“I was terrified,” she said, raking her fingers through his hair.
“Everything went fine. And we have our systems worked out.” He stepped back. “Code words memorized, and you’ve got my number first in your phone.” He looked down at her for a moment before untying his boots. “I just need new socks and a different pair of boots, and we can go get your complaints filed.”
The very idea of driving into town had his stomach in knots. He got his boots off, and a sharp pain radiated through his back. He straightened and noticed his rice bag in the tray on the stove. “You heated this for me?”
“What?” She glanced at him, her nervous distraction not very comforting to him. “Oh, yeah. I did.”
“So give me a few minutes to get myself ready, and then we’ll go.”
She nodded and paced into the kitchen while Phoenix changed his clothes, found new boots, and swallowed some relief for his back. They had spent quite a bit of time yesterday talking about their strategy for keeping her safe while she lived her normal life. After all, she had to go to work too.
He’d put his number in his phone, along with 911, and they’d worked out code words she could text or say that would tell him exactly what the situation was.
In total peril, call the cops was tomato. It was red, and it was one of her favorite foods, so that worked.
I’m okay but scared was daffodil, her favorite type of flower. He’d agreed to still come during a yellow alert so she wouldn’t have to be alone, and he wondered how he was going to fulfill that promise if he was out in the middle of the forest, tracking a family of black bears.
He’d decided he’d cross that bridge when he had to, and right now, he didn’t have to. She was here with him, and they were going to file the restraining order paperwork that day, and then she’d be back in the cabin with him.
And now that he’d kissed her…. His mind spiraled in several directions, all of them ending with him kissing her again.
Things are fine, nothing to report was grass, as that was green and easily worked into a conversation for either of them.
A knock on the door had him jumping up from the couch, his first instinct to curl his fingers into fists and fight. “Who is it?” he called as Allegra scampered down the hall to the bedroom—another predetermined course of action they’d agreed on. She didn’t want to be seen. He didn’t want his secret guest to be discovered.
“It’s Mia,” his sister said. “I have all your crap.”
Phoenix opened the door and let her in, glad Allegra had left the room. There was no evidence that she was staying there either, so Mia’s questions should be easy.
“Whose car is that out front?” she asked, and Phoenix groaned inwardly.
“The woman who’s staying here,” he said, taking the suitcase from Mia. “Thanks so much, M. You’re the best.”
“So is she here? Can I meet her?”
“No,” Phoenix said quickly. “She has a stalker, M. She wants to stay off the radar.”
Mia faced him, her eyebrows drawn down. “There wasn’t anyone at the apartment.”
“No blue sedan?” he asked.
“Not that I could see.”
“What about the grocery store?” He hadn’t been able to put in an online order with all the frilly, female things Allegra wanted. It would be too suspicious. But so was having her car parked right out front, especially as Devon obviously knew she’d gone through the gate and likely to his house.
Mia shrugged. “I forgot to check.”
Phoenix stepped closer to her and lowered his voice. “And the alarm? You got that okay?”
“Yes, Nixy. It’s all in the car.” She flopped down onto the couch, obviously not going to help him haul anything inside.
He sighed, put his soaking wet coat back on, and went outside to bring in the groceries, trigger alarm, and toiletries from Mia’s car.
“You owe me a hundred and seventy-four dollars,” Mia said as she got up.
He pulled out his phone and navigated to the payment app all his siblings used. It was slick and easy, and he had her paid in fifteen seconds flat. “Thanks again, M.”
“Of course.” She stopped right in front of him. “You guys are okay, right? Like, you’re not in trouble with the cops, right?”
“Of course not,” he said. “We’re going to file a restraining order today with the court. We’re not the ones in trouble.”
Mia reached up and ran her thumb along Phoenix’s mouth. “Lip gloss,” she said with a coyote-grin. “I think you’re totally in trouble, Nixy.” She gave him a knowing smile and walked out, leaving Phoenix to curse himself for not wiping his mouth before his nosy sister showed up.
