The Lies That Save Us (The Broken Heart Series) (5 page)

Chapter Five

“Well,” said Cayman, teasing, “you’re not as bad a driver as everyone says you are!”

“Very funny.  I’m sure you’ve been talking to so many people, too.”

“You never know,” said Cayman, “I could’ve been.”

“Yes, and I’m so not a private person, so all that information would be freely out there.  And no one in Startup has ever seen me drive -- why am I even discussing this with you?”

Cayman laughed. 

“I have no idea, but it was worth the look on your face, for sure.”

They rode in silence for a moment when Alexa remembered their conversation about his siblings.

“So, what are your brother’s names?  Are you the oldest?  Youngest?  Middle?”

“Yeah, I’m the older, more experienced brother,” he grinned.  “Then there’s Patrick, and bringing up the rear is Samuel
…Sam.  I think we turned out to be pretty good people.”

“Oh, you do, do you?” grinned Alexa.  “I think you’re a bit forward.”

Cayman took playful offense at the statement.

“Forward? 
Forward?
  Considering it took me three weeks to grab you and kiss your neck, I would say I was certainly a gentleman.  What did you want, a year?  Too bad if you did.  All that beauty, just wasting away; I think I was definitely a prince.”

“Oh, now that’s funny!” laughed Alexa, “a prince, really.  That’s how you see yourself?  A prince?” 

“Cayman reached across his chest with his good hand and gently stroked her cheek.

“You know, if I wasn’t so wounded from protecting you, I’d pull this car over right now and let you have your way with me.”

Alexa leaned into his hand and said, “Yes, and who’s driving the vehicle?  I would be the one pulling over, and as charming as you are, that’s not going to happen.  We have work to do.  And speaking of work, what are we doing?  What are we going to do once we get to Arizona, assuming I can even remember the place Dad and I went to.”

“We’re going to figure this out, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Just then Alexa’s cell phone rang.  It was Tahleah, talking excitedly.  Alexa immediately went pale.  She pulled to the side of the road and stopped.

“Whoa, slow down!  Say it again, slower this time.”

From the way Alexa was pressing the phone to her ear, it was apparent her friend had slowed down and she was able to digest what she was being told. 

“Thanks, Tahleah.  Thanks for letting me know.  Keep me posted.  Thanks for cleaning it all up.  Sorry you had to do that.”

She hung up the phone and turned to Cayman.

“What’s happened?” 
he asked with concern.

“My place was broken into.  They don’t know when, but it looked to be shortly after we left.  It was pretty trashed, but nothing was broken.  It would seem whoever was in there was particularly interested in my book shelf, which is where I kept my photo album- the one we brought with us.”

Cayman sat back and sighed.

“There’s something in that album we’re not seeing.  We need to scrutinize every photo tonight when we stop.”

Time flew by like the mile markers on the side of the highway.  Cayman was feeling pretty tired by the time they pulled off the road for some lunch.  They decided they would go as far as Boise and stop there for the evening so he could rest.  Alexa helped Cayman get settled into his room.  She put his shave kit items on the counter in the bathroom so he could easily get the things he needed.

“I may need a sponge bath tonight, you know.  The doctor said no showers for a few days.”  He smiled at her invitingly.

“In your dreams, gun boy.  You play with bullets and you’re going to get hurt.  Think about that next time.  And sponge bath with your good arm.”

Cayman crossed the room to where Alexa sat and pulled her to her feet with his good arm. 

“What?”  she asked smiling up at him.

“What do you mean ‘what’?”
he grinned.  “You’ve been amazing, and I need you to know that.”  He lifted her chin with his hand and kissed her gently. 

“Cayman, I-”

“I know, I know,” he said as he sat down at the table.  “I get it, Alexa, but sometimes I just need to kiss you.  No strings attached, just a kiss.”

If he only knew what those kisses did to her, he would probably have used it much more to his advantage.  Her stomach lurched each time she looked into his eyes or followed the curve of his mouth.  She loved the strength of his arms and the security of being wrapped up in them.  She often found herself aching to feel them around her.  She loved how hard her heart beat whenever he held her, how her head spun out of control with each touch.

