by Amy Gregory
He watched Karen and James look at each other then at Brody. It was Erin’s evil eye in Brody’s direction that clued him in.
“I see,” he said before anyone answered.
Heat briefly flared in James’s eyes, but Carter didn’t back down or lower his eyes from James’s gaze. Molly had warned him early on about her father-figure. He’d been bracing himself for an amplified version of Brody.
Ten years from now they would all laugh about this day. He’d remind them about the way the two men stood, both leaning against the captain’s chairs, legs out crossed at the ankles, arms crossed over their chests. The same penetrating gray eyes boring into him. He’d seen the same pose from Brody on more than one occasion in the short time they’d known each other. Carter was quite sure it pissed Brody off that the imposing stare-down didn’t work on him.
He was also confident, that even though it appeared he had Karen’s support and even Erin’s, that the two men staring at him were united. It was very apparent they were on the other side.
Turning his head just an inch let him meet Brody’s narrowed eyes. “Did you yell at her…about last night?”
Brody’s eyes went wide for just a flash before narrowing once again.
Bull’s-eye.
“You did this to her, didn’t you?” Carter’s voice was a hint over a whisper, not wanting to upset Molly all over again, but there was fire in his tone. “I’ve told you repeatedly, I won’t hurt her. I’ve told you I’m not going anywhere.” He dropped a cheek against Molly’s head for a moment, just needing that connection, before he continued. Carter took a deep breath and leveled his eyes on her brother once again.
“If you have a problem, then you need to take it up with me—in private. I will not allow you to upset her like this again. I know she’ll stand up to you, I’ve seen her do it. But make no mistake…you won’t do this to her again.”
James’s chin came up just a fraction of an inch, even though the man had yet to speak. From what he’d heard from Molly, this must be a special occasion. The stories Molly and Brody had shared, while humorous now, gave him a newfound respect for anyone on the receiving end of James. The man was intimidating for damned sure, but there were three men in that motorhome, and he was the only one holding Molly in his arms.
The soft touch of Karen’s hand on his arm broke both the tension and his eye contact with Brody. “She loves you, Carter.”
“Quit saying that, Mom. How can she—”
Carter cut Brody’s argument off before he could finish it. “I love her too, Karen, very much.”
James took a deep breath in. Carter was gearing up for another round when George came through the open doorway. James put his finger to his lips. “Not here, George. I don’t want to talk about this here. We haven’t said anything to her yet.” The hushed words were meant for George alone. Carter heard every word.
He waited for several long seconds, gauging the mood of the room and the sudden chill it just took. It was more than obvious that they didn’t want Carter there for the conversation, either.
“I’ll let you guys go. How about if I take her to my coach and lay her down, you all can talk here?”
Without looking at the men, Carter waited for Karen’s approval. When she nodded and whispered her thanks, he felt as if he’d won some sort of battle.
“Erin knows where my motorhome is, I’ll leave the door open. You’re welcome anytime, just come in.” Carter had found the golden ticket. Karen seemed genuine while thanking him and it was obvious how much she loved Molly. At least he had another ally. Poor Erin was starting to look worn down with all the fuss, and now he had someone fresh on his side ready to help defend him if need be.
Carter stood with Molly in his arms as if she weighed nothing. Slipping the two of them through the tiny motorhome doorway was something of a feat, but he did it without waking her or giving her a concussion. He grinned to himself as he pressed a kiss to her forehead and walked with a still sleeping Molly in his arms.
As he laid her back down in his bed, he couldn’t help but feel conflicted. On one hand, he had Molly right where she belonged, in his bed. On the other hand though, her parents were acting very suspicious. He couldn’t help the nagging feeling in his gut that told him something was very, very wrong.
Molly stretched. Something about the bed she was in and the way it smelled just like Carter, and the sheets were so soft and cozy. She felt around her and let her eyes open. Carter’s bed, how did I get here?
She shut her eyes again for a long minute, the screwed up morning coming back to her. One minute she was in Karen’s arms, dying to get her alone and talk. The next she was curled up in a ball crying. She shuttered again at the replay of Brody’s voice, tone and words in her mind. He’d never done that to her before. Neither James, nor Karen had ever yelled at her like that. Only one man had. There was something so hauntingly similar in Brody’s voice, the flashbacks had swept her away before she could even focus on reality.
She looked around the empty bedroom. “Carter?”
“Hi, Gorgeous. You’re awake,” he said, coming out of the bathroom.
Molly watched him zip his pants on the way. She breathed in the sight of the man standing freshly showered and in riding gear before her. “Hi,” she replied, smiling. Damn, the man was sexy as sin.
Carter winked as he leaned down, bracketing her with his arms to kiss her. He sat beside her on the bed, lovingly brushing the hair from her forehead. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? You have me worried, sweetheart.”
“It was just…Brody. I don’t know. He just triggered something. I don’t even remember what he said now.”
“Well, I don’t know what all was said either. Erin came and grabbed me, and when I got to your coach, your mom had you in a pile of tears on the floor. I picked you up and you fell asleep in my arms. I suspected Brody had something to do with it, but we didn’t get into. I didn’t want to wake you up.”
