"Five sisters and two brothers. You?"
The warm light in her eyes faded, to be replaced by ice. "A sister," she muttered, looking away. "My brother died when I was young." And Maddie felt guilty about it. He wanted to ask why, but knew he'd pushed enough for one day. "Tell me about the cabin you saw." She shivered and rubbed her arms. "It was an old log cabin. I could see the gaps between the logs, so it wasn't insulated or anything."
"There are probably dozens of cabins fitting that description, but at least it gives me somewhere to start."
She frowned at him. "Gives us, you mean."
He really did admire her determination, even if it also annoyed him. "I don't intend to argue about this-"
"Good, because I'm going."
Jon swore softly, but knew he couldn't afford to say any more—at least not here at the inn where his voice might be heard.
The heat in the room was quickly abating. Maddie pushed warm strands of hair from her eyes then crossed her arms. It was more a defensive action than an attempt to stave off the rising chill in the air. The fire, he noted, definitely wasn't the source of the earlier warmth.
"How are you going to get out of the inn without being seen?" she said
"Same way I got in—via a window."
He could manage a brief flight to the heavily treed park just down the road from the shops. He hoped. His first priority was to replace his missing clothes. He might not feel the cold that much, but walking around in short sleeves would only draw unwanted attention. That was something he certainly didn't need right now. Then he'd go retrieve his truck—which had, no doubt, been towed away from the three hour parking zone where he'd left it. With a bit of luck, the weapons he'd stashed in the specially built compartment would still be there. She raised an eyebrow. "And where will I meet you?" He scratched his head but knew there was no getting rid of her. Not this time. "There's a small cafe called Emerson's near the bridge." He'd heard it mentioned the night he disappeared. There was an odd chance he still might find a clue there. Besides, the breakfast she'd ordered had to be cold by now, and he was hungry. "Get us a table, and I'll meet you there in an hour." She nodded and grabbed her old coat off the nearby sofa as she walked towards the door. Then she stopped and turned around, her amber eyes searching his. "You won't leave me sitting there, will you?"
"No," he said, and wondered who had.
She hesitated, her gaze still searching his. After a moment, she gave a small nod and continued on towards the door. He wondered what she'd seen in his eyes that made her trust him when she obviously trusted so very few. He listened to the sound of her steps fading down the hall, then tugged his father's ring from his finger once again and walked into the bathroom. He wished he could take it with him, but it was made of silver and wouldn't change. He placed it back behind the vent then slid open the window. The wind whistled in, but he ignored its chill touch and leaned out. No one was near. Good.
He reached down, deep within his soul and called to the wildness. It came in a rush of power that filled his vision with gold and dulled his senses as it shaped and changed his body. Then the freedom of the sky was his, and he leapt towards it on golden-brown wings.
Six
Maddie frowned and glanced at her watch. Jon was nearly an hour late. Why she was surprised she wasn't entirely sure.
She picked up her milkshake and idly pushed the straw back and forth across the caramel froth. She'd been an idiot yet again. She'd stared into Jon's bright blue eyes and believed the truth she saw there.
Only the truth always hid deceit. She'd learned that lesson the hard way during the six long years of her marriage. What on Earth made her think Jon would keep his promise when it was so obvious he didn't want her around?
A waitress brushed past her, bumping against her arm. As the woman apologized, Maddie glanced up and felt her heart almost jump into her mouth. Hank stood in the cafe's entrance, looking around.
Had he followed her, or was it just coincidence that led them to the same place? She had no way of knowing and no way of finding out, short of asking him. Something told her //w/wouldn't be a wise move.
He stepped forward. She ducked her head, praying he didn't see her. After this morning, she wanted as little as possible to do with the night manager. The man was spooky.
His footsteps moved away from her. She sipped on her milkshake and glanced furtively sideways, trying to see where he went.
He stopped in front of a table on the far side of the small restaurant. She wished she could see whom he was meeting, but the width of his body blocked her view. It might be just a friend or a relation, but the way his shoulders were hunched and his head bowed told her this wasn't so.
She could remember standing that way herself over the years. He spoke to someone he loved, and yet feared.
Maddie frowned at the thought. Why did she keep thinking back to her marriage? The past was coming up too much lately; she was seeing reminders everywhere. Why couldn't she just forget it and get on with her life?
Because the past has shaped my present, and given me no life at all. She closed her eyes against the sudden insight. While her life might hold no excitement, it was safe. It was all she could ask for these days. And all she deserved.
Hank looked like he was arguing with the person in the booth. He made a short, sharp gesture with his hand that spoke of denial, and then he shifted slightly. For an instant, Maddie found herself staring into a woman's eyes—eye's that where as dark as the sky at midnight.
Relief surged through her. For some odd reason, she'd half-expected the woman to have the same chilling green gaze as the cat.
The woman rose, and Hank stepped back. Maddie was surprised to see that the woman was short. Somehow, Hank's manner had made her expect someone much taller, someone with more commanding presence. The woman walked toward the exit, and the provocative sway of her h*ps turned the head of every man in the cafe. Would it have turned Jon's? Maddie smiled at the thought. He might be a loner emotionally, but she didn't see him as a \<ys\Q\ physically. The man was too comfortable around women.
Hank followed the woman towards the door. Maddie ducked her head, hoping he would walk right on by.