Reid's Deliverance (23 page)

West crossed his arms. “So revenge, that’s all he wants?”

“Revenge, a way back to our homeland, power.”

West grunted. “Well, I guess he’s headed for disappointment. In my book, he fucked up as soon as he touched Reid. Count me in.”

Colby nodded. “Make it a third.”

“Thank you.” Dalir’s energy receded as if he’d released a huge sigh of relief. For a brief moment, the harshness in his expression lessened. “I am honored to have you join me on the hunt.”

* * * *

Reid removed the empty magazine from his Glock. He stowed it in the side pocket of his camo pants and slammed in another one.

Ten miles from the house, the course they’d created gave them room to maneuver on foot and in a phase. He adjusted the Velcro on his shooting gloves. Most of the stiffness was gone, but his grip still felt off. During today’s training, he’d hit all the targets, but he could do better. Tighten the cluster of bullets, more head shots.

Sun peeked through the tall oaks, providing the right amount of soothing warmth. Not too cool to make his short-sleeve T-shirt impractical. Not too warm that he broke a hard sweat, despite the work. Another afternoon in The Drift. Another day spent looking for Kell. During the past three weeks, they’d covered ground, year by year, searching for anomalies. Serving as bait to lure him out.

A light stirring of leaves raised honed instinct. He turned and aimed.

Thane walked into the clearing. “You still at it?”

“Yeah, I thought I’d run it through a few more times.”

“You’re pushing pretty hard. Why don’t you take a break? Celine made us lunch.”

“You mean she made you lunch.”

Thane snorted a laugh. “Come on. You know she’s not like that. We’re the only three here. She’s not going to leave you out.”

“Oh, I’m sure she won’t.” A strong breeze blew in from the left. He’d have to compensate for that. “Your fiancée loves me. That’s why she dumped coffee on my lap.”

“It was an accident.”

“Once is an accident. Three times and we’re either dealing with a poltergeist or the truth. She’s pissed at me over Lauren.”

“Should she be?”

Finally, the talk they’d avoided. Honestly, he’d half expected for Thane to hate him, too. “No, but I don’t blame her. She’s looking at it through how she feels for you. Not how Lauren felt about me.”

“What about how you feel for her?”

The strange press against his chest he felt just thinking about her returned. Which is why he didn’t. He holstered the Glock at his thigh. “Lauren got caught up in circumstances I never should have involved her in. Throw in isolation and sex and suddenly it all seems rosy, but it’s not. You heard her. She owes me.”

“And what’s wrong with that? It’s not a lie. You saved her, but did you even give her a chance to tell you how she felt about you outside of that?”

“There is no outside of that. The two go hand in hand.”

“She’s not Beth.”

“I never said she was.”

“But you thought it, over and over again to the point where you can’t see Lauren.”

“Can’t see Lauren.” He stormed up to Thane. “Every fucking day I see her. I’m out here busting my ass, and I have to fight not to think about her. I look at you and Celine, and all I can think about is all four of us at the cabin.” Shame washed over him. “I hate it, but a part of me wishes we would have never been on that road with Jenny. That someone else would have saved her so I could have had more time to convince Lauren to—” His vision blurred. He couldn’t say it. It was wrong. He couldn’t force her to love him.

“You wouldn’t have had to convince her.”

“Bullshit.”

“No, it’s not bullshit.” Thane grabbed his shoulder. “Before you lost your shit that night, Lauren had just told Celine about how she was willing to make the long haul. She was going to tell you that she’d wait for you to come back to her.”

A sick feeling washed over him. The way he’d gone after her. The way she’d looked at him. He shouldn’t have lost it that night, but all he could think about was what Dalir had told him about Kell. When he’d found her in the maze, he hadn’t seen that she was safe. He’d remembered how he’d left her alone in the chapel that day. He hadn’t protected her. If he failed again and lost her…. But he didn’t need Kell or any other threat to make that a reality. He’d done it all by himself. “She’s gone because I screwed up.”

“Yeah, but lucky for your sorry ass, Dalir can restore memories.”

Hope flickered, but Reid was afraid to latch onto it. “Including the ones of me being an asshole. That’ll make her come rushing back to me.”

