“Riley,” she moaned.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
She nodded and licked her lips. “Please?”
She didn’t need to ask him twice. As the heat within him approached the boiling point, he pulled her legs around his waist, buried his face in her neck, then eased himself inside her.
“Oh,” she gasped, then released a whimper of pleasure as he started to move.
Her warm velvety softness encased him. Nothing held him back. He plunged deep inside her. She hung tightly to his neck, pumping her hips, searching for that sweet release. “You feel so good,” he groaned. He felt his control slipping away. “Come on, darlin’. Take me home.”
He tilted his hips forward, trying to reach the spot that would send her over the edge. She was close; he could feel her teetering on the brink. He took a deep breath and hammered quick, hard thrusts. She stiffened, then cried out, her body shuddering beneath his grasp. Her muscles pulsating around him, she pulled him up, then plunged him down into his own release. When he resurfaced and regained his equilibrium, he took a deep breath, then let it out again. “Lord, have mercy.”
DEVRA HAD BEEN dreaming again, she could tell by her hammering heart and quickened breath, but this time she could remember none of it. She turned and watched Riley sleeping soundly. She felt special as the warmth of his touch still permeated her skin. For the first time in her life, she felt as though she wasn’t alone. And at the same time, she was never more afraid.
She closed her eyes and pushed back at the fear that her happiness was only temporary. That disaster was only a car ride away. Soon they’d be in Washington and everything would be different. She’d no longer be Devra Morgan. Instead she’d be Devra Miller—the crazy girl with a secret.
She couldn’t help wondering how her parents would react to their arrival. The last time she’d seen them, they’d left her at the institution. She’d been thirteen and so scared. They’d never sent for her. Not even during the long Christmas holidays. They’d just locked her up and forgotten her. How could she face them again after that?
She couldn’t. They didn’t deserve to see her happy, to know she’d gotten out of that horrible place and made a life for herself without them. Bitter tears filled her eyes. Who was she fooling? She missed them. She wanted them to accept her back into their lives, to be proud of her. But could she let them, even if they wanted to?
She climbed out of bed, entered the bathroom and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water rinse away the tears and ease the swelling in her eyes. It would be different this time. They wouldn’t reject her again, but even as she told herself the lie, she knew nothing had changed.
“Good morning, doll,” Riley said, and reached into the shower to give her a quick kiss.
Of course, things had changed, she thought as she looked into his handsome face. Now she had someone
who believed in her, someone who was going to save her from the devil himself. “And that it is,” she said with a genuine smile.
THIRTY MINUTES LATER, feeling more contented than she’d ever thought possible, Devra went to the lobby to load up on muffins and fruit from the breakfast buffet for the drive. She’d left Riley singing in the shower and as happy as a lark. She knew she was setting herself up for a fall, but chose to ignore the warnings her subconscious kept sending her. She was determined to hang on to whatever happiness she could while she was still lucky enough to have it.
She took her time choosing from the substantial display of breakfast food and made herself a strong cup of tea. She wasn’t looking forward to another long day in the car, even if it was with Riley. With her hands full, she walked back toward the first-floor room, hoping Riley would open the door before she reached it.
“Riley,” she called softly as she approached. She glanced to her right into the parking lot to see if he’d started loading their bags into the car, then stopped, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Riley’s car…so much blood. Her breath caught in her throat, her legs weakened beneath her. The cardboard tray of tea, muffins and fruit slipped from her grasp and landed on the ground at her feet. A small sound escaped from her and grew in intensity.
Riley opened the motel door. She looked at him through tears swimming in her eyes, then looked back at his Expedition where something thick and red had
been smeared all over his windshield. But as she looked again, she realized it wasn’t blood. It was berries…red raspberries.
“Devra, what is it?” Riley rushed toward her, then followed her gaze to the parking lot.
“He’s here, Riley. He’s found me again. How could he know we’re here?” She heard her voice rising with hysteria, but could do nothing to stop it.
“It’s okay,” Riley said softly and placed a gentle touch on her arm.
