Chapter 16

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

The week had gone by way too fast for Henley. Usually she was happy to have time go by quickly, especially when Jasna was away from home. But this week had been one of the best of her life. She worked in the mornings and had a few sessions at The Refuge each afternoon, then she and Finn spent every night alone in his cabin.

She’d finally gotten her slow, tender lovemaking, and it had been more than worth the waiting.

An impatient and lustful Finn was a dream come true, but a loving and patient Finn blew her mind as he leisurely tortured her with pleasure. She’d ended up begging him to let her come. To get inside her. To fuck her. But even when he relented, he’d somehow found the control to keep his thrusts slow and steady, driving her to the edge of her orgasm time and time again before backing off.

By the time his control broke, she’d threatened all sorts of things she’d never carry through with…the least of which was never having sex with him again.

Then he ran a hot bath for her and carried her into the bathroom. Since they wouldn’t both fit, he’d sat next to her as she soaked and told her more about his time when he was in the Coast Guard. Slowly but surely, he was opening up, telling her things about himself and his past that he admitted he’d never shared with anyone else.

If she hadn’t been head over heels in love with this man before, she was now.

But what made her feel truly secure that their relationship might stand the test of time was that Finn wasn’t perfect. If he was, she probably would’ve been waiting for the other shoe to fall. She didn’t need a Stepford boyfriend. She wanted to be with someone who felt safe enough to be moody, yet not take it out on her. Who got irritated with work, but didn’t just bitch about it ad nauseum without finding ways to ease his stress. He complained about her dropping dirty clothes on the floor, but not in a way that made her feel like shit about the habit.

They argued about the best way to make pasta, disagreed about what they liked to watch on TV, and had different thoughts about what was going on in the country politically, but she adored that they could have such differing opinions and thoughts, yet still love each other as much as they did.

Today was Thursday, and they had this last night alone before Jasna came home from camp. Henley had received numerous texts from her daughter when they were allowed to use their phones in the evenings, and she’d been relieved to see her daughter’s excitement about all the things she’d been doing. She may have been reticent to go to camp, but now that she was there, it was obvious she was having a wonderful time.

She was still over-the-top excited about going to the shelter on Saturday, telling Henley that she’d already looked at the website to see what dogs were available. Henley had a feeling if they weren’t careful, they’d come home with more than one new member of the family.

“What are you thinking about so hard?” Finn asked as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. She’d been standing on the back porch of Finn’s cabin, staring into the trees as she sipped her coffee.

She didn’t turn, leaning back into Finn, giving him some of her weight. “Just that I’m happy. This week has gone by fast, but it’s been really really really good.”

He nuzzled her neck under her ear. “Yeah, I kind of got the feeling you felt that way last night when you grabbed my hair and wouldn’t let me come up for air when I was between your thighs.”

Henley chuckled and finally turned in his arms, being careful not to spill her coffee, then smacked his chest. “I didn’t hear you complaining,” she retorted.

“You wouldn’t have been able to hear me if I did, since my mouth was otherwise occupied.”

Henley laughed long and hard. When she had herself under control, she said in a serious tone of voice, “You know, I used to think I knew what good sex was. But I was so wrong. I had no clue. You, Finn Matlick, make me feel things I’ve never felt before.”

“When you’re with someone you love, everything’s better. Even standing on the porch, watching the world come to life in the morning,” he said solemnly.

“I love you,” she said.

“You’ve given me back my love of being alive,” he returned.

She smiled. “We’re being sappy this morning.”

“Yup,” he said with a small shrug.

“We’re gonna need to figure something out,” Henley told him.

“Figure what out?” he asked.

“How to make love with Jasna in the house.”

He grinned. “You think you can be quiet?”

“Um…maybe?”

Finn burst out laughing.

Henley mock-scowled at him. “That’s exactly what I mean! We have to figure something out. Because I like being with you, Finn. I like having you inside me.”

