Matthew's hand jumped to the cue ball on the pool table. He whisked it up in a flash. "Imagine this is your head." His eyes drilled into Brian's as he slammed the ball against the table. Even though it was still in his hand when it hit, he didn't flinch. He held up the ball, the crack running through it clearly visible.

My eyes widened in surprise. Brian cowered and his face paled as he took a step back, but Brian actually took a step back, his face pale.

"Next time, it will be your head. And that's not a threat. That's a promise." His eyes were narrowed and hardened as he spoke, with such a dark look that it made me shudder. Matthew tossed the ball at Brian who fumbled the catch but managed to hold on. "Come on." He took my arm and we walked out.

I waited until we were halfway through the parking lot before I gently pulled my arm away. I appreciated what he'd done, but I didn't want him getting any ideas. To ease the sting, I asked the question that had been in my head for the last couple minutes. "How did you do that? It was amazing."

Matthew gave me that stunning smile. "It's just a party trick I know."

"That's some trick," I said.

He shrugged. "I find it useful from time to time."

"Useful?" I echoed his word choice.

He gave me a sideways glance. "For chasing off jealous ex's or overly-friendly douchebags."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I can see that."

We both fell silent as we continued on our way back to the B&B. I hadn't seen him with a rental car which meant he had to be within walking distance of the same places I was. I supposed he wasn't stalking me after all. Considering we were in the same general vicinity and walking was our main method of transportation, it would make sense that we'd see each other more than once. I seriously needed to relax and stop worrying so much.

We slowed out steps as we came to the B&B and I stopped him again on the sidewalk instead of at the door.

"Can I come in for a nightcap?" Matthew asked, a hopeful note in the question.

"You're cute," I said. "But when I said I had a boyfriend, I wasn't lying. I love him and I'm loyal. Sorry."

He sighed, a sad smile playing around his lips. He took my hand before I could stop him and raised it to his lips. "In another life, perhaps." He let my hand drop, turned on his heels and walked away.

I watched him go, startled by the gesture and the comment. It wasn't until he disappeared around the corner that I finally turned to walk up the front walk to the porch. As I did, movement above caught my eye. I looked up and saw a silhouette in the window to my old room. I couldn't make out much more than an outline, but it was too tall to be Pearl and too broad to be Carol. Ah, the elusive boyfriend. Hopefully, those two had worked things out, whatever that was. I liked Pearl and from what Carol said, it sounded like she needed a good father figure in her life.

With thoughts of fathers on my mind, I skipped up the stairs to the porch and decided to try calling Luke. It was early enough that he wouldn't be asleep, but late enough that he wouldn't be training. Joe probably wouldn't approve, but I wanted something more than a text. I needed to hear his voice even if only for a few minutes.

He answered on the first ring and the way he said my name made my heart ache. He missed me. I could tell by the tone in his voice.

"Hey, how are you?" I asked.

"Dani..." There was a slight pause. "Well...Coach is working me hard," he said. "But that's a good thing. I'll be ready for the fight."

I could hear an undercurrent of something in his voice and knew that he wasn't telling me everything. It wasn't anything too bad, but it was enough that he wanted to hide it.

"How's your knee?" The last time he'd kept something from me it had just been about his injury.

"A little sore," he admitted. "But in a good way. Coach knows his stuff. He won't let me overdo it."

"And no other injuries?"

"Just to my pride when Coach said his grandmother can lift more than me," Luke joked. "What about you?"

"No injuries here," I teased. "Things are okay."

"Just okay?" He was instantly concerned.

I gave him a quick overview of everything that had happened since I'd arrived, glancing over the part about Matthew and The Bar, making him sound like someone I'd been talking to rather than someone I'd gone with. I didn't want to have a discussion about jealousy over the phone. I wasn't lying. I hadn't said anything that was directly untrue, but that lovely Catholic guilt I'd grown up with told me that it was a sin of omission. I ignored it and let Luke reassure me that everything was going to go fine.

"When do you meet with the prosecutor?" he asked.

"Monday." Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I thought about the meeting. I wasn't having second thoughts and I wasn't worried about how I'd do on the stand, not about the stuff with Brian, anyway. I was still nervous about me. If I was smart, I never would've given that statement or come back, but I couldn't leave Emma to deal with this on her own.

"You'll do great, Dani," Luke said. "I believe in you."

