Saved by Sin [Paladin Protection Agency 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) (2 page)

“He killed himself because he couldn’t live without you! You!” Nancy was babbling, but there was a bitter edge to her words. “He could have had any woman in the world, but for some reason he settled on you, a common nobody.” She removed a black silk handkerchief from her purse and dabbed at her eyes before continuing, “And now he’s given you everything. Everything! The house, the cars, stocks, and the money his father set aside for him, all of it.”

Shock stole Michelle’s breath away, and she felt the room sway and spin around her. “He left it all to me?”

“Don’t pretend with me, you hussy! You gold-digging tramp! You know he did! The will is new, less than a month old. You got it all!” The older woman pulled out a document from her purse and waved it in Michelle’s face. “You made him do this! I don’t know how, but you did this!”

Michelle’s hand flew up to protect her face from the flapping pages, and Nancy simply threw it at her. Her face was contorted into a mask of rage.

“My lawyer says it’s perfectly legal, but I am seeking other opinions. Enjoy it while you can. I will want every penny of it paid back when I prove this was all a terrible travesty of justice!” She got to her feet and dabbed at her eyes again, though Michelle couldn’t see any actual tears. “My poor, darling Bobby. I will never understand what he saw in you.”

“You are grief-stricken, Mrs. Tanner, and I think you should leave.” Michelle managed to rein in her temper and stood, pointing down the hallway to her front door. “Right now.”
Before I start telling you all the things your darling Bobby used to say about you, you horrible shrew.

“I’ll see you in court!” was the last thing Michelle heard as Mrs. Tanner walked toward the elevator.

“Can this day get any worse?” she asked aloud and shut the door, relocking it carefully before heading back to the living room and the document sitting on the chair where she’d left it. “What the hell have you done now, you manipulative bastard?” She sat down and started reading, making small noises of horrified disbelief every few paragraphs. He’d left her everything, right down to his clothes. She was rich, and she didn’t want anything to do with any of it. Damn, she needed a drink.

* * * *

It was nearly four in the morning when the voice woke her from a restless sleep.

“Chelle.” Her heart slammed hard against her ribs, and she found herself reaching for the phone to dial 911 before she realized she was alone in her room. He wasn’t there. He couldn’t be there. Only one person in the world called her by that horrible nickname, and he was dead.

“You’re losing it, Michelle. Get a grip,” she muttered and tried to go back to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come. Every shadow in her room took on some sinister aspect, and whenever she closed her eyes, she swore she could hear something moving around her room.

“I give up.” She finally abandoned any hope of getting more sleep and got out of bed, her eyes gritty and her mind still foggy from the lack of rest.

She padded out to her balcony in bare feet and leaned against the railing, breathing in the night air that was coming in straight off the ocean, cooling her down and clearing her mind at last. Another breath and she closed her eyes, rolling her shoulders to ease the tight muscles that had been present since she’d found out about Robert’s suicide. The wind blew softly against her bare legs, and she realized she’d forgotten her robe, but what did it matter? There was no one to see her right now, and the T-shirt she slept in more than covered what could be seen over the balcony railing anyway.

She could hear the distant sound of the waves on the local beach and let her mind drift. The breeze swirled around her again, a gentle caress. She felt the first glimmer of relaxation and sighed in gratitude.
This was more like it.
The wind picked up a little, lifting a portion of her hair and blowing it back from her face.

“Chelle,” the voice came again, softer this time, like someone was whispering in her ear. The breeze grew stronger, and for a moment, she swore something touched her bare thigh. “I miss you, Chelle.”

Her chest locked up, smothering the scream that nearly tore from her lungs. Panic washed over her, and Michelle bolted back inside, slamming the sliding glass door behind her. She turned on every lamp and light switch, filling her little apartment with light and checking every corner and cranny. No one was there.

“What the hell is going on?” She was back in the middle of her living room, arms hugging her chest as she fought to slow down her hammering heartbeat. “C’mon, Michelle, keep it together.” She hugged herself harder and forced herself to breathe slowly until something vaguely resembling calm was restored.

