He leaped from the driver’s seat, his boots pounding up to the house. Ben was fumbling as he tried to get the key to the lockbox, but Jason could not wait. Rearing back, he lifted his boot and kicked the door. It splintered, crashing inward as he began yelling for Rose.
He heard her scream his name, and he nearly dropped to his knees in relief. He had never been so glad to hear any sound in his life.
“No, Jason! No! Don’t come any closer! The floor will give in!”
Her words did not penetrate, but Ben grabbed his arm and held him back. Just as he was about to throw a punch, Ben growled, “The floor won’t hold you.”
The scene in front of him finally penetrated, and he could see where the middle of the small living room wooden floor had opened up, jagged slivers of wood surrounding a gaping dark hole. “Rose! Baby, are you hurt?”
“Not bad,” she said, her strong voice now giving way to emotions. “It hurt when I fell, and I’m bleeding a little, but I’m okay. It was Paul. Jason, he’s the one who left me here!”
“It’s okay, babe. The police will get him. All we need to do is worry about getting you out.”
His gaze shot around but found nothing they could use. Growling, he felt his rage building again. Forcing his voice to remain steady, he called out, “Baby! Hang tight, and we’ll get you outta here.” Hearing the sound of sirens from outside, he turned to Ben and said, “Get out there and tell them what’s happening.”
“Jason? Are you still there?”
“Rose, baby, I’m not going anywhere. The rescue and Sheriff’s department are here, and we’re going to get you out safely.”
Colt arrived at the door with Hunter and several deputies as well as the Easton rescue squad and a North Heron fire truck. Colt assured him that his department and the other law enforcement departments in North Heron were looking for Paul. Barely listening, Jason kept an eye on the firemen as they assessed the floor.
After conferring, they placed a long ladder across the entire length of the floor. One of them shimmied across the ladder until he was over the hole in the floor and shone a light down on Rose, talking to her as he moved along. Reporting back, the fireman said, “It’s about a seven-foot drop.” Another fireman passed him a harness, and he lowered it, instructing Rose to slip it under her arms and around her upper chest.
Jason’s heart pounded as he watched the two firemen carefully lift her out of the hole. As soon as she could grasp the ladder, they hefted her onto it. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her disheveled hair, the blood on her arms, and tear trails running down the dirt on her face.
“Rose,” he gasped, and her gaze jumped to his, a wide smile breaking out on her beautiful face as soon as she saw him.
One of the firemen kept his arms wrapped tightly around her as he scooted backward on the ladder, and as soon as they were cleared of the splintered wood, he passed her to another fireman.
Pushing forward, Jason scooped her into his arms, and they rushed outside to the ambulance.
“I’m fine, I’m fine, Jason,” she insisted. Looking past him to Colt, she said again, “It was Paul Gillespie. He left me here.”
Colt nodded and said, “Don’t worry…we’ll get him.” He turned and jogged back to his vehicle, Hunter with him.
As Jason laid her on the stretcher in the ambulance, he knelt so that his face was just in front of hers. “Babe, you’re bleeding. Please, I don’t want to take a chance on you or the baby. Let’s go to the hospital and get you checked out.”
She did not protest but sighed in resignation. He bent and took her lips in a sweet kiss, pouring all the love he had for her into the touch.
Hours later, Rose sat in the Baytown Police Station with Jason’s arm wrapped protectively around her, both pulling her in tightly while being careful of her injuries. Her hip was bruised, making sitting unpleasant, but Jason had her leaning into him on her good hip to take the pressure off the painful side. She had a long cut on her calf that had required a few stitches and several other cuts and abrasions on her arms that were bandaged. And most important of all, the baby’s strong heartbeat had been heard.
She had given her statement to the Baytown police as well as Colt since the house she was left in was in the county and not the city. She was just waiting for her statement to be signed, surrounded by many of her friends, when the door to the Station opened, and Corwin came stomping through, Phyllis right beside him.