"Thank you," I said. I held on to his words, knowing they might be the only thing to get me through these next few weeks. If in doubt, I'd just think about Luke and his faith in me.

"I wish I could be there with you," he said.

"Me, too." I swallowed hard, surprised by the rush of fear. "I know you're probably training tomorrow, too, so I'll let you go."

"It was good to hear your voice." Luke's voice was low. "I can't wait until this is all over and we don't have to be apart like this."

My voice choked and my hand tightened around my phone. I didn't want him to know I was crying. I cleared my throat and said, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said. "Have a good night."

By the time I showered and dressed for bed, I was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Chapter Fourteen.

Dani I was shocked when I rolled over and opened my eyes to see eleven forty-five on my clock. I bolted upright, then winced, immediately regretting the move. I wasn't hungover-I hadn't had that much to drink last night. My muscles were just stiff. I'd slept so soundly that I hadn't moved all night.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, stretching as I went. I rolled my neck and raised my arms above my head. I could feel a slight burn against my shoulders where my t-shirt was rubbing against my skin. I must've been out in the sun longer than I'd realized. I'd need to put some lotion on it or I'd peel.

I kept the water cool when I showered, but it still stung, and when I looked in the mirror, I could see the redness. It wasn't as bad as I'd feared, but I put some lotion on it just in case, twisting and contorting to reach all of the spots, but it was impossible. My arms dropped to my sides and I couldn't help but think how much easier that would've been if Luke had been here to help.

I shivered at the thought of Luke's hands on my body, rubbing the floral-scented lotion into my skin in areas that were easy to reach. I closed my eyes, giving in to the fantasy for a moment. I could almost feel the heat from his palms, feel the way his strong fingers would knead my muscles...I groaned in frustration. I really hoped this trial went fast and Luke was able to convince Joe to let us at least have a night or two together every couple days. I wasn't sure I'd be able to handle weeks of this. Days were going to be questionable as it was.

I dressed and headed downstairs. Even though it was a Sunday afternoon, I had no doubt I'd find Emma hard at work. With the exception of a couple hours every night so she could spend time with Michelle, I had yet to see the woman take a break. She was one of the hardest-working people I knew. I heard a string of curses coming from Emma's office and I continued down the hall towards the sound. When I peeked in, I saw Emma sitting in front of the computer and with her accounting records spread out on the desk, the expression on her face clearly saying that these were the recipients of her wrath.

"Problems?" I asked.

She looked up at me, a guilty expression on her face. "Please tell me you didn't hear me swearing."

"Sorry," I said with a smile.

"At least it was you and not another guest. That would've been unprofessional." Emma sighed. "I kept putting off doing the books because other things seemed more important. Now I'm so far behind it'll take weeks to get caught up." She tossed her pencil onto the desk. "Work never stops when you own your own business."

"Is there something I can do to help?" I offered.

"No, but thank you for offering." She glanced down at the record books. "I have my own special accounting system."

I fervently hoped it was better than her "'special recipes"' were.

"You slept late," Emma commented. She gave me a sly smile. "Did you have a good time last night?"

I glared at her, but there wasn't any malice to it. "It was a lovely dinner between two friends."

"Are you sure about that?" Emma asked, her eyes twinkling. "Mrs. Johnson saw you two walking back here last night. She said he's a very handsome man."

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Friends aren't allowed to be good-looking now?" When Emma smirked, I added, "Spying neighbors like to create drama where there isn't any."

"Possibly," she admitted, though her expression said she wasn't quite ready to give it up just yet.

I changed the subject. "I was wondering if I could take Michelle and Pearl to the beach again today. We had so much fun yesterday, I thought they'd like it."

Emma's smile faded. "Pearl's family checked out this morning. Michelle's been out the in backyard since they left, said she wanted to be alone. I think she misses that little girl already."

"That's too bad. I thought Carol said they'd be here for a couple weeks."

"They're still in town somewhere. I tried telling Michelle that she would still be able to see Pearl, but it didn't help." The frustration in her voice grew. "Carol said her boyfriend found another place. I don't know what was wrong with mine. I try to please the customers as best I can. I guess I just can't compete with the bigger hotels."

"Do you know where?" I asked, my heart aching for Michelle. "Maybe I can stop by and see if I can bring Pearl over."

