Tattered Stars

by Catherine Cowles

  The door burst open just as I eased down into my chair. It didn’t take an investigator to see that my mother had worked herself into a state. “You don’t answer your phone anymore?”

  I pulled out my cell and saw five missed calls. “I was in a meeting. You know my work schedule. If I don’t call you back, there’s a reason.”

  She paced back and forth across the small space. “You have to talk to Hadley. She’s being ridiculous. She can suck it up and stay with us for a few weeks, so I don’t have to worry.”

  My cell phone buzzed in my hand.

  Shy: You need to calm Mom down. Tell her I’m going to stay with Hads for a while.

  I kept staring at the words on the screen, trying to figure out some way to shape this into a good thing for my mom.

  “What? Is that Hadley?”

  I looked up from the device that wasn’t giving me one lick of help. “No. It was Shy. She’s going to stay with Hadley for now so neither of them will be alone.”

  Mom’s jaw fell open. “You think that makes me feel better? They’ll be in one spot, so whoever this madman is can just pick them off.” She started pacing again. “This is Hadley’s doing. She’s got Shiloh all upset now, too.”

  “Mom…”

  “Don’t Mom me.”

  “You need to calm down. Just take a breath, or you’re going to lose them both.”

  My mother looked as if I had slapped her. “How could you say something like that?”

  “Because it’s the truth. We can’t keep avoiding what happened. Ev was right. We need to face it.”

  “I face it every day. Every single one since the day she went missing—was stolen—and I can’t believe you’d think otherwise.”

  I let out a long breath, looking my mom directly in the eyes and seeing the panic and devastation there. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I know you live with this every single day. We all do. But Hadley…she never got a chance to be free. To run wild like the rest of us did. She was too young before the kidnapping, and after…” I didn’t look away, needing my mother to really hear this. “There was no normal. No sleepovers or riding bikes to the store with friends or even high school parties if an adult wasn’t present. Beck and I understood why, and Shy didn’t want to do any of that anyway. But Hadley, she wanted all of it. And she never got it.”

  My mom slid into one of the empty chairs. “I was scared.”

  I stood and rounded the desk, taking the seat next to her and grabbing her hand. “I know. And I hate that for you. It kills me. But if you don’t give Hadley some room to be who she is, you are going to lose her.”

  Mom sniffed. “I know. But sometimes I just get so angry that she doesn’t give me a little empathy.”

  “I think she does. She’s just not willing to give up who she is so you don’t worry.”

  My mom was quiet, clearly mulling it all over but not being willing to admit that she might be wrong.

  “I’m going to have an officer stationed outside her house each night, okay? Would that make you feel better?”

  “Yes. I just want her to be safe.”

  I pulled my mom into a hug. “I know you do.” But for the first time, I could really see just how stifling that might be. And I knew I had to keep myself from doing the same to Everly.

  36

  Everly

  I moved around my kitchen, finishing the last few dishes from last night as Chip chowed down on a small bowl of nuts. “I hope you know how cushy your life is.”

  He let out a little chatter in response. It better have been in agreement. The little guy pretty much lived in the lap of luxury.

  The breeze from the window picked up, swirling my hair around my face and rustling the branches of the trees outside. God, I loved the silence here. And for the first time in weeks, I was truly alone.

  I might have come to appreciate how Hayes’ overprotectiveness showed his care, but that didn’t mean I was used to having people around all the time. I’d been on my own since I was eighteen. Never had roommates, even if it meant living in a shoebox of a studio apartment. And I valued that solitude.

  Now I had to find some balance. I took a deep breath of pine air, letting it center me. I reached for that ever-elusive peace. It felt closer than it had in the past. I could grab it for brief moments; I just needed to find a way to get it to stay.

  It didn’t help that I knew Ian was walking the streets now, having decided to shell out bail instead of waiting out the wheels of justice. Hayes had made a trip down to the vet’s office to tell me. I had my restraining order, but I knew that piece of paper was useless. It was only kindling to Ian.

