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We drove through the night. Wherever Shade was taking us, he wanted to get there as soon as possible. It had been hours since we had left Niko at the shady biker bar in Utah and Shade still hadn’t talked to me.
There were a few times I opened my mouth to demand answers, but the words wouldn’t come out. There was something about the look in his eyes that stopped me every time.
I was used to his face not giving anything away. He had one hell of a poker face, but his eyes, his eyes always spoke for him. I was used to seeing it all play out in those green orbs, but when he looked at me, there was nothing. They told me nothing, and that scared me.
It wasn’t until something familiar caught my eye, that I finally broke the silence.
“Shade?” I called, turning to look at him. “Why are we here? Shade?”
“It’s just a stop on the way, darlin’.” He didn’t look at me as he steered the car into the parking lot of the diner I had worked in for over two years.
The car was barely in park when I burst from it and ran. When I pushed through the door, I scanned the dining area until I spotted Liz. Her back was to me as she placed plates on a table.
“Liz!” I breathed.
It must have been loud enough because she wiped around, her hand flying to her heart.
“Oh!” She gasped. “My Ever Blue!”
She looked as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. As if she couldn’t believe that I was actually standing in front of her, that I was here.
I rushed to her, wrapping my arms around her.
“Liz!” Tears of joy were streaming down my face as I held her to me.
Her legs seemed to have given up because we sank to the floor in a sobbing mess. She pulled back to run a hand along my face as if she were trying to convince herself that I was real.
“Oh, honey. You’re really here?”
“I’m really here, Liz.”
“Liz? Liz?” Sam shouted.
Looking around Liz, I spotted him standing just outside the door to the kitchen. His eyes widened when he spotted us. He, too, looked as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Ever?” He gasped before coming toward us slowly as if he were to move too quickly, I might disappear.
“Sam.” I gave him a watery smile as he knelt beside us, taking my hand into his.
“Is that you, Ever?” What I would have given to have a man like Sam as a father.
“It’s me,” I sobbed.
He wrapped his arms around Liz and me.
“You’re home,” he choked.
That seemed to sober Liz up. She pulled back to give me her best mad mom look.
“Ever Blue, where have you been?”
“I have so much to tell you,” I sniffed.
I knew I couldn’t tell them the whole story. If they knew too much it could endanger them and that was the last thing I wanted. These were my people. The family I had wished for and the family I could never have. Not really. Not in a real way, but when I turned to look at Shade who was standing in the doorway, I knew that I was still getting something beautiful.
Liz and Sam followed my gaze, and I heard Liz suck in a breath.
“That man. That’s the man that was here before you disappeared. Is he why you left us?” Her eyes narrowed on him looking for someone to blame for my sudden disappearance.
“Yes, but it’s not what you think. Shade saved me.” I didn’t take my eyes off of him. “Let me introduce you to him.”
We all stood and started toward Shade. He met us halfway.
“Liz, Sam, this is Shade.” I smiled up to him and he looked down at me.
From an outsiders point of view, I knew he looked scary. Shade looked every bit the mountain man he did the last time we were here. He looked as if he could kill a man with one blow. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could. But as an insider, I could see him for the man I knew him to be. When his eyes met mine, they softened even if the rest of his face looked lethal.
Liz sized him up not looking the least bit afraid.
“We can’t stay long, Ever,” Shade said before turning away, heading for the nearest booth, giving us room to talk in private.
“Who is this man, Ever Blue? Explain to me why you left and didn’t say goodbye or call to let me know you were okay.” Sam wrapped a comforting arm around her.
“I will explain the best I can, but you have to understand there are some things I can not tell you. They are things that will endanger you. You have to promise me you will not ask for more than I can give you. If you can’t handle that, then I have to leave right now.” They both nodded quickly, ready to accept whatever I was willing to give.
“We understand,” Sam said.
I gave them an appreciative smile.
“My father is a terrible man. He was the reason I ran all those years ago. The reason I ended up here. He hired Shade to find me. When he found me, he took me, but he didn’t return me to my father.” I looked to Shade. When I returned my attention to Liz and Sam, they were giving me odd looks. “It’s not what you think. I’m not suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Shade is trying to keep me safe and out of my father’s hands. He would risk his life to protect me and he has, multiple times.”
“Ever Blue!” Liz gasped. “You love him!”
My eyes returned to Shade as I spoke. “Yes, I really do.”
“But sweetie, why couldn’t you call? You’ve had us worried sick.” Liz crossed her arms across her chest.