"She didn't say," Emma said, forcing a smile. "The good news is that you can have your old room back."

While I was sure Michelle would appreciate getting her room back, she'd much rather have her friend Pearl staying here.

"Dammit!" Emma said suddenly.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot to pick up the bottled water I ordered from the grocery store." She glanced at her watch.

"I can get it," I offered. Even if I paid for my room, I still preferred to be helping out.

"That would wonderful, Hanna." Emma picked up her keys from her desk and handed them to me. "Take the truck."

I'd done grocery shopping for Emma when I'd been here before, so I knew exactly where to go. The little shop was run by a man named Tom Sullivan and his partner Rick, and they employed a handful of people who worked during the busier times. This wasn't one of those times, so the ruggedly handsome man with salt-and-pepper hair was the only person in the store.

"Hey, Tom." I smiled at him. "I'm here to pick up Emma's order of bottled water."

"Great!" He beamed at me. "The cases are in the back. Pull the truck around and I'll help you load them."

Cases? As I walked back out to the truck, I wondered how many cases Emma had bought.

The answer, apparently, was ten.

Tom propped open the back door, explaining that he'd had a sale going on where, for every two cases of water purchased, people received a dozen eggs. That explained not only the water, but also the vast number of egg cartons I'd discovered in the refrigerator.

"Anyone here?!" a voice from inside the store called out. Just those two words told me that the person talking wasn't very patient.

"Let me go take care of that and I'll get Emma's receipt." Tom headed back inside and I followed.

I didn't see the point of driving back around front and going back in that way when it was easier to follow him out into the store through the back room. We rounded the corner and I stopped as I saw the man waiting at the counter.

What the fuck?!

It was Bruno.

I ducked down an aisle just as he turned his head in my direction. Hopefully, Tom would take care of Bruno first and think I was still shopping. I couldn't afford to have him calling me up to the register while Bruno was here.

"Hey, there," Tom greeted Bruno in his usual friendly tone. "What can I do for you?"

I lowered my head and pretended to be reading the label on a box of cereal.

"Hanna."

I turned at the sound of a child's voice. Pearl smiled up at me and hugged me. I returned the embrace automatically as I looked up at Carol. I couldn't let them see how freaked out I was. That would bring up far too many questions.

"Hi." My voice was barely above a whisper.

"I saw you," Pearl said. "And I didn't get to say good-bye when we left." She took a step back, the look she gave her mother speaking volumes about how she felt.

Carol didn't look happy, either. "We're just here picking up some groceries before we head out to the woods." She made a face. "I hate camping, even if it's not in a tent. Too many bugs. But Bruno decided, said he'd had enough of the town."

It felt like the walls had just caved in and crushed my lungs, sucking every last ounce of air I had left in them. Still struggling to breathe, I managed to get the name out. "Bruno?"

Carol gestured towards the front of the store. "My stupid-ass boyfriend."

For a moment, I thought I was going to pass out as all of the pieces clicked together. Carol was Cindy and... I looked down at the little red-haired girl and pictured her with long blond hair.

She was Lacey.

I could see Luke's eyes now and I was hit with the impossible desire to grab Lacey and run. Shove her into the truck and drive straight back to Luke. I wanted to slap the shit out of Cindy for the bad things she'd said about Luke. The desire to hurt her raged in me. I wished I wasa man so I would have the physical strength to hit her, clock her one right in the jaw, then beat the living shit out of her for being so fucked up, so stupid as to hook up with Bruno. I had never had the urge to hurt anyone, but I had never experienced such dark anger in my life until now. My hands balled into fists as I struggled to keep calm and quell the dark storm inside of me.

I took a breath and relaxed my hands. I couldn't do any of those things. Cindy was Lacey's mother and custodial parent. She wasn't with Bruno by force. I was helpless. I had no authority over Cindy. All I couldn't do now was to get out of there before Bruno saw me.

"I have to get going." I couldn't believe how calm I sounded. I leaned down and hugged Lacey again, this time more tightly. It tore my heart out that I couldn't tell her. Whisper in her ear that her father loved her and that he was looking for her. "I'll see you around." I included Cindy in the final comment and then slipped back down the aisle the way I'd come, hoping no one tried to stop me.

My phone was in my hand before I even got into the truck. There was no doubt in my mind whose number I had to dial first.