by Jill Sanders
She stood silently, waiting for Brian to continue.
“I had a lot of pent-up anger for this place.” He sighed and looked off into the darkness.
“I felt the same way,” she supplied.
He nodded. “Yeah, I got that from you. At least when we first came back. I continued on that thought until . . . recently.”
“Everyone can change. That’s the good thing about life.” She touched his arm.
He glanced down at her hand. “There was a time, shortly after I joined FREE, that I thought we were supposed to be together.”
Her hand dropped and she frowned slightly at the meaning behind his words.
His eyes moved up to hers. “But now I understand where I belong. What my purpose is.” He took a step back, and she wondered where the strange look in his eyes had come from. “I’m sorry for the things . . . for everything,” he said again, then turned and walked away.
She watched him disappear down the trail and wondered what that was all about. Then one of the newer volunteers poked his head out and called, “Addy, you’re missing your own party.”
The next morning, she found out that Brian had left the camp. When she asked the group that he’d been staying with, they didn’t know where he had gone.
She spent her final day with FREE preparing for her speech at the press conference, which was to be held at city hall that evening. She’d gone to the last meeting unprepared and didn’t want to be caught unready this time.
Just before the meeting, Addy took her time dressing in her nicest slacks and blouse. In the back of her mind she knew Trent would enjoy the outfit. She thought vaguely about shopping for a few more outfits to fit her new life—and for a few things she knew Trent would like that went under her clothes.
Trent had stopped by around noon and had lunch with her, but then had gone back to his mother’s place.
“Our plan is to show a unified front.” He had taken a deep breath. “Which means showing up together.
“I understand.” She had silently been thankful for the extra time alone before the meeting. “Go, I’ll see you there.”
He had leaned down and kissed her until her toes had curled up.
“We’ll be free of all this after tonight and you can start your new life tomorrow.” He smiled. “Moving day.”
“Moving day.” Was leaving FREE the best thing for her? She no longer felt the desire she had when she’d started the job years ago. Sure, she still wanted to fight against injustices, but her desire for something more outweighed that.
Her stomach was in knots when she walked into the meeting hall. Even though Estelle was there next to her, Addy immediately searched the crowd for Trent and his family. When she spotted them, she relaxed a little.
She took a seat near the front as the room filled up with townspeople. When she looked around, she realized that she knew most everyone there.
Then she was shocked to see another familiar face.
“Isn’t that your mother?” Estelle asked.
“Yes.” Addy stood up and walked over to her. “Mom?”
“Oh, I didn’t expect . . .” Her mother shook her head. “Of course. I had forgotten you’d be here.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
Her mother’s eyebrows shot up. “It is on that list you gave me.” She pulled the piece of paper from her purse. “Attend every town meeting.” She shook the paper in front of Addy.
“Oh, yes, I’d . . . forgotten.” She sighed. “I’ve been preoccupied. Would you like to sit with us?”
Her mother followed her to the front, and Estelle moved down one seat so Addy could sit in between them.
“What’s this one about?” her mother asked as they waited for the mayor to call the meeting into session.
“Well, there are several issues that will be addressed.” She looked down at the meeting agenda she’d been given at the door.
“Will you speak? It says FREE on the list. Isn’t that who you work for?”
“Yes, I’ve prepared a short talk.”
Estelle leaned over so she could see her mother. “Your daughter is a very good speaker. You should have heard her last presentation.”
Addy held in a chuckle. She’d botched it the last time she’d stood in front of her hometown. Now, however, she was more prepared.
Trent sat up front and tried not to fidget. He hated talking in front of a group. Even if he only had a few things to say and he knew everyone in the hall, he hated it.
He sought out Addy and was surprised to see her mother sitting next to her. The two women’s heads inclined toward each other as they spoke and looked down at a paper.
For the first time, he realized how much they looked alike. He’d never thought that before, maybe because of how Victoria had acted, but now, something had changed in the woman.
When Addy looked up in his direction, he wiggled his eyebrows and glanced over at her mother. Addy gave him a thumbs-up just as the mayor called the meeting to order.
He sat and waited his turn to speak. When his brother stood up, the entire meeting hall grew silent.
Tyler read from the family’s planned speech. Trent watched a few reactions around the room. Then he noticed Dennis Rodgers standing in the back corner with a few of his men.
The man had a smirk on his lips like there was some inside joke Tyler was missing.
A lot of reactions bubbled up when Tyler told the crowd their plans of building an education center. And when he informed them that they planned on releasing their father’s drilling methods to the public, more outcries and questions came from the crowd.
Over a dozen hands rose when Tyler asked the group if they had any questions about their plans.
There were many questions about how the school would affect the population. Where would people live? What kind of money would this bring into the town? What did this mean for the drilling portion of the McGowan business?
Trent helped his brother answer most of them. There would be several buildings with dorm-like apartments for rent. The school would bring in big-oil employees from all over the world and offer certification programs, which would bring more money and business opportunities into Haven.
They tried to answer everything quickly, but the mayor broke in and mentioned that any further questions could be discussed after the meeting or in private.
