Disengaged (Terms of Engagement Book 3)

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  “A conscientious objector,” her father finished for her. “It took a few more incidents, like the food poisoning, but we learned her gut feelings aren’t remarkable coincidences.”

  “That’s… amazing, and not what I thought you’d say,” Erik replied. “I wasn’t exactly concerned about what she told me, until now. I knew I’d be taking a risk investigating, but… this is a good reason not to involve her. Besides, this is my problem. Not hers.”

  “Don’t be too surprised if she makes it hers,” her father warned him.

  “She already has,” her mother added. “So… be doubly careful.”

  “Okay,” Erik said, not nearly as sure he would include Amber, as her mother seemed to be.

  “You’ll be more careful if you have someone else to watch out for,” she pointed out.

  “That’s for sure,” Erik agreed. “Not that I’d be careless, anyway.”

  “It’s up to you whether or not to take her up on her offer to help,” her father added. “But… I’d feel I was sentencing a man to death if I didn’t warn him that if he doesn’t, he may find himself trapped in a forest fire with no way out.”

  “And that’s why you both seem completely okay with this,” Erik could only conclude.

  “That’s exactly why,” her father said. The seriousness in his eyes was more convincing than words could ever be.

  “Then… I guess… I have a partner,” Erik accepted.

  “Smart man,” her mother replied. “Have you… heard anything from Rob this morning?”

  “Not yet,” Erik replied, glancing at his phone to make certain he didn’t miss a text or call. “I guess Amber told you Samantha is snowed in on Pine Mountain?”

  “Yes, she told us,” their father said.

  Erik could see they both had questions, but since they didn’t know how to ask, those questions probably didn’t involve Pine Mountain. He was sympathetic, and grateful once again for their hospitality, considering who his brother was. In spite of it, there probably wasn’t anything he could tell them without violating his conscience. He was thankful for the sound of the front door opening, and Amber’s quick footsteps through the entryway and into the sitting room.

  He stood and smiled.

  “Well?” Amber asked without preamble.

  “You’re coming with me,” Erik replied, then surprised her immensely by reaching for Caleb. The little boy went to him willingly.

  “How are you this morning, Caleb?” he asked. Caleb smiled back, and showed him the toy car in his hand. “Looks like fun. Want to play for a minute?”

  Caleb liked that idea very much, so Erik sat on the floor with him. They pushed the car back and forth while Amber greeted her parents.

  “We should get going,” Amber told Erik. “And where are we going?”

  “First stop is my Grampa Davison’s. I’ve got the don’t-collaborate-with list he compiled, but I want to talk to him in person about this. It’s three hours there and back, but it could save a lot more than that, by narrowing down the list of suspects.”

  “Great, let’s get started!” Amber said, her blue eyes bright with enthusiasm.

  “We’ve got plenty of time,” Erik replied, as Caleb told him all about something, then toddled across the room to select a toy from the toy chest in the corner. He returned with another car, which he handed to Erik. “Thank you.”

  Caleb talked some more, and went back to the toy chest.

  “He’s going to bring you all of them,” Amber informed him.

  “You’re just about the most generous guy I’ve ever met,” Erik smiled, as Caleb handed him another.

  Caleb’s grandparents couldn’t help thinking their daughter married the wrong brother.

  “He has a lot of cars,” Amber said pointedly.

  “So did I, not that I can remember being this young,” Erik replied, unphased by her desire to get down to investigating.

  She stared at him, utterly perplexed. This was not going to make sense to her.

  “Have you heard from Samantha?” her mother asked.

  “No. You haven’t either?” Amber replied.

  “No, nothing,” she said, worry furrowing her forehead.

  “I’ll find a way up there as soon as the storm passes,” Erik assured them.

  No one pointed out that there was no telling how long it would be before that time would come.

  Erik’s phone emitted the alert assigned to notify him of texts from Rob, and he snatched it out of his pocket.

  Everyone in the room watched him, hoping. He read it over hurriedly, before reading it aloud.

  “It’s from Rob. He says, ‘waiting out storm in cabin. Tell Samantha’s parents she’s safe with me. Plenty of food, water, power.’”

