The moment the door to Lily’s motel room closed, she dropped her suitcase on the floor and flopped face first onto the bed. She could hear Ethan unpacking in the room next to her as Molly barked orders at him. Either he was very loud or they’d built the walls with tracing paper. Probably the latter.
She rolled onto her back and studied the water-stained ceiling. It wasn’t The Ritz, but it was cozy and seemed clean—except for a dodgy smell coming from the carpet. However, she was sleeping on the bed, not the floor, and that looked stain-free.
Mum always said, “If you can’t eat off your sheets, you shouldn’t be sleeping on them.” Which was all well and good, but she wasn’t the one who had to change all the sheets in the house three times a week. Lily was.
She wanted to lie there forever. But while she was exhausted, her body buzzed with energy, muscles taut with anxiety. The bed creaked as she got up and crossed the room. She whipped the long curtains aside to reveal a sliding glass door that led onto a private concrete balcony with a metal railing.
Her charming view looked out onto the parking lot and the road in front of the motel. However, beyond that, the sun dipped below the trees, creating a pattern of light and dark. The wisps of clouds in the sky glowed peach and tangerine.
Grabbing her camera, she took a few photos. But as breathtaking as it was, it wasn’t enough to hold her attention for long. Her gaze swept over the vehicles parked outside, searching for a sage green truck.
On the drive there, she’d kept a close eye on her side mirror. She didn’t think anyone had followed them, but still …
Knock, knock, knock.
Yelping, she retreated until her back hit the sliding glass door. The noise had come from the closet.
She briefly considered racing out the door or even climbing over the balcony railing; it was barely a few feet off the ground, after all. Then the knock came again, and it sounded much … friendlier.
“Hello?” she called out to the closet.
“It’s me.” Ethan’s voice came from inside. “Can I come in?”
Frowning, she assessed the closet again—or what she’d assumed to be the closet, since it was at the back of the room. But they didn’t usually have locks. Walking over, she flicked the deadbolt and cracked open the door.
Ethan leaned against the frame on the other side, Molly at his feet. “Hey, neighbor.”
“Bloody hell. You scared me.”
“Didn’t you notice we have adjoining rooms? Dinner arrived.” He held up two stacked pizza boxes. As he took in her expression, he lowered them again. “You all right? You seem a little on edge.”
“You might be used to men with guns chasing you, but this is my first time.”
His lips curled into a smirk. “Why do you say that? Because I seem like the kind of guy people want to kill?”
“That’s not what I meant. I mean because you’re a lawyer who puts criminals in jail. I don’t suppose they love that about you.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m used to it.” His effortless charm slipped.
Something told her she’d hit a nerve. Before the moment dragged on too long, she said, “If it’s any consolation, I don’t want to kill you.”
That got a smile out of him. “Even after today? That’s really saying something.”
She swung the door wide. “Come on in. Do you have a balcony too?”
“Yes, but my view isn’t nearly as nice as yours. I look out at the dumpster.”
“Clearly, we should eat dinner at your place, then.”
“I would hate to make you jealous,” he said. “Sorry, but last-minute accommodations on this stretch of the road were limited. Especially ones that allow pets.”
“It’s fine, really,” she said. “I want the full range of experiences America has to offer. At least I’ll get to see a lot more with you than if I’d stayed behind.”
“Like dumpsters,” he suggested.
“And parking lots.” Lily unlocked the balcony door and slid it open.
He carried the pizzas out and laid them on the little metal table. They sat in the plastic chairs set on either side of it. Molly came out and joined them. She’d clearly finished exploring all of Lily’s personal things and probably peed on one or two of them.
Nosing the pizza on Ethan’s paper plate, she stood up and laid her paws on his knee, whining like That smells way better than the junk you fed me.
Tearing off a bit of crust, he gave in and fed it to her.
As they sat and ate their pizzas in a comfortable silence, Lily marveled at the rolling hills in the distance. She wondered how, with all those people living in the country, there could be so much space, so much air. It felt easier to breathe. Probably because she didn’t have her family there to suffocate her.
Through the open door, she could hear her phone ring inside, as though it had read her mind. She knew it could only be one person: her mum. She ignored it.
Ethan gestured with his pizza slice. “You don’t need to get that?”
“No. It’s just my mum again. Third time today. It can wait.”
“You’re lucky. I don’t know anyone who would want to talk to me that badly. Unless, of course, it’s to kill me. Then again, I don’t blame them.”
She half smirked. She knew he was kidding—sort of. Then again, it hadn’t been the first time he’d said something like that. She was beginning to wonder if he wasn’t really joking.
“You know,” she began, “if you keep telling people you’re the bad guy, they might start to believe you.”
“Maybe they should,” he said without a trace of humor.
He stared at the slice in his hand before he tossed it back into the box like he’d lost his appetite. Molly gave him a murderous glare before he tore off another piece of crust for her.