“No, it’s not okay. How can it be okay? He’s been watching us. Every step we’ve made, he’s been right there. He can’t be real, Riley. He can’t be human. He’s coming after me and there isn’t anything I can do about it.”
Riley seized her shoulders and shook her. “Stop it, Devra.”
“No. I can’t. I won’t. We have to get out of here, but there’s no where we can go.”
“You’re safe. You’re with me now. We’re going to stop him. Together.”
“Don’t you get it? We can’t stop him. He’s a phantom, a
demon.
”
He pulled her against him, holding her close. “Devra, he’s just a man.”
She buried her head in his chest. “There’s nowhere I can go, nowhere I can hide. He always finds me.”
“Exactly. And that’s why you’re not going to hide anymore.” He pulled her chin up until her eyes locked onto his. “Do you understand? You’re not running and you’re not hiding. You’re going to find out who he is and
you’re going to take back the life that he stole from you. He’s not a devil or a demon. He’s just a man. A sick man. Get it?”
She nodded. But he was wrong. There was nothing they could do to stop him. She knew that deep down in her soul.
THE NEXT DAY, Devra sat quietly as they crossed the Columbia River into Washington State. Everything was damp and green, the air cool and crisp. She opened her window and breathed deep the pine-scented air as a flood of memories washed over her. Her heart ached as she thought about her parents and how much she missed them. Would they welcome her home?
She guided Riley off the main freeway and onto the back highways that meandered through the Cascade mountain range.
“Sure is beautiful up here,” Riley commented.
“When the sun shines, it’s the most beautiful spot on Earth.”
“Are you nervous about seeing your parents again?”
She wondered how much it showed. “A little, it’s been almost fifteen years.”
Confusion played across his face. “Don’t you mean ten? Fifteen would have made you too young.”
Devra stared out the window trying to come up with an answer that wouldn’t have him asking more questions. But he was right, she’d been too young—too young to be forced out of her home. Even after everything they’d been through together, she wondered how he would feel about her once she’d finally worked up
the nerve to tell him the truth. She had to. It was only a matter of time before he’d discover it on his own.
“What are your folks like?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Normal, small-town religious folks.”
“Who think their daughter is a killer?”
“Yeah,” she said sadly.
“Maybe they’ve gotten over it, changed their minds. Time does heal.” A dark shadow crossed his eyes.
Not always.
Two hours later, they pulled into a long gravel driveway sculpted out of the forest and curving around massive pines to end at the doorstep of a tiny clapboard house. Devra’s throat tightened as she stared at her childhood home. “It looks exactly the same.”
Her gaze followed the flight of a dragonfly as it flitted to and fro before disappearing within the green depths of the forest. She had forgotten how surreal and enchanted the forest was. How she’d loved to wander through it, following the fairy trails of butterflies as they zoomed through the thick green ferns.
Wild yellow daisies grew in abundance around the house. As she stared at them, her wonderment and excitement vanished under a heavy cloak of foreboding. He’d been here, her devil. He knew about her childhood field of daisies. Knew how she had liked to pick them to brighten the house. He wanted to remind her. “He wanted me to come home. That’s what the daisies were about. That’s why he didn’t kill me at your ranch.” The certain knowledge gripped her heart and squeezed. She’d played right into his deadly hands.
Riley looked confused. “But why?”
“Because it’s my turn,” she said softly. “The game is up.” Something nagged the back of her mind, something she couldn’t quite grasp.
“Devra?”
She turned to Riley, but he faded in and out of focus. Laughter rang in her mind—evil, tinny.
“Are you all right?”
The light pressure of his touch on her hand brought her back to the moment, back to him.
She nodded.
The screen door opened and her mother stepped onto the porch, her dark hair pulled severely back from her face, her dull gray dress accented by a frilly white apron. Devra sucked in a breath.
Her mother emitted a soft cry, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. Then she was running toward them. “Devy!” she called. “Papa, Devy’s home.”
Devra couldn’t move. She sat frozen, then the spell broke. Energy surged through her as she fumbled to open the door. She all but fell out of the truck and into her mother’s arms. “Mama!” she cried.
