he said, looking reluctant.
I captured his face in my hands, giving him a kiss, but he took control, leaving me wanting so much more than we had time for, particularly in a public park.
I pulled back, breathless and overcome with emotion. Although I’d been in plenty of relationships before Jake, none of the other men I’d been with had made me feel like this. So full of longing. So intensely infatuated. But I couldn’t let it turn my head. “I love that you want to help that boy. That you want to make a difference.”
“Pot meet kettle,” he said with a laugh, then kissed me again, this time more chaste. “Be safe.”
“You too,” I said, darting a glance at his leg.
“I’m fine. Nothing a warm shower, a long walk, and your talented hands and lips couldn’t fix.”
I flushed.
He gave me an expectant look, and I realized he thought I was leaving too.
“I’m going to sit here for a bit, organize what we learned in my notebook. I’ll send you texts while I’m still in Ewing so you know what I’m up to.”
“Okay.” He walked toward his Explorer, starting off with a noticeable limp that seemed to work itself out by the time he got in. He gave me a wave as he took off, and I watched him drive away, worry burrowing into my gut.
Something bad was coming our way. I could feel it. But then, when you courted evil, you shouldn’t be surprised when the devil showed up at your front door.
Chapter Thirteen
After I jotted down everything Marco had said, I dug the slip of paper out of my pocket. Michelle’s name, address and phone number were written on it in his neat handwriting.
I briefly considered how much trouble he could get in for having given it to me. But I didn’t need to act on it yet. I’d try Georgia first, and if I didn’t get anywhere with her, then I could decide whether using Marco’s information was worth the risk.
It was nearly one, which meant I had plenty of time to stop by the Baptist church and see if Georgia was available. If she wasn’t, I could always head back to the library and look up books on Drum as well as do some digging into Bruce Abernathy.
I gathered up my trash and tossed it before getting into my car. The church was only a few miles away, and I rehearsed what I planned to say. “Hi, I’m Carly and your sister-in-law just told me she stole your husband’s ex-boss’s fortune. Want to chat?”
This was going to be a disaster.
There were cars in the lot when I pulled into the church drive, and the youth group was in the field next to the church picking up streamers and balloons from some event. I could see Ricky Crimshaw among them. His hair hung in his eyes as he leaned over, and he tossed his head to the side, presumably so he could see.
A pain stabbed my heart at the sight of him. His mother had killed the man who’d molested his brother, but that didn’t make those boys safe. The last I’d heard, he was still living with his abusive father.
He didn’t see me, which was just as well. I wasn’t sure how much he’d appreciate me talking to him with his friends around. They’d teased him the last time I’d spoken to him around his youth group.
I headed into the church through a side door surrounded by a cluster of signs strongly urging people to use that entrance. The hall lights had been turned off, and I let my eyes become accustomed in the dim hallway.
A woman who looked to be in her twenties walked out of a classroom and startled when she saw me.
“Can I help you?” she asked with a warm smile.
“That would be great,” I said, trying to look unassuming. “I’m looking for Georgia Carpenter.”
“Did I hear my name?” a woman called out from one of the rooms. An older woman with pale red hair emerged through the open door. She wore pink capri pants and a white blouse speckled with pink flowers. She had jewel-encrusted sandals, and her toenails were painted pink. “Hello?”
I walked toward her, extending my hand. “Hi, I’m Carly Moore.”
She did a double take. “As in Hank’s Carly?”
It was hard to tell if the fact that she knew about me was working in my favor. “Guilty as charged.”
A warm smile lit up her face. “I’m so pleased to meet you.