Page 37 of Flynn

She frowned. “I don’t understand. Why would a professional hit man do that?”

“Yeah, exactly the point. It’s not typical behavior for a man committing a triple homicide. It adds a wrinkle to the case.”

“But there’s no sign my cousins were killed?” she asked.

“So far the police are operating under the assumption they’re alive.” He hesitated, then added, “But the destruction of the apartment isn’t a good sign. It seems to indicate your cousins are involved with whatever is going on.”

“I understand.” She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. She wasn’t close to her Paulson cousins, but they had played together as kids. It was difficult to comprehend how the youngsters she remembered had turned into criminals.

Because clearly they’ve gotten themselves involved in something dangerous. And Roman had already been brutally murdered as a result. “Maybe identifying the property owners on Peabody Lake will help point us in the right direction.” A sudden thought occurred to her. “Maybe Lyle and Jake are at that house now.”

“I had considered that, but if the gunman who found us on the lake and drilled bullets into the boat is the same one who trashed their house, then that’s not likely.”

“You’re right.” Her shoulders slumped. “I guess I was just looking for a reason to believe they’re still alive.”

“Don’t dwell on the worst-case scenario,” he said calmly. “Better to focus on trying to figure out who the gunman is and why he has killed so many people.”

“We know who he is, Nickoli Yurgis.” She still had trouble believing the gunman had ties to the Russian Mafia. “But why he was hired to kill the Millers is a mystery. I highly doubt he owns any of the property on Peabody Lake.”

“True.” Flynn rose and crossed the room to peer out the window, then turned to face her. “Have faith we’ll find him.”

She managed a smile, pulling the edge of the quilt up over her shoulder. Rhy couldn’t get there with replacement clothes soon enough. “I will do my best.”

“Me too.” Flynn held her gaze for a long moment, then glanced through the window again. “I think that’s Rhy now.”

She turned to look out the window in time to see a black SUV roll slowly through the parking lot. Seeing it reminded her of how the third black SUV she’d noticed while they’d been at Zeke’s place. “How do you know it’s Rhy and not the gunman?”

Flynn shot her a quick glance. “I recognize Rhy’s blond hair and his license plate. Don’t worry, we’re safe here for now.”

For nowwas the part that worried her, but she didn’t say anything. It didn’t take long for Rhy to get out of the SUV and grab what seemed to be a huge bag of clothing from the back seat.

Flynn opened the door. “Thanks for getting here so quickly.”

“You have Devon to thank for that; she helped make quick work of our little shopping expedition.” Rhy gave her a quick nod. “My wife was determined to make sure you had everything you needed.”

“That’s very sweet.” Taylor was touched by how Rhy’s wife had chipped in to buy her clothing. She had tried hard not to imagine Rhy buying her underwear. “Make sure you let her know how grateful I am for everything she’s done.”

“I will.” Rhy dropped the bag on the bed. “I’m pretty sure I have everything you need, including basic toiletries. And a pair of disposable phones.” Rhy glanced at the computer. “I’m glad you were able to salvage one of the laptops.”

“That was Taylor’s idea,” Flynn was quick to give her credit, as if she’d done something impressive, which she hadn’t. Flynn gestured to the two of them. “As you can tell by the blankets, we couldn’t take much with us.”

“Smart thinking to focus on getting out of there.” Rhy stepped back to give them room to access the contents of the bag. “You should both grab clean clothes, shower, and change. We’ll talk about next steps once you’re finished.”

Just thinking about a hot shower had her rummaging in the bag. She quickly found the clothes, undergarments, and shoes Devon had picked out for her. Gathering them close, she made her way through the connecting door to her room.

Thirty minutes later, she emerged from the bathroom feeling completely refreshed. Everything fit better than she could have hoped, from the soft denim jeans to the dark-blue fleece, and the best of all, thick socks and running shoes. The toiletries Devon had chosen were great too. She hadn’t realized how awful her hair had smelled until she’d gotten a whiff of the shampoo and conditioner.

Being able to use a blow-dryer was a bonus. With dry hair, she felt warm for the first time in what seemed like eons but was only an hour or two.

Hearing the rumble of deep male voices, she pushed the door of their connecting rooms open. Both men instantly turned to look at her.

“Have a seat.” Flynn jumped to his feet. He was freshly showered and shaved and looked amazing. She hadn’t appreciated his good looks and strength when she’d met him back in October, but now she was acutely aware of him on every level. Most importantly, his consideration and thoughtfulness. “I’m making coffee if you’re interested.”

“That would be wonderful, thanks.” She took his chair near the small table and glanced between the two men. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing important,” Flynn hastened to assure her. “I filled Rhy in on the details regarding our incident on Peabody Lake. We’ve discussed the most likely scenario is that the man who hired the gunman to shoot the Millers lives there. Likely in the same house where the photograph was taken of your cousins Lyle and Jake.”

She nodded, having come to the same conclusion. “But then something happened that turned the owner of the house against the Millers and my cousins.”

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