Her Hometown Redemption

by Rachel Brimble

  She smiled, her stomach knotting. “I do now, yes.”

  He winked and led her to the door. They hurried, hand in hand, toward the escalator and out onto the street. Once they were in Liam’s car, he started the engine and pulled away.

  As they sped along through the streets toward the edge of town, Tanya stole a glance at him. What other choice was there than to jump in and let fate take its course? If, after an eight-year separation and everything she’d confessed to him, he still wanted her and she him, who was to say they couldn’t find their happily ever after?

  She faced front and her smile faltered.

  Yet no matter what they might feel for one another, her shoplifting still hung over them like a heavy, black cloud. The farther they drove, the harder it was to silence the voice in her head that she continued to deceive him...the harder it was to lessen the harsh truth she didn’t have the courage to purge herself of her final, and most serious, secret.

  “Once we’ve spoken to Abe Hall, if the roads are clear, we should be in Latchford within the hour.” Liam glanced at her. “I wouldn’t have thought the fair at Parmouth would close any earlier than eleven, so even if we don’t get much out of Hall, we should still make it to Parmouth before closing.”

  Tanya nodded, words sticking in her throat. He was doing so much for her and had no idea what she’d done. She clenched her hands tightly in her lap.

  “Tanya? You do want me here, right?”

  She briefly closed her eyes before taking a breath and forcing her gaze to his. “Yes.”

  His study moved over her face, his brow creasing before he faced front. “I’m on your side, no matter what. I’m on Sasha’s side. Once we know where Davidson is, we can let Cat take over and the two of us can concentrate on supporting Sasha instead.” He glanced at her again. “She’ll have to testify at some point. There’s no getting away from that. Once she has said publicly what happened, she can hold her head high and get on with her life.”

  Tanya stared at his profile and fell a little deeper. She swallowed. “I only hope she understands I had to go after Davidson to put my own demons to rest as much as hers.”

  He reached across the seat and lifted one of her hands to his lips. His mouth grazed her knuckles. “She does.”

  Throughout the short drive from Sasha’s apartment into Templeton town center, the conversation ebbed and flowed between them, punctuated with as many bursts of laughter as somber silence. Tanya’s nerves fluttered sporadically in her stomach, her passion soaring with the need to find Davidson once and for all. Liam’s clear attempts to relax her as he spoke of the past good times they’d shared, as well as executing some far too accurate impersonations of Marian and other wily Templeton residents, did not entirely lessen the tension. It only made her accept she was happier whenever he was with her.

  At last, they pulled into the Funland parking lot.

  Liam cut the engine and they sat in silence, both staring through the windshield toward the fair. Dusk was falling, painting the sky a soft pink. The day’s suffocating heat had lessened and brought with it the flirtation of summer rather than a stifling hotbed of frayed tempers and agitation.

  Tanya inhaled a long breath. “Okay, how do we do this?”

  He shifted in his seat and took her hand. “We’ll go and talk to Hall. When he sees me with you, it should lessen the threat that I’m going to pummel him into next week. The guy is definitely stupid enough to not realize you’re more likely than me to do the pummeling this time.”

  She smiled. “Damn right.”

  He flashed her a grin before his eyes darkened with intent. “No matter what Abe Hall says, we know Davidson is close by, whether that be in Latchford or Parmouth. If we keep our heads—” he squeezed her fingers “—and hearts under control, sooner or later we’ll get him. We just have to bide our time.” He cupped his hand to her jaw and looked deep into her eyes. “We’ve come this far. We don’t do anything to blow it, okay?”

  Tanya pulled back her shoulders. “Okay.”

  With a final kiss, she and Liam got out of the car and strolled toward Funland’s gates.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  AS SOON AS Funland’s rides and stalls surrounded Liam, tension stiffened his shoulders. He stared ahead, his hand securely around Tanya’s. Once or twice, she gently tugged as if asking him to release her, but he only held on more firmly. The atmosphere crackled with the eerie threat of something he couldn’t name, the air rank with the stink of wrongdoing. There was no way in hell she would be more than a few inches from his side throughout the time they were there.

