Page 76 of One Forbidden Moment

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Moe stood in the restaurant'skitchen, leaning against the counter while Jillian fussed with the torn sleeve of his shirt.He couldn't focus on his battered body.He was too busy trying to stay one step ahead of the veil to keep Jillian safe.

Copper lingered near the doorway, arms folded, eyes distant, as if he were tracking something only he could sense.

Moe's ribs still ached from the pull through the veil.His legs remained weak and unsteady.But Jillian's hand on his arm strengthened his resolve.

The front door creaked open.

Copper's head snapped toward the sound.

Jillian stiffened.

Moe stepped in front of her.

Vaughn entered the kitchen.His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail.His even darker eyes settled on each of them as he assessed the mood.He always moved with a quiet confidence that made people instinctively pay attention.Not because he demanded it, but because he carried himself like someone who already knew the ending to every story.

"Morning."Vaughn's gaze slid to Jillian immediately and stayed there.

Moe planted his hand on her stomach, keeping her behind him.His blood boiled as he gauged what was happening.No one was allowed to touch Jillian, and the way Vaughn looked, he couldn't trust him to keep his distance.

Copper shifted subtly, stepping between Vaughn and Jillian.Moe wasn't the only one who sensed trouble.

Vaughn pinched the end of his mustache and straightened the whiskers."Didn't mean to interrupt."

"Then don't."

Vaughn's eyes flicked to him, amused."We've always gotten along."

Moe didn't smile."What do you want?"

Vaughn walked farther into the restaurant, hands in his pockets, gazing over the counters, the walls, the ceiling.But Moe could tell he was watching them more than the room.

"I heard you made it out," Vaughn said casually."Now you're back."

Unlike Jillian, who claimed no time had passed when she left her world, time continued to move forward after Moe left Everstill.

Moe's jaw tightened."Who told you that?"

No one talked about the oddities of living in Everstill.At one time, he used to question Finn about everything, but even his friend changed the subject rather than add his own insights to their living conditions.It was as if no one cared that they all followed the same routine every day, with nothing upsetting their lives.

At least until Kallie appeared in the road one day and talked to Finn, then, years later, she came back.It was enough to get Moe curious about the veil.But the others were blind to change.

Vaughn shrugged lightly."People talk."

"Bullshit."Moe stared at him."No one here ever talked.We had no feelings about—"

"We do now."Vaughn's smile deepened, but his eyes sharpened."We can remember what happened yesterday."

Moe glanced at Copper to see if that was true, and going by the way the older man wouldn't meet his gaze, he assumed Vaughn was telling the truth.

"The others are questioning why you left.Now you're back," Vaughn said, exhaling heavily.

Jillian's hand tightened around Moe's arm.He turned, shielding her from Vaughn's gaze, and kissed her temple.

"It'll be okay," he whispered.

But he wasn't confident he could keep her safe.He knew the background of every man who lived in Everstill.At one time, they recited their past as if sharing a grocery list.No one batted an eye to hear that Vaughn was a cult leader who took advantage of women.