Haven of Swans

by Colleen Coble

  “You would have done the same for me.” He squeezed her hand.

  His parents and Bree joined them at the table.

  “That went well, I think,” Rhea said. She hugged Eve. “It will be okay.”

  Ronja gathered her papers. “She’s right. I think you made a good impression on the judge.”

  “I hope so,” Eve said.

  Patti stopped at their table. “I knew he would believe me,” she said. “Why fight it, Eve? You’re just going to get hurt. The court always rules in favor of the real mother.”

  “Then Eve will retain custody,” Rhea snapped. “She’s Keri’s real mother. And what century are you living in? The court strips rights away from parents all the time. Don’t think the judge bought your tearful act. He’s seen better actresses than you come through his courtroom.”

  Patti flushed and ignored the older woman. She shook her finger in Eve’s face. “You can’t keep her away from me.”

  “Neither of us is going to look like a prize, Patti. Have you thought of that?” Eve asked. “I’m living with friends, and you’re living at a hotel with no visible means of support. Where are you getting your money for this, anyway? The social service worker is going to ask those kinds of hard questions. You’d better be ready for them.”

  Patti’s confident smile twitched. “You’d better be ready to turn my daughter over to me. I won’t be denied my rights.”

  “Do you think she’d try to take Keri and run if this goes badly for her?” Eve asked, watching her sister’s stiff shoulders.

  “Over my dead body,” Rhea said fiercely. She hugged Nick and Eve. “We’ve got to get going, kids. Cyril will turn around and come right back as soon as he takes me home. I hate to go, but the nursing home called about Mother. They’ve been adjusting her Alzheimer’s medication.”

  Patti turned and flounced away. Rhea and Cyril followed as if they were making sure she wasn’t coming back.

  22

  The cool breeze hit Eve’s face, but nothing stopped the burning in her cheeks. They were in danger of losing Keri because of her sin. How could she have torn her family apart for another man? What kind of person was she? Maybe she didn’t want to get her memory back—not if it meant facing all kinds of sordidness.

  Holding on to the handrail, she raced down the stone steps to the water. She kicked off her shoes when she reached the shoreline and let her toes sink into the cold sand.

  “Eve?” Nick’s voice came from behind her.

  She turned and saw him coming across the beach. “Just leave me alone,” she told him.

  He slogged through the sand to her side, stopping about four feet away with his hands in his pockets. “Eve?”

  “We’re really nothing alike, are we?” Eve was just beginning to realize how different they were. “You’re the savior, the rescuer in the darkest hour. You thrive on responsibility. I love music, art, dance. Spontaneity is what I crave, and you long for regimented hours, isn’t that right?”

  “I thought you couldn’t remember.”

  “I don’t. But I’m not blind.” She turned her back and stared out over the water. “How can you even want to try again when I might remember my love for another man at any minute?”

  “I don’t believe you’re in love with Will,” Nick said. He turned her around to face him. “You only used him to find the courage to tell me you’d had enough.” His fingers tipped her chin up.

  She didn’t resist. When she tasted his minty lips, she knew her heart had never forgotten him. Her soul remembered his strength, his commitment. Her arms went around his neck, and she pressed into his embrace. Her fingers touched the rough stubble on his cheeks, then moved around to the back of his head to become entangled in his thick hair. She closed her eyes and gave herself to the kiss.

  His strong arms were a safe haven, her port in the storm. Nick loved her unconditionally.

  He broke the kiss, then trailed his lips across her cheeks, her eyes. “Come to the hotel with me tonight. Let’s start over.”

  The tender yearning in his gaze scorched her, and she was tempted to go with him, to ignore what she’d learned about herself. But she would hate herself tomorrow if more terrible revelations were to come. She couldn’t love Nick until she knew she could trust herself. And the only way to know that was to regain her memory.

  She pulled away from his embrace and ran for the safety of the house.

  EVE TOSSED AND TURNED ON THE BED UNTIL THE clock read 12:05. She was never going to get any rest like this. Maybe some chamomile tea would help her relax. Gracie objected with a loud meow when she moved the kitten off her chest and got up.

