Rachel nodded, glancing impatiently at the clock on the wall and then out the window. The sun was nearly gone. Her stomach was churning. She placed a hand on her stomach, willing her nerves to settle.
“No worries, mon amour,” Conrad tipped her chin up so he could brush his lips against hers. “This time tomorrow, I’ll have you back at the Four Seasons.”
Before he’d even finished his sentence, Conrad’s voice was joined by another, calling from outside.
“Juuuullliaaaa,” the sing-song voice taunted. “Come out, come out wherever you are.”
Julia froze, all color draining from her face. With a dead voice, she said, “I told you he was here.”
Every muscle in Conrad’s body tensed. He looked like a wild animal, ready to pounce. He moved to stand in front of Julia even as Rachel moved to stand back-to-back with the girl, watching their flank.
Something broke through the living room window with a crash. “The house is surrounded!” a voice called. Orange illuminated the evening shade as flames exploded in the Russell’s front room.
The three of them moved in unison toward the back door. Rachel grabbed a butcher knife from the wooden block on the counter and handed it to Julia, at the same time flipping open her own little pocket knife. Her heart hammered in her throat, but she took deep, steady breaths in an attempt to stave off panic.
Another fireball crashed through the kitchen window. Conrad kept them moving at a steady pace, tamping Rachel’s urge to bolt. When they cleared the threshold of the door, a large man jumped Conrad, the two tumbling to the ground, nearly crashing into the girls in the process. Julia screamed. Instinctively, Rachel shoved her aside, even as a bullet flew past their heads, coming from an unknown assailant in the shadows.
A third man emerged from the dark, grabbing Julia while Conrad was busy fighting off what had turned into two attackers. Without hesitating, Rachel made a swipe with her knife at the hands latched on to her sister, drawing blood on the first pass. His grip didn’t loosen. He was using her own sister as a shield, making it impossible to get at more than his hands, so she kept slashing at the only target she could find with her little knife, refusing to give up.
Julia was trying to wrestle out of his grasp, finally freeing her hand enough to take her own swipe at him with the knife Rachel had given her. The blade sliced open a swath of skin across his arm; this time he did loosen his grip with a string of curses. Julia sprang free, tumbling backwards to the ground in her haste to get away. As soon as she cleared the range of her initial attacker, bullets rang out again, sending her scuttling in the other direction.
When the man went to dive for Julia, Rachel reacted without thinking, charging straight at him, sending them both tumbling to the grass in a heap. She fought like a hellcat, contorting until she was able to plunge her pocket knife into him with little heed to aim. Just as Rachel’s blade pierced skin, Julia swung a shovel at his back. The man went limp.
“Oh my God. Oh my God,” Julia began to chant. “Did I kill him? I didn’t mean to kill him.”
Rachel pulled the girl away, forcing her to turn away from the image of the crumpled man on the lawn. “Don’t worry about him now. Run.” She wanted to go back to help Conrad, but she knew she couldn’t leave Julia in her current state. Besides, Conrad was strong and a good fighter. He stood a much better chance on his own than he did if Rachel jumped in the mix — at least that’s what she told herself as she tugged her sister into the cover of trees that lined the yard.
They didn’t slow down until they were far enough back in the woods to feel invisible. Rachel turned back, scanning the scene for Conrad just in time to see the house explode into a massive inferno. Angry flames licked the sky, claiming everything in their path.
The whole world seemed to stop turning in that moment. Rachel shook her head in denial, her stomach and throat clenched in fear. She broke free from Julia, blindly heading back to where she saw Conrad last. Strong arms wrapped around her, a hand clapping over her mouth as the arms pulled her back into the forest. She struggled, kicking wildly at the man who’d lifted her off her feet.
“Shhh, mon amour. I’m here. I’m okay,” Conrad whispered in her ear. “There are more of them. Let’s go before they figure out which direction we headed.”
Relief washed over Rachel even as a tidal wave of sadness swept in. Neena’s perfect little haven was completely engulfed in the blaze.
