His Watchful Eye

Chapter 31-On a Mission

     After Colin left her house, Georgia changed into her pajamas and walked back to the living room. Another thunderstorm was sweeping through the area and every crash of thunder made her jump. She was on edge from the conflicting emotions of the day. Part of her continued to wonder if her brother was still alive. After all, his body was never found, so they were never really given any closure. Beckner was probably right...if Charlie was alive he would be in his thirties. What could stop him from contacting her? No, surely he died twenty-two years ago. His baseball cap was soaked in his own blood, what more proof was necessary? It was probably an unhappy coincidence that the man who owned the storage units Traeger visited owned the same name as her brother.

She settled on the couch with a cup of tea and let her mind wander to Colin. There was no more denying her feelings for him. She loved him like she never loved anyone else before. As the weeks passed since the completion of their undercover assignment, she started to question his feelings for her. At one time she felt entirely certain he loved her, but since they returned to Virginia he settled into the role of a friend and nothing more. A few times she thought she detected love in his glance, but she couldn't be sure if it was reality or simply wishful thinking.

Perhaps he was concerned about what would happen if and when she found Henry. Maybe he considered the implications of a relationship with her and decided he was unprepared to be a father figure to a child that wasn't his by blood. Certainly it would be a heavy task. Not many men were eager to step into the role of father with so little chance to accustom themselves to the idea. Heaving a deep sigh, she resigned herself to the reality laying before her. She would never love anyone like she loved Colin, but he would only ever be her friend, and that would have to be good enough.

Setting her empty teacup on the floor next to the couch, she pulled the quilt from behind her and covered herself. Slipping to a reclining position, she wondered what was taking Colin so long to get back. He made it sound like he wouldn't be long, but she had no idea how far he lived from her house.

She decided the best thing to do to pass the time was to pray. After pleading with God to bring Henry back home, she prayed that by some miracle He would allow Colin to love her like she loved him. Her eyelids grew heavy and with her whispered prayer still on her lips, she fell into a deep, restful sleep.

The loud trill of her cell phone jolted her from the pleasant dream playing out in her subconscious. In her fantasy, Henry was with her. They were at the zoo in Central Park and Colin was with them just as he promised. He was kneeling down with a ring in hand telling her he loved her and her son, and he wanted them to be a family. Oh, why did the dream have to end? How unfair that it was only just a dream when she would give anything for it to be a reality.

Disgusted, she looked at the caller ID and saw she had already missed three calls from T.J., and he was trying to contact her again. Quickly, she answered the phone; her voice sounding groggy to her own ears.

"Hey there, Teej. What's up?"

"Oh, George! Thank goodness you answered! I have been trying to get in touch with the two of you for hours! Is everything alright?" His frantic words sent a nagging fear into the pit of her stomach.

"I'm alright."

"You have no idea how relieved I am. Have you heard from Colin? Is he with you?"

"He was supposed to come back last night after he got some things, but I don't remember him coming back...let me check." Her eyes scanned the room, but he was not sleeping on the other couch. After checking every room in the three bedroom house, her heartbeat quickened to a frantic pace. He never made it back. Checking her watch, she saw it was almost noon. Where could he be?