Everything seemed to happen in a blur.
One minute, Ainsley was sinking into Santiago’s kiss, relishing the feel of her curves pressed against his chest. The next thing she knew, there was a crash from somewhere behind her. Before she could fully register the sound, Santiago’s arms came around her in a tight embrace and he pulled her to the floor. The back of her head made contact with the tile floor, and she cried out as pain pierced her skull.
“Are you okay?” Santiago’s breath was warm on her cheek; she blinked, slowly registering he was on top of her.
“Uh, yeah, I think so. What happened?” Her head was still spinning from the sudden change in position, and the throbbing of her skull made it difficult to organize her thoughts.
“The window.” He shifted, his eyes looking past her as he searched for something. “It shattered behind you.”
A jolt of alarm shot down her spine. “Were you hurt?” She hadn’t felt anything, but she’d been so caught up in the moment it might not have registered. She took a mental inventory now, trying to determine if she’d been cut or injured by flying glass.
Santiago was quiet for a few seconds, apparently performing his own silent survey. “No, I think I’m fine.”
He planted his knees on either side of her thighs, taking some of his weight off her. They waited a few more seconds, but the cabin was silent.
“Do you think we’re safe?” She felt a little silly whispering, but windows didn’t break themselves. Something had caused the glass to explode.
Or someone.
The image of Steve flashed through her mind as she recalled the dark glare he given her before walking away with Jenny. He hadn’t threatened her outright, but he’d made it clear he didn’t want her speaking to his wife.
Had he decided to underline his warning with a little vandalism?
“I’ll take a look,” Santiago said. “Stay down until I know it’s okay.”
Ainsley opened her mouth to protest, but Santiago looked down and met her eyes. “Just stay down,” he repeated, anticipating her objection.
He waited for her to nod before sliding off her. She registered the loss of his body heat immediately, but pushed the inconvenient observation aside. Now was not the time to think about the implications of that kiss, or the direction they’d been heading before the surprise interruption…
Wanting to keep him in sight, Ainsley rolled onto her stomach and craned her neck. Santiago moved cautiously toward the window at the other end of the room, his head swiveling from side to side as he searched for any signs of an intruder or a threat. She held her breath, willing him to remain safe. The chances that someone was out there waiting to take a shot were slim, but she couldn’t get Steve’s menacing expression out of her mind. Even though he was upset with her, he might lash out and hurt Santiago by mistake. If Santiago was injured because of her actions…she’d never forgive herself.
After an endless moment, Santiago called out. “I don’t see anyone.” The glass crunched under his shoes as he walked back to her and reached down to help her up. “I think we’re safe.”
“What happened?” Ainsley kept her hands on Santiago’s arms, unwilling to let go just yet. Her stomach still roiled from adrenaline and she felt a little shaky. He was solid and strong, and his closeness provided a reassurance that transcended words.
Santiago seemed to understand her need for touch, as he drew her close. “I’m not 100 percent sure,” he said, looking at the scene at the other end of the room. “As best I can tell, it seems like a tree branch crashed through the window.”
“So it wasn’t a person trying to hurt us?” That was a relief.
“Doesn’t look like it, no,” he said.
Together, they walked over to the mess on the floor. Ainsley could see he was right—a large branch was hanging half-out of the room, and both the small table and floor were littered with shards of glass and a few pieces of bark and leaves. From this angle, she could see the jagged end of the branch, which looked like it had been ripped off the tree. She reflexively glanced up, but it was impossible to tell which tree the branch had come from.
“That’s quite a mess,” she said.
“I’ll see if I can find a broom,” Santiago replied. She released her hold on him as he stepped away. Rather than watch him walk, she turned back to the scene in the kitchen. Even if Santiago was able to find something they could use to clean up, they would need help blocking the empty space where the window had once been.
