"What happened?" Sarah asked.
Karen looked over at Elizabeth and the baby again. "You brought friends with you?"
"My sister and her daughter, actually," Sarah said. "We're on our way to the airport. Karen, what happened?"
"Michael broke the restraining order," Karen said. "He came in here, smashing things up. Hit me a few times for good measure. Said he would kill me if I didn't give him what he wants in the divorce. Scared me real bad, Sarah."
Sarah nodded. She looked over at Elizabeth. "Karen left her husband two years ago. Their divorce still isn't final because they have children, and the custody case is taking longer than expected."
"Why?" Elizabeth asked.
"Because the bastard hit them too," Karen said. "The state took 'em away. Took away my babies. I just want them back. Sarah, you said you were going to help me get them back."
"We will," Sarah said. "We're going to make sure you get sole custody. After today, that's going to be easy. You just have to be willing to testify that Michael came in here and attacked you and tore the place up. Can you do that?"
"I'm scared to call the police," Karen said. "Not because of him. If he comes near me again, I'll kill him, but I'm scared because I'm on probation. What if they use this as a way to get me behind bars?"
Sarah shook her head. "That's not the way it works. You didn't do anything wrong. Did you? Do you have drugs here, Karen?"
Karen said nothing.
Sarah sighed. "Karen, do you have drugs here?"
"Alright," Karen said. "This is the way it is. My boyfriend had some cocaine he was keeping here. Said he was going to sell it. Said he'd give me half the money if I just let him keep it here till he could move it. I wasn't taking any. I'd come up clean on a test. You know I don't touch the stuff anymore, Sarah. Not with what happened to my babies."
"Is it still here?" Sarah asked.
Karen shook her head. "Michael found it. He took it with him. He's using again, that's why he came in here all strung out and violent. You know how he gets when he's on that stuff. Anyway, he took it all with him, but what if he tells the police that I had it here?"
Sarah glanced at Elizabeth, who looked a little lost. "Go wait in the car," she told her. "I'll be out in a minute."
"Are you sure?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yes, Beth, go."
Elizabeth went, taking the baby with her. Sarah directed Karen over to a couch.
"Okay," Sarah said. "You didn't know about the drugs."
"But I did," Karen said.
"You didn't know," Sarah repeated. "Not till your ex-husband showed up here and started looking for them. You're going to call the police, and you're going to tell them that you had no idea your boyfriend had them here, and that you just want to get out and stay clean. Can you do that? Or are you using?"
"I'm not using," Karen said. "I swear."
"Okay, that's what you're going to do then," Sarah said. "Just keep saying you didn't know about the drugs. Tell them they can test you. Your boyfriend is going to argue it, but if you want your kids back, and I know you do, you're just going to keep repeating that, alright?"
"Alright," Karen said.
"I'm going to go now," Sarah said. "You call them as soon as I'm gone, okay?"
"I can do that," Karen said.
Sarah sighed, looked around the place, and then hugged Karen tightly. Then she went out and got back in the car with Elizabeth.
"Sorry about that. I didn't know about the drugs or I never would have brought you and Regina here."
"Is that typical?" Elizabeth asked. "For the type of woman you work with?"
"It's not atypical," Sarah said. "A lot of them have been on drugs in the past, or still are, and that's why they're in these sorts of situations. Don't judge her too harshly, Beth. She's had a hard life."
"I'm not judging her," Elizabeth said. "That could easily have been me or you if the circumstances were different. I'm just hoping she gets out of that lifestyle and gets her kids back. I can't imagine losing Regina."
"You're never going to," Sarah said. She drove them to the airport. "Beth, I want to talk to you about something."
"What's up?"
Sarah sighed. "This is hard for me to say, but I have to say it. We can't live together."
Elizabeth blinked. She seemed surprised. She looked back at the baby in the backseat, leaned over, and adjusted her pacifier. "But we had a plan."
