Takeoff

by Becca Jameson

  “Aren’t you though?” Heather shuffled farther into the room and sat next to Raeann.

  “Maybe, but it’s different.”

  “I agree, but you two have something. I hate seeing it fall apart because you’re scared. Life is scary. Shit happens. When we love someone, we handle it together.”

  A loud crash made them both jump to their feet.

  “Fuck,” Raeann uttered as she rushed toward the stairs. She knew that sound. She’d heard it before. She didn’t need to see the damage to know a brick had been thrown through their front window.

  Sure enough, when she got to the bottom of the stairs, she found broken glass all over the living room and a giant rock in the midst.

  “Jesus, those people are crazy,” Heather stated as she tugged on her shoes and began tiptoeing through the broken glass.

  “See? Who the fuck would want to spend their life with me?” Raeann asked rhetorically as she pulled out her phone. She placed the call to Officer Hendrix, who luckily picked up immediately.

  “Raeann. I hate it when you call me,” she joked.

  “Yeah, I don’t like having you for a friend either. We must put an end to this relationship. Meanwhile, I have a lot of broken glass and a large rock in my living room. Impressive considering how heavy it must be. Not sure how those women lifted it.”

  “On my way. Don’t touch anything. Did you see anyone?”

  “No, but the super put in a surveillance camera two days ago, so that might help.”

  “Good. See you in ten.”

  By the time Hendrix and Parks arrived, Heather had called Shayla, who had called the rest of their posse, and minutes later, they started arriving with their men too.

  Jake and Shayla were first. “What’s wrong with people?” Jake muttered as he came inside.

  Hendrix had gone straight for the rock and was taking pictures of it from several angles. Meanwhile, Parks was out front trying to figure out where the rock had been launched from and how.

  “I’m going to see if any of the neighbors saw anything,” Hendrix informed Raeann as she stepped back outside.

  “You’re so calm,” Shayla pointed out, glancing first at Raeann and then at Heather. “Both of you.”

  “I’m no longer fazed,” Raeann informed her. When this all started up again after three years of reprieve, she’d been pissed and easily shaken, but not anymore. Now, it was once again a daily event.

  Heather waved a dismissive hand through the air. “Used to it.”

  Raeann rolled her eyes and smiled at her roommate. She wasn’t used to it, but she did put on a brave front every time some new shit thing happened. Raeann was grateful for that. It wouldn’t be forever. They were both looking for a place to move, separately of course. In Raeann’s case, she was hoping for Denver. It wouldn’t do any good to make the transfer until she had a legal new name though. She was waiting to hear from the lawyer about a court date. In the meantime, their stay here was obviously over. Heather in particular couldn’t live here any longer. It wasn’t safe. Raeann wasn’t so easily run off from her home, but she might eventually have to, especially if there was a hole in the window.

  Neil showed up next. Mack and Christa were right behind him. Christa came straight to Raeann and gave her a hug. “Bex sends her love. She’s about to pop though, so she’s not leaving the house. And Bracken won’t leave her side either. She says he’s hovering.”

  Raeann chuckled, grateful for the reminder that other people had lives. Good ones. A baby would be coming soon. That was exciting and worth feeling happy about. “I can only imagine. Bracken adores Bex. She walks on water.”

  Heather made a fake swooning motion, swiping the back of her hand dramatically across her forehead.

  After the police got all the pictures they wanted, Neil, Mack, and Jake started cleaning up the mess. They wouldn’t let any of the women get near the glass. Raeann was pretty sure Heather was swooning for real by the time the men had all the glass cleaned up. Raeann had caught Heather looking at Neil more than once.

  Raeann had also called the super, and he’d arrived to download the camera footage for the police. He had a load of boards in his truck too, which the men helped nail over the hole.

  Heather had her bag packed for work before any of the insanity started, and she excused herself to head out. She was flying a redeye tonight. She would check in with everyone tomorrow and figure out a place to stay until the window could be replaced.

