We all take off running down the path after Celeste and back toward the cars. I’m ahead of the guys, but not by much.
“Cass, wait,” Calder calls after me, but I keep pushing myself beyond the limit. My heart is racing and my lungs burn as if a fire is raging from the inside. I have to protect my own family. Celeste isn’t well. I’m the reason she did what she did. Who knows what other paranoid thoughts might enter her head down the road if she gets away. Next time, she might go after someone I’m close to instead of me directly. Everyone could be at risk if she isn’t caught and put into a place where she can receive the psychiatric help she needs.
Just as Celeste reaches the end of the path, I panic that she’ll get away and say anything to get her to stop. “I believe you, Celeste,” I say, panting. “Let us help you.”
She stops and just as she turns to face me, a look of relief on her face, she stumbles forward toward me, then crumples to the ground.
Confused as to why she fell, I start to bend and help her, but Calder grabs me by the waist and tosses me behind him like a throw pillow right into Ben’s arms. “Get back, Cass,” he commands and crouches, quickly pulling his gun.
Something whizzes past my head as Ben pushes me behind him, ordering, “Get down and stay there. We’re flying blind in here.”
Calder fires a couple times, but just as he bends down to grab Celeste’s hand, a bullet slams into her thigh. She cries out in pain and my heart jumps to my throat as survival instincts kick in. I listen to Ben and drop from my hands and knees to my belly.
From my low position on the leaf-covered path, I can see blood seeping through Celeste’s shirt in the chest area, turning the Williamsburg blue color an eerie shade of purple in the dappled sun-light. God, where’s the shooter? I crane to see him through the trees. Matthews is leaning against his sedan, using its rooftop as a steadying base as he tries to pick us all off.
“Laying down cover. Get her now.” The moment Ben straightens slightly from his crouched position and fires his gun in rapid succession, Calder grabs Celeste and drags her back onto the path and out of the shooter’s line of sight.
Another barrage of shots zooms through the tree line. Ben jerks sideways, taking a bullet in his upper arm. Leaning up on my knees, I try to grab his pant’s pocket and pull him back, but Ben holds his position and says to Calder through gritted teeth, “I think I winged him too. He’s using his car for cover.”
Calder quickly drops to the ground, peers through the foliage, then props on his elbows before firing off two precise shots. A loud shout of pain sounds just before a heavy thump hits the ground. Calder doesn’t hesitate, he fires once more, and then silence mutes all sound.
The moment the gunfire stops and Calder nods to let me know the guy isn’t getting back up, I crawl over to Celeste and clasp her hand. Ben drops to his knees and presses his hand to her chest to stop the heavy flow of blood. When he looks at Calder, his jaw flexes and he slowly shakes his head. Unable to help the sob that escapes, my heart squeezes. A life is a life, no matter the person’s misdeeds. “I’m sorry, Celeste.”
Tears leak down her temples as she tries to catch her breath from the pain, but her hand holding mine is surprisingly strong. “He must never find her.”
For Beth’s sake, I clasp her sister’s hand tighter and nod, telling Celeste what she needs to hear. “Of course.”
“Had to get it,” she says, squeezing my hand painfully tight. “Promise me, Cass…” She closes her eyes and sucks in a breath, “that you’ll keep her safe.”
I look at Calder and Ben, my eyes watering, then drop my gaze to Celeste’s. “I promise.” Just as I nod, she struggles to speak, but her body seizes and she exhales a long deep breath, her gaze losing focus as the light slowly leaves her eyes.
Sebastian and Den come running up. I hear them speaking in low tones to Calder and Ben about Matthews while Calder knots Ben’s tie around his arm to put pressure on his wound, but their voices sound muffled and very far away.
I stare at Celeste’s still body, my tears hitting our clasped hands. I blink hard to keep from openly sobbing, but when Calder’s hand lands on my shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze, I blubber and reach for Celeste’s other hand.
Lifting her clenched hand to cover the one on her chest, I uncurl her fingers to lay her hands flat together, but pause when a piece of paper falls from her grasp.
“Calder?” I whisper to get his attention.
“What is it?” He bends close as I unfold the paper with shaky hands.
