Running From the Law

by Albright, Jami

  His hands went around hers holding the bar. She slipped hers away. “Charlie, I wanted to, but the DEA has jurisdiction. They ordered me not to.”

  “And you always do the right thing.” She cocked her head. “Except when you don’t.”

  “That’s not fair. I was doing my job, but I was still looking out for you.”

  “You mean using me.”

  “No.”

  One blonde brow inched up her forehead. The jagged edge of her silence flayed his skin. He couldn’t take it anymore. He had to hold her in his arms, make her understand. He slid the key in the lock again.

  She yanked it closed with all her might. “Leave.” The fierceness of her actions was in direct contrast to her monotone words. “The door is locked, and there’s not a key in the world that will open it.”

  “You don’t mean that. What about Pod?”

  “We don’t need you.” Her chin tilted up, and her spine went straight as a board—clear communication that she did mean it. The tears were gone. Pale tracks and red, swollen eyes were the only evidence they’d been there at all. The woman that stood before him now wasn’t weak, or heartbroken. She was a warrior hell-bent on protecting herself and her unborn child from any enemy.

  From him.

  “Leave.” She didn’t blink. She didn’t hesitate. Her flat stare was the blade that severed their tie.

  He nodded. What else was there to say? The heavy metal door clanged shut behind him, and the click of the automatic lock sliding into place rang down the hallway.

  How appropriate.

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  The safe house they moved Charlie to was an uninteresting suburban ranch on the outskirts of Houston. The modest furnishings were clean and comfortable, so she guessed it could be worse. She could hardly contain her excitement when it was announced that Agent Murphy was the agent assigned to stay with her. The only satisfaction she had was that Murphy didn’t seem any more thrilled about the assignment than Charlie did.

  She’d been informed that she’d be their guest until the DEA determined it was safe to leave. They’d allowed her to call Pops and let him know she was alright. But it was all so cloak and dagger that it kind of freaked her out. She hadn’t been allowed to call him on the house phone or his cell. Evidently, the authorities were worried about his phones being tapped, so he’d been brought to the sheriff’s office so they could talk.

  Not surprisingly, he was furious with Hank and upset about this whole horrible mess. She missed Pops and Honey. She missed Hank too, but she was sure she’d get over that particular affliction. He was bad for her.

  Guilt squeezed her chest. She knew she was being irrational and not even looking at this from anyone’s point of view other than her own, but she couldn’t help it. He’d lied to her, and used her to get what he wanted, just like her mother and Ron, and everyone else in Hollywood.

  “I’m going to make some coffee. Do you want some?” The agent moved to the kitchen after she’d walked through the house to make sure everything was as it should be.

  “No. How long am I in your custody?”

  “I’ve already told you that you’re not in custody, Ms. Klein. Whether you choose to believe it or not, this is for your protection.” She filled the well in the pot with water. “If Raul Perez and Thomas Chang believe that you were arrested and are being investigated right along with them, then the chance that they will think you were involved in their arrest goes away.” Murphy scooped coffee into the filter then replaced the lid to the can.

  Charlie crossed her arms on top of her belly. “And remind me again why I’m involved in this at all?”

  Agent Murphy gave her an exasperated cop stare.

  Charlie snapped her fingers. “Oh, that’s right. It’s because neither the DEA nor the Zachsville Sheriff’s department saw fit to warn me away from these two men before I ever started to do business with them. And why was that again?” She tapped her chin with a finger. “I remember now. You needed a mole. Only you forgot to tell me I was the mole. You just used my—Hank Odom to pump me for information.”

  The law enforcement officer didn’t respond, only reached into the cabinet for a coffee cup.

  “Thanks for clearing that up for me.”

  Murphy leaned against the counter, and her fist went to her hip. “Are you always this bratty?”

  That shocked a snort from Charlie. “Oh, sister, I haven’t even started. I have an advanced degree in brattiness. I was a child star. We’re our own brand of bratty.” The well, duh expression on the woman’s face only reinforced that fact that Charlie had zero desire to share a space with her. “I’m going to take a shower.” She made her way back to her room.

