The Choice

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  “He’s a human being, can’t he be saved?”

  “Listen to you. Understand this. It goes against your every natural instinct to turn your back on one of God’s children. You can’t change him. A dark entity cannot be turned light. Flood him like a fire hydrant filled with the unconditional energy of love, and that darkness will scurry away. Then you let go, and you leave. Finish with him and get him out of your head.”

  “Was he always like this, was he born this way? I don’t understand.”

  “The mysteries of the universe; you have a lifetime of learning ahead of you. He was born with the darkness attached to him. With his veil thinned. He is the same dark entity who destroyed Isabel and me on the physical plane. You all have a battle ahead of you. You work together in the light, and you’ll be victorious. Just don’t fall prey to his trickery. His charm is thick, and he still has the ability to surpass your defenses. You need to resist and be strong, or he’ll win. Use those gifts your granny and Sally taught you and listen to what spirits are telling you. You’ll be guided as long as you remain open to the light. You mustn’t doubt.” The mist filled around him. She reached her pale hand out. She had more questions, but he moved away.

  A gentle pull on her shoulder brought her spiraling back into the dim room. The early morning light crept up on the horizon, and Sam stood dressed beside the bed.

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  “Jesse’s down at the dock picking everyone up.” Sam, dressed in a long sleeved black shirt and his usual jeans, leaned down and took his time kissing her good morning—the way a man’s supposed to. Marcie ran her fingers through his damp hair as he deepened the kiss. “Good morning,” he said in a sexy voice before pulling away, smelling fresh and clean.

  He left her to dress, which she did, pulling on dark capris and a matching T-shirt, and then she shuffled barefoot into the kitchen without her crutches. Sam handed her a steaming mug of coffee just as Richard, Maggie and the children burst through the door. Diane and Jesse brought up the rear. Both hefted two large backpacks along with two boxes of food, which they dumped onto the cluttered kitchen table, pushing aside an empty plate.

  Marcie sipped her strong black coffee, but her nerves were frayed as if she’d already downed a pot.

  “You okay, babe?”

  Sam didn’t miss much. He slid closer, gently massaging her back.

  “Sam, move it. It’s show time.” Richard kissed Maggie on the cheek, shooed the casually dressed children into the front room and then glanced at Marcie. When he did, his eyes widened right before he smirked. Marcie looked down at the floor. She couldn’t hide anything from Richard.

  Diane tugged down her black jacket to cover the bulge of her weapon. She pulled out a folded piece of paper from her back pocket and dangled it for everyone to see. “Search warrant, so whatever we find out to jam up this bastard will not get tossed out. No one else on the team knows about it except the judge, Dexter and the six of us in this room.” Diane folded the paper and stuffed it back in her pocket.

  “Good job, Diane.” Sam was all business.

  Jesse checked his ankle holster. Diane handed out microphones and earpieces. Marcie knew they were hiking over to Lance Silver’s to plant some kind of listening device in the house or as close as possible so they could hear when Dan made contact with Mr. Silver himself.

  “Let’s go.” Sam leaned down and kissed Marcie on the top of her head. He didn’t linger. He followed Jesse, Richard and Diane out the door to her truck, which they’d confiscated. Then as an afterthought, turned back and yanked open the screen door.

  “I want both of you to stay inside until we get back, no wandering off.” His alpha male side took over again.

  “We’ll be here, Sam, but we’re not staying cooped up indoors on this beautiful day. The sun’s out and there’s not a cloud in the sky.”

  “I’d feel better if you didn’t go out period.” Sam glanced over Marcie’s head at the kids and then sighed. “Could you at least keep everyone close to the house?”

  Marcie hobbled to the door and touched his hand. “I can do that.”

  Sam kissed her again. This time on the lips, and then he was gone. She waved as her truck disappeared up the narrow driveway.

