Later that evening after Matt left, Annie and Stone lay quietly in bed, their naked bodies entwined. Stone’s fingers danced along her arm aimlessly. Annie was still trying to make sense of Matt’s tale. If she were in his shoes, she may have done the same thing. She’d do anything to protect those she loved, yet she still felt betrayed on so many levels.
He’d been following her for months like some creepy stalker. The entire time she’d been with Stone, he was out there, somewhere, watching. She tried to remember what he’d seen. Stone was always careful about drawing the curtains when they made love, but there were still so many intimate moments she didn’t like sharing with an audience.
They’d spent many nights cuddling on the couch in front of the fire. She loved how affectionate Stone was, how his hands never sat idle. He’d stroke her hair, arm or back as she lay in his arms.
Then there was Matt’s undercover work, or rather his under the covers work. Had he been sleeping with other women the entire time they’d been together? She knew for a fact that wasn’t part of the job. Nowhere in the rule book was there a line that read: have sex with the quarry to gain their trust. If anything, they told you not to get emotionally involved with the target.
“How are you doing?” Stone’s voice broke through her muddled thoughts.
“Probably about as good as you.”
“There’s no comparison. The deception aimed at you is far worse.”
She shook her head. It was all so incomprehensible. “What a prince.”
“Yeah.” Stone kissed the top of her head. “I guess you never really know anybody, huh?”
Annie thought about that a moment. “Would you have slept with another woman if you were deep undercover?”
“I can’t imagine a man cheating on his lady, especially when that lady is you.”
Annie pecked him on the cheek. He caught her face and kissed her on the lips. She folded her arms on his chest and rested her chin on her hands so she could look him in the eye. “So what deep dark secrets are you keeping from me?”
“You already know my darkest secret. In fact you’re the only one other than Matt that does know.”
“You’ve never told another woman?”
He stared at her without blinking until she thought he wouldn’t answer, then stated, “No.”
The confession stunned Annie. The way Matt talked about his friend, he was a modern-day Casanova. Now that she thought about it, Matt had appeared almost in awe of Stone. Why hadn’t she noticed that before? “Then what did you tell the women you slept with?”
Stone’s eyes rounded as if embarrassed by the question.
“Come on, I know you weren’t a virgin. You’re much too–” Annie thought about how she wanted to finish the sentence. “Skilled.”
He wiggled his brows at her. “Really?”
She pinched him.
“Okay, I’d come up with different stories depending on my mood.”
“Give me an example.”
“I don’t…” His face was turning red.
“Why, Detective Wooshkeetaan, I do believe you’re blushing.”
“Men do not blush.”
Annie laughed. She thought back to the night they’d met and how she was intimidated by his tough exterior. She never would have imagined this big bad lawman had a little boy trapped inside. “Spill.”
“Fine. The story I used most was that I was in a fire.”
“But your skin looks nothing like burned flesh.”
“Your average woman doesn’t know that and you, babe, are far from average.” He ran his fingers through her hair.
She appreciated how he always spoke his mind. Most men kept their thoughts under lock and key. It had to be that Native Alaskan thing about them being more than honest. “Did you elaborate?”
“No.”
“Then how–”
He interrupted her. “We seemed to have gotten way off topic here.”
She giggled. “And that topic was?”
“Us: you, me and Matt. How are we going to move on from here?”
Her spirits fell. “Oh that. What do you suggest?”
“I can’t tell you what to do in this case, I’m biased. When we began seeing each other, we thought Matt was dead. Circumstances have changed. It’s up to you how you want to proceed.”
“Actually, Matt showing up the way he did only made things clearer. For me anyway.”
His face scrunched. “How so?”
“The last few days I’ve been overanalyzing my feelings for you and the guilt that came with them. I wasn’t sure if they were real or imagined. Our time together has been great, really, but short too.”
“I understand.” The words came out solemnly.
