Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
SHEA
Maybe I should have skipped breakfast today.
Not to lose weight, no. I’m not falling into that trap again.
But the oatmeal I had an hour ago is sitting like a rock in my stomach, lurching around every so often to make itself known. Little surges of nausea keep hitting me, bringing with them a burning sensation in my throat.
That’s not even taking into account my wobbly legs and tightening lungs, another unpleasant side effect of my growing anxiety.
As we walk from Oliver’s car to the back entrance of the Blade and Arrow headquarters, a large restored office building on the outskirts of Sleepy Hollow, I’m clutching his hand so tightly I’m afraid I might cut off the circulation to his fingers.
I wasn’t this nervous when I woke up this morning. I had a few flutters of nerves before breakfast, but Oliver was so sweet, serving me breakfast on the couch and entertaining me with some of the crazier calls he’s had, I soon forgot all about it. It was more interesting to hear about quirky Mrs. Plimpton’s stubborn insistence that her neighbor was burying a body in his yard, when it actually ended up that poor Mr. Davidson was just trying to air out his oriental carpet after the roof leaked all over it.
“You wouldn’t believe some of the calls,” Oliver told me with a wry smile. “We had one guy call because he swore he spotted blocks of cocaine in his neighbor’s garage. They were styrofoam bricks he was going to use to make a fake igloo for the holiday parade.”
So it really wasn’t too bad until we got into the car to come over here, and the reality of it set in.
This is a meeting to discuss not just the abduction attempt, which was scary enough on its own, but the guy who attacked me at my house. We’re going to have to talk about all the terrifying possibilities for why he was there, and what might have happened if I didn’t get away from him.
More questions will probably come up about my background and all the people I know who could possibly want to hurt me. I went over it once, the day after the attack at the Hop-less Horseman, and it was unpleasant enough then. It’s definitely not something I’m looking forward to doing again.
And at some point, we’ll get to the protection part of things, which I’m really dreading.
I know it’s not fair to expect constant protection at my house. Oliver already told me the police department won’t approve it—they would rather send me to a safe house instead. But that sounds awful. Me, alone in some hotel room while a police officer waits outside? Just the thought makes me feel anxious and sick all over.
Blade and Arrow could do it, but that wouldn’t be fair, either. Not when they have other clients to help. And not when I could easily stay there instead, behind their scale-proof fences and state-of-the-art security and even a drone detecting radar, just to be extra safe.
It makes sense to stay there. I know it does. Or I could go to Texas to stay with Niall. But in my gut, I don’t like either choice. Texas means I’m away from Oliver. And Blade and Arrow isn’t home. I don’t really know the people who live there, aside from Maya, and I’m not entirely sure she would want me there.
“Shea, it’s going to be okay. We’re just meeting with the team. You know them.” Oliver glances down at me, his expression soft with concern. He gives my hand a little squeeze before pressing a quick kiss to the top of my head. “Why are you so worried?”
“What? I’m not worried.” Which would be more convincing if I didn’t have a death grip on his fingers.
We arrive at the back door, made of what looks like thick steel with a biometric keypad beside it. Instead of pressing the intercom button beneath the keypad, Oliver turns to me. “It’s okay if you are. However you feel is okay. But if you tell me what’s bothering you, specifically, maybe I can help.”
Shame seeps in. All these people are taking the time to help me. I shouldn’t be getting worked up about it. Complaining. “It’s not important.”
“Yes, it is.” He cups my cheek, stroking his thumb across it. Twilight eyes filled with affection meet mine. “How you’re feeling is important, Shea. If something’s bothering you, I can’t help if I don’t know what it is.”
Crap. He’s right. I’m falling into my old habits again, trying to keep my worries to myself. On a sigh, I say, “I’m just nervous. About all of it. Talking about what happened yesterday. Going through all the people who might want to hurt me. And…”
“What?”
“Maya.”
His brows pull together. “What about Maya?”
Feeling foolish, I explain in a low voice, “Well, I know it makes the most sense for me to stay here now. I get it, my house isn’t safe. But… what if Maya doesn’t want me here?”
Clearly confused, Oliver asks, “Why wouldn’t she?”
One of the things that’s cool about the Blade and Arrow headquarters is also the reason why I’m nervous. The whole team lives here, in their own separate apartments, which means Maya lives here, too.
“I don’t want to make her uncomfortable. If she doesn’t approve of us being together?—”
“What?” His head jerks back in surprise. “Why wouldn’t she?”
“Because I hurt you, Oll. And you’re her brother. I’m sure she’s worried I’ll do it again.”
A second later, another thought strikes me, and my cheeks go hot. “I mean. Um. I don’t know. Are we… I know it hasn’t been long…”
Comprehension dawns in Oliver’s eyes. “Together, you mean?”
