Page 54 of Unraveled

Awesome. Just what Carter needed, to deal with this idiot on top of everything else. Mason held Carter’s gaze for a long moment before Carter finally shook his head. “He’s fine.”

Mason’s eyes narrowed, filled with undisguised scorn and mistrust. Carter didn’t care if Mason hated him. All that mattered was keeping Audrey safe. “Do your job, and we won’t have a problem.”

Those hard amber-colored eyes held Carter’s. “Take care of her.”

“Always.” Carter’s reply was curt, and they stared at each other for a long moment. Whatever Mason saw in Carter’s eyes must have reassured him, because he finally nodded.

Carter turned to Knox. “Do you need anything else from me?”

“Nope.” Knox shook his head. “We’ll run some of the info you gave us, then we’ll be in touch.”

Even though Carter knew she was safe, he was eager to get home to Audrey. God only knew how long she’d be staying with him, and he didn’t want to waste a second of the time they had together. One way or the other, he was going to win her over again, no matter how long it took.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

Audrey stepped into the kitchen, and John sent a warm smile her way. “Good morning.” She smiled in return. “Morning.” From his place at the table, he nodded toward the coffee pot on the counter. “It’s fresh. I just made it about half an hour ago.”

“Great, thank you,” she said gratefully as she pulled a mug down from the cupboard.

She stood at the counter, sipping the brew and waiting for the caffeine to send its familiar jolt of awareness through her veins. Feeling a little more awake, she sauntered to the table and took a seat across from John. The surface was scattered with various sections of newspaper, and he shoved them in her direction.

“I’m done with those if you want them.”

“Thanks,” she said. She wasn’t much of a newspaper reader, so instead, she turned her gaze out the sliding door to the verdant view of the backyard. With the rain that had fallen yesterday, she hadn’t gotten a chance to go outside. The backyard was well-manicured, filled with flowering shrubs and bushes, and a picturesque gazebo sat in the middle, practically calling to her. Maybe she’d try to dig up a book and go outside to read for a while. It had been a long time since she had more than just a few moments to herself.

She set her cup on the table, and her gaze slid over the rim to the headline on one of the sections of newspaper. The word “remains” caught her attention, and she turned the paper around to read the article. According to the report, the second victim had now been identified as a 56-year-old male resident of a neighboring suburb.

“Did you see this?” she tapped the newspaper, and John glanced up.

“I did. What a shame.”

She pressed her lips together, thinking of the day she’d found Mr. Tripp in the cornfield just a few weeks ago. She wondered if the police had any leads yet and if this case was related. The article didn’t say as much, but she wasn’t surprised by that. No need to spark unnecessary panic if they didn’t absolutely have to. She glanced at the man’s name again, committing it to memory: Merrill Keane.

She shook her head and pushed the newspaper away. “I hate reading the news. It’s so depressing all the time.”

He nodded in commiseration. “There is so much evil in the world.”

Eager to change the topic, she focused on John. “How have you been feeling?”

He tipped his head from side to side. “Getting old, Doc. You know how it is.”

She couldn’t tell if he was brushing her off or not. She studied him. “Have you been taking it easy?”

John huffed a laugh and set down the newspaper as he regarded her. “Are you kidding? My son won’t let me do more than lift a plate around here, like he thinks it’s going to break me.”

She offered a soft smile as she sat back in her seat. “That’s only because he cares about you. We both do.”

His dark, intelligent eyes met hers. “I appreciate that. It’s been nice having you around. I think you’re good for my boy. He’s used to being in charge all the time. It’s nice to see someone give him a run for his money. He’s always been a stubborn one.”

She barely managed to hold back a laugh. From what she’d witnessed over the past few days with the Cross men, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. “We’ll see what happens,” she said smoothly.

She wasn’t ready to admit the possibility of a relationship with Carter to herself, let alone anyone else. The last thing she wanted to do was get John’s hopes up. She genuinely liked the man, and she didn’t want him to be disappointed if things didn’t work out.

“What’s your plan for the day?”

He lifted an eyebrow at her change of subject but went along with it anyway. “Same as yesterday and the day before. I’ll probably watch some TV and relax.”