Two hours later, Everett was opening the door to Casey and Melody while Kennedy yelled loudly in the background.
“Oh, my stars.” Melody looked slightly alarmed. “Is there a problem?”
“It’s a new game. She blows spit bubbles, then screams with delight at her own cleverness.” Everett led them into the living room. “Now she’s teaching Kennedy how to do it.”
“Oh, I see. So I’m the one who’s spitting?” Alyssa laughed. “This brother of yours. Was he always such a funny guy?”
“He always thought he was,” Casey said. “This is Melody Hayworth. Melody, I told you about Alyssa. She and Everett have accepted joint custody of Kennedy Dodd.”
“That’s a big job, but it must be so rewarding.” Melody came over to the high chair. “And she’s gorgeous.”
Alyssa found herself instantly warming to the other woman. Melody was friendly and down-to-earth, and her praise of Kennedy helped. The baby, sensing a new admirer, fluttered her eyelashes and blew another spit bubble.
“I didn’t know what we were eating, so I brought wine and beer.” Casey placed the bottles on the table.
“We’re having chicken tagine. It’s Alyssa’s signature dish, and wine or beer works equally well.” Everett went into the kitchen to get glasses. On his return, he poured drinks for everyone. “Kennedy has been a little cranky since we took her to her parents’ house yesterday. For that reason, we’ve decided to dispense with her usual routine and let her stay up until she falls asleep.”
“It may be a decision we regret,” Alyssa said. “But the alternative would have been that all four of us ended up trapped in the bedroom with her until morning.”
She left Everett recounting the story of the previous night while she went to check on the food. When she returned, the conversation had moved on and was about the threatening message she had received.
“What about the handwriting?” Casey asked.
“A distinctive scrawl in black felt pen.” Everett shrugged. “The sender may as well have typed it. That reminds me, I got the report back from the labs about the sample of Georgia’s handwriting. They did the comparison with Sean’s suicide note.”
“And?”
“Inconclusive. Whatever the hell that means.” Everett ran a hand through his hair. “Put simply, there’s a possibility Georgia wrote it and disguised her handwriting well enough to leave the experts with some doubts. Or the mystery accomplice did it for her. It’s been passed on for further analysis but that could take weeks.”
They returned to the subject of the note that had been delivered to the apartment. Casey had been making inquiries to see if he could discover who had left it. “There are no security cameras on the entrance to this building, and none of the neighbors saw anything suspicious.”
“It was pushed under the door within a very specific time frame,” Everett said. “It wasn’t there when Mom and Dad arrived. They stayed with Alyssa and Kennedy for about half an hour, so we know it was left during that time.”
“And that half hour just happened to coincide with Georgia’s arrival at the courthouse,” Casey pointed out.
“You think it was a message?” Everett raised his eyebrows and took a slug of beer as he considered the matter.
“Yeah. The only question is what sort of message.”
Alyssa turned to Melody. “How about we give them an ultimatum? They stop being cryptic, or we take the beer away?”
“Sounds good to me,” Melody responded with a smile.
“It was either a message that confirms Georgia’s innocence,” Casey said. “Because, on the face of it, she couldn’t possibly have sent it.”
“Or it was Georgia, and she was letting us know just how dangerous she can be,” Everett finished.
“You mean she was demonstrating that she can still get to us from her prison cell?” Alyssa asked.
He nodded. “We either accept that the timing was coincidental, or we consider that possibility.”
“I have another option for us to think about.” Everett raised his eyebrows at Alyssa. “For the next hour or two, let’s forget about Georgia and focus on dinner.”
He smiled. It was a tiny, secret exchange meant just for her. A moment that acknowledged how far she’d come. And—goodness—didn’t she know it. The old Alyssa could never have said those words. She’d have obsessed, over and over, about the source of the threat, wanting reassurances that couldn’t be given.
The new Alyssa still had fears. She was still peeking over her shoulder to see if Georgia Dodd was hiding in the shadows. But she had a better idea of how life worked. And she was learning how to trust.
She took a moment to reflect on when “new Alyssa” had emerged. It could have been when she’d walked out of Ray Torrington’s office with Kennedy in her arms. It might even have been a few minutes before that. Seeing Everett again had certainly shaken her out of her comfort zone.
The meal was a huge success. The food turned out perfectly, and the four of them got along in a relaxed way that felt like they’d been a friendship group for years. Kennedy fell asleep while drinking her supper-time formula and then Everett took her to the crib, settling her with no problem. Over the baby monitor, they could hear the occasional soft snore or mumble.
