Red Red Rose (20 page)

“Sometimes
our hearts recognize what it takes our eyes longer to see.” He touched his lips
to my forehead. “I have to go right now, but is it okay if I call you tonight?
I want to talk to you before you go to sleep.”

“Yes,”
I answered softly.

“You
sure you’re good to go back to work?”

“Yes.
I just needed you,” I admitted.

“You’ve
got me.” With his forefinger he tilted my chin up and brought his lips to mine
one more time. It was soft, slow, and sweet, and ended too quickly. “I’ll talk
to you later.”

“Later,”
I echoed and then I watched him walk out.

“You
okay?” Will came up to me. He must have come in sometime in the last few
minutes.

“Yeah,”
I forced a weak smile.

“You
sure? Looked like a tense moment.”

“I’m
good now. I was having a bad day. Spencer helped.”

“Okay.”
He didn’t look entirely convinced. “What was the reason for the bad day?”

“What
else?”

His
eyes filled with sympathy, and he reached out, placing his hand on my shoulder
in a comforting gesture. “It’s going to be okay. Just hang in there.”

“I
know, and I am.” Thanks to Spencer. “Are you off work, or on break?”

Will’s
hand dropped back to his side. “Neither. I’m headed in to work with an
afternoon client. I was just dropping Cassie off for her shift and wanted to
come in and see how you’re holding up.”

“Dropping
Cassie off?” I smirked.

“Yes,”
he scraped a hand over his hair. “She spent the night last night, which I’m
sure you’ll get to hear about soon enough.”

“Not
if she doesn’t want me to fire her.”

He
laughed. “Okay then, I’ll leave you to it, but if you need anything, you know
where to find me.”

“Apparently
in Cassie’s pants. That seems to be where you’re spending most of your time,” I
snickered.

“Funny,”
he said dryly.

I
shrugged. “Couldn’t resist.”

“I’m
sure you tried real hard.’

My
only response was to smile in amusement. He shook his head. “I’ll see you
later.”

“Later.”

Reggie
was still going over the ins and outs of lattes versus americanos versus mochas
with Tiffany when I returned behind the counter. Usually, I wouldn’t hire
someone with no barista experience, but of the few applicants I talked to this
week, she was the only one I thought would make a good fit here. Another
college student, just looking for some part time hours, and she was sweet and
seemed competent enough to pick it up quickly. When she made me a practice mocha
and I sipped it, I knew she’d do just fine.

As
slow as the afternoon was turning out to be, I let her and Reggie both leave a
little early, confident Cassie and I could handle what was left of the day.
While Cassie was in the kitchen, running a load through the dishwasher, Danny
approached the counter, looking slightly like a wounded dog.

“What’s
up Danny?”

“I
just really want to apologize again for earlier. I didn’t think before I
spoke.”

“It’s
okay. I know you didn’t mean any harm by it.”

He
breathed a relieved sigh, and then relaxed against the counter. “Your boyfriend
is probably right. I’m sure they’ll catch this guy, even though as of yet he’s
been extremely cautious, leaving little to no evidence behind, and seems to be
of an above average intelligence, based off of his–” he stopped himself,
grimacing. “I’m sorry. That’s not helpful either. I just find human nature
fascinating as it hasn’t always been something I’ve been able to relate well
to. As a hobby I’ve studied psychology and read over many serial cases. I’ve
found it is very different though, when the case is not some old, long
forgotten story, but current events playing out before your eyes, affecting the
people you know and care about. I must admit that it is quite hard to face and
so my coping mechanism is to retreat into facts and logic, because that I know.
That I understand. All of this, how someone could do these things, despite my
research, I do not understand,” he admitted, glumly.

“I
don’t either, Danny. And I don’t want to understand it. I just want it to be
over.”

“I
want that as well.” He offered a sad smile and then slunk back to his table and
immersed himself in his work, and I did the same. Cassie joined me after a
minute, restocking the espresso station with clean frothing pitchers, shot
glasses and such.

As
much as I didn’t want to hear about her night with Will, I did want to ask her
how they were doing. “So you and Will, everything is good? He’s good to you?”

