Taking Heart Read online

  “No! We can’t!” If she was panicked when she first ran out of the store, his suggestion sent her into a full frenzy. “Promise me.”

  “Shh, okay, we won’t call them.” He didn’t like lying to her, but he had to calm her down. “I’m going to let Gage know we are heading home, all right? Let’s get you into the car with Roscoe.”

  She nodded, still trembling as she took the dog’s leash and slid into the truck. Dylan shut the door behind her and dialed Chase’s direct line as he walked around the truck to the driver’s side.

  “This is Chase.”

  “We’re heading back to the house.” Dylan paused, knowing Julia could hear his side of the conversation. He tried his best to make his conversation sound as if he was talking to his brother while getting Chase the information he needed. “Something happened in the Sak ’N Save, but Julia doesn’t want to talk about it right now.”

  “Dylan, is this about Evan?”

  “Yeah. We’ll meet you there instead of the coffee shop, okay?”

  “I’m on my way to the grocery store now. Take care of her.”

  “Thanks, Gage. You go ahead and get your work done, and I’ll take her home. We’ll be fine. I’m going to let her rest.”

  “Gotcha.” Dylan liked Chase. The man was intelligent and reminded him of Michaels, his junior medic, before he’d lost his life during their final mission. “I’ll come out to the house later tonight.”

  “Sounds good.” Dylan hung up the phone and, before opening the driver’s side door, quickly texted Gage that they were heading home and to meet them there.

  Julia’s eyes hadn’t left the front of the store, and her left hand shook as she absently petted Roscoe, who sat on the seat with his chin on her shoulder. Dylan tossed his phone onto the seat and started the truck. He had to get her away from here, away from whatever had triggered this panic attack.

  The ride home was silent but for the occasional whine from Roscoe as he sought Julia’s attention. She simply stared out the window, trance-like. It had Dylan worried. Even telling him about Evan’s attack hadn’t caused this sort of reaction from her, and he wasn’t sure how to bring her back from the depths her mind had hidden.

  “Julia, we’re almost home, babe,” he murmured in the stillness of the cab, more to himself than her.

  She turned toward him as he pulled into the driveway, her eyes still frightened but coherent and present again. “Dylan, you need to pack your things and leave.”

  HE’D BARELY DROPPED the truck into Park before she had the door open and bolted for the front door with Roscoe. “Wait, what?” He jumped from the truck and slammed the door. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Dylan stomped up the porch and stood in front of her, refusing to unlock the door until she explained. Tango came running from the backyard but skidded to a halt as soon as he saw Julia. He immediately whimpered and laid his head on her feet. “See, even this dog knows there is something wrong.” He reached for her arm, but she moved away quickly. “Talk to me. What is going on?”

  “Open the door, Dylan. We can talk inside.” Her voice, usually sweet and melodious, held no emotion at all. That scared him more than her panic attack. At least with that, he could do something. This deadness? He had no idea how to break through it.

  Dylan clenched his jaw and unlocked the door, swinging it open for her and the dogs to move inside. He locked it behind him, knowing Gage would still be a while, and jammed his fists into his pockets, ignoring the painful stab of the keys against his hip. “Damn it, Julia, quit walking away from me.”

  She spun on him. “I’m not walking away. I’m saving your life.”

  “What happened?” His voice rose and he saw her flinch at his tone. He hadn’t meant to yell, but he couldn’t handle not knowing any longer. He couldn’t help her if she kept him in the dark.

  “He was waiting for me when I went back inside. He’s been watching us all along. He knows everything, Dylan.” She looked lost. Hurt, anger, and desperation all flitted through her eyes simultaneously. “He’s probably watching the house right now.”

  “First, no one else left that parking lot before we did. Second, Chase is checking it out, and third, Gage is on his way.”

  “You called Chase?” He saw the panic rising in her again.

  “Yes.” Did she really think he wouldn’t? If Evan surprised her in the store, he was damn sure going to let the cops know so that they could find him before he disappeared again.

