Epilogue

EPILOGUE

The wind whipped through the trees as Talon hiked through the forest. He wasn’t on the trail, as that wouldn’t be where he’d find what he was looking for.

He had no idea why he was so obsessed with the mysterious woman who had saved Brock and Finley. He’d heard the story more than once about how she’d appeared as if out of nowhere, like an apparition. She threw dirt in the face of the asshole who’d threatened Finley, giving Brock time to get them both out of harm’s way.

But Brock’s observations, more than anything else, stuck with Tal.

Her torn and dirty dress. Her tangled red hair. Her bare feet.

It was that last detail that haunted him.

Pulling the collar of his shirt up, Tal shivered. If he was cold, what was she feeling?

He had no idea if the woman was the missing Heather Brown or not. It didn’t really matter either way. But he couldn’t help but wonder, if so, what had her last two decades been like? She’d been kidnapped when she was eight. Did she remember her previous life? Why hadn’t she come forward by now?

He had more questions than answers, and something wouldn’t let him give up trying to find her.

She was out here somewhere, and Tal wanted desperately to help her. Something about her situation called to him. He’d found an old picture of Heather Brown around the time she’d been taken, and the mischief shining in her blue-green eyes made him extremely sad. The age-progressed images published since then had intrigued him just as much. She was a beautiful woman…or would’ve been, if she was still alive.

Tal stopped and stood stock still, listening. For what, he didn’t know. Any kind of sound that was out of place. But all he heard was the wind and a few birds.

Knowing what he was doing might be for nothing, he shrugged off his backpack. He’d chosen this part of the woods for a reason…because it was where she was last seen. Near where Finley and Brock had been attacked and the woman had appeared out of nowhere to help.

He reached into his pack and extracted the slightly smaller bag he’d packed earlier. Two pairs of wool socks, a flint, some freeze-dried meals, an old sweatshirt of his, a chocolate bar, some leggings, and a note explaining who he was…and that he wanted to help if she’d let him.

This was as good a place as any to leave the supplies.

Suddenly, Tal couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched.

He hoped and prayed it was by her. It might be wishful thinking, but…Tal had been a member of the Special Boat Service in the UK. They were special forces, much like the Navy SEALs in the US. He was extremely adept at getting in and out of places without being seen, and sensing when the enemy was near.

The mysterious woman wasn’t a danger to him. He knew that as well as he knew his name.

The Appalachians were vast, and there was a larger-than-average chance the woman would never find these supplies. That animals would find the bag and tear it to shreds to get to the food. But if the way his neck was tingling was any indication, she was near. And since he didn’t want to spook her, Talon forced himself to back away from the supplies he’d left against the tree, shrug his backpack on once more, and head toward the trail.

It took everything within him not to look back. He wanted this woman’s trust. Needed it. And if he had to treat her as a feral animal until he gained that trust, he’d do so. It felt wrong to leave her out here in the cold. But she’d obviously been taking care of herself for a long time now, and he had to believe she’d continue…but maybe the things he left for her would make her life a little easier.

* * *

Sunset Meadowblossom stayed crouched behind the tree long after the man had left. He made her extremely nervous. She’d seen him before. Him and other men. They came into the woods when people got lost. She’d followed all of them more than once, curiously observing. But ever since she’d risked helping that woman with the knife held to her throat, this particular man had been back far too often for Sunset’s peace of mind.

She didn’t know what he wanted, but she was fairly sure he was looking for her. It unsettled her. She didn’t like men. All they did was hurt. For as long as she could remember, men had caused her pain.

Though…she couldn’t help but remember the man who’d been with that woman. She’d followed from a distance after they’d escaped the bad man with the knife, watching closely. He didn’t hit her. Didn’t do anything to cause her pain in any way.

When they’d crawled under the big rock, Sunset desperately wanted to do something to protect the woman. To keep the man from climbing on top of her and hurting her.

But to her surprise, the man didn’t do what she’d expected. He’d put himself between the woman and the forest and simply held her.

Sunset had watched the pair until her feet went numb and she was soaked to the bone by the lightly falling rain.

She was used to the cold. And the heat. Women weren’t worthy of any kindness in The Community. They were fed last, worked from sunup to sundown, and only allowed to speak when spoken to. They did all the cooking and cleaning, and never, ever disrespected the men.

Well…most of the women didn’t, anyway.

Of course, since she’d been left behind, she was now free to eat any parts of the animals she trapped. She didn’t have to give the best meat to the men of the group. She wasn’t beaten, wasn’t talked down to…didn’t have to lie under Arrow and pretend she liked everything he did to her body.

Shaking herself from the bad memories, Sunset continued to follow the man who’d left the bag in the forest until he’d reached the trail and started back toward the parking area. She never went anywhere near where people congregated. Outsiders were dangerous. She’d heard stories all her life about the awful things they’d do if they ever found her. How they’d throw her in jail for breaking the law.

What law, she didn’t know, but if Arrow Goodson said it was true, it was true. No one ever questioned him.

There were times since The Community disbanded when Sunset had seriously contemplated approaching one of the many people she’d seen in her woods. But the echoes of warnings from her fellow members always stopped her.

Gripped by a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold, Sunset considered her Community family. Arrow had died and his son had taken over as leader. Cypress Goodson was ten times more strict than his father had been. And meaner.

Thinking about Cypress made Meadow feel physically sick. He was horrible. All the women had been forced to follow his word without hesitation. Sunset had always had the protection of Arrow, but when he’d died, that protection died with him.

Cypress hadn’t hesitated to take what he wanted. What only his father had previously owned.

