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***
The house hadn’t been that hard to find, not for a man like him. He’d skipped right over the well-hidden drive that carved a winding path through the dense forest a couple of times, narrowing down the location with each pass.
Now he stood there, squatting behind an evergreen bush. In the daylight, he’d be able to identify it, but out in the countryside night was so black you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Right now, the only source of light came from a square window on the west side of the two-story cottage where he could see the woman in question sitting on a couch, her feet folded on the cushion beside her and her head resting in the crook of the shoulder belonging to the man who had his arm around her. He presumed this man to be the troublesome bump in the road that needed to be carved out.
They were watching television, the very picture of a wholesome, happy couple—real family material there. Too bad the woman was an adulteress and the man a home wrecker. There weren’t many things that bothered him, but after his last stint in the pen, he’d found God, and if there was anything he’d learned well, it was that God hated sinners. These two were the worst of their kind, as far as he was concerned, and he felt it would be a job well done once he carried it out, something he would have been happy to take care of for free if he wasn’t already getting paid for it.
Leaving his hiding spot, he jogged across the open lawn and around the house for a closer look. Tonight was a fact-finding mission. The husband he’d spoken with earlier wanted to be the one to carry out the job. All he needed to know was his surroundings, map out the floor plan wherever possible, and assess the level of security. Peeking in windows, he noted the first floor was standard with living room, dining room, kitchen and what appeared to be a small bath. That meant that all the bedrooms, probably three judging by the size of the house, were on the second story.
Around back, there were two fairly new, large metal doors set into the ground. This would be an old cellar entrance. He touched his fingers to the thick chain looped through the handles, gauging its strength, and finding it to be one of the strongest of its kind. Nothing he couldn’t get past with a little persistence and the right tools, though.
Finished with his inspection, he crept back around front, stopping for a moment to peer inside at the couple one last time. He was just in time for the show. Gazing into each other’s eyes, the man made the first move, dipping his head to capture the woman’s mouth. The connection was so strong, it sent a heat wave right through the glass, and he backed away before he could be noticed.
They certainly didn’t look like “just friends.” Definitely something to take back to the husband, he thought, sprinting across the lawn to his car where he’d left it hidden at the opening of the drive about a quarter mile back.
***
After Terri took a long soak in the tub, Luke managed to talk her into sitting down to watch a movie with him. He even made her hot chocolate topped with a mound of tiny marshmallows to entice her. He wasn’t ready for bed just yet, and maybe he wanted to spend a little more time with her, he thought guiltily.
He could tell she was tired, and about halfway into the movie, her eyes began to glaze over and her lids started to droop. He took the opportunity to pull her closer, meeting a little resistance at first, but eventually she relaxed enough to rest her head on his shoulder. They’d been sitting that way ever since, well past the end of the movie and two episodes of Law & Order.
Terri let out a yawn, and Luke, looking down at her, tilted her head back, studying her delicate features while he pushed her hair back from her face to clear the view. He was just thinking how beautiful she looked, how good she felt in his arms, when her eyes lifted to his. Something moved between them then, warmth that overpowered the connection that had spurred their first kiss. He couldn’t explain it, but he knew that he felt it.
Her head already tilted back, Luke met her halfway, pressing his lips firmly against hers. The thought that he could see spending the rest of his life this way, with this woman, was just being realized when his ears picked up the low beeping of his security beacon, snatching his attention away.
Jumping to his feet, Luke rushed to where he had his alarm system installed on the wall opposite the couch, and checked the data. Terri, alarmed at his sudden change of mood, was right behind him, peering over his shoulder.
“What’s going on?”
He didn’t hesitate to fill her in. “The alarm picked up movement outside. Something tripped the sensors.”
Her shoulders visibly relaxed, no longer overly concerned. “It could just be an animal, then, right?”
Luke simply shook his head. “The system wasn’t put in place with rodents in mind. It was intended for human bulk.”
“Well, maybe it was a bear,” Terri said, clearly agitated. “There are more than just rodents wandering in the woods, you know.”
Luke turned to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “I understand that you might be a little upset right now, but I am just trying to tell you the truth so you know what we’re dealing with.” His kissed her forehead and steered her back to the couch, pushing her down onto the cushions and resuming his seat beside her. He took up her hand as he worked to assure her. “I didn’t see anything on the cameras, but I assure you, someone was out there just now. But I don’t want you to worry—”
“Not worry,” Terri whimpered. “How can I not worry when you tell me someone is lurking around outside?”
“I can tell you that because when I bought this place, I installed the best security system money can buy. It’s practically impenetrable. Even the military would have to appreciate what went into it.”
Doubt turned Terri’s mouth down into a pretty pout and created a crease between her brows. “How can you be sure?” she asked, then immediately followed up her question with another one. “And why in the world have you made your home into a fortress in the first place? You live in the middle of nowhere. What are you warding against—the boogie man? Giant mosquitos? What are you afraid of?”
He had hoped not to have to reveal this part of his life, but knew this was the time. If they had any hope of making anything of this, whatever this was between them, then he had to be forthright. “You already know I don’t lead a…conventional life,” he began. “You can see that in the club and what goes on there, but what you see is only the half of it. I deal with some shady characters every day to get done what I have to get done, and that means my life isn’t as quiet as I would like it to be.”
Terri’s expression was strained. “Are you in trouble, Luke?”
“No, nothing like that,” he said quickly. “It’s just that, when you grow up like I did, in the kind of life I lead, you learn pretty quickly to watch your back and to be careful who you put your trust into, you know what I mean?”
Terri was quiet for so long, Luke started to grow nervous. Finally, she breathed in a steadying breath. Her response was hesitant when she said, “I can’t say that I understand what you are saying, but from what I do know, I get that you don’t exactly lead an honest life.” Luke grimaced, wishing that he could be better in her eyes. “And I can only imagine what you are into that you keep hidden from the rest of us, but I also see the good in you, and I’m hoping it outweighs everything else.” She looked up at him then, her eyes searching. “I need for that to be true,” she said, the desperation ringing clear in her voice.
Wrapping his arms tightly around her, Luke felt the overwhelming urge to change everything just to make her happy, anything that would take that sad look from her eyes. “I’m not a bad person,” he insisted, his voice thick with emotion. “I just never thought I could be anything more than what I have always been…until now. I don’t want this life anymore, Terri.”
Terri pulled back so she could look at him. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that, until a few days ago, I was wandering through life, going through the motions, but I had blinders on. I didn’t really see, or want to see, what things were really like. But everything has changed. Now I know what I want, and that’s you.”
