Chapter Eleven #2
A low throbbing pounded at his temples. It took him a second to realize what it was. He had a headache. That was a first, and it was a stark reminder how vulnerable he was with his abilities suppressed. Was that also responsible for weakening his emotional shields or was that all Cilla?
When the chief was finished, they walked him out.
Beside him, Cilla was quiet. Shit, he was worried about himself when he should be concerned about her.
“Are you hungry? Can I get you anything to drink?” There had to be something he could do to help ease her pain…
and his. But no matter what he did, nothing could atone for the fact he was going to allow her to die.
“It’s enough that you’re here. It’s enough that you care.”
His eyes burned and he swallowed heavily. This would be the hardest reaping of his life. He’d complete his assignment, but it might destroy him in the process.
…
Exhausted but unable to sleep, Cilla listened to the night sounds drifting in through her window. She usually found them soothing. Now she jumped at every sound out of the ordinary.
After Chief Johnson had left, she’d found solace in work, finishing the chores on her to-do list. Alex had gone back to work in the garden and had retired to his room after they’d eaten.
Or rather he’d eaten. She’d picked at her food.
Neither of them had said much. She wasn’t the only one with things on her mind.
Going over the details of today with the chief had left her feeling as though she’d been dragged through the wringer. She’d thought about trying to contact her lawyer again, but decided it was best to wait to talk to her in person.
While staying quiet might serve her better, what Christopher had done today, what he was trying to do, was wrong. Both he and her brother walked through life assuming they should have whatever they wanted, regardless of who it hurt. Someone had to stand up to them.
“Why me?” she whispered. Over the singing of the cicadas, the hoot of an owl was ominous. It seemed to mock her with its hoo-hoo.
It was easy to second-guess all the decisions she’d made in her life, but it was too late to turn back the clock.
As her grandmother would have said, “It’s time to pull on your big girl panties and do what needs doing.
” Outwardly prim and proper, Grandmother hadn’t minced words and had a saying for every occasion.
“I miss you, Granny Ellie.” That’s what Cilla had affectionately called her when they were alone. It had always made the older woman smile before offering a playful scolding and a reminder not to dare call her that within hearing range of another.
Sitting up, she leaned against the padded headboard. Maybe she should read a book or watch a movie. Better to do something than continue staring at the dark ceiling. Maybe she’d get a snack. She hadn’t been able to eat earlier, still wasn’t hungry, but keeping her strength up was important.
Creak! Cilla’s heart leaped and began to race at the sound.
She started to grab her phone to call the police but stopped.
It might be nothing more than the house settling.
Most likely it was Alex heading to the kitchen or outside for a late-night stroll.
She couldn’t start jumping at every little sound.
Paranoid after the day’s events, she eased out of bed and gripped the baseball bat she’d dug out of the back of the closet, a leftover from childhood summers in Redemption. Since Cilla didn’t own a gun, it would have to suffice.
Choking up on the bat, she crept through her sitting area to the door. A metallic clink was followed by a low curse in a familiar voice. She slowly turned the handle, opened the door a crack, and peered out.
Moonlight streamed through the kitchen window, illuminating the man in front of it.
Wearing only a pair of dark jeans that clung to his firm ass and muscular thighs, Alex stood with his back to her.
Her mouth went dry at the display of masculine perfection.
Wide shoulders tapered down to a narrow waist, displaying well-defined back muscles.
His biceps flexed when he raised a bottle of water and took a long drink.
Indecision gripped her. Should she say something or leave him to his solitude? She started to slip back into her room when he spoke. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Summoning her courage, she padded across the hardwood floor, stopping at the kitchen island. “I wasn’t asleep.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
“You going to use that?” He canted his head toward the object gripped tight in her hand.
“Oh, I forgot I had it.” She placed it on the counter. “I heard the floorboard creak.”
“You were planning on taking on an intruder with a baseball bat?” It was impossible to get a read on his mood. There was no inflection in his voice and his face was impassive in the shadows.
“It’s better than lying in bed waiting to see what happens.”
He set the water on the island. “You don’t need to lose sleep. It’s unlikely either your brother or ex will show up tonight. Given their recent visits, they’d be obvious suspects if anything happened. Besides, I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you…not tonight.”
