Chapter Eleven

Phoebe

So far. So good.

While I'd done all I could to make his time in the city easier, I knew he was still going to have a hard time. Especially with how he'd reacted after everything with Sugar and Enigma, how the chaos swirled in his mind. Nothing but total isolation was going to get the images out of his head. I just hoped when all was said and done, I could get him back to the Shenandoah Valley before his mind fractured.

Closing my bedroom door, I reached into my pocket and removed my phone before dialing a number. Walking over to the window, which gave me a clear view of the pool house in the backyard, the line connected.

"How is he?" I heard the second the call connected.

Rolling my eyes, I simply said, "Good. He's settling in now."

"Any problems?"

"No. None. How is everyone there?"

"You don't worry about us, Sis. I will hold down the fort here. How did he take Mom and Dad being there?"

"Shocked, but he said nothing. He still thinks they don't know, and for right now, I think that's best. Robin will be here in an hour and soon his nightmare will start again. God, Dimeter." I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "Please tell me I'm doing the right thing, because part of me wants to whisk him away from all of this. It took him years to recover the last time."

"I know, but this time he won't be alone. The family is waiting and ready to step in. Just say the word. King said all you have to do is text him, and he will take care of everything. We will have Priest home before he can blink."

"He finds out I went behind his back like this and he will never forgive me, Dimeter."

"Yes, he will. He loves you, Sis. I swear, if that crap with Sugar and Enigma hadn't happened, you two would be together right now. I saw how he was when he was around you, when he thought no one was looking."

I couldn't think of that right now.

Instead, I asked, "How is Sugar?"

"Getting better every day. She's been trying to talk Enigma into going back to work, but my brother isn't having it. He wants her completely healed first."

I chuckled. "So, she's going back to work tomorrow?"

"Yeah." My brother groaned. "So how long do you think you'll be gone?"

"I don't know, a week, maybe. All he needs is to see the pictures. Unless another body shows up, then we might be here longer."

"How are you doing with all of this?"

"I'm okay. Being here is bringing back a lot of memories."

"Not all of them were bad, Sis."

"I know. Some were wonderful," I muttered.

"You know I'm here if you need me, right?"

"I know. I love you, Dimeter."

"Love you too, Sis."

Disconnecting the call, I leaned my head against the window and watched a tree blow in the breeze as my mind drifted back to the day my life changed forever.

It was him. The man of my dreams.

I'd waited my entire life for this perfect moment.

For as long as I could remember, I'd always dreamed of a man with dark hair and blue eyes. Eyes so deep, so dark, I felt like I was drowning in the depths of the Mariana Trench. I knew everything about him, from his smell to the way his hand felt against my cheek.

We were one and the same.

Well, that's what my nana said when she read my cards on my seventh birthday and told me fate had given me a love that only came around once in a lifetime and that it was my job to protect it, nurture it, accept it for what it was, because when the bad times came and fate tested us, it was going to be my love that got us through the darkness.

When I asked Nana about the darkness, she just shook her head as sorrow washed over her. I think in some way, she knew what was to come, but chose to let fate take the lead.

Over the years, my dreams became more vivid, so much so I could describe him in every detail. I knew his body was covered in tattoos. He rode a matte black Harley Davidson. On his right bicep was a specific tattoo of his time in the special forces. But the thing I loved the most about him was how his face lit up when he smiled at me, almost as if I was everything to him.

So, it didn't surprise me that on my first day of college, fate chose this as the day we would meet. And when he cupped my face with his hands and brought his lips to mine, I knew our journey was about to begin.

I just didn't know what fate had in store for us.

Opening the front door, I smiled at Robin Calloway.

It had been years since I'd last seen her. We both attended NYU as incoming freshman the first time we met. We instantly fell into a friendship, along with my cousin Ares.

The three of us were inseparable until my life took a drastic turn.

Smiling warmly, Robin whispered, "Phoebe."

Grinning, I hugged my long-time friend before welcoming her into the family home. "You look amazing, Robin."

"I look tired and worn out." She smirked. "But you. Damn, girl. You haven't changed one bit in ten years."

"Oh, I don't know about that. I feel older."

"Bitch, please," my cousin Ares scoffed. "You don't look a day over eighteen. Not a fucking wrinkle anywhere."

Robin laughed as I shook my head.

God, I loved my cousin. Ares was Freyja with a nasty right hook. Tall, beautiful and full of piss and vinegar, I really felt sorry for the man who fell for Ares. Because my cousin was going to be a handful.

"What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were in South America somewhere."

"It's a long story," I muttered.

After everything happened all those years ago, Shaw took off and left, leaving me guessing, wondering where he'd run off to. Mainly, he left me alone to pick up the pieces. That lasted three days before I too couldn't take the looks, the whispers, the comments. Before I knew what I was doing, I'd packed a bag and found myself sitting on a flight that would take me far away from everything and everyone I knew.

"Phoebe?"

Flinching, I slowly turned to find him staring at me. He stood at the entrance of the sitting room, arms crossed over his muscular chest, looking directly at me. His eyes were unreadable. His posture looked menacing. The dark rings under his eyes told me he still hadn't had a good night's sleep.

But overall, he looked confused.

"What is she talking about?" he asked.

"It's nothing. Just a vacation I took a long time ago."

Shaw narrowed his eyes.

He knew I was lying.

"Anyway." I smiled, rubbing my hands together. "I'm going to head out for a bit. I want to go see Father Dominic and Ms. Gladys. Ares, would you like to go with me?"

"Hell no." My cousin grimaced. "Me, in a church? Are you trying to set my ass on fire? Besides, I have a lunch date with fucking Preston and his boring ass family."

"Thought you were breaking up with him?" Robin asked.

Ares grinned. "I will. When I get what I need."

Before either Robin or I could ask what Ares meant by that, my flighty cousin bolted from the house as if she were never there.

Facing Robin, I sighed. "Alright. I'll leave you both to it."

"Don't want you going alone," he grumbled from behind me.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried not to let his proximity bother me. "I'll be fine, Shaw. I have my phone. I won't be gone long. I promise."

Wasting no time, I rushed past Robin and hailed a cab.

The faster I got away, the faster he could do whatever it was he needed to do and then we could get out of this city and back home, where he belonged.

The cab pulled to a stop right in front of St. Agatha's Catholic Church. Smiling, I got out and looked up at the magnificent building. St. Agatha's was an institution in the city. One of the oldest surviving churches, the place was more of a historical landmark than anything else. While still a functioning church, visitors spent hours touring the beautiful place more than sitting for Sunday service or Wednesday night mass.

Walking up the steps, I had just entered the building when I heard a familiar voice. "Are my eyes deceiving me or has the Lord blessed me with a visit from an old friend?"

Turning, I smiled warmly at the old man, now with a full head of gray hair and warm brown eyes. Father Dominic hadn't changed one bit. He was still the most kind and warmhearted man I'd ever met. Running over to him, I embraced him.

"Father Dominic."

"Phoebe." He sighed sweetly, hugging me back, before taking a good look at me. "Now, what brings you back to this city? Because I know it's not me."

"I was in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by."

Father Dominic lightly shook his head. "You never were a good liar, Phoebe. Come. Tell me what brings you to my house."