The cottage door flew open. Mandy walked in, propelled by Zoe who had a firm grip on her arm. Grimly, Zoe closed the door behind them. Mandy bolted into Theresa’s old bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Seconds later, the sound of hysterical sobbing filtered through the door.
“She doesn’t have any weapons on her,” Zoe said. “Or anything she could even use as a weapon. I patted her down. She’s even more hysterical now than she was this morning.”
Zoe glanced for a long moment between Alex and Theresa, her gaze flitting back and forth between the two of them, before finally coming to rest on Theresa. “Am I right in remembering she can’t get out that particular window?”
“I think so,” Theresa said, nodding. “It’s individual stained glass panels and, last I checked, only opens partway. She won’t get out without breaking it, which would take a lot of work. She can’t sneak out again without us hearing something.”
The sobbing rose and fell, mingled with the sound of Mandy cursing.
“Well, it doesn’t sound like she’s going anywhere now,” Zoe said. “She was like a lost deer out there a moment ago. Couldn’t figure out where to go. The snow’s really coming down. Can’t see more than a foot in front of your face. But I think we should make sure someone is awake and on her door all night.” Zoe gave Alex a long, firm look that said volumes Theresa couldn’t read. “I’m going to go double-check the window from the outside, just in case, and also do a quick perimeter sweep while I’m at it. I trust the two of you have it handled in here.”
Zoe slipped out into the snow, leaving them alone again, without waiting for an answer.
“Mandy’s really worried about Tanner,” Theresa said. “She says she knows something about what’s going on up here. I want to go in there and talk to her.”
Alex’s arms crossed. “You’re kidding me. She just threatened your life.”
“I deal with upset people for a living. She’s hardly the first person to threaten my life, and definitely not the most dangerous!”
“I’m sorry, but no.” Alex sat down on the couch. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Do you think I like the idea of you getting hurt any better?” Theresa dropped down beside him, suddenly feeling like the last drops of adrenaline had been drained from her body. “How many times have you been hurt since I’ve met you? How many broken bones, stitches and sprains did I nurse you through? But I never once asked you not to jump off some cliff or stop speeding around the rocks. Because I knew you could handle it. Just like I’m positive you’ll be an excellent part of Ash Private Security, if you decide to stick it out. Which I hope you do, because it suits you.”
There was a long pause. Then Alex chuckled. His hand waved toward the closed bedroom door. “Well, I’m not quitting after my first major failure, now am I?”
She smiled. She liked this side of him. The kind that faced defeat with good humor and kept trying. His gaze drifted up to the ceiling. A silent prayer crossed his lips.
“Okay,” he said. “You go talk to Mandy. I can’t deny you’re really good at talking to people and even better at listening. But the door stays open, and I’m listening in. If she threatens you again, I’m putting a stop to it. Deal?”
“Deal.” Her shoulder bumped lightly against his. His eyes met hers. And for a moment the space between them seemed to shrink again. Then they stood up and walked over toward the bedroom door. Theresa knocked on it gently. “Mandy?”
There was a pause. Then Mandy said, “What do you want?”
“Can you open the door?” Theresa asked. “I’d like to come in. We need to talk about Tanner and I want to ask you if you know anything about a missing trunk.”
* * *
There was another pause that seemed way too long for Alex’s liking. Then there was a click and Mandy opened the door. Theresa stepped into the room. Mandy was curled up on a weird, love seat–type thing in the corner of the room. Theresa sat beside her. Not touching her. Not saying anything. Just sitting there. Alex stood on the threshold, not knowing what to do or what to say. He was a big fan of taking action and doing things. She hadn’t been wrong when she’d said that back when they’d dated she’d been the brains and he’d been the brawn. Now, faced with someone who’d just threatened her life, and who Theresa thought could know something important, Theresa was just sitting, doing absolutely nothing.
He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the silence of the moment pressing around him. He prayed for patience and guidance. Then he found himself praying that God would guide Theresa and help her know what to do.
And that God would show him how to work with her.
Mandy sniffled a little. The sound reminded him of a kitten. When he opened his eyes again, she looked even younger than twenty, sitting in the darkness beside Theresa.
“Can I give you a hug?” Theresa asked.
“Okay.” Mandy nodded. The women embraced and then sat back again. Alex crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe. The clock ticked. Five minutes passed. Then ten. How many times had Theresa sat in silence and listened to him talk, he wondered. She’d always been a good listener—a great listener—in a way that, if he was honest, he’d never been.
“Tanner didn’t do anything wrong,” Mandy said, eventually. “I heard Alex talking in the bunkhouse, saying how people were getting killed, and cottages were being destroyed, and how Alex thought Tanner was part of it. Well, he’s not. I know he’s not.”
“I didn’t know that you knew him all that well,” Theresa said. “He’s about six years older than you, right?”
“Five and a half,” Mandy said. “Almost.”
“Did you know he’d been in a car accident?”
Mandy nodded. “I went to see him in hospital this week. He looked so terrible. I couldn’t... I couldn’t handle it. I started crying and ran out.”
“Sounds like it was really hard.”
“It was.”
