Chapter 53
Sage
There hadn’t been enough time lately to work in the greenhouses, and they were a project that deserved my attention. Unfortunately, between the shop and spring events, it felt like my hours were whittled down to not enough to spend as much as I’d like in here.
Everything had been upgraded, and the filtration system hummed in the background.
The overhead pipes dripped a little with condensation from the misting system, but they were on a timer.
One of these days, I’d probably get a soaking when I least expected it, but they were now angled just over the plant beds, not over the paths like they used to be.
That would cut down on the moss that had built up.
This was fast becoming my own little sanctuary in more ways than one, and it wasn’t lost on me that I’d even moved some of my beloved plants from home to Rhodes’ place.
That was a clear sign to me that I was starting to see this as more of a permanent situation.
My earlier thoughts about moving in swirled.
Everything here felt like home. Tonight I’d tell Rhodes, and we could have a little celebration. Maybe find some leftover champagne.
I felt a little bad about slipping away from the party, since there were still guests on the property, but Mags was with Opal while Rhodes had a meeting. In a second, I’d go back and be social again. I just needed a breath.
Sinking onto a bench, I closed my eyes for just a second, enjoying the scent of the jasmine vines. Plants didn’t judge, had no hidden agendas, or ask anything of you. It was just one of the reasons I liked them. They were quiet company.
The door creaked, and there was a scrape of stone. Opening my eyes, I turned, expecting to see Rhodes or even Opal and Maggie. Smiling as I turned, I froze when I saw who it was.
“Hello.” Cedric entered the greenhouse, shoving a hand into the pocket of his dark cargo pants as if it were completely normal to be here.
“This is something, isn’t it?” The light cast shadows over his fine cheekbones, and his normally lanky, easygoing posture was coiled and tense.
Everything about who he was in this moment was the opposite of the man he was when he worked with me.
It wouldn’t have been unusual for him to be here today except for the weirdness earlier. And the fact that Rhodes was talking about him right now.
“Are you here for the party?” My voice quivered as I asked, but I stood, brushing my hands against my back pockets. It wasn’t a real question, and his sneer told me he didn’t think it was either, which made the unease in my gut spread even further.
He pulled the door shut behind him, and suddenly the large space felt small, and even the fern fronds and plant branches felt stifling.
“So, you did have a party. Wildwood Meadows is so friendly.” The words were said with absolute disdain in a way that I’d never heard him talk before. “Small towns are so cute.”
Cedric stepped a little further into the greenhouse. Even as my brain tried to tell me that he was the same guy that I’d trusted, everything in me was poised to try to run. The only problem was that it was the only door.
“I thought I’d come by.” He gave an exaggerated look around even while I shuffled back. “I can see why you like it here.” He gave another look at the bed of plants directly next to him. “Is that the attraction? These greenhouses you loved so much?”
“What?” There was something brittle in his face now as his eyes roamed over me, lingering on my face and clothes.
My Crocs scraped against a loose rock on the path.
Maybe I was confusing things. “Did you see Hattie and Kipp on the way in?” I forced a smile.
“She loved the bouquet.” I took another step.
“Always so thoughtful. I was willing to hold out for you. I thought you were different.” He sighed loudly as I took another step. “That’s what I loved about you. You were kind and pure. Untouched. Your skin so … ”
There was nothing I recognized in Cedric’s face. He was another person in front of me, coming ever closer, even as I sidestepped. If anything, he looked a little excited. I tried a different tactic, steeling my shoulders, and instead of backing away, I took a resolute step forward.
“This is weird. It’s making me uncomfortable. I think we should go and find Rhodes. You know my boyfriend.”
That was the wrong thing to say, and something truly unhinged crossed his face.
Cedric had always been a favorite among some of the customers.
I always thought it was because he was never intimidating.
He was average. Isn’t that what they said about serial killers and crazy people?
Their ability to blend in? Someone I’d thought I was safe with now was anything but.
While my heart pounded and the humid air clung to me, he looked at me with an absolutely crazed expression.
“He’s not your boyfriend.” He stepped forward, the stones under his feet grinding together so loudly that I cringed. “It was fine before he came. He tainted you. Now you’re …” He stopped abruptly and spat. “Rotten. I should have left you in the dirt. I saved you. Hid you.”
What did he mean? My breath heaved out as I tried to find air. I backed away until I hit the trellis, the vines snagging in my hair. “You’re scaring me.” I looked wildly around for a way out, searching the glass for the lever to release it, wishing for Rhodes.
A fanatic gleam lit his eyes as he lunged at me, grabbing my arm. “I’ll cut off that hair and put you in the dirt. I can do it. The voices will see.” Spit flew toward me.
