Page 13 of Lost Love Cove 4
Alisha nodded. The words stuck in her throat. She did not say that she had been terrified. She did not say that she had seen Trent move through the storm like he had done it before and had felt safe for the first time in years. She only squeezed Carrie’s hand and let her go. “I should be apologizing.” Her voice stuck in her throat. “I was the one who lost them.”
“Don’t put that on yourself.” Carrie’s eyes were warm, and her voice brooked no argument. “None of what happened was your fault.”
“No, it was not,” Matt agreed with Carrie.
Her eyes met her father’s, and she gave him a small smile before turning toward Trent. He stood a few yards away, his dark head bent close to Paula’s as the medics strapped Oscar down. Alisha couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the sight unsettled her. Whatever words passed between them, Paula’s face was intent, and Trent’s was unreadable. That unreadability was what gnawed at her and intrigued the heck out of her.
“What are Trent and Paula talking about?” Carrie asked softly, as though she too felt the shift in the air.
“I’m not sure,” Alisha replied. The honesty was easier than admitting the truth: she had been inventing explanations for Trent all day. Explanations that made him sound like a man who belonged here. A man she could trust. The realization startled her. She had no right to be defending him, and yet she had.
And the strangest part—she had done it instinctively, the same way she had once explained Tom to her mother after that first meeting years ago.It’s strange, Mom, but I feel like I’ve known him my whole life.
Her mother’s smile had been gentle, knowing.That’s love at first sight, sweetheart. The soul knows when it’s found the one.
The echo of that memory cut sharply now, a betrayal of everything she had built since Tom’s death. Love at first sight? That was foolish. Dangerous. And Trent Ryder was dangerous. He wasn’t just hiding secrets. He was his secrets.
Yet her heart didn’t listen. It flipped when he turned back toward them, and the traitorous beat thrilled through her even as her mind warned her she was standing on the edge of something she might not come back from.
He grinned, masking the shadows in his eyes, and Carrie pulled him into her arms with relief that was pure and real. Alisha watched the exchange, her chest tightening. She could see the good son, the devoted agent, the steady presence her father admired. But she had also seen the flinch at his ribs, the quiet familiarity with Paula, and the calculated way he had steered them all night.
And in that moment, Alisha knew two things for certain.
She was already in trouble where Trent Ryder was concerned.
And whatever storm had brought them together was only just the beginning.
6
CARRIE
The helicopter’s wash lifted leaves and grit in a spiral that stung Carrie’s cheeks. She stood in the yard with Matt and watched the aircraft rise above the black line of the trees, lights winking as it tilted and climbed. For a breath, she allowed herself the small, aching relief of knowing Paula had gone with Oscar, and that Maggie and Cody were here, alive and warm, not a distant shape behind glass.
When the air settled again, the island sounded different. The storm had scraped everything clean. Rain still dripped from the eaves. Palm fronds clicked together like loose beads. Far off, waves rolled against the shore with a tired hush. Carrie drew in the cold, salt-heavy air and turned toward Lori’s front steps.
Inside, the house felt both familiar and strange, as if the walls were holding their own breath. Matt made the introductions at once. “Alisha, Trent, this is Andy,” he said, gesturing toward the weathered man with a kind face and steady eyes. “And Ian Marshall.” Ian stood near the end of the sofa, his wrists were free now. The red marks from the cuffs stood out starkly against his skin.
Before any more could be said, the dogs were let out of the kitchen, and they exploded from the hallway in a whirlwind of paws and tongues, skidding across the rug and leaping at the children with wild joy. Maggie laughed, a bright crack in the heavy air, and Cody ducked behind her, only to be ambushed by a flurry of kisses.
“Okay, okay, you two,” Carrie said, though the smile tugging at her mouth softened the words. “Why don’t you take them to your room so they can calm down a little.”
Maggie rolled her eyes with affectionate drama. “Just say the adults want to talk, Grams,” she said, grinning. “That’s what Mom says.”
“The adults want to talk,” Trent echoed with mock gravity. He pointed at the hall and lunged. The children squealed, the dogs barked, and the whole pack took off in a tangle of laughter and wagging tails.
Carrie watched them go and felt the pressure in her chest ease another inch. “They don’t seem too affected,” she said, half to herself.
Trent’s expression sobered. “They’ll need to talk it through,” he said. “Not right this second. Later, when things are quiet. Both of them.”
“Maybe with Tessa on a video call,” Carrie said. “We need to tell her what happened.”
Trent stared at her as if she had suggested they invite a hurricane to tea. “Do you really want to tell Tessa, Worrywart Queen, about this?” He looked pained.
When Carrie nodded, he tipped his head back and let out a small groan, turning toward a curious Alisha and Matt. “My mother wants my twin sister to be here on the first plane out, because that is what Tessa will do when she hears her daughter was kidnapped. Then she’ll debrief each of us. Separately. Then together.” He set his jaw and dropped to the sofa beside Alisha as if bracing for impact. “She will rip into each of us with the fine precision of a seasoned interrogator, drawing every inch of truth out of each of us.”
“Is she also in law enforcement?” Alisha asked, curiosity bright in her eyes.
“No,” Trent said, horrified. “She is much worse. She’s an attorney.”