“Sorry, people, we could be here all night if I don’t stick to the schedule.” She checked her agenda. “Next up is Addy Collins for FREE, Friends Respecting Everything Environmental. Addy, you have the floor.”
Trent watched Addy stand up and move to the microphone and wondered what she was going to tell everyone. He could tell she was nervous, but she took a deep breath and relaxed slightly.
“I want to thank this board for hearing our concerns and thank the town of Haven for hosting our group for the past few months. In light of this wonderful news from McGowan Enterprises, our group will be departing Haven. We’d like to invite anyone concerned about their environment and the world we all live in to join FREE in our future endeavors.” She took a breath. “Some of you may have heard that I will be staying on in Haven for a while.” He watched her face flush slightly. He realized that he couldn’t imagine life without her.
What would he have done if she’d decided not to stay in Haven? If she’d decided not to be with him? Things had changed so much in the past few weeks. How had he become so dependent on having her in his life?
“I want to thank every one of you for the kindness you’ve shown me in the past few months since I’ve returned home. I’m so honored to have been welcomed back so easily. If you’d like to find out more about FREE, I’ve placed packets at the rear table.” She motioned toward the back where Dennis and his group stood.
Trent’s eyes stayed on the group of men as Addy finished her speech.
When the meeting was adjourned, he and his brothers were bombarded with questions. Most of them from members of their own crew.
&
nbsp; “We’ll be holding a corporate meeting Tuesday to answer most of your questions,” Tyler said loudly over the growing crowd. “But I believe I can put most of your main concerns to rest. This in no way changes your current employment with McGowan. We will be starting a new hiring process once construction is underway. For a list of those positions, come to the meeting on Tuesday evening.”
It took Trent almost ten minutes to wiggle free of the crowd. He knew he left his brothers facing a firing squad of issues, but he just had to talk to Addy. He wanted to tell her how proud he was of her. How lucky he was that she’d decided to stay.
He slipped out the side door that opened to the dark parking lot and started making his way toward her Jeep.
A hard blow slammed the side of his head; his left ear rang as pain shot through his entire body. He easily dodged the next fist that plowed in his direction. But the one after that landed solidly across his temple.
Something crashed as he started falling toward the cement, and everything went black.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Addy said good-bye to her mother in the front hallway and walked outside toward her Jeep. By now, there were only half a dozen cars left in the parking lot. She heard a scuffle and turned just in time to see three silhouettes vanish around the corner of the building.
She gripped her keys with apprehension and quickened her pace when a door to the building opened and the light shone on a figure that remained huddled on the ground.
Fear shot through her as she recognized the dark blazer and sheer size of the man laid out on the cement.
She rushed toward him just as someone shouted from the doorway. “Help!”
They reached Trent at the same time, and Addy realized that it was Gail who knelt beside her. Addy’s hands shook as she reached out and touched Trent’s neck to feel for a pulse.
“He’s alive,” she cried out. “Someone call an ambulance.” She glanced up quickly and saw Tyler and Trey running toward them.
Tyler sprang into action and applied pressure to Trent’s head, stopping the flow of blood from a large gash just above his left ear.
“The ambulance is on its way,” someone called out to them.
“Trent?” Gail cried out in a shaky voice. “Honey, open your eyes.”
“Mom,” Trey said with kindness. “Why don’t you take Addy inside?”
“I’m not leaving him,” Addy said.
Then Trey looked directly at her. “Take my mother inside.”
Addy understood then and looked up at Gail. The woman’s eyes rounded. Panic and shock had set in. She reached over and took Gail’s blood-soaked hand with her own. “Let’s stand back so the paramedics can get to work on him.” She took several steps away from Trent as Tyler and Trey held him in place.
When the ambulance arrived, Addy and Trent’s family were shuffled into a car and driven across town to the clinic.
They walked, shaken, into the brightly lit building. Tyler spoke to the man behind the desk, then turned around. “Okay, now it’s a waiting game.” He motioned to the chairs.
Trey, Kristen, and Trisha joined them and they all took seats. In strained tones they assured one another that he’d be okay.
How can they chat? Addy sat in silence as conversation continued. She wasn’t even aware she still held Gail’s hand until Gail reached over and patted the back of their hands. “Sweetie, he’s going to be okay. It’s not the first time he’s had a bump on the head.” Despite the lighthearted voice, Addy could hear her fear.
“There was so much blood,” Addy said, exhausted, looking down at her still-covered hands.
“Why don’t we go and wash up? I could use a cup of coffee.” Gail pulled her up from the chair.
Addy followed the woman blindly into the washroom and scrubbed her hands clean. When she looked in the mirror, she realized that her shirt was covered with dry blood as well.
“Don’t mess with that now,” Gail said when she started to clean it. “We’ll scrub that out later.” She sighed and looked down at her own ruined shirt. “How about that drink?”
Addy nodded and followed her out. Then stopped and took the steaming cup Gail handed her.
“I . . . I don’t drink coffee,” she said.
