“All set?” Gavin asked, tossing the keys around in his hands
with a smile.
“Yes! Let’s do this!” Alexa replied cheerfully as she folded
the blanket in her hands and slipped into the passenger seat. Gavin waited for
her to get comfortable, shut her door and happily danced around the front
bumper, making her laugh, before sliding in beside her. “Someone’s giddy.”
“I admit it, I am. I’m just itching to see what this puppy
can do!”
Gavin smirked at the double entendre, revved the engine and
started down the driveway. Before long they were on the winding Douglas
Boulevard heading toward Sierra Sands Park. “Wooohoohoooo!” Gavin’s eyes lit
up as he took each turn of the freeway with ease. The lithe body of the Pagani
maneuvered smoothly over the changing terrain and hugged the road like a second
skin. “Best. Present. EVER!” he exclaimed, pushing the gas harder until the
speedometer read 93 mph. Zigging and zagging through traffic, he yearned to see
just how fast he could top out.
“Ok, Evel Knievel, let’s slow it down a little. I’d like to
make it to the beach in one piece.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a smile and eased off the gas a
little. Taking Alexa’s hand, Gavin tenderly rubbed it before bringing it to his
lips and softly kissing her knuckles. “Thank you for this. Really. I don’t
think I can ever say that enough.”
“You’re very welcome, baby. And seeing that smile on your
face is repayment enough.” He kissed her hand again and pulled into the parking
lot across the street from the beach.
“We’re here. And look, we made it in one piece!” Gavin got
out first and assisted Alexa. Grabbing the cooler, he followed behind her as
she led them down the sun-bleached wooden staircase and onto the warm, golden
sand. “It’s a beautiful day out.”
“It really is,” she agreed, watching the waves roll to
shore. Several families and couples crowded the coastline around them and they
continued walking until they found a spot that wasn’t so packed. Noticing
Gavin’s eyes on a group of surfers running back to shore, Alexa giggled and
tapped his shoulder, drawing his attention. “Do you surf?”
“Nope! You?”
“Not even a little.”
“I’ve always been fascinated though.”
“Well, maybe if you asked, they’d be willing to show you a
few tricks,” Alexa suggested.
“Maybe.” Gavin set the cooler down on the sand and wiped his
forehead on the towel draped across his shoulder. “Woo! It’s a scorcher. Remind me
again why we decided to come out here today?”
“Because I promised to show you my new teeny, weeny bikini,”
she teased.
“Oh yeah…that’s right,” he smirked at the playful way she
shook her hips.
“Plus, you wanted to go somewhere far so you could test your new baby, Baby.”
“And you buried the lede!” he laughed when Alexa pouted and called him a jerk, apologizing before she completely covered his feet in dirt. “Can I get you anything?”
“Just a water please.”
“One water, coming right up!” he replied, turning the lid
back and sliding his hand around the ice. “Except, I didn’t get any water; all
beer here,” Gavin smiled sheepishly as he slammed the cooler lid shut.
“Well, lucky for you, there’s a vendor near the parking
lot,” Alexa suggested and straightened her towel beside his.
“Alright. You finish here and I’ll run and get some water.”
Stealing a quick peck, Gavin trotted toward the Sand Dollar Café. Alexa tossed
a smile at him over her shoulder, grabbed her bag and started down toward a
changing room near the pier. Quickly she slipped into her bathing suit and
grabbed her belongings to head back to Gavin.
“Eva Austin.” Alexa froze in place hearing a name from her
past and a voice she never thought she’d hear again over her right shoulder.
Instead of turning to look, she continued moving forward, putting on her poker
face. “Is that how you’re gonna play this, Eva? Ignore me and hope that I go
away. Not uh, it won’t be so easy. Not this time.”
Alexa turned with a slightly confused look on her face and
brushed a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry, you were
speaking to me?”
“Cute. You know damn well I was talking to you, Eva.”
Reaching forward, the man tugged at her blonde tresses, twirling a loop around
his finger before releasing it and watching it bounce against her cheek. “I
never would have pegged you for a blonde but it doesn’t look bad. I gotta say
though, I liked the red better.”
“I really think you have me confused with someone else, Mr…”
“Nolan. And cut the shit, Eva or ‘Hannah’ or whatever you
choose to call yourself these days.” Alexa grinned and slowly wet her lips with
her tongue. “Yeah. I know. It’s a pretty sweet deal you got going for yourself
here huh? What is it? Convincing these Richie Riches that you’re some sweet, down
home southern belle so you can fleece them out of millions? No…that’s not it.
You were never interested in money. No. Your game is to get close to someone,
real close. So close that they don’t even know they’re being played until it’s
too late.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Nolan, whoever you are, but
I’m not the girl you think I am.” Alexa hastily glanced over her shoulder to
check where Gavin was before inching away from where Nolan stood.
