Finding Forever

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Finding Forever Page 19

by Nika Rhone


  “Don’t worry. I don’t go back on my word.” He stood looking down at her for a long second, his hands still on her waist.

  Amelia felt the heat of his touch like a brand even through her clothes. She stared up at him, holding her breath, caught between wishing he’d take a step back, and wishing he’d take one forward. If he stepped closer, he’d be all but pressed up against her, and suddenly she wanted that to happen.

  The breath she was holding came out in a rush when he chose back instead, his hands falling away, leaving her missing the comforting strength of his touch.

  “We should, ah…” Daryl gestured with a thumb toward the house.

  “Right.” Mortified by the direction her thoughts had started to wander, Amelia threw herself into the dinner preparations with a vengeance. As promised, all the pieces were there. She just had to assemble them into an edible meal while Daryl took the steaks outside to the grill.

  For all her worry, the meal was a success, if the slightly browned edges on the cornbread didn’t count. She made sure to praise Daryl’s efforts on the grill, which ensured that he was treated to a healthy dose of good-natured ribbing he seemed to enjoy more than he would have gratitude.

  At the end of the meal, Chaz told her the men would take care of the cleanup and shooed her from the kitchen. It was their way of thanking her, but in all honesty, it felt a little too much like being relegated to useless princess again. She would have rather stayed and been a part of the group effort. Still, she couldn’t turn down the gallant gesture without insulting them, so she took herself off as requested to the front porch, where she settled into one of the rockers and just…relaxed.

  The problem with relaxing was that it gave her far too much time to think. She tried to stick to things that were safe. The fun she had with the children at school. Worry for Winona and her future with Kyle. But inevitably, thoughts she was trying very hard not to think wormed their way into her head.

  What was going on back in Connecticut? Were people getting suspicious about her continued absence? Or, almost worse, had they not even noticed she was gone? She might have been the bride, but she had never deluded herself into believing she was the star of the show. That would be Charles. Rat bastard that he was, he was probably eating up all the extra attention coming his way because of her supposed illness.

  Daryl hadn’t told her anything specific, even though he’d been checking in daily with Doyle on the disposable phone he’d picked up at Walmart. Amelia had almost asked him several times over the past few days for an update. But she didn’t. Sometimes ignorance truly was bliss.

  It was the same reason she hadn’t talked with Thea, asking Daryl to pass along several messages via Doyle instead. Right now Amelia existed in a safe little haven of denial and isolation. Talking to her friend would end that. And she wasn’t ready for it to end. Thankfully, Daryl hadn’t questioned her on it.

  Daryl…

  The other thing she was trying so hard not to think about.

  It was totally wrong for her to have these little flutters inside her belly every time she was close to him. Wasn’t it? Of course, it was. She’d never felt flutters with Charles or with anyone else for that matter. So why the heck was Daryl the one to elicit this crazy, scary, wonderful response?

  Wonderful because she’d started to wonder if maybe there was something wrong with her, that she was incapable of feeling this way for anyone, ever. Scary, because now that she was feeling it, she didn’t know what to do next. And crazy, because she was feeling it for a man who’d made no secret of the fact she was his responsibility to keep safe. After Saturday, he’d go back to his regular life, and she’d…

  She had no idea. But whatever it was, she wouldn’t be doing it with Daryl. So she needed to stop thinking about him. Now. This very second.

  She was still trying not to think about him when she noticed the dust trail being kicked up by a vehicle coming up the driveway. Was Kim coming home? Was she bringing Winona with her? The reasons for that could be either good or bad. A dozen horrible possibilities spun through Amelia’s brain as she jumped up from the rocker and raced down the steps to meet the car.

  It wasn’t until the vehicle was almost to the house that Amelia realized it wasn’t Kim’s forest green car after all but a black SUV. A chill of unease pebbled her skin despite the heat as its two dark-suited occupants stepped onto the hard-packed driveway. She didn’t know who they were, but she knew what they were.

  “This is private property, in case you missed the sign out at the road.” Speaking first gave her the position of power. In theory. Judging by the bland expressions on the men’s faces, she might as well have clucked like a chicken.

  “Miss Westlake?” It was the driver who spoke, but it was the other one who had his phone out, looking first at the screen and then at her. With a small nod, he slid the phone into his pocket and they both started walking toward her.

  Oh, God. How had they found her? Hayden was the back of beyond. What had she done to give herself away and lead Charles’s security people to her? Precious seconds were wasted with that mental hand-wringing before she realized how didn’t matter. Right now, she needed to take control of the situation before it got any worse than it already was.

  “Clearly, you didn’t hear me the first time.” She crossed her arms, doing her best imitation of her mother at her snootiest. She must have done a good job because the men hesitated. “You’re trespassing, gentlemen, so I suggest you state your business and leave.”

  “Miss Westlake, you have a lot of people worried about you,” the driver said.

  She considered denying her identity for all of a second. “Who are you, exactly?” she asked instead. She was pretty sure she knew, but it wouldn’t hurt to be sure.

  After a second’s hesitation, the driver replied, “Lister, ma’am. And McCall.” He tipped his head toward the other man, who looked annoyed with his partner for answering her. “We work for your fiancé’s family.”