There was no time to mourn what had been lost, though. Rachel produced the small GPS Rick had given her earlier and handed it to Conrad. He was better qualified to lead them through these woods than she was. Conrad kept them at a hard pace. He moved with grace through the forest, completely silent despite his size. Rachel and Julia tried to follow his lead, but between struggling to keep up with his long stride and the fact that they grew up in Jersey, they weren’t quite as silent.
They stopped only long enough for Conrad to listen to be sure they were still alone. He appeared so calm. Rachel didn’t know how he did it. Every time a twig snapped, she wanted to jump out of her skin. Julia clung to her hand so tightly that Rachel’s fingers were going numb.
The walk seemed the longest of Rachel’s life. She didn’t know how far they trekked before they came on the old red-and-white truck that had been left for them. Conrad approached the vehicle alone first, testing the door as if expecting someone to jump out of it when it popped open. When nothing happened, he stuck his head in the cab of the truck, emerging a moment later with a set of keys dangling from his finger. “It looks like we’re in business.”
“Thank God.” Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. “Come on, Julia – you can sit in the middle.”
Conrad tossed the first GPS into the woods before climbing in the truck. Julia sat rigidly between them. Rachel melted into the seat, her weary body grateful for rest. As he fired the car to life and pulled onto the road, Rachel tried to figure out how best to help Julia.
“I think I’m the one who killed that man,” Rachel told her. “I’d stabbed him just as you hit him. Besides, you were protecting me.”
Julia nodded but didn’t speak. She closed her eyes and leaned against Rachel, who took that to mean the discussion was over. Conrad fiddled with the radio. The country song they’d listened to on their wedding night floated out of the speakers, and Rachel smiled.
“It’s our song.”
“Is that our song?” he asked, a hint of a tired smile on his face.
“It is,” she informed him.
“It’s a good song.”
They rode the rest of the way in silence. They all had too much to process for conversation. Rachel was torn between guilt over handing her sister a knife and relief over the same action. She worried Julia would always have the image of that man seared into her brain, but Rachel didn’t want to think about what would have happened if they’d been able to get their hands on Julia.
They stopped for the night in Tupelo, Mississippi. They booked one room with two double beds, even though that meant Conrad’s feet would hang off the end. While Julia took a shower and changed into the pajamas Veronica had left in the car for her, Conrad and Rachel sat wearily on the edge of the bed, watching the nightly news.
“So, the last time we were in Tupelo, could you ever have imagined that our next visit would be like this?” Conrad sighed.
Rachel gave half a laugh. “The last time we were in Tupelo, you would have had a hard enough time convincing me that by our next visit, we’d be married and I’d be pining for babies and a nice, quiet life with chickens in the yard.”
“You want chickens now, too?”
“They grew on me,” she admitted.
“Wait until you see the babies in the spring.”
“Um, there is something incredibly sexy about you talking about baby chickens.”
“I’ll have to remember that under different circumstances,” Conrad mused.
“I wasn’t suggesting you use it as pillow talk,” she was quick to clarify. “Just ob
serving.”
“Duly noted. You’re up for a shower.”
“You can go next,” she offered out of obligation, really wanting the next shower.
“Go.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t offer a second time.
Rachel hurried through her shower, knowing Conrad had to be sore and tired. She did take the time to remove the contacts she’d put in that morning, placing them in the case Rick had given her for them. She’d forgotten them until just now, and her eyes were screaming in protest. When she rejoined Conrad and Julia in the room, she felt much better, almost like the events of the evening must surely have been a bad dream.
“Hey, Rachel. Could you take a look at something for me real quick?” Conrad asked casually as he headed for the bathroom.
Julia wrinkled her nose. “Ew. Don’t do that while I’m in the room.”
“Sweetie, I couldn’t do that right now if I wanted to,” Rachel assured her. “I’ll be right back.”
