Deceived (30 page)

I’d spent countless hours imagining myself in movies and sitcoms where there were siblings and two parents. However, until that moment, I’d never truly longed for it. I’d never seen it up close and personal.

My things were already in Nicholas’s old room. The room had a shared Jack and Jill bathroom that connected it with Sara’s old room. I decided to freshen up from the trip before I went back out to say my good nights.

“Don’t look at any of these pictures,” Nicholas warned. “Do not touch my yearbooks, and please don’t ask my mother about any of these awards.” He looked almost like a kid, humbled and embarrassed. Inside those walls, he was just his mother’s son. I nodded in confirmation, and he closed the door behind him.

Inside the bathroom, I cried before I showered. I wasn’t even sure why. I tried to hurry, but despite the coffee, I was dragging. After my shower, I discovered I hadn’t packed any pajamas nice enough to be seen in. Tatty sweats and Dad’s old tees weren’t how I wanted the Austins to remember me. I knocked on Sara’s door.

“Come in.” Her voice sounded like my body felt. Exhausted.

“Hey, Elle. Everything okay?”

“Um, yeah, everything’s great, except … ”

“No pajamas?”

My standing in a towel might have given me away.

She dug into a drawer and tossed me something to put on.

I ducked out to change.

After a few minutes, there was a knock on my door.

“Elle?” Sara waited.

I let out a sigh of relief and opened the door.

“Thanks for the pajamas.” They were cute. The top looked like a football jersey and the pants were plain gray, made of the softest cotton I’d ever felt. I’d been in my last outfit for two days.

“I’m glad they fit. I hope you’re not uncomfortable here.” She seemed troubled. “I was in here thinking of how much quiet and privacy you’ve always had. We must seem like a circus to you.”

“No, I’m glad to be here. I’m … adjusting.” I felt a little bashful talking to her so candidly.

“Hey, you two.” Nicholas appeared in the hall behind her. “I made up my bed in the game room. I think the guys are going to stay with me. They’re gaming. I need to borrow a plastic guitar.”

“Borrow Mom’s.” Sara smiled.

“It’s pink.”

Nicholas took my hand and led me out to the great room where his parents sat talking. “The girls are going to turn in,” he announced. “I’m going to go rock.”

“Do you need my little guitar?” his mom asked genuinely. Sara giggled and elbowed him in the ribs. Mrs. Austin went to get the guitar.

“Well, good night, kids. We’re awfully glad you decided to stay here.” His father packed up his glasses and reading material. “It’s not the same without you.” Mr. Austin’s voice was another version of Nicholas’s, authoritative by trade but softened by age.

Back in the room, I thought about him some more. Nicholas’s father had watched me for years. I didn’t know how long exactly, but I was definitely a child when it began. To a man who valued family, I thought he might’ve considered me to be already a part of his. He had protected me like I was his own, and he had watched me grow up until he retired.

I fell asleep that night thinking of my father, Special Agent Smith, and all he’d given up to protect me. I thought Mom would’ve approved. I did, too. Somehow, I would help make this right.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Nicholas’s dad greeted me at the breakfast table with a ready smile. I schlepped to the coffee pot and sat in the chair across from him. “Hi.”

“Not a morning person?” His smile grew. I stared. My brain idled.

“I spoke to your dad late last night. He’s eager to talk with you.”

“Really?” I sat straighter, forcing my mind to attention. “He’s safe? Is he coming here?”

“He’s working a solid lead. His team’s got him covered, but they think it’s wise to keep you two apart for the moment.”

My shoulders drooped. I pressed the steaming mug to my lips and sipped. I had so much to say to Dad.

The front door swung open, setting a blast of cold air loose through the room. I nearly dropped under the table with a heart attack. Nicholas pushed the door shut and rubbed his palms together. Dressed in running gear and a beanie, his cheeks and nose were red from brisk morning air. Nothing like a sudden blast of icy air to wake me up in the morning. I rubbed my palms against the gooseflesh on my arms.

He winked at me and clapped his dad on the back.

“How’d you sleep?”

I shivered. My fingers wrapped around the mug for warmth as the cold air settled around us. “Dad called last night. He’s calling for me today.”