  The only way it would help was if he broke it and got jail time. And if that happened, it would likely be too late. The damage would already be done. A shiver snaked up my spine, even though the air was warm enough for a tank top.

  Tires on gravel sounded, and I checked my watch. Just about quitting time for Hayes, but I still moved to the corner of the cabin where I’d put my gun locker and pulled out Betty. Lifting the curtains a fraction, the tension in my shoulder blades eased as I saw the lights atop his SUV.

  I placed Betty back in the locker and shut the door. Taking another deep breath, I reached for that calm again. I pulled open the front door just as Hayes reached the bottom step. “Are those flowers? And takeout?”

  He almost looked a little bashful. “I haven’t had the chance to take you on a proper date yet. I thought I’d remedy that.” He handed me the brightly colored blooms and pulled me close.

  “They’re beautiful.”

  Hayes bent his head and took my mouth in a slow kiss. “Missed you today.”

  “You saw me in the middle of the day.”

  He pulled me in closer, inhaling deeply. “Still missed you.”

  My arms rounded his body as I burrowed into his hold. “I missed you, too.” More than I wanted to admit. Something about Hayes grounded me. The frenetic energy that normally ran through me eased just a bit around him.

  “Glad to hear it. It would be a real bummer if you were fine without me.”

  I grinned into his chest, but at the same time, a lick of panic flitted through me. Because I would never be fine without Hayes. But I might have to learn to live that way anyway.

  I released my hold on him and stepped back. “Come on in. Whatever’s in there smells amazing.”

  “How do you feel about a Mexican feast?”

  “I feel great about it. Hey, where’s Koda?”

  “He’s with Shy today.” We moved into the living area, and Chip scurried back into his hidey-hole. “I’ll never get used to that dang thing.”

  I pulled out some plates and cutlery. “He’s cute. Admit it.”

  “He’d be cute if he lived in the barn.”

  “Too late now, he’s domesticated. He wouldn’t survive out there with that limp. And he was my first friend.”

  Hayes lifted a brow. “Your first friend.”

  “I wasn’t sure what the welcome would be like when I got here. I was bracing for a full town shunning. I thought he might be my only friend.”

  Hayes set the bags of food on the counter. “Come here.” I walked into his open arms, and he rested his chin on the top of my head. “I’m sorry you were so scared. And even more sorry that I was such a grade-A jerk when I came up here that first time.”

  “That first couple of times, you mean?”

  He grunted. “I was an idiot.”

  “It takes a real man to admit the truth,” I said with a chuckle. Then I tipped my head back so my chin rested on Hayes’ sternum. “But you’re forgiven. You don’t need to keep apologizing.”

  “I do when I feel like an ass.”

  I slipped a hand under the hem of his untucked work shirt, running my fingers along the golden skin and taut muscle. “You learned from it. That’s all any of us can ask for. Hope for.”

  He brushed the hair away from my face. “I’ve learned a lot from you.”

  “Really?
”

  “Yup. Come on, I’ll tell you over dinner.”

  “Want to eat on the back deck? I got a new table from the secondhand shop after work. It’s all set up.”

  He frowned at me. “I would’ve helped you with that.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I can handle a table and a few chairs.”

  He felt my biceps. “You look so tiny, but you’ve got muscles.”

  “I have to lure my enemies into underestimating me.”

  Hayes chuckled. “I’d say you’ve got that covered. Come on, let’s eat.”

  I put the flowers in some water and then followed Hayes out to the back deck. He’d already set up an elaborate display of food, enough to feed at least eight. “Are we celebrating something I don’t know about? Having a party?”

  “As a matter of fact, we are celebrating something.”

  I sat down in the chair catty-corner to Hayes’. “And that is?”

  “I had a talk with my mom that was long overdue.”

  I took a sip of the Coke Hayes had brought out for me and studied his face. There was worry there but there was also relief. “About Hadley?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How’d it go?”

