Chapter 15 #2
I nodded, trying to pull myself together.
I would get through the next hour if it killed me.
Maybe then I'd be able to sleep. Something had to give because I was feeling the repercussions of the constant terror.
I'd thought that having Reagan in the house would make it easier, lessen the anxiety, but it hadn’t.
In fact, the only time I felt relatively safe was when I was with Wolfe or Rhys. They made me believe that they could keep the devil from finding me. And that was what he was. The devil. Pure evil.
The door was open, allowing the sound of gravel crunching beneath tires to filter in through the door. I didn’t jump, I didn’t cower, I merely looked up, staring at the empty space. Wolfe was a few feet away. He wouldn’t let anything happen to me.
It felt like an eternity as I stared blankly at the doorway before a figure finally appeared. I was surprised and slightly disappointed when Lynx walked in, Copenhagen at his side.
Both dog and man instantly took in the scene, their entire focus on me.
No doubt I looked like hell. I felt like hell.
“What’s wrong?” Lynx asked, sounding just as concerned as Wolfe had. He glanced from Wolfe to me, then back to Wolfe, waiting for a response.
“I’ll be right back.” Wolfe stood and headed for Lynx, nodding for him to go outside.
“Go give her some lovin’,” Lynx instructed the dog before stepping outside.
“It’s okay, boy,” I said softly as the dog sized me up. “I’m okay, I promise.”
Copenhagen sauntered over, putting his big head in my lap, his eyes imploring me, as though seeking confirmation that I would be all right.
“Or I will be. One day,” I added. “Maybe.”
I stroked his head, scratching behind his ears, gently sliding my thumb over his nose. We sat there like that for a few minutes before Wolfe returned. He wasn’t alone. Rhys and Lynx were behind him.
I could tell by the look on Lynx’s face that he wasn’t going to leave. I wasn’t sure I could tell him my story. It would be hard enough to share with Rhys and Wolfe.
Lynx clicked his tongue twice and Copenhagen was promptly at his side, sitting obediently.
I held Lynx’s stare. “Amy, if you want me to go, I’ll go.
But I want you to consider somethin’ first. If you’re with my cousin, that makes you family.
And when it comes to family, I don’t sit idly by.
I’ll get the details, one way or the other.
And I’ll be there for you and for Wolfe. So, it’s up to you how this plays out.”
Swallowing hard, I tried to come up with a reason he should go. He was stone-cold serious, his eyes hard. I didn’t know him all that well, but I knew Lynx was a protector. He didn’t tolerate anyone messing with the people he cared about.
And to think that he might care about me like family…
The tears began to fall again, but I nodded, resigned to do this no matter the audience. “You can stay.” I looked at Wolfe, then at Rhys. “You might as well pull up a chair. This is a long story.”
Rhys
I knew I wouldn’t be able to sit down, so I didn’t even pretend. I was already tense and that was from Wolfe explaining how he’d arrived to find Amy sitting in her car, waiting for him.
It took everything in me not to rush over to her, pull her into my arms, and assure her that I would never allow anything to happen to her. It was clear from her body language that she wouldn’t believe me.
I shifted my feet outward a bit, crossed my arms over my chest, and tried to keep the anger from reflecting on my face.
I was pissed for a number of reasons. The first one being that Amy had been sitting outside the building for God only knew how long, waiting for Wolfe to show up rather than seeking one or both of us out.
The second being the fact that I had slept soundly in Wolfe’s bed last night while Amy had been alone.
I wanted to kick my own ass for leaving her last night.
When I first read Wolfe’s text, I'd nearly driven my truck off the damn road. When I was summoned to the shop, my heart had tried to break free of its cage in my chest. Personal or not, I didn’t like not knowing what the hell was going on, and the cryptic message had caused a million worst-case scenarios to flash in my brain.
It didn’t help much knowing that Wolfe hadn’t known anything, either.
Wolfe grabbed a chair and dragged it over beside Amy while Lynx hopped up on the table directly across from her.
Copenhagen resumed his position at Amy’s feet, his head resting on her shoe as he curled up close to her.
The dog was obviously in tune with her pain, her fear. He had set himself up as her protector.
That made three of us. Four, if you counted Lynx, and based on the look on his face right now, Lynx Caine wasn’t going to let anything happen to the woman.
Amy looked between each of us before her gaze came to rest on my face.
“You’re not the sheriff right now,” she said, her tone matter-of-fact. “You’re … my friend.”
Friend, my ass. I was a hell of a lot more than that, but I clamped my lips together tightly.
“I’m telling you this because I need someone to know.” She sighed. “I need to get it off my chest, but I’m not expecting you to … save me. I just want you to listen. To know.”
“I’m still the sheriff,” I told her. “Regardless.”
She nodded, as though she had expected me to say that. “I’m not gonna tell you his name.”
Wolfe growled, a warning sound that had Amy looking toward him.
“I can’t, Wolfe. It’s too dangerous. For me. And maybe everyone in this town.”
I knew we could hold our own, but I wasn’t going to interrupt. There’d be time for that later.
“Tell the story, Amy,” Lynx prompted. “We’ll determine how to handle things after we know what happened.”
Her eyes darted over to Lynx’s face. She seemed to consider that for a moment.
Amy took a deep breath, steeled her shoulders, and clamped her hands together in her lap, her gaze straying toward the door.
“My parents died when I was sixteen. Car accident. Four-car pileup on the highway.” She swallowed hard.
“I went to school that morning saying goodbye to the two people who meant the most to me, and I came home that afternoon an orphan.”
I noticed her tone was matter-of-fact, but her eyes were sad. As though she had to push forward to keep from thinking about that day.
