by Jenna Harte
She looked at him, full of remorse for hurting him and relief that he had given her a second chance. She wiped at stray tears.
His head cocked to the side as he moved into her office. “You okay?” He looked at the letters on her desk as he entered. He was reaching out for her but stopped short. He picked up the first letter. His gaze shot to hers. In that instant, the wall was up. Anger and resentment radiated from him.
“You told me you didn’t get these.” He shook the letter at her. “You lied.”
“No—”
He tossed the letter on her desk and turned away.
“Mitch—” Panic shot through her heart.
He swung around. “To think I thought we might have a future after all.”
His words both embraced and slapped her. She hadn’t been wrong about what she’d seen in his eyes and felt in his touch. But just as he was telling her there could be more, he was taking it away.
“I can explain.”
“How you lied? How you made this all my fault when the entire time it was yours?”
Her chest tightened, making it difficult for her to breathe. His reaction wasn’t all that different from the one at the airport ten years earlier. He seethed, he raged, but he didn’t listen. Wouldn’t listen. And because he wouldn’t now, she determined it wouldn’t matter what she said.
“You should go.”
His brows shot up in surprise. “You’re not going to deny it?”
“I did deny it, but you won’t listen, and you won’t believe me anyway, so why bother?” She shook her head. Her heart was splitting in her chest, but the pain was masked by anger. “I feel sorry for you, Mitch.”
“Me? That’s rich.”
“Yes. You have so much in your life and yet you choose to keep it out because of what happened in the Middle East.”
If Mitch could kill with a single dark glare, she’d be a pile of dust. She wanted to wither away at the rage in his eyes, but she straightened her back and kept her hard gaze on his.
“You dismiss what happened to me?”
“No. I think what happened to you was horrible. But you’ve let it define you. You’ve let it dictate your life. You have so much to be grateful for… family, friends, love…” She let the word hang. “I didn’t know your friend Brian, but if he was any sort of friend, he wouldn’t want you to hide. He’d want you to live and love.”
Mitch jabbed a finger at her. “You keep Brian out of this. You know nothing about it.”
“I know what it’s like to live in fear. To wonder why something violent happened to me. But while you choose to hide behind anger and guilt, I’ve done the opposite. You’re broken, Mitch. And you don’t give a damn enough to fix it.”
The minute the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Not for saying he should live his life, but for saying he was broken. The hurt etched on his face confirmed she’d gone too far. She was about to apologize when he reached for the letters.
She scooped them up, shaking her head. “These are mine.” They were the only thing she had left of their relationship.
“You don’t deserve them.”
His words tore at her. Her tears gathered, and she knew she couldn’t stop them from falling. But she’d hold it together long enough to get him out of her office.
“They’re mine.” She held them to her breast.
He’d have to pull them from her hands. He glanced at them as if he considered it, but then sneered in disgust. “I’ll send George to get you this evening. He’ll take you home or to a hotel.” He didn’t say it, but the revulsion in his tone said, I’m done with you.
Mitch sat in his truck; anger, hurt, betrayal all swirling in a dangerous combination. His heart felt physically crushed in his chest. How was it possible it could still beat?
He’d known the chances of getting hurt were high, and yet, somehow, he’d let his guard down. She’d wormed her way in, and he’d believed her — believed her when she said she hadn’t received his letters. Had she lied about his texts, voice mail messages, e-mails?
The night before he’d allowed himself to believe they could have a future. He let himself love her, not just physically, but with all his heart. He took a chance and within 24 hours she’d torn his heart in two again. He couldn’t quite bring himself to believe her goal had been to seduce and betray him again, but intention or not, that was what had happened. He slapped his hand on the steering wheel. “Idiot.”
He started the truck and drove to work, thinking about who he could pass Jenny and Sydney’s case to. From now on, he would avoid Sydney. Charlotte Tavern was a small town but not so small that he couldn’t stay away from her.
The first thing he needed to do was contact George. Mitch’s anger at Sydney was strong, but that didn’t mean he wanted her dead. He’d make sure she was protected, just not by him.
Jesus, what a fool he’d been.
“Hey, McKenna!” Detective Kripke came up to him. “We got that traffic footage from McAlister and Casper streets. Nothing there that looks like a getaway car.”
Mitch took a deep breath. “What about Doctor Andres’s rental or Jagger Talbot’s car?”
“Nope. That doesn’t mean they didn’t attack Taggard’s wife, but they didn’t leave the hospital and go through those intersections, unless it was later.”
Mitch nodded. “Thanks.”
“You okay? You look a little… pissed.”
“I’m okay.” Mitch waved off the detective. But then he turned to him. “Want to take over this case?”
The detective frowned.
“I’ve got a lot on my plate, plus, I’m a personal friend of Jenny’s. I’m not sure I can stay objective.”
“Rumor is you’re personal friends with Doctor Preston too.”
Mitch ground his teeth. “No. Do you want the case or not?”
“Yeah, sure, if it’s okay with the sarg.”
“I’ll clear it.”
