Fear the Night

Chapter 19: The Reentry

“We’ll walk with you to the edge of the woods and watch you go back across the Barrier,” Yukio explained to Isabella and Natalie as Maverick stood in the doorway of the house with Joshua as the other three stood inside, the girls adjusting their cloaks.

“I still don’t like the idea of leaving the two of you here,” Natalie grumbled. “Can’t you come back with us and have Joshua bring the Drones into town?”

“Fugitives,” Maverick reminded her, making everyone look at him. “Yukio and I had to ‘play dead’ to get outta there. I can’t imagine what our Little Heiress would think up to get us back in.” He pushed off of the doorframe and stepped toward the three, closer to Isabella. “It’ll be easier for the two of you to get back in through the lie we told to get out.” He turned to Isabella as Yukio began helping Natalie fix her cloak.

“You keep this hood over your head and stick close to Natalie,” he ordered, pulling the hood of her cloak over her head as she nodded. “If the Suits found us once, then they know what we all look like, and they won’t exercise restraint because you’re a woman.”

“I know,” she nodded again as she looked at him and swallowed. He couldn’t keep himself from stroking her hair and twirling a piece of it in his fingers. “I have to agree with Natalie, though.”

Maverick’s eyes locked with hers as his fingers still twirled her hair.

“I don’t like leaving you two to bring Drones into town,” she continued in a murmur.

“Don’t worry, Bell,” he smirked. “You’re ‘brother’ will be fine. All he’s gotta do is listen to me, for once.”

“I’m not worried about him,” she smirked back then stepped closer to him to whisper, “I worry more about you.”

Maverick frowned in confused wonder at her, letting his hand fall away from her hair.

“Why?” he honestly wondered.

“Well,” she shrugged, slightly, “i-if something happens to you, I’d---” She cleared her throat then glanced down, twiddling her fingers beneath her cloak, “I’d never hear the end of it from Yukio.”

Maverick smiled and tilted her head up to look into her eyes as she swallowed again.

“Yeah, he’s always saying the same thing about you,” he smiled, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “If anything happened to me, he wouldn’t hear the end of it from you.”

She laughed nervously and cast her eyes down again. He leaned closer to her face and this time lifted her head using his lips as a guide and kissed her tenderly.

“I’ll be alright, Bell,” he whispered. “Three of us men make a good team. My father will be looking out for us, too.”

Isabella nodded in a daze as her eyes fluttered open from his kiss. He could see tears forming in her eyes and felt a pang of guilt stab his heart at seeing her sniffle and look down, still nodding. She threw herself into his arms, her own arms around his chest and hugging him close.

“When you come back across the Barrier,” she shuddered, “be careful, please. That’s not a request.”

“Shouldn’t have said ‘please’ then,” Maverick scoffed, patting her back. “But I will. I promise.”

“You’d better get going,” Joshua suggested to the four. “I’m sure the Suits would be looking for Miss Keith if her parents report her missing.”

Isabella stepped away but Maverick quickly pulled her back and kissed her cheek as Yukio and Natalie headed for the door.

“Thank you, Doctor,” Natalie smiled, shaking Joshua’s hand as Maverick and Isabella stepped toward the doorway. “Isabella means very much to all of us.”

“Some more than others, I’m sure,” Joshua smirked, glancing at Maverick who only glared back at him.

“Thanks for letting the girls stay here, too,” Yukio cut in, speaking to the doctor as well.

“Of course,” Joshua nodded. “Hurry back, boys.”

“Let’s go,” Maverick muttered, walking between the couple and the doctor while dragging Isabella behind him.

“Thank you, Doctor, for your help!” she called as Maverick kept going and the other two hurried after him. Joshua waved as he stood in the doorway, the sun shining brightly.

Yukio and Natalie finally caught up with Maverick and Isabella who slowed their march. The red-head glanced at Yukio and smiled when he looked at her. He smiled back and glanced at her hand before slowly sliding his into hers, making her smile wider.

Maverick glanced over at the coupled as they all continued walking then glanced at Isabella as she walked beside him. He glanced at Yukio and Natalie again as they couple cozied up to each other, Natalie giggling the whole time. He swallowed and looked back at Isabella in thought.

She suddenly looked up at him, feeling his eyes on her and she smiled as she asked, “What is it?”

“Nothing,” he replied, shaking his head slightly. “I just---Nothing.”

He looked ahead as she frowned in confusion but didn’t say anything else. He wasn’t good at come of the romantic stuff. He could kiss her when he felt like it, but when it came to the cute, amateur moves, he had no clue how to lead to it.

