Takeoff

by Becca Jameson

  Deacon could see that it was a cross of some sort. But that wasn’t all. It had a straw person attached to it. It was some kind of voodoo. He glanced at Raeann to find her talking on his phone in the doorway.

  The pizza guy was still standing rooted to his spot, jaw open. He was about seventeen. He opened the warming bag, slid out the pizza, and set it on the floor just inside the door. “I’ll just leave that there,” he shouted over the water and the ensuing chaos as he jogged toward his car.

  By the time the flames were out, Deacon heard sirens in the distance, and several other neighbors had gathered outside.

  Raeann disappeared, closing the door, but she returned two minutes later wearing a sweatshirt. Thank God. She was breathing heavily as she approached, no doubt furious.

  A fire truck pulled up, but by then the flames were out. It was difficult to tell what had been burning, but Deacon had seen it clearly. He hoped Raeann had not. He reached for her as she approached and pulled her into his side.

  A police car arrived moments later, and the officers who exited came straight toward them, their gazes on Raeann. She patted Deacon’s chest. “These are the same cops who came earlier. I called them.”

  “Ah.” He turned to extend a hand and introduce himself.

  The woman, whose name tag read Hendrix, nodded toward the condo. “Let’s go inside.”

  The crowd was growing, especially since the fire truck had arrived, sirens blaring, so Deacon was beyond grateful to move into the condo. He kept a hand on the small of Raeann’s back as they entered.

  Raeann was hugging herself, arms crossed. She started pacing when they shut the door.

  “You okay, ma’am?” Hendrix asked.

  “Please, call me Raeann. And no. I’m pissed.”

  “I get that.” Hendrix’s brow was furrowed in commiseration. At least Deacon could tell she was kind.

  “Have you seen this kind of thing before?” the other officer, Parks, asked.

  “Many times.”

  Deacon cringed. Apparently, he wouldn’t be protecting her from anything by not describing what he’d seen then.

  “It’s like some freaky voodoo thing they use,” Raeann continued. “They put up a cross with a straw body on it like a scarecrow and then burn it.”

  Parks looked like he was in shock. Frankly, Deacon felt the same way. What the absolute fuck was wrong with people? No wonder Raeann was so freaked out by the return of these crazy bitches in her life.

  Raeann dropped her arms and swiveled to face Deacon. “You have to leave.”

  His eyes shot wide. “Why would I do that?”

  She pointed toward the front of the condo. “If those people see you with me. If they find out who you are. Deacon, they will fucking terrorize you. I mean it.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not leaving, Rae. Not a chance.”

  Hendrix sighed. “I know this is stressful, but don’t chase away your support system.”

  Raeann ran a hand over her hair and tipped her head to the floor. She took several deep breaths.

  Deacon wanted to step closer, pull her into his arms. Anything. But he didn’t think she would welcome the contact right now. So, he remained where he was.

  There were several long moments of silence before Hendrix spoke again in a calm voice. “Tell me what to expect here, Raeann. What happens next? What do they want? What’s their goal?”

  Raeann lifted her face and looked at Hendrix. “They won’t stop until I’m dead.”

  Deacon shuddered.

  “You think they’ll kill you?” Parks asked.

  Raeann let out an eerie laugh. “God no. They want me to do it.”

  Deacon’s heart stopped. Jesus.

  More silence.

  Deacon inched toward her, but she stepped farther from him without looking, so he stopped. Though it killed him.

  “Okay. So they think they can harass you until you commit suicide?” Hendrix asked, though it wasn’t really a question.

  “Or end up committed. Like my mom. After all, in their minds, I need to be committed. I’m a threat to society with my evil ways. I need to be removed and locked up. And the problem is that they’re very successful. They’ve managed to get dozens of people committed. They work tirelessly to make someone’s life miserable until that person can’t stand to bother fighting it anymore, which proves their point.”

  Parks made a strange gasping noise. When Deacon glanced at him, he found the man stunned, his expression wide with shock.

