Chapter Ten
Something wasn’t right. I’d felt it from the moment Sarah had left her house that morning. I’d stayed there most of the previous day and all night, watching from a careful distance and cursing the stubborn woman all the while.
Aside from a brief jaunt to the pharmacy, she hadn’t stepped out of the house once all weekend until she’d left for work three hours ago. I’d swung by the motel to quick shower and check in with my informants, though they turned up no more than they had in the past several weeks at that point. Cane was being very careful about keeping the whole world in the dark about his whereabouts.
I should be there, a voice in the back of my head whispered to me over and over, but I dismissed it each time. I wasn’t going to spend the next several weeks shadowing Sarah’s every move. In fact, if staying close had done little to aid in taking down Cane, maybe it was time to branch out. Instead of playing babysitter, maybe it was time to get back to what I did best: hunting the bastard down and smoking him out. Then I’d be free to move on just as easily at it seemed she’d been able to do.
I’d been too close to her all this time, too afraid to divide my attention in fear of not being there when she needed me the most. Even though she’d taken away my ability to be there, I needed to check on her at least once more, if for no other reason than to satisfy the incessant little voice that was threatening to drive me crazy.
I hopped off my bike at the hospital, anxious to be on my way since I’d decided on my next move. I needed to put some distance between me and Sarah. I’d gotten far too used to being with her; far too accustomed to feeling her there beside me when I woke up in the morning; and I’d started liking it too damn much.
I looked past the triage desk in the hospital, but I didn’t see her. I waved to the woman there to announce my presence and walked through to the emergency area. She wasn’t there. I checked my watch, but it wasn’t Sarah’s break time. So, where was she?
“You must be Sarah’s secret,” a woman spoke from behind me.
I turned to find her smiling up at me knowingly. It didn’t surprise me that Sarah had kept me ‘secret’. It wasn’t like her to chatter about her private life.
“I suppose I must be,” I smiled, turning the charm on the young woman, hoping she’d happily point me in the right direction.
“Good. Tell her to get her ass back to work. Disappearing in the middle of her shift—what was she thinking?”
“What do you mean ‘disappearing’?”
“I mean, one minute she was here working, and the next she wasn’t. I thought she’d ducked into a closet here with you or something, but that was a while ago. If she’s going to hook up at work, she really needs to learn the meaning of a ‘quickie’.”
Blood was pounding in my ears as my mind raced through every conceivable possibility of what happened to her, hoping for some reasonable and rational explanation for her sudden absence.
But there wasn’t one. Not a good one, anyway. It wasn’t like Sarah to skip out on work, especially not in the middle of a shift. No, she wouldn’t have left willingly, and that only left one other possibility.
I turned on my heels and started back the way I’d come. There was no point in trying to question the woman any further; she’d thought Sarah was getting it on in one of the hospital’s closets. Obviously, she wasn’t going to be of any help.
I hopped on my bike and revved the engine, trying to figure out what the hell had happened without a single clue to go on. Why the fuck weren’t you there? that goddamned voice screamed at me all the while. I’d been vigilant for weeks; I let my guard down just once and…
No; I refused to consider it. She wasn’t dead. Sarah wasn’t dead. Damn it, she couldn’t be. Cane wouldn’t have killed her right there in the hospital; there would have been too many witnesses and no time for him to draw it out the way he’d like to.
Okay, so he’d taken her somewhere. But where? Where could he take her to ensure his privacy while he…
My stomach churned violently and my head spun as white-hot rage simmered in my veins. If that son of a bitch had laid a finger on her, I was going to make sure he died slowly, painfully; the most horrific death ever imagined.
I mentally scanned through the area, thinking of all the potential places Cane might consider, but just then, my phone buzzed with an encrypted text from a nearby informant.
Target spotted. Black Van. Twin Harbors State Park down the 105. 46.8574° N, 124.1086° W. Heading in for back up.
It wasn’t in town, but it wasn’t far, either. Plenty of trees and not many people around this time of year—definitely a logical place.
