Hearths of Fire (32 page)

Charlotte nodded as she tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. Seeing Mandy’s hair sprawled out on the pillow, her washed face devoid of make-up, and her hand tucked in under her cheek reminded Charlotte of when her sister was younger…and still innocent. Today ripped all of that away and there was nothing to grab onto in order to prevent it from slipping away forever.

“Yes,” Charlotte answered after clearing her throat and making her way back to the couch where the pictures he’d taken had been separated into numerous colums. She sat down beside him, wishing she could curl up in his arms as if today hadn’t happened. “A part of her feels vindicated that the sheriff didn’t find anything or anyone at the compound. She is somehow still defending Garreth.”

“That shouldn’t be a surprise. I need to make a trip back there.”

Those words spiked the fear that she had been able to tamp down until now. They hadn’t discussed what would happen if the police officers didn’t find Becky, but since they were now presented with the cold hard facts, it had to be discussed. If what Neal’s informant said was true, Becky
was
somewhere on that property. If the Ashes had no qualms about abducting a teenage girl, they would not hesitate to try to do the same with Mandy.

“What if they come for Mandy while you’re gone?”

“I’m not going tonight.” Neal rested his elbows on his knees, pressing his fingers to his chin as he took a moment to think things through. She was glad for the momentary lapse in the conversation as she did her damnedest to keep her bravado in place. “The regular cult members aren’t permitted to carry cell phones, but I made this man memorize my number so that he could call me from town. I’m hoping he figures out a way to do that soon. There has to be a place they are keeping Becky Garson that the police either overlooked or that is not on the property.”

“Do you think they’ll come for her?” Charlotte whispered as her mind filled with horrible images of what could happen to her sister.

“Eventually,” Neal answered, not lying or sugarcoating the truth. His tiger-like green eyes connected with hers and she saw the predator within. He wanted justice, but he could be just as patient as the animal when warranted. “I won’t leave you unprotected though. Let’s just get through this night and we’ll reevaluate in the morning.”

“What about these people?” Charlotte asked, waving her hand to the various pictures that were scattered on her coffee table. “I identified at least seven of them. Two who have joined Ashes to Dirt and the others are residents of Hearth, but I saw the majority of them a few days ago. They have nothing to do with the cult.”

“That we know of,” Neal corrected as he tapped one of the photos with his finger. “I’ll need you to write on the back of each picture what you know of them. I’ll do a search online for anything that might stand out in their past or see if they have any connection with the Ashes.”

“Okay.” Charlotte reached over for a pen when he placed his hand on hers. She looked at him questionably, wondering why he would stop her when they didn’t have time to waste. “Neal?”

“We need to get Mandy to a safe house. By morning.”

Charlotte pulled her hand back as if he’d burned her. She finally comprehended why he’d looked at her all night as if he were weighing his words carefully. He wasn’t sure how she would take his suggestion because he wasn’t just talking about Mandy. He wanted her to go too. It felt good to have the fear once again replaced by anger, but she did her best to remain composed and structure her statement prudently.

“I think that’s a good idea and it will free our time while we figure out where the Ashes are keeping Becky.”

“Damn it, Char,” Neal replied harshly as he pushed himself off of the couch. “Do not do this. You need to be with her—for her sake and yours. Let me do what I need to do so that we can get on with our lives.”

“You said yourself that I can help you.” Charlotte eased herself to the edge of the sofa, clutching her hands in her lap to keep herself from yelling at him. It wouldn’t do either one of them any good and would most likely wake up Mandy. “You’ve been gone for over eight years, Neal. I know this town and the people in it.”

“I need you safe. If I’m worrying about you, it puts all of us at risk too.”

“Let’s face it. If I’m not here you don’t have to deal with the ramifications of what happened this morning.” Charlotte stood as well, refusing to back down from this. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Ramifications? We had sex. Nothing more, nothing less.” Neal walked in front of the coffee table until his body was inches from her and she could feel the heat radiating off of his chest. She didn’t step back but instead met his gaze head on. “You’re going to go with Mandy to a place where no one can find you until this is over. Make the calls you need to get the store covered and I’ll talk to the school regarding Mandy’s courses tomorrow. This is nonnegotiable.”

Charlotte would have grabbed Neal by his shirt had he not moved so quickly and walked to the front door. The air still crackled with the electricity he’d left in his wake and as she turned to watch him go outside for another sweep around the house, she refused to allow him to take the easy way out. He could say all he wanted that he would worry less if she weren’t here, but she would be more concerned not knowing what was taking place. He shut the door behind him as if all was settled and she would be a good little soldier by following orders. He had a hell of a rude awakening coming.

*

Neal rubbed his
eyes, trying to erase his exhaustion as the sun’s rays appeared one by one through the sheer curtain of the living room. Charlotte hadn’t spoken much after he’d told her she needed to be with Mandy at a safer location. He didn’t have a clue as to what was going through her mind, but at least she hadn’t fought his directive for the remainder of the night. She did write down information on the back of each picture like he’d requested and he still couldn’t find the link.

“Mandy is all packed,” Charlotte said from the kitchen entryway, her short exclamation telling him all he needed to know. His temples throbbed at the upcoming argument and he tossed the pictures down, knowing he needed some more caffeine before it started. “She’s ready when you are.”

Neal remained silent as he grabbed his empty mug, losing track of how many cups of coffee he’d had throughout the night. Falling asleep had been off the table since no one knew if the Ashes would retaliate for Neal having instigated the search warrant to begin with or if they would come for Mandy. He figured the Ashes would be more cautious considering all eyes were now on their movements, but one could never be too careful.