When Carter cupped her cheek in his palm, Molly grabbed it with both hands and held it to her tight. Things were falling back into place. Molly took a deep breath. These panic attacks were old, but now that she’d had two in front of Carter, not to mention the other night, she was starting worry he was going to freak out.
“I’m so sorry, Carter.”
“What are you sorry for, Mol? You’ve done nothing.”
“It’s so embarrassing. I don’t always know the triggers until it’s too late. You’re going to think I’m an absolute train wreck. Add to that my psychotic brother, and you have no reason to want to be with me.”
“Yes. I do. I love you.” Carter leaned down and placed a feather soft kiss on her lips, then another on her nose. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” His face lit up. “Hey, you know what? Come with me.”
Molly couldn’t help but laugh at the excited man as he pulled her arms trying to get her out of the bed faster. Whatever he was up to, it couldn’t be as good as staying in his warm bed, preferably beside him.
“I have to do sound testing here in a little while, but I want to give you something. I meant to as soon as I saw you last night, but I got so excited to see you again—I forgot.”
He sat her on his couch and she tucked her legs up underneath her, trying to calm herself. She was the world’s biggest child when it came to surprises and holidays. She watched as he crossed to the kitchen counter. When he turned, he held out the small green velvet box tied with a satin bow.
“You didn’t have to get me anything, Carter.”
“It will make me feel better.”
She tried not to grin nervously at what that meant. Reaching up a timid hand, she took the box from him and waited until he sat back down beside her.
“Come on, open it.” He smiled.
Molly slowly pulled the end of the ribbon and the bow fell apart. With the box still in her hand, Carter opened it for her. She tried to see the beautiful necklace, but looking through the tears made it hard to see the little p
latinum and diamond cross pendant.
“It’s beautiful, Carter. Thank you.”
Carter took the box and removed the necklace himself. Molly held her hair up and turned so he could put it on for her. “Na, it’s selfish on my part, really. I don’t like the thought of you doing what you do on a bike without a little piece of me with you.”
She turned back to face him, her fingertips on the cross. Carter reached up with his thumb to wipe the tears rolling down her cheeks.
It was so surreal for her. In such a short amount of time, her life had changed so drastically. She always knew it could. Hell, in their sport you could be fine and walking one minute, then lying in a hospital the next. She lived with that knowledge every time she got on the bike. But to think about her life changing outside of riding, outside of bikes at all. To think that she’d become so attached to the man in front of her it felt like her next breath depended on his presence—that was frightening and exhilarating at the same time.
Carter watched as Molly continued to touch the cross against her neck. The simple, dainty cross on a short chain was perfect for her. He’d wanted to give her something—something that she could wear and think of him when they were apart.
He pulled her onto his lap, taking in the way her face was beaming at him. She was so sweet and so full of love. He couldn’t believe he was so lucky to find her.
“Do you know how much I adore you?”
Molly smiled so sweetly, his heart melted. “I do.”
Those two words rang loud in his ears and suddenly he was very aware. Carter could see clearly he was holding his future wife, he could see his future in his arms.
“Oh God, Gorgeous, I love you.”
~
Molly had her fingers laced with Carter’s and as they walked to her motorhome, swinging their hands between them. She felt so light, carefree, and to be totally girly—she was completely in love. She’d never been given a piece of jewelry before, at least not something that wasn’t from James or Karen. They were overly generous when it came to buying her things. She reached up to her neck again. This was different—this necklace meant so much to her. He could have given her a ring from a bubblegum machine, she didn’t care. Anything from Carter was priceless.
The door to their motorhome was closed and a white envelope was taped to it. She pulled it off and opened the door.
“Where is everyone?” She looked around, only to find Erin inside.
“Um…they were just chatting with George. You know, catching up, since it’d been awhile since they’d seen him.”
Molly raised an eyebrow at Erin. That was a story to sell someone else. They’d kept in touch with George all the time. Hell, he was the reason she was doing the preshow. Molly had wanted to introduce Carter in a way that was a little bit more normal than before. She shrugged at Carter, knowing he had to get to his test before long.
She slipped open the envelope in her hand. Opening the weird looking letter, she gasped at the first word—bitch. She had Carter’s attention and he grabbed the letter from her in one hand and instinctively put his other arm around her waist.
“What the hell is this?” He held the letter up to Erin.
“Where was that?” Her eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open.
“Taped to the door.”
“Oh, shit.” Erin grabbed the cell sitting by her on the table. “Come here, now!”
Molly watched Erin nod, her facial expressions all over the board. Panic, anger, fear, and back to anger. “No, now. We just got one, here.”
“Erin, what’s going on?” Carter asked before Molly could form the words. Her mind was reeling. Carter had ripped the note from her hands before she’d read more than a few of the letters taped to the plain white piece of paper. But even with little to go on, she could tell it was a threat.
Carter’s hold on her had gotten tighter and more possessive. At the moment, she didn’t want it any other way.
