CHAPTER ELEVEN
‡
Shailyn stared out over the large pond through the window, watching the slight ripples in the water reflecting the moonlight. She guessed the graceful movements were either from the fish feeding or the frogs avoiding the peacock bass. The crickets were endlessly singing their songs of love and the lightning bugs were happily signaling to one another in the same vein. She pressed her palm to the cool glass, realizing that this was the first time she’d openly stood in front of a window to peer at the outside world at night.
She was relatively sure Brody had noted her opening the security shutter from his computer console against his stern warnings, but the restless part of her soul was in desperate need of soothing.
This estate Townes had built was made up of more than just logs and slabs of concrete. It was a place to find oneself and rediscover peace. She would allow herself amity if they ever received word from the forensics lab. She would have thought spending so much time in WITSEC would have taught her patience. That wasn’t the case.
It was going on one o’clock in the morning. Townes had spent the majority of the evening in the team room with Brody. Shailyn would have joined him, but Brett had corralled her out on the back deck. The other women had been gathered around a large glass table with several bottles of wine and a tray of cubed cheese and crackers that Brett had no doubt prepared. The nearby fire pit had several logs alight with the accompanying crackling and popping.
Brett was an elementary school teacher in Colorado on break for the upcoming holiday, but from the conversation it seemed that she was returning to Florida at the beginning of the new year to seek a teaching position nearby. Shailyn experienced a stab of jealousy at the ease of which her friend was able to choose a new path to live her life.
In all honesty, all the women had been so nice and welcoming. She hadn’t wanted to come across as ungrateful for all they’d done, so she’d joined them for a few hours of enjoying the season’s spirits. The conversation was kept light and she found herself even laughing a time or two at some of the memories Brett had brought up in the numerous discussions. Shailyn couldn’t remember a time when she’d had that kind of companionship. It had been rather nice, but she was afraid to soak up too much for fear of missing that friendship in the future.
“Going stir crazy? Cabin fever is quite real.”
Shailyn had caught Townes’ reflection in the window, so she wasn’t startled by his sudden presence. His large frame took up the entire doorframe as if he was the door. His long hair was loose and reminded her of a warrior she’d read in the book Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper when she was a little girl. He couldn’t save her even if he’d been able to slay her dragon. There would always be another Magua in the shadows.
“I’ve lived alone for so long that going stir crazy shouldn’t be a possibility for me.” Shailyn turned when she caught sight of an expression on his face she’d never seen before. “What happened?”
“DNA confirms the body in the cabin was in fact Moss.” Townes’ jawline firmed after announcing the welcome news, yet his scar was whiter than before. “The Marshals Service is calling it.”
It was easy to see that Townes didn’t believe the evidence. Wasn’t something of that nature scientifically conclusive? Wasn’t that what juries based their verdicts on these days?
Shailyn was almost afraid to breathe for fear he would retract his statement. He’d yet to follow up on his declaration. Instead, he seemed to be waiting for some type of reaction from her. She adjusted her scarf before resting the palm of her hand over her heart. It was her way of ensuring the vital organ was still beating.
“Agent Gordon and the U.S. Marshals were pretty adamant during the trial that Shepherd Moss’ incarceration or even his death would never guarantee my safety,” Shailyn reminded him tentatively. She would have given anything for him to disagree with that original assessment, but he just continued to stand in the doorway and study her. “This really doesn’t change anything for me, does it?”
“It means that Shepherd Moss can’t physically hurt you anymore, and he was a large chunk of that threat.”
Anyone else wouldn’t have tagged on the adjective physically. Townes was one of the few people who understood that Moss would always be a part of her life…mentally and emotionally. She would also have scars for the rest of her life, but there would never again be a chance for Moss to add to them.
“Am I being given a new identity and taken to another state?”
“I’d like you to stay here with us until the end of the year, at the very least.” Townes seemed to relax somewhat when he leaned against the wooden doorframe. His gorgeous strands framed the right side of his face. “Being a Special Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal gives me a little leeway in deciding what comes next for you. I believe it would be to your benefit to remain here while we see what ramifications come from the fallout of Moss’ death.”
A part of Shailyn wanted Townes to take her away immediately, setting her up in another town under another name before leaving her in peace. She wanted this transfer to be like an old bandage stuck to her skin. Rip it off quick so that the pain wasn’t prolonged.
“Am I able to visit my parents?”
Shailyn reconsidered her initial reaction. Sometimes a daughter needed to feel the embrace of her mother.
“Yes, although I will have them brought here to see you for the holidays.”
Shailyn took another few steps closer to Townes, sensing that he was leaving something out of his admission regarding Moss. She honestly didn’t want to know about his reservations, because that would mean a part of herself would have to remain trapped in the past.
“I’m not sure what the appropriate thing is to do now,” Shailyn replied honestly, still sorting out a variety of emotions.