With a sigh, she walked over to the phone and pressed 9 to dial the front desk of the main building. Please, not Brett, she thought silently as she listened to the phone ring. He was one of the last people she wanted to talk to right now, and with her nerves still on edge, she didn’t want him coming over to inspect the damage to the cabin.
“Marriage Institute, this is Carmen speaking,” answered a woman’s voice.
Ainsley identified herself and explained the situation. Carmen tutted sympathetically, and assured Ainsley that someone would arrive momentarily with plywood to cover the broken window and help clean up.
After thanking the woman, Ainsley hung up. Did nothing faze these people? Carmen’s chipper tone hadn’t varied throughout the call. Ainsley imagined that no matter the reason for her call, Carmen’s response would have been the same.
I’m calling because my arm just fell off.
Oh, that’s okay! I’ll send someone over to help you clean up!
She shook her head at the thought, and Santiago drew up short as he returned to the kitchen.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Just got off the phone with the main cabin. They’re sending someone to help us.”
“Good, because I couldn’t find a broom.” He held up his empty hands in illustration and moved to stand next to her.
“I’m sure they’ll have everything we need,” Ainsley commented. “And I know they’ll be cheerful about it.”
Santiago chuckled. “I take it you spoke with Brett?”
She shuddered at the mention of the man’s name. “No. Thank God. It was someone else. But she sounded just as perfect.”
Santiago ran his hand down her arm. “Try not to let them get to you. We’ll be out of here soon.”
Ainsley nodded, knowing he was right. “Let’s get started.” She gestured to the mess on the floor. “We can at least pull the branch out of the room.”
“Good call.” They headed for the front door and stepped out onto the porch. As soon as she walked out of the house, Ainsley froze.
Santiago paused on the steps, glancing back with a worried expression. “Hey. What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, searching for the words. The whole thing felt very wrong, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why…
Then it snapped into place. She pointed up with her index finger. “This porch is covered.”
Santiago glanced at the roof in question and looked back at her. “Yes.” He drew the word out, as though he was waiting for her to realize she was being silly.
“That branch couldn’t have fallen through the kitchen window on its own.” She gestured to the side, where the branch in question still hung from the frame.
Santiago followed her movement, his eyes tracing the lines of the roof and then the window frame. The porch roof extended to cover half of the width of the window, so it was feasible a branch could have fallen from a tree and busted through the unprotected side.
But that wasn’t the case here. The wood had clearly punctured the half of the glass that was shaded by the porch, leaving large shards still attached to the side of the frame that was uncovered.
There was only one way to explain that pattern.
Someone had rammed the branch through the window, wanting it to look like an accident.
Santiago looked back at her, his eyes widening as understanding dawned.
“I think you should go back inside.”
Ainsley bristled at his words. “And leave you out here alone? I don’t think so.”
Santiago shot her an exasperated glare and moved to grab the branch. “How did I know you were going to say that?” he sighed. “Come on then, let’s get this done quickly.”
Working together, they carefully pulled the branch free and tossed it on the ground in front of the cabin. Then they both walked inside to wait for the cleanup crew to arrive.
“So it wasn’t an accident,” he said softly.
“Nope,” she replied.
He nodded, as though this confirmed a private suspicion. “I thought it was strange. There haven’t been any storms, and I didn’t hear a gust of wind that might have caused the branch to tear free.”
“I have seen some downed branches by the running trail,” Ainsley said. “Whoever did this probably picked one up there.” Given the forest nearby, pieces of wood weren’t hard to find. And it was an ideal tool for vandalism—after all, any reasonable person would assume the branch had fallen from one of the trees close to the house.
It was a mistake they’d made at first, until she’d realized things didn’t quite add up.
But…who would do this? And why?
Another thought came swiftly, making her skin crawl with revulsion; how long had someone been standing outside, watching them?
Santiago placed his hand on her arm. “Your face—what is it?”
She shuddered. “I just realized, whoever did this was probably standing outside the window, watching us kiss.”
A shadow crossed his face. “Yes,” he said shortly.
