“It’s fine,” I say, shaking my head. “I just …”
“Kallie, why don’t you go put the coffee on?” Casey suggests as his hands still hold mine. She looks at me and then walks out. “I promise you,” he says, letting one of my hands go to wipe away the tear rolling down my face. “Tomorrow, you won’t shed a tear.” I don’t tell him not to make promises because I haven’t had one promise stick. No one has ever made a promise and kept it. Even when I was four and my mother promised to take me to McDonald’s if I got first place in the pageant. After I won, she smiled for pictures, pretending she was the perfect mother, then made me grilled chicken and steamed veggies because it looked like I was getting a muffin top. I learned then and there that promises were just a ploy.
“Coffee is ready. Mom is coming, so stop smooching and come out here!” Kallie yells, and I smile.
“We should go,” I say, standing. He drops my other hand now, and when I go to walk around him, he stops me.
“I’m also going to promise that before tonight is over, I’m going to kiss you, Olivia,” he says, and just the way he says it, my heart speeds up for a different reason. “I’m going to close the door, and if I have to barricade us in a room, I will. This kiss is going to happen.”
I swallow, trying to make a joke about it. “Promises, promises, cowboy.” He’s about to say something else when the front door opens and then slams.
“I’m here.” I hear Charlotte. I don’t know what I’m expecting, but it’s not walking out to the table being set by Jacob and Kallie while Billy comes in carrying two bags full of food.
“What is all this?” I ask. Charlotte comes over to me and takes me into her arms.
“This is all your favorite food.” She smiles when she lets me go. I look over at Billy who puts the bags down and begins to unpack the containers.
“She’s been up all night cooking.” Billy shakes his head. “I told her it was too much.”
I watch him unload the bags, and I’m speechless. The words stick in my throat. I want to say so much, but I know the minute I do, it’s going to come out as a sob. Casey walks past us, going straight for the coffee. He makes two cups and brings one over to me. Charlotte leaves me to go prepare the plates as Casey hands me the cup.
“Breathe, darlin’,” he says, and I look down.
“I’ve never had anyone take care of me,” I say quietly. “Not once.”
“Well,” he says, taking a drink of his black coffee, “you better get used to it.” I don’t say that I can’t afford to let myself get used to it. I don’t think my heart could take it. “Is that fried chicken?”
“It sure is,” Charlotte says. “Buttermilk just the way she likes it.”
“This is …” I finally say. Putting the mug at my lips, I take a sip, and the hot liquid burns all the way down. “It’s too much.”
“Oh, please,” she says. “Let’s sit and eat.” Billy takes the seat at the head of the table, and Charlotte sits at the other end. I sit next to Casey while Kallie and Jacob sit in front of me. “I don’t know about all of you, but I’m starved.”
“Oh my God,” I say. “Is that mac and cheese?” My eyes go to the platter, and Casey scoops some out for me. “And biscuits and gravy.”
“Hot from the oven,” Billy says. “You need to eat up.” He points at my overflowing plate.
I sit at the table and eat until my eyeballs are almost out of my sockets. “Don’t fill up now.” Casey leans over, and when his shoulder nudges mine, just his touch sends my senses into overdrive. This is crazy, I think to myself. “Mom didn’t take out dessert yet.”
“I can’t eat another bite.” I turn to him, and our faces are so close, and I suddenly forget about everything. Looking into his eyes for just one second, I forget that my whole life has been tossed out, and that the wolves are chasing me. “I also think I need a nap.”
“Are you tired?” he asks, worried all of a sudden, and he looks like he’s going to get up and kick everyone out.
“I’m getting there,” I say. Casey looks over at Kallie. The two of them share a look, and she just nods.
“Okay, let’s get this cleaned up, so Olivia can relax. This might be too much for her.” I’m about to say that it’s not when I suddenly feel like I’m being watched. When I look over, I see that no one is there, and I’m looking out the window. Shaking my head, I remind myself that it’s all in my head, and that no one is watching me.
“Are you okay?” I hear Casey from beside me.
“It’s fine,” I say, and then I look around again. “It’s just, I feel like I’m being watched.” His eyes look at me, and then I see him scanning outside. “But I’m sure it’s just my imagination.”
“Might be.” His voice is tight as he pushes away from the table. “I have to go for a bit. Kallie.” He calls her name, and she looks over at us.
“You need to stay with her until I get back,” he orders. I’m about to say that I’m fine when another alarm goes off. Jacob and Casey both run out of the house this time. The commotion all around me feels like a dream as the doors are locked, and Billy stands in front of me with his back to me as he holds up a shotgun.
Chapter Twelve
Casey
The minute the alarm goes off, I’m running out the door with Jacob behind me. “What the hell is that?”
“It’s the alarm for the south side,” I say, jumping into the truck and peeling off while I call Derek.
“What do you have?” I ask him. Rocks hit the truck as I speed to that part of the property, and for the first time, I’m pissed my land is so big.
“You have movement at the southern border. P17,” he says. “You had movement of a man right before the feeds went dead.”
“Fuck,” I say out loud, speeding through the fields. “I want all feeds sent to my computer in two,” I disconnect. “Are you packing?” I look over at Jacob, who just nods, lifting his shirt and showing me his gun. When I pull up to the fence where the feed cut out, I lean over and grab the gun from my glove compartment and then look at Jacob.
“Just so you know, I’m going to shoot first and ask questions later.” I don’t even wait for him to answer. Instead, I jump out of the truck and walk over with my gun drawn and aimed at the pole where the feeds went down. Jacob walks beside me, his gun also drawn as we get to the fence. Looking around, I see that the grass has been disturbed. When I look up, I see where the wire has been pulled down.
“Whoever was here is long gone,” Jacob says from beside me as he looks around. I put my gun down and look at the wire.
“Cut right through,” I say. “No accident there.” I look around, and Derek’s ringtone fills the air.
“Yeah,” I say, answering after one ring.
“We got nothing,” he says. “I can see a bit of an arm, but other than that, the guy was a ghost,”