  Hendrix shot him a glare as if to say, “Pull it together, man.” She moved in front of Parks, cutting him off from Raeann’s view. Good move. Not that Deacon blamed Parks for his reaction. Deacon understood completely. He was fighting hard to maintain his own composure.

  Hendrix drew in a deep breath. “I’ll get someone to patrol the area as frequently as I can. I don’t think you should continue to stay here though. Is there someone you can stay with?”

  “She can stay with me,” Deacon blurted.

  “No.” Raeann shook her head. “Not a chance. They’re not chasing me from my home. Not today. I will have to move, and I’ll work on that, but not today. It’s not safe for me to stay with someone else either. It just makes them a target.” She didn’t even look at Deacon.

  His chest hurt. “Rae…”

  She shot him a glare finally. “No.”

  “I’ll put in for a transfer at work and see about changing my name this time. It will take me a few weeks, but I’ll figure it out.”

  Deacon’s heart sank. She was leaving. Realistically, he’d known this would eventually happen. But it felt so overwhelming. She was slipping away from him. So fast. Too fast.

  He could hardly focus on everything else that was said. The cops left and Raeann leaned against the door. She didn’t meet his gaze. “Deacon…”

  “Don’t. Just stop.” He grabbed the back of his neck and stretched. The world was spinning too fast.

  She sighed and lifted her gaze. “I told you—”

  “You told me what exactly?” He didn’t know why he felt angry or why his voice was rising. He had no reason to be mad at her. This was not her fault. Except she was cutting him off. He could feel the distance growing between them as if he were no longer standing feet away from her but rather a mile.

  He shook his head. He didn’t want to hear what she had to say. “Let’s eat the pizza.”

  She stared at him. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

  “You need to eat.” It was lame. He felt like she was sand in his hand. Slipping through between his fingers. In a minute, he was going to be left with one grain. She’d already made up her mind to change her name and leave.

  And why was he so desperate? It wasn’t like he could have her. Jesus. “You’re seriously going to ask for a transfer?”

  “Yes. I’ll do it tomorrow.”

  “Rae…”

  She suddenly stood straighter—stiffening, rigid, every ounce of moxie returning. “Deacon, this is my life. We agreed. What we’ve been doing was always precarious. It was fun. I appreciate every moment we spent together. I’ll never forget it. But it’s not real. What’s real is the shit hand I was dealt. What’s real is that this will follow me everywhere. I can’t stop it, and I refuse to let these people win, so I’ll change my name and make a new life for myself.”

  “And that’s not letting them win?” His voice rose. He was angry for her. Not at her. But he couldn’t control his reaction.

  “It’s the best I can do. Hide.”

  He couldn’t breathe. All he could do was stare at her. There was a tightness in his throat. Emotions. Who was he to argue her point? Fuck. “Don’t… Just… Jesus, give me Friday night, will you?” He was grasping at straws. He had to. He couldn’t let her go. He needed to think. Figure something out. Whatever it was.

  She held his gaze for long seconds before nodding. Thank God.

  He lurched forward and pulled her into his arms before she could protest. He knew, or he hoped, if
he could get his hands on her, she would soften. Relax. Calm down. Stop pushing him away.

  It worked. After a few moments, she returned the affection, wrapping her arms around him and sinking into his chest.

  He threaded his fingers in her hair and hugged her tighter, kissing the top of her head. He was in love with her. It hit him like a ton of bricks. He was in love with a woman he couldn’t have. He’d never even tell her. Why add insult to injury?

  After a long time, he eased his grip and led her to the kitchen. He seated her at the table, poured her a new soda, and slid several slices of pizza onto a plate to stick in the microwave.

  In silence, he set the plate in front of her and made himself one too. He wasn’t hungry, and neither was she, but they had to eat. It felt like someone had died. In a way, it was true.

  Chapter 14

  Raeann was emotionally exhausted by Friday afternoon. After working another overnight Wednesday and Thursday, she’d slept late that morning before beginning the work of taping up boxes and packing her belongings. She made a pretty good dent in packing the items that were mostly knickknacks and things she didn’t need regularly.