  He scanned the area. Before he’d known about Davidson, not once had Liam felt uneasy in Funland, nor concerned about the safety of anyone with him. Everything had changed. The place was coated with an unnameable presence.

  Being there with Tanya only served to pump his adrenaline harder, her safety paramount.

  Considering what might be going on in the underbelly of Funland, and his lack of intuition about it, Liam’s nerves were on high alert as they walked deeper into the fairground.

  They reached the vicinity of Abe Hall’s stall. He stood, smoking a cigarette, his intense study trained on something to his left. Liam followed his gaze. The girls stood, huddled in a giggling circle, wearing tiny shorts or skirts, their midriffs exposed.

  “Liam? What is it?”

  He snapped his head around. Tanya stared at him, her beautiful, dark brown eyes wide with concern.

  “Hall’s over there.” Liam nodded in the guy’s direction. “And look what has his complete and undivided attention. I could throttle the bastard with my bare hands.”

  Revulsion burned in Liam’s gut as his temper simmered on a low and dangerous heat.

  She looked between Hall and the girls. Her jaw clenched. “What are we waiting for? I don’t know about you, but I want to talk to him. Right now.”

  Liam gripped her hand lest she charge headlong for Hall, and most likely slam the man off his feet and into the dirt where he belonged. “Look at me.”

  Her gaze remained firmly on Hall, murder raging in her eyes.

  “Tanya. I mean it. Look at me.”

  She turned, but her eyes were glazed and entirely unfocused. Without thinking, Liam kissed her stiff lips. Slowly, softly, he brought her back to him...back to them. When her hand relaxed in his and she gently returned his kiss, he pulled back and looked deep into her eyes. “We need information from him. We can’t go there looking the way we feel.” He glanced over his shoulder toward Hall. “We can’t let him know we’d like to kick his ass into next week. We have to do this carefully if we have any chance of him spilling the dirt on Davidson. Okay?”

  She stared into his eyes, her gaze somber, as though she tried to regain self-control. She drew in a shaky breath and nodded. “Okay. I’m good.”

  He frowned. “You sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Whatever Tanya did or didn’t do next, Hall was the only way in they had. Talking to him with Tanya there was a risk Liam had to take, no matter how much he hated exposing her to the piece of scum.

  He nodded. “Okay, let’s do this. I’ll do the talking.”

  She frowned. “We’ll do the talking.”

  His nerves stretched tighter with the need to protect her and, at the same time, respect that this entire mission affected her and Sasha more than it ever could him. “I’m not shutting you out, okay? I’m not taking over. Guys like Hall don’t talk to women unless they think there’s a chance of sex or food. You have neither to offer him.”

  Her attention zoomed over his shoulder. “Damn right I don’t.”

  “So, let me take this.” The need to be closer to her...to trust her, rose like an out-of-reach paradise in his mind. “We have to trust each other. It’s about time we moved forward. Together.”

>   Wariness, consideration and eventually agreement passed through her eyes. She smiled softly. “You’re right. Together.” She squeezed his fingers. “I trust you.”

  Relief lowered his shoulders and he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “And I trust you. Let’s go.”

  They released hands and strode toward Hall. Tension and anger clouded Liam in darkness. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been more focused or motivated in his intentions. Hall was the first link in a chain of events that could potentially lead to Sasha’s molester being incarcerated. Neither Liam nor Tanya had any intention of allowing that chain to loosen or come apart.

  They were about five feet away from Hall when he turned. His expression shifted quickly from clear shock to outright hostility. He flicked his cigarette butt to the ground just before Liam’s feet as he came to a stop in front of the arrogant son of a bitch.

  Liam lifted his foot and ground out the butt, relishing the sensation by imagining it was Hall’s face beneath his shoe. “Good evening, Abe.”

  Hall sneered, flashing his tobacco-stained teeth before snapping his gaze to Tanya. He slowly appraised her from head to toe and Liam curled his hand into a fist.

