by Carys Jones
Isla hummed to herself as she wandered around the store, making sure to take in everything that was on offer before making any decisions. She felt like she was in the Pretty Woman movie and she was determined to savor every moment.
“Are you looking for a dress for a special occasion?” the assistant asked, her young face bright and eager. Isla smirked and nodded.
“A date.” Isla tried to sound as blasé as possible.
“How lovely!” The assistant grinned widely.
“Date!” Meegan laughed from her stroller where she was sat covered in the blue sticky texture of her almost-demolished lolly. The assistant’s gaze dropped to her and her smile instantly dissolved.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let her touch anything,” Isla insisted. But it was too late. The assistant eyed her dubiously and muttered something about going to get a cloth.
“Thanks, Meegs!” Isla rolled her eyes and pushed the stroller over to another collection of dresses.
“Date!” Meegan clapped her sticky hands excitedly.
“Yes, Mommy is going on a date.” Isla’s smile returned as she eyed a long emerald gown which shimmered in the light.
“Date!” Meegan cried again.
“Uh-huh,” Isla ran the soft fabric of the dress through her hands, savoring how it felt. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d worn something so exquisite. She had a wardrobe full of beautiful dresses, some of them by sought-after designers, but living in Avalon she’d had no occasion to wear them. Now she was back in her beloved city of Chicago, she could give them a new lease of life, she could return to being the woman she truly was. A woman of glamour and sophistication. And he understood that about her. He didn’t try and stifle that part of her like Aiden had.
“Daddy!” Meegan declared, her little face glowing.
Isla froze. She turned stiffly to look at her daughter, the emerald dress now forgotten and falling from her grasp. Could the little girl sense that she was thinking about Aiden?
“Daddy isn’t here,” Isla said gently as the assistant came over, extending a damp cloth towards her.
“Thanks.” Isla nodded at the assistant and lowered herself to Meegan’s level and began scrubbing the little girl’s chubby cheeks.
“Owww!” Meegan kicked her legs and squirmed in protest.
“You’re a sticky mess, Mommy needs to clean you up before she can try on all these beautiful dresses.”
“Owww!”
“Come on, Meegs. Don’t you want to see Mommy get dressed up like a princess?” Isla pulled the cloth back and Meegan scrunched up her damp, clean face.
“Football!” she spat angrily at her mother.
“No, no football today.” Isla straightened and returned the cloth to the assistant, her cheeks burning.
“Daddy!”
“No, no Daddy today either.”
Meegan collected her fingers in to tight little fists and began pounding the sides of her stroller.
“Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!”
“Meegan, please,” Isla swiftly dropped back down to her level. “Can’t you be nice and quiet? We’re in a very expensive store. If you’re a good little girl today I’ll tell the sitter to let you watch football tomorrow night on the TV. Okay?”
Meegan ceased pounding and blinked uncertainly at her mother.
“Okay?” Isla pressed, forcing herself to sound bright and chirpy.
“Okay.” Meegan nodded and rubbed her hand across her face and yawned. Isla felt her shoulders sag in relief. If Meegan fell asleep in the stroller, she could have a good hour or so browsing the dresses in the store. And she wanted to pick the perfect dress for her date. Her heart began to race slightly at the prospect of having dinner at one of the most exclusive restaurants in Chicago. Aiden would never have taken her to somewhere so expensive, he preferred to eat at home and cuddle on the sofa watching a movie.
Isla frowned at herself for thinking of him yet again. It was mentally exhausting keeping him out of her mind but she wasn’t about to let him taint an exciting event for her. Meegan’s head drooped as she fell asleep and Isla approached a new rail of dresses, determined not to think of Aiden again that morning.
*
Aiden couldn’t sleep. He woke up and blinked against the darkness. Beside him he could hear the gentle murmur of Brandy breathing. She was rolled on her side facing away from him, her legs tucked up to her chest. Despite the large bed they shared, she always slept on the far edge in a tight little ball. Aiden wondered where she’d learned to sleep like that. Was it a habit she’d picked up in prison or did it go back further, back to when she’d grown up in a tiny trailer with her alcoholic mother?
