by Regan Black
“Exactly.” Lara shifted, a spark in her eyes. “And when she’s mad, she doesn’t pull punches or spare names and feelings.”
Now things were making sense. Why Mary-Tea helped Lara hide from all of them and why she’d delivered messages and warnings on Lara’s behalf.
“She convinced you to help her?” Grant asked.
“No. She convinced me there was something questionable going on in her community. If Mary-Tea had been attacked by someone she knew or someone she could deal with, she would’ve said so. She wouldn’t talk to me. Others were being attacked, too. No one would talk to me.”
“Until you were one of them,” Leo said.
Lara nodded.
Grant rounded on Aubrey. “You didn’t know about these attacks?”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” she replied. “People come and go, especially around the holidays.” She was surprised and pleased when Leo stepped closer in tacit support. “There are frequent altercations or accidents. I can’t help when I don’t know.”
“So did you find anything that made it worth it to take this semester off?” Leo asked.
Aubrey listened closely as Lara explained how she finally got Mary-Tea to admit she’d been roughed up by strangers. Not anyone new to the street, but thugs who’d come in strong with threats and orders to move away from the Thirty-Third Street camp. When she didn’t budge, she took a beating that convinced her.
“Hired muscle,” Grant mused.
“Had to be,” Aubrey agreed quietly.
Leo sighed. “And my heroic little sister thought she could singlehandedly find the money behind the muscle.”
“Pretty much,” Lara said with a cheeky grin. “I fed the information to Professor Whitten, who dug into it through normal channels. The camp on Thirty-Third and two other places were sold to new owners just weeks before the attacks began.”
“They’re being pushed out by a developer?” Leo queried.
“That was my guess,” Lara said. “I’m not sure of everything Whitten found out while I was on the street. The beatings and trouble subsided, but I stayed to gather real numbers and a full account of the problem so we can come up with more effective ways to help people.”
“Not a bad plan,” Grant said. “You needed better backup.”
“Professor Whitten doesn’t count,” Leo said. “He’s a coward. He’s not even here.”
“Stop it,” Lara snapped. “He’s not as bad as you think. He just didn’t help you.”
“And you nearly got killed,” Leo pointed out.
“Take it easy.” Aubrey pressed her shoulder to his, her turn to give support. “She’s safe, Leo.”
“I hope so,” Grant said to Lara. “You’ll need to take some precautions while the dust settles.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Leo declared. “You’re coming back to Cincinnati with me. You can write up your paper and recommendations from home.”
“No.” Lara’s chin rose, defiant. “I’m staying. I’m not even in much pain.”
“That’s the painkillers talking,” Leo countered.
They bickered, though Aubrey didn’t hear any of the specifics. Just the mention of Cincinnati made her heart ache in her chest. “I—I need to go,” Aubrey stammered, speaking to no one in particular. She slid a look toward Grant. “Thanks for the assist.”
Then she bolted from the room like a scared rabbit. Lara had done something huge and courageous and now Aubrey had to find a way to step up and make sure things changed in Philly. Her breath backed up in her lungs. She would get the details from the professor and then figure out the next step. Alone.
A sob caught in her throat. Why was she upset? Leo hadn’t ever given her anything but the truth about his plans to take Lara home again.
“Officer Rawlins? Aubrey?”
She turned to find Grant right behind her. Apparently, she’d made it all of about ten yards from Lara’s room. “Are you all right?”
“Sure,” she lied bravely. “Just too many sleepless nights.”
Grant nodded, his bushy salt-and-pepper eyebrows lifting a bit in doubt. “Understood. Before you talk to anyone else about this, I’d like to ask you to give me a few days.”
“Why?”
“Well, you’re still suspended, and I might be able to pull strings you can’t.”
He wasn’t wrong, though it stung enough that she wouldn’t admit it. “All right. The man who tried to catch Lara at the park is a key player. He must have ties to the new property owner,” she said. “I’ll use the rest of my forced free time to learn what I can from Mary-Tea and anyone else who will talk to me. I’m not the only cop in the precinct who wants to see those people safe.”
“I know,” Grant soothed. “If there’s anything we can do, any support we can give, say the word, okay? You’re welcome at the club anytime, before or after we open.”
She nodded, misery overwhelming her. There was an ache in the pit of her stomach, knowing Leo would be leaving, even as her heart soared with joy that he had his sister back. She had to get out of here before she broke apart.
Chapter 12
Leo couldn’t believe his sister wanted to stay and follow this through, even going back undercover, but she wouldn’t let it rest. “You could work up your report from Cincinnati. At least think about coming home while you recuperate. Here, you’d be dealing with a hotel room, since you gave up your dorm.”
Lara held out her hands. “Truce. I give. Just stop badgering me.”
“What?” He’d just been getting warmed up. “You’re giving in?”
“I’m not even close to giving in, but your girlfriend is giving up on you.”
He spun around and belatedly realized they were alone. For how long? “Where’d she go?”
