Hybrid Zone Recognition (31 page)

The sound of crickets filled the air as Adam slowly rocked us. It was so peaceful here. I wished I could relax, but there was too much swirling around in my brain.

“So, this is courting,” I said.

He snorted in laughter.

“It’s nice,” I protested. “We’re clean, and no one is trying to kill us.”

Without warning, he scooped me up on his lap and hugged me close. Cradled in his arms, I relaxed against Adam with my cheek resting on his chest.

“Did you know Miranda awarded me the Medal of Honor?”

“No. Where did she get one of those?”

“We found it in an antique shop in New Orleans.”

He tightened his hands around my waist, pulling me closer. Gently he began to nuzzle my hair. The nuzzling was soon replaced by soft kisses against my temple.

“She gave it to me as part of a tradition we have.”

“Tradition?” he said distractedly as his kisses trailed down my face. I didn’t think he was listening to me at all.

“Adam?” I said softly.

“Yes?”

“Should I feel guilty for being a part of killing Pike?”

Adam let go of me, and his head dropped back and hit the porch swing. If it weren’t for the cocoon of blankets, I’d have fallen to the floor.

“You really know how to kill a mood,” he groaned.

“Sorry, it’s been bothering me. That I don’t feel guilty, I mean.”

He readjusted me on his lap, but held me more loosely this time. “He attacked you. He intended to kill you. Your actions were in self-defense and completely justifiable.”

That was what I thought too, but I just needed to hear someone else say it. I’d never killed anyone before. The ease with which I took to the task was unexpected, as was the total lack of guilt.

“What happens now with the Organization?” I asked.

“This was not what I had in mind for courting,” he grumbled.

“Fine.” I pulled myself upright. “Kiss me.”

The single eyebrow raise greeted my command.

“You heard me. Kiss me. Right here, right now, full-fledged kissing.”

He did not obey. He still remained motionless, regarding me with suspicion.

I sighed. “I know you are not going to answer my questions, which I have so many of, until—” I wasn’t able to finish my reasoning.

He launched himself at me, sending the blankets flying. We ended up with him on top of me and my head hanging off the porch swing. He quickly put his hand under my head and brought my face close to him. And kiss me he did. My face, my lips, my jaw, and that was when I saw Granny.

Adam.

He did not respond. He was struggling with the lace encasing my neck.

I grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
Adam! Granny’s watching.

He froze instantly. Slowly, he raised his head to look at Granny. “Granny,” he said calmly, as if he wasn’t lying on top of me and hadn’t just been trying to rid me of my neck lace.

She smacked her lips and pierced him with her bright green eyes. “You gonna make me use this?” she asked, waving a water hose at him.

This was so humiliating. Busted by Granny.

“No, Ma’am.” He eased back off me with his gaze still trained on Granny.

Then she turned her disapproving glare on me. Without the support from Adam’s hand, I was looking at Granny upside down. She wasn’t any less scary from this angle.

Her voice was laced with steel as she said, “Courting’s over, young lady.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” I whispered.

I complied by righting myself and sliding off the porch swing. I made sure to avoid eye contact with Adam. I suspected the water hose was on a hair trigger.

She motioned me ahead of her when I went to stand beside her. I couldn’t help myself. I gave Adam just the briefest of glances as I started forward. Before I could even turn my head back around, I felt the sting of the hose.

“Get moving, girle,” she ordered.

I rubbed my backside where the nozzle had caught me and reached for the screen door. I now believed that nozzles and hoses might just be my new lifelong nemesis. Then it dawned on me that she’d whacked me with something. I must be part of the family. Despite my stinging backside, I happily went inside the cabin.

She led me to a room off the main living area that I hadn’t noticed before. It was simply furnished with only a twin bed piled with quilts.

“Ya gonna sleep here tonight,” she said as she pulled the quilts back and smoothed the sheet underneath.

At her direction, I slid in, and she lowered the covers over me. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she turned her spotlights on me again, and I looked down rather than into their glare.

“Ya love’em?”

My eyes snapped to hers.

She asked again. “Ya love’em?”

I closed the bond between Adam and myself as tight as I could. Then I answered as truthfully as I was able. “I feel something for him,” I admitted. “I don’t know if it’s love.”

She nodded as if she’d figured as much. “I’m tired,” she said.

Okay, I thought, confused. Did I have something to apologize for?

“I’ve lived a good long life,” she said, looking directly into my eyes.

The light bulb suddenly turned on. She meant she was tired of living. I so did not want to be talking to her about this. But then my reluctance turned to anger.

“Are you asking my permission to die?”

Her expression turned to one of guilt.

“Look, I know Adam has had you all his life, but I just found you. You absolutely do not have my permission to die. Even if Adam and me get married and have a slew full of cubs, you are not allowed to die.”

