Hearths of Fire (22 page)

“Okay.” Charlotte reached over for a pen when he placed his hand on hers. She looked
at him questionably, wondering why he would stop her when they didn’t have time to
waste. “Neal?”

“We need to get Mandy to a safe house. By morning.”

Charlotte pulled her hand back as if he’d burned her. She finally comprehended why
he’d looked at her all night as if he were weighing his words carefully. He wasn’t
sure how she would take his suggestion because he wasn’t just talking about Mandy.
He wanted her to go too. It felt good to have the fear once again replaced by anger,
but she did her best to remain composed and structure her statement prudently.

“I think that’s a good idea and it will free our time while we figure out where the
Ashes are keeping Becky.”

“Damn it, Char,” Neal replied harshly as he pushed himself off of the couch. “Do not
do this. You need to be with her—for her sake and yours. Let me do what I need to
do so that we can get on with our lives.”

“You said yourself that I can help you.” Charlotte eased herself to the edge of the
sofa, clutching her hands in her lap to keep herself from yelling at him. It wouldn’t
do either one of them any good and would most likely wake up Mandy. “You’ve been gone
for over eight years, Neal. I know this town and the people in it.”

“I need you safe. If I’m worrying about you, it puts all of us at risk too.”

“Let’s face it. If I’m not here you don’t have to deal with the ramifications of what
happened this morning.” Charlotte stood as well, refusing to back down from this.
“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Ramifications? We had sex. Nothing more, nothing less.” Neal walked in front of the
coffee table until his body was inches from her and she could feel the heat radiating
off of his chest. She didn’t step back but instead met his gaze head on. “You’re going
to go with Mandy to a place where no one can find you until this is over. Make the
calls you need to get the store covered and I’ll talk to the school regarding Mandy’s
courses tomorrow. This is nonnegotiable.”

Charlotte would have grabbed Neal by his shirt had he not moved so quickly and walked
to the front door. The air still crackled with the electricity he’d left in his wake
and as she turned to watch him go outside for another sweep around the house, she
refused to allow him to take the easy way out. He could say all he wanted that he
would worry less if she weren’t here, but she would be more concerned not knowing
what was taking place. He shut the door behind him as if all was settled and she would
be a good little soldier by following orders. He had a hell of a rude awakening coming.

*

Neal rubbed his
eyes, trying to erase his exhaustion as the sun’s rays appeared one by one through
the sheer curtain of the living room. Charlotte hadn’t spoken much after he’d told
her she needed to be with Mandy at a safer location. He didn’t have a clue as to what
was going through her mind, but at least she hadn’t fought his directive for the remainder
of the night. She did write down information on the back of each picture like he’d
requested and he still couldn’t find the link.

“Mandy is all packed,” Charlotte said from the kitchen entryway, her short exclamation
telling him all he needed to know. His temples throbbed at the upcoming argument and
he tossed the pictures down, knowing he needed some more caffeine before it started.
“She’s ready when you are.”

Neal remained silent as he grabbed his empty mug, losing track of how many cups of
coffee he’d had throughout the night. Falling asleep had been off the table since
no one knew if the Ashes would retaliate for Neal having instigated the search warrant
to begin with or if they would come for Mandy. He figured the Ashes would be more
cautious considering all eyes were now on their movements, but one could never be
too careful.

Brushing past Charlotte was like skating a grinder across bare steel. Neal went to
the counter and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee. He took a few swallows before
finally turning around and taking in her appearance. It was easy to see she was as
tired as he was, even with the few hours she’d gotten after falling asleep on the
couch. There were slight blemishes underneath her eyes and her face was somewhat pallid.
He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her that everything was going to be all
right, but he couldn’t…for numerous reasons.

“Go pack your bag.”

“No.”

Neal slowly inhaled, hoping enough oxygen would clear his thoughts and his mounting
irritation. He glanced at the digital clock on the microwave and knew he only had
around five minutes to talk Charlotte into leaving with Mandy. He’d made some calls
and got an old friend who lived a few hours away to come and take Charlotte and Mandy
to a safe place. His buddy should be ringing the doorbell any moment.

“This isn’t up for debate.” Neal took another sip of coffee, knowing that he would
have to grab a couple hours of sleep after they’d gone. The older gentleman from yesterday
had yet to contact him, but Neal hoped it would be soon. “Mandy needs you and I need
you safe.”

“Mandy will be fine and let’s speak the truth, shall we?” Charlotte crossed her arms
and Neal refused to look down at what the action did to her breasts. He focused on
her blue eyes, which technically wasn’t any better. “You don’t want me here because
you don’t want to continue what we started yesterday.”

“Now isn’t the time or place to discuss what happened.” Neal turned and dumped the
rest of the contents of his mug into the sink. He carefully set the cup down when
he would have given anything to throw it against the wall to make himself feel better.
“We were both in agreement that we would go on with our lives.”

“Why? Why can’t you admit that we might be able to start over again?”

The knock on the door saved Neal from answering. He didn’t even know if he
could
respond to her question. Anger and hurt that he’d felt so long ago that he’d thought
had faded were returning. He didn’t want that and the best thing for both of them
would be if she were to leave with Mandy.