He sobered. “We will. We might end up being daytime lovemakers instead of nighttime, but I’m okay with that if you are.”

Henley thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “I can work with that. Jasna goes back to school soon.”

“Exactly,” Finn agreed.

She smiled up at him. “Although there’s something to be said for lying in your arms and not having sex too.”

“Never done it before you, and I’d have to say I agree.”

“You haven’t?”

“Nope. Before you, I was a love-’em-and-get-out-of-Dodge kind of man. Didn’t see the point in staying when I didn’t want to lead anyone into thinking we might have more than we did,” Finn said with a shrug.

Henley wrinkled her nose.

“What?” Finn asked.

“I’m jealous,” she admitted. “I don’t like to think of you with anyone else.”

“Same,” he agreed. “So how about we make a pact from here on out to never talk about past partners again.”

“Done.”

“Good. You’re going out with the girls today, right?” he asked.

Henley nodded. “Yeah, Alaska, Ryan, Luna, and I are all going to lunch, then we’re taking Luna to that shop that sells all the British stuff because she wants to get some of that chocolate we bought last time.”

“Cool.”

“You want me to pick up something from town for dinner?” she asked.

“If you’d like.”

“What do you want?”

“Don’t care. As long as I get to be with you on our last night alone for a while, I don’t give a shit what we’re eating.”

Henley couldn’t help but smirk.

Finn rolled his eyes. “You have such a dirty mind.”

“I can’t help it!” she protested. “Especially after what you were just talking about.”

“How about this—I don’t care what you bring home for dinner, because I’m gonna eat my fill afterward.”

Henley chuckled. She loved this man. So damn much. “What are you doing today?”

“Chores, as usual. The vet’s coming by to check out that scratch on Melba’s side that she got in the paddock the other day…which will be a pain in the ass, because you know how much she hates being examined. Then I thought I’d swing by the shelter to check out the available dogs. I want to check out the temperament of the one pittie they have, as well as the hound mix. The last thing I want is Jas falling in love with one of them, only to have them end up being aggressive or untrainable.”

His concern for her daughter made Henley’s insides melt.

“I love you,” she whispered.

He smiled at her. “I love you more. Now, we need to get moving so you aren’t late for work. Are you sure you’re all right with Ryan picking you up?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? She’s going to come straight from here, after she finishes up the rooms on her schedule and after Luna’s done helping her dad with lunch. She can drop all three of us off after we shop. It’s fine.”

“I was just making sure. And since you won’t be driving, don’t worry about dinner. We can make something here, or I’ll grab something from Robert.”

“All right. My poor car isn’t getting much use just sitting here, since you drive Jasna and me around all the time,” she said.

Finn shrugged. “It’s my pleasure to take you both wherever you need to go.”

“You’re kind of a control freak,” she teased.

“Yup. And you love me anyway.”

“I do,” she agreed.

Finn took the coffee cup out of her hand and brought it to his lips and downed the rest of the drink.

“Hey!” Henley complained. “I wasn’t done with that.”

“Now you are,” he said with a grin. “And you still need to get in the shower. Oh, wait, so do I. I know—we can shower together to save time and water.”

“You think we’ll save either of those things if we get naked together in the shower?” Henley quipped as Finn led her back inside the cabin.

He didn’t answer, simply smirked as he led them toward the bedroom.

Henley chuckled. Did they have time for a quickie? Not really. But her first appointment wasn’t for an hour and a half, and Mike never expected her to be in the office at a specific time. She didn’t protest as Finn dragged her into the bathroom and grabbed the hem of her shirt, lifting it up and over her head.

“You owe me a coffee,” she teased as she stepped into the warm shower.

“We’ll stop at that coffee place you love,” he said absently as he pulled her against his warm, naked, wet body. His cock was hard between them, and Henley could only smile.

This was what she’d dreamed about when she was in her early twenties. This was what she’d always wanted with a partner. Someone to laugh with, who wanted her as much as she wanted him, and someone to share her life with.

