Free Blown Away by Sharon Sala

wasn’t satisfied. Lance had a habit of getting himself into trouble—trouble that Joe usually had to rectify.
    “Are you sure?” Joe asked.
    “Absolutely,” Lance said. “Do you want dessert? I think there’s some coconut cake.”
    Joe shrugged off the worry. “Yeah, sure. Sounds good.”
    The moment passed.
    Night fell.
    Lance Morgan slept like a baby, secure in the knowledge that his big brother was asleep in the room across the hall, and that, once again, he’d dodged a bullet. Somehow, someway, he would usethe sympathy he’d heard in Martinelli’s voice and convince the man to give him more time.
     
    Cari had been given what amounted to a suite on the second floor of the Boudreaux mansion, but she wasn’t in the frame of mind to appreciate the beauty of her accommodations. The sitting room was bright and airy, with a massive white mantel over a fireplace centered in the middle of one wall. The furniture was upholstered in off-whites and creamy yellows, while accessories and knickknacks in varying shades of blue gave the room a personal feel.
    The bedroom just off the sitting area was a reverse of the first. Pale blue sheers at the windows, a royal blue spread on the bed, with bits of yellow and white interspersed on shelves and tabletops.
    The adjoining bathroom was stark by contrast—white walls, floor tiles, fixtures and curtains. The single bit of color was a whimsy of art. A tiny school of clown fish made of hand-blown glass had been mounted on the wall in perfect formation, as if they were swimming in a snowy sea.
    She’d turned down Mike’s offer of food so that she could rest. All she really knew and cared about was that the bed she’d crawled into was cool and the sheets were soft. She also knew there were many doors and walls—and a man named Mike Boudreaux—standing between her and the danger of being discovered. For now, it was enough.
    Downstairs, Mike went about the business of his life, explaining to those at the office that Susan was out of town. It wasn’t exactly a lie. She was in Bordelaise. He just hadn’t mentioned she was dead and wasn’t coming back. Like Cari, a part of him clung to the misapprehension that if it wasn’t said aloud, then it might not be the truth.
    The responsibility he felt for Carolina North was wrapped up in his friendship with Susan and the knowledge that the woman was in serious trouble. He wasn’t sure how she was going to go about alerting the authorities to the man she claimed was a murderer, but all that could wait. Right now, she needed to hide and heal. Providing her with those small comforts was the least he could do. That, and find out all he could about a man named Lance Morgan. He’d already availed himself of the services of his security chief, Aaron Lake, and now Aaron was on the job, checking into Lance Morgan’s background.
     
    Cari woke herself up screaming in the night.
    Mike was in her room even before she could sit up and turn on the lights.
    “Hey, hey,” Mike said, as he slid onto the side of her bed and clasped one of her hands. “You’re okay, cher. You’re okay.” Then he leaned over and switched on the lamp beside her bed.
    “Oh my God,” Cari muttered, as she struggled to a sitting position. “The storm… I was…”
    She shuddered, then shoved the hair away from her face. “I was dreaming.”
    “I know,” Mike said. “Hang on. I’ll get you some water.”
    Cari swung her legs off the side of the bed, disoriented. “Do you know where my pain pills are?”
    “On the table beside the lamp,” he called out.
    Cari looked, found them behind the clock and shook out two pills, then downed them with the water Mike handed her.
    “Thanks,” she said, as she set the glass aside. “I’m sorry I woke you.”
    Mike wanted to touch her, to hold and assure her she wasn’t alone. But it wasn’t the truth. Just because she was under his roof, that didn’t mean anything. She was alone, in every way that counted. Still,