Lincoln circled the fountain in front of the Space Needle, slowing his white Porsche Panamera and watching the crowd.
He picked her out almost instantly, and the sight of her took his breath away. She had a backpack slung over one shoulder, and a plain, black carry-on style bag sitting on the ground, the handle resting on her hip. She was wearing a powder-blue summer dress with large white daisies and matching white Converse sneakers. Her hair was loose, the tight ringlets just brushing her shoulders. The red highlights caught the last bits of sunlight as the daylight gave way to streetlights and the Space Needle’s lights began to flicker on.
He watched her until the car behind him tapped its horn, then he rolled down the window and waved her over. Ignoring the aggravated motorist behind him, he jumped out and put her bags in the back seat, then opened the passenger door and held it for her.
She smiled as she got in, and she was still smiling when he ran around to the driver’s side and put the car in gear.
“You look like you’re going somewhere,” he said nonchalantly. “Is everything alright?”
She was silent as he went around the corner, the Space Needle fading in the rearview mirror as he made his way through the city and parked in the parking lot of one of the many green areas the city set aside for families and small venues. The park was quiet, the parking lot almost empty. They were alone except for a young family playing on the lone swing set, the parents taking turns pushing a pair of twins who were giggling at each other as they swung back and forth.
“Are you okay?” he asked again, reaching out and taking her hand.
She looked at him, then burst into tears, her hands shaking as she swiped the tears away.
“His parents called me,” she blurted out. “His mother called me, upset that I wasn’t concerned about him and I didn’t know where he was. There was a press conference and he disabled his GPS and they were offering a reward, and—”
“Slow down,” he said, handing her a tissue and putting his hand on her leg.
When she looked at him, he pulled his hand away and chided himself inwardly. Charity had been through hell. He didn’t need to add to it, no matter how well intentioned and tender his touch was.
“Don’t you watch the news?” she asked.
“Yes and no.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’ve been busy,” he said, trying not to let her anxiety get him riled up. “I still have to work, and I was trying out some new kayaking equipment before I film another segment and—”
“You were kayaking?” she said, her tone almost accusing. “You just went on with your life like nothing happened?”
“That’s what we have to do,” he said calmly. “We need to have alibis established, and the best way to do that is to keep living life until he’s found.”
“That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have a connection to him. What am I going to do if his parents call me in for questioning?”
“Get a lawyer,” he said.
She scoffed.
“You make that sound so easy. I don’t exactly have money for a lawyer just lying around.”
“I’ll pay for it,” he said with a shrug.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” she said quietly, suddenly calmer. “You’ve already done so much for me, it wouldn’t be fair to ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask me,” he said, fighting the urge to reach out to her again. “You didn’t ask me for any of this, and you sure didn’t ask that monster to almost kill you.”
She nodded, her tears dry, her breath soft but ragged. Then she bit her lip and looked at him for a second before turning away to compose herself.
His heart broke.
“What is it?” he asked.
“He disabled the GPS on his car the night before he picked me up.”
“Is that significant?”
She nodded.
“He asked me on Friday if I wanted to hike with him early Monday morning so we could miss all the crowds. I didn’t want to, but he was so calm, and I needed to talk to him. It had been a couple weeks, and I thought he was finally over it, you know?”
He didn’t, but he nodded anyway.
“Don’t you see? If he disabled the tracking on his car before he came to my place to pick me up, that meant that…”
Her voice cracked, and he finished for her.
“He meant to kill you all along.”
She nodded, biting back the tears.
“Why is it worse that he didn’t just lose his temper?”
He didn’t have an answer, but before he could tell her as much, she leaned into him, head on his shoulder, her sobs collected and almost silent. He put his arms around her then, holding her as close as he could with the gearshift between them.
“It’s going to be alright,” he said.
“How can you be so sure?”
“I just know it is. I’ll get you a good lawyer and if they do call you in for questioning, you only say what the lawyer tells you to.”
“Won’t that look bad?”
“It’s your right, and with his history of abusing you, it would make sense that you would have a lawyer to protect you from aggressive questioning. You broke up with him weeks before he disappeared. There’s no reason to suspect you, especially given that you left him.”
She pulled away, nodding and running her hands through her hair. She shook her head.
“I get what you’re saying, but I can’t stay in my house. I can’t stay here. I feel like everyone is watching me, and what if they show up and I’m home by myself? What if I can’t get ahold of you and—”
“Take a deep breath and calm down,” he said. “You can handle this, and I’m not going to let you get thrown to the wolves. You’re not going to be his victim anymore, okay?”
