Hearths of Fire (35 page)

“When will you learn not to question me? When I say I’ll have things done, they’ll be done. If Starr agrees to this plan do you want me to hand over the profiles before we depart?”

Neal wanted to say no due to the fact he didn’t want Daegan’s antics in this little sideshow highlighted unless they had to be. Unfortunately they were running short on time and if the team was given those hours to review the members of the cult—specifically the Ashes—it would save them a lot of time.

“Yes. Give them the necessary backgrounds and plead the fifth from any questions they throw at you.” Neal unfolded his frame and stood, deciding it was time to make a few visits. He’d start with Becky’s parents and then hit the school before the dismissal bell rang. He wanted to catch Garreth unaware, provided he was even at school. They’d detained him at the station last night long enough to get a head start on the property search. Neal hoped like hell the kid was in class as dropping by the compound might not be such a good idea at the moment. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Confident much?”

“It’s got me through this far, it’ll carry me through the rest.” Neal wasn’t just talking about this scenario so much as he was referring to his eight years in the military. He thought back to what Daegan had said in regards to the past and though this wasn’t the most opportune time to bring the subject up again, he couldn’t resist. “When you said it was impossible to recapture the past…what if I told you there was a way?”

“Do you believe that? I told you not to let her get to you, man.”

Daegan’s question hung in the air. Neal immediately regretted bringing up the topic and put it down to the fact that having had sex with Charlotte was messing with his head. They’d both agreed to keep it to the time he was in town, but damn if she wasn’t making him doubt his decision to contain things to this trip.

“She’s not,” Neal said, more to convince himself than his friend. “Being back here dredged up some shit that I thought was long ago buried.”

“Mine
is
buried, Doc.” Daegan’s inhalation could be heard clearly over the line. “Go and get things lined up for our arrival. Looks like Gunny and Starr have a decision.”

As if the call never took place, Neal only heard silence as the line was severed. He was glad on one hand because he sure as hell didn’t know what to say to Daegan’s declaration. On the other, it made Neal evaluate what he would have felt if Charlotte were no longer here and it wasn’t something he could wrap his mind around. At the moment he didn’t even want to consider that concept and felt regret for what Daegan must have gone through. Neal heard the front door open, prompting him to shove his phone back into the front pocket of his jeans.

“Neal?” Charlotte stepped out onto the porch, wrapping her arms around her to protect herself from the chilled temperature. “You’ve been out here a while.”

“Grab your coat,” Neal instructed, not willing to leave her here alone now that the Ashes’ followers were roaming the town once again. “We’re going to pay a visit to Becky’s parents and then track down Garreth. I need some more information before nightfall.”

‡

“W
ho
is arriving?”
Charlotte couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She and Neal had already been by the Garson’s residence and spoken to Becky’s parents. They were so distraught it was hard for Charlotte to sit through the additional questions that Neal had asked them. Like most townsfolk, they put a lot of stock into the sheriff and they didn’t have any concerns that Becky could be on the Ashes to Dirt compound now that the local authorities had dismissed that lead. Neal was appreciative of their time and though the Garsons assumed it was about Charlotte’s worry for Mandy, they didn’t bat an eyelash at her and Neal’s visit. It was Charlotte that was having a hard time comprehending Neal’s next move. “And is that even legal?”

“It is if someone is paying them.” Neal maneuvered his truck into the school parking lot. Garreth had claimed his vehicle after the local authorities had released him, but unfortunately she didn’t see his car in the lot. Neal parked his truck anyway, leaving the engine idle. He kept his gaze on the front doors of the school while he continued to address her question. “You need to act like nothing is different. I need you to show up at the bookstore tomorrow. Technically you should have been the one to open up the shop this morning, but I needed you with me at the Garson’s residence.”

“
Who
is paying your team to come here?” Charlotte felt like a fool for asking these questions. Maybe the answers were obvious, but she was definitely missing something. A spark of ire shot up her spine at the thought that he could continue with his investigation while she went to work like a good girl. News flash…she wasn’t a good girl. Hadn’t having sex with her in the kitchen shown him that? “And Pam is handling the store just fine. I’m staying with you.”

Brad had called Neal a couple of times and informed them that Mandy was fine and they had arrived to their destination, which Charlotte wasn’t even privy to. Until Becky was found and Mandy was out of Garreth’s line of sight, Charlotte wouldn’t even think about going back to work. If Neal pushed the issue, he’d find out how stubborn she could actually be.

“Don’t concern yourself with the monetary aspect of things.” Neal straightened slightly when high school kids came barreling out of the front doors, the majority of them making beelines to their vehicles. “We’ll talk about the bookstore this evening after the team arrives.”

“Don’t you think it’ll tip off the Ashes when an entire hostage rescue team arrives in Hearth?” Charlotte couldn’t contain the sarcasm that leaked from her words, but it wasn’t like Hearth was a metropolis. She quickly looked over the teenagers and didn’t catch sight of Garreth. “I don’t see him.”

“The team knows how to handle themselves,” Neal explained as he reversed his truck out of the parking spot and pulled out of the lot before the congestion occurred. Instead of making a right, which would lead them back to Charlotte’s house, Neal turned left as if they were headed into town. “They’ll arrive at the regional airport and each member will take a different route into town. It could be via bus, motorcycle, car, hitchhiking, etc. They’ll use the fall festival as their cover and we’ll only use your house for essential meetings.”

