Wait for you, p.13
Wait For You, page 13
part #1 of Fireweed Harbor Series Series
Even though I had no idea what was going on, my gut knew it was bad. I didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
Moments later, I almost caused a car accident by pulling out without looking.
“Ease up,” Kenan said.
I took a breath and slid my gaze to his. “I will.”
“Should I drive?”
“No.” I didn’t want to wait for us to switch seats.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked a moment later.
“All I know is Tessa texted me and said she needs someone to stay with her tonight. Considering that she dumped me because of Rich, I’m pretty sure something big is wrong. She didn’t ask if I would stay. She said she needed someone to stay with her.”
My brother nodded. Four minutes after I had received Tessa’s text, I came to a jerking stop in the parking lot at the local news station. It was a satellite office for the broadcast station in Juneau and Anchorage.
“Have you been here before?” Kenan asked as we climbed out.
“Actually, no. I’m assuming we go in there.” I gestured to a side door.
There were several police cars in the back, one of them leaving as we arrived, and a pair of officers coming out the side door.
I wanted to ask what was going on, but they were hustling. I was already feeling amped up higher.
“Fuck, I hope Tessa’s okay,” Kenan muttered under his breath.
“She texted me, so I’m assuming she’s physically okay.”
Jerri Patson, who I knew in passing and knew she worked here, was walking down the hallway. “Adam! There you are. Follow me.”
A moment later, we were in a conference room. Colin Blackthorn was there, and two police officers along with Tessa. She was twisting a napkin in her hands.
As soon as she saw me, she leaped up. I rounded the table and pulled her into my arms. She was trembling and freezing cold. She buried her face against the curve of my neck, and I smoothed my hand over her curls. “It’s okay,” I whispered into her hair.
She kept trembling, and I could feel her trying not to cry, trying not to fall apart.
When she finally lifted her head, I still held her but loosened my arms slightly. “I don’t know what happened, but it will be okay. I’ll make it okay.”
She blinked her tears away and sniffled. I lifted my hand, sliding my thumb across her cheekbone. She opened her mouth to say something but closed her eyes again and took a shuddering breath.
Tessa stepped back a little, and I reached for her hands to discover they were icy cold.
I glanced around, my eyes landing on Jerri, who had returned to the room. “Do you have something hot Tessa can drink, tea maybe?”
“Tessa, what happened?” I asked when Jerri turned to get something for Tessa to drink.
“I don’t know what to do. The police said—” When she started speaking, it was as if the words alone were too much effort for her. She finally gestured over toward Colin where he was seated at the table, conferring with one of the police officers and Kenan.
Jerri reappeared with a cup of tea. “You need to sit down,” she said to Tessa.
With Jerri guiding her on one side and me on the other, we got Tessa situated in a chair by the table. I sat on the other side. I glanced at Colin and the police officer. “Tell me what happened.”
“This station received a message here on their main voicemail for Tessa. He has their son and is threatening to keep him if she doesn’t come to him.”
Tessa had her hands curled around the steaming mug of tea. I slid my gaze to her. She stared woodenly at the table. I sensed her almost locking herself away inside. I slid my hand up and down her back in a soothing pass, wishing I could impart some warmth to her, some calm. Yet I knew this was her biggest fear, that Rich would use Eric as a bargaining chip to get her back.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked.
“We’re working with the tech team and coordinating on the geo-location. The call came in from a cell. We should be able to locate him. In the meantime, we need someone to stay with her,” one of the police officers explained.
“Tessa can stay with me,” I said quickly.
“They said it’s best if I go home because Rich might look for me there.” Her eyes lifted to mine.
I didn’t like that. At all. “Sweetheart, I don’t want you in danger.”
“I need to get Eric back.”
I glanced at the two police officers seated near Colin. “Is it safe for her to go home if I’m with her?”
