Hearths of Fire (17 page)

“Don’t yell at me like you own me, damn it.” Charlotte placed her hands on her hips as if she had a right to be mad at him. Neal couldn’t tell if she’d actually stomped her right foot, so he would go on the assumption that she hadn’t because that would have added to his ire. “I didn’t want someone to come up from behind you.”

“You didn’t want…” Neal let his voice drop off as he struggled to comprehend her words. He once again gritted his teeth to prevent himself from snapping at her and did his best to get her to see reason. “The rules are simple, Char. If I give you directions, you listen. See? That simple. I could have shot you, for Christ’s sake.”

“You wouldn’t have shot me,” Charlotte argued, the V in her brow dipping even lower. Her lips were pursed together as if she had a right to be angry with him. “You’re trained for situations like these, but you had no backup.”

“I’m trained…” Neal let his voice trail off as he found himself mimicking her words. He reminded himself that she didn’t quite understand the way the military worked compared to civilians and he even patted himself on the back for being able to remain composed. The adrenaline that he’d felt earlier was receding and a certain dread was settling over him in regards to what needed to happen later tonight. If his presence had somehow placed Charlotte and Mandy in danger, there wasn’t a chance in hell he would allow them to stay here unguarded. He gestured to his truck, needing more time to think this through. “Let’s head over to the field. The game is about to start and I’d like to see Mandy before it does.”

Charlotte appeared to notice his change in manner and the V in her brow relaxed, smoothing out the flawless skin on her forehead. Neal caught himself wondering if she still used that facial cream she was so partial to back in the day, but he immediately cut that random reflection off. Being with her after so long had been more natural than he would have thought. If he wasn’t careful he’d find himself reaching for her hand as if the last eight years hadn’t occurred.

It didn’t take more than five minutes to see Charlotte safely inside the truck and then to drive them over a couple of blocks to where the high school parking lot was located. He kept an eye on his rearview mirror but he didn’t notice anything of concern. Charlotte had been quiet on the short ride and as he pulled into the lot, it was apparent she was already searching for her sister.

“Do you see her car?” Neal asked, pulling onto the grass off to the side where the overflow parking was located. “I noticed it wasn’t at the house, which means her
boyfriend
didn’t pick her up.”

“Garreth rarely comes by the house,” Charlotte replied distractedly as she continued to scan the vehicles. She pointed her finger to the first row where the lights from the parking lot were the strongest. “There it is.”

Neal turned off the ignition and had both of them out of the truck in less than thirty seconds. He could see the game clock from where they were parked and kickoff was in five minutes and fifty-three seconds. It gave them enough time to pay for their tickets and seek out her sister. The sounds and smells of this high school game brought back memories he’d rather soon forget. He’d been the star receiver back in his day and there wasn’t a play made on the field that he hadn’t looked over at the bleachers to ensure Charlotte was watching.

“I never asked,” Neal said, taking out his wallet to grab some cash as they walked up to the ticket booth, “but does Garreth attend school here? You said he was the same age as Mandy.”

“He’s homeschooled, but apparently he needed a specific class which is a state requirement that is offered by the school.” Charlotte placed her hand on his arm, stopping him from pulling out the necessary money. “Neal, I can pay for my own ticket.”

“You could, but you won’t.” Neal made sure his tone broke no argument. Regardless that they weren’t together, his parents had raised him as a gentleman and he wouldn’t stop being one now. Her fingers dropped from the fabric and when he glanced down at the movement, he saw that he was still carrying. Knowing that he wasn’t allowed to do so on school property, he shook his head at the delay. Carrying his weapon, especially of late, had become habit. “We’ve got to head back to the truck. I need to stow my weapon.”

“I can wait here,” Charlotte said, her eyes flittering across the crowd just inside the gate. “If I see Mandy I’ll stop her so that she can say hi to you.”