“Yeah. You’re exactly the girl that I think you are.” Alexa turned and strode quickly toward her beach
towel, trying to keep from cracking as she came face-to-face with her past. “I
needed you, Eva! Mitchell died and you just vanished. Do you have any idea how
hard it was for me? I was mourning a man who was like a father to me and the
only woman I’d ever loved up and took off without so much as a forwarding
address. Oh. But you did leave the engagement ring. That was nice of you. You
could have just said no, Eva, and I would have been ok with that. I was happy
with you. If you didn’t want to move things to the next level we could have
just left it as it was and I would have STILL been happy with you!”
“LOOK! I said I don’t know you so please, leave me alone!” Alexa stopped herself before she screamed and made a scene. She turned again to check for Gavin and was surprised to see him heading right toward her. Apparently, she had shouted a little louder than she intended and he was making a beeline back to their umbrella.
“Here you go, babe,” Gavin handed her a bottle but even as
he addressed her, he never took his eyes off the man standing in front of her.
“Gavin.” He stuck his hand out toward the stranger, not waiting on a formal
introduction.
Gavin’s eyes quickly darted to Alexa’s and she turned suddenly, avoiding his gaze. And, as if a switch was flipped, Gavin erupted and Nolan’s head snapped back. “GAVIN!” Alexa gasped. Blood instantly poured from Nolan’s nose and he jerked back. Attempting to wind up a punch of his own, Nolan was met by Gavin’s angry fist once more. This time he connected with Nolan’s jaw and sent Alexa’s ex careening to the ground.
Nolan swiftly crab crawled away from Gavin’s lunge,
just barely moving out of his reach and another devastating blow. Alexa grabbed
Gavin by the arm and pulled him back toward her. Instinctively, he placed her
behind him, keeping himself between the two as he prepared to engage Nolan once
more. “Whoa, what the fuck is your problem?” Nolan yelled, dabbing his fingers
against his quickly swelling nose and lip.
“My problem? You’ve got some fucking nerve! I can’t believe
you’d actually show your face around here.”
“Oh…so she told you then?” Nolan laughed, darting his tongue
over the split on his lip before spitting a mouthful of blood to the sand. “You
actually told him about us, Eva? Man, I would love to have been a fly on that
wall.”
“You have about 3 seconds to get the hell out of here before
a couple of St. Claire’s finest are carrying your ass out in cuffs.” Gavin
motioned over Nolan’s shoulder and he skimmed briefly toward the Sand Dollar
Café and spotted the pair of police officers making their rounds.
“Fine. I’ll go. But this isn’t over.”
“If you value your remaining teeth, it
better be.” Gavin waited until the man disappeared from sight before turning his
attention toward Alexa. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine,” she sighed, rubbing her hands over her
arms. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“Yeah,” he replied, pulling her against him protectively.
“Was that him? The ex?”
“You mean you hit the guy without knowing who he was?”
“Well…I guess I sort of assumed. You didn’t seem too happy
to see him. I kinda put two and two together. Was I right? Was that the guy?”
“Yeah. That—that was the guy,” Alexa lied and leaned her
head against Gavin’s shoulder. “I don’t know how he found me.”
“I’m fine, Gavin, really. You just…you shouldn’t have hit
him. There’s no telling what he’ll do.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t thinking. I saw you in distress and
reacted.” He squeezed her tighter against him and she inhaled deeply, her mind
was racing. Nolan Keene. He had tracked her down. Of all the people she’d come
into contact with, Nolan would have been the last she’d think capable of that. And
with such ease. The only means as to how that she could think of was that news
broadcast a couple months back. Dammit!
K assured her he’d take care of it. But there was no use crying over spilled
milk. He was here now and she needed to make sure he left before a bigger
problem arose. “You’re shaking.”
“I’m…just…”
“Let’s get you home.” Gathering up their belongings, Gavin
led Alexa to the car and drove her back to his parents’ place. The ride home
was done in silence, which, Alexa was grateful for. She was sure Gavin would
have a million questions. Questions, to which, she would have no answers or
just more lies. “Why don’t you head on up, Hannah. I’ll bring the stuff
inside.”
“Thanks, Gavin.” Alexa smiled stiffly and quickly trotted up
the drive toward the house. She hurried upstairs to her room and her computer.
Kasper needed to be made aware of this latest development so that together they
could figure out how to make it go away.
“Showed up at the beach out of nowhere!”
“That’s a huge problem, A.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Did he seem upset? Did he tell you what he wanted?”
“No and no. He seemed hurt mostly…more so after Gavin clocked him.”
“Jesus, A. What are we gonna do?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“I gotta run. I’ll swing by your hotel a little later tonight and we can discuss this more in person.”
“See ya.”
She hastily stashed her laptop inside her purse and jumped up. When Gavin opened the door, he found her pacing back and
forth in front of the bed. Alexa turned to him with a sigh. “I have to get out of
here.”