My hands trembled in fury as thoughts of just what he was intending to do tried to filter back in, but I forced them out. I sped through town as fast as I could, cursing the way the bike seemed to be moving slower than usual. I killed the engine about a half a mile from the area and double-timed it on foot as fast as I could. I couldn’t risk the bike’s engine alerting Cane to my presence there if this was the place. I had nothing but a Glock 22 .40 caliber and a knife on me, so stealth and surprise were definite priorities.
No matter how fast I ran, it didn’t feel fast enough. A minute passed and then another, but it felt like hours, even worse when I had to slow down as I got close, but it was the only way to silence my footsteps on the dried leaves on the ground.
It didn’t take long to find her; Cane wasn’t even being discreet about it, that son of a bitch. A wave of relief washed over me, yet at the same time, my blood began to boil anew. I was relieved she was still alive, but there was no doubt Cane didn’t intend for her to stay that way for long.
He had her not fifty feet from the park’s pathway. From where I was hiding, I could see that Cane’s son had her, and either he was holding her so tight she had no ability to fight him, or she’d given up fighting. I wasn’t sure which one bothered me more, but there wasn’t time to think about it.
Cane had a gun in his hand, and though his hand still hung at his side, I could see the way his fingers were twitching. He wasn’t nervous; he was eager. He’d been waiting for this moment for a long time.
I crept closer, cursing the damn loud leaves on the ground that slowed my progress, but within seconds, I was in position. Two shots and they’d be down; so quickly, neither of them would know what hit them.
It irked me to know they wouldn’t suffer, because at that particular moment, other than seeing Sarah safe, there wasn’t much I’d have relished more than seeing them writhing in agony.
So, without a moment’s regret, I reached for my Glock, squinting my eye as I aimed. The son would have to go first. I couldn’t risk him having the opportunity to try to use Sarah as a shield. And that meant I’d have to be quick…and precise. I wanted to leave zero chance for Cane to have time to raise his gun.
One deep breath. Exhale. And then the familiar bang reverberated in my ears.
My target’s eyes bulged for the briefest of seconds as the bullet hit its mark, but I couldn’t take the time to watch to make sure he fell.
One more breath. Exhale. Another shot rang out and the immediate crisis was over. The son fell to the ground and his father followed him down like a domino. Sarah stood there motionless, her expressive face making it clear she had no idea what was going on, but she didn’t fall to pieces.
The woman was smart. She knew it wasn’t over, that there wasn’t time for her to crumble just yet, and she started to run.
Not three steps in, two men appeared from behind the black van next to where she’d been standing. I still had my gun in position, knowing there was no way Cane and his son would have been there alone. Three more steps and the man in the lead fell to the ground, never given the chance to reach for the gun in his holster.
His fellow lackey didn’t miss a step, but continued right past, then a mere yard behind Sarah. He had one hand outstretched in front of him while the other slipped inside his jacket, but I was already there. I squeezed the trigger and knew before the bullet penetrated the man’s skull that it was over.
Sarah was safe.
I stood up from where I’d been crouching. I needed to see her up close…to touch her…to know with all my senses that she was okay. Her steps slowed, stuttered and stopped, but she didn’t approach me. Hell, she didn’t even look the least bit relieved to see me. She didn’t turn and run, but even with the distance between us, I could feel the nervous energy radiating from her.
She was ready to dart.
I took a slow, tentative step out from amid the brush. “It’s okay, Sarah. It’s over.”
“Is it?” she shot back as she took a single retreating step, eyeing me warily.
“It is. They’re gone. No one’s going to hurt you.”
“He knew you, Declan. How the fuck did he know who you were?”
Damn. I’d known there would be no getting away with keeping Sarah in the dark after what had just happened, but I hadn’t anticipated the conflicted look in her eyes. Shouldn’t the guy who just shot the bad guys automatically be counted as one of the good guys? But it seemed she had no idea what to think, and I didn’t like the sting that came from it.
I suppose I couldn’t really blame her.
“He knew me because… because I worked with your father, Sarah. I’ve been looking for Dominic Cane for the past several weeks.”
That was the best I could do at the moment.