Mitch wasn’t sure how he made it through the day. He wasn’t able to hide his pisser of a mood, so fortunately, most people stayed away from him. It gave him time to focus and figure out who had broken into the local corner store to steal beer, chips, and condoms. Slapping the cuffs on Pee Wee Slater gave him a moment of satisfaction. He was with his girlfriend, and Mitch hoped Pee Wee had been using the stolen condoms because he had no business breeding.
He’d gotten a couple of calls from his mom and Lexie but ignored them, not even checking voice mail. The only reason he could think they’d be calling was to ask about the rumors about him and Sydney. And the rumors were wrong. There was no reason to talk about it.
At the end of his shift, he drove home, not realizing his route until he passed Sydney’s apartment. He swore at himself but looked to make sure her car was there. It was parked in the lot, but he didn’t see George. Odds were someone at the police station had decided Sydney didn’t need 24/7 guarding. He tried to push away the niggle of fear that Sydney’s stalker had easier access to her but called George just in case.
“Oh, hey, Mitch.”
“George. Everything okay with Doctor Preston?”
“Ah, yeah, well…”
The hesitation put Mitch on edge. “What?”
“Well, she asked me to take her to pick up her car at your place, but then she went home. I followed her and parked outside, but then she packed up and told me she was going to visit her family in New York. She was going to call a cab, but I went ahead and drove her to the airport.”
“She’s gone to New York.” Twin feelings vied for attention: Annoyance that she bailed, as she had the last time. Relief that he wouldn’t run into her.
“That’s right. She was mighty upset but didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Did she say how long she’d be gone?”
“I got the impression it was just for the weekend.”
“Great. Thanks, George.” When he ended the call, Mitch decided he should let Detective Fletcher know Sydney was in his area. Not th
at he’d do anything, but it would give Mitch an excuse to let him know he wasn’t on the case anymore. Detective Kripke was good. If there was a way to solve the case, he’d figure it out. Plus, he wasn’t personally involved with any of the victims or people of interest.
By the time Mitch had pulled up to his house, he was ready to be home, in his sanctuary. He’d have some of Mema’s home cooking, probably overdo it with the alcohol, and do all he could to get his life back on track.
But when he stepped in the door, there was no relief. No feeling of being home or in a safe haven. Sydney was everywhere. Her floral scent hung in the air. The candles she’d decorated with during the power outage sat on the hearth. Unless she’d broken into his home that afternoon, her personal items would be in the guest room, her toiletries in the bathroom.
Mitch groaned as he shut the door and searched his mind for an alternative. He could go stay somewhere else, but that would mean Sydney had run him out of his house. Instead, he’d clean and pack up her stuff and douse the house with a hefty amount of scented air freshener.
It didn’t work.
Giving up, he decided to spend the evening on his couch, watching whatever sports event happened to be on the TV while he ate dinner. He’d just sat down when there was a knock on his door. Swearing, he stood and looked out the window to see who was invading his pity party.
Lexie. Crap. He shook his head and considered pretending to not be home, but she wouldn’t buy it. So he opened the door.
“What’s up, buttercup?” He worked on his best big brother smile and prayed she’d buy it.
“Why haven’t you called me or mom back?”
“I’m busy.”
One brow rose, her head leaning forward to see who he was busy with. Last night, it would have been Sydney. Tonight, he was back to being a confirmed bachelor.
“Is Doctor Preston here? I wanted to thank her for the advice she gave Drake and me.”
“No.”
Lexie’s eyes narrowed in a way that told him he was a terrible actor.
“She’s visiting her family in New York.”
“So everything is okay?”
He sighed. “It’s fine. Come in, but don’t ask me to share Mema’s food.”
Lexie pouted. “I’m eating for two.”
He rolled his eyes, picked up his bowl from the side table, and handed it to her. Had Sydney’s remedies worked? Or maybe it was Mema’s macs and cheese.
She smiled, the grin that led everyone to indulge her. Including him.
“Thank you.” She sat on the couch, and he took the chair.
They sat in silence, but he wasn’t fooled. Lexie was working up to something.
“Won’t Drake be worried about you?” Mitch hoped she’d take the hint and leave.
“I told him I was coming here.”
“Well, don’t make me wait any longer, tell me why you’re here so I can get back to my evening.”
She made a face, setting her food on the coffee table. “There’s a rumor you and Sydney are an item again.”
“It’s untrue.” He didn’t feel it necessary to tell her it had nearly been true.
“I visited Jenny—”
“She’s bored and trying to entertain herself with gossip.”
Lexie sat back and studied Mitch. He shifted in his seat under her intense glare.
“Sydney seemed to think you were together.”
“If you ask her now, you’ll find she’ll deny it.”
“Now. So the other rumor about the two of you going at it, and by ‘at it’ I mean yelling in her office, not sex, is true.”
Mitch sighed. “I love you, Lexie. I love that you and Drake have a fairy tale. But I’m not interested in discussing my love life or having you play matchmaker.”
“So you did have a love life?”
“Lex.”
“Come on, Mitch. It’s not healthy to keep it all in. And it’s rude to all the people who love you and want you to be happy.”