His words both thrilled and concerned her. “I don’t want you doing anything that might get you hurt or land you in trouble.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
She threw her hands in the air. “How can I not? You literally crashed into my life and appointed yourself my protector. It makes no sense. You should be running back to wherever it is you came from. I don’t even know where you call home.
” And that seemed unforgivable, considering how involved he was in the details of her life.
“It’s no big secret. I live in a converted warehouse in Brooklyn.”
She could easily picture him there. It suited him better than an old Victorian in a small town. He should have been a fish out of water, yet he’d seamlessly slid into place here. And none of that mattered.
“Make no mistake, both Richard and Christopher will find a way to get back at you. They have long memories and hold grudges. Two or three years from now, you could find yourself on the receiving end of something nasty.” That worried her almost as much as her own precarious predicament.
“I can handle them.”
His confidence ignited her temper. “God save me from all men.” She threw her hands in the air.
“You all think you’re invincible, but you’re not.
After today, I have no idea what they’ll do if you stand in their way.
I would have said they’d try some underhanded business maneuver or do their best to have you arrested. ”
Even in the shadows there was no missing the smirk on his face. “I’d like to see them try.”
“Not even you can outrun a bullet.” And that terrified her.
He prowled around the kitchen island, reminiscent of the big jungle cat she’d compared him to earlier. “You think they’ll take it that far?”
She shrugged. “A couple of days ago I’d have said no.
Now, I have no idea.” There’d been something in Christopher’s eyes when he’d left that scared her to the marrow of her bones.
“I don’t recognize Richard anymore. I’m beginning to think I never really knew him.
” His anger and grudge against their grandmother had shaken Cilla to her core.
“It’s become obvious I didn’t know my ex that well, either.
” It didn’t speak well for her judgment.
Shoulders slumped, she stared at her bare feet.
Alex caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger and raised her face. “None of this is your fault.”
“Feels like it is. If I gave them what they wanted, they’d leave me alone and wouldn’t bother with you.”
He shook his head. “Men like that never stop. Given the closeness of your relationship to them, if they’d come after you, no one around them is safe. Whatever happens, you’re secure for tonight. Go back to bed.” He stroked his finger along her jaw before dropping his hand by his side.
“Is that what you’re going to do?”
“I might take a stroll around the garden.”
What she was considering was reckless and wild, the total opposite of how she normally operated. She was methodical and practical. And where had that gotten her? Married to the wrong man and stuck in this mess.
All her sensible life plans were crumbling around her. It was time to take a risk, to do something out-of-character, for no other reason than she wanted to.
Alex was here…for now. She had no doubt he’d work out whatever issues there were with his father and return to his life. Once he put Redemption in his rearview mirror, he’d never look back.
This was the opportunity of a lifetime. Was she brave enough to take it or would she let it slip away and live with regrets for the rest of her days?
If today had shown her anything, it was how precarious every moment was.
The life she’d carved out for herself was hanging in the balance, and she had no idea where she’d land when the battle was over.
All she had was this moment. Nothing else was guaranteed. Reaching out, she placed her hand on his bare chest. “Stay.”
“Cilla.” Regret tinged his reply. He was going to say no again.
She shook her head. “I’m not emotional or upset. I’m as clearheaded as I’ve ever been. I want you and you want me.” She slipped her hand down his zipper and cupped the erection straining at the front of his jeans.
He made a strangled sound in the back of his throat. “I’m not who you think I am.”
“I don’t expect anything from you beyond tonight.” When he opened his mouth again, she rushed to make her argument. “I know you’re not staying, that you might decide to pack up and leave tomorrow. I’m okay with that.”
His lips pulled into a thin line. “You shouldn’t be. You deserve better.”
“That you’d say that, proves I’m making the right choice.” She took a steadying breath and released him. “I’m not looking for forever.” A horrible thought occurred to her. “Unless you don’t want me.”
Had she misread the signs? Talk about embarrassing. Having an erection didn’t automatically mean he was interested in taking her to bed.
“I want you too much.” His voice was low and gravelly. The admission sounded as though it had been ripped from him.
He wouldn’t make the first move. It was up to her. Grabbing the ends of her cotton sleep cami, she pulled it over her head and tossed it on the counter. “Then what are you waiting for?”