Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Stone closed his eyes as he hugged Owl. Hard. He was glad to be home. Well, almost home. Owl and Brick had come to Santa Fe to pick up him and Maisy, and he hadn't realized how stressed he'd been until that moment.

Having good friends to watch his back felt incredible. He was pretty sure he'd gotten out of Seattle undetected, but knowing he had backup now was a huge load off his shoulders.

Maisy had been pretty out of it throughout the trip, but she currently looked more aware than she had since she'd walked into their room back at the house in Seattle the afternoon before.

"Is she okay? She doesn't look okay," Owl asked when he stepped back.

Brick was currently off to the side making small talk with Maisy, so she was out of earshot.

"Actually, she's doing a lot better now than earlier."

"This is better?" Owl asked skeptically .

"He forced her to take a triple dose of Valium. Yeah, this is better."

"Does she understand what's happening?"

"I don't know," Stone said honestly.

"Does she at least know your memory returned?"

"No. At least I don't think so. I didn't have a chance to confront her. To tell her I knew everything. I was going to, but then she had that encounter with her brother and the drugs took effect before I could talk to her."

"Well, shit. This is going to be interesting," Owl mused.

"You ready to get going?" Brick asked as he walked up to the two men.

Stone looked at Maisy. She looked lost and confused, but her gaze was locked on him. As if he was her safety net in a world that had suddenly turned upside down.

"Jack?" she asked softly.

Stone wanted to keep his distance. Couldn't forget her role in everything that had happened. But with her looking so unsure and worried, he couldn't stop himself from reaching for her. He pulled her to his side and let her snuggle in close. "It's okay, Maisy. We're okay."

She nodded and let him take some of her weight.

"Come on, let's get home."

Home. Man, that sounded good.

They walked toward Brick's Jeep and Stone got Maisy settled in the backseat then climbed in after her. She fell asleep almost as soon as they pulled out of the parking lot. Stone spoke quietly with Brick and Owl about the last few weeks as they drove toward Los Alamos and The Refuge. Less than an hour later, Brick pulled up next to the main lodge and Stone couldn't help but smile at seeing the group waiting for him outside.

He roused Maisy and got her out of the Jeep, but lost track of her almost immediately when he was surrounded by his friends. Stone hugged Lara hard, pulling back to look into her eyes, wanting to make sure she was all right.

She smiled up at him. "I'm good, promise."

"Heard you flew the shit out of that chopper," Stone told her.

She blushed. "It wasn't pretty."

Stone was so damn thankful that things had turned out the way they had. "You're here, so I'd say it was fucking beautiful." Then he hugged her again and whispered into her ear, "Thank you for saving my best friend."

Her eyes were filled with tears when she finally let go of him. Then Stone made the rounds, hugging all the women and giving man-hugs to his friends. Even Robert, The Refuge's cook, was with the group, promising to make Stone's favorite pork chops the next night to welcome him home.

Satisfaction coursed through Stone. When he'd first agreed to invest in The Refuge, he wasn't sure if he would stay long-term. Now he couldn't imagine himself anywhere else.

A niggling voice in the back of his mind told him that he'd been ready and willing to make a life in Washington with Maisy, and that he would've been perfectly happy doing so, but Stone ignored it.

Thinking about Maisy made him wonder where she was. He felt guilty that he'd completely forgotten about her for a moment .

Turning in a circle, he searched for her, momentarily panicking when he didn't spot her immediately.

"Ryleigh's got her over there," Tiny said, pointing to a bench on the lodge's porch.

Turning, Stone saw Maisy slumped on the bench with Ryan—no, her name was apparently Ryleigh, or Ry, as most people called her. Maisy's eyes were cast downward and she looked uncomfortable and out of place. Stone was moving before he'd given it much thought.

He walked over to where Maisy was sitting and knelt in front of her, putting his hands on her knees. Stone nodded to Ry, then turned his attention to Maisy. "You feel all right?" he asked.

She nodded but didn't look up. Stone frowned. He looked at Ry again. "Thanks for sitting with her. I've got her from here."

Ry stared at him with a look he'd never seen before. The housekeeper had generally kept to herself around the place. She'd been polite and friendly, but now that Stone thought about it, she hadn't really opened up to anyone. She'd stayed on the peripheral. But now she met his gaze with a look so intense, Stone was surprised he didn't burst into flames right there on the spot. It was a little irritating. He hadn't done anything wrong. Maisy was the one who hadn't told him what her brother had planned. But he couldn't help but like how protective Ry was over Maisy. He felt the same protectiveness toward her…even after everything that had happened.

"Be good to her," Ry told him with a bite to her voice.

It instantly made Stone feel defensive. "I'm thinking you know nothing about what's between us," he retorted.

But instead of making Ry back off, her back straightened at his tone and she narrowed her eyes at him. "You haven't been here, so I suppose I should cut you some slack. But here's the deal…I'm the one who found Jasna, who tracked Reese's tile so you could fly in like a hero and snatch her before she was taken across the border. I'm also the one who's been working nonstop to find your ass and make sure you came home.