“When?” Nicholas’s mom spoke nearby. Mrs. Austin smiled in the hallway off the kitchen. “Sara and I are going shopping. We hoped you’d come along.”

I shook my head. “I think I should stay here.” Dad had given up everything trying to keep me safe. I needed to get back to him in one piece, no matter how good gourmet coffee and a hot pretzel from the food court sounded.

“You can spend the day with me.” Nicholas sat beside me with a bottle of water.

Awkwardness settled on my shoulders. I pressed the mug against my lips.

I dressed in jeans and a hoodie after breakfast, but Nicholas zipped his parka over me too, insisting that the wind off the bay was ruthless. Sun shone over the water behind the Austin home, twinkling on the surface and blinding me temporarily.

“I love the water,” he said. “I grew up tubing on this water. Jet Skis, kayaks, you name it. I love it.”

“I grew up loving our cabin in the woods. I’m more of a tree climber, four-wheeler girl.”

Nicholas took my hand in his, warming me from head to toe. We walked along the water and onto a short private dock. He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it. Quick and gentle. No big deal, like he did it all the time. Then he dropped it and handed me a rock.

I scrunched my nose. “Thanks?” A giggle slipped out. Weird guy.

“Okay, Outdoor Barbie, can you do this?”

I lifted an eyebrow. No one had ever called me a Barbie before.

Nicholas made a big show of winding his arm back and rocking on his heel like a professional baseball pitcher, then came forward in slow motion, whipping his wrist at the last moment and tossing his rock against the water. It skipped and spun several times before disappearing. I clapped and whistled through my teeth and two fingers.

“You want to see that again?” He tossed another smooth, flat stone in the air before us. A stack of stones sat at our feet on the wide wooden planks.

While he wound up, I lifted a rock from the pile.

“What? No cheering this time? One cheer is all I get?” He popped one hip in a what-gives pose.

“Can I try?”

He smirked and bent down to choose a rock.

“Oh, no I’m ready.” I held my rock between my fingers.

Nicholas gave me an underhand wave and I let it loose. My rock glided over the water like it had an engine, touching and jumping endlessly until it disappeared in the distance. Unable to hide the smug look on my face, I looked at my feet, enjoying the burn of my cheeks.

A round of applause broke out from the lawn behind us. His brothers and their friends clapped, some with footballs tucked under their arms.

The youngest wrapped fingers around his lips and yelled, “She schooled you, son.”

That was it. I laughed. My world went topsy-turvy as Nicholas tossed me over one shoulder and took off toward his house. The crowd of boys came running after us. I laughed until my sides ached from lack of oxygen and sheer joy.

“Nicholas?” Our run stopped short when his mother opened the rear deck door. “Elle’s phone’s ringing.”

Nicholas set me on the tile inside the back door. I jumped and stumbled over my feet getting to my bag and pulled half the contents out with the phone.

“Dad! Is that you? Oh my goodness, I’ve been so freaked out.” I didn’t care that all of the Austins probably listened. I also didn’t care about the lies or any of it. Dad was safe and that was all I needed to know. As long as he was safe, I had hope for a different future with him. We could make sure the Reaper never tore another family apart.

Having all the lies stripped away made it so much easier for me to really know my dad. For once, we were in cahoots instead of avoiding one another. Dad had kept his distance in the past. He didn’t need to anymore. We’d reached a turning point.

“Elle, can I come and get you? I can be there in a few hours. We have a lot to talk about.”

I shook my head and struggled for a full breath. “No, don’t, Dad. I’m doing fine here.” He sounded so eager to be with me. My heart warmed. “I’d like to see our new house. Maybe I can come to Texas for Thanksgiving?”

“It’s not safe to travel. You need to take this more seriously. Let me come to you.”

“I am.” I bit into the thick of my lips. Maybe he didn’t get the whole story. I was taking it very seriously. “I’ll bring my Marshal with me.”

I heard a few coughs from the next room, and I smiled.

After a few minutes of begging, he agreed. Then he requested to speak with Nicholas.

“Your turn,” I whispered to Nicholas, extending the phone in his direction.

His family backed away.

Nicholas smiled a charming smile and took the call on the front porch.

I paced around the kitchen island for an eternity. When the latch on the door sounded, I jumped. “What’d he say?”

