He’d decided to follow his father’s advice – wisdom did have its advantages and give Alley until tomorrow before alerting her parents. If she just needed some time alone, there was no need in scaring them unnecessarily.
Anyway, if he went to her, he would have to explain. And he knew he was bound not to explain. Not yet. Soon.
“Come on Justin,” Tad said, coming up to sit next to him. “You’re not yourself tonight. In fact, I can’t remember ever seeing you like this.”
“Well,” Justin said, taking a swallow of his drink, a drink that was much too strong and went against his better judgement. “Sometimes it just doesn’t pay.”
Tad exchanged a worried glance with his girlfriend. “I’m concerned about you,” he said.
“No need to be concerned. I’m sure I’ll be good.”
Tad reached over and slid the drink away from Justin. Justin gave some thought to resisting his friend’s good intentions, then decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Even with his head buzzing from too much alcohol, he knew he wasn’t helping the situation any. He would wake up tomorrow and the Alley would still be gone.
And drinking himself stupid would do nothing to help him figure out a way to get her back.
“Let us drive you home,” Tad said.
Justin nodded and took a deep breath. No sense in being stupid and trying to drive himself home.
After he was buckled in and Tad set off on the interstate, his friend started in on him. “So, spill the beans.”
“What beans?”
“Who is she?”
Hell. Had he been that obvious?
“Nobody gets this bent out of shape except over a girl. Besides, I know you.”
“You think you do.” But in truth, he knew his friend did know him. Better than most. He and Tad had shared their experiences since their fist double date with the Maxwell twins back in high school. Mandy was a nurse now and Sandy was a college professor - either math or physics, he couldn’t remember, but she’d always been brainy. With her interest in science and Mandy’s interest in health, he couldn’t have gone wrong with either one of them. Besides, they had been eye candy and it was his understanding that they had only gotten better with age. Tad knew about them - knew that he had been attracted to both of them and wouldn’t have stood in his way whichever one he had chosen. However, he’d never quite felt that pull with either of them that would have had him pursuing a relationship.
The closest he’d ever come was with Cynthia. They had stayed together for nearly five years. He had proven his ability to have a long term relationship. But in the end, they had grown apart after college graduation and held on when there was nothing left. It had messed Justin up for the better part of a year, despite it being a mutual breakup. Tad had been there every step of the way. He knew Justin at his worst. He had, in fact, helped to pull him out of it.
And here they were again. Justin sighed and slumped back in his seat, closing his eyes. He had so wanted this time to be different.
This had been his secret dream for as long as he could remember. He hadn’t even told Tad about his infatuation with Alley. It had seemed a little too strange at the beginning, now he was just too devastated to talk about it.
“Sometimes I think I know you better than you know yourself,” Tad was saying.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Justin said, though he had to admit that sometimes it seemed like the truth.
“Have you been talking to Cynthia again?”
“No,” he snapped, feeling the sting of indignation. He hadn’t spoken to Cynthia in at least four months. And even if he had been talking to her, first of all, it was none of Tad’s business, and second, talking to Cynthia never left him in this shape, at least not for the last several years.
Tad pulled into Justin’s driveway, put the truck in park, and turned to study his friend.
“What?” Justin asked.
“If it’s not Cynthia, then what is it?”
“Do you really think my life is so one-dimensional?”
“Ah ha!” Justin said. “It’s the little blonde.”
Justin turned to him sharply. “What little blonde?”
Tad shook his head. “I don’t know her name. The pretty one you’ve been hanging out with.”
“How do you know that?” Justin asked, feeling himself jerked out of the pleasant haze the beer had put him in.
“You were sighted.”
“Sighted? Like a rare bird or something?”
“For you to be out with a female, it’s as unusual as seeing a rare bird in the wild.”
“You’re obnoxious.”
“Just stating the obvious. Nonetheless, I’m a little perplexed that she - what’s her name?”
“Alley,” Justin answered, then immediately regretted it. He was telling Tad much more than he had intended.
“Anyway, I’m a little perplexed that Alley can have the same effect on you as Cynthia.”
Justin stared at his best friend. His mind was unfocused. He knew he had been intrigued by Alley first, but he had been going to marry Cynthia. Besides, he had never really known Alley. Until now. And now he was at a risk of losing her. No, actually he had already lost her. And all because of his clandestine work.
He had thought about giving up this line of work, and the sooner he did, the sooner his dad could go into permanent retirement. Well, he couldn’t worry about that now. It was just too late.
“Justin?” Tad asked, pulling Justin out of his train of thought.
“I think I might need your help,” he said.
“What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to talk to her.”
Tad looked at him with a puzzled expression. Then, he shrugged and held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”
“She won’t answer.”
“Give it to me anyway.
“No, she won’t answer. Use your phone.”
Tad groaned and pulled out his own cell phone. “What’s the number?” he asked.