  Marcie moved to the propane stove, lit the burner and put on a kettle of water. Maggie sat in the front room with Lily, in the overstuffed easy chair. Ryley kneeled on the hardwood floor, and rifled his Game Boy out of his dark blue backpack. What struck Marcie when she hobbled in toward them were the dark circles that appeared overnight underneath Maggie’s brilliant eyes. Even her alabaster skin appeared pale in the bright light against her dark blue sweatshirt.

  Lily wore a bright pink Dora the Explorer shirt and pants. When she pulled away from Maggie, she wandered unfettered with the body of a headless Barbie doll. She bounced from the chair to the table to the old, worn couch in front of the window, in socks and shoes, which was something of an anomaly, and then back to the floor to repeat her circle.

  Marcie leaned against the bookshelf and gazed out the large picture window. The birds danced in circles, flapping their wings, skittering in and out of the trees. The happy chirps carried through the window, as if they were beckoning their friend to join them under the peaceful blue sky.

  The dark green leaves were beginning to turn, and soon, in the autumn chill they’d begin to fall, another cycle ending. Marcie glanced at the front deck she rarely used and the large Sitka spruce with her rope swing tied to a sturdy branch. As a shell-shocked twelve-year-old girl, she’d swung for hours under that tree. She’d dreamed she could soar with the birds fluttering above her, taking her into a dream world free of shame. And right now she felt compelled to wander out in the sunshine, with the children. This property was her safe haven, and she believed nothing could harm her here.

  “Maggie, let’s take the kids out front. I think Lily would love to swing. Marcie watched Lily bounce on the chair and wondered if, in fact, she understood even as she dangled lost between worlds. Maggie didn’t answer. She bit her lower lip and stared vacantly out the window. Lily dropped her naked doll and raced to the door. Marcie went after her. By the time she staggered with one good foot down the stairs without her crutches, Lily had hopped on the wooden swing.

  Ryley’s voice echoed through the open window. “Mom, I want to play my Game Boy.”

  “Bring it with you. It’s nice out, and you’re not staying inside with your head stuck in that computer game.” Maggie snapped. She must really be tired.

  By the time Marcie reached her granny’s worn picnic table near the swing, the explosive pressure in her broken ankle ached terribly. It was her fault. She kept leaving her crutches propped against some wall in the cottage.

  “Where are your crutches?” Maggie hovered as Marcie sank onto the plank bench and groaned.

  “I forgot them, so sue me. I’ll just make you wait on me, and I’ll stay right here and watch the kids for you.” As if on cue, the kettle whistled.

  “That would be my water boiling for tea.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes and marched into the house.

  Marcie laughed lightly. Still grinning, she turned back to the kids. Her stomach tightened when panic chilled her blood and plugged the easy flow through her veins. Her heart lurched and jammed her throat with something thick and gooey, cutting off all sound and means of speech. Dan McKenzie towered over Lily with a wicked smile while he gently pushed the tiny girl on the swing. Her thoughts scrambled while glued to the bench. Breathe. But it was damn impossible as her pulse burned down from the crown of her head, pinning both feet to the ground. How’d he gotten past her circle onto this land without her knowing?

  “Hey Marcie, how’s your leg?”

  He never missed a beat while pushing Lily with a skillful, loving touch. This was a direct conflict with what she knew he was. She felt herself slip, mesmerized by this split in his personality. And wondered if, in fact, two different people resided in him. Lily appeared happy and comfo
rtable, and that confused Marcie.

  “Hey Lily, that’s a good girl, you just keep swinging. Uncle Dan’s going to have a little talk to Marcie and your Mom. Hey Ryley, I didn’t see you over there hiding. How’s it going, bud?” He crossed his nicely tanned arms over his light T-shirt and sauntered with an intense interest over to Ryley, who sat under the old cedar, cross-legged playing his Game Boy. For just a moment, Marcie was swept away in the warm charm he focused on children, one of the things that first captivated her. What a magnificent father he’d be, or so she thought. But it was a ploy, the explosive charm, which sucked her in each time. And innocent children couldn’t see past his deception.