“You made both of our decisions a long time ago.” Neal walked toward her, mad at himself
for letting those words slip while grateful that his friend had arrived. When she
didn’t move and even purposefully blocked his way, Neal felt the dominance rise up
within him. She had a way about her that made him want to take her up against the
wall and show her over and over again what she had thrown away. “Go pack and then
tell Mandy it’s time to go. I’ll get things done faster on my own.”

“I didn’t take you for a coward.”

With those soft-spoken words, Charlotte moved out of his way. He turned to watch her
as she walked through the kitchen and down the hallway. She knew how to fucking slice
into his ego, but why that would surprise him he didn’t know. She’d already done that
to his heart. Daegan had been right. Returning home had been a mistake, but it wasn’t
like he had a choice. With the way things had turned out, if he hadn’t come back…Mandy
might have ended up dead.

Another knock sounded and Neal cursed under his breath that he’d left his friend standing
on the porch. Sleep was needed in a bad way. He swiftly made it to the door, having
taken time to look out the window to ensure it was Brad Olson.

“Brad.” Neal shook his friend’s hand, pulling him in for a chest bump and slapping
him on the back. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too.” Brad followed Neal into the living room, glancing casually around. “It’s
not every day I get some added excitement on my to-do list.”

“Civilian life takes the adrenaline right out of us, doesn’t it?” Neal looked toward
the kitchen as he heard Mandy’s voice. He wanted to clarify some things before Brad
left with the women. “Listen, I know I don’t have to tell you this, but make sure
no one follows you out of town. Check in with me every twenty-four hours, although
I should have this cleared up within a day or two.”

“Are you sure you don’t need back-up here?” Brad asked, slipping his thumbs through
his belt loops. “From what you said this isn’t a one man operation. If the police
aren’t making headway you could find yourself in a jam.”

“I’ve got it covered.” Neal broke off from saying anything else as Mandy and Charlotte
appeared in the doorway. Only Mandy had a small suitcase with her. He should have
known—hell, he did know that Charlotte wouldn’t leave. “Mandy, give me your cell phone.”

“What?” Mandy asked, her shock evident as she was clearly feeling better than she
was last night. Her color had returned and although her eyes were still slightly bloodshot,
she wasn’t crying. “Why? I promise not to call Garreth.”

“It’s not that. Your location can be tracked through your phone. I’m not taking any
chances.” Neal wasn’t going to compromise on this. “Any call you make could theoretically
lead the Ashes to you. Until we find Becky and until we know that the Ashes will leave
you alone you’ll remain in seclusion. If you need us, tell Brad and he’ll get a hold
of me.”

“This is so unfair,” Mandy complained, handing over her phone anyway.

Neal pocketed the device as he made the introductions. Brad reassured Mandy that the
place he was taking her wouldn’t be so bad. As the two discussed the long trip and
Brad promised he would stop for snacks after they were far enough away from town,
he looked over at Charlotte.

“She’s decided to stay.” Neal could see from the exchange between the two sisters
that Charlotte had already spoken to Mandy about her decision. The acid from the coffee
in his stomach churned. “Kiddo, listen to everything Brad has to say and do
exactly
what he says. I’ll do my best to get things wrapped up in a few days so that you
can come back to your sister, friends, and school.”

“What about Garreth?” Mandy asked, stepping into Neal’s arms as he gave her a hug
goodbye. She rested her cheek against his chest like she used to do when she was a
little girl. “I’ll eventually have to talk to him.”

“Don’t worry about that now. He’ll have to learn to live with disappointment.” Neal
had no idea how the next couple of days would pan out and didn’t want her stressing
over something they didn’t even know would happen. If Becky was on the property like
the older cult member had stated and witnessed, then Mandy wouldn’t have to worry
about seeing Garreth for many, many years. No one would convince Neal that the boy
wasn’t aware of what his parents had done or were doing. “Take care of yourself and
listen to everything Brad tells you. You’ll be home in no time at all.”

“Love you,” Mandy murmured, making Neal’s heart swell at the sentiment. She moved
back and hugged Charlotte as well, telling her the same thing. Within minutes, Brad
had taken Mandy’s suitcase and was leading her to the door. She turned back once more,
a sad smile on her face. “I’m sorry. I know that doesn’t help, but I am truly sorry.
Please find Becky.”

“I’ll do my best, kiddo.” Neal walked out onto the porch with them, scanning the streets,
yards, and general area. There was no one to be seen and he felt more confident of
that as Brad kept a vigilante look-out from his angle as Mandy got into the passenger
side of his car. His friend would make sure they weren’t followed and call a little
later on today with an update on their progress. In the meantime Neal needed two or
three hours of sleep before he instituted his plan. He could feel Charlotte’s presence
beside him but he was in no shape or mood to get roped into the conversation she wanted
to have. He was still trying to figure out where all of these unwanted feelings of
resentment had come from. “I’m grabbing a few hours of sleep. I suggest you do the
same.”

Without another word Neal walked back inside and waited for Charlotte to follow him.
He closed the door and threw the deadbolt, knowing if someone really wanted in a measly
wooden door wouldn’t stop them. He sat on the couch, laying his large frame down on
the cushions without even bothering to take off his boots. He flung his arm over his
eyes, diminishing the sunlight and the view of Charlotte standing there with her hands
on her hips. Two hours of sleep was what he would get, but damned if he thought it
would help.

‡