The police chief, Mike Taylor, looked at Tessa before meeting my eyes again. I knew Mike well as he was born and raised here like me, but he had also married Fiona’s mother recently, so he was part of our extended family. “We think so. It would be ideal if it appears as if she’s home alone. We will be parked nearby monitoring. She said she has security cameras on the front and the back of her house.”
“She does.” I glanced at Kenan.
“I’ll stay with both of you,” he offered.
“More is better, right?” I replied.
Tessa looked from me to Kenan to her attorney and to the police. “Just tell us what to do.”
“If it appears you’re home alone, Rich might come to your place. We want to limit who is at risk,” one of the police officers cut in reluctantly.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. There’s no way we’re leaving her alone,” Kenan said.
Mike looked between Kenan and me. “I know you all have a hard time staying out of things.”
Kenan shrugged. “We take care of each other. I already texted Rhys,” Kenan replied. “Wyatt wants to be there to help too.”
Mike sighed. “You can’t all drive over there. How are you going to do this in a low-key way? We’ve already done a sweep to make sure he hasn’t hacked into any of her security cameras or put anything extra on her property. If he calls, keep him talking. What we want is an opportunity to negotiate.”
I felt Tessa’s tremble beside me and turned my attention back to her. “What do you need?”
Her eyes lifted to mine, and the pain and fear flickering there cleaved my heart. “I just want Eric home and safe.”
She looked over at Colin. “Please tell me after this that I’ll finally get full custody.”
“You will,” Colin said simply.
I could feel the shudder in her breath. My heart ached, and emotions tangled inside. I felt relief that Tessa had called me, as well as fear and a raw anger toward Rich for playing these games with Eric and Tessa. They didn’t deserve this. No one did. I felt an old sense of helplessness from childhood rising up underneath it all, back when I’d been too little to stop anything. I didn’t want to hurt anyone; I never had. I just wanted those who did hurt others to fucking stop and for the truth to be out there about who they were.
“Adam.” Kenan’s voice broke through the emotional cacophony creating static in my thoughts. I looked over at him. “Wyatt and I will meet you there. We’re gonna park over at Haven and Rhys’s house. We can walk through the trees to where Tessa’s place is.”
I held his gaze and nodded. “I’ll drive over with Tessa.”
“No, you won’t.” Mike’s voice cut through.
“Why not?”
“We want him to believe she’s alone. You go with your brothers. All of you can walk through the trees. We’ll check the area again to make sure he’s not nearby before you do,” Mike explained.
I gritted my teeth, but I knew Mike had a point. I leaned close to Tessa. “Are you okay to drive by yourself over there?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
At that moment, Rosie arrived in the doorway, hearing my question. “Maybe we leave Tessa’s car here, and I drive over?”
Jerri chimed in. “Rosie called over here because they heard something on the scanner at the ER. I filled her in when Mike said it was okay.”
Tessa glanced over. “Thank you, Jerri.”
“I’ll drop Tessa off,” Rosie said firmly.
“That’s a good plan.” I caught Rosie’s eyes, mouthing, “Thank you.”
It physically hurt to part from Tessa in the waiting area a few minutes later. I placed my hands on her shoulders. “I love you. We’re going to find Eric, and Rich won’t get away with this.”
Tessa’s cheeks were pale, and her eyes red. “Okay.”
“I’ll see you in about a half an hour. I love you,” I repeated.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Tessa
“It’s going to be okay,” Rosie said, her tone firm as if she could will her assertion into fact.
“What if it isn’t?” The fear and anxiety spinning like a whirling dervish through me kept my doubts in play.
My friend looked at me. “Okay, what I’m about to say is going to sound really fucked up,” she warned me.
“Um, okay?” I let out a ragged sigh.
“Rich wants you. He doesn’t want Eric. I know Rich is an asshole, and I’m still confident you haven’t told us just how bad things were. You don’t have to. I completely understand.” I swallowed, the knot in my throat beyond the point of aching too sharp. “I don’t believe Rich would hurt Eric. Oh, he’ll pull some kind of bullshit like this. But I don’t believe he would hurt Eric. I just don’t. I might turn out to be wrong. But ask yourself, would he hurt his own son?’