  Dan squatted in his light khaki pants beside Ryley, draping one arm across the boy’s shoulder, while he watched him engage the buttons on his handheld game. Dan chuckled and warmly jabbed his finger at the screen, both he and Ryley cheered.

  “Right on board, give me five.” Dan held out his hand, and Ryley slapped it. Marcie couldn’t remember the last time Ryley had beamed with such joy.

  “Ryley, come here!” Maggie dropped the ceramic mug of hot tea and bolted over to Ryley.

  It wasn’t until Maggie crossed in front of her that she felt the snap, breaking the link Dan focused on her with such ease. A chill climbed up her spine. How could she be caught again so easy?

  Dan and Ryley glanced up. And Marcie didn’t miss the sudden change in Dan. His shoulders stiffened. The light in his face faded into something cold and dark. His hazel eyes blazed the color of a cheapened rye, and locked onto Maggie, irritated and full of fire.

  “See Dan? Isn’t this cool, look what happens when I fire this.”

  “Wow man, that’s awesome; you’re really good.” His eyes never left Maggie as he slid his hand down Ryley’s arm. “Hey Maggie, it’s good to see you. You got quite the champion Game Boy player here. He knows how to kick some serious butt.” Ryley gazed starry-eyed at his hero. Lily began to squeal and kick as she twisted and rocked the rope swing, making eye contact with no one.

  “Ah, I think she wants me to push her again.” Dan stood up, but this time Marcie watched an agitated Maggie skirt around him, block his path and push him with both hands splayed hard against his chest.

  “No.”

  “Whoa Maggie, sorry, if you don’t want me to, that’s fine. I’m just trying to help. I like Lily, I think she’s a great kid, and look, she liked it. She was having a great time.”

  “Stay away from my kid.” Maggie’s sharp voice shook.

  Dan held both hands up in a show of surrender. His face took on a remarkable image of a man seriously wronged. What a performance. But the eyes, Marcie could see from where she sat, they sparkled and glowed with something mischievous and lizard-like. She looked closer. His eyes had changed. They were darker, heavier than she remembered.

  Her gut ached watching Maggie stand her ground breathing as if she’d sprinted a mile. But Marcie knew she was close to losing it. And to made it worse, Ryley was sidling closer to Dan. What did he want with them?

  “Hey Ryley, go inside and help your mom make me some toast? I’m starving and didn’t have a chance to eat. And Maggie, would you mind making a pot of green tea?”

  “Mom can do it by herself. I want to show Dan how this works.”

  “Ryley, I’d really like you to go in with your mom and Lily now. Dan came to see me, and he wants to go over some adult stuff in private. Isn’t that right, Dan?” Her smooth voice was determined, even when she turned her entire focus on Dan—whose focal point shifted back to her—with the lopsided grin he used to snare vulnerable women.

  “Ryley, listen to Marcie, go inside with your mom.” His eyes never left Marcie’s while Maggie hurried Lily and Ryley past Dan into the cottage.

  “So Marcie, you didn’t answer me. How’s the leg?”

  “I didn’t think you cared. But it’ll heal.”

  He moved with such grace and confidence, sitting right beside her. His leg brushed her brown capris as the bench shifted to support his weight. He scanned the circumference of the yard, looking over her head, which barely topped his shoulders, into the distant brush that covered her granny’s property.

  “Wow, look at this place. We should’ve grown one large garden here; look at all this space. The salal over there? There’s no better camouflage. How many acres again, thirty, right? That’s a lot ground cover in one spot, safer for you. Look what happened riding your dirt bike on the back trail.”

  Being with him confused her, and she struggled to separate reality from illusion. She was riveted to his words when he gently touched her leg.

  “And then there’s us, Marcie. You know.”

  “What Dan, what about us? There’s no us. That was you fitting me in, when it was convenient for you.”