“I want to see him now!” Corwin yelled.
Mildred, the intrepid, purple-tinted, gray-haired receptionist, looked up and said, “Corwin Banks, you might be Mayor, but you don’t come in here yelling. Keep your voice down.”
Rose almost grinned at the spectacle in front of her, but just then Mitch and Grant walked out with Paul between them in handcuffs with Colt and Hunter right behind. Jason leaned over and explained, “They’re turning him over to the North Heron Sheriff’s department to hold him in the county jail.”
Still blustering, Corwin marched forward, his eyes pinned on Paul. “Tell me. You tell me what you did!”
Paul lifted his handcuffed wrists, then dropped them as he said, “She kept snooping. Ms. Parker wasn’t going to let it go, Corwin. I couldn’t take a chance that she was going to find out anything about Charlotte.”
Corwin fell back half a step, his breath leaving in a rush as he asked, “What about Charlotte?”
“I took care of the problem, Corwin. The problem you created because you forgot who you were. But I knew who your dad wanted you to be, and I wasn’t going to let that lowlife girl mess that up.”
The room grew silent, and Rose watched as Corwin grew pale while Phyllis slipped her hand into her husband’s.
“What did you do? Oh, God, what did you do?” Corwin’s pained voice whispered.
Sneering, Paul said, “That night you couldn’t talk to her, Bernard came around. He’d always wanted her and never could quite get over that she had chosen you instead. But she told him why she needed to see you. Why she needed to talk to you. She was pregnant and said it was your child. Bernard was furious and washed his hands of her. By the time he came and told me, he was already so drunk he could barely stand. Like that was any different from any other time.”
Ben had been standing over to the side, having already apologized to Rose for his attitude earlier in the afternoon. She watched as he stared at the scene in front of him, hating that he was forced to hear more about his grandfather.
“She was pregnant…with my child,” Corwin repeated, all of his bluster now gone.
Paul shook his head slowly back and forth and said, “Jesus, Corwin. Look at you. Forty years later, and that woman still has you by the balls. That’s why she had to go.”
“Go?” Corwin whispered.
“It’s no secret anymore,” Paul said. “I should have killed Ms. Parker when I had the chance, but I figured by the time someone found her, she’d be nothing but bones, too.” He drew himself up to his full height and sneered Corwin’s way. “I didn’t mean to hurt Charlotte, but when she refused the money I offered for her to go away, I got angry. I don’t even remember putting my hands on her. I just remember her lying at my feet, dead. That was the easy part. Figuring out how to hide her was much more difficult until I remembered that old cellar we played in as kids. Your aunt had stopped using it and even had shelves built on top. I found an old trunk and dragged it down there. Then I put her in the trunk, and cleaned out her room above the shop.”
As though in a trance, Corwin pushed out the words, “You killed the woman I loved? The woman who was carrying my child?”
“She would have pulled you down, Corwin. You would never be who you are today if it hadn’t been for me.”
Later, those who witnessed it would recall the action with a mixture of awe and amusement. But at the moment it happened, Rose was completely taken by surprise when Corwin reared back and swung at Paul, punching him squarely in the jaw, knocking him back against Mitch and Grant.
&nbs
p; Mitch immediately stepped between them, putting his hands up toward Corwin. Colt and Hunter grabbed Paul’s arms and started to march him out of the Station when Paul shouted over his shoulder, “Phyllis, now you know you’ll always be second best.”
“Shut the fuck up, man,” Hunter grumbled, shuffling Paul out the door into his SUV. Grant mumbled about having to write up an incident report, and Mitch stood back from Corwin, who now seemed to deflate in front of them.
“Go home, Corwin,” Mitch said, gently. “There’s nothing else you can do. We’ve got him. He’s confessed to the murder of Charlotte Robinson, and we have him for the attempted murder of Rose.”
“I thought he was my friend,” Corwin said. “I was proud to think that he always had my back. How could I have been so wrong?”