  Samson’s nails clicked on the wood floor as he moved to meet her outside her door. Eve rubbed his ears, then went past him down the stairs and through the silent house to the kitchen. Nick was staying at the hotel with his parents tonight. She thought her rejection had cut especially deep.

  She filled the kettle and put it on the stove. Nights were the worst, when those gossamer memories teased her, flitting so briefly through her thoughts.

  At the sound of the whistle, she poured the steaming water into the waiting cup. Setting the kettle onto a cool burner, she picked up her cup and started toward the living room.

  The hair raised on the back of her neck. Did she hear something, a slight scratch? She should go get Kade, but she hated to wake him if a squirrel or raccoon had taken up residence on the back porch. Maybe she should call Samson from upstairs. She approached the kitchen’s rear door and listened. The only sound was the wind.

  She looked at the doorknob, then backed away. What was she thinking? No way was she going to open the door and look. She turned to leave the kitchen, but something about the door bothered her, and she looked back at it. The deadbolt lever was in the wrong position. It hadn’t been locked.

  She set her cup on the counter and moved to the door to lock it. She heard a whisper of movement behind her, and her danger registered. Before she could turn, an arm came around her waist and pulled her against a man’s chest. His other hand clasped her mouth and forced her head back into his neck.

  “Hello, Eve. We meet again,” the man whispered. “I hope you’ve been anticipating this as much as I have.”

  She couldn’t see him, but she could feel some cloth over his face where it rested against her cheek. Fear drained the strength from her limbs, moving through her legs and arms with an icy grip. She tried to scream, but nothing made it past his hand over her lips.

  The arm tightened around her waist, and his thumb moved to caress her cheek. “So lovely. Your skin is the finest I’ve ever seen. So much better than the others.”

  She began to struggle then. Her hands came up to tear at his arm, but she couldn’t begin to match his strength.

  The arm around her waist moved higher until his hand came around her throat. “A lovely neck. Long and slim. Though we know you’re not pure, don’t we, Eve? You have to pay for your sin.”

  She kicked out, kept kicking. Keri was upstairs. Her baby needed her. She would not allow this man to rip her from her daughter. She tore at his arm with renewed vigor, using her nails like talons.

  He flinched and swore under his breath. “Enough. We have to go.”

  Her heels dug into the flooring, but she couldn’t get any purchase, and he pulled her as though she weighed nothing. The door rattled, and the cool breeze rushed into the kitchen. Then she was on the threshold and moving out onto the porch. Even grabbing the doorjamb barely slowed her attacker’s progress.

  A low growl came from the living room, then Samson ran toward them. The man swore again, and his arm relaxed a fraction as he moved to pull the door shut against the dog.

  Eve secured her hold on the doorjamb and tried to lurch back into the kitchen, using her strong legs for leverage, but he ripped her fingers free. She heard him kick at the door, trying to close it as the dog’s snarls grew closer. But he was too late.

  Samson barreled through the door before it latched, t
hen leaped into the air toward them. He came at her attacker with silent intent. The force of the big dog’s leap drove Eve and Gideon against the railing. The man’s leg lashed out past her, connecting with Samson’s flank, but the dog kept on coming. His teeth bared, he sprang toward Gideon.

  Gideon released her mouth and threw his arm up to protect his throat as the dog leaped onto him. Eve managed to wrench out of his other arm’s grip. She dove to the deck, letting her weight assist her.

  A dark blur, dog and man, grappled beside her. Samson snarled again, and Gideon shouted hoarsely. Eve’s chest hurt, and she struggled to draw enough air into her lungs.

  The dog yelped, and the sound galvanized her into action. “Samson?” She grabbed the rough railing and hauled herself up as she heard someone run across the planks. A dim shadow leaped from the porch into the yard, and she saw a man’s stooped form rush away.

  “Samson?” she said again. Something squeezed in her chest. The dog had to be all right.

