TEN
M EGAN CLASPED HER HANDS tightly in her lap, refusing to let them shake where Tyler could see them. The truck rumbled to life, ready to take them back to her home, her armed guard refusing to leave her side.
In this moment, that fact gave her more relief than fury.
“You should…” Tyler swallowed his words and started again. “I think it might be best for you to think of someplace else to stay. We can go back, and you can pack up anything you will need for the next few days.”
“Where would I go?” Megan asked, her voice not as confident as she would like. “Invade Chasity’s when she’s about to give birth any day?” She shook her head. “I like my home. I feel safe there.”
Out of the corner of her eye, a twitch caught her attention as Tyler clenched his jaw, his lips thinning. Let him be mad. Then she relived Derrick’s words.
“He could be here, watching you, as we speak. We have an APB out on his vehicle, but if he rented one, or stole one,” Derrick had said with a shrug. “We have to assume he is a threat that can attack at any moment.”
Derrick had found both potential threats. One was at work and the other had taken the last week off, with no indication of where he was headed. Beechman was missing and Derrick presumed, here.
A threat that can attack at any momen t…
A shiver ran through Megan, leaving her chilled to the bone despite the late summer heat. Now she knew how Chasity had felt for that entire year. No wonder she never wanted to leave the house.
“You okay?” Tyler asked. “I know,” he muttered, “silly question.”
Megan pushed forth a smile, but it felt wan and lacking. “It’s a lot to process, but I keep thinking about Chasity and how she went through this same feeling for over a year…with no one even believing her, well, except for me, of course.”
“That won’t happen to you,” Tyler said, pulling his eyes away from the road and meeting hers briefly.
Megan nodded, unsure what to say, but she watched him out of the corner of her eye, strong, protective, and persistent. If Chasity had re-met Derrick sooner, maybe they would have tracked her stalker down sooner, too.
“Why are you doing this?” Megan asked as they pulled onto her road.
Tyler’s brow scrunched as he glanced at her. “To protect you. Isn’t that obvious?”
“Well, yes, I mean…why? You don’t owe me anything. We haven’t known each other long.” She waited to see if he would respond, but he kept still, looking straight forward as he parked. “I mean, you act like just being around me is painful, so why torture yourself?”
His hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. He sat motionless, did nothing beyond turning off the truck, letting the keys dangle in the ignition. She drew in several deep breaths, opening her mouth to fill the silence, before closing it again, reminding herself that he needed to process, to have space to formulate the complications of the inner workings of his mind. They had to be complicated. His expression made it seem like he would blow up from all the thinking he was doing.
Movement drew her attention toward her neighbor’s house. Mrs. Fields sat on her deck, rocking back and forth, watching them with a peculiar smile on her lips. Megan focused back on Tyler in case he took the opportunity to change the subject and raised her brow in expectation.
“It is painful.” His voice seemed full of regret, but his hands relaxed, turning his knuckles red from blood flow rushing back.
“Why? Have I said something hurtful? If so, I did not mean to hurt you.” Megan shifted herself to face him.
“No…well, you do slip into your doc role easily.” He tilted his face toward her, momentarily showing her a small smirk. “But, it’s not you. I…I’m a mess. I shouldn’t allow myself…hope.”
“Of course you should allow yourself hope,” Megan said, laying her hand on his. “Without hope, where would anyone be?”
He met her eyes, a gaze that held a deeper meaning—a meaning that made her mouth fall open, the words she planned on saying falling out, unspoken. Realization hit her like a lightning bolt, leaving her skin tingling as if a current of electricity wrapped around her.
“Hope leads to expectations, and unmet expectations lead to pain,” Tyler said, easing his head back into the headrest and closing his eyes. “I fail the people who depend on me.”
Megan licked her lips. Realizing her hand still lay on his, she squeezed it. “I haven’t seen any evidence of that.”
“I let them all die. They trusted me to protect them, and I failed.” He squeezed his eyes tight before opening them and turning them on her. “I won’t let that happen to you.”
His hand under hers shook, a vibration that filled her, leaving her jittery and unable to concentrate on anything else besides his pain-filled eyes and full lips that parted as a heavy breath puffed from between them.
“I believe you,” she said, her breath barely a whisper. “I don’t know what happened out there, but I can bet that whatever happened was not your fault. Sometimes things just happen. It’s hard not knowing the reason, but there isn’t anything you could have done to change it.”
“I could have died with them.” He blew out the words as if he had been holding them in for months, and maybe he had.
“Then where would Krista be? She would be truly alone.”
