Uncontrollable (The Nature of Grace, Book 2) Page 21

  He glances at me. “What? It’s a valid question. I didn’t know lip-locking was a new, undercover security technique. Especially since this dude left the front door unlocked so pretty much anyone could walk right in. Seems he needs a little more training.” Wyn holds his fingers up an inch apart when he says “little.”

  I rub my head. “Wyn, please.”

  He sits back in the chair and bounces his foot. “Please, what? Understand? This? I don’t know if I can.”

  I face Mo. “Can you let us talk for a second?”

  Mo glances at Wyn and then kisses my forehead. “Sure, Blossom. I’ll have a look around. Make sure the house is secure.”

  Wyn calls after him. “That’d be a first.”

  I wait until Mo is out of earshot before sitting across from Wyn. “Look. I know you’re a little hurt.”

  He scoffs. “Hurt? You make it sound like I just got a paper cut.”

  “Okay. A lot hurt.”

  Wyn rubs the crease between his eyes. “We kiss in the woods. I pretty much save your life. Then you call to talk and pull a no-show. The whole time, I’m worried sick about you, afraid something has happened, that you’re hurt. Meanwhile, you’re up here mugging with some dead guy, who, let’s face it, could be a soap opera star because he’s just that handsome. That kind of hurt?”

  “Stop.”

  He shakes his head. “I think it’s fair to say ‘hurt’ is not the word I would use. More like ‘devastated.’”

  I sigh. Somehow I’ve managed to push Wyn away again — when I didn’t mean to. Again. I soften my voice and reach over to grab his hand.

  “Wyn, we talked about this. That moment in the woods. I was out of it. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

  He looks at the ceiling. “Oh, so I forced you to kiss me like that?”

  “I’m not saying that.” I still can’t tell him I was thinking of Mo. It’s just too cruel. I shake my head. “Let me finish. I’m not saying anything was your fault. I’m just saying it wasn’t the real me. I was delirious and hallucinating. Both are serious side effects of Stage Three hypothermia.”

  “Um. You’re not helping my ego, and I don’t need a medical lesson.”

  I kneel in front of him. “I love you, Wyn. You’re my best friend, and you’re a huge, important piece in my life. One of the biggest, I would say. The last few months without you have been almost unbearable.” I look up and try to grab his eyes with mine. “I’m sorry I can’t love you the way you want me to. But I don’t want to lose you.”

  Wyn’s face softens, and he touches my face. “Grace, that day in the woods was the happiest and scariest day of my life. I thought we’d finally broken through all the walls we’d built up. That we had gotten back to where we were before your Dad went missing. I thought you were going to die, and I realized I couldn’t be without you. I love you.”

  Tears spring into my eyes. “Please. Please. Be my friend. Please don’t push me away. Don’t make me choose.” My voice starts to shake. “I’ve lost so many people close to me. So have you. We both can lean on this friendship. We can start over.”

  “I don’t want to start over. I want to move ahead.” His eyes tear up.

  I bite my lip, not wanting to hurt him any more than I have, but needing to be totally honest, to be sure I don’t lead him on in any way.

  “You asked me to always be honest with you, and I promised I would.” I pause, trying to form the words, afraid it might be the last sentence I say to him before he pulls away. “Wyn, I love him. I do. The last few months without Dad, thinking Mo was dead, have been horrible. Seeing Mo today was the first time in a long time, I’ve been truly happy. It gave me hope that all this darkness might have a small light at the end. For me. Please don’t let Mo come between us. Not now. Not after everything.”

  He shakes his head and pulls his hands away. “He already has.”

  “Wyn, please.”

  He stares at me for a minute. “I don’t know if I can do this. Watch you two together. It’s not that I want to hurt you. I just don’t know if I have it in me. To watch the girl I love be happy with someone else.”

  My voice is barely a whisper, and I hang my head. “I understand.”

  He lifts my chin with his hand, and his eyes are sad. “But I’ll try. I promised I wouldn’t turn my back on you again, and I plan to keep my promise.”

  He kisses my forehead and leaves his lips there for a few seconds too long.

  I hug him hard. “Thank you.”