  She heard the dog’s nails on the boards, then his fur brushed against her. Samson licked her face and whined, but Gideon had vanished. Eve peered into the dark, but the moonlight couldn’t penetrate it. He could be anywhere, behind the bushes, skulking in the well house. Samson was still barking and growling, but he pressed close to her legs as though to protect her.

  “Good boy.” Her voice sounded shaky. “Let’s get inside.” Her fingers in his collar, she pulled him into the kitchen with her. She locked the door and threw the deadbolt.

  She heard Bree call her name from upstairs, then the floor over her head squeaked as someone moved on it. Sinking to her knees, Eve saw a white feather on the floor and picked it up. Gideon must have dropped it. Samson came to her, and she put her arms around the dog. She thanked God he was okay.

  Her eyes widened as memories of another attack assaulted her. She reeled as the onslaught of memories rushed in. Her heart strained against her ribs as terror surged through her veins.

  She remembered the night he’d entered her house.

  THE SCENT OF CHILI HUNG IN THE AIR. EVE STIRRED it with hands still shaking from her scare and glanced at the clock. Late again. Just a half hour ago, she gave the signed divorce papers to her lawyer to give to the judge on Monday. Nick had begged for another chance in spite of everything, and she’d thrown caution to the wind and invited him for dinner.

  He should have been here an hour ago. The phone rang and she grabbed it when she saw it was Nick. “Where are you?” she demanded.

  “I’m not going to make it,” he said. “I got a lead on the sniper case, and I have to follow up.”

  A familiar weariness swept over her. “I see.”

  “Look, don’t be mad, okay? This is important.”

  She needed to tell him about the man who had followed her onto the elevator at her loft studio, who had touched her arm, then backed her into a corner for several seconds, but Nick didn’t care. Maybe she’d call Will and invite him over. He might care.

  She ended the call without answering him. She should have been angry, but instead she was numb. Numb and broken. He’d taken all she had to give, and there was nothing left.

  She bent her head and pressed her fingers against her closed lids. When she straightened and opened her eyes, the lights flickered, then went out. The room plunged into darkness. Eve’s fingers brushed the hot pot of chili. She dropped the spoon and put her burning finger to her mouth.

  Nick had promised to get the house rewired, but of course he’d never gotten it done. She probably had too many things going in the kitchen. She moved through the dark house, feeling her way to the utility room. Something tripped her, a doll or a stuffed animal, and she stumbled over it and nearly fell.

  A sound caught her ear. Stealthy and furtive. It made her breath catch in her tight throat.

  Someone was in the house. The man who tried to grab her in the elevator? She tried to tell herself he couldn’t know where she lived. Clear out here in the country, not even a streetlight shining through the window pierced the deep darkness inside the house.

  She opened her mouth to call out, then closed it. It would be stupid to give away her location. If she could get to Keri, she would run to the car in the garage and escape.

  The blackness watched, waited.

  Without warning, he struck. Something went over her head. The struggle went on in silence. His hands, smelling of peanut butter, pressed her against the wall, and duct tape came around her wrists.

  With her hands bound with tape, he dragged her onto her back.

  “Such a pretty face,” he crooned in a distorted voice. “I’ll take your eyes first, Eve, and then your face.”

  Fingers traced her cheekbones, her eye sockets.

  She was fighting with a psychopath.

  His touch left her, and she sensed him looming over her in the dark. Lying on her back, she coiled her legs to her chest, then kicked out, connecting with his chest. She heard the sound of a table crashing over and the contents toppling to the floor. She scrabbled away on her back. He came at her again. Something pierced her chest, and she cried out. Then a heavy weight crashed against her head. Stars sparkled in her vision, and she felt herself fading.

  “Mommy?” Keri’s voice.

  Her cry had awakened her daughter. Eve fought harder, knowing Keri’s life hung in the balance, as well as her own. She flipped to her stomach and tried to crawl away, but he grabbed her right ankle and began to haul her back. With a hard kick of her right leg, she thrust him back and flung out her bound arms. Her hands touched a heavy brass candlestick. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it was all she had.