“I think I can take care of that for you.” Townes held out his hand, his grey eyes containing a bit of mischief that she hadn’t seen since the night he’d brought her a white rose with some strawberry wine. How many years had passed between then and now? “Do you trust me?”
For some reason, the question brought a smile to her face. Her cheeks were stiff at the attempt, but she suffered through it.
“Yes.”
There was no need to expand on her answer, though she did gently place her fingers in his. He turned on the heels of his military-issued rough-side-out boots and guided her down the long hallway, down the stairwell, and out the front door. The temperature had dropped quite a bit, although the crickets and frogs were still singing their songs.
Shailyn suppressed a shiver as the cool air met her cheeks. She missed the warmth from the fire pit. She would have brought him up short had she’d seen what was in front of them.
“No.”
“I thought you said yes,” Townes reminded her, reaching for a white motorcycle helmet. He held it higher, as if that was enough of an enticement to get her to straddle a machine that weighed seven times more than her. “Riding a motorcycle on the open road is nothing short of true freedom. You deserve this, freckles.”
There it was again. Her nickname. For some reason, hearing it made all the years in between fade away into the night. A laugh bubbled up from somewhere she didn’t even know existed.
“This is crazy. I never rode with you before, so what makes you think I’ve changed my mind and become suicidal?”
“You never needed to feel the fresh air against your face the way you do tonight, nor needed a reminder that you are alive to enjoy the scents and sounds that this world has provided us.” Townes waited patiently for her to take a step forward. “Let me give you what you yearn for. It will free your soul.”
Shailyn shook her head even though she closed the distance between them. A small smile graced his lips as he carefully slid the protective gear over her hair until the helmet was in place. His large hands went to work until the strap was secure around her chin. His attentiveness and care for her shined through that lone act.
The second he began to tie his hair back and put on his own helmet was when reality hit her regarding the adventure she was about to take. Going to a doctor’s appointment had been the exciting moments before, so this was akin to skydiving off a freight train crossing a massive trestle over a mile-high gorge. Her heartrate accelerated and the palms of her hands became sweaty. She tried to dry them on the white jeans she was wearing, but it wasn’t helpful in the least.
“I’m boring. You remember that, right?” Shailyn figured she’d get that out there in case he’d forgotten. “My idea of a fun night is making microwave popcorn and watching those B-rated movies that come on after midnight.”
“I’m sure we can still catch one of them on the television when we get back from our ride.” Townes shrugged into a black leather jacket, though she did notice that he was still wearing his shoulder holster. He was so solid and his movements so sensual that it gave her pause. She’d gone so long without feeling anything other than fear, she wasn’t sure she could process anything else. “Here. Let’s get this riding jacket on you. It’s getting chilly, and it’s only going to be colder on the bike. This will protect you from the wind.”
Townes picked up a white leather, form-fitting coat that had been lying on the seat of his motorcycle. It was covered with zippers everywhere. He held it so that all she had to do was slip her arms inside. The inside material was slick and rather warm, but it was when he slowly drew the zipper up toward her chin that she recognized the sensual heat from so long ago. His grey eyes were resting on her face, studying her every reaction.
“He can’t save you.”
Those cruel words came back with a vengeance. They were taunting her.
Townes wouldn’t have told her that Moss was dead if he hadn’t been given proof. Why, then, did she still feel his presence?
Shailyn involuntarily leaned into the man who made all her fears disappear. She was well aware that others would say her attitude toward him made no sense considering he’d been a mere thirty-some feet away when Moss had initially taken her from the dance club. Even her own father had criticized Townes for his inability to stop Moss from abducting her in a public setting so easily.
What no one understood—or even listened to—was that she’d purposefully walked off by herself to spite Townes over something petty. She couldn’t even recall what they’d been arguing about at the time.
“There’s still a part of you that wants to touch the light.” Townes wrapped his arms around her, despite the awkwardness of her helmet. She relished his warmth. “Please allow me to show you the way home, freckles. You’ve been gone for far too long.”
Shailyn let herself have this moment a little bit longer. She’d changed her mind about keeping her distance from everything and everyone. She wasn’t sure what the immediate future held, but she needed something to take with her when she left.
“Let’s do this,” Shailyn said softly, pulling away in determination. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
The smile on Townes’ face said it all. She could count on one hand the times that she’d seen him beam in abject happiness. It simply wasn’t in his nature. The wicked grin was so compelling that she lifted an arm and pressed her palm gently against his cheek to capture some of its essence.
Yes, she would take advantage of the time she had left with him before being sentenced to a life alone served in anonymity.
*
The tingles of excitement ran up his spine at the broadcast being aired across all the national news channels.
The confirmation of his death would allow him the ability to do so much more than squirrel away subsisting on memories as if he were still incarcerated in a federal prison.
Would Townes Calvert be gullible enough to swallow what was being fed to him?
Only time would tell.
And no one was more patient than the demon possessing his soul.