  “Get out! Get your stuff and get out.” She shoved him toward his room. “Take Roscoe and go home.”

  She began ransacking the bedroom for his duffel bag, tossing his clothes onto the bed. Dylan reached for her hands, stilling her momentum, and drew her to him, pulling her on his lap as he sat on the edge of the bed. “Come here. What is going on?” She shook her head, refusing to speak. “Let’s get one thing straight right now, Julia. I’m not leaving until he’s found. Unless you have Chase physically remove me, you’re stuck with all of us here at the house.”

  “He knows you’re staying here,” she whispered. “He knows everyone is.”

  “Good.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “That will make him less likely to come back. Between your brother, me, Gage, and Chase—”

  “Dylan,” she interrupted, “he threatened to kill you if we called the police. I told you not to.” Her voice shook and now he understood her fear. She was afraid for herself, but she was also trying to protect him.

  Dylan smiled down at her, trying to keep it from looking patronizing. Did she realize the absurdity of her fear? She thought that he was the one in danger? “Julia, I’ve been special ops for seven years. I think I’ve managed to pick up a thing or two about protecting myself. He isn’t going to touch me.” He leaned forward so that his nose touched hers. “I won’t let him touch either of us. I will protect you.”

  She buried her face in the crook of his neck as his hands ran over her back, trying to soothe the fear that threatened to overtake her. His words were a ferocious promise and reminded him of the man he once was. He knew he shouldn’t make the promise, not after what had happened on his last mission, but he couldn’t stop the instinct that took over when he was with her. He would protect her or die trying.

  JULIA LAY AGAINST Dylan’s chest, hating herself for falling apart today. The shock of seeing Evan shattered whatever coping skills she’d developed over the years. She probably could have dealt with hearing him threaten her. She’d expected it. But to know he was coming after Dylan was more than she could bear. She knew Dylan thought it was ridiculous for her to worry about his safety. Maybe he was right, considering all he’d been through and his training, but, in the face of what he was currently dealing with, Evan’s threats weren’t something she would take lightly.

  Dylan’s hands stroked her back, massaging the tension away. She wanted to hide with his arms around her, to fall asleep knowing he would envelop her. She couldn’t deny it felt good that he wanted to protect her. A part of her soared at his refusal to leave. Until she remembered what happened to Misty, who had also tried to protect her from Evan.

  Julia looked toward the hall, wondering when Gage and Chase would arrive, and saw Tango and Roscoe sitting in the doorway watching the two of them intently. How could she have ignored the dogs? She was surprised either of them allowed it. Their usual response to tears was to put themselves front and center, demanding attention and drawing it away from the circumstances causing them. Instead, they watched as Dylan soothed her, comforted her, and lifted her from the panic that had set in when she’d first entered the house.

  “I’m sorry, Dylan.” She pressed a kiss against his neck. “Today was supposed to be fun, and I ruined it. You and Roscoe did so well. We should be celebrating instead of . . . this.”

  He looked down at her, his thumb caressing her jaw gently. “You didn’t ruin anything.” He brushed his lips against hers, as lightly as a breeze in summer. “I wasn’t with you when you needed me.” She s
aw his eyes darken with regret. “I won’t let you down again.”

  “You didn’t let me down,” she assured him, but he shook his head in denial.

  Dylan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I just want to be the man I was again.”

  Julia slid her hand over his cheek. “I didn’t know him, but who you are is more than man enough, Dylan. You are good and kind and brave.” She gave him a flirtatious smile. “You’re a teddy bear even if you look like a tough guy.”

  “I was that tough guy once.”

  “You still are.” She laid her hand against the side of his neck, covering his scars with her fingers. “Tell me?”

  Dylan shrugged. “It’s ugly. Are you sure you want to know?”

  “No matter what you tell me, it won’t change how I see you,” she assured him. How she could honestly say it after knowing him for only a few days, she wasn’t sure, but she meant it with her entire being. She’d seen movies about soldiers and what they endured, had plenty of training from psychologists on the aftermath of PTSD, and had faced her own demons. There was nothing he could tell her that would change her opinion of him.