  But there was something there she’d never experienced before.  He seemed to have a real respect for her, for what she needed the relationship to be.  Even with the conflicted feelings about him that plagued her, she still felt safe with him. 

She refused to tell him any of these feelings right now.  She needed more time to figure him out, so she just smiled, and promptly changed the subject.

“You knew they were following us, didn’t you?” she asked pointedly, smile fading a little.

“What makes you say that?” he said, clearly evading the question.

“You knew…you were pulling your gun out before they even got up alongside us.  You knew.  How did you know, and how did you know you were going to need a gun?  Cayman, I asked myself so many questions while I sat in the ER.  I need to know what you know.  Back at the pond, where we saw my dad, you said you’d ‘make some calls’.  What calls did you make?”

“Nothing earth shattering, I can tell you that.  I know some people in law enforcement because I’ve grown up in the area, that’s all.  I just thought I’d give them a call and see if they’d seen any strangers hanging around.  When they came up empty there was nothing to tell you.  That’s it.  That’s the sum of my phone calls.”

“I want to believe that, Cayman, I really do.  But I can’t afford to take anything at face value anymore.  My life was devastated when my father died, and all the events surrounding his death.  My heart can’t take any more than it’s already taken.  I feel like you’re holding something back.  I don’t know what exactly, I can’t
imagine
what, but something.  I know it.”

“I’ve told you everything I can,” said Cayman softly, “you have to trust me now.  You are just going to have to trust me.”

“What does that mean?” Alexa could feel her voice rising and the fear bubbling into her head, permeating her brain.  “I have to trust you but who are you?  Why should I trust you?  I don’t even know you.”

“Yes, Alexa, you do know me.  I’ve been with you for weeks now.  You know exactly who I am and you know
me
. 
ME,
Alexa.  You know everything you need to know about me.”

Alexa calmly stood and picked up the album.  Cayman’s eyes followed the album as she moved from the table.

“What are you doing?” he asked caustiously.

“I’m going to my room,” she said.  “I’m tired and I want to go to sleep.”

“Alexa, I’m sorry, I wish I had more to tell you, really.  Please, sit down.  Let’s look at some photos and see what we can figure out.” 

Alexa couldn’t look at him.  With each accusation she made regarding his character and her mistrust it was clear she hurt him more.  She wanted to stay, but there was something not right about this, about him.  At the same time she thought that, she wondered how she could possibly suspect this man who so clearly cared for her, and she for him.  What
was
she doing?

She walked to the door, and he didn’t follow her.  The look in his eyes, begging her to stay, was all that needed to be said.  She opened the door, closing it behind her and walked across the hall to her own room.  She unlocked her room door and pushed it open, reaching up to turn on the light at the same time.

Suddenly she was pulled inside as she screamed, “CAYMAN!”  A hand went over her mouth and someone grabbed at the album knocking it out of her grasp.  The album hit the floor and the hand left her mouth as her assailant reached for it.  She turned quickly to face him, kneeing him soundly in the groin.  She heard him grunt as she pushed him over into the dresser and grabbed the album, racing out the door.

“Cayman!  Cayman!”  Before she could get another scream out, Cayman was out his door and reaching for Alexa. 

“What happened?  Are you okay?”

She was completely out of breath from the struggle. 

“A man...in my room,” she gasped, “tried to get the album.  He’s still in there!”

Cayman reached behind him and under his shirt with that same fluid motion he had in the car.

“Go!” he said pointing, “My room.  Go in the bathroom and lock the door.  Here’s my phone, call 911 and don’t come out unless I tell you.” She grabbed the phone and rushed to the bathroom.

He was already walking stealthily to the door of her room.  Using the wall as a shield he peeked around the corner into the room.  Alexa bolted through his door and into the bathroom locking the door behind her.  Her hands shook so bad she could barely dial the phone.  Somehow she managed to dial 911.

The calm voice on the other end was in clear contrast to Alexa’s terror.

“9-1-1; what is your emergency?”

“There’s a man in my room.  He tried… he tried…”

“Ma’am, where are you?”

“I’m at the Family Inn on Main, room 135. Please hurry.”