He hurried to the door and called after her, “M, can you keep this between us?”
“The groceries?” she called back. “Or your secret houseguest-slash-girlfriend?”
“All of the above.”
She waved and got in her car, backing up without looking at him again.
Phoenix closed the door and locked it, sure his other sisters would know about his mysterious houseguest that he was kissing by dinnertime. He should probably get ahead of that with a few texts, but Allegra came down the hall with pure determination in her eyes.
“You ready to go to town?” she asked.
Phoenix’s chest caved in, but he nodded anyway. “Let me get my hat and sunglasses.”
* * *
A week passed, and then two, the date for Allegra’s court hearing looming. Devon had been notified by the police of the hearing, and he’d texted Allegra to say he’d be there.
She’d been staying at the cabin with Phoenix for weeks now, and he couldn’t believe how comfortable he was in the small space with her. How much it felt like coming home now instead of just being done with work.
She even warmed up to Dozer and the dog slept in the living room with her almost all the time now. The snow had melted, and the stove didn’t require so much babysitting in the middle of the night.
They went to work, and never once did Allegra need to use any of her code words. Phoenix was starting to wonder if they’d both dreamed the whole chase through the woods. Then he’d pull out his phone and look at the photos of the footprints he’d taken that night, and he’d remember.
Just because it seemed like everything was fine didn’t mean it was.
He normally spent Sunday evenings with his family, where they ate dinner and caught up on their week. Jon had been texting him regularly as well, and he now knew that his older brother had a secret relationship of his own with his college professor.
Things were going fine, according to Jon, and Phoenix had missed the last couple of family dinners.
“So I have to go,” he said to Allegra when he told her. “Twenty minutes, tops. Okay?” He kissed the top of her head, glad they felt comfortable enough with each other to talk about real things.
“I understand,” she said. “Families are complicated.”
He paused in putting on his gloves and coat. “You haven’t said much about your family,” he said. “Why’s that? Too complicated?”
“Nothing much to tell,” she said. “I’m the oldest of three girls. My mom disapproves of my job. The end.”
Oh, but that wasn’t the end, and Phoenix couldn’t wait to hear more about the middle part of that story. “What do your sisters do that’s so wonderful?”
“Well, Jill owns a traveling boutique, so that’s just so amazing,” she said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “She’s been dating the same guy for almost three years, but hey, at least she has a boyfriend. Susan and I do not.”
Phoenix zipped up his jacket and took a step toward her. “You don’t? What am I then?”
Allegra’s gaze flew to his, a pinch of fear there. “I, well, I mean, I haven’t told anyone about us.”
“Right,” he said. “Because everything is a secret right now. But if it wasn’t—when this thing with Devon is over, then we….” He didn’t want to define it for her. M
aybe he’d made assumptions that weren’t true. Maybe he’d fallen for her when she was just using him to keep her safe, and warm, and back into practice of kissing pretty women before he went to bed.
“Then maybe you’ll come into town without having a panic attack,” she said with a smile. She stretched up and kissed him quickly. “Now go to your family party, and hurry back.”
He frowned, but he did as she said, every step that took him to his sister’s house filled with slight embarrassment that he indeed had almost had a panic attack when he’d gone into town with her to file her complaints.
The thought of going back for her hearing next week already had his anxiety near peak levels, but he wouldn’t miss it.
“You can’t miss it,” he said. “Devon will be there, and Allegra needs you.”
It had been a very long time since anyone needed Phoenix, and he’d been basking in Allegra’s attention for weeks now. Just another reason he didn’t want to attend these family dinners. His mother, Mia, or Jon would notice that he was different, and then the questions would begin.
He climbed the steps to the house where he’d grown up and went inside without knocking. Everyone was there already, which was unsurprising given that he’d arrived almost a half an hour late. He spoke to his mother, who gave him a hug and told him he had a large envelope that had come for him.