  Dylan ran a hand over his head. “Okay.” He took a deep breath when they heard the knock at the front door. The doorbell clamored, jarring them to reality. Her eyes shot to his, worried that Evan had followed them to the house again.

  “Really, you two?” Gage’s voice carried from the front porch. “You tell me to hurry back, and then you lock me out?”

  Dylan ran a hand over her cheek. “Later, I promise.” He kissed her nose and rose to let his brother inside. Julia followed him with both dogs trailing behind.

  “Here you go,” Gage announced as he swept into the front room holding a cardboard tray with three coffee cups. “I was already paying when you texted me, so let’s go drink these out back while you tell me what interrupted our outing.” He headed for the backyard with Dylan, Julia, and the dogs following behind.

  Dylan automatically scanned the backyard and the trees behind it for safety. Seeing nothing amiss, he looked at Julia for permission to tell Gage what happened. She nodded, reaching for the coffee Gage held out to her, and listened as Dylan briefly explained her history with Evan, and her panicked state when she came out of the store.

  She held up a hand and sipped the strong brew. “Wait.” Julia hadn’t realized how disjointed the day’s events were from Dylan’s point of view. “You weren’t sure what happened, were you?”

  “Not exactly, but I didn’t want to push you,” he confessed.

  “And yet, you still made sure to get me out of there.” She shook her head, awed at the instinct of the man who was stealing her heart more with each day.

  “Why don’t we wait for the sheriff?” Gage asked. “I get the feeling this isn’t a story you’re really going to want to repeat more than once.”

  DYLAN LISTENED WITH growing fury as Julia recounted the confrontation with Evan to Chase. His hands clenched the edge of the chair, his coffee forgotten on the table. When she mentioned how Evan grabbed her, he couldn’t hold his tongue any longer and jumped up.

  “That son of a bitch touched you?” He began pacing, his mind beginning to conjure images of what he would do when he found Evan. He only prayed he found him before Chase did so he could satisfy his thirst for vengeance. “What good is a restraining order if he’s going to do whatever he wants anyway?”

  “Dylan, sit down.” Gage reached for his brother’s arm, but Roscoe moved between them, edging Dylan back toward his chair. “You’re not helping.”

  The dog pawed at his leg, and he looked down. He sat and Roscoe put his front paws into Dylan’s lap. He took a deep breath. It didn’t calm him, but it was enough to bring his mind back to the present and focus on the task at hand—Julia’s emotional state, rather than his own.

  “He said he’d kill Dylan if we called the police, Chase. He can’t find out you’re here.”

  “I have my own car today since I’m technically off duty, but if he’s watching the house, or,” he corrected, “having someone else watch it, he’s going to find out.”

  Dylan reached over and took Julia’s shaking fingers into his hand. “I told you, he can’t do anything to me.” He squeezed her hand gently.

  “You’re not invincible, Dylan.” She turned back to Chase. “What do we do now?”

  “I stay.”

  “How much room do you think I have here?” She looked back toward the house.

  “Send Bailey and Justin home. Neither of them can help, and they aren’t deterring him. They are more of a liability now than an asset.” He looked at Gage and Dylan. Dylan recognized the steady, warning look in Chase’s eyes. This could get dangerous quickly. He nodded his understanding. “The three of us will be with you at all times.”

  “And how am I going to explain you being here?”

  Chase reached over and petted Tango’s head. “You’re helping me find a dog for the department, of course. We’ve been tossing around the idea of starting some sort of search and rescue for years.” She shot him a dubious glance. “Okay, maybe not, but no one else will know that. I’ll let Dad know what we’re planning, but, if we get lucky, my being here might be enough to lure Evan out in the open again.”

  Dylan jumped up again. “You can’t use her as a pawn.”