Then he was kissing her, and Henley couldn’t think any more.

* * *

Hours later, when she was sitting at lunch with her friends, Henley could still feel Finn between her legs. He’d made love to her hard, fast, and passionately in the shower. And even though they’d been spontaneous and were in the freaking shower, he hadn’t forgotten a condom.

Not once had he gone back on his word to always protect her.

But as she’d told him before, she was ready to be done with them. She had an appointment for the next week with her OBGYN to discuss birth control options.

“So…I’m guessing that grin means you’ve had a good week?” Alaska teased.

Luna shook her head. “I still can’t believe you and Tonka are a thing.”

“Why not?” Ryan asked. “I think they’re adorable together.”

“Oh, they are,” Luna agreed. “But it’s Tonka. He’s like, the antisocial one. My dad told me he didn’t even meet Tonka until he’d been there a month.”

“You know what they say,” Alaska teased. “The quiet ones make the best lovers.”

Everyone chuckled.

“Right, Henley?” Alaska probed, leaning over the table.

“Yes,” Henley confirmed without any embarrassment whatsoever.

The other three cheered, making everyone in the small café look at them with curiosity.

“Shush, you guys, jeez.” Henley giggled.

“But seriously, it’s still going well?” Alaska asked.

“Yeah. Really good,” Henley said with a nod.

“I heard you’re getting a dog,” Luna added. “Is that right?”

Henley snorted. “Yup. Finn totally bribed Jasna out of her bad mood when we were on the way to drop her off at camp. Asked if she would be interested in getting a dog.” She rolled her eyes. “As if she was going to say no.”

“So are you going on your way home from camp tomorrow?” Ryan asked.

“My daughter wishes. No, we’re going Saturday.”

Everyone laughed again.

Henley sobered. “This really is a big step for Finn, though. He lost his canine partner right before he got out of the Coast Guard. And it was traumatic and violent. I honestly wasn’t sure he’d want to get another dog ever again.”

“I’m sorry,” Alaska said, reaching over and putting her hand on Henley’s.

“Yeah, that sucks,” Ryan agreed.

She nodded. “I think it’ll be good for him. He talked to his ex-partner recently—the partner who’d been with him that day—and after he heard he had a bloodhound…I think it shook something loose for him. Like, if his friend could move on and do it, maybe he could too.”

“He’s amazing with the critters around The Refuge,” Luna said with a nod. “He’s gonna be fine.”

“I think so too,” Henley agreed. “He’s going overboard though, just like he does with most things that involve me or Jasna. He said he was going to go to the shelter today to ‘check out the dogs’ to make sure they were suitable for being around someone Jasna’s age.”

“I don’t know, I think that’s smart,” Alaska said.

“Have you checked out the website? To see what dogs are available?” Ryan asked.

“Of course I have. Finn and I had a discussion about them the other night. He said we were only allowed to look at the big dogs, but I thought the little yorkie was adorable.”

“Let me guess, he wants a big bad dog that can protect you and Jas, right?” Luna asked with a laugh.

“Yup.”

“Well, the smaller ones do tend to be yappy,” Ryan pointed out. “And I’m assuming the guys at The Refuge don’t want a yapper around, disrupting the guests.”

“True,” Henley agreed a little reluctantly. “But I’m guessing Finn would be able to train any dog we get not to be an obnoxious barker. He’s kind of amazing like that.”

Alaska squeezed Henley’s hand, which she hadn’t let go of yet. “Please tell me you guys are madly in love and you’re going to marry Tonka and move to The Refuge, so I won’t be the only woman living there full time.”

Henley felt herself blushing. She gave her friend a small smile and shrugged. “I do love him, and he says he loves me too. But we aren’t anywhere near the getting-married stage. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Alaska squealed in delight and sat back in her chair. She picked up a fork and speared a French fry, dunking it into a container of ranch dressing before looking up at Henley with a huge smile. “You guys are so getting married. If you think Tonka’s stupid enough to wait long to put a ring on your finger, you don’t know these guys very well.”

