Troubled Waters (The Lake Trilogy, Book 2) (16 page)

“I don’t feel trapped with you. I feel free with you,” I say squeezing his hand. “It’s just that I was so cut off from real relationships for so long. I didn’t have friends, at all, when I was with my grandparents. I wasn’t even sure I knew how to be a friend, but then Caroline and Gwen came along and made it so easy.
You
made it easy. So…thank you. Thank you for understanding me. It’s another reason why I love you so much.” I lean across the corner of the table and give Will a quick kiss.

We enjoy the rest of our dinner reviewing the highlights of the weekend including the Monopoly rematch where we fashioned a hostile take-over of all of Caroline’s properties. Will won that round, and by the time we were done my sides ached from so much laughing. As we finish up our meal we agree that it was an incredible time, and that we’ll talk with Luke and Claire about telling Tyler next. We have no idea when that’ll happen, but both feel confident that he’ll be able to contain our secret.

We exit the restaurant and Furtick is at the door. He’s usually so good about being a ghost that I’m shocked that he’s put himself out in the open like that.

“Miss Weston, Mr. Holland,” he says sternly. “It’s time to go. Now.”

“What’s going on Furtick?” Will matches Furtick’s tone.

“Mr. Reynolds is on the move. He left Charlotte around two today, which means, if he made good time, he’ll be arriving shortly. I’m sorry, Mr. Holland, but Miss Weston needs to go home immediately.”

“Ok, let’s get home,” Will says in agreement.

“We’ll be dropping you at your apartment on the way. I’ll make sure you get you have your car in time for class tomorrow morning. Right now, we can’t risk anything.” Furtick’s tone is strong and decisive. He’s in “Marine” mode and what he says is law.

“What do you mean? I’m not going to leave her alone!” Will is furious that he can’t be there to protect me.

“And what do you think you’re going to do if Mr. Reynolds shows up?” Furtick stares at Will but softens for a moment. “Will. She needs you to go home. If you risk being found out, you risk losing her. I need you to trust me. I will take care of her like she’s my own. I promise.” Will’s eyes drop. He knows Furtick is right and he hates it. He’s done so much, sacrificed so much, risked so much so that we could be together.  I know he hates that he now has to let go and let Furtick and Luke take over.

We scurry to the Jeep and Will and I climb in the back.  “Oh, Will,” I fall into Will’s arms.

“It’s ok, baby,” he says.

We pull up to Will’s apartment and I realize that I’ve never been here. It’s a gated community for which Furtick knows the security code. We drive through the endless maze of buildings and arrive at Will’s. I kiss him with a soft, tender kiss, and tell him that I love him more than he’ll ever know. No sooner have the words left my mouth than Will is out of the car and Furtick is whisking me away. We’re screeching out of the parking lot just in time for me to turn and see Will duck into the safety of his building. I scan the windows and wonder which one is Will’s.

“I don’t mean to be unappreciative, Furtick, but why are we at DEFCON 1? If he’s just getting into town, why the urgency in getting me home and Will anywhere but with me?” I ask, truly trying not to sound thankless. “Aren’t Taylor and Cline following him?”

“They lost him when they merged into traffic on I-95 in Jacksonville.”

“And you didn’t want Will to know that.”

“No, ma’am. I…I didn’t want him to think my team wasn’t capable of protecting you.”

“He doesn’t think that.”

“Just the same, I’d prefer he not know. We’ll be able to trace Mr. Reynolds once he starts using his debit card in town. And we’re assuming he’ll go back to the apartment he set up when he first arrived here. Taylor and Cline are rectifying the situation.”

“I know you can protect us, Wes.” I use his given name because I want to connect with him personally right now. I know the business and personal are battling it out for his emotions. It’s harder for him at certain times, like when there seems to be an imminent threat to me. I can only imagine what it conjures about his daughter, but I want him to know that he’s more than a human shield to me.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Furtick doesn’t say another word to me on the drive home. He does, however, have several conversations with Luke and Taylor. His choice of words, especially when he’s talking to Taylor, makes me blush. I can’t make out what the situation is exactly except that Marcus is somewhere in town but they don’t know precisely where. He hasn’t made it back to his apartment yet and he hasn’t shown up at my house either.