“Yeah. I guess I just assumed, and I shouldn’t. We haven’t talked about it?—”
A finger tips up my chin so I meet his gaze. “As far as I’m concerned, we’re together. As long as you want to be.”
Oh.
Warmth blossoms in my chest. “I do. More than anything.”
Oliver stares at me for a second. Then he smiles. “Okay, then. So that’s good.” He drops a kiss on my forehead, and another quick one on my lips. “Now, for the rest of it. Maya is happy we’re trying to work things out. Trust me. Why do you think she asked if you were single?”
“I guess I didn’t really think about it.” Pausing, I ask, “Does she know? Why I did it?”
“No. That’s something you can share; or not. It’s your story to tell, not mine.”
“Okay.” I relax my fingers a little, feeling tiny prickles as the blood flows back into them.
“As for the other stuff,” he continues, “I’m not going to lie and say it’ll be easy. But these guys, they’ll be gentle about it. And if it gets to be too much, just tell me. We’ll take a break, or finish another day. Alright?”
“Yes.” Taking a deep breath, I blow it out slowly. Then I work my mouth into a smile. “You’re right. It’s not going to be that bad. And anyway,” I add lightly, “I’ve already been through the really crappy stuff. So this should be cake.”
Oliver’s jaw clenches. Anger flares in his eyes, but he quickly tamps it down. Then he returns my smile and loops his arm around my waist. “It’ll be cake.”
But I’m not so sure about that once I’m seated in the Blade and Arrow conference room with three very tall, muscular guys, and Nora, who’s one of the most badass women I’ve ever met. They all ooze intensity, the same kind Niall and his teammates have, postures tense and gazes alert, like they’re anticipating trouble at any moment.
It doesn’t bother me when Niall gets like that, because he’s my brother, and after spending a week visiting him in Texas, I’ve gotten to know his team there pretty well. But these people are practically strangers, and even with Oliver here, I’m a little intimidated.
The biggest of the guys is staring at his laptop intently, his fingers flying over the keyboard at a blinding speed. Leo, I remember from our initial greeting, the resident tech genius.
I recognize Cole at the head of the table from the night at the Hop-less Horseman. He’s the founder of Blade and Arrow and Maya’s husband, which means I desperately want to make a good impression on him.
The third man, who introduced himself as Finn, has dark hair and a teasing glint to his eyes. I remember Jade mentioning him as she showed me a gorgeous photo hung in her apartment, explaining it was taken by Hanna, a professional photographer, and that Finn’s her husband.
I’m not quite as intimidated by Nora, since she and Zane have been the ones escorting me to work and back every day. And if it weren’t for Nora’s story about her own husband, I might not have had the courage to reach out to Oliver in the first place.
She looks across the table at me and Oliver, her gaze carefully assessing, and then she gives me a pleased little smile. Feeling a bit better, I smile back at her and mouth, Thanks .
Beneath the long conference table, Oliver rests our entwined hands on my thigh. The reassuring contact makes the pressure in my chest ease a little more.
“Okay.” Cole looks up from his tablet and glances around the table. With a kind smile, he says, “First off, before we get started. Shea. How are you feeling?”
I answer in an overly chipper tone, “I’m good, thanks. How are you?”
Oliver coughs quietly beside me.
Sighing, I admit quietly, “A little nervous.”
Cole nods, understanding in his gaze. “You’re not the first person to feel nervous here. I get it. People you don’t really know, and we’re asking you to recount some pretty scary stuff. But we’ll try to make it as painless as possible.”
Leo looks up from his laptop and says in a low, rumbly voice, “When my Georgia came here for help, she was terrified. But it all worked out. And she married me”—he smiles, his face lighting up—“so I guess I didn’t scare her too badly.”
Cole chuckles. “That’s true. And Maya made me promise to be extra nice, not like I wouldn’t, but she’s worried about you. She said to call if you need anything.”
Oh.
“See,” Oliver whispers. “I told you.”
“Okay,” Leo announces. “Niall’s signing on right now.” He grabs a remote from the center of the conference table and clicks on the large projection screen on the wall.
“Wait.” I straighten in my chair. “Niall’s going to be here, too?”
“Of course,” Cole replies. His brow furrows. “Is that a problem?”
Now everyone is looking at me like I just sprouted an extra head. Which makes sense; why wouldn’t I want my brother, who happens to be a part of Blade and Arrow, no less, to join a meeting about a case that involves me?
My cheeks go warm. I’m about to make up some kind of excuse when I realize I’m about to do it again. Hiding how I feel because I’m afraid it might upset someone.
“I just know we’re going to talk about some of the stuff that happened,” I confess. “And I know it’ll upset Niall. Make him feel bad. I don’t want him worrying about me more than he already does.”
