Chapter Eighteen
A scream rips through the house, the sound so sudden and high-pitched, all I can do is react.
I’m on my feet before I have time to truly think, rushing toward the door.
I don’t keep weapons within reach around the house; they’re all locked away in my bedroom, but it doesn’t stop me from throwing open the door only to see a figure at the end of the short driveway.
They turn and bolt, disappearing into the shadows that blanket the ranch.
I’m just about to go after them when I spot a curled-up body hiding beside the wheel of my truck, the porch light hitting the side of her head to show a strand of honey-blonde hair.
“Juni!” Her name is a roar that tears from my throat, dread and fear forcing me to move toward her.
She’s been hurt. That’s all I can think as I close the gap between us quickly, dropping to my knees beside her as I try to see the damage, praying whoever that was didn’t get close enough to physically touch her.
But I see no blood other than a small trickle on both knees; her hands attempting to fight me off.
“It’s me,” I assure her, “Juniper, it’s me.”
“Silas?” Wide, terrified eyes cling to my face, her skin entirely too pale, body trembling.
She lunges forward, her arms coming around my neck, and I can’t keep my balance.
I land on my ass as she crawls into my lap, holding on like her life depends on it.
My arms come around her shaking body, pulling her in closer, wrapping her up to keep her safe.
“I’ve got you,” I assure her softly, whispering into her hair. “I’ve got you, Honeybee.”
“Silas!” Roman’s voice sounds just before I see him, skidding around the corner in just a pair of gray sweats and a tee, no shoes, and Niamh is right behind him.
“It’s okay,” I tell Juni, who startles at the sound of his voice. “You’re safe.”
“We heard a scream?” Roman storms toward us. I lift my head to turn to him, but I see Caleb and Rosie standing on the porch, their eyes wide as they stare at where I hold Juni on the ground. Caleb has Rosie under his arm, their pajamas rumpled and askew.
“I’ve got them,” Niamh rushes past, bundles up my kids and ushers them back inside.
“Is she hurt?” Roman demands.
“Juni,” I try to pull her away, but she holds on, her face buried in the side of my neck. “Juni, I need to make sure you’re not hurt.”
“I’m not,” she stutters out, her breath brushing against my skin, “They didn’t—I think they had a gun.”
Roman lets out a relieved sigh at hearing her.
“Did you see them?” I ask my brother.
“Just a shadow, they ran into the field before I could catch up. I’ve got guys out on ATVs looking for them.”
“He’s found me,” Juni’s voice cracks. “He’s found me already.”
That was my first thought. That Cal had come for her.
“I’m going to take you inside,” I rasp, gently coaxing her away from me so I can get to my feet.
She’s reluctant to go but eventually does, getting to her feet, but she sticks close to me, my arm going around her to keep her against my side.
My brother follows behind, glancing around, trying to see into the shadows.
Inside, I see Niamh in the living room, Rosie curled up on one side and Caleb sitting, staring toward the front door as if he’s been waiting for us to come inside.
There are two mugs of hot chocolate on the table, untouched.
“I’ll be right back,” I assure them but don’t stop, guiding Juni through the house and into my bedroom, right to my bed where I help her sit on the edge of the mattress, and I crouch in front of her, looking up into a vacant stare.
She’s looking right through me, not blinking, limbs still shaking.
Gathering her hands, I cup mine around them, urging her to feel that connection and bring her out of wherever she’s disappeared to inside her own head.
“He’s going to kill me,” she whispers.
“I won’t let him anywhere near you,” I vow.
“He found me.”
“He’s never going to hurt you again.”
Her lashes flutter.
“But he’s here,” she finally focuses on my face, “He’s already here.”
“Did you see his face?” I ask her.
“No. I thought it was you at first, but then I realized they weren’t tall enough.”
“What else?” I press.
Her brow twitches as she thinks over the last thirty minutes. “Their shape was strange.”
At the back of my mind, doubt creeps in. Was it really Calvin? Getting onto this ranch isn’t necessarily hard, just stupid. We have a lot of tourists in town right now and people do weird shit when they’re bored. Scaring lone women in the middle of the night is one of them.
“What do you mean?”
“They were in a coat,” she lets out a shaky breath, “And I thought that was odd since it’s so warm out. But it—I don’t know. It looked odd.”
I nod, processing what she is telling me. It may not have been Calvin, but it’s possible he sent someone in his place, or I could be right and someone is trying to play stupid games. If they’re still on the property, they’ll be found, but I’m not letting her out of my sight.
I need to phone the sheriff, but I need to be delicate about it.
I’m hiding this woman on my property, news of a creep targeting people at night will spread like wildfire in a small town like this and one person will talk to another and then another…
if this wasn’t Calvin, reporting it could just lead him right here.
Leaning back, I get a better look at her. Other than grazes on her knees, she isn’t injured, but she’s spooked and in shock.
“I’m going to clean these up,” I point to her knees, “Just wait here for me, okay?”
Her hand snatches out, circling my wrist. “Where are you going?”
“To get some warm water,” I gesture to the ensuite, “I’m still going to be right here.”
Slowly, her hand releases, and I go into the bathroom, grabbing a washcloth and wetting it with hot water before I’m crouching in front of her again, moving my hand behind her knee to straighten her leg.
They’re superficial wounds, nothing deep, and I clean up the blood, showing the minor cuts on her skin.
She remains still for me, letting me work on both legs before I throw the pink-tinged cloth into the hamper and move to sit beside her.
“Did you see anything else tonight?”
Her chin wobbles, eyes glazing, “No.”
Fuck. I can’t stand seeing her cry; it feels like someone is twisting a knife in my chest. The need to comfort far outweighs the need to keep her away, and my arm goes back around her.
