Page 26 of Finding Carly
And when everything went to shit, he felt as if a part of him had been irrevocable lost. He was nothing without Shawn. He was back to being the weird guy no one really wanted to make eye contact with. Especially women.
More than an hour later, the man watched Carly leave Duke’s with a huge smile on her face. It was easy to blend in with the tourists as they returned to the parking garage. Needing to know what kind of car the man drove, he snuck into the garage and watched from a stairwell.
When they kissed, the man’s hands clenched into shaking fists.
No!She wasn’t allowed to suck another man into her fucking trap! She didn’t deserve to be happy, not after she’d ruined Shawn’s life!
As he memorized the license plate, new ideas began to swirl in the man’s head. He needed to go about this differently, now that another man was in the picture. Let her think she was safe. That there was no threat lurking in the darkness.
Yes, his new plan was much better. The cops had talked to him, and he’d easily deflected all suspicions. He could do the same with Carly.
Chuckling to himself and thrilled with the scheme taking shape in his mind, the man walked back down the stairs and into the hot afternoon. He didn’t get angry when someone bumped into him. He even stopped to help an obviously lost couple figure out where they were and where they needed to go. He was all smiles.
Yes, this was going to work out just fine. Carly would still end up dead, Shawn would be avenged, and he’d never be suspected.
Whistling, the man headed for his car.
“I’m comin’ for you, Carly,” he said under his breath. “When you least expect it, retribution will be mine.”
CHAPTEREIGHT
Carly was still tingling by the time Jag neared Barbers Point. She couldn’t stop smiling either. Kissing Jag was unlike any kiss she’d ever experienced. Her nerve endings seemed to spark when their lips met, and she’d felt giddy and desperate. It was almost laughable, but at first, she’d actually thought he was shy. She made the first move to deepen the chaste kiss. But when she’d touched her tongue to his lips, he’d finally taken control.
She didn’t mind taking the lead with a guy now and then, but Carly preferred the guy to be in charge. It excited her. And Lord, did Jag end up checking all the boxes in that sense. He probably just took it slow to make sure he didn’t scare her.
Jag definitely didn’t scare her.
Carly wasn’t an idiot. She knew what he did for a living. It wasn’t as if he was running around foreign countries talking the bad guys into giving up. No, he was a deadly fighting machine, there was no doubt. But she had to admit, she liked the sweeter side he’d shown her.
The man was as complex as anyone she’d ever met. A badass Navy SEAL, yet someone who seemed a little unsure about a kiss. Pushy and stubborn when it came to getting her to do what he wanted, namely go and see Alani.
And that had worked out. Carly couldn’t believe how excited everyone had been to see her. And she’d actually seen tears in Alani’s eyes when Carly told her she wanted to come back. Her boss had bent over backward when she’d agreed, promising she could have any shift she wanted, including the same as Kenna.
Shawn’s actions had changed Carly, had made her wary and uncomfortable being back at Duke’s. Kenna had almost died because of her, and Carly had been scared that her coworkers would blame her. It had beenherex, after all, who’d gone all psycho. But she hadn’t seen censure in anyone’s eyes. They’d all been welcoming and excited to hear she was coming back to work.
Looking over at Jag, Carly had to admit he was right. She did need people. But how had he known that after such a short period of time? It was a testament to his observation skills.
She knew she was becoming attached to him. In the months since Shawn had taken Kenna hostage, when he couldn’t get his hands on Carly, Jag had always just…been there.
He’d messaged, emailed, called, stopped by. He’d been patient and understanding. He hadn’t pushed her to go to work or to call her friends. He’d listened to her when she’d needed to talk, kept her up to date on what everyone was doing, and generally had been supportive in any way she needed.
When he’d finally had enough of babying her, it was a good thing Carly was on the same page, tired of being the scared and pathetic person she’d become. She’d needed his encouragement. His decision to move her in with him had been the right call too. If he’d asked instead of insisted, she would’ve turned him down.
Basically, Jag had done everything right, and very quickly the attraction she felt toward him was morphing into something more.
“What’s that smile for?” Jag asked.
Because she was in a good mood for once, and fear wasn’t pressing down on her as much as it usually did when she was out and about, Carly shared what was on her mind. “I was just thinking about how bossy and highhanded you are.”
He looked surprised. “And that’s making you smile?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yup.”
“Most women would be pissed about something like that,” he observed.
“I’m not most women,” Carly told him.
“Damn straight,” Jag mumbled.