  “Come home with us,” Shayla said to Raeann.

  Raeann stared at the boarded-up window and shook her head. “No. I’ll be fine.”

  Christa shook her head. “You can’t stay here, especially alone. It’s not safe.”

  Raeann sighed. “They’re not going to kill me. They just want to run me out of my house. If I give in, they win.”

  “So, let them win this round.” The deep voice coming from the doorway belonged to Deacon.

  Raeann’s heart stopped when she lifted her gaze to find him standing in the foyer, hands on his hips, brow furrowed. Who called him? Probably all of them.

  “Pack a bag. You’re coming to my place.”

  She narrowed her gaze at him and fought hard not to growl. His tone was demanding, but she knew it was because he was concerned.

  He lifted a brow at her. “I mean it, Rae. Go pack whatever you need for a while. You’re not staying here.”

  She swallowed. Damn, he looked fucking fine, especially all bossy and growly. He made it hard for her to protest, but there was no way in hell she could go to his house. Sleep there. No. As it was, she was falling apart inside just looking at him.

  “’K. We’re just going to get going,” Shayla said as she grabbed Christa’s arm and nodded toward the men. “Call if you need anything at all.”

  Suddenly, everyone but Deacon was gone, the door was closed, and Raeann stood in the silence alone with him. He was yards away from her, but the room was shrinking. His presence alone was enough to make her knees week. Dammit.

  On top of that, the lighting was dim because the window was now boarded up and the sun was going down.

  She licked her lips. “Deacon, I’m fine here. I’ll lock the doors, sleep with my phone, and leave all the lights on downstairs.” She glanced around at the mess. There was still glass on the carpet. They hadn’t vacuumed. They’d just removed the largest pieces. The blinds were broken and hanging from one side of the window, swaying slightly.

  “I know you’re accustomed to packing light, Rae, but it’s going to be even lighter than usual if I have to carry you out over my shoulder without your overstuffed purse.”

  She couldn’t help almost smiling at the image. “You wouldn’t.” She backed up toward the stairs.

  “Try me.”

  “Deacon, it’s a horrible idea. Every time I’m with you, I…”

  He sucked in a breath. “You what, Rae?”

  She spun around and stomped up the stairs. It was useless, or perhaps even worse because he followed her. When she entered her bedroom, he was right behind her.

  He set his hands on her shoulders from behind and moved in close. “You what, Rae? Answer me.”

  She pursed her lips.

  He stepped even closer so that his chest was touching her back now. His lips came to her ear. “Tell me what happens when you’re with me.”

  She spun around in his embrace and shoved at him, taking a step back. “Fine. I fall harder for you. Happy?”

  He frowned and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah.” The word was incongruent with his expression. His shoulders slumped. “Sorry. That was uncalled for. I shouldn’t have pushed you. Will you please pack a real suitcase and come home with me?”

  “It’s a horrible idea.”

  “I know.”

  “I should go stay with Shayla or Christa or Libby or Destiny.”

  “Yes, you should. But you’re not. You’re going to stay with me.”

  “I’m not helpless.”

  “Never said you
were.”

  “I don’t want those fucking crazy people to find you.”

  “They won’t. I’ll be careful driving to make sure they aren’t following me.”

  “They probably already got your license plate number,” she pointed out, shuddering at the truth.

  He shrugged. “Who cares? I’m planning to move soon anyway. Let them find me. But they won’t. They aren’t outside right now. They wouldn’t risk it. They won’t know you’re leaving with me. And you can lie low at my place without detection.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip. This was the worst idea of all bad ideas ever, but she didn’t move a muscle as he slowly approached and then pulled her into his arms. “Nothing has changed,” she muttered against his chest, wrapping her arms around him in response. Damn, he felt good. Why did he have to be so fucking sexy and growly and intense and perfect?

  “Everything has changed,” he informed her.

  She tipped her head back. “How?”