“Yes, Ma’am.  There is a patrol car on the way right now.  Are you in a safe place?”

“Yes.”

“Stay on the line with me until the officers get to you.  Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Did he harm you, do you need an ambulance?”

“No…no, I’m fine.  But my friend went in there.”

“He went into your room?”

“Yes!”

“Stay where you are.  You should be able to hear the sirens soon.”

It wasn’t longer than three minutes, but it seemed like hours, when she finally heard the sirens blaring.  After what seemed like more hours she could hear Cayman in the hallway talking with the police.  She heard footsteps and heard Cayman again, this time outside the bathroom door.

“Alexa, it’s okay.  You can open the door.”

She turned the knob and pulled the door slowly open.  When she saw Cayman she flew into his arms.  He gingerly moved his sore arm out of the way and grabbed her with his good one, wrapping it tightly around her. 

“Are you okay?  Did he hurt you?” 

The concern in Cayman’s eyes made her want to cry.  No one cared for her like that for a very long time.

“No, no, I’m fine, a little shaken up, but fine.”  She said as she swallowed, blinking back tears.

There were more questions from the officers, more inquiries regarding his first encounter, and now this one.  They had to go to the police station, fill out the required forms and endure even more questions.  By the end of the whole ordeal Alexa was exhausted.  She just wanted to go to bed, but with that thought the terror returned.

It was a few hours before dawn when they entered the motel the following morning.  Cayman walked her to her door and saw the look on her face. 

“Why don’t you stay with me, Alexa?”

“I--I--”

“I’ll sleep on the couch, I promise.  I know you don’t want to be alone tonight and I can’t blame you.  I’d feel safer if I had you where I could see you.”  Cayman put his arm around her and held her close.

“Let me grab a few things,” she said, “and…thank you.” 

She opened the door to her room.  Cayman took her arm gently and pulled her back.

“I’ll have a look around first, if you’re okay with that,” he said.

She nodded and he went through the door first, turned on the light and found it just as it was left.  Alexa went in and grabbed a few things for the night and quickly left the room without looking back.

They sat together on the couch for a few minutes looking through the pictures again, hoping to find something that would give them a clue to her father’s murder and to whatever it was others were looking for in this album. 

Fatigue was quickly overtaking them both, and Cayman leaned his head back against the couch.  He could feel her breathing slow and then move to the steady rhythm of one who was sound asleep.  He gently stroked her hair, wondering how long he could keep his lie from her.  He hadn’t planned on Alexa being who she was.  He hadn’t planned on her beauty, on her strength and her heart.  He wondered how this whole thing would play out.  He carefully pulled his gun from the back of his jeans and stared at it.  He sighed and tapped the barrel against the side of his head, thinking.  He replaced the gun, let his eyelids close and he, too, fell asleep.

Chapter Six

Alexa woke and wiped the drool from her mouth.  She slowly moved her head and her cheek hit a button, a shirt button.  With horror she realized she’d slobbered all down the front of Cayman’s shirt.  He was sitting back and grinning from ear to ear.

“We finally slept together.  I gotta ask…was it all you’d hoped?”

Alexa blushed and gasped when she got a good look at his shirt.

“Oh my gosh!  I’m so sorry…I can’t believe I did that…I-”

“Well, if you’ll give me a minute, I’ll get up and put on a clean shirt.  Actually, I’ll get up and shower, unless you want first dibs.  Of course, we could conserve water and shower together…”  His voice trailed off as he laughed at his own joke.

“You really think you’re funny, don’t you?” 
she chided him.

“I do what I can, you know…it’s a gift.”

She slapped his good arm and stood up, stretching. 

“You first, I’ll wait.”  She walked to the still made bed and pulled down the covers.  Crawling into the comfort of the clean blankets she pulled them over her and snuggled into crisp clean sheets.  Cayman walked to the side of the bed and sat down.  She smiled up at him.  He moved the hair out of her face with his finger and bent down, softly kissing her cheek.

“It’s such a corner I feel myself in,” she said, “I’m so grateful to have you with me, but still wondering who you are.”

“You know who I am.  I keep telling you who I am, and you’re incredibly beautiful.”

“Go take your shower,” she said smiling.

