Concealed

  Might.

  Or he could find her as vile as the woman who had stolen everything from him and throw her in jail. And was Sydney really any better than her? She took a child from her family. It wasn’t up to Sydney to judge them unfit, maybe there were grandparents who could have given Faith everything and protected her from her father while allowing her to be with her relatives. Instead of looking into that, Sydney took the little girl who was so horribly offered and ran, using her tiny body and unconditional love to soothe the ache in her chest. She was worse than Tara.

  Tara.

  The image of her staring at the house stuck in her mind. What kind of trouble was she going to cause? Sydney had enough on her plate. She didn’t need to add a jealous ex-wife into the mix, especially one as volatile as Tara sounded.

  As soon as she stepped into her living room, Wade consumed her thoughts. She remembered him sleeping on her couch, walking through her house with no shirt on and making himself at home with her daughter, and she liked it. Way too much. What she wouldn’t give to see what could happen between them. But to try could cost her everything.

  The phone rang, breaking her sullen train of thought. She hurried into the kitchen and when she picked it up for the third time today, there was no one there. Just breathing on the other end. So Sydney made the only choice she could.

  It was time to run.

  AFTER TWO SLEEPLESS NIGHTS and two longer days of avoiding Wade and his phone calls, Sydney had made up her mind. They needed to leave. It had nothing to do with Wade and Tara, she kept telling herself. That was ancient history. But every day at work she saw the faces of people who could be hurt if he came to town to exact his revenge on her and she couldn’t stand to see a single one of them harmed because of her. For their safety and Faith’s she decided it was time to leave Elton.

  She’d been quietly packing things up, telling Faith she was cleaning the house for her upcoming birthday party. A party she wouldn’t ever attend because they’d be long gone. But Sydney pushed the thought of her daughter’s impending heartbreak out of her mind and focused on sorting things into the suitcases and getting rid of anything that could leave behind any information about them.

  She had stared at a map online late at night, trying to decide where to hide this time. Big city or small? East Coast or West Coast? If it wasn’t so late in the fall she might have considered a trip up to Alaska, but then she didn’t think it wise to test fake passports at the borders. She’d settled on Arizona, hoping the warmth and scenery would make it up to Faith that she wouldn’t get to celebrate her sixth birthday with her friends in Elton.

  Everything was packed and ready to go. Sydney had to wait another day to get her last paycheck from Pete and Cara, then they’d be off. The night before they were set to leave, Faith had woken up with a high fever. The poor thing was miserable with a sore throat and cried all night. She couldn’t possibly steal her from her sick bed and start off on an eighteen hour trek across country without a doctor around if she needed it.

  So instead, Sydney stayed home, locked the doors, and nursed her daughter back to health. It was a good thing she had stayed because it ended up being strep throat. Had she left that night, God knows how sick Faith could have gotten over the course of their trip. Countless popsicles, bowls of Jell-O, and glasses of ginger ale later, she began to perk up.

  When she walked out the door to work this morning, Sydney was already exhausted, but Faith was ecstatic because it was her first day back to school and she had missed her friends desperately.

  Friends Sydney was planning on ripping her away from tonight, now that she was better.

  It was going to do more than tear out Faith’s heart to leave; Sydney wasn’t going to make it out unscathed, either. But they had to go. There were more phone calls with no one on the other line. Once she heard a man’s deep chuckle before the line went dead. Now, when a phone rang, Sydney jumped a mile and approached it like it was a living thing out to do her harm.

  Countless times she had felt like she was being watched when she was home alone with a sick Faith. Especially in the middle of the night, when she’d come downstairs to get a glass of water or a cool rag to take down her daughter’s fever, she’d shiver, feeling an unknown pair of eyes on her. So many times she reached for the phone, wanting to call Wade, or Cara and Pete, but then stopped herself, knowing there was no point in leaning on him or anyone else in town. It’d only make leaving that much harder.

  She hadn’t seen Wade since the night she spoke to Agnes about his past. It wasn’t something she ever planned to ask Wade about. It was his past, his business. If only he’d give her the same respect, they wouldn’t have an issue. But he was busy with work and she was busy with a sick child, so circumstances had helped her stay away from him.

  Not that it kept her from thinking about him constantly.

  The FBI appeared in town, interviewing people and asking more questions. Their presence was part of the reason she’d been able to avoid Wade the last two days. He’d been busy, too. And fortunately she’d been spared their attentions while Faith was sick. Word around the diner was they believed there was a link between the diner murder and the woman they found outside town a few weeks earlier, but they weren’t sharing much with the local police. The investigation was taking up all of Wade’s time and energy, which was fine with Sydney. She didn’t want him to suspect she was getting ready to leave, and with his keen observation skills, he’d probably figure it out in a second.

  “You okay?” Cara touched Sydney’s shoulder and she nearly screamed, having worked herself up thinking about Wade and the strange phone calls. “What’s wrong? You’ve been so jumpy today. When the phone rang before, you turned white as a sheet.”

  “I don’t know, maybe I’ve caught a touch of what Faith had.”