He turned fully toward her, searching her eyes. “No, she wouldn’t. She would have you.”
The shock of his words hit her hard enough to leave her breathless, but she recovered quickly, although her heart threatened to break free of her chest. “She would, but who would be with me now?”
He tensed under her hand, his mouth dropping open slightly, his eyes imploring hers. “You’re giving me hope.” His voice came out like a low growl.
“Good,” she said, her tongue darting out to wet her lips in nervous energy.
“I told you where hope leads.” His eyes narrowed.
“And I told you we all need it.” She held her ground, grateful that she was sitting. Otherwise she might have collapsed to the ground.
“I can’t handle more disappointment.” His tone eased, less like a growl and more like a plea.
“Then meet the expectations,” she breathed out, leaning forward, daring him to back down, and unsure of what she would do if he did.
He bent forward, his lips so close his breath teased her lips. “There’s no coming back after…” His words trailed off as his gaze left her eyes falling lower to her mouth.
She parted her lips, struggling to breathe in as much oxygen as she could, feeling so lightheaded she thought she might float away. Could this really be happening? There was no coming back…
The soft, teasing brush of his lips against hers stopped all thought.
“Sure?” He breathed out, his breath tasting of coffee and something uniquely him.
Her body vibrated with such intensity she couldn’t even form words mentally, much less physically, yet she knew what she wanted, knew with an unmistakable primal urge that told her she had met her match. With a breath to steady herself, she closed the minuscule gap between her lips and his, meeting the explosion of worlds head on. Fireworks danced behind her closed eyes as her heart beat so loud the rush of it deafened her, making her numb to the outside world.
When Tyler’s hand threaded through the hair at the back of her neck, she gasped, drawing in his breath as hers, intensifying the moment in a way that she felt herself dissolve and meld with him.
Time stopped, remaining frozen even as he pulled his lips off hers enough so they could gasp for breath, their foreheads pressed together as if the thought of separating would be too much.
“What in the world just happened?” Megan panted, finally opening her eyes, her numb and tingling body settling back into the world.
As her senses returned, she realized a dog barked close to the truck. Slowly, her mind put the pieces together, making her wonder why the normally quiet Cupid, Mrs. Fields’ dog, was making a fuss.
Tyler’s body, which had seemed fluid only a moment before, tensed and he spun, taking in the situation and scanning the area. “Stay here.”
Megan opened her mouth to protest, but her lips still tingled, reminding her of the moment they had just shared, and she remained still without objection. Tyler stepped out of the truck to soothe the dog, glancing around the area. Mrs. Fields was nowhere to be seen and Megan’s heart dropped.
She breathed again as she saw Mrs. Fields rushing out of the front door, wiping her hands on an apron. Tyler’s shoulders relaxed as he glanced briefly at Megan, nodding for her to come out before talking with Mrs. Fields.
“Cupid, what’s going on with you, girl?” Mrs. Fields admonished. “She’s not usually a barker.”
“No, she isn’t,” Megan said as she slipped out of the truck, standing close enough to Tyler that their arms brushed against each other, sending arcs of electricity every time they touched.
Tyler stiffened again, turning to scan the area.
“I wish I knew what happened, but when I saw you two having a…a private moment,” Mrs. Fields said as she drew her finger across her lips, “I thought I should give you privacy.”
Megan’s cheeks filled with heat, and though Tyler hadn’t turned back to Mrs. Fields and acted as if he hadn’t heard, she saw his neck turn ruddy as he stepped away.
Mrs. Fields leaned forward to her and whispered, “He’s a serious one, but so handsome, and a soldier too, Derrick tells me.”
Megan’s cheeks were now on fire, but the blood rushed out as she turned to see Tyler racing to her car to pull off an envelope from under the wipers. “No,” she breathed.
“What is it, honey? Do you need to sit down? You look like you’re going to faint.” Mrs. Fields’ cold fingers wrapped around her arm.
When Tyler turned as he held the letter, his eyes telling her everything she needed to know, her knees buckled. She grasped the fence before she fully fell to the ground, feeling Mrs. Fields' fingers tighten on her.
Tyler was by her side before she had finished dragging in a breath, taking her under her arms and supporting her weight. “Thank you, Mrs. Fields.” His voice vibrated against Megan as he pulled her tight against him. “I’m going to get her inside now. Do me a favor?”
“Anything for you two.”
“If you see anyone you don’t know, call us.” Tyler’s words took the last of Megan’s strength, and with only a muffled grunt, he swooped her up into his arms and carried her into the house.
