Page 80 of Secrets Bared
“We got most of them. Aaron’s in custody.” He didn’t realize he was crying until she closed her laptop and wiped the tears from his face.
“What do you need?”
His hands roamed her sides. “Just a shower. And you.”
She smiled and set her laptop on the desk. “I’ll get the water started.”
Luke stripped off his clothes and left them in a pile on the floor as the shower turned on. When he entered the bathroom, Maggie was bent over testing the water with her hand, her heart-shaped ass barely covered by her thin nightshirt.
First, he wanted to scrub the worst night of his life from his skin.
Maggie met him in bed, naked. He crawled in beside her, and she turned into his embrace. Soft kisses and touches turned to gentle love-making in the sliver of moonlight that made itthrough her curtains. And as they fell asleep together in the early morning, he knew his heart was no longer his own.
Fromahuntingblindin the woods, Sean Callahan lowered his binoculars. He’d known where his wife was for weeks, sending messages meant to entice her back at first, and then when that didn’t work, he’d demanded it.
Margaret had erased her browsing history, but it hadn’t taken a strong hacker to locate where she’d been going online, or to track her messaging history. Locating her friend Jessica had led him to a car that was registered under her mother. But her mother was in a nursing facility and hadn’t driven it in months. After that, it was a simple matter of accessing the highway traffic cameras his brothers in blue used for speeding tickets to follow the license plate.
Sean knew she didn’t have any ties to Pennsylvania. She’d clearly just been trying to lose him so he couldn’t contest this farce of a divorce. He’d taken a leave of absence, telling his chief he wanted to reconcile with Margaret. How dare she take out a protective order against him? Everyone in the precinct knew his wife was fuckingscaredof him. Well, now she had good reason to be.
He’d always been so careful when he had to discipline her. But his divorce lawyer talked to hers, and apparently there were pictures. She’d documented his discipline, and her stupid lawyer was calling itabuse.
Sean spat into the woods. And now, to make matters worse, she’d got herself a little boyfriend. The cook from that diner she was working at. That’s why he’d made sure to send his response to her divorce petition there. Now the boyfriend knew who shebelonged to. But apparently, that didn’t matter. ‘Cause he’d just seen him enter the bed-and-breakfast where she was staying.
Fucking lowlife sleeping with his cheating wife. He’d teach them. Both of them.
Just because she wouldn’t come home with Sean, didn’t mean anyone else could have her.
Sean lowered himself to the ground and cleaned up his campsite. That hunting cabin in the woods he’d passed was outside of the town limits and wouldn’t show up without exact coordinates.
Perfect for exacting his revenge.
LukehadexplainedthatEaster was low key with his family. Mom made ham, of course, and made up a basket for him. There hadn’t been time or money for much when he was small, which Deb and her late husband, Marcus, didn’t have to worry about when Aaron came along.
Maggie hadn’t seen Luke quite so nervous as he was this morning. Dark circles under his eyes showed how little sleep he’d gotten.
He pulled up to Deb’s house, and then they sat in the driveway.
“Luke?” She stroked his arm. “Would it be easier if I went back to the Haven?”
“No,” he grasped her hand, and brought it to his lips. “Please stay. I need you.”
“Okay.” She squeezed his hand, then lifted her purse to her shoulder. He took off his seatbelt and came around. She did love how he opened her doors for her all the time. It made her feel special, cared for.
They walked up the porch steps and Luke opened the door. “Mom? It’s Luke. I brought Maggie with me.”
“Oh, good.” Deb wheeled into the living room. “The ham needs to go into the crock pot, if you two wouldn’t mind helping me.”
“Of course not.” Maggie stepped forward. “I’m happy to help.”
“Come on back, you two.”
“How are you feeling, Deb?”
“I’m doing okay. Just annoyed at the lack of mobility. I can’t wait to get back to work.”
Maggie followed Deb’s directions, placing the ham into the crock pot and then adding the brown sugar mixture on top.
“That should finish in about four hours. You three can hunt for your baskets.”
