Firefly Run

by Trish Milburn

  Despite his attempt to stand firm in the face of Reed’s frankness and intensity, the blood drained from Chris’s face.

  Reed’s gaze locked with hers. There was no mistaking his intent. She might have maneuvered him to a guest cabin, but he fully intended to call the shots from now on.

  A shape rushed from the edge of the forest, making them jerk their heads in that direction. Shelly’s already thundering heart vaulted into her throat. It continued to pound even after she identified the shape as one of the children of her newest guests. She prayed Reed was wrong, that Eddie was toasting his good fortune in Tijuana. So many decisions, possibly life and death ones, and she had so little brainpower left today to make them.

  She glanced at Reed and noticed him slipping the T-shirt he’d changed into back over the gun in his waistband. The sight of the weapon made the seriousness of their situation more real.

  His backing down about her closing up shop had only been temporary. She knew he was just doing his job, being the unyielding cop, but she didn’t need any more badgering after the emotional day she’d had.

  "He’s right," Chris said. "You should get away from here, Shelly. This Eddie Victor probably knows how to find you if you stay."

  "Don’t you start in on me, too. I’m no fool. I’ll take every precaution, monitor the situation. But until I have more proof, it’s business as usual." Well, as much so as it could be with her looking over her shoulder every two seconds, which she was sure to do now that the specter of Eddie Victor had been shoved back into her life.

  She turned to Reed, daring him to argue further. Tomorrow, she’d be friendly. Today, she’d just about had it. Reed’s jaw ticked, but he said nothing. Instead, he glanced at Chris, then walked down the gravel drive. He looked left, then right, examining the lay of the land.

  "He always been so intense?" Chris asked.

  "Not this way. He’s really a good man, just under a lot of stress." She watched Reed walk away with his shoulders stretched tight. Despite her frustration, her heart went out to him. And the woman in her appreciated him. Good Lord, she needed to get some rest.

  "Like you’re not?"

  "Troy was his best friend. They’d known each other since they were little boys."

  "But he was your husband."

  "Yes, and I loved him dearly. I thought I’d die from missing him, but I had people to help me through the grief. I doubt Reed has ever talked to anyone about that day outside of the testimony he gave at the trial. I can’t see him running to his mama for comfort like I did."

  Chris watched as Reed disappeared around a bend in the drive. Shelly suspected he identified with the way men kept their feelings inside, letting pain and anger fester rather than talk about them.

  "Do you want to leave, Chris? Eddie Victor is extremely dangerous. I don’t know if he’ll come anywhere near here, but I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you."

  He looked back at her, his facial features strained. "I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I hightailed it."

  "It’s because you’re my friend that I want you to consider it. I can’t close the business, not yet, but I can manage without you."

  She hated the hurt expression on his face, but Reed’s suggestion had some validity. A young man not even out of college didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire of someone else’s fight.

  "You might not need me, but I’m staying just the same. I figure three against one is better odds than two against one. I don’t have a gun, but I can get one from my granddad."

  Shelly shook her head. "Reed’s got the gun part covered." The thought of carrying a gun herself nauseated her.

  "What does this Victor guy look like so I’ll know what to watch for?"

  Shelly shuddered when she pictured Eddie, with those cold, hateful eyes boring twin holes in her. She stood, sending the swing swaying back and forth.

  "About six feet tall, dark complexion, dark hair and mustache. Snazzy dresser, though if he does come here, I don’t think he’ll be wearing Armani suits. And he’ll probably disguise himself somehow." Shelly exhaled as if doing so would rid her of thoughts of Eddie. "Now, if you’re staying, you’d better start earning your paycheck. We’ll be busy in a few days. Make sure all the tubes are good to go. And the oil needs to be changed in the van."

  Chris hesitated, likely still trying to decide on an appropriate response in light of all the information she’d dumped on him in a short amount of time. Finally, he smiled and saluted, trying no doubt to lighten the mood. "Yes, ma’am."

