Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
SHEA
I love my brother, but if he asks me if I’m okay one more time, I think I might lose it.
Not literally. But my smiles are definitely getting tighter with each progressive are you sure you’re okay Niall asks. My calm, yes, I’m fine, don’t worry , reassurance is sounding less and less convincing. And if I hide out in the bedroom much longer, he’s going to end up dragging me to the doctor, insisting I’m sick.
It’s not that I don’t understand.
What happened last night was pretty much his worst nightmare. His wife—his newly pregnant wife—and sister accosted by two masked men in a van. Anyone who watches true crime shows or even the news knows that’s not a good combination.
Especially given that Jade was kidnapped not just once, but twice, I get why he’s worried. Scared. My already protective brother has shifted into his wrap Jade and Shea in bubble wrap and whisk them away to a remote island mode.
Poor Jade is more shaken than me, and for good reason. The past kidnappings, of course, and the not insignificant fact that she’s pregnant. So it makes sense she would want to race back to Texas and hide out at the Blade and Arrow headquarters there. Surrounded by Niall and his five teammates on an uber-secure ranch, she can relax. Feel safe again.
Maybe it’s delayed shock, but the whole abduction thing isn’t what’s really bothering me.
Yes, my cheek hurts. But after icing it on and off last night, plus some painkillers, it’s really not that bad.
Is the idea that two men came roaring up in a van to abduct one of us—at least, I’m assuming that was their plan—pretty freaking crazy? Yes. Undoubtedly.
But my mind isn’t stuck on either of those things. It’s stuck on Oliver.
Still so handsome, with those gorgeous blue eyes rimmed with dark lashes any woman would be envious of, and a strong jaw and high cheekbones and a smile that never failed to make my stomach flutter. His hair is longer now, and he has a bit of stubble, which gives him this sort of dangerous look I love.
And the way he looked in his uniform…
Oliver’s never been a big, bulky guy, preferring to keep in shape through activities like running and hiking and climbing. But he’s got plenty of muscles, and they were on display last night, his biceps stretching his sleeves and his thighs bulging as he crouched in front of me.
Crap. I’m not supposed to be thinking about how great my ex looked. Just because he was nice to me last night doesn’t mean anything. He was just doing his job. What was he supposed to do, be rude while he was taking my statement? While I was fighting tears and holding an ice-pack to my face, no less?
And anyway, I’m sure aside from the case, I won’t hear from him again. He’ll probably make his partner, Kane, communicate with me from now on. And I’ll never go back to Sleepy Hollow, because now that I’ve actually seen Oliver, I’m not sure my heart can handle doing it again.
“Shea.” Niall pushes my half-open bedroom door open and pokes his head inside. Lines of worry are etched across his forehead, and his gaze is dark with concern. “Are you feeling okay? Does your cheek hurt? Are you sure you don’t want?—”
“Niall.” I put my Kindle aside—not like I was actually reading it—and give him a hopefully convincing smile. “I’m really okay. Even Jade said so.” Then I bring out the big guns. “Don’t you trust your own wife’s opinion?”
He pins me with a stern glare. “Really, Shea?”
“I’m just saying. I feel fine.” As his eyebrows shoot up to his hairline, I concede, “My cheek is sore. But it’s not any worse than that time you hit me with that basketball back in middle school.”
Niall sighs. “That was an accident.”
“I know.” Shoving aside my thoughts of Oliver, at least for the moment, I pat the mattress beside me. “Come sit down. I can tell you want to talk to me about something. So, spill it.”
He comes over and sits down, stares at me for a second, then pulls me into a hug. His arms tighten. Once he releases me, he looks at me with emotion working in his eyes. “I know you think I’m being overprotective. Having one of the guys stand guard last night. Checking on you nonstop. But—” He swallows hard. “I was scared, Shea. That you and Jade could have been taken, that you were hurt…”
I grab his hand. “I know. But we’re okay.”
“Yes…” He pauses. “Are you okay about seeing Oliver, though? I know that must have been hard.”
“It was fine.”
“Was it?”
“Fine. It was hard,” I admit. “But maybe it’s a good thing. It’s keeping me distracted from the whole attempted abduction part of the night.” With a dry laugh, I add, “Seeing my ex after four years and nearly being thrown in a van in the same night. That’s definitely one to remember.”
“Shea.” Guilt shadows his gaze. “I’m so sorry.”
“Stop. It’s not your fault.”
“But it is.” Niall gets off the bed and walks over to my dresser, where he looks at the photo of our parents for a second before continuing. “Not the Oliver part. But the rest. I was talking to the team, and it seems likely that one of you was targeted because of Blade and Arrow. Revenge. Leverage.”
“You don’t know that.”
He turns to me. “And you have tons of enemies from your technical writing job? Your pilates classes? Volunteering at the community center?”
I tuck my legs underneath me, pretzel-style. “It’s possible.”
“Not likely, like I said.”
“Did you find the van? The men?”
“The police found the van. It was dumped just outside town. Stolen, with stolen plates.”
“Fingerprints?” Although I doubt it, since I remember the men wearing gloves.
“No.” Niall frowns. “It was torched. Down to the metal.” He comes back to the bed and sits down. “We’re investigating, of course, along with the police. Looking at surveillance tapes, traffic light cameras… but it’s going to take time.”
“Okay. So…”
“I think you should come back to Texas with us.”
“What? No.” I jump up and turn to face him. “I have a job here. A house.”
