Page 47 of Cast in Shadow
Her heart swelled in her chest. “Besotted, huh?” Then, she remembered their last day together and shook her head. “No, he was only too glad to be rid of me.”
“Well, he blew through more than fifty grand in a matter of weeks, looking for you. That says something, don’t you think?”
Her heart leaped, though she was afraid to hope. Afraid to believe that the regret she’d seen in his eyes when she got out of that vehicle wasn’t just her imagination.
Aggie extended an arm and ran her fingers through the pristine white sand. The sun beat down on her back. The waves lapped gently at the shore just yards from where they lounged.
What would Zeke think of this place? Did he even like the beach? Was he more of a mountain guy?
Finally, she said, “He didn’t do what the Navy said he did, did he?”
“No, he didn’t,” T confirmed.
“So, why’d he sign the papers that said he did?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” T mused, though she had a feeling he already knew. “You can ask him when you hire him.”
She snorted. “I have no idea where he is or how to get in touch with him.”
“Good thing I do then.”
Her hand lifted from the sand and shot out to the side. She grabbed a bit of the soft skin at the back of his arm between her thumb and index finger and twisted. Hard.
“Timothy.”
“Ow!” he exclaimed, brushing her hand away. “What was that for?”
“You know where he is?”
“Of course I do. What kind of big brother would I be if I didn’t?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Zeke
As a base of operations, the chalet was pretty sweet. Isolation. State-of-the-art conveniences. Spectacular view.
That level of luxury had never been a part of his life, so it took some getting used to. Now that he’d become accustomed to it, it would be harder to return to a drifter-type lifestyle that required staying in fleabag rat traps, picking up work and meals where he could.
He wondered how Aggie managed to move so effortlessly between worlds. Or why she would want to if she had a place like this.
The upscale living was one more thing to secretly crave, right along with a sense of purpose, being part of a team, and Aggie Mays—or whatever she was calling herself these days.
Still, he wouldn’t have stayed there if he hadn’t thought it was his best chance of crossing paths with her again. He had hoped that after meeting with Charley, she would return to the chalet.
It was true what they said: You can’t miss what you never had. But once you had it...
Aggie was right there at the top of his list. He hadn’t known what had been missing from his life, but now it was painfully obvious. Her.
Nearly six weeks later, she remained in the breeze, and he was no closer to finding her.
That didn’t mean he’d stopped looking. He used everything he’d learned about her—her habits, her patterns, her preferences—to try to locate her. He researched and cross-referenced. He’d blown through the cash he’d earned from Charley, following up leads, paying for information.
The woman was a fucking ghost.
And far more than he’d ever given her credit for.
He was pondering that one night on the balcony, staring out at the scenic view with a glass of quality liquor in his hand. The sun set behind the mountains in a spectacular display. The sky turned deep midnight blue, holding more stars than he’d ever seen in his life.
