I was silent as I stared up at him. He looked nervous and vulnerable at his admission. I thought of Logan as a teenager, joking around and trying to make everyone happy but still feeling like the black sheep of the family. Unprotected from his mother’s wrath and his father’s disappointing stare.
“I’ll always protect you,” I said suddenly and looped my arms around his waist, leaning up to press my lips against his. “Just like you protect me.”
Chapter 17
“T he south shore is sure to be hit hard by this.”
“The biggest nor’easter New England has seen in years.”
“Hope everyone grabbed their bread and milk.”
“What is with the whole ‘gotta get the bread and milk’ shit? Those are going to be the first things that spoil if we lose power,” Violet said from the doorway of my office.
I begrudgingly turned down the radio, still wanting to listen to the weather forecast for the next few days. We were about to get annihilated by what was sure to be a blizzard for the books and everyone was acting like it was the apocalypse. I’d gone food shopping this morning and it was a complete zoo. One woman rammed her grocery cart into mine and another one ripped the last pack of cookies out of my hands like she was some savage. It was a mess.
All I wanted to do was get through the day and get home before it began to snow. It was no secret that work had been tense ever since my spat with the Arden sisters and I definitely didn’t want to argue now when I had a million and one things to do. I still needed double and triple check to make sure the generator was all set, make sure I moved every toy and water bowl inside and make sure each dog had some time outside because they’d be cooped up for a few days. I didn’t even look at the stack of adoption papers sitting on my desk.
“You’re going to take off before it starts snowing?” she asked, still standing in the doorway.
“That’s the plan.”
“Can I come in?
I looked up from my laptop. “Sure. Everything okay?”
“What?” she asked as she closed the door. “Yeah, yeah, everything’s fine. I just wanted to, um, talk to you. About things.”
My spine straightened. I definitely couldn’t deal with another lecture about the things I was doing wrong with my life. “About Logan.”
Violet shook her head, her sleek bob looking shiny. “No, this isn’t about Logan. This is about us.”
I closed my laptop and then sat back, my hands tucked between my knees. “Okay.”
“I’m sorry,” she blurted out as she tugged her gloves off, revealing neat, manicured fingernails with blood red polish. How she kept her hands that clean while working on a farm, I had no clue. “We’re sorry. About everything we said. Rose and I would never want you to feel like a pariah, Juliette. We love having you here with us every day. You work hard, do your job the right way and you treat all of the animals as if they were your own. We’d would never, ever want you to feel like you don’t belong here. We love you.”
I don’t know what was up with my emotions, but I couldn’t seem to hold back tears to save my damn life. I’d bawled my eyes out on top of Logan in his car and then cried again the next day when he surprised me with flowers, possibly the sweetest gesture I would ever see from a hard ass like him. He’d been mortified as he gave me the beautiful bouquet, his cheeks red in a way that was so adorable I couldn’t help but smile at the memory.
Violet’s words really hit me. They loved me. They thought I belonged at the farm and for so long I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. I wiped my shirtsleeve against my watering eyes and then shook my head. “I shouldn’t have walked away from you guys that day. I should have stayed so we could hash it out.”
“We completely understand why you left. After everything was said and done, we realized that we could have approached you in a much better way. We just wanted you to know that we were concerned. You’re so sweet, Juliette, and we were worried that he was going to take advantage of that. Take advantage of you.”
I nodded. I could understand where they were coming from and probably should have looked at it through their eyes. All they saw was me falling head over heels for a strange man with a bad rep. If it had been me in their shoe,s I would have been just as concerned and probably meaner about it.
“I get it,” I responded and leaned my elbows on my desk. “I really do. If the tables were turned and it was one of you, I would have thought the same thing. But he’s not taking advantage of me, I promise. We all know I’m too smart for that.”