"Since you called Brick less than a day ago, I've read every text message you sent, every email, and seen every picture on your phone. That guy from the ranch you interviewed with wants to hire you, by the way, and has sent an email offering you the job, so I'm guessing you need to let him know you won't be working there after all. But more importantly—I've done the same with Maisy's phone."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "I have all her pictures, all her emails, and she even made some recordings that I can only assume were done in secret because of what was said. I know your wife probably better than you do in some cases, and I'm telling you that you need to go easy on her."

Stone's eyes narrowed. "What recordings?"

"Between her and her brother, who's a real dick if you ask me."

"He is," Stone agreed. "I don't suppose you took a break from hacking into my life long enough to look into Jason and figure out why the fuck he picked me to kidnap and lied his ass off to my face?"

"I'm working on that. All I'm saying is," she said in a less-biting tone than before, "your wife is both stronger than you could ever imagine, and far more vulnerable than you realize. "

"That makes no sense," Stone said, wanting to be done with this conversation.

Ry shrugged. Then she took a deep breath and looked away briefly, toward their group of friends. "I'm sorry. I'm being a bitch. You haven't done anything wrong, and I'm taking my frustrations out on you. You have every right to be angry. About what happened to you, and with Maisy."

Stone was surprised at her abrupt change of demeanor. "Thank you."

Ry nodded at him.

"Excuse me?"

Both Stone and Ry turned to Maisy at the quiet interjection.

"You have my phone?" she asked Ry.

"No, I'm sorry." The other woman's tone was soothing, calm, friendly.

"I had to ditch them before we got to the airport," Stone told her.

"But I was able to recover all your pictures," Ry quickly added.

"Oh…good."

"You were a cute kid," Ry told her. "That one picture of you between your parents in front of that boat is adorable."

Maisy smiled and had a faraway look in her eyes. "Yeah, we went whale watching. Jason didn't want to go and stayed with a friend. But we had the best time."

Ry patted her hand. "I have some stuff I need to do, but if you need anything, you find me and I'll get it for you. I'm in cabin number ten, it's the one with the green door, west of the one you'll be in. Okay?"

"Okay," Maisy said absently .

Ry looked at Stone once more, and the soft look on her face was replaced by a stern one. "Easy," she said, before squeezing Maisy's shoulder and standing. She didn't get ten feet off the porch before Stone saw Tiny breaking off from the group still standing outside the lodge chatting and head after her.

"You got your memory back."

Stone turned to look back at Maisy. She was still sitting on the bench, was still clutching her hands in her lap, but she was looking right at him. He shifted until he was sitting in the seat next to Maisy that Ry had just vacated, and nodded. "Yeah."

Maisy looked around for a moment before saying, "This place fits you."

"It does," Stone agreed. All of a sudden, he wasn't sure what to say to the woman next to him. He'd spent the last few weeks by her side and they never had a problem finding something to talk about. But now she felt like a stranger, and it sucked.

"I'm sorry I?—"

"No," Stone interrupted. "Not now."

Maisy frowned.

"We'll have our talk, but not when you're still a little out of it from that Valium. I want you clearheaded and with no excuses for not telling me every damn thing I need to know."

Maisy pressed her lips together, but she nodded. "Why'd you bring me with you if your memory has returned?" she asked after a moment.

"How else was I going to get answers if I didn't?" Stone said. If he hadn't been looking into her eyes at that very moment, he would've missed the flash of hurt that leaked out before she was able to control her emotions. Their relationship was a sham. Fake. Why would she be upset that he had no other reason to want her here?

"Right," she said with a nod.

Stone felt like an asshole, which made no sense. He hadn't said anything that wasn't true, but if he was honest with himself, that wasn't the only reason he hadn't been able to leave her behind. He could've reminded her about the possible pregnancy. Also…she was under his skin, but he'd never admit that. And no matter what she'd done, he couldn't leave her to suffer her brother's wrath. Especially not after seeing the bruises on her skin and knowing he'd drugged his own sister, apparently without a second thought.

"It's been a long day and it's only a little after lunch. I'll get you settled and come back up to the lodge and grab us something to eat. I'm sure there's nothing edible in my cabin."

Maisy stared off into the distance and said, "He's not going to be happy about this."

Stone knew who she was referring to. "I don't give a fuck."

She turned at that and met his gaze. "He's going to come after me."

"He'll have to find you first," Stone told her. "And I've been told on good authority that'll be easier said than done."

"You don't understand," Maisy said with a frown.

"You're right. I don't. But for now, you need to sleep, let the rest of that drug work its way out of your system. Tomorrow, we'll talk. I'll tell you what I know, and you can tell me why the fuck your brother had me kidnapped, and why you went along with his lies." His words came out sharper than he'd intended.

Maisy simply sighed and nodded.

"You'll tell my friends and me everything?" he asked, not yet willing to believe getting answers from her would be easy.

"Yes. But he won't stop. He needs me."

"Then we'll have to make him stop," Stone said simply. But he had a feeling it wasn't simple at all. "Come on. After lunch, I could use a nap too. I was up most of last night."

"Doing what?" Maisy asked as Stone helped her stand.

