Page 30 of Keeping Caroline
A moment later, the line went dead. I sat there for a moment, running a search for Scarlett’s name that would take some time to finish, and sending the tip I’d mentioned to the authorities. Fresh anxiety tightened my chest—worry for my friends and heartbreak over Caroline. I needed to move.
With a sigh, I secured the earbuds in my ears and walked down the hall, pushing the door open to my home gym. I never needed a guest room, so instead of a bed, it was filled with equipment—a treadmill, row machine, and weights, the basics so I didn’t need to use a public gym.
As the music pulsed through my earbuds, I worked through my routine. The sound of my footsteps on the mat, the grip of the weights in my hands, and the burn of my muscles echoed in my mind as I went through the motions. I pushed harder, faster, my heart pounding in rhythm with the heavy metal music that screamed in my ears. Sweat dripped down my forehead as the adrenaline rushed through my veins. Yet, amid the pounding music and burning pain, I found a sense of calm, a clarity of mind that helped me focus on the task at hand. My muscles screamed in protest, but I moved to my punching bag, taking out my frustrations on an invisible enemy. The weight of the responsibility on my shoulders felt lighter, the fear less overwhelming. With each blow, each lift, I pushed at the darkness that threatened to consume me.
When the last note of the song I was listening to faded, however, and I collapsed onto the mat gasping for breath, the tension in my chest found its way back to me, demanding my attention.
Heading into the shower, I stood beneath the spray, allowing the water to wash away the remnants of the intense workout, but it did nothing for the anxiety that had sent me there. All I could think about was Caroline. I didn’t understand why she was avoiding me, what I had done to push her so far away. The way her eyes danced when she laughed, the scent of that damn floral shampoo…everything about her consumed my thoughts. Visions of her standing above me at the mountain lookout point as I licked her pussy had my cock hard enough to break glass. I needed her.
Wrapping my hand around my length, I stroked it hard, groaning at how good it felt. I allowed images of her to flood into my mind, her curves, her breathy sighs, the way she arched her back when she climaxed. The thought of being inside her, feeling her body tremble around me, sent a surge of desire through me that I knew my hand would never satisfy, but I needed the release.
I braced myself on the cold tile and stroked harder, a moan escaping my lips. The pressure built within me, the memory of her becoming more vivid with each passing second. My hand moved faster and harder, the tension in my balls growing more intense. I closed my eyes, reliving the moment when we were first together, the raw passion and connection we shared.
And then the dam broke. Shuddering with a groan, the pent-up energy flowed out of me. As the euphoria washed over me, I leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath, fighting to erase Caroline from my mind, but it was useless. I had a purpose, something worth fighting for, and when all was said and done and she and her family were safe, I had every intention of getting her back.
Chapter 20
The Phoenix
The silence of the early morning was shattered by the blaring of my alarm clock. Scarlett had an early morning doctor’s appointment and Ethan went with her, so I had to open the bookstore by myself. We had a few other employees, but none who could come in for opening duties. Groaning and rolling over, I slapped the snooze button in a futile attempt to steal a few more precious minutes of sleep. Beside me, Evie lay curled up under the covers, her little chest rising and falling with each breath. My little fighter. She’d been feeling sick ever since her chemotherapy the day before, so I’d let her sleep with me.
As I lay there watching her sleep, the events of two days ago came rushing back—the way Tristan and I had left things, and the hurt in his eyes as he’d walked away. The more I dwelled on it, the more I regretted the cold way in which I’d treated him, how I’d let fear get the better of me and cloud my judgment. He deserved better. We both did, but I didn’t know how to make it right, so I was stuck in some sort of holding pattern as I waited for the courage to say I was sorry.
Love terrified me, its loss too painful to endure again. But the longing in my heart remained—the way he made me feel only made it more pronounced. I craved the joy and comfort love could bring. The passion I once knew, the passion I’d only glimpsed when I shared a night with Tristan. He made me feel alive again, and didn’t I deserve that?
A soft moan drew me back. Evie stirred, her face pale.
“How are you feeling, nugget?”
“My tummy hurts,” she whimpered, snuggling closer into my side.
I pressed my hand to her forehead, grateful there was no fever, just the chemo roiling her insides.
“Maybe you should stay home today,” I said, sliding my thumb across her soft cheek. “I’ll need to bring you to work with me this morning, but as soon as Aunt Scarlett and Uncle Ethan get back from the doctor, we’ll have a mommy-daughter day, just you and me.”
Her eyes lit up at that. My brave girl. Although she’d endured so much more than a child ever should, her spirit remained unbroken. I only wished I could be the same.
After getting Evie dressed and medicated, I loaded her into the car and headed to the bookstore. She curled up in the backseat, clutching her stuffed llama in one hand and the new unicorn in the other, her nausea temporarily abated.
Once at the store, I busied myself with opening tasks while Evie played in the children’s section. The familiar routine of preparing the bookstore and cafe for the day provided a sense of normalcy amidst the chaos of my thoughts. Moving behind the counter, I switched on the register, counting the till and checking the receipts from the day before. When that was done, I went into the cafe part of the store and started brewing a fresh pot of coffee.
Glancing at the clock after moving around the store to make sure everything was in place, I realized it was almost time to unlock the doors, so I picked up the pace, not used to opening by myself. With a few minutes remaining, I walked to the children’s section to find Evie sitting on the ground playing with the toy train, completely content. I gave her a kiss on the head and then went back to the front.
Unlocking the door and turning on the open sign, I returned behind the counter to check on the coffee and set out the pastries for the day. The bell above the door chimed while my back was turned, but my heart fell into my stomach when I turned and took in the appearances of the two men who’d entered the store. With their dark hats and faces obscured by sunglasses, I couldn’t make out much of their features. Still, something about their demeanor set off warning bells in my mind. Instinctively, I glanced toward the children’s section, relief flooding me when I didn’t see Evie out in the open. There was something about them that filled me with fear, and all I could think of was that I wished she’d gone to school.
Pasting a smile across my face, I tried to keep my voice steady. “Good morning. How can I help you gentlemen?”
One of them stepped forward, a gleam of metal reflecting the sunlight inside his pocket—a gun. He had a gun. “Scarlett, we need to have a word with you.”
Scarlett? I could see where they might have been confused. We both worked in the bookstore, were only two years apart, and both had a similar hair color. But if they didn’t know her well enough to know that I wasn’t my sister-in-law, that meant the situation I found myself in could be dangerous. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to correct him. The only thought flashing through my mind was to do whatever they said so they wouldn’t harm my daughter, and so they wouldn’t stay in the store until Scarlett arrived and hurt her too.
Swallowing back the burning dread in my throat, I nodded. “Is there something I can help you with, gentlemen?”
Before I could move away, the taller of the two men closed the distance between us and grabbed my arm in a bruising grip, catching me by surprise. The cold barrel of the gun pushed into my side as he pulled me against his body. “I know there’s a child somewhere in this store with you, so I suggest you remain silent if you want us to leave her alive.”
Icy fear and panic numbed my limbs, but I managed to nod, my eyes darting toward the back of the store again to make sure Evie hadn’t emerged to see what was happening. “Please don’t hurt her. I’ll do whatever you want me to… Just please leave her alone.”
“You’re coming with us,” he snarled, pushing the gun harder into my back. “Now.”