After dinner, they lingered over their drinks, chatting idly, and the subject turned to Everett and Alyssa’s living arrangements.
“What’s the best thing about living with a guy?” Melody asked.
Alyssa considered the question with her head tilted to one side. The best thing about living with Everett was that she had gotten to know the real him. The good, the bad, the up-all-night-with-a-baby him. She had seen sides of him she hadn’t suspected existed and her feelings for him had remained steady. Even grown, becoming deeper and warmer, with a feeling of constancy.
In the tiny space they currently inhabited, there was no hiding place. In a very short time, they had learned how to be there for each other and for Kennedy. They’d become a team. And she loved it.
“You are taking way too long to answer this,” Everett teased.
“The best thing is the socks.” She kept her face straight as she answered Melody’s question. “They are everywhere. They sort of creep up on you. Go to bed and the place is sock-free. Wake up and it’s become a sock-infested twilight zone. I’m thinking of opening a nonmatching-sock emporium. I could make my fortune.”
Laughing, Melody turned to Everett. “Same question to you. What’s it like living with a woman?”
He gave Alyssa a mischievous look and she groaned. “I think ‘cheat day’ comes near the top.”
“What’s ‘cheat day’?” Casey asked.
“It’s a girl thing,” Alyssa and Melody chorused together.
“But, if you live with a girl, you get to be part of it,” Everett said.
“You didn’t swear him to secrecy?” Melody asked Alyssa.
Alyssa hung her head. “Forgot.”
“Is anyone going to tell me about ‘cheat day’?” Casey demanded.
“Women talk about eating healthily, and maintaining their ideal weight, right? But then they have this thing called ‘cheat day.’ Bad day at work? Glass of wine. Is it Monday? Chocolate. Your boyfriend didn’t notice the new dress? Pizza. That’s how ‘cheat day’ works.”
“Genius.” Casey shook his head. “And that’s not the best thing?”
“I think organized laundry comes second.” From the twinkle in his eye, it was clear Everett was enjoying himself. “Before Alyssa moved in, I used to think I was doing okay. I got out of the house each day looking decent enough. Now I have one drawer with underwear and socks, another with shorts and workout clothes and everything else is on hangers in the closet. I now know I was living a clothing half life.”
“Seriously?” Casey looked from Alyssa to Melody and back again. “You all do this?”
“It’s in the code,” Melody said. “Once we get you in our clutches, we teach you how to fold a fitted sheet and there’s no going back.”
The light in Everett’s eyes as he turned made Alyssa’s breath catch in her throat. “But then comes the times when I sit on the sofa and watch you with Kennedy. The look in your eyes and the way you sing to her. Sometimes I watch you when she’s not there.” He laughed. “Not in a creepy way. And you’ll start to dance while you’re cooking or cleaning even if there’s no music playing. And, yeah. That’s the best thing about living together.”
Although the words made Alyssa feel special, the note in his quiet voice held a reminder. Of how his lips made her skin tingle, of how his tongue felt when it stroked hers, of how his strong arms wrapped around her, warming and protecting her.
And in his eyes...did she see a promise? Melody gestured to Casey. “Drink up. We should go.”
“Oh, hey. It’s not late. We don’t have to—”
“I think we do.” Melody gave a tiny jerk of her head in Everett’s direction as though she had noticed something important. “Good night, guys.”
Realizing that Casey and Melody had gone because he’d pretty much poured his heart out in front of them, Everett took a moment to catch his breath before going into the kitchen. His confession had taken his, as well as them by surprise, but he figured it was about time. He just wondered what Alyssa was thinking.
When he went through to the kitchen, the tension he’d been expecting was missing.
Instead, Alyssa jumped guiltily. “Oh.”
“Are you eating leftovers without me?”
It was hard to make out what she was saying because she was frantically trying to swallow the food in her mouth. “Might be.”
He laughed, relieved that he hadn’t ruined everything with his disclosure. “Let’s take a plate and a couple of beers through to the living room. Cleaning up can wait.” She looked nervously at the dirty dishes. “It can, Lyss. Believe me. Mess doesn’t go away.”
They collapsed companionably onto the sofa with the food between them.
“Melody seems nice,” Alyssa said.
“She really does,” Everett agreed. “It’s so good to see Casey happy. It will be fun to see them again for Christmas dinner.”
She shot him a measuring glance. “Your mom felt strongly that we should get married. For Kennedy’s sake.”
He jerked, spilling beer down the front of his shirt. Muttering a curse, he grabbed one of the napkins he’d brought with the food and mopped up the mess.