  Hall grinned. “Is this your fancy bit? Gotta hand it to you. She’s a looker.”

  Liam glanced at Tanya. Her mouth was stretched into a smile, her eyes bright and friendly. She’s unbelievable. And, bloody hell, I want her to be my unbelievable. He turned back to Hall. “So, we need another chat...”

  Hall shot his focus to Liam. “I ain’t got nothing else to say to you. Now, why don’t you and your skirt get the hell out of here.”

  Liam blew out a breath and pulled his cell from his back pocket. “Fine, then you give me no choice.”

  “Hey, whatcha doing?”

  “I’m calling the police. What else do you think I’m doing?”

  Hall’s cheeks darkened. “Why the hell would you do that? What is it I’m supposed to have done?”

  Liam gripped the phone and pointed it toward Hall’s chest. “All it will take is one phone call, and in ten minutes Funland will be crawling with cops. Now, do you want to leave it to them to find out what is really going on here? Or are you going to cooperate and tell me what I want to know?”

  “For Christ’s sake. Is this about Davidson again?”

  Liam glared. “Who else?”

  “I told you, the last I heard he was in Latchford. I don’t know any more than that.”

  “No? So he doesn’t rely on you to look out for possible business in the Cove? He doesn’t get you to ferret out the perverts who will pay for what Davidson can offer?”

  Hall sniffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Liam smiled. “Oh, come on, Abe. Of course you do. I’m pretty sure you’re facing a ten-year prison stretch, but I’m giving you the possibility of a lesser sentence. All I want is more information on Davidson. I can’t be more reasonable than that, right?”

  Hall flicked his worried gaze from Liam to Tanya and back again, before slumping and tilting his head in an invitation to follow him.

  Liam exchanged a brief look with Tanya, caution lifting every hair on his body. She stared back at him, her eyes alight with determination and her mouth set in a firm line.

  Hall came to an abrupt stop behind his stall. He flitted a furtive look around them before focusing solely on Liam. “Look, what you’re messing with is dangerous. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of Davidson. He can be nasty, believe me.”

  Liam huffed out a laugh. “Can be? So you don’t think pimping underage girls is already pretty bloody nasty? Wise up, Hall. If you don’t start talking to me, you’ll be in a cell next to Davidson before you know what’s hit you. And that’s not an empty threat.”

  Hall swiped his hand over his face before crossing his arms. “All I know is he runs stuff from here, Latchford and sometimes Parmouth. He could be in any one of those places, anytime.” He tilted his chin, a flash of his previous arrogance burning in his eyes. “I ain’t his keeper and I don’t know where he is at any one time.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “Christ knows. Few weeks ago, I suppose.”

  “You suppose?” Liam glared. The tension radiating from Tanya burned hot enough for him to know if he didn’t get her out of there soon, she’d most likely punch Hall square in the face before Liam had a hell’s chance of stopping her. “When did you last see him? A week? Two weeks? Longer?”

  Hall glanced between him and Tanya again. “I saw him about three weeks ago, all right? That’s all I know.” He stepped back. “Now, just get out of here.”

  He stalked around the stall. Tanya moved to follow him and Liam gripped her wrist. Her pulse beat hard against his fingertips; her eyes, when she looked at him, blazed with frustration. “Let go of me. I’m not letting that man walk away from this. He knows more. I know he does.”

  Liam dropped her wrist and clasped his hands to her jaw. “You’re right, but without evidence, we have nothing. God willing, Sasha will give a statement to the police and that will start the ball rolling, but we have to start with Davidson. Hopefully, in the process, we flatten his entire sickening enterprise...including Abe Hall.”

  Her eyes shone with tears and she angrily swiped at them, moving away from his hands. “Fine. Then let’s get out of here. I refuse to stand around doing nothing.”

  Tanya stormed off in a different direction than they came.

  Liam strode after her. “Where are you going?”

  She shouted over her shoulder, “I know a quicker route out of here. Follow me.”

