by C. B. Haight
Choosing more fitting words, Cynda said softly, “When you’re facing a long fall it’s nice to know there are people there waiting at the bottom to catch you. That being said… If you’re not ready to jump, step away from the cliff.” Cynda stood then saying, “Fear can be a good thing. It keeps us safe. It keeps us from running out in front of speeding cars, but you can’t let it control your life. Without fear, there is no courage, and without courage, there is no valor.”
Cynda let silence fill the room, allowing Collett to think about what she said. Cade had once told her the very same thing, many years ago.
“How do I know when I will be ready?” Collett whispered.
Cynda moved around to the bed, fingering a fringe on a throw pillow as she passed. Then her eyes took a faraway look as she said, “Collett only you will know, no one can tell you when to be ready to face the truth. I think when you are ready everything will come back to you. I think the best thing for you right now is taking things one step at a time until that day comes.”
Collett looked at the kind woman standing there trying to help her through all the conflicting emotions she felt. Cynda’s soft, auburn hair looked darker in the lamplight. Her sparkling eyes held sincerity and compassion. She made Collett realize she felt ready to change one thing for sure. Collett knew she was ready to quit running. She wanted to make her life here. She desperately wanted to make these caring, compassionate people, who shared their home and their love with her, a part of her life for good, because being alone after this would be an empty life indeed.
“Cynda?” Collett stood and walked to her.
“Hum?”
Collett waited a moment then said simply, “Thank you.”
Cynda couldn’t stand it any longer. She wrapped her arms tightly around Collett, and surprisingly, Collett returned the embrace. Then Cynda said, “You truly are important to us, and when you fall, or jump, whichever the case may be, we’ll be there to catch you.”
Collett just nodded unable to speak any more words. She knew Cynda would be there for her. Still frightened of what the future held for her, and confused about her past, Collett felt a relief at knowing right now in the present, she was okay.
Letting go of Collett, and stepping back Cynda swiped at the glistening tears forming in her eyes. “I think that is enough of that.” She said with levity. “Now then, since it’s best you stay in the house, I rented a couple of chick flicks and rounded up some chocolate-covered strawberries for a girl’s night in. What do you say?”
Collett let a smile spread across her face, another real smile. She seemed to be doing that more and more lately. Hooking her arm through Cynda’s, she said, “What are we waiting for? Lead the way.”
****
“Want to talk about it?” Rederrick asked after they finished their plans, and Nate had left the security room to get some sleep. Throughout the meeting, Cade remained distracted, distant. Not that Rederrick had blamed him, after what he had seen upstairs. He understood the way a woman could twist you up inside.
Cade looked at Rederrick with an innocent expression, “Talk about what?”
Rederrick just gave Cade a bland stare, silently saying, nice try, but I’m not buying your line of crap.
Cade still tried to evade, “Really there is nothing to talk about. It just happened. It won’t happen again. End of story.”
“Nothing is ever that simple, Cade.”
Cade gave Rederrick a slanted look, “No, old man, not generally. This time it is. It’s just all the stress of this impossible situation. I was weak for a moment I won‘t let it happen again.”
Rederrick nodded and lifted his hands in surrender, “Fine. You don’t want to talk about it, I get it……but you know it just goes to show you….”
“Goes to show you what?” Cade asked on an exasperated breath.
“That you never know when fate will smile on you. Or smack you in the face. Depending how you look at it, of course.” Rederrick stated simply. He stood from his chair and began heading to the door.
Cade stopped him with a strong grip on his arm, “What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked with a fierce expression on his face.
Without knowing it, Cade answered one thing for Rederrick. This meant something, and his friend was bothered by it. “You’re not a stupid man, Cade. You know exactly what I mean.” With an arched brow Rederrick looked pointedly at the hand holding his arm.
Cade let go. Stepping back, he ran his fingers though his hair. Rederrick spelled it out for him and he didn’t like it. By some sick twist of fate, Collett became important, more important than any woman in his life. How could this be happening? Cade asked himself.
Rederrick stood watching his friend come to terms with the truth. He already knew the same thing Cade was just figuring out. After seeing them locked in each other’s arms, he realized he should have seen it coming. It explained Cade’s odd behavior during the past week. He was irritable and edgy. Beyond that, Cade spent a lot of time and effort avoiding Collett. Well, until today, he mused.
Yeah, I should have seen it, Rederrick thought again.
Finally, Cade confessed, “From the first moment I saw her, I knew something was different. Why would this be happening now? Only once have I felt strongly about a woman, and what happened with her nearly killed me. I can’t go through that again. I can’t. Besides, Collett’s afraid of me, of what I am. Hell, she doesn’t even like me.”
“She didn’t look very scared to me. Seems to me she liked you fine.” Rederrick implied with a grin, and when Cade didn’t smile he sobered, “Sometimes we can’t avoid fate. You know that better than anyone. I‘ll leave you with one question though. Knowing what you do now, would you trade the pain of the woman you lost for the good memories of your time together?”
Cade had no reply and Rederrick left the room leaving him with his thoughts.
