Chapter 4 #2
It’s not if I get out of this. It’s when.
And last night was not the last time I saw him.
As I’m jogging, a new sound cuts through the silence.
It’s a low, heavy rumble, but with a hard note to it. Not a car or tractor trailer—it’s more… pulsing.
At first I can’t figure it out. Then, a few seconds later, it hits me.
A helicopter.
Memphis took me up in his a few months ago, so I could see what it was all about. We flew over the mountains and then to the coast, and it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced. The only thing better was watching him fly it.
Hope leaps inside me. Could someone be looking for me? Could it possibly even be—
As the rumble draws closer, I spot a glowing red light in the sky. It’s coming towards me; dipping lower as it approaches. I start to run faster, instinct driving me forward.
What if it’s the man at the trailer? my inner voice of reason asks.
In a helicopter? I scoff. Highly unlikely.
But possible.
My steps stutter as the possibility sets in. It could be the man. Or it might have nothing to do with me at all.
Just ahead of me, the helicopter flies lower yet.
The propellers push a rush of wind towards me.
I’m not good with distances, but it can’t be more than a football’s field away, and closing in quickly.
Then a crackly voice comes blasting through a loudspeaker. “Cailin. Stay there. I’m coming to get you.”
My legs go weak.
It’s Memphis.
It doesn’t matter if his voice doesn’t sound the same over the loudspeaker. I know it’s him.
As I divide my attention between running towards the helicopter and trying to keep from tripping, a nearby utility pole brings a surge of alarm.
How can he land safely here? With all the poles and the power lines strung between then—
Wait. Memphis isn’t just any pilot. He was a Night Stalker.
Part of an elite spec ops group whose job is to make daring rescues in places far more dangerous than this.
Upon urging, he told me some of the stories—just the basics, since the details are confidential—of exfils during wicked sandstorms in the Middle East and in the midst of hurricanes in South America.
“Wait for me,” he commands. “Stay clear.”
He’s never steered me wrong before, so I do.
At least, until the helicopter lands in a poof of dust, the blades sending whorls of sand spinning out from them. I watch, heart racing, every muscle twitching to run, as the propeller slows.
Then, once I see Memphis leap to the ground, I sprint towards him.
I’m sobbing as I run, my breath coming in uneven, shuddering gasps. I trip on a discarded soda can and fall to my knees, but spring right back up. The pain from falling is gone in a second.
As Memphis draws closer, his features come into focus. Everything he’s feeling is right there, on display.
If I ever wondered how he felt, the proof is right there.
His arms come around me as I crash into him. He lifts me off my feet and clutches me to his chest. “Cailin,” he gasps. “Ah, shit.” He buries his face in my hair. “Shit, sweetheart. I was so scared.”
I cling to him like a koala, my arms around his neck and my legs, his waist. If I could burrow inside him, I would.
“Cailin,” One hand cups the back of my head. “God. What happened?”
Before I can answer—partly because I’m still crying too hard to speak—he sets me down and holds me away from him. His gaze skims up and down my body before settling on my face. “Tell me where you’re hurt. I’ll get you to the hospital right away.”
I take a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m not hurt. Other than from falling while I was running.” I hold my scraped hands up for display. “That’s it, though. But… How did you find me?”
Memphis looks at my hands and winces. Then he takes them carefully in his. “You’re not hurt anywhere else? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
He hesitates. “What happened, Cailin? Your car… your phone… what happened to them?”
“On my second delivery, a man robbed me. He had a gun and he made me give him my phone, money, and my keys. He said he’d shoot me—”
“What?” It’s a dangerous growl. “A man threatened to shoot you?”
“Yes.” Even though Memphis is with me, I can’t resist taking a quick look around. “I got this bad feeling he wanted… something else. Something really bad. So I got some dirt from a planter on the porch and I threw it in his face. Then I ran. But I don’t know if he’s still—”
I let out a surprised yip as Memphis sweeps me off my feet and starts running back to the helicopter.
“Memphis,” I bleat. “What—you don’t have to carry me—”
“If he’s out there, I’m not taking any chances,” he retorts. “Making sure you’re safe is all that matters.” A beat later, he adds darkly, “For now.”
In less than a minute, we’re back at the helicopter. As soon as we’re inside, he slides the door shut and pulls me back into his arms. Then he just holds me, curving his body around mine.
A trembling hand strokes down my hair. “God, Cailin,” he breathes. “Shit. When I realized you were missing…” His voice catches. “I’ve never been that scared. Ever.”
I press closer to him. “I was really scared. And… I wanted you.”
“Cailin.”
This time when his gaze meets mine, it’s tortured. “I’m so sorry. About tonight. What you went through. I should have been there.”
“You couldn’t have known.”
Memphis shakes his head. “I should have done… Shit. Something.” His hand comes to my cheek, gently cradling it. “And last night. If that was the last time… I fucked up. And I’m so sorry.”
“You fucked up?”
“When you kissed me… I shouldn’t have left. It was stupid. I had this idea in my head that I was doing the right thing. That you were vulnerable and I was taking advantage—”
“You could never take advantage of me. I kissed you because I wanted to. I’ve wanted to for a long time. If you don’t feel the same—”
“I do.” His gaze burns into mine. “Fuck, I do. I’ve wanted you—” He stops. “I love you, Cailin. I have. But I thought I wasn’t the right man for you. I’m too old and jaded and I like living in the middle of nowhere with my cat. I thought you needed someone different. Better.”
“No one could be better than you,” I reply. “No one. And I don’t want anyone else. I love you. I want to be with you. I don’t care if you’re older. And I’m jaded, too.”
“But your life,” he protests. “Your career. I could try to be more social. I could move. But I’m not sure I’ll ever be the man—”
“You are.”
Inside, my heart cheers.
The kiss wasn’t a mistake.
Memphis only left because he was trying to protect me.
“I love that you protect me,” I tell him.
“But never from you. And—” I press a salty kiss to his lips.
“I don’t want an acting career. I don’t want to live in a city.
I think living out in the country with you and a bunch of cats sounds perfect.
Staying home to watch TV and work on puzzles and maybe I could take online classes to be a therapist. That’s what I want. ”
I kiss him again. “I want you, Memphis. Just you.”
He stares at me for a second, emotion working in his eyes. Then his mouth crashes down on mine.
And his kiss says it all.
He wants me.
He’d do anything for me, even sacrifice his own happiness.
And he loves me. Just as I love him.
When we finally break apart, I’m lightheaded and my body is hot and tingling.
I’m so filled with joy, I’m not sure I have room for all of it.
“I’ll do anything,” Memphis says. “Whatever makes you happy. Whatever you want.”
I take a deep breath before admitting my most secret wish.
“I want to go home with you,” I confess. “Just for a visit to start. But maybe, one day, it could be forever.”
“Cailin.”
“It’s okay if you don’t want that,” I start. “You just said—”
He hugs me to him again. “I do. I want all of it. And I would love to take you home with me.”
Oh.
From the darkest moments come the brightest lights.
I hug him back. “I’d love that, too.”
His lips come to the top of my head. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”
A few seconds pass. Then he says, “A bunch of cats?”
Happiness bubbles up inside me. I tilt my head back to look into his eyes. “Well, Gus needs a few friends, doesn’t he?”
Memphis gives me a long look. Then he smiles. “I suppose he does.”