“I don’t think you do. Tonight was actually a gift. I was able to see Matt in a different light. After he passed, I’d put him so high on a pedestal that he couldn’t be touched. In life I ignored all the chinks in his armor. That saying that love is blind is true. Love is a form of insanity or maybe brainwashing. It weaves you in its web and puts a spell on you.
“That spell was broken tonight. I realized I was no longer in love with him, and therefore I was able to see the faults I’d been ignoring for so long. While we lay here tonight in silence, my mind was sifting through different instances in the past and seeing them as they truly were.
“Matt isn’t half the man you are and he knows it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t been jealous of you from the beginning. I see it so clearly now. When he spoke of you it was in reverence.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. We’ve been best buddies since grade school. I’m the one who was jealous of him, his house, his family. The unconditional love he always had. You know the hell I grew up in. You even know how low I sank by asking the Locklears to adopt me.”
There was that unabridged honesty again.
“No one could fault you in that.” Annie placed her hand on his cheek. “I cry for that little boy and all he endured. But you must see that it’s your past that made you who you are today: a resilient man with a strong character who fought hard not to turn into his father. You won against all odds. You treat everyone you meet with respect and in return you are well loved and respected.”
“And what’s in your heart?”
“There’s no doubt in my mind. I love you, Stone Wooshkeetaan.”
“And I love you, Annie Oakley Thomas.”
She pulled her hand back and sat up. “How long have you known my full name?”
“Since the night we met. I went home and did a full background check on you. To be honest, I was looking for faults.” At least he had the decency to look contrite.
“Oh really, and what did you find?”
“That when you were seventeen, you took the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in skeet shooting, as well as rapid fire pistol, living up to your namesake.”
She lay back on his chest so he couldn’t see her face. “Now you know my deep dark secret.”
“That you’re a great shot?”
“No. My stupid name. I went through hell growing up. You remember the first day of school when the teacher reads your name out loud? It was always the same, the laughter, the jokes, the pranks. By the end of the year it would die down and then the new year would start and I had to go through it all over again. I begged my mother to let me change my name legally, but she didn’t want to hurt dad’s feelings. Seriously?”
“It was your dad who named you?”
“Oh, yeah, but Mom’s just as guilty for going along with it. He named each of us after a famous person: Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Wild Bill Cody, Buffalo Bill, and Annie Oakley.”
“So he’s a wild west buff.”
“More like obsessed. His office is covered with old maps, pictures, and memorabilia. I even think that’s how he chose his career. He wanted to be a sheriff like Wyatt Earp.”
“What I don’t understand is why he named one of your brothers after a bank robber?”
“He claimed it was something in Jesse’s eyes when he was born, that he had a mischievous glint. I swear he lived up to his name too. He was a holy terror. One time he was so mad at me for breaking his GI Joe that he put bubble gum in my hair and it wasn’t in the ends. He slapped an entire wad right on top of my head. My mother had to cut it out. I looked like a damn rooster.”
“Diabolical,” Stone said sarcastically.
“It was!” she belted out in frustration.
“I bet you were cute. I’d love to see the pictures.”
“There was nothing cute about it and I burned all the pictures.”
“How old were you?”
Annie made sure he could see her deadpan face before she said, “It happened last year.”
He burst into uncontrollable gales of laughter, holding onto his stomach with both hands. That was what she was going for, but the payout was better than imagined. When he finally calmed down, he rolled over her, propping himself up with his arms on either side of her head. He kissed her so thoroughly that all her problems disappeared. The only thing on her mind was her need for him.
The following day they moved her out of Matt’s cabin and into Stone’s home. The entire city of Wasilla was abuzz about the miraculous resurrection of Matthew Locklear, like he was some sort of folk hero. Annie had a hard time deciding which was worse: finding out Matt was dead or that he was a lying sack of shit that was very much alive?
Stone took a week off from work so they could be together as much as possible before she had to leave. For the remainder of their time together, they hunkered down in his cabin, leaving only for provisions. The night before her flight home, they sat on the floor in front of the fire roasting marshmallows for s’mores.
