She licked her lips and tried to ignore the thought as she watched Hank warily.
"I'm only kidding, my dear," he said with a lazy smile. "No need to get nasty."
Despite his conciliatory manner, the amused light in his eyes told her he wasn't worried by her threat.
Why? Did he have some kind of hold over the owner? Or was the owner somehow involved in Evan's disappearance?
"Madeline Smith? Maddie? Is that really you?"
She jerked around at the sound of Jon's voice. He was threading his way through the tables, wearing a black leather jacket that emphasized the lean strength of his shoulders and the brightness of his golden hair. His gaze met hers for a moment, and fear ran briefly through her heart. Despite his easy smile, there was a light in his eyes that made him look very dangerous. But she'd never been more relieved to see anyone in her life.
"Fancy meeting you here." He stopped beside her. His eyes held a warning as he lightly kissed her cheek.
She cleared her throat and tried to ignore the warm tingle his lips left on her skin.
"It's been a while," he continued. "What, six, seven years?"
She nodded, going along with his game. "You're lucky you caught me here at all. I was just leaving."
A hint of a smile tugged at his lips, but she sensed his attention was on Hank, not her.
"Surely you can stay for a cup of coffee?" He pulled out the chair she'd just vacated. "Don't believe we've met," he added, holding his hand out to Hank. "Jon Barnett."
"Hank Stewart."
"Really?" Jon said, the surprise in his voice at odds with the slight narrowing of his gaze. "You've changed. You look nothing like the photo that appeared in the Gazette ad a year ago."
"Ah," Hank's smile was easy despite the wariness in his eyes. "That was my younger brother, Tim. He fills in for me quite often, and happened to be on duty the day the photographer came. Just as well, too.
He's more photogenic than me."
The tension levels rose a notch. She touched Jon's arm, felt the tautness in his muscles. "Look, I really have to get going."
Jon took her hand from his arm and squeezed her fingers gently before letting them go. "Really?" he said to Hank. "Odd that we haven't seen him around much lately then, isn't it?"
Hank shrugged and rose to his feet. "It's been a delight, Miss Smith. Maybe we can do this again another day."
The predatory light in his gaze belied the blandness of his smile. She edged a little closer to Jon. "Sure."
When hell freezes over.
"See you back at the inn, then," Jon said.
"That you can be assured of," Hank murmured. He nodded to Maddie and walked away.
She waited until he'd left the restaurant then grabbed Jon's arm, pulling him around to face her.
"What the hell was that all about?"
"You needed help, didn't you?" he replied mildly. He sat down at the table and reached across to her half-finished milk shake. "May I?"
She nodded. "What made you think I needed help? And why show yourself to Hank? He might be involved with the attempt on your life."
"He might. He might not." Jon shrugged and took a long drink.
She frowned. "Why on Earth were you going on about that Gazette photo?"
Again he shrugged. "Just stirring the pot, so to speak."
Jeez, he could be so damn infuriating sometimes… "Will you just answer my questions?"
"No." He pushed the empty shake container away and sat up straight. "Why didn't you tell me your brother-in-law was a cop?"
She blinked in surprise. "What has that got to do with anything?"
"Plenty. He's reported you missing and claims that you may know more about Evan's disappearance than what you're admitting. The cops, as well as the FBI, are sniffing around Taurin Bay looking for you."
Trust Steve to do something like that. The man was a pain. And obviously, Jayne hadn't mentioned the fact that she'd asked Maddie to search for Evan. "Why is everyone in Taurin Bay? Why are you?"
"Because the bodies of several missing teenagers have been found nearby." He hesitated, his gaze searching her face. "And you didn't answer my question."
"I didn't think it was important enough to mention." Didn't think Steve's hate for her would blind his common sense. Damn it, it wasn't as if this was the first time she'd had a vision concerning Evan. Steve certainly knew about them, even if he didn't acknowledge them—or her. He'd even seen them hit her a couple of times.
But he also knew about her shady history with sudden disappearances. Maybe in his fear for Evan he was grabbing at straws. Maybe it was easier to believe she might have been involved in taking his son, simply because the chances of Evan coming back alive were greater.
She rubbed her eyes wearily. How was she going to avoid the police and still find Evan? Lord, another round of questioning was not what she needed right now. She'd had more than her fair share when Brian had disappeared. Nor had the questioning stopped when they found his remains among the smoking ruins of their house. She knew some of the investigators still suspected she'd killed him, even though his death had eventually been classed as accidental. And they weren't far wrong in their accusations, either.
"I'll go call him right now." Or at least, she'd call Jayne, and see if her sister could convince Steve to get his police buddies off her tail.
"I wouldn't." Jon caught her hand, his fingers warm and gentle against hers. "Your brother-in-law might know you're not directly involved in Evan's absence, but the fact of the matter is you did warn them of the disappearance before it happened. They'll want to know how and why, and they will question you until you tell them."
She closed her eyes. "And waste everyone's time in doing so."
"Exactly. We're all caught in a no win situation."
And Jon was going to use it to keep her out of the way of his investigations. A flicker of anger curled through her stomach. Doing what other people thought was best for her had never worked. She'd only married Brian because Jayne had convinced her he was the safe harbor she'd needed. How wrong they'd been. And Brian had died because of their foolishness.
Oh yeah? Didn't his ruthlessness have something to do with that as well?
She ignored the thought and pulled her hand from Jon's. "I'm not going back to the inn."
"Maddie—" She held up her hand, cutting him off angrily. "No. I'm staying with you. I'm going to find Evan, even if I have to avoid every cop in the country to do so."
He raised an eyebrow, and leaned back in his chair, a grin twitching the corners of his generous mouth.
"Can I finish now?"
She glared at him and didn't reply.
His smile broke loose, doing odd things to her stomach. Yet his bright eyes held a thoughtful note that calmed her rising anger. He was taking her seriously, despite his outward appearance.
"I can't let you go back to the inn. Not after I've just confronted Hank. And I don't want the cops to get hold of you, either, simply because interviewing you will take them away from tracking the real criminals.
So like it or not, I'm stuck with you."
Stuck with you. What a great way to put it. She held out her hand. "A partnership, then? No more trying to get rid of me?"
"A partnership could be dangerous. The less you know, the better off you'll be. I'm only trying to protect you."
"Protect me from what? Death?" She laughed bitterly. "Believe me, I've faced death, and it doesn't scare me. Not half as much as I…"
She broke off. Heat crept through her cheeks as she stared at him. She'd done it again. Confused his words with past pain, and in the process, had almost revealed entirely too much.
She had to get a grip on herself. She couldn't let her emotions run loose. People died when she did.
She took a deep breath and met his narrowed gaze.