  It wasn’t that she had a plan yet, but there was no sense putting off the inevitable. At least she wouldn’t be frantically trying to stuff her belongings into boxes at the last second. She’d spoken to her boss, Marjorie, both Wednesday and this morning, and she was working on seeing about a transfer to perhaps Denver or another hub.

  Explaining her situation to Marjorie had troubled Raeann, but Marjorie had taken it well and hadn’t judged Raeann for her decision. She’d even given her the name of a lawyer who might be able to expedite a name change.

  Heather had also taken the news as well as could be expected. She was sad and tried to talk Raeann out of reacting so urgently, but she also understood. Raeann hadn’t told any of the other women yet. For the first time in her life, she finally had a strong posse of women behind her, and now she had to leave. It sucked.

  At five o’clock, Raeann jumped in the shower. Deacon would be there to pick her up at six. She wasn’t at all sure it was a good idea to go out with him tonight, but she couldn’t bring herself to cancel on him.

  She vowed this would be the last time. Every moment she spent with him would make it that much harder to leave him. She’d make this one count though. No talk of the future. Just a fun night together, hopefully ending up in his bed, making memories that would have to last a lifetime.

  After packing the same small bag as last time, she was downstairs ready to go when he pulled up. She hurried out the door and jogged to his SUV before he could come inside. For one thing, she didn’t want him to see her boxes. For another, she hoped the fucking witch hunters were not around to see her leave with him. If she caused him to get harassed, she would never forgive herself.

  “Hey, beautiful.” He leaned over and kissed her after she shut the door. “Are we in a hurry?”

  She shrugged as she put her seatbelt on.

  “Please tell me you’re not worried about someone seeing me.”

  She glanced at him. “No reason to get you involved. Trust me. You don’t want burning scarecrows in your yard.”

  He grabbed her hand. “What fun gifts did you receive today?”

  “Let’s see. They’ve figured out which mailbox is mine, so they stuffed it with odd-looking parchment paper covered with ancient symbols to ward off heresy. Fun times.”

  His brow was furrowed. “I’m sorry this is happening to you.”

  She shrugged. “Seriously. I’m used to it. Just disappointed they found me. On top of that, I’m concerned they’ll find me again since they know I work for Open Skies. I’m not sure how long a new name will even hold.”

  “What’s wrong with people?”

  She shook herself. “Let’s forget it for the evening, okay? I’d rather enjoy a night out without thinking about witch hunters.”

  “Excellent plan.” He started the engine and pulled away from the curb. “You look nice by the way.”

  “Thank you.” She glanced down. Standard date outfit. Black jeggings, tight black camisole, and a purple chiffon blouse. Sexy. Stylish. Comfortable.

  Deacon also looked fantastic, as usual. Tonight he was wearing jeans, loafers, and a perfectly ironed, navy button-down. But the man looked good enough to eat no matter what. Suit and tie. Jeans. Sweatpants. Naked. She flushed and glanced away. Especially naked.

  He chuckled. “Should I even ask what you’re thinking?”

  She flinched. “No.”

  “Okay.” He was still chuckling. “How about Italian?”

  “Sounds great.”

  “There’s a place I love to go to in Dallas. It’s kind of far, but it’s the best Italian in the area.”

  “Let’s do it.” She reached across and set her hand on his thigh. She needed the contact.

  He set his hand over hers and squeezed. “Tell me something uplifting.”

  “Hmm. Let’s see. There was a baby on my flight yesterday that wouldn’t stop crying. Instead of twenty angry passengers, several people took turns holding the little guy and rocking him. It was like a giant act of kindness. Warmed my heart.”

  He shot her a glance, smiling. “That is uplifting. Kind humans? On a plane? Are you sure they weren’t aliens or robots?”

  She giggled. “Maybe they were. By the end of the flight, the little guy was giggling. He was cute.” She glanced away to stare out the windshield. It had been sweet. Bittersweet too. She’d gone through a roller coaster of emotions. At first, when he’d started wailing, she’d counted her blessings that she would never have kids. Later, when he started giggling, she felt a tightness in the pit of her stomach. She would never experience that either.