When we arrive at the house, Claire flies out the front door to meet me, followed by Luke who heads straight for Furtick. They’re arguing as we all enter the house and find ourselves in the Great Room.

“How the hell did they lose him,
again
? Are you telling me that two professionally trained men can’t follow
one
person? I’m having a hard time trusting your team here, Furtick!” Luke roars.

“Stop, Uncle Luke! Stop! It’s not his fault! Furtick is doing an amazing job and he
is
keeping me safe! It’s no one’s fault that Taylor and Cline lost him in traffic. You want them to break the law just to follow him?” I say, just a decibel below Luke’s.

“I want them to do whatever is necessary to keep you safe,” he says, calming only slightly.

“Well…if they’re going to do whatever is necessary, they’d better save their law-breaking tasks for when it’s really going to count, shouldn’t they?” I rebut.

“Ok, everyone just calm down,” Claire adds. “Everyone in the kitchen…now.” We all obey without hesitancy because that’s what you do when Claire gives an order. “If Marcus is bold enough to come straight here, I don’t want Layla out in the open like that where she can be seen from the window. Layla, you don’t leave this house without Furtick. Not Furtick as your shadow; Furtick as your third arm. He will drive you to school. He will walk you to class. He will wait outside your classroom. He will not leave your side. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I say with a heavy sigh.

“And no Will. Not even on campus,” she adds. “Luke will call him tonight and tell him.”

“Why can’t I tell him?” I protest.

“Because we need to be selective in the information we give Will,” Luke answers.

“How long is this going to go on? How are we supposed to live like this? It’s like we traded one hell for another!” I run up to my room like a little girl, but I don’t care. I can’t believe what’s happening. I had Will and then lost him and then just got him back, and now Marcus is having some psychotic break and ruining everything! What happened to having paid my penance? What happened to getting my life, my love, back?

I can’t think. My head is swimming in an overflowing goop of unfairness so I go into the bathroom and turn the shower on. Steam begins to fill the room and fog up the window and mirror. I get in the shower and let the hot water wash over me. It’s calming and peaceful. All the tense muscles in my body begin to relax and the goop in my brain is melting. I lean my head from side to side, stretching my neck.
Ahhh
.

As I wash my hair my mind seems clearer and I start thinking of things I could say or do to reason with Marcus; give him all the reasons he doesn’t really want me. I’m damaged, and everyone I’ve ever loved has been killed.
Do you really like those odds, Marcus?
How about I just reiterate the truth that I don’t feel the same way about him?
You don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t love you.

By the time I’m finished my fingers are sufficiently pruney and my mind is full of ideas that I’m more confident will be shot down than considered. I grab a towel and dry my hair briefly before I wrap it around my body. I tuck the corner into the top of the towel and reach up to wipe the steamy mirror, but stop in my tracks. Written in the steam are the words, DON’T KEEP ME WAITING.

I scream.

Luke has put us on silent lock down. It took him twenty minutes to convince me that the creepy note had been written on the mirror before I took my shower, and when the mirror steamed up the words appeared. The idea that Marcus had been in my room, my bathroom, makes me want to throw up.

Once I was calm enough to understand and believe him, Luke issued the decree that we were all to be silent. If Marcus could get into the house unnoticed, there’s no telling what he did while he was there. Luke and Furtick are scouring the house for audio or video devices, waving little black electronics around like old men looking for treasure on the beach. They turned my room upside down, as well as the kitchen and the Great Room. Luke even has Furtick check the porch, patio, and the dock, although the dock is so heavily shrouded with limbs and Spanish moss that I don’t know what he could possibly do there.