He settled her on the couch, leaving long enough to bring her a glass of water.
“Thank you,” she mumbled, feeling foolish and knowing her cheeks would be burning if she had enough blood. “I’m not usually one to faint.”
Tyler squatted in front of her. “It was kind of an intense few minutes there.”
She glanced at him, seeing the hint of a smile on his lips.
He held up the still sealed envelope. “Shall we?”
She sighed in resentment. Opening that envelope was the last thing she wanted to do. “Do you think he did it when…I mean, while we, uh, weren’t paying attention?”
“I’d hate to think I was that unobservant.” Tyler traced the edge of the envelope, not meeting her eyes.
“We could call it an extenuating circumstance…I mean, I am pretty sure the entire world disappeared there for a while.”
Tyler met her eyes then, searching them, a small smile playing at the edge of his mouth. “Yeah, I think we can both agree on that.”
Her heartbeat rushed in her ears, and she welcomed the whooshing sound as it serenaded the butterflies dancing in her stomach.
Tyler didn’t want to look at the letter. He wanted the entire situation to disappear so he could go back to doing what they had been doing in the truck. That voice within him still told him he wasn’t enough, that Megan would see that eventually, but a carnal instinct battled that voice into silence…at least for the moment.
Megan looked so beautifully flushed at the moment, her lips slightly parted as she drew in a breath. Only a moment before, she had been as white as a sheet, but now she seemed fully recovered and more gorgeous than ever.
He hadn’t been lying when he told her he agreed with her conclusion that the world had disappeared. During that kiss, it had, everything had except for him and Megan. It had been the only moment in the last six months that he hadn’t thought about…about…and it was back.
The envelope was heavy in his hand as he scooted next to Megan on the couch, knowing he would need support other than trembling legs when he read this psycho’s threats against the woman he was falling for.
Megan sat up, her body touching his from shoulder to knee. She laid a hand on his thigh, sending ripples of longing coursing through him. He realized he liked the familiarity of her touching him for no reason. “Okay. I’m ready.”
Tyler slipped his finger under the edge and pulled it along, ripping open the top of the envelope. He blew out a breath as he pulled the letter out, glancing at Megan and receiving a nod before he unfolded the creased paper.
You have not listened and refuse to return. Now I am here.
“He doesn’t specifically threaten me,” Megan said. “Do you think that’s intentional?”
“Derrick mentioned something about that earlier, something about leaving plausible cause out of the mix.” Tyler scrutinized the letter, looking for anything they could use to catch the guy.
“Such a lawyer thing to do,” Megan muttered, flopping back onto the couch and biting her lip.
“Are you remembering him at all?” Tyler asked. “Had he,” he cleared his throat, “made any advances on you?”
Megan leaned forward again, her eyes clouding as if she thought. She rose, disappearing into the bedroom, finally responding as she returned. “I don’t mean to sound…conceited…but I’ve gotten so used to advances that I don’t pay them much attention.”
Tyler raised an eyebrow, regarding her with an amused interest. “You saying I have competition?”
She dropped her eyes as a shy smile graced her lips. “No. Not you.”
He hesitated a moment, wanting to go further with that line of conversation, but the letter burned in his hand. “Read up. I’ll let Derrick know about…” He held up the letter as he pushed off the couch.
As Megan swam through the file in her lap, he walked out onto the back porch, where he could still see her, but his words wouldn’t disturb her. Derrick picked up on the second ring.
“Everything okay?” Derrick asked.
“He’s here. There was a note on her car…on her car, man!” Tyler said, keeping his voice low and glancing at Megan to make sure she didn’t hear the fury in his words.
“We’ll get him, Ty. I’ll have a deputy talk with Megan’s neighbors to see if they have seen him. This place isn’t that big. Someone will see him and let us know.”
“If I get my hands on him first,” Tyler began.
“You’ll remember where you are. This isn’t Syria, Ty. There are laws, and you sure won’t do Krista any good if you’re locked up, nor Megan, for that matter.”
Tyler growled in frustration. “Some things were more simple out there.”
“Hey, I get it, brother. I would want to put a bullet in this guy, too. We have to follow the law. Hold on,” Derrick said as he covered the phone, the static making Tyler pull the phone away from his ear.
Megan thumbed through the file, the tip of her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as her eyes swiveled back and forth. Tyler’s heart squeezed. He would protect her with his life if it came to it. Even if he died, he would know that Megan would care for Krista.
“Hey, still there?” Derrick asked, bringing Tyler back to the conversation.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice thick.
