To Claim Her (5 page)

              Mark walked her to the car.  She felt braver now after relaxing, more confident after settling into an evening with Sebastian and Mark and tried to refuse when he offered an escort home.  “I’ll be fine.”

              He crossed his arms over his chest and watched her settle into the driver seat.  “Do me a favor.  Don’t argue.  I’m following.  I’d appreciate knowing you made it and are inside and all locked up tight.”

              “I’ll call.”

              From the door, Sebastian called for Mark.  “Phone call.”

“Wait here,” he growled. 

Gretchen watched him go, jogging back toward the house.  On her own.  She was a big girl, she reminded herself.  Like old times, Mark was ever the popular one. 

The drive between their homes took less than fifteen minutes.  She felt silly waiting for an escort.  By the time he was back, she could be nearly home and safe.  She could ask the police officer to come check the house with her.  She glanced around the shadowy lawn.  Better than waiting here like a sitting duck. 

As she headed onto the dark highway, her bravado disappeared.  She felt her hands begin to tremble.  She tried to laugh off the angst, telling herself she was being ridiculous, but her shaky psyche wasn’t listening.  She had driven the highway literally hundreds of times, but tonight felt different.  Every bit of scenery, every passing car, every blip of movement in her peripheral vision, she noticed more acutely.  Every sense was heightened.  She needed to get herself in check before Eddie returned tomorrow. 

She startled at a movement on the road ahead and chastised herself when she realized it was a dog scurrying across. 

              “Calm down, Gretchen.  Good grief.”  The friendly looking Collie wagged its tail as it headed into a field.  She blew out a breath.  “Halfway there.”  She reached for the radio dial.  Some background noise would help. 

              The car gave a warning ding before dying in a huff.  The dashboard and headlights blinked into darkness. Pressing the gas pedal did no good.  The wheel was a little more difficult to turn now that the power steering wasn’t engaged, but she directed the car to the shoulder as it coasted to a halt. 

All of her fears returned in a rush.

              She tried to start the car but nothing happened. 

She was stranded on the dark highway.  Stuck right back where she had started several nights ago.  She knew from talking to the police that this was the section where her car had been located while she was missing.  Was this strip like the Bermuda triangle?  Now there was something to lure tourists in.  Her half laugh turned into a choked sob as she saw headlights barreling down the highway in her rearview mirror.  Had someone been following her the whole time?  

She pressed the button for the door locks, and they clunked into place, giving her little peace of mind.   She scrambled for her purse and pulled out her phone as the headlights grew larger.  She didn’t have much time before the vehicle reached her, so she pressed one of the few contact numbers programmed into her phone.  Mark’s house. 

She could call the police but it would take them far longer to reach her.  The ringing in her ear sounded tinny and distant.  The bright headlights pulled off the road behind her, too close to make out any details over the blinding lights.

The phone rang twice more, and she heard a door slam.  She leaned down and felt under her seat for something she might use as a weapon.  She certainly didn’t carry a gun, but surely there was something she could use to protect herself.   The figure slid up beside the car now, pulling on the door handle, and she felt her control snap as she pulled free the only thing she could find – a flashlight.  She imagined the details the police had mentioned waiting for her – a saw, a shallow grave, a fiery death after dismemberment.   No way was she going quietly.

She raised back up to face her attacker with adrenaline coursing through her veins.  Whoever stood outside the door was trying to get to her now, knocking and pulling at the door. 

“Hello?”  The sound didn’t come from outside but rather in her ear.  She’d almost forgotten that she was calling Sebastian’s house.

“Sebastian?  My car stalled and there is a stranger trying to get in.  I need help.  Sebastian?”  The knocking on the window had her heartbeat accelerating even more.  She covered her face with her free hand, trying to shield the view of the monster who was coming back to claim her.

“Mark was headed right behind you, Gretchen.  He said he wasn’t letting you go alone into an empty house.” 

“He is?  I thought he went back inside?”

When she turned to the window, her eyes widened at Mark’s face leaning down to look inside at her.  His eyebrow was raised as he watched her finish the call and put her phone back in her purse. 

