Page 90 of Under Pressure

Chapter 21

Blue

Before Blue and Sean had gone to the police station, Sean had taken Winnie and Rosa home to their husbands. He’d invited Virginia to tag along to pick up Harry, which had made Blue’s heart melt. He’d also popped in on Dad’s apartment and shop. Dad hadn’t been in either location, and worry was starting to eat at Blue’s inside. But it wasn’t the only thing eating at her. Her guilt over leaving Sean all those years ago and the problems she brought to his door today could burn through solid steel.

She’d gotten him in this mess, and yet, he took it in stride.

Sean was still the good-natured, caretaker he’d always been. He had plenty going on in his own world, yet he’d taken timefrom his concerns to help two little old ladies get home, and Blue look for her dad.

And that hadn’t been the last of it. As soon as they’d gotten Don out of jail, Sean had made another detour to take Harry and Virginia home as well. He’d always been sweet when she’d known him, but after ten years, all of which he’d spent in the service, he was still just as sweet as ever.

They were headed back to Bob’s Underwater Salvage with Don and Harry in the backseat, squabbling. Sean held her hand over the console, rubbing his callused thumb over the back of her hand, and sending warm tingles up her spine. It was only now as he’d made this small gesture, that she noticed the large scar on the back of his hand. She looked him over, noting another scar on the forearm of his left arm. What other scars did he have? Were they all skin deep like these? Or did they run deeper?

She’d missed so much.

They reached Bob’s Underwater Salvage and hopped out of his Jeep. He released her hand only long enough that they could get out and meet at the hood of the car again. The rain was torrential, and the four of them were soaked through by the time they ran the ten yards from the parking lot to the warehouse.

The rain ping, ping, pinged off the roof like it was hailstones, and wind wheezed and whistled around the building.

Nancy, Polly, and the two guys who had been with Sean when he’d pulled her out of the ocean were upstairs in Sean’s loft playing a game of Go Fish on the small table in the kitchen.

“They did it,” Nancy said as she smiled at Don and Walt. “They got you out.”

Polly’s tight posture eased, and she smiled. “What a relief.”

Don puffed out his chest. “Sean didn’t use legalese, but Rosa would have been proud.”

“No, he used bribery.” Sean chuckled, and that made Don chuckle too.

Don was proud of Sean. And for good reason. Sean was a good man. Always had been, always would be. And yet, somehow, Blue’d gone from him to a guy like Jonah. Why? Because she was afraid of getting hurt. Hurt by somebody who could actually hurt her like Sean.

Don and Walt explained what happened to their friends as Sean pulled clean, warm clothes out of the closet for each of them. He handed her a pair of large sweats and a big T-shirt and sweatshirt that were so soft, she wanted to snuggle into them this minute, and then he nudged her toward the bathroom. “We have a couple other bathrooms here, so if you wanna take a shower in there, feel free,” Sean said as he slowly shut the door.

She reached for the hem of her shirt and he paused, his hazel eyes growing comically wide. She paused, lifting an eyebrow. “What?” Sean asked with all innocence, pointing to the door. “This door just stopped all on its own.”

Laughing, she pushed the door shut on him though she didn’t bother to lock it. She didn’t need to. Not with Sean. He’d flirt and tease but he’d never cross that line. She leaned against the door. How had she ever felt like Jonah was safe? He was the exact opposite—even turning a blind eye when his buddies tried to grab her butt. She shook her head at her own foolishness.

Blue took one look at herself in the bathroom mirror, makeup smudged, hair a rat’s nest, wedding dress . . . well, she couldn’t see it under the sweater she wore, but she’d be surprised if it wasn’t ruined, and decided to take him up on his offer for a shower.

The warm washed over her like a warm blanket, and the clean laundry-scented soap went a long way to ease her sore muscles and her growing fear over her dad. It didn’t make sense that Dad would just disappear like this. Of course, he’d beenmad about the wedding, but he’d always been there for her when she’d needed him. The one person who had. She’d expected him to show up at the wedding regardless of how he felt about it. With careful fingers, Blue removed the gauze from her leg and inspected the wound. The skin was bruised, and she had a gash about two inches long that was red and raw and starting to bleed again, but it wasn’t that bad. It definitely wouldn’t need stitches, though it did sting like a son of a gun.

She got out of the shower, re-wrapped her leg with gauze from the cabinet, and dressed in Sean’s five-sizes-too-big-for-her clothes that felt like the softest of fleece blankets. She had to roll the sweats at the waist and the ankles and tie the shirt in a knot at the back. Slipping into the big flannel button-up, she breathed in deep the smell of clean laundry mixed with ocean air, a smell that was quintessentially Sean. She could curl up in his clothing and sleep so deep right now.

Hanging her dress over the shower rod, Blue examined it. By some miracle, it wasn’t completely ruined. She hadn’t bled on it or torn it. She was sure the salt water hadn’t done the lace any good, but perhaps it could be salvaged.

While that revelation gave her hope, another thought kicked up her nerves. It was time she and Sean talked.

She’d seen the look on Sean’s face when he found out she was in the witness protection program. He’d been hurt. Hurt that even all those years ago, she hadn’t told him about it. And knowing Sean, he was probably beating himself up that he hadn’t been there for her; to protect her.

By the time she stepped out of the bathroom, Jonah’s phone safely stashed in her sweatpants, the group had split up. Polly had gotten comfortable in a recliner with a blanket and a paperback romance novel that Blue would be willing to bet she pulled from that huge orange bag of hers along with the can of nuts that she snacked from.

Don and Walt sat at the table with Sean’s friends, both in new threads, playing what looked like Texas hold’em.

Sean was nowhere to be seen.

“He’s downstairs,” Don said, barely looking in Blue’s direction, though, Blue had the distinct impression that he was just trying to play it cool.

“Thanks, Don.” She stopped and pressed a kiss to his white hair.

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