Her mother squeezed her tight, rocking her back and forth. “Here, let me have a look at you,” she said, drawing back. She smiled and patted down Devra’s hair. “Oh, this hair! It’s still as wild and troublesome as I remember.”
Devra smiled and hugged her mother again. “I’ve missed you, Mama.”
“Not as much as I’ve missed you, my sweet, sweet child.”
Devra breathed deep her mother’s familiar scent and her heart filled with sorrow for all the lost days.
A movement on the porch caught her attention. “Papa,” she whispered. The last fifteen years had taken their toll on him. He was thicker around the middle and didn’t stand quite as straight or as tall as she remembered. The heavy lines on his face decimated the lighthearted, happy man who used to play her handsome prince, rescuing her from the evil queen who lived in the forest.
Tears burned the backs of her eyes.
“Come see your papa. He’s missed you.” Her mama’s words caught and suddenly Devra regretted staying away so long. With their arms clasped around each other’s waists, they walked toward the house.
“Hello, Papa,” she greeted with a genuine smile and open heart. He stared at her for a long moment, his steely blue eyes assessing her. She stood strong before him while he made up his mind if he would accept her back into his home. He pulled open the screen door and held it ajar.
“Welcome home,” he grunted, and behind the hard lines on his face she could see the sadness buried deep in his eyes. She stepped into the circle of his arms and held on tight. “I missed you, Papa.” She turned at the sound of the car door closing and smiled as Riley joined them on the porch.
“Mama, Papa, this is my good friend, Riley MacIntyre. And Riley, these are my parents, William and Lydia Miller.”
Riley held out his hand, first shaking her father’s, then her mother’s. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said.
“Likewise,” Lydia said, smiling. “Please, come in and get yourselves something to eat and drink. Where have you come from anyway? Was it far?” she asked as she led them through the small family room and into the kitchen.
“Louisiana,” William grunted.
Devra looked up surprised. “How did you know that?”
“License plates.”
She smiled. “Of course.”
“Louisiana. My, that’s a long way,” her mother announced as she took a jug of lemonade out of the refrigerator. “We were just sitting down to lunch. How about some chicken soup?”
“With spinach and meatballs?” Devra asked.
“Of course! Here, let me get you a bowl.”
Devra caught Riley’s eye and smiled as her mother placed large steaming bowls of soup and freshly grated Parmesan cheese in front of them.
“Now eat up. Both of you.”
Devra put the spoon to her lips and savored the hearty broth. It had been so long since she’d had her mother’s cooking, or anything remotely resembling it. She looked around the kitchen, soaking up the yellow tiles, the ceramic kitten cookie jar, the small milk glass vase on the table. All these things and so much more were exactly as they had been before, as if the earth had sucked her in and sent her cascading down a time warp into her past when she’d been ten years old and hadn’t a care in the world.
Except Riley was sitting next to her, watching her with speculative eyes.
“Thank you, Mama,” she said softly and sipped another spoonful of soup.
“Tell us what you’ve been doing. How did you end up all the way down in Louisiana?” she asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.
“I move around a lot.”
“Why is that?” her papa asked, breaking his silence.
She didn’t know how to answer him.
“You came home for a reason, didn’t you, Devy?” His voice, deep and penetrating, touched her like no other could. He always seemed to be able to see inside her mind, to know what she was thinking. Why hadn’t he been able to see the truth, that she hadn’t killed Tommy?
That she wasn’t sick?
After that horrible day, she hadn’t been able to do anything to please him. As if she’d been damaged in some way. On that count, she supposed he was right. She had been damaged, and she still was. The negative thoughts churned away inside her, bringing with them fatigue and sorrow.
“I came home hoping you would help me.” Her eyes locked on his. She’d always believed if she could only have made it home that day, he would have helped her, he would have saved her. But she hadn’t been able to find her way. She was home now, but she couldn’t be sure if he’d be able to help her, and she knew for certain that no one could save her. Not even Riley.