“Well, Mr. Lawyer, you’re not the only one who can read people, and I say you’re not a bad guy. I don’t know why you want people to think that.”
“Isn’t that what most people think about lawyers? I’ve defended criminals. Like really guilty ones. Heck, I helped put an innocent man behind bars, and I was supposedly on the good side. It’s not like your profession.” He waved a hand at her. “You take care of people, make them feel better. You’re there for them when they need you the most.”
“It sounds like that’s exactly what you do.”
“But it’s different. Your work is more positive. Genuine. Helpful.”
“That’s me. Lily, the helpful one. A tad too helpful sometimes.” Her laugh sounded hollow, and suddenly she wasn’t so hungry anymore either. “I love my job, though. Working in a care home is so rewarding. Of course, that’s probably because I’m an incurable people pleaser.”
“I don’t think it’s such a bad thing to want to please people and make them happy. I think the world needs more people like you.”
Her lips parted. “No one’s ever quite put it that way before.”
In fact, most people usually said it with scorn, accusing her of being a pushover—and then proceeded to take advantage of that. She felt as though she’d been apologizing for it her whole life. Just not to Ethan, apparently.
“But you’re trying to free an innocent man from jail,” she said. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate your help.”
“Timothy Moore? Probably not. Supposedly, he took the fall because the real Phantom threatened his family.”
“That’s a pretty good reason.”
“I would have done the same. The Phantom is known for burying his enemies alive. Not exactly a quick way to go.”
Goosebumps rose on her skin. She rubbed her arm. “So what changed? Why is he coming forward now?”
“He didn’t. His older brother, Carson, did, and only because Timothy’s wife died in a car accident, leaving him the only person who the Phantom can hurt. And he seems to care more about clearing his brother’s name than any threat against himself.”
“You said it was photographic evidence, right? That sounds promising.”
“It does. I’m sure it’s what I’ve been searching for. It doesn’t prove who the Phantom is, but at least it proves Timothy is innocent, so the case can be reopened.”
She studied him. “Maybe things are done differently in America, but do lawyers often try to solve crime boss cases?”
He laughed. “No. This one is different.”
She desperately wished to know why, but her phone chimed with a text. Worried her mother would send the police if she didn’t answer, she reluctantly stood up. “Well, I’d best head off to Bedfordshire.”
He wrinkled his nose. “To where?”
She giggled as she went inside. “It means bed.”
“That’s a good idea.” Ethan picked up Molly, who had fallen asleep at his feet with a rounded pizza belly, and followed. “We’ve got to hit the road early. I have something special planned for you when we get to Shady Cove.” His voice dipped low with an insinuation.
She knew he didn’t mean it like that, yet his tone sent a wave of heat through her core. “And what’s that?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Come on. Tell me.” She gave him a playful glare.
He backed through the door to his own room. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
That’s right. I’m supposed to be a brave, experienced traveler. “You’re right. I’m up for whatever.”
“I’ll hold you to that. Good night.”
She closed the door between their rooms, hesitating before locking it. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept on her own. Her mum never went on holiday, and if Lily ever headed into Worcester for the night, she always stayed on Chloe’s couch. And the night before had been at Aunt Marilyn’s house.
She shut the balcony door and drew the curtains closed. When she checked her phone, the text hadn’t been from her mother. It was an unknown number. She opened it.
Hey, Red! This is Rory. Your mum gave me your number. I hear you’re across the pond. When you get back, we should meet at the Laughing Duck, have a pint, catch up, maybe more?
With a sound of disgust, Lily dropped her phone onto the bed. Same old Mum. Same old Rory. Same old pub. God, she had to change before she went back because, otherwise, nothing about her life would ever be different.
Grabbing her toiletry bag, she ducked into the bathroom. After a quick shower, she slipped into the silky pajama tank top and shorts she’d picked up with her aunt the day before. They’d only had so much time to replace her lost things, so she’d taken whatever she could get. And what she got was orangutans with bananas. Not that it mattered. It wasn’t like anyone would see them.
When she flicked off the bathroom light and headed for bed, she heard a noise. A thump. This time, it hadn’t come from Ethan’s room. It had come from outside.
A car door, she told herself. Someone on a nearby balcony? It was a motel, after all, so all the doors to the rooms were on the outside of the building. But the same sensation that had followed her from the Sacramento River washed over her again.
Creeping closer to the curtains, she gripped them but then hesitated. Did she even want to know? Yes. She was tired of backing down, of always taking the less scary route in life. Pretending something wasn’t there didn’t make it go away. If she wanted to be a big girl, to prove that it was time she made her own way in life, she needed to pull up her big girl monkey shorts and act like one—a big girl, not a monkey.
Bracing herself, she flung the curtains wide. The lamp light caught the glass doors. All she could see was a reflection of herself. Then something moved, and her focus shifted past the glare. She squinted out into the night.
A dark figure shifted. Something—or someone—was out there watching her.