She
bit her lip around a wide, playful grin. “Oh, he’s very, very
good
to
me.”

I
scrunched up my face. “I wasn’t asking about
that.
 I mean, he’s
treating you well in general?”

She
shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, most of our time is spent doing
that
. But he
doesn’t make me feel like he’s using me, and we go out sometimes. I think it
will just take time before he’s ready for something more than casual, but I’m
okay with that.”

“As
long as you’re happy with it and he’s treating you right.”

“I
am, and he is,” she smiled.

That
was the last I asked her about them, afraid that if I gave her any more
encouragement, she would delve into more personal details. I could do without
any more of those. The shop remained slow through the rest of the night, but
not so much that when I looked at the numbers at closing time it had to be
counted as a bad day. I was just happy when we got out of there and I had a day
off to look forward to. Or more specifically, a day off with Spencer, and
hopefully much needed fun to wash away some of the darkness of the week.

Saturday
morning I had to forgo typical date attire, because today was not going to be a
typical date. Last night on the phone we’d agreed that he could pick me up at
noon and loser would buy lunch afterward. It was my idea. I’d suggested it
knowing I would likely be the one treating us. That didn’t mean I was going to
make it easy on him. I dressed in a pair of camouflage cargo pants, layered
over a pair of leggings. I was going for warmth, but more so, extra padding. I
threw on a long sleeved thermal shirt and then pulled a hunter green hoodie on.
I also planned to borrow Em’s dark brown Carhart jacket. It was probably going
to save my life today or at least save my upper body from too much bruising.

The
next step was to braid my hair back and add black war paint around my eyes,
simply for intimidation tactics when he picked me up since my face would be
hidden beneath my mask during the game. With my hair secured and my game face
ready, I pulled on my tactical vest, which not only offered extra protection,
but held four, one-hundred round, paintball pods, as well as loops for
grenades, which I was currently out of.

Playing
with James and some of his high school buddies, Em and I learned to take it very
seriously. We went all out. Most of my gear had been Christmas presents from James.
He’d outfitted both Em and I for battle.

When
Spencer showed up and I answered the door all decked out, minus the protective
mask, his face split into a big, beautiful grin. “This might be the hottest
thing I’ve ever seen.”

I
smirked back at him. He was dressed similarly in a pair of dark green cargo
pants and a hooded camouflage sweatshirt with a camo beanie pulled low. It was
a good look on him.

“We’ll
see if you still think so when I take you out.” I had to talk big.

A
deep laugh rumbled from his chest. “The only place you’ll be taking me out is
to lunch.”

“Yeah,
yeah. Let’s do this.” I grabbed the duffel with the masks and guns and extra
paintballs from beside the door, and snatched Em’s coat off the hook, throwing
it on. I stopped on the porch when the smell hit me. I couldn’t resist tucking
my chin and bringing it up to softly inhale. Spencer frowned curiously at me
and I let go of the coat, letting it fall back in place.

“Sorry.
This jacket is Em’s and it still smells like her perfume and shampoo. It’s been
a while.”

His
frown relaxed, and he didn’t say anything, but he took the bag from me and
carried it to the truck. I glanced up at the overcast sky, hoping those grey
clouds would hold off a while longer before unleashing the forecasted showers.
It’d been drizzling off and on all morning, but the sky was currently showing
mercy and I hoped it would last long enough for me to make my stand without a
torrential downpour hindering more of my efforts.

It
was about a fifteen minute drive to the spot. On one side of the road was
Bellingham Bay and the other was all woods with a few homes.  The spot I led
him to, was a section of woods that butted right up to the Raynes’ property. It
extended about a quarter mile back and roughly a mile down the road to the next
house. The turnout where I had him stop was halfway in between the two
properties. I went over the boundaries Em, James and I always used.

“Once
we’re in there, you’ll see that there are red ties around some of the trees,
unless someone has removed them. They mark the area. It runs from here back to
the edge of the woods. It’s just under a quarter mile, and it butts right up to
a large piece of property that’s currently for sale, so no one there. Then it
runs all the way to the Raynes’ property, a half mile back that way.”

“Got
it.”

