Page 84 of Surly Sheriff
Rae pulled the collar of the shirt she wore close to her nose, breathing deeply, but Beau’s scent was fading.
Beau … I miss you so much.
Forget about him,Raegan commanded.You’ve work to do.
Releasing the material, she slipped from the bed and grabbed her laptop.
It was time to start planning.
Vasiliy Limonov needed to go back to prison.
*
Six months later …
The California coastal wind gusted, and the sand delivered stinging blows to her exposed legs. Rae welcomed the pain. God knows, she deserved every bite of discomfort.
And more. So much more.
Leaving Clearbrook had seemed like the right thing to do.
Give the FBI her statement, get Vasily back in prison, and beg Beau to forgive her.
Thathad been her plan.
But now …
Now everything had changed.
Instead of Vasily Liminov heading for a new trial and then back to prison, he’d eluded the FBI and fled the country.
Instead of her returning to Clearbrook and begging Beau’s forgiveness, she had to stay away.
Vasily knew she was behind the new charges brought against him, and he would not stop searching for her until he exacted his revenge. Touching the still-healing scar along her hip, Rae willed away the fresh burst of fear.
He’d almost succeeded in killing her four months ago, and until he was captured, she could not risk going back to Beau, putting more lives in harm’s way.
The raucous laughter of the man and little boy playing at the water’s edge of Hermosa Beach drew her attention. She’d noticed the two of them on the beach once before. They were memorable, what with the goat — yes, agoat— frolicking beside them. Their playful antics brought a brief respite to her all-encompassing melancholy.
Rae’s heart lurched at the sight of the pregnant woman watching her family from a safer distance. Her hand moved across her own expanding midriff.
Anguish, fresh and fierce, surged through her.
“I’ll keep you safe, little one. Promise.” Rae dropped to the sand and pulled her legs against her belly, wrapping her arms around her shins. She lowered her head to her knees. Life was so freaking unfair.
And she had never felt so alone.
Everything in her yearned for Beau.
His calm strength, his steadfast presence.
His smell, his voice.
His love.
How safe she had felt with him by her side.
But she had rejected it all.
