Long Way Home (14 page)

         Shane
closed his eyes.  Sharing a bathroom with him would severely limit her
privacy, not to mention the threat to her safety.

          “Oh,
wow, Nathaniel, I...” she began but he stopped her.

         “Not
to worry, I will respect your privacy,” he said, taking her shoulders into his
hands. “I want you to be happy here, Madelyn.”

         “OK,
but...”

         “Trust
me,” he said, kissing her brow.

         “All
right, but Nathaniel, I don’t give my trust freely.  Don’t abuse it.”

         His
smile was bright.  “I won’t.”

         Tessa
allowed him to continue the tour of his living quarters and did her best not to
let him know that she was worried about the joint bathroom.  Privacy was
going to be hard to come by, she knew, but what really concerned her was her
tattoo.  If he were to walk into the bathroom while she was in that huge
shower she wouldn’t be able to hide it.

         “She’s
wigging out,” Pete said, pulling Shane’s attention to him, “he’s called her
name several times and she hasn’t replied.”

         Shane
watched the monitor a moment, seeing Helton touch Tessa’s hair.  He wished
she had the earpiece in so he could calm her down.  She wasn’t ‘wigging
out’ as Pete put it, but her concentration was definitely not where it should
be.

         “She’ll
pull it together,” he said, praying he was right.

         Tessa
looked up into Nathaniel’s golden eyes, forcing a smile and telling herself to
calm down.

         “I’m
sorry, Nathaniel, what were you saying?”

         “Are
we going too fast?” he asked, stroking a finger down her cheek.

         “No...well...maybe...it’s
just...”

         “It’s
OK, you can tell me.”

         She
took a deep breath.  “The shared bathroom thing has me a little concerned,
I won’t lie to you.”

         He
nodded.  “I understand.  What can I do to ease your mind?”

         “Is
there a different bathroom I can use?”

         “I
want you to be comfortable here, Madelyn, but I also want you to trust me...and
I want the others to know you trust me...appearances are very important
here.  Especially with Paul on your bad side.  You don’t want to give
him any reason to doubt you, do you understand?”

         “Don’t
have to tell me twice about him.”

         He
smoothed a hand over her hair.  “You don’t know how happy I am that you
are here.  I hadn’t realized how lonely my life has been...and while I
understand your concern for privacy, I’m really hoping you’ll choose to become
closer to me and that won’t be an issue.”

         Her
eyes widened briefly and she took a deep breath, praying for the strength to do
what she needed to.

         “I’d
like that too, Nathaniel, but you have to give me time.  I’m not one to
just fall into bed with someone after a few meetings.”

         “You
are no longer virgin, though, correct?” he pressed.

         “We
need her to have that damn earpiece in,” Crownover growled.

         Shane
wanted to agree but he had to trust Tessa to take care of herself and he had to
present a show of confidence in her to the team so as not to undermine
her.  It was hard, though, when he was listening to her discuss her sexual
status with Helton. She dodged for a bit, then by admitting a partial truth,
she helped to diffuse the situation.

         “I
have only ever slept with one man.  I was going to marry him,” she
admitted.

         “What
happened?” Nathaniel asked, still toying with her fingers.

         “He
had his career.  I had...my goals.  We realized along the way that
our goals were taking us to different places.  Neither of us wanted to
bend.”

         “And
so he let you go?”

         “We
let each other go,” she replied.  They were standing on the balcony off
her bedroom that she now could see connected her rooms to his; yet another
security threat.  She made sure to look at every corner and angle, giving
Shane and the team a full view of it all.

         Nathaniel
raised her fingers to his lips, drawing her gaze back to him.

         “His
loss is my gain,” he said softly.

         “Perhaps,”
she said with a smile, “if you’re lucky.”

         He
stepped closer to her, his hand sliding into her hair dangerously close to the
implanted mike.

         “Ah,
but then, my dear, Madelyn, you’re here with me and not with him.”

         As
he leaned in to kiss her, Shane got to his feet and turned away from the
monitor to pace.  He tried not to let his blood pressure soar but it was
hard.   He hated the thought of another man touching her.  He
began pacing even more as the kiss was drawn out; the small sounds coming from
her as she played the part were killing him.

         “This
is such bullshit!” Crownover growled.

         “It’s
undercover work,” Shane said, his voice raw with emotion.

         Joe
and Pete were watching Shane, looks of sympathy on their faces.  Shane
acknowledged them with a chin lift but continued his pacing.

         “Nathaniel,”
Tessa said, her voice breathless, drawing Shane’s attention back to the
monitor.

         “Forgive
me,” he said low, “you drive me to distraction.  Why don’t you take some
time to settle into your rooms and unwind? I have a few meetings to attend then
I’ll be up to escort you to dinner.”

         “That
sounds good.  Thank you.”

         He
kissed her once more then left.  She stood gazing out across the grounds
for several long moments before going back inside.  She took the earpiece
from her pocket and discreetly inserted it then tapped her mike three times,
her signal for Shane.

         “Hey,
baby,” his voice poured over her like warm honey, “you’re doing great.”

         From
her bag, she pulled a small dry erase board then sat on the bed.

        
I’m
so sorry
, she wrote.

         “Nothing
to be sorry about, babe,” he dismissed, “we’re good.”

        
Privacy
is going to be a problem
.

         “I
know.  Do the best you can.”

         They
discussed strategy for a while then she had to get ready for dinner.  She
wasn’t looking forward to another run-in with Paul but she was hoping to be
able to see more of how the compound worked. She dressed carefully, wanting to
appear worthy of being the focus of Nathaniel’s attention, yet approachable by
the other women.  She settled on a semi-formal black cocktail dress with
an empire waist and a skirt that flowed gracefully to her knees.  She
chose simple silver jewelry, nothing overpowering and kept her make-up light
and sophisticated.