There’s no name. Just an address written in a cursive script. I shift my gaze to Calder’s, eyes wide. “I thought Celeste was saying that I had to get what she was asking of me, but…” I look at the paper once more. “I think she was saying, she had to get this.” I glance back down the path that led to the old school house. “She came here to retrieve this paper. It makes sense now. Celeste had an uncommon way of passing messages with me so no one would know. She probably did it with someone else too.” I return my gaze to his. “Poughkeepsie’s less than thirty minutes away. We can’t leave without knowing for sure, Calder.”
He holds my gaze for a couple seconds, then nods. When he pulls me to my feet, I realize the guys have stopped talking. Sebastian looks at the paper in my hand. “Go find out.”
He and Den exchange a look, then Den cuts his gaze to Ben. “I hope you understand now the lengths your father will go to. Matthews can never surface.”
When Ben slowly nods his agreement, I look down at Celeste and start to speak, but Ben steps forward to touch my shoulder. “We’re pretty remote out here, but all the gunfire could’ve drawn attention. You two need to go now. We’ll make sure Celeste has a proper burial on her own land, Cass. Don’t worry.”
Calder cuts his gaze to Ben’s arm. “Make sure you get that looked at.”
Ben gives him an “are you kidding me” look. “It was just a graze. I’ll be fine. Now go.”
Nodding his appreciation, Calder clasps my hand and says to the guys, “We’ll be in touch,” before we head for his car.
We roll to a stop across the street from a small brick house in a quiet neighborhood.
“You’re not going to that door alone,” Calder says in an unyielding tone.
“Whoever lives there won’t be surprised to see Celeste, but they might not trust seeing Celeste with someone else. I mean, who knows what story she fabricated about herself,” I say, glancing over my clothes once more to make sure all the leaves and underbrush is completely wiped off.
“We don’t even know what this address means, Cass. You know as well as I do that Celeste never would’ve left her child. Maybe this person has some of Celeste’s money and she needed the funds to leave the area for good? They might not want to part with that money now.” Rubbing his jaw, he glances toward the house. “The best thing would be for me to ring the bell and pretend I’m looking for someone else. It’ll give me a chance to check out who lives there without putting you at risk.”
“Or you could freak the person living there out. For all we know, Celeste could be the only one the person living there trusts. It has to be me, Calder.”
He clasps my hand when I try to open the door, his hold firm. “We do this together, Cass. Or not at all.”
His gaze is turbulent green. It’s a defining moment, a turning point where I need to fully commit to the “us” in our relationship. He introduced Raven to the world. It’s my turn to take the lead. I squeeze his hand. “Let me talk, okay?”
Nodding his agreement, we get out of the car and walk together to the house.
My hand shakes a little as I lift it to ring the bell. Calder clasps my free hand and squeezes it briefly before the door opens.
The older woman with a salt-and-pepper pixie cut beams when she opens the door. “Cassandra, you look wonderful, dear.” She pauses, giving Calder a wary gaze.
I smile and gesture to him. “He’s a big part of why I’m feeling better. This is Calder, my boyfrie
nd, who is also my physical therapist.”
The woman’s blue eyes spark with intrigued interest as she looks at him. “It’s nice to meet you, Calder. If we had PTs as handsome as you when I was a young nurse, I would’ve gotten in so much trouble.” Laughing at her own joke, she pulls the door open and steps back. “Come in.”
Just as we step into the foyer, she turns and calls over her shoulder, “Rose, look who’s here?”
A child around twelve months old, with a mop of soft curly dark hair awkwardly turns on unsteady legs. Releasing her hold on the stuffed elephant toy attached to a springy coil on a stand-up exercise toy, she smiles and takes a few shaky steps, then falls to the carpet and zooms toward us in a fast crawl.
I quickly step forward and meet her on the carpet, squatting down to smile at her. “Hey, little one,” I say as she uses my shoulder to pull herself up to a standing position. I put my hands on Rose’s arms to steady her and glance the woman’s way. Hating that I don’t know her name, I cover my nervousness by asking about Rose. “I can’t believe how well she’s walking.”