  As soon as the door was closed, her swagger slid away. The tears she’d been crying most of the day leaked from her eyes again. It was all gone. Everything she’d worked for…gone. No way the store would be ready to open, all her work would be for nothing. She’d set up promotions, called in favors from the media. From her years in the spotlight, she knew how to create a buzz, and that was what she’d done for her little store.

  Her heart, which she’d forced to keep beating for Pod’s sake, gave a sluggish thump. Why she’d thought she could do any of this on her own, she had no idea. Everything Ron and Marci thought of her was true. She wasn’t good for much besides being pretty.

  Stop it. That’s not true.

  She’d built this business with her own hands, and she’d done it mostly by herself. Hard work and sweat had gone into every product she’d made. And if not for a certain law enforcement officer betraying her, her Grand Opening would’ve gone off without a hitch. She’d already made sure of it. But now… There wouldn’t be a grand opening. She was ruined.

  Charlie moved to the bathroom connected to her room and undressed. The hot water of the shower heated her skin but did little to melt the block of ice in her chest. Within the safety of the shower, she let the tears fall freely. After months of reinventing herself, she was back to square one. Surrounded by people who just wanted to use her for their own benefit.

  Too much time hiding in the shower depleted the hot water supply and now the chill of the cold water drove her from the confines of the shower. She flipped off the faucet, carefully stepped from the stall, and grabbed a towel. Trembling fingers smoothed her messy hair from her face. An examination of herself in the mirror revealed dark circles that set off glassy, sad eyes. Sallow, dry skin from all the crying covered her sunken cheeks. Scratch pretty from her short list of accomplishments.

  Who the hell even cared. She’d lost everything, and the last thing she cared about was how she looked. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and hold Pod until she fell asleep. There were a few bags of toiletries, underwear, and clothes on the bed. It must’ve chapped Agent Murphy’s behind to have to shop for her. Good.

  She pulled on a nightgown and slid into the surprisingly comfortable bed. Just as she was about to drift off, there was a knock on her bedroom door. “Ms. Klein, Sheriff Odom’s on the phone. He’d like to speak with you.”

  A fresh wave of pain and betrayal smashed into her. “No.”

  “Alright. I’ll tell him. Do you need anything?”

  “No.” She lay there waiting to see if the agent said anything else. She didn’t. Her arms went around her belly. “I’m so sorry, Pod. I’ve really screwed it all up. I know I promised I’d fix this and take care of you, but I might need a little more time.” Yeah, like forever. She was beginning to believe that she might truly be incapable of handling her life.

  * * *

  Hank chucked his phone onto the coffee table in Hailey’s living room. He let his head fall back to the top of the sofa. “She won’t talk to me.”

  “How are she and Pod?” Hailey sat across from him in an oversized chair, her dark hair piled on top of her head, her clean face pinched and worried.

  “The Feds had a doctor check them out, and everything is fine.” That had been the best news he’d gotten all day. �
��Agent Murphy says Charlie’s fine, except for a bad case of brattiness.”

  Hailey snorted without humor. “That she can be, especially when she’s hurt.”

  He raised his head and stared at her. “Thanks.”

  “Oh, my gosh. Sorry. I didn’t…”

  He waved her off. “It’s fine. She is hurt, and it’s my fault.” His elbows went to his knees, and he dropped his head in his hands.

  “How?”

  “Excuse me?” He couldn’t have heard her correctly.

  Hailey crossed her arms over her Shiner Bock beer t-shirt. “I want you to explain how this is your fault. From where I’m sitting, it looks like you had an impossible decision to make. Not to mention, you were doing your job.”

  “I crushed her, Hailey.”

  “No. You didn’t. You protected her and Pod.”

  With his elbows still on his knees, he let one hand hang between his legs, and rubbed his mouth with the other. “She’s never going to forgive me. It’s a miracle that she gave me a second chance after the Karen thing. I don’t know why I’m surprised that I screwed this up. We Odom men are cursed when it comes to relationships.”

