Page 80 of It's Always Been You

“What do you want me to do?”

“Do we have any contacts with any organized crime players out there?”

“The town is protected by an MC and the local sheriff. We can’t stage anything obvious; otherwise Blake or Caitlin will realize we’re tracking them.”

“Understood. But tell me you have a plan.”

“We have some connections to a Latino gang several towns over. I’ll see if we can bribe anyone to cause trouble.”

“Sounds like you have everything under control.”

Dmitry disconnected and headed back to Berlin.

13

Caitlin madea beeline for the artisan craft store that Ms. Betty had mentioned. Southwest Virginia was well known for its Heartwood Initiative that supported talented artists of all types of media.

Travis made it just inside the door when he mumbled he’d wait for her in the coffee shop that annexed the place.

Men. Caitlin smirked as she took in all the gorgeous glass art, twisted metal masterpieces, earth-toned Appalachian pottery, and exquisitely carved wood bowls. A glass display of hand-made jewelry also drew her eye. There were a couple of customers milling around, so she took her time scrutinizing some pieces that interested her. Caitlin shuffled further into the store when the door chimed and her attention was drawn to the front of the shop. That was when she saw it. The sun catcher by the window in all its stained-glass glory. It was mostly an abstract floral design, with a fairy flitting on top. The sun illuminated the area around the fairy, giving it an ethereal glow. She realized she had made her way back to the front of the store and was staring right at the piece of glasswork.

“Stunning isn’t it?” a female voice said behind her.

Caitlin turned around to face a ginger-haired, freckle-faced woman about the same height as she was. She was dressed in a vintage crocheted tunic with bell sleeves. Her wiry hair was bunched in a loose ponytail.

“It is,” Caitlin replied.

“Eighty-five percent of the items in this shop are made by artists around Southwest Virginia,” the lady explained. “I’m Meghan, by the way.”

Caitlin smiled, but didn’t offer her name in return.

“You’re staying at Ms. Betty’s place?”

“Yes.”

The woman nodded, realizing Caitlin wasn’t chatty, but she pressed on anyway. “We have gorgeous ceramics back here if you want to take a look.”

“I would love to.”

Meghan left her alone after that. It wasn’t that Caitlin was anti-social; she sadly realized she didn’t have much history to make small talk. She needed to lay down roots and shape her life on her own terms, not what people forced her to be. What did she like? What had been her interests and hobbies? She knew, when she was with Jase, she always admired the stained glass architecture that adorned the ancient churches. They had travelled around Italy for a while and she really liked the alfresco walls, too. Caitlin wondered if Travis would mind if she redecorated their home. As it stood right now, it really needed furniture and some personal touches. Maybe then she wouldn’t mind being cooped up so much in the enormous house.

She’d do it. And Travis could suck it up if he didn’t like the selections she made today, because he didn’t want to come in. Caitlin smiled inwardly. Somehow she knew Travis wouldn’t object; he’d simply indulge her. Her heart skipped a beat like it always did when thoughts of her husband crossed her mind. She was infatuated no doubt, in love, most likely. But she was taking her time, because this process of falling inlove was simply too delicious to hurry along. She wanted to savor the feeling.

The doorbell chimed again. A woman who was a younger replica of Meghan stormed in carrying a tray of iced coffees. “Meghan! Oh, my God, you wouldn’t believe the hunk-a-licious man at Paddy’s coffee shop.”

Caitlin stiffened.

“Celia, how many times have I told you that bikers and hippies don’t mix,” Meghan scolded the other girl. Noticing that Caitlin was looking at them, she added, “This is my sister, Celia. She makes some of the ceramics around here and seems to have a crush on half of the Iron Skulls.”

“I just look. I’m not one of their club bitches.”

“Language, young lady,” Meghan said sternly. Turning to Caitlin, she said, “That’s what they’re called, but they’re not really bitches. Most of them are really nice.”

“It’s a whole subculture, I hear.” Caitlin picked up several ceramic flower pots and laid them on the counter. Travis’s mom liked to keep plants around the house in more than the typical clay container. “I’ll take these.”

“Amazingly enough, we get along well with the MC,” Meghan continued. “We love their president. He’s a force to be reckoned with in this town, and he takes care of us. The MC owns this stretch of property the shop sits on.”

“The man at the coffee shop is not a biker,” Celia interjected, a bit petulantly. “He looks like some model for a sports magazine. He’s married though—ring on his finger.”

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