Chapter Fourteen
Rick
Idon’t take it out on Beau. I could yell, and I could scream, but it’s my own damned fault Devyn was in danger today. The second Beau told me she was in Cedar Hill, I should have gone too, but I still didn’t believe that the candy store sweetheart who’s worth millions of dollars from selling licorice and jaw breakers would care that much about a woman who was in town doing business that didn’t concern her.
I was wrong.
The pilot has the Cessna ready to go when I reach the airport. I’m not wasting time driving, and I’m too shaken to fly myself though I have thousands of hours in the air and I’ve had my license for years. He greets me, and we waste no time boarding the plane. I don’t have a bag.
I choose to sit in a passenger’s seat instead of in the cockpit, and as I fasten my buckle and fidget, he does a quick pre-flight check. We’re in the air ten minutes later.
The flight doesn’t last forty-five minutes before he’s descending into the Cedar Hill airport. I barely say thank you and goodbye before I’m trotting across the tarmac and jumping into an SUV Beau has waiting for me. The drive from the airport to Beau’s building is almost as long as the flight, and I’m shaking with anger, anxiety, and fear by the time Mack lets me off onto the sidewalk. I need to get Devyn out of Cedar Hill, but that’s not where the fear comes in. She won’t come with me if I ask. She’ll stay in the city until she’s done what she’s come here to do, and not a second sooner.
The concierge tips his head at me. I’m the only one on Beau’s guest list allowed to go up without him calling ahead.
Sweat drips down my back as I wait for the elevator to carry me up to the top floor, and I burst through the doors before they glide fully open.
Devyn’s sitting on the couch wearing what she had when she stayed with me. Pajama bottoms, a matching tank top, the cardigan that looks more like a robe than sweater. A young blonde woman is sitting next to her, looking, I bet, like Devyn had at that age. Beau hovers near them still wearing his suit.
When Devyn’s eyes meet mine, she tentatively stands from the couch, and I don’t give her a second to say one damned word. I pull her to my chest, twist my fingers in her hair, and press my lips against the top of her head. I don’t care Talia and Beau are watching. I don’t care about anything but that she’s okay.
She melts into me and wraps her arms around my waist.
“I’m sorry, Rick,” Beau says. “I had men with us. They were knocked out, both of them.”
I unclench my jaw to speak. “Did you report it?”
He shakes his head. “Didn’t bother. If Stevie Johansson is after Devyn, getting the cops involved will only rile her up. We’ll keep a tighter watch on her and Talia.”
Devyn pulls away from me. “I want Talia to go home.”
Talia’s gaze shoots straight to Beau. So there’s more there than Beau gawking at Devyn’s sister.
“No,” she says. “I don’t want to go back to Portland without you.”
“That’s not necessary. She can stay here.” Beau rests a hand on Talia’s shoulder, and Devyn doesn’t miss any of it. “Now that we know she won’t leave you alone, we’ll up security. We won’t let her chase you from the city. You have every right to be here.”
“And she won’t leave regardless,” I say, pulling Devyn back against my chest. She was only a step away from me, but it was too far. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow. I’m bringing Devyn to my place.”
“What about—” Devyn starts.
“I’ll be fine,” Talia interrupts.
“I can’t stay here unless your sister wants to sleep on the couch. Beau only has one guest room, and my place is empty. It’s not far from here, Devyn.” I’m impatient. I want to be alone with her.
She meets my eyes and swallows, her gaze searching mine. I don’t know what she’s looking for, but she must find it because she says, “Okay. I need to get my bag.” I tighten my grip on her arm. She nods, and I release her.
After she disappears down the hall, I hold out my hand to Talia. “Rick Mercer.”
“Talia Scott, Devyn’s sister. Thank you for paying my bill. The billing department at the center emailed me, but I didn’t tell Devyn. I wanted to thank you somehow without her knowing.” She looks at Beau out of the corner of her eyes. She hasn’t told him and doesn’t know he already knows. She’s more concerned about her secret than my scars, and she doesn’t flinch when she faces me.
“You’re welcome. Devyn told me a little bit about the situation, and I never want her to be worried about money.”
“Thank you.”
Devyn steps into the living room carrying the same case she used when she stayed at the lighthouse. She gestures for Talia to join her, and they huddle in the foyer. They whisper to each other, and I can imagine the conversation is full of consent, sex, birth control, and good choices.
Beau won’t hurt her, and if he were the type of man who could, he wouldn’t be my friend.