“You’re just stressed, that’s all, and it’s been a hell of a day.” Michelle ran a hand through her sleep-tangled hair and then headed back to her bedroom. She needed to sleep, and then tomorrow she’d start dealing with everything. As she climbed back into bed, she glanced at the clock and groaned as she realized that tomorrow was already here.

He was still a hundred yards from shore when he heard the rumble of an engine and the distinctive sound of tires on gravel. Sinjin paused his daily swim workout to tread water and look around, wondering which of the lake’s few cabin owners was putting in a rare appearance. It took him a few minutes to find the vehicle. It was a dark red Jeep that flickered in and out of view between the pine trees that spanned the shoreline. The Jeep was moving too fast to see much, but he caught a flash of sunlight on blonde hair and a general impression of slender arms and delicate features. His new neighbor was a woman, and judging by the luggage stacked in the back of her vehicle, she was planning on staying a while.

He watched to see which cabin she was heading for, assuming she’d drive down to the far end of the lake where most of the vacation cabins were located. Instead, the Jeep slowed and turned down the narrow lane that led to a pair of private lots, one of which was his current home. “Son of a bitch,” Sinjin sighed. It looked like the powers that be had decided he’d been alone at Dark Water Lake long enough.

The wind picked up, and he set out for shore again, swimming hard against the light chop that had suddenly appeared. The exertion felt good, and he felt a pang of relief when he realized that nothing was hurting, despite the extra effort. It was the first time he’d pushed himself this hard since the accident, and it looked like his body was finally healed. Now if he could just get over the nightmares, he’d be ready to go back to work.

He reached the beach outside his cabin and stood, the wind blowing hard enough now to make goose bumps chase over his arms. “Weird weather,” he muttered to himself as he snagged the towel he’d left on shore and dried off quickly. Normally the lake was calm and still since the hills surrounding acted as a weather break. He slipped on his shoes and jogged back up to the cabin, already looking forward to the long, hot shower he’d promised himself.

By the time he was dressed again, the wind was actually howling at the windows and he looked outside, expecting to see a storm. The sky overhead was still clear and blue and the sun was warm where it fell on his skin through the window, but the trees outside were being beaten down by a serious blow. When he looked toward the water, he noted it had turned to a deep slate color beneath the choppy waves. The lake was living up to its name today.

He pulled on a sweatshirt and headed out back to double-check the generator. If the wind kept up, he had no doubt he would lose power. The little Honda needed a fuel top-up but was otherwise ready to go, and Sinjin headed back to the cabin, gathering up an armload of firewood along the way. It had been too warm for a fire before today, but tonight might be a good night for it. As he dropped the wood off inside the porch, he wondered if the new arrival at Dark Water was prepared for a power failure.

* * * *

Michelle hauled the last bag inside and dropped it on the floor of the cabin’s larger bedroom. “And I’m home,” she announced with a faint laugh. Walking back into the main room, she looked around and wrinkled her nose at the musty smell that filled the air. “Spiders and mice and dust bunnies, oh my. First order of business is to get this place aired out.” She opened several of the windows, struggling slightly as the old, weather-warped wood resisted before giving up with protesting creaks and groans. The wind was still picking up, but Michelle left the windows and door open, preferring the slight chill to having to breathe musty air. She checked the old-fashioned ice box and was relieved to see it was clean and still well sealed. Her family had never bothered to buy a modern fridge for the cabin, which meant for the next while she’d be roughing it in a world without ice cubes. She got busy unloading the groceries she’d bought on the way, restocking the cupboards and filling the ice box.

