Vengeance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 1)

by Reese A. Stephens

  I look over at him, sniffling and wiping my eyes again. “Really? They’re okay?”

  “Yeah, baby. They’re just fine. I promise you.” He leans over as he stops at the traffic light to give me a quick kiss. “You okay, now?”

  I nod. “Yeah. Sorry for being so emotional.”

  He snorts. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s a natural response to a scary situation.” I just nod, but say nothing else. I’m too worried.

  As soon as he has the car parked in the driveway of my house, I’m out and running across the yard to the home of my adoptive parents. “Mom, Dad!” I yell as I enter the front door.

  “We’re here!” Gale says as they round the corner. I’m in her arms immediately. “We’re okay, sweet girl,” she coos in my ear.

  “Hey, now. We’re just fine, honey,” Tom says as he wraps his arm around me, kissing my forehead.

  “I know. I was just so worried.” I’ve managed to calm my nerves now that I’ve seen them. “They didn’t take anything except from my room?” I ask.

  “We don’t know if they took anything from there either, but it’s a mess. They’ve dusted for finger prints, but we weren’t able to tell if there was anything missing,” Gale explains.

  “Here, babe. Wear these.”

  Ryan hands me a pair of blue latex gloves. I slip them on quickly and follow him up the stairs to the room where I spent the last part of my childhood.

  “Wow, they really did tear it up,” I whisper.

  The fact that whoever broke in destroyed my room bothers me more than it should, but this room means a lot to me. It’s where I brought Dylan after he was born. Where I lived until I went off to college and made a life of my own. The only place I felt safe for so long. Now, it’s completely trashed.

  “Were they looking for something?” I ask, moving things around to see if I can figure out what, if anything, is missing.

  “Appears that way. Is there anything gone?” Ryan asks.

  I look around a little more. “It’s hard to remember what was in here, but from what I can tell, my yearbook and some pictures.” I point to my bulletin board with bare spots. “The freaking bedding.” I’m so confused. This stuff is so insignificant. Why would anyone care about it?

  “Shay,” I turn to Ryan and he points to a jewelry box on my old dresser.

  I gasp. “No, please no,” I groan as I walk over. I can feel my eyes burning. “They took my locket. The one you gave me, Ryan. Why would they want that? It’s probably not worth anything. It was old and tarnished.” I can’t contain my tears any longer. That was the only thing I had left from my time with him.

  He hugs me. “I don’t know, baby. Do you see anything else?” he asks as he rubs my back.

  “I didn’t have a ton left in here …” I trail off as I notice they took a box of my pictures. “Why would they want this stuff?” I practically yell, growing angrier by the minute.

  “Do you think someone is after her, Ryan?” Tom, my adoptive father, asks. That does seem reasonable, but why would they come here?

  “I don’t know. Nothing strange has happened to her before now. She’s not been harassed or anything. Have you?” Ryan directs towards me.

  I shake my head. “No. Never. Why would they break in here and not my house?”

  Ryan says nothing as he shakes his head. After a pregnant pause, he says, “I think I should stay with you for a while. Just to be sure.” I start to protest but he raises his hand. “I’ll sleep on the couch or in the guest room. I’d just feel safer knowing the two of you are okay.”

  “I think it’s unnecessary, but for Dylan’s sake, I’ll agree.”

  He rolls his eyes and laughs. “Dylan’s sake, huh? You are just as important and precious to me, baby.”

  He smooths the hair back from my face and kisses me sweetly. I wrap my arms around him and squeeze him tightly. I can’t help but hold on to this man. There’s no more walls or denying what he means to me. He’s it for me. He always has been.

  “Let me stay,” he insists. I just nod and kiss him.

  ~*~

  “Have everything you need?” I ask as I lean inside the guest bedroom of my house where Ryan is unpacking his bag.

  “No, but I can’t have what I need right now,” he responds, giving me a smirk.

  I roll my eyes. “And what exactly is it that you need and can’t have?”

  He drops his bag onto the dresser and stalks over to me. “You, of course.” He pulls me close to him as he kisses me deeply.

