"What the hell was that?" she asked.
"Just getting a picture for the paper, Ma'am," the photographer said. "Not many people get to come back from the dead."
"Come on," Dean grunted coming over to her other side and taking her from Bobby’s hold. "Let's get you out of here."
Eleven
You will regret leaving a Virgo. You will only realize how much you miss and love them when nobody else treats you the way they did.
Zodiacmind.tumbler.com
* * *
A Storybook Ending for Local Couple.
After travesty tore them apart, Robert Travitz and Emilie Williams are reunited in front of the Malone police station on Tuesday October 16. Travitz was the prime suspect in Williams disappearance last week. The police going as far as saying murder, when Williams emerged from the shadows Tuesday afternoon. Mystery still surrounds the case and questions remain but Travitz and Williams may get their happily ever after yet.
Carter had read the article three times but now he was fixated on the picture. Bobby had his arm around her waist and she looked happy in his arms. There was a smile on her face, but not just that, it was in her eyes. She was happy to be there with him. Bobby hadn't lost the wonderment he must have felt at finding out she was alive. It was all over his face. That and love.
He tossed the paper in the trash, right along with his heart.
Hell, he knew this might happen. She promised him she'd be back but that picture told a different story. Even that morning she had text him. Told him she was headed back into the station for another statement. Apparently the one detective was giving her a hard time. Everything had been ok until he read the paper.
On the table his phone buzzed with a text. He had barely gotten to it when it started to ring.
Emilie.
Probably had seen the paper.
"Hello?"
"Carter it's not what it looks like."
Those were horrible first words. Nothing ever good came from those words.
"Then what is it? Because it looks like you might be getting your 'happily ever after'," he quoted from the article.
Emilie sighed and then curse. "Hopefully one day, just not with him. Look, I was playing up my injured leg and Bobby offered to help me down the steps then this photographer came out of nowhere and snapped a picture."
Carter wanted to brush it off like it was nothing, like she seemed to be doing but that smile she had on in the picture stuck with him. "It's fine, Em."
"No it’s not. I can tell you’re angry."
He wasn't angry. He was heartbroken. There was a difference. "That's not it."
"Then what is it?" she asked with a nervous edge to her words. He imagined her cradling the phone in her hand and chewing on her lip. He closed his eyes and willed the image of her away.
Carter sat at his table. Emotional exhaustion settled heavily on his shoulders. "I don't know. I just hate feeling like this."
"Like what?"
"Anxious."
She was quiet for a minute. "I'm coming back, Carter," she said softly.
"Mmmm hmmm," he hummed.
"It sounds like there is more," she sighed. "I can't put you at ease about this if you don't tell me all of it."
He rubbed a hand down his scalp. His foot hadn't stopped bouncing since he sat down. There was more, she was right about that. But it was something he wasn't sure about yet. Something that could backfire very easily.
"I can't watch you be with another man, even if it's all an act, I can't do it. That picture gutted me this morning."
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice small.
"Baby, you shouldn't be sorry. This is my problem. You are just doing what you have to do, what I want you to be doing. I just can't handle my shit."
Hesitantly she asked, "What did you want to do then?"
Carter flattened his lips, trying to keep the words in but failing. "I think it might be best if we took a break while you arein Malone." Fuck him. He hated himself right now.
"Oh," she said sounding disappointed but not surprised at all. "Ok, I see."
He felt the need to explain to both her and himself. "It will be better this way. Now you don't have to worry about me. Just get your shit done and then come back. When you get into town, call or text me and then I'll be there. But I can't do this while you are up there with your fiancé."
"Ex," she said absentmindedly.
"Does he know that?"
She sighed. "No, not yet."
"My point exactly."
"So we are taking a break?" she asked with a controlled voice. A few of her barriers had gone up. Hell, he didn't blame her, he was doing a dick move right now. But in order for him to protect himself, he needed this.
"I guess I’ll see you when I get back then."
"Yeah," he sighed. "Good luck, Emilie."
"Bye Carter."
He packed a bag, grabbed a tent, a sleeping bag and some necessities then took off. The sun had barely cleared the mountains when he left town.
It was a spur of the moment decision he made in the early hours of the morning after sleep eluded him. He had thought that by taking a step back from the relationship he would be protecting his heart and would ease the amount of anxiety he felt. It didn't. It made it worse. Carter spent the night second guessing his decision.
It was his wolf who had pushed for the run. The beast wanted out and Carter wanted a break. Seemed like a perfect solution. So he packed, and he left. He ignore the part of him that accused himself of running.
Carter drove over to Tyson's house, he had the best access for where he was headed. They wouldn't mind if his truck sat in their driveway for a day or two. Then maybe on the way home, he could catch Tyson and talk to him about the enforcer position. He had been the last decent one and no one knew better than him what it would mean for Carter to accept Owen's offer.
After parking, Carter turned off his phone and put it in the glove box. He didn't want the temptation along with him. Not that he'd get service deep within the mountains but it was best to not have it at all. Mostly he was going to let his fur down and be an animal. His wolf hadn't had a good run in a long time.
