by MJ Fredrick
Ryan set his jaw. “He’s an ex-con, is a flight risk, owns an RV that he could drive off at a moment’s notice.”
“Then wait at the RV,” Killian said. “Don’t mess this up for this girl. They’ve been planning the celebration a long time.”
“And used illegal money to pay for it.”
“The women didn’t know,” Killian insisted. “Please. I know you have a job to do, but it can wait for a few hours, can’t it?” Liz would never forgive them if they arrested her father in front of the whole town.
Ryan grunted, but his shoulders eased.
The rest of what Ryan said penetrated. “Wait, you said he’s an ex-con. When did you find that out?”
Ryan looked at David. “You didn’t tell him?”
David shrugged. “Slipped my mind.” He turned to Killian. “We ran him a week or so ago. He was gone so long because he was doing time for armed robbery.”
Killian’s stomach pitched. Did Liz know? Why hadn’t she told him? “Armed robbery? Who did he rob?”
“Gas station up close to San Antonio. He was running with a tough bunch of guys, but they weren’t all that smart. Got caught almost right away. Rafael was sent up and made a few friends inside. Looks like he’s helping to launder their money through these things.”
“They’re still inside?”
“The ones we know of.”
Killian shook his head. “Why would he do something like that?”
“That’s what we plan to ask him. Maybe it can go easier on him if he gives up the others involved.”
Killian glanced back at the little family. Liz would be upset, Brianna and Gracie heartbroken. And Angie? Damn, she was just getting her life back together. She never had had good luck with men. That alone should have clued them in that Rafael was trouble.
“If he leaves before the party’s over, I’m taking him,” Ryan said, and pulled out a chair at David’s table. “I’ll just keep an eye right here.”
Killian sighed. Liz was going to wonder what Ryan was doing here, uninvited. But if he told her what Ryan planned, well, that was almost as bad as Ryan arresting Rafael. He’d wait, too. He sat beside Ryan, cursing silently as all his plans for using this party as a reconciliation went to hell.
*****
Liz was exhausted. The party wasn’t winding down. Sure, some of the older guests had left, but Brianna and her friends were still dancing. Their carefully styled hair was history, but they didn’t care. Brianna was having the time of her life.
Liz had danced a few times, once with Bryan Longley, once with Grady McKenna, and once with David Trevino. Killian was still here, but hadn’t approached. She was so confused by his behavior. Why had he come? Why had he stayed? Why hadn’t he said one word to her? Was this how it would always be? Because he wasn’t leaving town, and neither was she?
He hadn’t danced either, other than the dance with Brianna.
Her father stood when a slower song played, and held out a hand to her. “I’ve danced with my other daughters, but not you. Will you do me the honor?”
An automatic denial sprang to her lips, but she glanced at Angie, whose face was hopeful. What could it hurt? The song couldn’t be more than three minutes long. She put her hand in his and let him guide her to the dance floor.
His hand was big and callused, and despite the nice suit he wore, he hadn’t been able to get the stains out of his skin. She put her hand on his shoulder and looked up at him.
“Nice hair cut.”
“I thought about coming into your salon, but wasn’t sure.”
“Mr. Daphne knows what he’s doing,” she said, echoing the words she’d told Killian about the town barber. “A lot of men don’t like to come into my shop.”
“It’s a nice place, and Angie said you’re doing well.”
Liz forced herself not to bristle that her accountant was discussing her business with her father. “I’m doing all right.”
“I’m proud of you, proud of all you’ve done for yourself, and for your mother and your sisters. I have no doubt you could have thrown her a beautiful party all on your own.”
“She’s happy with this one.” It was the closest she could come to a thank you.
“I wish you’d let me do something for you.”
She sighed, tired of this conversation. “There’s nothing I need.”
He looked past her. “I think you do. Your mayor has been watching you all evening.”
“I don’t know why he came.” Honestly, she’d rather talk about her business than her love life.
“I do. He’s in love with you.”
“I don’t want to talk about him.”
“All right. I’ll talk. I know I am responsible for your fear of relationships.”
She gave a harsh laugh. “You give yourself too much credit.”
He ignored her. “I made a lot of mistakes in my life, but none bigger than leaving your mother and you girls. I was always looking for the next good thing. Don’t be like me.”
“That’s not it at all.” She hadn’t had many conversations with her father, and even protesting felt like more words than she’d ever said to him, but she couldn’t let him attribute his weaknesses to her.
“What is it, then?”
More than she didn’t want him to attribute his weaknesses to her, she didn’t want to reveal hers to him. She shook her head.
“Do you love him?”
This was not something she was going to tell him, not when she’d barely admitted it to herself.
He sighed at her non-response. “Love isn’t easy, none of it. Not the recognizing it, not the keeping it, not the ending of it.”
“I never thought it would be.”
“But if it’s real, you’re going to realize as hard as it is to be in love, it’s harder to be without it.”
As much as she hated to believe anything out of his mouth, she suspected he was right.