Staying busy was important. Since she’d been woken up the night before, Michelle had been constantly on the move, not standing still long enough to let her thoughts catch up to her. She’d barely managed to snatch another hour or so of sleep before she’d given up entirely and gotten out of bed. Her mother had called early, confirming Michelle’s long-standing belief that her mom somehow always knew when her daughter needed her. They’d talked for an hour, and it had been her mom’s suggestion to come up to the cabin and get away from everything for a few days. It had seemed a brilliant idea at the time, and Michelle had set about packing immediately. She’d kept up a near-frantic speed all morning at the idea of being able to get away to somewhere quiet and safe. She wanted to be far away from Nancy Turner’s threats and whatever it was that had caused her to imagine she had heard Robert speaking to her last night.

She’d called her new boss and given her apologies, explaining that there were family issues regarding the funeral and will and she was going to need a few days off to deal with it all. She’d expected to be fired, but her boss had somehow understood and given her the time away, even though she hadn’t worked there long enough to earn it.

Now she was at the lake though, she was having second thoughts. It was too quiet, and there was nothing to distract her from remembering everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Letters sent from beyond the grave, Nancy’s venomous accusations, and the strange breeze that spoke with Robert’s voice.

The wind blew hard enough to make the windows shimmy in their frames, and she went to close them, yanking back her hand in surprise when the last window slammed shut before she’d barely laid a finger on it. Her nerves on edge now, she turned to the door, and was stunned to see a man’s shape filling the doorway. For a moment, she was seized with panic, her heart squeezing into her throat and choking her as irrational thoughts filled her head.
It’s Robert. He’s here!
Part of her mind screamed at her to run, but she couldn’t move, or speak.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” It was not Robert’s voice, and now she realized whoever was standing at her door was taller than her ex-boyfriend, his big body very nearly filling the open space.

“It wasn’t your fault. I just seem to be jumping at shadows today.” Michelle offered her apology without moving, curious as to who would be out in this normally isolated area.

“I know how that can be.” Her visitor stepped just inside the cabin door and stopped to lean back against the frame. The cabin lights were bright enough to reveal his face for the first time. “My name’s Sinjin Heath. I’m in the cabin on the next lot over.”

All the air seems to rush out of Michelle’s lungs as her eyes drank in the vision in front of her. He was tall enough to make her tip her head up to see his face, which was rare considering she was five foot ten in her stocking feet. His brown eyes were so dark they seemed almost black, and he wore his hair long, its dark-brown length falling loose past his shoulders. A thin scar ran from his temple to just by the outer corner of one eye, giving character to a face that might have otherwise been too pretty to be real.

“Hi.” She finally managed to pull herself together and gave him what she hoped was a friendly smile as she offered him her hand. “Michelle Jamieson.”

He took her hand with a smile, but instead of shaking it, he raised it to his mouth and brushed a brief kiss over the knuckles as his brown eyes stared into hers. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Michelle.” His mouth turned her name into a whispered caress, and for a moment, she forgot to breathe. As her mind returned, she realized he was still holding her hand in his, and she tugged it out of his grip. “In all the years my family have been up here, we’ve never seen anyone at that cabin. I thought maybe it had been abandoned.”

“I don’t think it gets used all that much. It belongs to the company I work for. They keep it for using as a retreat for employees in need of a little peace and quiet.” He shrugged slightly, his eyes still watching her intently. “I’ve been here a few weeks. You’re the first person I’ve seen.”

“Sorry if my arrival has disturbed your solitude,” she said, wondering what could make someone leave their life to come out here to hide. Then she realized that was exactly what she was doing. “I uh…needed some time away myself.”

“I think this lake is big enough for the two of us to share.” Sinjin’s lips quirked into a grin that made him look like a mischievous boy. “I’ll take this half, you take the other side?”

“Maybe I should take the top half and you can have the bottom.” She found herself grinning back.

“No thanks, I don’t have any gills.” He turned his head and swept back his hair to show her his neck. “See?”

She caught a glimpse of another scar as she leaned in and pretended to examine his neck for gills. “I see. Well, I suppose we’ll just have to share the top half then.” Without thinking, she reached up and brushed her fingertips to the scar just visible above the collar of his shirt. “What happened?” The words were out before she realized she was speaking, and she felt him stiffen and his hand reached up to cover hers.