Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

angry.
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Get. Out.”
    Instead of obeying, he moved back across the seat to give her room.
    She sat there in the dirt a moment, swearing under her breath.
    “Everything okay?” Ralph called. He stood on the platform, frowning, hands on his hips.
    Color swept over her face—she could feel it as she scrambled to her feet. Ralph squinted, trying to see into her truck. She glanced at Lev. He was hunched over, his face hidden, the blanket around him.
    “Just slipped in the gravel,” she called, and climbed into her truck. She started the engine without looking at Lev and lifted a hand toward Ralph before driving out of the parking lot. She counted to a hundred before she glanced at her silent passenger. “Are you insane? Because if you are, just say so. I’ll drop you wherever you want to go and we’re done.”
    “I said I was sorry. It was a reflex.” He shivered continually beneath the blanket.
    “A reflex. I see. Killing people is a reflex.”
    He looked at her then, his blue eyes piercing through her sunglasses. “I didn’t kill you.”
    She snorted. “You tried.”
    “If I’d tried, you’d be dead.”
    “That’s twice.”
    “I said I was sorry and I am. My head is pounding, and I can’t seem to tell the difference between what is real and what I’m hallucinating.”
    “Then you’re going to the hospital.”
    “No. You might as well kill me yourself.”
    Rikki sighed. “Don’t tempt me.” She stopped at the stop sign at the top of the hill and tapped out a rhythm on her steering wheel while she considered what to do. He was unstable, no question about it, and she was no nurse but ... She sighed again and turned right toward Sea Haven.
    The farm was located just off of Highway 1. The drive to the property was lined with trees of every kind, great towering giants. Even redwoods.
    She loved the redwoods, which were so majestic and regal. She thought of them as sentries guarding the way to the farm. The double gate was ornate.
    Lissa had made it, welding and twisting the iron into a work of art. All of them loved it. Once the gate was open, she drove in slowly, making certain it closed behind her. She focused completely on her surroundings, blocking out Lev while she entered the farm.
    52

    She knew every tree and shrub. She knew where everything was and if anything had been disturbed, and she always paid close attention to detail.
    Blythe warned her that she was paranoid, but before entering her home, Rikki always walked around it, circling to look for signs of someone nearby.
    Footprints. Crushed leaves. Gas cans. Kerosene. Anything flammable.
    She drove to Blythe’s home first. She was the first choice to rid Rikki of Lev. He needed someone strong, and Blythe was no-nonsense and would see right through him if he lied—she hoped. Mostly she just wanted to get rid of the man. She knew the minute she pulled up to the large house that Blythe hadn’t returned.
    “Damn it,” she hissed aloud. “How long does it take to get married?
    Five minutes?”
    “Do you want to get married?” he asked, confused.
    “No. Let me think. I was going to find somebody who could take care of you. Blythe or Lexi are the best ones I would think, but . . .” She didn’t want Lexi with this stranger. She was too young.
    “I want to stay with you.”
    She flicked him a quick, angry look. “Well, you can’t. No one comes in my house. I don’t like it.”
    His teeth chattered. “Just for a little while, until I can figure out what’s going on. I don’t even know my own name for certain.”
    What choice did she have? She hadn’t done a single thing right yet. But how was she going to manage having someone in her home? Her sanctuary?
    She didn’t even know if it was dangerous, but she guessed it probably was.
    If she was starting fires, she was starting them in her sleep when she was under stress. Having this stranger in her home would definitely be stressful.
    “I don’t know what to do.” For the first time, she was really beginning to be afraid. “Maybe I could just get you warm. You can wait for Blythe in my house.”
    “Who’s Blythe?”
    “My sister. Sort of. It’s complicated.”
    She drove to her house, watching the drive, looking for tire tracks.
    “Stay here,” she ordered as she parked her truck and jumped out. She hesitated with the door open. “If you lay one hand on me when I come back, you’d better make certain you kill me, because you won’t live through