All for You

by Dana Marie Bell

  “Can we discuss it tonight? I don’t feel comfortable talking about it to anyone but you.”

  “We’re alone now, Abby.” She swallowed convulsively. He glanced at her set, wan face. With everything she’d been through recently, he didn’t have the heart to push her. Not yet. So he nodded, and watched as her face relaxed, some of the color returning to her complexion.

  When he pulled up to the cabin and saw his father waiting on the porch for them, he felt a stab of unease. That feeling increased as they approached the house, and Seth wondered suddenly if, in deference to Abby’s feelings, he hadn’t left that conversation too late.

  Joseph waited for them to ascend the stairs. He smiled at Abby, and she smiled back. Together, the two men watched her move into the cabin. They could hear Abby and Marian exchange greetings as they moved off in the direction of Abby’s bedroom. If his mother was distracting Abby, it had to be bad.

  “What happened?” Seth asked.

  “Dante called.”

  Seth never took his eyes off the doorway through which Abby had walked. “It’s official. The bastard escaped.”

  “Three months ago. Dante’s livid. The cops who got notified aren’t even in the same county, and the information was somehow blurred during the fax. By the time everyone figured it out, Finley was long gone. It’s a huge problem, one Dante and his partner are just starting to untangle.”

  Three fucking months ago? Victims of violent crimes were often listed on an offender’s sheet to be contacted in case of an escape. “Why didn’t anyone tell Abby and her family?” Hell, her brother was a fucking cop. Someone should have at least told Bill.

  “Believe it or not, a fucking paperwork screwup. Her contact information was never listed in his file.”

  Or the Shemyaza had done something to make it disappear. A skilled Malachi like Damien could pull it off easily. This little tragedy of errors was just the kind of stunt they’d pull.

  Joseph ran his hand through his hair. “The cops have been going through his mail and his papers. Some of the things he wrote, stuff that appeared innocent enough to the guards, have Dante on edge. Seth, he may have been stalking her by proxy for years.”

  Seth’s wings burst from his back, tearing right through his shirt and flaring so brightly his father had to avert his eyes.

  Joseph sighed as Seth groaned in pain. “I’ll get the scissors.”

  Chapter Five

  Abby had an idea why the Van Licht men had suddenly become so serious. She’d come down the stairs to see the two of them emerging from the study with grim expressions. They must have heard from Dante, something they weren’t eager to tell her. They’d taken one look at her and ducked back into the study, closing the door behind them. When they hadn’t emerged an hour later, she’d decided to confront them just before dinner. But when she went to find them, neither appeared to be in the house.

  “Marian, have you seen Seth?”

  Marian turned from the homemade soup she’d been stirring. “I think he and his father are taking a walk in the woods. Why?” Marian’s gaze darted to the scars, but her expression didn’t change. Thank God. If Marian had freaked, Abby didn’t know what she would have done. She felt exposed, her scars on display, but Marian didn’t make a fuss over them. It hadn’t bothered her last night, when she was too tired to care. Today, she had bigger things to worry about.

  Abby glanced out the back door to see if she could catch a glimpse of them. “They’re hiding something from me.”

  “Neither one mentioned anything to me. But, come to think of it, they did seem a little distracted, didn’t they?”

  Damn it. There went the idea of pumping the older woman for information. “I wonder if Seth had bad news of some kind.”

  “Well, if it was family news, you can rest assured I’d know about it. If it was work related, he’ll let you know. And, if it’s related to your situation...” Marian shrugged. “He’d better tell you or deal with me.”

  “Seth is overprotective.”

  Marian snorted a laugh. “You think?”

  “Don’t tell him, but I sort of like it.”

  “I’ll make sure that remains our little secret.” Marian winked and put the spoon down on the spoon rest.

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.” Abby stared out the door. Where the hell were they? “If it does have to do with me, they should have invited me on their walk.”

  “Odds are good they’re either discussing how to break the news to you or deciding on how best to protect you. And knowing my son and my husband, I’ll bet it’s the latter.”