“Shea.” Niall’s voice erupts through the speaker, blasting through the room.
Everyone jumps, and Leo lets out an exasperated sigh. As he clicks away on his laptop, he says, “You guys. I was gone for one video call. How did you manage to mess it up again?”
Finn smirks at him. “To make you feel useful.” Then he turns to me. “Sorry about your eardrums, Shea. Aside from Leo, we’re not the best with technology.”
Nora flicks a pen at him. “Speak for yourself. I’m not the one who insisted he could set up the call the right way this time .”
Through the speaker, Niall huffs, at a much lower volume this time. “While this is all very amusing, I’d like to say something to my sister.”
On the screen, he searches out my gaze. His expression softens. “Shea. I’m your brother. I’m always going to worry about you. But please don’t feel like you have to hide things to keep from upsetting me. Not knowing is worse. Trust me.”
Guilt pricks at me. We already went through all this when I got so sick and Niall didn’t know until I was in the hospital, and he felt so guilty he and Jade ended up having a giant fight because of it.
“Sorry, Niall.” I make an apologetic face at him. “You’re right.”
Oliver squeezes my hand again. He shifts his chair even closer, so his leg rubs against mine.
Niall glances at Oliver, his eyes narrowing speculatively. I’m not sure why, I haven’t kept it a secret that Oliver and I are spending time together, but maybe hearing is different from seeing. Thankfully, Niall doesn’t start quizzing Oliver about his intentions, instead turning his attention to Cole. “Okay. I’m done. Now, I want to hear everything.”
My stomach squinches into a knot.
The oatmeal makes an angry complaint.
My fingers convulse around Oliver’s hand.
Oliver leans over and kisses my cheek. In a tone low enough that only I can hear it, he says, “It’s going to be okay. Remember, if you need a break, it’s fine. I’m here for you.”
Right.
I can do this.
With a deep breath and exhale, I start, “I was in my bedroom, texting with Jade.”
Surprisingly, it wasn’t as bad as I thought.
I wouldn’t call recalling one of the scariest moments of my life fun, but like Oliver promised, the B and A team made it as easy as possible. Despite coming across as a tough, no-nonsense guy, Cole was incredibly kind as he led me through dozens of questions.
Leo was mostly quiet, only interrupting to ask for specific details, like the spelling of the name of the guy I went on a date with six months ago. It was Phillip Spellman, for the record, and although the B and A team wants to investigate him, I seriously doubt Phil has anything to do with this. Not serious, actuary Phil, whose idea of a fun time is playing a rousing game of chess with the senior citizens in the park.
In my defense, I was trying to be open-minded. But after he asked me on our first and only date if I ever played competitive chess and I outright laughed before I could stop myself, he solemnly informed me that he didn’t see us working out.
Which was more than fine with me.
I could tell Niall was pissed, not at me, but at what I was saying. Every so often he would mutter a curse under his breath, or his jaw would clench so hard I worried his teeth would grind to dust. But when I finally wrapped up my account of the attack at my house, he looked at me and said, “I always knew my little sis was a badass. I hate that you went through that, but I’m really proud of you, Shea.”
All through it, Oliver was my constant, not talking, but reassuring me with his presence. He seemed to know exactly when I was starting to get upset and he’d diffuse it with a gentle squeeze of my hand or his thumb stroking my palm.
So when Cole finally says, “Okay, Shea. I know that was a lot. But I think we’re done with all our questions for now,” I can’t help feeling like I got off easier than expected.
Then he adds, “The last thing we need to discuss is our plan moving forward,” and I remember there’s still another unpleasant part coming. The part where I have to decide whether to stay at the Blade and Arrow headquarters here, or do what Niall’s sure to suggest, which is flying out to be with him.
While my mind is still stuck between the two options, Leo says, “Okay. I’ve been investigating already, and the police department has been, as well.”
Oliver jumps in. “Unfortunately, with a small police department like ours, we’re limited in the online research side of things. Most of that kind of work is outsourced to the county or state.” He meets Leo’s gaze. “It’s better with you doing it, anyway, since the department wouldn’t approve of some of the methods you use.” A beat, and then, “Me, on the other hand? Whatever it takes to find the people behind this, I’m in favor of it. And you don’t have to worry about me saying anything.”
Leo nods solemnly. “I wish I’d found something already. But with this new incident at Shea’s house, it gives me more to investigate. I’ve got Ben helping, as well, so between the two of us, I’m sure we’ll find something. It’s just a matter of time.”
“Which leads us to the next part,” Cole adds. He looks at me. “Your protection. Obviously, staying at your house isn’t the best option.”
I swallow hard. “I know.”