“He’ll see us for Thanksgiving.”

I nodded and pushed the thought from my mind before heading to take a shower. I did a double take when I opened the bedroom door. The room looked different. White eyelet lace had replaced the blue comforter. There were several outfits strewn across the bed. I looked around for evidence that another Austin might be staying there.

“We went shopping.” His mom’s voice startled me. She stood in the doorway smiling. “We got you a few new things. Olivia joined us at the mall. The girls had fun picking it all out. The bedspread is one of mine. It’s been in my family for years. I thought it suited you better than that old blue thing.”

“The clothes are … ”

“Gifts. We wanted to do something nice. You don’t like them? They’re probably all the wrong size, but you’re so small, we went with those. Will they work?”

“No. I mean yes. I love them. Thank you. I … I don’t have anything for you, and you’ve done so much already.” I sat on the bed feeling small like she said but not in the way she meant.

“You’ve done more than you know.” Her voice was soft before she closed the door, leaving me to my shower.

I lived the next few days in a fairy tale, my fairy tale. I blended with Nicholas’s family. His dad was just like mine. His mother was more than I could’ve hoped for, and all the siblings made chaos enjoyable. The boys attended high school like me, and they had a continuous parade of friends coming through the house. They were all welcomed, all known by name, and they all called Nicholas’s parents Mom and Dad.

I hated to leave them, but I missed my dad.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Nicholas and I packed our bags and headed to Dallas. If I thought about it too long, terror seized my chest. I’d promised to bring my Marshal for protection. I hadn’t told Dad I’d fallen in love with him. Nicholas’s dad, Daniel, warned us. If we had any personal stories to tell, they’d have to be told by us. In other words, he wasn’t getting involved. That shot of awkward was on us. Telling Dad how I felt about Nicholas would be more difficult than telling him about being attacked.

I waited for my luggage at the carrousel, bouncing in place a mile a minute. Nicholas stayed close to capture each bag as it came riding by. Once he had them all, he reached out and pulled me to him.

“Hey, it’s going to be fine. I promise. We’re going to have a great Thanksgiving. You’re surrounded by security. There will be one military-trained professional with you at all times. You have nothing to fear.” He leaned in close enough to kiss me, and my heart fluttered. He pressed his forehead to mine instead. It was hard to be upset with Nicholas so close.

I never knew how to take his gentleness. Sometimes it felt like he was coddling a child. Before he straightened, he pushed the hair from my shoulders and planted a feathery kiss below my right ear. My temperature rose ten degrees. The moment was brief but intimate. Hope rose through my chest. I took his hand, and we turned together to meet Dad outside of the terminal.

Before I’d taken my first step I saw him. He must’ve used his badge to get past security because he stood, frozen, not twenty feet from us, staring. I had no defense for what came next. The look on his purple face told me the exchange between Nicholas and me hadn’t gone unseen. Incapable of bravado, I shut my eyes to hide. It never worked. Nicholas dragged me toward him.

“Mr. Smith, it’s nice to see you again, sir.” Nicholas stretched his arm out to shake my father’s hand. “It’s an honor to be here and to work the Reaper case with you. We’ve made some real headway these past few months. I’d love to talk to you about it.”

My father stared at me, waiting. I smiled, hoping I looked innocent.

Dad ran a hand through his graying hair. “Nicholas.” He shook his hand and the pain in my chest eased slightly. “Gabby.” He pulled me to his chest and held me tight. Dad rested his cheek on my head and made no effort to release me. “I missed you, baby girl,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. He stroked my hair against my back.

“I missed you too, Dad.”

“I’ve been worried sick. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m in good hands.” I smiled at the memories I’d collected in Maryland.

Dad straightened, took one of my hands, and pulled me away from the baggage claim.

Nicholas kept pace, pulling our things along with him.

I couldn’t form a complete sentence the whole way to our new house.

That didn’t stop Nicholas. “Being assigned to Elle has changed my life, Agent Smith,” Nicholas said in the car.

My mouth popped open, and Dad glared at him in the rearview mirror.

Nicholas had thick skin. He just kept going. He told Dad all about his family and what they’d been up to for the past few years. Some of it seemed to entertain Dad, but mostly, it all led back to the glaring.