by Jill Sanders
“Good.” Blaine nodded, then turned back to her. “Tell them you want to talk to your lawyer.”
“Oh my god.” Jamie felt her stomach roll again.
“Hey.” He took her shoulders in his hands. “Remember, you’re a victim. You’re a survivor. Nothing more.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I’m right here with you.”
“We are.” Emily walked over and wrapped her friend in her arms.
“Oh god.” Jamie sighed as Blaine walked over and hugged them both.
“Shoulders up, eyes forward. We’ll do this together.” Blaine took her hand and pulled her out of the room.
She took in everything as they stepped out into the living room. Every detail.
The officer moved forward, his eyes burning into hers, as if he already knew what she’d done.
“Jamie Garner?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, doing what Blaine had told her to. She made eye contact with the man and kept her chin up. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Detective Alan Mills. I’m working on a case.”
Jamie felt her knees weaken. She sat on the sofa and motioned for the officer to make himself comfortable. He didn’t budge. Instead, his eyes ran over her as if he could see through the mask she’d put on.
Rafe was about to shut the front door, but the pizza guy arrived just as Emily came back out and sat next to her.
“As I told your…” the officer started again.
“Roommate,” Emily supplied, moving next to her.
“I’m Detective Alan Mills. I need to ask you a few questions.”
“About?” Jamie asked, hating that her voice sounded small and weak.
“Scott Alcott.” The detective stepped forward, his eyes on her as if he was assessing her reaction to hearing the name.
Jamie tensed as he moved closer to her. There was something about the man that had her breath doubling. Just like it had when she’d seen Rocko’s hands. Her eyes moved to the man’s hands, but since they weren’t nearly as big as Blaine’s, she wondered just what it was about the man that reminded her of the man she’d killed.
Was she destined to freak out at small hints of that night whenever she saw a stranger?
“Who?” Jamie shook her head, clearing the fear from her mind. Whatever the reason was, it was probably something as stupid as it had been with Rocko.
“Isn’t that the guy on the news?” Blaine jumped in as he motioned towards the news channel. “The one that they found in the car?”
“Yes,” the detective said easily, avoiding the television screen. “Miss Garner, did you know Scott Alcott?”
“No.” Jamie frowned, realizing it was the truth, even if she had been the one to smash the man’s skull in. She hadn’t known him, before... “I don’t think so,” she added, shaking her head slightly and swallowing the bile in her throat.
The detective moved forward and showed them a picture. Jamie looked at the image of a young blond man that she could honestly say she’d never seen before. It was funny, over the past two years, she’d tried to remember anything she could about the man, while at the same time, trying to forget that night completely.
Still, the man staring back at her in the image looked nothing like her nightmares. He looked like the kid next door. An honest churchgoing boy who would probably help an old lady across the street, not drug a woman, throw her in his trunk, and drag her out to do god only knows what with.
“No.” Jamie shook her head and tried not to scream out her guilt. “I’ve never seen the man before.” She leaned back and glanced over to Blaine. She could tell he wanted to reach out and touch her but didn’t want it to look as if he was supporting her in any way. After all, why would she need support?
“What’s this all about? I thought the guy was in the trunk for two years?” Blaine turned to the officer and asked.
Detective Mills nodded. “We’ve found some… evidence that we believe ties Miss Garner to Scott Alcott.”
Jamie’s ears started ringing. Evidence? What evidence? She’d taken everything of hers out of the car, hadn’t she? The guy had tossed her small clutch purse on the passenger seat, and it had ended up on the floorboard next to her phone. She’d been lucky enough to see it when she’d slipped the car into neutral gear before she pushed it into the dark water.
Her credit cards and ID had spilled out of it. Still, she’d checked, she hadn’t been missing anything.
“Evidence?” Rafe asked.
“A University of Miami library card belonging to Jamie Garner,” Detective Mills added, his tone full of annoyance at being questioned instead of being the one doing the questioning.
Jamie felt the bile rise again and tried to remember when her library card had gone missing. She’d convinced herself that she’d lost the damn thing long before that night. She was just about to jump up and rush to the bathroom to get sick, when Blaine’s hand rested on her knee. Somehow, the light contact caused everything inside her to settle back down.
Just then, another knock sounded at the front door. Emily opened the door to allow her father Lee Stokes in.
Lee was one of the best lawyers in town. The man’s face was on more billboards in Miami than most celebrities. Jamie was thankful that Emily had called him over to help her out. Especially, knowing that the police had her library card as evidence.
“Hi, sweetie…” Emily’s father’s voice dropped off when he noticed the officer in the apartment. “What’s all this about?” he asked, easily stepping past Emily and taking over.
Jamie huddled on the sofa as Lee Stokes threw a string of questions at the officer, completely taking over the situation.
She was thankful that she didn’t even have to speak again. It gave her time to watch the detective, to see if she could figure out why the man caused fear to lap at her nerves.
It couldn’t be his height or build. He was tall, about Rafe’s height but built more like Blaine with sandy blond hair, and at least ten years older than she was.
