Chapter Eleven
Silas stood onthe balcony, staring out into the night.Looking down on the acreage between the club and the river was surreal because the area was never truly dark.The security lighting was seamlessly integrated with the landscaping, but with the flip of a switch, the whole damned place would burst into brilliance usually reserved for metropolitan runways.The scrape of a barefoot across the wood planks was all the warning he had before Carson leaned one hip against the rail and crossed his arms.
“You gonna tell me what that was about?”
Silas had expected the inquiry and hoped his friend left Fallon sleeping peacefully.They’d carried her upstairs after their playing behind the waterfall, then made love to her until they’d all collapsed in a tangle of limbs, sweat-damp, and smiling despite their exhaustion.
When their phones had both pinged with incoming messages a few minutes later, he and Carson flipped to see who was going to make their way downstairs.The hour he’d spent downstairs was damned unsettling.They’d only started establishing trust between the three of them, and now he was going to pull the rug out from under her.Damn.Why couldn’t this be easy?
Giving Carson a quick run-down of what he’d learned, Silas watched concern, which mirrored his own, move across his friend’s expression.There was always the chance she’d run—which meant they wouldn’t be able to protect her, and getting her back safely wouldn’t be easy.It was obvious she hadn’t put much thought into covering her tracks.
She was scheduled to work behind the bar tonight at the club, but Kent and Kyle insisted Silas make the call after telling her what they’d learned this afternoon.He didn’t know Fallon well enough to say for sure how she would react, but everything he’d learned led him to believe her work ethic would win—at least in the short term.She’d worked her way through college, no easy task, considering the astronomical cost of education.
“I don’t think she’ll leave until she talks to Lilly.It’s just a hunch, but I can’t see Fallon risking her relationship with her mother’s friend.”
Silas agreed with Carson’s observation, but there was another way to look at the situation.
“What if she’s worried about bringing trouble to Lilly and her family?Will her loyalty to friends prevent her from staying where we can keep her safe?”There wasn’t any doubt in Silas’s mind, Prairie Winds was the safest place for Fallon, but he was still concerned she hadn’t been here long enough to understand how well trained the men and women were for this sort of thing.Their work for Uncle Sam was always under the radar and completely off the books, so the general public didn’t know how skilled the team members were—both individually and as a unit.
“I’d appreciate being included in this conversation, but first, I want to thank you for your obvious concern for my safety.You’re right… I am protective of those I care about, but I don’t cut and run unless there’s a damned good reason.”
Silas wanted to kick himself for being so careless.How could he be so unaware?Hell, he knew better than to stand with his back to an open door.Turning, he was relieved when she stepped forward to grasp his outstretched hand.
“You look hot in my shirt, Cher.I’d like it even better if it wasn’t buttoned from top to bottom.Let’s make an adjustment before we get into this discussion.”Carson’s effort to shift the tension was admirable, and the result was hotter than hell, but Silas wasn’t sure it was entirely successful.
Fallon’s expression was still set between disillusionment and a mulish determination to find out what had changed during her short nap.The evening breeze opened the placket of the Oxford shirt despite the two buttons Carson left fastened in the center.If they didn’t get her inside, this conversation was going to be delayed, for heaven only knew how long.
“Let’s take this inside before the moonlight waltzing down your bare breast short-circuits my brain, rendering me mute.”Silas caught the twitch of her lips before leading her into the living room.When he started to pull her onto his lap, she shook her head and sat in a chair facing them.
“I want to be able to see you… both of you.I have a feeling this is going to be unpleasant, and I need to focus.”
Silas hated the distance but understood her thinking.
“Let’s hope it isn’t as unpleasant as you’re expecting.First of all, remember you are in the safest possible place.”He didn’t miss the way her spine straightened, her chin lifting in mock defiance.The subtle tell hadn’t telegraphed the message she’d intended.Rather than signaling her desire to make her own decisions, she’d told him how worried she was everything was going to fall apart around her.She hadn’t had time to develop the level of trust needed to know they would have her back.Hell, from what little he knew, Fallon had lost everyone important in her life.Trauma always takes a toll, and sometimes, the fallout is triggered by one final straw.Silas hoped he and Carson could act as the buffer she needed.
*
Fallon listened asSilas explained what Tobi overheard and tried to ignore the cold chill moving through her.Carson wrapped the throw from the back of the sofa around her shoulders; he must have seen the shiver she tried to hide.
“I don’t understand why he would come all this way.It wasn’t as if we had a grand affair or made any sort of commitment.He tried to paint me into a ménage corner with a damned teenager, for heaven’s sake.Who does that sort of thing?He set it up so I’d walk in on them.”
Fallon wasn’t sure when she’d gotten out of her chair or how long she paced the length of the room before continuing.
“Damn it all to hell.Why does he give a rat’s ass about my dad’s puzzle?”Pausing, it suddenly occurred to her she’d never mentioned the gift to her asshat ex.“How did he know?About the puzzle, I mean.I told no one about it because the memory was too painful.That’s why I haven’t opened it.They were my dad’s passion, not mine.I’m not sure I’d be able to solve the puzzle, and I’m not even sure I want to try.What’s the point?It won’t bring them back.”She hated knowing she was teetering on the edge of losing it.The bubbling acid in her stomach always roared to life when she thought about all the unanswered questions about her parents.
“The company they’d always claimed to work for didn’t even exist—at least not in any real sense.I tried to contact them after… the accident, but the number I had was to a switchboard.Their answers didn’t make any sense.”She’d gotten the strangest mental picture from a movie where the husband worked for the CIA and hid it from his wife by giving her a switchboard phone number.
“Is it possible they were agents of some kind?”
Silas’s question was so dead-on she felt herself sag.How Carson closed the distance between them in time to keep her from collapsing to the floor was nothing short of a miracle.
“Let us help, Cher.”
Carson’s simple words were exactly what she needed to hear.It wasn’t a command.He hadn’t offered empty platitudes about sheltering her or given her any reason to believe he didn’t think she was capable—he’d simply asked to help.Her heart skipped a beat, knowing it was time to take a leap of faith.
*
Carson recognized theshift in Fallon’s body language, signaling her willingness to let them help her face whatever lay ahead.A powerful wave of relief moved through him, knowing she was willing to take a chance on two men she’d known such a short time.He’d seen the knowledge in Silas’s eyes that staying under the radar wasn’t in her skill set.The truth was, it wasn’t something most people ever considered, and making rushed decisions when strong emotions were in play didn’t yield effective results.