“She is, but she and Hunter met me at the marina when I docked tonight, and she looked a little better.”
That was an embellishment, but under the circumstances, he knew his sister would come through for him.
Cap pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. Cici answered on the first ring and, after informing them of the current situation, she and Hunter agreed to do the charter, but because of the late hour, they also bailed on waiting for him to come home and have a beer with them. Instead, they’d go back to Cici’s place and get what little sleep they could.
With as anxious as he felt, his siblings would probably fare better than him with sleep tonight.
Along with his protective instincts, the stress of his former job was back.
Chapter Eight
Cap opened the passenger door for Emma, and she stepped onto the running board, then into his truck. He slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
“I don’t live that far from here,” he said.
The man’s words sounded distant, muffled, like she was underwater.
“Uh-huh,” she acknowledged.
He pulled out of the downtown police department parking lot and hung a right, traveling away from the bay. If she never went on the waters of Sturgeon Bay or Lake Michigan again, it would be too soon. Today’s events erased any fond memories she had of boating. Not that she had that many, but she had some. Her friend’s dad had taken them tubing several times years ago. That had always been fun. But no more, no thank you.
All she’d wanted was a nice, relaxing day on the water when she’d set out this morning. Instead, it turned into a nightmare.
Jonathan was probably…her throat closed at the thought of Jonathan’s status. And poor Carly, what had become of her friend? She choked back a sob. Now, here she sat in a truck with a near stranger, about to spend the night alone with him in his home.
She glanced at Cap. He seemed trustworthy. Grounded. The chief of police let him take her home, so the chief trusted him. The captain trusted him. The investigator trusted him, so she should trust him, too, right? Those warm, dark eyes of his emitted empathy and trustworthiness, making her feel marginally less adrift, but she’d once trusted Jonathan, too.
“Look how that turned out,” she said to herself.
She wrapped her arms around herself and stared out the windshield.
“Are you okay?” Cap asked.
Turning her head, she refocused on him. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“I can understand that. Know that I won’t let anything happen to you.”
There was no bravado in his voice. Just certainty. She believed him.
They crossed over the highway, then drove up a slight hill past a few large homes on the right and modest ones on the left. They got to a wooded area with homes located few and far between. The blinker clinked, and Cap turned down a short gravel driveway that cut through the trees. The headlights illuminated a log home with a wraparound porch.
The door of the two-stall garage rolled open, and he pulled into the right stall. A UTV was parked in the other spot.
Cap cut the engine and swung open his door. She opened her door and admired the tidy garage. A kayak hung on the side wall along with some snowshoes and skis. Shelving units filled with camping gear lined the wall in front of the truck. This guy was outdoorsy for sure. Not like her at all. Exercising was her thing, but she was a gym kind of girl. And now, after what she’d encountered today, water sports were completely off her list.
She slung her purse along with the bag she’d packed for the boat ride over her shoulder and followed him into the house.
Cap tossed his truck keys onto the kitchen island, and they clinked against the granite countertop. Then he walked over to the refrigerator and yanked it open.
He turned his head and looked at her. “Do you want one?” he asked, displaying a bottle of beer to her.
At her hesitation, he added, “I might have a bottle of wine around here somewhere.”
Not that she didn’t want to respond to him, it was like her brain was acting in slow motion. She was exhausted, scared, and just plain didn’t know what to do or say at this point. Maybe a beer would settle her nerves.
“A beer is fine,” she finally squeaked out.
He twisted off the caps and handed one to her over the top of the island, his fingers stopping just short of brushing hers.
