Page 89 of One Kind Soul

Nicole scanned her surroundings, trying her best to appear to be people-watching. Where was that drink she ordered? She still had no desire to drink it, but it would give her a prop to hold at least. Something to add to the chilling-on-the-beach vibe she tried to project.

A few feet away from her, a man and a woman were spread out on a resort blanket, soaking in the sun. The man’s hand was stretched over the woman’s and Nicole kept thinking about how there would be tan lines of his fingers on the back of her hand. She was actually jealous of those impending tan lines because they would mark the woman as taken, as part of a pair, as someone in love.

Nicole imagined they were newlyweds on their honeymoon at this tropical paradise. They’d probably had a gorgeous wedding, surrounded by all their family and friends before jetting here to celebrate the beginning of their lives together. Their stay would be full of breakfasts in bed, romantic walks on the beach, intimate dinners by candlelight, and lovemaking until they couldn’t breathe anymore. They’d hold hands wherever they went on the island. They’d kiss every chance they got.

They’d whisper I love you.

At least she knew what hearing those words was like now. Christian had given her that gift and she’d given it to him. Their relationship hadn’t been long, but it’d been more genuine than anything Nicole had experienced in her life. She’d never find anything like that again.

I could go back to him.

She shook her head the moment that thought popped into her head. After she handled Lynda, her sister would be sent back to jail and probably for a long time. Nicole would always worry, however, that Lynda could escape. She’d managed to successfully do that once. Why not twice?

Plus, there was Lynda’s husband, Tim, to consider. He wouldn’t be in jail forever. When he was released—or if he somehow escaped too—would he come after Nicole? After all, she’d put him in jail too. She couldn’t risk Lynda or Tim turning up in Maplehaven somewhere down the road and harming anyone she loved.

And if she and Christian built a family of their own . . . God, they’d be in danger too.

Nicole shook her head. No. She had to forget about Christian Henley. And Tessa. And everyone who had been so kind to her in Maplehaven. It was the only way to guarantee their safety.

Now I do need that drink. To numb the pain. To dull the anxiety. To fill the emptiness.

She was about to flag another waitress, but a shadow came over her feet then a tray lowered with the margarita she’d ordered.

“Thanks.” She lifted it off the tray and brought it toward her lips.

“Don’t choke on it, Princess Uggers.”

Nicole stilled, the glass halfway to her mouth. Slowly, she raised her gaze to see Lynda standing in front of her. Only she didn’t look like Lynda. Her sister wore a resort waitstaff uniform and her hair, which used to be a light brown and shoulder length, was now as dark and as long as Nicole’s. In fact, Lynda looked exactly like Nicole right now.

“What better disguise than to look like you?” Lynda’s lips turned up in a grin. “Utterly unnoticeable as usual even when police are looking for you.”

Nicole glanced toward the police, but her sister clicked her tongue.

“I wouldn’t make a scene, Nicki. You call them over here and I hit a text set up to my friends in Vermont.” Lynda pulled a pen from her pocket and scribbled on a pad as if taking another order from Nicole. She chuckled at Nicole’s gasp. “You didn’t think I’d abandoned that cute little town altogether now, did you?”

“You can do whatever you want with me,” Nicole said quietly, “but leave them alone.”

“I’ll be happy to leave them alone.” Lynda slid her a small square napkin. “There’s an address on there. Meet me and we’ll settle this bad blood between us.”

“Bad blood?”

“Oh, would you rather I call it betrayal? You put us in jail, Nicki. I have a lot to say—and do—about that.” She pretended to write a few more things on her pad. “Meet me. Alone. Or that text gets sent and a lot more than bees will descend upon Maplehaven.” She wiggled the tray. “Put your phone on here.”

“My phone?”

“I can’t have you calling that cop friend of yours, Donovan, or anyone else.” She wiggled the tray again. “Shut off the GPS tracking.”

“It’s off.” She hadn’t wanted the police to find her before she’d made contact with Lynda.

Nicole slid her phone onto the tray then Lynda walked away. She considered running over to the nearest police officers, but she couldn’t let anything happen to Christian. He’d been ready to sacrifice himself for her with that van in Boston before they’d even known each other.

She was ready to sacrifice herself for him now.

****

Nicole took a cab to the address on the napkin Lynda had given her. It was dark out now, but the shoddy exterior of an apartment building outside the resort district was still visible. It looked exactly like the type of place where people got killed with its chipped paint, several boarded windows, and crumbling stone on the staircase leading to the main entrance.

To her knowledge, no police had followed her. She hadn’t contacted any, either here or back in Maplehaven, for fear of that text Lynda had threatened to send. She also didn’t have a phone to do any contacting. She was utterly alone here.