He promised her he’d take it with him when he left, and he made sure he took a couple of pieces of pizza before telling Mia he had to leave early because his back hurt.
“I’m sure it does,” she said with one eyebrow cocked. “Probably not sleeping very well these days.”
“I’m sleeping fine,” he said with a growl beneath the words. He cut a glance at Karly, his oldest sibling. “Thanks for the pizza, Karly.” He hugged both of his sisters and made a quick escape, hoping Karly didn’t ask Mia for details about their cryptic conversation.
Thankfully, his phone stayed silent for the trek back to his house. Once there, he muted it so he could lie on the couch with Allegra in his arms, the scent of peaches and cream in his nose from her hair and the taste of mint brownies on her lips—and then his—from the treats she’d made during his brief absence.
Chapter Ten
Allegra paced in the hall, the skirt she wore a stitch too tight. Probably from all the meals she’d been enjoying at Phoenix’s bar. The man didn’t make gourmet food, no, but he could cook nonetheless.
“You’ve got to calm down,” he told her from his spot on the bench. “You’re freaking me out.” He reached for her and took her hand in his, drawing her over to him.
She sat, but every cell in her body wanted to run. “I just…I don’t want to face him again.”
Phoenix watched the people go by them in the busy hallway outside the hearing rooms at the courthouse. He was doing better on this, his second trip to town in over five years. Or maybe he was just better at hiding his panic this time. Or maybe she was so anxious, she didn’t notice his.
“It’ll be okay,” he said. “I’m here, and Bea is coming. You have support here. He’s certainly not going to do anything here today.”
“Jerrod is late.” Her lawyer had told her about ten times not to be late, and yet he was. She wasn’t going to hire a lawyer—she hadn’t last time—but Phoenix had suggested it might be a good idea. They knew the lingo. They knew what to say, and they’d been to court before, so they weren’t nearly as nervous as she’d be.
She’d argued with him, but in the end, she’d hired a man named Jerrod Pennington, who’d helped her prepare for the hearing and promised he’d be there.
But he wasn’t.
The clock clicked closer to the time when her hearing would start, and she stood up again.
“Allegra,” Phoenix said, but she ignored him. She needed to move, and she hadn’t badgered him about his nerves when they’d come to file the paperwork for the restraining order. She’d had a temporary with her for the past twenty-four days, and she knew Devon had been served notice of this hearing by the police last week.
She hadn’t seen him arrive yet either.
Returning to Phoenix’s side, she watched the stairs which came up from the first floor or the elevator. People came up and went down, came up and went down. Finally, a sandy blond-haired man appeared, and she jumped to her feet.
“Jerrod,” she said, rushing forward to meet him. “There you are.”
He smiled at her as if they were meeting for coffee. “Here I am, and you’re not late.” He glanced at courtroom seven. “Doors aren’t even open yet.” He frowned as he pulled out his cell and looked at it. “Should be any minute now.”
He ushered her back over to the bench, where he shook Phoenix’s hand and sat beside them. “Things are looking good,” he said. “We drew a good judge, who’s always leaned in the favor of keeping women safe from even the littlest of things.”
A measure of relief accompanied the rapid head-nodding that Allegra couldn’t seem to stop. Phoenix wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed, his silent plea for her to stop freaking out.
As if drawn by a magnet, her eyes migrated to the steps just in time to see Devon arrive. He didn’t have a lawyer with him, and he hadn’t last time either. He carried a single manila folder in his hand, and their eyes met.
Allegra couldn’t believe she’d ever found him attractive, despite the dark hair and eyes that seemed to be her siren’s call. Phoenix was definitely bigger than him, but not by much, and she couldn’t believe she’d outrun him in the woods. Could not believe it.
