“Would you like something to drink?” Marina asked and headed for the kitchen. “I have soda and wine and bottled water. I’m afraid I don’t lean toward beer or whiskey. Or coffee, maybe? I was just thinking about making a pot.”

“Coffee in the evening? You must be one of those people that caffeine doesn’t affect. Water would be great.”

She nodded and grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator. Coffee absolutely kept her up, but she didn’t want to say that staying awake sounded like a good idea given the circumstances. She didn’t want him to think she was that kind of woman. The kind that needed the man on a white horse to save her. Hell, she didn’t want to be that kind of woman, either.

But the situation had unnerved her.

“What do you think is going on?” she asked as Luke sat on a stool at the counter.

“I’m not sure.”

“Could it be your poacher?”

He shook his head. “I caught him this morning. And all the evidence points to only one guy.”

Okay. She moved straight past unnerved to scared.

“This cabin has sat empty for years,” she said. “And no one has ever bothered it. Clearly, whoever this is knows that someone is living here now. If he wanted to steal a television or food or whatever, he’s had all the time in the world during the day when I’ve been gone.”

He nodded. “I know. That’s exactly why I don’t like it either.”

Her stomach rolled. It was one thing for her to imagine the worst. Her mind and emotions were all over the place with everything she was dealing with. But if Luke thought the situation was bad as well, then that meant she should be worried.

“But it still doesn’t make sense,” she said. “Why would anyone be after me? And if he is, why run off the other night or this morning? I didn’t think serial killers were so skittish.”

“If he wanted to kill you, he’d just shoot you from the tree line when you got out of your car.”

“Not helping.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

She waved a hand in dismissal. “I get it.”

“I want to help. But I’m as confused as you are. Can you think of any reason someone would be watching you? I know you’re about to start divorce proceedings. Would your husband have hired someone?”

“To see what? And for what purpose? He’s already told me he blew all our money and he inherited the house from his mother. Even if there was some leverage he could get on me, it wouldn’t matter. There’s nothing to fight over.”

“What about the LeDoux? Leverage is their MO, right?”

“Sure, but they don’t need any on me. At the moment, they’re holding all the cards. Besides, that first night this guy was lurking around—the night I met you—was before Avery got into a fight with Chastity.”

“But you’d already caught Chastity with your husband.”