Page 9 of Deadly Oath

As usual, Marie is thrilled to see me when she picks me up. “You look a little pale,” she observes as I slide into the passenger’s seat of the minivan. “You feeling alright?”

“Yeah. I just—I went for a run earlier, after you dropped me off. Out on those trails behind my house. And I had—a bit of a mishap.” Itell her about the sounds in the woods that startled me, tripping over the rock, the snake, and how Kian saved me from it. By the time I finish, Marie is wide-eyed, turning to stare at me briefly before quickly turning her eyes back to the road.

“Heshotit? He must be a quick draw, for him to catch it before it struck you.Whew.” She fans herself with a grin, a mischievous look on her face. “I think he might have a thing for you.”

I start to tell her about Kian asking me out on a date, while he was sitting at my kitchen table. But I think better of it. If I know anything about Marie, she’ll latch onto thathard, and then I’ll never hear the end of it. “He cut it up afterward,” I murmur, trying to drag the conversation back to what actually happened. “Threw it into the river. It was kind of—violent.”

“Well, he knows what he’s doing, then.” Marie nods approvingly, as if this confirms something for her. “It was good he was out there.”

“Yeah. I just—is that something that’s a part of the sheriff’s job? Going out and patrolling the trails?” I bite my lip, knowing how paranoid I sound, but I can’t help it. If anyone will let me know if something is amiss, it’s Marie. “I thought I heard those footsteps off in the woods right before, but they definitely weren’t him.”

Marie shrugs, turning off onto the road that leads to Cindy’s house, where book club is hosted. Apparently, she was volunteered for the spot, since she doesn’t have kids, meaning her house is the most peaceful option.

Truthfully, it would probably bemyhouse by that definition, strictly speaking. I don’t have a boyfriend, husband,orkids—but Cindy’s house was already the chosen spot by the time I came along, and thankfully, no one suggested a change of venue.

“I mean, sure,” Marie says, pulling into the driveway. “He’s in charge of keeping the town safe. And he’s new, so it’s good that he’s familiarizing himself with things. It makes sense to me.”

I nod, gathering up my purse as Marie turns the car off.I’m just being paranoid, I remind myself as I slide out of the car, following her to the brightly painted red door at the front of Cindy’s white-shingled house. The yard is a riot of carefully cultivated colors of purple,yellow, and orange mums, blooming along the front of the house and along the edge of the steps. When Marie opens the door and I follow her in, I’m instantly hit with the scent of cinnamon, sugar, and a variety of fried foods.

The other women are already gathered in the living room, sitting with drinks in hand and their copies of the book in their laps. There’s a plate of what looks like snickerdoodles in the middle of the coffee table, and a plate of fried appetizers—I think I see cheese sticks, potato skins, and mini calzones.

“Oh good, you’re here!” Cindy says breezily, giving Marie a hug and me a smile. My feelings aren’t hurt by it—I’m well aware that Marie is the only one here who’s really taken to me. The other women still aren’t sure about me, and I can’t blame them.

I go to the kitchen, where mulled apple cider is heating up in a crock pot. I stare at it for a long time before finally taking a breath and ladling a bit of it into a mug, before retreating back to the living room to join the others. Marie has kindly saved me a spot next to her, and I reach for a cookie, hoping it will be enough for my rumbling stomach. I can’t quite manage to force myself to eat the greasy cheese sticks or potato skins.

I try to pay attention as Daphne talks about why she picked this particular book this month, but my mind keeps wandering back to the incident on the trail. Back to Kian.

“Sabrina? Are you alright?” Cindy asks me from where she’s sitting across from me, but it doesn’t have the same concern that Marie had. She sounds more annoyed that I’m not paying attention, and I know what she’s thinking—that I think I’m too good for them, and their little book club. That she doesn’t even know why I’m here if I don’t really want to participate, most likely.

“Sabrina had a near-accident out on the trails today,” Marie pipes up in my defense, and everyone’s attention turns to her. “Rattlesnake. Sheriff Brady was there and took care of it for her. Shot it, she said.”

“Oh.” Cindy’s eyes widen. “Lucky you.”

“And not just because he killed the snake, either,” Daphne adds with a giggle. “Imagine having Kian Bradysaveyou.”

“You’re married!” Cindy gasps, and Daphne rolls her eyes.

“Most of us are. That doesn’t mean we don’t have eyes any longer.”

The conversation swiftly shifts, away from any questions of why I was distracted, and focuses entirely on Sheriff Brady and how attractive he is. Within seconds, I’m forgotten, and the women are giggling and gossiping away.

I can only imagine what they’d say if I mentioned that he asked me out. But I don’t, because I don’t want the attention on me again. The last thing I want is to feel even more out of place—and I have a feeling that’s exactly what would happen. No one would understand why I turned him down. And they’d probably all be just as confused as I am as to why he asked me on a date at all.

I feel lonely sitting there. Marie’s attention is fully engrossed in the conversation as well—and why wouldn’t it be? She’s been friends with these women far, far longer than she’s known me.

But that feeling of loneliness persists, all the way until I’m back home, getting ready for bed. My house feels chilly and silent, and I slide under the covers, trying to push away the persistent sense of unease that lingers at how ominously quiet it is outside. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the silence out here, broken only by?—

I freeze, my heart thumping in my chest as I hear the sound of a twig cracking outside, and what sounds like footsteps on leaves. A chill runs down my spine, my breath catching in my throat as I listen to the rustling, louder at first and then fading away.

A deer,I tell myself again.Maybe even a black bear. Not a person.

After all, unless someone has found me, there’s no reason for a person to be out, walking around my house.

And Caldwell promised me that no one would.

5

KIAN

---