“There was a sighting of a guy driving back and forth near the camp road.” Derrick’s rushed words were followed by a car door slamming. “We’re headed out to check on it right now.”
“Krista,” Tyler breathed. “If he’s been watching Megan…”
“Call Josie. Have her gather all the kids in the Meeting Hall, but tell her not to let them know what’s going on. We don’t need a bunch of panicked kids.”
“I will, maybe I should—”
“I need you to stay with Megan. I don’t have enough officers to cover her and this guy and the camp.”
“Okay,” Tyler muttered.
“Call Josie and I’ll keep you updated.”
Tyler called Josie the moment they ended the call, his panic rising with every ring.
“Hello,” Josie panted out.
“Hey, Josie, it’s Tyler.”
“Hi, I was just on my way to check on Krista. She’s getting ready to take some kids out on the trail.”
“No.” Tyler froze. “She can’t. The guy that’s threatening Megan, he was just seen near the camp road. We have to assume…” Tyler blew out a breath of frustration. “Derrick requests you gather all the kids and workers into the meeting hall…just in case. Don’t scare them, just…you know…”
“Make it fun,” Josie said, blowing out a breath. “I never knew Camp would be so dangerous. Okay. We’ll have a surprise sing-a-long, and I’ll keep Krista right next to me. Keep Megan safe. We need her here.”
“That’s my intention,” Tyler said. “Let Krista know that this will all be over soon and then…then we can make some decisions.”
“I’ll let you tell her that last part. Okay. Well, I’ve got some kids to round up. Keep me updated. They’re like herding cats and won’t be thrilled to be cooped up for long.”
“We will. Thank you.” Tyler ended the call, looking up to see Megan watching him. He slipped his phone into his pocket and slid open the patio door, an idea forming in his mind as they met.
He spent the next several minutes explaining what Derrick had told him, and the situation at camp, his chest tightening as he saw her eyes fill with tears and her hands shake.
“It’s all my fault. I brought danger to those kids…to Krista.”
“It’s not your fault. Remember, some things just happen.” He nodded to the file tossed aside on the couch. “What’d you learn?”
“The guy’s a real case. He’s analytical, precise, and has attention for detail…too much detail. He profiles people down to every little idiosyncrasy, often misplacing his beliefs onto others. Three failed marriages. Moved from department to department, but even though he burned bridges with every boss he had, the company kept him on because the guy’s a genius at finding loopholes.”
Tyler pushed up his hat to scratch his head as he thought that over. “Hence the carefully worded threats. Any mention in your notes of why he has fixated on you?”
“They warned us about this at school…about patients seeing us as their savior, as the only person who makes them feel human or sane or cared for or whatever it may be. There are many profiles of cases where a patient has stepped over the line.” Megan shrugged. “As far as why for him? I see nothing that stands out in my notes.”
“Nothing about him being inappropriate or showing psychotic tendencies?” Tyler searched her eyes.
“No, just a side note on his last appointment about him being disgruntled by the fact I was leaving, but many of my current and long-time patients hated the fact I was leaving. It takes a while to make a connection, to trust a person to open up about things.” She lifted her brow, pointedly looking at him.
He grunted and turned away, pacing as he thought. “I could never be a criminal profiler. I don’t understand the twisted minds of people who would do these things.”
Megan sighed. “No. You’re right. Things are very black and white for you. You live by a code and nothing outside of that makes sense.”
He spun to glare at her. “You profiling me?”
Her eyes went wide. “I didn’t mean to…I just meant, you’re a good guy, a man like you has no way of understanding what makes guys like this,” she waved a hand at the file, “tick.”
Tyler glared at her a moment longer then relaxed his arms. “I guess that’s a compliment.”
Megan laughed, though it was a laugh of release, not the easygoing laugh he loved to hear. “Yes, it is.”
He resumed his pacing as Megan busied herself cleaning, then made some lunch.
“Come eat,” she said, nodding to the sandwiches on the table.
He stopped, looking from her to the food and back.
“What?” she asked as she sat. “Is it Krista? Text Josie if you’re worried. We can go get her a phone after we eat.”
He searched her eyes as he settled in the seat opposite her. “Why aren’t you freaked out, chewing your fingernails, calling your friends or your parents…are your parents still alive?”
She watched him with a look of curiosity as she chewed and swallowed. “My dad is. We lost my mom to cancer when I was in high school. He’s a good guy but worries too much. There’s no need to add to his anxiety.” She nodded to his sandwich and didn’t continue until he took a bite. “As for Chasity, you know why I’m not leaning on her.”
