Part 38 (1/2)
Taylor swayed, but Ian held her up. ”I-I don't think so, Miss Agnes,” Taylor said. ”I'm sorry I didn't get to meet him.”
”Oh, but I was sure I had. Nice fella, about Riley's height, with those European features, the blond hair.”
Taylor shook her head.
”Oh, well. We were hoping he'd stay again and house sit.” Agnes shrugged. ”But, what can you do? You young whippersnappers always galavanting off.”
Speak of the devil galavanting off. Agnes had stopped by at least once a day while Ian had stayed with Taylor. She'd regaled him with stories from her trips with her husband.
”He only swung through town just this afternoon and told me he had other plans.”
Shaking took hold of Taylor's body.
”What's going on Taylor?” Ian whispered at her ear.
”What ... did he ask ... about me?” Taylor asked.
Agnes's smile creased every inch of her face. ”Oh, you know how men are. He asked how you were getting along, if any suitors had come by. He remembered you being somewhat solitary during his stay last year. I told him you had your Ian here.” She laid her hand on Ian's forearm and squeezed. ”You are smitten with Miss Taylor, aren't you young man?”
Even as Ian thought, *Who is Andy George, and why does he have this affect on Taylor?' he smiled. ”I believe I am.” His hold on Taylor didn't decrease, but he took Agnes's hand in his. A blush filled her cheeks, pinking them up like a little school girl's.
”Well, I best be going.”
”I'll walk you home, Miss Agnes.” Riley nodded toward Ian and pushed forward with Agnes.
”Have a good trip,” Taylor said as the door closed behind them.
a a a With every step, Taylor wobbled, and Ian had to steady her. ”Tell me what's going on. Who is Andy George?”
”One of the three.” She fell to the couch and leaned forward, heaving air. ”From the tower accident in Alabama.” Taylor shook her head from one side to the other in a way Ian understood to be deliberate. ”He's doing something. Planning. He took this Tanner guy's name, faked his ident.i.ty and set me up before. Why?” Before Ian could speak, Taylor continued, ”Then, he comes here and takes Jason's name and a s.h.i.+ning to Emma, gets information and tells her he's leaving. But ... Andy. Is he being all three of them? What did he do to the others?” Taylor popped up. ”What the h.e.l.l is he doing, Ian?”
Ian wished he had an answer. ”First, we don't know that Andy is Tanner. It could be complete coin-”
The glare Taylor sent him stopped him.
”Okay, so coincidences aside ... I don't know, but I'm not going-”
”You think you can stick to my side every minute of every day for the rest of my life? I've got Tanner-Jason-Andy following close on my heels. I know he was in my house today.”
”How?”
”The rose. In the middle of that mess in Alabama was a rose, tied in a velvet ribbon. Just like today.” Her tone hardened. ”And, it was there today. And, it was there ... before. Before now. In our life before. He dropped it on my grave as he buried me.”
”He? Did you see his face in a vision or-”
”No.” Taylor yanked at her hair. ”I just-I don't know.”
Ian took her hands and rubbed with his thumb. He was in the photo. If he was there before, could he have killed Taylor? Why?
”He's been this shadow looming over my life for over ten years, Ian!” She broke Ian's thoughts. ”Maybe ten lives! Or at least four!”
Ian motioned for her to inhale. ”Come on. Breathe a little.”
Her rigid shoulders relaxed. ”What's he doing to me, Ian? Why? Why now?”
”Well-”
”What if that photo was him, and what if he's involved in this, and what if that means the game isn't over, and what if we fail, and I never hear you tell me you love me, and ...”
”That's your worry?”
”All of it is! I don't know what's going on, and I hate it!”
Ian crushed his lips to hers. When he slowed and parted, he rested his forehead against hers. ”I love you, Taylor. I have for three lifetimes, and I do now. I love your work ethic, how you support people, that you're building a business and that crazy-a.s.sed, southern accent of yours. So, there's one less thing to worry about, okay? I love you.”
She touched his lips. ”Thank you.”
”Now, before we keep going. I had a thought. For sake of argument, if there were three players ... well, Tripp and Lexi both have the same symbol on them-”
”Are you ever going to tell me what they can do?”
Ian chuckled. ”Ask them one day. They'll tell you, I'm sure.”
”Okay.
”So, as I was saying, they have a matching symbol. We have a matching symbol. If he's involved in this thing with us, he'd probably have the same, right? That's logical, at least. Do you remember if he had this?”
Her eyes went wide. ”No.” A head shake followed. ”Oh-how could I not-”
”What?” Ian asked.
”When I first met him, he'd been working and had gloves on. Then, he said he was into leather making-like belts and ropes and stuff. And his hands were either super-stained or covered in band-aids. What if he was hiding the tattoo from me? What if-”
Ian took her hands, which had moved around wildly, and held them still. ”Surely he wasn't like that all the time.”
Taylor hung her head. ”No. You're right. I'm projecting what I want to remember.”
”Lexi and Tripp's are in slightly different places. I'm a.s.suming you saw all parts of Tanner's body? Did you ... oh G.o.d, I can't believe I'm asking this ... but did you ... have s.e.x with him? Or at least check out ... that.”
Her hands fisted within his grip ”He was my first, Ian.” She said it with such softness Ian's heart flip-flopped. ”G.o.d, I wish I hadn't. Now, of all times, I wish I'd listened to Mama.”
He ran a hand down her cheek, the pain in her eyes tearing at his heart. ”We all make mistakes.” He pulled her in toward him, laid her head on his chest and breathed deep. ”I hate to make you think about it. But ... did you? Notice?”
”Yeah, I remember and no. Nothing ... there.”
Ian brought her in for another hug. ”It's okay. We'll figure all this out.”