  “Because I’m no longer keeping any secrets from you. All the cards are out. You know what a selfish prick I am, and you’re still going to come home with me because you like me despite my faults.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Deacon, you’re not selfish. Nor do you have faults.”

  “Sure I am. I should have told you about my family situation and I didn’t. But now you know. I’m a forty-year-old man who’s about to take in two toddlers and raise them as my own. I have needy parents and a father who won’t even know who any of us are soon. I’m going to move them as close to me as possible and add to my constant daily burden. I love all of them, so this is not a hardship. It’s life. Now, pack your damn shit, woman, because it’s getting late, and I’m hungry. We’re going to have to pick up dinner on the way home because I’ve already cooked what I know how to fix for you.” He offered her a smile.

  It was impossible not to return the sentiment. “I’m not staying, Deacon. It’s only temporary. I’m going to take a leave of absence from work to sort my shit, then change my name and transfer to Denver. You understand that, right?”

  “Yep.” He held her gaze. “I totally understand that’s what you think you’re going to do. Now pack your shit.”

  She groaned as she squirmed out of his embrace and dragged herself to the closet. She would need quite a bit of stuff. She didn’t want to come back here for a while so that no one would see her coming and going.

  This was a horrible idea. The worst. Her heart was on the line. It was going to be difficult to stay firm with this man.

  He followed her to her closet and grabbed her larger suitcase out of her hand before tossing it on the bed and opening it up.

  As she carried over a stack of clothes on hangers, she found him staring at the boxes stacked up against the wall. “You’re really packing.”

  “Yeah.” What more was there to say? Of course, she was packing. Did he not understand that she was moving? Or was he unwilling to fully listen?

  He followed her back to the closet and took the next load out of her hands. “Toss me what you want. I’ll get it in here while you do your toiletries.”

  “Always so bossy,” she murmured as she passed him, fighting the urge to grin. She liked his bossy side. It made her skin tingle. He cared. It was like he had this odd gruff exterior that came out when he was frustrated. He would get all dominant and commanding. It was hot.

  It only took the two of them about fifteen minutes to pack her stuff. She packed like she wasn’t returning for a month, which was absurd but seemed to make him happy.

  “Ready? Anything else?” He glanced around.

  There wasn’t much left. The room was bare except for her bedding.

  “Do you want your own pillows?” he asked.

  She met his gaze. “I kinda liked yours better actually.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “Okay then. Let’s go.”

  “So smug,” she muttered.

  “Yep.”

  Chapter 17

  By the time they went through a fast-food drive-thru and unloaded her stuff into his house, Deacon was on pins and needles. He couldn’t believe he’d talked her into this. Now he had to find a way to keep from fucking it up and make sure she never left.

  It was going to be a challenge. Twice he’d lost her. The first time for a month. This second time for a week. The second was more excruciating than the first. The moment he’d heard that those crazy witch hunters had thrown a rock through her front window, he’d lost his shit.

  He knew he’d gone to her condo in full caveman mode, but he couldn’t stop himself. The thought of her possibly getting hurt or worse made the hair stand on end all over his neck.

  They hadn’t said much yet, which wasn’t surprising since he’d mostly grunted at her so far, but his chest loosened as soon as he shut the door. The thought that a good portion of her shit was now in his home about to go into his closet and drawers and bathroom calmed him.

  It wasn’t rational because she had in no way agreed to stay with him beyond a few days, but he intended to spend every waking moment convincing her otherwise.

  The cart was way way way in front of the horse here. He had no idea how she felt about the situation he was in since they hadn’t had a chance to discuss it before she’d snuck out of his parents’ house and not spoken to him again.

  He’d thought a lot about the last thing she’d told him though. He was martyring himself, bracing himself for a lonely life because he would never presume to hoist his responsibilities on anyone. But if there was a woman alive he’d ever want to attempt to convince, it was Raeann.

  Starting now.