  He sits back and takes a deep breath. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” He motions to Mo, who is in the other room checking the window locks. “Or him for that matter.”

  I nod once and smile. “Deal.”

  “Besides, I know my history. The English and Americans don’t like each other.”

  I smile. “First of all, you hate history. Secondly, that was in the 1700s.”

  “Welcome to your future.” He eyes Mo in the other room. “Doesn’t mean I can’t take jabs at him either.”

  Mo speaks up from the doorway. “Right. I can take it.”

  Wyn’s face turns red again, and he stands. “Listen, man. I didn’t mean to bust your–”

  Mo walks over and pats Wyn on the back. “Sure you did. And I totally understand. Grace does that to men. Makes them crazy. I get it. Trust me.” He holds out his hand. “Truce?”

  Wyn reluctantly takes it and looks at me before standing up straight to make himself taller. “For now. But just know, you hurt her or turn your back for once second, I’m gonna be there.”

  Mo does one more shake and nods. “Sounds fair to me.”

  Wyn snaps his fingers. “In a nanosecond.”

  “I got it.” Mo raises his eyebrows.

  I watch them bicker. “Hello, I’m in the room, you know. I get to make my own choices. So if we can leave Testosterone City, we–”

  Before I can finish my sentence, the lights cut out.

  Survival Skill #27

  When facing danger, it is critical that your group stays together. Power travels in numbers.

  Mo pushes me down and ducks next to me. He places one finger to his lips.

  Wyn looks down at us. “Didn’t know they played Duck-Duck-Goose in England.”

  Mo frowns and puts his finger to his mouth.

  Wyn kneels next to me. “Is he afraid of the dark?”

  Mo hisses. “Shut up.”

  I whisper, “Maybe it’s Sweeney?”

  Mo shakes his head and keeps his voice low. “He wouldn’t tinker with the lights.”

  “Maybe it’s just a fuse,” Wyn says. “It is winter, and the lights have been out in — ”

  “Does he always chatter on this much?”

  I nod as Wyn frowns.

  Mo pops his head up and looks outside. “Let’s hope he’s right. I’ll check it out. I saw the fuse box in the kitchen.” He grips Wyn’s shoulder. “Watch her. Do not leave her side.”

  Wyn smirks and hugs me. “Thought you’d never ask.”

  Mo leaves the room in a crouch.

  I take a huge breath and exhale when he’s out of sight. I can’t help a little panic whenever he leaves my side. It’s like he’s never coming back. “Maybe I should to go with him.”

  Wyn sits next to me on the floor and rubs my back. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’s a big boy.”

  I try to act confident even though fear is surging deep inside me. To be honest, it would be much better to have never gotten Mo back than to get him back only to somehow lose him all over again. I don’t think my heart could take it twice. I breathe in and out quietly and mentally talk myself down off the ledge. Everything is fine. Mo is fine.

  The next few minutes go by so slow. Like time is crawling at a sloth’s pace. My legs start to cramp, so I shift on the floor. I keep checking my watch. I can sense Wyn watching me, but he doesn’t say anything.

  Finally Mo comes back. “Fuses seem fine. It’s outside.”

  I study his face, which is pinc
hed tight. Worry lines create deep trenches across his forehead. “What does that mean?” I ask.

  Mo raises his eyebrow to Wyn and then strokes my hair. “That someone is here.”

  Wyn interrupts. “Or the power went out. Let’s not scare her completely if we don’t have to.”

  “Rather have her scared and alert than have her drop her guard.”

  Wyn rolls his eyes. “Spoken like a true hero.”

  I sit back against the couch and start to breath heavy. All the feelings from hiding in the woods, being chased, the constant fear are swirling inside me. They all come rushing back. My breath quickens. “Oh, God.”

  Wyn smirks. “Let’s hope it’s not. Unless he’s here for Mo. Then I can’t say I would object.”

  I flash him a dirty look and face Mo. “What can we do?”

  Mo pulls out his cell phone and punches in some numbers. “Let’s just make sure that on some odd planet, it’s not Sweeney.”