He stood there in the empty room alone. He watched the many screens playing security footage seeing Cynda and Collett in the media room together. He saw Collett smile at something Cynda said.
Her beautiful, radiant smile pulled at his chest. He wanted to get to know this woman, he realized. He wanted to have memories of her.
In his earlier years, Cade had been married, not realizing the cost he would pay for it. Cade knew of the beast within him. He had learned to control it by then. Though, he never would have guessed then that he was immortal.
Cade met Mary during the French Indian war. Full of himself back then, he joined the militia against the French. He learned so much in those turbulent years. He saw so much, witnessed the true nature of man, both the ugly and the beautiful.
He had seen heroes risk all to save one comrade, and watched the horrible way men changed their beliefs, twisting the term honor, all in the name of vengeance and justice. War was a very ugly thing. In all that ugliness, he found one beautiful thing. Mary.
Cade had courted her appropriately, falling in love with her slowly, and then they were properly married. Cade could still see her smiling face as Mary walked toward him that day. They made vows and promises, and when the priest said the words, “until death do you part,” Cade truly had no idea then exactly what that would mean.
Around the age of thirty, his body stopped aging. He watched, as Mary grew older. As she grew old, she had grown sad and bitter too. He had never been able to give her a child. Cade suspected it was because of the beast within him. Though, much later, as he met others of his kind, he learned differently.
He saw the sadness in Mary every day though, and blamed himself. It tore at him to watch her love turn to hate. She hated what he was, what he couldn’t give her. Her hate was too much to bear, and ultimately, she had ended her own life while he had been away.
He never again wanted to be the cause of that kind of pain, but it wasn’t like Collett didn’t already know about him. He knew more now too.
After hours of thought, Cade resolved that at this point he couldn’t walk away from this uninjured ei
ther way. He had feelings for Collett, and he wanted to know her. He was going to make the most of the little time they could have. He was just going to have to spend some time convincing her of that.
Chapter Fourteen
As the night’s darkening shadows crept in, Jeffery felt his recurring agitation creep in as well. For three long days, he kept watch on this house, waiting for his chance. For three days, the target hadn’t set one foot outside.
The branch Jeffery sat on high in the tree was hard, rough, and his joints were cramping from sitting here so long. On top of that, the dark heavy clouds rolling in and the cold, biting wind indicated snow. The clouds rolled in across the sky around three o’clock, making the night’s darkness come that much quicker.
Other people came and went from the house in routine patterns. At this point, Jeffery was thinking of using the fat, old housekeeper as leverage. He had to do something. Boredom was fast taking over. He had never been very patient. He also did not intend to tangle with that stupid witch again.
“It is time for you to go.” Jeffery heard from a deep growling voice below.
He jumped, almost falling from his tenuous perch. Looking left and right he sought out the source. He thought he saw movement near the pine trees, but then it was gone. Jeffery felt as if his mind was playing tricks on him. Whoever it was, they couldn’t be talking to him. There was no way anyone could see him, see past the spell he’d cast.
The deep voice spoke again, “I know you’re not deaf, Jeffery. This is my kill.”
Jeffery looked around once again for the speaker.
There. He thought, squinting his eyes at the darkened landscape. The stranger leaned against a pine tree. You could barely see the shadow blending with the dark base of the tree. Jeffery decided not to release the spell keeping him hidden, just in case the speaker wasn’t positive on his location. For that same reason, he chose not to speak.
The mystery speaker’s voice quickly ruined that illusion for him by saying calmly, “Did you know Jeffery... that you reek? You smell like a foul mix of onion, from the burger you had an hour ago, hair dye, and the horrid stench of BO. I’m slightly curious though, when you popped out for a bite to eat, why not get some fresh clothes?”
How had this man known when he blinked in and out? Jeffery worried. The fact that this man knew of his movements stunned him. As if on cue to his own thoughts, the speaker answered for him.
“As I said you stink. Oh, and you’re about as quiet as a jackhammer pounding into the payment. Now, how about I give you one more chance to zap your skinny ass out of here, or… I could come up there and throw you off that tree branch to see if you can fly.”
Jeffery decided to speak up, asking defiantly, “What makes you think you can?”
Before Jeffery could even take his next breath, the shadow moved to the bottom of the tree he occupied, and jumped the impossible distance to crouch on the branch nearest to him. As it happened, that very branch put the stranger above Jeffery.
Tilting his head down, the man spoke again, “What makes you think I can’t?” This time his voice sent chills through Jeffery’s very soul.
Jeffery peered through the darkness, straining his eyes to get a good look at the man who had put a lump of fear in his throat. He couldn’t see much. Jeffery was sure that was done on purpose. The shadowy man wore all black. Even his thick hair was like polished ebony that had a glint despite the dark night. It whipped about in the wind, concealing the stranger’s face. Hidden by the tree’s own shadow, and his own hair, anything identifiable on his face was kept a mystery, and dark Oakley’s completed the dangerous look by hiding the mysterious man’s eyes from scrutiny.
Why would someone wear sunglasses in the dead of night? How could anyone see in this blackness, with sunglasses on? Really who the hell did he think he was, Blade? Jeffery wondered to himself.