  “Doug is out. I know it. I think that’s the news Seth got today. Confirmation of our worst fears.” Abby said it matter-of-factly, but inside she was screaming. This was the first time she’d voiced her belief, and just saying the words out loud sent a shaft of fear through her that had her clutching her arm. She rubbed at the scars, aware she only did that when she thought about Doug.

  Marian clucked her tongue. “Do you know how to make dumplings?”

  Abby turned to Marian, surprised out of her dark thoughts. “No, I don’t.”

  “Why don’t you come over here and learn? Standing there and brooding isn’t going to do any good, so why not take the time and keep your hands busy?”

  Abby smiled. “Why not?”

  Marian showed Abby how to mix the dumplings up and pinch them into the proper shape. “Have I ever told you how stubborn Seth is?”

  “Seth, stubborn? Say it isn’t so.”

  Marian laughed. “Oh, I like you.” Abby blushed, hoping Marian wouldn’t notice. “When Seth was a little boy, the last thing he wanted to hear was that he couldn’t do something. So when I told him not to wrap a dishtowel around his neck and pretend he was Superman?”

  “Let me guess. He tried to fly.”

  Marian snorted. “Right into a potted plant. The edge chipped off and cut his forehead, so he races into the kitchen, bleeding like a stuck pig and crying like he’s being murdered. Scared me half to death and took three stitches to close up.”

  “That’s nothing. When Bill was in college he jumped off the roof.”

  “What?” Marian shot her an astonished look.

  “Yup, he did.” And Bill swore to this day that Seth was the one who talked him into it, but Abby wasn’t going into that. “Remember when he broke his leg?”

  “That was from... Oh, that boy. I bet Seth talked him into it.”

  Abby’s sudden laugh startled them both. “You know your son well.”

  The warmth of Marian’s gaze went up a notch. “Yes. I do.”

  Marian washed her hands. “We’ll add those to the soup soon.”

  Marian slid the apple cake she’d prepared into the oven to bake for dessert. Abby watched her and relaxed completely for the first time since the men had disappeared. Cooking always made her feel better. She’d have bet Marian was the exact same way.

  “Marian?” Abby asked as she put the flour away.

  Marian put the dumplings on the countertop next to the pot of soup. “Yes, Abby?”

  “Thanks.”

  Marian didn’t pretend not to understand. “You’re welcome.”

  * * *

  The conversation at dinner was stilted at best. Neither man responded to anything with more than a yes, no or maybe. Seth kept an eye on Abby’s every movement. He had no doubt that she was going to balk at what he needed her to do next.

  It was going to be a lot to ask, but his main priority was keeping Abby safe.

  Joseph and Marian excused themselves shortly after dinner. Seth’s father led Marian upstairs, giving Seth the privacy he needed to talk to Abby. They didn’t need an audience for this.

  Seth silently escorted her into the study and poured them both a brandy. Abby made a face, but accepted the glass. She sat on the sofa, curling her legs under her, the snifter clasped delicately in her hand. He sat down next to her, cradling his glass between his knees. He had no idea how to start this conversation—

/>   “Doug got out.”

  “Yes. He’s been out for three months.” She paled, but didn’t say anything. He took a sip of his brandy, then put the glass down on the coffee table. He straightened and faced her.

  “It’s okay, Seth. We both suspected it.” She took a sip of the brandy, grimacing at the taste. She unfolded her legs and put her glass on the table. He was mildly surprised at how steady her hands were. She faced Seth and squared her shoulders. “What do I have to do?”

  “You never go anywhere alone.”

  She nodded.

  “You keep your cell phone on at all times.”

  Again, she nodded.

  “You carry this pepper spray I picked up for you in your pocket.” He placed the small black can in her hands.

  She nodded again. Seth was beginning to get worried. Abby wasn’t the type to remain silent.

  “If you see, or hear, or even think anything out of the ordinary, you alert either me or my father immediately.”

