window and he caught her, carefully lowering her to the ground, his hands firm around her waist.
“What’s happening?”
“I’m not sure. The cop that relieved Danny isn’t there anymore. The car is gone and so is he.”
Conor wrapped his arm around her shoulders, then led her out toward the beach. Only then did she notice the gun in his other hand. She stumbled in the wet sand and Conor took her arm and pulled her along. For a while, he led her one way on the beach, then they suddenly ran closer to the water and started in the opposite direction.
She could barely see her hand in front of her face as blackness engulfed them. Icy water soaked into her shoes and she tried to draw a decent breath, but Conor’s pace was unrelenting as they continued down the beach. Every now and then, they stopped and he listened, staring back into the darkness. Then they continued on.
When she didn’t think she could go any farther, Conor led her along a concrete seawall, then up and over a dune to a darkened beach house. The sound of breaking glass cut through the roar of the waves and she squinted to see him reaching through a broken pane to open a door. He silently led her inside, then closed the door behind him.
Olivia felt her knees folding beneath her and he reached out and grabbed her waist, his arm supporting her weight. He drew her body against his and rubbed her back to warm her. How could she feel so safe, yet so scared, at the same time?
“It’s all right,” he murmured, cradling the back of her head in his hand. “We should be fine here, at least for a little while.”
“But we were supposed to be safe there,” Olivia cried. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “The phone was out and there was someone prowling around the front door. It could have been the wind and the storm, but I don’t think so.”
“I don’t want to do this anymore,” Olivia said, tears pressing at the corners of her eyes. “I just want to go far away, where no one knows me.”
But if she didn’t testify and put Keenan in jail, how would she ever feel safe again? She’d spend the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, waiting for him or one of his henchmen to silence her for good. “I-I just want to forget I ever heard anything. You can’t keep me here. I won’t testify.”
He placed his palm on her cheek, his grim expression softening. “Don’t talk like that, Olivia. I’ll keep you safe, I promise. From now on, it’s just you and me. And people I know I can trust.”
He pulled her along to the kitchen, then withdrew a cell phone from his pocket. Conor punched in a number, then waited. “Dylan? This is Con. I know it’s late, but this is important. I need you to get a boat.” He paused. “When did he get in?” Conor turned to her and smiled. “I want the two of you to bring
He crossed the room to Olivia and rubbed her arms distractedly. “I need to go find us transportation into town. You’re going to have to stay here by yourself. Just for a little while.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m coming with you.”
He considered her request for only a moment, then nodded. “This place has a garage. Let’s hope the owners leave a car here during the off-season.”
They moved through the dark house, eyes fully adjusted to the lack of light. The door to the garage was just off the kitchen and Conor opened it. He flipped on the overhead light and held his hand over her eyes to shield them. “Bingo,” he muttered. When her eyes had adjusted, she saw a jeep parked in the center of the garage. “It doesn’t have a roof or windows, but it has four wheels. The ride might be a little cold and wet, but we won’t have to walk into town.” He turned to Olivia. “Let’s get some rest. We don’t need to leave for a while.”
“Shouldn’t we find the keys?”
“If they aren’t in the ignition, I’ll just hot-wire it. Come on, my brothers will be here just before dawn. Hopefully, whoever’s looking for us will wait until after the sun rises to continue the search.”
“I-I don’t think I can sleep.”
Conor took her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “We’ll get you warm and you’ll feel much better.”
They went back inside and he led her to the sofa. Then he sat down beside her and gathered her into his arms. How had they become so close so quickly? Olivia wondered. Was it the danger they faced, the two of them against the rest of the world? Or was this simply some police tactic to make her compliant with all his requests? Olivia closed her eyes and leaned against his shoulder.
She hadn’t been touched by a man in such a long time. She’d had men in her life, but lately Olivia had found searching for antiques much more satisfying than looking for love. Still she’d never felt so close to another man as she did to Conor Quinn right now. How long had she been searching for this elusive feeling, the security of knowing that someone-even a virtual stranger-cared?
Olivia drew a ragged breath and tried to calm her chaotic thoughts. It would be so easy to fall for this man, she mused. But in eleven days, he’d disappear from her life and she’d be expected to put the pieces back together and go on as if nothing had happened.
She didn’t want to think about the future. Right now, she could only think about the present, the next minute, the next hour. If she thought too far ahead, the fear would engulf her and she’d be too terrified to open her eyes, too afraid even to breathe. “Talk to me,” she murmured. “I can sleep if I just hear your voice.”
“Not a scintillating conversationalist, huh?”
She looked up at him and smiled. “I like the sound of your voice. It has magic in it.”
“Then I’ll tell you a magical story,” he said, putting on a thick Irish accent. She listened as Conor wove a fascinating tale about a beautiful fairy named Etain. He patiently explained in a soothing tone that fairies, or the Sidh, were not tiny creatures with wings, but human size. They lived in a parallel world, a world that met the real world at times when one thing became another-dusk into night, dawn into day, summer into fall.
Etain had bewitched a king with her beauty, but when the king’s brother met her, he fell in love with her as well. Conor filled the story with vivid detail, and by the time he had finished, she was captivated by the images he wove in her mind. Such a complex man, she mused. So tough and calculating on the outside, and so sensitive on the inside.
Olivia looked up at him. “How do you know that story?”
“My da used to tell us. He wasn’t home much, so we’d try to memorize all the details so we could retell them after he was gone. It was like a competition between me and my brothers as to who could tell it the best.”
Without thinking, she reached up and placed her palm on his cheek. He gazed down into her eyes and, for a moment, she was certain he’d kiss her. Olivia thought about making the first move, curious as to how he’d taste, how his lips would feel on hers. Would they be hard and demanding? Or gentle and tentative?
“We shouldn’t do this,” Conor murmured, his gaze fixed on her mouth. “You’re a witness. I’m supposed to protect you.”
Hesitantly, Olivia drew her hand away. She shouldn’t have assumed he’d be as attracted to her as she was to him. Such a fantasy, lusting after her protector. And how silly that she couldn’t see it for what it was-a way to escape the troubles of her real life. He was just a convenient man, someone to make her feel safe and cherished. “I’m sorry,” she said, drawing away.
“Don’t be,” Conor replied uneasily. “It-it’s pretty common. You’re afraid-I’m…reassuring. It happens all the time.”
“Then it’s happened to you before?” she asked.
“No,” he murmured. “Never.”
“Well, that makes me feel so much better.” She pushed up from the sofa. “I’m going to go find a bed. Wake me when it’s time to leave.”
She wandered down a long hallway, anxious to put as much distance between Conor Quinn and herself as she could. When she finally closed the bedroom door behind her, she leaned back and sighed. Everything seemed so unreal, as if she were watching herself in a movie. What had happened to her life? Just a few months ago, she’d been consumed with work, finding no time to even think about her pitiful social life.
And now she was tossed into the company of the most intriguing and handsome man she’d ever met. She should be thrilled. But the more she got to know Detective Quinn, the more she began to believe that Red Keenan