Okay, but what did that have to do with anything? Tanner’s car accident happened in the city, over a week ago. The two women went back to sitting quietly. Alex’s jaw clenched with the effort to keep from talking. Everything inside him wanted to jump in and take charge of the conversation to save himself from having to just stand there, waiting. It was so uncomfortable, he almost laughed at himself.
Okay, Lord, I’m clearly terrible at this. Help me be more like Theresa.
“None of this is Tanner’s fault,” Mandy said again. “You have to understand that. Tanner’s had a really rough life. His dad used to hit him and his mom. Then his dad went to jail. But his mom kept forgiving him and taking him back. So he moved in with his grandparents. That’s why he came up to the lake in the summers to stay with them. He had some learning problems at school, which made reading hard, even though he’s really smart. The only thing he’s really good at is motorcycle racing. But that takes money. Like, lots of money.”
Theresa nodded. “Sounds like you care about him a lot.”
“I’m in love with him.” Mandy’s voice grew quiet. “We’re dating. Mom and Dad and Emmett and Kyle don’t know. Because they all think he’s too old for me and not a good person. Because he didn’t go to school or get a good job. But he’d never hurt me. He protects me.
“Last summer, this really big jerk was harassing me in town and I was really scared. Tanner saw it was happening, and hauled the guy away, hit him and told him to leave me alone. But then Emmett saw us kissing once and told Mom and Dad, and they all told me I wasn’t allowed to ever see Tanner again. Because they wanted me to focus on school, get good grades and be perfect. They thought he’d get in the way of that. But he protected me, you know? He took care of me. You know how special that is?”
“Yeah,” Theresa said softly. Her eyes drifted toward where Alex stood in the doorway. “I know how special that is.”
&nb
sp; Tears coursed down Mandy’s cheeks.
Alex had always known that Theresa had been working with Victim Services. But he’d never imagined what it meant to spend all that time just listening to hurting people tell their stories. How could Theresa listen to stuff like this, day after day without having her heart break? He didn’t know. He wasn’t sure he wanted to. Sure his body could take a lot of hits. But his heart was big and soft. It had wasn’t as strong as hers. It never had been.
He turned away. Fumbling in the living room, he found a box of Kleenex on the table. Then he went back to the doorway and stepped into the room sideways, feeling like an interloper.
Theresa took it from his hand and whispered, “Thank you.”
“Tanner isn’t Castor’s friend!” Mandy’s voice rose. “Castor is just some guy Tanner knows. I don’t know what his real name is, but I know Tanner hates him. Castor texts and orders Tanner to do things, like run out in the middle of the night to sell drugs or buy drugs. Always criminal stuff Castor doesn’t want to do for himself. I get worried. But Tanner says that Castor has something on him. Something major. Castor is blackmailing him, and that if he doesn’t do what Castor wants something bad could happen. Really bad.”
She looked down at her hands and crumpled the Kleenex into a tiny ball.
“Three weeks ago, Tanner heard there was this box of stuff somebody had up at the cottage. Important stuff.”
“Who told him about it?”
“Corey Patterson.” Mandy’s eyes were locked on her hands. “Tanner told me that if he could find it then Castor would leave him alone, forever. So we came up here one weekend and tried to break into a few cottages looking for it. But we didn’t find it. And we didn’t steal anything. Then he had an accident and ended up in the hospital—” Another bout of sobs overtook her body. Her thin form shook. “I came up here this weekend to try to find it on my own. But, look, I don’t know what kind of treasure it is, or where it’s hidden. And he never told me who Castor was, or why he was blackmailing him, or any of that. Because he’s always protected me. Always. He’s stupid sometimes, and he does stupid things. But he’s got a good heart and he’s always protected me.”
Her words dissolved into sobs again. Alex felt a hand brush his elbow from behind. He turned around. Zoe was standing behind him. He’d been so absorbed in listening, he hadn’t even noticed her come in. He followed her back into the living room.
“You catch any of that?” he asked, softly.
“Enough.” Zoe nodded. “I can’t even say I’m surprised. If Tanner was involved in illegal activity, Castor could be any number of criminals or drug dealers he’s crossed, or even someone his dad knew.”
“Corey Patterson’s not looking too great right now, either,” he said. They walked over to the couch. The radio was still hissing quietly. April hadn’t returned. He switched it off to save the battery and prayed that April’s grandfather had believed her and taken action.
“Mandy won’t make it out that window, not without breaking it to pieces,” Zoe said. “So, as long as she stays in that bedroom she’s not going anywhere. But I wish we’d known the game she was playing at before we came up here. I was too easy on her, because she’s Josh’s second cousin. But the fact their late grandparents were brothers doesn’t mean much at the end of the day. Now, I’m tempted to suggest to Daniel we screen all potential clients, whether they’re acquaintances or not.”
They sat.
“Theresa’s really good,” he said slowly. “Like, amazingly good. I’d never seen her in action before today or really understood why it mattered so much to you, Daniel and Josh that she consulted for us. But I don’t know anyone else who could’ve gotten Mandy talking the way she did.”