“Not behind curtain number three, you dork.” Lara rolled her eyes. “She left while you were pestering me to do things your way. Go find her.”
He was through the door before she finished. Standing so close to Aubrey, he’d felt her reactions to Lara’s story as if they were his own. This woman cared so deeply, even beyond her role as a PPD officer. She’d cared for him; she’d shown him tremendous grace and compassion as he’d been frantic, trying to find his sister.
Now he hurried down the hall toward the elevators, just as desperate to find Aubrey. He paused, hearing a conversation, and followed the sound of her voice around the corner where she was speaking with Grant.
“Everything okay here?” he asked. Aubrey had been through enough with him, her suspension and then rescuing Lara. He didn’t want Grant to be further aggravation. The other man was only involved because of Leo’s insistence.
“Sure,” Grant replied. “You two stay in touch,” he added, striding away without waiting for an answer.
“He was just letting me know I had options for the rest of my suspension.” She pressed her hands to her eyes for a moment.
“Of course you have options,” Leo said. “Why do you need them, though?”
She shrugged. “Grant helps first responders as much as he helps strangers. Rosie might get sick of me hanging around.”
“What if I gave you an option to trump both of those?”
When she looked up at him something inside his chest loosened. That clear blue gaze was so precious to him now, he couldn’t imagine not seeing it every day for the rest of his life. That was a big leap, bigger even than when he’d blurted out that “I love you.”
What they needed was time. Time away from the chaos and pressure. Time without his worry for Lara and her concerns about the PPD painting a black cloud over their every thought and action.
“You walked out,” he said.
“You and your sister needed the privacy.” Her smile wobbled. “It’s a sibling thing that I’ll never understand.”
He chuckled, but there wasn’t
any humor in her eyes. He was supposed to be making her a better option. “Come to Cincinnati. Lara will probably be released tomorrow and ready to travel. It’s not a long flight. I have plenty of comp tickets available.”
She frowned at him. “Why?”
He struggled as all of the answers jumbled up in his head. Because I love you. Because you’re my only source of peace. Because I need you the way I need air. He couldn’t give her any of those answers. They were words, declarations she would write off as overblown feelings induced by the crisis.
“Because you need the change of scenery as much as Lara does. Think of what the two of you can accomplish for Philly if you get away for a few days.”
“You think I’m too close to the trouble here?”
“No, I think a break can be energizing, restorative. Come visit, get the whole story out of Lara and the two of you can brainstorm workable solutions.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “And let Grant do all of the heavy lifting with the shooter and Whitten.”
Yes! Surely, she saw the value in that. “At least temporarily.” Like Lara, Aubrey showed no sign of relenting. Shouldn’t she be excited about spending more time together? At the moment she looked as if she couldn’t wait to be rid of him.
“I can’t,” she said. “Leaving now sends the wrong message. Only good people, working inside the system with the people who need help, will make this situation better.”
She wasn’t the only good person in Philly, even if he did manage to get Lara to go back with him. “What’s the real issue, Aubrey?” he demanded, hurt by her lack of enthusiasm.
“No issue.” She dropped her hands, rolled her shoulders back. Didn’t she know he recognized the signs of her bracing for the worst? “You need to see to Lara’s recovery. I need to do the same for Mary-Tea and the others.”
“What about us?” Had he just said that?
“I don’t know what you want to hear, Leo.”
Yes, she did. He could see it in her eyes. Why did he have to lay his soul bare again? She wasn’t even trying to meet him halfway.
“I want to hear...” I want to hear you say you love me. He cleared his throat, breaking up the ball of need and fear choking him. “I want to hear you’d enjoy spending a few days with me away from threats and demands.”
“There’s an entire segment of my community rattled and worried. I can help them.”
“You’re off duty.” Desperation raked sharp claws through his gut. He reached for her, more than half-afraid this would be the last time he saw her face. “I’m not asking for that much.”
“I wish I could give you the time. I do.” Tears shimmered in her eyes. “We both have our responsibilities. Your sister needs your attention.”
He wanted to argue, but she wasn’t wrong.
She took a step backward and his heart lurched after her, though his feet remained rooted to the floor.
“Aubrey—”
She shook her head, taking another step away from him. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know you, Leo, and I’m happy we found your sister. Take care.”
Her words clanged through his head as she walked away, cycling over and over on a loop as uneven and unsteady as a rusty merry-go-round.
She’d refused his offer. Refused him. He’d hated Philly on arrival, but seeing it through her eyes had changed his mind. He’d wanted to show her his town, his home. His heart. Except his heart was hers now. He rubbed at the hollow space in his chest.
Why did one more rejection hurt so badly? He should be an expert by now. The place where his heart had been didn’t give a damn about logic, only Aubrey. He’d given her the space, all but rolled out the red carpet for her to trust him with her feelings.
She’d made her choice.
Now he had to live with it.
He trudged back toward Lara’s room. His sister would go home with him. He needed to see her healthy again, needed the reminder that he wasn’t as alone as he felt right now.
