Page 72 of Coast

I also believed in my heart that we were all capable of murder given the right incentive. For example, I would claw someone’s eyes out of their skull, would break their hands, would bash their heads in with a rock if someone dared to try to hurt my baby.

If Coast had a reason even somewhat similar to that, or if he was trying to save his own life, could I really hold that against him?

“Ugh,” I grumbled. “I just keep going round and round about him, baby girl,” I told Lainey. “When he’s made it very clear he doesn’t want to be with me.”

I blinked back the ridiculous tears that burned my eyes.

I barely even knew the man.

We’d slept togetheronce.

I was being absurd.

“What do you think, kiddo? Tonight is an ice cream night, right?”

Thanks to everything Coast had bought, I had some extra money lying around. Maybe it was time to treat myself to a pint of dulce de leche and some mindless TV to try to get my mind off Coast once and for all.

“I get the feeling that’s going to be easier said than done,” I told Lainey as I lifted her out of her seat and put her on my hip. “But we can try, right? Ready for your first lesson in trying to drown your emotions in ice cream?” I asked her as we walked down the block toward the convenience store.

“Busy night tonight,” I said, glancing down the street toward the bowling alley. “Must be a tournament or something. Hopefully one day, we can go bowling. And you will try not to judge your mother too hard for being absolutely crummy at it even with the bumpers on, okay?”

“Ooh,” Lainey agreed.

“You and me against the world, babe,” I said, kissing the side of her head as I opened the door to the convenience store.

The fluorescent lights in the store stabbed at my eyes as I walked down the aisles, trying to see if there was anything else that was calling to me before I made my way back to the freezer section.

I couldn’t tell you what it was that made me look over—if I saw a flash, if there was just some gut instinct.

But that quick glance over my shoulder?

That might have been what saved our lives.

I looked out the plate glass window and saw them.

Two men.

Familiar suits.

Looking for something.

Someone.

Me.

I ducked down below one of the aisles, duck walking away as they moved into the store. The littleding-dongof the door sensor had my heartbeat tripping into overdrive.

My blood whooshed through my ears, making it hard to hear as I desperately tried to listen for footsteps, to know where they were, if they were right on top of us or not.

I paused, cursing the song that I’d been singing to Lainey just a moment before. Back before our whole world threatened to shatter.

“Gotta be around here somewhere,” a voice said, making my belly flip.

“Bathroom?” the other asked.

I glanced over my shoulder, seeing how close I was to said bathroom.

Shit, shit, shit.

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