The door flew open and James, Karen, Brody, George, and Joey all charged in. Molly watched as Carter instantly held the note out for James’s inspection.
“Will somebody please tell me what’s going on?” Molly’s voice was desperate.
Carter swept her into both his arms, waiting for an answer.
Chapter Twelve
“Are you okay, baby girl?” James crossed to her after reading the letter. He bent his knees slightly to look in her eyes and ran his knuckles over her cheek.
Molly looked at the man she’d loved almost half her life. He’d been there for her, helped put her back together when they’d found her broken. James had protected her with a fierceness only rivaled by wild animals. She clung to Carter, but leaned into James’s hand, a show of love for him as well.
“I’d be better if I knew what the hell was going on.”
Carter pressed her against him, and she felt the strength of his hold in the palms spread over her back, the heat from his body burning her, but soothing at the same time. Molly laid her head back against his chest and kept one ear pressed to the beat of his heart, the hammering keeping her calm.
“James? That’s not the first threatening letter you’ve gotten, is it?” Carter’s hands tensed on her back as the question came out.
“We’ve got this, Carter. Don’t worry about it.” Brody’s tone was dismissive. “You can go now.”
“Not this time, Noland. No way.”
Molly knew Carter would avoid arguing with Brody at all costs, but she was so relieved when he stayed. She tightened the hold she had around his waist.
“Stop it, Son. This is getting serious. We’re going to need all the help we can get.” Karen ran a loving hand down Molly’s long hair. “Carter, Molly. Both of you—sit. We’ll fill you in.” She motioned to the kitchen table. Karen waited until Carter passed her, but Molly saw the harsh look her brother received.
Reluctantly, James began. “A few days ago, George called me at the office.”
Carter interrupted James and looked over his shoulder at Brody. “Was that the call you received last Saturday?”
When he didn’t answer, Molly impatiently urged him on. “Well, Brody? Was it?”
Molly watched, but her brother didn’t answer.
Instead, Carter spoke. “I told you that night, I knew something was wrong. I offered to help then, Brody. Damn it. What if she’d been alone this morning when she’d gotten this last note? What then?”
The way her brother was treating her boyfriend was just one of a million things spiraling through her mind at the moment. She was so torn between the love she’d always felt for Brody and wanting to put on a pair of boxing gloves and go at him like the old days. At the moment, she’d do without the gloves.
In some perverse way, Brody being a jackass was helping. If Molly let herself concentrate on that anger and embarrassment, she was able to block out the bigger problem. The one that had a big red X on her head.
Karen rubbed her husband’s arm as the four of them sat around the kitchen table. Molly could see the worry in her eyes, the circles underneath that she’d never seen before. That had Molly more scared than the note. James had twisted two paper napkins into bits and reached for a third, just to keep his hands busy. Molly had witnessed the nervous gesture before, years ago, when she’d been recovering in the hospital. She laughed, but no noise came out, thinking about how something so minor and obscure had stuck with her like that.
She watched the beads of sweat running in random patterns down the bottle of water Erin had placed in front of her. She heard the conversation, heard the words. Most of them weren’t sinking in. Carter had one arm around her shoulders, the other on her thigh under the table. Every so often, one or both hands would squeeze her in silent encouragement.
“So there have been a total of five notes, right?” Carter asked.
“No.” James shook his head. “Four notes and one phone call from someone who overheard a conversation that someone overheard and so on. They called George, but with such hearsay,
there wasn’t anything we could do but hope it was a rumor.”
“But the notes, they’re all like this one? Why go to the trouble of cutting and pasting magazine letters on copy paper? It just seems weird. Unless…maybe whoever is doing this has very recognizable handwriting. Like another rider?”
“Like a girl,” Molly mumbled to herself, completely unaware she’d even said anything out loud as she peeled the label off her bottle.
James smacked the table with both palms, sending Molly about out of her skin. “I’ll be damned.”
Brody spoke for the first time in a long while, his face questioning, but a realization dawning, “Do you think?”
“I think it sure as hell opens up a new direction to look. Up until now, the police have had very little to go on back home.”
“The first three were mailed to the house, right?” Molly felt Carter’s shoulder jerk as he looked toward Joey when he began to speak. “So…obviously it’s personal. Molly hasn’t competed in over two years. She always raced clean, was always way out front, basically with no competition. So I think we really can rule out a racer. As for freestyle, that group was so laid back I just don’t see any of them doing this. Again, too much time has passed, there’s not some big competition coming up. You haven’t set out to reclaim gold again. There’s no reason. Plus, honestly, Mol, I don’t see why anybody that is still competing would be willing to risk it all to go to jail when they get caught.”
“Joe’s right, baby girl, if it’s a woman, it’s somebody that is jealous of you, a crazy stalker fan who wants what you have, something. Or, it’s someone from your past. I don’t really see that as a possibility, though.”
“Or a jealous ex-girlfriend,” Brody said under his breath.
“I don’t have an ex-girlfriend, Brody. Don’t be an ass.”
“Not you, Mol. Funny how the threats started just last week. And when did you two hook up? Oh, that’s right…just last week.”