“It was too dangerous. We were trying to lie low and out of sight. We had several near misses. I couldn’t risk leading anyone to the two of you. If anyone found out you were important to me, my father would use you to get to me. And I can’t allow anything to happen to you. I would never forgive myself. You two have done so much for me...” I choked off, my hand going to my mouth to hold in the sobs that threatened to spill out.
“Oh, Ever,” Liz sniffed, reaching out to take my hand.
“I’m just so glad I’m able to tell you both how much I appreciate what you did for me. You gave me a job and somewhere to live. You helped me get back on my feet even though you didn’t know me. I can never express how much that means to me.” I reached out, taking Sam’s hand into mine and gave both of their hands a squeeze.
“Ever Blue,” Liz sighed. “From the first moment you walked through that door, you were ours. We never had children, but when I saw you, I knew. You were meant to be ours. I would have given you the world had you needed it.”
“I’d have been proud to have a daughter like you,” Sam told me.
“You guys,” I choked.
When I went to turn away, I found myself pressed into Shade. He wrapped a supporting arm around me.
“Darlin’,” Shade murmured. I tilted my head back to look up at him. “It’s time. The longer we’re here...” He didn’t have to finish for me to know what he was saying.
The longer we lingered here, the chances of someone finding us here grew. The risk was too great.
I nodded and turned to Liz and Sam.
“I’m so sorry.” I reached up to wipe the tears from my face. “We have to go now.”
“Will we see you again?” Sam asked, holding Liz closer.
“I don’t know.” My shoulders sagged.
What I wouldn’t have given to answer yes.
Liz reached out, pulling me into her arms.
“Promise me,” she said, looking up at Shade. “Promise me you will look after our girl.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.” For some reason, the way he said it sounded off.
“Thank you,” Sam said.
“Be safe, my Ever Blue,” Liz kissed my cheek, stepping away to let Sam wrap me in a hug.
After we said our goodbyes, I returned to Shade’s side. With one last wave, he led me from the diner and to the car.
“And here I thought not getting to say goodbye was worse than saying goodbye.” I tried to laugh, but choked on a sob instead.
“I’m sorry, darlin’.” Shade pulled me into his arms.
“I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it must have been for you. You had to give up your real family. People who raised you and watched you grow up into an incredible man who wanted to fight for his country. That must have been so hard.” He had been stroking my hair, but as I spoke his hands seemed to freeze before falling away all together.
“It was a long time ago.” Was all he said before he turned, walking around the car and climbing into the driver’s seat.
Confused, I climbed in after him. I started to apologize in case I had offended him, but he flipped on the radio, turning it up, making it very clear that he didn’t want to talk.
Something was very wrong here. I wasn’t sure if it was something I had said or if it had something to do with our meeting with Niko, but something was wrong. The anxiety and nerves ate at me but I didn’t try to talk to him. He will tell me when he’s ready.
* * *
“WE’RE FLYING SOMEWHERE?” I mean, obviously we were.
We were currently standing in the ticket line of the airport in Casper, Wyoming.
“We’re meeting Niko in Nashville.” It was the first words he had spoken to me during the four-hour drive.
Each time I would try to engage in conversation with him, he would grunt or nod. Sometimes he would flat out ignore me.
As much as I tried to not care, the more I did. I couldn’t understand why he still hadn’t told me what was going on or what he and Niko meant when we were at the bar. I was trying so hard to trust him, but he was making it really hard.
“Oh,” I said as we moved up in the line.
We were lucky. We managed to book the next flight to Nashville in an hour. Shade and I took that hour to wash up in the bathroom and buy something new to wear in the gift shop. I scored a new hoodie and leggings. Shade found a long sleeve shirt and sweatpants. They were brightly colored, and it only made him stand out more, but at least they were clean.
When we grabbed something to eat in one of the many restaurants inside the airport, Shade’s eyebrows rose at the amount of food I ordered, but I just shrugged. The way things were going for us here lately, there was no telling when we might eat again, besides, I had to do something.
If I didn’t find something to occupy my mouth, I might do something crazy like scream and demand answers. How would that make me look? Not like someone who trusted the man she was with, that’s for sure.
When they announced our flight over the intercom, I let out a breath. Going to Nashville had to bring answers. And as much as I wanted to trust that Shade would tell me what was going on, I would plan on finding out another way. Even if that meant I had to go behind Shade’s back and ask Niko. Shade couldn’t keep me out of the loop forever.