“She has learned a lot while you were off getting better the last three months. I know it was hard for you to leave her for so long, but seeing how radiant you look now tells me that it was the right thing to do. I’m amazed at how well those special treatments you were undergoing worked. So…is everything all right now?” She asks, her gaze darting to Calder once more.
I want to ask her how she and Celeste met, how they came to this arrangement, and if it was Celeste’s idea that she not know where the woman moved to with the baby. That’s a hell of a lot of trust to allow a stranger to care for your child. “Yes, everything is going to be fine.” Glancing Calder’s way, I smile. “Calder has been my rock, but it was important to me that he learn everything about me, since he’s asked me to marry him.”
“How exciting! Please tell me you said, yes?”
I laugh and nod, offering her a look at my ring while Rose makes happy sounds and leans her belly against my thigh.
“What a unique and beautiful ring,” the caregiver tuts, giving Calder an approving nod.
Teetering on unsteady feet, Rose puts her arms up and squeals to be picked up. Her sweet face and grabby hands are all the encouragement I need. I quickly pick her up. As I move to stand, I hold her close and inhale her baby smell, then tickle her belly. “You’re so adorable. I don’t think I’ll ever want to stop squeezing you.”
Rose giggles, her little fingers folding around mine on her stomach, while her green eyes sparkle with happiness. Pointing to the woman, she chirps, “Ra-Ra.” Then she quickly swings back to me and pats my cheeks with toddler sweetness. “Ma-ma.”
At that moment, my gaze snags with Calder’s. He’s watching us intently, his expression hard to read.
“I showed Rose your picture everyday and kept you in her mind while she was learning new words.” Gesturing to the sofa, she continues, “Why don’t you two have a seat?”
While Calder and I sit down on the couch, she lowers herself into the leather recliner and chuckles. “My younger sister called me Ra-Ra as a toddler. I couldn’t get her to call me Roxanne until she was in her twenties.” Smiling at Rose, who purposefully turned her back to Calder while she plays with my hair, the woman’s eyes fill with pride. “She’s been talking up a storm lately. It’s been mostly gibberish, but words here and there come out. Of course, “no” is her favorite word.”
“What other words have you learned?” I ask Rose as I shift her to my other thigh so she’s facing Calder. When she eyes Calder warily and lifts my hair like a curtain, I suppress my laughter. “Rose, I’d like you to meet Calder.”
Calder doesn’t even bother hiding his amusement. He chuckles outright as Rose peeks out from behind my hair, only to pull it in front of her eyes once more.
“She’s at the wary-of-strangers stage.” Roxanne looks at Rose. “Are you playing peek-a-boo, Rosie?”
“Pee-boo, Pee-boo.” While Rose giggles at Roxanne and lowers, then quickly lifts my hair back up in front of her face, the older woman leans forward slightly.
“I hope you don’t mind that I call her Rosie sometimes. It’s my sister’s name so it just comes out from time to time.”
“Not at all,” I say with a genuine smile. “You’ve taken such wonderful care of her. She’s just bloomed.”
Roxanne grins, her cheeks blushing with color. “Being your doula always creates a special bond, but my time with Rose these past twelve weeks has made me feel like her grandmother. It has been my pleasure, Cassandra, truly. Oh, where are my manners? Would you two like something to drink?”
“Do you have any tea?”
“Nothing for me, thanks,” Calder says.
“Tea it is, dear. I’ll be right back.” Roxanne gets up a little slowly, then ambles off to her kitchen.
“What are you thinking in that gorgeous head of yours?” Calder asks in a low tone.
The moment he speaks, Rose releases my hair and openly stares at him.
“It’s that deep voice, Rose,” I loud-whisper against her temple. “Be careful or he’ll steal your heart too.”
Calder smirks and holds out his hand to Rose. His gaze stays on her as he addresses me. “I thought adoption wasn’t on your radar, Raven mine.”
When the baby leans forward to pat his knee, I clasp her waist to keep her from falling off my lap, but don’t pull her back. I want to encourage her to trust Calder. I watch him grinning as she gives him a shy smile and realize that his questions are his way of gauging my feelings. “I said that I wanted you to have your own children, Calder. I still want that if it’s in our future, but little Rose…” I pause as Rose crawls fully into his lap and plops her little butt down. Smiling at him, I finish in a quiet tone, “Rose is your blood. We can’t let someone else raise your little sister. I think it’s best if only our tight circle knows the truth. We’ll tell my parents and the other BLACK Security employees that we’ve been quietly working on adopting for a while.”