  The phone rings. When Sweeney picks up, Mo puts it on speaker. Sweeney sounds groggy, tired. “Hey. I’m still about thirty minutes away. The weather is awful. Power lines down — ”

  Mo butts in. “I think we have a visitor.”

  Sweeney sounds perturbed. “Why? I told him to stay put.”

  Wyn practically cowers in the corner like he’s hiding from the phone.

  Mo looks frustrated at having to explain. “He’s here, but I’m talking someone else. I’m fairly sure they just cut the lights.”

  Sweeney pauses, and I think I hear him hit the steering wheel. “Stay in the house. I bet it’s Porter trying to scare someone.”

  I lean over and speak into the phone. “Wait. I thought you were with him at the hospital.”

  “So did I. Evidently, he checked out about an hour before Reynolds and I got there.”

  I’m confused so I’m silent for a second. “But why would Porter want to hurt me?”

  Agent Sweeney pauses. “I don’t know for sure he’s trying to. I just know he’s acting strange. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Watch your back and stay inside.”

  I swallow hard. “Okay. See you soon. Oh, and hurry.”

  Mo hangs up the phone, and I stare out the window, taking it all in. Porter must have killed those wolves. He must have been tracking them and getting to them before we did. Seth found out, and Porter killed him. But why? Because of his wife’s attack twenty years ago? And where do the bandanas come in? Are Porter and Al working together?

  Wyn snaps at Mo behind me. “So what now? We just hang out here? Like monkeys in a tree?” His voice is strong and forceful. Sharp. Cutting.

  Mo answers calmly, not feeding into Wyn’s attitude. “What would you have me do?”

  Wyn peers out the window. “Maybe we should check it out.”

  I snap out of my daze and spin around. My voice is the loud one this time. “That has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Yeah, let’s tromp outside in the dark when we think Porter might be out there.”

  Mo massages his temples. “Or Al. We can’t rule him out yet.”

  Wyn narrows his eyes. “I don’t hear any brilliant ideas coming from you.”

  Mo studies Wyn’s face. “Maybe he’s right.”

  I sit up. “What? No! We do like Agent Sweeney said and wait.”

  “For what?” Wyn says. “For all we know it’s a power outage. Happens all the time. Suddenly, it’s a conspiracy?”

  “Wyn, remember the cave?”

  He looks sad and mumbles. “I’ll never forget it.”

  I smack his arm. “Stop. I mean the person walking outside.”

  He shrugs. “We don’t know who that was. Could have been a rescuer. A hiker. Could have been Porter for all we know.”

  I nod once, thinking of the bandana. “Maybe. But it was someone who was intent on being quiet. Until we know for sure who is out there or that it’s nothing, we stay inside.”

  I grip Mo’s arm. “Right?”

  His face wrinkles, and he makes a noise. “Cor blimey. How can I resist that beautiful face?”

  He kisses my hand as Wyn turns away.

  Mo stops when he notices Wyn in the corner, avoiding looking. “Listen, I’m just going to check the rest of the house. Upstairs and downstairs to make sure we’re as snug as bugs in rugs.”

  “So you’re not going outside?”

  Mo smiles and runs his finger down my cheek. “Not if you tell me not to. I’ve put you through enough.”

  I hug him and look at Wyn over his shoulder.

  Wyn rolls his eyes. “I feel like I’m listening to one of those bad soap operas my mom records.”

  I do what every mature girl does. I stick out my tongue.

  Wyn mumbles, “Oh, that’s mature.”

  Mo hovers in for a kiss. He stops himself. “We need some candles and flashlights.”

  I stand, needing something to do before I go nuts. “I’ll do that. They must be around here somewhere.”

  Wyn leans against the chair. “I’ll stay with you.”

  Mo appears reluctant this time, like he doesn’t want to leave me with Wyn.

  I lean over and peck Mo on the lips for reassurance. “It’s okay. Go. I can handle him.” I tilt my head toward Wyn and smile.

  “I know you can.” Mo kisses my nose and leaves the room without so much as another glance at his rival.

  Once he’s gone, I put my hands on my hips. “You’re not making this easy.”