She would have rolled the window down but the automatic controls prohibited it, so she pulled the door handle instead. “You could have told me it was you.”

“What do you think all that knocking was about?”

She gave him a tense smile and shrugged. 

He nodded toward her lap.  “You could have used your flashlight to get a better look at me.”

“Oh, it wasn’t for light.”  She tried to contain the shiver that made its way through her as lighting streaked across the sky over the shadowy landscape.

His lip lifted in a half smile.  “Protection?”

“Yes.”  The fact that it was a child’s frog flashlight made that a little unpractical.  She’d bought it on clearance after Christmas last year. 

“Deadly.”

She smirked at him.  “I should probably upgrade if I’m going to be using it for a weapon.”

“Good idea.  So what seems to be the problem with your car?”

“I don’t know.  It just died as I was driving.  I got it pulled over, but it was completely dead.  No headlights or power steering.  I don’t think it’s out of gas.”

“Doesn’t sound like it.  Let’s get you into my truck.”

She slid out of the car, and he stooped to see the interior.  Mark fiddled with the keys and checked the gauges, and Gretchen took another glance at the dark that encompassed them beyond the reach of his headlights.  She stepped closer.   When he stood, she was nearly on top of him.  Definitely touching.  The possible menace of night had never bothered her before, but she was treading the edge of hysteria. 

He pulled her purse free and handed it to her before locking the car up tight.   His hand on the small of her back was warm as he led her to the driver’s side of his truck and helped her in with a hand to her backside.  She normally would have protested, but she was so happy to be safe and secure in a functional vehicle that she said nothing at all.

Mark pulled out his cell phone and spoke quietly into the receiver.  Within a moment, a towing service had been requested to retrieve her car and tow it in for service.  She hoped it wasn’t anything expensive.  Her budget was perfectly balanced and didn’t leave room for many unexpected expenses.

She leaned her head against the head rest and looked at him in earnest.  He was no longer the teenager she’d thought herself in love with.  He was much more potent and powerful now as a man.  “I am glad you ignored my assurance that I’d be fine.” 

“No problem.  If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s doing what I want.”

She swallowed and turned her head to face the road.  She knew that for sure.

“That didn’t come out the way I meant it.  There are things we need to –“

“It’s okay.  I have a fully adult mind myself and can be fiercely independent when the need arises.  Tonight, though, I’m glad you didn’t listen.”

“Me too.” 

Mark pulled into the driveway as Gretchen glanced around for the police cruiser that she expected again for the night.   “No officer.”

Mark didn’t respond.  He hopped out and unlocked her front door, quickly flipping on the porch light. 

Gretchen followed him inside and dropped her purse onto the ottoman. 

He came and stood in front of her, cupping her neck with his hands.  He bent his knees to get down a few inches closer to eye level.  “I don’t think you need to stay here alone, darlin’.  Since I don’t think you’ll agree to me warming your bed just yet, why not come back with me?  We have a safe warm house with a couple of men who’d love to watch over you.” 

It was tempting.

Except this was the same man who’d laid out the future for her in full Technicolor and then snatched away the dreams she’d woven.  She couldn’t afford to let herself rely on him like that again. 

“I’ll be fine here.  It’s not like I’m going to get stranded in the dark again at least.”  In fact, she’d probably have every light in the house on by the time he reached the corner. 

He sighed and nodded.  “I figured you’d say that.” He stroked his fingers lightly across her cheek.

“So tough.” 

“Maybe I should call the police department now that I’m home.  There would be no reason for someone to sit out there waiting for me to get home.  Maybe I just need to let them know I’m ready.  It’s time for them to send someone over, you know?"

“Maybe.”  He pulled open the closet door and peeked through the small dining room, checking for anything out of the ordinary. 

She called the number for police headquarters. 

He grabbed a bottle of beer from the refrigerator as he wandered through the kitchen. 

Someone answered her call at the police station, temporarily snagging her attention from watching his long fingers wrap around the bottle.  She’d always thought his hands were sexy.