"I know," Sarah said. "I'm still going to pay for your nanny, and for you to have a place to live. No, don't argue. When you're a lawyer, you can pay me back, alright? I'm still going to pay for those things, because I love you and I want what's best for you, but Chloe's and I had a talk. You and I, we're adults now. We have to live our own lives."
Elizabeth nodded. "I understand."
"You do?"
"Of course I do," Elizabeth said. "Did you think I'd be angry?"
Sarah hesitated, then nodded. "I thought you'd think I was betraying you somehow. Like, breaking a promise. I've tried to live my whole life without breaking promises to people, and I didn't want to start with you, Beth."
Elizabeth shook her head. "You're not breaking a promise. This is what's right for both of us. I feel bad accepting the nanny and the apartment, though. Are you sure about that?"
"Yes," Sarah said. "With Afterlife making what it does, I can afford it, and I want to help. Just... from a little distance."
"I think that's best, then," Elizabeth said. She got out of the car and got Regina out. Sarah walked her into the airport. "We'll be back soon, okay? Find me the perfect place in the meantime. Get it all set up for me. Then you won't feel bad about not living together, alright? I love you, Sarah. So does Regina. Living apart isn't going to change that."
Sarah smiled, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. Part of her had been sure that Elizabeth blamed her for everything. She had worried that hearing that they wouldn't live together would just seal the deal on her staying back East instead of moving to Las Vegas.
"I love you too, Bethy," she said. "Now, take care of that kid for me, okay?"
"I can do that," Elizabeth said.
The sisters hugged and then Elizabeth went through security. Sarah watched her go, feeling a strange sense of peace fill her. She thought she might finally be ready to move on from her childhood. She thought she finally might be ready to grow up.
SIX
Conner adjusted his shirt, and looked at himself in the mirror. He decided that he looked fine, but combed his hair again. He'd never felt more nervous in his life. Not even meeting Harper's parents had brought on this kind of anxiety.
He wondered if he should change, and then decided against it. Instead, he got out his umbrella and made his way to his car. Normally, Conner didn't care about such trivial matters like getting caught in the rain and being soaked. He knew he looked good wet or dry. Today was an important day, though, and he wanted to put forward the best image.
He was almost in two accidents on the way to his destination. In Conner's expert opinion, people in Las Vegas couldn't drive in regular conditions. Add rain to the mix, and there were bound to be a lot of traffic problems. It took him almost half an hour longer than he'd expected, and by the time he arrived at Janice Sterling's house, he was even more on edge.
He waited in his car, watching the house for several moments. He saw an occasional flicker of movement behind a blue curtain. He loved the way the curtains looked; it made the place seem more like a real home, rather than just another house. He liked the yard too. Conner had a yard growing up and he'd loved it. He couldn't imagine what he would have done if he'd been cooped up inside all the time.
Eventually he worked up the nerve and got out, his feet sloshing through the puddles as he made his way up the front steps. He knocked on the door and waited. After a long moment that seemed to stretch on for eternity, a pretty woman answered. She had dark hair, like him, and dark eyes. She smiled when she saw who it was.
"Hi Conner. I'm g
lad you could make it," Janice said. "Come inside."
"I'm sorry I'm late," Conner said. "I guess I didn't factor in enough time for all the traffic. It's bad out there. I'd be careful if you need to go anywhere."
"We're stocked up on food for awhile," Janice said. "And James' school is canceled for the foreseeable future. I'm lucky that I can work from home so I don't have to get a sitter. Your concern is duly noted though. Don't worry about being late, I'm just glad you made it one piece."
There was an awkward silence between them and then Janice stepped forward and hugged him. "It's good to see you. I'm glad you texted."
"You are?" Conner asked, surprised. "I'm sorry, it's just that after the last time we talked to each other, I got the feeling that you'd be happy to never see my face again."
Janice laughed.