“And you?” he said between bites.
Her cheeks flushed. “I really wish you hadn’t seen me chew my fingernails. I rarely do that, but I was worried about Krista.”
“I know. Don’t you worry about yourself?”
She shrugged. “Maybe I’m still in shock or in denial or maybe I already processed it and am waiting for further data before concluding whether or not I should freak out.”
He met her eyes, wondering at the woman, wondering if all women thought so deeply about their thought processes.
“Besides,” she said, the sweet shy smile on her lips again, “you’re with me. Not much to fear when you’re here.”
Tyler froze, the sandwich halfway to his mouth before it dropped back to the plate. “You mean that.”
“I do. This Beechman would be stupid not to be intimidated by you,” she said, her gaze dropping to his arms and chest and back up to his eyes. “I mean, you’re really buff.”
“Buff?” He felt his lips tug a bit before he realized this would be the perfect moment to mention his plan. “So, I was thinking.”
“Uh-oh,” she said with a slight smirk.
“Why do women always say that?” Tyler shook his head. “I’ve heard Chasity say that to Derrick a few times now.”
Megan squeezed her lips together, refusing to say more, then she smiled. “I’m sorry. What were you thinking?”
“You don’t want to bother Chasity—”
His phone rang, and he stood, quickly whipping it out, seeing Derrick’s number, and answered, “Did you find him?”
“We did,” Derrick said. “He’s in custody now.”
Tyler let out a whoop and met Megan’s eyes, who stood by him. “They got him.”
“I’ll let you know more once we question him. Please tell Josie that she can relax now.”
“Will do. Great work, brother!” Tyler knew he grinned widely like a silly boy, but at that moment, he didn’t care. He ended the call, dropped his phone on the table, and picked Megan up in a twirl.
She rewarded him with one of her musical laughs, a sound that touched his heart as he set her back on the ground, staring down into her eyes. “Guess you were right not to freak out.” He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers rest on her cheek.
“I knew you’d keep me safe,” she said, closing the inch or two between them. Her heat hit him, searing his skin. “Does this mean we can get back to…” She bit her lip.
“Is that what you want?” His voice was thick with the need to be enough and with the desire to hope.
“I want to see if it was a fluke,” she said as her hand rested on his chest.
He wondered if she could feel his heart racing under her fingertips. “If what was a fluke?”
“The world disappearing,” she said, rising on her tiptoes.
He bent forward, rushing to meet her, half afraid she would either change her mind or disappear herself. The contact hit him nearly as hard as it had the first time as stars exploded in his vision, shooting him out of the world and into a place frozen in time, a place where nothing existed except the heat of their bodies melding into one.
His whole being vibrated with a sense of urgency, the sound echoing within him, until he realized the sound wasn’t internal but external. Reluctantly, he released his hold on Megan, their breath coming in gasps.
His phone continued its persistent badgering from the table until he picked it up, never taking his eyes off Megan as she touched her reddened lips. “Hello,” he said, his voice gruff and gravelly. “Josie,” he said, guilt rushing through him.
“I just had heard nothing, and Krista won’t stop pestering me to call,” Josie said.
“I’m sorry. I just got off the phone with Derrick. They caught him!” The elation filled him again.
“That’s good news,” Josie sighed, a sound full of relief. She relayed the news to Krista, then said, “So I can release the squirrels?”
“Yes, let them enjoy the beautiful day.” He eyed Megan as he asked, “Can you spare Krista for the afternoon?”
“Everything has been chaotic today. We won’t be doing our normal activities anyway, so sure,” Josie said.
Megan read his eyes, giving him a nod and a smile.
“We’d like to pick her up.”
“When should I tell her to expect you?”
“We’ll be there as soon as we finish lunch.” When Tyler ended the call, he looked at Megan. “Is that okay?”
“Absolutely,” she said, smiling as she sat back down, though her hands shook as she picked up her sandwich.
“Are you sure?” He searched her eyes as he sat across from her.
“Oh yes,” she said. “As much as I want to be alone with you, I’m not sure it’s safe.” She laughed, the music touching his heart.
“Wait,” he said, feeling the smile creep across his lips. “I thought you felt safe with me.”
“I do. It’s not my safety I’m worried about.” A mischievousness flashed in her eyes as she took a bite of her sandwich, making his heart roar in his ears and a weird quivering begin in his stomach.
“I think you might have just threatened my safety,” he teased.
“Only the safety of your heart,” she said, and at that moment he would have ransomed his heart just to see how it would feel.