They went downstairs and were almost out the front door, when Ana stepped on something that crunched beneath her black running shoes. Crouching, she examined the broken glass; then she found its source lying on the floor just inside the door.
“This shouldn’t be here,” she said, straightening. “Mom has kept this photo on her side of the bed forever.”
Jake took it from her, looking at the yellowed image through the cracked glass.
Her mouth curved in a smile. “That photo was taken the day my dad proposed, after they left the bank and took a stroll on the boardwalk. It’s a message she knew I would understand. Mom’s leading Rick to Atlantic City.”
His brows arched. “Isn’t that a big leap?”
“Trust me,” Ana insisted. “The minute he went along with whatever story she sold him, it became her show. She’s running it. We just need to catch up with them, before he figures that out.”
As they drove east on 422, Ana pulled out her laptop and began typing furiously. Jake watched her out of the corner of his eye. Reaching over, he slid his hand beneath her hair and stroked her nape with his fingers.
He was so damn glad to be able to touch her again. To be able to smell her and hear her, to have her nearby to look at. She was keeping him sane instead of frantic with worry over Eric.
She looked at him, her face made stark by her grimness and the shadows of night. “Frankie will take care of Eric. Don’t worry.”
“It’s not just Eric I’m worried about.” He tugged gently on her hair.
“I can’t think about that. I can’t lose it. Not now.”
“Okay, so we’ll keep your mind off it. Do you travel a lot?”
“Yes, but that’s because there was nothing to keep me home. I won’t so much now.” She returned her attention to her laptop screen. “The good citizens of Whisper Creek will have to get used to seeing me around again.”
“Is that where you want to live?”
Her gaze shot to him again. “The last time I checked that’s where you lived, right?”
“I stayed because it kept me close to your family. I was afraid if I moved away, I might lose touch with you altogether.” He shrugged. “Don’t look so horrified. There wasn’t any place I had a burning desire to get to and Eric needed the stability of staying in one place. But my job can take me anywhere—you know that.”
“You’d do that?” she asked quietly.
“I’d do anything for you, Anastasia. You make me a happy man.”
Ana was quiet for a few moments, then, “You know how my parents got engaged? They met in Atlantic City. My mom was running an insurance scam and my dad was hustling old stuff. She wanted to get her hands on his antiques and he wanted to get a fraudulent payout. They played each other for a few weeks, then they agreed to meet at a local bank where he was supposed to show the goods for appraisal—he pulled an engagement ring and a bottle of Dom Perignon out of the safe deposit box instead.”
“Your dad proposed in a bank?”
“Surrounded by other people’s safeguarded valuables—absolutely the perfect venue for my parents. They’d been onto each other almost from the first, but for them the game was their version of flirting and dating. That’s what my family is like, Jake. And I don’t see them ever changing.”
“I’m not running scared, Anastasia. If it takes a few decades or a lifetime, you’ll eventually figure that out.”
Shaking her head, Ana got back to work.
The sky over the turnpike was lightening when Ana answered a check-in call from Frankie.
“Hey,” she said quietly, achingly aware of the block of ice in her gut. “I got an email from Detective Samuels in New York—Terence Parker passed away an hour ago.”
“Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit. Terry. Jesus. He was a good guy, you know? He didn’t deserve to go out like that.”
“Have you heard from Rick?”
“Yeah.” Frankie took a deep breath. “And he let me talk to Mom. She sounded okay. Not scared at all. And you were right about Atlantic City—that’s where he wants to do the swap. Eric’s texting the address to Jake’s cell now. I told Rick I’d have to talk to Mom directly before the meet or I wouldn’t show up, and I said we wanted to get out of town before nine.”
“Good. You’re doing real good.” She shoved a hand through her hair and said what was weighing heavily on her mind. “Frankie, you and Eric... You need to be working on a Plan B.”
Jake cursed. “Ana, damn it!”