*****
Even if the party didn’t want to end, the church had given them a curfew. Liz was surprised Killian was there until the end, but figured he was keeping David company, even though Suzanne had wound down and now perched in a chair beside him. Liz’s anxiety increased as she rounded up the teens to send them out. Was he waiting to talk to her afterwards? What was he going to say? The possibilities rolled through her head, each one making her more tense.
All right, she wasn’t going to just stand around any longer. The guests were gone. She wouldn’t be causing a scene. So she strode toward him. He stood and moved away from David to meet her halfway.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“I was invited.”
Damn it, why did he have to look so calm and cool when her insides were jittering? “You were.” She didn’t have to remind him things had changed. “So why are you still here?”
“In case you needed me.”
“Killian.” Her shoulders slumped, her heart aching. “What we had between us is over. I’m sorry, but I don’t need you. I can’t need you.”
He glanced past her, too fast for her to turn and see what he was looking at, then he met her gaze again and nodded. “All right. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
Before she could say anything else, he turned and walked out.
Instead of feeling relieved, she felt…bereft. Ridiculous that she’d only been part of a couple for a short time, and now she wondered if she’d ever stop feeling lonely.
*****
“Dibs on the shower!” Brianna called as they walked in the front door.
“As much as you were dancing, have at it,” Gracie responded, following her. “And hang that dress somewhere to air out. I may never get that sweat smell out of my car.”
Brianna turned her head to stick her tongue out before she sashayed down the hall.
“Don’t take too long,” Liz called after her, kicking off her own shoes. “The rest of us want to go to bed, too.”
The closing bathroom door was her only answe
r.
Her evening bag on the counter vibrated a millisecond before her ringtone rent the quiet house.
“Who’s calling so late?” Sophia asked, her words slurring in her exhaustion as she dropped into a seat at the kitchen table.
Killian, was Liz’s first thought. She popped open her purse and looked at the display, then at her mother. “It’s Angie.”
She answered the call. “Angie, what’s wrong?”
“Your father has been arrested.” Tears choked the older woman’s voice.
“What? Why?”
“All I heard was something about the gambling halls. Liz, I don’t know what to do!”
“Where are you?” Liz asked, already slipping her shoes back on and reaching for her keys.
“I’m in my car heading for the sheriff’s department. The Ranger came and took him away.”
The Ranger. Was that why he’d been at the party? To arrest her father? Had the sheriff and Killian known? Was that what he’d meant about her needing him? Oh, Lord. He’d known. So why hadn’t he told her?
“I’ll meet you there,” Liz said and disconnected.
“What’s going on? Are they hurt? Were they in an accident?” Sophia asked.
Liz shook her head. “She didn’t know much, but Papa has been arrested.”
“For what?” Sophia’s voice was shrill as she rose from her seat. “He wasn’t drinking and driving, was he?”
Liz shook her head. “I don’t think so. I don’t know. The Ranger is the one who arrested him. They don’t arrest people for DWI.” And the reason the Ranger was in town…the gambling halls. Her dinner rose in her throat and she battled it back.
“I’m going to go meet Angie and see what’s going on. I’ll let you know.”
“I’m coming with you,” Sophia said.
“No, you stay with the girls. Don’t let them know anything was wrong. We can’t let this ruin Brianna’s night. If they wonder where I am, just tell them I went out drinking or something. I’ll call you later when I know something.”
As she closed the door behind her, she dialed Killian’s number.
“Meet me at the sheriff’s department,” was all she said.
“Ah, Liz, I didn’t want—”
“Please. In person.” She disconnected and slid behind the wheel of her car.
*****
She got to the sheriff’s department before Angie, but not before Killian, who stood when she entered.
“Liz—”
“What happened?”
“The gambling halls. Your father’s the one behind them.”
Relief burst out of her in a laugh. “That’s ridiculous. He doesn’t have that kind of money.” He’d made his money in the oilfields. Enough to pay cash for a car and set up a trust for Gracie’s college and paid for the party… “Where would he get that kind of money? Why?”
Killian took a step toward her, hand lifted, eyes sympathetic. “When he was in prison—”
“Prison?” She wobbled on her heels and he caught her elbow. “What?”
He blew out a breath. “Why don’t we sit down? You want to go in David’s office?”
“No. Just tell me.” She sank into one of the hard chairs that lined the wall and he sat beside her. More than anything, she wanted him to take her hand, but she wouldn’t ask. “Prison?”
“Apparently some of the time he was gone, he was in Huntsville.”
Her mind jumped to denial. He’d said he’d been driving trucks, doing a lot of things. But had he been lying? Why did that surprise her?
“How did he earn all this money, then?”
“It’s not his. He made connections, and is laundering the money.”
“No! His hands, they’re stained and rough.”
“He’s working in the oilfields. Ryan checked that. He’s telling the truth there. So some of his money is legitimate.”
“But not enough for the car and the college and the party.” Her stomach dropped. Just as she’d suspected all along. Too good to be true.
“We can’t be sure he didn’t use his own money for that, not now. Maybe down the road.”
“How long have you known?”
