The Search The Secrets of Crittenden Cou - By Shelley Shepard Gray Page 0,41

head . . . and his expression was ominous. “Stratton,” he said quietly. “There was no reason for you to come here.” Looking at the two other men, standing like silent sentries, his gaze hardened. “You didn’t need to bring reinforcements either.”

“Come, now,” the man said softly. “Besides, it’s all for your protection.”

“I don’t need it.”

“You might.” He paused, then raised a brow. “After all, we found you. If we did, others could, too.”

“I told you to call if you needed me.”

“What we need to speak to you about can’t be shared on the phone. So, stopping by was no problem. This young lady was extremely helpful.” The first hint of a genuine smile played across his lips. “Very helpful.”

Beth felt a hard chill race along her back. Something that almost sounded like a growl erupted from Chris as he glared at her. “You shouldn’t have come here,” he said again to the men.

“I had my reasons.”

Confused by his anger and scared by the situation, Beth stepped backward.

If the men noticed her efforts to blend into the paint, they didn’t make note of it. Instead, the tallest man smirked. “You’re looking . . . fit. Work must be agreeing with you.”

“Work is good. I told you that.”

Beth was confused. Work? He had been working?

Had he been lying to her . . . or was he lying to the men right now? A hundred questions filled her head, making it spin. And making her feel even more distressed.

“Chris?” she murmured, not even sure what she was going to say. Offer him support?

Ask him why he’d chosen to keep so much from her?

Chris ignored her. Instead, he walked right by, not sparing her the briefest of glances. Instead, all his attention remained steady on the three men now standing in the foyer.

“Let’s leave. Now,” he added firmly. “I’ll speak with you outside.”

One of the men who’d been quiet finally spoke. “There’s no reason for us to go outside, Chris. This lady here just invited us to your room. Room 1A.” He smiled. “Why don’t we all go there? We can have a nice chat.” He turned to her with an ice-cold stare. “You wouldn’t mind us staying a while. Would you?”

She was so afraid she didn’t know what to say. With a jerk, she shook her head.

As the men smiled, Chris glared at Beth like she’d done something terrible. “That’s not going to happen,” he snapped. “We’re going. Now.”

“You sure that’s what you want?”

Before her eyes, Chris transformed into a man she hardly recognized. His easy, relaxed posture vanished, his eyes turned even cooler. Suddenly he looked as dangerous as the other men in the room.

And maybe even more frightening . . . because she’d been fooled by his lies. She stepped backward until her shoulder blades met the wall.

If anything, Chris’s expression became more thunderous. He pushed his way through the trio of men and grabbed the door handle. “Let’s go. Now. None of you should have come here. There was no need, I told you that.”

“You missed your check-in.”

“I did not. I told you I would be late, and that I’d call you within four hours. I’m still within that window. There was no reason to look for me. I would have met you wherever you wanted.”

One of the men gripped the door, preventing Chris from opening it farther. “Don’t make this into a problem,” he ordered. “All we want is to know how you are coming along with your assignment. You know, in case you needed help?”

Chris grimaced. “I don’t.”

“And we needed to see where you were staying.” He smiled darkly. “In case we ever needed you.”

Even to Beth’s ears, the words sounded dark and threatening. She shivered from the veiled threats.

Chris’s posture had changed again from tense to stoic. “You won’t,” he bit out. Then, with a show of muscle, he pulled open the door, overpowering the other man’s guard. “It’s time to go. Now.”

He motioned them all back through the doorway. Slowly, each one departed without another word or another glance her way. He was last.

Beth was torn between relief that they were leaving the premises and fear for Chris. The men looked ruthless, and he was outnumbered. Her heart started hammering as she realized she was unable to help him. Were those men about to hurt Chris?

Or were they simply men that Chris associated with?

Then, just as the screen door snapped in place and she was standing on the other side, watching him, Chris paused on