Page 48 of The Fence Between Us

Dash grunted. “It’s to be expected, nothing we haven’t seen with past clients.”

Rabble ground his teeth together, wanting to yell at his brother. This was Skye! She wasn’t just any client. Thinking of her in the same type of situation they helped women escape brought his fury roaring back, and he sucked in a breath through gritted teeth.

Rabble promised to keep them updated if anything happened and hung up the phone, hoping both brothers would get some well-deserved sleep.

In the quiet of the early morning, Rabble let his mind drift, even as he kept a watchful eye out. He ached for the uncertainty that clouded her eyes now, the loss of innocence, and sense of security that everyone had before experiencing a violation like this. Part of him hoped she’d ask him to stay, even knowing he wasn’t the right sort of person she needed, not with his temper flaring. Regardless of what made sense and what didn’t, he wanted to hold her tightly, to protect her with everything he had to give.

For the first time since his confrontation with Max and Dylan in front of Elyza’s shop, Rabble let out a deep breath, and the worry in his chest loosened the slightest fraction. Skye was safe. She was in her own bed tonight with Elyza nearby, and Kellyn and Bekah were both secure in their own homes.

Every time Rabble caught a shadow of movement that proved to be nothing more than the night playing tricks with him, he reminded himself there wasn’t any immediate danger, noteven from Bekah’s ex-husband. According to his parole officer, Edward Elnor had still been in California the night the intruder interrupted girl’s night. He showed up for a piss test the same day on the other side of the country. With him ruled out as the intruder, Dylan Santoro appeared more and more likely to fit the bill as the person who broke into Bekah’s cottage.

Shit would hit the fan in Shiloh Hills’ exclusive political circles, perhaps leaking into state politics as well, considering Dylan’s influential father. But Rabble didn’t care. Let Max, Gayle, and Dylan go down in flames. Hell, let Dylan’s senator father go down right alongside them. As long as Skye was safe, they could all burn.

The early morning hours bled into predawn wearing by slowly. Rabble’s eyes didn’t leave the cottage except to methodically move up and down the silent road, taking in every motion as the moon stretched shadows over lawns and down the street. The first signs of the sun peeked at the very edge of the eastern horizon. When Skye’s lights came on at three o’clock in the morning, then again at five, Rabble’s his heart broke a bit more. It would be a long while before she would feel okay again. He wished more than anything Skye didn’t have to face that harsh reality. At least Elyza could help when the dark became too much.

As the sun ascended into the sky, the midnight blue gave way to pinks and oranges, then a more vibrant light blue. He waited, letting the sky brighten into early morning before turning the key and starting the truck. He tapped out a good morning text message to Skye and hit send before putting the truck into drive and pulling away from the curb.

He would head back to The Sunny Morning Trellis and grab a shower, then a bite from the breakfast buffet, before checking in with Declan and Dash. He had no idea what came next, not after the events of the past couple of days. A sense of certainty stole over him though. Whatever came next, he would never abandon her again.

Chapter 28

Skye

Three days after the shit hit the fan, Skye had deleted countless text messages and voicemails, each one nosier than the last. The people of Shiloh Hills heard through the grapevine about Dylan, Gayle, and even Max and how they’d each been involved in some sinister plot to sell Skye off like a prized sow at the local auction. That the entire town knew so much about her personal business, especially something so awful, made her want to change her phone number and become a hermit. Perhaps Rabble’s team could help her establish a new identity, one that wasn’t plagued by scandal. With small towns though, you had to take the good with the bad, which included gossip spreading very quickly and everyone thinking it was their collective business to get involved.

The only people she answered were Kellyn and Bekah, largely because they were the only ones who genuinely cared how she was doing. The other messages were from townsfolk poking around for information. Skye wasn’t interested in feeding the town gossip mill further and left those texts mostly unread.Kellyn brought pastries and coffee from the Brick House Cafe. Wrapped in fuzzy blankets, Skye and her three friends talked about anything and everything. Sometimes, they didn’t speak at all, letting the space between them warm with the presence of others who cared. Skye soaked it all in, and the knowledge of her friends’ love for her settled in her chest, warming her from the inside out.