“I think it’s best if you stay here,” he tells me. “We have a client apartment all set up right in the building, so you’ll be completely safe. There’s always at least one team member on site, as well. So if anything comes up, not that we expect it to, they’ll be here to handle it.”
“It’s a nice apartment,” Finn offers encouragingly. “My wife, Hanna, stayed there for a while.”
Nora adds with a smile, “It’s pretty cozy, Shea. I helped set it up when we first started B and A. And Maya and I updated some of the furniture last year. I know it’s not home, but I think you’ll like it.”
“No.” Niall’s voice is firm. “Shea should come to Texas. She can stay here. Not only is the ranch just as safe, but it takes her away from this. Whoever’s involved is unlikely to come all the way out here.”
Finn raises his eyebrows. “We don’t know that.”
“It’s a better chance,” Niall retorts. “And anyway—” His attention shifts to me. “Wouldn’t it be nice, Shea? We can spend some more time together. And Jade would love it.”
“I know,” I reply, “and it does sound nice. But I have a job, Niall. Here.”
“You can work remotely.”
“Not with this new promotion. I have to meet with clients in person sometimes.”
“I’m sure we could figure something out.” He glances at Leo. “Can’t you work something out with Shea’s job? Pull some strings?”
Leo lifts his chin. “I could.” He pauses to think. “Maybe arrange for another promotion, one that’s completely remote. Or… I could see about a paid leave of absence.”
It feels like the air is being sucked from the room.
“No offense, but it makes more sense for Shea to stay here,” Cole interrupts. “We can still bring her to work and back.”
“What if someone comes after her at her office?” Niall shoots back. “You can’t tell me it’s one-hundred percent safe.”
“Niall,” I start.
“I can fly out to New York to get you,” my brother says. “I’m not set to leave for a job until next week.” He stops, and the faint sound of keys tapping replaces his voice. “I can get a flight out there tonight. And we can fly back here tomorrow morning.”
Tears prickle behind my eyes as frustration builds.
I have a vise-grip on Oliver’s hand again.
I don’t want to leave. Not when I just got him back.
“Niall.” I force my voice to stay calm. “I want to stay in Sleepy Hollow. It’s close to my job. My… counselor. My classes. To?—”
“I’m sure Oliver understands,” Niall replies quickly.
“It’s not just that. I love you and Jade, but my life is in New York.”
“Shea, this is your safety we’re talking about.” His tone softens. “I’m not suggesting you move here forever. Just until this threat is taken care of.”
“I have an idea.”
Everyone turns towards Oliver.
He swivels his chair to face me. With an earnest expression, he says, “Shea. I know you’re not crazy about either option.” Pausing, he glances at Niall and lifts his chin. “Nothing against you or your team. But you know how hard change is…”
Niall frowns, concern tightening his features. “I know it’s not ideal. But we’ll be here to support Shea.”
“Or—” Oliver turns to me again. A hint of uncertainty tinges his voice. “You could stay with me.”
My heart jumps. “With you?”
“Yeah.” A flicker of hope lights his eyes. “With me. At my house. I have excellent security there, and anything we need to add, I’ll do it. You could pick a bedroom, we could decorate it however you want. I wouldn’t expect…”
After a brief pause, he adds, “I’m not trying to rush things between us. But you might be more comfortable there. You can set up things however you like. All the rooms. Maya says my decorating skills are awful, anyway, so you could help.”
“What about when you go to work?” Niall asks.
“If Shea’s working from home, I can bring her here,” Oliver replies quickly, a sign he’s thought all of this out already. “And I talked to my captain; he said I can shift my schedule to match Shea’s for now, so I can take her to work and back.”
“It wouldn’t be a problem for Shea to come here during the day,” Cole says. “We have plenty of offices she could use.” He nods at Oliver. “And we can help with extra security at your house.”
“Assuming you want to.” Oliver takes both my hands in mine. “I’ll support whatever you want, Shea. Staying here, in Texas, or at my place.” Then he adds quietly, “It won’t change things between us, regardless of what you choose. If you go to Texas, we’ll call. FaceTime. And when you get back, I’ll be here waiting.”
“Shea.” Niall draws my attention. His voice is gentle as he says, “Do I want you here? Of course. But if staying in Sleepy Hollow is what you want, I’ll support your decision.”
I look at Oliver, searching his gaze. There’s affection. Hope. Fierce protectiveness. “Are you sure, Oll?”
“Absolutely.” Emotion darkens his gaze. “If you come to stay with me, I will do anything to make sure you’re safe. Not just safe, but happy. Whatever you need, I’ll do it.”
Oh.
Maybe it’s too soon.
Maybe I’m letting my heart lead instead of my brain.
But I don’t think so. To either of them.
Staying with Oliver feels right.
As the pressure lifts off my chest, I smile at Oliver. “Yes. I want to come stay with you.”