“Ryan came in during the party. That’s when I found out.”
“That’s why you stayed.”
He held her gaze. “That’s why I stayed.”
“And you’re why he waited until after the party.”
“I didn’t want Brianna’s day ruined.”
She nodded and turned away before he could see the tears that sprang to her eyes. But before she could say anything, Angie burst in, her pretty tunic fluttering around her.
“What’s going on? Where is he?”
“Maybe you should call Cassidy,” she said to Killian, low, before she stood to fill Angie in.
Liz was used to getting in after two in the morning, though not usually from the sheriff’s department. From what she understood, her father was cooperating, which would make his sentencing lighter, though he’d still serve some time. Killian stayed with her until she’d left, after Cassidy came to retrieve a distraught Angie. He hadn’t had to do that, but that he did made her heart swell.
“Let me take you home,” he’d said when he walked her to her car. “I don’t want you driving. You’re exhausted.”
“I’m fine. It’s not far.” She leaned against the car a minute and looked up at him. “Thank you for all you did tonight. Thank you for being there.”
“I love you, Liz. It was easy.”
Her sharp laugh cut through the quiet night. “Yeah, well, even if we’d had a future, that’s gone now.”
“What do you mean?”
Liz dreaded telling her sisters and her mother about her father, and the task was made worse by the fact that Brianna slept late on Sunday morning, and her mother was up at the crack of dawn, waiting to hear. Bleary-eyed, Liz staggered to the coffee maker and poured a cup.
“I thought about waking you when I got home,” Liz said, dropping into the chair across from her and pulling her still-aching feet up. “But you were sleeping and it was late.”
“I thought about waking you when I got up this morning,” Sophia said with a weary smile. “But I didn’t for the same reason. What happened? Is everyone okay?”
Liz relayed what she knew, watching the horror wash over her mother’s face.
“So that’s where he’s been? Why he didn’t call? Why he didn’t send money?”
“Mother.” Fear choked Liz. Her mother wasn’t trying to make excuses for him, was she? “He robbed a gas station. He’s been working for a cartel since he got out, laundering their money. He lied to us, never once telling us where he’d been.”
“Of course he wouldn’t, not knowing how we’d react.”
“If he’d at least been honest—Mama, if we’d known he was in prison, wouldn’t that have been better than knowing he was around but never coming to see us?”
“Maybe,” Sophia said. “I just don’t—I knew he was restless, but I never thought he’d get involved with the wrong people. I thought he was stronger than that.”
“Mama, he walked away from his family. He was never strong enough.”
“What’s going to happen to him?”
“He was cooperating, so Killian doesn’t think it will be as bad, but he will go back to prison for a while.”
Sophia gave a choking gasp. “Your poor sisters. And poor Angie.”
Her mother’s statement drew her upright. “What?”
“She’s had a rough few years, and she was finally getting her life together, and she makes another bad choice? You said she was there last night. Is she doing okay?”
“She wasn’t doing great, but Cassidy came to take her home.”
“We should check on her.”
“Mama.” Liz’s stance was that they take care of themselves, first. She still had to tell the girls, and didn’t know how badly they’d take it.
“She’s not a strong woman, Liz. We can’t let this des
troy her.”
Liz stared. Angie was her mother’s rival. She reached across the table and squeezed her mother’s hand. “Okay. We’ll check on her later. But we need to tell the girls.”
Liz was tempted to wake them to get it over with, but instead she drank coffee and did laundry and her other Sunday chores.
The knock on the door surprised both her and Sophia, and her mother opened it to see Killian on the front porch. He was dressed in his suit, and had probably just come from church. He embraced Sophia briefly, and looked past her to Liz.
“Doing okay?”
“The girls are still asleep so they don’t know yet,” she said in warning.
He nodded. “I just wanted to see how you were doing, and to let you know I got Rafael a lawyer.”
Liz’s back snapped straight. “You did what?”
He held up a hand. “I’m not paying for it, Rafael is. He needed a lawyer, and quickly. He’s cooperating, but there was a danger he’d step over the line. I happened to have a college friend who handles cases like this. She’s meeting with him today.”
She? Liz bit her tongue before she asked that question.
“Thank you,” Sophia said, when Liz said nothing. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to,” he said, not taking his gaze from Liz.
“And thank you for making sure he didn’t get arrested at the party,” Sophia added.
A smile quirked his lips. “Liz told you that part, did she?”
“And that you were there for her.” Sophia turned to include her daughter in her smile.
“Mama.”
Killian stepped back out on the porch. “I just wanted to check in. If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
He’d said the same thing last night, and she had the same reaction now. She didn’t want to need anything from him. But somehow seeing him here made everything better.
*****
Gracie took the news better than Brianna, as expected. Brianna wanted to go to the jail to see her father, to hear the truth from his lips, but Liz didn’t think it was possible, since he was meeting with his lawyer.
“Call Killian,” Brianna pleaded, her face streaked with tears.
“Can’t we just wait until tomorrow?”
“What if they take him back to prison tomorrow?”