“You said you would’ve come when Jade was in trouble,” he retorts. “What’s the difference now?”
Crap. I hate it when Niall makes a good point.
I could go to Texas. But I just got a promotion at my job. And while I can work from home some days, it’s not a fully remote job. At least two days a week, I need to go into the office for meetings, either with clients or the writing team. Plus, my life is here. The structure I’ve so carefully cultivated over the last few years. My classes. My counselor.
“That was different,” I finally say. “If Jade needed me, I would have made it work. But she doesn’t. She has you. Your team. Their girlfriends.”
“It’s not the same.”
Unexpectedly, tears threaten. My eyes burn. My shoulders sagging, I say, “I will if you really want me to. But… Niall. This is my home. I feel… stable here. If I leave… I’ll lose my promotion. I won’t be able to take my classes. I’ve worked so hard…”
“Shea.” Niall stands and pulls me into his arms. “Please don’t cry.”
“I’m not,” I sniff. “I’m just… it’s dusty in here.”
He looks down at me. “What if you stayed at the Sleepy Hollow headquarters? They have an apartment there. That would be safe.”
“But Niall. I don’t know them. Not really. I mean, Maya… but she’s Oliver’s sister. As nice as she is, she has to be loyal to him.”
“It wouldn’t be like that.”
Changing tack, I ask, “Was I really even the target? I hate to say it, Niall, but I’m just your sister. It’s not the?—”
“You’re not just my sister.” His features pinch in consternation. “You and Jade are the two most important people in the world to me. It’s not a secret. You absolutely could have been the target. If I go back to Texas without you and something happens… I’ll never forgive myself.”
Crap.
I want to tell him yes. Give him one less thing to worry about. But the idea of living someplace new, surrounded by people I don’t really know… I’m scared. What if it ends up being a trigger? What if…
Jade would understand. But she’s already stressed enough. The last thing I want is to give her something else to worry about.
“Shea?” Niall’s eyes meet mine. “What do you think?”
I’m torn.
Part of me wants to just give in. Make him happy.
Then again, what did he tell me when I woke up in the hospital? I can still remember him sitting there with tears in his eyes as he said, “Shea. Please. If there’s ever anything you’re struggling with, just tell me. I won’t be upset. You don’t have to protect me. I’m your big brother. That’s my job.”
“I’m scared,” I whisper.
“Shea, I won’t let those men get to you.”
“Not that.” Taking a deep breath, I exhale slowly before explaining, “Attacking a man with a chair? I can do that. Dropping everything to help you or Jade. I’ll do it in a second. But this… Leaving? I’m worried it’ll ruin all my progress. That it’ll trigger me. I’m good when I can control things. But this? I just don’t know.”
“Ah, Shea.” Niall sighs. “I understand why you wouldn’t want to live with people you don’t know. But in Texas, you’d have me. Jade. And you’ve met everyone else there.”
“But my job. I know it’s not important like what you do. But?—”
“It is important.”
“Not like saving people from traffickers and stalkers and crazy dark web games,” I retort. Then I give him a tiny smile to take the edge off it. “I know my life isn’t big and important like yours. But it’s mine. And I… I’m scared to lose it.”
My brother goes quiet for several seconds, his forehead creased as he thinks. “Okay.” A beat, and then more gently, “Okay, Shea. How about this. You stay here. But I’m going to have every possible security upgrade installed before Jade and I leave.”
“Okay.”
“And,” he continues, “One of the Sleepy Hollow team members will bring you to work and back. If you need to run any errands, go to the counselor; they’ll take you. No going places on your own.”
“Okay.”
“I mean it, Shea. Not even to the grocery store. Not for a walk around the block. You either stay in your house or someone escorts you. I know it’s not ideal, but it’ll keep you safe. And hopefully we’ll figure out who’s behind this soon and you can go back to your normal life.”
Hope kindles, but I tamp it down. “But will they be upset? It’ll be inconvenient, driving to White Plains, taking me to work…”
“No. They will not mind.” It’s quick. Firm. “First, you’re my sister. Which makes you part of the Blade and Arrow family. And second, they’d have to take you to work anyway. It’s not like you live an hour away. It’s not a problem.”
“Okay, Niall.”
“But you promise to follow the rules. And if there’s any problem, anything suspicious at any time, you call Cole. Or the police. Both, actually.”
“I will.” I hug Niall, squeezing him hard enough to make his back crack. “I promise. I’ll do everything you want.”
“And you’ll call me every day?”
“Yes.”
Niall sets me back from him and inspects my face. “Are you really going to be okay here by yourself, Shea? Not the safety stuff, but?—”
“I will.”
“And you’re really alright after seeing Oliver?”
“Yes.”
Liar, liar, pants on fire.
Sighing, he ruffles my hair. “I know you’re lying about Oliver. But I’ll let it go.”
“I’m not.”
A light knock sounds at the door. Jade stands in the doorway, a hesitant smile on her face. “Are you guys done talking?”
“Yes,” Niall replies. “Shea’s going to stay here. We figured it out.”
Meeting Jade’s gaze, I say, “I need to. It’s home. And I…”
She hurries into the room and hugs me. “I know.” Then she loops her arm around my shoulders and nudges me out of the room. “Now. I want to spend some time with my best friend. Watch movies and eat junk food and do our nails. Okay?”
I give her a quick side hug as I smile at her. “Yes. That sounds perfect .”