Skye’s things. He made sure the spare room looked as if no one had been in it.
He headed back downstairs and turned off the kitchen light and waited. He looked outside and didn’t see anyone. He scanned the trees, his shop, and then slid into the shadows. He had disappeared into the woods in under ten seconds.
The darkness of the night didn’t bother him as he made his way to Tinsley’s. It was a hike, but one that wouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes. He made sure to be as quiet as possible and stopped every so often to listen to the night. He never heard anyone following him so he picked up his speed until he got to Tinsley’s.
Trent was standing five feet back from the end of the tree line as he watched Tinsley’s house. He saw Granger’s car parked in the drive, but Granger wasn’t in it. A shadow passed by the house and Trent narrowed his eyes. He recognized the cowboy hat and slipped from the tree line.
“Granger,” Trent said quietly when Granger almost disappeared around the side of the house.
“I was getting worried. Come on, let’s go. Peter said everything looks normal on the street. I have Kord kayaking the river right now to see if he can find any boats anchored out of sight nearby.”
The drive to Ryker’s house had been something Trent had done more than a thousand times, yet this time felt different. Everything looked suspicious. The gnome in a garden, the palmetto flags that flew, and the deep shadows of the night all seemed malicious.
When they arrived at the gate that enclosed Ryker’s property, Trent had to hop out of the car and enter his specific code. The heavy gate slid silently open and immediately closed behind them.
Don’t drink my cognac.
Trent looked down at the text that had just come in from Ryker and shook his head. I didn’t know you kept any of the good stuff in the guesthouse.
Ryker ignored the text but sent a temporary code with Skye’s name on it. Trent thanked him and then sent it to Skye with instructions. The code would open the gate and the guesthouse door.
Granger pulled up to the guesthouse, which was just as big as Trent’s home, and parked. “I’ll check in on you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Granger.” Trent grabbed the large duffle bag and walked toward the guesthouse. Lights automatically turned on as he approached. The keypad lit up and Trent punched in his code. The thick locks slid free and he opened the frosted glass and steel door.
Inside a tablet glowed on the wall. It controlled the entire house. Trent pressed the icons that turned on the lights and then the gas fireplace. There was a master bedroom downstairs and three bedrooms upstairs. Trent set the bag down in the living room and walked to the back of the house. He unlocked and pushed open the entire wall of sliding glass doors and walked out onto the patio.
He took in a deep breath of the cool air rolling in from the river and waited for Skye. Everything in him wanted to run to her, but he knew it was best to let Miss Winnie bring her to him. His girlfriend—he’d called her that with Aunt Morgan and Skye hadn’t protested the title he’d given her.
Trent listened to the river rolling by in the distance. There was so much to say yet it seemed as if it were too soon. Protect Skye. Get her career back on track. Then, maybe, it would be time to discuss their relationship. He didn’t like it, but that’s what needed to be done.
Trent saw headlights shining through the front windows and knew Skye had arrived. Trent went to open the door but found Dare instead of Skye. “What are you doing here?”
“I used Harper’s code. I’m ten seconds in front of Skye. I wanted to talk to you.” Trent held open the door and Dare stepped inside. “Look, you’re the best friend I have here in Shadows Landing. You’re like my brother.”
Trent was touched. It had always been Trent and Harper as best friends, but when she began seeing Dare, Trent knew he was being replaced. Or at least being pushed down a rung from best friend to runner-up. And while that may be true, he’d gained Dare as a friend.
“Thanks. Is something the matter? Is Harper okay?”
Dare looked over his shoulder and saw the headlights from Miss Winnie’s car in the distance. “Harper’s great. It’s