Mosquito Chase (11 page)

“I’m sitting on the floor of the closet with one of your guns.”

“Stay on the phone with me. Don’t hang up!”

“Please hurry, Caleb.” I gripped the gun tighter in my hand.

“I’m coming, baby. I’m coming. No one’s going to hurt you.”

I squeezed my eyelids shut and concentrated on breathing. I was safe in this closet, I told myself. Caleb was on the phone. He’d get here soon. Everything would be okay.

“Baby, you gotta talk to me here!”

“Umm…umm… you know you just called me baby twice within three seconds,” I blurted out. I didn’t know why I’d said that.

Dead air came from his end of the line.

“You wanna talk about that?” I asked, pressing onward.

“I don’t think now is the appropriate time to get into that.”

“Is this something we’re going to talk about later?”

“Let’s just focus on making sure there is a later.” 

“Are you almost here then? This conversation isn’t helping me keep my heart at a level rate.”

“I’m almost there. Is the baby okay? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay when I’m with you.”

My words hung there for a long moment. Apparently, tough situations bring out the truth between us.

“I guess we do need to talk then.”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Shit … seriously, hurry up!”

Through the phone, I could hear Caleb’s radio squawking.

“Is there a car around the house? Angie, did you see a car?”

“It was a truck. A white pick-up.”

He dropped his phone, his voice growing distant and muffled as he responded into his radio. “Parker, it was a white pick-up.” A short moment until his voice returned to the line, crisp and clear. “I’m almost there.”

I never loosened my grip on either the gun or the phone. I stared down, focused on the little shred of light shining through the crack beneath the closet door. Their conversation was coming through the line still, but I didn’t pay attention to it. I began to hyperventilate, sucking in more and more air as if I couldn’t get enough.

I could hear my name, but I couldn’t move or respond. I kept trying to breath. My whole body shook; sweat dripped down my face. My mouth moved as I silently said his name. The closet door flew open. I closed my eyes from the light. My hand gripped tighter on the gun as I shook. His hands coddled mine and gently pulled the gun from my grasp. His strong arms wrapped underneath me and I was lifted up like I didn’t weigh a ton.

“Parker, get me a damp towel.”

“Holy shit … that’s Angela Butler.”

“Now, Parker!”

My eyes fluttered open when my head met the pillow.

“Baby, are you okay? Please say you’re okay. God, you’re so pale.” He lifted my hands to his lips and kissed my knuckles. I focused on his lips and then his eyes.

“I’m okay. I’m supposed to be on bed rest,” I managed to croak out. A man came in. I squinted my eyes and said, “Parker Abernathy?”

“Caleb, when were you going to tell me that a pregnant Angela Butler was at your house?” Parker asked as he handed Caleb a damp washcloth.

My eyes shifted back to Caleb’s. His seemed clouded with worry.

“Not anytime soon,” Caleb answered without looking away from me.

“Do we need to talk?” Parker asked as he stood observing what was happening between Caleb and me.

“Not right now, Parker.”

Parker took his cue and left the room. Caleb bunched up the rag in his hand and swiped it across my forehead. I was sweating, but I was also cold. I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Don’t move,” Caleb whispered as he laid the cloth across my forehead. He left the room. I could hear him and Parker whispering down the hallway, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I closed my eyes in an attempt to hear better, which was of no use. The front door shut quietly. I opened my eyes as Caleb came back into the room. He took off his belt, placing his gun, badge, and handcuffs on the nightstand. He scooted in next to me and buried his face in my neck as his arms wrapped around me. I exhaled for what felt like the first time in the last twenty minutes.

“I’ve haven’t been that scared in a long time,” he whispered against my skin.

“Caleb, what’s going on here?”

He shook his head against me, lifting my chin with his finger. “You’re safe. For right now, that’s all that matters. The rest can be figured out another time.”

I nodded. I was still in love with Simon. Even though he was dead, I just knew I was still in love with him. Just because someone was gone, it didn’t mean the love was too. I couldn’t imagine ever falling out of love with Simon. Sure, he owned a strip club, and apparently dabbled in the drug world, but to me he was perfect. And yet I couldn’t deny the strength of these feelings for Caleb. Maybe it was nostalgic, traces of the crush I had on him back in high school after I’d given up on Lance the first time, but when he nuzzled his face into my neck again and wrapped his arms around my belly—another man’s son—how could I deny these feelings?

But it didn’t change anything. I was in love with Simon.

My chest hollowed, and though I didn’t want them to, the tears came.

“We’ll go to Paul’s tonight. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

He squeezed me tighter. It felt nice, but it didn’t stop the tears. They weren’t about what had happened today. These tears were for Simon. I’d lost him. And I would lose his son too if I wasn’t careful. I needed to be more careful.

I nodded my reply to Caleb as he stared down at me. His face was too close to mine. His lips were too close to mine. I closed my eyes tight and turned my head away.

“Did Parker leave?” I asked to break the tension in the room.

“No. He’s outside waiting on us. I’m having him check on a few things.”

“Waiting on us?”

“I’m going to make sure you’re okay. You’re going to stay in bed while I pack up some stuff, and then we’re off to Paul’s.” He kept calling it Paul’s house instead of Paul and Ellie’s house, as if I could be tricked into forgetting Ellie lived there too.

“I think I’d rather strange men roam around outside then have to live under the same roof as Ellie Caldwell.”

