Never Forgotten Love

by S. M. Stryker

  “I get calls all the time, but if I don’t recognize the number I don’t answer it. I figure if it’s important they will leave a message, so no, I haven’t answered a prank call.”

  “Good, Brad made an app to track people’s cell phone GPS’s, but it has a glitch in the program, the problem he has with it is that it calls the person that he is looking to track, all that has to happen is the person just needs to answer the phone and it captures the phone’s location and tracks it. So, what you are doing is good.”

  “Wow, I didn’t think he had it in him to make something like that up. I’m pretty impressed, I’m going to get off the phone to send you my list of things I need.”

  “Ok, I’ll see you in about an hour. I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  I drive to the bakery, hyper aware of my surroundings. As I walk through the door, the bell chimes my entrance and within seconds, Shannon is walking through the saloon door. “Hi Shannon, are you the only one here?”

  “Yes, Stacey left a little while ago; she said she had an appointment.”

  “Do you know how to close up?”

  “Yes, Harlow showed me how.”

  “You have the key to lock up?”

  “Yes, in fact, um, your guy, um.”

  “Mitchell?”

  “Yeah, he came over and put new locks on the doors and installed a security system, they even built a little room in the back for all the security cameras.”

  “Was Stacey here when they were here?”

  “Um, yeah, she left right after they got here. It was kind of weird; she hadn’t said anything about having an appointment until they got here and started working.”

  “Did she happen to get a key to the new locks?”

  “Yes, I handed it to her as she was leaving.”

  “Shit!”

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No, you’re fine.”

  “I’m sorry, I just knew that she has been working with Harlow in the mornings coming in and learning the baking process. Shit…I mean…I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it, it will be fine.”

  “Davis is still here, he’s in the back, can he help?”

  “Actually, I’m going to go see Mitchell in a few minutes. Would you do me a favor?”

  “Sure, anything.”

  “Harlow isn’t coming back today, would you call me if Stacey returns and if anyone comes with her.”

  “Of course. And you have Harlow’s number?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell Davis to stay and walk you out.”

  “Ok, I am really sorry.”

  “Shannon, you had no way of knowing, and if Harlow were here, she would have done the same thing.”

  I leave the bakery and drive to Nicole’s house checking my rearview mirror for cars that might be following me. I arrive just as Mitchell is finishing. We walk inside to talk. He has men placed everywhere, following everyone. I download the app onto his phone and show him how to put it on all his men’s phones. “The problem we’ll have is if he has multiple cell phones,” I say. “But this should help you with your regular surveillances.”

  “Yes, this is a great app, although I can’t see it getting approved for use with the normal population. This would be great for government agencies though. You’ll need to be careful with this,” he warns.

  I had already thought about the implication of this application. However, right now, that’s the least of my problems. I tell Mitchell what I found on the notepad in Brad’s office and that the new key to the bakery was given to Stacey. I want to make sure that if there is an issue, we are well covered. Mitchell tells me to call him when Harlow needs to be picked up to go to the bakery. He repeats that he’ll pick her up and stay with her until she is finished with her work. He’ll then have a man placed inside and outside the bakery. He set up a small closed off surveillance room in the back of the bakery so someone can monitor the cameras at all times until Brad is caught.

  When I’ve finished talking to Mitchell, I look for Harlow’s room. I get a suitcase out of her closet and put the items she asked for in it. In the bathroom, I place her toiletries into a Ziploc bag so they don’t leak inside her suitcase. I close the suitcase and place it in my car. Mitchell has left and has given me the codes and new keys for the re-enforced deadbolt for Harlow. I see a pick-up truck with one of Mitchell’s men pull out to follow me as I make the drive to my house.

  When I arrive, I open the garage door pulling into the second bay, once inside I close the door behind me. I take Harlow’s suitcase out of the Jeep, carrying it inside the house. I turn off the alarm as I enter the house and back on once I close the door. Harlow meets me at the door with a big hug and kiss she looks scared, but even scared she looks and smells amazing.

  I take her suitcase to my room and show her drawers for her to use in the closet. This is the reason I had such a large closet built, there is more than enough room for her things. I place her toiletries in the bathroom. When she is done getting organized, we sit in the living room to talk. I wanted to fill her in on what Mitchell accomplished and give her the code and key to Nicole’s house. She fidgeted nervously.

  I purposely didn’t tell her about Stacey. I wanted to see if Stacey would stay to the plan that she and Brad made together or if she would bolt like he did. Sure enough, she is staying with the plan and is going into work like normal. I know if I had told Harlow she wouldn’t be able to act normal around her. The only reason I let this be an option was because I knew that Mitchell would be around or a couple of his men, and I knew there was always going to be someone in the surveillance room anytime the bakery was open.

  The week passes in a blur. There has been no sign of Brad, and the hopes of finding him with the new app that Carson made hasn’t helped, not that the app didn’t work, but he must have multiple phones. I should have known it wasn’t going to be that easy. He’s been off the grid for so long he’s become a chameleon. He’d sent both Richard and I an email Monday that stated that he had an unexpected emergency that has taken him out of town indefinably and that he would no longer be able to work for us. I was encouraged that he signed the email with the name Thomas, so I am hoping he doesn’t know we know who he is.