  “Thank goodness,” their mother replied, nearly wilting in her relief. The girls’ father was just as relieved, and so was Amber.

  While Erik continued to play cars with his nephew, he wondered at those words ‘she’s safe with me.’ However Rob meant it… Erik’s hope for his brother was renewed, and he smiled.

  ROB returned the phone to his pocket. He carefully maneuvered his arm out from under Samantha, and eased himself off the couch. He didn’t want to disturb her, but the fire was burning down. The best way to keep smoke out of the cabin, was to keep it fed.

  Samantha lay motionless, her lashes dark against her pale cheeks. The circles under her eyes were dark too, and he felt a fresh pang of grief over the suffering he caused her. How he could ever forget he loved her, and treat her so callously… Pride and anger once distracted and manipulated him so that he almost did, but their lies no longer clouded the truth. He loved her, and he resolved all over again to spend the rest of his life proving it.

  Rob quietly added a couple of logs to the fire. They snapped and crackled as the red-hot coals sent forth fresh flames to receive them, and the cabin was filled with their scent. He closed the screen, and checked on Samantha again.

  She was so still, it concerned him. Not that it didn’t concern him last night, when she shook so violently, it felt as though she’d be torn apart. It took all of his strength to stabilize her, and it was a relief when her distress eased at last.

  But she was so still, and he was as worried now, as he was the night before.

  Rob knelt beside the couch and gently felt the side of her throat, reassuring himself that her heart was still beating.

  Letting her rest, rather than waking her to calm his own anxiety, was one way he could put her first. He chose to be satisfied with the feel of her steady pulse beneath his fingertips, and the warmth of her cheek when he kissed her softly.

  Outside, the wind howled and ice particles rattled against the window panes. Try as they might, they found no entrance. The cabin was well built, and well able to withstand the storm. Rob’s and Erik’s Grampa Davison never cut corners or sacrificed quality for profit, and neither did they.

  Rob tucked the blanket around Samantha, then crossed the room to the small kitchen and took stock of their options.

  They had the granola bars in his backpack, and the sandwiches, chips, and cookies, which Samantha had the foresight to bring with her.

  The cabinet held a couple of cans of stew, a package of crackers, pancake mix, syrup, a box of macaroni and cheese, six individual cups of microwaveable soup, a tin of honey-roasted peanuts, and an assortment of snack-size crackers and cheese, cookies, and candy. None of it was complementary, each item had a price, and that was of no concern whatsoever. All that mattered was that they had more than three days’ worth of food, even if they didn’t ration.

  He used his cell phone to check the radar app. Judging by it, they could expect to be snowed in for the rest of the day, and probably another night. After that… if they were still stuck, he’d find a break in the storm, and raid the pantries of the other cabins. They would get by.

  Rob glanced at Samantha again. He would rather see that she was fed before feeding himself, but whether or not he could wisely do that, dep
ended on how long she slept.

  He decided she’d be better off if he didn’t fast himself to the point of weakness, and ate a couple of granola bars. As his energy gradually returned, he realized how much he needed that sustenance.

  The hike to the cabin took more out of her than it did him, and more worry set in. Shouldn’t she wake up and eat something? And drink, he thought, looking at the water bottle in his hand.

  Rob returned to the living room portion of the small cabin, and knelt beside the couch. Should he wake her, or shouldn’t he?

  Samantha stirred slightly, and her muscles cried out in protest. She winced, and opened her eyes.

  “Samantha…” he said gently, relief filling him. “How are you?”

  She glanced at him as hazy memories of the day before, returned. The apprehension and distrust she felt for him darkened her eyes, and repentance flooded his heart.

  “Samantha, I’m so sorry for not taking care of you. So sorry. I swear, I’ll never be hard-hearted and callous toward you, again.”

  A few tears pooled in her eyes, then they closed.

  “No, don’t go to sleep,” he said hurriedly, and she looked back at him. “You need to eat and drink, then you can rest some more. There’s soup, do you want that?”

  She was too tired and in too much physical pain, to deal with the emotional kind.