My naivety of thinking I could reason with Marcus has become obvious. This is so much bigger than I thought. All I can think is that in order to keep my family safe, I need to talk to him. I’m the only one who’s going to be able to reach him. I need to know what he meant when he said he knew what I wanted. Luke comes through the kitchen and indicates that the house is clean. I formulate a shaky plan and decide to present it to Luke, Claire, and Furtick.

“I think I should talk to him,” I say bluntly.

“There’s no way in hell you’re going to talk to him, Layla,” Luke says immediately, matching my directness.

“Uncle Luke, just hear me out. I’m the one he wants, so I’m the one he’s going to talk to. He’s not going to listen to anything you or Furtick have to say. If we’re going to have any idea what he wants, I’m going to have to talk to him.” I watch all three of them for their response. They’re all deadpanned and I don’t know what to think.

“It’s actually not a bad idea, Mr. Weston,” Furtick finally says. “We’re following him and watching him, but that’s not deterring him. If Miss Weston set up a time and public meeting place, I could watch her. We could find out what’s really going on and may be able to negotiate with him.”

“Luke,” Claire begins. “It scares me, too, but I think they’re right. We’re working on some theories right now but we don’t have anything solid yet. He could say or do something that becomes the missing piece we’ve been looking for.”

Luke stares at all of us like we have three heads. Clearly he thinks this is a terrible idea. I know he just wants to protect me and is doing everything he can to do that. It must be killing him that Marcus was able to get into the house, but after a few extremely long moments, he concedes.

“Fine, but I determine the place and time. Furtick will be there in plain sight so you know where he is at all times. Furtick, he makes one move that puts Layla in danger and you shoot him. You don’t shoot to injure. You kill the bastard.” We all nod, knowing that it took a great deal for Luke to agree to this and any argument of the rules will take the whole thing off the table.

I pull my phone out. My heart is pounding, about to beat out of my chest. I scroll through my still-measly contact list and touch Marcus’ name and the text icon. I sit there for a minute trying to think of what to type. Am I playful to ease the tension or get him in a good mood? Do I simply tell him I need to talk to him? I decide my best option is to be as blunt with him as he has been with me.

              L. Weston: I got your message. Very creative…and creepy.

It takes exactly eleven seconds for Marcus to reply.

              M. Reynolds: I wanted to make sure you knew it was from me.

             
L. Weston: Of course I knew it was you. No one else I know would so heinously
              invade my personal space like that.

             
M. Reynolds: I’m assuming that you’ve come to your senses.

             
L. Weston: I’ve done no such thing, but I think we should talk.

             
M. Reynolds: That’s too bad, but perhaps I’ll persuade you when we meet.

             
L. Weston: Unlikely.

             
M. Reynolds: When would you like to meet, my love.

My skin crawls at his term of endearment. Luke dictates his parameters for my meeting with Marcus, and I transcribe them into text.

              L. Weston: Don’t call me that. Tomorrow. North end of the quad. 1 pm.

             
M. Reynolds: I’ll be there with bells on. Until then.

Ugh!
I feel like I need to take another shower. I can’t believe I ever let him near me. More than that, I can’t believe I trusted him. He had really been there for Will and me. I thought his advances were harmless flirting that I was able to handle at the time. I had no idea or clue that inside Marcus Reynolds was a psycho stalker, festering, waiting for the perfect time to show up. Will’s death was just what he needed to send him over the edge. I don’t know exactly what will happen tomorrow, but if Marcus doesn’t watch his step,
he’s
going to end up the dead one.

*****

I’m fidgeting.  It’s 12:55 pm and I can’t help but think that Marcus is here, slinking in a corner watching me from a distance. My next thought is about Will. I’ve answered his texts vaguely, trying to put him at ease. I’ve reassured him that Furtick is now a fixture at my side, which is the only reason he let me come to campus today. I begin to wonder what Luke told him to keep him from discovering me in conversation with Marcus, but I remember that Will’s classes are on the other side of campus and that is why Luke chose this spot at this time.