack in the middle of winter rather than enjoying warm temperatures and strolling the beach at Grand Cayman Island. Lake-effect fog rose in the distance, swirling and wafting inland to dance over the shoreline’s frozen waves. The sun was barely up, and an uncontrollable restlessness made me jittery with the need to do something childish like flattening my hands against the pristine slider that led to the balcony, leaving prints.
Justin going to Allen then ghosting me was messing with my attitude. Trey’s phone hadn’t rung once during the flight with a callback. Not finding Justin and talking him off the ledge he was undoubtedly using as a dramatic stage was making me crazy. Not only that, but I couldn’t help but worry about how much he’d told Allen.
If I didn’t get out of there and stretch my legs, I wasn’t sure what I would do or say, and that was never good. From the direction of the study, I could hear Trey moving around. Whatever call he had to take had ended a few minutes before. The heavenly aroma of coffee lingered in the air from the cup I’d already consumed. One was never enough.
“Morning.” His deep voice preceded him, and I turned in his direction.
With my back to the view that had taunted me, I arched an eyebrow. “Is it?” I bet my hair reflected my out-of-control mood. The wavy dark curls had a mind of their own sometimes.
Trey looked as drool-worthy as always, but I focused on how trapped I felt. And while I could have vegged for days on end, it needed to be by choice. Instead, I felt like my decisions had been taken from me—which was my fault, in a way, but I didn’t want to acknowledge that. It stemmed from returning to a winter landscape and the aftermath of my nightmare. Trey’s heightened sense of security back in the city was another factor. “I’m going crazy. Let’s go for a walk on the beach.”
“It’s freezing out.”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”I want to feel in control. “I need to get out and stretch my legs.” I tracked him as he went to the kitchen and got the coffee machine going for the second time that morning. “Besides, it’s early. I’m sure all the assassins are still asleep at this hour. And Allen doesn’t roll out of bed until nine at the earliest. So our bases are covered.”
“Cute.” He chuckled. “You think we work on a schedule? No killing until after dinner?”
I shrugged. I had no clue. “It’s not my profession. Educate me.” His grin was infectious, and my agitation thawed a little.
“If a hit is put on someone, there are rarely time restrictions. You’re fair game to the assassin, day or night.” He poured his coffee into an insulated to-go cup then got another from the cabinet. A surge of hope shot through me.
“If Allen is looking for me, which is unlikely, it’s not going to be at this time of day. And I doubt that Guido guy is a morning person, either. Plus, he’s a lousy shot.” I gravitated toward the coffee he held out to me. “We can have some guards look out for us too.”
“I don’t have any arguments.”
I grinned, and I curled my hand around the insulated cup. “You want to get out of here too.”
“With you, sure.”
Warmth spread through me, and I released the coiling tension that had spurred my crabby and sarcastic mood. He paused and slid something over the large island. I glanced down to see a new iPhone in front of me. “You got me a new phone?”
“Yeah, since your last one was lost. It might be easier for Justin to call you back on your line. That could be why he hasn’t contacted you yet.”
“You’re probably right. Thank you.”
He winked, and butterflies took flight in my stomach. Ignoring them, I tapped in Justin’s number and waited for him to pick up. When he didn’t, I left him another voicemail then fired off a text. It was too weird that he wasn’t responding.
What I was feeling must have been all over my face because Trey came around and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I’m sure he’ll call soon.”
I hope so. We put on warm coats, hats, and gloves then took the elevator to the ground floor and exited to the lakefront side of the building. After a quick word with his security team, Trey stayed close as we made our way to the beach. A bitter wind tore through the open area, stinging my cheeks. It didn’t matter. I was happy to be outside, even if I missed the warmth of the Caribbean. But I needed the fresh air after that tormenting nightmare.
“We won’t go far,” Trey said as he tucked me closer against his side.
It was freezing, and I was almost second-guessing my insistence on going outside, but stretching my legs and feeling a sense of freedom helped. I felt better already. It was hard to walk with his arm around my waist, so I pulled away then looped my arm through his instead. We trekked across the frozen sand at a good pace, and my blood warmed from the struggle to keep up with his long stride. “Do you miss staying at your family’s home, since it’s so much larger and there are more people around?”
“I see them often, so no, I don’t miss it. At least, not with you here. I would go stir-crazy after a day or two if it were just me. Do you miss your home?”
I snorted at the absurdity of the thought. “No. Not even a little.” A sharp pang pierced my heart, and the truth followed. “That’s not entirely true. I don’t miss what it’s like living there now, but there are memories I have a hard time walking away from. My sister’s ghost walks the halls. I see her laughing at the island, the smell of chocolate chip cookies in the air. Or in the media room, watching a movie. Then there’s her room. It’s remained untouched since she died. The first year, I would climb into Kasey’s bed and sleep with her vanilla-caramel-lotion scent clinging to the sheets and pillow, like she was still in the room with me. Then Mom found me there one day and completely freaked out. I took one of Kasey’s candles from the room, and when I’m missing her, I light that instead.”