That safe feeling she’d had after assuming this had all been an accident evaporated, leaving her exposed and vulnerable. What other private moments had this person seen? How long had they been spying?
Santiago drew her close once more, wrapping his arms loosely around her. “It’s okay,” he said, dropping his mouth to her ear. “Whoever did this, they won’t hurt you. I won’t let them.”
She hadn’t started to worry about her personal safety yet, but Santiago’s assurance helped soothe her nerves. “Should we say something? When help arrives?”
She felt his head move against her hair. “I don’t think so,” he said. “It’s not like we can trust them, you know?”
“Yeah.” Brett’s face flashed through her mind, and she tightened her grip around Santiago’s waist. She’d been thinking Steve had done this, or perhaps one of the other spouses trying to intimidate them. But what if it was an employee? Maybe the Woodses had figured out she and Santiago weren’t really married at all? Perhaps this was the start of a campaign to get them to leave, or worse still, they’d uncovered Ainsley and Santiago’s investigation and wanted to scare them into dropping it.
She said as much to Santiago. He stroked one hand down the valley of her spine; she focused on his touch, drawing comfort from the gesture. “That’s possible,” he said. He was quiet for a few seconds, then spoke again. “What do you want to do?”
Ainsley pulled back to look up at him. “What do you mean?”
His green eyes were clear. “I’m not going to ask you to risk yourself for this project.” He reached up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “And I don’t want you to spend the remainder of the week living in fear that someone is spying on us or going to hurt us. If you want to leave, we can.”
His consideration was like a warm balm on her soul, spreading over her and making her feel cherished. She knew how much this investigation meant to him, how passionate he was about helping his sister and the other people who had been conned. The fact that he was willing to walk away just so she wouldn’t be scared showed how much he cared about her.
Even as she appreciated his concern, a small part of her heart ached. Santiago still thought highly of her, that much was clear. But did it really matter? All the affection in the world hadn’t stopped him from leaving five years ago.
Ainsley slowly extracted herself from his embrace, being careful not to make it seem like she was rejecting him. That would only raise questions, and she didn’t want to let him know that her heart was still bleeding from his actions.
“I’m fine,” she said decisively. “I want to finish this. I’m not going to let some coward with a tree branch scare me away from doing the right thing.”
Santiago nodded, a smile tugging the corners of his mouth. “I figured you’d be stubborn. But don’t be afraid to change your mind—if you decide you’re done, we’ll leave. No questions asked.”
“I won’t. I’m going to see this through to the end.” She owed him that much, since he was helping Ace. Besides, if she was to walk away now, part of her would always wonder if these stolen kisses and subtle touches would have led to something more. Her heart was already fluttering with the idea of a second chance for both of them. No, staying here would prove those encounters were nothing but blips, moments of weakness brought on by stress and worry. They weren’t the beginning of something new, they were a maladaptive coping strategy she had to shake off.
Her brain understood there was no future for the two of them. Santiago had made that clear five years ago, and nothing had changed.
Ainsley just had to make sure her heart got the message.
* * *
Santiago flipped his pillow over with a sigh that night, punching it into the shape he liked before flopping back down on the bed.
He should sleep. He knew this. His body was tired.
But his mind wouldn’t shut down.
The events of this evening played on an endless loop, a movie reel he couldn’t turn off. Making Ainsley’s coffee. Talking with her at the table. Kissing her by the sink…
In some ways, he was grateful the window had broken at that moment. He hadn’t meant to kiss Ainsley, but once he’d started, he hadn’t wanted to stop. And given his determination to keep his distance, kissing her was the last thing he needed to be doing.
It was strange, though. The more group discussions and couple’s therapy sessions they attended together, the more he realized how good their relationship had been. Listening to other people talk about the problems in their marriages made him realize he and Ainsley had been lucky—they hadn’t argued all the time, hadn’t had big, fundamental disagreements about life, the kind that tore a couple apart. He’d never been tempted to cheat on her, and as far as he could tell, she’d never wanted to cheat on him. Compared to these unhappy couples at the retreat, he and Ainsley had had a charmed relationship.