Conner looked around the place. Once again, he thought she had made the place look much more like a home instead of just a house. There were pictures of James up on the walls, and some paintings hanging as well.
"This is a nice place you have."
"My job pays decently," Janice said.
"What are you doing these days?" Conner asked curiously.
"I'm a graphic artist," Janice said. "I design book covers for independent authors. Its actually really fun. You get to know a lot of different sorts of people. You know, those who write romance compared to those who write horror. They all have these different takes on the world."
"That's great," Conner said.
Janice nodded and led him into the living room. She waited for him to sit before taking a seat next to him. "So your message just said that you wanted to talk. It didn't say what you wanted to talk about. But I can guess. You want to see James more."
Conner nodded. "You're right. I know what you're thinking, Janice, and you're right. I wasn't there for you. But I want to be there for him. Especially considering his affliction. I know what it's like growing up thinking you're alone and I know the kind of person it can make you into. I don't want that for James. I think that you should relent a little and--"
"--You're right," Janice said.
"What?"
Janice nodded. "You're right, Conner. You should be there for him. I've been giving it a lot of thought and children need their fathers. James needs a father in his life, and you're here and you're willing, so who am I to stop you?"
"You're serious?" Conner asked.
"Yes," Janice said with a half smile. "I think it's important for James to know where he comes from. In fact, I'll go get him. We can tell him together."
"Just like that?" Conner said. "You're not going to argue or anything? You said last time that my job is too dangerous, that it puts him too much at risk."
"He's going to be at risk whether or not you're involved," Janice said. "This way, you can teach him how to defend himself. I'm going to go get him, Conner. Why don't you take a moment to collect yourself?"
Conner smiled at her and then sat up straighter. He hadn't expected the visit to go so smoothly. He thought Janice would refuse him outright or have some outrageous requirements that he'd have to meet first. He definitely didn't expect her to want to tell James right away. He wasn't ready. He glanced at the door. No. He wouldn't run. That wasn't who he was now.
James came out of his bedroom and Conner felt his heart stop. He was seven years old and breathtakingly adorable. He had alabaster skin, dark hair, dark eyes, and unnaturally straight teeth. He would never need a dentist. Even his fingernails were perfectly shaped. He had Conner written all over him.
"Hi," James said.
"Hi," Conner said. "Do you remember me?"
"Yeah," James said. "You rescued me from when the bad men took me. You're a friend of my mom's, right?"
Conner nodded. "I am. I'm Conner Kingsley. There's something I want to talk to you about, James. Something that's very important to me and something I think will be very important to you too."
"What?" James asked. He glanced at his mom suspiciously. "Is this about my birthday?" He looked back at Conner. "We didn't have a party because of the rain."
"No, it's not about your birthday," Conner Said.
He reached out and took James' hand in his. It was so small in comparison! He looked at it, engulfed in his larger one, and the words died in his throat. He couldn't make a single sound come out.
Perhaps Janice could sense this, because she reached out and joined hands with them too. "James. Conner is your father."
For a moment, none of them moved. It was like someone had taken a snapshot of a moment in time and captured it there, and they were trapped in that moment forever. Then James pulled his hand loose.
"What? I don't understand," he said.
Conner cleared his throat. "I'm your father, James. You never knew me because I left when your mom was pregnant. It was completely my fault, not hers at all, but I left, and I didn't get the chance to know you. I want to change that now, if you'll let me."
James looked over at his mom. "It's true? This is my dad? I didn't know I had a dad."
"Everyone has a dad," Janice said. "Remember, we talked about how babies were made?"
James nodded.
"Well, Conner helped to make you," Janice said. "And that makes him your dad. When he said that it's all his fault, that's not completely true. Conner left me when you were still in my tummy, but he never knew I was pregnant. He didn't know about you. That was my fault. But he knows about you now, and he's here, and he wants to get to know you. Do you want to get to know him?"
James hesitated and then looked at Conner shyly. "I think you kind of look like me," he said.
