Repressed (Deadly Secrets) (6 page)

She saw the hope in his eyes. And not for the first time, she wondered why the heck she couldn’t be attracted to him. He obviously cared for her; they had a history. He was handsome and kind, and everyone in town liked and admired him. But the chemistry just wasn’t there. And she couldn’t force herself to fall for him anymore than she could stop herself from having those nightmares.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine. I’m so tired I’ll probably just pass out anyway.”

“Okay. If you’re sure.” Will stepped back toward the door and reached for the handle. “Oh, I meant to ask you something.”

“What?” She held the door open for him as he moved onto her front porch.

“Adler’s shrink. McClane. Have you ever seen him before?”

Ethan’s attractive face flashed in Sam’s mind, and her stomach tightened at the memory of their time alone together in that closet. Of the way his body heat had surrounded her. Of how much she’d wanted to kiss him. Warmth rose in her cheeks. “No. Why?”

“I don’t know. There’s something familiar about the guy. I just can’t figure out what.”

Sam leaned against the door. “Maybe you ran into him in Portland. David said he used to work as a counselor for the state. I’m pretty sure he used to treat troubled kids.”

“Maybe.” But something in Will’s voice didn’t sound convinced. “It’ll come to me.” He flashed a smile and winked before stepping outside. “Lock your doors, Sam. You know I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to you.”

CHAPTER FIVE

“Workin’ late tonight, Sam?”

Sam glanced up from the stack of labs she was grading and tried to hide her annoyance at the interruption. Ken Saunders pushed the broom around her classroom. His sandy-blond hair was in serious need of a cut, his dirty sneakers squeaked against the floor, and his keys jangled from the waistband of his worn jeans. “Trying to get some things done before the weekend, Kenny.”

“It’s almost six o’clock on a Friday night. Everyone else has already gone home.” He paused, leaned on the end of his broom, and studied her over the lab tables. “You’re either dedicated or way behind.”

He had no idea. Sam shifted uncomfortably under his steely gaze and glanced back down at her papers. She’d come in early this morning to get her room back in order, then spent the day putting out rumors over the break-in. There was no word from Will on the investigation, and she hated that she was agitated over the fact that she’d only seen Ethan for a few minutes when he’d been observing Thomas in her class. So she hadn’t gotten to talk to him. Big deal. Did that mean she had to think about him? Every hour?

Irritated with herself, she flipped a page and made a mark. She was obviously spending too much time with teenagers and their raging hormones.

“Sam?”

She jumped at the nearness of Kenny’s voice and looked up. He stood in front of her desk. “Yes?”

“You okay? You look kinda lost.”

Lost. Great. Like she needed the janitor thinking she was nutso too?
No way
.

“I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind. I have a few more papers to grade, then I’ll be out of your way.”

“Don’t mind me. I got other rooms I need to clean first. Take your time.” Kenny tugged his headphones back on and pushed his broom across the floor. The faint sounds of whistling drifted from the hall as he left.

As soon as he rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight, Sam dropped her head against the desk. Six o’clock on a Friday night and she was here, at school, with the janitor. God, her life was pathetic.

Okay, two more labs, then she was out of here. She went back to grading and made another mark. She didn’t want to take this work home with her on a long weekend.

The lights flickered, hummed, and went out.

“Dammit. Can’t one thing go right?” Sam pushed back from her desk and headed for the hall. “Kenny?”

The stupid breaker had a habit of going out when Kenny was running machinery in the other wing. She didn’t have enough money in her budget for decent supplies, and David was skimping on the electrical system, but the football team had spiffy new uniforms every year.

Great new career you picked, Sam.

When Kenny didn’t respond, she stepped into the darkened hall, missing her old lab at the pharmaceutical company she’d worked for before coming home. Unfortunately, there were no pharmaceutical companies in Hidden Falls, and the only job she’d been able to find that she was even remotely qualified for was the chemistry position at the high school.

Where the heck was Kenny? Frustration morphed to agitation. Unable to find him in her wing, she headed for the front of the school. The breaker box was in the office. A flip of the switch would fix the problem so she could finish her work and get the heck out of here.