Gail chuckled. “I know, honey, that’s hot chocolate. Trent says it’s your favorite.”
Tears stung her eyes. Trent cared so much about her that he’d told his mother about her hot chocolate addiction.
“Oh now, don’t start that just yet,” Gail warned. “Not until we know how he’s doing.” She grabbed her own coffee from the vending machine and took Addy’s arm to walk with her back to the waiting room.
“He’s okay,” Tyler said as they reached him. “The doctor just came out and said they’re taking him back for scans, but he’s awake and yelling to see us. I was just heading back there.” Tyler turned to Addy and nodded. “I think he’d like to see you first.”
Addy handed Gail her cup and followed a young nurse down the hallway. The nurse showed her to a small area where Trent sat up, his bloody shirt ripped wide open. There were several sensors taped to his chest and a pressure cuff on his arm.
When he looked up and saw her, he smiled. At that moment, she knew it was too late to deny the fact that she was in love with him. Had been in love with him for years. Gone was her worry about his past playboy nature. When she looked into his eyes, she knew that he was no longer that man. Instead, she only saw the honest, kindhearted, caring man he was now.
She rushed to his side and fell into his arms. She heard him groan and instantly jumped back.
“Easy,” he said, then groaned again. “Damn it,” he said. “They did a number on me.”
“Are you okay?” she asked, scooting so she could sit beside him on the bed.
“They seem to think so.” He grinned at her. “I knew I always had a hard head.” He shifted and wrapped his arm around her. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
She shook her head. “You’ll have to apologize to your mother, who is waiting out there to make sure you’re still alive.”
He looked at the nurse. “Can she come back?”
“Only two folks at a time,” the nurse said before disappearing down the hallway.
“Before she comes, I wanted to tell you . . .” He pulled her closer. Her heart jumped in her chest. “I’m so happy you decided to stay in Haven.” She felt her heart kick into beat again.
“Me too.” She looked over as Gail walked in.
“You idiot,” Gail said, stopping next to him and wiping a tear from her eyes. “What did we teach you?”
Trent smiled. “To duck.”
“Or run and grab your brothers. Never try to fight by yourself.” She shook her head and laid a gentle finger over the stark-white bandage over his left temple.
“They didn’t give me much of a choice this time.”
“They?” Gail frowned.
“Three of them,” Addy added. “I saw three men running away.”
Trent nodded. “I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but I’d wager anything that it was Dennis and his goons.”
“Did you see them clearly?” Gail looked at Addy.
“No, it was too dark,” she replied, squeezing Trent’s hand.
Just then the nurse came back. “I need to take him in for a CT scan,” she said.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said to his mother. “You always said I was hardheaded.”
Gail chuckled and then sniffled.
When they stepped back out to the waiting room, Mike and another police officer were talking to Tyler and Trey. Gail filled them in on the new piece of information.
“Dennis and his gang?” Tyler asked his mother.
“That was Trent’s thought, but we’re not sure. Addy saw them a little better than Trent did.”
Everyone turned to her, and she had to take a sip of her hot chocolate that Trey handed her. It was lukewarm, but the sugar gave her the spike she needed. She closed her eyes and tri
ed to play back the image in her mind.
“It could have been. One of them was shorter, two were taller.”
“How tall?” Tony asked.
“Six foot, six one?” she guessed. “They passed in front of the side door.”
“How tall was the shorter one?”
“Maybe five eight?”
“Was there anything else about the trio you could tell us?” Mike asked.
She tried to think, but all she was getting was the fright of seeing Trent motionless on the cement.
“Addy,” Trey said, getting her attention. “You’d just said good-bye to . . .”
“My mother,” she supplied. “In the front hallway. We stopped off at the bathroom, then she told me . . .” She held in a sob. “That she was impressed with my speech. Estelle had left a few minutes before. I walked out front with my mother, then started for my Jeep in the side lot.” She closed her eyes to retrieve the memory. “I heard a noise, someone grunt. I looked over and saw the three men cross in front of the side doors, then disappear around the back of the building. Two tall ones, a shorter one. They all had on dark pants, dark jackets.” She shook her head and opened her eyes. “Now it seems like one was carrying something. Maybe a pipe or a baseball bat?”
Gail gasped but regained her composure.
“Go on. Anything else?”
“I was half a parking lot away. The most I can tell you is that two were tall, one shorter.”
“What about hair color?”
“Dark,” Addy said with certainty. “All three of them. But then again, they could have had hats or beanies on. It was evening already, so it was hard to see.”
“It’s a start,” Mike said. “We’ll have to talk to Trent when he’s available.” Mike turned to go, but then stopped just inside the door. “Do you think this could have been some disgruntled workers? I mean, with everything you had just revealed at the meeting, wouldn’t some of your crew be out of work or changing job titles? A lot of people don’t like change.”
The room was silent as everyone thought about the possibilities. “We’ll keep our ears and eyes open. You can see Trent after we do,” Tyler said as he wrapped his arm around Gail. “He has to explain why he was dumb enough to allow three men to jump him in a dark parking lot.”