Vengeance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 1) (16 page)

I jerk away. “You are not cutting my hair.”

She giggles. “Shh, you’ll wake up my baby. I won’t cut it.”

“You better not. I love my hair.”

She laughs. “See, I told you. You haven’t changed, still as conceited as ever.”

“You love my hair. You should’ve seen it when I had to chop it off in the service. I just grew it back a year ago.”

“I bet you still looked hot with it short, but you’re right, I love your hair longer. I also like this beard you’ve got going on.” She scratches at my face. The beard isn’t intentional. I’ve been busy the past few days and haven't shaved.

I turn to look at her. “You do?”

“Yeah, I like it. Short like this. I mean, I don’t know how I’d feel about a Grizzly Adams look, but this is nice.” I grab her wrist and kiss her palm.

“I’ll see what I can do.” I wink.

She pushes me to turn forward. Her smile is huge and her cheeks are pink with blush. She combs through my hair with her fingers and I won’t lie, it feels amazing. She then puts it back into a messy bun using a real hair tie. As soon as she’s finished, I pull her into my lap and kiss the heck out her. A throat clearing breaks us a part. She jumps up and straightens her clothes. I look over to see Dr. Daniels glaring at us.

“Trevor?” she says.

“Dr. Daniels. I’m here as your son’s physician.”

“Of course, sorry. Is there something wrong?” she asks, suddenly seeming worried.

“No, I just want to examine him before I sign off on his release.” The doctor’s voice is sharp and clipped. 

Shayla seems to shrink back into herself around him. I don’t like it at all. I rub Shayla’s back in support, but it seems to anger Daniels. He glares at me before studying Dylan’s chart.

“He seems to have had a good night.” He turns to Dylan. “Dylan, can you wake up for me?” He says, placing his hand on Dylan’s shoulder and nudging him slightly. Groggily, Dylan opens his eyes.

He sits up and stretches. “What?”

“I’m Dr. Daniels; do you know where you are?”

Dylan rubs his eyes and yawns as he speaks, “Yeah. Hospital. I hit my head.”

“Good. I’d like to examine you quickly and then we’ll get you out of here.”

Dylan’s face lights up. “Sure. I can’t wait to get home.”

It takes about an hour for us to get out of there. They sure take their sweet time when they discharge people. Once we’re home, Dylan goes upstairs to charge his phone so he can call Faith, leaving Shayla and I in the den alone. I pull her down with me on the couch.

“You should get some sleep,” I tell her.

“So should you,” she retorts. I nod and lay my head on the back of the sofa. She giggles. “In your bed.”

I sit up, turning towards her. “I’m not leaving you guys here alone.”

“You can use the guest room,” she offers. I’m glad she’s not fighting me on this.

“I’ll sleep here. I don’t want to be upstairs with you down here.”

She sighs. “You don’t have to do that. I have a security system. No one will get in.”

“You could just sleep in her bed, but, ya know … leave the door open.” I turn to see our son standing at the foot of the steps.

“Sounds good to me,” I say. Standing, I hold out my hand to Shayla. “Let’s go to bed, baby.” 

“How does this keep Dylan safe?”

“The systems on and I’ll stay in my room,” he tells her. “I don’t feel that great. I sent coach a text and called Faith. She’s coming over after school. Okay?”

“Dylan it’s four thirty in the morning,” Shayla chastises him. He just shrugs.

I look at Shayla. “We’ll leave the door open. I’m a light sleeper. I’ll hear if someone tries to break in. The system is set.”

“Maybe he should sleep on my chaise,” Shayla offered.

Dylan grunts. “Mom, I’m too big for that thing. I just want to sleep in my own bed. I’m tired.”

I squeeze her hand. “He’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” she submits. I pull her up from the couch and towards her room.

“You don’t have to seem so excited,” Dylan grumbles as he heads up the stairs.

I just laugh. I am excited, even though I know we’re just sleeping, but to have the love of my life in my arms as I drift off is more than enough for me right now. It’s something I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember.

“You do seem awfully excited,” Shay says as she comes out of her bathroom. She’s dressed in sweats, but she’s still hot and completely adorable. I hold my arms out to her. I’ve already stripped down to my boxer-briefs and t-shirt and gotten into bed.

“I can’t help it. I want to hold you.” She smiles warmly, getting into bed and cuddling close to me. I kiss her head. “I love you.”