She looked at him, hazel eyes sweet as honey staring into his green ones and searching for reassurance. He held her gaze, nodding gently and smiling. When she finally sucked in a deep breath, he knew she’d found her footing again.
“I feel so ridiculous,” she said. “I’m not that person. I’m not that woman who tolerates that shit and lets a man walk all over her. I feel so weak.”
“I believe you,” Lincoln said. “And you are strong no matter how vulnerable his abuse made you. It’s not your fault.”
“But it is,” she insisted. “The first time he manipulated me, I should have seen it. I knew I didn’t do anything wrong, but he was so convincing. By the time he was done, he could have told me that I robbed a bank and I would have doubted myself.”
“What did he say you did?”
She laughed.
“You know, I don’t even remember, if you can believe that. It was always the littlest things, but they would throw him into a rage. It was like I had to walk on eggshells at all times. Some days, George would be super happy and so loving, affectionate. Then, it was like a switch flipped inside of him, and he would just change. I never knew from one minute to the next what was going to happen.”
“I’m sure that was stressful,” Lincoln offered.
“You have no idea.”
“I saw enough,” Lincoln said.
They fell silent, as Lincoln guided the Porsche through the town, eventually stopping in front of the Hotel Andra overlooking the lake.
“Where are we?” she said, sitting up taller, her body tense.
“You needed to get away, right?”
“I did, but I didn’t mean I wanted to go to a hotel. I need to leave the city, Lincoln. I can’t stay here.”
He smiled, shaking his head.
“I’m not going to force you, because you’re a grown ass woman, but that’s not a good idea. In fact, leaving Seattle is the absolute worst thing you can do right now.”
“Okay, but I’m not sure about a hotel. Won’t they wonder why I’m here instead of in my own apartment?”
“I doubt it,” he said. “Especially when the hotel is in my name. They won’t be able to find you, so they’ll be forced to call you and request you come down to the station. That alone will give you the upper hand and ensure that you can show up with representation.”
She perked up a little bit then, and Lincoln felt her relief. He knew that giving her power over what was going on would go a long way toward calming her down, and the calmer she was, the better chance they both had of getting through this unscathed.
“Alright, I’ll stay for now,” she said.
He nodded.
“Good choice.”
He waved to the valet, who rushed forward to open the passenger door for her, then collected her things from the back seat and put them on the curb. Lincoln handed the young man the keys and a hundred-dollar bill, then took Charity’s hand.
She stiffened, but she didn’t pull away, and she didn’t argue when a bellhop appeared out of nowhere to gather her things.
He leaned close until his lips were nearly to her ear. She shuddered, then smiled and tilted her head.
“That tickles,” she laughed softly.
“That’s good. This will go better if you look more like a woman in love than a deer in the headlights.”
“Got it,” she said, then she turned toward him and put her hand on his cheek, stealing a quick kiss.
He was so shocked that he stared at her for a moment, rooted to the sidewalk, the bellhop already going through the doors ahead of them before Lincoln recovered.
“That was unexpected,” he said with a sultry smile.
“It sure was,” she said.
He laughed, tugging her hand and leading her to the lobby where a well-dressed man welcomed them with a warm smile.
“The Monarch Suite?” he asked, his voice cool and cultured, his slight British accent almost overshadowed by years spent living in the US.
“Please,” Lincoln said.
He handed over his credit card, his other hand still holding Charity’s. Her skin was soft in his rougher hands, her delicate fingers threaded through his unconsciously. He cursed the fates that had led them to each other at the worst possible moment, wishing he’d met her some other way. But he couldn’t turn back time, and he wouldn’t have had their encounter turn out any other way.
“Shall I leave your booking open-ended?” the man asked.
Lincoln nodded, and the man handed the card back to him.
“Donovan will show you to your room. The kitchen is open twenty-four hours, grocery delivery is available as well.”
Charity was quiet on the ride up to the top of the grand hotel, her hand still wrapped in his, her excitement almost palpable. He watched her from the side, marveling at how well she was holding herself together even though he could tell that she was about to burst.
Donovan let them into their room and handed Lincoln the key.
“We don’t wish to be disturbed,” Lincoln said, handing the bellhop a large tip.
The young man’s eyes widened slightly before he caught himself then nodded. He left quickly, leaving Charity and Lincoln alone in the room.