“She said that?”
“I told her that, because we aren’t in a relationship, it wouldn’t make sense for us to do something just because it’s what other people expect. I don’t think I convinced her.”
Everett sank back in his seat, thinking about what his mom had suggested. He’d always seen marriage as a scary step. Making a promise that was meant to last forever? It had always felt as chancy as gazing into a crystal ball. Now something had clicked into place and he got it. When people got married, they hadn’t reached a point where they knew exactly what the rest of their life would look like. They had no clue what was ahead. But they were prepared to make a promise to stick with one person through all of it. And that was comforting instead of scary.
Could he explain his change of thought to Alyssa? He drained his beer. He could try. Maybe he could even convince her that his mother was right...
“She does have a point.” Aware that Alyssa was giving him an are-you-serious? stare, he plowed on. “I mean, this is a small town and people have expectations of what a family looks like. And marriage does have its advantages.”
“Sure it does. For people who are in love.” Her slim body visibly bristled with tension.
This was all going horribly wrong. He needed to come up with a compelling reason. Fast. “If we were married, Georgia wouldn’t stand a chance when it came to a counter claim for custody.”
“She doesn’t stand a chance, anyway. She’s a criminal, remember?”
“Even so, we could make doubly sure that no one can ever take Kennedy from us.” He reached for her hand. “Don’t worry, we can always get a divorce in a few years.”
The speed with which she sprang away from him would have done credit to a puma. Without speaking, she marched through to the kitchen and, after a moment or two, he heard the sound of plates being loaded into the dishwasher.
Guess I just blew my first marriage proposal.
Tentatively, he followed her. “Lyss—”
She swung around to face him, and he was shocked at the raw emotion on her face. He knew he’d angered her, but he hadn’t realized, until that moment, that he’d also hurt her.
“Don’t say any more.” She twisted a dishcloth in her hands as she spoke. Her voice shook and she battled to get it under control before she continued. “When we were together, I dreamed of a future with you, Everett. And my fantasies included the day you proposed to me.”
“Let me—”
“No. You had your turn to talk. This is my time.” Her hand shook as she brushed away a tear. “I’ve always known there was a part of yourself you keep shut off from me. I figured that, one day, you’d tell me why. And that when that day came, we’d be able to plan for a future together. At no point did I see this... A proposal that included a get-out clause. Like ‘Hey, baby, we can always get a quickie divorce and walk away in a few years.’”
He froze. His mind replayed the words part of yourself you keep shut off. How could he open up to her about that, when he didn’t know how to deal with it himself?
It’s time to tell her. All of it.
When he opened his mouth to try, the words wouldn’t come. At the most critical moment of his life, he couldn’t speak. With a sound midway between a laugh and a sob, Alyssa turned away and continued loading dishes.
Tightening his fist against the door frame to keep from punching the wall, Everett watched her for a few seconds before heading for the front door. Fresh air. That was what he needed. He’d clear his thoughts, come back and start again. This was too important to leave unfinished.
He stepped outside with no real idea of where he was going. The snow had stopped, but the night air had enough bite to make him catch his breath. Regretting the impulse that had driven him out in a T-shirt and high-tops, he ran down the steps and into the parking lot.
Although he wasn’t dressed for a run, he contemplated a quick circuit of the block. Perhaps a burst of exercise would take away the sensation that his muscles were burning with red-hot tension.
He was preparing to start jogging when he sensed a movement behind him. His nerve endings fired out an alert. The person approaching was moving fast... And they were heading straight toward him.
His instinct was to swing around and confront the impending danger. Every self-defense class he’d ever attended came back to him, and he maintained his position, only turning at the last second. Clad in dark clothing with a hood pulled up to hide the face, the figure darting toward him was small and slight. He tried to find something distinctive in that fast-moving figure to latch on to, something to remember if he needed to give a statement... The only thing that caught his attention was the unusual sneakers. They were edged with a pattern that looked like alligator teeth. As Everett swung onto the balls of his feet, he kept his arms relaxed and open, ready to block or grab his opponent.
The glint of security lights reflecting off a blade caught him by surprise, and he sidestepped with a grunt as the knife arced low. This wasn’t a random mugging. By aiming for his stomach, the attacker was clearly planning to do him some serious damage.
Everett had been an FBI agent for long enough to know that attempting to disarm a knife-wielding assailant in an anything-goes, street-fight situation was a very bad idea. Focusing on not getting stabbed and getting the hell out of there was a much better plan. Unfortunately, no one had told the aggressor about those rules.
