25. Bridget
25
brIDGET
“ H ere you go,” Kristin said as she shoved a mug of tea into my hands.
I had curled up on the couch in Will and Kristin’s basement. The moment Chase saw the text, he ushered me back into Luca and Maddie’s house. Then, he summoned his team of deep pockets, high IQs, badges, and—worst of all—my brother.
Hannah Jane had gone back to Steve and Erica’s house to help Erica get the kids down for the night. Maddie was wiped and apologetically went to bed after kissing Luca goodnight.
We migrated next door to Will and Kristin’s behemoth house. Everyone told me to sit on the couch and not worry about a thing.
Fat chance of that.
Steve was on the phone, barking at someone from the police department.
Will ran diagnostics on my cell phone and scanned it for spyware.
Luca and Isaac huddled in a corner and spoke in hushed tones. Occasionally I heard words like fake passport, new identity, and private island slip in their conversation.
Jason and Mel acted like my personal bodyguards and sandwiched me on the couch.
Luna curled up at my feet. She tipped her snout up and gave me sympathetic eyes.
No one bothered asking what I wanted. They just continued to smother me in their own well-intended ways.
Chase paced the room—an odd behavior from him.
Maddie and Chase were a lot alike. They were the work hard, play hard types. When Chase was on duty, he was all business. But catch him after hours, and he was a hell of a lot of fun.
But I had never seen him pace. Watching him move back-and-forth racked my nerves worse than the text.
My mind wandered back to Kyle’s message. I wasn’t na?ve enough to think he would disappear and leave me alone. He always had to have the last word. But the timing confused me. Why now? It seemed random.
I shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Apparently, Jason and Mel thought it was too dangerous to give me the customary body-width of space.
“Is the tea too hot?” Kristin asked. “I can get some ice to cool it down. I’ll do that. Hold on.” She was rambling. Slowly unraveling.
“The tea is fine,” I said quietly. “Thanks, though.”
She wandered off to the kitchen anyway.
Jason stared intently at his phone, studying what looked like a flight radar. “I’ve got a clear route,” he said, looking past me to Mel.
“What about towers?” Mel asked. “If he sees the Bonanza take off from the airstrip, all he has to do is listen to ATC to get your heading. ”
“I’ll go east. Fly along the coastline. By the time I’d have to get clearance to land and refuel, we’d have a good lead.”
“Come on, Lu,” I said, clicking my tongue and grabbing her leash. I was done with this conversation. I set the tea aside and stood up.
A chorus of voices erupted, asking me what I needed.
Chase’s hands were on me in an instant. “Darlin’, what are you doing?”
“I’m going home.”
There was a small quirk at the corner of his mouth. I had called it home. Not just his—mine, too. But as fast as it came, it was gone.
“Bee—”
“I’m tired, and I would like to go home.” My tolerance for bullshit was dangerously low. For everyone’s sake, it was a good thing I was exhausted.
“Bee, you can’t just go back to Chase’s house,” Jason said. “I think you should leave town for a while.”
“No,” I said, proud of how calm my voice was.
“Bridget,” Isaac said as he and Luca joined the circle. “Take some time off. Go on a vacation. You deserve it.”
I looked over Mel’s head and saw that Will had come back into the room. He and Steve were discussing something.
That something was me.
“Isaac’s right,” Luca chimed in. “Let us deal with the mess here.”
I looked at Chase. “I’m ready to go. Will can keep my phone.”
Pain and something akin to fear flashed in Chase’s eyes. I had seen that look on him once before at the hospital.
I felt like we were at odds. He was trying his best to not flip out. We both were. But if I stayed there any longer, I was going to lose it .
He let out a soft sigh, then nodded. “Alright, darlin’. Give me just a sec.” Chase turned to go talk to Steve, but Steve and Will were already walking toward the group.
“Here you go,” Will said, offering my phone back. “It’s good to go.”
Chase arched a thick eyebrow. “Did you find anything?”
Will shook his head. “Tore it apart, put it back together. Ran diagnostics. Didn’t find anything. If I had to guess, I’d say he just got your number from someone and texted you. I gave it a little upgrade and installed some software that’ll give you an extra level of security. If he texts you again, I’ll know immediately and hopefully be able to trace it.”
Mel looked between all of us. “How would he have gotten your new number? None of us would give it to him. Who else has it?”
“The poker club and Wanda. I had to put it down to get my new bank account. Had to update my insurance. I didn’t want to risk any of those automated text messages going to my old phone. Even if it’s turned off in evidence with the Havelock PD, I didn’t want to risk him accessing it remotely.”
“We’ll find him,” Will said, giving my arm a gentle squeeze.
I flinched at the contact, but Chase was already stepping between us. Standing tall and resolute like an impenetrable brick wall.