“What? No. Hannah.” Gavin moved forward quickly and tried
his best to soothe Alexa. Calmly, he stroked her arms and gently caressed her
hair but Alexa was too wound up to be mollified.
“I knew he’d find me, Gavin. I knew this wouldn’t be over. See,
this is why I told you I needed to leave. I can’t do this. I can’t be here with
him lurking somewhere in this city. And if by some miracle he tracks me here to
your parents’ house, what then? I can’t be responsible for him hurting them or
one of your siblings because of me, I just can’t.”
“Hannah, we’ll figure it out.”
“No. No this…this is my problem, not yours. I need to go. I
need to get out of here.”
“Fine, we’ll—get a hotel room some place, maybe outside the
city. We can stay there until the police pick him up. I have a friend in the
department. I’ll call and give him a heads up; let him know to be on the
lookout for that lunatic,” he replied as he began dialing a number. “It’ll all
be ok, you’ll see.” The phone rang three times before his friend picked up.
“Kirk, hey it’s Gavin.” Alexa waited for Gavin to turn his back and snatched up her bag. Moving fast, she hurried out the door and down
the stairs. “Hannah?”
“I can’t, Gavin, I’m sorry. I can’t go with you. I have to
do this alone,” she shouted over her shoulder as he rushed after her.
“Hannah!”
“I’ll call you.”
“Hannah, wait!” Alexa hurriedly started her car. She was
peeling rubber down the driveway before Gavin made it out the front door.
“HANNAH!”
It didn’t take long for Alexa to make it to Kasper’s hotel
room. He’d already gotten to work on a solution for getting Nolan out of town.
“Nolan Keene,” he sighed, reading the name on the computer screen in front of
him. “I can’t believe he tracked you down.”
“You and me both.”
“You must have done a real number on the guy.”
“He proposed.” Kasper turned with a frown and Alexa
shrugged. “He thought I was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life
with. I guess he thought I felt the same. It was, after all, what I was being
paid for.”
Alexa sighed and dropped to the bed behind Kasper. At the
mere mention of the name, her demeanor changed remarkably. Mitchell Grossman
was a little league coach and volunteer Boy Scout leader. He was accused, on
several separate occasions, of being a little too friendly with the kids in his
care. But, unfortunately for his victims and their families, 12 jurors of his
peers believed otherwise. He was acquitted of all charges and allowed to
continue in the same community volunteer capacity as he had been.
Alexa was hired, she reasoned, by one of the victim’s
parents. It was a posh little community where everyone knew their neighbors and
the respectable, upper crest families despised the idea of a man like that
living amongst them. There were suspicions that Nolan had taken part in these
crimes, but Alexa proved otherwise. The client paid to have the murder appear
accidental, a “Fun Dip” as it was known on the website. She did it. With
pleasure. Not for free, of course, but it was money well spent. “Yeah. That
too.”
Alexa glanced at the buzzing phone beside her again and
sighed. “What is that? Like the hundredth time he’s called? Don’t you think you
should answer it?”
“19th and no. I can’t concentrate on him with
Nolan lying in wait somewhere. First thing’s first and that’s getting the ex
the hell out of town.”
“Well, I’ve taken the liberty of canceling the credit card he
used to get his hotel room; they should be kicking him out pretty soon. And
I’ve frozen all of his assets. He won’t be able to stay for very long without
cash. Outside of that, I’m pretty much useless. You think perhaps you should, I
don’t know, talk to him? Maybe if he got what he wanted or a firm answer one
way or the other he’d leave willingly.”
“Do you really think he went through all the trouble of
tracking me down only to hear me tell him to piss off? No. He’s up to
something. I can feel it.”
“Well, you have to do something, A. Given the simple fact
that he tracked you by that news story means he knows where you work, which also
means he can cause all sorts of trouble for you there.”
“Yeah. That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Hey, it’s Tobias, right?” Nolan asked, casually strolling
up to the counselor as he exited the State’s Attorney’s office. “I’m not sure
if you remember me…”
“Hannah’s friend.”
“Right. Hannah’s friend.”
“Well, you’ve missed her again, I’m afraid.”
“Actually, I wasn’t looking for her. I was looking for you. It’s about Hannah.”
“Actually, I wasn’t looking for her. I was looking for you. It’s about Hannah.”
“I’m listening.”
“I was curious if you could tell me a little more about
her—like, what she’s been up to here in St. Claire.”
Thinking it over for a moment, he sighed before nodding his
head. “I tell you what,” Tobias grinned, moving a few steps closer toward Nolan. “Buy me a drink and I’ll tell you everything I’ve learned about our
mutual friend provided you do the same.”
“Of course. I’m sure we have much to discuss.”
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“Of course. I’m sure we have much to discuss.”
<----Previous -- Continue---->
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