Alex didn’t try to make small talk. The silence between them was comfortable, as it had been on the occasions when he’d been the last customer in the bar, finishing his pint and then waiting for her to lock up so he could walk her home, again usually in silence.
He was the quiet one of the Maynard men. Scott, the eldest and her boss, was grumpy. He was a musician by trade and singing and playing guitar made him happy, along with Keren and his baby daughter. Zack was the next eldest and ran the local nursing home for the elderly. He was the worrier, infinitely sensible and completely taken with Sorrell, Abby’s other boss, who owned the boutique hotel just outside the town. Jake Maynard was their cousin, and the wild one who had taken over the family’s farms and was this year hosting Severfest, a music festival, intertwined with a whole lot of what Zack had termed ‘hippie-shit.’
A mug of hot tea and a plate of toast dripping with butter appeared in front of her. Alex took a seat at the table before getting up to retrieve his own drink, cursing under his breath.
“What time did you leave the bar?”
She heard the police officer in his words.
“Just after midnight.”
“Where were you when you thought someone was following you?”
“At the corner of Main Street and Maple Avenue.” She kept her answers minimal, knowing he wouldn’t want any detail unless he asked for it.
“What made you think you were being followed?”
“It sounds stupid, but it felt different. And then I heard footsteps.” The fear started to rush back. Abby put the piece of toast back down, suddenly feeling nauseous. Bile curdled in her throat.
“It doesn’t sound stupid.” Alex’s word were almost soft. “I know you’re hyper-observant. I just don’t know why you have to be.”
Abby looked up at him, biting her bottom lip. Of course he would’ve noticed how she looked at every new customer who walked into the bar, because his job was to notice everyone. Cops didn’t switch off.
His bicep flexed as he lifted his mug of tea. The distraction of it was helping her push away the fear that could consume her tonight.
“I think you need to put a T-shirt on.”
She saw his mouth curve into a grin.
“I’m good. Did you have anyone suspicious coming into the bar tonight? Anyone you didn’t recognise?”
Alex’s eyes darkened; she could tell he was studying her.
She knew why. Since she’d moved here she’d given away very little of herself, a stranger to the town with no known history. There had never been any visitors or family turning up, and detail about her background had been vague. For the first few months, she’d been eyed with suspicion, especially from the older residents. Eventually they’d stopped speculating and left her be, but she knew there were still questions about her.
Alex had never asked anything. Scott had, checking one night that she wasn’t running from an abusive partner or someone she owed money to. It had been followed with an explanation of what he, Jake and Zack would do to that person, if she wanted, which had given her an odd, warm feeling inside as it had been a long time since anyone had wanted to take her corner like that.
“It was just the regulars in tonight. The calm before the storm.” Because Jake’s festival was in a couple of weeks and the bars and Sorrell’s hotel would be packed with strangers. It made her nervous. Big events were a great cover for people to come looking; they could hide in the open.
Alex sat back and folded his arms, an action which only made his biceps look bigger, his shoulders broader.
“What’s your alarm system like?”
The question surprised Abby.
“It’s the same one Rayah had installed. I haven’t changed it.”
He was still watching her.
“Stay here tonight.”
“What?” She almost fell off her stool.
“You don’t freak out unnecessarily. I’ve seen you split up bar fights without raising an eyebrow and Jake has tried at least a dozen times to scare the shit out of you by hiding in the cellar. Something’s spooked you. You go home, you’re not going to sleep.” He didn’t smile. His expression was one of steel, his eyes watching her. Assessing.
He had a point. But there was no way she’d sleep if she was here either. This was the man she’d crushed hard on since he’d first walked into the bar with his brothers and cousin when she’d been hunting for a job and that crush had not waned a single ounce. It had only increased over time.
But police officers and people living under an assumed name were better not getting close.
