Page 9 of Deadly Past

Wynona swallowed several times before she lifted her head. Declan was watching her from across the table. She slowly pulled her hands free. “Thank you. That was beautiful.” She picked up her fork to give her nervous hand something to do. “I didn’t know you believed in God.”

She chanced a look his way in time to see his lips twist into a grin. “I didn’t until. . .until Gran helped me find my way to God. I spent a few weeks with her after the divorce,” he added in answer to the question she couldn’t ask.

Declan’s grandmother was a devout Christian. She must have been so pleased when he came to know God.

“After I moved to Hope Island, I was happy to find everyone on the team was a believer. I started attending church here, and it all fell into place for me. For the first time, I saw what was missing from my life, and it was a relationship with God.”

Wynona smiled at him. “I’m glad.” And yet a part of her was almost jealous. She’d been a lukewarm believer for a while now—way before her marriage fell apart. If she were honest, she’d put the hunt for the truth behind Lacey’s disappearance first above everything, including Declan and her faith.

Digging into her eggs, she realized it had been hours since she’d eaten anything. Before her shift had ended at the hospital, she’d grabbed a salad from the cafeteria. “These are good.” Wynona pointed her fork at the eggs then picked up a slice of bacon and bit into it.

“Thanks. You know how much I enjoy making breakfast for—” He stopped and focused on his plate. They were both nervous around each other.

“I do remember. Your breakfasts were the best.”

He appeared pleased by her compliment, and that made her happy.

“JT called earlier. We’re meeting at nine.” Declan looked up from his plate. “Will that work for you?”

She didn’t hesitate. “Of course.” It was exciting and a little terrifying to think that the truth behind her sister’s disappearance might finally be solved. If she could stay alive long enough.

Declan finished his breakfast and carried his plate to the sink. “I’m going to take a look around outside now that it’s daylight. Lock up behind me, okay?”

For reasons she refused to consider, Wynona didn’t want to let him go. “I’d like to go with you if I may.”

His opinion was clear. “Not a good idea. He wants you.”

“You’ll be with me.” Wynona wanted…no, sheneededto know the truth. And she wasn’t about to let this man take anything else away from her family.

“All right,” he gave in. “But I want you glued to my side.”

A shiver that had nothing to do with the possible threat sped down her spine. She carried her dish over to the sink and rinsed it before placing it in the dishwasher. “I’ll grab my jacket,” she told him and then left the room without waiting for his response.

Wynona slipped upstairs, closed the door, and leaned against it. Finding the truth was going to prove harder than she thought, if every little exchange between herself and Declan put her on edge. She had to get control over her emotions. Grabbing her jacket, she put it on. She’d survived a war; she wasn’t some shrinking violet. “Get it together,” she told her reflection in the mirror before heading downstairs.

“Ready?” Declan asked as he watched her descend the steps.

Wynona lifted her chin and did her best not to react to the warmth in his eyes. “Yes, I’m ready.”

Together, they stepped out into a bitter-cold December morning. Christmas was only a few days away. Wynona didn’t know how to deal with her worst nightmare returning and didn’t understand why the monster had come for her.

“Are you okay?” Declan’s gentle question pulled her back to him. He was so handsome, and he had a caring heart that had won her over from the start.

“Yes, just trying to understand all of this.”

His attention went to the rocky shoreline where multiple sets of footprints littered the ground. “Some of these are mine and JT’s, but the others belong to the perp.”

“Is it possible to get an identification from these?” She scraped back a strand of her hair from her eyes.

“Possibly. We have a friend who is the chief of police for Hope Island. We’ll leave this part of the investigation to him.” He looked down the beach. “Over there is JT and Rachel’s house.” Declan pointed to the treed area to their left. “Let’s see if he left anything else behind in his rush to escape.”

With Declan close, they entered the woods where the early morning light disappeared, and darkness closed in.

Wynona instinctively moved closer to Declan. The temperature was at least twenty degrees colder here. Declan reached for her hand. After the initial shock of feeling her hand in his, she was happy to feel the warmth and the strength in his and know she was protected. He used the flashlight app on his phone to light their path. More footprints were all around the space. Up ahead, the woods thinned as they neared the road. Together they stepped from the trees out onto the gravel road. Tire tracks beat a path on the road where the driver had fled the scene.

“Did you see the vehicle he drove?” Wynona asked.

Declan turned his face to her. “It wasn’t a pickup truck. It appeared to be a small car of some sort.”

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