  Harlow is getting antsy and wants to get her life back to normal since there’s been no sign of Brad. After talking to Mitchell, he doesn’t see any reason for Harlow and Nicole to hide out now that they have the security systems up at Nicole’s home. Mitchell will keep monitoring the phone numbers I had given him just in case and his men will still be watching out for them.

  I understand where she is coming from, but I love having her in my house and in my bed, but I think she assumes the only reason I have her there is to protect her, and yes that is to some extent true, but I just love having her with me. I’ll have to pick my battles and this isn’t one of them. I reluctantly help her take her suitcase to her car.

  Two weeks pass and still no sign of Brad. It’s Friday and Harlow and I are going out for the evening. We have both been cowering behind the possibilities of what Brad could do. I make reservations at a little Lebanese restaurant downtown Portland.

  Before I leave the office, I receive a call from Mitchell, the news isn’t good. I let Richard know what the situation is. He is going to move up his vacation with Nicole to leave town early, which means I have to convince Harlow to move in with me this weekend. This will be one of those battles I will win.

  Dinner was good and very entertaining, belly dancers dancing around and strolling minstrels, but I couldn’t get into it. I was nervous about what I needed to say to Harlow. We finish dinner and walk to Pioneer Square Court for our ritual Cappuccino we get when we finish eating downtown.

  We start to walk when I blurt out, “I want you to move in with me Harlow. I want you to tell Nicole that you are moving out this weekend.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “WHAT ARE YOU TALKING about Beck? We’ve talked about this; you
know I’m not ready for that. What’s going on?” She demands.

  “What do you mean?” I tilt my head in mock confusion. Obviously, what I said did not come out right and she caught on that there was a problem.

  “Something has changed, we’ve talked about me moving in before, and you’ve never been demanding. You’re demanding now, which means something has changed. Is it Brad? Has Mitchell found him?”

  “I’ve told you…” She cuts me off.

  “Beck! No, you haven’t! You would never demand I stay with you unless something has changed. Tell me, I have the right to know.”

  I shift unnervingly.

  “Beckett, Tell me!” she demands. “Now!”

  “He managed to get a concealed weapons permit yesterday.”

  Harlow’s face turns white. I see her mind trying to reason. She looks up at me as her cappuccino slips from her hand hitting the ground as if in slow motion, the cap flies off as it bounces off the ground and flips before landing on its side, as her knees buckle and she starts to fall to the sidewalk.

  “Shit, Harlow!” I drop my coffee just in time to catch her, carrying her to one of the benches on the square. “Harlow? Harlow girl, are you ok?” She starts to shake. “I’ve got you baby.”

  She slowly turns her head to me. “Tha…That me…means he c…can b…buy a gun? H…How? The police are looking for him.” Helping her sit back up, I look at her, pulling her hands into mine.

  “He hasn’t been charged with anything so there isn’t anything on his record. Washington is looking for him not Oregon. He obtained it in the State of Oregon, not Washington and he has ID as Thomas Dillon that’s why our background check didn’t come up with anything on him.”

  “I found out right before I left the office. I told Richard and he’s going to take Nicole out of town early just in case. Even with Nicole’s new security system. I want you safe and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you that way. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t wanted you to move in with me, you’re just doing it sooner.”

  “You act as if Mitchell can find him right away, what happens if he can’t find him? This could go on for weeks, right?” she asks anxiously.

  “Yes, he has been off the grid since the altercation with you and your father, and then when we figured out whom he was and quit, he was off the grid again, until yesterday when he received the permit.”

  She sighs, “It’s been over six years, I was really hoping he would have just moved on,” she says as she looks up at me.

  “I know baby, I know. I just don’t want to take that risk, not where you’re concerned, I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you, especially if I could have prevented it.” I look at her and kiss her gently on the forehead. “You are my life Harlow girl I won’t chance that. I won’t lose you again that’s not an option!”

  “I can’t and won’t be a prisoner!” She demands.

  “Harlow, this isn’t about a little fight. He has a fucking gun! I WILL NOT RISK YOUR LIFE! End of subject,” I say sternly enunciating those words.

  Harlow now thoroughly pissed, crosses her arms over her chest, and turns away from me.

  I lower my voice placing my hands on her shoulders. I move my lips next to her ear and speak softly. “Baby, please understand, I’m not trying to tie you down, I just want to protect you. You are my world; you are all I thought about for all those years, it was you that kept me alive. I can’t idly sit back while this fucking nut job is out there looking for you to hurt. It would kill me if anything happened to you and I could have prevented it from happening. If after he’s caught, you don’t want to be with me, I’ll step away and let you go.”

  She turns to me as she wraps her arms around me burying her face in my chest. “I’m sorry, I know you’re just trying to protect me, I’m just not use to someone doing that for me.”

  “Harlow, you were the one that stood up for me against the bullies when we first met in school. My mother had beaten me down…I was a weak little boy. But there you were with your long blond braids and that look you would get in your eyes; you protected me when I couldn’t. It’s my turn to return the favor. Please let me help you.”

