Read Against the Tide for Free Online Page B

her hands and stepped out. “I’m Megan McCallister,” she said. “I called 911.”
    â€œAre you okay?” the uniformed female officer asked, as another officer pushed past them, checking the room to see if anyone else was there.
    â€œYes.” Megan nodded tearfully. “Is Garret okay?”
    â€œI don’t know.” The officer nodded toward the stairs. “Let’s get you out of here and into a cruiser.”
    Before long, Megan and the female cop were in the backseat of a cruiser, and Megan was answering her questions. As best she could, anyway. Mostly she felt like she was in the dark. “I honestly don’t know what happened,” she said for the second time. “We heard someone in the house. I’d already been attacked in the newspaper office. So we were sort of on edge. We ran back to the car. Then Garret got out a gun. He went back inside. Shortly after that, I heard the two or three shots.”
    The questions continued and her nerves ratcheted up until finally, after about half an hour, Megan saw Garret by the front porch. “He’s all right!” she shouted. Before the officer could stop her, Megan jumped out of the patrol car and raced toward him.
    â€œYou’re okay,” she exclaimed. “I heard the shots and I was so worried.”
    He hugged her, holding her longer than was probably necessary, yet she made no move to pull away. “I was worried about you, too,” he said tenderly, finally releasing her from the embrace.
    â€œWhat happened?” She looked into his eyes, feeling that they seemed strangely familiar—as a surprisingly warm rush ran through her.
    Garret explained about his wrestling matches with one and then another man. “I chased them for a couple of miles down the beach road.”
    â€œSo they got away?”
    â€œThere was a car with the engine running, waiting for them on Rawlins Road. A dark sedan. Not sure what model or year or anything. Anyway, they got in and took off like a shot. And that was that.”
    The police came over, asking both of them several more questions and finally allowing them to leave with the promise to remain in touch regarding their whereabouts. Megan could tell that the officers assumed that Garret had simply prevented a burglary, pointing out that it wasn’t uncommon for homes to be broken into along this stretch of bluff.
    â€œYou don’t think this is related to the break-in at the newspaper?” Garret asked.
    â€œHard to say.” The policeman was getting a call on his phone now and, tipping his head, he stepped away.
    Garret frowned as he walked her over to his SUV. “Guess we might as well get out of here. Can’t imagine you’d want to stay by yourself here tonight.”
    â€œNot so much.” Megan pondered over what she’d just heard, trying to put the pieces together. “Do you think it was the same guy—the one from the newspaper office?”
    â€œThis guy was dressed in dark clothes. Same as the one at the newspaper office. But, like I said, I barely glimpsed that guy’s face. But it might’ve been him. Right height and build and clothes.”
    â€œWhy is this happening?” she asked with tightly clenched fists. “What is going on? What does all this mean?”
    He ran his hand through his damp hair, making it curl even more. “I, uh, I have a theory.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œI told the police about it. Not sure they took me seriously, though.”
    â€œI still want to hear it.”
    He glanced over his shoulder. “How about if I get your bags from the house first?”
    â€œThanks.”
    After he loaded her things into the back of the SUV, he explained what was going on with the police inside the house. “Where am I taking you?” he asked as he backed out, maneuvering past the emergency vehicles.
    â€œOh, yeah, I better call a hotel.” She pulled out her