Gently, Aiden lifted himself out of bed and headed towards the door. His throat felt dry and sore and his body was unnaturally awake. He’d spent the small hours of the night tossing and turning, unable to relax enough to dream.
In the kitchen he saw that it was half three in the morning. The house was eerily still and quiet at such an hour, as was the whole neighborhood. It felt like the whole world was asleep except him.
Turning on the faucet, Aiden poured himself a glass of water and leaned against the sink, peering out at the neighborhood he’d come to call home. Dark shadows lined the driveways of houses and the only light came from a nearby streetlight. There was no moon; it was obscured by the thick layer of cloud which seemed to have settled over Avalon. It would remain hovering above the town until it had unburdened itself of the storm it carried.
Aiden drank deeply from his glass. The cool water soothed his throat as it slid down the back of it. Sleep was never normally a problem for him. But lately he struggled to rest. Usually it was because Justin’s face was haunting his dreams but tonight was something different. Aiden’s whole body felt filled with adrenalin as he waited for the storm to break.
“It’s nothing,” he whispered to himself in frustration, pressing a hand to his temple and lowering his gaze from the window.
The hum of a distant car engine made Aiden drop his hand and straighten. The noise drew closer and was soon accompanied by the pale-yellow funnel of light extending from a car’s headlights. The car was coming into the neighborhood, driving extremely slowly. Aiden stepped back from the window and flicked off the kitchen light, dropping into the shadows. He waited and watched as the car passed. It sauntered slowly along the curb as if looking for something, or someone.
Its slow progress gave Aiden ample time to peer at it from his window as it drove by. When he looked at it his heart shuddered fearfully in his chest. He had seen the car before. It was the same car which had followed him into Avalon that morning. The black estate with the blacked-out windows. Panic fluttered in Aiden’s chest making his breathing heavy. He told himself to think logically. There could be any number of explanations for why the car was in his neighborhood. It could be someone new in town who worked shifts.
Or it could be someone who had come to town looking for him, Aiden considered darkly. He was now certain that he was being followed. Aiden took a grim sip from his glass and dared to approach the window as the car had moved on, snaking its way deeper into the estate. It was too dark to read the license plate but it didn’t matter. If the people in the car were who Aiden feared them to be, the vehicle was probably stolen anyways.
Craning his neck to the ceiling, Aiden thought of Brandy blissfully sleeping. She’d trusted him enough to return to Avalon. He’d promised her a life for them together, he’d promised to keep her safe. Aiden looked at the now-empty road and cursed under his breath. He just hoped that he was wrong but the tension in his muscles told him that he was right. That it wasn’t the impending storm he feared but something far more dangerous.
*
Aiden leaned against the hood of his car as he reluctantly eyed the modest sheriff’s office. Overhead, a sullen sky kept the sun at bay which made the air unseasonably chilly. Aiden wished there was another way, that there was someone else he could call. He’d spent the better half of an hour t
rying to get hold of Guy Chambers but to no avail. Guy was apparently out of the country and completely unavailable.
The previous night Aiden had remained at his kitchen window keeping a keen watch on the road outside in anticipation of the black estate car’s return. But it didn’t drive by again. Aiden gave a slight sigh of relief but his shoulders remained tense. He was being followed and he needed the assistance of law enforcement in case things went as bad as he feared they might. Since Guy wasn’t even in the country, Aiden had no other choice but to visit the Avalon sheriff office and hope that his old adversary, Sheriff Buck Fern, would at least hear him out.
Aiden pushed himself off his car and walked towards the sheriff’s office. He approached the reception desk and was about to ask to see the sheriff when a stetson-wearing figure walked in behind him clutching a steaming cup of coffee. Aiden turned as Buck Fern raised his gaze and gave him a slow, bitter smile.