She opened her mouth and then closed it again. No doubt my answer did little to ease the confusion in her head. At least she didn’t bolt in the opposite direction when I took another tentative step forward, and then another. Her eyes were wide, watching me all the while, but she stayed where she was as I continued.
Then I was standing in front of her where I could clearly see the swollen, red imprint of a hand on her cheek and the bruises on her arms. Her wrists were chafed raw like she’d been struggling valiantly against restraints for some time, which was no doubt exactly what had happened. I breathed deep, trying to tamp down the fury rising anew. I wished I could bring the bastards back to life just to kill them again.
Unbidden, my hands reached out. I just wanted to put my arms around her, to feel her against me; the warmth of her skin and the moderately steady rhythm of her breathing. Her whole body still trembled, but the tremors grew quieter as I held her close and pressed my lips against her forehead.
Just then, I heard the sound of leaves crunching behind us. My informant and comrade, Jesse, had arrived to help take care of the mess.
“You guys alright?” he asked, panting as he slowed his steps.
“Yeah, man. There’s four of them down. I’ve gotta get her out of here, so thanks so much for offering to step in and get rid of these douchebags.”
“Hey, no worries. You’ve gotten my back plenty of times, brother. Consider it done.”
With a nod, I led a very stunned Sarah back to my bike and we sped off toward her house.
It was done.
Sarah was safe, and I’d done what Erik had asked of me. There would be nothing more to do but leave and get back to my life.
Except…was that what I wanted? Was I ready to disappear again and take up what had been my life for the past decade?
Right then, Erik’s words came back to me. Put it all away…it’s time to move on…Sarah will be there…
I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when it had happened, but somehow, her father’s words didn’t seem so ridiculous anymore. When exactly had it gone from harmless fun to…something so much more?
Ten minutes later, I pulled into her driveway and cut the engine. As we got off the bike, I could still sense wariness on her part. She was looking at me, but what was she thinking? That I was a monster, just like Cane?
Every life I’d taken and every vile thing I’d done in the name of justice flitted through my mind, and maybe ‘monster’ wasn’t so far from the truth. Even if I stopped right then, it wouldn’t undo the past, all the times I’d precariously balanced the thin line between justice and revenge.
Could I really expect Sarah to want a monster? I didn’t know, but for the time being, I had to get her to calm down and understand the situation.
“Hey… let’s go inside and I’ll draw you a warm bath.”
“No.”
It was the first word she said to me since Jesse had shown up at the park. She squared her shoulders, despite the tears in her eyes, “No, I’m not going anywhere until you explain to me exactly what the hell’s been going on. Those men were going to kill me, Declan. But instead…you…you killed them.”
“I know. I didn’t have a choice.”
“How did you do it?”
“Sarah, you said it yourself: they were going to kill you. What was I supposed to do?”
“I mean, how did you do it? Since when were guys in big business skilled in shooting people?”
“There’s a lot you don’t know,” I sighed heavily.
“So, tell me.” She sat down on the front steps then, and I knew that unless I planned on tossing her over my shoulder and carrying her into the house, she wasn’t moving. Wrong of me or not, I debated it for a minute, but eventually, I sat down on the steps next to her.
“Where do you want me to start?”
“At the beginning.”
And I did, reluctantly. I could have lied, but I didn’t. I told her all about the trouble I’d been in before her father recruited me, and then as much as I could about my life since then. I told her about her father, what a strong and courageous man he’d been, and that it was for her wellbeing that Erik had kept his life a secret.
It wasn’t until the whole story was out that I realized how much I’d wanted to share it with her. She sat there quietly for a moment and then I saw something I’d never seen before. She’d been holding herself rigid until then, the crisis not fully over until she understood it, but after she’d found out the truth, all that had happened and all that I’d said must have caught up with her. She blinked once, and then twice, and though her expression didn’t change, the tears that had gathered in her eyes spilled over and cascaded down her cheeks.
I’d never seen Sarah cry; I didn’t think anyone had seen Sarah cry since she was a little girl. And I knew without a doubt that I was sunk because I would have given anything in that moment to take away her pain.