  “Still gross!” Dylan yells from down the hall.

  I giggle as I pull away. “He can’t even see us,” I say.

  “That’s a boy for you. Seriously, I have everything I need. Thanks for letting me stay. I feel better being here with you guys, knowing you’re safe.”

  “I’m glad you are here too.” I move to sit on the bench at the foot of his bed. “This whole thing has me really spooked.”

  He follows me and wraps his arm around my shoulders. “I’ll find them. But in the meantime, I’m going to have a car patrol the neighborhood for a while. I can drive you to and from work too, if you’d like.”

  I shake my head. “No, that’s not necessary. Well, tomorrow it is, since my car is there, but no one has actually shown interest in me. I’ll be fine.”

  He stares at me for a few long seconds, then says, “They don’t have to approach you to be after you, Shayla. This could be serious. The break-ins in the past few weeks have been random and odd, but they’re likely connected. I don’t want to discount this one.”

  “I’m not saying don’t investigate. I’m just saying you don’t have to follow me around.”

  “For now, but the second I feel you are in danger, you better believe I’ll have someone on you twenty-four-seven.”

  I roll my eyes. I love that he wants to be protective of me, but I honestly feel it’s unnecessary. I’ve been in town less than a month, why would anyone be after me, they don’t even know me.

  The rest of my week goes by quickly with no issues, thankfully. The break in rocked me more than I let on to anyone. I’m a worrier by nature and I have been worrying non-stop about my family. I’ve also become a little paranoid. I feel like someone is always watching me. And speaking of someone watching me …

  “Dr. Daniels, may I help you?” I ask, as he stares at me from behind the nurses station as I note my patient’s chart.

  He smiles. I think he means it to be flirty, but it comes across even creepier than usual. “Go on a date with me,” he says.

  I’m taken aback for a moment while I process his words. It wasn’t a question. It was more like a demand. “Uh … sorry. I’m seeing someone.”

  He looks almost angry. “You’ve been here less than a month.”

  “Yes, but I’m still seeing someone,” I explain slowly, like I’m talking to a small child.

  He narrows his eyes. “Who?”

  “I don’t really think that’s any of your business,” I snap. Suddenly, I’m feeling very protective of Ryan.

  He stalks over to me and invades my personal space. “Because there is no one. Are we doing this again?”

  I back up, but my back hits the wall. I move to the side and head to my office, but as I reach for the door, his hand shoots out and stops me. He leans in close, my heart speeds up considerably. I feel frozen and panicked.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You did the same thing to me in college.”

  “I assure you, I have no clue to what you are referring.” I try to be strong, but I’m failing miserably.

  “I’ll tell you to what I am referring. In college, you flirted with me just as you do now. You’d bat those pretty blue eyes at me, say sweet things, and then say no when I’d ask you out.”

  “I went out with you. It didn’t work,” I remind him.

  He glares. “It didn’t work because of your inability to do as you’re told.”

  I jus
t stare at him. He’s crazy. He leans in again and is just about ready to say something in my ear. My heart begins to race. I feel trapped, suddenly unsure what to do.

  “Shayla!”

  We both jump and he takes a step back. A furious Ryan is charging down the hall, dressed in his full uniform. It’s the first time I’ve seen him dressed this way and I can’t deny the affect it’s having on me.

  “Ryan,” I say, relieved. Ryan continues to stalk towards us, anger burning on his face.

  “What’s going on?” he asks me.

  “Nothing,” I say immediately.

  He turns toward Trevor and glares. “She’s mine,” he says, pointing to me.

  He grips my upper arm and practically shoves me into my office without another word to Trevor. The door slamming shut makes me jump yet again. I’ve never in my life seen Ryan this angry. He takes a few deep calming breaths before he speaks.

  “Shay, I’m going to ask you this once.”

  “Okay,” I nod.

  “Did he kiss you?”

  “What?”

  His question shocks me. I then realize he’s not angry with me at all, he’s angry with Trevor. As much as I’d like to throw Dr. Pain-in-my-butt Daniels under the bus, I don’t want to lie.