I contemplated her question. She had a point. I honestly didn’t think Rich would hurt Eric. Oh, he would be dismissive, he would be a jerk, and more than half the time, he couldn’t be bothered to deal with his son. But what he wanted was to make my life hell. I’d known when I was leaving him that I was violating something that meant more than I could even imagine to him. I’d injured his pride deeply. My mistake in offering to help his girlfriend was not realizing that would remind him of what he had lost. That I had the strength to see him for who he was and walk away.
Rosie came to a stop sign and glanced over. I met her concerned gaze. “I think you’re right. I don’t think he would hurt Eric.”
She nodded, just once. “You are a strong woman, one of the strongest I know. You can, and you will get through this. I’m going to drop you off, and those overprotective Cannon brothers will come to your house and make sure you’re safe. We will find Eric, and it will be okay.”
While I didn’t feel her confidence, I appreciated it. “Okay,” I whispered.
In short order, Rosie dropped me off at home, making a show of talking to me when the car door was open as I climbed out. “I can give you a ride in tomorrow if you need it.”
I felt vulnerable and exposed as I jogged from her car to the house and let myself in. My hands shook as I locked the door. I had no idea how long it would be before Adam and his brothers might get here. I knew they planned to walk through the trees from the street where Rhys and Haven lived and come to my kitchen door because it wasn’t visible from the front.
I was shivering cold, and my fingertips tingled again. I didn’t know what to do. I sat down at the kitchen table and placed my phone on it. I checked again to make sure the volume was on. Then I stared at it.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when it chimed loudly as a text came through. As I slid it closer, my heart pounded. It was a text from Rich. I couldn’t even remember what I was supposed to do.
Just when I started to panic, there was a light knock on my side door, and I glanced up to see Adam. I hurried over and opened the door. He walked in and carefully closed the door behind him.
“Rich texted. I haven’t read it, and I can’t remember what to do.” I could hear the panic in my own voice.
“We’re supposed to read it. Let’s just see what it says,” Adam said, his tone level.
“You read it. Please,” I whispered. My lips were numb.
Adam quickly spun the phone around before holding it up to my face so that it opened.
My pulse raced in a stumbling, sickening beat. My throat burned from the acid of the bile rising. My stomach was a churning mess. “What does it say?”
Adam scanned it, his eyes narrowing and darkening with anger before he lifted his gaze to mine. “He’ll trade Eric for you.”
“Okay. Where do I meet him?”
“Tessa, are you insane?”
“No. I’m terrified, and I want to know that my son is safe.”
Adam closed his eyes, his jaw clenching tightly. One of his palms was flat on the table, and I watched as it curled into a tight fist. He forcibly stretched it open. When his eyes met mine again, his shoulders rose with a deep breath. Just then, there was a tap on the door.
I leaped up, hurrying across to see Kenan and Wyatt when I peered through the side window.
Adam was on my heels. “Tessa! You’re supposed to let me let them in. It could’ve been Rich.”
I spun around. “I don’t care!” I felt jumpy inside with restless, unsettled energy coursing through me.
Adam reached around me to open the door and let his brothers in.
Although I was still terrified for my son, and it literally felt as if my heart had been ripped out of my chest, a strange sense of calm fell over me. It felt sort of like a curtain surrounding me. I wasn’t delusional. I knew exactly what was happening. It was just that the worst had almost happened, and now I was solely focused. I wasn’t worried about myself. I just wanted Eric to be okay.
I distantly heard Adam talking, and my awareness clicked into place again as I turned to listen. He flung a hand in the air. “Rich wants to trade Eric for her, and Tessa thinks that’s a good idea.” Adam spun away from his brothers and began pacing.