There really wasn’t anything special about the guy. Other than the fact that he had a badge and a gun strapped on his hip and he was there to question her about a murder she’d committed two years ago.
Chapter Fourteen
Blaine watched Rafe shut the door behind the officer and turned to Jamie. She was still pale and slightly green. She looked like she was a little more under control than she had before.
It had to be hard on Jamie, as she filled in Emily’s father about what had happened two years ago.
It was official now. She was confessing to murdering a man and dumping his body in a lake.
He sat there, holding her hand, knowing that no matter what happened, he would always be there for her.
He was thankful that Emily’s father tried to comfort Jamie, telling her that everything would be okay.
He convinced her to go into the police station the following day, and Lee even agreed to allow him to tag along.
Emily and Rafe walked her father out of the apartment almost a full hour after the detective left.
The pizza sat on the stove, cold. He knew it would take a miracle to get Jamie to eat any, but when Rafe and Emily stepped back in, he knew he had to try.
“Emily.” Jamie jumped up when they stepped back inside and rushed to hug her friend. “Thank you. Your dad is amazing.”
“He is.” Emily smiled. “You need to eat,” she said, taking Jamie’s hand and pulling her into the kitchen.
He was thankful Emily was the one trying to talk Jamie into having at least one slice of pizza. He watched Jamie nibble on the food as if she were a child eating broccoli or liver.
“Hey.” He reached over and touched her hand. She had yet to regain any color in her face, and her eyes were extremely dull. “How about we take a walk?”
She gave a slight nod then let him pull her to her feet. He grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch as they walked out. He wished that they were at his place so they could stroll along the beach, but figured
the small swimming pool that sat in the middle of their complex would do nicely.
They didn’t speak until he had laid the blanket on the edge of the pool and both of them sat dangling their feet in the cool water.
“You okay?” he asked, glancing over at her.
She took a deep breath, then rolled her shoulders and leaned back on her elbows to look up at the dark night sky.
“I will be. I suppose I’ve known this day was coming. I should have prepared for it.” She gave a little chuckle. “I guess that’s why I’ve been living in denial for the past two years.”
“Everything is going to work out.” He knew how it sounded. Like someone trying to soothe a child. But he didn’t know what else could be said. His heart was hurting at the thought of Jamie being locked away. “Whatever happens”—he took her hand in his and carried it up to his lips—“I’m not going anywhere.”
She sighed, then chuckled. “I might need you and that boat of yours to take me away from all this.”
“As in… skip the country?” He smirked, but when he noticed the straight look on her face, he frowned. “It won’t come to that.”
“How do you know?”
“I don’t, but if Emily’s father is half the lawyer his reputation around town says he is—and that he claims to be on his commercials—something tells me you’re going to be just fine.” He knew the man would fight for her with everything he had.
“Thank you,” she said out of the blue.
“For?”
She turned to him, leaned in, and wrapped her arms around him. “For trying to lift my spirits,” she answered before kissing him. “But right now, the only thing that can make me feel alive is this…” She kissed him again.
He wasn’t one to deny her, especially when he felt his own needs building. “Jamie…” He felt there was more to discuss, but by the way she was kissing him, he knew she was done talking.
Pulling her up, he held her hand as they walked back into her apartment. Emily and Rafe had disappeared. The place was dark as they moved back towards her bedroom.
He shut the bedroom door behind him and allowed her to escort her further into her room. By the time she stood at the end of her bed, he was completely lost in her eyes.
“Blaine, take my mind off all this. It’s only fair since you flushed my Molly.” She smiled as he chuckled.
“As you wish.” He used his fingertip and nudged the tank top off from her shoulder slowly. Her eyes closed and her head rolled back as he ran his fingertips over her exposed skin.
Leaning in, he ran his mouth over her, kissing her collarbone as he nudged the shirt further down her body. There was so much of her skin that he wanted to spend time on, but the drive he felt had him moving on, almost rushing to get her naked.
She started tugging his clothes from him in rushed motions.
“I need…” she said before leaning down and sinking her teeth gently into his shoulder. The slight sting, followed by the feeling of her licking the spot and kissing it, had him growing even harder.
With a growl emanating from his chest, he nudged her onto the bed. She smiled as she fell backwards on the soft mattress, completely naked.
“You’ll pay for that,” he said with a smile.
Her eyebrows shot up as she wiggled a finger at him. “Do your best,” she teased.
He wrapped his fingers around her ankles and pulled her legs towards him until she was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Kneeling, he started licking his way up her body. When he reached her lips, she was begging him, and he knew that the last thing on her mind was her legal problems.
Still, he was only thinking of himself when he slipped inside her. Of his pleasure. It was a vice of his, but the more he had her, the more he wanted her. She was to him what Molly was to Jamie, and he was hooked on her.
The moment he felt her wrap those sexy legs around his hips was the moment he lost everything he’d tried to hold back and deny himself in life.
Why had he been suffering all these years? Why hadn’t he spent all his waking time trying to convince her that he was what she needed? That they were meant to be?
He couldn’t deny it, not feeling the way they moved together. The way they came at the same time and fell onto the bed in a sweaty heap, breathing heavy, totally relaxed. Together.