Her sensible flats clicked along the dim passageway. The janitor’s closet sat open halfway down the hall. She paused at the door and scanned the wall for the flashlight Kenny kept strapped to a charger just inside. She didn’t particularly want to go in. Dark places had never been high on her list, and after being trapped in a closet just yesterday, she wasn’t excited to repeat the event.

You’re being silly. No one’s here.

Sam looked up and down the hall to make sure she was really alone, then reached in and fanned her fingers along the Sheetrock. The scent of strong cleaning chemicals cut through the darkness. Her hand passed over the flashlight, and she exhaled a relieved breath.

She’d been through too much in her life to be scared by some stupid kids playing pranks on her. Flicking on the flashlight, she headed for the office.

A loud noise echoed from the direction of the gym just as she rounded the corner. Sam’s heart rate jumped. She slowed and glanced that way.

Just Kenny. He’d probably tripped in the dark and hurt himself. But as she stepped toward the gym door and peered through the darkened rectangular windows, apprehension curled in her stomach.

She’d be stupid to walk into a pitch-black room alone. Especially after everything that had recently happened. Common sense drew her back a step.

Something brushed her shoulder. Her adrenaline spiked. She whipped around, swinging out with the flashlight.

“Whoa, relax.” Ethan eased back and held up his hands.

“Oh my God.” Sam pressed a shaky hand to her stomach. “You scared me. What are you doing here?”

“I saw your car in the parking lot after my meeting. The front door was unlocked. What are you doing at school so late?”

A thrill shot through her at the knowledge that he’d stopped back by because of her. Followed by a host of nerves.

He’s still a shrink regardless of how hot he is.

“Um.” She turned back for her hallway. “Finishing up some work.”

“In the dark?”

From the corner of her eye she could just make out his sexy little smirk, and her heart raced faster. God, it had been months since she’d been attracted to anyone. Why him? And why now?

“The lights only went out a few minutes ago. I was on my way to the office to flip the breaker.” She flicked the flashlight over the floor, growing more annoyed with herself by the second. “At least I’m not skulking around a building I shouldn’t be.”

“You missed me.”

She huffed out a laugh that sounded more like a snort.
Beautiful.
“You read a lot into one little sentence.”

“I read between the lines. I’m a trained professional. That’s what I do.”

She was all too aware of that fact. And knew for certain she didn’t want to know what he’d “read” between her lines.

Change jingled behind her as she moved. She could feel his gaze at her back, knew his hands were in his pockets, that he was probably studying her like he did all his cases. Did he think she was as crazy as Will did? Ethan was nothing to her, so why did it matter so much what he thought?

“I consider lights-out a sign it’s time to call it a day,” he said in that sexy shrink voice of his. “Have you had dinner yet?”

Sam nearly tripped over her feet. And hoped it was too dark for him to notice. “Are you for real?”

“Me? Always.”

She stopped and faced him. He was too cute for his own good. And dressed in crisp slacks and a white dress shirt rolled up to his forearms, he was currently looking at her in the low light as if
she
were all
he
could think about, not the other way around.

Her resistance wavered.

“I’m not . . . ” She bit her lip and focused on the pocket of his shirt. Dammit, how did she explain this? “I’m not the best of company, Ethan.”

“For me or Will Branson?”

She huffed in exasperation. “If I were interested in Will Branson I wouldn’t be wasting all my time thinking about you.”

His eyes widened.

Oh crap. Now she’d done it. Given away everything she’d been trying to hide. Her cheeks burned.

His thumb grazed the back of her hand where she held the flashlight, and she knew she should move away, but she couldn’t. Because heat seared her skin under the gentle touch. A heat that felt way too good.

“Well,” he said softly. “That’s something at least, huh?”

He was too close. Too enticing. Too real. All the things she wanted but knew she didn’t need. At least not now, when she was trying so desperately to get out of this town. “What are you even doing here, Ethan? It’s Friday night of a long weekend. Surely you have someplace better to be.”