  His face softened. He clasped his hands in front of him, but not before she caught the slight tremble in his hand. Even his cheeks tinged a subtle shade of pink. He leaned forward, tilting his head to the side a little sheepishly. “I screwed up, and I know I hurt you badly. It wasn’t fair what I did, and I can’t make excuses; sending you off alone, letting you take all the risk. I’m under so much pressure with what I’ve taken on. I took you for granted. I thought you’d always be there, and that you clearly understood how much you mean to me. It was my fault for not telling you every day how special you are. What a good loving woman you are. You’re the only one who’s slipped in.” Dan placed his hand over his heart. “And I vowed I’d never let anyone in, but you're here, and no matter what I do, I can’t get you out.”

  His voice softened in a way that made her want to cuddle the vulnerable little boy inside of him. A familiar pull and giddy feeling inside her tummy had her spiraling back into that lost world. Suddenly she was jerked back, as if drowning in a pool of water. “Did you set me up in New Orleans?”

  His face hardened. “Is that what you thought? That I’d do something like that to you? What kind of monster do you think I am? Fuck, I was worried sick about you. I called you over and over. Your cell phone kept going to voice mail. You’ve no idea what I went through tracking you down. I finally came out here, and by sheer luck, I found you. But you pulled the rug right out from under me when I discovered you had three cops with you. And yes, I threatened to set up that boy wonder you latched onto. Because I was jealous … angry … hurt … pick any one of the above. I thought you turned on me and betrayed me. And I thought it was the only way to get you back. I should never have made you go out there to get the weed. And I shouldn’t have involved Maggie. I wasn’t thinking. “You took ten years off my life when I found out you’d crashed.” He stopped, and her heart was shattered by the sheen of tears glossing over his eyes.

  She looked away when doubts crept in. Maybe he wasn’t responsible for her attack.

  “Look Marcie, you’ve had some fun with this cop guy. But I love you so much, I can get past this if you’ll come back to me and be mine.” He reached out and touched her forearm and then slid the back of his fingers up her arm in a gentle caress, stroking under the curve of her chin and gently tucked her long wavy hair behind her ear. “You and me, we’ll make a good life together. Marcie, I got plans, and you’re part of them, and everything good that’ll come with it. We’ll travel. Spend a few months down in South America.”

  Fear or something like it thumped inside her head, her heart, her gut, screaming to wake up and shake off the magnetic physical pull toward him. Although no longer a desperate need, as if her heart would blister into a million tiny pieces, if he didn’t belong to her. Awareness blinked on, similar to a hundred watt bulb. This physical attraction was at a cellular level as is an alcoholic’s craving for liquor. Marcie shut her eyes to break the cord and his contact, sending a silent plea to her angels for help. When she opened her eyes, he studied her deeply. But the expression and blank look were nothing familiar. She couldn’t read him. Somehow, he had this ability to hide and block all access, while at the same time, he was a master at tapping into people,
reading their most personal thoughts. And Marcie struggled to keep hers safely locked away.

  “I can’t shake this want of you, Dan. I need peace, and I need to be loved. What do you want from me?”

  He appeared to glow when he leaned toward her. “I told you I want you back, and I’ll do anything to get you.” Dan reached for Marcie’s hand, linking their fingers.

  She struggled emotionally to pull away. But he was like a powerful magnet, yanking her back again and again. A single tear slid down the side of her bruised face.

  “I promise you, it’s going to be better. Marcie, trust me, I’ll protect you.”

  He took both her hands in his. “As soon as all the marijuana’s cut, you and I’ll take off and rest for a bit on a tropical beach down south. I’ll get someone else in to finish the rest of the gardens. You’re hurt, and you shouldn’t have been out there anyway.”

  Marcie lifted her head and caught something in his eyes that made her pause.

  “So how many gardens were missed?”

  Marcie hesitated. “Nineteen. So is the bud I cut ready to go?”