  “Don’t care,” she said with effort, and closed her eyes again.

  “I’ll wake you when it’s done,” he said, then hurried to the kitchen to microwave one of the single-serve bowls.

  By the time it was cooled enough for safe consumption, she was sound asleep. Rob set the soup on the coffee table, and gently rubbed her shoulder.

  “Samantha, wake up. Your soup is ready. You should eat.”

  Her eyes fluttered open. She looked at him groggily, but gave no other response.

  “You need the energy, and you should drink, too,” he said, offering her a bottle of water. She made no move to take it, so he took off the lid and propped her up a little. She grudgingly drank some, then pushed it away. Rob set the water down, and held out the soup. She made a half-hearted stab at drinking the broth, then tried to shove it aside.

  “We can’t afford to waste what we have, and you need to eat,” he said, gently refusing to give up so easily. She sighed and drank it down, then turned on her side and closed her eyes.

  “Can I get you anything else?” Rob asked. Samantha made no reply. Whether she was already asleep, too tired to respond, or trying to block him out, he couldn’t tell.

  He wanted to make things okay between them. He wanted to wipe the past from the slate, and start over. He wanted to see a reason to hope when he looked into her eyes. Instead, all he saw was fear and distrust. He felt discouraged, even though he knew he was reaping what he’d sown.

  “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I’m so sorry. For everything.”

  Samantha lay completely still as unshed tears burned her eyes and stung her nose. She swallowed hard, and struggled not to cry as memories assaulted her.

  “I’m sorry, Samantha,” he said again, his voice cracking. “I am so, so sorry.”

  “Why?” she whispered.

  “Why?” he asked. “Because I’ve hurt you. I’ve treated you horribly.”

  Samantha swallowed more tears as she shook her head, and tried to breath evenly.

  “Why do you hate me so much?” she managed to ask, around the tears that choked her. “What did I ever do to you?”

  “I don’t hate you,” he quickly replied, gripping her shoulder. “I don’t, I’m so sorry I’ve acted like it. I hated myself, not you. I love you, Samantha. More than anything, I love you!”

  “Then I’d rather be hated,” she said bitterly, and turned further away.

  “No, don’t say that,” he sobbed. He put his arms around her, and pressed his cheek against the side of her face. “Please, don’t say that! Please, forgive me! Everything is my fault, it always has been. I know that, now. You deserve so much better than what I’ve given you, and I’m sorry. It’s like I was crazy before, I did the opposite of everything I wanted to. Erik is right, I was turning into our father—but I’m not anymore, I swear I’m not. I’m not crazy anymore, and I’m sorry. So sorry.”

  He held onto her and his tears joined hers, as she cried weakly into her pillow. She didn’t have the strength to push him away, though she tried. He was too overcome by his own emotion to notice her feeble efforts.

  Samantha’s back ached, and so did her head and throat. Physical agony soon took precedence over the mental and emotional variety. She was weak with exhaustion, and didn’t have the energy to cry anymore. She lay there, utterly spent in every way.

  “Samantha, I’ve changed,” Rob said softly, as he rubbed her shoulder. “Please give me the chance to prove it to you. Please let me make up for all the ways I’ve hurt you.”

  “You can’t,” her voice cracked.

  “Please let me try,” he begged. “Please. I know I’m guilty. I made everything as difficult for you as I could, and not just last night. What I’ve done is inexcusable, and I’m so ashamed. When I thought my pride and anger cost you your life, I saw myself for what I was. I’ve thought… I’ve thought a lot of crazy things over the past several years. I don’t know how I could ever believe any of it. You’ve been right about everything, Samantha, and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me.”

  “Leave me alone,” her voice quavered weakly, and she covered her ears with her hands. “I can’t take anymore. Just go away, and leave me alone.”

  “Samantha—” he pleaded desperately.

  “Leave me alone,” she cried, and his heart wrenched.

  “I’m sorry,” he choked out.

  Rob stumbled to his feet. She heard his footsteps cross the floor, and a door close. She heard muffled sobs, and covered her ears tighter, until her own grief drowned out all else.

