Seeking Evil (Looking Into The Mind Of A Killer Series) by Mary Eason

get a look at Aaron ’ s notes. She couldn ’ t afford to tip John off.
    The silence between them grew as the miles slipped by. They’ d left Richmond behind some time back. Now, t he city limits sign for Virginia Beach came into view.
    “ What ’ s here? ” A thousand different unwelcome feelings zipped through her mind. She couldn ’ t think about being alone with John and not remember the times spent in his arms. In his bed.
    A aron had mention ed once something about John ’ s father leaving him a place at the beach.
    He turned to her in the darkness. The small cab of the truck shrunk to nothing but a breath between them . “ You ’ ll be safe here. I made sure we weren’t followed. So, w hy so nervous? You ’ ve been alone with me before. Many times as I recall. ” The rough edges in his voice reminded her of all those other times. She wondered if he, too , remembered the passion they’ d shared together.
    She cleared her throat. “ In the past. That ’ s over. ”
    He didn ’ t say a word, but his eyes spoke volumes. It wasn ’ t over at all.
    John parked the truck in front of a small cabin, got out of the truck, grabbed her bag , and waited. After a moment, she climbed out and stood next to him.
    He unlocked the door of the tiny cabin and stepped inside, drawing her with him. In the tiny entrance , his fingers tightened on her arm. “ Wait here. ”
    Anna stood frozen in place by a myriad of emotion s . Fear. Need. Uncertainty. The inevitable realization that the past would have its say here whether she liked it or not.
    John moved through each room, searching the place without turning on a single light.
    “ It ’ s clear. ” His voice reached her in the darkness. He was close. Too close. Anna stepped back.
    John flipped on the switch, flooding the room with light. She took her time examining the place, mostly because she needed time to recover her control .
    “ Make yourself at home. There ’ s not much to see. Just the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom ’ s through there…and then the bedroom ,” h e added softly.
    Anna's gaze ricocheted to his. Nothing showed on his face. No emotion. Was it just her imagination? If so, how could she stay here, be close to him, and not be constantly overacting to everything John said or did.
    “ I ’ m going to put the truck in the garage behind the house just as a precaution. You take the bedroom, I ’ ll use the sofa. ”
    He disappeared before she could man a ge an answer. With him gone, she could breathe again. Gemma whimpered in her arms and Anna realized she’ d been clutching her tight, almost to the point of cutting off air.
    “ I ’ m sorry, baby. You want to stretch your legs? ” Anna sat the dog down at her feet and wandered through the tiny cabin with Gemma trailing her .
    Furnished with only the bare necessities, the rustic cabin, though functional, was not meant to encourage long stays inside. It said a lot about the person who came here. Anna knew John was an outdoorsman at heart. He ’ d shared his love of the outdoors with her many times in the past. She could hear that t he ocean was close, within walking distance of the cabin, allowing all sorts of outdoor activities. The cabin would be for eating and sleeping only.
    Anna dropped her bag on the bed and left the room. Best not to think about the times John had slept in this same bed. Would he have come here alone? Did he have a girlfriend? Did he ever think of her ?
    She scooped up Gemma again and went back to the kitchen where a quick search of the pantry revealed i t was remarkably well stocked. John had planned ahead. Had he expected the killer ’ s latest move?
    “ Are you hungry? ” She hadn ’ t realized he ’ d returned until he spoke. She saw him standing in the doorway watching her .
    Anna tried to remember the last time she’ d eaten anything substantial and couldn ’ t. John took her silence for consent. He came up behind her and gently pushed her into one of