Hearths of Fire (16 page)

“Left drawer.” Charlotte finally made her way over to the table where she grabbed
a hair tie and pulled her blonde strands away from her face. Neal didn’t like to see
the worry that etched her features but there wasn’t anything he could do at the moment
that would alleviate her stress—not even what they were doing earlier. “What makes
you think Mandy will listen when she hasn’t so far?”

“Because I don’t plan to come back empty-handed tomorrow night.” Neal took the time
that Charlotte used to think over what had happened, along with his declaration, to
finish making their drinks. He finally poured both mugs full of hot milk and stirred
in the right amount of her special blend of hot chocolate and took both of them over
to the table. “See if this is all right.”

“I’m sure it’s fine. You always did fix the perfect hot chocolate,” Charlotte said
with a soft smile that was playing on her lips. He didn’t like to see it fading when
her worries weren’t going away. Add on top the interlude that had taken place tonight
and it was more than anyone should have to deal with. Her blue eyes dropped to the
front of his denim as he took the seat diagonal from her. “You didn’t…”

“Really?” Neal barked out a laugh, unable to help himself. Her life and that of her
sister’s was practically falling apart and she was worried about his physical state.
He wouldn’t say it wasn’t painful, but family came well above satisfying a basic urge.
“Don’t worry about me, Char. I’ll be fine.”

Neal did his best to keep her mind off of Mandy’s engagement and their unresolved
sexual escapade by going over his plan of action for tomorrow night. Once he started
talking and giving her something else to focus on, they covered everything from the
compound’s layout to how many members might be trolling the area at night. He had
done his best to scan the area while they were there and he had noticed a few figures
on the outskirts of the property. He would do more reconnaissance tomorrow afternoon
from the neighboring properties.

An hour had passed and sure enough, Mandy could be heard at the front door saying
goodnight to Garreth. Charlotte stared through the living room archway as if it was
going to catch fire and although he would have given anything to continue what they’d
started earlier, she needed time with Mandy. He stood up and took both of their mugs
to the sink.

“I’m going to turn in,” Neal said, turning around to face her. From the hurt that
clouded her blue eyes that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. He slowly closed the distance
between them and leaned down until their lips were inches apart. “You need time with
Mandy and I need to go over my plans for tomorrow night. I’d rather not be sacrificed
at the altar by a bunch of psychos since we have plans to resume what we initiated.”

“Will we?” Charlotte dropped her eyes for just a second before she shook her head
slightly in scolding herself. “It doesn’t make me a very nice person to be worried
about my life when another’s is in danger, does it?”

“We don’t know for sure that the Ashes have Becky,” Neal said, playing devil’s advocate
as he took a loose curl and tucked it behind her ear. “And you’re not selfish, if
that’s where this is leading. Human contact during a time like this is beneficial,
although you and I know that it’s more than that.”

“Extinguishing the flames?” Charlotte asked, searching for an answer that he wasn’t
quite sure he had.

“Extinguishing these so-called flames that keep rising up between us is for our own
sanity.” Neal heard the door open and while he thought about pressing his lips against
Charlotte’s, he thought better of it. Enough had already been done this evening. “It
should have been done years ago.”

Neal hadn’t said those words to hurt her, but instead to draw a line in the sand.
Nothing could come of what happened, nor was it meant to. They would fuck like rabbits
before he headed back to San Diego, giving him a real chance at moving on with his
life. In the meantime he needed to figure out why the Ashes were so hell bent on bringing
Mandy into their fold. Once he was armed with that information, he’d be able to stop
them in their tracks and give Mandy a hand in rebuilding her life. No doubt she would
come apart at the seams thinking the man she loved betrayed her. Charlotte would help
her sister through the hard times and remain in Hearth, just like she’d always wanted.

‡

C
harlotte couldn’t sleep
and when she rolled over to face the clock, the bright green display read three-thirty
in the morning. She’d spent a good two hours talking with Mandy in the living room
and had been subjected to the story of how Garreth had gotten down on one knee in
front of the entire attendance of the candlelit ceremony and presented her with a
ring. Charlotte had done her best not to criticize, but she had tried to put a little
reason behind her words. Mandy maintained her reassurances that just because they
were young, she and Garreth knew what they were doing along with the fact that his
family wasn’t as bad as everyone thought they were. The discussion had then turned
to Becky and what might have happened to her. Mandy swore that her friend wouldn’t
have run away but when Charlotte brought up what Becky had overheard at school on
Friday, Mandy instantly shut down.

To make those hours even longer, Charlotte’s thoughts wouldn’t stop drifting to what
had taken place earlier in her bedroom. Being with Neal again in such a physical capacity
had brought back every emotion she’d ever felt for him. Nothing had changed and yet
everything was different. His touch had made her problems and worries fade into the
background for just a moment, although that wasn’t the reason she’d wanted this time
with him. Neal thought they could
extinguish
what was between them, but in her opinion, all they’d done was add more fuel to the
fire. He could stay in Hearth for years to come and it wouldn’t be enough.

Charlotte was getting overheated, so she grabbed the sheets and tossed them to the
side. The cooler air hit her skin and did nothing to lessen her desire for Neal’s
touch. She turned her head to look back at the nightstand, noticing the condom was
still where he had set it. The blue package practically glowed in the dim light shining
from her bedside clock. Her lower half ached as if he’d never given her relief, so
she could just imagine what his body felt like. And really, what was the purpose of
them sleeping in separate bedrooms? Was it for Mandy’s sake? She was engaged to be
married and turning eighteen years old in a week.