She sniffed. “Ya got gumption, I’ll give ya that.” She took my hand in hers and gently stroked the backside of my palm. “He loves ya, ya know?”

Back to that again. “Granny,” I sighed. “I’ve only known him five days.”

“Ain’t no need to get all prissy. I know’d you love’em too.”

Granny of steel was back, and I was not going to argue with her.

“Ya gonna figure it out,” she said, giving my hand one last pat. She shoved off the bed and started to leave. At the door she paused. “I think I might ought a stick around for a while. Ya’ll gonna need help when the cubs come.”

The closing of the door signaled her exit. Once again, I breathed a sigh of relief as the interrogation ended. Being around Granny was almost as difficult as being around Adam.

Macy?

Yeah?

Where did you go?

Nowhere. Granny was talking to me.

And you had to shut me out?

Do you want to know what she was talking to me about?

He thought about it a minute.
Probably not.

Good call. Given his prior reluctance to talk about his feelings, I didn’t think he would appreciate Granny confessing his love for me. He’d be furious at her hinting at dying.

Where are you sleeping?
I asked him.

In the loft.

There’s a loft?

Look up.

I did and saw a section of the ceiling lift away. Adam’s smiling face appeared in the opening.

Care if I join you?
he asked.

My eyes flashed to the door.

Relax, once Granny’s asleep, she’ll be out till morning.

Will you be out before she comes in?

He flipped himself through the opening and stood on the bed. Quietly he eased the latch shut. I scooted over, and he slid under the covers beside me. Even with him wrapped around me, there was no wriggle room.

You’re going to get it if she catches you,
I warned.

Go to sleep, Macy. I’m a big boy. I’ll live.

Yeah, a big boy who is not talking aloud for fear he’ll be discovered by Granny.

He snorted softly and kissed the back of my head. I felt like a teenager with all this sneaking around.

Sleep, Woman.

Well, one of us definitely wasn’t a teenager. I guess old people needed their sleep.

Adam’s soft growl reverberated in mock warning against my back.

Don’t strain yourself, Old Timer,
I laughed softly.

Chapter 19

W
ith Adam next to me,
I slept so soundly that my first clue it was morning was Granny’s knock at the door.

Adam and I sat up simultaneously. In one sinuous movement, the
Big Boy
that he was rolled out of bed and dove under it. I barely had time to straighten the covers thrown askew by his acrobatic maneuvers before Granny opened the door.

She stood in the doorway, her eyes sweeping the room. I was terrified I would give us up as I fought the ridiculous urge to giggle. I repeatedly cleared my throat, trying to get rid of it. Her green eyes were hard as emeralds as she watched my battle for composure.

Sighing deeply, another trait she shared with Adam, she walked to the bed and sat down beside me. She took my hand again. I was learning it was her signal for a serious conversation.

“Adam told me ya’ll’s meaning to head out early this morning.”

He hadn’t informed me, but okay.

“I want to talk to ya about something before ya go.”

“Okay,” I said and waited for her to continue.

“Adam told me that your mama died when you was a little girl.”

My face pulled into a confused frown. “Adam told you that last night?”

“Nah, he’s been talking to me about you for quite some time.”

Adam’s unease with the direction of the conversation flushed through my mind. Why had he been talking to Granny about me?

“Anyway, I wanted to make sure ya was informed about certain womanly things.”

I forgot the previous comment as alarm raced through me. Please tell me she was not going to talk to me about sex.

“Now, don’t ya fret. There ain’t nothing to be ashamed of about God’s gift to married folks.”

Where could I run, how could I escape? Adam’s unease had turned to amusement and was only adding to my embarrassment.

“Granny,” I hissed. It sounded harsher than I meant it to be. I swallowed, trying to calm down. “I know about the birds and the bees.”

She dismissed me with a pursing of her lips and a tilt of her head. “Ya might know the how to in ya mind, but ya ain’t got no experience in the doing. That’s what I’m here to tell ya.”

Adam’s amusement quickly faded. He did not want to hear about his Granny’s sexcapades, and neither did I. And how did she know that I didn’t have experience?

“Now, I been a hybrid almost as long as Adam, and I know’d a thing or two about the subject.”

Uugh, it got worse. Now she was going to tell me about some kinky hybrid sex scene. She was worse than Miranda. Adam’s urge to run was almost as strong as mine. And yet, she seemed totally unfazed by my obvious humiliation.

Then, she started cackling. The cackling turned into large guffaws of laughter. She was laughing so hard she had tears streaming down her face. Letting go of my hand, she used her apron to wipe away the tears. “Young’uns is so gullible,” she wheezed.

The rush of panic froze. She’d pranked me. I’d been pranked by Granny.