“555-4234”
Tad closed his eyes while the phone rang. Then he hung up. “Voice mail.”
“I know. I told you.”
“I’ll call back and leave a message,” he said, hitting redial.
“No!” Justin said, grabbing for the phone. “Don’t.”
Tad hung up. “You just said I need to talk to her. Are you having a schizophrenic break?”
Justin ran his hand through his hair. “Maybe I am. I don’t know what to do anymore.”
“Maybe you should just give up.”
“Maybe so.”
“Ok, then. It’s settled.”
Justin nodded, looking down at his cell phone at Alley’s cell phone number until it blinked off.
Maybe it was just that easy. He didn’t bother to say goodnight to Tad. He just got out of the truck, slammed the door, and walked to his back door.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Tad drive off.
All he could think was that he couldn’t just give up on Alley. She was the one. He knew it just as sure as he knew his own name.
Besides - he still wasn’t convinced that she hadn’t been kidnaped. And until he knew she was safe, there was no way he would give up on her.
Alley pulled into Granny’s driveway, took Charlie from the back seat, and slammed both doors shut with her hip. As she fished her keys from her handbag, a tall, slim man in his early forties walked over from the Bark and Purr and stood next to her gate. He wasn’t near enough for her to see his face. She felt a moment of panic as she realized how vulnerable she was. Here in Hanover, she hadn’t really thought about being careful, but with the recent kidnapping of the local girl, she was reminded to be more cautious - though it was probably too late.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” she answered, glancing toward the Bark and Purr. Right about now, she had just one more reason to wish Justin had come out to welcome her home.
“I don’t mean to startle you,” he said, “b
ut I need to talk to you about something.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“Can I come in?” he asked, nodding toward the back door.
She glanced at the unlocked gate - the only thing separating her from the stranger. “No,” she said.
He smiled. “It’s really important.”
“Then tell me now.”
Just then Justin’s back door opened and he stepped out on the porch. Alley was so happy to see him, her knees felt weak.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Do you know this man?” Alley asked.
“No,” Justin said.
“I was just asking the young lady for directions,” the man lied.
“Directions!” Alley said.
“No problem. I’ll just be on my way,” the man said, and headed down the driveway, then started walking down the street.
“I’m calling the cops,” Justin said. “Go inside and lock the door. Don’t open the door until they get here.”
Alley went toward the door, fumbled with her keys, and managed to get inside with Charlie. She was trembling so hard she could barely turn the lock. She opened the carrier door to let Charlie out, then ran to the front window to see if she could see the man who had approached her. He was nowhere to be seen.
Pacing nervously, she went back into the kitchen and looked out the window toward the Bark and Purr. There was no activity there either.
She paced back and forth. Thought about going out to the car to get her suitcase and decided against it. Justin had told her to go inside and wait for the cops. She would do what he said.
Justin. Seeing him had been so unexpected. So fraught with emotion. She hadn’t wanted to see him. She couldn’t wait to see him.
She paced back to the living room.
She jumped when someone knocked on the back door. She desperately wanted it to be Justin. She was terrified that it would be Justin.
She went to the back door and looked out. It was Justin. Her heart did a little skitter. She had missed him terribly. Seeing him was like a balm to her heart.
She opened the door and stepped back. She had no idea what to do now. She wanted to hug him. To kiss him. But they had left on such uncertain terms, she wasn’t free to do either. Unless, of course, he initiated. He didn’t. He just looked at her. Studied her, actually. With a strange expression on his face. As though he, too, was trying to read her to see what to do next.
They must have stood there, just staring at each other for at least two minutes.
“Are you ok?” he asked, breaking the silence, but not the uncertainty.
“Yes,” she answered.
“The police should be here any minute.”
“Do you think it was the kidnapper?”
“I don’t know. I don’t like having to even suspect it.”
“I don’t either,” she said, rubbing her arms as shivers ran over her skin.
“I’ll stay with you,” he said. It wasn’t a question, but a statement. He looked genuinely concerned, protective even.
She didn’t answer, but turned back to allow him to enter. Suddenly she felt ok again. Her world was tilting back into place.
He stepped inside, closed the door, and locked it. “It’s good to see you,” he said, but stood with his back against the door, making no move toward her.
“It’s good to see you, too,” she said, her heart sinking again. He didn’t want to hug her or kiss her. He was only here because of the stranger. She went to the kitchen table and sat down, feeling defeated.
“Has Charlie been ok?” he asked, as though he had nothing else to say.
She nodded, staring at her hands.
They looked up at the same time as the police car pulled into the driveway. When Alley didn’t move, Justin went to the door and let him in. “Liam,” Justin greeted the man.
“Justin.”
Alley felt even worse. Justin even knew the local law.
Two hours later, the sun had set and darkness left them vulnerable and blind to the outside world behind open curtains. Alley shivered and closed the curtains. She and Justin were alone again. Alley was drained. How had a one minute encounter become a two hour ordeal? Of course, a lot of it had been Justin and Liam catching up on old times. Despite the occasional levity, Alley had seen the looks that passed between the two men. They were genuinely concerned that Alley had been targeted by the kidnapper.
