Chapter 12

CHAPTERTWELVE

Heather’s mind spun with everything she’d learned. Simon had shared everything he knew about her abduction twenty years ago, including all the efforts that had gone into finding her. She was satisfied that the police and townspeople had done everything they could to track her down and figure out what had happened.

Arrow might have been old, but he wasn’t dumb. He’d kept her well-hidden after she’d arrived at The Community. He’d let the police search through the tents and grounds several times, until they were satisfied she wasn’t there. Then it was just a matter of brainwashing her into thinking everyone in Fallport was the enemy, that going to town would be the worst mistake she’d ever made.

She couldn’t feel guilty that she hadn’t tried even once to escape. She’d been so traumatized after her kidnapping and subsequent beatings and threats, that her brain had blocked out her past in order to cope. To survive.

Simon explained all that to her, and he went into great detail about the psychology of kidnap victims, and she was grateful for how hard he was trying to make her not feel bad about her actions, her acquiescence to her new circumstances.

When he’d tentatively asked her to tell him what she knew about Cypress and the other men, and where they were going, Sunset…no…Heather, had told him everything. She didn’t hold anything back. She felt no loyalty toward the people who had taken her from everything she knew and loved.

Thinking about the other children who had appeared, who everyone had been told were adopted, made her want to throw up. Cypress and everyone else who was aware of what was going on needed to pay for what they’d done. To her and everyone else.

Simon had swabbed the inside of her cheek to get her DNA and said he’d ask the lab to put a rush on the results, so they’d know for sure if she was truly Heather. But she already knew she was. He’d warned her that once the results were back, and if it was confirmed that she was Heather Brown, it was likely word would get out. He’d said that children who were kidnapped generally didn’t show up twenty years later, alive and well. There had been a few cases, but the odds were overwhelmingly against it. So if the press got a hold of the story, she might be inundated with requests for interviews.

Heather didn’t like the sound of that, but Talon had reassured both her and Simon that he’d watch out for her. Knowing he’d have her back made the idea of word getting out a lot less stressful.

Before the police chief left, he asked what she would prefer to be called. Without hesitation, she’d said Heather. In her mind, Sunset no longer existed. She was a made-up person Arrow had conjured, and everyone else who’d gone along with his sick schemes accepted it.

She wanted to be Heather, the woman who’d defied Cypress by hiding in the woods when he’d left for Florida. The woman who’d survived for a year on her own. The woman who Tal had found, and who he seemed to like. That’s who she wanted to be.

Three days after her talk with Simon, after finding out who she really was, Heather was sitting on Bristol’s back porch, drinking a cup of hot flavored tea, talking with Bristol and Elsie while Tony, Zeke, Talon, and Rocky threw a football in the yard.

It felt surreal. She’d never had the luxury of sitting around chatting before, especially with women. She was expected to remain busy. There had always been something to do in The Community. Repairs to tents, sewing, hunting, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the children…something. It felt nice to be able to just sit and enjoy the company of other people, especially since it was becoming easier and easier to talk to the women.

The air was crisp but sunny. Heather was completely comfortable in her sweatshirt, jeans, and the boots Talon had brought to her when she was living out in the cave, while Elsie and Bristol were bundled up like it was absolutely freezing, including in blankets Rocky had brought for them from inside.

“Tony felt so important when you asked him for help with the book you were reading,” Elsie told her.

Heather blushed and looked down at the mug in her hands. “I was having trouble with a word. I didn’t recognize it. But when he said it, I realized I knew what it was. I’d just never seen it written down. There are so many words that look nothing like they sound.”

“What was the word?” Bristol asked.

“Sword,” Heather said. “I don’t know why it has a W. It makes no sense.”

“You’re so right. What about lasagna? Why is the G in there?” Elsie asked.

“There’s a G?” Heather asked.

They all chuckled.

“This is probably a conversation better had with a pen and piece of paper,” Elsie said. “Yes, there’s a G in lasagna. Just like there’s an L in the word salmon and a K in knife.”

