Page 17 of Ambush

She turned to stare out the window and said nothing the rest of the drive into town. The stop at the bank proved easy even with no ID. Her old school friend Abby had fixed her up with a debit card and cash in hand.

He parked in the small lot next to Island Bling and followed her inside. She went straight to the jeans stacked on tables. He wandered to the tees and took a hunter-green one with Big Al, the University of Alabama elephant mascot, on the back to show her. “This would go well with your coloring. A small, right? I think it would fit.”

She eyed him. “What do you know about coloring and clothing?”

“I’ve got eyes and notice things.” He laid the tee on the stack of jeans. “Give it a try.”

She shook her head, but the hint of a smile hovered on her lips and a bit of the sadness in her eyes ebbed. With several more tops in her stack, she stepped into a dressing room while he poked through the display of purses. She wasn’t the fancy-purse type, and he spotted a small bag with a zipper that opened with room for cards, ID, and money. Its brown pebbly finish felt like real leather, and the price seemed to reflect that. She’d never want to spend that much for a purse, but in an impulsive move, he took it to the cashier and paid for it. He took it out to the truck and tossed it inside. Once they were heading home, she couldn’t take it back when he gave it to her.

When he returned to the store, she was at the counter paying for the new items. He counted the outfits. Three jeans, four shorts, a lightweight jacket, and seven tees. It was a start.

She handed him the large bag. “I’ll meet you in the truck in a few minutes. There’s a lingerie store down the street.”

He took the bag with no complaint. A man could withstand only so much temptation.

***

Look at her—she was in the truck with Blake Lawson and she was being civil to him. The back of Blake’s truck held her new clothing, toiletries, shoes, and some snacks. He hadn’t mentioned where she would be lodged now that her cabin was toast, but they likely had an empty one she could claim.

“Oh, wait.” She sat upright. “I forgot to buy a purse.”

He reached for something on the floor and handed her a bag. “I got you one.”

“What? I’ll bet it’s pink.”

“You lose. Here, check it out.”

She opened the bag and reached inside. Her hand touched leather, and she withdrew the cutest purse she’d ever seen. The brown pebbly finish was just right, and it wasn’t a huge thing she’d have to tote around. “It’s perfect, but you didn’t need to do that. It feels like real leather.”

“I didn’t ask, but I thought you’d like it.”

Her tongue felt glued to the top of her mouth. She hadn’t expected him to do something like this. “Thank you, Blake. That was very kind.”

“We can’t have you toting your debit card and cash around in a plastic bag.” He started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. “Any other stops before we head home?”

What would he say if she told him the real reason she was here? “Could we go to Nova Cambridge and drive by the old neighborhood?”

“Sure. Feeling nostalgic, or is there another reason?”

She was tired of feeling she was fighting the world. Though she still wanted to hold him at arm’s length, he’d be ready to fight for her. He’d always been one to take up for the underdog in school.His listening skills should have only improved with his years in the Marines. She had to have an ally. The fire had convinced her she couldn’t do this on her own. The idea of finding the man who’d killed her parents had seemed possible until she arrived and found the enemy ensconced in her childhood home. And most friends she remembered from her teens weren’t around any longer. Running into her old friend Abby in the bank had been a stroke of luck, but she had no idea if it was possible to resurrect anything from the past.

Her gaze strayed to Blake’s strong jaw and firm lips. Except for Blake and Jenna. They’d once been the rocks that bolstered her fragile confidence. She couldn’t truly trust them, but they were at least kindred spirits. They were facing an adversary too.

She had sensed Blake’s deep regret over their past, but trust came hard to her. She’d been betrayed too many times by too many people.

“Paradise?”

She blinked and found that Blake had left Pelican Harbor behind. He’d pulled into a stand of oak trees and parked the truck under lacy strands of hanging moss that gleamed white in the moonlight. “Sorry, I was thinking.”

He ran both front windows down, then shut off the engine. “Tell me why you’re really here. I don’t believe it was because you needed a job. Accepting help from my family would have been your last choice, not your first thought. Something else drove you back here, and I don’t believe it was your arm injury.”

Her fingers found the ridge of ugly, painful flesh under the thin fabric of her cotton shirt. Blake had flinched at the sight of the angry red ridges marring her skin. Everyone did, and she used to keep it covered to spare the sensibilities of other people until she decided she couldn’t put on a mask. Her real handicapwasn’t the weakness in her arm—it was the fear that froze her in place when she least expected it.

Blake shifted on the seat. “You can talk to me.”

She exhaled and slumped against the seat. “It all started three months ago, right after my injury. I was on pain pills at night so I could sleep, but they had a nasty side effect—nightmares. I thought that’s all they were, but they began to happen during the day. Visions of waking in fear in a dark closet while someone whispered my name on the other side of the door.”

“Memories of that night? You didn’t remember much when we were dating.”

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