Confer, Lorelei - Deadly Revenge (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (24 page)

“Then are we still looking for a murderer?”

“No, Laura’s diary explained all the murders. She actually had a list, and Paige was next on it. But we don’t need to worry about that now, do we?”

“What else haven’t you trusted me enough to tell me?” she asked with pursed lips, fisted hands on her hips, fury in her eyes.

“That’s about it. I told you what I did for a living and sometimes life and work intertwine like this time. It’s all very much classified information since I can’t take any chances of blowing my cover. You understand that, don’t you? It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you. I couldn’t take the chance that you would get more involved. Unfortunately, Paige had other plans. They needed money and she found a quick and relatively easy way to get it.”

Tory relaxed and leaned against the table. Could she trust him to tell her the truth in the future?

Chapter 46

Sam arrived at the barn, and both Dave and Sam entered the building with weapons drawn in case anyone may still be there. It was built close to the ground with low ceilings and very little daylight exposed. They walked down a long hallway that opened up into a family room of sorts with a couple of large-screen televisions and miscellaneous chairs and sofas spread around. They left that room and entered a room for food preparation with a scant amount of food. They moved on after searching through it and entered a room lined with computers.

Everyone was gone. Seats still warm and their computers still humming, Sam sat at one computer and looked through the databases.

“Wow, they were a huge organization, Dave. They even maintained records of where each individual was sent and how much money they made, everything.”

“We’ll need to send them to the main office so they can have their techs go through them,” Dave said as he perused the large filing cabinets that sat against one wall of the room.

With no way out of the building except from where they were, they headed back the same way they had come.

Chapter 47

Tory sat on her bed to take a break from packing her car. It had been one hell of a summer, and she was somewhat anxious to get back to her own place. Even though she had her own place here, it was different from her place in Myrtle Beach. And she wasn’t sure she could withstand the cold winters and shoveling snow that waited for her every day in the mountains. It had already gotten downright cold at night, and some days it was never warmer then fifty-five degrees. At least here she had a fireplace, and she and Dave had taken advantage of it and its warmth every single chance they got.

Dave. What would she do without his comforting arms around her every night? She could kick herself for getting so involved with him, but she was ready for a man in her life. Someone protective of her and her feelings. After all, he would be going back to Virginia and they could still stay in contact with each other. But she would miss the warm, cozy nights and early-morning trysts.

Dave had told her he liked her place better than any he had seen available for rent and had more or less moved in with her during the summer. He would be making his move back to Virginia any day now, and she knew she had to move on, too. Her mother was doing well. She even had a man in her life now and didn’t need another daughter meddling. Sue was enough, for sure.

Tory thought about what it would be like in South Carolina without Dave, and she didn’t like the feelings that rose to the surface so quickly. She thought she would be lonely but hoped she would soon get back into her usual routine.

What else could she do? Dave had only told her once that he loved her, and he had never repeated those words. She thought maybe he had mistakenly jumped the gun, got caught up in the moment of her rescue and didn’t really mean them. They both knew a day like this would come.

Dave had been in a sour mood the last few days, so Tory had stayed out of his way. He hadn’t started packing his things yet. Did he intend to stay in Hickoryville rather than return to Virginia? He had told her she would be making the decision of whether he stayed or not. She wondered about that since she herself didn’t know exactly what she wanted.

She was torn. One minute she wanted to stay and go wherever and whenever Dave went. On the other hand, she needed to carry her own weight and get back to her life in South Carolina. She had an urge to stay and let Dave make the first move, but it just wasn’t in her character.

* * * *

Dave stood at his parents’ big picture window and watched the snow flurries fly through the air, listening as they hit the windows and slid to the bottom. He wasn’t looking forward to the accumulation of snow in the mountains, let alone the shoveling for his dad that he had offered to do. He thought about Wyatt and Isabella and their new baby girl. He would love to be back in Virginia and see them all again, but for some reason he felt the tug to stay here. He didn’t think it was his parents. They both appeared in great health and were used to the cold and the changes in the weather at a moment’s notice. Unlike Dave who kept up on the weather and knew what it would be like for the next three to four days. He shivered. Something was bothering him, and he wasn’t quite sure what. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but thought it had something to do with Tory. They both went into this relationship with their eyes wide open and knew it would be short-lived, that they both had to get back to their own lives as they were before this summer.

Tory was one special girl though. She was strong and sexy as hell. And he could not get her out of his mind. He thought about her day and night. He couldn’t stand to be around the town house when she started packing and talking about leaving for South Carolina. He needed a reprieve from this hopeless feeling. He had gone to his parents for company, but they were at the church making and selling soup for the day so he ended up alone anyway.

He thought about what it would be like without Tory in his life. Could he make it alone? Did he want to?

* * * *

Tory made another trip to the car with small boxes of cosmetics. She had accumulated many more things over the last few months so had to pack and repack everything just right in her car for it all to fit properly. She looked around and wondered where Dave was. She was missing him already.

Snow flurries were in the air but no increase on the ground expected this time, and she wanted out of here and back on flat land before she was snowed in for the winter. Especially if Dave left and she was all alone.