“I’m never going to be able to learn all this stuff,” Heather mumbled.

“Yes, you are. I have no doubt. But if you don’t…who cares?” Bristol said with a shrug.

“I think I do,” Heather admitted. “Women weren’t allowed to read or write in The Community. We weren’t allowed to know anything. All we were supposed to do was chores. And I mean all of them,” she said a little bitterly. “The men could drive, read books, go to town…all the things they said were off limits to us women. It wasn’t fair, and I hated it.”

Bristol reached over and put her hand on Heather’s arm. “I’m so sorry.”

“Me too,” Elsie said. “Our situations weren’t the same, not at all, but my ex was horrible to me too. Called me stupid all the time and made fun of everything I wanted to do that didn’t involve catering to him.”

Heather took a deep breath and turned to her. “But you married Zeke?”

“Zeke is nothing like my ex,” Elsie said without hesitation, her voice hard. “I admit I was reluctant to get involved with anyone ever again. I wanted to put Tony first in my life and never let another man get close to either one of us. But Zeke slowly knocked down the emotional walls I’d put up around me. He was kind, to me and Tony, and he proved over and over that we could trust him. That he’d never hurt us the way my ex had.”

“When I was being held hostage, I had the utmost confidence that Rocky would find me. I didn’t know how or when, I just knew he would. All I had to do was stay smart and not do anything that would make my captor lose his shit. It took longer than I’d hoped, but in the end, Rocky did find me, and he’s taken care of me ever since,” Bristol said.

“The first thing Talon said to me was that I could trust him and he wouldn’t hurt me,” Heather admitted.

“I’m not surprised,” Bristol said with a small smile.

“That sounds like something Tal would say,” Elsie agreed.

“And do you?” Bristol asked.

Heather frowned. “Do I what?”

“Trust him?”

She was nodding before she’d thought about her answer.

“Good. Because if you said no, you were going to get a lecture,” Bristol said with a small smile.

“I…It’s…weird, because all my life I’ve been scared of men. I haven’t been treated well by them. They’ve hurt me over and over. And yet when I’m with Talon…I feel safe.”

Bristol turned her chair so she was facing Heather fully, then leaned forward. “Has he told you what he used to do?”

“About being a killer? Yes.”

Heather frowned when both Elsie’s and Bristol’s eyes widened.

“What? Was I not supposed to say that?” she asked.

“Well, they usually prefer to say they were soldiers. Killers has a negative connotation.”

“Connotation?” Heather asked, hating that she didn’t always know the words people used.

“Yeah, it’s kind of how a word makes you feel inside.”

Heather nodded. That she understood. Hearing the word “marriage” made her cringe inside, where these women obviously had only happy feelings about it.

“Anyway, my husband and his twin, Ethan, were Navy SEALs together. They did a lot of things they still struggle to come to terms with today,” Bristol said.

“Wait, Ethan and Rocky are twins?” Heather asked.

“Yeah. Fraternal, so they don’t look alike.”

“Oh, that’s kind of neat,” Heather said.

“It is. Anyway, men like ours—like all of the guys on the search and rescue team—they take being a hero to a new level. They feel as if it’s their duty to protect others. They get angry when something bad happens and they weren’t able to stop it. It’s kind of in their DNA. They all get really mad when women and kids are abused or hurt.”

“Talon told me about a mission he was on once, when lots of women and kids died. He said it really hurt him inside,” Heather admitted.

“That makes perfect sense,” Elsie said with a nod.

“Totally,” Bristol agreed.

“What does?” Heather asked, feeling lost.

“Tal has a deep need to take care of people. Deeper than even the rest of our guys. I’m guessing it’s partly because of whatever happened on that mission. What I’m trying to say is, you’re perfect for him,” Bristol said.

Heather stared at her new friend, not fully comprehending her meaning.

“I’m not saying you might feel any particular way about him today. Or tomorrow. Or even a month from now. But if you keep an open mind, I think you could find yourself falling in love with Talon.”