Violet laughed and then leaned forward, grasping one of my hands between both of hers. “I mean it, Juliette. I’m sorry. I’m sorry that our first instinct wasn’t to be happy that you’d found someone you care about. It should have been, I have no excuse for that. Only an apology. Rose feels the same way.”
“No, I don’t.” came an all too familiar voice. I heard squeaky, wet boots on the floor outside of my office and then Rose appeared in the doorway with a scowl on her face.
I raised my eyebrows. “No? What do you feel, Rose?”
She cleared her throat and crossed her arms. “I’m not going to sit here and say that I should have immediately been happy, because I’d be lying.”
“Fair enough.”
“I care about you and when someone I care about gets involved with some random man, I’m going to be more curious than happy. I’m not sorry about that.”
“Rose!” Violet hissed and widened her eyes as she shot her sister a glare.
She rolled her eyes in response. “But it’s clear that he cares about you. I saw it that day he showed up here. I could see it in his eyes that there was no malicious intent there. I just worry about you.”
“And?” her sister prompted
“And… I love you. A lot. I want you to do what makes you happiest.”
“If doing Logan’s what makes you happy, then we’re all for it.” Violet winked.
I laughed and felt my cheeks heat, shaking my head as I stood up. Why we’d let this argument drag out, I had no clue. I just knew that I loved the Arden sisters, loved their brazenness and loved what they stood for. It seemed that Logan wasn’t the only one who’d lucked out. I did too.
I circled around my desk and wrapped them both into a tight hug, sniffling softly when I saw a tear roll down Violet’s cheek.
“Please tell me you both aren’t fucking crying,” Rose growled.
Violet and I laughed and when we pulled away we were both wiping our eyes while Rose rolled hers. “Unbelievable. You’re both so soft.”
I laughed as she walked out of my office. “You said you love me, though!”
“I lied,” she responded, but even I could hear the smile in her voice.
THAT WAS ARGUABLY one of the most exhausting shifts of my life. My legs ached from walking the dogs so many times and my fingers were stiff from being exposed to the cold for so long. But by the end of the day, after the sun had set, I’d gotten everything done and was ready to head out. After promising to call or text one of the sister’s when I got home, I was in the car and on my way.
There was still no sign of Nicole. It was all I could think about as I drove. No phone calls, no texts. Ronald had called to let us know the blood that was found in Conlon’s house belonged to Conlon, not her, and a twisted part of me was happy because I hoped she fought and clawed like hell to get away from him. But there was another part of me, a dark, negative part, that wondered what he’d done to her when she stopped fighting.
I refused to believe that she was dead, and it wasn’t something Logan and I even brought up because it wasn’t an option. Conlon had to have taken her somewhere, kidnapped her when she wasn’t acting as complacent as he wanted her to. That was the only explanation because the alternative was far too dark for me to comprehend.
With Christmas just around the corner, the stress was high. As much as we wanted Nicole to come home, we knew that it would be a Christmas miracle if she did.
The sky was pitch black and the road
s were dark as I drove toward Port James. It was already snowing, fat flakes falling against my windshield. They were predicting at least eighteen inches and it was giving me anxiety. All I wanted to do was get home.
My thoughts drifted to Logan. He texted me earlier and tried to convince me to let him pick me up, but I reassured him that I was fine to drive. I had to admit that the gesture was sweet just as much as I had to come to terms with the fact that I was no longer falling in love with Logan.
I wasn’t falling. I’d already crashed. I was head over heels, totally and completely, let’s get his and her towels in love with Logan. I don’t know when it happened, I don’t know why it happened, but it did. It was as though my heart found its counterpart with Logan’s, and there was no stopping it. I was overwhelmed, terrified. Excited. I’d never known what it was like to be in love with someone, to recognize that all consuming feeling. But here I finally was, embracing the craziness. Loving every second of it and holding on for the ride.
Though, it was one thing to admit it to myself and another thing to actually tell Logan how I felt.
