A bone-jarring sob broke from her, and she turned the shower off with a snap. She dried and redressed quickly, barely removing the water from her hair and skin. She wrapped half-dry hair into a messy bun and let her clothing stick to still-damp skin. She just needed to see Blake was there, and she wasn’t alone.
She reopened the door to find Blake in the same location, poised between rooms. His gaze kept a steady circuit from the front door to the bedroom and back.
“You’re up,” she said, tossing her duffel and wet things into the closet.
He tapped his phone screen, then gave her one stiff nod.
He disappeared into the bathroom, and Marissa exhaled long and slow. She hadn’t been alone since her morning jog at the national park, but the suite felt safer somehow than the small bathroom had. She was less vulnerable. There was room to run. Lamps to throw. She circled the rooms checking the window and door locks. All secure. As she expected. Two agents stood outside the front window with giant umbrellas. “Well, that explains his last-minute text,” she muttered, simultaneously thankful and concerned by the added protection.
Steam puffed beneath the bathroom door and scents of Blake’s shampoo filtered into her troubled mind. She turned for the front room in search of the minifridge and a cold bottle of water. Anything to help clear her thoughts.
She climbed onto the small sofa with her drink and folded her legs beneath her. She dialed her mother’s number and waited impatiently for an answer.
“Hello? Marissa?”
“Hey.” She swiped a renegade tear from her cheek. “Did Kara get there okay?”
“Yes.”
The joy and relief in her voice raised a smile on Marissa’s lips. “Good.” She nodded against the receiver. “And there’s a deputy there now? Someone should be staying with you tonight.”
“That’s right.” Her mother sniffled. “We have a full house. Mr. Garrett is staying and so is his youngest son and another deputy.”
“Cole’s staying?” Marissa asked.
“Mm-hmm.” The background voices grew louder. “The sheriff dropped her off and waited for the deputies to arrive, then he had to go. I’m serving coffee now. I wish you were here.”
“Me, too,” Marissa admitted. It would be great to crawl into her childhood bed and sleep soundly knowing her parents were right down the hall, and that they were all the protection she needed. Maybe she could do that again one day, but this wasn’t the night. Tonight, the whole family needed a team of guardians because one psychopath liked killing people who looked like the Lane women.
“Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?”
Marissa scanned the impersonal room before her, full of files, frequented by strangers and void of any personal touch. “No. I’m fine. I was just checking on you and Kara. I’m going to get some sleep.”
Her mother sighed. “The last two days have been horrific for me. I can’t imagine what they’ve been for you.”
“I’m fine.”
“You always are.” Her voice was soft like a hug. “Tomorrow will be a better day. You and your sister are safe now, and that’s all that matters. The whole sheriff’s department can move into the guest room permanently for all I care, so long as I know my girls are okay.”
The bathroom door opened, and Blake emerged in a black t-shirt and jogging pants. His hair was damp, and his skin red from the hot shower.
Marissa gripped the phone a little tighter. “Tell Dad and Kara I love them. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
“You’d better. I love you, sweetie.”
“I love you too.” Marissa disconnected and set the phone aside, letting her mother’s comforting words warm her bones.
Blake pulled an extra blanket from the closet and carried it to the couch. “May I?”
“Sure.”
He fanned the blanket over her legs and took a seat beside her. “Checking in on your family?”
“Yeah. They’re fine. Your dad, Cole and another deputy are all staying there tonight.”
“Good. I don’t think they need the coverage, but their presence should help your family sleep. They’ve all had a bad day.” He bent to retrieve a fat stack of files, then balanced them on his lap.
Apparently, he had more work to do.
Marissa pulled the blanket up to her chin. “Why’d Nash drive Kara home tonight? Why didn’t he take her or hurt her while he had the chance?”
Blake turned his heavily burdened gaze on her. “Nash doesn’t want her. This isn’t random for him. He’s specific. Focused. Exact. He wanted to send us a message. He wants us to know he’s done his research. He’s watched you. He knows what’s important to you, and he wants you to know he’s in control. He may have even let you get away from him at the national park because that was the surest way to get me involved.”
Marissa’s jaw dropped. “You think he let me go?” She pressed her fingers to the pulse suddenly beating in her temple. “I fought like hell to get away from him.”
Blake lifted a palm slightly off the folder. “It’s just a theory.”
She frowned. The storm rumbled outside the window, rattling the glass and whistling around the door. Sheets of rain streaked over the large pane of glass beside her as if they were slowly being submerged. “Anything else you want to share?”
Blake eased the top folder in her direction and flipped the cover open. “Yes.”
* * *
HE SLID THE open folder onto her lap and watched as she began to read.
Time moved more slowly as she pored over the pages, catching his eye from time to time when the messy scrawl on sticky notes became too much to decipher. She tapped her finger to the letters BF scribbled
