Cut Too Deep(13)

“Sure, Jenna. I’ll make some calls. You’ll be on this number?”

“Yeah, thanks, Nick.”

“No problem. Take care, okay? I’ll speak to you soon.”

Reluctantly, she ended the call. She didn’t feel any better. Her common sense tried to tell her if Nick Harlem wasn’t worried, she shouldn’t be either, but her instinct was telling her something different.

Though she wanted to hide in the room until Nick called her back and reassured her that Garrett was still locked behind bars, for another couple of days anyway, she craved a sweet, milky coffee, and something starchy and full of sugar. She thought she remembered passing a coffee house on the way to the motel. It was only a block or two from here, and even she could manage to walk that.

She brushed her teeth and dressed in Capri leggings and a long t-shirt to cover her stomach and backside. The day was already warm, so she slid her feet into a pair of flip-flops, tied her hair back, and slipped a pair of sunglasses on her face.

The quick stroll in the bright morning light helped to dispel the terrors she’d experienced during the night. Her recollection of driving past a coffee shop had been correct. A couple of turns brought her to the right place, and she pushed open the door to the aroma of freshly ground coffee, warm pastries, and the hiss of milk steaming.

Jenna placed her order and took a seat in the window. At this early hour, the place was almost deserted, and it only took a few minutes for the waitress to bring over her breakfast.

The sweet, creamy taste of coffee from a cup as big as a cereal bowl immediately made her feel better. She took a bite of the iced doughnut, almost groaning as the fat and sugar hit her tongue.

The café door opened, making her glance up. She almost choked on her doughnut as she saw Ryker standing in the doorway, grinning at her, his blue eyes bright with amusement. He wore jeans and a tight fitting black t-shirt which showed off his tattooed biceps. A chain ran from the belt of his jeans, hooking to the back, and he wore a thick, black leather cuff around his wrist. Quickly, she chewed and swallowed, her hand held over her mouth as she did so.

“What are you doing here?”

He approached and pulled out the seat opposite and sat down. He folded his ankle over his thigh and sat back. “I was taking Mikey to school.”

She peered out of the window to where the boy sat in the passenger seat. He saw her looking and waved a hand. She lifted her own and waved back.

Frowning, she said, “But the school is on the other side of town.”

“Not to my place, it’s not. Only if you’re coming from the garage.”

“Oh, right.” Something else occurred to her. “And didn’t Mikey get suspended?”

“Oh, dammit. I’ve never been a good liar.” He gave a crooked grin and reached up to scruff his hair. “I might have just been checking if you were up and about.”

Automatically, she leaned across the table and smacked his arm. “See, I knew you were here for a reason. This is close to stalking, you know?”

The words struck a chord with her and she shivered.

Ryker noticed. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked with a frown.

She forced a smile. “Yeah, fine.”

“Are you going to be here for another fifteen minutes?”

She glanced down at her still-full soup bowl of coffee. “Yeah, I’d say so.”

“Cool. Let me drop Mikey at home and I’ll come back and have coffee with you.”

She shrugged, but her heart fluttered with happiness. “Sure.”

She watched Mikey rib Ryker as he got back into the truck, punching him in the shoulder, laughing. She couldn’t help but laugh as well.

Jenna sat back, enjoying her coffee and finishing a couple of mouthfuls of doughnut. She must have been overreacting at the banging she thought she’d heard last night. It must have been a dream her anxious mind had projected into the real world.

While she waited, she grabbed a pen from the waitress and jotted down some notes about one of her projects, glancing out of the window to keep an eye open for Ryker’s return. Did he really like her? Why else would he be seeking her out at this time in the morning? She tried not to think too deeply into it. She wished she could learn to live in the moment.

Her cell rang and her stomach crawled into her throat. The coffee and doughnut suddenly made her nauseated. She fumbled in her pocket for the cell and pulled it out, Nick Harlem’s name flashing on the screen.

She answered, “It’s me.”

“Jenna, hi. I’m not calling with good news, I’m afraid.”

Dread settled like a stone in the pit of her stomach. “Just tell me.”

“Garrett was let out two weeks ago on good behavior.”