Page 23 of Evidence of Deceit

Joe didn’t say anything for a long time. Just reached out and rubbed the backs of her hands, his lips pressed tight together. Finally, he looked at her. “I’m beyond upset about this and sad you had to go it alone.”

Oh God, please don’t be angry at me.Her hands started sweating. She could feel a flush starting at her throat and working downward. Joe must have sensed her anxiety.

He stopped and gave her a small smile. “But not at you. Never at you. I’m happy you came back and Sam asked me to protect you.”

He lifted her hands and kissed the back of each one. “I promise to keep you safe. I promise to do whatever I can to get you free of Keith and on your own.”

Oh, promises. Claire knew that everyone could believe their promises to keep her safe, but she knew deep down that she would never escape Keith’s clutches.

Sweat workedits way down Keith’s face and into his neck. He loosened his collar and wiped some of the moisture off. The saltiness caused his eyes to blink and burn. He’d love to turn the air-conditioning on but couldn’t take the chance that Mark or the woman would see him. He’d followed the woman’s car back to Mark’s house. No surprise there. They had gotten out and walked inside about ten minutes ago. Hepulled his visor down to keep some of the light out. Pulled a cap over his head and put sunglasses on.

He thought he’d have a chance to nab Claire at the shelter, but that hadn’t happened.Goddamn bitch. She never did anything right.Claire had been whisked away right under his nose. He followed the woman’s car right back to Mark’s house—the liar.

If he didn’t know better, he would have thought Claire was one of the down-on-their-luck women he had seen walking out earlier, not his wife, who spent a fortune on hair and makeup and always looked put-together and beautiful. Not the lank, pasty woman who walked out. And that outfit? Had she bought the clothes at a thrift shop? Or had the shelter given them to her? Either way, she looked like a homeless waif when he knew there was a closetful of designer clothes at home chosen just for her. But that was her choice right now. When she came back to him—and she would—he would make her burn those designer clothes. Make her shop at a thrift shop. It would serve her right.

He watched a tall, muscular man park a big, black truck in the driveway and walk into Mark’s house.Probably her new boy toy.A serious-looking, most likely ex-military guy. He had that look.

Mark had walked out about the same time and driven off. A little while later, the small woman left. He hoped neither noticed him. That meant Claire and the guy were alone. Doing who knew what. Bet the guy thought it would be fun to bang his wife.

Well, he would see about that. They would all be sorry—very sorry.

Chapter Twelve

The next morning, Claire walked into the kitchen to find Sam sitting at the kitchen table, eating yogurt. Thunder rumbled outside. The kitchen window framed bolts of lightning filling the sky.

Sam glanced over at her and put down her spoon. “Good morning to you.”

“Good morning. Lots of lightning out there.”

Sam nodded. “It’s going to be one of the crazy on/off storm days.”

“I guess. Rain is always good.” Claire looked around—no Joe. She didn’t hear any other noises coming from the house. “Is Joe here?”

When Joe left last night after Mark came home, but he hadn’t said anything to her about not coming back today. She assumed he would be and was disappointed he wasn’t. She missed him already.

“He’ll be here later this morning. I had the time, so I thought it would be a good time to get to know each other.”

Oh, damn.Claire knew what that meant. She was going tobe grilled again. Her stomach churned, threatened to spill what little contents were in it.

Sam shook her head and grinned. “Calm down. I’m not going to grill you.”

“Are you a mind reader?”

Sam laughed. “No. But you should never play poker. All your emotions show on your face. I just thought that because you’re Mark’s cousin and since Mark and I are involved…” She shrugged. “I know nothing about you, and I’d like to get to know you better. Come on.” She patted a chair. “I’ll get you a cup of coffee. We can sit right at the table.”

Claire let out the breath she was holding and sat down. “I guess I did panic for a minute. So how long have you and Mark been going out?”

“Hmmm. Let me think.” Sam placed a cup of coffee in front of Claire, her action precise and quick. “It’s been about three years. We met when Mark was doing some renovations on my friend Laura’s restaurant. Oh, I should get the girls together to meet you, and we’ll go there for dinner. They’ll love you.”

That sounded so normal to Claire. To be able to go out with friends, to laugh, talk and just have fun. It had been so long since she enjoyed being with friends. Would it be possible for her to finally have a normal life again? Keith had consumed her life. He’d dictated her every move—every little detail. She couldn’t remember who she was some days.

Joe had been disappointedwhen Sam informed him that she would be going over in the morning to stay with Claire instead of him. He wanted to see Claire again. Being around her was like coming home. But Sam had a job for him. One she knew he would relish.

Phil, KnightGuard’s IT guy, found out that Keith was staying at the Omni Hotel in downtown Black Pointe. The city had a couple of luxurious hotels, but the Omni was the ritziest. Joe had never been there but knew its reputation.

He arrived early, and the valet handed him the ticket for his truck. He walked into the four-story open atrium. Multiple beige and brown leather sofas dotted the lobby. People lined up registering or leaving, bellhops were stacking luggage, and almost every chair was occupied.

Sam had suggested he wear a dress shirt and pants so he wouldn’t look out of place. Lucky for him, he had one of each in his closet.

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