Page 22 of Silent Threat
Now what?
Should have gone to the room.Cole shifted on his feet, then silently cursed himself.Shewas the weird one. So why was he the one feeling strange?
Backing out now without another word would make him look like an even bigger idiot, so he sat down facing her. “Can’t sleep?”
“Can’t stop thinking about the hole in my house.”
Cole nodded. Sitting under the tree with her in the dark felt disorienting. He wasn’t sure what he was doing here.
Chasing the peace of the meadow.
He still didn’t understand what had happened there. Maybe she’d hypnotized him. Only one thing wrong with that theory: he didn’t believe in hypnosis.
“The contractor will fix it.” Tree hugger or not, he didn’t like seeing her upset. He didn’t like seeing anyone taken advantage of. “Want me to come over tomorrow and have a talk with him?”
A tired smile stretched her full lips as she sat slumped against the tree. “Thanks. I should be able to handle it.”
She probably could. She was competent enough, and definitely the Zen type, not one to fly off the handle. Even now, peace hung around her like mist around mountain peaks.
That nap he’d taken with her at the clearing the day before had been a gift, and he wished he could return the favor.
“If you need help, let me know,” Cole said. “You should go to bed and get some rest.”
“You too.”
He nodded as he pushed to his feet. “Just came in to say hi.”
“You didn’t earlier. I thought maybe you’d had enough of me yesterday.”
Had she seen him on the front porch when she’d pulled up? He hadn’t thought so. He’d been in the deep shadows, and she’d been under the parking-lot lights.
Before he could comment, she said, “I saw you standing outside the branches. Your boots sound different on the gravel than sneakers.”
“Not me.” Cole shook his head.
She blinked at him, then murmured something that looked like “Oh Jesus, Joey,” before dropping her head into her hands.
The name rang a bell. “Would that be the stalker boyfriend?”
She looked up. “Ex-boyfriend slash stalker. He really is harmless. He thinks if he keeps reminding me how much he’s suffering, I’ll take him back.” She picked at her pants. “He’s a part-time driver for the laundry service that picks up the linen from the rehab center. But today is not one of his days. I didn’t expect to see him here.”
She stood and brushed off her jeans. “I have to go home to feed my animals. They’re in the garage. I’m allowed in there. Only the house was damaged.”
“What needs feeding at midnight?”
“Babies.”
Cole pictured a basket of orphaned puppies. During their session the day before, she’d mentioned something about needing a bigger backyard.
“I’ll go with you.”
“I’m all right.”
“Gives me something to do other than stare at the ceiling. Can’t sleep anyway.” He shrugged. “Not hearing anything ... That only works when I have my eyes open. At night, when I close my eyes, I hear the explosions. Over and over.”
He was telling her the truth, but he was also manipulating her sympathies. He didn’t like the idea of her going out in the middle of the night. Not with a stalker ex-boyfriend on the loose. Whose ass Cole was going to kick, free of charge, gratis, if they ran into him tonight. It’d help him work off some of his frustrations. A little ass kicking might be more therapeutic than any of the treatment he’d received so far at Hope Hill.
Annie stopped to make sure he could read her lips. “You don’t take the sleeping pills?”
