Chapter 30 Pulling back the Layers

Chapter 30 Pulling back the Layers
He should have been more careful.
It had been pure dumb luck that while he was talking to Bogen, he saw Snake slip along the path after Liz and Tessa. If anything had happened to her....

He tightened his grip, drawing her infinitesimally closer. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist, hugging him, her head tucked beneath his chin. He was acutely aware of her bare skin pressed against him. Gradually, she quieted, her trembling subsiding somewhat. When the water cooled, Dane shut it off. With quick, efficient movements, he wrapped her hair in a turban-style. Grabbing another towel, he swiped her dry, then wrapped yet another towel around her, swaddling her in terry cloth before wrapping a towel around his own waist.
She looked dazed, her cheek red where Snake had struck her. He promised himself that at the right moment, Snake would pay for that.
She whimpered and Dane pressed a finger to her lips. "We'll talk in a minute. Stay here while I build a fire."

Leaving her in the steamy warmth of the bathroom, Dane started a fire, then piled all the blankets and pillows he could find in front of the hearth. He stoked the growing flames, adding as many logs as the grate would hold, before carrying her to the soft nest he'd thrown together. Setting her down, he grasped her hands between his. She felt cold as ice, but it was her demeanor that concerned him most. She still hadn't spoken. He started rubbing her hands briskly. "I'm so sorry, Tessa."
Those were the wrong words.
Snapping out of her trance, she screamed like a wounded animal, then launched herself at him, knocking him backwards. She sprawled across him and then pounded her fists against his chest.
"You're sorry? You think that makes this all better? You promised to keep me safe! You shouldn't have stopped that night!" she cried. "Damn you! I would have been better off if you had left me on the side of the road."

Careful so that she wouldn't hurt herself, Dane let her expend her energy, not saying anything until she lowered her head to his chest, sobbing once more.
"If I hadn't stopped, Snake and the others would have found you." They were honest words, but that didn't make it easier to explain. He stroked a hand down her bare back. Her towels had scattered when she attacked. "I thought I did you a favor by keeping you here with me."
His words undid her. Though Tessa didn't want to admit it, she had thought of that before. But tonight the message really hit home. He was right; there were a lot worse things than being held captive by Dane Hayes. And more: When the world had turned against her, he had fought back for her. In a life gone chaotic, he suddenly seemed the only tangible force. The only person she could count on.
The hand stroking her back was oddly hypnotic. Slowly, she relaxed, letting go of her anger, drawing comfort from his touch. She shivered, suddenly realizing she was lying on top of him, naked and cold.

Embarrassed, she moved to grab a towel.
"Easy. I got it." Dane moved, wrapping her in a sheet instead, drawing her fully into his lap as he sat up. It was just as well that they changed positions. He didn't know how much longer he could have held her like that. Naked. Lush.
For a long time, they sat quietly. Tessa cradled in his arms, watching the fire, savoring its warmth. She was the first to speak. "Did I thank you for saving my life?"
Dane pressed a kiss to the top of her head, battling dark emotions, unwilling to accept gratitude for something that shouldn't have happened in the first place.
"Tell me how it is that you don't know how to swim," he asked.
At first, he thought she wouldn't respond. Then she started talking, her voice a dull monotone.
"When I was four, we were boating with friends. I climbed up on a rail and fell overboard. The life preserver I wore was too big, and I slipped out of it." She shuddered, remembering the dark, cold water.
"They revived me on the boat, and I spent a few days in the hospital. I was never able to get near water afterward. I realize it's stupid, but it's my earliest childhood memory."

His grip intensified. It upset him to know such tragic memories lurked in her mind. "Is that what you dream about?"
She looked up at him. "How---"
"Did I know? You've had nightmares almost every night since being here. At first, I figured it was the circumstances, but then you kept talking about the lake and saying no. Maybe if we talk about it, I can help you get over your fears."
Tessa suddenly realized that he misunderstood the source of her nightmares. Tears too long held in check slid down her cheeks, the weight of her horrible secret suddenly unbearable.
"Snake killed Matt Michaels and dumped his body in Lake Summer. In my nightmares, Snake does the same to me. I keep seeing Michaels's face, his eyes wide and staring. His mouth is open as though he's trying to tell me something."

Her words stunned Dane. Matt was dead. Murdered. It felt as if the flesh was being peeled from his body. Slowly. Painfully. In long, agonizing strips. He caught her chin, noting her distress, regretting that he had to push. He had to know the details. "Tell me what happened. Everything."
She looked at him sadly, tears pooling in her eyes. "That first night, when I was in the pantry. Snake brought Michaels into the kitchen. He, he had been badly beaten. Bogen questioned him, and when he refused to answer.....Snake stabbed him. In the back. I watched through the door."
"Christ." Closing his eyes, Dane mourned his friend silently, angered by the cruelty, stunned by Tessa's horrific chronology. By the time she finished, she was spent. Still, he embraced her, drawing strength from her as well as giving it, amazed once more by her fortitude.
Even though he and Barry had suspected the worst with Matt's disappearance, it was still a blow to learn the truth. His friend was dead. By Snake's hand. Dane looked up at the rafters, offering a silent prayer. Remembering. Regretting. Promising.

He'd notify Barry first thing in the morning, though he knew they wouldn't be able to search for Matt's body yet. Lake Summer, particularly Scab Point, was a popular spot for the gang. Any suspicious activity would be noticed immediately and could imperil the carefully laid snare. And it wouldn't bring his friend back to life.
The fire had died down, and he got up, cinching the towel tighter to his waist.
"Don't leave," Tessa whispered.
"I'm just adding more wood to the fire." When he returned, he pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Thank you for telling me about Michaels." He picked up one of her hands, alarmed to find it felt lifeless. "You're still freezing. We've got to get you warm."
Dane grabbed the oversized quilt and shook it open. Pilling the pillows behind him, he motioned for Tessa to move in closer. "Sharing body heat is the quickest way to warm up," he explained.

Tessa debated getting up and getting dressed. Except....she didn't want to leave his side, afraid the fragile peace would flee. And she desperately wanted and needed to be held by him. Holding onto her sheet for modesty, she moved up beside him and was instantly drawn into his arms as Dane wrapped them in a quilted cocoon.
"Better?" he asked.
She nodded. It felt safe to be in his arms. Familiar. She thought back to her ordeal in the lake, how she thought her life was going to end then and there. How she'd thought of Dane in her final moments. He's saved her. She had nearly died tonight, only to realize that she'd scarcely lived. Too much of her life had been spent being the ideal daughter, the model student. Pleasing others.
No more. It was time to please herself.