“She has a real knack for calming people down and getting them to trust her,” Zoe said. “And, thanks to her, we now know how Castor found out about this trunk, and that both Tanner and Corey are connected to it, too. But we still don’t know where it is or what’s in it. Any idea how long it will take us to get from here to our cottage on foot?”
“On a good clear day I can run it in twenty-eight minutes and thirty-one seconds.” The answer shot out of his mouth so automatically, Zoe blinked. “Or, at least, I used to be able to. In knee-deep snow tomorrow, of course, it would probably take closer to an hour, maybe even more, especially if Mandy gives us trouble.”
“I’ll warn you right now,” Zoe said, “she won’t walk very fast.”
A cold breeze brushed his skin. Winter wind was seeping in through the cracks around the door. He’d have to strengthen the frame before he fell asleep or somebody else could try getting the door open the same way he had. Even with the roaring fire in the hearth, the cottage was growing colder by the moment.
“We should all sleep in here on the main floor,” he said, “with our boots on and winter gear at hand, so we’re ready to go in case anything happens. You and I can take turns keeping the fire going. I want to keep a close eye on the storm and be prepared to leave here the moment it breaks, even if that means traveling in the dark. I’m counting on the fact that Castor and whatever other thugs there might be left that are conducting this cottage-to-cottage search will lay low until sun up.”
There was a creak on the floorboards behind them. He looked over his shoulder. Theresa slipped out of the downstairs bedroom. She closed the door behind her.
“I don’t think we’re dealing with more than two thugs at this point,” she said. “Three if you count Gnat. The original attack on the cottage involved Castor, Brick and Howler. Brick and Howler are now dead. That leaves just Castor and whoever the other man was who tried to grab me off the snowmobile at the safe house. Honestly, I thought it was Castor at first. He was equally huge and menacing. But I split Castor’s lip head butting him. This guy’s mouth was fine.”
She frowned and sat down on the arm of the couch beside Zoe.
“How’s Mandy?” Alex asked.
“Not good,” Theresa said. “But she needed some time to be alone with her own thoughts and I’m hoping she’ll manage to sleep. She’s beyond exhausted and that’s making everything harder. But at least now we know why she’s been so anxious. I still don’t think she’s being fully honest with us, but I think that’s because she’s not being fully honest with herself. She’s lying to herself about something. You can see it in her eyes. But I believe she is telling the truth about her feelings for Tanner. She’s really deeply into him. Infatuated. Even fixated.”
Alex ran both hands through his hair and groaned. “So, we’ve got actual criminals, using real weapons to destroy people’s lives, and the only reason the four of us are caught in the middle of this mess is because some straight-A student from a prominent, successful family has an irrational crush on a degenerate bad boy.”
“Just because other people don’t understand their relationship doesn’t mean it’s irrational.” Theresa’s smile grew thin.
“Doesn’t mean it’s real love either.” Alex’s eyes met hers over the top of Zoe’s head.
“It’s real to her.”
Theresa could feel the heat of Alex’s gaze locked on her face. But she didn’t look away, even as she could see the tension crackling in the depths of his eyes like kindling in a fire.
Zoe stood up. “I’m going to go upstairs and see if I can find some blankets.”
She slipped up the stairs. Neither Alex nor Theresa turned to watch her go.
“So you’re going to defend Mandy for dating a criminal behind her family’s back and lying to us about her real reason for coming up here?” Alex asked.
“No, of course I’m not. But I’m going to try to understand her!” Theresa said. She slid off the arm of the couch into the space Zoe had just left. “Sometimes relationships don’t make sense to the people watching from the outside. Based on what she said her parents and brothers thought of her da
ting Tanner, this definitely seems to be one of those times. But, for whatever reason, Mandy feels like there was something important that was missing from her life. She found that something in Tanner. Sounds like he found that something in her, too. That’s what romantic attraction is. Two people finding the missing piece of themselves in each other.”
Alex could feel his chest tighten as his heart beat against his rib cage. It was like he was suddenly aware of Theresa’s every breath rising and falling, and every freckle on her firelit skin. It was like something inside him had been waiting years to be sitting beside this woman, in this room, by this fire, but he’d forgotten what he was supposed to do and say now that he was here.
Then he felt the side of her hand brush his. He took it and looped his fingers through hers. Not knowing what to say. Not knowing what to do, yet holding her hand tightly, like the very first time they’d ever held hands as teenagers and knowing they didn’t want to ever let go.
He’d never felt for another woman what he’d felt for Theresa. Sure, he’d seen other women who were attractive and had wonderful qualities. He’d had well-meaning friends and family members nudge him toward one woman or another.
But Theresa was like a piece of his own heart that had somehow slipped out of his chest and into the world in the shape of a strong, beautiful, talented, compassionate woman. He’d felt safe with her, which was something he’d never felt with anyone. He’d felt braver, believed in and desperate to be a better man for her sake. Despite every other amazing friendship and family relationship he had, nothing in his life compared to that. Nothing ever had.
But what did he have to offer her back? She’d told him the day they’d ended their engagement that she wanted a stable, secure man with a strong foundation beneath him. She deserved that. He was still a work in progress.
He dropped her hand and stood, crossing his arms over his chest before he gave into the temptation to kiss her again.
Rescue at Cedar Lake Page 13