“You can trust him. You already trust him,” Elsie added. “And believe me, I know trust is the first step to deeper feelings.”

Heather wanted to be surprised by what they were saying. Wanted to protest and say she wasn’t ready to be with another man. Might not ever be ready. But all of that would be a lie. The more she got to know Talon, the more she liked and respected him. And now that she knew how wrong and perverse—another new word she’d learned—The Community men were, the better she felt about her enjoyment of spending time with Talon.

Deep down, Heather wanted what Elsie and Bristol had. Wanted a normal life. Family. A husband who might treat her nicely. Who could love her.

Bristol eyed her for a long moment then sat back, turning her seat around so she could see the guys playing catch once more. She smiled at Heather when she said, “I’m thinking we don’t need to give you encouragement. You already know how great Tal is.”

“I do,” Heather agreed. She was blushing, but she couldn’t help it.

“Let him take care of you,” Elsie added gently. “Don’t feel bad about it. He needs to do it, and I’m sure it makes him feel really good when he does.”

“It makes me feel good too,” Heather admitted softly. “No one has ever done anything for me before…well, that I remember…and my belly feels all swimmy when he does something like hold the covers for me to climb underneath, or when he makes food for me that I commented I might like to try.”

“Wait—he holds the covers for you?” Bristol asked.

Heather nodded. “Yeah. When we go to bed.”

“You’re sleeping with him?” Elsie asked, eyes wide.

“Yes. Am I not supposed to?”

“Nope, it’s fine. Great. Perfect!” Elsie said quickly, with a huge smile. “Right, Bristol?”

“Yup,” Bristol said with a firm nod. “You do whatever feels right. No matter what anyone else says.”

Heather finally realized what her new friends were thinking. “We aren’t doing sex,” she blurted.

Elsie patted her arm reassuringly. “I’m thinking you and I both know better than a lot of women that having sex doesn’t mean you’re intimate together. My ex would have sex with me, and it meant nothing. Tell me this: Do you like sleeping next to Tal?”

“Yes.” It was an easy question to answer.

“Then don’t worry about what you should be doing, or what other people think you should be doing or not doing. You and Tal should always do what feels right.”

Heather nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Elsie agreed.

“And now that we’ve awkwardly tried to butt into your personal life to give you advice you apparently don’t need…when do you think you’ll hear from Simon about the DNA results?” Bristol asked.

“I don’t know. He said he’d call Talon when he knew something. But…I thought maybe he’s just forgotten to call, since everyone I’ve met in town since then has started calling me Heather, saying how happy they are that I’m home and have been found.”

Both Elsie and Bristol laughed.

“That’s just Fallport. Nothing stays a secret here for long,” Bristol said. “Thankfully. That’s how I ended up being found. Because people paid attention and spoke up when I turned up missing.”

“Does the attention bother you?” Elsie asked. “I have to admit, it took me a while to get used to everyone talking about what happened to me and Tony.”

Heather shrugged. “It’s kind of weird, but I just smile and thank people. I think it helps that Talon’s usually there. He’s kind of intimidating to others.”

“But not to you,” Bristol said. It wasn’t a question.

“Not to me,” Heather agreed.

Elsie and Bristol shared a smile, and Heather felt as if she was missing something yet again, but she wasn’t sure what. She didn’t want to ask in case it was something bad. Although she didn’t think it was, with the way her friends were smiling at each other.

She had the brief thought that having friends was confusing sometimes, but she never wanted to go back to the way things were at The Community. Where the women wouldn’t hesitate to tattle on each other if it meant they’d avoid negative attention.

“Heads up!” a voice called out.

Bristol and Elsie immediately ducked in their chairs, but Heather wasn’t sure what “heads up” meant, so she was slow to react to the warning.

A football slammed against her shins, making her cry out in surprise more than pain. She also dropped her cup, spilling tea all over her lap.