  “No, that was Trevor Daniels. The guy I told you about. The one I went on one date with in college. If he had kissed me I would have kneed him in his happy place!”

  I can see the anger falling from his face as he tries, but fails, to hide his laughter. He covers his mouth with his hand as he says, “Happy place?”

  He starts laughing out right. I can’t help but join him as the uneasiness and tension of what happened with Trevor starts to wash away. He pulls me into his arms and I feel better already. He gently kisses the top of my head.

  “You’re adorable.”

  “You’re not mad?” I ask.

  “Oh, I’m mad all right, but not at you. I’m sorry I acted that way towards you. That wasn’t right.” He pauses and his demeanor changes again. “I don’t care what you say, something isn’t right with that guy. If he tries anything like that again, you call me. Understand?” He barks out like a command.

  “Yes, sir,” I bark back which makes him smile.

  “You’re so feisty. I like that,” he says, pulling me to him for a kiss. I roll my eyes. He watches me for a moment. “Seriously, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go watch our boy win his first football game,” I tell him, grabbing my jacket and purse.

  Ryan throws his head back and guffaws. “I love that boy, but the team sucks. It might be a while before they get their first win.”

  I shove him. “Be nice. They’re just kids. You’re supposed to be the proud supportive parent.”

  “I am. I actually can’t wait to see him play. I’ve missed out on so much. Sharing this with him … it just feels awesome.”

  It makes me sad every time he says something like that. I know he doesn’t mean anything towards me by it, but it still gets to me all the same. He notices the change in my attitude and immediately knows what’s wrong. He pulls me into his side and kisses my temple.

  “Not your fault.”

  I just nod. There’s no reason to hash it all out again. We’re moving on and he and Dylan are together now. That’s all that matters. By the time we get to the school, the crowd has started to gather. It’s not packed yet, but it’s close. Central is probably the Titans biggest rival. It’s gone on for generations. When Ryan was on the varsity team, they beat Central at the State Championships for the first time in the history of the team. The Titans haven’t won a championship against them since. Dylan swears he’ll change that by the time he’s on varsity. I believe he can, because he’s the greatest player I’ve ever seen. Not that I’m biased or anything.

  “Babe, I want you to meet the new head coach Grant Hamby. Grant, this is Dylan’s mom Shayla.” We shake hands.

  “Nice to meet ya. Dylan is a great player,” Grant says in a thick southern accent.

  “Nice to meet you too. Thanks. He loves football. Just like his dad,” I say, squeezing Ryan’s arm.

  “I’d say he gets that talent from him. I’ve heard some stories about you the past couple of weeks,” Grant tells him. I swear Mr. Tough Guy Ryan blushes.

  “Yeah, he’s a good player. I hope you were able to whip those boys into shape. Last time I helped out, they were terrible.”

  Grant smiles broadly, showing off a perfect set of white teeth. “I think you’ll be surprised.”

  Ryan and I head to the stands to find a seat. I’m able to see Dylan briefly before he kisses my cheek and runs off to the locker room. My boy is never ashamed to kiss his mama in public. I hope he never changes. We find a seat in the middle front. I can see everything perfectly.

  “You warm?” Ryan asks as we sit on the bleachers.

  “Yep. I have a blanket in my bag if I get too cold. Are you upset about not coaching anymore?”

  He shakes his head. “No, not really. With everything going on at work, I wouldn’t have time anyway. I was able to help out last week on my day off. They pretty much hate when I coach because I make them run.” He laughs.

  “Mean man,” I tease. “But I think Dylan likes it when you coach.” He’s mentioned it a few times.

  “I’ll help him out at home. I think one on one will be better anyway. Some father-son bonding time.” He can’t wipe the smile off his face. He’s such a good dad already. A total natural.

  “You’re probably right. He’s head over heels for you. He gets it honestly though,” I say with a wink. Ryan smiles back at me, placing an arm around my waist, and giving me a soft kiss.

