Cabin Fever (15 page)

A
drenaline mingled
with shock as their intruder stepped out from the shadows to her left. It had been over four years since Genevieve had last seen him, and time had not been kind to Deputy Tom Reynolds. His face was bloated and red, his body soft and straining at the seams of his dirty and torn uniform.

She had been prepared for eventually confronting the man and dealing with her demons, but she wasn’t ready for the ugly-looking gun he pointed at her chest.

“Drop the gun.”

She wasn’t about to argue, and she tossed it to the ground. She looked in Alex’s direction, frantic at his stillness and the amount of blood under his head. Under the blanket, she couldn’t even tell if he was breathing.

Reynolds licked his fat lips, making them shiny and wet. “You’re all grown up now, aren’t you, girl?” he whispered hoarsely. She could see the perverted lust in the beady eyes that roved over her body. He gave an ugly sneer. “I should have had you a long time ago, witch. Would have, too, if Bainsworth hadn’t gone all crazy and threatened to shoot my dick off if I came out here. It’s like God’s looking out for me now, though. You and this bastard”—he spit at Alex’s body—“all at the same time, like a nice little present. Yessiree, it’s certainly fated.”

Genevieve struggled to keep her calm while her mind raced. The deputy might be older, but he held the gun competently on both of them, his attention split equally.

Okay, Alex. Your turn to be the hero. I’ll just stall him. Please wake up.
“Why did you hurt him? What are you doing here now?”

He shrugged, the look in his eyes not quite sane. “I was supposed to get Bainsworth’s job. He promised me. Kept waiting and waiting for it, and the power. And then that goddamned council had the nerve to pass me over for some goddamned outsider.” He snickered. “But I took good care of that prick, yes, I did.”

Genevieve swallowed. “Alex? Were you the one who shot him?”

Confusion clouded his gaze. “He was supposed to be dead. I thought I was so lucky when I saw him stop his car on that deserted stretch. I had already called the guy in New York, Leonie, to tell him I would help him kill the guy who put his brother away. But he hadn’t showed up yet. Thought maybe I could get rid of Rivera, and maybe even get more money for killing him than I had got just for agreeing to work with the guy to trap him alone.” Reynolds shook his head. “But I couldn’t find his body and then Leonie showed up and yelled at me. Said he’d find him on his own. Said he wouldn’t pay me nothing. I’ve been following him. Have you seen him?” he asked in the most polite tone, as if he were asking if she’d seen an old classmate.

Genevieve shook her head.

Reynolds mulled that over and shrugged. “Oh well. I’d rather have the job than the money. I need to take Rivera’s body so the council will know he’s dead. I’ll say Leonie killed him, and they can make me chief.” He stepped closer to her menacingly, the gun never wavering in his hand. “You’re my perk.” Reynolds gestured with the gun. “Let’s go, you’re coming with me.”

“What?”

“Did you really think I would let you walk away? I’ve been ready to fuck you since you were twelve. We’re gonna make sure this son of a bitch is good and dead and then I’ll take you to my cabin by the lake and keep you there. Who’s gonna report you missing?” His high-pitched giggle emerged again.

She lifted her chin, despite the ice-cold fear in her veins. “You do remember what happened to Bainsworth and Carlyle, don’t you?”

“Those idiots weren’t really cursed. It was just a coincidence.” Yet Genevieve spotted a hint of uncertainty in his eyes that she capitalized on ruthlessly.

“Are you sure you want to risk that? Are you willing to bet your life on it?”

Reynolds was sweating now. “You’re lying.”

Genevieve shook her head with mock regret. “You know, this negative energy amplifies my powers,” she bluffed. “You’d best leave now while you’re still safe.”

For a second, she thought maybe he’d actually do it, just walk away. Instead, his lips firmed, and he took a step toward her.

She felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. Though Reynolds was older, he was still a huge man. She would be no match for him physically.

Her eyes shot to Alex. She almost whooped with glee when she realized his right hand no longer lay on the floor by his head; it had disappeared under the blanket. Oh God, oh God, the man was awake. Bless his heart.

She looked back at Reynolds and tried not to give her excitement away. The deputy was still too close to Alex, and he had both of them in his sights. She had to work out some sort of distraction. She had no idea what, if anything, Alex had planned, but he’d had a gun on him, and anyway, wasn’t the damsel in distress’s best option always a distraction?

Without another second of consideration, she concentrated until Reynolds’s body no longer existed as flesh and blood, but as a miasma of colors. Brushing past the layers she didn’t care for, she found the one she sought and attacked the weakest part of it.

Reynolds’s brow furrowed. “What are you doing?”

She remained silent as he coughed.

“Stop it, bitch,” he gasped. The aura flared a dark, pulsing purple. Not the gentle color of healing, but the rich, complicated hue of death. Part of her brain acknowledged the way his eyes bulged in panic.

The power; God, the power was so heady. It sucked on her, the seductive call of destruction.

Stop it. Stop it. Going too far.

Can’t.

Her consciousness struggled against the excitement of knowing she had her enemy in her grasp, hers to do with whatever she pleased.