As he grabbed his bags from the truck bed, the front door opened. Tyson stepped out onto the porch with a yawn and a mug of coffee. It was barely seven am.
"I didn't wake you, did I?" Carter asked as he slung a bag over his shoulder.
"Nope. I was making coffee when I heard you pull up. Heading out there?" Tyson asked, nodding towards the forest.
"Need to get a way for a bit. It ok if I leave my truck here?"
Tyson sipped his coffee and nodded. "Sure, you in a rush or got a minute?"
He closed the tailgate and walked around to the front of the truck. "No rush. What do you need?"
Tyson had been the best damn enforcer the pack had ever had. He was fair and just and believed in the job. He didn't make many friends with it but that was just Tyson. The job led him to a hard choice, one he didn't have to make but because he believed so much in his job, he made them and he made them alone. Damn near turned him feral. His mate brought him back. They weren't mated then but she tamed his wolf. Tyson was different now. He stayed out of pack business as much as the alpha's best friend could but he was friendlier and more open to the rest of them, even though he wasn't one of them anymore.
"I heard you were considering becoming the enforcer."
"Owen works fast," he said, coming up to the porch and dropping his gear.
Tyson smiled. He knew all too well the sneak their alpha could be when he wanted to. "Come inside and let's talk a bit about it. I don't want to persuade you one way or another but just give you the straight facts of it all. You can think on it while you’re out ignoring life for a while."
Well, it wasn't like Carter had a schedule to keep. He followed Tyson inside and was outfitted with a cup of coffee and a fresh cinnamon roll, compliments of his mate, Sadie.
"So I hear you are seeing a bear," Tyson
said with a grin. He may not be an enforcer anymore but he still had an ear to the ground. "That's good. The job isn't easy and it's best when you have some support when you come home. It gets heavy, you know that better than most being a cop and all, but this is just more weight you'll have to carry around. The pack isn't going to be a retreat from your life anymore. It's not going to be a safe place."
Carter's gut rolled. The last thing he wanted was to think about Emilie right now. But Tyson wasn't done and he wasn't about to interrupt him. Seemed like he had been practicing what he wanted to say to him and just needed to get it all out. Anyone who knew Tyson, knew he didn't like to talk about his days as an enforcer.
"You need someone to relax with, to unwind and let your guard down around. The gut reaction is to do it alone, to hide the dirty parts but that's wrong. I did that for years. Owen had my back but he was it. I never let go of that energy that builds up. You will learn things about the pack you wish you never knew and can't unlearn."
So far, nothing surprised him. He dealt with these same things on a different scale with his job now. But Tyson was right. The pack was the one place he didn't have to be Police Sergeant Bennett. That would all change.
"You need to have someone to share the bad parts with. Someone to keep you grounded."
And Tyson assumed that person was Emilie. Yesterday, he might have considered it. She is a great listener after all. But today was a brand new miserable day.
"Turns out the bear isn't as single as I originally thought. We are on hold until further notice." When Tyson frowned, questions forming on his lips, Carter shook his head. "Long story. Don't want to talk about it."
"Shit man, I'm sorry. That doesn't change anything, though. It doesn't have to be the bear but you'll need someone. Owen, definitely. He's in this with you. You've got me and Miles, he's an enforcer too. He'll be doing your training, use him even after he goes home. You've got Chuck, that man has seen it all."
Carter nodded. Tyson had given him some stuff to chew on. "Thank you."
"No problem. Let me know what you decide then. No harm in saying no, either. Owen can be pushy at times but he will respect whatever decision you come to."
Twelve
Once a Virgo has made up their mind there’s probably nothing you can do to change it.
horoscopescafe.com
* * *
It was odd to be knocking on her own front door. Then again, it wasn't hers anymore.
She had to go to the police station again today. Detective Rose was still questioning her story. He thought it "sounded funny." Of course it did, it was fiction. But the reality was even more unbelievable to a man like him so he'd have to just accept it sooner or later.
At least Bobby had been released, that had been the goal all along. She would probably have a warning in her file for the rest of her life. "This woman is suspicious," or some other nonsense. It was worth it to know he wouldn't be going to jail.
Bobby opened the door and gave her a lopsided smile. "Hey," he said scratching his bed head. "What are you doing here?"
Emilie had to trample down all those warm fuzzies that his smile created in her. Just because they were done didn't mean he couldn't elicit a response from her. Bobby was someone's perfect guy. He was caring, honest and sweeter than sugar. There was this innocence in him that just made a person feel comfortable around him. But what they had for the last few months hadn't been love, or rather, hadn't been romantic love. He stopped challenging her. Actually, she had begun to question if he ever had challenged her. For as wonderful of a person Bobby was, he was not the guy for her.
Carter was.
Of course Carter was at the moment on her shit list. It was easier to be mad at him than to think about what he had done. Shock and denial were heavy in her brain too.
A break. What were they, in high school?
