I liked the thought of that. And the feeling.

“You again,” Owen said. He looked pissed, but also very, very afraid.

“Me again,” Jake said.

“I’d heard you were back.”

Jake turned to me, the gun still aimed at Owen. “Your call, baby.” He was asking me if Owen should die, right then and there. As tempted as I was to say yes, there was too much at risk.

I had my daughter to think of.

“Not today.” It was my honest answer. I had dreamed about Jake taking Owen down for so long. I savored the sight of Owen quivering while he stared down the barrel of that gun.

Owen kept his hands in the air. “You two are sick,” he said, as if he could read my mind.

Jake laughed out loud. “It took you this long to figure that out? You’re fucking dumber than I thought.” Jake tucked his gun in the back of his jeans and put his arm around me. “If I see you near her again, you’re fucking dead – my choice, not hers. Simple as that.” We turned toward the road and started walking. Jake turned to face Owen again. “And if you even think about going near Georgia, I won’t just kill you. I’ll cut you into pieces and scatter your parts.”

We left Owen shaking in the sand. I may have just had a confrontation with my walking nightmare, but all I could concentrate on was the feeling of Jake’s arm around me and his lips in my hair when he kissed my head reassuringly.

When we got to his bike, he handed me his helmet as if we’d done that very same thing every day for the last four years. I got on behind him, hugging him tightly as we sped down the road. It felt good to touch him. It had been so long. The vibrations of the bike had a way of making me remember that I was still alive. Through the good and the bad, and between all the very blurred lines in between, Jake had always made me feel that way.

I knew we would never be able to make us work. That knowledge didn’t stop me from finally admitting that I was still madly in love with the killer in my grasp.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

INSTEAD OF DRIVING ME HOME Jake took me back to the clearing among the orange trees where he’d revealed his last secret to me, the place where he had buried both the body of his childhood friend and his stillborn daughter.

We didn’t speak when he parked the bike or when he led me through the narrow path to the clearing. When we got to the spot under the same tree where he made his darkest confessions to me years ago, he pulled me down onto his lap and buried his face in my neck. His heart was beating so quickly. His breath was short and came in spurts. After what seemed like a silent eternity, he finally spoke.

“Bee, what happened between you and Owen, and why the fuck were you trying to shoot him on the beach?”

That question held so much more than words.

“Pass,” I said, using the same rules of the game we used to play. I had a daughter to protect now. Jake knowing about Owen raping me would just make matters worse. “Why are you still here?” I asked him.

“What?” Jake asked. Confusion marring his beautiful face.

I thought the question was pretty obvious. “Why are you here with me? Why did you help me on the beach? Why are you even talking to me? I would hate me if I were you.”

He looked at me just the way he used to: past my eyes and into the broken soul beneath. He brushed some stray hairs from my face and cupped my cheek in his palm.

“Pass,” he said.

“Well,” I laughed. “Looks like we’re back to square one.”

“We can just play again then,” Jake said. “Four years adds a lot of new secrets, don’t you think?” That was an understatement. “We’ll start small.” He reached for the pendant on my neck and ran his fingers over the ornate metal that held his initials hidden within the design. “Why do you still wear this?”

That was one I could answer easily. “I’ve tried to take it off. Several times. I even went a whole day without it once, but when I got home I went right for the dresser and put it back on, I didn’t even stop to think about it. I haven’t taken it off since.” Jake lifted it and pressed his lips to my skin underneath. My breath hitched at the feeling of his warm soft lips on my chest. “My turn.” He nodded and pulled his lips from me, creating an empty feeling. “Why were you at the beach today?”

“I was looking for you.” It was a simple statement, and he didn’t explain any further. He was just looking for me, and he seemed satisfied with that answer. “See? We’re doing good already.” He nudged my shoulder and smiled up at me. I rested my head on his shoulder.