“If you promise not to screw up again, I’m sure I can convince Celine to help you out.” Thane grinned. “After she dumps more coffee on your lap for being stupid.”

If it gave him another shot, he’d suck it up and take the pain. First, he had to convince Lauren to listen.

“Sorry I can’t hang out with you this weekend.” Lauren shut the door to her Mercedes, juggling the cell with Ari on speaker and her purse. “But Jan says this guy is willing to pay full asking price for the cabin. Meeting me was his only stipulation.”

“No worries. I doubt I’ll be doing much. Last night I went to The Song to hear this new band called One Way.” Ari snorted a laugh. “They should call themselves One Way to Snoozeville. I don’t know what’s going on with that place. Something is off.”

“Are you sure it’s not you missing our girls’ nights with Celine?”

“Yeah, that could be part of it. She sent me an email the other day. She’s in Bali or was it Tibet? Anyway, she’s still on her adventure of looking for exotic things to sell at the store.”

Celine leaving Diva Unique behind still blew their minds. That place was her baby. But then again, she had nothing to worry about with Ari taking charge in her absence.

Lauren opened the door to the cabin. An odd mix of emotions swept over her, mainly sadness. “I’ll probably spend the night and head back in the morning. I’ll phone you before I leave.”

“You sound funny. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She cleared her throat. “It’s just a little dusty in here.”

Thankfully, Ari hung up and didn’t call her out. Her emotions remained in turmoil.

Three weeks ago, she’d awakened on the couch at the cabin feeling as if her heart had been crushed. She couldn’t figure out why. As she’d sorted through her father’s things, for some reason she’d thought of the fall watercolor he’d painted. She searched everywhere, but couldn’t find it. Something inside of her had snapped. She’d started bawling and couldn’t stop.

The child within her that blamed her father for the divorce. The teen that had missed him and craved his attention. The daughter that wished she’d had more time with him. She’d wept for them. Grieved with them. Comforted them. Then a new understanding had dawned with a quiet, reassuring voice in her mind. Her father made a commitment to the army to serve a greater good, not to abandon his family. He’d loved her, reached out to her. She had a choice in how to remember him. She’d realized the answers weren’t in boxes but in her heart. She’d decided to cherish the love and all the good memories she had of her father.

But even though she’d thought she’d made peace with the past, a sense of despair still remained. It left her off kilter. At work or during everyday tasks her mind kept wandering back to the cabin. She still hadn’t figured out why. Coming back definitely hadn’t been on the agenda, but then Jan had called about the buyer. Maybe selling the cabin was the final step to moving on.

A pang of sadness brought a thought, illusive and quick. It swept in and slipped away. That was happening a lot lately.

Coffee. That would energize her. She retrieved the packs of instant along with packets of creamer and sugar from her purse. She’d traveled light this time around. An overnight bag, nothing to prepare or cook. Hotels and restaurants all the way this trip.

She found a mug in the cabinet. The kitchen ended up getting the short end when it came to packing. Wanting to leave, she’d left the basics behind. The Realtor could probably pack them up if the new owner didn’t want them.

She carried her cup to the deck. Rays of sun peeked over the trees. Light humidity saturated the air. The perfect day for outside fun. Hopefully, the interested buyers had kids who’d love hanging out in the loft. Now was also the best time for spending hours at the pond and discovering new adventures on the trails. Just like she had.

Tires crunched on gravel out front. As she went inside and set her mug on the counter, a knock echoed. She opened the door and her heart sped up.

Tall, clean cut, intense hazel eyes, just her type…and probably taken. He wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. Not like that meant anything these days. “Ms. Blake.”

She took his outstretched hand. Tingles zapped into her palm. They radiated into her arm, a magnetic binding force. She didn’t want to let go. The overwhelming urge to lunge up and wrap her arms around him made her fidget in place.

He’d think she was nuts, if he didn’t already. His expectant expression cued her into him waiting for a response.

“Please, call me Lauren.” As she took a step back, her sneaker bottom squeaked on the wood. Why hadn’t she put on something more sophisticated than jeans and a blouse?

“I’m Reid.”

The deep hum of his voice stroked over her like a soothing balm. The urge to jump on him grew stronger.

