Tattered Stars

by Catherine Cowles

  “I know you can, Addie. I just wish you didn’t have to.”

  The look in her eyes was so bleak—exhaustion and something that appeared as if she’d given up. “Me, too.”

  Before I could say another word, the door opened again. This time, broad shoulders filled the space, and dark eyes cut to me. Hayes’ gaze stayed on me a beat longer than normal as if surveying to make sure I was still in one piece, before moving to Addie. “Afternoon, Adaline. Ev.”

  Addie winced at the use of her full name. Her father was the only one who always called her by the moniker. Everyone else called her by the shortened version.

  “Call her Addie. Everyone does. Have you met Hayes officially?” I asked my cousin.

  She had shied back a few steps. “No. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You, too, Addie. I’d like to give you my card if you don’t mind. That way, you can call if you ever need anything.”

  She moved farther away, shaking her head. “I can’t. If he finds out I have it—I just…can’t.”

  “All right, then. You need me, just come to my office.” His gaze locked with hers. “There’s always a way out. And I’d be happy to help you find that path.”

  “Not always,” she whispered. “Not for me.”

  And with that, she bolted around Hayes and headed straight for the door. I didn’t call out this time. Didn’t try to stop her. I needed to give her some room. Space to bolt when she needed to, and a place to come back to when she was ready. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. My headache pulsed behind my eyes as I tried to hold back tears.

  Hayes slipped into the empty chair next to me. “Hell. I’m sorry. I had to try.”

  “I know. And I think it’s good that you keep telling her she has you to run to if she needs it. She came here on her own today. I think that’s progress.” My breath hitched. “I hurt her so bad. Pretty much everyone who was supposed to love her has let her down in one way or another.”

  Hayes set a small paper bag on the table and curved his hand around mine, that now-familiar sweep of his thumb picking up across my skin. “You’re here now. That’s what counts.”

  “Does it?” A single tear slipped out of the corner of my eye, and Hayes wiped it away. “Those hurts may run too deep. It’s all she’s known for so long. I’m scared she’ll stay in that familiar place forever.”

  “I don’t think she will. The more Addie sees you living your life, free with a job you love and chasing a dream…I think that will make her want to reach for more. What was it that you told me? She only needs twenty breaths of bravery.”

  His finger ghosted along the tattoo behind my ear, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine.

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “Let’s hold on to hope right now.”

  I took a long inhale, letting the air out slowly again. I could hold on to hope for Addie. It might be one of the most dangerous emotions there was, but right now, I needed it. I looked up at Hayes. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

  He raised a single brow. “Not happy to see me?”

  I was happy to see him anytime he popped up. But that wasn’t something I was ready to admit yet. “Depends why you’re here.”

  He chuckled and released my hand. “I came to check on the patient and bring you a little something. Hadley said you were a fan of the whoopie pies at Spoons.”

  I straightened instantly. I’d discovered the perfect little confections last week, and Hadley and I had consumed half a dozen on her babysitting day. “What’s in the bag?”

  He held it close to his chest. “Gonna change your tune about being happy to see me?”

  “I’m the happiest person you’ll ever meet if you’ve got whoopie pies in there.”

  Hayes carefully unrolled the bag and handed over a chocolate cookie sandwich with thick vanilla buttercream frosting in the middle. “Now, I get one, too.” He set the other on a napkin he stole from the center of the table.

  “I think one might be my limit. I had three with your sister and felt a little sick.”

  Hayes shook his head. “Hadley’s not real good with limits.”

  “I’m starting to learn that. I think she was going more stir-crazy than I was being cooped up.”

  “She always wants to be moving. It’s why being an EMT works so well for her. She’d hate being cooped up in an office or having to do the same thing day after day.”

  I broke off a piece of cookie and popped it into my mouth. “I like her. She’s hilarious and has a really good heart.”

  “That’s for sure.”