“Because he told you what he wanted you to hear,” Phyllis said, turning her body so that she was facing Corwin’s. “He figured you were going to be powerful someday, and he wanted to be along for the ride. You decided that you were satisfied with being the Mayor of a small town, but that was still okay with him because, as your friend, he got the perks of being close to the Mayor.”
For the first time, Phyllis’ voice shook as she said, “You’ll move past his betrayal, Corwin. I know you’ll never forget her loss, though.”
Corwin held his wife’s gaze silently for a long moment, then straightened his spine, pushed his shoulders back, and reached out to take both of her hands in his. “Paul was full of shit,” he said.
His words shocked Rose, and from the collective gasps around the room, she felt they shocked everyone else. Jason squeezed her shoulders, but she could not take her eyes off the couple standing in the middle of the room.
Corwin was not finished and continued to stare at Phyllis, saying, “Don’t you believe a word he said. You’re not second best. You were never second best. It’s true, she was the love of my youth. But you have always been the love of my life.”
Tears hit Rose’s eyes as she watched Mayor Banks simply become a man vowing his love to the strong woman he had chosen to be at his side.
Phyllis moved into Corwin’s embrace, and Mitch stepped forward again and said gently, “Go home, you two. Take care of yourselves and each other, and we’ll take care of everything else.”
After they did as Mitch requested, he turned toward Rose and Jason and said, “The same advice goes to the two of you, also. Jason, take her home, and we’ll take care of the rest.”
30
Three Months Later
The early morning sunlight peeked through the blinds, and Rose slid from the bed and padded into the bathroom. She had discovered early on the necessity for answering the call of nature as soon as she felt it with the babies already pressing against her bladder. Running a brush through her hair, she slipped on her robe and slippers.
As Jason continued to sleep, she walked down the hall, stopping at the doorway of the room that would be the nursery. The walls had been painted a soft dove grey, ready for Sophie’s design to take shape. Her hand moved to her abdomen, and she was unable to keep the grin from her face.
When the doctor told them they were having twins, she immediately felt panic, two babies at one time certainly not being part of her plan. But Jason had clutched her hand, bent to kiss her lips, and with a wide grin on his handsome face assured her that the news was fabulous.
She walked into her large kitchen, the sliding glass door opening to a shaded patio where she could see her mother’s room just on the other side. The sun was rising, casting a rosy glow over the water of one of the bay’s many inlets.
Fixing a cup of herbal tea, she stood and stared out of the window, the peace of the morning belying the busy day that lay ahead. She watched Jason approach behind her through the reflection in the glass, smiling as his arms slipped around her waist, his hands spanning across her ever-growing abdomen.
Nuzzling the side of her face, he whispered, “How’s my beautiful wife today?”
They had married a month ago in a simple ceremony. Her mother had walked her down the aisle, then sat with their friends. They asked Zac and Madelyn to stand with them as they vowed their love.
Soon after, Ben showed them the house, and they fell in love with it immediately and put a bid on it that very day. The description of the house was something that Paul had not exaggerated. The master bedroom was huge, and while the bathroom could use some updating, it was large as well. There were two other bedrooms and another full bathroom, family room, dining room, large kitchen, and a two-car garage. The house was L-shaped, and the fourth bedroom with en-suite bathroom was perfect for her mom, who had moved in with them a few weeks ago.
She worried that having her mother live with them would be too much for Jason, but he finally hushed her when he said, “You think that losing my parents hasn’t made me appreciate your mom more?” Those words sealed the deal, and Peggy moved in with them as soon as she was able to get around on her own safely.
Twisting her head around to look at him, she answered, “I’m good today.” His hands gave a little squeeze on her stomach, and she laughed. “And the babies are good today, too.”
Thirty minutes later, she, Jason, and Peggy sat on the patio and chatted about the upcoming party that day.
“I don’t want you to work too hard,” Jason warned. “There will be lots of people around to help.”
She smiled and assured, “I’ll have several of my employees there, so it’ll all be good.”
