Page 19 of Cold Threat

She watched them for several minutes, but the cold was seeping through her jacket, and she shivered.

“You’re freezing,” Tony said. He put his arm around her, and she leaned into him before she realized what she was doing. As they stood there, she felt his body stiffen. She looked up and found him staring at her. The look on his face, and the way his eyes bored into hers, filled her with a warmth that belied the icy wind that whipped past them. Although it took almost all the strength she could muster, she gently moved away, embarrassed by his reaction ... and hers.

“Back to the car?” he said, his voice tight.

She nodded and followed him back to the SUV. Had he reacted without thinking? Was he regretting it now?

Neither one of them spoke for a while. Finally, Tony cleared his throat. “At night, several of the historic buildings in downtown Burlington are illuminated with LED lights. Maybe we can see that while we’re here. The Festival of Lights has started, but again, you can’t see them during the day. We also have the Christmas tree lighting and the parade, but that will be in a week or so.”

“You keep saying ‘we,’” she said. “Do you see this as your home, Tony?”

“No. Well ... I don’t know. I’d be lying if I said that I wouldn’t like to live here someday. But right now, I want to be in St. Louis.”

“Why?”

He turned to look at her. “Don’t start thinking I’m only there because of you, River. First of all, it’s only a little over three hours from here to St. Louis. Much closer to my parents than Virginia was. Also, we can’t grow the kind of agency we want here. For now, I’m exactly where I want to be. You need to believe me. I wouldn’t lie to you. You know that, right?”

River immediately felt better. No, as a Christian, he wouldn’t lie.

When they got back to his parents’ house, Tony pointed at a Jeep parked in the driveway. “Aimee’s here. You’ll love her. I told you she works in social services, but I don’t think I ever got into details. She’s a victim advocate at an organization called the Eagle’s Nest. They help victims of sexual abuse, domestic abuse, rape, and human trafficking.”

“Does her choice to work there have anything to do with what happened to your aunt?”

“It has everything to do with it. It impacted all of us in a big way.” He smiled at her. “I hope you enjoyed your tour. No need to tip your tour guide.”

“Good to know,” she said, returning his smile. The tension between them seemed to have eased, and she was relieved.

As they made their way up the porch stairs, the snow swirled around them. River couldn’t help but feel as if each flake was a warning.

CHAPTER

ELEVEN

He wished he were there—watching her. But for now, he’d keep his distance. Waiting was hard, but it wasn’t time yet. Had they figured it out? Did they know where they’d gone wrong? Would she only realize it at the last minute? That would be so satisfying. But he wasn’t going to count on that. Finishing the job would be reward enough.

He’d sent her something to let her know he was still here. Still planning her demise. She would be back soon.

And then he’d finish what he’d started.

FOR SOME REASON,River was a little nervous about meeting Aimee. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because of River’s rocky relationship with her brother, Dan. A sibling was someone you grew up with. A person who knew you better than you knew yourself. When Dan was upset with her, the hurt was deeply personal. Her parents had clear rules when she and Dan were young. Act like good little pastor’s kids. Don’t be loud. Don’t be obnoxious. And whatever you do, never give away familysecrets. Don’t tell anyone about the arguments between your parents. Don’t let anyone know about what you saw once at church when you opened the door to your father’s office and his secretary was with him. Keep your mouth shut, and stay out of the way.

But she and Dan had shared everything. They knew things weren’t right. Maybe they had no power to do anything about it, but they were honest with each other. And they protected each other. Where was he now? River knew he had a family—and that had to come first—but she missed her brother. She missed having someone in her life she could say anything to.

Even as the thought came to her mind, she glanced over at Tony. The truth was, she’d told him things she never thought she could share with anyone else. She trusted him completely. She suddenly felt an urge to reach over and put her arm through his, but she stopped herself. There couldn’t be a repeat performance of what had happened at the park. It was true that she felt closer to Tony than anyone else in the world, but there was a line. A line that neither one of them seemed willing to cross. She’d felt something when he’d put his arm around her near the river, but he was just trying to keep her warm. It meant nothing ... or did it? She remembered his face. The way he’d looked at her. She pushed the memory out of her mind. For now, she was happy just to see him at work every day. To know that if she needed anything, he would be there for her. She had no intention of losing that. She couldn’t imagine her life without Tony in it.

Maybe that’s why she was worried about Aimee. She knew the siblings had a deep, unbreakable bond. What if Aimee didn’t like her? Would it drive a wedge between her and Tony?

As he opened the door, she shivered uncontrollably, but this time it wasn’t because of the temperature. It was caused by a sliver of fear that snaked down her back.

“Sorry you’re so cold,” Tony said, obviously seeing her reaction.“You’ll warm up inside. My guess is that Mom will make her famous hot chocolate and give us some of her delicious snickerdoodles.”

River laughed. “Your prediction is too late. Your mom brought me hot chocolate and cookies last night when I was getting ready for bed.”

Tony grinned. “My mother. So predictable.” He closed the door behind them. “She likes you, you know. A lot. I can’t wait for my sister to meet you. She’ll love you too.”

River smiled at him. “I hope so.” She pulled off her coat and hung it up in the closet near the door. Then she took a deep breath and followed Tony into the kitchen where they could hear voices.

“Smooshy!” a woman called out as they entered.

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