“I love you too. This is nice.”

“It is, even if we have to leave the door open.”

“Yeah, our son is surprisingly strict.”

“He should be. If that door was closed right now, I wouldn’t be such a gentleman.”

She sighs. “You keep kissing my neck like that and I’ll shut the stupid door myself.” I growl, capturing her lips with mine. I start to roll her on her back when we’re interrupted. Like always.

“Hey, get off my mom. I thought you said you had some kind of super sense?” I reluctantly remove my lips from Shayla’s and look up at our son. He’s standing there with a smug smile. The little twerp.

“Can we help you?” I ask.

“Just wanted to let you know Faith will be here around noon. She’s bringing me lunch.”

“How long will she be here?” Shayla asks, sitting up.

“How long can she stay? Her mom’s dropping her off. She has an orthodontist appointment this morning, so she doesn't have to go back to school.”

“However long her mom wants her to stay is fine. I just need a few hours of sleep.” Dylan looks happy with this response.

“Thanks. Night. Love you both!” he calls over his shoulder as he heads back down the hall.

I flop back on the bed, pulling Shayla with me. “Night, beautiful.”

“Night, stud.” I drift to sleep with a smile on my face. Glad that, at least for now, my family is safe.

Shayla

I wake up to the sound of tiny clicking noises. I groan as I roll over to see Ryan sitting up on the other side of my bed with reading glasses perched on his cross looking face as he types away on his laptop. He stops to pick up a cup of coffee, he hands it to me without looking at me. His expression never changes, it makes me chuckle.

“What’er you doing?” I ask.

He looks at me, giving me a half smile. “Working on the case. Chief isn’t all that computer savvy, he didn’t lock me out of the system. I can still pull up all the case files. The guy we arrested hasn’t said anything to anyone since I left other than to ask for me.”

“You think they’ll call you in?”

“No, they told him I was suspended.”

I sit up, pausing to take a sip of my coffee, then say, “Uh … that seems really unprofessional.”

He nods. “Completely. They could have used my absence to make him think I was getting my info from someone else, or that they’d caught one of the other kidnappers. They’ve really screwed the whole thing up. I told the chief they didn’t know what they were doing. They’re going to ruin the whole investigation. I know, for a fact, that more is going on than just trying to take Dylan. There’s someone out to get me. This won’t stop.”

“You really think it's this Fox guy, Jason Mathis?”

He turns to me with a worried look. “Yeah, I do. Mathis is vindictive to the extreme.”

“You think he’s behind Dylan’s kidnapping?”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t put it past him to take my kid to get to me. I don’t know how he would know Dylan’s mine, but it wouldn’t be hard to find out.”

“I never told anyone you were his father. I mean, there's no legal record to tie him to you.”

“No, but he calls me dad. Even if people don’t think he’s my biological son, they know we have that relationship. You’ve only been here a few months, but this is a small town; I wouldn’t doubt if everyone knows he’s mine.”

“That’s true. Plus, I don’t think Mama has corrected anyone at gossip central either.”

Ryan laughs. “Yeah, the crochet club is full of gossips.”

“And the reading club, knitting club; oh let’s not forget about the fishermen.”

We both crack up. Our parents are just as much town gossips as anyone else in this small town. He’s right; everyone who lives here knows Dylan is his. There’s no doubt.

“I’ll catch this guy, baby. I swear.” He leans over and kisses me softly.

“I know you will. And … I think Dylan should see a therapist. I know he wasn’t really taken, but he might have nightmares or issues about the almost abduction.”

“Whatever you think is best, babe. I’m not saying that as a copout for parenting. I really mean it. I trust your judgement on all things medical.”

He looks so sincere and slightly vulnerable. I lean forward and kiss him. “Thank you. I trust your judgement with him too. Just because I’m a doctor doesn’t mean I know everything. Sometimes, I think my training overshadows what’s best. Though, I try really hard not to let that happen.”

“You are really good with him. He’s a lot more respectful than most of the kids on his team are to their moms. You should be proud.” I can’t help but blush. I’ve always doubted my parenting abilities. But Mama always says, that means I’m a good mother. Maybe she’s right.

“Where is he anyway?”

“Last I checked, he and Faith were watching a movie in the den.” I nod in response as I get out of bed to check on my sweet boy.