“I don’t see a ring on your finger,” Ryan said reasonably.

Alaska stuffed the French fry into her mouth and grinned again as she chewed. As soon as she swallowed, she said, “Oh, Drake’s got a ring, but I’m not quite ready to take that last step yet.”

All three women spoke at once.

“What?”

“He does?”

“Holy crap, really?”

Alaska nodded. “I love him. I’ve always loved Drake. But I don’t know…something inside me, that little niggling of a doubt, wonders if we moved too fast. If he only started having feelings for me because of what happened. You know, the whole damsel-in-distress thing and all that.”

“Please, woman. Brick can’t keep his eyes off you. Or his hands, for that matter,” Luna told her. “I swear, the other night I thought he was going to jump your bones right there at the front desk after you handled that obnoxious guest who was complaining about every little thing. You had him eating out of your hand by the time he left, and he even promised to make a donation for the POW cabin. And Brick was in awe, watching it all go down. You two are perfect for each other. Marry the man and put him out of his misery already.”

Henley nodded, along with Ryan.

“I’m getting there,” Alaska assured them.

Henley was relieved when the talk turned to more mundane things, like the menu for next week, and how the guys were thinking about ordering all new softer towels.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m stuffed,” Alaska said after they’d each ordered a brownie ice cream sundae and devoured every crumb.

“Same,” Ryan said, patting her stomach.

Henley felt as if she wouldn’t have to eat for a week. The food had been that good and that filling.

“So, what’s the plan for the rest of the day?” Luna asked.

“I thought maybe, if you guys didn’t mind, we could stop at that consignment shop again. It’s so fun to look for treasures among the trash,” Alaska said. “Then we can stop at Bliss for Luna before heading back. I’m guessing Henley wouldn’t mind returning a little early, so she can spend the last night before Jas comes home with Tonka.”

Henley wasn’t even embarrassed when she nodded eagerly. She didn’t care if her friends knew how anxious she was to spend more time with her man. She didn’t care who knew that she loved him.

They all pushed back from the table, and when they argued over who was going to leave the tip, they decided to all leave some money for the college kid who’d been their waiter. They climbed into Ryan’s Explorer, and Henley couldn’t remember a time when she’d been more content.

Her daughter was healthy and happy, she had a job she loved, she had Finn, and now she had a circle of friends she could laugh and hang out with.

They’d visited the consignment shop—the back of the SUV was now full of bags—and were on their way to get Luna some British candy when Henley’s phone rang. Smiling, thinking it was Finn, she barely glanced at the screen before bringing it up to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Henley McClure?”

“Speaking,” she said with a small frown when she didn’t recognize the voice, wondering who was calling…and sounding so serious.

“This is Samantha White, from Horseshoe Bend Outdoor Camp. Have you heard from Jasna this afternoon?”

All the blood drained from Henley’s face. “What? No. Why? What’s wrong?!”

“She’s missing. We’ve looked everywhere and can’t find her. There was a group hike this afternoon and when we did a head count after arriving back at camp, she wasn’t there. We have counselors out searching now, but I wanted to make you aware of what’s happening.”

Henley couldn’t breathe. This was literally her worst nightmare.

“And I hate to have to ask this, but I know the police will want to know as well. We’ve already called them and they’re on their way. Is there any reason why she might not want to come home? Did the two of you get in any arguments before she arrived at camp or since she’s been here? Kids her age are notorious for getting in a snit and running away for one reason or another.”

The other women in the car were looking at Henley worriedly, but she couldn’t do anything but stare at the headrest in front of her blankly.

“What? No! Jasna would never run away. Yes, we had some words before camp, but everything was resolved before we dropped her off. She’s excited to get home because we’re getting a dog this weekend. Does she have her phone with her? Did someone…did someone take her?” She was practically whispering by the time she got to that last question.

