Page 97 of Third Time is the Charm
What if it was Caroline?
What if this would be their best opportunity to get her out of their lives for good?
She cleared her throat, making an executive decision that she hoped Darcy would be ok with.
“No. Just leave it. Let her in.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. We will deal with it. Thank you for letting me know,” she said sincerely. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Ok…” Colin replied, unconvinced, but he didn’t argue. “See you soon.”
Beth hung up the phone, staring at the blank screen for a second before Darcy stepped into the kitchen and grabbed her attention.
“Who was it?” His deep brown eyes pinned her where she stood.
“Colin.” She bit her lip.
“Everything ok?” Darcy asked, walking into the kitchen to stand in front of her.
“Hannah realized that ‘Mrs. DeBourgh’ is registered on the guest list for tonight,” she explained, her eyes meeting his.
“Caroline.” He didn’t miss a beat, knowing exactly what Beth had thought when she heard the news. “I don’t… want you to go tonight.”
“I know…” she began, taking a deep breath before bravely continuing. “But, I have to. And not just for the Center – but, for us.”
“I don’t understand,” Darcy said, a hard edge entering his voice.
“Darcy, she’s here because of me – for me. She won’t stop until she gets that. We already have extra security; I already have you. And, there are going to be close to a hundred other people. I can’t think of a safer place for Caroline to think she is getting what she wants…”
“What are you saying?” he asked tightly.
“I’m saying that you need to let me do this. I need to be the bait; I’m what she wants. I need to go and pretend like nothing is wrong, like I don’t know that she’s going to be there. I need her to believe she’s in the clear to do whatever the next step in her plan is, and then when she is there, the police can arrest her for violating the restraining order.”
“Christ,”Darcy cursed.
“Darcy…”
“No.” He cut her off. “I know.” He rubbed a hand over his mouth, his entire body tense. “I don’t like this, Beth. I don’t fucking like this one fucking bit.”
“I know – I don’t either – but you know that I’m right. You know that unless we catch her in the midst of her plan, this game – this torture will continue.”
“Beth, she is deranged and dangerous.” His eyes were dark with concern and displeasure.
“Darcy,” she said, putting her hand flat on his chest. “I know you won’t let anything happen to me. I know that whatever she is planning, she won’t get away with it. But, I also know that if we don’t let her feel like she is safe to continue that plan, she will continue to haunt us and shadow our relationship.”
“Fuck.”He cursed again. His hand came up to roughly grab the sides of her face, barely angling it up towards him before his lips crashed down on hers, demanding her kiss.
She opened beneath him, letting him ravage her mouth as he searched for comfort in her presence. She knew that he was going to acquiesce to her request by the way he kissed her – needing her love, her assurance in that embrace that she was going to be ok.
“It’s going to be fine,” she whispered, pushing herself back slightly from where he’d pulled her against his chest. “Nothing is going to happen to me. It’s too public…” She tried to reassure him but his eyes still remained clouded with doubt.
“I’m fucking scared, Beth,” he said hoarsely, kissing her lips quickly again. “I swear, if she touches onefuckinghair on your head…”
“I know.” Her hand reached up behind his neck, pulling his lips to hers again.
She had no more words of comfort or reassurance. She’d given him as much as she could to explain why everything would work out. It wasn’t a matter of being rational anymore; if it were himself that Caroline was after, he would have suggested the same thing with no concern for himself, but because it was her, it was a whole different story. There were no words that would be enough to ease his concern; the only way to reach him now was through their physical embrace.
