Safe

by Rachel Hanna

  Looking out the window, Carly was struck by how secluded she really was. No guards were watching the backside of the house as it veered straight down a cliff. Anyone coming up that way would have to be a world-class rappelling expert.

  “Are you getting hungry?” Aidan asked from behind her. His husky voice mixed with his English accent sent shivers through her in places that she didn’t want to think about.

  “You could have knocked,” Carly said turning around with her hand on her chest. “You scared me to death.” If she was truthful, the heart pounding she was experiencing was less about fear and more about arousal.

  “I did knock. I think you were lost in thought,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Oh… Yes, I am starving.”

  They went downstairs to the kitchen, which Carly discovered had been fully stocked for quite some time. Seeing the amount of food in the freezer and refrigerator made her somewhat sad because it meant that they planned for her to be here for awhile.

  “Have you heard anything?” she asked as she bit into a ham and cheese sandwich a few moments later.

  “Nope. Not yet. You know, it will probably take some time for them to find him, Carly. They don’t even know who he is. Your husband has been difficult to question and has no interest in protecting you,” he said.

  “Well, that is obvious. Apparently, he wants to see me suffer. I don’t really understand why.”

  “Because you witnessed him murdering a guy. He wants you out of the picture so you can’t testify.”

  “I understand that part. But he had to have ordered a hit on me well before the murder. I was next on his list. Why?” she shook her head in confusion. Carly knew that Ethan had been doing some shady things in recent months - possibly years - but why would he want to kill her?

  “Did you have a good marriage?” Aidan asked. More than anything, he wanted to know if she had really loved Ethan.

  “I thought we did… at first. Then, the last few years, I noticed he was hanging out with some scummy characters. I tried to ask about it, but he would get mad. He started traveling more, and money came up missing. Just a lot of strange things. So, I started following him,” she said.

  “Following him?” Aidan asked as he almost choked on his food. The thought of Carly following her husband and uncovering his dealings was amusing to him. She really was a spunky little character.

  “Yes. I work as a marketing executive. One of my clients is a surveillance supply company. I started using some of their products to find out what he was doing. That’s how I ended up in that industrial park when he killed that man.”

  “What did you see?” Aidan asked, aware that Carly seemed to be separating herself from the emotions of what she saw. She showed no sadness or grief or horror, and he knew that wasn’t like her. Deep down, he didn’t want to admit that he was worried about her. After all, he had been her best friend for a long time.

  “I saw him shoot someone. You already know that,” she said looking at him with a blank stare. Every time the scene played in her mind, she felt sick at her stomach.

  “Carly, I know you. Or at least I used to know you. I am just saying that it is okay to talk about it. To get upset.”

  “I don’t want to get upset. I don’t have time to get upset. I have to keep a clear head.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if I think about watching my husband whom I loved for so many years ruthlessly take the life of a man, I will go crazy. If I think about how that man’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates when he saw that gun rise up from Ethan’s side… if I think about the sound of the pop when he shot the gun and the sight of blood spattering across the room… if I think about his wife and what she must be feeling… I just can’t… I can’t…” Carly’s voice shook as her emotions spewed out like a geyser. She dropped her sandwich and sobbed, trying to catch her breath.

  Aidan stood and pulled her up to him. She put her cheek against his chest and let the emotions flow out like a river of sadness. Aidan was uncomfortable being this close to her again, but what man would allow a woman to sit there sobbing without comforting her? This was just part of his job, he assured himself.

  Carly could feel the warmth in his embrace. His tall stature had always made her feel safe, and he had grown muscular and manly with time. His cologne ripped through her swollen sinuses and made her stomach start to flutter. How could she be so incredibly upset and attracted to him at the same time?

  “I’m sorry,” she said pushing back against his chest. But, Aidan didn’t move. He kept her there against his chiseled chest.

  “Carly, just let it go. It’s going to be okay,” he said soothingly as she put her head back down. He put his chin on top of her head and caressed her hair with his hand. For a moment, Aidan traveled back in time to a place where Carly was the center of his universe. The smell of her hair, the feel of her skin. It all came rushing back. Every fantasy he’d had of her while trapped in England for a year became so real again. He was no longer an FBI agent, he was a lonely young man holding on to what he thought was the best thing that ever happened to him. They stood there for what seemed like an hour but was only a couple of minutes before Carly slid back down into her chair.

  “You always were good at calming me down,” she said with a slight smile. Her eyes wouldn’t make contact with his.

  “That’s because you were always so dramatic. This time, the drama is real,” he said.

  “What am I going to do if they don’t catch him?” she asked, looking up into his eyes for some easy answer that wasn’t there.