Before she even registered what had happened, Talon was there. Heather vaguely noticed that Elsie and Bristol had stood and backed away, giving him more room. He smacked the cup off her lap and pulled her to her feet. “Hang on, sweetheart, I know it probably hurts.” He whipped off his sweatshirt and began to dab at the spilled tea on her belly and thighs.

The shock of what had happened was wearing off, and Heather realized that the tea she’d been drinking had cooled off quite a bit. While she was wet, it hadn’t burned her.

“I’m okay,” she said in a somewhat shaky voice.

“Let me take care of you,” Talon said as he knelt in front of her, his tone clearly illustrating that he was upset. He gingerly lifted the pants leg of her jeans, scowling when he saw a red mark on one of her shins.

“I’m so sorry!” Tony whispered. He was standing at the bottom of the three stairs leading up to the porch with tears in his eyes. “I thought you’d catch it.”

“She was too far away,” Talon explained. “And she was busy talking to her friends. That wasn’t smart, Ton.”

Dreading what would happen to Tony, how he might be punished, Heather did her best to brush off what had happened. “I’m fine,” she said firmly. “No harm done. What are our plans for the rest of the day?”

Talon looked up at her, and Heather could feel everyone else’s eyes on her too. “He’s not going to get in trouble,” he said gently.

“You’re mad,” Heather whispered.

“I’m upset that you could’ve been injured. That he didn’t think twice before he threw that football. But I’m not going to hurt him. Neither is Zeke or Rocky. I think his remorse is punishment enough.”

Heather looked away from Talon to Tony, and she saw tears coursing down the little boy’s cheeks. Talon wasn’t wrong. Tony looked miserable.

“I really didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said, his voice cracking. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she told him. “I should’ve been paying better attention.”

“No, you were minding your own business on the porch,” Zeke corrected mildly. “This was Tony’s mistake.”

Heather felt so bad for Tony.

“Heads up is code for duck,” Bristol said from next to her.

“I’ll remember that for next time,” Heather said with a small smile.

“I’d give you something to change into, but I don’t think my stuff will fit you,” Bristol fretted.

“I’m gonna take her home,” Talon said firmly.

“I’m really okay, just wet,” Heather protested, not sure she wanted to end her time talking with her friends.

“Your leg is red from the football. It might become sore. I’m taking you home.”

Heather opened her mouth to protest some more, but Elsie spoke first. “Let him take care of you, Heather.”

Looking at her new friend, she remembered what they’d been talking about. How they’d suspected Talon needed a woman he could care for. So she simply nodded.

“Thank you,” Talon said softly as he stood.

Elsie threw her arms around Heather before she could move. “I’m so sorry Tony hit you. Thank you for not making him feel worse than he already does about it.”

“He didn’t mean it,” Heather soothed. And of course she couldn’t help but think back to the times she’d gotten in trouble in The Community. Many of those incidents had been accidents as well. She hadn’t meant to burn the fish for their dinner and ruin it. Hadn’t meant to set the shirt she’d been sewing on fire. She’d gotten too close to the flames because it was freezing outside, and sparks from the fire landed on the material. Both times, she’d had to spend two full weeks in the punishment tent.

She came back to the present when Bristol hugged her and said she’d see her soon.

Then Talon picked her up, his arms under her knees and around her back as if she weighed no more than a feather. She would’ve been scared if it had been anyone but Talon holding her.

Relaxing in his arms, she smiled tentatively at Zeke and Rocky. “Maybe we can talk more next time.”

Both men grinned and nodded, then she was being ferried toward the SUV by a clearly impatient Talon. He gently placed her in the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt for her. He jogged around to the driver’s side and they were pulling down the long drive, away from Bristol and Rocky’s house, before she knew it.

“I really am okay,” she told him again.

“I’m glad. But we’ll go home, you can change, and I can look at your shins to make sure.”

She could’ve kept insisting she was fine. That he didn’t need to look at her legs. The football hadn’t hit her all that hard. She’d been more surprised than anything. But remembering her friends’ words, and deciding that it felt really good to be taken care of…Heather merely nodded.