“I just wanted to tell ya, that
after
ya made your vows,” she paused and gave me a meaningful look, “that ya trust one another when it comes to it. That ya leave fear at the door and just enjoy the learning of it.” Reaching up, she gently patted my cheek, and then she stood and walked to the door.

Just like she’d done previously, she paused at the door. “Adam, ya can come out now. But don’t think for one second, that if you’d taken your liberty with this gal here last night, that I wouldn’t a whooped ya up one side and down the other. Ya understand me, boy?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Adam croaked from his hiding spot.

Nodding once to herself, she left, pulling the door closed behind her.

The room was filled with a strange silence until Adam pushed himself out from under the bed. He made no further attempt to get up, but lay on his back with his knees bent and feet flat on the floor. The look on his face was one of contrite shock.

“I might be slightly afraid of Granny,” he admitted.

That admission seemed like the funniest thing I’d ever heard. I covered my face with my hands as I doubled over in laughter. Adam’s laughter soon joined mine.

When I could speak again, I said, “Me too.”

After the laughter settled for the second time, I asked him, “Didn’t you know she would be able to smell you?”

“I panicked.”

“I’ll say.”

He flipped over onto his feet and stood up. “Ready for breakfast?”

I could eat, but I didn’t know if I could face Granny.

“Think it’s safe?”

“Come on,” he said, taking my hand and pulling me free of the quilts. “She wouldn’t really hurt you.”

I was glad he thought so, but I was going to keep an eye out for wayward rolling pins and garden hoses.

We ate a quick breakfast of leftover ham and biscuits with homemade jam, and then she pulled me into a bedroom to choose some clothing. I’d swear there wasn’t anything there past the nineteen fifties.

I finally settled on some white knickers paired with a powder blue button up shirt. She had found a bra, though I wished she hadn’t. This thing was the definition of uncomfortable. What designer thought a pointed cup was a good way to go? A pair of Mary Janes completed the look.

I pulled my hair into a pony tail. It was the first time in days my hair wasn’t in my face. That felt good all by itself. This whole ensemble made me feel like I was seventeen, except even when I was seventeen, I didn’t dress like this.

When I entered the living room, Adam was already there. He stopped what he was doing and watched me walk towards him.

“Sort of feel like I’m robbing the cradle,” he whispered as he helped me slip on a camouflage jacket.

I patted his arm reassuringly. “I imagine all grandpas feel that way when they are pursuing much younger women.”

His eyebrows descended into a frown as he glared at me. I chuckled and starting rolling up the sleeves of the jacket that was slightly too big for me. Adam harrumphed and then helped me adjust the sleeves while Granny stood by silently watching the show.

When Adam slid on his jacket, Granny came forward and took each of us by the arm. “Ya’ll be good to one another,” she said in a rush and then wrapped us in a fierce hug. As abruptly as she’d pulled us close, she let us go and marched to the front door.

We followed her, and she swatted Adam’s backside with a dish towel as he passed her. “Treat her right, ya hear?”

I’d forgotten about the towel. She had game with rolling pins, hoses and towels. She could be called Granny Whacker.

Adam turned and while walking backwards saluted her. “Yes, Ma’am.”

When it was my turn to walk past, she simply said, “Don’t make’em wait too long.”

I cringed at her directive. She was something else.

When I reached the truck, I found Adam brushing off the passenger seat. I’d warned him. He finished and stepped back, allowing me to climb in. He shut the door and I used the handle, yes handle, to roll the window down.

We backed out of the driveway, and I waved to Granny who’d walked to the edge of the porch. Tears sprang to my eyes as I realized I didn’t want to leave Granny behind. When I could no longer see Granny or the cabin, I pulled my head back in and rolled the window back up. It was still a little too nippy this morning to ride with the windows down.

“Where are we headed now?” I asked.

“A small public airport about twenty miles from here. From there, home.”

“In Montana?”

“Yes.”

I’d never lived anywhere but Texas. New Orleans was only part time, so I didn’t count that. Montana was a long way from Texas. And, it hadn’t yet been decided that Montana was my home.

“Has anybody told Renard about Julia?” I asked.

“No. Both he and Julia are currently unaccounted for.”

That probably spelled more trouble. I glanced sidelong at Adam as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Has there been any more word from Cedars?” I asked.

“None.”

Though he was sitting right next to me, I could feel the distance between us growing. Sadness flared within me as I recognized that he was pulling away from me. Apparently, Granny wasn’t the only thing we were leaving behind.

Adam shifted in his seat again and leaned heavily on his door. I didn’t know what was going on other than he was putting distance between us. His mind felt thick, dark. Not dark as in evil, just heavy. Me peppering him with questions he didn’t yet have the answers to probably wouldn’t help.

In an effort to ease this new tension between us, I offered to give him some space. “You want to shut me out and think for a while?”

