Part 294 (2/2)

shoulders. ”And I'm not Latimer. I don't want to control your life, I

just want to be part of it.”

”I don't know what I want.” She lifted her hands to cover his. ”I keep

coming back to you, and it's frightening because I can't stop. I don't

want to need you this way.”

”Dammit, Emma-” When the phone rang, he swore again.

”It's for you,” she said, holding out the receiver.

”Yeah?” He picked up his cigarettes, then paused. ”Where? twenty

minutes,” he said and hung up. ”I've got to go.” He was already pulling

on his jeans.

She only nodded. Someone was dead. She could see it on his face.

”We're not finished here, Emma.”

”No.”

He shouldered on his gun. ”I'll be back as soon as I can.”

”Michael.” She didn't know what she wanted to say. Instead, she went

with instinct and put her arms around him. ”Goodbye.”

She couldn't settle once he'd gone. The rain was coming in sheets now.

She could barely see the ocean through it, but she could hear the waves

cras.h.i.+ng. She found it soothing, the gray light, the sound of water. It

was cool enough to start a fire from the stack of split oak in

the woodbox. Once it was blazing, she called the airport to arrange for

her luggage to be delivered.

It occurred to her that it was the first time she was completely alone

in the house, a house she was considering making her own. After brewing

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