  Cursing, Liam marched after her. Side by side, they past the back of the fair and through the long, uncut grass surrounding it. Every now and then, Liam glanced at Tanya, his concern and wish to know what she was thinking and feeling damn near driving him nuts. Her determination to find Davidson edged further and further toward the reckless. He had to find a way to make her see that.

  She drew to an abrupt halt and reached for his arm. “My God, is that who I think it is?”

  He followed her gaze and glared. “Shit. What the hell is he up to?”

  “Quick. In here. We don’t want him to see us.”

  They ducked behind some tarpaulin hanging over the back of a burger truck and peered at Russ Harwell engaged in animated conversation with a man Liam didn’t recognize. “Do you know the other guy?”

  Tanya leaned in front of him and Liam breathed in the scent of her. He squeezed his eyes shut. Maybe sooner rather than later, the pair of them would be naked in bed together somewhere instead of in a stinking fairground surrounded by Templeton’s lowliest residents.

  She glanced back at him. “No, I don’t. Do you?” Her eyes searched his. “Do you think Russ is dealing drugs? That’s what he’s always been known for, isn’t it?”

  Liam stared at Russ again. The only thing Liam could be sure of was the man with Russ was losing his patience. His frustration was clear by his red cheeks and flailing arms. Something was going to kick off at any moment.

  He did not want Tanya mixed up in anything else.

  He opened his mouth to suggest they get out of there and drive straight to the station, when a third man emerged from between two stalls to join Russ and the stranger.

  Liam took one look at the new arrival’s face and his heart hammered with red-hot vengeance. Tanya gasped and poised to leap from their hiding place. He spun her around and pulled her tight to his chest, pinning her arms to her sides. He edged back into the space between the tarpaulin and the back of the van.

  She fought him. Cursed him. Gritted her teeth as if she wanted to bite him.

  “Stop fighting me,” he growled. “Damn it, woman, do you want Davidson to flee from here? Do you want me to have to kill him? Is that you want?”

 
Her eyes burned with rage. “Not you. Me, Liam. I’ll kill him.” Her eyes flooded with tears. “That’s him. That’s Matt Davidson out there. You know it is.”

  He tightened his hold on her. “And now it’s time to call Cat. If I let go of you, promise me you’ll stay right here. If Davidson moves, we move, okay? I won’t let him out of our sight any more than you will. For now, he’s right here and he’s distracted. We need to call Cat.”

  Indecision stormed in her eyes until she dropped her shoulders and turned pliant in his arms. “Fine, but if he moves an inch...”

  “We move, too.” He nodded and tentatively released her, poised to tackle her to the ground if it meant keeping vital distance between her and Davidson.

  They slowly moved to the opening of the tarpaulin. All three men were still there, talking and gesturing. Liam tugged on Tanya’s arm and released a relieved breath when she complied, albeit with a vicious glare, and stood back out of sight. He dialed Templeton’s police station.

  “This is Liam Browne. I’d like to be put through to Inspector Garrett, please.” He spoke as loud as he dared, his blood pumping and his nerves on high alert should Tanya decide to bolt. “It’s urgent.”

  “Right you are, Mr. Browne. Putting you through.”

  Never more grateful for his work with the police and the majority of Templeton’s force liking and respecting him, Liam kept his gaze on Tanya’s while he waited, willing her to trust him. Playing by the book was their best possible chance of getting Davidson locked up for a long time. Anything else would mean anarchy, or worse, their actions could make allegations and evidence inadmissible in court.

  “Liam, it’s DI Garrett. Are you all right?”

  “Cat, you need to get to Funland.” He leaned around Tanya and peered through the gap in the tarpaulin, his cell to his ear. “I am looking at Matt Davidson right now. He’s at Funland. Goddamn it, Cat, the man is in Templeton and you need to get down here before he has a chance to leave.”

  She cursed and the distinct sound of chair legs against tile resonated down the line. “I’m on my way. Do not do anything. Do you hear me? I will be there before you know it.”