Curious, she followed Conrad into the bathroom, closing the door behind them. He took off his shirt, wincing at the movement as he did.
“Oh, sweetheart. You poor thing.” Rachel bent over to inspect the wound in his side, mentally chiding herself for not noticing the blood on his shirt. “Was this a knife?”
“I didn’t ask. I think so.”
“Smart ass.”
“Do you think it needs anything?” He tried to maneuver to examine the wound but gave up.
“Other than to be cleaned and closed, you mean?”
“Now who’s the smart ass?”
Rachel ignored his comment. “Do we have a first aid kit?”
“It’s in my bag.” He licked his cracked lips, leaning heavily against the counter. Rachel paused to really assess him for the first time since all hell had broken loose. She was so used to taking his strength for granted, but now it was apparent that he was hurting. His beautiful body was bruised and cut in several places. His face and hands were covered in soot and dirt and blood. Mostly, he just looked tired. Rachel wondered if Atlas had carried as heavy a load as Conrad did at the moment.
“I’ll be right back,” she promised softly, slipping out the door.
“What’s wrong with Conrad?” Julia demanded the instant Rachel reappeared in the room.
“He’ll be okay. He’s just got a few bumps and bruises. If I’m in the bathroom a while, I promise I’m just bandaging him up.”
Julia nodded but didn’t respond. She seemed shaken, probably struggling with Conrad’s humanity just as Rachel had.
Rachel found the first aid kit quickly and returned to Conrad, though she insisted he allow her to help him clean off before bandaging him up.
“I can shower myself,” he protested.
“Humor me.”
“You’re dressed and dry.”
“I can undress and dry off again,” she countered.
“I’m injured, not dead. If you undress, I can’t vouch for my actions after.”
“If you can feel frisky tonight, then… I’m impressed. I don’t know what else to say. Now strip.”
“I think you’re the one feeling frisky, and you’re hiding it under the guise of playing doctor.”
“I figure I should stick with the tried and true, you know?” Rachel played along, turning on the shower while he slid out of his pants.
She tossed her own clothes aside while he stepped into the shower. When she joined him under the water, he shook his head sadly. “This should be happening under very different circumstances.”
Rachel shook her head and rolled her eyes, choosing to soap up a washcloth rather than comment. She washed him tenderly, afraid she’d hurt him. Every time he sucked in his breath, she froze, never sure if it was passion or pain that had caused the reaction.
“You’re killing me, diable femme.”
“I doubt that.” She swatted his hand away when he tried to distract her from her task. “Stop it or you’re on your own.”
“This is torture.”
“I’m trying not to get that wound all soapy, but you’re filthy. Besides, I can’t see what’s bruise and what’s dirt until you’re clean. Settle down.”
“Diable femme,” he accused again.
“Big baby,” she tossed back, turning off the shower and stepping out to wrap a towel around herself.
“You’re not very nice when you’re tired.”
“Tired and traumatized. I think it’s only fair to add the second adjective,” she countered, dabbing at him with yet another towel.
He grabbed another towel off the shelf, and Rachel stepped back to allow him room to wrap it around his waist.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner that you were hurt?” She moved back in to dab at him with the towel again.
“You’d have started fretting over me, and I didn’t want to worry Julia.”
“You act like I’m a silly mother hen,” Rachel protested.
“Says the woman drying me off by dabbing me with a towel.”
Rachel stopped to glare at him, throwing the towel on the ground at his feet. “That was incredibly rude.”
“You know I love you.” His grin was most likely intended to get him out of trouble, and it was working. He captured her hand in his, pulling her closer to him so they stood just shy of skin on skin before taking her lower lip between his teeth, gently tugging it as his free arm wrapped around her waist. She allowed herself one unhurried kiss before placing a hand on his chest.
“Conrad.”
“Yes?” his seductive voice rumbled low.
“You’re bleeding.”
“Damn it.”
Rachel’s mouth crooked into a small grin. She used the window of opportunity to move away from him, grabbing the first aid kit to see what supplies she had and laying them out on the counter.