“Oh my god, you’re on fire,” she said pointing to the marshmallow on the end of his coat hanger.
Stone blew out the flames and slipped the burnt marshmallow between the chocolate and graham crackers. “You just don’t know the best way to eat them.” He squished the sandwich together and took a big bite. He rolled his head from side to side. “Mmm, mmm, mmm.”
Annie laughed. “You are such a geek.”
“Who’s a geek?” He poked her in the ribs.
“Stop.”
“Who’s the geek?” He poked her again, then tickled her mercilessly until she yelled, “Okay, okay, I’m the geek.”
He stopped the assault. “That’s better.”
“I’m the geek for loving you.” She jumped up and ran. He chased her around the couch and through the kitchen then into the bedroom where he tackled her on the bed.
Once the laughter died down, he said, “I don’t want you to go.”
“I know. But you’re coming out soon.” She played with his hair.
“Not soon enough.”
“We agreed it would be best to commute for the time being while we sort things out.”
“About that. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these past few days and I don’t want to live without you.”
“I know it will be hard, but–”
He placed a finger to her lips. “Let me finish. I know how hard you’ve worked to get where you are, and I would never stand between you and your career. I want to move to Virginia with you.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Since Matt’s been back, I’ve been conflicted. The relationship between Matt and I will never be the same. His anger toward me isn’t going away anytime soon. To top it off, he’s been talking with my captain. He wants to quit the FBI and work for the Wasilla Police Department.”
“He what?”
“I know. I was just as surprised as you. Captain Rosewood called while you were in the shower last night and talked to me about it.”
“What did you say?”
“I gave her my notice and told her to hire him to replace me.”
“Seriously?”
“I know I tease you a lot, but not about something as important as this.”
“I love you so much right now.” She grabbed him by the ears and pulled him close enough to kiss. He grinned all the way down until their lips met.
He ended the kiss prematurely. “So what do you say?”
“I’ve never been happier.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes?” She tried to remember the question.
“I’m not about to live with you in sin. Will you marry me?”
“Oh. Yes!” She pushed him down and climbed on top of him, pinning him to the mattress as she covered him with kisses.
Excerpt for HOLLOW SCREAM, Book 5 of The Thomas Family series.
Merrybell Montgomery sat on her friend’s porch steps, admiring the wondrous display of fall colors in her lush surroundings. There was a slight nip in the air; how she loved this time of year. She tried to tune out Sassy and her endless grumbling regarding the chosen title for the month.
“The book was fine, I guess, but why did the author have to ruin it by adding all that sex?”
“It’s always something with you, Sassy. I loved the book. It was so romantic. I wish I could find a man like the Baird,” Linda said.
“I agree. Damn he was sexy,” Cindy said.
“What about you, Merrybell? Did you like it?” Linda asked.
Merrybell focused solely on Cindy’s golden retriever as he emerged from the forest carrying something in his mouth.
“Merrybell? Earth to Merrybell?”
“Huh?” She turned toward Linda and noticed her waving her arms. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“What could possibly be more interesting out there than listing all the ways you’d want the Baird to ravage you?” Cindy giggled.
“What does Bo have in his mouth?” Merrybell asked.
“Ah, jeez, what now?” Cindy stood and shaded her eyes. “Trust me ladies, you do not want a dog with the word retriever in its name. I swear he’s worse than a cat. If there’s a dead animal anywhere in the vicinity, it will end up on my porch.” Cindy scooted back her chair and made her way over to the top of the stairs.
“Stop right there. I don’t want you bringing that thing up here. Drop it.” The dog’s tail whipped back and forth, he was so proud of his find. Cindy pointed. “Now!”
The dog obeyed, and then sat guarding it. His tongue hung from his mouth as he panted.
Cindy made her way to the grass. “That doesn’t look like a bird.” She bent over, inspecting it. Suddenly she jumped back and let out a blood curdling scream.