  “Oh, for the love… Would you stop with that?” She uncurled from the chair and sat on the edge of the cushion. “I love you like a brother, Hank. But I’m so tired of this Odom chip you carry around on your shoulder. There is no curse. You’re not like your brothers or your father. So stop paying for their sins. Live your own life the way you want to live it. If you want Charlie, then talk to her. Don’t stop until you’ve made her understand that you didn’t have a choice in what happened today, other than to try and protect her. Which you did.”

  This conversation wasn’t going as he’d expected, and he wasn’t enjoying the truth sandwich Hailey was serving up. “I’m—”

  “A good man who’s sabotaging his own happiness.” She rose and came to stand before him. She smoothed her hand over his hair like he’d seen her do to Lottie a million times. “Stop it.”

  He reached up and caught her hand. “How?”

  She squeezed his fingers. “I have no idea, but you’ll figure it out. Lock the door when you leave. I’m going to check on Lottie. Good night.”

  Was that what he was doing? Sabotaging his happiness because he didn’t believe he deserved it? Was that why he never went to find Charlie after she turned eighteen? And why he married a woman knowing they could never really be happy together? Was he catastrophizing this situation and preparing for the worst because he thought he didn’t deserve the love of his life and their child? The answer was as clear as Hailey’s glass coffee table.

  Yes.

  “Hailey, you’re—” He glanced around, but she’d already gone upstairs and turned off all the lights except for a small lamp. The more time he spent in the dimly lit room, the more he could plainly see all the ways he’d denied himself true happiness, and how the unachievable high standards that ruled his life only fueled his conviction that because he wasn’t perfect, he was just like his brothers and father.

  He thought of Charlie and their child. This was the time to choose. Believe the negative shit in his head telling him he’d ruined everything, or fight against it and go after the life he wanted with the woman he loved, no matter how hard or messy it was going to be.

  He rose and headed for the door. There was no question in his mind what he’d do. Charlie and Pod were everything to him, and he’d fight like hell, even if that meant fighting against himself until they were a family.

  Chapter Sixty

  The smell of bacon and something sweet lured Charlie from a deep, fitful sleep. She pushed her mess of hair from her face and glanced at the clock on the nightstand.

  It was 9 a.m. on her fourth morning as a guest in the safe house. So far she’d managed to avoid Agent Murphy as much as possible, choosing to take her meals in the bedroom in front of the TV set up there, not leaving her room unless she knew her babysitter was in the shower, or in the middle of the night when the good agent was asleep. She didn’t need or want the woman’s attitude.

  A pang of misery crashed through her chest. Tomorrow was supposed to be the grand opening of her shop, her beautiful emporium. The thing she’d put together with her own two hands. She didn’t know why she was being so dramatic about the whole thing. No one had taken the store away from her, it would still open, but now it would be tainted by this situation.

  Ugh, she was sick of her own company. Agent Murphy was preferable to spending another minute alone with her thoughts. She climbed out of bed, that and any other movement she made was becoming increasingly difficult. “No offense, Pod, but you’re about to be evicted. It’s been fun and all, but I want my body back.”

  Pod gave her a hitch-kick to the sternum.

  “Ow.” She rubbed where Pod’s foot had connected. “Sorry. I take it back.”

  A pretty pink robe that she’d found in the bag of clothes went over her pajamas, and she made her way to the kitchen. She needed to thank her warden for the clothes. Having clean underwear and clothes had been the one thing to make this time bearable. It’d kill her, but she’d express her appreciation.

  “She lives.” Agent Murphy was at the stove wearing leggings and an oversized tee. The smart ass never turned to face her.

  “Yes, she does, and she’s hungry.” Charlie grabbed a mug and poured herself a cup of coffee. “Would you like a refill?”

  A blue mug was shoved in her face. “Yes, three sugars and cream.”

  “Wow, that’s pretty sugary for someone so acerbic.”