I wrestled against his grip just as a figure stepped into the greenhouse, gun drawn. Ellis, his scars white in the muted light.
“Let her go, or I’ll shoot.” Relief spread through me. There was help. “Backup is coming.” Those words were meant for me.
His laugh was so high and crazed as he whirled on Ellis that it didn’t even register as he fired.
The shots were deafening in the small space, but the first one clearly surprised Ellis, hitting him in the head, sending his whole body reeling back even as I screamed.
Cedric giggled with glee, firing again even as Ellis crumpled to the ground.
“Dumb asshole always hovering. Always near you. Damn, that was a good shot. Idiot probably didn’t expect that, did he?”
He danced around a little in his disgusting happiness, and I yanked myself free, rushing forward.
Ellis let out a weak wheeze, but there was so much blood. I knew head wounds bled a lot, but it had caught him right on the side of his skull. I thought I could see bits of brain.
“Run,” he gasped as I placed my hand over his. I squeezed, trying to let him know he wasn’t alone, even as his eyes fluttered closed.
My head dropped to his chest, not caring that the ends were dipping into the pool of blood forming. Ellis had been my companion for months now, sometimes grumpy, but with witty comments that let me know he was a friend.
“You asshole,” I shouted. Getting to my feet, I took off toward the door, only for him to fire a shot that froze me in place.
“No. You don’t get to leave. I’ll shoot you.” Cedric’s eyes narrowed. “I stopped him, didn’t I? He thought he was better than me.”
From behind him, I could see shapes in the glass — Rhodes and Wades.
If he saw them, he’d start shooting. I was already pretty sure Ellis was dead, and fear choked me.
My brother and Rhodes couldn’t be hurt. Cedric was absolutely crazy.
Maybe if I distracted him, they’d be able to do whatever they were planning.
“You’re right,” I blurted. “You should have left me in the dirt.” He froze for a second.
“I saved you,” he spat. “You’re supposed to be mine.”
The gun he held dropped to his side for a second. Cedric looked unsure for a moment. His eyes cleared a little, just as my brother dove through the shattered glass behind him.
Rhodes rushed through the greenhouse door, tackling me to the ground just as Cedric fired again. Dirt erupted in puffs as we rolled behind a potting bench. Rhodes had caged me in his arms, cradling the back of my head as we rolled, but I was torn between agony and joy.
“Ellis,” I managed.
“We’ll see if we can help in a minute.” The words were low and sad.
Cedric laughed maniacally, shouting about filth and liars as my brother advanced.
He seemed completely out of his mind, nearly foaming at the mouth as he raved.
When Wade lunged for him, the gun gave the telltale click of an empty chamber, and my breath stuttered.
Wade smiled widely as he drove forward and punched him hard.
Madness was the only explanation for Cedric’s face whipping to the side with the punch, and then he shook it off.
He swung at my brother as Wade tried to grab hold of him. Cedric had devolved into gnashing his teeth and punching indiscriminately, putting everything he had into it.
“Stay here,” Rhodes said, moving away from me.
He’d drawn a wicked-looking knife as he moved up behind the pair of them, but Cedric was scrabbling for a weapon of some kind, wrapping his fingers around anything he could throw and tossing them at Wade.
Pottery flew, then a brick, and finally it seemed Cedric got his hand on a small garden knife.
With a yell, he charged forward just as Wade spun to put him in a hold that I recognized from the days when we’d all wrestle in the barn.
“She’s mine! I found her!” Cedric’s arm came up, swinging the spade like a club and driving it into Wade’s shoulder at the base of his neck as hard as he could. He howled as he shouted again, “I’ll put her in the dirt!”
I gasped as the sharp point went in and blood spurted. Wade’s eyes moved to me just as Rhodes pulled Cedric away, his knife slicing across his throat.
“Oh, my God. Oh my God. Wade.” I rushed to him.
His eyes were wide, and his hands went to the gaping hole at his collarbone. “Push down there,” Wade told me. Blood gushed where the flesh was torn, and I wondered if I’d ever get the smell of blood out of my nose. “As hard as you can,” Wade told me. “It’ll be okay, Sage-O-Rama.”
All around me, I could hear noise and talking. Shouting. But my gaze was locked onto my brother, whose eyes were stuck on mine, trying to convey everything to me. All that love he held so tight. That it was worth it.
“It’ll be okay,” I repeated to Wade. Resting my forehead against his, I tried to convince us both it was true. Even when someone pried my fingers apart, and I looked down at the blood on my hands, I tried to convince myself I wasn’t lying.