"Making sure you were breathing," he said bluntly.

Maisy tripped over her feet and would've fallen to the ground if Stone hadn't been there to keep her upright.

"Easy," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist as he walked her away from the lodge toward his cabin. "Alaska said she and the others are going to get you some clothes and toiletries. You can wear something of mine until they get back from town."

"I don't want to be a bother," Maisy told him.

"You won't. This is what they do."

They continued walking and, after a moment, Maisy said softly, "I knew you had friends like this. People who were worried. Who would care that you disappeared."

Stone gritted his teeth. "And yet you still lied to me," he couldn't help but point out.

Maisy didn't respond, but it was just as well. Stone was still a little too raw about being betrayed by her to be forgiving right then. It felt as if he was being torn in half. Part of him was thrilled beyond belief to have Maisy here with him, at his real home. The other part was pissed as hell and didn't even want to see her face.

But she was his responsibility. Just as he hadn't been able to leave her in Washington to face the repercussions of him vanishing into thin air, he couldn't manage to give over responsibility for her to one of his friends. For better or worse, she was his. Fake or not, they had a marriage certificate filed in some computer database in Seattle that said so.

When he got to his cabin, Stone saw that someone had already unlocked it for him, which he appreciated since he had no idea where his keys had gone. Brick had told him on the way home from the airport that Ry was working to get his identification cards replaced, and he'd have new credit and bank cards in a few days. She'd deactivated his old ones the second they learned he was missing. He made a mental note to thank her for that.

He also had the thought that it was actually pretty handy to have a computer genius working at The Refuge.

He opened the door to his cabin and with his hand on the small of Maisy's back, guided her inside. She stopped just through the door and took in his space.

The main room was open-concept, with the kitchen on one side, a sectional taking up most of the living room, and a dining table breaking up the two spaces. He had a gray rug on the living room floor, a fireplace opposite the sofa, and a huge bookcase on another wall. But the best part, in his opinion, were the floor-to-ceiling windows that faced the forest. They made it feel as if the cabin was completely open on one side. Like he was camping in the trees.

"It's… "

Stone held his breath as he waited for her thoughts.

"…perfect," she said reverently.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Come on. I'll show you where you'll be sleeping."

He led her through the room toward a hallway. He had an office of sorts, with a love seat that opened up into a bed.

"I'll get some sheets and stuff for you. Wait here." When he returned a minute later, Maisy was standing exactly where he'd left her. She didn't move as he made up the bed, simply stepped out of his way so he could complete the task. He left once more to grab a shirt and a pair of gym shorts for her, and once again, when he returned, she was still standing where she'd been a moment before.

"Here," he said, holding out the clothes. "They'll be big, but more comfortable to sleep in."

She looked down at the clothes in her hands and nodded.

Stone didn't like the distant look in her eyes. Even though she was right in front of him, she might as well have been a million miles away. "I'll get you some water. Drink it. It'll help flush your system. There's a bathroom in the hallway if you need it. You can shower when you get up."

"Okay," she said softly.

Stone wanted nothing more than to take her hand and bring her down the hall to his room, to his bed. But everything was different now. He didn't even know this woman. And now that his memories had returned, the reasons why he shouldn't take her to his bed were even more dire.

His nightmares. How violent he became .

But again, that voice in his head reminded him that he'd slept with Maisy for weeks and not once had he ever hurt her. In fact, he'd slept better than he had in years, since he and Owl had been rescued from that hellhole overseas.

Mentally sighing, Stone backed out of the room. He didn't know what else to say. So instead of saying something he might regret, he simply closed the door and left Maisy alone.

An hour later, Stone couldn't stand it any longer. He had to check on her. He hadn't heard anything from the guest room/office since he'd shut the door earlier.

He knocked softly but didn't get a response. Worried that something might be wrong, that she could've stopped breathing because of a delayed reaction to the drugs, Stone didn't hesitate to crack open the door.

The curtains in the window were open, and there was plenty of afternoon light coming in to illuminate the room. Maisy was on her side at the very edge of the mattress, curled into a tight ball. She hadn't gotten under the sheet or blanket, and she was clutching his clothes to her chest, her nose buried in the material. She looked small and vulnerable.

Stone had actually taken two steps into the room toward her before his brain caught up with his heart. He froze, filled with indecision. He wanted to go to her, take her into his arms and tell her that everything would be fine. But he also wanted to rail at her, shake her and force her to confess everything. Explain why she'd betrayed him so badly. Ask if all her pretty words about love and taking care of him were nothing but lies.

He did neither of those things. He simply backed up until he was once more in the doorway. Then he shut the door quietly and went back to the sofa. He sat and stared into space. He was exhausted and his head still throbbed. But there was no chance of him being able to sleep. Hopefully tonight when it got dark, he'd be able to catch a few hours of rest. For now, all he could do was sit and run the last few weeks over and over in his head. Trying to understand the motives of the woman he'd married.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he'd get answers. He'd decide what to do after he heard what Maisy had to say. Until then…all he could do was obsess over every little thing she'd said and done since he'd first met her.