  I paused for a moment, wondering if I had any right to ask what I wanted to. “I get the sense she and your mom struggle.”

  Hayes leaned back in his chair. “You’re not wrong there.”

  “Why? I can tell they love each other.”

  He broke off a piece of his cookie and dipped it into the frosting. “Mom held the reins pretty tight after we got Shiloh back. A lot of folks would say too tight. Everyone else understood why, but Hadley…she was so young. When she got old enough, they battled. Mom was used to me and Beckett, who simply let her have her way. Or Shiloh, who would just disappear into the barn or the fields when she didn’t want to talk about something. But Hadley…she’s always had a firecracker of a temper on her. And she doesn’t back down from anything.”

  “I can see both sides.”

  “So can the rest of us. It’s why Dad and I are always trying to run interference. To get them both to see the other’s perspective. But a lot of hurt has built up over the years.”

  Fire lit along my throat, and I did my best to swallow it down. “I’m so sorry, Hayes. One action and so many lives were affected.” It wasn’t just Shiloh. It was every member of the Easton family. Mine, too. Even Addie was paying the price.

  Hayes leaned in and grabbed the seat of my chair with both hands, pulling me close. “Don’t you dare take that on. It’s not yours. You did everything you could to right that wrong, even though it wasn’t on you.”

  “Sounds like someone else I know.”

  The corner of his mouth kicked up. “I guess we’re more alike than I ever knew.”

  “Careful, Hayes, I might start to think you like me a little bit.”

  “Heaven forbid.”

  “You really didn’t have to walk me to my car.”

  Stubbornness flitted across Tim’s features. “Yes, I did. And you’re just going to have to get used to it because I’m doing it from now on.”

  Warmth spread through me at his words. Somewhere over the past couple of months, I’d started to develop a little community of people who genuinely cared. “I appreciate it. But I don’t think anyone’s going to jump out of the bushes in broad daylight.” I gestured around at more than a few people walking down the streets, locals and tourists alike.

  “Don’t care.” Tim came to a stop in front of my SUV. “I felt like the lowest of the low after I heard what’d happened. I left you here alone, and—”

  “Oh, Tim. No.” I reached out, grabbing his arm. “What happened wasn’t your fault.”

  His face hardened. “Maybe not, but I could’ve stopped it.”

  “You’re going to have to let that go,” I said softly.

  “I’ll try to if you’ll let me walk you to your car at the end of the day.”

  “I think I can live with that.” I went on impulse and threw my arms around him for a quick hug. It was so fast, he barely had time to react before I let him go again. “You’re a good man.”

  Pink hit his cheeks. “I’m working on it.”

  “You’re doing a good job.”

  “Get in that SUV before this ground swallows me whole.”

  I laughed and climbed behind the wheel, giving Tim a wave and starting the engine. He headed down the block towards his apartment over one of the shops in town. As I went to set my phone in the cupholder, it dinged.

  Shay: How’s your week going?

  I winced. I hadn’t exactly filled m
y best friend in on all that had gone down lately. Not the fire or my attack. But there wasn’t anything she could do. I typed out a quick response.

  Me: Good. We’re about to start on shelters for the critters. Once we actually have some animals, maybe you can come to visit.

  Shay: You say the word, and we’ll be on our way.

  That might take a little longer than she thought, but that would give me time to get my stitches out, and hopefully for the scar to fade. I set the phone back in my cupholder and moved my hand to the gearshift, but a flicker of movement caught my eye. Someone had shoved a folded piece of paper under my windshield wiper.

  I opened my door and stood to pull it free. Settling back in my seat, I shut the door and opened what I was sure was a flyer. Only, it wasn’t. The pulse behind my eyes intensified as I took in the sloppy scrawl.

  Next time, you won’t be so lucky. Just remember, I’m watching.

  27

  Hayes

  The muffled sound of my cell phone ringing came from somewhere on my desk. “Crap.” I patted the stacks of paper and the map I had spread out across the surface. When I couldn’t find it, I finally sent the map flying to the floor.

