“That’s not good,” Kenna said. “That he’s sending notes, that is. I think you should talk to the cops.”
Carly sighed. “If I get another one, I will.”
“Thank you. I just worry. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Kenna said.
“I appreciate that more than you know. Trust me, I’ve been the most alert and aware woman on the island the last couple of months. I don’t trust Shawn in the least. Just because he hasn’t done anything beyond leaving cryptic notes on my car, that doesn’t mean he isn’t planning something. He’s patient. And sneaky. And scary as hell. Is it bad that I kind of want him to just make his move already? I know that protective order had to have pissed him off, and I have a feeling he’s just waiting for the perfect time to be a colossal asshole again.”
“Well, if he is, he’s gonna go to jail,” Kenna said. Then she hugged her friend tightly. “I’m proud of you, and I love you very much. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you. Go home and sleep. And text me tomorrow to let me know if you feel any better.”
“I will. And I love you too. Thanks for being such a great friend. When I first started here, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but you made me feel right at home.”
Kenna smiled at her before Carly headed off to find their manager.
She hated that months later, Carly was still living on pins and needles, waiting for her ex to do something. She’d naively thought Shawn would have gotten the message by now that he and Carly were done.
Then, as Kenna stood there pondering her friend’s situation, something else struck her.
If Shawn was sending Carly notes…maybe the one she’d received hadn’t been from the angry Duke’s customer, after all. Maybe it was from Shawn.
Shit! She hadn’t even suspected him. But it made sense. If Shawn was pissed that he couldn’t get to Carly, it was possible he’d strike out at those who were close to her. Not to mention, Kenna had pissed him off by getting in his face the last time he was at Duke’s.
Making a mental note to be extra observant for her friend—and for herself—and to talk to Marshall about the situation as soon as possible and get his take on things, Kenna took a deep breath and got back to work.
An hour later, Vera told her that Marshall and his friends had arrived. She didn’t have a lot of time, but there was no way she wasn’t going to greet them. As if Marshall could sense her, he turned just as she approached.
Kenna walked straight into his arms, sighing in contentment. She loved how excited she always felt to see him, and how he seemed to feel the same. Pulling back, Kenna smiled at Marshall, then turned to his friends.
“Hey. It’s good to see you guys.” Kenna gave Jag a small smile. “Carly’s sad she missed you.”
He shrugged. “I would’ve been pissed if she’d stayed just to see me when she felt like shit. I’ll see her another time.”
“For the record,” Kenna continued, not able to keep her mouth shut, “she’s gonna come around. She’s just a little skittish right now.”
She swore she saw Jag’s shoulders relax a fraction at her words. “I can’t blame her. Her ex really did a number on her.”
Kenna nodded.
“As much as I want to stand here and chat, you probably need to get back to work,” Marshall said. He kissed her briefly, then said, “You’re still cool if we hang out at the bar?”
“Of course,” Kenna told him. “I’ll stop by when I can.”
“We’ll be fine,” Marshall said. “Just do your thing.”
Kenna watched the three men head off for the bar area and couldn’t keep the smile off her face.
“Shit, woman, those are three fine-looking men,” Vera said. “If I wasn’t into girls, I might give you a run for your money.”
Kenna laughed at the hostess. “For the record…only one is my boyfriend.”
“Damn, I was hoping you were into some kinky shit,” Vera said quietly with a wink before heading back to her spot at the podium near the front of the restaurant.
Shaking her head at her coworker’s antics, Kenna got back to work.
An hour later, Aleck couldn’t keep his eyes from Kenna as she moved around the restaurant. He’d spent almost every minute since his arrival thinking about what he wanted to do to her later that night, when they got back to her place.
“Glad to see things with you guys are working out so well,” Jag said from next to him.
Aleck forced his attention from Kenna to his friend. They were sitting at a table near the bar, shooting the shit, enjoying some downtime.
“She’s amazing,” Aleck said. “What’s up with you and Carly?” he couldn’t help but ask.
Jag shrugged. “Complicated.”
Pid snorted. “I think that’s the understatement of the century,” he muttered.
“I’m pissed because her ex has terrified her so much, she’s practically a recluse. The asshole even left a note on my car when I came to see if Carly was at work the other day. He’s escalating…and Carly still thinks if she ignores him, he’ll just go away.”
“Wait, what? A note?” Aleck asked, putting his glass down on the table a little too hard.
“Yeah. It just said, She’s mine. It wasn’t signed, but I know it was from him. Who else could it have been from?” Jag asked.
Aleck’s mind spun with the implications of Jag’s revelation. He couldn’t help but think about the note that had been left on his car. He’d assumed it had been from Kylo Braun. But what if it wasn’t? What if Shawn had left that one too?
He opened his mouth to tell Jag and Pid that he’d received a note as well, but just then, a strong gust of wind surged in from the beach, knocking over a mostly empty glass on a nearby table, and making the woman sitting there squeal in surprise.
The storm had moved in with a vengeance—and a shiver rolled through Aleck as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He felt exactly as he did right before the shit hit the fan during a mission.
His gaze swept the restaurant, searching for Kenna. He needed eyes on her. To see for himself that she was all right. It wasn’t a feeling he could explain, but he knew without a doubt that danger was near. Way too fucking near.
The predicted storm had moved in and the staff at Duke’s was kept busy unfolding the plastic barriers around the perimeter of the restaurant. They closed them at night, but they were almost always kept unzipped while Duke’s was open. They’d waited a little too long, however, and currently the wind was whipping through the bar and restaurant, sending napkins flying and glasses crashing. Luckily, the dinner rush had come and gone, and the patrons sitting nearest the beach moved toward the interior of the dining area as the staff did their best to zip the barriers as quickly as possible.
Kenna had just zipped up the last plastic window when she heard a commotion behind her. The first thing she did was look toward the bar, where the guys were still sitting. Marshall was staring at her with an intense look on his face that she couldn’t interpret.
She had no time to wonder about it before a woman’s screech registered.