  Chapter 5

  ERIK’S eyebrows knit in concern, as he looked thoughtfully from Caleb to Amber, and back again.

  “I feel terrible taking you away from your son,” Erik admitted.

  “Mom and Dad don’t mind watching him,” Amber replied.

  “I’m sure they don’t, but this is your week off. No classes, and no work either, I’m assuming, otherwise you wouldn’t be tagging along with me.”

  “It’s fine,” Amber said again, waving away his concern.

  Her parents looked back and forth from one to the other, and said nothing.

  “No, it’s not,” Erik disagreed. “We should bring Caleb with us to visit my grandparents. We’ll bring him back here, before we do any real investigating.”

  “You have got to be kidding,” Amber replied somewhat incredulously.

  “I’m not,” Erik assured her. “What do you think, buddy? Do you want to go for a ride into the mountains, and visit my gramma and grampa?”

  Caleb babbled excitedly, and handed Erik another car.

  “You heard the man,” Amber’s father said. There was a glint of amusement in his eyes.

  “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” her mother agreed, giving Amber a look. “After all, dear. You did choose to become a mother.”

  Amber looked as though she’d been betrayed. Erik smiled and managed not to laugh.

  “Get what you need, we’ll be gone all day. I need to call and let my grandparents know we’re coming, so I’ll do that while I get the vehicle warmed up. After that, I’ll pull into the driveway and we’ll get Caleb’s car seat installed.”

  “Great,” Amber said, with a lack of enthusiasm that would really worry Erik, if he didn’t know Caleb was Samantha’s.

  “Hang onto this for me, alright?” Erik said, handing Caleb the toy car he held. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, then we’ll take your car for a ride in my SUV.”

  Caleb had a lot to say to that.

  Erik smiled and put his coat back on, then went outside. He wasted no time taking his phone out, and selecting his grandf
ather’s number.

  “Erik, how are you, son?” his grandfather answered.

  “I’m doing alright, Grampa,” Erik replied, as he climbed into his vehicle and shut the door, then started it. The engine was still warm, so he turned up the heater. “I’d like to come see you, if that’s alright.”

  “Of course, your grandmother and I would both love that. Any chance you can stay for Thanksgiving dinner?”

  “I wish I could,” Erik said regretfully. “I’ll be there for Christmas, though. Today I need to talk to you about some problems Rob and I’ve run into on the Pine Mountain project. There’s been serious tampering, and I need to figure out who’s responsible. I’d appreciate your help narrowing down the suspect list.”

  “I’ll be glad to help you with that, son,” his grandfather said seriously. “Is Rob coming along?”

  “No, he, uh… he and Samantha are at one of the cabins on Pine Mountain. They’re snowed in. It wasn’t intentional, they’re not back together. As far as I know. Although I’ve got an actual reason to hope, finally. But Grampa, I’ve got to tell you something. But you’ve got to swear you won’t tell anyone but Gramma, or let on you know.”

  “You’ve got me curious,” his grandfather said. “Unless you’re asking me to aid and abet in a felony, then… you’ve got my word.”

  “It’s nothing like that,” Erik replied, smiling in response to his grandfather’s teasing. “But… are you sitting down?”

  “I am now,” his grandfather said. “Should I be lying down for this?”

  “It might not hurt. Grampa, I don’t think Rob knows this. But eight months after Samantha left, their son was born. I’d like to bring Caleb so you can meet him.”

  “Are… you’re serious?” his grandfather asked. It was a good thing he was sitting down.

  “Yes. Very serious. It’s kind of strange, Caleb looks like me, and Samantha’s little sister, Amber. He doesn’t look a thing like his parents.”

  “Maybe he’ll take after his uncle, too,” his grandfather said ruefully.

  “He’s a sweet kid. This may be your only chance to see him. But you can’t let on that you know he’s your great-grandson, because Samantha’s sister is pretending he’s hers. I’m sure she thinks if I knew the truth, I’d tell Rob. I assumed Caleb was hers when we bumped into each other, and she let me believe it. She’s only eighteen, and I was sick at the thought—anyway, she had a lot of fun mortifying me.”