  “Ok. But I have to go into work, it’s my business.”

  “I know I already have Mitchell working on it. He’s still going to have a man inside and he has a security team that will watch your place while you’re there.”

  “Ok, I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

  “How about we stop by your house pick some of your things up and then we can pick up your car and head to my place?”

  “Ok,” she said passively.

  On the drive to Harlow’s place she asks, “Beck, why are you so sure he’s coming after me?”

  I don’t answer her right away, I have to think about what, and how I am going to say it, after a few minutes I start. “After we hired him, he went out with Raven. He must have felt comfortable with her because he went off to her about his old girlfriend and how he was going to go after her and her new boyfriend. He said something to Carson too. The Friday night that you stayed at my place, he knew you didn’t go home, I am pretty sure he knows where you live. He went into great detail what his plans were,” I say quietly.

  I look over at Harlow; she is sitting quietly, her face white and a tears start running down her face. “What did he tell them?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What did he tell them, you said he went into great detail, what did he say?” she says in a quiet, calm voice.

  “Harlow, that’s not important, I’m not going into that, he is a sick fuck.”

  “It is important; it’s what he wants to do to me.”

  “And you think you’re going to fill better by knowing what he wants to do to you?” I say as I raise my voice. “He’s a twisted sick motherfucker that wants to rape and torture you.”

  She gasped for air, as if she had been holding her breath. “Stop the car…I’m going to be sick.”

  I pull over helping her out of the Jeep into the ditch. I take hold of her lose hair, pulling out of the way as she empties the content of her stomach in the weeds. She’s on her hands and knees. When she has finished, I twist her hair tucking it into the back of her shirt. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” I walk to the Jeep, opening the back I grab my first aid kit, opening it I take out a bottle of water, and a packet of wet naps, then I get into the glove box, take out a little bottle of mouthwash, and walk back to where Harlow is hunched on the ground. I hand her a couple of wipes to clean her hands then some to wipe her face. Taking her hands, I help her up. “Here, rinse your mouth out.” I hand her a bottle of water, then hand her the mouthwash. She replaces the lid to the mouthwash and hands it back to me.

  Tears are streaming down her face. “What about my parents?” she asks terrified.

  “Nothing has ever been mentioned about them. But I called them after talking to Mitchell, telling them to set their security system for a while.”

  “You did? You did that for my family?”

  “They’re my family too Harlow, of course, I did that, I might not be blood, but they cared for me as if I was. Mitchell is sending a team up there to watch the house.”

  “I can’t even imagine what all of this has been costing you Beck.”

  “Harlow, money means nothing if you don’t have someone to share it with. I don’t want my family hurt. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect them.”

  “Thank you, Beckett.” I reach over, taking her hand in mine, as I rub my thumb over the back of her hand.

  We drive to Nicole’s house in virtual silence. I could tell Harlow was in deep thought trying to process what I had told her. We pull into the driveway and park next to Richard’s SUV; he was going to try to get out of town either tonight or in the morning.

  We walk to the door and knock. Richard opens the door to let us inside. Harlow says hello to Richard giving him a hug, then walks back to the bedrooms, probably stopping at Nicole’s to talk to her
first. “How did she take the news?” Richard questions.

  “Hard, she fainted, then we got into a big fight, she finally realized how serious this is. Then she wanted details. She got sick on the way here, how about Nicole?”

  “She was pissed, not that we didn’t enjoy our time when she moved in for the week, but if she was going to do that she wanted it on her own terms and not forced into it. I hope this can be settled in the next two weeks. I am sorry I am leaving you with this.”

  “Richard, this isn’t your fight, so don’t worry about it.”

  “But it is…I don’t want anything to happen to Nicole, she’s…I’m…God, Beckett, I don’t know what I am.”

  “Yes you do, you’re just afraid to say it. You love her, and you will do anything in your power to protect her. Believe me I know. I suffer from the same illness.” I slap Richard on the shoulder and laugh. “Funny how a couple months ago you thought you were too old for this. Now look at you.”

  He looks at me wide eyed and he is turning white. “You really think that? You think this is love?”

  “I know it is I can recognize the symptoms. You know you’re with the right person when no matter how bad things get, you would still rather be with them than anywhere else,” I say. “Being in love is one of the most exciting and terrifying moments in your existence. It’s scary because it is completely out of your control; the heart wants what the heart wants.

  “God, I am, I never thought I would feel this way Beckett. After my parents had died, I wanted to curl up and die too. Then I met you, I could tell your life had been rough, you had no self-esteem, and I felt like I had to help you. You gave me something to live for when all I wanted to do is curl up into a ball and die myself. You taught me what was important. Then you brought me someone to love. Beckett…”Suddenly Richard pulls me to him, hugging me, “I love you Beckett, I know I haven’t told you enough, I guess I felt you knew that already, but I do, and I should have said it more. Thank you for everything you have done for me and taught me. I thought I was the one saving you and in all actuality, you are the one that saved me.” He pats me on the back before letting me go. When he does, I look at his tear-filled eyes.