Linda and Sassy brushed past Merrybell to see what had Cindy so upset. Linda covered her mouth and backed away. Sassy ran a few feet away before she vomited. Merrybell walked down the remaining steps and pushed past the women. She couldn’t imagine what had everyone so upset.
The sun had dipped beneath the treetops so the lawn was cast in shadow. Merrybell had to get right up on it and squat to see. “Holy hell. Cindy, call the sheriff.”
Cindy appeared frozen in place.
Merrybell straightened up and came within a foot of her face. When their eyes met, she tried again. “Cindy, I need you to go in the house.” She enunciated every word. “Call Sheriff Tully and tell him what we found.”
Cindy stared, her mouth open.
Merrybell grabbed her arms and shook her once. “Go. Now!”
Cindy blinked a few times before she followed the instructions given to her.
Merrybell glanced back. The dog was licking his prize. He opened his mouth to pick it up again. “Bo. No!”
The dog whined and sat back down. “Good boy.” Merrybell moved closer to pat his head. She bent down and examined the decomposing hand severed at the wrist. The nails were caked in mud. Because of the age spots and calcification of the nails, it appeared to be from an elderly woman. Merrybell was not suffering from any illusion that there was a woman out there walking around with a stump where her hand should be.
It was more likely that somewhere out in the National Forest was a body. With Sassy still out of commission to her right, Merrybell turned to Linda. “Would you please take Bo inside and make sure he stays there?”
“Sure.” Linda grabbed the dog’s collar and dragged him toward the house.
Cindy passed Linda in the doorway. “The Sheriff’s on his way.”
“Good,” Merrybell said. “Maybe you could take Sassy inside and get her cleaned up.”
Cindy walked out in the yard toward their friend, who was now on her knees sobbing in the grass. She helped her up before she led her toward the house, making certain she stood between her and the gruesome sight.
Merrybell continued to guard the evidence to make sure no other animal absconded with it. As was always the case in October, the sun had set quickly, leaving her with just the porch light at her back. She stared out at the woods and wondered what abomination waited there.
She wasn’t surprised when the sheriff pulled up five minutes later. Not much happened in Crescent Hollow, so the discovery of a severed hand would be a priority. The sheriff made his way over to her. “Merrybell.” He touched the brim of his hat.
“Sheriff Tully.” She nodded back.
“What’s this I hear about a dead hand?” He smirked.
“Not a joke, Sheriff. It’s right here.” She pointed to her feet.
He took out his flashlight and squatted. “Well, I’ll be a son of a gun. That’s a hand, all right.” He took a pen out of his pocket and poked it. “It’s not fresh. Where’d it come from?”
“Cindy’s dog brought it back through the trees.”
“We don’t have any missing persons that I’m aware of.” The man stood and stared out toward the dark woods. He put his hands on his hips, glanced down at the hand, and then back at the woods. “Well, sheeeit. There goes my weekend. Stay here, will ya?”
“Sure.” Merrybell watched him head back to his SUV and open the trunk. He dug around in there a bit. When he returned, he had a camera and an evidence bag. He had her hold his flashlight on the object while he took a few shots from different angles. He turned the bag inside out and stuck his hand in before he picked the evidence up, folded the bag around it and secured the top.
“I’m sure glad you were here to guard the evidence.”
“Old habits die hard.”
“You ever miss it?”
Merrybell had retired from the Philly PD four years ago for personal reasons, but she had to admit the second she saw that hand, she recognized it as a puzzle that needed solving. “Sometimes.”
“Well you know there’s a job waiting for you if you should decide to take it.”
“I know.” This wasn’t the first time Tully had made the offer. “Thanks.”
“For now, I could really use your expertise on this. Do you mind giving me a hand?”
She gazed into his pleading eyes while she considered his proposition. This could be her chance to dip her toe into the water without diving in head first and making a full commitment. “Sure.”
He let out a relieved sigh. “Thanks, sure do appreciate it.”