Page 48 of Coming Unraveled
The small aircraft bumps and jostles her as it descends into the small beach town of Manteo, North Carolina. She hadn’t wanted to go to a remote island like Ryker had suggested, so with his and his twin’s help, they were able to reserve a condo for her to stay in for the next two weeks.
The pilot helps her to exit the plane and she takes a deep breath of chilled air. She had forgotten how cold the early Fall air can be on the coast. The Outer Banks were always the family vacation spot of choice for her parents when she was younger. Most of her siblings loved the busier end of Nags Head and Kitty Hawk, both places offering something different to do every day, but not Everleigh. She loves the sleepy area of Manteo, still inhabited by yearly residents of the island. It isn’t just the cute waterside town that draws her in, it is also the history of the small island. She may have gone on to study medicine, but she has a soft spot for the history of Roanoke Island.
A black sedan with heavily tinted windows pulls onto the tarmac and Everleigh immediately takes a step back, fear that the paparazzi have followed her. But she narrows her eyes as the door opens and a tall and brawny man steps out from the driver door. The pilot distracts her momentarily as he sets her bags on the ground at her feet and by the time she looks up once more the man is standing practically toe to toe with her.
Damn, he’s fast, she thinks as she takes in his overpowering frame.
From his stance she can easily tell that he’s ex-military, he reminds her of her friend Cliff back home. His narrow waist expands to a broad chest where his muscular arms cross, the veins in his forearms pop against his tanned skin laced with tattoos. The ball cap shades most of his face but she can see a set of bright blue eyes beneath the brim taking her in as well.
A deep timbre escapes between his full lips, startling her from her ruminations.
“Are you, Ms. Connelly?”
He smiles at her fright causing the metal of the ring in his lip and in his ears to glimmer in the bright sun. If she had met him on the streets Everleigh knows that she most likely would have turned in the other direction, but for some reason, she feels no sense of fear.
“Yes, I’m Everleigh.”
Extending a hand, he introduces himself. “I’m Cohen. Your brother Jameson asked me to pick you up.”
Reaching down he starts grabbing her bags, one in each hand, and gestures for her to follow him to the car.
“How do you know my brother? You seem a bit older than him.”
Cohen chuckles as he shoves the bags in the trunk and closes the hatch.
“You don’t need to worry about that. He did mention that you’d be observant.”
She narrows her eyes at him as he opens the passenger door, Everleigh knows she’d have to bide her time before she can get the answers she seeks from Cohen. For now, she’s happy to relax and get away from the lingering looks.
The drive in the tiny strip of islands is relaxing with the setting sun behind them. Cohen doesn’t make small talk, instead, he seems to realize that she needs the few moments to let her surroundings sink in around her.
“I guess I should probably call my family and tell them I’m somewhere safe.”
Cohen nods his head but offers no response, seeming to bask in the silence like her.
Everleigh whips out her phone and texts Jameson in the hopes that he’ll spread the word but is aware that he is the one sibling that may keep her whereabouts a secret, just as she asked. She knows that her mother is probably going crazy wondering where she’s jetted off to, but she doesn’t want to be bombarded by people that want to comfort and pity her. She’s done enough of that in her life. Enough of wondering what would have happened had she not agreed to go on a date with Rich. What would have happened if she hadn’t been a cheerleader, more of the brainiac that she is on the inside?
Her heart lodges in her chest as a ringing sound vibrates throughout the sedan, breaking her of her recollections.
Cohen effortlessly presses a button on his steering wheel then answers, “You’re on speaker.”
A rumbling voice responds on the other line with a sense of urgency, “We’ve had a breach.”
Everleigh watches as Cohen presses another button on the wheel and then looks in her direction.
“I need to head back to my office. Do you mind coming with me? I can have one of the other guys take you to the condo.”
At the chance to learn more about this mystery man and perhaps about her younger brother’s hobbies she vehemently bobs her head.
“Ok, hopefully, we won’t be long.”
The building is small, looking more like a small cottage a bit inland from the water. Cohen helps her from the car and escorts her inside where she is greeted by a petite woman hunched over a computer while she chats outrageously on the phone, a far cry from the princess-like appearance she gives off with her short blond hair and pale pink shirt.
“You can wait here or you can come back with me. I’m fine with either.”
Not wanting to be a hassle, but more than curious to see what goes on in the building she looks around the small waiting area until she hears a grunt beside her.
“Oh, sorry. Yes, I would like to come with you, please.”