"I think so too," Conner said. He felt tears pricking the back of his eyes and had to blink them back.
"It would be nice to have a dad," James said.
"So what do you say about me coming over a couple times a week?" Conner asked. "Or maybe sometime I can pick you up and we can go somewhere?"
"What about both?" Janice said. "You can come over for dinner and we can get to know each other, and also James can go with you and you can... hang out or whatever it is that fathers and sons do together."
Conner nodded. "I'd like that."
"Me too," James whispered. Then he jumped back up. "So... can I go back to my computer now?"
Conner and Janice shared a laugh. "Yes," Janice said. "Go ahead."
Conner watched his son walk away, his heart beating heavily in his chest. He had a son! He was going to get to know him! This was probably the happiest day of his life.
SEVEN
Brittney turned on the music and took off her top. She danced as though nobody was watching, which was good, because nobody was. She was all alone in her house for once, and she was taking advantage of it. She had her music turned up as loud as it would go, and she was rocking out. She hadn't done this in a long time -- since she moved in with Harper.
She would have gone out, but Alec's rule of going out in pairs prevented her from heading to the nearest bar for a drink. She didn't know where anyone else was. She had the stuff for margaritas, though, and thought she might make herself one soon.
Strawberry was her favorite. Always had been. She and Harper used to get drunk on them back when they first turned twenty-one. She remembered those times fondly but was glad they were over. To be fair, it was mostly her that did the drinking. Harper did a lot of the designated driving when they went out together. Or they took an cab.
Nowadays, she couldn't be drunk all the time. What if something came up? She had to limit her drinking to when they weren't on jobs. Technically they weren't on a job right now, but with Akain on them, and Rebecca Stanley on them too, they might as well be.
She was just heading to the kitchen when her phone rang. She ran over to it, hoping it was Chloe. It was Sarah. She shrugged and answered anyway. "Hey, girl."
"Hey, Brittney, I had a favor to ask of you," Sarah said. "Well, you and Harper."
"What is it?" Brittney asked, her curiosity piqued.
"There's a woman who filed a police report," Sarah said. "Her name is Karen Styles. She's a friend of mine. She's trying to get her kids back, but her choice in men is making it somewhat difficult. I wondered if you and Harper could go down to the station and talk to her probation officer and make him see that her misstep was simply a mistake and that she shouldn't return to jail for consorting with felons."
Brittney stared at her phone for a moment before clearing her throat. "That's not really what we do, Sarah."
"I know," Sarah said. "But it would mean a lot to her, and it would mean a lot to me."
"You've never asked for help before with one of your cases," Brittney said. "You really want me to do this? You know it's sort of like abusing our position, right?"
"Look, I know it's a little shady, but it would really help this woman out," Sarah said. "She's not a bad person, she just made a mistake. She shouldn't pay for it by going back to jail and losing her kids forever."
"What'd she do?" Brittney asked.
"Her boyfriend was keeping drugs at her house," Sarah said. "She's on probation. Her ex-husband showed up, beat her up, and took the drugs. He's a druggie."
Brittney considered for a moment. "Okay. Let me call Harper and see what she thinks and we'll head down to the station. Alright?"
"Thank you," Sarah said.
Brittney hung up and called Harper. "What are you up to?" she asked.
"I was just having lunch with Conner," Harper said.
"Well, Sarah has a favor to ask of us," Brittney said. She quickly explained the situation. "Do you think we should do it?"
"I don't know," Harper said. "It's not really our area."
"I know," Brittney said. "That's what I told her, but she was really adamant that she wanted help with this. I think we should do it."
"You do?" Harper asked.
"I've thought about it," Brittney said. "I mean, why not? We've used our FBI credentials for other things in the past to help people. Why not use them this time to help someone too? And Sarah is really invested in this, or she wouldn't have asked for our help."
Make it Rain (Afterlife Book 10) Page 3