“At that point, I went to live with my mom’s sister and her husband. They welcomed me with open arms. My aunt and I worked through our grief together. She took me to counseling. Herself, too. We talked a lot, shared memories of my mom and dad… Basically, she got me through it. Mostly.
“I finished the last month of my sophomore year at the high school near my parents’ house, then transferred to the one in my aunt’s district after that.
I didn’t make many friends, choosing to focus on my school work.
When I graduated, I decided to go to a local community college.
My aunt and uncle were footing the bill.
They even told me I could stay with them as long as I wanted.
I didn’t want to leave at that point. No way did I want to live by myself. ” Her gaze dropped to the floor.
“During my second semester at the college, I met a guy in a political science class. I was taking it as an elective because it sounded interesting. Anyway, he was a nice guy. We talked a lot, usually at the cafeteria, sometimes at the coffee shop at the school. He was really passionate about politics, and I liked being around him. During one of those conversations, about a month after we met, he invited me to a fundraising dinner. Not as a date but as a friend. It was a political thing, something he was interested in. I agreed. We went. We had a fun night. He took me home and that was that.”
I listened, cataloging every detail.
“I saw him in class after that, and we had coffee a couple more times, but it was obvious we were never going to be more than friends. We were just too different and the semester was almost over. I was okay with that. I was nineteen years old, and certainly not looking for anything serious. I didn’t even know what I wanted to do with my life, and I was still trying to get over my parents’ deaths.
” Amy looked up at Wolfe. “One day after class, he pulled me aside and said there was someone who wanted to meet me. I was confused at first, not understanding. He said the guy had approached him at the dinner and he’d been hesitant to tell me.
Of course, he didn’t elaborate, but it didn’t matter; I wasn’t interested. ”
“This guy you were semi-dating told you about another guy who wanted to meet you?” Lynx questioned, his voice causing Copenhagen to lift his head. “Just trying to make sure I’m on the same page.”
“We were never dating, but yes.” She nodded, reaching down and petting the dog’s head.
“I told him thanks but no thanks and went about my business. Another week went by and he approached me again. Said this guy was a big deal in the political arena and that it would benefit me if I at least talked to him. Apparently, the guy had contacted him again. I tried to tell him that I wasn’t interested in politics the way he was, but he didn’t listen.
” Amy took a deep breath. “A couple of days later, the man called me.”
I shifted my feet. I didn’t like this already.
“How’d he get your phone number?” Wolfe asked.
“I assume the guy in class gave it to him. There was a study group and I’d signed up.
We had to put that information on the sign-up sheet so we could be contacted.
My uncle had gotten me a cell phone, said he wanted me to have it in case I ever needed anything.
You know, if my car broke down or something. ”
Wolfe nodded, seemingly content with that answer.
“Turns out, I’d been introduced to this man at the party, but I didn’t remember anyone specifically.
I’d been introduced to so many people that night, but I hadn’t tried to tie names with faces.
The first time we talked, he described himself, and then I definitely remembered him.
Good-looking man, distinguished, well-dressed, exuded power and authority.
I think I was flattered that he was interested in me.
Up to that point in my life, other than the few coffee shop visits with the guy in my class, I had never been on a date. ”
“You never dated in high school?” Lynx sounded incredulous.
Everyone in town knew that the Caine cousins had been dating since a very early age. And by dating, I meant they were having sex.
“No. I was a straight-A student, and when I wasn’t studying, I was spending time with the few friends I had or with my parents.
I was really close with them. When they died, I didn’t care about boys or dating …
or anything really.” Amy looked at me. “This man who called me … he was and still is in law enforcement. But that’s all I’m gonna tell you. ”
I gave her a brief nod, my teeth grinding together. I would find out more, in time.
“So, we talked on the phone for about a week, and then he asked if he could take me to dinner. I agreed, excited that he would want to take me out. Like I said, I’d never dated. I told my aunt and uncle what was going on. They were a little leery, but they didn’t try to stop me. Not at first.
“He took me out to a nice restaurant on a Saturday night, then brought me home, kissed me on my front porch. We started talking on the phone all the time, started going out frequently. For about three weeks, he took me out at least four times a week. Movies, dinner, bookstores, museums, the rodeo. He never tried to push for anything more than a kiss, and only when he took me home. I started spending a lot of time with him. After one of our dates, my uncle was at the door when he dropped me off. I could tell my uncle wasn’t happy, and after my date left, he questioned me. ”
Amy paused, took a breath. She looked up, meeting each of our eyes quickly.
“The man I was dating was nineteen years older than me.”
Lynx gave a whistle, Wolfe growled, and I did my best not to come unglued. A fucking thirty-eight-year-old man had taken advantage of a na?ve, grieving, nineteen-year-old girl. The fucker.
“I was still a teenager, although I didn’t feel like one,” Amy continued.
“Not until then, anyway. When my uncle tried to interfere, I felt the need to rebel. I argued, told him that everything was fine. I was an adult and could make my own decisions. I also told him it wasn’t serious.
” She glanced toward the door again. “But it was. Serious. He was already talking about marriage.” Her eyes dropped to her lap.
“I thought he was in love with me. He’d wined and dined me, made me feel like I was something more than a kid, the way my aunt and uncle still saw me.
He told me I was beautiful, made me feel like I was. ”
I knew where this was headed and I only hoped I made it through the story without putting my fist through the wall.
Then again, as I glanced at the dangerous expression on Wolfe’s face, I might be spending my time trying to keep the man from going postal.
It was anyone’s guess who would lose it first, at this point.