Page 87 of CHASE: Captive to the Dark

“Better to hear from you,” Palo said, shaking his hand. “You don’t know how grateful we were for your call. It couldn’t have come soon enough.”

Chase kissed my forehead, hugging me tightly. “God, I’ve missed you. You have no idea how much.” He pulled back, kissing me again, before turning us back around toward the exit.

“I’ve missed you, too.” I held to him securely, almost afraid to let go. This didn’t seem real. I had done nothing but pray I’d be back with him. With the way things had been going, I was afraid they weren’t ever going to be answered. Feeling the grip Chase had me on, I had never thanked God so much.

“What happened back there?” I said, glancing behind me. Nothing was making sense to me at the moment. Nothing but the fact that I was finally going home. That I was finally back with Chase.

“Damien comes and goes. He worked for Jim in the early days. When he was contacted to pull guard a few weeks back, he wasn’t aware of how bad things had gotten. That’s why he ended up called Palo. He’s the one who set this whole thing up.”

“But…” I took one last look at the two men talking before we disappeared out the door. As I pointed to the balloons, Chase just smiled.

“Bell’s new store,” he said, leading me to a white SUV. “It was the least I could do after she was hurt. Trust me, I tried to do more, but she wouldn’t accept.”

I jerked to a halt, unable to stop the sob that tore its way free. “Did you know where I was this whole time?”

Misery took over his expression as he came to stand before me. “Of course not. That night you left me in that warehouse, I couldn’t find you. Mr. Snyder refused to let me leave when you did. It wasn’t until two days ago that Damien contacted us. Think about how long he’s been there. He wasn’t present during our meeting.”

He was right. He hadn’t come until shortly after.

Chase searched my eyes and I felt myself calm the smallest amount as he continued. “Did Damien ever talk to you? Get close?”

I blinked past his question, already knowing the answer. “Two days ago when I left the last contact. He asked if I was alright. Then he…” I sighed, “he wanted to know if I liked what I was doing. I told him I didn’t have a choice and left it at that. I was angry and trying not to cry. I think he saw that.”

“I think he did, too. And if I had to guess, I’d say that’s when he called Palo to check the story concerning Jim. Damien doesn’t socialize, Kit. He doesn’t talk to anyone at all. Hardly even family. Had I known you were in the same room with him before this, I would have lost it. He’s not someone you want around. He’s dangerous. In this case, I’m thankful he was there look out for you.”

“Me, too.”

Chase’s hand moved up to cup the side of my neck, gripping firmly. His protection flooded me, leaving my wanting to get closer. “God, little one. I can’t even begin to tell you how lost I’ve been without you.” His other hand came to rest on my stomach and I let my head fall to his chest. There was so much to consider. So much to accept and discuss, but there was one thing I knew for sure: I never wanted to be parted from him again. I’d seen what it was to be under his care, and I didn’t just want it, I needed what only he could provide. The good, the bad, I was willing to take it all. For him.

Epilogue

Chase

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been two weeks since my last confession.”

The corner of my lips pulled back as I closed my eyes. “Go on, little one. Unburden yourself. Tell me what it is you couldn’t confess while we were in church earlier.”

A small exhale sounded from the other side of the sheet. When Kit hung it up in our bedroom, I knew she wanted to admit whatever it was on her conscious. She’d converted to Episcopalian a few months back, as did I. As my wife, of course. Although she’d embraced Untold and our ways, she’d yet to feel comfortable telling anyone about our personal lives but me. And hardly ever in the church. It was always late at night, after she put Chase Matthew to bed.

“I’ve been lying to you.”

My eyes opened and I sat straighter, trying to wrap my mind around her admission. “Go on. What have you lied about?”

“Well…different things on different days. On Wednesday, you asked me how my appointment went at Shelly’s. I lied. I wasn’t at the salon.”

My palm settled over my stomach at the churning that had taken over it. “Where were you if not at the salon?”

“The ladies and I had a secret meeting. They invited me to join and I accepted.”

“A meeting?”

“Yes,” Kit continued. “We’ve been discussing plans for the town. I threw out some ideas and they did the same.”

“Did any of you come up with a solution?”

Kit got quiet as I waited. “Not anything concrete.”

“And what was the reason behind your lie?”

---