Page 31 of Relentless
She remained quiet on the way home. When they walked into the house, she made some vague comment about showering, then wandered upstairs. He reset the alarm but left it off for the sliding doors. Crisp evening air washed over his skin when he opened them. He paused to enjoy the view then headed to the kitchen to assess their dinner options.
By the time Kara came down, he had mushroom risotto cooking on the stove and a bottle of rosé open in the fridge.
“Have a seat,” he said, pouring her a glass.
“Can I help with anything?” she asked, taking the wine. Her damp hair curled around her cheeks, and she wore nothing but a pair of boxers and a loose sweatshirt with a tank top underneath.
He shook his head. “No. It’s nice to be able to do something for you for a change.”
“Don’t overtax your leg,” she admonished. But she also circled the kitchen counter and hopped onto one of the stools. A gentle breeze flowed through the house, reminding him why summers in Mystery Lake were his favorite. Sure, he loved winter and skiing. And spring and fall were nice, too. But there was nothing quite like sunny mornings, warm days, and cool, crisp nights.
They chatted about nothing consequential as he finished pulling dinner together. Once he’d plated their meals, they made their way to the porch, where they set everything up on the small bistro table. He positioned himself with his back to the house so he could keep his eyes on the yard behind Kara. Other than being hypervigilant, though, it was, all in all, a lovely evening. Just what the doctor ordered after the past twenty-four hours.
“I think Sofia has some amaro in the freezer. Want a glass?” Kara asked after they finished dinner and the bottle of rosé. Ethan wasn’t a huge fan of the Italian after-dinner drink. But if he was going to drink it, he trusted Sofia to have the good stuff, so he nodded.
Kara gathered their dishes and headed inside, returning a few minutes later with their drinks.
“I still don’t know if staying in Mystery Lake is the right thing,” she said, apropos of nothing. Although clearly, she’d been toying with the question since leaving HICC.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Whoever the killer is, they know their victims. Shelley loved to garden, so a scorpion sting. Danielle had depression, so a staged suicide. And Sunil once mentioned having a bunch of speeding tickets. I don’t know whata bunchmeans. But I’d wager it was enough that a high-speed accident seemed the natural progression of things.”
“And?”
“And if I’m doing something expected—like visiting my sister—I feel like a sitting duck. I know that quitting my job and moving was unusual. But now that I’m here?Hereis exactly where I’d look for me if I were the killer.”
“You think you should do something out of character?” He hated to admit it, but she had a point. Although he didn’t know what “out of character”might look like.
She nodded, then shrugged. “I don’t know. Not really. Itseemslike the right thing to do. But I’m hardly experienced at this game.”
“What game is that, darlin’?” Cody asked, coming around the side of the house. Kara jumped at the sound of his voice, and Ethan’s weapon was drawn before his cousin took two steps.
“Whoa,” Cody said, holding up his hands and stopping. “I heard your voices when I got out of my car, so I thought I’d walk around. I’m heading out early tomorrow and wanted to say goodbye.”
“You should have called,” Ethan said, refusing to apologize for pulling his gun.
“I did. Well, I texted. But you didn’t reply.”
Ethan glanced around then realized he’d left his phone in the kitchen.
“Is it okay to come up now?” Cody asked.
“Of course,” Kara said, rising from her seat and opening the door at the top of the porch stairs. “Sorry about that. There’s somebody out there killing my colleagues, and we’re all a little jumpy.”
Cody paused halfway up the stairs. His gaze darted to Ethan. “Come again?”
Kara flashed Ethan a wry smile. “Why don’t you fill him in as much as you can, and I’ll grab him a drink.”
He nodded, and Cody continued onto the porch and took a seat in one of the Adirondack chairs. In as succinct a manner as possible, Ethan updated him on the events of the past several days. By the time Kara returned with a bottle of beer, Ethan had given him the basics.
Cody took a long swig of his drink, then settled his gaze on Kara. “Are you okay?”
Kara wagged her head from side to side. “Yes, maybe? I don’t know. I mean, I’m alive. So that’s good. But it’s…terrifying. When we’re in the field, we know shit can happen. I’ve been in a hostage situation. I’ve gone up against armed rebels. I’ve been in a bombing. But we expect those sorts of things to happen in the field. Well, notexpectthem to happen. But we always know they are a possibility. This is…it’s something I never considered happening.”
“And that makes it even more terrifying,” Cody finished, and Kara nodded. “So what were you discussing before I startled you?”
“Whether to leave Mystery Lake,” Ethan answered. Then he followed his response with a summary of the conversation they’d been having. When he was done, a slow smile spread across Cody’s face.