  He pulled her larger suitcase down the hallway.

  She followed behind him, but when he heard her pause, he turned around. She stood at the entrance to what used to be his guest room. “I thought maybe I’d use your guest room, but…”

  He released the suitcase and returned to her. He hadn’t touched her enough since he’d shown up unannounced to steamroll her. Now he did. He reached for her hand and tugged her toward him.

  She was stiff for a moment, but she softened as he wrapped his arms around her. “Where’s the furniture?”

  “In storage.” He tipped her head back. “This house is way too small for two kids even short-term. Only three bedrooms. But they each need their own, and I need to move them in here as soon as possible. It will take a while to find a new place.”

  She nodded slowly. “Of course.”

  “Also, Rae, you and I… We can’t go backward. You’ve been in my bed. You’re going to sleep in my bed. Not another room.”

  She swallowed. Her nerves were palpable.

  “What worries you about sleeping with me?”

  “That I’ll like it?”

  He chuckled. Score.

  “We’re playing with fire, Deacon.”

  “Yeah. We’ve done that a few times.”

  “And we’re both getting scorched.”

  He shrugged. “I’m not crispy yet. Just a little sunburned. First degree. Nothing a little aloe won’t fix.”

  She groaned. “It’s not funny.”

  “No. It’s not. Nothing about this is funny. I’m fucking nervous as hell, but I’m also crazy about you, and I intend to convince you to stay.”

  She wiggled free of him and ran a hand through her hair as she turned around to pace back and forth in his living room.

  He followed, biting his tongue. He was pressuring her, which probably wasn’t his best-laid plan, but at least now she knew what his intentions were. No more secrets. Everything was out in the open.

  He took a deep breath. “You said yourself that I shouldn’t martyr myself and cut myself off from opportunities just because I have a full plate, so I’m taking your advice.”

  She sighed. “I couldn’t stay here with you if I wanted to, Deacon. It wouldn’t be safe. I wouldn’t even put your life in jeopardy, let alone two small kids. What happens when those fucking people find me? What happens when they throw a r
ock through Katia’s window? Or Teddy’s?”

  He didn’t have answers, but he wasn’t going to lose her. Not to those fucking crazy people. No chance. “We’ll figure something out. But for now, no one knows where you are. You’re safe here.”

  “I can’t stay in hiding in your home forever, Deacon. Don’t you get it? It’s not possible. I need to start fresh in another city with a new name. Someplace where I might get away with not being found for a few years again.”

  “And what happens when one of them gets on your flight again, huh?”

  She sighed, her shoulders drooping. “I might have to switch careers.”

  He hated how torn up she was, how these people had tormented her for nearly her entire life. It made him want to punch something. Preferably one of those old biddies. In the face. “Can we maybe take this one day at a time? Or one hour, if that helps. Let’s put your stuff in my room, then we’ll eat cold burgers and fries, then we’ll maybe put your toothbrush in the cup holder next to mine. Baby steps.”

  Thank God she gave him at least a small smile with her eye roll. “Deacon…”

  He released her, putting his hands in the air. “What?”

  She humphed and shoved past him with her smaller, work suitcase and her toiletry bag. She nearly stomped into his bedroom, dropped the suitcase next to the door, and proceeded toward the master bathroom. A moment later, she returned, empty-handed, which meant she’d deposited her toiletry bag.

  He’d pulled her larger suitcase farther into the room, grabbing the smaller one on his way. They were both near the closet now. “I’ll make space in the closet tomorrow, and clear out a few drawers.”

  She drew in a long breath. “I’ll share the counter in the bathroom with you, but for the love of God, let’s leave the drawers for another time.” She spun around and left the room.

  He couldn’t hold back his elation. Maybe he wasn’t playing fair, but he hoped to slowly wear her down. Hell, he knew she liked him. He hoped like was a mild word, but other than seeing her rocking his nephew last week, he didn’t know how she felt about the kids or kids in general.