  Hayes picked up a chip and dunked it in some salsa. “Mom doesn’t see how the tension is eating away at all of us. Not yet. Her pain and fear are still overriding everything. But I’m going to hope I planted some seeds that will grow. And, at the very least, I cut off the latest emergency.”

  “What was that?”

  “Hadley not wanting to stay at my parents’ with everything that’s going on.”

  I broke off a piece of a chip and popped it into my mouth. “She likes her independence.”

  “That she does. I just hope my mom starts to see why.”

  “I think she will with time. The more you gently bring it to her attention, the more she’ll start to see the signs on her own.”

  “It was you who made me realize I needed to do it.”

  “Why me?”

  Hayes nodded. “You showed me that there is more power in facing the ghosts and tearing them down, than pretending they don’t exist.”

  I reached over and laced my fingers with his, relishing the feel of his rough palm. “I’m glad I decided to face them.” And no matter what happened, I always would be. Because I got these stolen moments with Hayes. I knew what it felt like to be cherished by him in every way imaginable.

  He leaned in and brought his mouth to mine. Comfort and fire, a combination that was solely Hayes, burned through my veins. The shattering of glass had both of our heads snapping up. I gaped at the hole in my window, and the rock I could see on the floor.

  “Get inside,” Hayes barked as he scanned the forest.

  “Hayes, don’t. You don’t know who’s out there or if they have a gun.”

  He pushed me towards the back door. “Go. Call the station for backup. Tell them I’m in pursuit.”

  I swallowed down the bile that crawled up my throat and ran for the door as Hayes took off for the forest. I scrambled for my phone, calling nine-one-one and relaying the details. The dispatcher assured me that deputies would arrive in twenty minutes. But twenty minutes was too long.

  I moved to my gun locker in the corner and went for my rifle this time—better accuracy. I closed the cabinet with a bang and locked it. Moving for the back door, everything stopped as the crack of a bullet filled the air. Then there was nothing but silence.

  37

  Hayes

  Bark flew as another bullet hit the tree next to me. I let a few choice curses fly as I ducked behind a tree for cover. “Time’s running out. Reinforcements are on the way.”

  I just needed whoever this was to make one dumb move. To leave himself open for a shot or give me enough of a visual that I could make an ID. Something.

  Another bullet flew past me, embedding itself in a downed log. “You need to work on your shooting. Why don’t you come out here, and we can settle this man-to-man?”

  Only silence greeted me. “Too scared? Is that why you try to get the jump on women who aren’t expecting it?”

  A hail of bullets peppered the tree I stood behind. Now, I was getting somewhere. I bent and picked up a good-sized rock. Pulling my arm back, I sent it flying into another tree about fifteen feet away. Bark splintered, and the unsub turned his gun in that direction. I aimed, catching sight of the movement, a hand or arm maybe. I fired, and the man hollered.

  I charged forward, but before I could make even a few feet of progress, the crack of a bullet filled the air. Fiery, burning pain lanced my shoulder. The bloom so red-hot I saw stars. Another bullet whizzed past my head, and I was forced to duck behind another tree.

  Footsteps pounded the forest floor, not towards me but away. Less than a minute later, that changed to hoofbeats. The force they echoed with told me he was getting away at a gallop.

  I took a breath, my lungs rattling with the adrenaline dump. Looking down at my shoulder, I winced. Blood soaked through my short-sleeve uniform shirt. I carefully rolled it up. “Shit.” It was only a graze, but it was deep.

  I pushed to my feet and started back towards the cabin, my gait a little unsteady. My uninjured arm rose, gun centered on the figure who stepped out of the trees. “Ev, what the hell?”

  She slowly lowered her rifle. “Your arm. Oh, God, your arm.”

  “I’m fine. It’s just a graze.”

  “That is too much blood for a graze. We need to get you back to the cabin. Is he still out there?”

  “Long gone. Horseback.”

  Sirens sounded as Everly led me up the stairs and towards a chair. “You sit. I’ll get the reinforcements.”