Kenan focused on Adam while Wyatt shifted his attention to me. He took several steps and stopped in front of me. “How are you doing?” His tone was calm, and I needed that calmness.
“Well, I’m not okay at all. But I don’t think Adam understands,” I explained.
“Maybe, maybe not. We’re calling the police to let them know. We’ll do whatever they recommend,” Wyatt said. He placed a palm on my shoulder, his touch strong and soothing as he squeezed before his hand fell away. He was already lifting his phone and calling the police on speaker.
“Chief Mike Taylor.”
“Rich texted Tessa. Wants to trade her for Eric. Adam is understandably upset. What should we do?” Wyatt asked without preamble.
Whatever Kenan had said to Adam, he appeared to have calmed considerably. He and Kenan came to stand on either side of me. Adam curled an arm around my waist, holding me close to him. Even though I could sense his unrest, I felt comforted. Because it was Adam, and I knew he loved me.
“You’re not going to like my suggestion,” Mike said on the phone.
I slid a look at Adam as he closed his eyes. I felt the deep breath that he took. “You’re gonna say Tessa should do this.”
“Yes, but we have a plan. Rich is desperate. Whenever people do things like this, they are desperate. He may seem calm, but he’s not. I know Rich,” Mike said. “You guys know him too, and Tessa knows him better than any of us. He’s always had a reputation for flying off the handle. He’s not a cool, calm, collected kind of guy. He always lets his temper get the best of him. At the moment, he might think he has it under control, but he doesn’t because he’s done something stupid. Tessa, we need you to share your phone like we talked about so I can see what’s happening on your phone.”
The next few minutes passed swiftly. Adam was considerably calmer because he had something to focus on, the logistic steps needed to connect the police to my cell.
Mike basically told me what to say but had me text it how I would say it.
Me: You know I’ll do anything for Eric. Just tell me where to meet you. Who is meeting us there to pick up Eric?
I had called my parents in Juneau at some point this afternoon. Even though they wanted to fly here, they were waiting until the police updated them. I knew they would meet Rich, but my first choice was my uncle David. He would be the least reactive in the situation, and Rich actually liked him.
“Why can’t I go?” Adam asked while we waited for Rich’s reply to my text.
The police chief was still on Wyatt’s speaker. He interjected, “Because you can’t keep your cool either. I trust you far more than I trust Rich and I don’t think you’ll do anything dangerous. You’ve had a lifetime of controlling your temper, but Rich won’t go for it. We need someone neutral. Let’s see what Rich says. If he suggests someone, we might go with that.”
Rich’s reply came as Mike finished speaking.
Rich: I’ll see you in an hour at the Lupine trail. My mom can pick up Eric.
I clenched my teeth. Rich’s mom and I had never gotten along. “She’s been pissed off at me ever since I left,” I muttered.
“That’s fine. I can deal with Barb,” Mike said.
I took a slow breath. Of all the things I was in a sheer panic about, my mistrust of Rich’s mother shouldn’t get to me. But it did. Because I knew she knew. She knew how he treated me, and she didn’t care.
Adam’s palm circled between my shoulder blades. I savored the contact and bit back the urge to argue with the police chief.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“I’ve known Barb for years. She’s married to a man who’s a lot like her son. I can understand why you don’t trust her, but she’ll do what’s right for Eric,” Mike said.
Even if I didn’t want her involved, I knew he was right on that count.
“Okay. What do we do now?”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Adam
I sat beside Wyatt on a fallen down tree. “I can’t fucking believe this,” I muttered.
Wyatt slung his arm around my shoulders, his touch strong and solid. “Mike knows what he’s doing. Griffin and Kenan are right over there, and Rhys and Blake are on the other end of the only way out for Rich. That’s not even counting the police.”
“I love Tessa and Eric,” I said simply, my chest aching.
“Of course you do. One way or another, it’ll be okay.”
I took a slow breath. “I hate men like Rich.”