“Ellie Harris.”

“Whatever.”

“Why don’t you like her?”

“Because she doesn’t like me.”

“Ellie likes everyone.”

“Except me.”

“I have a feeling that Paul is having this same conversation with Ellie.”

“Lance might have something to do with our mutual hatred.” I sighed, admitting the obvious reason.

“Oh? What did our Lance do?”

“We were dating—or whatever you want to call it for a couple of fourteen year olds—when Ellie moved here for high school.”

“So, you hate Ellie because of Lance?”

“I was a fourteen-year-old girl in love and the new girl stole my boyfriend.” It was immature to argue, but I felt validated. “Of course I hated her.”

“And you still hate her now that both of y’all snagged yourself some good ol’ Harris boys?”

“Caleb…”

He pushed himself off the bed and reached for his belt. He seemed agitated, though he tried to hide it. “We’re just going to leave our vehicles here. They saw them in the driveway earlier, and I don’t want us to be spotted around town.”

“But a cop car is less noticeable?” I propped myself up on my elbows to watch him.

“You’re only allowed to leave the house to move to Paul’s and to go to the doctor. No one is spotting you. We won’t be taking the cruiser to the doctors either.”

“You already have this all figured out.”

“Yep.” He bent over and kissed my forehead before moving his way around the bed to the closet. He began packing for the duration of the year.

We pulled onto a gravel drive leading to a mill house much like Caleb’s. I stared at its yellow siding and began to immediately envy Ellie. By no means was this house lavish or dream worthy, but she appeared to have acquired a perfect life. I didn’t know the whole story of Paul and Ellie, but I remembered how he’d been pretty obsessed with her throughout high school, more so than I was with Lance. I was happy that Paul got his girl but bitter that everything just seemed to fall into place so nicely for Ellie. She’d been making quite a name for herself. Her clothing designs had gained massive popularity in Atlanta and probably elsewhere. This small mill house covered up her wealth. I realized I was already being catty before I even stepped out the car, but at least I was mature enough to admit to the jealousy I’d harbored for over ten years. It wasn’t like she ever made an attempt to befriend me either.

God, this is going to suck.
This is going to suck so bad.

“Caleb, I can’t do this.” I continued to stare at the house with its little porch and a Radio Flyer wagon in the grass, a football propped up against the back wheel. “What’s their son’s name again?”

“Teague.”

“Teague. That’s an interesting name,” I said, trying to put the focus on the Harris boys instead of the Harris girl.

“It’s my father’s name.”

I glanced from the house to look at Caleb. He was being so patient with me, I could tell. I wished he would stop caring so much. It would make things a lot easier. The platonic lines between us were beginning to blur until feelings that were once so black and white had become a murky grey.

“I just always knew your father as Sheriff Harris. Maybe everyone will call you that someday.”

“It wouldn’t be a bad title.” The smile met his eyes. “Maybe you’ll be around to see it.”

“I don’t think that’ll happen. There’s nothing left for me in this town,” I turned away and could feel his smile fade. I knew he wanted things to progress between us, but I was broken. I couldn’t promise my life to someone else. Every man I’d ever loved had been taken from me: two dead and one stolen by another woman. I couldn’t lose another. Given my track record and Caleb’s profession, it seemed the inevitable end to whatever fantasy Caleb saw when he looked at me.

His fingertips brushed the top of my hand. I looked down at my lap and watched his hand wrap with mine. I let him. He possessed the kind of warmth I’d been craving for so long. I looked up into his eyes. I cared about him. I didn’t want to hurt him. Maybe I cared too much for him. I slipped my hand out of his and reached for the door handle. Dealing with Ellie Caldwell seemed easier than hurting Caleb; even though, I knew I was already hurting him. It wasn’t my intention. It was just my nature.

I stepped out into the crisp air of late fall and shut the door behind me. I pressed my hands to my lower back and stretched. Breathing in the crisp North Carolina air, I hoped to rid the cobwebs from my head. When I heard his door slam, I turned to look. The sun was setting in the distance, rays of light piercing through the gray clouds to shine down on his silhouette. It was becoming harder to fight this attraction, to keep him at arm’s length. I needed to remain strong.

He tossed a duffle bag over his shoulder and his eye caught me staring. A little smirk eased up his face and that faint dimple made an appearance. I blamed all of it on pregnancy hormones. That had to be all this was. I wasn’t attracted to him in the slightest, I told myself.
It’s just your hormones.
The muscles in his arms flexed as he hauled our bags to the front door.
It’s definitely just the hormones.

He stopped at the front door and turned toward me. I stopped in my tracks, suddenly remembering Ellie Caldwell lived here, as if I’d forgotten since getting out of the car. Caleb seemed to read my mind.

“She’s not evil, Angie.”

I did the only thing I could do; I rolled my eyes and let out an irritated huff. This was my life now: pregnant and on the run, living with my archrival. Hands clasped together, shaking from nerves, I only had one person to blame: Lance Walton. When in doubt, always blame Lance Walton.

I walked toward the house. I didn’t have any clue how this would turn out, but I felt assured on one single fact: Ellie would not be okay with this either. Perhaps we would bond over our mutual hatred.

As I stepped onto the porch, the front door flew open. Paul reached out and grabbed a bag from his brother. He looked at me and smirked, revealing a faint dimple much similar to his brothers. But unlike his brother’s, I wanted to smack Paul’s dimple right off his face.