Her mother stood and patted Jason on the shoulder before bending to kiss Rose’s cheek. “I’ll see you at the shop for the party.”
Jason also stood and pulled her gently from the chair, and wrapping his arms around her, he said, “We better get ready, babe. We’ve got a big day.”
Several hours later, the birthday party was in full swing, and Sweet Rose’s was filled to capacity. Katelyn and Gareth’s son, Finn, was celebrating his first birthday. The room was filled with all of Katelyn and Gareth’s friends, parents, and children. Ginny and Brogan had brought their baby, and Mitch and Tori’s son had celebrated his first birthday several months prior.
As the laughter abounded and the ice cream was enjoyed, Rose stood and looked at the gathering, her heart full. Her mom came by and slid her arm around Rose’s waist and said, “He would have loved this.”
Nodding, she agreed. “Yeah, Dad always liked a good party. Especially one that took place in the shop!” A moment passed, and she added, “I miss him, Mom.”
Now it was her mother’s turn to nod, and she said, “I do, too. But with Sweet Rose, you carry on his memory.”
As her mother walked back over to chat with some of the others, she felt Jason’s arms slide around her waist, his hands always moving to her swollen abdomen.
The rumble of a motorcycle came down the street, and she felt Jason tense as he watched someone park outside his shop. He leaned around and kissed her lightly, saying, “Going to check it out, babe. I’ll be right back.”
She watched as he left the shop and headed across the street. Her concern dissipated as she watched him shake hands with the man who climbed off the motorcycle, and the two of them walked into his shop.
Her attention diverted back to the party, she smiled as she walked over and was quickly engulfed by her friends.
Jason stared at the man climbing from the motorcycle, his jeans frayed at the bottom but clean. Tight T-shirt and a black leather vest with patches sewn onto the chest and back.
He was about to ask if he could help him when the man slid his sunglasses off his tanned face, hooking the stem into the top of his T-shirt. Jason startled at the sight of the man’s eyes. Green.
Recognition slammed into him, and he asked, “Joseph? Joseph Hernandez?" As soon as the man smiled, all doubt was gone and Jason rushed forward to envelop him in a bear hug. Pulling back, he held Joseph by the shoulders, shaking his head at the surprise.
Joseph had served on the same ship with he and Zac. A quiet man, he was respected
and yet did not have a lot of friends. Zac, who befriended everyone, had easily pulled Joseph into the tight bond that he and Jason had formed. Joseph had served as a fireman, finding that once he was out of the Navy, he did not want a full-time career working in a large city’s fire department. With no family to return home to, he had moved from location to location, doing one odd job after another, including tattoo work. When Zac had invited Jason to move to Baytown, he had also invited Joseph, but Joseph claimed that he had too many sights to see to settle down at that time.
“The last time Zac talked to you to try to get you to move out here, you were hitchhiking somewhere in Texas,” Jason said.
Joseph nodded and replied, “I guess I could say I was just in the neighborhood, but hell, while Virginia is not remote, the Eastern Shore sure is.”
“So, are you just passing through or really thinking about staying here?” he asked, interest flaring.
“I don’t know,” Joseph said, his hand running to the scruff of his beard. “I was moving up the eastern coast, working a few jobs, when I needed to stop over at the Veterans Hospital in Norfolk.”
“Are you okay?” Jason asked, his brows lowered in concern.
“Yeah, yeah. I got sick a few months ago and just never got over it. I figured if I went to a veterans’ hospital, then I could get treated. I looked at a map and realized how close I was to the Eastern Shore, so I figured it was time to check out what you and Zac have been talking about.”
Still in disbelief that his friend was standing in front of him, Jason clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Come on back. Have a seat.”
The two settled in chairs after Jason pulled two bottles of water from the refrigerator and handed one to Joseph.
“I gotta tell you, man, if you need anything, you only have to ask."
Sweet Rose: Baytown Boys Page 24