  Wyn stands and sifts through a drawer. “Not my job, and certainly not in the agreement.”

  “Yeah, but do you have to make us all miserable?”

  He just shrugs. “Why should I let the Brit take over? They tried that in the past, and it didn’t work. Why should I surrender now? My forefathers died for me.”

  I walk around the room, looking for candles. “Oh, please. You don’t give a rat’s butt about your forefathers.” I sit down at Reynolds’ desk and start looking through drawers. “You know you’re being completely childish and unfair, right?”

  Wyn grabs a candle off the bookshelf and mumbles. “Life isn’t fair. Trust me, I know.”

  I sit back in the chair and sigh. Wyn is starting to get on my nerves. Big time. Being hurt is one thing, whining about it is a whole other. And it’s so not attractive on him. “Can we play this drama out later? For now, we need to work together. Something serious could be going on, but you’re too busy pouting to help.”

  “Fine.” Wyn picks up a picture and looks at it. “But this whole thing doesn’t make sense. Why would Porter go all nutso like this?”

  He shows me the press photo of Agent Sweeney, Porter, and Reynolds. Reynolds is holding a conservation award.

  “Nice.” I keep sifting through the desk for matches. No point in telling him about Porter’s wife. I need to keep Wyn focused. “Maybe he’s mad at the university. They did accuse him of some awful things.”

  He squints his eyes. “Maybe.”

  “Sucks that Katie will be affected. I think she was really hoping to make a difference.”

  I lean in and stare at the certificate on the wall claiming she is quite the pistol-shooter. The only way I can even tell is because the moonlight is streaming in through the window.

  “I never would have expected her to be some kind of marksman,” I say. “She seems so—”

  “Sexy.” Wyn interjects.

  I look at him, shocked. “I was going to say feminine.” I sift through papers looking for matches.

  “Like you would know.” He chuckles under his breath at his own joke.

  I throw a crumpled up paper at his head. “Oh, thanks. You really are going to make me pay, huh?”

  He winks. “I’ll milk it for as long as I can.”

  I slide my hand into a drawer. “And if you know me so well, you know that won’t be much longer.” I touch a cold handle. “Bingo.”

  I pull out a flashlight, but along with it comes a stack of papers. They fall out and spread across the ground. “Oh crap.” I gather up all the
papers. It looks like Katie’s collecting articles and documents on Cardinal, Inc. “Ha. Looks like Katie’s next victim is Mandy Smith.”

  Wyn calls out from across the room. “Who’s that?”

  “CEO of Cardinal, Inc. Evidently they own eBuild. The company that’s trying to build up here. Serves them right. Let them rape some other town.”

  “It’s not like this one is doing so hot. We could probably use some tourism and development.”

  Thinking of our poor, sinking town economy, I stack the papers neatly back in the drawer alongside Katie’s loan documents for the cabin. My eyes find the price tag.

  “Hey, you don’t even want to know how much this cabin is.”

  He darts over. “Tell me.” He grabs the documents and whistles as I look over his shoulder. “Whoa. If I had that kind of money, I sure would not be working as a conservationist, I tell you that.”

  “Maybe she wants to make a difference. Maybe she’s not about money.”

  He shrugs. “Maybe.”

  I can’t help but scan all the information before looking away, feeling guilty for snooping.

  I snatch the papers. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

  “You started it.” He heads over to the fireplace and lights the few candles he’s found. The room lights up with a dim glow. “Wish my forefathers left me enough jack for a place like this.”

  I put the papers back in the folder and hit him over the head with it. “Would you stop with the ancestor talk? It’s getting old.”

  I take out the flashlight and look at my watch. “Mo should have been back by now.”

  Survival Skill #28

  When faced with an uncertain situation, listen to your gut. Often your unconscious brain will detect something before you are consciously aware of it.

  I swing my flashlight toward the hallway. “Wonder what’s taking Mo so long.”

  Wyn mumbles. “Who cares?”

  I ignore him and walk to the doorway, calling softly, “Mo?”

  No answer.

  I stand in the hallway and look around. I have no clue what is where in here, since I’ve only been hanging out in the den since I got here.

  “You think he’s okay?”