  Cara pressed the back of her hand to Sydney’s forehead. Her brow furrowed with concern. “No fever. Maybe you should go home and rest. Strep is very contagious. You have to be exhausted. Taking care of her alone isn’t easy. I wish you would have let me come over and help.”

  As much as Sydney would have loved her company, she couldn’t let anyone come over and see the bags she had packed. She was saved from the conversation by Luke.

  “Well this day just got brighter. My favorite girl is back at work!”

  “Hi, Luke.” Sydney was happy for a reason to get away from Cara before she was forced to make up another lie. “What can I get you?”

  “Coffee and a southwestern omelet.” He flashed a wide grin. “I missed you. Hailey’s nice but she doesn’t put extra salsa and sour cream on my omelet like you do. I heard Faith was sick. Is she feeling better?”

  “She went back to school today. I think missing class made her feel worse than the strep throat.” Sydney laughed. “I know I definitely wasn’t like that as a kid. If there was an excuse to get out of school, I used it.”

  “Same here,” Luke said, slapping his hand on the counter in amusement. “She must have gotten that from her father.”

  At the mention of Faith’s father, Sydney froze. Images of him with the bloody bat flooded her mind. It wasn’t Luke’s fault, he had no idea what those words had set in motion, but her reaction was too strong, it was impossible to hide and he picked up on it right away.

  “Syd? Honey, talk to me, what’s wrong?” When she stood there unmoving, he reached across the counter and took her hand, even though she tried to pull away. “Are you okay?”

  “Why don’t you take your hand off her and let the lady catch her breath,” a voice said from behind Luke. There was no mistaking the warning in Wade’s voice. Sydney could see Luke thinking of a response. She must have looked fragile enough that he thought better of engaging Wade in an argument at the moment, and he released her wrist. Sydney took a few steps away from the counter and tried to collect herself.

  “I’m getting really tired of you telling me what to do, Sheriff.”

  “Guys, please don’t fight,” Sydney said softly,
pressing a hand to her queasy stomach.

  Wade ignored Luke’s comment and made a bee line for Sydney, coming right behind the counter uninvited. She tried to wave him off, but he ignored her flailing hand.

  “Make yourself at home,” Luke mumbled into his mug, but Sydney heard and gave him a stern look. She didn’t want to be the cause of another fight between them. Tomorrow she’d be long gone and they would still be in town together.

  She allowed Wade to take her into the corner of the kitchen. Pete and Cara immediately exited and busied themselves in the dining room, giving them some privacy.

  “Next time Luke touches you, do me a favor and deck him.” He stepped toward her and brushed his fingers lightly over her wrist.

  Even with as much as she had been avoiding him, Sydney had to admit, it felt good to be around Wade again. He had a way of pushing away the bad things and making her feel safe. More like herself. “I hear the sheriff frowns upon assault here in Elton.”

  “I’d make an exception.” Somehow Wade made even a simple wink look sexy. His long lashes and full lips made Sydney’s mouth water, forgetting the conversation with Luke that shook her so badly.

  What was it about this man that made her feel so alive?

  “Luke was trying to make me feel better.” She was surprised to feel a stirring of anger toward Wade, but she did. The image of Tara kissing him flashed into her mind. So much so, she wanted to check for lipstick on his cheek.

  “You want to talk about the other day?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said dismissively as she stared over his shoulder refusing to meet his eye.

  “Sure you do. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be so angry with me right now.”

  With a shrug she said, “I have my secrets, and you have yours. Why don’t we leave it at that?”

  “You don’t care you saw someone kissing me?”

  “Not particularly.” What a lie. Probably one of the biggest she’d ever told, but there it was. For a second she thought Wade would call her on it, but he stayed quiet and tried to control his temper.

  “I was coming to the diner to see you. To talk to you.” When Sydney rolled her eyes, he dropped his voice to a whisper. “I didn’t want to kiss her. I don’t want anything to do with her.”

  Something about his confession broke through her jealousy and comforted her. He did care about her, and most importantly, about what she thought about him.

  “Why not?” Sydney bit her lip, knowing she was baiting him but unable to stop herself. It wasn’t fair to either of them, since she was leaving in a few hours, but he didn’t know that yet. This could be the last time she laid eyes on Wade and she was tempted to make this encounter something to remember. And fortunately, Wade seemed inclined to oblige.

  Without another word between them, he pressed her against the cold tile wall as he kissed her, the heat from his body deliciously enveloping her. His tongue stroked hers aggressively as he took control, and Sydney was happy to yield to him. She wanted someone else to be in charge for a change. She was tired of being the one to take care of everything. In this moment, she gave herself to him completely in the only way she could: with her kiss.

  If she could have, she would have stayed locked together with him, forever.

  “You’re under my skin, Sydney,” he murmured against her lips. “I think about you all the time. It’s crazy what you do to me.” She could feel the rock hard evidence of that grinding against her hip as his hand crept under her shirt. Thoughts of rolling around in her bed with this man electrified her. “You’re the only woman I want.” She clung to him and returned his attention with an aggressive side that she didn’t know she possessed.