“It’ll have to be a cold one, that’s for sure.”

She watched him gather up clean clothes, shave kit, shoes and socks.  He walked into the bathroom, closed the door and soon she heard the water running.

Alexa lay in bed, feeling no less confused than she had before.  There was a part of her that was falling for this man, in a guarded, not-so-sure sort of way.  He was kind, protective and she felt she could count on him.  That meant something, right?  She tried to reason with herself, or was it justifying her position?  It seemed to her that if she ever figured out if it was reasoning or justification, she’d have her answer about him.

She had her turn in the shower and as she finished dressing she gathered her things from the bathroom counter.  She opened the door and with her first step from the bathroom she stopped.  Cayman’s incredible cologne filled her senses.  Oh the things that smell made her want to do, but she couldn’t and she knew it.  Biting her lip for support she squared her shoulders and with great difficulty reminded herself of the reason for this trip.  Answers.  She needed answers about her dad…and Cayman.

Alexa turned from the hallway and found Cayman sitting patiently on the side of the bed with his bag already packed.  Their eyes met and sent the familiar stirring through her she’d so come to enjoy.  It was a moment that seemed to last an eternity until he spoke.

“Ready?”

It was clear by the look in his eye
, as he took in the whole of her standing before him, he was having the same conversation with himself that she was.  He had a lot more on his mind than ‘
ready’
, in fact, she wanted to ask him ‘for what?’ but she dared not go down that road.  Instead she just cleared her throat and nodded her head.

They went together over to her room, which still gave her the creeps, and Cayman waited with her while she grabbed what few things she’d left there and hurried out the door.

They walked to the motel restaurant for breakfast.  It was about nine-thirty and they were anxious to get back on the road, even though they were both tired.  They figured it wouldn’t be a long day, as their night’s sleep had been pretty short.  Still, they wanted to get at least a few miles of road behind them.

They ordered their breakfast and discussed the night.  Cayman asked her again if she would recognize the man that attacked her if she saw him.  She laughed and said, “No, but my knee probably would.” 

Cayman’s laughter filled the restaurant and brought that flip flop feeling back to the pit of her stomach.  She forced herself not to give in to the ache that made her want to give herself to him.  She watched him as his laughter died to a smile.  He looked at her with such warmth.  Is it real?  Is
he
real?  Tearing her eyes from his, she turned her head and gazed out the window and gasped. 

He was there again, her father, there in the window.  Cayman was on his feet in an instant.

“What?  What is it?”

She’d jumped up and was already heading to the door, but her father was gone.  Had he even been there?  Was this really someone impersonating him?  How could he look so much like him?”

Cayman knew immediately who she was looking for.  She could see the flashes of lightning in his eyes as he spoke.

“I don’t know who is doing this, Alexa, but we’ll find out.  And he better be prepared when we do.  No one has a right to play this kind of sick joke on anyone.  Especially, you, after all you’ve been through.  Come back inside.”  He put his arm around her waist and gently walked her back into the restaurant.

She wasn’t crying this time, she wasn’t hysterical.  She was thinking, mulling over the whole incident in her mind, all the incidents where she’d seen her father.
Every
time she’d seen him, Cayman was with her.  He had to be connected to this, but how?  Maybe he didn’t have anything to do with any of it, but that seemed like a long shot.

Cayman helped her into her seat and went to the other side of the booth and sat down.  He stared at her as she looked out the window lost in thought.

“This isn’t the reaction I’d expect from you.”  His voice floated into her head.

“Hmm?”  she mumbled absently. 

“I said, this isn’t the reaction I’d expect from you.”

“Oh, yeah,” she said, coming to the present, “I, uh, was just thinking.  I mean, why do you suppose he all of a sudden shows up in my life?   I mean, why now?  And he’s obviously following us.  I just have a million questions and no answers.”

Cayman looked down at his breakfast and then back up to Alexa.

“You’re amazing.  After all you’ve been through you can still break this down and look at it piece by piece.  Who can do that?  I can’t even do that.  I just want to crack his head.”

