Free Swept Away: A Squeaky Clean Honeymoon Novella (Squeaky Clean Mysteries Book 12) by Christy Barritt Page A

room, and the dark windows beside us promised doom and gloom as they stared back at us like a black abyss.
    “Why’d you come downstairs without me?” Riley said.
    I nibbled on my bottom lip, wishing I could rewind things. Instead, I backed up, my shoulder hitting a floor lamp and sending pain over my skin. “I just thought I’d check things out.”
    “You could have gotten killed.”
    “If you had gone down, you could have gotten killed.”
    “Gabby . . .” He let out an exasperated sigh.
    I raised my hands. “I know, I know. Look, I really am sorry. But I’m used to doing things on my own. This is going to take some adjustment. And just because we’re married, I don’t want you to think that you always have to be my protector. I like to stand on my own two feet.”
    “This isn’t about that. I just need to know you’re going to be safe.”
    “Riley, I wish I could know that. None of us knows that, though.”
    He reached for my waist but stopped halfway and dropped his hands. “I do know that. But I want to take care of you.”
    “And I love that about you. I should have woken you so we could have figured something out instead of simply me figuring something out. I will try to do better. I promise. Forgive me?”
    “Of course, I forgive you.”
    Relief washed through me. “Good. Because I thought for sure I’d just ruined our honeymoon. Again.”
    I was sensing a theme here.
    “You could never disappoint me, Gabby.”
    As much as I loved what he said, that was a pretty big expectation to fulfill. I could think of plenty of ways I might disappoint him. I hoped none of them came to fruition.
    I glanced outside at the beach for a moment. The moon lit the sky and reflected on the water, showering the area with soft light.
    Something on the beach caught my eye, and I moved closer to the window.
    “What is it?” Riley asked.
    “Riley, there’s someone out there. On the beach.”
    He turned toward me. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go check it out.”

Chapter Eight
    S o , even though it was four a.m., Riley and I found ourselves taking a romantic nighttime walk on the beach.
    Okay, not really.
    I mean, we were walking on the beach, and it was nighttime, and I suppose the atmosphere kind of made it romantic.
    But we were actually doing something that thrilled me even more: we were following a lead.
    In the distance, I could see the figure I’d spotted from inside the beach house. He stood on the shore, staring at the Looking for Love mansion. If he noticed we were coming, he didn’t try to run away or even flinch for that matter.
    Riley and I glanced at each other, slowing our steps for a moment.
    Who was that? What was he doing? And what exactly would end up playing out over the next several minutes?
    The questions rushed through my mind in an instant. But I wasn’t turning back now.
    “It’s Vince Daley, the guy who was supposed to be Mr. Eligible,” Riley whispered.
    “What’s he doing out here?”
    “Let’s find out.”
    I reached for the gun I’d shoved into my waistband, just in case things turned ugly. A girl could never be too certain.
    “Vince Daley?” Riley called.
    The man turned toward us, and I feared he might run. His body seemed to stiffen with anticipation.
    To my surprise, he remained still. “Yes?”
    “I thought I recognized you,” Riley said. “You were on Looking for Love last season.”
    “That’s right.”
    As we got closer, I noted that Vince’s muscles looked tight, his eyes shifty and uncertain, and his arms frozen. What was he up to out here?
    “I really thought you were going to be the next Mr. Eligible,” Riley continued. “Instead they gave it to Ricky. What were they thinking?”
    It was a good thing he’d watched the show so he could make this sound believable.
    Or Riley might actually believe this, which I found both adorable and disturbing. I’d stick with adorable. It was adorable.
    Vince let out a bitter chuckle. “Yeah, tell me about it.