Brushing past Charlotte was like skating a grinder across bare steel. Neal went to the counter and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee. He took a few swallows before finally turning around and taking in her appearance. It was easy to see she was as tired as he was, even with the few hours she’d gotten after falling asleep on the couch. There were slight blemishes underneath her eyes and her face was somewhat pallid. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her that everything was going to be all right, but he couldn’t…for numerous reasons.

“Go pack your bag.”

“No.”

Neal slowly inhaled, hoping enough oxygen would clear his thoughts and his mounting irritation. He glanced at the digital clock on the microwave and knew he only had around five minutes to talk Charlotte into leaving with Mandy. He’d made some calls and got an old friend who lived a few hours away to come and take Charlotte and Mandy to a safe place. His buddy should be ringing the doorbell any moment.

“This isn’t up for debate.” Neal took another sip of coffee, knowing that he would have to grab a couple hours of sleep after they’d gone. The older gentleman from yesterday had yet to contact him, but Neal hoped it would be soon. “Mandy needs you and I need you safe.”

“Mandy will be fine and let’s speak the truth, shall we?” Charlotte crossed her arms and Neal refused to look down at what the action did to her breasts. He focused on her blue eyes, which technically wasn’t any better. “You don’t want me here because you don’t want to continue what we started yesterday.”

“Now isn’t the time or place to discuss what happened.” Neal turned and dumped the rest of the contents of his mug into the sink. He carefully set the cup down when he would have given anything to throw it against the wall to make himself feel better. “We were both in agreement that we would go on with our lives.”

“Why? Why can’t you admit that we might be able to start over again?”

The knock on the door saved Neal from answering. He didn’t even know if he
could
respond to her question. Anger and hurt that he’d felt so long ago that he’d thought had faded were returning. He didn’t want that and the best thing for both of them would be if she were to leave with Mandy.

“You made both of our decisions a long time ago.” Neal walked toward her, mad at himself for letting those words slip while grateful that his friend had arrived. When she didn’t move and even purposefully blocked his way, Neal felt the dominance rise up within him. She had a way about her that made him want to take her up against the wall and show her over and over again what she had thrown away. “Go pack and then tell Mandy it’s time to go. I’ll get things done faster on my own.”

“I didn’t take you for a coward.”

With those soft-spoken words, Charlotte moved out of his way. He turned to watch her as she walked through the kitchen and down the hallway. She knew how to fucking slice into his ego, but why that would surprise him he didn’t know. She’d already done that to his heart. Daegan had been right. Returning home had been a mistake, but it wasn’t like he had a choice. With the way things had turned out, if he hadn’t come back…Mandy might have ended up dead.

Another knock sounded and Neal cursed under his breath that he’d left his friend standing on the porch. Sleep was needed in a bad way. He swiftly made it to the door, having taken time to look out the window to ensure it was Brad Olson.

“Brad.” Neal shook his friend’s hand, pulling him in for a chest bump and slapping him on the back. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too.” Brad followed Neal into the living room, glancing casually around. “It’s not every day I get some added excitement on my to-do list.”

“Civilian life takes the adrenaline right out of us, doesn’t it?” Neal looked toward the kitchen as he heard Mandy’s voice. He wanted to clarify some things before Brad left with the women. “Listen, I know I don’t have to tell you this, but make sure no one follows you out of town. Check in with me every twenty-four hours, although I should have this cleared up within a day or two.”

“Are you sure you don’t need back-up here?” Brad asked, slipping his thumbs through his belt loops. “From what you said this isn’t a one man operation. If the police aren’t making headway you could find yourself in a jam.”

“I’ve got it covered.” Neal broke off from saying anything else as Mandy and Charlotte appeared in the doorway. Only Mandy had a small suitcase with her. He should have known—hell, he did know that Charlotte wouldn’t leave. “Mandy, give me your cell phone.”

“What?” Mandy asked, her shock evident as she was clearly feeling better than she was last night. Her color had returned and although her eyes were still slightly bloodshot, she wasn’t crying. “Why? I promise not to call Garreth.”

“It’s not that. Your location can be tracked through your phone. I’m not taking any chances.” Neal wasn’t going to compromise on this. “Any call you make could theoretically lead the Ashes to you. Until we find Becky and until we know that the Ashes will leave you alone you’ll remain in seclusion. If you need us, tell Brad and he’ll get a hold of me.”

“This is so unfair,” Mandy complained, handing over her phone anyway.

Neal pocketed the device as he made the introductions. Brad reassured Mandy that the place he was taking her wouldn’t be so bad. As the two discussed the long trip and Brad promised he would stop for snacks after they were far enough away from town, he looked over at Charlotte.

“She’s decided to stay.” Neal could see from the exchange between the two sisters that Charlotte had already spoken to Mandy about her decision. The acid from the coffee in his stomach churned. “Kiddo, listen to everything Brad has to say and do
exactly
what he says. I’ll do my best to get things wrapped up in a few days so that you can come back to your sister, friends, and school.”

“What about Garreth?” Mandy asked, stepping into Neal’s arms as he gave her a hug goodbye. She rested her cheek against his chest like she used to do when she was a little girl. “I’ll eventually have to talk to him.”

“Don’t worry about that now. He’ll have to learn to live with disappointment.” Neal had no idea how the next couple of days would pan out and didn’t want her stressing over something they didn’t even know would happen. If Becky was on the property like the older cult member had stated and witnessed, then Mandy wouldn’t have to worry about seeing Garreth for many, many years. No one would convince Neal that the boy wasn’t aware of what his parents had done or were doing. “Take care of yourself and listen to everything Brad tells you. You’ll be home in no time at all.”