“We got in touch with the state office. They’re sending two deputies down to take him back with them.”
“That will not work,” Juda flatly announced.
“She is correct. As soon as Goen is taken out of the building, he will find a way to escape those men so he can run,” Cayn said.
“He can’t run if he’s hobbled,” Conroy argued. “We’ll make sure he’s securely cuffed and tied before handing him over.”
“What will happen to him then?” Juda asked.
“He’ll face whatever charges we bring up on him.” Conroy’s expression went solemn. “That’s the big reason why I’m here. We could charge him with making deadly threats and destruction of property, but those are petty crimes. They’re not enough to keep him locked up.” The man leaned over the table. “I’m guessing that’s what you’re hoping for? To have him locked up for a long time?”
“What would it take for that to happen?” Cayn inquired.
Juda wasn’t surprised when the man pointed to her. “For your testimony. For you to tell how he beat you.” The sheriff pointed to his own forehead. “How he put that wound on your face. How he caused you to lose your memory. Hell, I have enough eyewitnesses I can call on who’ll describe how you looked and acted when you first appeared here in town.”
“But what if I am asked how I got here? They will not believe me when I tell them the truth,” Juda pointed out. “And if I am forced to show them, I will only go into the future. I will disappear, but I will not be able to return.”
“You don’t have to tell them about your ability,” Conroy informed her. “Don’t volunteer any information unless you’re asked directly. If they want to know how you got to Tuckerville, tell them it’s hazy. That you weren’t able to think straight once you got away from your abductors. If you’re asked how you were able to get away from Goen, tell them you ran. If Goen wants to reveal that you’re Nomads, let him. Don’t argue the fact. Let him tell that story.”
“And let everyone believe he is half out of his mind,” Cayn concluded.
Conroy grinned. “That’s what I believe will happen if he does. They’ll think he’s a lunatic that needs to be locked up, and I say let ‘em.” The man checked his wristwatch then grabbed his coffee cup and took several swallows. “I need to be gettin’. Oh, and I had Darla call Charlie at the store to let him know what happened. She said he said not to worry. He’ll cover for you today.”
“Thank you.” Juda smiled.
Giving the couple a tip of his hat, the sheriff left to return to his office. Juda turned to Cayn. “What do we do now? Do we stay? Or do we go ahead and jump since we have the chance?”
“I will do whatever you wish,” he murmured.
She stared into his eyes and the emotions playing there. Emotions she also felt but didn’t quite understand. “What are you to me, Cayn? Why do I feel drawn to you? Why do you give me a sense of peace I feel with no one else?”
The corner of his mouth quirked upward. “What do you mean?”
“You are not my brother, nor in any way related to me…are you?”
“No.”
“You are my…boyfriend?”
“No.”
Her eyes widened. “Then…”
His voice lowered. Softened. “I was once your boyfriend, but no more.”
“Then…you are my…lover?” The image returned of his nude body. The rippling muscles underneath the long-sleeved shirt and pants. And the scar.
“I am your best friend. And confidant. And bodyguard. Protector of your heart, your mind, your spirit, and your love.”
“Cayn…”
“I am your husband, my beloved. You are my wife.”
Loved
You are my wife.
It was the truth. It was what she’d been waiting to hear. The reason why she had such intimate memories of him. Why she felt the way she did about him. Why Goen had failed to erase him from her mind.
