Chapter 40

Trevor pushed asideany of the peaceful feelings that tried to fill him.

His conversation with Sadie had been pleasant. It had felt so authentic, as if the two of them were being honest with each other for the first time.

But he knew better than to trust his emotions.

There were still too many unknowns to let down his guard or to believe anything that Sadie said, no matter how much he might want to.

For the rest of their late lunch/early dinner, they talked about Trevor’s time in the military, what kind of cherries Sadie liked the best, and why Traverse City had turned out to be an unexpected treasure.

Then Trevor glanced at the time.

They had to go meet that man. If they left now, they would get to the park in time.

Part of him wanted to tell Sadie she shouldn’t go. That Trevor should go alone.

But he knew she’d never fall for that. Besides, that guy might not even talk to Trevor.

He dropped some cash on the table instead. “You ready to go?”

Hesitation marred Sadie’s gaze, but finally she nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

They left, either to find answers or fight for their lives.

Or maybe both.

* * *

Sadie’s nerves rattled inside her as they headed down the street, the warm wind whipping around them and making her hair fly in the air, certain to become tangled.

What was this man going to say? What if it was something that changed life as she knew it?

Whatever it was, she had to be prepared to hear it. Because learning something about herself was better than not knowing anything at all . . . right?

Sometimes she wasn’t so sure of that.

They found a parking space and climbed out, a few stray pebbles of glass falling to the asphalt below.

Trevor would probably keep finding these for a long time.

She brushed aside her rush of nerves as they headed across the street to Clinch Park, a beach on Traverse Bay that had picnic tables, a play area, and lifeguards.

Trevor gently touched the small of her back as they walked.

A shiver raced down Sadie’s spine, but she tried to ignore it.

This was no time to develop feelings or even play with the idea of developing feelings. Too much was on the line. Too much was uncertain.

It was a risk she couldn’t take.

They reached the beach and found an empty bench with a concrete barrier in front of them.

Plenty of people were strolling around today, many of them tourists who’d come to this area to enjoy its beauty.

On the surface, happiness and peace seemed to permeate the area.

But danger simmered just out of sight.

She and Trevor may have just walked into a situation that could harm them both. That could harm the people around them.

“Maybe we should have told Detective Bennett . . .” she murmured.

“The fewer people who are involved the better,” Trevor said.

Sadie could see the merit in his words. They still didn’t know who to trust even.

She drew in a shaky breath and continued to glance around. Continued to wait for that man to appear. Continued to imagine what he might tell them.

But as the minutes ticked by, no one came.

“What if this is a trap?” she whispered to Trevor.

He sat beside her, his muscles rigid. He was clearly still on guard.

“Something doesn’t feel right, does it?” he murmured.

He could say that again.

Sadie continued to wait, glancing at the time.

This man was ten minutes late.

“How long do we wait?” she asked.

“Let’s give it a little longer. Just in case. He could be here right now watching us from a distance and trying to figure out if we brought anyone else with us.”

“Good point.”

At his words, Sadie glanced around again, searching the people around her for anyone familiar or acting suspiciously.

But she saw no one.

She hoped all this wasn’t for nothing.