Doubts flew through my head as I drove along the winding road. What if he didn’t say it back? What if he didn’t feel the same way at all? What if me telling him the truth pushed him away? I could play the “what if” game all I wanted, but I’d never know until I actually told him.
Which I was going to do.
Tonight.
I’d spent all day trying to muster up the courage, telling myself that there was nothing wrong with feeling how I felt and expressing it. Logically, I knew there was nothing wrong with being in love with someone. It was a part of life and people did it every day. But it was a whole different ball park when it was me who was in love. The feeling was foreign and the thought of actually saying those three little words made me sick to my stomach. But the thought of not saying them? The thought of keeping them bottled up inside me and buried in the depths of my heart? That made me feel like I was dying.
“I’m going to tell him,” I whispered firmly.
I was nearly home when I remembered I needed to stop and get coffee and eggs for the morning. Pulling into a small convenience store just outside of Port James, I parked my car off to the side of the building and jogged inside, the snow whipping at my face.
I squinted against the fluorescent lights as I made my way up and down the aisles, smiling politely when the young clerk approached me. He couldn’t have been older than seventeen with shaggy dark blonde hair.
“Are you almost done? I’m not trying to be rude, lady, but this storm is coming in fast and my manager told me I could close. So…”
He trailed off and I had to bite back my laughter. It was clear he was eager to close up and get the hell home, so I didn’t waste my time gathering up the things I needed before heading to the register.
“It’s pretty nasty out,” I remarked as I glanced out the storefront window. “Make sure you buckle up when you drive home.”
I turned back just in time to see the young man roll his eyes. I raised my eyebrows and he blushed, knowing he was caught.
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly as he bagged my items. “It’s just been a long day and now I’m going to have to go home and shovel. My dad can’t help because he just had surgery on his knee, so it’s going to take me a while.”
Poor kid, I thought wryly. Wait until he’s an adult and has to do everything on his own. I was struck with an idea and I held up one finger and jogged down an aisle quickly. I grabbed two candy bars and some kind of mocha iced coffee that looked like it was filled with sugar, the kind that kids drink in high school because they hate the taste of actual coffee.
I watched as he rang them up and then stopped him as he went to put them in a bag. “Those are for you.” I smiled.
He looked stunned. “What? Why?”
I grabbed my bags and shrugged. “Because you have a long night ahead of you and, aside from the eye roll, you seem like a good kid. Plus, you look like you need the energy. Shoveling is a real bitch.”
The boy laughed and then nodded his head. “Thank you!” he yelled after me when I walked out the door. “Drive safe!”
I smiled all the way to the car, in a good mood despite the ugly weather that was heading our way. The snow was already getting heavier and sticking to the pavement, a sure sign that the storm would arrive sooner rather than later.
I had just loaded the groceries into the backseat when I realized something didn’t feel right. I didn’t know what it was, couldn’t explain it. But a shiver ran down my spine and the voice in my head was screaming at me to get in the car, lock the doors, and get the hell out of there.
Not one to ignore my gut, I had just slammed the back door when someone cleared their throat.
I whipped around, my heart beating frantically in my chest.
There stood Greg Conlon looking every bit the creep that he was. He was leaned against his dark car, one foot propped up on the tire as he crossed his arms and stared at me coldly. His hair was greasy and the stubble on his face indicated that he hadn’t shaved in more than a few days.
My heart was pounding painfully against my ribs and I wanted to kick my own ass for not just going straight home.
“I’m sorry, did I scare you?” he asked with a humorless laugh. “You looked so happy, I wanted to watch you for a minute. Watch that pretty smile and those big eyes.”
“What do you want?” I asked, my voice shaking. I hated that I was scared, didn’t want to give him that much power over me.
He flashed me a grin and the scent of cigarettes was coming off him in waves. “I want to make a point.”
He wanted to make a point. To me. To Logan. To Nicole. It didn’t matter, but the underlying threat did and I was itching to get home.
