“Yes,” Lori cut her off, her voice stronger now. “Don’t you see? This is about me. Regardless of whether it’s about Sally or Trevor’s company, I’m the connection. I’m the one bringing danger to Pelican Bay. To your mother’s home. To Mitch and Piper.” She pointed to Tessa. “To you and Ryan…”
“We don’t know that for certain,” Tessa argued. “We don’t know enough yet to?—”
“We know enough,” Lori said firmly. She looked at Tessa, saw the worry and the guilt there, and felt her own heart breaking. “I came here to heal. To find peace after losing Trevor. Instead, I’ve brought nothing but trouble to people I care about.”
Mitch and Piper had been nothing but kind and accommodating since she’d gotten here. Tessa had been nothing but supportive and caring.
Lori was repaying all that kindness by putting them in danger.
“We need to go back to the cottage,” Lori said, already turning to head back the way they’d come. “I need to talk to Mitch. I need to tell him I’m leaving before anyone else gets hurt.”
“Lori, please,” Tessa said, hurrying to keep up. “Don’t make any decisions right now. Let’s talk to Mitch and Marcus first. Let’s find out what they’ve learned. We need all the information before we?—”
But Lori was barely listening. Her mind was already made up. She’d spent her whole life trying not to be a burden, trying not to cause trouble, trying to make things easier for the people around her. She’d failed at that with Trevor, never knowing about the dangerous investigation he was conducting, never being there to help when he needed her.
She wouldn’t fail at it now.
If leaving meant keeping Mitch, Piper, Ryan, and Tessa safe, that’s what she would do.
No matter how much it hurt.
“Lori, stop,” Tessa’s voice cracked through the air. “Think this through. Even if you leave, we are still targets. This Elias Dane might follow you. But what if this isn’t about Sally?”
Tessa’s words struck her, and Lori’s breath caught in her throat.
“If this is about the Stansteads…” Tessa’s voice was calm, controlled, and her eyes narrowed. “Even if you run, they aren’t going to let us get off free. We’ll just get used as bait for you.”
Lori’s heart jumped into her throat as she thought of Katy Marshall. A young woman who had gotten caught up in the battle of Stanstead had paid with her life.
Lori closed her eyes. Tessa was right. She couldn’t run from this. Lori had to stay and fight beside everyone who was trying to help and protect her.
5
LORI
Tessa had made them some tea, and they were sitting in the sun room where Lori painted. The morning light slanted through the windows, casting warm golden patterns across the hardwood floors. Lori’s half-finished seascape sat on the easel, abandoned for now. She couldn’t focus on painting when her mind was still reeling.
Lori was still a little shell-shocked from the realization that she was the target. Whether it was Sally Lane’s jealousy or something connected to Trevor’s company and the Stanstead investigation, all of it pointed back to her. She was the common thread. The reason Elias Dane was watching Pelican Bay. The reason Mitch had been attacked.
She also felt more than a little embarrassed that her first reaction had been to run away without thinking it through. Just pack up and leave, as if fleeing would somehow make everyone safer. Tessa had been right to stop her. Running would have only made things worse, turning the people she cared about into bait to draw her back.
Tessa sat across from her with her laptop open, scrolling through documents and making notes. Her tea sat cooling beside her, forgotten as she worked.
“I’ve sent a request through to Barstow Securities,” Tessa said, not looking up from her screen. “Asking for details on why they were hired by Trevor’s company two years ago.”
“Do you think they’ll tell you?” Lori asked, cradling her warm mug in both hands.
“Honestly? I’m not convinced they will,” Tessa admitted. She glanced up, offering Lori a reassuring smile. “But I’ll push. And if they don’t give me answers, I’m sure that Mitch and Marcus will find a way to get them.”
“Marcus?” Lori frowned at Tessa. She’d heard the name mentioned before, but she didn’t know who he was.
“Oh yes, Marcus is Mitch’s contact who is helping with the case,” Tessa explained. She took a sip of her tea and made a face at how cold it had gotten. “I met him earlier when I went over to Mitch. He arrived here in person this morning.” She gave an apologetic smile. “Again, I’m sorry for lying to you about that.”
Lori nodded, absorbing this new information. She sipped her own tea, grateful that it was still warm. Marcus. Another person who had been drawn into this mess because of her.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Tessa typing occasionally, Lori staring at her painting without really seeing it. The distant sound of waves breaking against the shore was usually soothing, but today it just seemed to emphasize how alone they were out here at Pelican Bay. How isolated. How vulnerable.
Suddenly, Tessa’s eyes widened. She turned to Lori with an expression that was part excitement, part horror.