Isabella gave a little sigh then glanced at Yukio and Natalie as the couple held hands and murmured to each other. She looked back at Maverick, who wrung his hands behind him. She inched toward him as they all walked through the woods toward the road and slowly slid her hand around his arm.

Maverick jumped and looked down at her as she only wrapped her entire arm around his. She looked up at him and smiled then rested her head on his arm. He couldn’t help but smile back then pat her hand that was around his arm.

“I’m still worried,” she whispered and Maverick smiled reassuringly.

“It’ll be fine,” he said. “I promise.”

The two couples kept walking, occupied with the person they were infatuated with, until before they knew it, they came a few yards away from a clearing where they saw the barrier and all sighed in disappointment.

“Alright girls,” Maverick said, turning to Isabella. “We’ll wait in the bushes until you two get across.”

“Maverick,” she whispered, stepping closer to him so that only he could hear her. “Are you sure about this? What if something happens---?”

“It’ll be ok, Bell,” Maverick assured her as Yukio and Natalie said good-bye to each other. “Nothing’s gonna happen, and I promise, if something does happen, I’ll let you slap me with no hard feelings from me, ok?”

Isabella gave a giggle to keep herself from crying but he could see the tears forming around her eyes. Maverick glanced toward Yukio and Natalie who were locked in a passionate kiss then back at Isabella to tilt her chin up to face him.

“Can I tell you a secret?” he smiled warmly and she frowned, but nodded. “Joshua said I always look at the negative; that I should look at the positive side of things…” Her frown deepened as he trailed off then he leaned in close to whisper in her ear and continued, “So positively speaking, you’re the best thing that’s happened to me.”

Isabella sighed, not knowing whether to feel euphoric of terribly guilty that she was leaving him now, even though it was his idea. She threw her arms around his neck and felt his slide around her in return so they hugged each other close.

“Don’t die,” she whispered then pressed her lips to his ear and said, “because I think I’m falling in love with you.”

She had told herself that now was not the time for that, but she couldn’t help herself. She’d been thinking about him non-stop ever since they’d met and she had figured it out on their way there. She was afraid of his reaction, but when he hugged her closer she relaxed a bit with a smile of relief.

“Yeah, I’m kinda falling in love with you,” he murmured and Isabella felt her heart skip a beat, not being able to hold back her grin from ear to ear. She hugged him closer, feeling tears prick her eyes. Apparently the feeling was of elation was mutual because she felt him bury his face in the crook of her neck.

“I won’t die,” he whispered. “I promise.”

She nodded as they pulled away to look into each other’s eyes and she glanced at his mouth, wanting to kiss him, but afraid to lean in.

“Isabella?” Natalie called, drawing their attention. “We need to go.”

“Alright,” Isabella sighed in disappointment then turned back to Maverick with a sweet smile. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah,” he replied, just as disappointed. Isabella hugged Yukio tightly and turned back to Maverick with another smile but be couldn’t let her leave with just a smile after what they’d told each other.

“Aw, hell with it,” he snapped, more to himself then anyone around him. Isabella frowned at him in confusion but he didn’t answer as he gripped her hand, pulled her toward him and planted his lips to hers, his arms around her waist as her arms slid around his neck.

Neither one of them cared that Natalie and Yukio were smirked at them and they didn’t care that Yukio began tapping his foot impatiently when he felt they were taking too long. They stayed in their lip-lock for as long as they could before they both knew they had to pull away and they gazed into each other’s eyes.

“I’ll see you on the other side, Bell,” he murmured, snuggling his cheek to hers as he hugged her again.

“Hurry back to me,” she breathed. Maverick nodded and kissed her cheek before she pulled away, knowing that one more second in his arms would make her want to stay there forever.

“I’ll send a messenger to you if I have any luck with my father to address the people in town,” Natalie told the men as Isabella stepped next to her.

Yukio nodded and the girls waved as they turned to head to the barrier. Natalie had to stop to pull Isabella along with her as she still stared at Maverick and Yukio had to do the same with Maverick. The younger man pulled him into the bushes to watch the girls stop at the Barrier.

They couldn’t hear what the girls were saying, but they stayed hidden until they saw the girls head across the Barrier. They both sighed and sat behind the brush, leaning back on their hands and facing each other.

“So,” Yukio chirped and Maverick turned to him. “What did Isabella tell you that made you attack her like that, huh?”

Maverick smirked, leaned toward his friend to reply, “None of your damn business, boy.”