The twins came by the cottage, too, and Skye welcomed them. They seemed content to join the women, with Declan cracking jokes to help relieve lingering tension. Though when the conversation strayed into emotional territory and tears flowed, the men shifted uncomfortably on the carpet, making bubbles of giggles break out around the room. Dash especially looked like he wished he could be anywhere else but stuck in a room with four crying women.

Rabble’s absence hung heavily between them. Questions flashed in the eyes of Skye’s friends, but she kept those answers to herself, tucking them close to her heart where it beat with missing his nearness. Skye missed him terribly, wanting him there to hold her. But Skye recognized that brokenness in his gaze when he left her the previous night and knew more was going on behind his gray eyes than he could express in words. They were both wrecked and in need of healing. For her, that meant having the ones she loved around her. For him, that meant seeking solitude and acceptance in the quiet.

With just a few days until the Independence Day parade, Skye helped her friends and the twins finish up The Wild Bride’s float. They took turns checking on Skye as they worked, making sure she remained comfortable in public and at night when their work finished. She stayed the night at Elyza’s and Bekah’s, doing what she could to distract herself, and each normal activity Skye completed centered her a bit more, made her steadier.

The day before the parade, Elyza found her resting under a large tree beside the warehouse. Skye rolled an apple between her palms and stared at the way the sunlight filtered between leaves.

Elyza joined her on the ground, knocking her sandaled feet against Skye’s tennis shoes. “How’re you doing?”

Skye smiled softly. “I’m okay. What’s up?”

“I wanted to check in with you about the parade. Are you still okay with it?” Elyza kept her voice even and low, as if she didn’t want her question to startle or frighten her friend.

Skye took a moment, returning to watching the speckled light play over the ground. The idea of putting on another wedding dress made her shudder but she crossed her arms with resolve. She’d told Elyza she would help, and she intended to see her promise through.

The morning of the parade dawned sunny and humid, and Skye prepared to face the world. She did her best to follow the picture Elyza sent for “dreamy wedding makeup.” As always, she had everything planned, down to their staging and their beatific expressions, to showcase the dresses her boutique shop offered.

Even though Skye wasn’t a makeup artist, her eyeshadow didn’t look too bad. If nothing else, the concealer hid any remaining dark circles under her eyes, and the blush added some color to her pale cheeks. She curled her hair and tucked it into a low bun with some raw crystal bobby pins, adding an element of whimsy to her look.

Elyza asked them to meet at the float about an hour before the parade started, where there would be a place for them to change. The preparations reminded Skye of high school prom, when the other girls in class got ready together. Finally, her turn had arrived.

Even though the day promised to be hot, a light wind blew the heated air around, and Skye decided to walk to the warehousewhere the floats waited. After days of keeping her friends nearby, she needed some alone time. She let the sound of her sneakers hitting the ground reverberate through her, and her brain enjoyed the few moments when she didn’t have a single thought in her mind. The sound of her shoes crunching on the loose gravel and the way the summer breeze blew through the deep green leaves on the trees swept through her body, and wrapped around her soul in a calming song she’d enjoyed since childhood.

Skye arrived at the warehouse with plenty of time to spare, a sense of stillness in her chest. Few people milled about, organizing their floats and finalizing last details. She spotted the bridal shop’s float beneath a large oak tree and sent up a silent prayer of thanks for the shade its branches provided.

Elyza, already there, tucked extra flowers in the garlands wrapped around the posts and draped from the sides of the trailer. With white, cream, and champagne colors flowing together seamlessly, various fabrics and laces created a waterfall of luxury as they wove in and out of the flowered garlands. The three bouquets they’d made sat along the tire well. The petals from the navy and ruby flowers littered the gauzy fabric covering the trailer’s wooden boards. A woman stood nearby, her young twin daughters wearing long dresses with white lace bodices and thick tulle skirts, one ruby, one navy.

Those must be the flower girls.

Skye smiled. The little girls practically pranced around their mother with excitement while she tried, to no avail, to pin blonde curls atop their heads. Another woman straightened the lapels of the jacket on a young boy, a little older than the flower girls, who would stand in as a ring-bearer. Elyza had done a fantastic job in choosing participants.

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