For a long moment, the only sound around them was the winter wind rustling the tree branches and of stirring leaves on the cold earth. Jeffery carefully considered his next move. He liked a good challenge, but something about this stranger’s attitude sent up red flags of caution in Jeffery’s head.
On any other assignment, Jeffery would have just moved aside. This man was too confident not to be deadly and had found him way too easily. Jeffery still held his invisibility spell in place, yet this dark stranger stared right at him. Jeffery didn’t have a death wish. However, on this night, there was more at stake than only his life. His previous failure of not capturing the woman came at a price. A price Jeffery prayed would never be cashed in.
With bravado he didn’t feel, Jeffery croaked out, “Look man, you can have the kill and the money…I just need the body.”
“Tell me, how am I to get paid if you have my finished work.” The dark man asked sounding almost amused.
Jeffery’s fear and worry for his mother prodded him to compromise. He tried again, “How about we work together?”
The dark man didn’t flinch. Nor did he speak. He just stayed there looking in Jeffery’s direction. In that silent moment, Jeffery was profoundly grateful he could not see the dark man’s eyes. He knew without a doubt, looking into them would be the same as looking into a soulless abyss. What Jeffery could see of this man was almost enough to make him want to jump willingly from his perch.
Even without the words, Jeffery knew the answer. This man would not play well with others, ever!
Jeffery made a decision then. He would have to be very careful with this idea. He would have to convince this dark man before him that he was valuable.
Jeffery pleaded his case, trying not to sound too desperate, “Look I can help you, and you obviously know me. You must know what I can do, right? We can do this together. You can have my share of the money; just let me come with you to turn in the kill. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll follow your lead. I need to be a part of this kill.”
The Man moved so quickly Jeffery didn’t even have time to blink before he found himself lifted up to eye level with the stranger, and his feet dangling above the branch he had previously sat on.
The stranger ground out, “Time’s up, Jeffery.”
Knowing the statement may prove true in a matter of seconds, Jeffery quickly made the gestures necessary to blink from the man’s deadly grip. Leaving the tree to the dark stranger, he transported himself back to the small diner he’d eaten in earlier.
Now what am I going to do, Jeffery wondered to himself, and who the hell was that dark man? He needed to think of something else, he needed a new strategy. With shaking fingers, he picked up his cell phone and dialed. He needed information even more.
The phone rang three times, before he heard a familiar voice, “Hello Jeffery, Do you have good news for me?”
“Not yet, but soon.” Jeffery replied.
“I see… well no matter; I think your mother is beginning to like it here.”
“Look I’ll get it done. Don’t hurt her.”
“I’m sure you will, now that you have the proper motivation…”
Jeffery ground his teeth in frustration and anger. “Who else did you send?”
“Oh you met your competition then, don’t worry he’s not so bad.” Finnawick the imp broke into a hideous cackle. “First man to bring me her body gets their reward.”
Jeffery heard the line go dead. He had to figure out a way to get to the woman first. His mother’s life depended on it.
****
Back in the tree, sitting on the very same thick, heavy branch Jeffery once occupied. The Hunter watched the house carefully looking for his way in. Unlike Jeffery, he knew the people here were not stupid. They would not let the target out for anything. It would leave her too open, and too vulnerable. To get to her, The Hunter would have to go in.
He felt comfortable enough in the tree Jeffery picked, and it offered a great view of the house. Not relaxing his senses, The Hunter relaxed his tense body. Folding his arms, and leaning back, he waited. Waited, even when the first flakes fell, and
kept waiting while the brown earth was eventually covered with a soft, white blanket.
His dark shape didn’t even twitch. He melded into the blackness of the starless night. This was his time, the time of The Hunter.
He knew the best way to beat an opponent was to understand them, and know what makes them tick. So he waited, and watched, and he learned. With his keen vision, and a massive amount of patience, The Hunter always got what he wanted.
Then, sure enough, next morning he saw it, He saw his way in. It would take a few adjustments, but now he knew this would be much easier than he thought.
Jumping from his high lookout spot with fluid ease, The Hunter sprinted off to make the necessary arrangements, putting his devious plans into motion.
****
The morning after her talk with Cynda, Collett stood in the kitchen by the large window behind the table. With a glass of orange juice in her hand, Collett looked out the window at the soft, white flakes. She watched them drifting and dancing their way down, to lie gently on the already white blanketed ground.
Her long talk with Cynda, and the time spent watching movies with her last night; laughing and joking around, provided Collett with a much needed morale boost. She would not give up so easily. As for the situation with Cade, Collett promised herself to take that one step at a time.
She stood here to watch the snow; she was trying to picture a time in her life when she saw it before, a time when she felt the cold seep through her clothes. Collett knew she saw it before, knew what it felt like.
She thought about the cold, wet feeling as you packed it in your fingers and the fresh taste of the flakes on your tongue when you were lucky enough to catch them falling from the sky. She pictured the way it glistened when the sun peeked through the clouds after a storm. Collett knew it would reflect light so bright you would have to squint to tolerate the blinding glare.