The figure doubled back, knife hand extended once more. Everett took a moment to consider his options. He could grab the outstretched arm and break it, but the offender might still be able to escape. And he really wanted to get a look at that covered face.
This time, as the assailant lunged forward, Everett backed away and pretended to fall down. Facing the attacker, he propped himself on his elbows and waited for his opponent to move in close. When the moment was right, he slammed his right foot hard into the antagonist’s leg.
With a grunt, his foe staggered and went down on one knee. Everett seized the assailant’s knife arm, intending to smash it into the ground. With an agility that amazed him, the other person rolled to one side, driving the blade deep into Everett’s forearm and breaking free at the same time. Warm stickiness trickled over his palm as he watched the hooded figure run off.
Staggering to his feet, he headed toward the apartment building. Black spots danced in front of his eyes and he forced one foot in front the other. As he reached the first stair, his vision blurred and he dropped to his knees.
When Everett walked out, Alyssa’s first reaction—kicking in alongside the hurt she was already feeling—was anger. Why must he be so determined to avoid his feelings? Whenever emotional issues were discussed, his coping mechanism was to lighten the mood or change the topic. If that didn’t work, he physically left the scene. Exactly as he’d just done.
Why should she care any longer if he thought being strong and unfeeling was the “masculine” thing to do? Even though they were co-parenting a child, they weren’t together. His insecurities were not her problem anymore.
Except... She still cared about him. Just because Everett could pretend to turn off his feelings, it didn’t mean it was easy for Alyssa to do the same. Even though he had chosen not to open up to her, she sensed he was fighting the same inner battle he always had.
She bowed her head, gripping the countertop. This was all wrong. They were both hurting. Why did it have to be this way? Surely they could talk it over.
But how was she supposed to go after him with the baby asleep in the apartment? At least she could go out onto the top of the steps, see if he was still around and ask him to come back.
After grabbing her cell phone in one hand and the portable baby monitor in the other, she opened the front door and stepped outside. A scan of the parking lot revealed no sign of Everett, and the night was cold enough to drive her straight back inside. She was taking one final look around when a faint sound caught her attention.
Hesitantly, she leaned over the rail to get a clear view of where the noise was coming from. There, at the base of the steps, a man was lying on his side in the snow. She paused, wondering if it might be a trap, then he moaned and she threw caution to the wind.
“Everett!” She darted to the top of the steps.
“Stay there.” Faint and rasping, the voice was barely recognizable as his own.
Alyssa watched in growing dread as he crawled up the steps on his hands and knees. When he reached the top, the full horror of his appearance became apparent. A large knife protruded from the muscle of his right forearm and the flesh around it was shiny with blood. His clothes were covered with dark crimson splatters. His face was drained of color, with even his lips appearing white. Using the handrail, he pulled himself upright. As Alyssa ran to him, he swayed and leaned against the wall.
“I’ll call 911.”
As she made the call, Everett slumped into a sitting position. Alyssa finished speaking to the emergency dispatcher and squatted next to him. “The paramedics are on their way. What happened?”
“Guy...” His teeth chattered. “Came out of nowhere.”
“You’re freezing. I’ll get something to wrap around you.”
She ran back inside and went into her bedroom. Thankfully, Kennedy was still sound asleep as Alyssa pulled on a warm sweater and grabbed a fleece blanket from the closet. She hurried into the bathroom to snatch a hand towel from the shelf and locate the first-aid kit, then dashed back to Everett.
As she draped the blanket around him, he leaned his head briefly on her shoulder. “Call Casey. Tell him the guy was wearing sneakers with a pattern just like a row of alligator teeth. Could still be around.”
“He’ll know from the 911 call what’s happened. I’ll message him now and call him from the hospital.”
“What about Kennedy?”
“She can come with us in the ambulance. Stop worrying, Everett. Let me take care of the practical stuff.” The knife sticking out of his arm looked gruesome, but she remembered from mandatory training courses she’d attended that impaled objects should not be removed. Instead, she wrapped the towel around his arm below the stab wound, using a bandage from the first-aid kit to tie it in place. “It should stop the bleeding until the paramedics get here.”
“He was waiting in the shadows.” He leaned his head back against the wall.
“For what? Someone to rob?”
He shook his head. “For me.”
The chill that swept over Alyssa had nothing to do with the night air. Right here, right now, she was living her worst nightmare. Ever since her father’s death, fear had controlled her like a battery-operated toy. Yet now that she was here—plunged into the scene she had dreaded—her rational self took over. All that mattered was that Everett was okay. And she could play her part in that.
