The Ring of Fire: The Dragon Dream: Book Two Read online

  “Uh-oh,” breathed Alex. “Don’t panic, but they’re headed this way.”

  “What?” Cori turned her head to look. Sure enough, Angela was climbing the bleacher steps, her husband Craig on her heals. “Crap, I have to leave Alex. Crane will never believe she approached me.”

  “He will,” Alex answered her. “You have a gymnasium full of witnesses.”

  “Like that will help.”

  “Stinky? Stinky Mallone? Is that you?” Angela asked, coming to a stop next to them.

  “It is.” He grinned at her. “Although no one calls me Stinky anymore, Ange. At least, not to my face.”

  Angela laughed. “I’m sure you’re glad about that. I don’t remember if I knew that, I’m sorry. How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing fine. Did you hear I was married last month?” Alex held Cori’s hand fast, no doubt trying to keep her from bolting.

  “I did, though I was never told who. Is this…”

  Silence filled the small corner of the otherwise noisy gym, and Angela backed into her husband whose hands cupped her elbows.

  “Cori. Hi. You, uhm, look different. I almost didn’t recognize you.” Oddly, Angela was the one who looked as though she felt an inch high.

  Cori smiled, trying to ease the other woman’s fears. “So I’ve been told.”

  “What happened? I mean, how did you two…I mean, I thought…?”

  “We ran into each other at church after Cori was released from jail,” answered Alex.

  The look of confusion on Angela’s face would have delighted the old Cori, but now it brought her no pleasure. It only deepened the sadness she had regarding the harm she had helped do to this woman.

  “Angela, I’ve wanted to say this for a long time. I know it’s not enough, it will never be enough, but it’s the truth. I’m sorry.”

  Angela was silent, but she nodded. Behind her, Craig’s face was grieved.

  She took Angela’s head nod as an encouragement to continue. “I co-operated, Ange. With the police and Mr. Crane. I told them everything I knew, gave them the names I knew. When the judge let me out, saying I’d already served my time, I took advantage of the second chance. Yeah, I’d lost my kids to Travis, but I wasn’t stupid. Mr. Crane made it very clear to me that the only reason why I was still alive was because of something you’d said. And I figured that if you could forgive my participation in everything that happened to you, then maybe there was something to your religion. So, I started going to the Lighthouse of Hope Church in Lipton, which is where I ran into Alex. He’s pastor there.”

  Angela nodded again, her face twisting in pain. “I’m happy for you. Really. Both of you. I’m going back to my seat now. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

  “I’ll be right there, Angel,” Craig said to his wife as she pulled away to walk back down the bleacher steps.

  Cori watched the other woman walk away and could see the tenseness in her shoulders. She looked back up at her old boss, whose face was easily read, which was surprising to her. He had never been easy to read before Angela. But now, there was sorrow on his face, as well as compassion. “I was wrong, wasn’t I? She hasn’t forgiven me.”

  “It’s not that, Cori.” Craig glanced at his retreating wife before continuing. “From all our conversations, I believe she has forgiven. It’s just that it torments her still. She doesn’t understand why any of it happened, or what your motivations were; any of you. She knows Susan was angry because I was interested in Angela when I hadn’t been in her, but your motive she never understood. Hell, I’m not even sure and don’t really care. It’s just…Angela still has night terrors. I don’t say that to make you feel bad, it’s just the reality of our life. Odds are I’m not going to get any sleep tonight.”

  “I can’t speak for the rest, but I was lost, Craig. I was in debt to Crane, tired of prostituting myself and I thought I saw a way out. Harry Flynn told me he’d worked out a deal with Crane, but I didn’t find out until later that he was lying. When Susan came to me after the incident at the store, I’d already lost my kids to Travis. I can’t begin to tell you how much I regret that I wasn’t strong enough to tell her no.”

  Craig nodded. “I’m not sure she’ll be able to understand that, but it might help.” He smiled and extended his hand to Alex, giving him a brisk friendly handshake. “Congratulations on your new life together. I wish you well.”