“Mr Connelly.” Buck didn’t bother to even try to hide his contempt as he said Aiden’s name. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
Aiden nervously shoved his hands in to his pockets. He felt like Oliver from the Charles Dickens story back when he was at the workhouse and daring to ask for more gruel. He expected Buck to toss him out on his ear and refuse him any assistance.
“I need to talk to you.” Aiden tilted his chin so that he could meet Buck’s eyes which had both the shade and fortitude of iron.
“To me?” Buck mocked, pointing with his free hand at his chest.
Aiden nodded and tried to remain composed. “Yes, to you. Please.” He forced out the final, polite part of the request and saw Buck’s eyes burn with delight.
“Alright,” Buck conceded surprisingly early considering he could have taken the opportunity to make Aiden squirm even more.
“Come with me.” He glanced back briefly over his shoulder before heading deeper into the building and his private office. Aiden swiftly followed though he knew the way having visited Buck’s office before, when he was representing Brandy. So much had changed since then.
Brandy was now a free woman; moreover she was his woman; sharing his bed and decorating his home. Aiden felt a warm wave of comfort wash over him as he thought of her back home, playing her piano, her blonde head bobbing in time to the music. But the serene image was shattered when Aiden imaged the black estate car crawling past his home, the concealed occupants noticing that Brandy was in the house alone.
Aiden’s palms became clammy with fear as he entered Buck’s office. The old sheriff was already leaning against the window, one cowboy boot-cladded foot pressed against the wall. He took a sip from his coffee and raised his eyebrows expectantly at Aiden.
“Thank you taking the time to speak with me,” Aiden began politely.
“Skip the pleasantries,” Buck told him abruptly. “What is this about?”
Aiden lowered himself into the seat opposite Buck’s desk and wondered where to begin.
“I…I have some concerns about my safety,” he eventually admitted.
“Your safety?” Buck echoed, his lips lifting into a faint smile. He was clearly humored by the conversation.
“Yes, my safety!” Aiden declared forcefully, not relishing the feeling that he was being mocked.
“And Brandy’s too!” Aiden added. Buck’s eyes narrowed upon hearing her name.
“I’m pretty sure that I’m being followed.” Lowering his voice, Aiden cast a nervous glance behind him at the closed office door.
“This have anything to do with your little trip to Mexico?” Buck asked coolly.
“How do you know about that?” Aiden felt his cheeks starting to burn. Was Buck behind the black estate car? Was he trying to spook Aiden again? Worse, was he harassing Brandy in an attempt to finally get Aiden to leave Avalon once and for all?
“I know everything that goes on in this town.” Buck shrugged nonchalantly.
“Then you know who is following me!” Aiden seethed. “You know who is driving past my house in the dead of night with blacked-out windows!”
Buck stood up and placed his half-drunk coffee on his desk. He leaned towards Aiden, the veins in his neck extending against his skin.
“Now that, I know nothing about.”
The old sheriff dropped into his chair and stared intently across the desk at Aiden.
“What did you bring back with you from Mexico?” Buck demanded, the color draining from his face. “What danger did you bring back to my doorstep?”
“I don’t know.” Aiden shrugged helplessly, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve no idea who it is.”
“No, you have an idea who it is,” Buck noted darkly. “That’s why you are here. That’s why you want my help.”
Aiden shrunk in his seat. The old man was right. Aiden feared he knew exactly who was in the car and tailing him, blacked-out windows or not. His shoulders lowered with defeat as he looked across at Buck Fern’s hard, unreadable face.
“I suggest you tell me everything about your trip to Mexico,” Buck stated tersely.
Taking a deep breath, Aiden commenced explaining how and why he’d visited San Migeno. He considered holding some details back, but when he thought of Brandy alone and vulnerable in their house, he realized it was imperative that he try and get Buck’s assistance, even if that meant completely swallowing all of his pride.
*
Isla spun around before her full-length mirror, savoring how the delicate green fabric of the dress felt against her bare legs. Her deep-red hair was collected on her head in a trendy bun with a few loose tendrils to soften her face. Smiling, she glanced back at her daughter who was sat on the bed playing with her dolls.