“I think I’m going to bed,” Alley said.
“It’s early.
“I’m tired.
“You haven’t eaten.”
“I’m not hungry.”
Alley turned away from Justin’s scrutiny.
“Let me send out for a pizza.”
Alley whirled back toward him. “Is that your answer to everything? Order a pizza?”
Justin stood up and grasped her arms. When she struggled to get away from him, he pulled her close to him and held her until she was calm.
Then she started to cry. She was appalled at herself, but she couldn’t stop.
He whispered reassurances until she quieted.
“I didn’t do anything to deserve this,” she said, against his chest, when her tears had stopped.
“No one ever does,” he said.
“I don’t like being afraid.”
“I’ll stay with you.”
“You can’t. You have things to do.”
“They can wait.”
“What could you do?”
“I can protect you.”
“How?”
“Trust me.”
She shook her head, but didn’t pull her face away from his chest.
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“I didn’t say you asked. I’m telling you what I’m doing,” he nudged her back to look into her eyes. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. And I won’t let it. Would you like me to sleep on the couch or in the bed with you?”
She laughed and took a deep breathe. That was an easy answer. She wanted him as close to her as possible. The closer he was - the better he could protect her. She also wanted him close for her own nefarious reasons - mostly because he was like a magnet for her. All the more reason to keep him at bay. “On the couch,” she said firmly, stepping away from and pulling herself together.
He sighed. “Somehow I knew that would be your answer.”
He watched her walk toward the bedroom. “Alley,” he said, holding out his hand when she stopped and turned to look at him. “Hey,”
“Hey?”
“Come here.”
She walked toward him.
“Before you go to sleep, how about some ice cream?”
“I don’t know. I’m not hungry.”
“I know, but would you eat some with me?”
“Ok,” she said, allowing him to pull her down next to him.
“You wait here,” he said.
She pulled her feet onto the couch and hugged her knees to her chest, with her head against her legs. Maybe it was better if she was with him for a little while instead of being by herself. She did feel a little shaky.
Hearing him in the kitchen, she was comforted and, closing her eyes, she imagined that he lived here with her - in their house. She smiled when she heard Charlie meowing at him - and he answered.
“Here we are,” Justin said, coming to join her on the couch, with two heaping bowls of ice cream with chocolate syrup on top.
“You’re trying to fatten me up,” she said, taking one from him. But one bite into it and she stopped worrying about the calories. Maybe it was so tasty just because Justin had made it for her.
“You didn’t get to tell me where you’ve been,” he said.
“I had to go home for a few days.”
“Something wrong?”
“Yeah, my dad had to have surgery.”
“Surgery? You didn’t mention it.”
She glanced at him, saw the concern. “It was sudden.”
“He’s ok?”
&nb
sp; “He did great.”
“I was worried.”
She looked at him. “Really?”
“Of course. I actually thought that perhaps you had been kidnaped when I didn’t hear anything from you.”
Alley lowered her eyes. She knew he had called. She had chosen not to answer. When he had called, she had purposely sent his calls directly to voice mail.
“You didn’t answer your phone,” he said quietly.
She nodded. “I know.”
“Alley?”
She looked into those blue eyes and couldn’t explain why she hadn’t picked up the phone when she wanted to talk to him more than anything.
“Tell me.”
“I was afraid.”
“Alley,” he said, gently touching her cheek. “You’re not afraid of me?”
“No,” she said quickly. “Of course not.”
“Then what were you afraid of?”
With his hand against her cheek and his sky blue eyes peering into hers, she had a hard time remembering much of anything - especially why she might have been afraid with regards to Justin. Then, when her heart did a little stutter, she remembered. She was afraid she might care too much - more than he did. But, of course, she couldn’t tell him that. However, self-restraint had never been her strong suit. “I like you,” she said.
He grinned. “I like you, too, but it doesn’t make me not answer your phone calls.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t answer the phone.”
“It’s ok, Alley. I’m just relieved that you are ok.”
“I didn’t mean for you to worry.”
“I know.”
Charlie chose that moment to jump onto the couch next them and managed to get his head into Alley’s ice-cream bowl.
“Um, as your veterinarian, I should probably tell you that he shouldn’t have that.”
Alley laughed and pulled the bowl back. “Sorry, Charlie. With a vet in the house, you don’t get to have any fun. Good thing he isn’t a people doctor.”
Justin set their bowls aside, out of Charlie’s reach, and pulled Alley closer. “I may not be a people doctor,” he said with his lips a breath away from hers, “but I plan to keep a close watch on you.”
“And just how do you plan to do that?” she asked, feeling herself being drawn into him.
“I think I’ll start with this,” he said, and finally pressed his lips against hers.
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