  “Lucky me,” he says. We chat for a few more minutes and I pull out two thermoses, one coffee and one hot chocolate. “You think of everything.”

  “That I do. It’s the mom in me.” One of the cheerleaders trots over to the fifty-yard line beside Principal Amber Dillard and Vice Principal Jeanie Montgomery.

  “Thank you all for joining us for the first game of the season. We’re looking forward to a great one this year. Let’s hear it for the Titans!” Amber yells. The crowd goes wild. She calls everyone to order, then says, “Singing our national anthem is ninth grader, Faith Gibson.”

  Everyone stands and places their hands over their hearts as Faith begins to sing. I’m totally blown away by the voice on this little girl. She does an amazing job and the crowd goes crazy as soon as the last note is over. She does a huge bow, waves, and runs off the field. The football team gives her high five as she joins her fellow cheerleaders.

  “Wow,” Ryan breaths. “That was incredible.”

  “Completely, that is a hard song.”

  They introduce all the players, Ryan and I cheer extra loud for Dylan, who shakes his head as he falls into his place. The game moves quickly. The players are doing great. We’re up by fourteen points when Ryan stands up.

  “Come on, Ref. Are you blind?” He yells and sits back down grumbling.

  “Uh, what happened?”

  He looks at me in disbelief. “You didn’t see that?” I shake my head no. “Dylan threw to the receiver, it was an incomplete pass because of interference. The ref should have called a penalty.”

  “Okay,” I say. I don’t understand anything he’s said. I watch my son play, but I’m mostly clueless about football.

  “This ref needs freaking glasses,” Ryan mumbles.

  The game seems to be growing really intense when suddenly the linebacker hits Dylan near the sideline, causing Dylan to slide into a cheerleader. He hits her legs and she falls completely on top of him. I’m on my feet, ready to grab my bag and run to my baby. Just as I’m about to make my move, Ryan grabs my arm.

  “He’s fine, look.”

  I turn my eyes to the direction he’s pointing and see my son, helmet off, smiling at the girl on top of him. She bends down, kissing him quickly before hopping off of him and holding out her hand to help him up. He takes her hand and
jumps to his feet, pulling her hand to his mouth for a kiss. She giggles. My son, the charmer he is, blows her a kiss as he runs back onto the field.

  “Seems our boy has a little girlfriend,” Ryan says proudly.

  “I don’t like it,” I mutter. I don’t like it one bit.

  Chapter Seven

  Shayla

  Dylan was on cloud nine for days after the win against Central. I was proud of him. Ryan was so excited. As soon as the winning touchdown was scored, he jumped down from the bleachers and ran on to the field with the team. Dinner that night with the team was loud, to say the least, but I didn’t mind one bit. I even warmed up to the idea that my baby had a girlfriend. They’d met at Aunt Penny’s church when he’d stayed the weekend with her and his cousins. She was also the girl who sang the Anthem at the game. Faith is a sweet girl, but I’ll be putting some rules into play for my son. Just in case.

  “Morning, Dyl-pickle,” I greet my son, kissing his head as I pass him in the kitchen.

  He’s pouring a bowl of cereal for breakfast. It’s already October and close to Halloween. Dylan will be going to his first alone group party for the holiday. I’m a little nervous, but Ryan assures me that he’ll be fine. Faith’s parents, who are the music directors at Aunt Penny’s church, are chaperoning as the party will be at their house. So, I’m trusting Ryan on this one.

  “Morning,” he grumbles with a mouth full of cereal.

  “Chew, swallow, then speak,” I remind him.

  He swallows, then says, “Sorry. I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m tired.”

  “Do you feel bad?” I ask.

  He shakes his head. “No, I just couldn’t sleep. I was talking to Faith last night, I just couldn’t shut my brain off.” I smile. I totally understand. I was the same way with Ryan, still am sometimes.

  “That’s pretty normal, I think,” I tell him.

  He nods. “She’s really sweet. I think I’m going to go to church with her on Sunday. Is that okay?”

  “Of course it is. I went to that church most of my childhood.”

  “Do you care if I go to her house on Sunday after church?”