“Painkillers.” She found the bottle in the first-aid kit and shook a couple out. “You could probably use some of them.”
As she held them out, he gripped her hand. “Lyss, what I said... What I should have said—”
She shook her head. “We don’t have to do this now.”
He mumbled something under his breath that she didn’t quite catch. Never a right time? She wasn’t quite sure, and as the sound of an approaching siren brought a welcome rush of relief, she shifted her focus back to the practicalities.
As kids, Everett and Casey had spent more than their fair share of time in the Sur County Hospital. For some reason, twin life had seemed to bring double the quantity of bruises, sprains and fractures for each of them.
“This place hasn’t changed much,” Everett commented to Alyssa as he was wheeled from the ambulance into the emergency department. The stronger painkillers he’d been given by the paramedics were kicking in and he was able to talk normally.
He studied her face, looking for signs of panic. So far, there were none. Although she was pale, she seemed to be in complete control. With a sleeping Kennedy wrapped in a blanket in her arms, her composure had been remarkable. She’d calmly answered the paramedics’ questions about what had happened and in detail. No one watching her would ever guess how difficult this sort of situation was for her.
Not that it would have been easy for anyone. His arm looked like a poster for a slasher movie.
A nurse led Alyssa to a seat at one side of the small cubicle as the emergency team got to work.
“Once we start any procedure, I’ll have to ask you to leave,” the nurse told her. “But you can wait here while we do an initial assessment.”
“Thank you.” For the first time, there was a quiver in her voice.
Everett didn’t know why, but it helped to know that, if he craned his neck, he could just about see the toe of one of Alyssa’s boots.
“Okay.” A doctor started examining him. “We have an adult male patient with a piercing injury to his right forearm. He reports that he was assaulted and stabbed about a half hour ago. I take it the sheriff’s office has been informed?” There was a murmured confirmation. “There is a knife blade penetrating approximately four centimeters into the front and midline—the anteromedial aspect. Vital signs?”
“Blood pressure, pulse rate and body temperature are all within normal limits.” He could tell by the voice it was one of the paramedics who had treated Everett at the scene that responded.
As the doctor gently moved his hand and arm, Everett gritted his teeth. Fingers of fire licked through his damaged nerve endings.
“There is movement in the right wrist and elbow, but the patient finds the examination painful.”
You don’t say. Maybe that has something to do with the blade sticking out of my flesh?
“Tetanus vaccination and antibiotics will be required to counter the effects of this foreign body penetration. Removal will be made under general anesthesia.” He spoke directly to Everett for the first time. “With such a deep-seated injury, the only way we can be sure we don’t injure the surrounding tissues as we take the blade out will be to knock you out.”
Everett frowned. His mental processes were clear, thanks to the painkillers, and, while he understood what the doctor was saying, he didn’t like the idea of Alyssa and Kennedy being alone and vulnerable when he was on the operating table. He needed Casey to get down here. Fast.
And there were other things worrying him... “Will there be any lasting damage to my arm?”
“This sort of injury is difficult to manage because the associated potential vascular and nerve injuries can be extremely serious. That’s why I’m not going to attempt to remove the knife here. In the operating room, I can perform the procedure while scanning your arm to see exactly where the blade is in relation to any vital structures. I can’t make you any promises at this stage, but I’ll do my best to limit any permanent harm.”
“Thank you.” There was a flurry of activity, and he sensed the medical team were getting ready to move him. “Alyssa?”
“I’m here.”
“I need to see you.”
She stepped into his line of sight, cradling Kennedy against her shoulder. Although she was pale and the fine lines around her eyes were etched a little deeper, she still had the power to take his breath away.
“You okay?” When he spoke, his throat felt like he’d swallowed a cup of sand.
“Yeah. Neither of my arms have knives sticking out of them.” Although she smiled, her eyes were a little too bright.
“Call Casey,” he told her. “He’ll know what to do. He’ll also know the best way to tell my mom and dad about this.”
“Calling him is the first job on my list.” She lightly touched his left hand. “You focus on letting the doctors make you well.”
“Sorry, but we have to go,” a nurse said.
“I’ll see you soon.” Alyssa kissed the hand she was holding.
“Yeah.” As the gurney started to move, he turned his head. “And, Lyss?”
“Yes?” She craned her head to watch him.
“You do know that divorce comment was a trick? Just my way of giving you a get-out so you’d say ‘yes’ to the whole marriage plan...”
Her soft laugh was the last sound he heard as they wheeled him out of the room.