He stared at her, his eyes hungry and his mouth turning up as he approached. Even he wasn’t stupid enough to say anything to her, and he detoured to a different bench on the other side of the hall, sat down, and looked at his phone. Him being here was no big deal. He’d done it before.
Allegra shivered and leaned into Phoenix again, springing to her feet when the door to courtroom seven opened and people started filing outside. She’d participated in a hearing before, and she knew it would just be her and Devon going inside. Well, and Jerrod, Phoenix, and Bea, who came scrambling down the hall with worry on her face.
“I didn’t miss it, did I?” She grabbed onto Allegra and held her tight. Her shoulder-length brassy blonde hair smelled like bleach and then peaches, and Allegra sighed into her. She hadn’t seen her friends in so long, and she missed the cats too.
A balloon of emotion welled in her throat as she hugged her friend and neighbor. “We’re just going in now,” he said, her voice tight and pinched. Because of Bea’s arrival, Devon had already gone inside, and Jerrod guided her to go next.
With the court reporter, the Sherriff, and the judge, everyone needed for the hearing were in position.
She sat in the front row and let Jerrod stand at the plaintiff’s podium this time. Peace flowed through her, and she managed to take a deep, deep breath. No matter how this turned out, she was going to be okay. She was strong, and she could take care of herself, and she was not going to let a man like Devon McKnight intimidate her anymore.
The hearing started, and Jerrod presented their case for a restraining order against Devon. He detailed the way he followed her around town, how she was forced to go to populated areas because she was afraid, and how he’d ultimately followed her to her place of employment and waited in a remote parking lot for her.
She kept her eyes on the judge as Jerrod detailed her flight through the woods to Phoenix Addler’s cabin, and then Phoenix was called on to testify.
If there as anything sexier than the lumberjack being sworn in, Allegra had never seen it. Didn’t want to see it. He’d worn jeans and a red flannel shirt to the hearing, claiming he didn’t have a suit and didn’t have time to buy one. She’d told him it didn’t matter, because it didn’t.
The way his deep voice detailed her arrival that night and his subsequent trip out to the gate to see if there were footprints sent tremors through her muscles. “I have a picture,” he said, and he handed his phone to the Sherr
iff, who took it up to the judge. “He didn’t cross onto my property, but it was clear he was following Miss Wright.”
The judge handed the phone back, and Bea got up to testify. She’d taken pictures of Devon’s car sitting on the street, and she said he pulled in around seven—her dinner break, so she often came and went at that hour—and stayed until past midnight.
“I know,” she said, “Because I work swing shift at the mall, and I get off at eleven. He was there almost every night when I got home.”
She shot a nervous glance at him, and then took her seat beside Allegra again. The two women held hands, and Allegra squeezed Bea’s. “Thank you,” she whispered. She had so many things to thank Bea for, but they would have to wait.
Jerrod gave a few closing remarks, and the judge looked at Devon. He stood at the podium, the picture of respect and professionalism. He wore a dark suit and started to defend himself.
He gave things like, “I just wanted to talk to her,” and “I deserve to eat at the diner too,” and “I was reading in my car that night. It wasn’t a big deal,” and “So I went for a hike in the State Forest. A lot of people do it.”
The judge asked him about the night of the storm, and he denied being there. Allegra got to her feet and stood beside Jerrod. “Your honor?” she asked, her voice tight and high. “I have a picture of him there, parked beside me. Ours were the only two cars in the whole lot, and it’s an employee lot, and he shouldn’t have even been there.”
“Let me see it.”
Jerrod opened his folder and removed the printed picture that Allegra had taken from behind the tree just before Devon had gotten out of his car and she’d fled.
The judge looked at it, looked back at Devon, and said, “I’m instating this restraining order, Mister McKnight. You’re not to be within two hundred yards of Miss Wright, her car, her place of employment, or her apartment building. Find somewhere else to read at night. Find somewhere else to eat.”
Taking A Chance (Rebels 0f Forbidden Lake Book 2) Page 6