Page 23 of Reckless Flames

I sat there for some time, thinking about what a strange turn my life had taken and trying not to think about Ben. Either we would survive this and go on to have the relationship that I thought I’d like to have with him, or we wouldn’t. It was that simple, and there was no use stewing about it in the meantime.

I had been watching the river almost in front of my feet as I sat there lost in thought. When I returned to an awareness of my surroundings, so green and peaceful, I raised my head to look across the river at the opposite bank.

There was a guy sitting there looking across at me. He didn’t appear to be picnicking or fishing, but there is a popular walking path along the river a few feet behind him, so presumably he had been out for a walk and came down to the river to rest for a minute.

My brain went into overdrive, trying to decide if he was the stalker or just some guy who liked to walk. A lot of people in town use that path, after all. I decided that he was just some guy out for a walk and that it was pure coincidence that he happened to choose that particular spot on the riverbank to rest.

Then he waved at me. Not the arm high in the air that a friend waves to catch your attention. Not the quick wave of a walkerbeing randomly friendly with the elbow bent and the hand just above the shoulder.

It was a low, secretive wave paired with that stare—steady, intent. I jumped up from the bench and ran back to the house like the hounds of hell were chasing me.

Chapter fourteen

Ben

The dim light of the bar cast long shadows across the room, the murmur of conversations and clinking glasses a familiar backdrop. I spotted Sophie’s brother, Jake, seated at the far end, nursing a drink with a pensive look on his face.

I approached, signaling the bartender for my usual and another round for Jake before taking the stool next to him. Jake glanced up, his expression guarded. “Heard about the stalker,” he said without preamble, his tone laced with concern and a hint of accusation.

I took a sip of my drink, steeling myself for the conversation I knew was coming. “Yeah, it’s a messed-up situation. Sophie’s staying with me for now. Safer that way.”

Jake’s jaw clenched, his discomfort with the arrangement clear. “At your place, huh? Seems like things could get...complicated,” he said.

The undercurrent of disapproval was palpable, and I couldn’t fault him for it. I had been his best friend for years, and suddenly I had moved his little sister into my house—without saying a word to him.

“I get how it looks,” I acknowledged, meeting his gaze. “But believe me, Jake, it’s just about her safety. I saw the stalker first, so she came to me with the email and being followed in the woods. That’s how I came to be involved in this at all and then my first thought was that the best place for her to be was out of town. I live out of town. That’s all it is.”

He took a long pull from his glass, his posture relaxing slightly but his skepticism still evident. “I know you mean well, Ben. But this has got to be a lot for Sophie to deal with. The stalker, the wedding... It’s gotta be a pressure cooker for her. I think she’d prefer to be with her family right now, and they agree.”

The mention of Madi’s wedding was a stark reminder of the broader implications of my actions. In my focus on the immediate threat, I’d paid little attention to the ripple effect on Sophie’s family and their wishes.

“You’re right,” I conceded, the admission tasting like ash. “I’ve been too caught up in the immediate danger to see the biggerpicture. We thought that removing Sophie from the house would also remove the stalker, and that seemed like a good thing. I guess Sophie could have stayed at home, and we could have tried harder to catch him.”

Jake seemed surprised by my agreement, his expression softening. “Just keep in mind, this isn’t just about you and Sophie. There’s more at stake.”

“I’ll talk to her,” I promised, the resolve to find a better solution firming in my mind. “We’ll figure out a plan that doesn’t put her in an impossible position.”

Jake nodded, a softening of the flint that had been in his eyes. “Make sure you do. She’s my sister, Ben. I can’t stand the thought of her getting hurt because of all this.” He seemed to be acknowledging the possibility of a relationship between Sophie and me as a result of her being in my house—even though we had skirted around that issue.

Later that evening, I sought Sophie out, knocking gently on the guest room door.

“Sophie,” I began, my voice cutting through the silence, a bit more forcefully than I’d intended.

She opened the door, a flicker of irritation crossing her face before she masked it with a practiced neutrality. “What is it, Ben?”

“Would you prefer to be at home with your family? Jake thinks so. He says your family is pretty sure you would rather be there, too.”

“Well, they are the reason I’m in Finch Valley, after all. I would like to be there, but things have changed since I arrived in town—now there’s a lunatic who has their address. I’m here not just for my safety but also for theirs. Safety issues aside, I don’t want to go back home and leave you completely behind, as though you were still nothing more than Jake’s friend. What about you? What do you want?”

“I agree. There’s been too much between us to just walk away now.

Sophie added, “This pull between us, it's undeniable.”

The admission ignited something between us, the air thick with the tension and the unspoken desire that always seemed to lurk beneath the surface of our interactions.

“But it’s complicated, isn’t it?” she continued, her voice laced with a mix of resignation and longing. “With the stalker, my family, your responsibilities... Where does all of that leave us?”

The question was a knife to the core of our dilemma, cutting through the layers of desire and connection to the hard, uncompromising reality of our situation.

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