  “Thanks,” replied Alex.

  Cori was surprised when Craig extended his hand to her as well. She grasped it and shook his hand. “Thanks, Craig. I’m not sure if it’s welcome or not, but please tell Angela I’m praying for her.”

  “That’s appreciated. Have a good night.” He gave them one last brief smile and left.

  Cori released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “That went a lot better than I imagined it could have.”

  “No kidding,” Alex replied.

  Together they watched as Craig sat on a folding chair next to his wife and wrapped an arm around her. He lowered his head over hers and appeared to be speaking in her ear. Whatever he was saying drew the tension out of the other woman.

  “I think they’re happy,” said Alex. “No matter what issues they might have from what happened.”

  “She always did bring the best out in him,” commented Cori, as her husband’s arm came around her shoulders. Was he mimicking the other man? She decided it didn’t matter because she welcomed his touch. “He was less moody after she started working at the store.”

  “I remember those mood swings. Still, the benefits he gives his employees were worth it.” Alex smiled.

  She returned his smile easily. “And you, husband of mine? Are you happy?”

  “I am.”

  B olting up in bed at the sound of a woman screaming in terror, Kevin’s first instinct was to look for his wife even though he could tell he wasn’t in the same room as the screaming. And Sherry was just waking up to the sound as well.

  “Angela?” Sherry wondered.

  Kevin didn’t answer as he rolled out of bed and ran out of their bedroom. He’d heard this scream before when he’d gotten out of a pickup truck and had helped Craig hold a ten-year-old Angela away from her broken brother.

  He was vaguely aware of Sherry following him. Even as he knocked on their guest’s bedroom door, the screams subsided to a heartrending sobbing. Kevin could just barely hear his friend talking to his distraught wife. When there was no answer to his knock, Kevin opened the door, Sherry at his shoulder.

  Kevin stepped into the room and stopped in his tracks. He could now hear what his friend was saying to the wife he held in his arms, rocking her gently. A small nightlight in a corner cast an eery light to the scene.

  “It’s alright, Angel. You’re safe, I’ve got you,” Craig said repeatedly. “I’ve got you.”

  Barely aware of his own wife at his side, Kevin watched this scene in shocked silence, feeling as though he was intruding. It was a moment laden with emotional intimacy between the two before him, and he was hesitant to intrude. His friend’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he attempted to calm his frightened wife.

  “Is everything alright, Craig?” Sherry asked quietly.

  Kevin winced in irritation with his wife, especially when Craig’s hold on his wife tightened protectively before he looked up.

  “I’ve got this,” Craig told them, his voice carrying a sharp edge they’d never heard before. His eyes glittered dangerously in the dim light. “Go back to bed.”

  Kevin nodded wordlessly and guided his wife back out of the room. For reasons unknown to himself, he made sure to latch the door audibly for his friend’s benefit. Once back in their room, Kevin breathed a sigh of relief even as Sherry drew a quick breath in.

  “What the hell was that?” she asked him.

  Kevin wondered precisely which part she meant. He just shook his head as he climbed back into his bed, glancing at the clock as he did so. Three-thirty in the morning was never a good time to be rudely
awakened.

  “I knew Angela still had nightmares,” he said as Sherry claimed her side of the bed. “But I had no idea they were that bad. Craig’s never said a word.”

  “Did you see the look on his face? I almost think he was pissed we were there.”

  Kevin agreed with that assessment. “It was an intensely personal moment for them, Sher. He almost lost her four years ago and his reactions to her nightmares show just how protective he is of her.”

  “And how much Angela is still damaged by those events. You’d never know it by day. Most of the time she seems so well adjusted.”

  In the dark, Kevin reached for his wife and pulled her close. Even with the discord in their marriage, he still loved her. “Angela learned young how to cope with trauma and give the appearance of normalcy.”

  “True.” Sherry yawned. “I think I’ll stay home tomorrow, well, today. She might need a friendly ear. I know she doesn’t consider me much of a friend, but since Michelle isn’t answering her text messages, Angela’s a bit short on friends at the moment.”