We
both climbed from the truck and I grabbed the equipment bag, but noticed
Spencer pulling his own from the back seat. When he came around to my side of
the truck, it seemed he’d come prepared with his own gun, ammunition, harness
belt and mask. I checked out his gun, recognizing the model.
Damn,
it
was a nice one. Scope and everything.

“So
how do you want to do this?” I asked him, pulling my own gun from the bag. It
was no piece of junk, and he gave it an admiring once over before meeting my
gaze.

“How
do you usually play it?”

“Usually
one team sets out, and the other follows after a certain amount of time and
then the hunt is on. Five hits anywhere on the body, or one killshot,” I tapped
a finger over my head and my heart, “and you’re dead. Back of the head counts,
but we don’t count the heart shot through the back as a killshot. That one has
to be from the front.”

“Sounds
good. How long do you want me to give you before I come after you?”

I
raised my brow. “Who said you get to be the hunter?”

“Sweetheart,
I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m looking forward to hunting you.”

“Fine,”
I shrugged. I actually preferred it this way, since I knew the area and could
get myself set up in a good lookout spot. “Honor system, you have to sit in the
truck and can’t watch which way I go. Give me three minutes and then you can
follow.” That should be enough time for me to get out of sight since I knew
right where I was headed.

“I
don’t need to cheat to beat you,” he winked. “And I’ll make it five minutes.”

“Whatever.”
I wasn’t going to complain about extra time. It may actually give me a chance
at winning this. I set my gun on the seat, and started loading up the pouches
on my vest with pods. Spencer did the same with his harness belt. I made sure
the laces on my hiking boots were done up tight and then retrieved my mask from
the bag and pulled it on over my head.

Spencer
let out another laugh, shaking his head. “You just keep getting better and
better.”

He
couldn’t see my grin behind the mask. Another gift from James. It was a custom
mask, made in the image of a Terminator. It was awesome. Em had a Vader one,
and James, Predator.

I
pulled the hood of my sweatshirt up and then slipped back into the jacket. It
was heavy enough to provide protection, but not bulky enough to be a hindrance
or keep me from having easy access to my vest. I snatched up my gun and slung
it over my shoulder and headed for the woods. “See you soon,” I tossed over my
shoulder and then crossed the road in a quick jog. Before I entered the trees,
I looked back to make sure he was in the truck. He was.

Good
boy.

Then
I ran.

Hard
and fast, over the slightly muddy, uneven terrain, heading back and to the
right, toward the northeast corner, not worrying about trying to cover my
tracks yet. It wasn’t long before the ground started sloping upwards and then I
worked harder at hiding my steps, but still moved quickly. My legs started to
burn. I was so out of shape, but I kept running until I reached a spot where a
few trees had been brought down by a bad storm a couple years ago. They’d never
been cleared and they made the perfect cover. I jumped over the fallen trees
and dropped to the ground. By now he would be on my trail.

This
spot was perfect. It was the highest point, not exactly a hill, but enough of
an incline that I could duck inside the little alcove like shelter the fallen
trees created and have the perfect vantage point. There were enough gaps
between limbs and branches that I could not only watch for him, but I would be
able to shoot through the gaps. It would be almost impossible for him to sneak
up on me unless he knew right where I was and how to get at me from behind
without me seeing him coming. I didn’t use this spot when I played with James and
his friends anymore because they all knew about it. It had worked only once
with them before they’d figured out how to pin me down here.

If
Spencer tracked me to this spot, which I was counting on, it was the perfect
spot to mount my defense, or retreat up and down the backside of the slope if I
had to, but if he happened to pass me by, I would probably see him and then be
able to come up from behind. The elevated position gave me the best line of
sight in all directions.

And
so I waited.

And
waited.

And
didn’t hear or see a damn thing besides bugs and birds and possibly a few
squirrels and other little critters.

Dammit.

He
shouldn’t have been able to slip past me. Which meant he’d either gone straight
back to the edge of the woods, and could now be behind me, or was lying in wait
somewhere.

Damn.
I’d
counted on him being overconfident and falling into my trap.