  Murphy pulled out the cop glare, but it lost some of its punch when Charlie noticed the unicorn with a rainbow shooting out of its butt on the front of her shirt, under the words I poop rainbows. “Sit down and zip it before I decide not to feed you.”

  Charlie snorted. “I’m pretty sure that’s against the Geneva Convention.”

  “And that would matter if this was an international incident and not a federal situation. But good try.”

  Heat pricked Charlie’s cheeks. She hated being the dumbest person in the room. Or at least feeling like the dumbest person in the room. She’d discovered over the last several months that she was good at some things, and that she was pretty smart. So instead of being defensive, she decided to learn something new. “Oh, really? I didn’t know that. Can you explain the difference?” Again, anything was preferable to her own company. She almost doubled over laughing at the look on Murphy’s face. Well, double over was a bit ambitious in her condition, but the point was still true.

  “Mostly it applies if we’re at war, and it’s boring as hell. I’d rather talk about something else. Like how the pity party you’ve been throwing yourself has stunk up the whole house.” She transferred the bacon and French toast to a plate and brought them to the table.

  “I’m not having a pity party. I have a lot of things on my mind.” Now that did make her defensive, mostly because the woman was right.

  Murphy passed the platter of food to her before she filled her own plate. “Oh, please. You’ve practically got poor me stamped across your forehead.”

  “Why are you trying to make me mad? I came out here to thank you for the clothes and toiletries you bought me. They’ve helped to make this less horrible. But if you don’t stop baiting me, then I’m not going to say it.” The agent’s confused expression baffled her. “What?”

  “I didn’t get those things for you.”

  Charlie took a bite of perfectly cooked bacon. “Oh, well please pass along my gratitude to whoever did.”

  “You should probably thank him yourself. It was Sheriff Odom.”

  The bacon lodged in Charlie’s throat, and then the coughing began. She grabbed her coffee and tried to wash it down, but all that did was burn her esophagus. “What?”

  “Hank’s responsible for those things. We have some clothing we keep for our…guests, but he wouldn’t have it. He went and got them after you sent him away on the day you were arrested.” She sawed th
rough her French toast. “He’s a real bastard, that fiancé of yours,” she said around a mouthful of syrupy bread.

  The room took a dive with her in it. “He’s not…”

  “Your fiancé? Oh, that’s right. You tossed him aside for doing his job.” She waved her fork in the air. “I forgot.”

  Charlie shoved her full plate away from her. “He lied to me. He not only let me be arrested, but he came up with the idea. If that’s his job, then it sucks.”

  Agent Murphy dropped the sarcasm and looked her straight in the eye. “Sometimes it does. But in the Sheriff’s case, he had no choice but to follow orders, unless he wanted to lose his job. Is that what you would’ve wanted?”

  Did she? She hadn’t considered that he might’ve lost his job if he’d warned her. “I don’t—”

  “And the man did everything he could to ensure your safety and comfort. This,” she flung her arm out to indicate the house, “isn’t something we do for everyone. He insisted on this for his cooperation. Maybe we would’ve eventually come around to bringing you here, since you’re pregnant. But he made it part of the deal. And as far as him coming up with the idea to arrest you along with Perez and Chang? Can you imagine how hard that was for him to watch? But he did it to protect you, knowing you might react exactly the way you have. Like I said, he’s a real bastard.”

  Charlie fiddled with the tie to her robe. The robe Hank bought her. “I didn’t know.”

  The messy bun on top of Murphy’s head wobbled back and forth as the agent shook her head. “You didn’t know. And why is that? Because you turned him away even after he explained things to you. Listen, Princess—”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “Listen, Charlie, I’ve seen a lot of bad shit, a lot of bad men.” She shrugged. “It’s the job. But Hank Odom isn’t a bad man. He’s one of the good guys, and if you’re too stupid to see that, then there are plenty of women out there who will appreciate him.” The chair scraped when she pushed to her feet. “Your turn to do the dishes. I’m going to shower.”