Her.

Pushing those thoughts away yet again, more forcefully this time, Sunset crept back through the woods and toward the bag the man had left. She knew she shouldn’t go near it. That it was probably a trap. But she couldn’t resist. Curiosity was a trait Arrow had done his best to beat out of her, with minimal success.

When she got close, Sunset burst out of her hiding spot and ran as fast as a gazelle toward the bag. She didn’t slow down as she snatched it up and disappeared back into her forest home. On her feet were shoes made from the hides of rabbits, so she left no footprints behind.

Sunset ran for miles back to the cave she’d made her home for the winter. She’d move once the weather got warmer, but for now, this was the safest place she’d been able to find. Crawling into the cave, she stirred the coals from the fire she’d built earlier. As soon as she placed a small log on the smoldering coals, it burst into flames, giving her enough light to see what was in the bag and to warm her chilled skin.

Crossing her legs, Sunset tucked her dirty dress around her thighs. She’d never worn anything but the dresses The Community required women to don.

She pulled out the items in the bag one by one.

The socks felt a little scratchy, but when she untied the rabbit skins and put them on her feet, Sunset sighed in giddy delight. They were so warm!

She stared at the leggings for a long time, uncertain. She’d never been allowed to cover her legs, none of the women had. But Arrow wasn’t here now…

Lifting her chin defiantly, she slowly pulled the soft-as-butter leggings over her cold limbs and smiled with happiness to find they fit, and were just as warm as the socks.

Next up was the sweatshirt. Not even hesitating now, Sunset pulled it over her head. It was way too big, practically swallowing her frame, but it smelled so good. Clean. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d smelled anything as good as this. She lowered her head and brought the material up to her face and inhaled deeply.

Smiling excitedly now, she dug into the bag once more. She couldn’t figure out what the sealed packages were, and decided to put them aside to examine in the morning when she had more light. She could read. Not well, and she made sure never to let Arrow or Cypress know how much she understood, but she could usually figure out the meaning of most words.

The chocolate bar caught her eye, and a vague memory of her before life pushed at her brain, but Sunset blocked it. She didn’t want to remember that time, when she was a child. Knowing it would hurt so bad to let the memories in, she might never recover.

Instead, she peeled back the wrapper and smelled the candy. Then she took a huge bite.

The flavor burst on her tongue, and she closed her eyes at the absolute decadence of the treat.

She’d had chocolate before. Just once. After Arrow passed away, Cypress had brought a box to The Community from town and rewarded the women with small pieces when they pleased him. One night, after Cypress had forced her to join him in his tent, after he’d taken her in that forbidden place while she’d been on her hands and knees, he was satisfied enough to let her have a piece of chocolate. The treat hadn’t taken away her pain, but she’d enjoyed it anyway.

The terrible memory threatened to overwhelm Sunset, but she refused to let it. Cypress wasn’t here now. Neither was Arrow. As the new leader, Cypress had decided he was sick of the cold and moved everyone to Florida. Sunset never wanted to leave the mountains, and especially not with Cypress.

He’d wanted her to be his primary wife, and after witnessing the way he treated his other wives, how he’d already treated her, Sunset wanted nothing to do with him.

She’d hidden in the forest when the time came to leave. It was a little scary to be without The Community’s minor protection, but she was managing just fine.

A white piece of paper was the last thing in the bag, and Sunset pulled it out. It was a note. The writing was messy but still readable.

Hello. My name is Talon. My friends call me Tal. You can trust me. You don’t have to be afraid to talk to me. I swear I’ll never hurt you. If you see me in the woods, please don’t be afraid to say hello. I thought you might like these things. If you need anything specific, just let me know. Leave me a note where you found this bag. I’ll find it and bring you whatever you want.

Your friend, Tal

Some of the words in the note, Sunset didn’t know, but she understood most of it.

Talon. The claw from a bird of prey. It was a strong name. But she’d known many men with strong names who were not good.

She licked her lips, tasting the chocolate there. Talon hadn’t asked her for anything. Hadn’t demanded she do anything. He’d only asked her to trust him.

She didn’t trust anyone. Especially men.

Sunset couldn’t deny the gifts he’d left for her were wonderful, however. She could definitely use the flint, and she’d never felt as warm as she did right that moment, wearing the socks, leggings, and sweatshirt. Still, it wouldn’t be smart to write him back, and she should stay far away from the man who was too curious about her for her own good.

But as she lay down for the night, the note from Talon clutched in her hand, Sunset couldn’t help but think if there was an outsider she could trust…it might be him. She’d never seen him yell at his friends. He’d never struck any of the lost souls he found in the woods, even when the people were terribly rude to him. And even though she could tell he was frustrated he hadn’t been able to find her, he still left gifts.

She wasn’t ready to show herself to an outsider…but maybe if she thanked him, he’d leave her more presents. Sunset didn’t have any utensils to write with, hadn’t needed them or been allowed to have them back when The Community was active, but she could find a stick and use some mud to acknowledge his offerings.

Deep down, she knew no gifts came without strings, but with the taste of the chocolate still in her mouth, she couldn’t help but wonder what else the man might leave for her. He both scared and intrigued her.

Sunset made the decision right then and there to thank him…what would happen after that, she’d just have to wait and see.

* * *

Who is this mystery woman? Is her name really Sunset? Tal not only has to find her, but he has to also somehow get her to trust him…which could be the harder of the two tasks. Find out how he does both in Searching for Heather

Want to talk to other Susan Stoker fans? Join my reader group, Susan Stoker’s Stalkers, on Facebook!