  I grabbed up the tiny device and hit accept without checking the caller ID. “Easton.”

  “Hayes? It’s Everly.”

  It was the first time she’d called me, and that alone had the hair rising on the back of my neck. The hesitancy in her voice only put me more on edge. “What’s wrong?” I was already pulling open my desk drawer and going for my keys.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t sound fine,” I growled.

  “I’m in my SUV outside the vet. Someone left a note on my windshield.”

  My steps faltered as I pulled my door open. “What kind of note?”

  “Not the kind asking me to a friendly tea.”

  I muttered a slew of curses and picked up my pace, winding my way through desks and past reception. “I’m leaving the station now. Are your doors locked?”

  A click sounded in the background. “They are now.”

  “Stay on the phone with me.”

  “I’ll be fine. You shouldn’t drive and talk on the phone.”

  I hit a button on my screen as I climbed behind the wheel of my SUV. “You’re on speaker, happy?”

  “So grouchy.”

  “Damn straight, I’m grouchy. And you should be, too.”

  Everly sighed. “I’m too tired to be grouchy.”

  Hell. She’d been through the wringer since she’d been back in Wolf Gap, and these last few days had been the worst of it. She needed a break, and I was going to do everything in my power to get her one. “Just hold on, Ev.”

  “I’m holding. Think we should play a game while I wait?” Her voice trembled slightly as she asked.

  “What kind of game?”

  “How about would you rather?”

  I pulled out of the department parking lot. “Isn’t that something teenagers play?”

  “Humor me. We’re gonna play the PG version.”

  “All right.”

  She cleared her throat as if getting ready to give an important speech. “Cookies or cake?”

  “Cookies. Easier to bring with you wherever you go.”

  Everly made a hmm noise in the back of her throat. “Lemonade or iced tea?”

  “Depends on who’s making it.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll always go for lemonade.”

  “My mom makes the best there is. I’ll have to bring you some.” I pulled into a spot two down from Everly’s SUV. “I’m here.”

  “Okay.”

  Her voice was so damn soft, I wanted to hit something. That wasn’t the Everly I knew, the one I was falling for. Her voice was strong, never wavered. I slid out of my SUV, scanning the area. Nothing seemed out of place—the usual mix of tourists and locals peppering the streets, taking advantage of the late-summer light. I couldn’t pick out a single person who was focused on Ev’s vehicle.

  I pulled a kit out of the cargo area of my SUV and started for Everly. She’d already climbed out and waited for me as I approached. She pointed to her passenger seat. “I put it down so I wouldn’t get a bunch of prints on it.”

  “Smart.” I hadn’t even told her to do as much because the moment I’d heard her voice, that little hint of fear, I hadn’t been thinking straight.

  I set my kit on the hood of the SUV and, instead of going for the note, I went for her. I pulled Ev into my arms and held on tight. The small hitch in her breath echoed around my rib cage like a cannon, pinging off my heart. “You’re okay.”

  “I know.”

  “Give me a sec to reassure myself of that.”

  Her hands fisted in the sides of my uniform shirt. “I really am all right. It just spooked me, is all.”

  I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with fresh air and that hint of jasmine that was all Everly. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”

  Everly hovered behind me as I pulled on gloves and opened an evidence bag. I opened the passenger door and picked up the paper by one corner. As I took in the angry slashes on the page, everything in me slowed to a crawl. My heart rate. My breathing. Even my blood seemed to halt.

  I slid the note into the evidence bag and sealed it, placing it in my kit. I didn’t want Everly to even have to see it. Snapping off my gloves, I pulled out my phone and hit Young’s contact. She answered on the second ring. “Sheriff.”

  “I need you to go by the Bar & Grill.”

  “Got trouble?”