  When he disappeared around the edge of the cabin to work on the tubes, she looked down the road but couldn’t spot Reed. A chill ran down her back despite a temperature in the lower eighties.

  Damn you, Eddie Victor. I won’t let you do this to me. I won’t let you win.

  ****

  CHAPTER THREE

  By the time Shelly closed the office for the day and convinced Chris to go home, she was beyond exhausted. She hadn’t been able to do anything right, dropping files, fumbling the phone, and cursing with each of the three paper cuts stinging her fingers. She couldn’t concentrate on the design for the new brochure or the accounting, jumping at every sound and watching out the door for Reed to return from his walk.

  She’d been so distracted that she’d barely been able to talk to Callie, one of her friends from Dallas who’d called to check on her after hearing the news about Eddie. Only when she’d called her mother to check on how her father was doing was she able to focus. But the moment she hung up the phone after hearing there was no change, her nerves went on high alert again.

  She locked the office and wondered if she should have alarms installed in the office and her cabin. Crime was virtually nonexistent in Bobcat Ridge, so she’d never felt the need for anything other than a normal door lock to protect herself.

  She stood on the porch staring out into the surrounding forest, the deep green turning black with the approaching night. She shivered, feeling exposed. Had Eddie somehow made it this far already? Was he out there watching her, pointing a gun at her? Had Reed run into him?

  Stop it. Her worst enemies were her imagination and panic. She had to keep a tight rein on each and trust Reed to be able to take care of himself.

  Like Troy had? A doubting voice from deep within her mind whispered the question, making her close her eyes tightly and take a slow, deep breath. She swore she wouldn’t go back to the woman she’d been when her parents had brought her home, jumping at every creak of the cabin, seeing Eddie Victor’s face in every shadow. But as night descended on the mountains, she wondered if she could keep that promise.

  She strained to see beyond the clearing but saw nothing other than the faint swaying of leaves. Where the hell was Reed? And what had he been doing all afternoon?

  Fatigue weighing on her shoulders, she stepped off the porch and made her way to her own cabin. She flicked on the light and went immediately to the refrigerator. But after opening the door and staring at the fully stocked racks, she realized she was too tired to eat. What she really wanted was a nice hot bath.

  She stared at the front door, hating that she had to worry about someone getting in. She slid a chair under the doorknob, telling herself it was just a precaution. A little peace of mind while she soaked away her troubles.

  While the water ran into the tub, she pulled a clean pair of pajamas from the drawer in her bedroom, anticipating the feel of soft cotton on her freshly scrubbed skin when she stepped from the bath.

  The moment she sank into the tub, she sighed in pleasure. She leaned her head back and let the hot water loosen her tightly knit muscles. She’d been tense, ready to run, ever since Reed’s revelation about Eddie.

  Shelly closed her eyes and relaxed, forced herself to think pleasant thoughts. She visualized blooming rhododendron and violets, imagined a red-tailed hawk soaring in a brilliant blue sky, felt the caress of a gentle mountain breeze. She drifted toward sleep.

  Eddie Victor’s face appeared
at her window, watching her as she lounged in the tub.

  Shelly yelped and sputtered as she slid below the water. Oh God, Reed was right. She fought her way to the surface and opened her mouth to scream. But when she looked at the small window above the toilet, she realized she’d been dreaming. Vertical blinds covered the window, preventing anyone from looking in.

  She lifted her trembling hands to cover her face. She’d fallen asleep, dreamed about the face that had haunted her for so long. Lord, she didn’t want those nightmares to return. For months after Troy’s death, she’d dreaded going to bed at night, knowing she’d wake up at some point with her heart pounding out of her chest and tears running down her cheeks.

  Her relaxing bath ruined, she stepped from the tub and toweled off. She scanned her bedroom before moving toward the bed and her pajamas. Once dressed, she crept into the main room.

  It’d been less than a day, and Eddie Victor had already changed how she lived. Wherever he was, she hoped lightning struck him dead.