  When they arrived at the restaurant, she realized they’d gone the last ten minutes or so in silence. Deacon rounded the car, helped her out, and cupped her face to meet her gaze. “You okay?”

  “Yep.”

  He searched her gaze for several seconds. He did that a lot. As if he could see into her soul. It was intimate and unnerving at the same time.

  Dinner was nice. He was right. The food was excellent. Worth the extra drive. A family-owned restaurant with lots of personal touches.

  Raeann had just leaned back to stretch out when Deacon’s phone rang. He glanced at it and picked it up slowly. “I’m sorry. It’s my mom.”

  “Of course. Answer her.” Raeann motioned. No one should ignore a call from their mom.

  She watched Deacon’s expression as he took the call. His eyes slid closed, he set his elbow on the table, and he rubbed his forehead. “Mom?” He stiffened while his mother spoke. Raeann couldn’t hear that end of the conversation.

  “Hold on. Slow down, Mom… Okay… Right…” He glanced at his watch and winced. “I’m kind of far away. It will take me some time to get there.” He lifted his gaze to Raeann.

  Her heart was racing. He looked so forlorn. She knew he’d been looking forward to a night with her. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen. On top of that, she also realized it would take him some time to get back to the Fort Worth area and then return to the Dallas area where he’d said his parents lived.

  Deacon rubbed a hand down his face. “Okay, Mom… Yes… I’ll be there as soon as I can. Okay. Love you too. Bye.” He drew in a slow deep breath as he set the phone down.

  Raeann lifted her gaze to find their waiter and waved him over.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “Shit.”

  “It’s okay, Deacon. How far away do they live?”

  “From here? Ten minutes. But I need to take you home, or get you a ride, or have you take my car…”

  She swallowed. “I’ll just go with you. It sounds like your mom is pretty desperate. I don’t want you to have to take me home first. You’re losing time.” She pulled her credit card from her purse while she spoke and handed it to the waiter before Deacon even noticed.

  He jerked his gaze up. “What are you doing?”

>   “Paying the bill so we can get out of here.”

  “No. Rae…” He closed his eyes again. His jaw was tight. “And I don’t want you to have to go with me. There’s no telling how long I’ll be. Probably overnight.”

  She smiled. “I brought a toothbrush. Maybe I’ll let you borrow it.” She tried to sound upbeat. He needed her. He needed a friend. Whatever the situation was with his parents, it was weighing on him, and even though he hadn’t discussed it with her yet, she could put the pieces together.

  She quickly signed the check and stood. “Let’s go.”

  Deacon tipped his head back to stare at her, blinking. Still seated, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to his side. “There are things you don’t know.”

  “I figured that. I can handle it. I’m not going to let you drive me home first. It’s too far, and you’re upset. You’ll get in an accident.”

  He lifted her hand to his cheek and held on to her before sliding her palm to his lips and kissing her reverently. “You’re amazing.”

  “I’m not even close to amazing. I’m a huge hot mess unwilling to make commitments to anyone out of fear. Now, let’s go.”

  He stood slowly and let her lead him to the SUV.

  “Want me to drive?” she asked.

  “No. I’ll be okay.” He opened her door but stopped her before she could climb in. He cupped her face, staring into her eyes again.

  “Stop worrying. Whatever you haven’t told me, I’ll find out in ten minutes. Get in the car.”

  He smiled, leaned his forehead against hers, and then drew back and jogged around to his side. “This is not how I wanted you to find out my deepest secrets, Rae,” he said as he put his seatbelt on.

  “I know.”

  “You don’t though. You have no idea. Can I apologize in advance, please?”

  “For what? For caring about your family? No.”

  “You are going to be so furious with me,” he muttered. “You can take my car home after we get there. I’ll figure out something else tomorrow.”

  She pointed at the ignition. “Drive.” What on earth was he rambling about? She couldn’t imagine why he was so distressed about his parents.