  Within moments, Young, Ruiz, and Williams appeared on the back deck. “Shit, boss,” Ruiz said. “Should we call the paramedics?”

  Everly answered “Yes,” at the same time I said, “No.” She moved in close. “You have to be kidding me. You’re bleeding all over my deck, and you don’t want a medic? We need to take you to the hospital.”

  “Call Hadley. She can stitch me up.”

  Ev glared at me. “I’ll call her, but only so that she can drug you so we can take you in.” She pulled out her phone and walked to the other side of the deck to make her call.

  “I like her,” Young stated.

  “Of course, you do.” I winced as I tried to move my arm.

  Young tracked the movement. “Are you sure you shouldn’t go to the hospital? That looks rough.”

  Williams, looking a little green, nodded. “She has a point.”

  “I’ll be fine. Hads will get me all patched up, she’s done it before.”

  Everly sent me a glare as she walked inside still on the phone.

  I turned back to my officers. “Call Forest Service. Unknown male subject on horseback.”

  “You get a look?” Ruiz asked.

  “Only enough to say, ‘male.’ I think shorter than me, but I can’t be sure. I only saw his back. I think a shot may have hit his arm.”

  Ruiz lifted his chin in assent and moved to make his call.

  Everly came out of the back door with what looked like a first-aid kit. “Hadley and Shiloh are on their way. They were picking up pizza so it shouldn’t be too long. In the meantime, I need to put pressure on the wound.”

  Ev opened the kit and pulled out a gauze pad. She gently pulled up my sleeve and sucked in an audible breath. “This is going to hurt, Hayes.”

  “I can take it.”

  She slipped her free hand into mine and then pressed the gauze to my wound. “I’m sorry. Just hold on.”

  Those same white lights danced in front of my eyes as the pain flared back to life. “I’m okay,” I gritted out.

  Young did her best to distract me, asking me to walk her through the night’s events. By the time Hadley and Shiloh arrived, she was running out of questions. Thankfully, Williams had taken that time to bag the rock and clean up the broken glass because even on his bum leg, Koda tore through the cabin
out to the deck like he knew something was wrong.

  I held out my hand. “Here, boy. Everything’s okay.” He let out a whine as I scratched behind his ears.

  Hadley appeared with her massive medic kit, Shiloh behind her with a stack of two pizzas. Calder was on their trail and seemed to be a mix of worried and exasperated. Hadley took one look at me and simply shook her head. “Really, Hayes?”

  “I had to try and get him.”

  “Men,” she huffed and squeezed Everly’s shoulder. “You okay?”

  “I’m not the one who got shot.”

  “It’s just a graze,” I argued.

  “A bullet wound because you chased after God knows who alone. You’re not getting a lot of sympathy from me,” Hadley retorted.

  “That much is clear, dear sister. I’m so glad you’re worried about me.”

  Young let out a laugh. “I love your family.”

  “You okay, man?” Calder asked.

  “Fine, really. Just pissed I didn’t get to him.” I’d been close but not close enough.

  Calder met my gaze. “You might not have gotten him this time, but you will.”

  A charged silence took over the back deck. Shiloh broke it, offering, “Pizza?”

  Young rubbed her hands together. “You know, I’m starving.”

  “Me, too,” Williams agreed.

  “Hunger even in the presence of blood,” I said as Everly pulled back the gauze.

  Hadley snapped on some exam gloves and prodded around the wound.

  My head jerked in her direction. “Hey, be careful, would you?”

  She ignored my complaint. “I’m going to need you to take off this shirt.”

  “Here. I’ll get it.” Everly pulled a pair of scissors from the kit and moved towards me. “This shirt is a lost cause anyway.”

  I looked down at the blood staining the khaki-colored fabric and knew she was right. “Do your worst.”

  Everly moved carefully but efficiently, cutting through my uniform and undershirt. She set the scissors down on a side table. “Stand up and let your arms hang loose.”