  She decided to try the refrigerator again, but then the boards on her front porch creaked. Her heart leapt into her throat, pounding so loudly she could barely hear past it. She stood frozen, staring at the door, wondering what—or who—was on the other side. Or if it was her overactive imagination.

  Shelly crept to one of the front windows. She held her breath as she carefully pulled aside the curtain just as she flipped on the outside light. Sitting at the top of her steps with his back to a porch post was Reed.

  She nearly sank to the floor in relief, but anger quickly followed. If she’d owned a gun, he could have gotten himself blown off her porch.

  She jerked the door open.

  "You shouldn’t look out the windows after dark," he said.

  "You shouldn’t go creeping around scaring the daylights out of people."

  He turned toward her, and his eyes widened momentarily before returning to normal. "Sorry."

  She glanced down at her attire, realizing for the first time how thin the cotton pajamas were. She wrapped her arms across her breasts as a blush burned her cheeks, and she fought the urge to retreat inside.

  She scanned the darkness beyond the light shed by her porch bulb and the security post by the office. "Where were you all afternoon?"

  "Around. Seeing how close Eddie could get without us detecting him."

  The same chill she’d experienced earlier slithered down her back. She took a step backward, wanting to return to the relative safety of her cabin and some semblance of normalcy. "Come in. I’ll make some dinner."

  "You don’t have to cook for me."

  "Let’s see. You’re not going to go into town to eat or buy groceries, and I doubt you stopped in Dallas to shop before you hopped on the plane. If I don’t feed you, you’re going to starve. How do I explain that to the Dallas P.D.?"

  Without a word, he stood. Goodness, he was taller than she remembered. Or maybe it was a trick of the dim light, or the fact that she felt vulnerable in her current attire. Not waiting for him, she hurried to her bedroom and pulled on an extra large T-shirt over her pajamas. The shirt, one sporting the old Firefly Run logo of a firefly literally running, came down to her knees and made her feel as if she’d slipped into a suit of armor.

  When she returned to the other room, Reed sat at the kitchen table, his hand draped over his gun. The sight of that cold metal startled her, then offered a strange calm. She knew Eddie Victor would taste those bullets before Reed let him get anywhere near her. Even though a gun had cost her the person she loved most in the world, Reed’s gave her more comfort than her bath had.

  "What would you like?"

  He shrugged. "Don’t care."

  Needing to lighten the situation before she fell apart, she said, "Okay, fried possum and poke salad it is." She glanced over at Reed to find him looking at her as if she’d lost her mind, his eyebrows lifted and his mouth slightly pinched. She chuckled. "I’m just kidding. I may have moved back to the mountains, but I didn’t turn into some roadkill-eating hillbilly."

  "That’s good to know. Need any help?"

  "No, thanks."

  Figuring Reed hadn’t eaten any better than he’d slept recently, she pulled some leftover fried chicken from the fridge and put it in the microwave to heat while she made salad, then microwaved some potatoes and toasted thick slices of bread. Reed remained quiet, his gaze focused toward the front of the cabin. She fancied she could hear his thoughts clicking. He didn’t acknowledge her presence again until she slid the plate of food in front of him. He pushed the gun to one side but still within easy reach.

  It only took a couple of seconds for Shelly to understand how hungry Reed was. He devoured the meal, licking his fingers as he ate the chicken. But instead of commenting on his appetite, she let him eat, filling his plate with seconds without him having to ask. Only when he finished and leaned back in his chair did he seem to realize the relish with which he’d eaten the meal.

  "Guess I was hungrier than I thought."

  "So it seems. It’s nice to cook for someone besides myself." As soon as she said it, she wished she could retrieve the words. A pained expression clouded his eyes. His eyes were so striking. Why hadn’t she remembered that? "I cook for Mom and Dad sometimes, but I know Dad prefers Mom’s cooking."

  "Yours was good."

  She smiled. "Thanks. But I think you were pretty easy to please tonight."

  "Considering what’s in my fridge would probably walk out if I ever opened the door, this was five-star dining."