  “Not there, I don’t think. But I need you to ask Cammie Sweeney if she received any notes. Make a drive-by at her parents’, too. See if they’ve gotten anything.”

  The squeak of a chair in the background told me that Young was already moving. “What’s going on?”

  “Everly got a threatening note on her SUV.”

  “Shit. Is she okay?”

  I looked up at Ev. “She’s hanging tough. Call me once you’ve talked to them.”

  “Will do.”

  I hit end and shoved my phone back into my pocket. “We’re going to figure this out.”

  “I know you will.”

  Something about the casual certainty in Ev’s words twisted everything inside me. “I need you to do me a favor.”

  Wariness filled her features. “And what’s that?”

  I picked up my keys and worked one off the ring. “Run by my house and pick up Koda. He’ll at least be an early warning system until I get off work.”

  “Until you get off work?”

  “I’ll be a couple of hours, but Koda and Shiloh will keep you company in the meantime.”

  “You’re coming over?”

  “You’ve got a guest room, right?”

  She nodded slowly.

  “I’m going to stay with you until we’ve got this sorted.” There was no way I was going to leave Everly alone when this asshole was clearly watching.

  She tipped her face up to the heavens as if praying for patience. “It’s normal to ask, Hayes. ‘Hey, would it be all right if I stayed with you for a few days? It would make me feel a lot better.’ Something like that.”

  I shrugged. “Normal’s overrated.”

  Everly let out a sort of growl of frustration and threw up her hands. “I give up. Give me the damn key.”

  I grinned as I placed it on her palm. “See you tonight.”

  “You’ll be lucky if I don’t short-sheet your bed.”

  I chuckled. But the humor didn’t quite reach the depths it usually did. I was too damn worried. I hated that I had to watch her drive away right now. But she’d have others looking out for her until I could return. I pulled out my phone to text Shy and my dad to tell them to do just that.

  I pulled up to the tiny cabin. As I climbed out of my SUV, I caught movement in one of the paddocks. I moved towards it, leaving everything I’d hauled over in my vehicle. As I approached, Koda lifted his head from the blanket bed someone had made for him. He th
umped his tail but didn’t bother getting up to greet me. He was too enthralled with the scene in front of him.

  Shy and my dad braced a two-by-four on the inside of the metal animal shelter while Everly hit it with a nail gun. They moved in a silent rhythm that spoke of all the time they’d spent working together over the past couple of months. I cleared my throat. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting? You do have a concussion.”

  Everly glared at me. “I’m fine.”

  Shy snickered. “We’re almost done.”

  They fit two more boards into place, and then the interior walls were done. As Everly straightened, she wobbled just a bit. I pushed off the fence and strode to her side. “You’re pushing it too much. If you don’t rest, you’re going to end up back in the hospital.”

  Dad wiped his brow. “He’s annoying and interfering, but in this case, he’s also right. Don’t push it. We can pick back up in a couple of days.”

  Everly handed the nail gun to my dad. “You guys are ganging up on me.”

  “Or we just don’t want you to keel over.”

  She rolled her eyes, but I didn’t miss the slight wince afterward. “I’m fine.”

  I resisted the urge to throw something. “A couple of days isn’t going to make a difference. Give yourself a break.”

  Everly opened her mouth to say something and then promptly shut it when Shiloh sent her a look. She turned her annoyed glare to me. “Then you’re giving me work hours this weekend.”

  I held up both hands. “I’m happy to help.”

  She traced a design I couldn’t make out in the dirt with the toe of her boot. “Any leads on the note?”

  “Not yet.” It was amazing to me that in a town so busy with local foot traffic, no one had seen anyone hovering by Everly’s SUV. “I’ve still got officers asking around and looking at camera feeds from nearby stores. And the lab will process the note first thing tomorrow.”

  “Maybe they’ll find some prints.”

  She didn’t sound especially optimistic, and neither was I given what we had right now. “I won’t stop until we find him, Ev.”