“That was…” She sighed.
“You’re welcome.” He smiled into her hair as his fingers brushed it slowly away from her face.
“My god.” She glanced over at him as he lay beside her on the bed. “I think that if you promised to do that to me every night, I could forgo using Molly.” She wrapped an arm around him and tried to pull the blanket over them.
Since he was still hot, he pulled the blanket over her and tried to keep uncovered until his body cooled down.
“Jamie?” he asked. When she moaned slightly, he knew she was already half asleep. “I think I love you.”
“Think?” she asked with a yawn.
He glanced down at her. “Yeah.” He smiled. “Is that a problem?”
“No.” She glanced up at him. “It’s easy to fall in love.” She yawned again.
“Okay.” He frowned down at her. “What’s the hard part?”
“Staying in it,” she said before closing her eyes.
He thought about her words as she drifted off. He fell asleep much later, lulled by the sound of her breathing next to him and the feel of her soft body pressed against his own.
They woke to the alarm she had set on her phone. A string of curse words flew from her and he chuckled.
“Shut up,” she groaned.
“Not a morning person?” he asked, easily rolling out of bed after her.
“Fuck off.” She groaned as she stumbled into the bathroom and slammed the door in his face.
Laughing even harder, he opened the door just in time to see her naked body disappear into the shower.
When he opened the shower door, she squealed slightly and splashed water at him. “Go away.”
“Nope.” He stepped in beside her and realized her shower was way too small for both of them. Still, when her wet body rubbed up against his, he realized there were benefits to the small size.
She opened her mouth to argue his move, until his hands took her hips and their bodies bumped up against one another.
“I hate you right now,” she said just before she leaned up and kissed him.
“Okay.” He smiled as his hand ran down her body. When he dipped a finger into her, she groaned out his name, and he knew she’d forgive him for interrupting her shower.
When they stepped out into the living room, Emily was at the stove making scrambled eggs.
“Good morning.” She glanced over at them with a smile.
“What’s good about it?” Jamie groaned.
“She’s not a morning person. Just in case you didn’t know,” Emily threw over her shoulder. “She has a few good ones, but for the most part…”
He laughed. “I’ve gathered that bit of information myself.” He sat on the barstool and watched Jamie rummage in the fridge. When she pulled out a yogurt, Emily frowned at her.
“I’m making you breakfast.”
“I don’t want…” Jamie started, but Emily turned on her, spatula in hand, a glare in her eyes.
“You’re going to eat it. You need something good before going in today,” Emily said, motioning towards Jamie to sit down.
“Okay, mother.” Jamie smirked and returned the yogurt to the fridge. “Geez.” Jamie moved over and sat next to him.
“Can I help?” he asked.
“Nope, I’ve got this,” Emily returned.
“Where’s Rafe?” Jamie asked as she glanced towards the quiet television. He could tell she was wishing it was on and playing the news but wasn’t willing to move. Blaine stood up and turned it on, ensuring it was on mute.
“Work.” Emily continued to work at the stove.
“So, it’s getting real with you two?” Jam
ie said absently while her eyes were glued to the television. He glanced over and watched the end of a commercial.
Then Jamie reached for the remote and flipped on the sound just as the report came on again.
They all listened but nothing new was given, and Jamie flipped off the set with frustration.
“Why didn’t they mention me?” she asked the room.
“Maybe the police are trying to keep it under wraps?” Emily suggested as she set a plate in front of Jamie then one in front of him.
“Thanks,” he said as he dug in.
“I suppose. I’m actually thankful. It’s not like I wanted my name and face all over the television, it’s just… I’d hoped to hear something new.”
“We’ll find something out today when we go in,” he suggested.
“You don’t have to go with me,” she said, glancing at him sideways.
“You’re right.” He set his fork down and took her hand in his. “I don’t have to. I want to,” he added quickly.
They had just finished breakfast when Emily’s father walked into the apartment. Blaine noticed that Jamie had only eaten a couple eggs and a piece of toast. But she’d had a full glass of orange juice, so he counted it enough calories for the morning.
“What should I know?” Jamie asked, leaning forward on the couch as she looked at Emily’s father.
“Well, to begin with, don’t supply them with any information they don’t ask for directly.” The older man glanced at them from over a pair of reading glasses. “Since I wasn’t up to date on situations such as yours—not that there are any that I found—but still, I did a little research last night.”
“And?” Emily asked when her father didn’t continue.
“Non-criminal homicide rulings are not uncommon for self-defense cases. There are four elements of cases such as this. An unprovoked attack.” He nodded and moved on. “Threat of injury or death.” He glanced at Jamie, who nodded this time. “Reasonable degree of force and objectively reasonable fear of injury of death.” He smiled. “I think we can confirm all four.”
“Agreed,” Blaine added.
“However, there are limits to such cases.” He glanced down at the papers he was holding. “Failure to report a crime is in itself a crime. However, most sentences are light and sometimes reduced to fees. Especially in a case like yours. The fact that the police have found multiple bodies on the victim’s property only strengthens our case.”