Page 8 of Sinister Secrets

I nod.

“I thought he hates you?”

“He does.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I, to be honest. He’s claiming to not have the resources, which is probably true…”

“But he could call the state police to assist.”

“Exactly.”

Jake turns to look at the open doorway behind him. “I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I.”

“I’m going to call Julian, see if he can handle my meetings today.”

“Jake, no. Really, that isn’t necessary.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone with that man.”

“And I appreciate that.” His breathing quickens as I press against him and smile. “Remind me to show you my gratitude later.”

He lowers his mouth until his lips hover just above mine. “You’re just trying to distract me.”

“Is it working?”

“Partly.”

Rising up on my toes, I seal the kiss. Feel some of the tension that’s wound my muscles into knots ease as I lose myself for a few short moments. All too soon he pulls back.

“Can’t you just say no?”

“Of course I could.”

“But?”

“But there’s a dead body on our property. Do you trust him to be the one to get answers about how it got here?”

“Not at all. I don’t trust the man, period. Something about this feels wrong.”

It’s the same thought that keeps running through my head. That’s made my jaw ache and the nerve cells in my gut jump around like corn kernels popping over an open flame.

Every inch of my body is whispering warning. That it could be a trap—one that could quickly become impossible to get out of.

But I can’t tell Jake that. As much as I hate keeping things from him, this is something I can’t share. He’d want me to refuse the job if I did, and I get that. I do. At the same time, as much as I dread this, a part of me is also looking forward to it. Not the working with Kingston part, but the thrill of the case. The prospect of solving a mystery. Getting justice for the victim and making someone pay for disrupting our lives like this.

I need it to be me. I have to be the one to take this shred of power back.

How can I ask him to understand that, when I don’t quite understand it myself?

“You’re going to do it anyway, aren’t you?”

I give him my sweetest smile, the one I hope is charming enough to make up for all the worry I cause him.

“Promise me you’ll be careful?”