The roads were dead. I was the only one in the parking lot. Neither of those were good things.
Without another word to him, I quickly turned and threw open the driver’s side door.
But, unfortunately, that was all I was able to do because then Conlon was on me, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking my head back, my scalp screaming in pain as he tugged me backward. So I did the only thing I could do.
I screamed.
I screamed so hard I thought my throat was bleeding and when Conlon cupped his hand over my mouth, I bit him. Hard.
He howled and then yanked my head farther back before shoving my whole body forward, my forehead connecting with the harsh metal of my car.
I dropped to the ground.
My world went black.
Chapter 18
P ain.
That was my first thought as I shivered. My body was cold and all I could focus on was the immense pain that was circling around my skull. It felt like someone had taken a hammer to my temples, intense throbbing behind my heavy eyelids as I opened them.
It took a moment for my eyes to focus and I was swamped with nausea, my stomach rolling as I tried to move. My arms were heavy as I tried to lift them, heavy to the point where I couldn’t move them at all.
But that was when I realized I couldn’t, in fact, move my arms.
At all.
Pain bit into my wrists as I tugged, slowly becoming more aware as I took in my surroundings, trying desperately to remember what happened.
The blizzard. Driving home. Wanting to tell Logan I loved him. And then Conlon pulling my hair so hard it brought tears to my eyes. But then… nothing. Everything went black and now I was…
Tied to a chair.
In a cabin.
The wooden structure was relatively small as the wind howled outside, shaking the windowpanes. My shoulders ached and the room was cold, so cold that I could see my breath puffing out of my mouth.
Stay calm, I thought to myself. Get your bearings. Breathe. Stay calm. I looked around. It looked as though the cabin was, essentially, one giant room with an unlit stone fireplace on the far wall. A dimly lit lamp sat on a rickety looking table and the furniture was scarce. All that w
as really there was an old area rug that had definitely seen better days and a faded green loveseat. I could only assume there was a bed behind me because there wasn’t one in front of me. The place looked dusty, old, and worn down. I could feel a draft coming from somewhere and I shivered, tugging on my restraints.
A soft groan next to me caught me off guard and I turned my head to the side, dizzy and on the verge of throwing up from the small movement. My mouth was paper dry and my tongue felt heavy as I tried to speak.
“Is someone there?” I croaked, the dim light not giving me much assistance as I spotted a dark, hunched figure in the corner, tied to a chair that looked similar to mine.
There was the groan again as the figure moved, turning their head to the side to face me.
“Who…” I trailed off and squinted, trying my best to focus as the stringy blonde hair and pale face came into view. “Nicole? Oh my God.”
My heart plummeted as she fully came into focus. Her face was battered and bruised with a large, swollen gash across her left temple. Around the area was purple and and dark and I feared that it was infected. She had twin black eyes and dried blood under her nose, her blonde hair a ratty, tangled mess. The jeans she wore were torn and I could have sworn I saw fingerprint bruises around her throat, but maybe it was just shadows playing a trick on me. Her lips were blue from the cold and she looked barely conscious, eyes drifting shut or rolling back in her head.
Nicole looked something awful.
“Hey,” I whispered and cleared my throat, hating how painfully scratchy it felt. “Nicole, wake up. Honey, come on. Please, please look at me.”
Her head lolled and her eyes opened. Unfocused, but I didn’t care. “Who… who are… wait. Wait, I know you, right? Logan’s friend. Jaime.”
“Juliette, but yes. Yes, I’m Logan’s friend. I need you to focus, okay? I’m going to get us out of here. Do you know where we are?”
How I was going to get us out of there, I had no clue. But I would. Logan would. He had to have known something was wrong when I didn’t come home. He would have gone to look for me, or maybe that kid from the convenience store heard me screaming. Someone was going to come for me, for us.
Reckless and Wild: A Small Town Romantic Suspense (Port James Series Book 1) Page 16
