Lakeside Peril

Miss Ida pursed her thin lips. “Yes, ma’am. I don’t ask questions. That’s your business.”

“No, no, it’s not like that,” Chloe said, wishing she could get up and walk around. “I mean, he’s not a...friend. We just met.”

“Right.” Miss Ida shuffled some papers. “That’s Hunter Lawson, baby. We all know about him. He is a man of few words but big on action from what we hear around here. Served our country in some sort of elite, secretive capacity and now he’s decided to live here in Millbrook Lake.”

“Yes, ma’am, so I’ve heard.”

That was one of the reasons she’d hired him. Because he was the kind of person you wanted in your corner. Laura must have thought so. Why else would she have jotted his name in her notes? And now that she’d met Hunter, Chloe could certainly understand why Miss Ida beamed with almost motherly pride.

Thinking of how much she missed her mother right now, Chloe pushed away her doubts regarding her father. She had to find out who killed Laura and she prayed their father hadn’t been involved in any of this.

Please, Lord, don’t let anything else bad happen to the people I care about. Or to the man I hired.

Miss Ida shuffled around the desk, her hand patting her silvery white bob. She wore a blue cashmere turtleneck and black pants with a snazzy pair of black pointed-toe loafers. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, thank you,” Chloe said.

“Can I pray for you?”

Chloe wanted to hug this sweet woman tight. “Yes. That’s the best thing you can do for me right now.”

The older woman touched Chloe’s hand and sent her a peaceful smile. “I’m on it.”

Chloe sank against the big chair and inhaled the smell of something spicy-sweet wafting out from the diffuser on a nearby table. This was a beautiful place, Victorian and rambling, with elegant antique furnishings and big, cozy rooms. But Chloe couldn’t enjoy being here.

Hunter had told her they’d get in, get what she needed and move on. But where he’d take her, she didn’t know.

He’d grilled the sweet clerk and through it all Miss Ida had remained calm and explained that she hadn’t seen any strange cars or any mysterious men. Chloe hoped she could leave without getting this lovely old place shot up. She certainly didn’t want Miss Ida or any of the other guests to get hurt.

Hunter came barreling back down the stairs, his gaze moving from her to the very curious Miss Ida. “You can come up now.”

He didn’t speak again until they were inside the room. “Did you have anything in the safe?”

“Yes. And on the table.” Chloe grabbed the briefcase she’d left on the mahogany table near the French doors. “This is still locked. Is the safe?”

“No,” he said, guiding her to the closet. “I didn’t want to say anything downstairs, but the safe is open and empty.”

Chloe stared into the closet. “I think they found what they wanted. My laptop was in there.”

Hunter let out a frustrated breath. “They must have zoomed in on the safe with a grab-and-go. Must have seen us coming since they left the briefcase. But you said you made copies of part of the information and stored those copies in a secure place?”

She lifted her chin. “I did, but now I think you’re right. No place is safe. And I’ll never be safe again, either.”

“All the more reason to put you in hiding,” he said. “Grab your things. We’re getting out of here.”

Chloe found her overnight bag and shoved her clothes and toiletry items in it and zipped it. “I didn’t bring much,” she said. “I’m ready.”

Hunter took the big leather bag and she held on to her briefcase and her purse. “My laptop had a lot of other files I could use—work-related documents and my contact list.”

“Too bad,” he said, guiding her down the back stairs to the big courtyard surrounded by banana trees and sago palms.

Hunter opened the wrought-iron gate and slid around the corner. “We need to ditch my bike and get my truck.”

Chloe couldn’t argue with that. “Where is your truck?”

“About a half mile to the east at my place near the marina.”

“Think we can make it without being shot at?”

“I doubt it.”

He kept her near the bushes and trees, his gaze moving along the street by the inn. “I’m going to put you in the patrol car and let the officer follow me to my place. We’ll switch out vehicles there, okay?”

“Okay.” Curious to see where he lived, Chloe followed him through the shadows to the parked cruiser out on the curb.

When they got close, Hunter did a knuckle knock on the driver’s-side window. “He has to be inside, since I didn’t see him walking the perimeters.”

He found the officer slumped over the steering wheel.

Hunter turned and shoved Chloe forward. “Run!” he shouted, pointing to the road toward the marina. “Run, Chloe, and don’t look back.”

FIVE (#ulink_438c2986-4e30-5426-a82e-b4af9c1b3530)

Chloe held tight to her shoulder bag and briefcase and took off running up the sideway toward the marina located on one of the curves of the lake. But where was Hunter?

She glanced back and saw Hunter close on her heels.

With two men chasing him.

He caught up with her and shoved her into some oleander bushes. “Go,” he said. “Shortcut across the park.”

He took her briefcase and they kept running until he pulled her up into a sandy driveway shadowed by tall palms on each side. “We’re at my place,” he said. “I dropped your overnight bag back at the inn. Used it to trip one of them up.”

“It’s okay. Nothing I can’t replace.” She was out of breath, but at least they seemed to be safe for now.

Hunter kept her in front of him and glanced back over his shoulder as he whisked her up the steps leading to a small covered deck. “This should buy us some time. They might have figured out I live here already so we need to hurry.”

“Another house on stilts,” she said, taking in the whitewashed shingles covering the side of the house.

“A necessity in hurricane country.”

He opened a side door and led her in. “Stay away from the windows.”

Chloe knew the drill. She scanned a galley kitchen and a big square room that contained a bed and living area with a bathroom off the back. Very sterile and stark. No room for anything lasting.

But she couldn’t analyze the house right now. “Will they ever stop?”

“No,” he said. “Give me your phone.”