Neal weighed the options and although he wasn’t comfortable leaving her standing here alone, she technically wasn’t by herself. He scanned the swarm of people as well and didn’t notice anyone wearing all black. The school colors were prevalent among the people showing their support. He went ahead and paid for their tickets, handing them to her and positioning her right by the gate.

“Don’t move. I’ll be back in a minute.”

*

“Ms. Whitefall?”

Charlotte had been watching for any sign of her sister when a young voice spoke from her left. Turning, she saw Rebecca Garson, a friend of Mandy’s standing there with her purse clutched in her hands. The young brunette was a volleyball player with an athletic build and always had her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her heart-shaped face seemed taut with tension though.

“Hi Becky. How are you?”

“Good. I’m glad I caught you though,” Becky said, stepping to the side of the ticket booth to join Charlotte. “I was going to stop in the bookstore tomorrow, but this saves me a trip into town.”

“What’s wrong?” Charlotte’s heart sank, knowing full well that Becky was going to say something about Mandy that would only increase the worry.

“Well, I overheard Garreth talking on his phone after school today. I told Mandy about it but she didn’t believe me.”

Charlotte glanced across the parking lot and found she couldn’t see Neal from this angle. She wished he was present to hear what Becky had to say, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t follow up with more questions later tonight. Holding the tickets tightly in her hand, Charlotte steeled herself for what Becky had to say.

“What did you overhear?”

“I don’t know who he was talking to, but he was said something about a ritual on All Hallows’ Eve.” Becky appeared to be waiting for Charlotte to say something, but she didn’t know what and tried her best to keep her agitation down. The girl was obviously upset about something. “You know…Halloween? Mandy and Garreth have a big date planned because it’s both their birthdays.”

Charlotte schooled her features the best she could, not wanting to alarm Becky any further. She hadn’t known that Mandy and Garreth had a big date planned. This whole time Charlotte had been planning a girls’ night out for the two of them and Mandy knew that. If her sister had other plans why hadn’t she said something?

“Are you sure that’s what you heard?” Charlotte asked cautiously, her mind spinning in a million directions of what Garreth might have meant by
ritual
.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Becky shifted her feet side to side in an agitated motion. “Mandy didn’t believe me, but she hasn’t been herself lately. The girls and I thought that maybe you should talk to her.”

“I think you need to tell Sheriff Plinkton what you heard,” Charlotte urged the young girl. If the sheriff had enough evidence to start investigating this cult, then maybe she and Neal wouldn’t have to be the bad guys—which was how Mandy would undoubtedly see them. “Will you do that for me?”

“Sure.” Becky’s hesitation was evident when she strung the word out longer than necessary. “There’s something wrong with those people, Ms. Whitefall. I don’t want to be the reason they get mad.”

“I’m sure Sheriff Plinkton will keep your name out of it,” Charlotte assured her. She didn’t know anything of the sort, but this was Mandy they were talking about. “Thank you for telling me though. I’ll have another talk with Mandy after the game.”

Becky did smile at that and then with the energy of a teenager, she paid for her ticket and then joined the rest of the people inside the stadium. Charlotte crossed her arms and ran her hands up and down the sweater to ward off the chill that settled over her that had nothing to do with the weather. Her need to see Mandy became more urgent and Charlotte was reaching for her cell in her back pocket when she saw Neal walking toward her.

“Neal, a friend of—” Charlotte broke off when she saw that his green eyes were focused on something behind her. She turned and saw Mandy and Garreth holding hands and walking through the gate.

“Neal?” Mandy released her hold of Garreth’s hand and sprinted with a smile to where Neal had come to stand beside Charlotte. Sadness overcame her at seeing Neal and Mandy together. They’d been close and Mandy had always looked up to him. She felt better about calling him home now, knowing if anyone could talk sense into Mandy, it was Neal. He leaned down and returned her hug, his predator green eyes never leaving Garreth. “What are you doing here? I’m so happy to see you!”