  “You have a better plan?” Roscoe whined, but Chase didn’t break Dylan’s stare. “As long as you’re okay with this, Julia, I think we should do it.”

  “Julia, this is stupid and dangerous.”

  “I don’t really see that there’s any other option, Dylan. If this means he can be put away for good, if this will end it sooner and still keep everyone safe, I’m all for it. I’m tired of being afraid.” She looked at Chase.

  Dylan rubbed a hand over his head. Gage met his eyes, and he could see the concern there. He clearly didn’t like this idea either. But Dylan didn’t have a clue how to convince Julia different. She didn’t realize how much danger she was putting herself into, trying to keep everyone else safe.

  “I’ll get my stuff and be back in about an hour. Right now, let’s plan on a week.”

  “That long?”

  “Hopefully not, but it’s really going to depend on how much patience Evan has.”

  Dylan clenched his jaw. Evan had already proved his patience, and a week wouldn’t be long enough. The man had held a grudge in prison for the past four years. He’d waited months after getting out, watching Julia, until he was ready to contact her again. He’d been hiding, in town, right under the noses of people actively searching for him before following her into the store. They weren’t going to be able to fool him with this harebrained scheme. It might protect Julia in the short term, but Evan was going to find a way to get to her—and Dylan had to stop it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  JULIA SAT IN the corner of the couch with Tango curled up beside her. Justin had left, hesitantly, but trusting in Chase’s plan to keep her safe. She wasn’t as convinced this plan would work, but she was willing to give it a shot. Dylan, on the other hand, was downright peevish. He didn’t like the idea of her being a live pawn to lure Evan into the open. Even Gage had voiced his concerns. In the end, it came down to wanting her freedom back. She was tired of living in fear and was willing to try just about anything. Until she did, she’d be a prisoner to her past.

  She’d had a measure of that freedom after Evan went to prison and she adopted Tango. Since his release, Evan had haunted her every thought again. She was plagued with thoughts of being watched or attacked. If this plan freed her, she could take steps toward her future.

  The more time she spent with Dylan, the more she realized she wanted that future. The one from her girlish fantasies. The one that had a happily ever after with a husband and kids. She’d thought that future had died after Evan’s attack and the resulting trauma she dealt with on a daily basis. She’d given up hope of finding someone she could trust, who could help her trust herself again. But Dylan was diffe
rent.

  She looked up as he entered the room and leaned against the door frame. “Gage is going to get some work done. He wants to know if he can use your office.”

  “Of course.” She tucked her feet under her, making more room for him on the couch, but Tango saw it as an opportunity to spread out farther. Instead of sitting on the couch, Dylan sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of her and reached for a hand.

  “You know I don’t like this so-called plan of Chase’s, right? I don’t like you being right in the sights of that maniac.”

  Julia sighed. She didn’t want to have this argument again. She’d already had it with Justin. No one else would understand unless they’d been in her shoes. Dylan should understand the dream to go back to what she’d been before. “I know, I don’t either. But I want my life back, at least what’s left of it. I thought you’d get that.”

  “Julia.”

  “Dylan, if you were able to go back, to change what happened to you, wouldn’t you? If you could fix it?”

  “Honey, you’re not going back. You’re being reckless. You’re risking yourself to catch a stalker.”

  She slid her hand away from his. “I’m trying to set things right. I was helpless the last time. He took me by surprise. He used my trust and my faith in him against me. This time, he’s not catching me unaware. I’m waiting for him, and I’m turning the tables.”

  She felt fire burning in her chest, the desire to grasp her destiny with her hands instead of letting someone else shape it. “I’m setting up the attack on him and luring him into it.”

  “You want to be in a position of control.”

  “Yes.” She was relieved he’d understood.

  “No.”

  Her face fell as disappointment filled her. Why couldn’t he see this wasn’t as dangerous as he was making it sound? She pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest, creating a barrier between them. She laid her cheek against them, refusing to look at him. It really didn’t matter if he agreed. This was her choice. But she wanted him to be on board with the decision.