“We don’t allow the campers to have their phones during the day, they have to leave them in the cabins. And I’m sure she’s okay. She probably wandered off to use the bathroom and got turned around. We’re going to find her, I’m certain of it. But due to our protocols, I needed to let you know.”

Henley wanted to scream. Of course they should tell her that her child was freaking missing! The only thing she wanted to do was call Finn. He’d know what to do. He’d find Jasna. “Call me if you find her,” she said shortly, then quickly hung up.

“What’s going on? Jasna’s missing?” Alaska asked urgently.

Taking a deep breath, Henley refused to let herself cry. “Yeah. I guess everyone went on a hike, and she wasn’t with them when they all got back to camp.”

“So she’s probably just lost in the woods then,” Luna said, her voice shaking a bit. “I mean, it’s not like anyone’s out to get her. She’s only twelve.”

At her friend’s words, Henley’s blood ran cold.

She instantly thought about her conversation with Mike at the beginning of summer. How Christian Dekker had a hit list. She hadn’t given it much thought since that day. It had been years since she’d had any contact with the troubled boy.

But now she couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“What? What are you thinking?” Alaska asked from next to her in the back seat.

“Christian Dekker,” Henley whispered, almost afraid to say the boy’s name out loud.

“What? Who’s that?” Ryan asked.

“He’s a kid I counseled a few years ago when he was twelve. He was…not right,” Henley told them. “He was truly evil—and I don’t say that lightly. My boss took over his sessions. I haven’t seen him in years, but at the beginning of the summer, Mike told me his parents had called. Told him they’d found a notebook with a list of names of people he wanted to kill.”

“Jasna was on that list?” Luna asked, horrified.

“Well, no. But I was. And Mike, and around two dozen other people. I didn’t think much about it at the time, but now…what if he went after her?” Henley asked, her eyes filling with tears.

“No, don’t think the worst,” Luna said firmly. “Don’t borrow trouble. They’re looking for her, right?”

Henley nodded.

“And the police are going out there?”

Henley nodded again.

“Okay, so they’ll find her,” Luna continued, obviously trying to stay positive.

“Ryan, we need to get back to The Refuge,” Alaska said urgently. “The guys will know what to do.”

Without a word, Ryan pulled a U-turn in the middle of the street. She ignored the people honking their horns and flipping her off as she sped back toward The Refuge.

“I need to call Finn.”

Alaska put her hand over Henley’s before she could lift the phone. “We’re going to be there in five minutes,” she said firmly. “You can tell him in person. He isn’t going to take this well, and you shouldn’t tell him over the phone.”

Henley wanted to shake her friend off. Tell her she was wrong. That she needed Finn’s support right this second. But after considering Alaska’s words, she nodded.

Finn was definitely going to lose his mind, and the last thing she wanted was for him to do something impulsive and rash. If she told him in person, they could figure out what to do together, and maybe she and his friends could keep Finn from going off half-cocked.

She nodded and took a deep breath. She wanted to believe that Jasna had simply wandered off and gotten lost. That she’d reappear from the forest, maybe a little scared but embarrassed over the worry she’d caused.

Deep down, she knew better.

Jasna was a responsible kid. She wouldn’t wander off, at least not without telling someone what she was doing.

She had no proof Christian had taken her daughter, but despite that…she just knew.

Evil had found her again—and this time, it was going after the most precious person in her life. It wasn’t enough that she’d had to listen to her mother being assaulted and stabbed, and then lost her father in a knife fight. Now she had to deal with Jasna being missing.

It wasn’t fair.

“Hold on, Hen,” Alaska said as she held her hand tightly. “We’re almost there. We’re getting you to Tonka.”

Closing her eyes, Henley couldn’t think. She couldn’t even cry. She needed Finn. Now. He’d know what to do. He’d find her daughter.

The alternative was unthinkable.