Alex.

The darkness within her receded at the thought of him, and she grasped on to it like a lifeline. She couldn’t get sucked in here. Alex would be devastated if she succumbed.

The sharp crack of a gun brought her out of her spell, and she instinctively dropped to the floor.

She lay on the ground, trying to figure out where she had been shot.

And then she realized that other than the dull pain on her hip where she had landed, she felt remarkably healthy.

A loud groan prompted her to open her eyes a crack.

“Angel? Genevieve, are you okay?”

Reynolds lay in a heap on the concrete floor, blood seeping out from under his fingers where they clutched his shoulder. Alex stood some feet away from her, his face ashen, blood trickling from his head, and holding her handgun. He walked to her, stooping along the way to scoop up the deputy’s fallen weapon.

He grasped her arms. “Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head. “No. Oh, Alex, he was the one who shot you.”

“I heard. I knew he was a little bastard, but who knew so many people wanted me dead?”

Assured of her safety, he turned back to the fallen man. “Can you fetch me some rope, sweetheart?”

She scurried to the tack room, bringing back coils of heavy rope. She stopped when she realized that the deputy was unconscious, and there was a hell of a lot of blood covering his face that hadn’t existed before she’d left the room. Alex stood over him with a very bland expression. “He was resisting arrest.”

“Um, sure.”

Alex grinned and made quick work of hog-tying the man, wrenching harder than necessary on his arms. When he had tied him to his satisfaction, he patted him down, removing two knives and some crushed mints. “Damn it, why is no one carrying car keys in their pockets?”

“Maybe he rode a horse.”

“Can you honestly see this ass on a horse?” Alex stood and endured Genevieve’s fussing over his head with a stoic expression. “It’s not that bad. You know how head wounds bleed. I’m almost ashamed he got the drop on me.”

Genevieve snorted and rested her fingertips against his injured temple. “Yeah, when I get smacked in the head, my first emotion is shame too. Hold still.” She concentrated. He held completely rigid, though she noticed his eyes flick upwards when her fingers started to glow purple. After a few minutes, she released him and transferred her hand to her own temple and rubbed. “Whew. I think I need some sugar. I’m getting too old for this stuff.”

Alex reached up and tentatively felt the wound, which had stopped bleeding and subsided to an angry red bump. “You’re amazing. Like my own walking Tylenol. You okay?”

She dropped her hand. “Yeah. It takes a bit out of you is all.”

Alex pressed a kiss against her forehead, a tender motion. He drew back and eyed her in admiration. “By the way, thanks.”

“For what?”

“For letting me feel like a man and save you for once.”

“Oh. Yeah, I was hoping you had something up your sleeve.”

“Or tucked into my sweatpants, as it were.”

“I saw you move your hand. I had complete trust in your ability to save us,” she added, in case he might have some doubts on that front. It must be tough to reconcile a weakness with that natural machismo.

She thought maybe he stood a little taller. “Thanks. I was just waiting for the guy to get distracted.”

She puffed out her chest. “You know, distractions are totally the heroine’s job.”

“That tops the list as one of the best ever acts. How did you make yourself glow purple on command like that?”

“Acts? Oh. It was, you know. Just something I can do.” Genevieve glanced away, scuffed her toe along the ground.

“Oh hell, no.”

“Hmm?”

“Please tell me that was just an act. Please tell me you weren’t going to do to him what you did to Bainsworth.”

“Of course not.” She hadn’t had any intention of giving the guy cancer. That would have taken too long.

“You were going to fucking kill him! I can’t believe that, Genevieve.”

Her skin turned icy cold. “I’m sorry. I was trying to help. I realize that seeing what I can do in action might be a bit distasteful to you…”

“You think I’m mad because you have the ability to kill him?” Genevieve had no idea Alex could look so outraged. “I’m pissed because, according to the fucked-up rules of your universe, you’d be sacrificing yourself if you hurt him. You said it was a distraction, but what if you hadn’t been able to control it? You’ve been out of practice with your powers for a while. Jesus Christ, I can’t believe you. Dear God, Genevieve, I don’t ever want to see you in this kind of situation again.”

Though he wasn’t exactly in a sweet and cuddly mood, she couldn’t resist giving him a hug. A protective male was so cute. “Well, to tell you the truth, I’m not too fond of it either.”

Reynolds chose that moment to let out a low moan. They looked down to see him blinking up at them before rage contorted his features at the sight of Genevieve in Alex’s arms. “You son of a bitch. You’re supposed to be dead.”

Alex snarled. He let go of Genevieve and reached down to grab the man by his collar. Genevieve winced as he hauled back and threw a punch to the man’s face that snapped his neck back. “That’s for shooting me, asshole.” He punched him twice more, until Reynolds lay limp again on the floor. “And that’s for hurting my woman.” He rose from his crouch and held out his hand to Genevieve. “Was that fucking pure?”

“Nope.” No one but he would understand how happy that made her either. “That was awesome.”

“Come on, angel. Let’s take care of this piece of shit first.” He led her out of the barn and frowned at the sky as she closed the doors and snapped the padlock for good measure. “I’m sure Reynolds must have driven here. You know this area—where would he have hidden his car?”