She went back in the house and looked around. So many memories, so many happy times. She remembered her sister’s birthday party when someone spilled the entire bowl of spiked punch. Good thing she had hardwood floors. She would miss her family and also her safety net, but she had to make it on her own.
I guess with or without Dave, since he seems to be avoiding me.

She sat on the arm of the couch and played with her cell phone. Should she call him and ask him to come home so they could talk? She planned on leaving tomorrow morning, depending on when she got the car packed, and she had told him that before he decided to take a drive.
Whatever!

She went upstairs to her room and made the bed and again so many memories assailed her, tears welled up in her eyes. She had to be strong. She opened her dresser drawer and took out her things and packed them into the suitcase on the bed. She decided what she was wearing tomorrow and put those things on top of the dresser. She methodically went through each dresser drawer and did the same. When that suitcase was full she replaced it with another and did the same with the hanging clothes in the closet.

She went through the bathroom one more time and left out what she would need to shower in the morning and packed the rest in a box and another suitcase. “There, everything seems to be ready upstairs, now off to the kitchen and the bath downstairs,” she muttered.

Tory meandered down the open staircase looking over the entire living and dining rooms. Everything was in its place. Dave’s boots sat by the front door and the newspaper he had read during breakfast was lying on the couch ready for another perusal.

Making her way to the kitchen she opened the fridge. She wet a paper towel and wiped down a couple of the empty shelves, reorganizing the contents. She closed the fridge and opened the pantry door. She removed a box of crackers she wanted to take on the trip along with an apple and an orange and packed them in a small box along with a couple other food stuffs. She would have those for lunch and stop for dinner outside of town.

She returned to the living room and heard Dave at the front door.

* * * *

“Wow, is it ever cold out there,” he said as he shook snow off his head and ran his hands through his hair. He hung his winter jacket on the coat rack inside the door and made his way to the couch, rubbing his hands together. He stopped at the fireplace and began to start a fire.

“Thanks, Dave,” Tory said as she stood by the fire to warm her cold hands.

“You’re welcome,” he answered. His heart had fallen into the ground when he walked by her car and saw it was loaded. Just inside the living room door sat three more suitcases and a small box, probably ready to go into the car. She was leaving him.

How could she just pack up and go without talking about it? How could he stay here after she was gone? The house would be empty without her happy laughter and presence. Instead full of memories of making love for the first time, and spending Sunday mornings in bed reading the paper and drifting off to sleep after making love again.

“When were you going to tell me you were leaving?” Dave asked without looking at Tory, still staring at the newspaper he had picked up from the couch.

“When were you going to be here for me to talk about it? For the last week or so you’ve been avoiding me. You’ve known all along that at the end of a few months we would go back to our former lives. A few months are up now, and you need to make some plans of your own since I’m not going to be renewing the lease here.”

“What if I don’t want to go back to my old life? What if I want to renew the lease and stay for the winter, take care of my parents?”

“Is that what you want to do?” Tory asked with a dumbfounded look on her face.

“I’m not sure what I want to do. I want you to be a part of it but you don’t seem to be willing to even discuss it,” he said as he stormed out of the room and up the stairs.

* * * *

Tory stood in front of the couch, her hands still outstretched to the warmth of the fire, and wondered what she should do. Leave tomorrow or stay with him. Even though he never did ask her to stay, it would be her decision as well.

She heard his shoes drop to the floor upstairs and headed up the steps. They would have their talk right now.

“Dave,” she said as she walked in the bedroom and saw him lying on the bed, his hands behind his head, his eyes staring straight up toward the ceiling.

“Dave, we need to talk,” she said as she sat down on the other side of the bed, one leg bent under her with her hands in her lap.

“Yes, we do,” Dave finally said after some hesitation.

“I have a job waiting for me, friends I haven’t seen in months.”

“So do I, Tory, but I’m seriously considering not going back to Virginia. I think I’m burnt out on my job. I want to start over, I just don’t know where or doing what.”

“I don’t want to go, but I feel I have to go,” Tory said, “and I definitely don’t want to leave you. I was hoping that when you saw my bags packed that you would pack yours and come with me. It’s amazing living on the beach, and you’d love my friends, too.”

“What about our parents? I’ve been away from them more than I’ve been with them. They aren’t going to live forever, and maybe I should spend my time here with them in their old age. Have you thought about that, or are you so intent on leaving me you don’t care?”

Tory got up off the bed and stood at the foot end, her hands on her hips, tears in her eyes.

“Leave you? This has never been about leaving you, Dave. My leaving is about something we both have to do. It’s breaking my heart.”

“We don’t have to leave. We could renew the lease and spend the winter here and see how we like it. Take some time to put things into perspective,” Dave answered without looking at her.

“I spent my entire life here except for the last eight years and these last few months have helped me put things into perspective. Come with me to the beach, Dave, please, I’m begging you. Don’t make me leave without you.”

“I can’t Tory. As much as I care about you, I can’t.” Dave finally looked at her and her heart lurched. He still couldn’t say, “I love you” to her. So this past summer has been nothing but a fling for him.

“I’m sorry, Dave, but I’ll be leaving in the morning. I knew our relationship was too good, too easygoing to last forever,” Tory said as she turned and walked out the door and down the stairs.