by Carly Fall
But let’s backtrack to the beginning. If he told Faith what he was, what if she ran screaming for the hills? What if she told the wrong person, and not only would the government hunt him, but they would have Faith and use every means at their disposal to find out more information on him. He cringed thinking of the ways the government could extract information. He obviously wouldn't let that happen, and he would turn himself in only to be dissected and tested until his body just gave out.
No, he wasn't signing up for that option either.
So it left him exactly where he was: Faith needed to go home. He needed to try to forget about her, which would most likely be impossible, and he needed to remain focused on going home.
He didn't hear her, but felt her small arms wrap around his waist. Her warm body pressed against his back, her soft cheek rested at the bottom of his shoulder blades. He didn't say anything, but simply grabbed her hands.
“Good morning,” he said quietly. When she didn't answer, he wondered if she could hear him over the pounding water in the shower.
Just as he was about to turn around, she said, “It's afternoon.”
She didn't let go of him. He looked down at her small hands resting on his stomach and felt an ache in his heart. The thing actually hurt, and he wondered if this was what it felt like when people said that their heart was broken. His actually felt like it had shattered into a million pieces, and he had no idea how to get it back together and properly functioning again. After a moment, he slowly turned to her and kissed her deeply. Her brown eyes stared up at him, her hair falling all around her shoulders. He loved that hair and couldn't imagine never seeing it again. “Can I ask something of you?” he whispered.
She nodded. “Anything.”
“Can I wash your hair?"
Chapter 39
Faith had washed her own hair many times. Being a woman, she had also been to the hairdresser where they washed her hair. When Rayner asked to do the whole soap and conditioner routine, she had to hold the eye roll. But what the hell. She agreed.
He slowly turned her around, gently stroking her head, her back, her shoulders—everywhere that her hair went. She felt the weight of her hair get heavier as it got wetter.
She smelled the shampoo before she felt it being massaged into her head. It smelled fresh and crisp, but it was something she had never used. Her shampoo was in her room; this was Rayner's, and she recognized the scent as a part of him. He carefully and slowly rubbed it into her skull, lulling her into a quiet place in her mind where she didn't have to think about leaving him. Her mind went blank, her eyes closed, and she focused on his big hands. His touch was gentle, but firm as he massaged her head and then her neck. He took strands of hair and worked the bubbles down to the ends, letting them drop at her waist. She felt the bubbles snake off her hair down her ass, to her legs.
The hair washing took a very long time, but it certainly won top prize for the most erotic experience of her life. Not that there were many. Last night, definitely. This...oh, yes. But in her past, she thought there had been a few pretty good sexual experiences, but nothing, absolutely nothing compared to Rayner.
And he had obviously fully committed himself to this hair washing business. Strand by strand.
The rinse consisted of him aiming the stream of water directly at her head, his hands slowly working their way down from the crown of her head to the ends of her hair at her waist rinsing the bubbles. Then it was time for the conditioner. It was the same slow process, but this time some of her hair had fallen to the front of her body. He made sure that he not only conditioned her hair, but ran the silky, smooth liquid over her breasts as well.
“Have I told you how much I love these?” he growled into her ear as he massaged each breast.
She leaned back against him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. "Yes, you have," she whispered with a smile.
His hands, slick with conditioner, slowly traveled from her breasts over her ribcage to her hips bones, then over the plain of her stomach. He stepped away and let the stream of water rinse her hair, gently running his fingers through the strands to untangle them.
She felt his hands on her shoulders, and he turned her around, wrapping his big arms around her and pulling her close. She rested her head on his chest, feeling the warm water beat down on both of them, feeling a safety and security that she had never known before. She felt protected, although here in the bathroom, she didn't know what exactly she needed to be protected from. She felt an ache of love in her heart—one that would never be allowed to bloom and expand. He had told her that he loved her and she had said the same to him. The feeling was as real as the skin she was touching, the strong arms wrapped around her, the water beating against both of them.
She hated that she had to say goodbye today, and hated it even more that she didn't understand why. It all seemed so simple to her: she loved him, he loved her. They went on to happily ever after. But Rayner had made it clear that the happy ending was nowhere to be seen in their future.
Her tears were washed away by the pounding spray.
Chapter 40
Rayner imagined that under different circumstances he would enjoy the ride up Interstate 17 to Faith's parents’ house. The warm desert landscape colored with shades of browns and deep greens eventually evolved into tall pine and juniper trees and crisp, cooler air.
Instead, he hated every blessed second and decided that perhaps he should have had Hudson or Cohen drive her home. But that would only have pissed her off. But then again, maybe that was needed. Maybe it would be best to have her go home angry at him instead of curled up in the seat next to him, tears streaking down her face.
"I don't get it, Rayner," she said quietly. "Why? Why can't we be together?"
And that was the bonus question with the hundred thousand dollar prize he couldn't answer.
"It's just not going to work, Faith."
After another long stretch of silence she turned to him and asked, "Are you married?"