  “They’ll catch him. We have the best guys on the force looking for him.”

  “I’m exhausted. I think I am going to take a bath and go to bed,” she said standing up.

  “Carly?” Aidan called to her as she walked up the stairs.

  “Yes?”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you. No matter what. Past or no past, my job is to protect you.”

  His words darted through her heart in a way she had not felt before. What did he mean by “no matter what”? She was too tired to think about it tonight.

  Aidan stood in the kitchen looking up the empty stairway wondering if she could feel his emotions for her. How could he ever tell her that he had spent the last decade wondering where she was, how she was doing, and how he might get her back? Had he ever had her in the first place? Even as a strong FBI man, his childlike adoration of Carly was hard to shake. Why couldn’t any other woman compare to her?

  The way that she had left him was the one hurt in his life that he couldn’t seem to get past. But, he had a job to do, and he could not let her know that he still had these feelings for her. She had only wanted to be friends a decade ago, and they were even less than friends now. Sitting down, Aidan took a sip of his beer and sighed. How would he live here with her for days or weeks on end?

  Chapter 7

  As morning broke, Aidan sat in the skinny stream of sunlight that was piercing through the living room window. Rather than sleeping in his own bedroom adjoining Carly’s, he had opted for a night of tortuous fighting with the pull-out sofa bed in the living room. Being too close to her seemed like a bad idea.

  He didn’t get much sleep anyway as he ran over the time that he spent in England over a decade ago. It was amazing to him that, all of these years later, his stomach could still churn at the thought of her sitting in that restaurant with another man. He could still remember part of his favorite letter from her:

  “Aidan, you know that you will be back here in no time. I can’t wait to see you! I have missed you more than you will ever know. Things at home aren’t so great, and your letters are the thing that I look forward to the most. Love, Carly”

  He knew it was silly to remember word for word what she had said. Had he imagined that she had feelings for him at some point? Did he overthink it and scare her away? Had it been his fault all along? These were questions that he had wrestled with over the years. He heard the wooden stairs cre
ak as Carly sleepily made her way down from upstairs.

  “Good morning,” Aidan said as a sleepy-headed Carly finally appeared at ten o’clock. Seeing her first thing in the morning did things to his libido that he did not want to admit.

  “Good morning,” she said in a groggy voice. Her hair was a mess, she was wearing no makeup, and she had on black yoga pants and an oversized gray sweatshirt. Even in that get-up, she was beautiful to him.

  “Nice outfit,” he said sarcastically, trying to hide the fact that she made him uneasy on the inside.

  “Well, I didn’t get to bring my own clothes. This is what your genius co-workers thought I would like, I guess,” she said looking down at her drab attire. “Can’t we sneak to the mall?” she said with a conniving smile.

  “Nope, sorry. You are stuck here. Anyway, who are you trying to impress out in the woods?” Aidan laughed, rolling his eyes.

  “What time is it anyway?” she asked without acknowledging his comment.

  “After ten,” Aidan said. “I let you sleep. You must have been mentally and physically exhausted.”

  “I was. I still am, but I feel better today. I needed a good night of sleep. I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but I actually slept very sound. Thanks to you,” she said softly.

  “Me?”

  “Knowing you were here to protect me made me feel safe.” Carly’s admission made him want to scoop her up in his arms, but he knew he couldn’t.

  “Good. That’s what I am being paid for,” Aidan said without making eye contact. What he couldn’t bring himself to tell her was that he had watched her sleep last night. An hour after she went to bed, she started screaming in her sleep. She was having nightmares about the murder and talking in her sleep. Aidan had gone to check on her. He watched her beautiful face as she slept, her long blond hair sprawled out across the pillow. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay. Instead, he settled for rubbing her arm every time she cried out in the night. He thought he might have worn a track in the stairs as many times as he went up and down them during the night. “I have some news this morning,”

  “You do? About the case?”

  “Yes. The investigators have found the name of who they believe is the hitman. They want to know if you recognize the name: Marcus Cantrell.”

  Carly’s breath caught in her throat. She put her hand to her chest for a moment as her mouth dropped open.

  “I take it that you do know the name?” Aidan questioned, sitting forward in his chair.

  “I do. Oh my God…”

  “Carly, speak to me.”

  “Marcus Cantrell - I thought he was my friend. It can’t be.”

  “Carly, tell me,” Aidan continued to push.

  “He was one of Ethan’s best friends. They met about three years ago at a convention. At least, that is what Ethan told me. Marcus was at our house a lot. We played cards together. He took me to a baseball game once when Ethan was busy.”

  “Why would he agree to kill you then?” Aidan asked confused.

  “I don’t know. I thought he had plenty of money. Obviously, Ethan lied to me about his background. Have they found him?”