She doesn’t hesitate to come to me, folding into me as her hands curl into my shirt and she buries her face into my neck.
I try to ignore how right it feels. How perfect. She fits against me like a puzzle piece slotting into place. It settles something deep in the bones of me, warms a spot that’s long been cold.
I pull the door up but don’t close it, leaving Juni sleeping in the middle of my bed.
She showered while I waited in the room like she asked, too afraid to be alone and after she’d changed into a pair of my flannel pajamas and one of the ranch t-shirts, she curled on her side, hands cradled under her cheek while she told me about her night.
It pisses me off that it was ruined like this.
She’d fallen asleep like that, and I didn’t have the heart to wake her so she can stay there.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I return to the living room, finding everyone still where I left them except Rosie is now passed out on Niamh and Caleb is quietly reading his book but his eyes snap up the moment he hears me come back into the living room.
“Is Miss Juni okay, Dad?” he asks, worrying his bottom lip as a small crease forms between his brows.
All eyes turn to me, waiting for my answer. “She cut her knee, but she’s fine, bud. Sleeping now.”
“Did someone hurt her?” My son asks.
I don’t want to lie, but I also don’t want my son to be afraid in his own home. “Not sure,” I go with a half-truth, “But whatever it was is gone now.”
Glancing at my brother, I ask him silently if he’s heard from any of the guys, but he gives me a small shake of his head.
“I should have driven her right to the door,” Niamh grumbles.
“It’s not your fault, sweetheart,” Roman goes to his wife, cupping her chin. She leans into it like it’s the safest place in the whole world to be, her eyes fluttering closed.
“He’s right,” clearing my throat, I move into the kitchen and grab three glasses from the cupboard before pouring a small shot of whiskey into each one.
I hand a glass to my brother and Niamh and then reach down for Rosie so I can put her back to bed. She doesn’t wake once as I tuck her in, and when I come out, Caleb is standing at my bedroom door, looking through the crack.
“Is she scared?” Caleb asks quietly.
“Yeah, bud,” I squeeze his shoulder.
“Your bed is the best place to be when you’re scared,” he whispers. “Nothing can get you in there.”
His words just remind me that this boy is still just that, a boy. He acts far wiser than his young age, and it’s easy to forget just how little he is.
“That’s right,” I confirm. “But let’s get you back to bed, yeah? Beth is taking you to the zoo tomorrow, and then we have the meteorite shower, so you need to get to sleep. You don’t want to miss it.”
He gasps, “You’re right!”
I chuckle, “Sleep tight.”
“Love you!” he calls, his bedroom door clicking shut before I get a chance to say it back. I still do, regardless.
Plucking my whiskey off the counter on my way back, I collapse into the chair by the window, my head thumping back onto the cushion.
“The guys called and said they found no one on the property,” Roman says after a moment of silence.
“She thinks they had a gun.” I grind out.
Niamh sighs softly, “Whoever it was is long gone now. Ada and Darcy popped over to check on Juni. They heard her scream.”
“She was with them tonight?” I sit up.
Niamh nods, “At the bar.”
“And they didn’t see anything strange while there? Did you?”
“No, Silas. Everything was normal there. We have a full town right now, too many people to see every face, but nothing happened on shift. Juni was having fun.”
A heavy sigh leaves me, “Can we get eyes on Calvin?”
“Already called one of the guys investigating him. Said he hasn’t left the ranch in days.”
“Doesn’t mean he couldn’t send someone over here.”
“No,” Roman agrees, “Are you calling the sheriff on this one?”
“Won’t that just tick Cal off if he doesn’t know she’s here?” Niamh asks.
“It would,” I confirm. “He probably has people everywhere looking for her.”
“But he might have found her already anyway,” Roman says. “I don’t have the best relationship with the sheriff’s department, I’ll admit, but not sure keeping them out of this is a smart idea.”
“I’m going to call it in,” I agree with my brother, “But I’ll let them know to keep it as quiet as they can.”
He isn’t wrong about the relationship with local law enforcement; we’ve all been stung by them, none more than the two people sitting in front of me.
We almost lost both of them only a few months ago, and I know that wound is still very much open.
This must be stirring up a whole heap of shit for both of them.
If my brother didn’t have Niamh, his literal soul mate, I’m sure he would have gone mad.
They’re the best parts of each other, something that has, in recent times, made me a little jealous.
I thought I had it, but looking at the two of them shows me what a fucking lie that was. My ex-wife and I were never like them. There was always a distance between us that shouldn’t have been there in a marriage, but I didn’t see it then. I suppose I didn’t know what love truly was back then.
“I’ll call them now,” I sigh. “Why don’t you two head back? Get some sleep. I’ve got it from here.”
“I’ll send a couple of guys down this way to patrol. Having bodies present may deter anyone wanting to come back,” Roman says, “You get some rest too.”
I show them both out, shutting and locking the door behind them, and pull out my cell, dialing the sheriff’s office.
I make the report quickly, asking them to add the ranch to the patrol route, which they agree to without argument.
After the shit show only a few months ago, they’ve been getting a lot of heat from the papers as well as higher ups which I suppose will work in my favor here.
When they agree to keep it under wraps, noting the incident rather than filing an official report, I hang up.
If they are aware of a possible threat, it’ll make it easier to protect Juni, should the time come.
Making sure all the windows are locked and curtains drawn, I head to the bedroom, finding Juni in the same position I left her in. Her hair is a striking contrast to the dark sheets that tuck her in, like gold in a shadow, mesmerizing to witness.
Lowering into the chair opposite the bed, I place my head in my hand. Perhaps standing guard over her while she is sleeping is a bit much, but I don’t want her to wake up alone and be afraid.
At some point, though, I end up falling asleep, slouched in the chair, but that honey gold follows me into my dreams.