Perilous Refuge - Kathleen Tailer Mills & Boon Love Inspired Suspense

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      Chelsea adjusted the sunglasses on her nose, then scanned the pool area once more for anyone who might be watching her. She hadn’t seen anyone acting suspicious, but the fear the note had inspired hadn’t dissipated and she was terrified that at any moment, Justin Carver or one of his minions would approach her. She glanced over at Miss Abigail who was doing a crossword puzzle under a large blue beach umbrella. The lady had been very energetic today, despite the jet lag, and they had spent the better part of the day discussing their vacation plans and making sure all of the last-minute details were covered.

      Chelsea had tried to be an enthusiastic participant in the conversations, but the note had made her jumpy and she’d found it hard to concentrate. Was the note really from Justin or one of his cohorts? If so, then she should probably be running again. Justin wanted her dead, and she had no doubt he would hunt her down and try to kill her if he truly had discovered her location. But Chelsea couldn’t leave Miss Abigail, not right before her surgery—not when she couldn’t even be sure the note was connected to Justin. No, for now she’d stay put—but she’d stay on alert, too.

      She opened her laptop and did a search for Justin Carver, trying to see if there was any mention of his current whereabouts in the media. She found nothing recent, so she moved on to check her email. Finally. The email from the business manager from Southside was short and succinct.

      TOMORROW. SOUTHSIDE WAREHOUSE. BUILDING 149, 11 P.M.

      Her heart leaped as hope swelled within her. She glanced around the pool again, then returned her attention to the screen.

      A man in jeans and a blue T-shirt caught her attention and she studied him carefully as a wave of anxiety swept over her. He was the only one in the pool area that wasn’t in a bathing suit, but it was more than his clothing that made him appear suspicious. Twice he had looked in her direction with a cold and calculating expression, and he seemed to be following her with his eyes. He looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place where she had seen him before. Was he the man from the airport yesterday? The one in the Braves cap who she suspected had planted the threatening note in her purse? Her hands started shaking and she closed her laptop with a snap.

      “I think it’s time to go back to the room. Don’t you think so, Miss Abigail? I’m starting to get a little too much sun.”

      “Sure, darling. I think it’s about time for my favorite TV show anyway.”

      The man looked in her direction a third time. Chelsea quickly got up and went to Miss Abigail’s side, then helped her gather her things just as the man started to approach them. With each step he took Chelsea’s heart seemed to beat faster and faster and her knees turned to jelly.

      “So here’s where you’ve been hiding.”

      The voice from behind made her jump and she nearly dropped her computer. She put her hand on her chest and took a fortifying breath as she turned and looked up at Alex Sullivan. “You scared me,” she said with an edge in her voice.

      Alex raised an eyebrow and leaned closer so only she could hear him. “Really? Who did you think I was?”

      Chelsea leaned back, uncomfortable. Words failed her and she found herself both unable and unwilling to explain further. She looked over her shoulder and noticed that the man in the T-shirt had passed without incident and was effectively ignoring them. Had she been wrong about him? Was he truly a threat or was the danger only a product of her overactive imagination?

      “We were just heading back to our room,” Miss Abigail volunteered, giving Alex her best smile and totally unaware of Chelsea’s angst. “Care to escort a couple of beautiful ladies back to the suite?”

      “I’d be honored,” Alex replied as he held out his arm. He patted Miss Abigail’s hand when she placed it on his biceps. “Do you think you might have some time later to discuss your legal documents? I wanted to go over them with you today if we could.”

      “Nonsense,” Miss Abigail replied. “Today is not a day for paperwork. It’s a day to enjoy the sun and recover from that long airplane ride.”

      Chelsea ignored the rest of their banter and took one last look at the man in the blue T-shirt. He had turned now and was watching them leave with a measuring eye as he sipped his soda at the bar. Slowly he reached behind him and pulled his Braves cap out of his pocket, then he put it on and smiled directly at her.

      Chelsea tightened her grip on her computer, trying to mask her fear. He was following her. He was the man from the airport. No wonder he had seemed familiar. Was he working for Justin Carver? Surely if he was, he’d have made some attempt to attack her rather than just watch her. No, her secret was probably safe—for now. But who was he and what did he want? And most importantly, how could she protect herself? Indecision pulled at her and she felt a knot tighten in her stomach. Although there were people all around her, she felt quite vulnerable and alone. What should she do? Where could she go to be safe?

       FOUR

      The next morning Chelsea was up early, packing the trunk of the rental car for their planned morning trip to the national park at the top of Haleakala, one of the island’s volcanos. Apparently it was the best place on the island to watch the sunrise and enjoy a picnic breakfast. Chelsea stowed another bag, then closed the trunk. She was anxious to be under way. The sooner they were away from the hotel, the lesser chance she had of running into the man with the baseball cap again. So far, she hadn’t seen him since the pool, but she was keeping a wary eye on her surroundings just in case.

      “Are you ready to go?”

      Chelsea jumped at the sound of Alex’s voice and turned to see him approaching. “Almost. Miss Abigail stopped at the front desk for a moment and asked me to get these bags loaded into the car. She should be here any minute.”

      She picked up her camera bag and took a step back. Why was he staring at her like that? His look was so intense that for a moment she wondered if he had somehow discovered who she really was. The thought made her subconsciously retreat another step, then another.

      She gave herself a mental shake. Alex couldn’t possibly know who she was and she refused to believe anyone who was an old friend of Miss Abigail’s could have any connection to Justin Carver. She still hadn’t figured out why Alex was so intent on digging into her past, but he had been nothing but kind and compassionate with Miss Abigail, and she found herself actually admiring him for that in spite of his gruff demeanor. She remained hopeful that he would be pleasant and congenial during the day’s activities. She realized that the less Alex knew about her the better. But living in such anonymity was a lonely existence and having an adult conversation with someone her own age was rare these days and even tempting.

      Still, the more she thought about it, the more she realized the futility of getting to know him or anyone else any better. With Carver after her, there was no way she could have an honest or lasting friendship with anyone. The thought was a difficult reality to accept.

      She glanced up at Alex’s face and noted that his steel-gray eyes were still studying her. She cringed inwardly. The best course of action was just to avoid him as much as possible, despite the loneliness she was feeling. She moved toward the rear door of the vehicle. Hopefully he would leave in a day or two and forget that she even existed.

      “Any idea how long this jaunt is supposed to take?” Alex asked, breaking her train of thought.

      “It depends upon how much time Miss Abigail wants to spend on top of the mountain.” She paused. “I thought you were too busy to spend time with us today, Mr. Sullivan. Aren’t you leaving soon?”

      Alex narrowed his eyes. “Eager to be rid of me?”

      Chelsea shrugged. “No. I’m just trying to figure out what a busy attorney like you is doing in Maui in the first place. It’s obvious you don’t want to be here. You’ve made that quite clear.”

      “Have

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