If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense

are.”
    “Yeah.” He continued to stand there, just watching them.
    Hope swallowed. There was something about that stare that just unnerved the hell out of her.
    Lena—how did she manage it—gave him an easy smile. “Speaking of antsy, I was dragging Hope along tothe big kitchen. I promised your wife some chocolate chip cookies, but I want coffee and my blend is in there. I’ll probably spike it with some Kahlua, too, and your wife doesn’t touch the stuff.”
    A faint smile curled Carter’s lips. “No. No, she doesn’t.” He stepped aside, using his body to block a side door leading down a hall. “I’ll come by and grab some cookies later, ladies.”
    “You do that. If you wait too long, you know Roz will eat them all.” Lena murmured to Puck, and Hope, still glued to her side, followed her along. As she did, she kept her head down. From the corner of her eye, she tried to glance past him.
    Was that Roz …?
    She heard Carter sigh.
    Lena stiffened, walking faster.
    “You know, don’t you, Lena?” he asked.
    “Know what, Carter?” She didn’t wait for an answer, shoving through the door, one hand coming out to grab on to Hope’s, all but dragging her through. She didn’t let go, either. They passed the kitchen and still Lena kept moving, long, confident strides of her legs. “Door, Puck,” she said.
    “Lena, what in the hell is going on?” Hope demanded, shooting a look back over her shoulder, half-expecting to see Carter appear in the doorway.
    “I don’t know.” Her voice was no longer so cool, and not at all controlled. It shook, but it wasn’t just fear in Lena’s voice. There was fury there. Tightly reined in, but fury, nonetheless. “But something’s up. I heard it in his voice. Puck’s pissed. And Ezra …”
    She snapped her mouth shut. “Come on. You drove, right? We’ll get in your car and go wait at the end of the drive.”
*   *   *
    Carter stood in the front door, watching the two women climb into Hope’s car. They acted like the devil was behind them, he mused. Especially Lena. Although there was a marked amount of caution in Hope’s eyes. A smart girl, his pretty little mouse. She saw him standing there, but pretended otherwise, her eyes bouncing away without making contact.
    Nothing to see here, nothing to see …
he thought.
    As the car backed away, he retreated into the house, his mind whirling.
    They knew.
    Just
what
they knew, he wasn’t sure. But they knew something.
    He didn’t need to waste any time wondering how, either.
    The bracelet. Nia Hollister. Damn that bitch. How had she connected it? How had she connected Katia, some tramp in Chicago, to her cousin’s death? Rage had him shaking and he made himself pause, take a breath. He needed to think.
    He had plans in place for this. He’d always had plans. He just needed to think everything through … once he put things in motion, there would be no going back.
    Clearing his mind, he pushed through the staff door, heading down the hall to the private door. They separated the private parts of the house from the public areas they shared with guests. Just inside, Roz lay on the floor. Her face was slack and he sighed as he crouched down next to her. He touched her cheek and listened as she moaned softly. She’d wake up soon.
    “ ’Til death do us part,” he said gently. Slipping his arms under her, he rose.
    There was a lot of work to be done now. Two thorns he needed to remove before he finished things. Then he’d take care of things with Roz.
    He’d give her something, make sure she’d stay quietwhile he took care of business. He didn’t want her to worry, didn’t want her scared. Kissing her brow, he slipped out of the house as quietly as he’d come. He had everything he needed stashed in his shop. He would have had to go back for that stuff anyway. Certain things needed to be destroyed.
    As did certain people …

CHAPTER
NINETEEN
     
    S EEING THE LITTLE GREEN SEDAN SITTING AT THE END of the Inn’s drive had Law’s eyes narrowing. “What in the hell is Hope doing here?” he muttered.
    Ahead of him, Ezra slammed on his brakes. Law did the same thing, putting his car into park. He didn’t bother asking Nia to wait—it would have been a waste of breath.
    She was out the door as fast as he was and moving on long legs to catch up with him as he came up to stand by Hope’s car. Ezra was already bent over, peering inside, something oddly relaxed about his posture.
    A familiar