Chapter Five

      It was bad enough that crime scene investigators were combing through every inch of Peyton’s family home, having obtained a search warrant based on Brian being inside earlier today. What was even more humiliating was standing in her own bedroom while a police woman rifled through the bag that Peyton had just packed.

      Peyton crossed her arms, frowning at the woman’s profile as she wadded up shirts and pants that Peyton had painstakingly rolled to avoid wrinkles. The woman pulled out yet another pair of Peyton’s underwear, letting the red thong dangle in the air. What did she think? That Peyton was going to smuggle a gun in her undies and attack Colin in his sleep?

      “I don’t think they’re your size,” she snapped, unable to put up with the farce any longer.

      Unruffled, the officer smiled politely, underwear still suspended in the air. “I’m just doing my job, Miss Sterling.”

      “Is there a problem in here?” Colin stepped into the room.

      Peyton snatched the thong and tossed it into the overnight bag. “Not at all. Officer...”

      “Simmons,” the policewoman supplied, sounding infuriatingly amused.

      “Right. Officer Simmons was just complimenting me on my fabric choices. Isn’t that right?”

      Simmons rolled her eyes. “You have a nice evening, ma’am.” She stepped past Peyton, nodding at Colin before exiting the room.

      “Did I miss something?” Colin asked.

      She straightened the contents of the bag as best she could without dumping everything out and starting over. “I’m fairly certain that Officer Simmons was wrinkling my clothes and going as slowly as humanly possible just because—”

      “Because you knocked a gun out of a marshal’s hand and let a suspected cop killer get away?”

      She stood frozen, his words sinking in. Shame made her face heat. “You’re right. I’m so used to being on the defensive about Brian being innocent that I didn’t look at it from her perspective.”

      He stepped to the bed and zipped her bag closed, then hefted it in his hand. “Maybe she was suspicious because you’ve packed half your bedroom in here. I bet this would require extra baggage fees at the airport.”

      “It’s not that heavy. I know I packed more than I need for one night. But I always worry that I’ll want something else after I’ve left the house.”

      “It’s a good thing you did. I don’t expect you’ll be able to come back here for several days.” He motioned toward the doorway. “Let’s go.”

      “I can carry my own...wait. What do you mean several days? I have to do laundry, clean the house, work on the store’s books, and a hundred other things. I can’t put my life on hold.”

      “Why not? Think of it as a vacation. Don’t worry about anything except helping me figure out where your brother might be hiding.”

      “I don’t know what you were expecting but I can’t ignore my responsibilities. I have to be back at the store Sunday and Monday. Those are Joan’s days off. Melissa can’t run the store by herself. This is the busy summer tourist season. Besides, my customers expect fresh baked goods Sunday through Friday. If I don’t have new product in the display cases, I lose business. I’m still operating in the red, struggling to make this work as it is.”

      “If money’s your worry, I can—”

      “No. We’ve already had that conversation. I appreciate your generous offer, truly. But come early Sunday morning, I need to be in my own kitchen baking. Then I’m going to the shop.”

      He set the bag back on the bed. “Unless your brother and the other escapees are either caught or known to be in an area far from here by Sunday, you’re not coming back. And you definitely aren’t going into town.”

      “Colin—”

      “Your brother showed up here once already. Odds are, he’ll try again. The reports my fellow marshals have been sharing with me indicate that all four men were spotted traveling together at their last verified sighting. One of them is a convicted murderer with ties to gangs. Until I know it’s safe, you aren’t coming back here. Period.”

      Her throat went dry. Her brother was traveling with a convicted murderer? Brian wasn’t exactly street-smart. Even after years in prison, he still seemed like a scared, naive kid every time she visited him.

       Please be careful. Don’t get yourself killed, Brian.

      Since Colin was watching her, she forced a smile. “When you put it that way, I understand your concerns. I’ll need to check whether Joan and Melissa can take on additional shifts for a few days.” Not that she could afford the extra pay. And she didn’t know if her employees could change their schedules last minute. “Since my alibi was verified, it’s okay to call them, right?”

      “Of course. Tomorrow.”

      “Right.” The dark glass of her bedroom window clearly showed it was too late to call anyone tonight. “I’ll need to grab my baking supplies and take them to your place so I can bake things for the shop. I can ask Joan to come pick them up. Is that okay? Me using your kitchen?”

      “You’re welcome to use my kitchen. But let’s head over there first and see if I already have what you need instead of hauling half your things over there.”

      “Why can’t we just grab my stuff while we’re still here?”

      He blew out a breath. “Because the crime scene unit is still collecting evidence. Allowing you to take clothes and toiletries is one thing. Hauling out pots and pans and who knows what else is completely different.” He motioned her toward the hallway and hefted her bag again.

      The warrant. It all came down to that. She shook her head and headed down the hallway, Colin’s boots echoing against the hardwood behind her. Just inside the family room, she had to stop to let a tech pass by with a laptop in a clear plastic bag.

      “Hey, wait. That’s mine. My business