Page 122 of Double Take

James exchanged a look with his sister, who shrugged. “What are you talking about, Lainie?”

“I told the police about her. The driver who was with Michael when he kidnapped me. It was a woman. I just figured it out.” Shetouched her ear. “There was this weird spark or something when she turned her head. It was a dangly earring.”

“We picked the van up. There wasn’t any evidence of anyone else in there.”

“She drove.”

How had he missed this? “I didn’t hear you tell that part.”

“We were separated during that part of the interview, I guess.” She frowned. “Who could it have been?”

James shook his head. “Could have been Bridgette. She was helping Michael with some of the other stuff. The police already have her in custody, and according to Cole, she’s singing like a canary, so you’re safe.”

Lainie relaxed back against the sofa. “Maybe. Yeah. It had to have been her.” She sat up again. “But no one ever figured out how Michael knew where to lay in wait to ambush us. How did he know we’d be driving that route?”

James shook his head. “I don’t know. We may never know.”

“There has to be a reasonable explanation.” She chewed her lower lip. “Victoria was the only other person in that room besides us, but she’d left before we talked about going to the lake house.” She sighed and shrugged. “Beats me.”

“Food’s ready if you’re hungry!” Kristine called from the kitchen. “We have a glamping trip to plan.”

Lainie grinned at James, and he put his talk with her on hold. Maybe he could sneak a moment with her at the campsite. It wasn’t a conversation he wanted to rush or “fit in.” He wanted to take his time and make sure he did it right. He held out a hand and she took it. The sight of the bruise on her wrist sucker punched him, and he wished he could do the same to Michael Irwin, but the man was dead and that was that. And James was looking forward to hanging out with Lainie without having to look over their shoulders. “Let’s go plan our trip.”

And while they planned, his mind went back to her observation that someone had tipped off Michael. But who? And how?

Twenty-Eight

TWO WEEKS LATER

They had to postpone the trip a week due to work schedules, but that was probably a good thing. When the weekend rolled around, Lainie was more than ready to head higher up the mountains for some fun and fellowship. There was nothing like campfire s’mores, music, bad jokes, and hours of laughter. Even if she did have to sleep in a cabin instead of pitching a tent under the stars.

The best thing about living in a city near the mountains was that it didn’t take long to reach the Rocking Porch campground. She snuck a glance at James and noted he was moving easier, his wounds healing.

Her own wounds—internal and external—had healed some as well. Despite everything, since the death of Michael Irwin, Lainie had started sleeping through the night without nightmares. She couldn’t explain it and didn’t plan to question it. She’d just enjoy it for as long as it lasted.

Maybe it was all about concluding that it was okay to believe in herself. To understand that when she loved, she loved deeply and with her whole heart and wanted to help those in her life. There was nothing wrong with that. It was when she couldn’t establish boundaries with those people that the relationship became unhealthy.

With her therapist’s help and James’ wise input, she’d set up boundaries for her siblings, her parents, and even a few people she worked with—including her supervisor.

All in all, it had been a mentally productive time, and while she knew nothing would be miraculously perfect overnight—or ever—she was excited to see how the future played out. In other words, it was a start.

Once they had their gear stashed in the cabins—guys in one and girls in the other—James stepped up to her and slid an arm around her shoulders. “You got a minute?” His satellite phone buzzed with a text.

“I’ve got all weekend, so if you need to get that, it’s fine.”

“No. I can ignore the thing for the next fifteen minutes.”

Lainie caught Steph watching with a smirk on her face. Behind James’ back, Lainie stuck out her tongue, and Steph’s laughter followed them to the campfire area that would be a roaring blaze later that evening. He settled on one of the benches and pulled her next to him. She snuggled up under his arm and waited for him to speak.

“I just wanted to talk to you,” he finally said. “We’ve danced around the topic, but now there’s nothing stopping us if you’re interested ... or want to ... um...” He blew out a low sigh. “Wow, I didn’t think I’d be this nervous.” He touched the key on the chain around her neck. “I know you have reservations about trusting or allowing yourself to have a relationship again, but I ... I just wanted to ask if maybe you’d feel like you could give us a chance. There. I said it.”

She sat up and turned to face him. “Can I tell you a story?”

He tilted his head, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. “Uh, sure.”

“When we were younger, I used to watch for you at school. I came to every football game I could because I’d get to see you on the field. When Steph invited me over, I would eagerly wait to catch glimpses of you in the house or the backyard where you guys all played pickup games of football.”

“Really?”

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