The Sinner (Notorious 1)

“Those officers are idiots,” Savannah snapped. “Someone broke into my daughter’s room and they acted like it was nothing.” She turned away from her daughter as if to hide her runaway emotions.

Something dented in my chest, a foundation trembled and I wanted to reach out and touch the fragile elegant bones of her wrist. Hold her hand.

Do not get attached to these women. I warned myself.

I am here, after all, to hurt them.

“Thank you,” Savannah said and I was made speechless for a moment by her beauty, by the look in her eyes. “For what you said to those officers.”

There was something slightly different in her, a fierceness transformed. It was as if a light had gone on in a dark house.

Don’t do this. Don’t look at me like that. Don’t let me in, I’m only here to hurt you.

“No problem,” I said.

“Who are you?” a small voice asked, and I turned to see the girl giving me the once-over.

“My name is Matt, I’m going to help fix the back garden.”

Katie’s eyes narrowed and she harrumphed, looking as skeptical as a young girl could, which, was pretty damn skeptical.

“He’s going to be staying here. In the sleeping porch. At night,” Margot said, and she might as well have shot off a cannon into the silent room.

4

Savannah

I blinked. Blinked again. Surely, she did not just suggest…

“I’m sorry?” I said.

“He’s staying,” Margot repeated, showing all the steel she hid under her magnolia exterior. “I know, I know.” She waved her hands in my face. “You told him to stay at the Inn, but after what’s happened, I think it’s a good idea to have a man around here. I’m eighty and Katie’s eight and you’re a damn librarian. We’re about as defenseless as it gets.”

“We could get a gun,” Katie said and both Margot and I spun to stare at her. “I’m just saying,” she added sheepishly.

“We’re not getting a gun,” Margot said. “Matt is sleeping on the porch. End of story.”

“Can I talk to you?” I said through my teeth. “Privately.”

“No, you can’t. You’re too wrapped up in the past and the last man who stayed here.”

I went stiff and pale as ice and I could feel Matt’s attention. I could feel him soaking up all this information. “You can’t see that this is a perfect solution to our problem,” Margot said.

I spun toward Matt, not even pretending to smile or be gracious. “Can you give us a minute?”

“Sure.”

“Stay right there,” Margot said, pointing a finger to the floor in front of Matt’s feet. Of course he listened to Margot. He had a front row seat to the show the entire town wanted to see. “Look, we’re targets around here. The police don’t much care for us for a bunch of different reasons, not the least of which is they’re giant dickheads—sorry, Katie.”

“It’s okay,” Katie said, long used to Margot’s mouth.

“The police chief is good to us, but she’s got a whole town to take care of. So, we’re pretty much on our own,” Margot said. “Savannah’s got a problem with men staying here—”

“Don’t you dare, Margot,” I snapped.

“Because we’ve been alone a long time.” She held up one elegant finger. “By choice, mind you. Most of the time men are only good for two things, and one of them is buying me drinks.”

Matt choked back a laugh.

“But…I’m scared,” Margot admitted. “We all are.” The air in the room seemed to change, a heavy darkness filling the corners, creeping along the floor, the specter of what might have happened last night. Margot’s eyes, suddenly damp, turned to me. “I think if Matt were to stay, maybe we could all sleep instead of worrying who was going to break into our house, or might come looking for us in the night.”

Damnit. I hated when Margot had a point.

“Do you want to stay here?” I asked him.

“I want to help,” he said. “I don’t like the way those cops treated you and I don’t like the idea of someone breaking into the house.” He looked different today. Gone was the suit and standing there was a seriously handsome and well-built man who looked like he knew how to get his hands dirty. I couldn’t say which version I liked better.

Or trusted.

“You don’t even know us,” I felt compelled to remind him.

“Do I have to know you to not want to see you hurt?”

Oh, honey. If only the world was really like that.

“We can’t pay you more,” I said. “But with the money you’d be saving—”

“It works out fine. Truth is,” he said with a shrug. “I don’t sleep much. So, it really doesn’t matter.”

You and me both, buddy.

“Fine,” I squeezed my trembling hands together. Wondering what kind of mistake I was making. “It’s settled. Matt, welcome to the Manor.”

Katie spent the morning on my lap, which didn’t bother me one bit. I was actually dueling with the instinct to somehow chain her to my side.