“This is a huge commitment and adjustment, Cass.” He wraps his arm securely around Rose as she settles against his chest. Bouncing his knee slightly, he puts his palm out for her to smack her tiny hand against and holds my gaze. “You were just getting ready to start your business.”
“Why can’t I do both? You said Raven can do anything. Also, we’re in this together, remember?”
The tension in Calder’s gaze eases with his smile. “Thank you for putting family first, Cass. The Blakes are so lucky to have you. And yes, you can do anything you set your mind to. I have no doubt whatsoever.”
“Here we are.” Roxanne walks back into the room and sets a glass of tea on the coffee table for me. “If you want it sweetened, I have sugar cubes.”
“Thank you. This is fine.”
As I lean over to pick up my glass, Roxanne glances down at my arm. “So should I call you Cass now?”
“Pardon?” I ask, taking a sip of the tea.
She nods toward my arm with the Never script and raven tattoo as I set the glass back down. “You were on pain meds at the time, but you were so sincere when you told me about the meaning behind your tattoo. I knew that one day you’d get there.”
I exhale a laugh of disbelief at Celeste’s audacity. I can’t believe she copied everything about me. Thankfully my response sounds more like bemused confusion. “I’m sorry, Roxanne, but I guess I was pretty loopy that day.” I lower my arm once more and glance her way. “What did I say?”
Roxanne tilts her head and smiles. “I was so awed by your strength and determination.” She points to the word Never on my arm. “You said that word inspired you to become Cass. And when I asked what you meant, you told me that you never wanted to put yourself before Rose’s needs.” She moves her finger to the swirled line leading from Never and on down to the raven on my wrist. “You said you hoped this would always remind you of your goal to put your daughter first.”
She shakes her head and sighs. “I told you
then that you had already learned selfless love the moment you had your baby, but you said the Cassandra you were needed to change and you hoped that you would return here as Cass, a strong woman who embodies selfless love. At the time, I thought your anxious self-doubt was the drugs talking, but now that I see you with Rose, you’re more relaxed, you’re smiling, and you seem genuinely content. I’m so happy to see that you’ve finally become the Cass you wanted to be.”
Completely blown away by what Roxanne just revealed, I look at Calder. If he had any concerns, they’re gone. He nods as he tucks a yawning Rose more firmly into the crook of his arm. “This little one will absolutely benefit from the amazing woman she is today. I couldn’t agree with you more.”
Roxanne looks at Rose with affection as the toddler’s eyes drift closed. “It appears you’ve won her over. That’s no small feat, Calder. I know it’ll be hard, but don’t let Raven Rose wrap you too tightly around her little finger.”
“Raven Rose,” I say quietly as I look at Calder and Rose. In Celeste’s mind, the raven on her wrist really did represent her daughter. I know that if I look at Roxanne, she’ll see the range of emotions scrolling across my face, so I keep my gaze averted.
“At first I didn’t understand why you didn’t call her by her first name. I mean, with that mop of pretty dark hair, Raven would’ve been a perfect name, but now that I’ve gotten to know this sweet cherub, her middle name suits her.”
“I agree,” Calder says as he glances down at the trusting baby in his arms. “Rosebud is perfect for this little one.”
His nickname makes me all teary. I didn’t think I could fall even deeper in love with him. Aww, she is an adorable little Rosebud.
“Rosebud. I love it.” Roxanne smiles as she stands. “Wish I’d thought of it. While she’s napping, Cass, why don’t you come help me get her things together?”
“Of course.” When I follow Roxanne into the hallway, she turns and smiles at Calder and the babysitting on the couch. “I’m going to miss that little tyke so much, but I’m truly pleased she’ll be where she belongs.” Locking gazes with me, she clasps my shoulders. “I’m also glad that whatever past demons you were running from are now behind you.” When I nod my agreement, she squeezes my shoulders, “Oh and before you leave, don’t let me forget to give you the three months extra payment you gave me too.”
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