“What was that about?” Charity asked as Lincoln locked and bolted the door. “And what is this place? Do you bring women here often?”
He laughed, shaking his head at the deluge of questions tumbling out of her at once.
“I want to make sure that the bellhop doesn’t remember us if someone comes looking, so I tipped him well. This place is the Hotel Andra. It’s my favorite place to go when I need somewhere to stay in the city. And no, I don’t bring women here often. You’re the first woman I’ve ever brought here.”
“That’s good to know,” she said, sitting down on the plush sofa in the living area and sighing. “What did you mean about needing somewhere to stay in the city? You don’t have a home here?”
“I do, but it’s a bit out of the way, and it’s on the market. My cabin is almost finished, and I plan on living there full time once it is.”
“Where is the cabin?”
“In the woods north of here.”
“I guess I didn’t see you as a guy that would want to live the rustic life all the time. I thought you had a house in Seattle and maybe a job.”
He laughed when she wrinkled her nose.
“I have a job,” he said. “I have my vlog.”
“That’s not a real job,” she said.
“I make good money,” he countered. “I mean, I can afford all this.”
She shrugged, slipping off her shoes and wiggling her painted toes absentmindedly.
“You’ll run out eventually if you’re not careful.”
He chuckled.
“I think you misunderstood me.”
“You said you weren’t a millionaire, right?”
“I did.”
“Alright, well, then you don’t have endless funds. I mean, this is nice and all, but we could have just as easily stayed at a cheaper place and been just fine. We could have had two rooms. Then one of us wouldn’t be stuck on the couch.”
“You do have your own room here,” he said.
“I see one door.”
He stared at her for a moment, wondering if she was serious. When he realized that she was, he held out his hand and she took it.
“Let me show you the rest of the place,” he said, leading her to the single door.
She gasped softly when they walked through the door into the full-sized dining room, which led to a well-appointed kitchen. From there, there was a balcony that overlooked the water and three doors.
“Um, this is bigger than my apartment,” she said. “Are there two rooms?”
“Yep,” he said. “And each one has an amazing bathroom with a spa tub. The middle door leads to the guest bathroom so that any dinner guests aren’t traipsing through your room to use the facilities. There’s more, but hopefully this puts some of your concerns to rest.”
“For real,” she said, pushing through one of the doors and stopping in the doorway. “This is ridiculous.”
“You can have the bigger room if this one is too small,” he teased.
She turned around, hands on her hips, one bare foot tapping on the carpet as she glared at him.
“Are you teasing me?”
“A little.”
“Mm hmm,” she said, then smiled.
Her smile faded suddenly, and a shadow swept across her face. Lincoln fought the urge to reach out to her, certain that she needed to battle her demons on her own—unless she asked for help. Then, he’d be all over it.
“I don’t know how to thank you,” she said quietly. “You saved my life, and now this,” she gestured around her. “I can’t even begin to understand why you’re doing all this.”
“Because I can,” he said simply. “And because it’s the right thing to do.”
“You’ve already done so much.”
“But we’re in this together. Until this is resolved, or his parents give up, we have to stick together. I was hoping that you would be alright in your home, living your life, but I was wrong. I didn’t think that his parents would call on you, but as long as they have it in their head that you know something, they’re going to get more aggressive. This is better. I should have brought you here from the start or done something different.”
“No. There’s no way I could have spent the past two weeks cooped up in a hotel room.”
“Even this one?”
She shook her head.
“I’ve been busting my ass trying to get my business running again, and I needed to work. I need to save up what I can so…”
She trailed off, stopping herself before she said too much, but Lincoln didn’t seem to notice.
“You can work here,” he said. “There’s a small office area in each room. I have to keep doing my vlog and working on the cabin like normal so no one suspects anything, but I’ll be here editing videos most of the week, so you won’t be alone. You can work to your heart’s content.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Really. I’ll repay every cent when this is over.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” he said with a wry smile. “I’ve got this. You just worry about you.”
She nodded, then she stopped, cocking her head slightly as if she’d just realized something.
“When you said I misunderstood you, what did you mean?”
“When I told you I wasn’t a millionaire, I think you assumed that I wasn’t that rich.”
“I did,” she said slowly.
“Well, that wasn’t entirely true. What Will said was right. I sold some apps and made millions, but I was already wealthy.”
“How wealthy?” she asked.
“I’m a billionaire.”