  “My former fiancé, you mean.”

  Lister didn’t acknowledge the distinction one way or the other. “There was some concern when you disappeared five days ago that you might have been acting under duress.”

  “Duress?” Amelia shook her head in disbelief. “I spoke to Charles before I left Connecticut. He knows exactly why I did.” Well, maybe not exactly, but “I’m not going to marry you” was pretty self-explanatory. If he’d been so concerned, he could have spoken up then instead of treating her like some insignificant annoyance.

  Not that she would say any of that to these men.

  “Mr. Charles was especially concerned when he wasn’t able to reach you by phone.”

  “Mr. Charles should have taken the hint that I don’t want to talk to him.”

  “I’m certain it would put his mind at ease if he were able to speak to you, ma’am.”

  “Fine. I’ll give him a call.” When hell freezes over.

  “It would be better if you were to come back with us and discuss the matter with him in person, so he can see for himself you’re not being unduly influenced in any way in your decisions.”

  Amelia gave a short bark of laughter. “That’s so not going to happen.”

  The two men exchanged a long look, doing that unspoken message thing she’d seen her own bodyguards do where they seemed to be telepathic. They started toward her again.

  “If you won’t return with us to Connecticut, then we’ve been instructed to see you back into your parents’ care instead. You don’t have any objection to setting their minds at ease over your well-being, do you?”

  Lister made her sound like a spoiled child having a tantrum. God, it was infuriating. But her anger shifted to panic when it became clear from the determined looks on their faces that her cooperation was irrelevant. These men intended to complete their assignment with or without it. Her heart jumped to her throat, blocking her breath as she turned to retreat into the house, even though she’d never make it in time.

  An
d then she saw him.

  He was nothing more than a shape in the growing shadows of the porch, but Amelia knew it was Daryl. Almost instantly, her fear vanished. She wasn’t alone. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She turned back to the two men sent to retrieve her and knew they’d seen Daryl as well because they halted their advance, caution evident on their faces.

  Amelia waited, but Daryl didn’t come down the steps and take over sending the men on their way. It took a moment for the truth to dawn. He was leaving the situation in her hands. Ignoring the quick somersault her stomach took, she threw her shoulders back. She wasn’t useless. She could do this.

  “I’m not inclined to go anywhere with you, gentlemen” It wasn’t her mother that came out of her mouth this time. It was pure pissed-off princess. “I made a decision, all on my own, to leave Connecticut. Although my departure might have been abrupt, it was my choice to make. I don’t owe anyone any further explanation. Not the Davenports, not my parents, and certainly not the two of you. You may go back to your employer and tell him that you delivered the message and that I declined the invitation he so graciously extended.”

  Another look passed between the men. “I’m afraid we can’t do that, Miss Westlake. Our instructions were very clear. You need to go to either Connecticut or Colorado.”

  “Unless those instructions included kidnapping, I believe the lady already told you she wasn’t going anywhere.”

  Daryl’s deep voice sent a shiver of warmth through her. She never heard him move, but suddenly he was behind her, his large hands resting on her shoulders. She didn’t bother resisting the urge to lean back into his comforting strength.

  “You’ll understand if we find her claim that she isn’t under duress a little hard to swallow when you’re standing there behind her telling her what to say,” McCall said, his tone surly.

  “Miss Westlake has given you her answer. Twice. I believe it’s time for you to leave.”

  Neither man looked inclined to follow the calmly stated order. They did the little psychic-talk look again and Amelia tensed. Something was going to happen. She just didn’t expect what did.

  As both men started to slide their hands under their suit jackets, there was a very loud, very distinctive sound from the far end of the porch that even Amelia recognized as a shotgun being racked. Her eyes widened at the sight of Chaz standing at the edge of the porch, a big, black shotgun held in his hands with an ease that said he knew how to use it. She got a further shock when she turned toward a noise at the other end of the porch and saw Hank, a sleek rifle held with the same easy confidence and deadly intent as he leaned against the railing with one hip.

  Daryl’s attention stayed focused on the two men in front of him. Amelia felt the tension radiating off him with such intensity she was surprised her back didn’t feel scorched. Things could go from bad to worse if anyone did or said the wrong thing in the next few minutes, and the very last thing she wanted was for there to be any bloodshed because of her.

  Taking a breath, she tried to take a step away from Daryl’s overpowering presence, but his hands held her in place. She gave him a disgruntled look, rolling her eyes when he looked down at her and raised that annoying eyebrow of his as though daring her to try it again.

  With a sigh she turned her attention to the men in black, who had been smart enough to bring their hands back into plain sight. Maybe there was hope for them yet.

  “Listen very carefully, Mr. Lister, because I’m only going to say this one more time. I am not going with you. Not to Connecticut, not to Boulder, not anywhere. The wedding is off. Maybe I didn’t handle that in the best possible way, but what’s done is done. Nothing is going to change my mind.”

  “Under the circumstances, you’ll forgive me if I can’t accept that you’re making these decisions of your own free will.” Lister shot a speaking glance to the two silent sentries on the porch.