It was enough to make him wonder if he’d made the right choice five years ago.
He flipped onto his back with a sigh. On the other hand, perhaps the past seemed so good because he was currently surrounded by people contemplating divorce. After all, happy couples didn’t consider breaking up. It was easy to think their relationship had been ideal compared to the stories he’d heard over the last several days.
Though he couldn’t deny they had worked well together…still did, come to that.
There was no one he’d rather have by his side this week. Ainsley was the best partner he could ask for; not only was she helping him gather evidence against the Woodses and their cronies, but she provided him with the emotional support he’d unexpectedly needed to continue this deception.
Santiago only hoped he was helping her the same way she was helping him.
Which led him to a new set of worries; now that they knew the broken window had been no accident, was he doing the right thing by keeping them here?
He’d never forgive himself if Ainsley was hurt. He knew, too, that she wasn’t going to walk away. She was too stubborn to give in to intimidation, especially now that she’d seen firsthand the people who were being hurt by the Woodses. He could tell by the way she’d talked about Jenny that she had a soft spot for the other woman, and he couldn’t blame her.
That didn’t mean he wanted her risking her own neck to help. It was one thing to provide moral support and to be there as a friend, even if it annoyed Jenny’s husband. But now that someone had thrown a tree branch through the cabin window, Santiago feared the stakes were considerably higher.
There was no guarantee the disgruntled husband was responsible for the act of vandalism, though Santiago didn’t know who else it could be. It was possible the Woodses had figured out he and Ainsley were not who they seemed—perhaps they were trying to send a message? Though it must be an awfully subtle one, if that was the case. No, if the Woodses suspected their real motives, he doubted they would bother with something as small as a broken window. They’d simply force them out of the retreat and that would be that.
He doubted it was anyone on their staff, either. The employee who had come out to help clean up was perfectly pleasant, apologizing for the accident, saying it happened sometimes. The young woman had definitely stuck to the script, just as all the other staffers had during the week. And while that made them seem a little…creepy, it also made Santiago think they wouldn’t do anything unless the Woodses ordered it. So the idea that an employee had broken the window didn’t make sense, either.
Which brought him back to Steve, Jenny’s husband. He was the only logical suspect so far.
Thanks to the two of them being in the same group, Santiago had seen flashes of the other man’s temper. It was easy for him to imagine Steve picking up the branch and thrusting it through the window—it was just the kind of hotheaded, impulsive move men like Steve specialized in. The only question was, now that he’d gotten the anger out of his system for the moment, was he going to leave them alone?
Or would he escalate his behavior?
Santiago wasn’t afraid for himself. Steve and his ilk were bullies, only picking on people they viewed as weaker. Even though Ainsley was smarter and stronger than Steve could ever hope to be, she was physically smaller and therefore, in his eyes, vulnerable. That made her an easy target.
And since Santiago couldn’t be by her side every minute of the day, it posed a dilemma for him.
Carry on with the operation and risk Ainsley’s safety?
Or leave now before someone was seriously hurt?
He knew what he wanted to do. If it was up to him, they’d leave in the morning. As much as he wanted to bring these guys down, to make them pay for their deceptions, the fact was that Ainsley’s well-being meant more to him than anything else.
Feeling uncomfortably warm, he flipped the pillow over once more, searching for a cooler spot on the fabric. It shouldn’t be this hard, he told himself. He didn’t want to risk Ainsley, so they should leave. But she’d made it clear she wasn’t going anywhere.
And…ultimately, he had to respect her choice.
Even though he hated the risk she was taking, it was hers to assume. He’d do everything in his power to keep her safe, for as long as possible. It wasn’t in her nature to rely on someone to take care of her, but hopefully she’d have the sense to accept his help.
Because the only way they were going to get through the rest of this retreat was if they acted as a team.