“It fits, too,” Jared said straight-faced. “The town is just as hard to find as the garden.”
“Ha, ha,” I teased, unimpressed with his joke. “So do we have an actual destination?”
Jared smiled. “We do, now. When I saw we were on Ocean Highway, I thought of the perfect place.”
“Which is….?” I trailed off.
“Virginia Beach.”
I smiled. “I’ve never been there.”
He met my eyes, matching my expression. “I thought it would be a relaxing place for you to wait while the investigators figure out what happened, and then when they contact us — and they will — we will return in a few days, upset and flustered.”
I frowned. Jared’s plan wouldn’t work. If anything, once the Providence PD followed the breadcrumbs we left for them, we would look more suspicious. Jared’s loft had already been declared an act of arson, and they had assumed it was him. Unable to prove anything, no charges were filed. But now that my car had also been targeted, he would be under investigation again. If they found out we were there at the time of the explosion, they could charge and hold us for a number of things. With every thought, my concerns compounded.
“It’s not the first time I’ve had to explain myself to the police. I promise there is no need to worry. We’ll explain our version and leave for Jerusalem as planned. If I can kill a dozen or so dirty cops in one night and keep our names out of it….”
“But her family. Don’t you think the police stopped looking back then because they dug deep enough to see what was going on? Sasha’s family will want answers.”
“Ryan and Claire will take care of it. The family will have answers. They’ll just have ones that don’t imply either of us. You have a bodyguard that everyone knows about, Nina. Now everyone will know why. You’re a target, and Sasha was collateral damage. It’s not far from the truth, actually. The only difference is that we won’t have to explain why we fled the scene.”
Jared took my hand and kissed my fingers, and then pressed my knuckles into his chest. “I’m sorry about Sasha. She didn’t deserve to die, but you can’t blame yourself for her death. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”
I stiffened. “How can you say that? You couldn’t have known—”
“I should have known. That very easily could have been you.” He frowned at the thought. “I’m glad it was her and not you. I know you’re wallowing in guilt about what her family will feel when they get the call, but I want you to think about the moment that car exploded. If it wasn’t her? Honey, I would have watched my wife and child’s death in the same moment. You can’t wish that for me.” He released my hand and wiped his eyes with his thumb and index finger, and then sighed. “I’m just glad it wasn’t you.”
I wanted to tell him that it shouldn’t have happened at all, but I was afraid it would only make him feel worse. “First the loft, now the car,” I sighed. “We won’t have anything before long.”
“We need to take out whoever the hell knows anything about explosives, that’s for sure.” He laughed once, sounding exhausted. “This being so in tune with you and Bean that I’m missing important things like a bomb on your car is also a negative.” He shook his head. “It was ignition-based, so it couldn’t have been there before you left for Titan. It had to been set up between the time you got there and when it blew. Bex would have sensed it. The only time they would have had a window is after I arrived.”
“How is that possible? You were in the Escalade a few feet away.”
“Exactly,” he said, his expression unsettled. “It was difficult to focus before….”
“Before what?” I asked, knowing better. Jared had become skilled at leaving me out of the loop. It wasn’t like him to slip.
He replied with only a sigh, but he was visibly upset. It was then that I made a decision. I no longer wanted to be in the dark. I was a mother now. With so many important things at stake, it was time I took an active role in the effort to save our lives.
“Tell me,” I said.
“After we…I’ve been more in-tuned to you for a while. I had just become used to wading through the mess to get to the basics of what I used to feel when you…when we….”
“This would be a good time to forget your usual hour-long explanation and just get down to the naked truth.”
“The baby. I sense it, too. It’s amazing, but it’s also distracting. Very distracting.”
“You sense the baby?” I smiled. “So is Bean your Taleh, too?”
Jared frowned. “This whole situation is unprecedented. That would mean the baby is human, and that’s obviously not the case. Maybe it’s because the baby is a part of you. I just don’t know.”
From that point on, Jared remained silent except for the few times we made pit stops. As the sun began to set, we had just breached the outskirts of Myrtle Beach. I couldn’t help but think about the fact that Sasha’s mother hadn’t heard from her for a full day, and at any minute they would go to her home, and the panic would begin. Sasha would be reported missing any moment. The guilt began to close down around me once again, so much so that it was hard to take in the beauty ahead.
While we were eating a late lunch, Jared had called ahead and reserved a condo at Myrtle Beach’s most Northern Point, the Grande Dunes Oceanfront. As we pulled up to the resort, I gasped at its extravagance. It worsened my sense of guilt.
“What is it?” Jared said. I could see the hope in his eyes. He wanted this to be an escape, but I couldn’t stomach maternity massages and facials knowing my friends and Sasha’s family were going through hell.
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do. I really do. But this is not a real vacation. We’re hiding out while most of the people I know think I’m dead, and Sasha’s family frantically search for her.”
Jared nodded and squeezed my hand. “That’s the idea, but I’m not pitching a tent on the beach for my pregnant wife. You deserve a little comfort while you’re busy stressing out for everyone.”
“’A little comfort’ would be the Super 8 down the road, Jared. This is a resort.”
“It’s beachfront, and the ocean will clear your head. C’mon.”
Jared checked in while I tried to seem completely normal about the fact that we brought two large full suitcases for a quick getaway. The staff was too pleasant, almost eager that we had arrived. I thought that strange for two reasons: One, Jared called for reservations just a few hours before; and Two, we weren’t celebrities. Their behavior quickly had me convinced that they were shells, and they would attack us at any moment.
“Sweetheart?” Jared called over his shoulder.
I glared at the girl behind the desk. Her blonde spiral curls bounced against her full, pink cheeks. Her warm brown eyes were glazed over with the absolute captivation she felt standing before Jared. I remembered that feeling. Jared was ridiculously beautiful, and his looks and confidence alone must have made them think he was famous in some way. Okay, maybe they weren’t demons with skin, but that girl was still looking at my husband as if she wanted to eat him.
“Just fine,” I said with my best fake smile. Other than watching a colleague I’d known for three years turn into toast before my eyes, I wasn’t sure why I was in such a foul mood. Girls like that behaving in a completely understandable way hadn’t affected me in years. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d rolled my eyes at waitresses or coeds nearly slobbering over Jared. It could be several things, but I was sure my rounding form was the culprit.
Jared returned to me and the luggage. Inside the room, Jared placed our luggage on the mattress, and looked around. The room was spacious and light, not unlike any other hotel room I’d spent time in.
“This is nice,” Jared said.
“Have I ever told you that you suck at small talk?” I smiled. I walked the few steps to reach him, and then pressed my forehead against his chest.
Jared laughed and kissed my cheek. “Yes.”
I went tot he bathroom and splashed water on my face. The puffy towels smelled sterile and flowery, a quick giveaway that we weren’t at home. I groaned and stretched. A belly nearly in full bloom and a long road trip didn’t mesh well together. I felt stiff and groggy.
“Nap or beach?” Jared said. He pulled off his boots and slipped his bare feet into a pair of leather sandals.
“Both sound equally appealing, but a walk on the beach after being stuck in the car is the better option.”
“Agreed,” he said, holding his hand out to me.
We lazily walked to the near-private beach of the Grande Dunes, letting the new summer wind whip around