I find Dylan and Faith sitting in the den, his arm around her, her head on his shoulder, his right hand in her left. They are incredibly sweet looking. Before he notices me, I grab my camera and take a few quick snap shots. The flash causes Dylan to look up and smile. Faith tries to pull away, but he doesn’t let her go. I smile. He’s so much like his father.

“Do you guys need anything?” I ask.

“No, Dr. Thorn. I’m okay,” Faith answers.

“Dyl?”

He shakes his head. “No, I took an ibuprofen earlier.”

“You got it yourself?” I ask. Not that I question his ability, but I’m very paranoid about medications, even over the counter ones. I’ve seen too many teenagers accidentally overdose.

He shook his head. “No, Dad gave them to me when he checked on us. I took two. I feel fine.”

“Well, if your head starts hurting before it’s time for the next dose, you can use the pain oils.”

He smiles. “I know, Mom.” He holds up the bottle of oil. I smile. He’s such a good kid. Tears spring in my eyes and I quickly turn away.

Ryan finds me crying in the kitchen. He wraps his arms around me. “Hey, what’s this? Why the tears?”

I sniffle a few times, taking the paper towel he offers me. I don’t move from his embrace and after drying my eyes a little I say, “He could’ve been killed. They could have taken him and I never would have seen him again. I can’t handle the thought. I’m trying to be strong, but he’s my baby. He’s been the most consistent person in my life since my parents died. I don’t think I’d survive losing him.”

He squeezes me tighter to him. “I’ll keep him safe, Shay. I’ll keep you both safe. I love you too much to lose you now.”

“I know you’ll try, but you can’t be everywhere. You can’t control what people choose to do. You’ll make yourself crazy trying. But I would really like it if one of us was with him at all times. I have to be back at work tomorrow. Can you stay with him?” I ask, finally finished with my tears.

“I will, but I really think you should stay home too,” he tells me sincerely. I can tell he just wants what’s best, but I have to work or I’ll lose my job.

“I want to, but I can’t. I just started. I can’t keep taking personal days.”

“Then take a leave of absence. Doctors do that.”

I sigh. He means well, I know, but that’s not how it works. “I haven’t been here long enough to build that kind of tenure. I have to work. There’s no option. I’ll be fine. You can pick me up if that makes you feel better.”

“Fine,” he says tersely. “I will pick you up and I’ll have someone watching you.”

I groan. “Ryan …”

“Don’t ‘Ryan’ me. You are the most important person in my world. You need to be protected. You said you wouldn't fight me.”

“I'm not, but I’ll be fine. They were after Dylan, not me.” 

He shakes his head then runs his fingers through his long hair. “If they’re after him, they’ll be coming for you next. I messed up the plan, they’ll regroup. I’m sure we’ll be fine for a few more days, but eventually, they’ll come again. I know this kind of thing like the back of my hand. It’s what I’m trained for.” I’m not sure what my face conveys to him, but he changes tactics. “Listen, I know this is weird and you don’t want people watching your every move, but the truth is that there is more than likely someone out there right now following you. I’m not trying to scare you, baby. It’s just the truth. I have my guys set up at my house right now, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t being watched.”

“Your guys?”

“Yeah, I went and picked them up while you were sleeping,” he explains.

I’m a little shocked. “Who watched Dylan?”

“Faith’s mom stayed until I got back. Plus, I had one of my officers parked out front.” I have nothing to say so I just nod.  “Come on, I want you to meet the guys. Then tonight, we’re going to my mom’s with the Thorns to celebrate Dylan being okay. I told Mom we weren’t going to church with her Sunday.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to.” He laughs as he pulls me behind him and out of the side door to walk across the yard to his house. There are two huge SUV’s sitting in his driveway and a patrol car in my driveway.

“What about Dylan?” I ask, forgetting about his church refusal.

He stops and smiles. “They’re fine. We won’t take long.” He confuses me, one minute we need tons of protection, the next Dylan and Faith are okay inside the house alone.

As Ryan opens the side door, I can hear voices. We walk through the laundry room and kitchen to come out in the den. There’s a hubbub of activity going on; three men sit around several monitors. I then notice that on the screen are different images of my house outside and … inside. I look at him with wide eyes.

“You’re watching inside my house?” I ask, my voice almost a yell.

He holds up his hands in surrender as the guys all look at him with different levels of mirth. “Shayla, it’s not sinister. It’s for safety. There are no cameras inside yours or Dylan’s bedrooms, just the main areas and doors. They’re for your protection … for our son’s protection.”

