"Look, so, yeah…" I said and took a deep breath. "You know I was in witness protection, right?" I'd told him a bit over the last couple of years as we'd become friends.
He nodded, his face a mask of earnest concern. "Yeah, you've mentioned it. Is this visit from the police related to that?"
My heart skipped a beat, and I looked down into the swirling liquid in the teapot.
I poured the hot water into our cups. My hands were steady, but inside, I was anything but. "I've been on the run from the mafia."
Nathan's brow furrowed, but he didn't interrupt, just gave me that nod that meant he was listening.
"I witnessed a murder three years ago, some kind of initiation." Every day of those years settled like a stone in my chest. "For two of those years, I’ve hidden here in Stock Creek, trying to disappear."
"You had to deal with this for an entire year before coming to Stock Creek?" His voice was even, but the concern was there, clear as day. "How? Where?"
I nodded. "The first year, I was in the safe house, with police protection, but the people looking for me, they tracked me down, they killed the cop assigned to me. It was... I can't even begin to explain how frightening it was. I’ve been looking over my shoulder ever since. Yesterday. A guy grabbed me, took me away until his boss arrived. But I got away."
Nathan took my hand, "Are you safe?"
I nodded, his touch grounding.
There was a silence then, filled only by our breathing and the distant hum of the refrigerator. I needed to shift the conversation away from my fears, away from the past. "There's something else about yesterday." I hesitated. I wanted to tell him I'd seen a dragon, but the words just wouldn't come. They were too ludicrous. Instead I found myself saying, "I have a new resident. Ashton Beck."
A funny look flickered across Nathan's face, almost too quick to catch. "What is it?" I asked, leaning forward slightly.
"Oh, nothing. I know Ashton is all. Or, rather, I knew him when he lived here before. He's a nice guy," Nathan said, his expression smoothing into something unreadable.
"Really?" The tension eased out of my shoulders a fraction. Knowing someone else knew Ashton and had a history with him made the situation feel a little less like jumping into the unknown.
"Yeah," Nathan said as he met my gaze with a steadiness that helped calm the churn of thoughts in my head.
To hear that from someone who knew him, someone I trust so much... "That's reassuring, as he's the one who killed the guy who came after me."
Nathan's mug paused on its path to his mouth. "Killed?"
"Yeah, so when I got home, there was another man, Vito, waiting for me in the kitchen. Ashton knocked him out cold, but it wasn't just that. The punch killed him."
Nathan whistled low as I reached for my mug, the ceramic cool against my palms as the tea had settled into a comforting warmth. We drank in silence, the earlier tension dissipating with each sip.
"Thank you." I set my empty mug down with a soft clink. "For listening. That's not all, though. The manthat grabbed me. He took me up in the mountains, and somehow managed to blow himself up."
Nathan blinked twice, set his cup down, then leaned forward. "What?"
"Yeah. The worst part is…" I looked up into his eyes. "I didn't tell the police that. I told Chief Mitchell I couldn’t remember where he took me, just that I got away. At the moment, it was just so insane. A mafia man kidnapped me and blew himself up. I stole his car and drove myself home, I had a bag packed and hidden, I was going to grab it and go. But Vito was here. He must have hired the first guy to grab me till he got into town"
I looked out the back window. "If it weren't for the fact that his car is still parked behind my inn, I'd think I made it all up in my head."
Nathan pushed his chair back and stood, carrying his mug to the sink and rinsed it out with a practiced ease that spoke of many years of doing similar tasks. He came over and placed his hands on my shoulders. "If you decide to tell the police, let me know. I'm close to the chief and can help smooth things over."
I got up, too, feeling the weight of the morning's confession lift slightly. "I will. I'm not sure I'm ready for the Stock Creek PD to traipse back in here. But yeah. Thank you for listening."
"I mean it, Erin. I'm here for you, any time." Nathan just smiled, that familiar twinkle in his eye that always seemed to say he knew more than he let on. He pulled me in for a comforting hug before he walked to the door, pausing with his hand on the doorknob. "Take care of yourself. And Ashton, too, I suppose."
"Will do." I watched him step out onto the porch, the screen door closing gently behind him with a soft thud.
I watched from my kitchen window as he crossed the narrow, well-kept lawn that separated our properties, a familiar path he’d taken countless times. His house, a charming two-story with a wide front porch and a fresh coat of paint, sat comfortably close to the inn, close enough that I could see the smoke curling from his chimney. A moment later, his front door opened, and I watched as he gave me a quick wave and slipped inside.
I waved back and allowed myself a small smile. Somehow, despite everything, I felt like I might just be okay.
Chapter 10