         “You
look beautiful, Tess,” Shane told her when she put the glasses back on and
stood before the mirror.  She gave him a quick wink before turning to
answer the door when a knock sounded.

         Nathaniel
stood there wearing a cream colored suit and matching shirt, collar open, a
single yellow rose in his hand.

         “For
you, my rose,” he said, offering it to her.

         Tessa
ignored the comments from Pete and Joe and smiled as she accepted the rose.

         “Nathaniel,”
she breathed, “thank you.”

         He
stroked the backs of his fingers over her cheek.

         “Just
a small token; a glimpse of what I could give you.”

         “It’s
lovely.”

         He
leaned down and gently kissed her.  “Not nearly as lovely as you, Madelyn.
Shall we?”

         She
took his offered arm and together they walked down the main staircase and into
the dining hall.  Whatever she’d been expecting, what she found was not
it.  There were several long tables arranged in columns and a head table
raised on a dais, reminding her very much of medieval days.  Nathaniel
walked her down the main aisle, smiling and greeting men and women alike as
they passed on their way to the head table.  It was like the Great Hall
from the Harry Potter movies.

         The
seating at the tables was arranged with women on one side and men on the
other.  All the women were again wearing long white shift dresses. 
The men wore black slacks and black shirts.  It was all very monochromatic
and it was not lost on Tessa that she and Nathaniel were dressed in the same
colors but opposite of the rest of the room.

         As
they stepped up onto the dais, everyone stood.  Nathaniel walked to the
center of the head table, seating Tessa to his left and then gesturing for
everyone else to sit while he remained standing.

          “Good
evening, my children,” he greeted the room.

         “Good
evening, Sir,” was the unison reply.

         “As
you know, we have a Very Special Visitor among us,” he said, turning to smile
down at Tessa.  “Madelyn?” he asked, gesturing for her to stand and take
his hand.  Tessa placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her to her
feet.  “This is Madelyn Parker.  She has agreed to stay with us at
first as my Very Special Guest, but now, before all of you, my children, I
proclaim that Madelyn is to be my Beloved, Cherished above all others,”

         “What
the hell?!” Crownover exploded.

         “Did
he just -?” Joe began but Shane raised his hand to quiet him.

         “Nathaniel,
I don’t know what to say,” Tessa said softly so that only he could hear. 
 

          
He leaned down and placed his lips to her ear.  “Quiet now.  A single
woman in our midst is fair game unless claimed.  By my proclamation, I am
offering you my protection.”

         She
pulled back and looked into his golden eyes for a moment, unsure of what her
next move should be.  If she allowed him to claim her, keeping him out of
her bedroom was going to prove even that much more difficult.

         “I
only just arrived here, Nathaniel,” she began.

         “Relax,
love, it is only a formality,” he assured her, lifting her fingers to his lips,
then placing her hand over his heart.  “Kiss me and confirm to all present
your acceptance of me,” he said louder.

          “Holy
shit,” Joe ground out.

         “It’s
OK, Tess.  Go with it,” Shane told her.  “We’ll figure out what to do
next. Just go with it for now.”

         On Shane’s
advice, she stepped closer to Nathaniel and placed her lips against his. 
A resounding masculine cheer sounded from the tables below while the women
quietly clapped.  Nathaniel’s smile beamed down upon her as he turned back
toward the audience.

         “Eat,
my children.  Rejoice this day.”

         When
Tessa turned back to take her seat she caught Paul’s eye as he glared darkly at
her.  There was pure evil emanating from his gaze.  She would have to
be on high alert for sure around him.

         Her
eyes swept the length of the hall, looking for Stephanie Quinn amongst the
women seated at the tables.  She estimated there were at least sixty women
and perhaps thirty men.  All the women were in their early twenties and
beautiful, all white or of mixed race, no full African-American, Hispanic,
Asian or otherwise.  In contrast, the men were all white, all appearing to
be in their thirties or forties, and other than the men seated with Nathaniel
and Paul at the head table, none of the men were shining examples of the male
species.  They were men that most of these women would never give the time
of day to; either overweight or frames reminiscent of the awkward teens they no
doubt once were.  So, what was the appeal to these girls, she
wondered.  What made them sit there looking star-struck and enraptured of
every man in the room?

          “I
don’t see Stephanie Quinn,” Gib said, having just arrived at the command house.

         “She’s
not there,” Joe commented.  He had taken a screen shot of the whole room
and was running each face through facial recognition software.  “There are
a few who have shown up in Missing Persons reports, and a few of these men are
registered sex offenders, surprise, surprise.  Nothing violent.  Most
were busted in prostitution stings.”

         “A
toast, Madelyn,” Nathaniel said, turning her gaze to him, “To new beginnings.”

         She
took the glass of red wine he offered and touched it to his, again ignoring the
Captain Obvious remarks when Gib cautioned her to eat and drink lightly. 
She could tell from her first sip that her wine had been doctored.

         “So,
tell me, Nathaniel, what just happened here?” she asked.

         He
stroked his index finger lightly down her cheek.  It seemed he enjoyed
touching her.

         “Our
society has few formalities but to keep the peace, we do encourage our men to
formally claim the woman he would consider off-limits to anyone else’s
attentions.  Not all women are claimed and not all men have claimed a
mate.  Before witnesses, I claimed that you are mine and mine alone,
therefore untouchable by anyone else.  It is a measure of respect and
protection for you...a betrothal, if you will.”