No one took "breaks." That was just code for, "I am done but don't want to hurt you." When she stopped to think about it, her stomach clenched and she felt like she was drowning in her own unshed tears. All she wanted to do was go home and smack that idiot. He wasn't done. He was feeling insecure and instead of handling it, he took it out on her.
Logically, she knew this but emotionally she wanted to puke with the uncertainty of it all. What if he really was done?
"You ok, Em?"
Bobby waited for her to say something. He knew better than most how distracted her mind could become. There was a sympathetic glow in his eyes. His sympathy was the last thing she needed, not when she was here to end things.
"I was on my way into the station but hoped we could talk some more first."
He opened the door wider so she could slip in. "Of course."
It hit her hard when she looked around. Nothing had changed. Everything was where she had left it. Well, except for her things. Those were missing because they were back home with her. Noticing the differences helped make it not feel like hers anymore.
"I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked, following him into the kitchen. Emilie took a seat at the island and tried not to remark on how surreal this felt.
"No, I had just gotten up for some coffee." He poured her a cup and made it how she liked it.
That, more than anything, made her sad. She didn't know why, but it did. Here was this man who had only ever loved her and she was rejecting him for no other reason than she was done.
Halfway through stirring, it must have clicked with Bobby too. He frowned, his hand slowing. Their conversation yesterday was fresh in her mind. He suspected her of something. The look he flashed her now told her that hadn’t changed.
"There is something more to you, isn't there?" he asked as he handed her mug over.
"What do you mean?" Oh, she knew what he meant. She was just shocked he was asking it. This was not the guy she knew. Bobby accepted, he did not question.
"I don't know," he said leaning his elbows on the counter. "The more I think about that day and what I had seen, the more confused I get."
Emilie sipped her coffee. Perfect, as usual. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't tell him either. And deep down, he didn't want to know. Changed or not, what she was would change his outlook on the world and she would not do that to him. It might ruin him.
"It makes me think about over the years we were together and I can spot other inconsistencies. All those times I ignored your explanation because I knew you would tell me if you needed to. I've always known there was something special about you."
She sighed. "There is nothing special about me."
His eyes flicked up. "You're wrong. But you've never been able to take a compliment."
Emilie laughed. That was entirely true. Presents and compliments made her uncomfortable. All that attention directed at her. She felt like she had to react a certain way and would get so caught up on how she should be acting that she couldn't just enjoy the gift.
Bobby reached forward and covered one of her hands. "You can tell me."
No, she couldn't. Maybe things would have been different if she had been honest with him in the beginning. Maybe if he was a shifter, they could have had a chance. But that’s not what happened. "I'm more," she said softly.
His eyes seemed to inflate. She could see the ideas formulating and when he opened his mouth, she cut him off.
"That's all I will ever say about it. Knowing more will ruin you and I don't want to do that. I can't be responsible for that."
He looked at her for some time and then nodded. His hand slid back off of hers. "What happens now?"
"I go back to Westlin. This isn't my life anymore."
The words didn't seem to affect him in any way. Bobby wasn't surprised she was leaving. "Are you happy?" he asked.
She nodded and then smiled. Her half a farmhouse, her building full of books, the community of her kind and the freedom she had. Her life was an honest one now. There was no need to hide. Yeah, Emilie was happy.
"I am."
Bobby absorbed what she said. He tasted it and
when it didn't hurt him, he accepted it.
"Emilie, I buried you." A hand came up and covered his mouth. The words were still painful to say. They were painful to hear. "I said goodbye and now you are here. That's not something I will be able to get over any time soon. I think," he looked up, his eyes worried. Bobby sighed. "I think it's best if you stayed dead." Horror at how that sounded crossed his face. He blinked and then tried to backtrack. "I didn't mean-"
"I understand, don't worry." And she did. He had mourned her already, had begun to move on. Her presence would only confuse everything.
Emilie pushed out her chair and stood. There was nothing else for her here. "I hope you find happiness, Bobby."
He nodded. "And I hope you keep yours."
He'd planned to go for two days but ended up staying for a third. Carter just enjoyed the time away from everything too much to turn back. He had thought about a lot of things and then let them sit for a while. As he made his way back to this truck, he knew he was doing the right thing for himself...on all accounts.
The pack house was bustling as usual. The amount of people staying with Owen changed week to week but during the day there was always life about. He went straight up to the third floor, the alpha's floor, and knocked.
Owen didn't look surprised to see him even though he hadn't seen anyone to tell him he was on his way.
"Tyson saw you leaving. Took a wild guess at where you were headed," Owen explained with a grin. "Come in and tell me what you decided."
Carter had only been in his rooms twice before. Once as a kid back when Owen's father was alpha and again not too long ago when they were meeting about Lee. He followed Owen to his couch and took a seat. Owen watched him, a grin already in place like he knew he was there to accept.
"The least you could do is hide the grin till after I told you I'm accepting."
Owen slapped his leg and jumped up. "I knew it. Mira owes me ten dollars."
"You bet with your mate whether I would accept or not?" Carter asked a little surprised at what he was hearing.
The Truth in Love: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Virgo Page 9