“The department’s gonna have a unit sitting outside the house and the bar,” Steve said. “Might be a good idea to have someone with you if you’re out around town.”
The group murmured in agreement.
Everyone except me.
Because Kyle was winning. He was getting exactly what he wanted: me back in a cage.
“Sorry I’m late,” I said to Naomi as I let myself into her office.
I wasn’t exactly sure what to call the renovated historical home. It wasn’t a traditional office by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn’t think she lived here either.
The aroma of burning incense and diffusing oils put me at ease. Luna sat on the entryway mat, tail swishing across my feet.
Chase stood outside.
He had insisted on coming with me today. I had argued with him, but it was fruitless. He refused to sit in the truck, but I refused to let him in Naomi’s house. Him being a sentry on the porch was our compromise.
Naomi floated through the room wearing a cream-colored tunic and a pair of leather sandals that had seen better days. Her turquoise chandelier earrings shimmied as she twisted her graying hair up into a claw clip. “No need to be sorry, dear. You’re my last guest today. I was just enjoying a cup of chai on the porch.”
Any hesitation about seeing a therapist went out the window when I set foot in Naomi’s practice. She didn’t call them patients or clients—they were guests. She didn’t treat me like a case. In her words, I wasn’t a puzzle to be solved. I was a person to be loved.
“And I see you’ve brought this lovely lady with you today,” she cooed, stooping to squish Luna’s face between her hands.
Luna basked in the attention and sniffed Naomi’s hands. She was a good judge of character.
Naomi straightened and glanced over my shoulder. “And Chase is with you today?”
I sighed and cut my eyes at the screen door. Chase’s back was to us as he watched the street. His gun and badge were prominently displayed on his hip. I had no doubt that he could hear us.
“There was an incident with Kyle yesterday,” I said softly. “Everyone’s a little… On edge.”
Naomi nodded. “I see. Well, then. Let’s chat upstairs today. There’s a spot I think you’ll like.” She cleared her throat. “Chase, dear, there are snacks in the kitchen. Help yourself.”
Chase nodded but didn’t turn. “Yes, ma’am. Thank you,” he clipped.
I waited until Naomi was halfway up the stairs to the second floor before I followed. We wound through a maze of rooms and hallways until coming up on a narrow staircase.
“Come up when you’re ready,” she said without even looking over her shoulder at me. The door at the top opened, and sunlight flooded down.
I took a deep breath and held the handrail with a vice grip. Luna took each step with me, not pulling or tugging on her leash. It took me twice as long, but I didn’t freak out. When I pushed through the door, I found Naomi sitting on a white wicker chair. She had brought me up to the widow’s watch.
It was quite warm, the midday sun baking us through the windows surrounding the little room. She had opened two windows, allowing for a gentle cross-breeze to bring down the temperature.
From this spot, I could see across the islands in the Sound. The shops on Front Street bustled with off-season tourists soaking in the warm autumn temperatures.
“So,” Naomi said as she slid her sandals off and curled her feet up in the chair. “Tell me about this incident.”
I took a seat in the opposite chair and crossed my legs, picking at the tear in the knee of my jeans. “Somehow, Kyle got my number and texted me a threat.”
Naomi studied me carefully. “And how did that make you feel?”
I eyed her suspiciously. During my first appointment, we bantered like old friends. She got me to open up without realizing it, so I never felt intimidated. “You actually sound like a therapist today.”
She snickered, deep lines forming around her eyes and mouth as she laughed. “I have my moments.”
“I don’t know,” I said as I scratched behind Luna’s ear. “It scared me at first. And then it just made me mad. Especially when everyone started hovering. It’s like they all forgot I was capable of making decisions. I don’t like being treated like I’m a situation to be handled.”
“How are things with Chase?” she asked, completely changing the conversation.
I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at the elastic hair tie on my finger. Chase had proposed to me—again—this morning. Even through the frustration and anxiety of the situation, he woke up, kissed me good morning, and then asked me to marry him.
I said yes. Again.
“Good.” I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes as a gentle breeze floated through. “He’s… He’s really good. But I think all of this is taking a toll on him.”
“Why do you think that?”
“I dunno. He’s really on edge these days.”
“It must be hard for him to deal with the notion that you might still be in danger.”
“Yeah,” I admitted as I picked at my cuticles. “He surprised me with a trip to Ocracoke. We took the ferry and camped on the beach. I think it’s the most relaxed I’ve seen him since I got out of the hospital. Now, he’s wound up twice as tight.”
“What was he like before all this? Before you started dating Kyle?” Naomi asked. “You two have known each other for most of your lives.”