“Do you think Mommy looks pretty?” Isla asked. Meegan shot her mother a quick glance and shrugged.
Rolling her eyes, Isla turned back to gaze at her reflection.
“Well, I hope Guy thinks Mommy looks pretty,” she muttered to herself. The clock on her dressing table told her that it was already half past seven. The babysitter would arrive any minute, shortly followed by her date.
“Remember what Mommy told you.” Isla picked Meegan up, struggling slightly, and carried her through to the living area of the apartment. Meegan had grown at least two inches in the last six months and Isla knew that soon she wouldn’t be strong enough to pick her daughter up. Meegan was fast transforming into a little girl rather than an infant.
“You can watch the football until nine and then bed, okay?” Isla flicked on the television to show the football game which was airing and Meegan was instantly transfixed. She neatly folded her little legs beneath her and gazed wide-eyed at the television.
“It had to be football,” Isla shook her head to herself as she headed over to the kitchen area to pick up her purse.
The babysitter was ten minutes late and full of apologies. Isla just had time to reel off her list of rules for taking care of Meegan when the doorbell went again. This time Isla took a second to smooth down her dress and tidy her hair before opening the door.
Guy Chambers was standing in the hallway holding a bouquet of white peonies. He looked impossibly handsome wearing dark denim jeans, a blazer jacket and a crisp white shirt which showed off the golden glow of his skin.
“Guy, hey, I’m ready to go.” Isla smiled at him, already feeling the butterflies in her stomach start to try and flutter up to her throat. She swallowed hard to suppress them as much as she could.
“Wow!” Guy scanned her and smiled broadly. “You look absolutely stunning, Isla.”
“Thank you.” Isla blushed. Guy handed the flowers to Isla and for a moment she didn’t know what to do with them. It had been so long since a man had bought her flowers. Aiden wasn’t an effusive sort of guy when it came to romantic gestures. He thought a kiss goodbye or a whispered endearment at the end of a phone call was enough romance for a relationship. Holding the flowers, Isla realized just how much she’d missed the classic elements of dating; like receiving gifts. She suddenly thought of the
designer gown she was wearing, yet more evidence of Guy’s generosity and affection for her.
“And thank you for the dress,” Isla gushed.
“You look priceless in it.”
Isla smiled as she soaked up the compliment, her heart racing. She put the peonies in the sink so that they wouldn’t dry out and hurried over to kiss Meegan goodbye. The little girl didn’t even look up from the game she was so engrossed in.
“Make sure she’s in bed by nine,” Isla told the babysitter sternly, who nodded with understanding.
Isla was thankful to lock the door behind her and finally be alone with Guy. He even smelled amazing; like mint and cedar wood. Their hands brushed as they walked towards the elevator.
“So,” Isla tried to keep her voice light even though inside she was a jumble of frantic nerves clanging together awkwardly. “How was your day?”
“You know I can’t talk about work,” Guy declared with a cheeky wink. His warm smiled broadened and he wrapped an arm around Isla’s slim, silk-covered waist as the elevator doors slid open. “Anyway, it’s been pretty quiet at the Bureau.”
“No exciting missions taking you away from the city?” Isla asked as they stepped inside. She had always been so in awe of what Guy did. Working for the FBI was like being a Marine. He was part of the elite and that excited her.
“No, I’m based in Chicago for the next month or so,” Guy confirmed as he playfully squeezed her waist and pressed the button for the ground floor.
*
Buck leaned back in his chair as he absorbed all that Aiden had told him. Aiden clasped his hands together to stop them from trembling. Everything about what he’d just said terrified him when he heard it said out loud. He’d followed a precarious lead from an old friend who worked for the FBI and went alone to Mexico to ask questions about a notorious cartel. Aiden felt embarrassed by his own naivety. He’d basically walked in to a bear’s den covered in fresh blood, just demanding to be torn to pieces.
“So, it sounds like these Caulerone brothers have sent someone up here after you?” Buck deduced.