  “How do you know that?” Kevin asked her.

  He felt her shrug before saying, “I overheard her and Craig as we passed in the driveway.”

  “That’s a tad unusual,” remarked Kevin. “Doesn’t she see you and Dr. Cho? Something about postpartum and stress?”

  “She does. Sadly, her husband has been becoming even more controlling since they’ve moved back to the area. Family is quite literally the only ones he wants her to have contact with. I’m not sure I understand it because he seemed supportive when we were all in Vegas for Craig and Angela’s wedding.”

  Kevin sighed. “Stay home if you feel it’s best, but until then let’s get some more sleep, hon.”

  “No argument here.”

  Soon, Sherry was asleep again, but it was some time before Kevin was able to drop back off to sleep. He lay there listening to the quiet sobs down the hall, and once they had subsided, he listened to the silence.

  8

  T hrough a haze of sleep, Angela heard her husband’s voice speaking quietly.

  “I’m not going to bring her until the party starts, Phil,” Craig was saying. He must be on the phone. “We had a really rough night. Seeing Cori last night really did a number on her.”

  There was a pause, and Angela wondered what her father was saying. It would be more understanding than anything her mother might have to say. Cassie was as confused about their mother’s behavior as she was herself. Everything had been fine until last Christmas.

  “Alright,” continued Craig. “We’ll see you later.”

  A moment later, Angela felt her husband’s weight return to the bed next to her. She rolled to him, his arms came around her and she snuggled close to him.

  “Did I wake you?” asked Craig, his voice low as he held her close.

  “I don’t know what woke me,” she murmured into his neck. Even she could hear how thick with sleep her voice was. “What time is it?”

  “Early still,” her husband answered. “A little before seven.”

  Angela groaned. “Mom wanted me there by eight.”

  “She’ll survive without you just this once.” Craig ran his hand over her hair, his fingers gently raking her hair away from her face. Ever since she had cut her hair, natural waves the longer hair had been hiding had appeared. He loved how a light breeze would cause her hair to flutter around her face. “Your dad said he’d explain things to your mom.”

  “That doesn’t mean she’ll understand.” But some extra sleep did sound nice. For the first time she regretted not bringing her sleeping pills along. They were on the mild side, but they were usually enough to relax her and let her get some sleep. Not that she would take one at seven in the morning, but they’d have come in handy last night.

  “That’s her problem, Angel, not yours.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Try to get some more sleep.”

  “I’ll try,” she promised.

  Craig sighed in relief a few minutes later when his wife’s even breathing told him she was asleep again. Angela hadn’t shared all the details of her nightmare, but her waking up screaming was enough to tell him it had been bad. From the garbled bits he’d caught of her frantic comments in between sobs, she’d dreamed of the kidnapping again. Only this time Derek’s aim had been better.

  It hadn’t been the first time her mind had recreated that day worse than it had been. As if the reality hadn’t been bad enough.

  His own dream, ending moments before her screams had begun, hadn’t been that much better. But he could only remember fragments, which let him know that it hadn’t been the Dragon Dream. All he could really remember of his dream was Angela had been frightened, and he hadn’t been able to get to her. Craig could not hold her tight enough after that. He also had a vague memory of snapping at Kevin and Sherry. He’d have to explain himself later.

  Angela awoke again near nine, in a panic. “What time is it?” she asked. “We’ll be late!”

  “I took care of it, Angel,” soothed Craig, still awake. “Remember?”

  “No.” She relaxed again in his embrace. “I should still get up. Shower, change tampons, that kind of happy crap.”

  Craig chuckled. “Are you feeling any better?”

  “Some.”

  Which was better than nothing at all, thought Craig. “While you do that, I’ll run over to the store. Talk to Miranda, let her and David know we’ll be leaving tomorrow, that kind of happy crap.”

  Angela laughed weakly at his teasing. “We don’t have to leave early, Craig. It’s not fair to you.”