She pressed some clean gauze against the wound, instructing him to hold it in place while she doctored the easier wounds. There was enough bruising over his ribs to make her wonder if he’d broken them. She explored each rib with her fingers, not feeling any fractures, though admittedly she had only instinct to tell her what they were supposed to feel like.
When the first round of gauze was soaked, she switched it, again instructing him to apply pressure while she finished her other work. Once she was confident she’d done her best with the smaller wounds, Rachel turned her attention to cleaning the bigger one. It had stopped bleeding, so she used butterfly bandages to hold it closed before covering those with more gauze and taping over the whole thing. She didn’t know if that was the right thing to do, but it looked good to her.
“All done,” she finally announced, satisfied with her handiwork. She shimmied back into her nightgown while he slid on his pajama bottoms.
He caught her by the hand when she went to open the bathroom door. She opened her mouth to protest, but he quickly promised, “No funny business. Just come here for a minute.”
She nodded, allowing him to pull her closer without a fight. He cupped her face with his hands, looking down into her eyes with such tenderness that it made Rachel want to cry.
He brushed a gentle kiss against her lips and whispered, “Thank you.”
“I just put a big Band-Aid on it,” she admitted. “I could have totally done it wrong, too.”
“No,” he chuckled. “Tonight, when the house exploded. You were going back for me. As scared as you were, you were charging right back into hell to save me. Thank you.”
“Anytime,” she promised softly, reaching up to run a finger along his jaw. Rachel stole just one kiss before rejoining her sister in the room.
“Geez. How much bandaging did you have to do?” Julia protested. Rachel let the complaint slide off her. She imagined Julia wasn’t in the mood to be left alone.
“Sorry,” Rachel apologized, feeling guilty for leaving Julia out there as long as they had. Conrad joined them in the room, still shirtless, giving Julia a glimpse of the battle wounds he bore.
“You look rough. No wond
er it took a while.” Julia’s face softened. “I’m sorry I crabbed at you, Rachel.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Rachel kissed her sister on the top of the head, feeling like the world’s biggest heel. It had taken longer than it should have, but she didn’t really see how she could admit that to Julia at this point.
“I don’t know about you, ladies, but I am ready for this day to be over.”
Both sighed in answer. As much as Rachel dreaded the next day, having to tell Neena what had happened to her beloved home, she was ready to put the nightmare of this particular day behind her.
“Where do you want me to sleep?” Rachel asked Julia.
Julia shooed her over to Conrad’s bed. “I’ll be okay.”
Rachel wasn’t so sure she believed her, but she also didn’t want to embarrass the girl by making a big deal out of it. She climbed into bed with Conrad, noting he’d taken the spot closest to the door.
“Good night, Julia. I love you.” Rachel realized even as she said the words that she probably didn’t say them often enough.
“I love you, too, Rachel. Good night. Good night, Conrad. Thank you for saving me tonight.”
“No worries. Good night, Julia.”
“Goodnight, Conrad. I love you.” Rachel kissed the spot on his chest closest to her.
“Goodnight, Rachel. I love you, too.” After a brief moment of silence, Conrad added, “Goodnight, John Boy.”
“Who is John Boy?” Julia asked.
“It’s a reference to an old T.V. show,” Conrad explained as Rachel started to giggle. She could remember so clearly sitting in her office teasing Jacob about visiting his family. It felt like a lifetime ago, and yet it hadn’t been very long at all. Still, her entire world had drastically and permanently changed since that day. The more she thought about it, the harder she giggled.
“I still don’t get it,” Julia complained, causing Rachel to laugh even harder.
“Babe, it really wasn’t that funny. Rachel. Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry. I promise I’m not having a nervous breakdown. At least I don’t think I am. It’s just – you reminded me of something Jacob said to me the day of the Springsteen interview, and it just struck me. All the changes. All of it. Sorry.”
Devil in Disguise Page 18