“Honestly? There’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now.”

Oh man. Those deep-green eyes were going to be her undoing. That crescent-shaped scar above his eyebrow just begged to be traced. And though it was reckless and insane, her fingers itched to do so.

“Come on,” he said. “It’s late, neither of us has eaten yet, and I’m hungry.”

“Ethan—”

“It’s just dinner, Samantha. Tell you what, we’ll go casual. Just two friends sharing a meal. After the bruises I took for you yesterday, it’s the least you can do for me, right?”

She heard the teasing in his voice. Saw the spark of humor in his eyes. And felt the heat rolling off him in waves. The same heat which was rolling off her, but she tried hard to ignore.

“I don’t know.” She bit her lip. “Do you really think this is a good idea?”

“You and me having dinner? Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Because I’m Thomas’s teacher, and you’re his . . . ” She closed her mouth before she used the word “shrink.”

He smiled that sexy grin all over again. “I guarantee we aren’t breaking any shrink rules by having dinner together. And if it makes you feel any better, I won’t ply you for information about Thomas’s day. In fact, we won’t even discuss him. How’s that?”

That was great. That was exactly what she wanted. But she still knew it was a terrible idea.

A terribly tempting idea.

She didn’t know how to respond, but when he brushed his fingers across the back of her hand again, sparks shot from there to her belly and lower. And in a rush she realized her resistance was dangerously close to breaking.

“Come on,” he said again. “You know you want to say yes.”

A smart girl would say no. Better yet, she’d say,
hell, no
. But Sam had never been a smart girl where men were concerned. And part of her just didn’t want to say no to Ethan tonight.

“Okay,” she heard herself say, even though she knew she shouldn’t. “But just dinner.”

“Just dinner,” he echoed with an even wider grin. “For now.”

Kenny watched from the front office window with narrowed eyes as Sam and the shrink headed out to the parking lot.

Anger slithered through him as he reached for the phone on the secretary’s desk and dialed. He was tired of waiting around for Sam to get a freakin’ clue. Was he the only one who could see this wasn’t working?

The line clicked, and he didn’t bother to wait for a greeting. “She doesn’t strike me as a girl who’s overly concerned about her safety. Power was out, creepy noises, and she still goes out searching the building by herself. That doesn’t scream scared to me.”

“Kenneth,” the voice said calmly. “You’re not taking matters into your own hands now, are you? We have a plan.”

Kenny bit back the
fuck you
lingering on his tongue. Swearing wouldn’t help the situation. If there was one thing he’d learned over the years, it was that staying calm was the only way to get what he wanted. “No,” he lied. “I wouldn’t do that.”

“Hm,” the voice hummed in a disbelieving tone.

Kenny ground his teeth and worked to stay calm, even though he felt the blood rushing to his head. “And what about this shrink, this McClane? He showed up here tonight. Out of the blue. Whisked her away like some knight in shining armor.”

If it hadn’t been for McClane, Sam would have stepped into the gym, and Kenny could have done some real damage. Forget this trying-to-scare-her crap.
It wasn’t fucking working.
Couldn’t they see that?

“McClane is not a concern.”

“I know I’ve seen him before.”

“I guarantee you don’t run in the same circles as McClane, Kenneth.”

Kenny’s vision turned red. He was so tired of being treated like shit. Of being told what to do and when to do it. It had been going on now for more than eighteen years, and it was time for it to stop. It was time for him to take a stand and show the others he was in control. It was time for someone to finally do
something
.

“Stick to the plan, Kenneth.”

Stick to the plan. Except . . . Kenny had a sinking feeling he was about to get fucked in this plan. He wasn’t sure how, but he could feel it coming. “And what if Samantha Parker changes the plan?”

“Then
I
will take care of her. But not you. You’re not to touch her. Do you understand?”

“Yeah,” Kenny lied again, looking back out the windows toward McClane’s taillights, dimming in the distance. A dozen different ways he
wouldn’t
touch her floated through his mind. “I understand loud and clear.”