I found the mystery romance section in the back, and there was the Lake Secrets Series. Mist and Fog were the first two books in the series, written by Cullen Mate. They were on their own shelf with the line “NY Times Bestseller” written along the bottom. Pride burst through me. I knew it took more than just a good book to get that title. I also knew you needed a strong team to make it happen, but nonetheless, it had hit the list.
Quickly, I bent the spine of the book and flipped to the third page.
“Willow Whispers Publishing,” I murmured to myself. I wasn’t aware of who they were, so my guess would be a small publishing house. That would explain the fast turnaround time.
Snagging the last copy of Fog and the third last copy of Mist, I hurried to the front and paid.
“Oh, dang.” The sixteen-year-old squinted at my head as he handed me my receipt. “That hurt?”
“Yeah.”
He admired Fog. “These came in this morning.” He flipped it over in thought. “We can’t keep them on the shelf.”
“Good to hear.” I rushed to the door and met up with my uncle, and we walked out front to the truck.
I slipped in the back between Blake and Benny. Jackson took the front, and G was at the wheel.
“What’s that?” Benny peeked inside my bag. “Books?”
“I figured if I’m going to be forced to stay at home for a few days, I might as well read,” I muttered.
“Five days,” G corrected.
“What? That’s crap, G. It’s just a little bump.”
“You got four stitches and a concussion, Spence.” Benny shook my leg, and I felt Blake shift.
“I understand two days, but five? Not happening.” I normally didn’t fight G on stuff, but that was ridiculous. “They let me out of the hospital because I am fine.”
“Physically, maybe,” Blake muttered while staring out the window.
“Mentally too,” I added, which made him look at me. Worry lined his eyes, and his mouth was pressed into a tight line. His gaze shot to Benny’s hand still on my leg.
“Benny,” G cut in, “how many fingers do you have?”
“Ah,” he laughed and held up his hands, “I got both sets.”
“Good. Keep ’em there.”
“Gotcha.” He smiled at me and rolled his eyes.
I caught G’s gaze in the mirror and gave him a small nod as a thank you.
The drive was long. I really wanted to be home in my space, and I seriously needed a shower.
“Lisa filled your fridge,” G pointed out while Benny and Jackson swooned over the cabin. “She’ll be by tomorrow to check in on you. She wanted to spend the night, but I assured her you would want your time alone.”
“Okay. I really appreciate that.” I leaned on the arm of the couch, feeling tired. “Thanks, guys, for coming.”
“Blake,” G turned to him, “since you live so close, I would appreciate you keeping your phone on in case Spencer needs anything.”
“Of course,” he answered like it was part of his job. “I’ll do a lap around the property before I head back home.”
“Spencer,” G took a step closer, “would you like me to get someone to watch the house? It would make me feel a lot better knowing someone was here.”
I looked Blake, who gave me a nod indicating he’d see to it. I was scared out of my mind, but I knew Kim and Shannan would step in, and they are just as scrappy as any officer.
“I’ll call neighbors and see if they are around. I’d rather someone I know be here.”
“Okay.” He sounded uneasy but let it go.
“All right, boys.” He motioned the guys out of the house. “Spencer.” He pointed to the alarm. “Set it.”
“Like it helps,” slipped out before I could stop it. G’s face flinched, and I saw the sadness he carried around when his mask slipped. “Yeah, I will.”
“Call me later.” He closed the door and left Blake and me alone.
Blake leaned against the kitchen counter, hands curled around the lip of the marble, head down, eyes on the floor. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I turned my fireplace on and checked my email. Lloyd wormed through my feet and sat his little adventurous ass in front of the warm flames while Bentley wiggled out from under the chair and joined him. Thankfully, Lloyd had returned later that night, and Kim let him inside to eat. I was so thankful for my neighbors. I wiggled my mouse to wake my computer.
A: Hey, GW, your payment for books 1 and 2 has been sent via PayPal. Where are you on book 3?
I blinked to clear the haze that begged me to rest.
GW: Halfway through it. Feel free to send the rest of the notes.
A moment later, the notes showed up. Again, two murders and three sex scenes. Nice!
I checked my PayPal, and sure enough, sixteen thousand stared right back at me.
“Holy shit,” I whispered, which snapped Blake out of his daze.
“Everything all right?”
“Yes.” I wanted to cheer, but my body hadn’t caught up yet. “Everything is fine.”
“I’ll go and do a round of the house.” He slipped his coat on and left.
The shower felt amazing, but my leggings, long sleeve waffle shirt, and knee-high slippers felt even better. I quickly dried my hair so it hung in a long wave and brushed my teeth. At least I now felt a little more human.
My reflection couldn’t hide the truth. I was scared. I forced myself to look away and migrated back to the living room.
Blake had his head in his hands and a glass of brandy in front of him. The fire flickered through the amber and cast shapes on the table.
“Are you hungry?” I spoke softly so as not to startle him.
His hands fell, and I saw the level of stress that was eating him. Slowly, he rose and walked right into me, gathering me in a hug. It took me a moment before I wrapped my arms around him too. It was such an intimate act I wasn’t prepared for. His lips brushed over my neck as he squeezed me harder.
“Hey,” I rubbed his back, “I’m okay.”
“I’m not.” He sighed heavily. “You came inches from the man we’ve been hunting.”
I pulled him toward me and placed my hands on his broad shoulders.
“Right, so, tell me everything you know about the case.”
He stepped back and rubbed his face with a frustrated sigh. “Jesus, Spencer, why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Change the subject like the wind.”
“I’m not.”
Did I?
“It’s okay to let your guard down. I’m not like your ex. I can handle heavy when you can’t.”
My face twisted at his words. “I can handle heavy, Blake. I’ve been handling it for some time, now, remember. Walking in to find your parents massacred is about as heavy as you can get.”
“Right, and now you just came face to face with a killer who hurt you and murdered someone else, and all you want to ask is what do we know about the case? How is that normal?”
I felt my back go up. I hated that word. “I never claimed to be normal, Blake.”
He closed his eyes when he realized how he sounded. “I just meant it’s okay to be scared.”