I smiled wistfully as I eyed the General Store from our perch high above Beaufort’s downtown district. “He was my best friend. We did everything together—even when we were dating other people. We’d dance at the bar or go see movies together. Go to the beach. Walk to the General Store and get ice cream. He would come to the bar and grab something to eat when I was working just so we could talk and catch up.”
“Bringing Kyle into the picture probably changed a lot of that.”
“Kyle and Chase have hated each other since grade school—and that was on the good days. I never understood why. At least to my knowledge, there was never a thing that happened between them. It’s just how they’ve always been. When I started dating Kyle, I knew there would be some tension, but I thought if anything, it would force them to get along.”
Naomi sat in thoughtful silence for a few minutes. Finally, she eased her feet onto the floor and hunched forward. “Last time we chatted, you mentioned that you missed Chase treating you like he used to.”
I nodded.
“Perhaps Chase misses that too.”
“What if we never go back to being those people?” I asked as I pulled at a wayward thread hanging from my jeans. I thought back to last night before we had left for poker. We were late because I needed to slather on four layers of makeup. The bruising had faded enough to use less. I probably could have hidden it with a few dabs of concealer and a powder brush.
But the need to hide everything was deeply ingrained in me.
The Bridget he used to know wouldn’t have given two shits about going without makeup on. Kyle stole that confidence and turned me into a self-conscious ball of nerves.
“You have to decide if the person you are now is who you want to be. You’re never too old or too far gone to change your life.”
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror in the cottage. Chase had gone back to work for a few hours after making sure I made it home in one piece. Like Steve promised, an officer from the Beaufort Police Department was parked on the street outside the house. I knew I’d find one waiting for me at work the next day.
I unzipped my makeup bag and took stock of the contents. Two different shades of foundation. One was better for covering up the green-yellow bruises. The other had warm undertones, which hid the blue and purple ones.
I had industrial-strength concealer—the kind that special effects makeup artists used. There was every shade of powder and blush imaginable. I often went through the headache of contouring my cheeks because the shadows would hide contusions.
The eyeshadow pallets were all shades of purple and gray. I didn’t particularly like those hues with my complexion, but they hid black eyes the best. For certain types of bruises, it was easier to work with the discoloration rather than trying to hide it altogether.
I stared blankly at the mirror. How had I gotten to this point? I’d become so numb to the gravity of acquiring those skills. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks.
I turned on the tap and stuck a washcloth beneath the stream. Layers and layers of foundation slowly peeled off as I worked the cloth over my face. I wet the washcloth again and added a hefty amount of cleanser.
By the time I finished, my cheeks were pink and a smattering of freckles across my nose were visible. My lashes were bare, and I could see a few of the old scars Kyle had left.
But I wasn’t hiding them anymore. I wasn’t hiding anymore.
I plucked a few items out of my bag that made me feel good. My mascara, a tube of pink gloss, and a shimmery champagne eyeshadow that brought light to my features rather than covering the darkness.
The rest of it—bag and all—went in the trash.
I grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top and wiggled them on. I had just finished swiping on a light layer of gloss when a knock echoed from the other side of the door.
“You in there, darlin’?” Chase hollered from outside.
“Yeah, come on in,” I called back.
I didn’t want to be presumptuous and take all of Chase’s closet space, so I walked over to the cottage every day to get dressed. A few of my staples lived in the chair on my side of his bed.
The door opened and closed as I worked the mascara wand over my lashes. I had just slipped it back into the tube when Chase poked his head into the bathroom.
“Hey, I was just letting you know I’m home. I was gonna start dinner. Chicken on the grill sound okay?” He paused, taking me in. A slow smile drew up on his mouth, and his brown eyes sparkled like a starry night. “You look real pretty, darlin’.”
I blushed—a real one this time. Not the kind of blush I dusted on to make my skin look less corpse-like.
Chase hooked his fingers in the belt loops of my shorts and tugged my hips to his. He leaned in and kissed the tip of my nose. “Will you marry me?”
I laughed. “You already asked me this morning. I think you’ve hit your daily quota, Brannan.”
Chase grinned against my lips. “I’ll keep asking you every day, long after we say I do.”
“I love you, Chase.”
He slid his hands into the back pockets of my denim shorts and gave my ass a gentle squeeze. “I love you too, darlin’. Don’t ever doubt it.” He tipped his head to the side and kissed me .
My world should have been crumbling. I should have been hiding in a corner. I should have been running.
But I wasn’t going to. I wasn’t giving that monster another second of my time.
“How do you feel about ice cream before dinner?” I asked.
Chase hummed and pretended to debate it, but there wasn’t much to ponder. He had an aggressive sweet tooth.
“What’d you have in mind?”
“Let’s walk to the General Store.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You wanna walk?”
“Yeah.” I smiled, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “I’ll let you hold my hand and everything. Let’s give the town something else to talk about.”