  “No. They are still trying to track him down.”

  “He lived about a mile from us, but his family is all in South Georgia. Maybe they can check down there?”

  “That’s a good lead. I will pass it on. If you remember anything else, let me know, okay?” he said.

  “Okay. What are your plans for today?” Carly asked.

  “I’ve got a load of paperwork to do, so I will probably focus on that. And you?” Aidan asked with a wink.

  “Very funny… This place is boring.”

  “Why don’t you read a book or something?” he asked.

  “I guess I will have to. Can I sit outside?” she asked.

  “No way.”

  “Aidan, I need some air. Seriously. You can sit with me.”

  “No.”

  “Please? What about the terrace off my bedroom? We will be high up and facing the mountainside. No one can get to me that way.” She put her hands in front of her face like she was pleading and got down on her knees in front of him. “Please, kind sir,” she said with a smile.

  “Very funny. Get up, you nut. I guess that would be okay. Let me make us some coffee first.”

  Carly watched as Aidan made a pot of coffee. He had always been tall and lanky, but now he had broad shoulders and muscular arms. His buns weren’t too bad either. Wearing a pair of form-fitting jeans, a long-sleeve black Henley t-shirt and cowboy boots, Aidan had turned into a sexy man over the last decade.

  “Are you ogling me?” Aidan asked as he turned around and caught Carly staring at him.

  “Of course not,” she stammered as she walked up the stairs in front of him. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

  Aidan and Carly walked into her bedroom. It was pretty stark compared to her room at home with all of her personal belongings. She missed having her own stuff around, but her house also reminded her of her murdering husband.

  Walking out onto the terrace and feeling the crisp breeze of the mountains in November, Carly felt peace envelop her. She had only been cooped up for one day, but it felt like a lifetime. She didn’t know how she would manage staying inside so much. She was used to doing her own thing - coming and going as she pleased.

  “It’s getting cold out here,” she said as she wrapped her arms around herself.

  “I love this time of year,” Aidan said.

  “I know. I remember that about you. We would always go up to the Harvest Festival around this time,” Carly said smiling at the memory.

  “Remember when Lucas Oliver fell into the apple bobbing station?” Aidan said with a laugh.

  “Oh, yes. He was such an idiot. Wonder whatever happened to him?”

  “I think he ran off to join the circus,” Aidan said chuckling. “Probably being shot out of a cannon about right now.”

  Aidan’s cell phone rang. “I have to take this. It’s my supervisor. Maybe he has news,” he said as he walked into her bedroom and down the hallway. Being nosy, as usual, Carly sneaked around the corner to listen in on his call.

  “Bill, we have to find this guy. Well, who’s working on it? We need more guys working on it, then. I care because I am protecting her. It’s my job, you know.”

  Carly could feel the intensity in his voice. He was obviously aggravated at his co-workers for not finding the hitman, but it had only been one day. Maybe he didn’t want to spend so much time with her. Maybe she should let him know that he could have the downstairs and she would stay upstairs.

  “Keep me posted. I want to hear anything as soon as it comes up. We have to find this guy, okay?” Aidan said. Carly quickly ran back out to the terrace.

  “Everything okay?” she asked nonchalantly as he reappeared outside.

  “No word yet. They are still trying to track the guy. They are going to make contact with his aunt in South Georgia.”

  “Good. I still can’t believe it could be Marcus. He was my friend… or so I thought,” she said looking off into the distance.

  “Well, sometimes we think someone is our friend, but they end up hurting us,” Aidan didn’t mean to say it out loud, but his mouth was working faster than his brain.

  “You’re talking about me, aren’t you?” Carly asked as she looked up at him. There was a pain on his face, even after a decade, and she wasn’t expecting it.

  “Maybe… a little,” he said squaring up his shoulders like he was afraid he might lose his “man card”.

  “Aidan, I am so sorry.”

  “It’s been a long time, Carly. No need to talk about this.” He waved his hand in front of his face.

  “I think there is,” she said reaching out to touch his arm.

  Aidan pulled his arm away and took a step backward. “Carly, I can’t do this right now.”

  “Okay. I understand. Let me just say this: What I did to you is the only regret
I have in my life. And, when and if you ever want to talk about it, I am willing.”

  Aidan didn’t respond, and they both sat down in the rustic cedar log chairs. Carly closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of burning leaves from properties nearby. Off in the distance, she could hear a stream trickling. It was so quiet there, and her mind needed that right now. Trying to push the images of a man being shot in front of her out of her mind had become increasingly hard over the last twenty four hours. She started to worry that she wasn’t as strong as she thought she was.

  Chapter 8