  “Okay.” Her voice was steady, but he wasn’t fooled. She was terrified. Her face was white as paper, her eyes dim with stress and worry.

  “I mean it, Abby. Get used to having me around all the time, because I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight.”

  “Yeah, I got that impression.” She smiled, but it was a ghost of her usual expression. She sighed deeply and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms. “Okay, so we’re never apart. Sure you can put up with me day in, day out?”

  He took her hand, turning it slightly so that he could kiss the inside of her wrist. “I think I can manage.”

  Heat raced across her cheeks, but it wasn’t quite enough to quench the fear that was obvious in her gaze. He was proud of the way she’d taken the news. She’d remained calm—no hysterics, and no outward signs of the turmoil he knew must be destroying her hard-won calm. “Detective Zucco is working on following his trail.”

  He watched as a puzzled frown creased her brow, and waited for her question. “Do they know how he got out?”

  “Dante e-mailed me the details. They think he stowed away in a laundry truck. He was working laundry detail, so it wouldn’t have been too difficult to slip into one of the bins. He was a model prisoner, and often worked unsupervised. The warden is revising the laundry schedule even as we speak.”

  “Wait, he was in jail for murder. What do you mean he worked unsupervised?”

  “We’re not sure what happened, but Dante’s furious. It seemed a lot of his paperwork was screwed up. We’re lucky his conviction wasn’t listed as kitten kidnapping.”

  She didn’t laugh the way he’d hoped. If anything, she grew paler and her breathing picked up speed. “Oh.” The shadows returned to her eyes. “He can’t track us here, can he?”

  He had to figure out a way to calm her down before she decided again that she needed to run. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Yeah, if he tries hard enough, he’ll find us. He knows you were staying at my place, so this is the next logical place to go. Here or your parents, anyway.” He watched as her eyes went wide, and had a good idea of what she was about to say next. “You’re not leaving. It’s not going to happen, so don’t even think about it.” She jolted. “Dad says that you stay. He’s telling Mom now. He says that if it were me or Eli, he’d want someone he trusted to watch out for us. He’s already talked to your dad and let him know what’s going on, so don’t worry on that score.”

  “But—”

  There was an edge to her voice, one he didn’t like. “No buts. My dad and I can keep you safe, I promise. Okay, sweetheart?”

  She stared at him for a moment, and for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what it was she was thinking. “Sounds like you have everything under control.”

  He eyed her warily. She sounded far too calm, but she was beginning to rub at her arms. “Sort of. You’re relatively safe here, at least for a few days, and there’s nothing back home that can’t wait for us to take care of this. Nothing is worth your life.”

  He watched as the panic she’d been fighting finally gripped her. “What if it takes more than a few days? What then? We’ll have to return home. We both have jobs, Seth, and I don’t want to lose mine.” She stood and began to pace restlessly around the room. “I have friends, a life back home. I can’t hide out here forever. There has to be something we can do, something to flush him out into the open.”

  Oh, he did not like the way this was going. The speculation in her gaze was going to give him palpitations.

  “Abby.” She turned, startled, and he realized how sharp his tone at been. “Wait for Dante to do his job. If and when he needs our help, he’ll contact us.”

  “I don’t want to be a sitting duck.” She glared at him out of eyes that held all of hell in them. “And I won’t let him do to your family what he did to mine. I won’t, Seth.” She paced up and down in front of the fireplace, rubbing fiercely at her scars. She refused to look him in the eye.

  Damn Damien and his slow, methodical research. Seth should’ve had this information days ago, but when he’d searched Finley’s escape on Google, there hadn’t been much information beyond his prisoner number. The authorities were hushing everything up, probably hoping to save their own asses. “What did he do to your family, Abby?” He found himself sitting on the edge of the sofa, the hands in his lap clasped so hard that his fingertips began to go numb.

  She hung her head. He could barely hear her reply when she finally gave it. “I’m not the only one he hurt. Can’t we leave it at that?”