I’m angry, but I’m not exactly sure how to process this information. He did this without my permission. He didn’t even mention it. He had over an hour to tell me. I decide I won’t show my anger in front of his friends. So, I turn to them and smile.

“Hi, I’m Shayla. Thank you for coming to help.”

Ryan seems to sigh in relief, but I hope he doesn't think this is over. “Shay, this is Harrison Marsh. We were partners while I was in the FBI and we served together in the desert.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you. This guy has talked about you for years,” Marsh says as he shakes my hand.

I feel the heat rise up my neck like a school girl. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ryan one-hundred percent, but Harrison is ruggedly handsome. He looks like a lumberjack, including his beard. He’s all around stylish, just freakishly tall. I look over to Ryan to see his ears pink with embarrassment.

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, this is Jonathan Miller, Paul Samson, and Riley Peters. We also served together.”

“Hi,” I say with a little wave.

All three of them are what I imagine the typical military man looks like. They could be the poster boys for the Marines. All of them are tall, built, tattoos peeking out from under the sleeves of their t-shirts, and hair buzzed so short you can’t really tell what color their hair is supposed to be. 

“So, Jon is going to be guarding you,” Ryan says hesitantly. I turn to him quickly. He holds up his hand to stop me from talking. “You asked me to stay with Dylan, I am, but he’s going to shadow you. This is serious, Shayla, you need someone with you.”

My facade is crumbling fast. “I don’t need to be babysat. I know this is serious, but I’m not the one they are after, it’s Dylan. Besides he can’t come in the hospital with me, so it’s a waste of time.”

“He’ll take you, wait in the parking lot and bring you home.”

“No.”

I understand Ryan’s concern, but there’s no way some big military dude is going to go over well at the hospital. I said I wouldn't fight him, but I can't see this working. Anger surges through Ryan.

“It’s not up for discussion, Shayla. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my family.”

I stare at him for a long moment and then turn on my heels and storm out of his house. I hear a murmuring of voices, but I can’t understand what any of them are saying. I honestly don’t care. I let the door slam on my way out and I go straight into my house and to my bedroom, slamming that door closed as well. I grab some clothes and head to the shower to get myself ready for work, even though I don’t need to go in today. I need to work so I can calm down. I know I’m being irrational, but I hate when someone else decides what’s best for me or my son. I had enough of that in my life.

After exiting the shower, I realize I’ve grabbed a pair of cotton undies with rainbows and clouds on them and a bright purple bra, which I normally reserve for laundry day. Sighing, I step out of my bathroom but instantly freeze, seeing Ryan sitting on my bed looking crestfallen. He looks up at me for a moment before he fights a grin. I huff and put my hands on my hips, I’m not in the mood to deal with him.  Nor am I in the mood to care that I'm in my ridiculous underwear. I’m not finished being angry.

“You are adorable,” he says after he finishes laughing. He stands and walks over to me. I hold my hand up and take a step back. “Oh, come on, Shayla. I wasn’t laughing at you. You remind me of the teenage you. I like these.” He runs his finger over the waist band of my underwear.

I can’t help but smile. “I’m still angry.”

“I know.” He steps forward again and I don't stop him. He trails his hands around my hips and up my back until I'm pressed into his solid chest. “Please don’t be angry. I just want you safe.”

I push against him and he reluctantly lets me go. I turn from him, wiping angry tears from my eyes. I walk into my closet, speaking loud enough for him to hear me.

“It has nothing to do with that. It’s about you taking my choice away.”

I grab a long sleeve black t-shirt and a pair of black scrub pants. I grab my tennis shoes and walk over to my dresser to grab socks. I sit down on the bed and look over at him as he sits down beside me.

“From the time I was thirteen years old, everyone decided what I would do. My opinion never really mattered. Even in my short marriage, I didn't really have a choice. I mean, I said yes and choose to marry him, but after that, it was always what he wanted, even our divorce. I tried … I tried to not let it get to me, but it does. I can’t handle it. I feel out of control.”

He squeezes my hand. “I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I didn’t think. My number one thought was to keep the two of you safe, no matter what. If it really is Jason Mathis that’s after Dylan or you, then I have to go overboard. I have to do everything I can possibly think of; it’s not about taking away your choice. You don’t know this guy like I do. I lived and worked with him for almost two years and I barely scratched the surface of his evilness. I need you safe.”