Her shoulders slumped and she leaned against me, though I don’t know if it was for comfort or merely to prevent herself from falling over. Regardless, I gathered her up in my arms and she didn’t resist. And I was grateful because I needed her there. I’d never needed anyone my entire life, but I needed Sarah in that moment.
“Go, Declan,” she whispered against my shoulder, and at first, I thought I’d heard her wrong because she made no move to push me away. But I heard it again, still a whisper, though it was stronger this time.
“I’m not leaving you, Sarah,” I whispered back, making no effort to release her.
“Yes, you are,” she said, sounding stronger and pulling away, though I could feel it wasn’t what she wanted. It was like her body fought her every inch. “I appreciate your concern, and…and I know you saved my life today. I’m grateful. I am. But nothing else has changed. You have a very important life, and I think you need to get back to it. You said it yourself: I’m safe. You need to go home…wherever home is.”
“I am home.” The words slipped out before I’d given them conscious thought, but I realized they were true. And though I was dangerously close to making a fool out of myself, I was only half-surprised to realize I didn’t care.
There was something not quite right with what she was saying. The words didn’t line up with the expression on her face. And Sarah could say whatever she wanted; her beautiful face gave her away every time. If I’d been paying better attention the last time she’d told me to leave, maybe I would have seen it. Or maybe I hadn’t been ready to see it.
“You’ve got to be kidding. You haven’t been in Westport in ten years, but suddenly you want the white-picket fence?”
“No. I want you.” It was that simple. I didn’t care if I lived in a big town or small town; if I worked as a vigilante or a bag boy at the local grocery store. None of it mattered anymore.
“What happened to casual sex and harmless flings, Declan?” Her eyes were searching mine, trying to figure out what I was really saying…or what I wasn’t saying.
“You happened.”
“I happened? You expect me to believe you’ve completely changed your perspective…that you’re a completely different person all of a sudden?”
“I’m not a different person, Sarah. I think I’m just a complete one now.”
She eyed me doubtfully, though it was written clearly in her expression that she wanted to believe me. And that meant I’d been right; she didn’t want me to go. Armed with that knowledge, I stood up, carefully pulling her with me. “I had no idea what had been missing. Honestly, until a few minutes ago, I didn’t fully understand it. But I do now.”
Uncertainty warred in her eyes, and I thought I might be getting through to her. I was wrong.
She pulled away hard, stubbornness replacing uncertainty. “No, Declan. I don’t know what it is you think you feel, but this isn’t you. And we’re not going to trap you here where you never wanted to be.”
Had I heard her right? Who was ‘we’? Unless…it suddenly made sense; the morning she’d kicked me to the curb had been after the night spent at the hospital with Hope.
Sarah was pregnant.
And that was the real reason she was adamant about me taking a hike.
I waited to feel the heavy weight in my stomach or for an innate sense of panic to make me want to run for the hills.
It didn’t come.
Sarah was pregnant with our child. I was going to be a father. I should have felt terrified…or trapped, but I felt…in awe. Excited. Home.
“You’re pregnant,” I told her matter-of-factly.
She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. And so, I did the only thing I could think of that would convey some small part of what I was feeling. I pulled her close before she could anticipate what I was doing, and covered her lips with mine. Her body was rigid, but it didn’t stay that way. After a moment, her shoulders relaxed and her hands came up to the back of my neck.
I don’t know how long we stayed that way, locked in an embrace that conveyed more than mere words ever could. “I love you, Sarah,” I whispered against her lips as I pulled back just slightly. “And I’m going to love our baby…and our white-picket fence…and anything else in my life, as long as you’re in it.”
“You’re not lying?” she asked, her tone full of incredulity while she scrutinized my face.
“No, I’m not.”
“I love you, too, and that’s why…”
I pressed my finger against her lips. “I understand why. But I want to be here. There’s nowhere else I’ll ever want to be.”
It was time to move on, just like Erik had said, and I was ready. I was ready for a brand-new life; one I was already certain would be full of far more adventure and excitement than my old life could ever have offered…even if we never left the small, perfect town of Westport.