  “No, I don’t think we can. I already know about the fire, about Kent’s death, but I can tell there’s something more. If you’re telling me that my family is in danger, I need to know what to expect so I can prepare for it. Please.” He heard the pleading in his voice and wondered if she would respond to it.

  Her bun nearly came undone at the force of her denial. “No, Seth. Please, don’t push me on this. There are things about what happened to my family that I can’t tell you, things that I won’t talk about.”

  He stood up from the sofa and took her into his arms, but she refused to lift her head. He injected a note of authority into his voice, hoping that she would respond to that as she hadn’t to the plea. “I can’t help you if you don’t trust me.”

  He barely heard her whisper, “No, I can’t. Not now. Maybe not ever.”

  He took a deep breath. This had better not break the trust he’d slowly started to gain. “If my family is put in danger because you’re protecting someone or something that could hurt them, I need to know. I can’t allow you to place my family in jeopardy.” He willed her to see things his way.

  “No.” She shook her head again. “I can’t.” She squirmed in his grasp, lightly testing his hold on her, but he held tight. “He can’t hurt your family the way he hurt my family. At least, I don’t think he can.”

  “Abby,” he growled on a warning note.

  “Stop pushing me!” She shoved him, hard.

  Startled, he let her go. “Abby?”

  “Just stop asking me.” She turned her back to him and faced the fireplace again.

  He heard the angry plea in her voice but decided to ignore it. This was too important to give in to her. While his father could protect himself, his mother was human. “You’re the one who brought it up. If my family is in danger, you have an obligation to tell me what that danger is.” He allowed some of his frustration into his voice, hoping it would get through to her. “I’m going to have to know about this sooner or later. Why don’t you trust me and tell me now?”

  She hung her head, refusing to meet his eyes. “I can’t.”

  He sighed and settled down on the sofa once more. “How can I protect you if you don’t?”

  The mixture of sorrow, pain and fear on her face nearly made him give in. “Seth, if I truly believe that there is any danger to your family, I swear that I will tell you everything that happened. Please, Seth. I’m asking you to trust me.”

  He stared a
t her, then nodded in reluctant acceptance.

  “I swear, Seth, I won’t let anything happen to them. Believe me.”

  He blinked, almost amused by the fact that she wanted to protect him. “I believe you, sweetheart. I believe you.” He lifted his face to hers and searched her eyes. Some of the shadows were gone, and the old pain had receded into the background. “But sooner or later, you’re going to have to tell me all of it. You understand? Not because I don’t trust you,” he said in response to her wince, “but because I may need to know to make sure that you’re safe.”

  She caressed his cheek in a gesture meant both to soothe and apologize. “I know. And it’s not an issue of trust. It’s an issue of my word. This isn’t just about me.”

  She was protecting someone, someone who meant a great deal to her. He nodded reluctantly and pulled her into his lap, nearly sighing in relief when she rested her head on his shoulder. “All right, Abby.”

  This wasn’t the end of it. He hated going against her wishes, but nothing would stop him from finding out who she was protecting.

  * * *

  Abby stood at the edge of the hot tub and stared at the controls. She had no idea how to turn the darn thing on. Seth had gone back inside to get drinks, and she felt like she would freeze to death in her borrowed one-piece bathing suit before he came back out. She hadn’t even thought to grab the robe Marian had left in her room. She’d wanted a distraction so badly after her discussion with Seth that she’d jumped at the suggestion of a late-night dip. She would use anything to distract herself from the thought of Doug and what he’d done to her family. Seth was trying to pull things back into the easy camaraderie they’d shared before, and she’d jumped at the chance to do that.

  She owed Seth some answers, but there were just too many things to consider. She needed to talk to her family before she told Seth everything. She hoped they understood why she was doing it. Seth would never betray them.

  She was betting her life on that.

  She finally found the on switch and was cheered briefly by the bubbling, frothy water. She hit another switch and grinned when the underwater lights came on. She was just sliding into the hot water when Seth returned with the tea she’d asked for. “Thanks.” She took the glass from him, covertly studying him in his red swim trunks. She hid a blush behind her glass.