He shook his head, but really pondered the question. He supposed in a way he really was married. Because really, what was marriage? It was a commitment to another person, a commitment to the institution, or the idea itself. He had committed himself fully to getting home, which he supposed could constitute the idea he had given himself over to. So, yeah, in a way he was married.
Except for the minor detail of that marriage not involving another person. It was just him giving himself over to an idea.
He was beginning to think that the whole thing was pathetic.
The rest of the car ride was quiet, neither of them knowing quite what to say. He didn't know how to make polite chit chat when he felt like someone was cutting at his heart with razor blades, never imagining letting go of someone would cause such physical pain.
The sun began its slow descent behind the mountain. Rayner had timed the trip so that he would be forced to leave before it got dark. He didn't want the goodbye to be a drawn-out thing, so he hadn't put in his contacts. Mandatory evacuation into the car and drive away before the sun went down would be the best way.
Right before they hit the inner town of Flagstaff, Faith started telling him “right,” “left,” and “straight.” Another round of directions, and he pulled into a dirt driveway.
The small, white house with the circular driveway and the brown roof puffed smoke from the chimney as if it had snuck out to the woods for a secret cigarette. The wrap-around deck hugged the house. The whole house was surrounded by forest, as if trees had been razed just for the purpose of putting this lovely, little house in the middle of them. Faith hadn't lied or exaggerated when she said that she grew up in the forest. It was her backyard. The house promised the fun of family and friends gathering, while the blue couch swing on the deck ensured quiet and intimate moments. It was a house of family, friends, and...love.
And it only made his heart hurt worse.
He longed to belong to something like this. A family who ac
cepted him, a place where he didn't have to hide who he was. A place that wasn't buried nine stories underground, but somewhere out in the open fresh air where he could be himself, and people loved him for what he was.
A place like his home.
He knew he could never be accepted as he was here on Earth, which steeled his spine a bit and made this drop-off a little easier.
As he pulled up, the heavy, wooden, red front door flew open and Anna ran out with Chevey on her heals. Faith stared at them for a moment, then got out of the car and threw herself into Anna's embrace. Rayner watched as Anna hugged Faith, and Chevy engulfed both of them. Rayner watched the love pass between the three of them and felt the razor blades lodged in his chest cut a little deeper. He longed to be at home...somewhere.
Chevey looked at the Escalade, his eyes meeting Rayner’s. He nodded once, and Rayner nodded back and checked the clock and the sky. He had a few minutes before he needed to go.
He turned off the engine and got out of the car, the late afternoon air crisp and cool, sending goose bumps over his skin. Chevey came over and held out his hand.
“Thank you,” he whispered, tears welling in his eyes. “Thank you for bringing my baby back.”
Rayner nodded and clasped the big hand. Their gazes locked, a mutual understanding of love for Faith.
“Please, come in Rayner.”
Rayner wished he could. He wished he could go in and never leave. Maybe later take a run through the forest, or better yet, camp out.
But that was not the way things were rolling, was it. He inhaled the crisp, clean mountain air and exhaled slowly.
“I can't, Mr. Cloudfoot,” he said quietly. “I just wanted to drop off Faith to you. But really, I need to go.”
Chevey's eyes narrowed, then he smiled. “Are you going to turn into a pumpkin come nightfall?”
Rayner smiled back. “Something like that.” He turned back to the car and looked over at Faith and Anna. Faith met his gaze over Anna's shoulder.
Her eyes pleaded for him to not leave, but he knew he needed to, and as much as it killed him, he needed to evacuate. He dropped his eyes to the ground and got into the car.
“Take care of her, Chevey,” he said. "Don't let her out of your sight. Make sure she's safe. The guy who took her is still out there. I'm sure she'll be safe out here, but please, watch her." He gently shut the car door.
Chevey stepped up to the car and Rayner hit the handy button that made the window descend. For some reason he briefly thought of the era when humans actually had to put a little muscle into getting their windows rolled up and down. Technology could be a beautiful thing, yet he still missed the simplicity of his life on SR44.
“What's going on, Rayner?”
Rayner met the man's eyes. He honestly didn't know what to say. Nothing should be going on, but everything is. I've made your little girl cry, and frankly, if I wasn't such a selfish prick, I'd be crying now as well. But I am, and this is the way things have to be left. Faith, you, Anna...for your own safety, and mine as well, none of you can ever know of my true being.
But he owed the man an answer. “Chevey...” he looked at the roadmap of lines on the man's face and studied the strong features and kind eyes. Faith would be safe here with Chevey. He had been her protector her whole life, and he would continue to do so. “Chevey, just take care of her. Make sure she's happy.”
Chevey stood still for a brief moment, then looked over at Faith and nodded. He turned back to Rayner. “You broke her heart, didn't you,” he said quietly. It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact.
Rayner shook his head. “No, Chevey, she shattered mine. She's strong and she'll get over it.”
Chevey's eyebrows took a trip north. “Good night, Mr. Cloudfoot,” Rayner said and pushed the button to raise the window, put the car in gear, and hit the gas all at once.
