Page 93 of Somebody's Watching Me
Taking her hand, he helped her stand on the chair and then hoisted her onto his back. She weighed next to nothing, and Rowan adjusted his hold to make her comfortable. “Ready?”
She tugged his hair. “Giddy up.”
With her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, Rowan walked the length of the bookshop’s porch. Reaching the end of the building, he took the rear steps leading to a worn path in the sand cutting through the dunes.
“Where did you get this?” she asked, tracing a finger over the four-leaf clover tattoo on his neck.
“I went out drinking with my brother and sister, and we ended up getting matching tats on our necks in three different shades of green. Killian’s is dark green and on the left. Mine is on the right in emerald, and Cait’s is bright green and on the back of her neck.”
“Do the position and colors mean anything?”
“Killian’s tattoo is on the left to signify his leadership role within our family. Left to lead is how our grandfather phrased it when we were kids. The oldest is always left to lead, and it’s true,” he explained. “Mine is on the right, as in second born and the right-hand man to support Killian’s decisions.”
Annabeth propped her chin on his shoulder. “What about your sister?”
“Cait’s is in the center because she has to be the center of attention.”
The colors also held significance. Dark green—almost black—for Killian’s unforgiving heart, while the neutral shade of green chosen for his own was to represent the way he balanced his family obligations. The vibrant green of Cait’s clover symbolized her adventurous spirit.
“I think I would like your sister,” Annabeth said. “And keep talking. It helps distract me.”
Pausing at the start of the dune line, Rowan thought for a minute. “What do you want to talk about?”
“I don’t know.” A cold gust hit, and she buried her face in his back. “Tell me about Liam and Jamison. Was the lawn thing really that bad?”
Jamison had demanded to see the footage, and just as Liam said, nothing could be seen. Nothing much. You could definitely tell what was happening by the expression on her face and the motion of Liam’s arm.
“No, but she wants revenge, doesn’t she?”
Since the incident, Jamison had taken to prancing around the house in shorts that barely covered her ass. Liam was beyond stressed and having that in his face constantly wasn’t helping.
Annabeth huffed. “He deserves it, and like I said, it didn’t even work.”
They hadn’t told the girls or Simone about the Port Michaelson cops. “It gained us some information.”
Rowan started through the dunes, and when Annabeth didn’t tell him to stop, he continued talking. “But I think Liam listening to that phone call on repeat is starting to get to him. He keeps focusing on the comments Sinclair made about Jamison.”
“Which ones?”
“About her not being honest, but the one that really bugs him is when Sinclair says something about a coffee shop.” He slowed his pace, not wanting to rush. “He says that it almost sounds like Sinclair is reliving a moment. That he’s too specific.”
Annabeth placed her face next to his. “You don’t think Jamison has met this guy before, do you?”
“If she has, wouldn’t this all make a little more sense?” Rowan swung his head around and tried not to think about how close his lips were to hers. “I agree with Liam. Sinclair’s involvement with Zanmi is batshit, given his record. But if he had met Jamison at some point and became crazy obsessed with her, it all sounds a little more believable.”
Annabeth’s fingers dug into his shoulder muscles as they neared the edge of the dunes. “What does Jamison say?”
Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut, but there was no going back. “Liam hasn’t said anything to her yet. If Sinclair calls or contacts her somehow, he doesn’t want Jamison to get caught up in her anger and accidentally reveal any theories we’re working on. And yes, it sucks, but I understand. She isn’t exactly a rational person when she gets upset and can let the most insane things fly out of her mouth.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Uh, she told Sinclair she was going to rip his dick off and beat him with it.”
Annabeth made a noise like a snort. “What’s wrong with that?”
“I like a woman with attitude, but you’re scaring me.”
They arrived at the end of the path, and he stopped, letting her have time to adjust. She started to make him nervous when she rested her chin on his back and let out a sigh.