“Deputy Landry, please.”  She heard Mark’s heavy footsteps echo up the wooden steps and into the upstairs bathroom.  The shower curtain rings screeched across the metal rod.  Yes, look in the shower.  Don’t want a stalker hiding in there.

She heard his sigh as Mark’s steps moved back down the hall overhead and into the bedrooms.  She realized her mistake then.  He was entering Eddie’s room.  His footsteps stilled. 

A deep voice answered on the line.  “Ms. Hamilton, I tried to contact you earlier, but your cell phone went to voice mail.”

Too late now.  “Oh.  I didn’t see a message.  I just wanted to call and let you know I am at home.  Will you send someone over?”

“That’s why I called.  There have been some complications, and it looks like we’re having to pull the car from your place.  I had hoped we’d be able to spare someone for at least a few more days, but it just hasn’t worked out that way.”

“Okay.  Well.”  Gretchen swallowed, unsure what to say.  Time to toughen up. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling as Mark moved around in Eddie’s bedroom.  She imagined him scanning the photographs on the shelf and wondered if he would know immediately.

“We’re just a phone call away if you need assistance.  We’re tracking down the items we found in the woods.  Nothing else abnormal surfaced the last two days.  If you’re worried, maybe you could stay with a friend.”

She didn’t answer, considering the blow up that was about to happen here, and the chilly welcome she would receive from Mark.   

“Is there someone you could stay with, Ms. Hamilton?”

“Oh sure.  No problem.” 

“The officers on duty will drive by several times throughout the night.”

She said goodbye and tried to control her panic as she climbed the stairs to Eddie’s room. 

He sat on the bed, dwarfing the twin mattress with his big body. 

“All clear?” 

He didn’t answer but continued holding the photograph of Eddie smiling with a fish the summer before. 

His finger trailed across the glass covering their son’s features. 

“He was so happy that day.  He didn’t have any luck catching a fish on his own, so I put that one on his hook when he was distracted.  He never even realized…”

“What’s his name?”  His voice was a low growl.  She imagined an animal about to pounce and stiffened against the wall by the door.  The cool plaster felt good against her sweaty palms. 

“Edward Tyler.  Eddie.”  She’d named him with Mark’s middle name.  It was her one and only concession to him since she’d given Eddie her last name rather than his father’s.

He sucked in a breath.  “Mine then?”

“Listen, Mark.  I hope you’ll really consider this before deciding to meet him.  He is a happy little boy.  When you jet off again, his heart will be broken.  It’s better if you don’t interrupt his life.”

His angry glare silenced her.  “Your decision then?  It’s all your decision?  How could you do this?” 

She nodded.  “I’ll be the one trying to help him recover.  I’ll be the one left to convince him that he is worthwhile.  It’s hard being left behind, Mark.” 

“That sounds more like your problem than mine.” 

Her head jerked away as if he’d slapped her.  She hadn’t been worth his effort to stay.  Her own father hadn’t thought she’d been worth sticking around to raise either.  She breathed out a hot breath rather than respond in anger.  Mark had a right to be upset.  The situation was unfair.

“I have to protect him.  If that means guarding him from you, then so be it.”

He stood then and carefully placed the frame back in line with the other happy memories.  “I’m back, and there’s not a damn thing you can do to keep me from meeting my son.  He deserves better than that.”

She followed him down the stairs to the living room and considered another night alone.  When he got to the door, he paused to look at her.  His eyes were still angry, his lips drawn in a tight line.  “Did you get Landry?”

She nodded, unsure how to ease the tension between them.  She had done what she thought was right five years before.  She knew they would have to hash it out, but now wasn’t the time.  Mark needed to process the fact that he had a son first. 

“They should be here shortly then.”  He had a death grip on the door knob. 

She didn’t bother to correct him.  She didn’t want to spend any more time with him right now.  Not with his anger sucking the air out of the room. 

“Lock up behind me.”  He didn’t wait for a response but watched through the large living room window until she threw the deadbolt and turned out the living room light. 

She was on her own for another night.