Wasn't he just he just the efficient multi-tasker.
He took one last glimpse out his rearview window. Faith had her head buried in Anna's shoulder, and Anna and Chevey were watching the car.
He made a few rights and lefts and was finally out on the main road.
He happened to glance over at a red SUV parked on the side of the road, and he thought he recognized the man in the driver's seat, but he was too depressed to put much thought into it. In a desperate effort to put as much distance as he could between him and the reason for his misery, he pushed on the gas pedal a little harder.
As he flew down the road, he struggled to take his thoughts from Faith and leaving her. He thought about baseball scores, mentally matched up football teams that would make good games to see, and tried to guess what Hudson had on the menu for the night.
Just as he came to the portion of Interstate 17 where the road was walled in greenery, his thoughts jumped back to the SUV on the side of the road. Yes, he had seen the guy in the driver’s seat somewhere.
But where?
His mind was a blank. He decided to let it go and think about other things. It was usually then that something he couldn't remember jumped out like a jack-in-the-box on crack. He thought of the prior night and replayed every moment. Him trying so hard to ignore Faith. Her going to dance with that one dude. Him turning around and seeing what those two guys were up to all over her. His stark rage. The walk outside. “You just wore me down,” he had said. Hell, no truer words had ever been uttered from his lips.
His mind caught, stopping as though someone had pushed pause on the remote. He hit the brake, and then had the sense to realize that there were actually cars behind him, so he pulled onto the side of the road.
His mind raced through last night again, wanting to make sure he wasn't missing anything. But he wasn't.
That guy in the red SUV was the same guy he and Faith had seen while out on their walk. Rayner watched the whole thing replay in his mind. Faith was tucked up under his arm, her small hand grasping his waist. They had stopped suddenly on the sidewalk when the guy bumped into him. Rayner had caught a brief glimpse of his face, but Faith hadn't seen him because she was on the other side of him.
Yes, the man who had bumped into him had been the man at the side of the road in that red SUV.
Panic said hello in Rayner's gut and traveled up to his throat, constricting it. He tried to be rational. What exactly were the odds of seeing someone on the side of the road with their car pointed in the direction of Faith's house, and having seen that same person walking down the street outside a club who had taken an interest in Faith the previous night?
He wasn't a math guy. He wasn't into laws of averages, algebra, or any of that. But he would bet that the chances of seeing the guy in two places in a twenty-four-hour period close to where Faith was hovered somewhere in the zero range.
Shit.
He gunned the Escalade into traffic, whipped around to cut through the dirt median, and headed for Faith's house. There was only one explanation to who the guy was, and that explanation made his blood freeze in his veins.
The guy had to be the Colonist.
Dear God. What had he done?
Chapter 41
Charles hummed a tune as he made the last couple of turns to Faith's house. He really couldn't believe his luck in this whole thing.
He had stuck with the Warrior and Faith last night, keeping his distance, but also watching them closely. They met up with two of the other Warriors, and all of them left the club together at last call. He followed their car at a safe distance, and when they turned off onto a dirt road, he had driven by that road and then turned around.
All that was left to do was wait.
There were a couple of very exciting things. First, he knew where Faith was and he would get her back for Diego. Second, he knew where the Warriors were staying. They were somewhere out in the middle of the desert, living in what, he wasn't sure. But whatever it was, it was a good possibility that he would be able to knock out three of them, maybe more, with one strike.
The thought of killing those bastards made him
smile and got his blood going. He looked down at the middle console to see black ash. He laughed a little. Just the thought of killing them put him in such a heightened state he was dropping ash.
He hadn't killed in about two weeks. He needed it like he needed air to breathe and water to drink. He felt the urgency of it boil just beneath the surface.
While he waited, he thought about the possibility of perhaps finding some new redheads for Diego and keeping Faith for himself so she could suffer a long death.
She certainly had caused him enough trouble to deserve it.
Chapter 42
As he drove, Rayner swore at and berated himself for dropping Faith off at her parents. But how could he have known? He couldn't have. He thought he was delivering her to safety from both the Colonist and the knowledge of his species. Instead, he had delivered her to the Colonist, and...he looked in the rearview mirror to see two red orbs staring back at him. And now she was also going to know his secret. Secret blown to high heaven or not, he couldn't allow the Colonist to hurt Faith or her family.
He just hoped like hell and prayed like the Pope that he wasn't too late.
As he rounded the last curve that led to Faith's house, he saw the red car parked in the trees to the left. He ripped into the circular driveway without slowing until he was smack in front of the front door. He killed the engine. No use trying a stealth approach. He really wasn't much of a stealth type of guy anyway.
He was just getting out of the car when two forms appeared in front of him. The talons of fear raked at his heart, and he stopped dead in his tracks.
Chevey and Anna stood before him holding hands. Both had their hair down and it swirled around their shoulders. Rayner would have been much happier if he couldn't see through them. Chevey and Anna were caught in the ether; they were almost dead.
