Page 115 of Nowhere to Hide
We were miles away from the troubles of Salem and Boston. I’d take the time where she was healing, and hope Stone was working all the right angles to find the man who wanted to kill her. I’d checked in with Nyx that morning. There wasn’t muchnew from the information we’d brought to her, but I already saw she was filling in some of the gaps on the victims.
Between Nyx and Bastian, they’d find the overlaps in victimology.
Sebastian saw data in a way that made him a goddamn genius, not that I’d tell him that. If anyone could do it, I had my money on them and Stone.
For a little while, it didn’t need to be my problem.
Or hers.
I scraped the veggies and eggs into a big bowl with two forks, doctored it with a little of the chili sauce and went back out to the upper deck.
She had her bad leg stretched out doing a few of the exercises her doctor had given her. Her blond hair was disheveled, and my whisker burn was a flag on her stunning breasts.
It had taken me back at first when I got a look at just what had been hidden under the awful hospital gowns. And now I was going to explore every freaking inch of her and make sure she was satisfied beyond measure.
She rolled onto her stomach when I came up the stairs. “Hello there.”
“You fell asleep on me.”
“I can’t fathom why.” She rolled onto her hip. “Do I smell food?”
“You sure do.” I flipped off my deck shoes and climbed onto the mat with her. I handed her the bowl as I sat down.
“So where’s yours?”
I laughed. “A few orgasms and you’re a jokester.”
“So, how long are we on the water?”
“A few days. I’m taking us to the top of Maine.”
“I’ve never been.” We ate in a companionable silence for a few minutes. “I’m sure the views are killer.”She winced. “Can’t use that phrase anymore.”
I laughed and took the empty bowl from her. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
“Except Salem,” she said quietly.
“I want you safe, Cilla.”
“I know.” She lowered herself to her side. “I can’t hide forever.”
“Wanna bet?” I rolled her back under me.
Her smile was a little strained, but she pulled me down for a soft kiss. Maybe the both of us could just live in the moment for a little bit.
The both of us seemed inclined to try. Between naps and a rather hilarious fishing lesson, we lazed the day away. We didn’t speak of Salem or the man trying to kill her.
I agreed to debone the fish we caught and we feasted on grilled salmon and asparagus as the sun set behind the craggy coastline.
The night was muggy enough that we actually fell asleep on the top deck with the water lapping at the boat and the stars our night’s entertainment. Sometime in the predawn hours, I took her downstairs and found myself going back to sleep. For the first time the nightmares stayed firmly in their box.
A squall hit the day before we were to reach the Bay of Fundy.
Summer was a crapshoot with the heat and the ocean doing their own dance with precipitation. I buttoned down the boat and kept us off the coast enough that we could tough it out. The area of Maine was rocky as hell and the number of lighthouses were not just for show.
I held her through the night as the boat tossed us around and she fought against the pain of her thigh as she tensed through every wave that broke against the hull. Sometime before dawn, things finally eased and her little exhausted body finally relaxed against mine.
I left her to sleep as I pulled us closer to port.