  He kissed her forehead, his fingers caressing her cheek. “And staying longer when you’re not feeling well isn’t fair to you.”

  Angela sighed, and he could hear the silent relief in it. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Don’t be,” he reassured her. “It’s not your fault. I won’t be over to the store for long, ten minutes. Promise.”

  “I should be okay if I just stay upstairs until you come back over.”

  They spent a little longer in a silent embrace before Angela rolled herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

  While she was doing that, Craig dressed and took himself downstairs. Walking into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee to take with him, he was surprised to find Sherry sitting at the table and reading the newspaper.

  “Good morning,” he said automatically.

  Sherry smiled and returned the greeting. “I thought I’d take the morning off, in case Angela wanted to talk about anything,” she explained, lowering the newspaper to the table.

  Craig took the time to pour the steaming coffee into his silver travel mug before speaking again. “Sorry about last night, Sherry. Sometimes Angela and I dream in sync, and last night they were bad ones. I apologize if I was testy.”

  His friend’s manicured eyebrows shot up elegantly. “Perhaps just a touch, but it’s more than understandable.”

  Craig gave her a tired smile as he added sugar and milk to his coffee. “Thanks for understanding. Just to let you and Kevin know, Angela and I will be leaving tomorrow morning instead of staying through the weekend.”

  “I guess that’s understandable too,” said Sherry after a moment. “I’m not sure that will help Angela in the long run though.”

  Now Craig was the silent one, but not for long. Tightening the lid on his mug, he looked firmly at one of the few women he considered a friend. “Sherry, I’m going to tell you what I told Angela. I’ll do what I think is best for her regardless of what any doctor says.”

  Sherry leaned back in her seat. “That’s a dangerous attitude, Craig.”

  Craig shook his head, mostly in frustration. “What would you have me do, Sherry? Keep her here when she’s ill and prolong her misery? Regardless of whether it’s from the concussion or her period, she’s not feeling good and her regular doctor is in Montana. I’d take her to see her doctor here, but Evans is out of town.”

  “Her nightmare last
night was hardly induced by a blow to the head.”

  Sighing, he swallowed some coffee. “No, it came from running into Cori Hadlock last night at graduation. We were both under the assumption that everyone involved in the kidnapping were in jail. No one told us otherwise.”

  “I see. I’m not sure how you weren’t told, but by all reports, Cori’s turned her life around. She’s hardly a threat.”

  “Neither of us felt threatened.” Much. But he didn’t say so out loud. Craig hesitated. For whatever reason, his wife didn’t get along with Sherry and he doubted she’d appreciate this conversation. But even though they didn’t always agree, Sherry was still his friend. And he felt a need to explain himself and even defend his decision.

  “Sometimes Angela takes on responsibilities and guilt that isn’t hers. Cori might have turned her life around, but she still lost custody of her kids. Even though she doesn’t remember everything from that time, and because Angela can’t believe she’s completely innocent, that she must have done something to provoke Cori and Susan’s behavior, she feels like it’s her fault. All of it. From the kidnapping, to her kidnappers dying, to Cori losing her kids. Damn it, Sherry! The man terrorized her for years! She has a scar on her shoulder from where he bit her, and she grieved for him! I will not keep my wife in a place that only feeds her wrong mindset.”

  “I understand all that,” replied Sherry, her voice calm. “But that doesn’t mean I agree. Running from a problem doesn’t resolve it, it’s always best to confront it. Still, you’ll do as you feel best.”

  “That I will. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few things to check at the store before we head out to the farm. Remember, if she doesn’t want to talk to you, continue to respect her decision.”

  “Of course.”

  I n a reminiscent moment, Craig stood in the laundry room of the farmhouse watching his wife from the window in the door. Her nervous energy bothered him. She’d told him about the cup of coffee she’d had, but when he’d asked if Sherry had said anything to her, Angela had looked at him blankly for a moment and then said she didn’t want to talk about it while they were still here. She’d tell him about it later, and until then it would bother him.