Page 25 of Evidence of Deceit

When they were younger, he and Claire had never talked about moving forward with their relationship, although she hinted at a future with him. They’d only kissed—a lot. Sweet, warm kisses that sustained him all these years. And double damn if he didn’t want to get up, pull her into his arms and kiss her some more.

Claire was a married woman, and he knew without a doubt that she would never cheat on her husband even though he was the worst kind of human being. However, if she divorced Keith… Hmm, have to wait and see. He sure wasn’t going anywhere this time. He always knew Claire was it for him. He wondered if she still felt the same.

“Joe? If you don’t want to tell me, it’s okay.”

He was pulled back from his thoughts. “Just mentally reminiscing. No, I’m fine. So, I joined the Navy, made it through SEAL training, spent a few years on ops overseas, and contrary to how most SEALs feel, got tired of the adrenaline rush and killing. I wanted to settle down a bit and, to my complete surprise, moved back here and bought a house.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, slay me with a spoon. The mighty Joe moved back to the place he said he never wanted to see again, to”—she gulped— “settle down.” She started giggling and couldn’t stop.

Joe loved seeing Claire relaxed and laughing. The decision to move here had been an easy one. Mr. and Mrs. G lived close by. They were his family, along with a couple of boys, now men, that had spent time there. They were good kids—good men—and they frequently kept in touch. They were all as close-knit as a foster family could be. Plus, it felt good to be in a place with memories of Claire. He treasured those roots.

By mid-afternoon, they had finished lunch and were reading when the doorbell rang. Claire looked at him, and a small glimmer of fear crossed her face. He hated seeing the fear in her eyes.

“Who do you think it is?” she whispered.

Joe pulled out his gun as he got up and peered through the peephole.

“It’s a flower delivery man.”

He opened the door a little, still holding the gun against the back of the door. He saw the local flower shop van in the drive.

“Yes?”

The delivery man cleared his throat and held out a bouquet of white tulips that looked cheery and out of place inthe dreary day. His hands were shaking, and Joe realized he needed to dial down the “I’m going to kill you now” look.

“I have a delivery for a Claire Willis.”

Joe heard Claire gasp behind him.

“Who are they from?”

“Don’t know, but there’s a card.”

Joe tucked his gun into his back and opened the door wider. Grabbed the flowers and card and slammed the door in the guy’s face. Probably should have tipped the guy, but he was furious. There was only one person who was looking for Claire. How did he know she was here?

“Oh, my God. It has to be from Keith. He’s the only one who ever bought me white tulips. He loved them.” Claire’s voice cracked. “Read the card.”

Joe put the flowers on the table and looked at the envelope. The flower shop’s name was on it. He carefully peeled open the envelope and took out a white card.

“What does it say?” Claire’s face was pale, and she was trembling.

He looked again at the card. “It says, ‘Claire, I love you. All is forgiven. Come home. Love, Keith.’”

Claire rushed over to the window, stood to one side and peeked out. “Is he here?”

“No, honey, he’s not. I looked around when I took the flowers.”

“How did he know I was staying here? Oh, God.” She sank into the chair, holding her head. A small groan escaped her lips. “No,” she muttered as she stood up. “I’ve got to pack and get out of here. You’re all in danger.”

Son of a bitch. Joe cracked his knuckles and punched the wall. He wanted to kill the bastard. He was grateful his outburst hadn’t dented the wall. That wouldn’t be a good look for a bodyguard who was supposed to remain calm. But thiswas Claire. His Claire. And he wanted to punch the son of a bitch who was tormenting her.

He took a deep breath and walked over to Claire, who was halfway to her bedroom, and put his arm around her waist. “Claire. Stop. We’ll figure out what’s going on.”

She let out a little sob, and Joe wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go. Instead, he led her back to the chair, sat across from her and pulled out his cell phone. “I need to call Sam or Pete and see if Keith is still in the area.”

Sam answered on the first ring. “What’s up, Joe?”

“Sam, we just got a delivery of flowers from Keith. Is Pete still watching him?”

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