He sat there, staring at her with a softness that made her want to jump into his arms.  His concern for her made him all the more difficult to resist.  She’d almost let herself jump in that ring a couple times, and with all that had happened since he appeared on the scene, she couldn’t allow herself the luxury of falling for him. 

She forced herself to eat, only because with food in her mouth she didn’t have to say much.  It gave her time to sort through the events of the past few days, the proximity of Cayman to all those events and the appearance of her father, as well.  Thinking through just that much of it made what food she had managed to get down come right back up her throat. 

“I think I’m done,” she said with a smile.  “Are you ready to go?”

She hadn’t been looking at him, but when she looked up he was studying her face.

“You’re sure doing a lot of thinking over there,” he said, trying to sound light.

“Yeah,” she said casually, “guess I was just hungrier than I thought.”

“Oh, sure,” he said with a laugh, “you ate all of two bites.  You must have been famished.”

She was standing up and heading to
the register as he spoke.  He threw the tip down on the table and quickly caught up to her.  He paid for the meal and they headed for the car.  The effect of  the pain killers gone, they decided he could try driving for a while and see how it went.  He backed out of the parking space and headed for the freeway.  It wasn’t long until they were at freeway speed.  They would try to make it most of the way through Utah, at least as far south as they could.

“You know, you don’t need to pay for every meal,” she said turning to look at him.

“And why not?” he said most gallantly, “Isn’t that the chivalrous thing to do?”

His grin was incredible, causing her insides to tighten in a most deliciously uncomfortable way.

“It’s not about that,” she said, forcing her concentration, “it’s about sharing the expenses.  This trip isn’t your responsibility, it’s mine.”

In that instant in the restaurant, Alexa had changed.  She was no longer the weak, fearful woman he had put in the car back in Startup.  She was now a woman on a mission.

“What happened back there?” asked Cayman curiously.  He was exiting the freeway, opting for back roads with less visibility than a freeway.

“What do you mean?  You know what happened.  I saw my father again, or someone that looked like him.”

They had been on the road for about an hour, talking for some of the time, sometimes lost in thought.   Now they sat in silence and finally Alexa spoke.

“Where’s the map?”

“In the glove box, why?”

“Because at the next major city, you’re going to drop me off at a car rental place and I’m going on by myself.”

Cayman came unglued.

“No you’re not!” he said firmly.  “Alexa, there are people after you, after that album.  You can’t do this by yourself.  You need someone with you!”

“And how would you know I can’t do it by myself?”  she asked turning to him.  “I made it through my father’s murder, the trial and conviction of my fiancé, the purchase of the diner, a whole butt load of heavy duty issues.  What makes you think I can’t do this myself?”

“Well, for one thing, you don’t have a gun, and if you did, could you even shoot straight?”

The car was in the middle of nowhere and Alexa said, “Pull over.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”  She was determined.

Cayman pulled the car over.  Alexa got out and opened the passenger door.  She fumbled around in her overnight bag until her hand hit the cold steel of her small hand gun.  Grabbing a pop can from the garbage bag in the car she set it firmly on a rock off the side of the road.  Crossing to the other side of the road she lifted the pistol she’d just pulled from her bag, aimed and shot the pop can off the rock.  She crossed back to where the can lay on the ground, picked it up and placed it back on the rock, the bullet hole facing her.  She went to the other side of the road again and shot the can just as she had before.  The pinging sound of the bullet hitting the can resounded through the canyon.  She crossed the road one more time, picked up the can and took it to Cayman, who was standing dumbfounded outside the driver’s side of the car.  She handed him the can.

There was just one bullet hole in the can.  She’d shot the can twice in the same spot.  He was impressed.

“Wow-” he said, stopping abruptly as he looked up and into the barrel of her gun.  “What--what are you doing?”

Her arms were straight, both hands on the gun in a perfect shooting stance.

“Do you really think my father would raise me the way he did, and not teach his little girl to shoot?” she looked at him blankly and continued.  “I don’t know who you are, or why you’re determined to help me, but you’re not kidding me.  Either you
tell
me what your interest is in this right now, or I put a bullet in your knee cap and leave you on the side of the road.”

The dynamic between the two of them had just made a serious left turn.  This was going to be a problem, and Cayman knew it.