  Grasping it just above its base, she rolled onto her back. She felt rather than saw him approach. Praying for strength, she brought the candlestick down on his shoulder. He fell onto her, and she brought it down again, aiming for where she thought his head was.

  The blow landed square and solid, and he went limp. His weight nearly crushed her lungs. She rolled him off her and sat up.

  He moved, so she hit him again. And again. Then he lay still. Dead, she hoped.

  Something warm and sticky soaked her blouse. She couldn’t think, couldn’t focus. Get away. Take the little girl and get away. Using her teeth, she tore the duct tape away from her wrists. She scooped up the child and ran for the garage door.

  ROCKING BACK AND FORTH ON THE KITCHEN FLOOR with her arms around the dog, Eve remembered it all. A hand came down on her shoulder, and she screamed.

  RED MARKS STOOD OUT IN SHARP RELIEF AGAINST the white flesh of Eve’s neck. Nick held out a cup of hot tea. “Drink it,” he ordered. He hadn’t been here. Again.

  Eve started to take the tea, but there was something in her hand. “He dropped this.” She held it out.

  Nick took it and glanced to Kade. “Any idea what kind of feather this is?”

  Kade cinched his bathrobe tighter and took the feather from Nick’s fingers. “Too big for a gull. Maybe a swan. I’ll find out.”

  “Now drink your tea,” Nick said.

  She took it and cupped both hands around it. “Thanks.” She took a sip, and a bit of color came back to her cheeks.

  “I still think we should call the doctor,” Bree said. She carried a blanket with her into the room. Shaking it out, she tucked it around Eve.

  “I’m not hurt,” Eve said. “Thanks to Samson.” The dog’s ears flickered at the sound of his name. He padded to the sofa and pressed his nose against Eve’s leg. She rubbed his head.

  “I’m going to get him the biggest steak in the grocery store,” Nick told her. She didn’t look up. In fact, she’d barely looked at him since he arrived after the frantic phone call.

  It had been all he could do to find a place to park with all the sheriff and police cars lining the road along the lighthouse. Dozens of cops roamed the yard, but all he cared about was getting to Eve. Fraser stopped him outside to tell him he was personally going to guard Eve. Nick managed to thank him even though all he wanted to do was get to his w
ife.

  He sat beside her on the sofa, and she leaned slightly away. His gaze met Bree’s, and he saw sympathy there. He had no idea what the undercurrent meant, but he had a feeling he was about to find out.

  “I remember, Nick,” Eve said, her gaze finally meeting his. “I remember everything.” Her voice was remote and as cool as Lake Superior.

  “Everything? You mean you have your memory back?”

  “Yes. After Samson saved me. You weren’t there again, Nick. Not when Gideon first came for me and not tonight.” She rose and pulled the blanket around her more closely. “You’re never there!”

  He flinched at her words. “Eve, I had no way of knowing he would come here tonight.”

  “It’s your job to protect us!” She screamed the words at him. “Instead, Samson had to do it.” The dog whined and pressed harder against her leg.

  Nick felt the blows hit home. Protecting people was his job, and he’d failed his own family. “I’m sorry, Eve.”

  “Sorry? Do you know how many times I’ve heard that, Nick? Sorry doesn’t change how he cut me. How he almost killed me. Sorry wouldn’t have helped if he’d hurt Keri. I don’t want your apologies.” She sank back onto the sofa.

  “Let it alone for now,” Bree said, sitting down beside Eve and taking her hand. “This isn’t the time to discuss it.”

  “The time is never right, is it?” Eve asked, a weary edge to her voice.

  “Exactly what happened?” Nick asked.

  Eve stared at him again. “When emotions get involved, your cop persona kicks in.”

  “Eve, I’m trying to catch him,” Nick said between gritted teeth. “Do you want me to let him go on killing women? Others haven’t been as lucky as you.”

  Her fingers tightened on the blanket. She leaned back against the sofa. “I’m sorry. Go.” She shooed him away with her hand. “Go see what you can find out.”

  “I want to hear it from you. What happened here tonight?”

  She stared at him, and he didn’t know if he could stand to hear how Gideon had tormented her.