Secrets in a Still Life, Kari Ganske [best fiction books to read .TXT] 📗

from my window. The shadowy figure standing there yanked open the door, and I instinctively kicked out. Unfortunately, I used my injured ankle and the screams of fright turned into yelps of pain as I connected with something solid.

"Hey, hey, hey," a male voice said. "It's Lincoln. Calm down."

Colleen's scream died out, but her breaths came in short rasps. I stopped whimpering and opened my eyes. Sure enough, Linc was leaning his broad body into the car. He held out his hand to help me right myself. Reluctantly, I took it.

"I'm afraid to ask, but what are you two doing here?" Linc asked when we were both sitting back in our actual seats and breathing normally. He squatted beside my open door, rubbing his stomach.

"Was that you I kicked?" I asked, astonished. From the solidity of the object, I thought I hit the door. Man oh man, the boy worked out.

"Answer the question, Alex," Linc said, ignoring my question.

There were a few things that really irked me into a slightly less than homicidal rage: being mean to defenseless animals, chewing with an open mouth, and social media filters, to name a few. But top of that list was being treated like a child. And that had happened a lot since I'd been home. The only person who got a pass was my mother—mainly because I was her actual child. I narrowed my eyes at him. Add to that I was getting rather annoyed that Linc always managed to show up at the most inconvenient times.

"I could ask you the same thing. Are you following us?" I asked, turning the accusation back on him.

"I live over there." He pointed to a house a few doors down from the one we were watching. Of course, Linc, forever bemused, lived on a street named Sunshine. I felt my righteous indignation slip a little.

But I wasn't going to let him know that. I doubled down.

"Still, sneaking up on two women in the dark is not a great idea. We thought you were an ax murderer."

"And sneaking onto someone else's property is any better?"

I shifted my attention out the front windshield. "I don't know what you're talking about. Colleen? Do you have any idea what he's talking about?"

"Nope," she confirmed without hesitation. "We were just sitting in the car talking, laughing, catching up on old times."

"Really?" Linc asked, dripping with sarcasm. "So there just happens to be another woman with fiery red hair sneaking around my neighborhood at night?"

"Must be," Colleen mumbled. "What a coincidence, huh?"

"And don't get me started on you, Gimpy McHopalong," he said to me. "You're about as subtle as a rhino in a china shop—and that's even without the added awkwardness of a crutch."

"Okay. Now you've insulted us enough, and you can be on your way. Colleen, start the car." I tried to reach around him to shut the door, but he was like a freaking bull—all muscle and broad shoulders and unmoving.

"Excuse me," I said, looking into his face. Bad idea. He wore that irresistible half-amused smirk. He looked like he couldn't decide whether to join us or to scold us. His expression was a perfect mix of devilish, rebellious boy meets responsible, handsome man. I couldn't look away.

Luckily, he stood and peered over the top of the car, leaning his arms on the roof. Unluckily, this put me at eye level with his midsection and parts south. I gulped and tried to pry my eyes away from that delicious expanse of skin that appeared between the bottom of his T-shirt and his low-slung jeans. Even in the dim light, I could make out the outline of that muscular V men have pointing toward their—

"I'll give you a dollar if you lick his abs," Colleen whispered beside me. Her voice broke into my thoughts and made me jump about a mile. I accidentally hit Linc in the upper thigh with my flailing arm. At least I thought it was his thigh. I scowled at Colleen whose eyes lit with amusement.

"Ow," he said, leaning back down. "What was that for?"

"Sorry," Colleen said. "My fault. I said something and it scared her."

"You guys wouldn't happen to be coming from the house with the sports car in front of it?" Linc asked.

"What? No, of course not," I said at the same time Colleen said, "So what if we were?"

Linc simply raised an eyebrow. We held our tongues.

"I find it oddly coincidental that you, Alex, happen to be sneaking around the same neighborhood that Mike Vandenburg's mistress lives in," he said.

My mouth dropped open. "You knew he was having an affair?"

"Everyone knows. I'm sure Missy knew. As I'm sure Mike knew about her affairs."

"Missy was having an affair too?" Colleen asked, equally as shocked.

Linc rolled his eyes. "Get out of the car, Alex."

"Why would I do that?" I asked.

"Maybe he wants to punish you," Colleen whispered under her breath. I smacked her chest.

"So I can get in the back seat," Linc said. "I'm tired of having this conversation out here on the street. I'm sure half the neighborhood is spying out their windows by now after all the screaming earlier." I didn't move. "Come on, Alex. Either that, or you get in the back."

Getting into the crammed back seat with my hurt ankle was less than appealing. Besides, seeing Linc try to squeeze his tall body into the back of the VW would be funny. He deserved it for treating us like common criminals. Or worse, children.

"Fine," I huffed. I swung my legs out first, grabbed the top of the doorframe to try to lift myself out of the low car without the aid of my crutch. Linc grabbed me under an armpit to help. He placed my hand firmly on the roof.

"Don't let go." He gave me