  Together, they made the rest of the world melt away and all Sydney could think about was Wade and how wonderful he made her feel. Their kiss had a tempo that would grow to a frenzied pace, then ebb into gentle pecks that were just as arousing before starting to build again. Their hands explored one another, the thought of someone walking in on them exciting Sydney even more. Soon her head was spinning and she broke away, gasping for air.

  “What are we doing?” she asked, her chest heaving as she looked into his eyes. He was struggling for control, the fire still burning behind his eyes.

  “I have no idea. I never lose control like this, ever.” He ran his hands up and down her arms when she shivered. Her emotions were all over the place, so she lowered her head to his chest, hiding her face.

  “Ditto.”

  He held her for a while and didn’t say a word. The silence gave her time to think and remember that this was it. This was her goodbye. Her bags were packed, she was leaving Elton. After tonight she’d never see him again. She reached up on her tiptoes and gave him a gentle peck on the lips. “You’re an amazing man, Wade Jenkins. One I could easily see myself falling for.” The confession was the least she could do. She couldn’t even think about walking away without leaving some part of herself with him.

  “I have something to ask you.”

  Here it comes, Sydney thought. Her bubble of happiness was going to be shattered all because of a question. One that she wouldn’t be able to answer no matter how much she wanted to.

  “How’s Faith?”

  Had he pushed and interrogated her, she would have gone on the offensive, but the way he spoke with kindness and somehow knew where her heart was, never ceased to amaze her.

  “She’s fine. Back at school.” Sydney’s words trailed off. “Oh my God, look at the time!” With lightning speed she grabbed her purse and keys and ran for the back door. She was almost ten minutes late to pick Faith up. Add in the drive time and she was going to get there twenty minutes later than she should have. She was fumbling with her phone to call the school as she shoved her way past Wade. “I have to get her.”

  “Sydney,” Wade’s sharp command had no effect on her as she threw open the door and ran to her car. She knew she looked like a lunatic but she’d never been late. Images of Faith sitting alone on the sidewalk flooded her head, the repercussions of her being left alone enough to make her vomit.

  With trembling hands, she tried to jam her key into the lock with little success. She paused long enough to take a deep breath and gently slide the key into the door, springing it to life. Once she was behind the wheel she braved a look in Wade’s direction. He was storming toward her car, with a frown on his face. There wasn’t time for an argument, so she started the car only to hear a faint clicking noise that repeated every time she turned the key.

  “No, no, no,” she whispered hitting the steering wheel as she tried the ignition again and again but it remained silent. Irrational panic overtook her at the thought of not being able to get to Faith.

  “Get out of the car.” Wade loomed outside her window with an irritated scowl. “Your alternator is dead.” When she refused to budge and futilely turned the key again, Wade wrenched open the door and stuck his face right next to hers. “You might not want to trust me with your secrets, but I can damn well drive you to school to pick up your daughter. Now let’s go before you snap your key in half. Faith is waiting.”

  She focused all her fury on Wade. It was all because of him that she had been distracted. Again. He made her lose track of time with his kisses and attention. She shoved him in the chest to get him out of her way then slammed her door shut. Sydney didn’t acknowledge him at all as she stormed toward his cruiser and climbed inside. When he didn’t hurry, she laid on his horn which caused the windows of the diner to fill with curious faces.

  Without a word, Wade climbed into the seat beside her and, unlike her car, his roared to life. Rocks kicked up behind his vehicle as he sped out of the parking lot and onto the road. At least five minutes passed before either of them spoke.

  “I’m sorry.” The words slipped out as Sydney watched the mailboxes fly past her window one by one. She hated that he saw her so desperate.

  “She’s fine.” Wade glanced over at her, but his cold expression didn’
t change.

  “That’s not the point,” Sydney snapped.

  “And since you won’t tell me what the point is, I’ll just shut up and drive.” Even as furious as he was, he still tossed his phone over to her.

  “Thanks,” Sydney said softly and quickly dialed the school. She was relieved to hear Faith was in the office, waiting for her. The principal had just called the diner and Pete told them she was on her way so Faith was helping make some copies for the following day at school.

  A day Faith wouldn’t ever get to see because they’d be long gone, if only her stupid car would start.

  Could this day get any worse?

  She pushed that thought from her mind as the school came into view. Wade had made it there in record time. If Sydney wasn’t so mad, she would have kissed him. But kissing him was what had put them in this situation. He had barely stopped the car when she hopped out the door and took off running for the office.

  “Ms. Ross.” Faith’s teacher met her in the hallway outside the office where other parents were retrieving their children. “Faith’s inside with Miss Anna.”

  The secretary gave her a warm smile as she walked through the door. Faith was neatly arranging a stack of pink papers on the worktable.

  “Mommy! Look what I made.”

  “She’s a great helper.” Miss Anna smiled and gave Faith a warm hug. Tears burned in her eyes and Sydney had to look away. Elton was a very special place, full of special people that she couldn’t bear to leave. But she had to.

  “Hi, Wade!” Faith surprised Sydney by grabbing his hand and pulling him into a hug. “Did you come with Mommy to pick me up?”

  The scowl that had been on his face minutes ago was replaced by a radiant smile. One that was so genuine it made Sydney’s heart thunder against her chest. “You bet I did.”