  "Maybe I should start a bed and breakfast on the side. Come to Firefly Run B&B where our specialties are leftover chicken and microwaved potatoes."

  That garnered the ghost of a smile from Reed. The sight of it lifted her heart. She realized suddenly that she’d missed him. "What...what have you been doing since I saw you?"

  "Working."

  "That’s it? I’m sure you’ve hit the town a few times. I seem to remember you turning heads on a regular basis. We never knew if we’d ever see the same girl on your arm twice." And for a moment, Shelly was jealous of all those beauties. Argh, she needed to stop thinking like that. Sleep, that’s what they both needed. In the morning, they’d be back to their old selves. Hopefully.

  Reed’s tired expression didn’t change. "I work a lot. Don’t have much time for dating."

  Reed Tanner not dating? Her heart nearly broke. Troy’s death had punched a bigger hole in his best friend’s life than she could have imagined.

  "Why?"

  He looked up at her, held her gaze with those beautiful eyes of his. She didn’t have to elaborate. He knew what she was asking. "Didn’t seem important anymore, frivolous. Figured my time was better spent tracking down the scum of the earth and making sure they got locked up away from decent people."

  "I wouldn’t say trying to find someone special is frivolous."

  "My past dating wasn’t exactly a search for Miss Right."

  "It’s never too late."

  He sighed. "Shelly, I’m not in the market for a wife. So don’t get any matchmaking ideas. All I want is to make sure Eddie Victor stays away from here and then go home."

  "I can’t exactly matchmake you with anyone in a week or ten days."

  "I might be here longer than that."

  "How long?"

  "However long it takes to convince me you’re safe."

  "Lord, Reed, that could be forever or never even. You have to go back to work sometime."

  "Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered."

  She didn’t question him further. He didn’t look like a flow of answers were forthcoming anyway. But he would have to go back, whether he liked it or not.

  Her heart squeezed at the thought of Reed returning to Dallas. Why was that? She’d connected with a few friends in the area since returning, but none of them would ever know what she’d lived through like Reed did. Maybe she missed that, being able to talk to someone for hours on end about the good and bad. Since returning to Bobcat Ridge, sh
e’d focused solely on the positive, determined to leave all the bad in the past, in Texas. And thus, she didn’t ever feel she could be totally herself with anyone.

  As she carried the dishes to the sink, the phone rang. "Hello," she said when she picked up the receiver.

  "Shelly, thank goodness you’re there." Her older brother’s voice rushed out in near panic. "Have you seen the news?"

  Damn. "No, but I know about Eddie Victor."

  "I would have called earlier, but I was in court all day. Then I went to the hospital. I didn’t see the news until now. Does this guy know where you are?"

  "I don’t know. Probably."

  "Why don’t you come up here and stay? Mom could use the company."

  "I can’t do that, Sean. I have to keep things running here. I don’t want Mom and Dad to worry about their business floating down the river with the tubes." Plus the hospital nearly made her pass out every time she stepped inside.

  "Have Chris run the place. Hire a couple more employees. I’ll help you pay for them."

  "Chris can’t do it alone, and your practice is so new that you don’t need to be spending extra money. You have a family, a mortgage, employees depending on you making it."

  "Maybe I can get a continuance on my cases and come down there. We can get some of the local law enforcement involved. We—"

  "Sean, slow down before you hyperventilate."

  "This isn’t something to joke about. This guy is dangerous."

  "I think I know that better than anyone."

  For a few moments, Sean remained silent. "I’m sorry, Shel. But I don’t want you there alone."

  "I’m not alone. Reed’s here." She glanced over at Reed to find him watching her. A strange tingling sensation danced across her skin.

  "Reed Tanner? When did he get there?"

  "This morning."

  "Good. I don’t want you going anywhere without him. He’s armed, isn’t he?"

  Although she’d stopped taking orders from her brother twenty years ago, she wanted to ease his worries. "Yes, he’s armed with a very effective looking sidearm."