  Amelia tilted her head and smiled. “In case you haven’t noticed, it isn’t me their guns are pointed at.”

  Lister looked like he wanted to argue the point, but another glance at the armed men seemed to change his mind.

  “You’ve already been told you’re trespassing,” Daryl said. “I suggest you leave. Now.” There was a dark threat underlying his voice. The Davenport security men evidently heard it, because after one last angry look at Amelia, they got into their SUV and sped down the driveway, leaving a rooster tail of dust in their wake. It wasn’t until they were out of sight Daryl relaxed his stance and his grip, allowing Amelia to turn and face him.

  “Thank you.” It was only starting to dawn on her just how badly things could have turned out if Daryl hadn’t shown up when he did. Although, if he’d heard her tell the men that they were trespassing, then he had to have been there listening from almost the very moment they showed up. “Why did you wait so long to say something?”

  “You were doing just fine on your own.”

  She snorted. “Right. If that were true, I wouldn’t have needed the three of you to come to my rescue.” She glanced toward the porch as she said it, but both Chaz and Hank had disappeared. She needed to thank them. And give them an explanation.

  “We didn’t rescue you. We just backed you up. There’s a difference.”

  The denial was on the tip of her tongue, but she stopped and thought about it. It was true that when Daryl had first let his presence be known, he hadn’t jumped in and taken over the situation as she’d expected. And even after Hank and Chaz had joined in the united force behind her, neither of them had said a word. All three men had deferred to her, letting her handle the matter as she saw fit, standing ready to step in only if needed.

  In the past, her fights had always been championed by her friends. Only now she could see they hadn’t been backing her up so much as taking over and handling the problem for her. Every time Thea or Lillian stepped into the dissent between her and her mother, Amelia always ended up being pushed to the side while they jumped on the grenade for her. That same pattern had ruled their entire friendship, all the way back to middle school.

  God, had she always been such a wimp? Or had she simply become one over time as her battles were all fought for her?

  Daryl hadn’t taken over. Hadn’t played white knight and pushed her to the side and fought her fight for her. No. He’d stood at her back, letting her know that she had his support when and if she needed it, and let her handle the situation all on her own. And the most surprising fact was…she had. And she hadn’t felt like throwing up once.

  Amazed and thrilled to find she actually did have a spine in her back somewhere, she let out a happy laugh and threw her arms around Daryl in a hard hug. She breathed in the warm, smoky scent he carried from the barbeque, her face pressed tight to his chest, trying to memorize the moment so she could replay it later when she was a little less giddy with adrenaline. Finally, she pulled back and smiled up at him.

  “Thank you for being my Shrek.” She went on tiptoe to press a kiss to his cheek, which ended up being very close to his mouth instead because of their height difference. She wasn’t sure which of them was more surprised by the action. She laughed again, nervously this time, and started to back toward the porch steps. “I, ah, have to go figure out what to make for breakfast in case Kim doesn’t come home tonight.” She almost tripped over the bottom step, righted herself and then bit her lip and bolted inside, wondering what had possessed her to do such a stupid thing as kiss him.

  And when she might be able to do it again.

  Chapter Twenty

  The woman was driving him insane.

  After the confrontation the previous evening with Davenport’s security goons, Daryl expected her to be upset. Worried. Maybe even a little weepy. Instead, she spent the morning bouncing around the kitchen making breakfast all on her own like she hadn’t just learned how to crack an egg a few days ago, looking happier than he’d seen her in…well, probably ever.

  It was just wrong.

  Didn’t she un
derstand what had happened? The Davenports knew where she was, and it was a safe bet they weren’t going to just leave her alone after one failed attempt to retrieve her. Because call it by any other name, that had been a retrieval team. Their attempts to convince Amelia to go with them had been mere formality on the off chance the job could be handled quick and quiet. If he hadn’t heard the SUV, hadn’t gone out to investigate, there was no doubt in Daryl’s mind that Amelia would have been snatched.

  Some bodyguard he turned out to be.

  But oh, the absolute glory of watching Amelia stand on her own two feet and tell those bastards to take a hike. Politely, of course. He wouldn’t expect anything less from her. She might have been angry and scared as hell, but she’d done a damn fine imitation of being in complete control. Which was why he hadn’t let her know he was watching. There were too many good-intentioned people always jumping in to save her whenever she started to flounder in deep water. It was about time she learned that she could swim just fine on her own.

  What bothered the hell out of him was their safe house being breached. It had pissed him off even more when he contacted his boss and Doyle got back to him with the information that pictures had been uploaded on social media of Amelia outside the church, finger extended, giving the Hayden Harridans a piece of her mind. The poster hadn’t known who she was, of course, but facial recognition software, the kind that the senator’s alphabet agency friends had access to, would have.

  The phrase “Big Brother is watching” was no longer a joke.

  Doyle had also informed him they were packing up and leaving Connecticut. The Davenports’ social secretary had called to inform them that Thea and Lillian’s invitations to the remaining pre-wedding events, as well as the wedding itself, had been rescinded.

  “Interesting timing, don’t you think?” Doyle asked.

 

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