Mandy’s enthusiasm didn’t last long, for when she pulled away and looked up at Neal she understood exactly what was happening. Sure enough, her angry gaze swung to Charlotte but Neal prevented a verbal attack by stepping in between the two sisters and holding out his arm in greeting.

“Neal Bauer. You must be Garreth Ashe.” Charlotte wasn’t sure, but from the whitening of the boy’s knuckles he was trying to one-up Neal on his manhood. It would have been comical had the situation not been so tense. “Mandy, before you get upset with Char, I wanted to come meet Garreth for myself.”

“Is there a problem?” Garreth asked with a raised eyebrow, his voice having already deepened into that of a full grown male. He flashed a smile that was evidently meant to ease any tension, but Charlotte thought that it fell flat. The boy was just as tall as Neal, with brown eyes and brown hair. Other than having a charming smile, Charlotte couldn’t fathom what Mandy saw in him. There were a lot of other seniors that were better looking and who weren’t involved in a cult. Like the others, Garreth was wearing all black with the addition of a black sweater. “I’m sorry, but Mandy has never mentioned you before.”

“Garreth, that’s not true,” Mandy argued, shaking her head vigorously. “I told you that Charlotte called a friend of ours the other night.”

“Oh,” Garreth said, his dark eyes seeking Charlotte’s. While there wasn’t any accusation within those black pits, she couldn’t ascertain what he was thinking. “That’s right. I’m sorry. I didn’t make the connection. You’re the one that Ms. Whitefall—”

“Garreth!” Mandy exclaimed, her astonishment at his bravado for bringing up such a subject coming through loud and clear. Charlotte could only hope that her sister started seeing Garreth for whom he really was. The question that remained unanswered was what exactly had Becky overheard and what did it have to do with Mandy. “Neal, I’m sorry. Garreth didn’t mean—”

“No hard feelings,” Neal said with a smile, easing the strain of their little chat and tugging at Mandy’s long strands like he used to do when she was little. He never varied his focus away from Garreth though. “I grew up here, Garreth. Hearth is my hometown and while I’ve only been back here for a few months in the beginning of the year, Mandy’s like a sister to me. I’m sure you can understand that I feel protective of her and want what’s best for her. You’re her first serious boyfriend and it wouldn’t be right if you weren’t put through your paces, now would it?”

Charlotte feigned a chuckle, following Neal’s lead. She wasn’t sure exactly what he thought he was doing by joking around like he was, but it wasn’t like she had a better idea—well, other than have Becky speak to the sheriff. Mandy had yet to stop throwing daggers her way and Charlotte sighed in resignation, knowing they would have a full blowout argument after the game this evening. It was becoming commonplace.

“Why don’t you come over for dinner tomorrow night? Char’s making her famous lasagna. It’ll give all of us a chance to know one another better.”

“You’re staying with us?” Mandy’s shock didn’t come close to the disbelief that was coursing through Charlotte’s veins. What the hell was Neal doing? “Wait. Have you and Charlotte…”

“We’re friends, Mandy. I told you a few months ago that we hold no hard feelings about what happened when we were teenagers. Charlotte and I have both moved on, but you two will always be family to me.” Neal waved a hand toward the entrance as if he hadn’t just torn the rug out from underneath Charlotte. His words kept echoing through her mind…
what happened when we were teenagers
. Really? He made it sound like a date went awry when they were nineteen and not a life-altering moment that had affected both of their lives. Did her leaving him at the altar truly not affect him in any way? Doubts about the love she’d thought they’d shared wove an ugly web around her memories. “Go and have fun. I’ll see you at home after the game. Garreth, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

Neal placed a hand on the small of Charlotte’s back and all but pushed her past the young couple. The next five minutes turned into a blur as Neal greeted old friends and neighbors. They had to be thinking the same thing Mandy had as his hand didn’t move from her body. Charlotte was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the scrutiny, but it didn’t seem to bother Neal in the least. The game had started, resulting in cheering and yelling from the stands.