The nurse was checking her vitals, giving them both a reprieve. As soon as she walked out, Lara stated her case for staying.
“No,” Leo said. “I’m not losing you to a cause. Let things cool down.”
“Leo, I’m an adult,” she pointed out.
“I’ve heard.” He was tired of hearing it.
“I’m not going back to Cincinnati,” she said, coughing a little. “I want to finish my degree here.”
“They should just hand you the diploma today,” he muttered. At her glare, he raised his hands. “Sorry. Your professor is a jerk for going along with this.”
“He can be a jerk, but those people need a voice and reliable assistance. Good cops like Aubrey need support from people like me.”
Leo studied her face, recognized the signs. He would never convince her to leave this town. Was that so bad? Yes. Absolutely without a doubt, that was the worst. The last thing he wanted to cope with now.
“You want to finish what you started with this research experiment, that’s fine. We’ll do that.” He stalked over to the window. Sunlight danced on the snow, making what was still white on the trees and window corners sparkle like diamonds. He could call Philly home until Lara was out of school and ready to be on her own. It was what he should have done from the start.
“I’ll call the airport and put things in motion,” he said. He could cash out his leave and tap into his emergency fund if he couldn’t find work right away. “A moving company can pack up the house for us. We’ll find a place here,” he added.
“You’ve been thinking of relocating?” Lara asked. “Here?”
“Sure.” From the moment Aubrey refused to even visit Cincinnati. “It’s a great city.”
“Leo,” Lara said, her tone skeptical.
“Without you, what the hell do I have in Cincinnati?” Leo was adaptable, his career easier to transfer. With or without Aubrey, he wouldn’t have any peace if he left Lara here to recover on her own. “It’s what I should have done your freshman year.”
“Please. I adjusted flawlessly to college life.”
“You did.” He sighed, his breath fogging the window glass. Adulthood and real life were the current threats. “We’re stronger together and if you need to be here to reach your goals, I’ll be here, too, to support you.”
“In it together, huh?”
“Always,” he muttered. Moving allowed him to stay closer to the most important person in his life, the person who’d never given up on him. And if, by some miracle, relocating gave him a second chance with Aubrey, he’d take it.
“What do you want, Leo?”
He turned his back on the window and forced himself to answer her honestly. “Family. A partner for this thing called life.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “That would take some pressure off you,” he admitted. “I thought that kind of messy, emotional stuff was for other people. Turns out I was wrong.”
Her gaze dropped to her hands, one bandaged, one free. “But you want all that messy stuff for yourself now? Not because you think it’s what I need?”
“More than I’ve ever wanted anything else.” Aubrey had shown him a better way, if he was man enough to change and take a risk with no guarantee of the reward.
“You were never Mom’s problem.”
Leave it to Lara to cut to the chase. Until Aubrey, he’d never allowed himself to be that vulnerable. She hadn’t given him the words—she’d even walked away—but not before she’d shown him nothing was stronger than love.
“Did you hear me?” Lara winced as she shifted the bed to sit up a bit more.
He rushed forward, but she waved off his concern. “Relax. I’m tougher than I look.” She paused to sip from the water glass on the bedside table and then tried to smile. “You were Mom’s whipping boy, sure,” Lara continued. “It was cruel and horrible and unfair. But that’s her loss,
her failing, not yours.”
He knew what she was doing. He even tried to appreciate it. “No one has a perfect life.” The words were dry as sand. “My mom didn’t like me. You grew up without a dad.”
“Because of a freak accident, Leo. An accident you survived. Do you ever think about how proud he’d be of you?”
Not often. There were other things to think about.
“And Mom’s depression and rejection hurt both of us. Maybe more than we think.” She pleated the hospital blanket between her fingers. A nervous habit she’d had since she was a toddler.
What else had she kept inside, hidden behind her sweet smile?
“Lara.”
She closed her eyes and rested her head against the pillow. “I mean it, Leo. Move to Philly, but only if it’s what you want to do.”
“It is.” Sticking close to the place he’d grown up had worked while Lara had needed him to help her navigate their mother’s moods. As much as he’d like to pin this urge to relocate solely on her shoulders, that wasn’t his primary reasoning.
“Great. We’ll negotiate boundaries later. Right now, if you love Aubrey, go tell her,” Lara said. “You’re the best man I know, Leo. You’ve always deserved love and kindness and affection.”
“But can I give those things in return?” he asked, voicing his greatest fear.
“You’ve been doing it all your life,” Lara replied confidently.
“When did you get so wise?”
She laughed, cringed. “About the time you and Aubrey rescued me from myself. I like her, Leo.”
“She’s amazing.” Leo took her hand in his, stilling the nervous movements. “You’ll stay and do what you do best. Just don’t shut me out again.”
“Deal. Will you go tell Aubrey you love her?”
“Already did,” he said. Lara sputtered, indignant. “You focus on getting better and I’ll figure out how to win her trust.”