“Jan had to go back to her office for a document. I hope you don’t mind. I came on ahead.” He released her hand.

“No. Not at all. I’ll show you around.”

A clean woodsy scent came with him through the door. His jeans molded to his fantastic, hard-looking butt. Which he caught her practically drooling over.

Heat flushed into her cheeks.

He smiled. “Where do we start?”

Anywhere that allowed her to keep enjoying the view of him. “It’s a simple layout. I’m so rude. Would you like coffee? It’s not fresh brewed. It’s instant.” Pretty obvious since the coffeepot sat clean and empty on the counter. “I have to heat up water in the microwave and mix in a packet.”

Could she sound any dumber?

“That would be great.” He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. The dark fabric of his polo curved to hard chest muscle.

Damn. Naked he was probably absofrikenlutely magnificent. She took down another mug and heated water in the microwave. A few more random, naked imaginings of him and her fantasies could boil water. The chime sounded. She retrieved the mug and, without a second thought, she stirred in coffee and the contents of one sugar packet. Lauren caught her mistake before she handed it back to him. “Sorry. I should have asked how you take it.”

He slipped the cup from her hand and took a sip.

The tingly sensations lingered where his fingers had brushed hers.

“It’s perfect.”

“Good.” She rubbed her hand on the leg of her jeans. “Well, as you can see the kitchen has all the basic appliances. All of the furnishings you see come with the living room and bedroom.

“Is the fireplace in working order?” He stroked the light-colored stones.

“Yes.” A vision flared up. Her lying in front of a fire and him drizzling melted chocolate on her bare breasts. “And there are already logs stacked outside.” She hurried past him and out the French doors. It was as if someone had turned the temp up on an oven. It had been perfect a minute ago. Where was a breeze when she needed one? She plucked her blouse away from her chest and fanned for air. An image rolled in of him shirtless and chopping wood. With every strike, his abs tightened. The muscles on his back rippled. Well. At least she imagined they would.

He inspected the grill. “I bet you enjoyed barbecues with your friends.”

Her instincts screamed yes, but in reality no. “I wish I had.” Specks of charring on the grill grates…she hadn’t noticed that before.

“You still can.” His gaze connected with hers. “If that’s what you want.”

Him at a barbecue with her, Celine, Ari, and a few of their friends, she could almost see it. That’s not what he meant. “Let’s take a look at the rest of the place.”

She led the way back inside, and they left their mugs in the kitchen.

As he followed her down the hallway, his booted footfalls seemed magnified.

“Here’s the master bedroom.”

His arm brushed hers.

Every nerve ending and pore felt as if it reached out to him. “Well, I should show you the other room. It’s smaller.” Lauren turned and the rubber sole of her sneaker caught traction on the wood floor. Her hand landed on solid muscle.

“Careful.” His hazel eyes held her in place along with his grasp on her arms.

Images and recollections poured in. The warmth of his bare chest underneath her palms, his legs widening hers. Smooth caresses and luscious kisses she never wanted to end.

What was wrong with her? Why was she crying? She laid her hands on his biceps, but she didn’t have the will to push him away. “Jan will be here soon. We should wait up front.”

He pulled her close. His warmth. His scent. The soft kiss to her temple kept her in place. “It’s all right. I’m here for you.”

She leaned in to his embrace. Standing in the arms of a stranger, fantasizing about him and crying for no reason. It was all so wrong, but why did it feel like relief, reprieve, chance, and happiness rolled into one? “But I don’t know you.” More tears welled. “I don’t understand.”

“You do know me, better than I know myself.” He looked down at her. Calm, assured, but hints of desperation showed in his eyes. “But to see it, you have to set aside what your head tells you is reality and follow your heart so you can come back to me. If you still want me.”

Still wanted him? Why wouldn’t she? That is, if he were hers to begin with, but he wasn’t.

He cupped her face. “A few weeks ago, in the midst of a storm, you found me lying at the bottom of the stairs on the back deck. You trusted me and took me in. You followed what your gut told you about me. You even told me about the sketch you discovered in your father’s things. Your worst best day. You were going to throw it away, but I have it because I needed to have a piece of you with me. Please. Believe me. Trust me one more time.”