I
had a few choices. Continue to wait for him to come by, and risk him passing
behind me if he was following along the back edge, or go try to hunt him down.
I sat up a little higher and did a better scan of the area over the top of my
dugout. I pulled out my compact binoculars and gave the woods another scan. Still
no sign of him. I listened intently, but again the only thing I heard was
nature. No rustling or twigs snapping.

With
my gun ready and eyes scanning, I scooted further up the small incline, and
then scanned down the backside. Nothing.

I
scurried back down to the cover of my fallen trees just as a paintball whizzed
right past my head and exploded in the dirt beside me. I let myself slide the
rest of the way back down through the dirt and brush, breathing heavily, my heart
pounding inside my chest at the close call.

Where
the hell had that shot come from?

I
scanned through the gaps again, but saw nothing.

This
wasn’t good. He knew where I was, but I had no clue where he was. I needed to
draw his fire again. I pulled off my jacket and put the hood over the hopper of
my gun and then raised it above the cover. No shots were fired.

He
wasn’t falling for that.

I
tossed the coat aside, not bothering to pull it back on. I crawled along the
fallen trunks to the base of a large tree that was still standing. When I
reached the base of the tree that was hopefully going to offer me protection, I
rose to my feet quickly and ducked behind it, but not before another pop
sounded and a paintball exploded against the back of my arm.

Shit,
I
hissed in my head as I rubbed the now stinging spot on my arm. I was wishing
for my coat now. That was one hit to him, but I had a better idea of his
location. I poked my head out from behind the tree just enough to scan that
area. He had to be behind a tree as well, but I didn’t see any that would offer
him enough protection and where I wouldn’t have seen him coming.

Another
pop and an explosion against the bark right in front of my face. I jerked my
head back and out of his line of fire. That had definitely come from the
direction I’d been looking, but where the hell was he hiding.

That’s
it, this was bullshit.

I
darted from behind the tree and ran in the direction of the road for another close
grouping of trees, sweeping my gaze all over the place and hoping I didn’t
trip. Paintballs exploded at my feet, but I figured out where he was.

That
motherfucker was up in a tree!

I
reached the cluster of trees without taking another hit and dove behind them.

I
couldn’t believe it. He’d actually climbed up a damn tree, but how did I not
see him do that?

At
least I knew exactly what tree he was in.

Or
I thought I did. When I dove out and aimed my gun for the spot I could have
sworn he’d been firing from a second ago, he wasn’t there. And now I was a
sitting duck. I moved fast, but not fast enough. Another paintball splattered
painfully against my hip before I got to cover.

It
had come from a tree further to my left than the one he’d been in before. Damn
monkey, moving through the trees. Who was he, Tarzan? That’s probably how he
snuck up on me. I was looking for him on the ground, not up in the trees. They
were packed closely enough through that area that he wouldn’t have too much
trouble moving from branch to branch if he knew what he was doing, which Tarzan
clearly did.

I
listened closely to see if I could hear him moving between the trees again, but
with the wind lending its cover, it was damn hard to pick up anything that
might be his movement. Every time he fired, I dove for cover which gave him the
perfect opportunity to move, and continuously left me guessing. I wasn’t going
to be able to get a shot in this way, let alone have any hope of winning. He
already had two shots and the advantage.

I
needed to take it.

I
needed him out of the trees.

A
branch snapped and I heard his muttered, “Shit,” over the wind. I half expected
to hear a thud hit the ground, but it didn’t follow. I did use the moment to duck
my head out and search the trees.

There
you are.

His
gun was lowered and it looked like he was trying to regain his balance in the
tree. I smiled, aimed my gun and fired. I hit him in the abdomen and then, too
late, hoped it wouldn’t knock him out of the tree. It didn’t, and it only took
him a second to return fire, but instead of running for cover and giving him
the chance to move again, I ran backwards ducking and swerving and firing off
random shots at him. Paintballs pelted the ground around. His shots became less
and less accurate and then I made it to a small clearing just before the road
where more trees had been taken out by a storm. He wouldn’t be able to tree
hop, he’d have to pursue me on the ground. At that point I turned and headed in
the direction of the Raynes’ to another area where the trees were too spread
out for him to take to them again.