Chapter 20
CODY - NOW
I pull laundry out of the dryer, trying to ignore the pleasure I feel at seeing Alice’s clothes mixed in with ours.
Landon doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about. He’s always like that, trying to make noble declarations, always wanting to “do the right thing.”
I guess that used to be me, too, but I got over it after doing the right thing got us nothing but heartache. We lost Nessa to a hit-and-run. Then we lost Alice to Brayden, and then we lost her again to a fucking kidnapper.
Now she’s back in our lives, and as sexy as ever. But Landon thinks…what did he say? She’s “special.” And he wants “something that lasts.” And I “don’t know what that looks like.”
Well, fuck him. I do know what that looks like, and I don’t want it. That kind of shit only leads to broken hearts, and I’ve had enough of that, thanks.
However, he also said she’s traumatized. And that’s where I might have fucked up last night.
No, I didn’t “make” her do anything. But I know how to seduce a woman, and I used that knowledge to my advantage—and hers, I thought at the time. Maybe it wasn’t to her advantage, though. Maybe it was too soon.
Even if Landon is only half right, it gets under my skin. His self-righteous attitude pisses me off.
I carry the clean clothes toward my bedroom so I can fold everything. Landon’s bedroom door is open, which is weird. I peer in and see none other than Alice lying in his bed.
Landon’s nowhere in sight, so I take a single step into the room. The bathroom door is cracked. A person-shaped shadow of Landon’s height stands in the gap, shoulder moving rhythmically.
I back out before he can see me.
So much for him being a self-righteous crusader for Alice’s dignity. Motherfucker’s masturbating while watching her from behind a door. How much fucking creepier could he get?
Grinning to myself, I set down the laundry and go back to the kitchen to bake some muffins. Landon and I usually eat at the office, but now that Alice is here, it might be nice to have homemade breakfasts in the morning. It wasn’t my idea—she started it with yesterday’s french toast.
I’ve finished my chores and I’m just taking the muffins out of the oven when Landon walks into the kitchen, freshly showered.
He reaches for a muffin.
“Hey,” I say sharply, “did you wash that hand?”
“What? Yeah, Wells, I just took a shower.”
I nod, holding back a smile. “Excellent. I want to make sure we have healthy hygiene.”
He can tell I have an angle, he just doesn’t know what it is yet. He pours himself some orange juice and sits down at the counter. “Alice is sleeping in my bed.”
“Really?” I try to sound surprised. “I thought you wanted us to keep our hands off her.”
“I did. She’s only sleeping in there. She wanted to talk.”
“Maybe I should go peek in at her.” I busy myself with the coffee machine. “Nothing turns me on more than watching a woman sleep.”
Landon frowns a little, but takes a bite of his muffin. He spits it into his hand almost immediately. “Too hot, fuck. And—what the fuck, Cody? Raisins? I thought we were friends.”
“Gotta be careful,” I say, struggling not to laugh. “Danger could be anywhere—hiding in muffins, hiding in shadows, hiding behind bathroom doors...”
He sets down his muffin. “Okay, cumstain, you must have seen me. I get it. But what I did was much better than—”
“Hey.” Alice steps into the kitchen. She’s wearing a sweatshirt and sleep shorts. A pillow crease stretches across her cheek, and her hair is frizzy.
I don’t think she’s ever looked prettier.
“Hey,” I say.
She blushes.
“Landon said something about going back to the foothills,” I say. “Have you guys made plans? I’ll come, too.”
“Oh, I’m not sure?” Alice stares down at the floor. “I’d rather not, I guess? Also, I have therapy.”
That’s right—I was supposed to drive her to that today. Being alone with her in my car is probably a bad idea right now.
“I realize I might have overstepped last night,” I tell her, “so I’ve made some apology muffins, and Landon’s going to take you to therapy today, not me. Unlike me, he’s proven he can keep his hands to himself.”
I shoot Landon a meaningful look. He shoots me a murderous one.
ALICE - NOW
Cammie’s nose ring sparkles as she welcomes me into her office. “Hey, Alice. How are you feeling?”
I don’t even know where to begin. “Is it strange that I’m more preoccupied with my current relationships, than I am with my kidnapping?”
Her lips press together as she thinks. “I don’t think it’s strange at all.
Current relationships feel more immediate, and depending on how they’re going, they might be providing you with some much needed happy feelings, and distractions, as well.
You could be using them to avoid the negative feelings from your kidnapping. ”
It sounds like a fair assessment. I want her to ask more about the relationships, but apparently she isn’t going easy on me today. Instead, she takes me back to the kidnapping itself—the moment I was taken.
ALICE - THEN
My feet pounded over the dirt path. One, two, one, two.
Birdsong acted as an arrhythmic melody to the beat of my soles.
It was a beautiful April. Brayden had been especially affectionate this morning, even carrying his breakfast dishes to the counter and whispering about how we would practice for a baby tonight.
I loved my life. Any day, the Elders would approve our request to start a family.
We would level up in the church, gain respect.
Already, some of the other wives were warming up to me.
Many still remembered me as the rebellious fourteen-year-old I’d been when my parents and I first joined Seven Blessed Days.
Now, I was showing them just how perfect and composed I could be.
I was a freaking force of nature, and Brayden and I were the up-and-coming power couple.
With every new mile I ran, I became more and more convinced of how everything was turning for the better.
But we all know the proverb. Pride comes before the fall.
He stepped out of the shadows. Out of nowhere, really. One second, I was running alone. The next, a man stood in front of me, blocking my path with his back to me. He stood crookedly, like he’d been injured. He had on a ball cap, so I couldn’t see his hair color to gauge his age.
“Are you okay?” I slowed, but I didn’t stop.
As I got closer, he turned around.
He wore a ski mask. And he was holding himself crookedly because he carried a length of rope looped over one arm.
Immediately, I knew something was wrong. His blue eyes were cold and stared through me. It was like he had a goal, and I was in his way.
He lunged, and I realized I wasn’t standing in his way; I was the goal.
I screamed, but his hand covered my mouth. I kicked, but he was stronger. In no time, he had me wrapped in rope and he was carrying me to his car, illegally driven onto the park property and hidden in the trees.
Less than five minutes later, I was lying in the backseat and we were driving out of San Esteban.
ALICE - NOW
“It could happen again,” I whisper. “We still don’t know where he is. I thought I saw him at Navarre, of all places.”
“The department store?” Cammie asks.
“Yeah. I needed all new clothes, so my friend Landon brought me there. When I thought I saw Abe, Landon nearly tore that poor guy apart.” I shake my head, both mortified at Landon’s quick action, and pleased that he was so quick to defend me.
He was ready in seconds. He didn’t question me, or my judgment. Probably he should have, given that I was wrong.
If I were going to revisit the foothills and try to find where my kidnapper held me, then it seems like going with Landon would be a thousand times better than going with anyone else.
And Cody, too—the way he stormed up to me and Brayden. Rather than go after Brayden, he prioritized my safety and well-being.
When I’m with them, that’s the safest I’ll ever be.
Cammie and I confirm my next appointment.
I leave her office feeling drained, but also like my head is clearer than it was when I went in.
I might not know if Cody’s playing with me, or if Landon will ever see me as more than a friend.
I might not know why Brayden has been treating me so badly, or whether I’ll ever be allowed to return to the church.
But I do know that I’m safe with Landon and Cody.
I get into Landon’s car and offer him a smile. “Hey. Do you still want to go to the foothills?”
“Yeah.” He smiles back, the corners of his gray eyes crinkling. “Why?”
“I’m ready. I want to go. Today.”