Neal had been very methodical in his dealings with Charlotte since they’d left the house. He was pulling away from her and she didn’t know what to do to stop it. She looked out the window and contemplated bringing up their lovemaking this morning but immediately decided against it. She kept the topic on business at hand.

“What happens when your team arrives?”

“We’ll search the compound thoroughly and locate Becky. With Becky’s testimony and a little luck, the Ashes will lose their status as leaders and be imprisoned for kidnapping.” Neal finessed the back roads until they hit the main drag. He pulled the truck in front of the Ember Café. “Any other results will be reevaluated.”

“Can’t Red Starr HRT be arrested for trespassing? I’m not understanding how this works.” Charlotte didn’t make an attempt to get out of the truck, wanting more information and knowing if they went into the diner they wouldn’t be able to discuss a lot of the things she wanted to. “Isn’t it the same if you and I were to go search for Becky?”

“No, Red Starr HRT has licenses and the right to enter premises on the grounds of endangerment per their client, for which they will have a federal warrant based on my testimony.” Neal leaned his left arm on his steering wheel as he finally turned toward her and made eye contact. “That client is me.”

“And that’s not a conflict of interest?” Charlotte thought back to his words and how she basically hadn’t taken into account what he’d wanted back then. Yes, she’d made her decision based on both of their needs at the time, but he didn’t see it that way. If he were to make a choice to use his place of business that could result in his losing his job, she would ultimately be responsible for the outcome once again. She could only handle so much guilt, even though she hadn’t thought she’d borne any. The more time they spent together the more she was realizing the consequences of her long ago conclusion. “Neal, if this could—”

“Do you trust me?”

Charlotte was momentarily speechless at Neal’s question. Did he think she didn’t? That had never been the issue and he damn well should have known that. Searching his face for answers, she grasped that she might have taken his question a little too seriously when he’d meant it in a more rhetorical sort of way. She took a deep breath to try and control her wayward emotions.

“Yes, I trust you. I wouldn’t have called you otherwise and you know it.”

“Then trust me on this.” Neal pressed his fingers to his lips as if he was contemplating on his next words and she found herself fixated on the act. Things were happening so fast that she was afraid he would be able to escape facing what had continued to grow between them. “Until the team arrives I need for us to be seen around town. That means the diner, the shops, and the festival. We’ll reevaluate after my team arrives this evening.”

“Then I hope you’re ready for Thelma to probe why you’re still in town and Mandy isn’t at school. The rumors must be swirling up into a tornado by now.” Charlotte managed a small smile when all she wanted to do was go home and have him hold her…in bed, not a chair. “I think calling her absence in daily was a good idea versus giving details that she isn’t in town.”

“If this goes down as quickly as I think it will Mandy will be back in school by the end of the week.” Neal reached forward and placed a loose strand of Charlotte’s hair behind her ear, and the years faded away at the familiar endearing act. “We’re getting closer to you and Mandy getting your life back, Char. Just hang in there with me for a few more days.”

Charlotte remained silent as Neal turned and exited the vehicle. She watched as he walked around the front and came to her door. The rest of the evening would be done with a smile on her face, regardless that Thelma and her old biddies were bound to be relentless in their pursuit of juicy gossip. When he opened her door and held out his hand, Charlotte scanned the restaurant’s window. Her fingers tightened on his when she saw who was seated in the front booth—Robert and Patricia Ashe.

*

“We couldn’t believe
our luck when you pulled up,” Patricia stated, her unnerving smile in place as she spoke over her water glass. The moment that Neal and Charlotte walked into the diner, Robert stood and motioned them over before asking her and Neal to join them at the table. If anyone in the diner thought it odd, no one said a thing. “We’ve been meaning to call you and apologize for Garreth’s behavior yesterday. He should have remained calm, as we have taught him to.”

Charlotte felt comforted by Neal’s hand on her leg while he drank his coffee with the other. She needed to feel his warmth as the frigid ambiance at the table seeped into her favorite red sweater. Regardless that Patricia Ashe was apologizing for her son, there wasn’t an ounce of remorse in her dull brown eyes.

“Does Garreth have anger issues?” Neal asked, setting his mug back down onto the table. “Have you thought of therapy?”

“As with all boys, their temper sometimes gets the best of him.” Robert shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as if he hadn’t made the offer for Neal and Charlotte to join them. It seemed that speaking about Garreth’s anger management issues hit a nerve. “He loves Mandy very much and would never harm her. She knows that, which is why we’re confident they will work things out. Whatever Mandy claims to have overheard that would get her so upset as to leave Sunday’s sermon needs to be addressed. I’m sure whatever was said it was misunderstood.”

“Mandy is young and needs time to sort out her feelings,” Charlotte said, contributing to the conversation. Patricia’s stare was starting to make Charlotte uneasy and she thought maybe it was because she’d let Neal carry the discussion. “I’m sure the time apart will put things into perspective for both Mandy and Garreth. After all, this is their senior year and with college right around the corner—some big decisions need to be made without the distraction of a teenage infatuation. And yes, Garreth’s behavior did make Mandy uncomfortable.”