“This is ridiculous,” Charlotte muttered, sitting up in her bed. She reached up and
pulled out the hair tie she’d been using to keep the strands out of her face while
she tried to sleep. Since that wasn’t going to happen, she might as well make the
most of the time they had. Even Neal had said they would continue what they had started
and there was no reason that couldn’t be now. “So what the hell am I waiting for?”

Charlotte contemplated changing out of the shorts and tank top she was wearing but
decided against it. It wasn’t like she would be wearing them for long anyway. She
hopped off of the bed and swiped the condom up into her hand all at once and then
headed for the door. Opening it slowly so that the hinges didn’t squeak like they
normally did, she made her way out into the hallway. Silence greeted her with the
exception of the mechanical hum of the house’s old heat pump. Her toes sunk into the
carpet as she took the five steps to arrive at the guest bedroom. Turning the handle
as gently as she could, she continued to listen for any sounds that she’d awakened
Mandy. The distraction had to have been the reason she didn’t hear Neal as she pushed
open his door.

Mandy didn’t even have time to cry out as she was pulled inside Neal’s room and then
shoved against the wall. One of her palms went flat against his chest while the other
still clutched the condom. His body heat enveloped her from head to toe, but her mind
was still struggling to comprehend why he’d been so close to his door and not in his
bed. There was enough moonlight shining through his window that she caught the glint
of his weapon, but he spoke before she could ask why.

“Jesus Christ, Char,” Neal whispered harshly, pulling away from her slightly and only
then making her realize that she hadn’t been able to breathe. “What the hell are you
doing sneaking around the house in the middle of the goddamned night?”

“I’m not sneaking and in case you forgot, it
is
my house,” Charlotte hissed back, giving him a slight push.

“We have one missing girl, a cult that’s indoctrinating your sister, and someone watching
the house.
Don’t
tiptoe down the hallway.” Neal quietly closed the door and then took her hand in
his as he walked her over to the window. Pulling her backside up against his front,
he parted the curtains with the barrel of his weapon. “Do you see the shadow on the
corner? He’s been stationed there since Mandy came home.”

“How do you know it’s a he?” Charlotte asked, squinting to make out who the figure
might be. Her reason for coming to his room was doused by fear that someone had been
watching the house all night and she hadn’t known it. “And why are they watching us?”

“Every once in a while he moves just enough for the light to catch his form. He’s
broad in the chest and the size of his hands is a dead giveaway.” Neal guided Charlotte
away from the window and sat her on the edge of the bed as he knelt in front of her.
The moonlight allowed her to see the worry that was etched onto his features. If he
was this worried, then she should be downright panicking. She hadn’t realized how
she’d been clutching the condom in her grasp until he’d tried to hold her hands. He
slowly released her fingers from the wrapper and then removed the rubber to set it
down on his nightstand. She was too concerned to be embarrassed about the reason she’d
come to his room to begin with and his next words only heightened her anxiety. “I’ve
been monitoring him for hours and he’s doing nothing more than a surveillance on the
house.”

“Why?” Charlotte whispered, not sure if she did it subconsciously because someone
was watching them or if she still didn’t want to wake Mandy. Maybe having her sister
learn what was happening would be a good thing, but then she reconsidered that thought.
Mandy would concoct some story that Garreth was protecting her after what had happened
to Becky. Neal had set his weapon beside her on the bed and she itched to pick it
up to have something to protect them with. “Why are the Ashes keeping an eye on Mandy?”

“Honestly, I think they are ensuring we don’t talk her out of anything.”

“Why aren’t you confronting him?” Charlotte searched Neal’s face for answers. He wasn’t
the type of man to sit back and let something happen, especially when he had the ability
to stop it. One of them had to do something because she refused to allow the Ashes
to harass them like this. “You tried to the other night. Why not now?”

“Observing is learning, Char.” Neal wasn’t whispering like she was, but he did keep
his voice low. He took her hands in his and pulled them up to his mouth, where he
pressed his warm lips against her now cold hands. He stayed that way a moment before
continuing. “Lie down in bed. It’s pointless for you to go back to your room when
you’re not going to sleep. At least this way you can rest some.”

“We’re just going to lie here?” There was no way that Charlotte was going to be able
to do as he suggested knowing someone was outside watching them. “Neal—”

“
You’re
going to lie down.” Neal released his hold on her and she felt even colder, if that
was even possible. He didn’t seem to notice though. He was without a shirt, wearing
only a pair of denim jeans. As if hearing her thoughts, he snatched up a T-shirt that
had been on the bed and drew it over his head. Once he’d smoothed it into place, he
carefully picked up his weapon and turned away from her. That was when she saw the
chair situated by the window. He really
was
turning the tables and being the one who was doing surveillance. “At first light
I’m heading out to the compound. I want you to either stay inside the secured house
while I’m gone or be surrounded by people. Is that understood?”

“Wait. You want me to stay here not knowing if you’re all right? What if you get caught?
What if they hurt you?” Charlotte stood and followed him over to the window, but he
held up a hand indicating he didn’t want her to cross in front of the sheer curtains.
It did dawn on her that he’d distanced himself by taking a half circle around the
room and now she knew why. The reason only gave her following suggestion credence.
“I should go with you. I can help you, just like I did this morning.”

“No.” Neal sat in the chair and it was only then that she noticed he’d shifted the
curtain on the side just enough for him to see through without anyone recognizing
that someone was looking out. “I need you either here or in a very public place. I
need the Ashes to think you’re going about your daily routine.”