After some searching, they found the vehicle hidden behind some brush about a quarter mile out. Alex grinned at the sight of the car and practically rubbed his hands in glee. “It’s his cruiser. We’ve got a radio. Time to call the cavalry in.” He paused. “But first, let’s get all of our stories straight.”

“
D
id
you just make the sign of the cross?”

Alex’s aggrieved question, directed toward a wide-eyed deputy, would have made Genevieve smile if she wasn’t feeling quite so miserable.

They had managed to call the cavalry in, or what passed for the cavalry in Harrison, a few old patrol cars and pretty much the entirety of the police force. The dispatcher had been shocked to hear Alex’s voice, and even more stunned when he’d told her where he was. Apparently, after shooting Alex, Reynolds had moved his car to the lake, almost fifty miles away from where he’d actually been injured. The search party had been braving the blistering cold to search in absolutely the wrong place.

The target of Alex’s ire was a young man Genevieve knew by sight as someone who’d been a couple of years behind her in school. He’d been a bit of an idiot back then. Nice to see things hadn’t changed.

“N-n-no, sir.”

Alex pinned him with a gaze so black, Genevieve was relieved that she wasn’t on the receiving end of it. “Are you finished taking her statement?”

“Yes. I’ll, uh, go see if they need any help with that guy.” Genevieve guessed the guy was Leonie. Or maybe the deputy just wanted to be away from her.

Alex sighed and dropped to squat in front of her where she sat huddled on her porch steps. “Did you stick with our story?”

Genevieve knew the others were out of earshot, otherwise Alex wouldn’t have risked asking. “Yes. I said you shot Leonie.” Leonie’s car had been found a little farther west than Reynolds’. Since it had been filled with all sorts of incriminating evidence, Genevieve wasn’t too worried about Alex being formally charged, though she wasn’t thrilled with his decision to absolve her of any blame. She had questioned what would happen when Leonie’s wounds healed quicker than they otherwise should, but Alex had shrugged and said people would just consider it a miracle.

“And you downplayed my injury?”

“I said when I found you, your greatest worry was a bullet crease and frostbite. Nothing a bandage and chicken soup wouldn’t cure.”

“Okay. Good.” He stared at the ground between his feet. “You weren’t kidding, were you?”

“That everyone in that little town hates me? No sirree, Bob.”

He looked up and smiled. “And here I thought the biggest stumbling block would be people who frowned on an interracial relationship.”

“I wish.” She cast an uneasy glance at where the pack of police officers stood huddled together. She didn’t like the way they were staring over at the two of them. “Alex, you need to go.”

He reached out to touch her face, but checked his motion when she flinched back. His hurt expression tore at her heart.

She had to make him understand, and quickly. Whatever hope she’d had that they could ease into a relationship had been steadily demolished when the other people had intruded on their seclusion. “Listen up. This is the real world now. You think you’re going to have a job or a place in that town if word gets back that you were sharing my bed? Be rational.” His job meant so much to him. She’d caught that from him. The man didn’t care how or where he did it, as long as he was a cop.

“I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

“Alex.” She closed her eyes in an effort to compose herself. “I…I think I could love you very easily. But I can’t just give up everything I’ve pledged myself to. I’m sorry.” The words cost her. With him around, she’d started to really believe she didn’t need to do penance for the rest of her life. Once he left, though, it would be tougher to rationalize.

He waited to speak until she opened her eyes. His expression was a mix of anger and resignation. “This isn’t about being a part of the real world. We could work something out.”

How could they? Still she knew if he was given half the chance, he would turn his life upside down for her. He was so damn noble. She had to be the one who was thinking with the brain instead of the heart. “Your mom and brother are waiting for you, aren’t they?”

He frowned at the reminder and stood immediately. She would have felt guilty about knowing exactly what would worry him most if she wasn’t so heartsick. “I’ll come back…” he began, in a quiet tone.

She looked over at the knot of deputies, catching the same young guy making the sign to ward off evil. The little man paled when he noted her watching him. “No. Please. I don’t want you to. There’s no way it could ever work between us. I can’t see you in that town without making myself miserable and you can’t come here and still be happy.” Sensing his wavering, she brought out the big guns, real tears welling in her eyes. “Please…please don’t hurt me more by coming back here and showing me what I can’t have.”

He opened his mouth, only to close it and swallow hard. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. “No. No, I’ll never hurt you.” He stuck out his hand, and feeling a bit surreal, she grasped and shook it. “Thank you for everything. I’ll…I’ll never forget it.”

He turned around, whistled to the other men. With varying degrees of speculation and looks of fear leveled at her, they climbed into their cars and started to make their way out of the snowy land.

Genevieve sat on her porch for a while after they left. It was cold and damp, the wet plank floor seeping into her jeans to freeze her butt, but she couldn’t go inside and face the aching loneliness of her small cabin.

For the first time in three years, she understood an inkling of what her mother must have felt. Sacrificing to protect someone you loved from themselves hurt like hell.

But sometimes there just wasn’t any other choice.