Only Lexie could turn his attempt at keeping his business to himself into bad manners toward others. He didn’t know why he kept avoiding the conversation. He’d grown up with Lexie and knew she wouldn’t let it go. “She told me she never got my messages or my letters.”
“How could she not have gotten them?”
“She said her mother intercepted them.”
“I thought moms like that were only in the movies.” Lexie thought for a moment. “She told you she didn’t get them, so you forgave her?”
“I believed her. I…” He didn’t want to go into how he’d tried to keep his distance but had failed. How he’d tried to keep his heart out of it but failed.
“So how do you know she had them?”
“I went to see her at lunch and the letters were on her desk.”
“Are you sure she lied? It doesn’t seem smart to tell someone you don’t have something when you do and then bring them out.”
“They were there. I saw them.” Why did he have to defend himself to his own sister? He saw what he saw. “How else would she have them if she didn’t get them?”
“Maybe her mom mailed them to her.”
A kernel of guilt nagged at him. He hadn’t considered that.
“Did you allow her to explain?”
Mitch bristled at Lexie’s tone. “Yes. Her response was to blame me. To tell me how pathetic she thinks I am.”
“Pathetic?”
He was pleased to see Lexie take offense to that.
“Why would she say that?”
He shook his head and considered grabbing Sydney’s moonshine and finishing it off. “She told me she pitied me because I let what happened in the military, what happened to Brian, define me. She said I was broken.” She wasn’t wrong, but it had been a stab to his heart to hear her say it.
Lexie winced. Not a “that was a terrible thing for Sydney to say” wince but a “she’s right” wince. Fortunately, those weren’t the words that came out of her mouth. “Of course, she’s wrong. If she was right, you wouldn’t have let her back into your life and fallen in love with her again.”
“I don’t love her,” he said with a little too much vehemence.
One of Lexie’s sherry-colored brows rose as she studied him for a long moment. “Were you hoping to recapture the feelings of the past and it wasn’t the same? Because I can tell you have, or had, feelings for her.”
He shook his head. “If that were the case, it would have been easy to keep her at a distance because she’s not the same.”
“So you fell in love with her all over again?”
Mitch shot her an annoyed glare.
“Come on, Mitch. Anyone can see you have feelings for her.”
He let out an expletive. “From the moment I met her, it was like… like my heart was tied to hers. When I see her, it’s like that string gets tugged and I’m pulled to her.”
Lexie’s expression turned dreamy, a sure sign that what he’d said was sappy. But it was true. It was like there was an invisible bond keeping his heart irrevocably tied to hers.
Then she cocked her head to the side. “You know, I always thought your inability to have a lasting relationship was because you wouldn’t let anyone in, but maybe, it’s because none of the other women were Sydney. Maybe you two are meant to be.”
“No.” Although Mitch had already suspected that his heart had settled on Sydney. However, their time had come and gone. Again.
“I’m so sorry, Mitch.”
He shrugged.
“Maybe there’s still hope?”
He glared at her. He had only one heart, and there was only so much heartache it could take. His had met its limit.
“Hear me out. What if I’m right and she only just got the letters? That means she didn’t lie.”
“So why not just tell me that?”
“Knowing you, you probably went off the Richter scale as soon as you saw them. Sometimes you do that when you feel like you’ve been deceived. Did she know how you
felt or did you treat her like all your other women?”
Mitch looked away.
“Well, no wonder.”
He gnashed his teeth. “I didn’t treat her like the others.”
“Did she know that?”
She hadn’t, because he hadn’t told her. He’d barely come to recognize it himself. He hadn’t been ready or able to articulate it to her. Not yet.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. Any chance we may have had is gone. Destroyed.”
Mitch was glad when Lexie didn’t respond at first. He hoped she’d gotten what she came for and would leave.
She tilted her head to the side. “Jenny said Sydney was the target, not her.”
He nodded.
“You were assigned the case? Is that why she was here? You were protecting her?”
“Yes.”
“So, who’s protecting her now?”
He started to protest, but Lexie wouldn’t let him. “I know you, Mitch. You’d never be able to live with yourself if something happened to her.”
“She’s in New York. I’ve called the detective on the case there to let him know.”
“I guess that’s something.”
“Her parents and friends live in homes with alarms and doormen. She’s probably safer there.”
“But she’s probably not as happy.”
He rolled his eyes. “She should have thought about that before she lied.”
“Maybe she didn’t lie. And maybe you hurt her by accusing her. You’re pissed because you can’t trust. That’s on you.”
Mitch pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t trust people who lie.”
“And she can’t trust you because you didn’t trust her. I don’t blame her for not giving you an explanation. It probably wouldn’t have mattered.”
Mitch glared at her.
“You’re as stubborn as a mule, Mitch. Just like you, she took her licks and left. She’s as afraid as you are.”
“You know a lot for someone who isn’t even involved.”
“I know people. I work with people who are on their deathbeds. They never regret not making more money or buying some fancy shmancy thing. They always regret not telling someone they loved them. Not taking a chance on something big. That will be you, Mitch. I’m not saying you need to marry her. But work things out. Otherwise, when you come to the end of your life, she’ll be the one thing you’re telling your hospice nurse you wish you’d done differently.”