He seemed startled by the question. Almost as if he’d forgotten I was there at all.

“You wouldn’t mind?” he asked cautiously.

Actually, I did. But it seemed he was intent on it. Whether on purpose or not, he’d already pulled most of the way back from our bond.

“Take the space that you need,” I said, making sure to lock down on my emotions before answering.

Six little words were all that he needed. With one swift click, he slammed the doors completely shut between us, and I couldn’t feel him at all. But I didn’t miss the relief that he felt prior to doing so. I couldn’t deny that hurt.

He brought my hand up to his lips and placed a kiss there. “Thanks,” he whispered.

I pulled my hand free and turned to look out my window. Angry, I slammed my own shields in place while I white knuckled the arm rest on my door. I didn’t know why I was angry. It was my idea, after all. And certainly, I could understand the need to think. Hadn’t I just done this to him last night?

I blew out a breath, slowly releasing my grip on the handle. I had managed to live all of my pre-Adam life without him. I could certainly do it again. And it wasn’t like I didn’t have plenty to think about.

We spent the rest of the drive each concentrated in our own little worlds. That worked for me. At least everyone knew me there.

When we arrived at the airport, Adam was more detached than ever. He began to work the second after we got on the plane. Seated at a desk at the front of the cabin, he delved into the work of the Organization and more or less ignored me.

I sat in the seats opposite him, watching him work and absently munching on the fruit in a nearby basket. Like the flash of a camera, an image of Kenny exploded in my mind. Oh, my God. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten.

I sprang across the aisle to the nearest phone, causing Adam to look up briefly. When he saw me pick up the phone, he went back to work. I dialed Miranda’s cell, hating that she didn’t pick up until the third ring.

“Hey, Mace.” She sounded happy. “Jamie said it was probably you. It is you, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Do you have my cell phone?”

“Hey, Miranda. How are you?” she said. “The rescue went great. I’ve been—feel free to fill in the blank.”

“Hey, Miranda. How are you?” I dutifully repeated. “I’ll fill in the blank later. I think Kenny may be in trouble.”

“Oh,” she murmured her understanding. “It may be in the things that weren’t carted to the original safe house. Give me five and call me back.” She hung up without saying goodbye.

I placed the phone back in the cradle and trained my eyes on the clock hanging over Adam’s head. He never even noticed me looking in his direction. At least he was highly focused on whatever he was doing for the Organization. I had to give him that. When the five minutes were up, I called her back.

“What’s your passcode?”

“Three, six, six, three.” I heard the click signaling she’d entered the correct numbers.

“Does that stand for food?”

“Of course.”

“Mine too,” she said.

One of the reasons I loved her. Not for her passcode, but her love of food.

“You’ve got twenty seven voicemails. I’ll put it on speaker.”

“Okay, but if it’s not someone related to the current situation, move on to the next one.”

“Will do.”

The first one began to play. It was from Kenny on the night I first met Adam.

“Hey, Doc. I’ve thought about what you said, and I think we need to have that conversation. Some strange things have been happening around here.” As if he just realized what he’d said, he snorted. “Stranger than normal, I mean. Call me.”

The next five or six were related to the university. Then there were the frantic and rude messages from Miranda concerning my where abouts.

“Sorry,” she yelled over the ranting. “I was just worried, and you weren’t available. Your voicemail was the next best thing.”

I rolled my eyes in amusement. “Please skip any more rant filled messages from a certain Miranda person.”

“Consider it done,” she replied sheepishly.

The next message that she played for me was from Kenny again.

“Hey, Doc.”

I sat up at the sound of his voice. It was tired and haggard.

“Starting to get worried here. It’s not like you to not return calls.” There was a pause and a lot of static filled silence before he spoke again. “Things are not right. People are disappearing.”

I heard Miranda’s intake of breath.

“They’re not coming back, Doc.” There was a large inhale. “I need you to call me.” Then the line went dead.

“When was that from?” I asked.

“Two days after the initial call. So, three days ago,” she calculated.

She skipped several more calls about various unimportant things. Then Kenny’s frantic voice came on the line again.

“Doc, wherever you are, I pray you’re okay.” His voice sounded so strained, more like the sixteen year old that he was. “It’s bad, Doc. I found Crystal.” At the mention of her name, his voice broke. “She…they butchered her.”

I clasped my free hand over my mouth. Miranda’s soft sobs joined Kenny’s.

“She’s dead, Doc.” He took a deep, rattling breath. “I got as many as would listen to me out. We are in the place where we came to our understanding. Please remember, Doc. I think they’re listening.” One more sob. “I really need you to find me.” Then the line went dead again.

I closed my eyes, my breath coming in shallow gasps behind my hand. On the other end, Miranda still wept. I could hear Cedars softly comforting her in the background, and then he spoke.