by Jill Sanders
“You did great,” Sawyer whispered as they stepped into the brightness of the gallery. As with most galleries she’d been in, the walls were painted a stark white and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust.
Her wrap was taken from her shoulders. She gripped her clutch purse to her side and looked around while Sawyer and Hunter turned in the coats less than a foot from her.
She smiled, knowing that all evening long, the two of them would probably never leave her side.
“Shall we?” Hunter held out his arm. “Sawyer’s going to check security.”
“Rose.” Julie rushed across the room towards her. Her friend kissed her and gave her a hug. “Hunter.” Julie smiled and gave him a light hug as well before turning back to Rose. “I’m so sorry about what happened earlier. I tried calling but…”
“I lost my phone,” Rose told her. It was something she hadn’t even told Sawyer yet. She glanced over as Sawyer walked back over to them.
“You did?” Hunter and Sawyer asked at the same time.
“Yes.” She looked between them. “Just before… I thought it was in my purse, but…” She shrugged. “I’ll get a new one when I get home.”
“You should have told us,” Sawyer said softly.
“I’ve lost phones before,” she added with a smile.
“Three times before,” Hunter offered with a chuckle. “Joan—that’s Rose’s mother,” Hunter said to Sawyer, “used to joke that she was going to staple the next phone to your hand, so you wouldn’t lose it.”
Rose chuckled and remembered the argument with her mother.
“Sawyer, it’s good to see you again. It looks like you’re back in full swing.” Julie shook Sawyer’s hand.
“I’m a quick healer,” he said. “Where’s the head of security? I’d like to talk to him.” He glanced around.
“His name is Cameron.” Julie looked around. “There, the man in black who looks like he just stepped out of the FBI.” She pointed to a man across the room.
“I’ll be back,” Sawyer said to her. He looked at Hunter. “You’ve got this?”
Hunter took her arm and smiled at Sawyer. “Go, we’re going to mingle.”
Hunter had attended a few other gallery showings of hers before and he knew the drill.
“Let’s start over here.” Julie took her hand from Hunter’s and pulled her towards the side. “Your pieces are…” They passed a divider and suddenly she was surrounded by her paintings.
Dozens of people made their way to talk to her and for the next hour, she stood in one spot and talked. At one point, Sawyer handed her a glass of champagne and whispered, “You’re doing great.”
Her feet and back hurt, but she continued to smile and answer questions about her art, her style, and her process.
The crowd had died down some and she was in a deep conversation with a prospective buyer when she was tapped on the shoulder.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the woman said. Rose turned around. The woman looked familiar, but she couldn’t place a name or figure out where she’d seen her before.
“I’m sorry.” She turned back to the man she’d been listening to.
“No, I’ve taken enough of your time. I’ll just go hunt down Julie. Have a wonderful evening.” He kissed her cheek and left.
Rose turned back to the woman and noticed Sawyer leaning on the wall less than five feet away from her. He looked bored, but his eyes were scanning the room as if expecting someone to jump out of the shadows. Placing on her smile again, Rose held out her hand for the woman.
“Have we met?” she asked, her eyes scanning the dark-haired woman in the sleek black dress. She was shorter than Rose but held herself as if she was the center of the room.
“No.” The woman’s chin went up slightly. “But we have mutual friends.” She moved closer and lowered her voice. “Your stepbrother Hunter and I used to date in college. I’m Melanie.”
“Oh?” Rose had never met one of Hunter’s girlfriends before, but she’d seen a few pictures on his social media. That’s where she’d seen the woman before. She’d heard all about Hunter’s exes from him, but so far, hadn’t met one face to face. Her eyes scanned the room for her brother.
“Yes, he’s the one that introduced me to Isaac.” Melanie’s smile grew, and her eyes turned hard, causing Rose’s heart to skip.
Rose’s entire body stiffened, and she took a step back. The woman reached out and gripped her arm tightly. Again, the woman’s voice lowered.
“He knew all about Kristy and Isaac. After all, he’s the one who introduced them.” The woman shoved something into her hand.
Rose looked down at a printed photo of four people in swimsuits at the beach—Hunter and the brunette standing in front of her, and Isaac with his arms wrapped tightly around Kristy Owens’s barely covered perfect body.
Rose tossed the image onto the ground. “Why?” She shook her head as tears formed. “Why are you doing this?”
The woman stepped closer. “You took everything away from Kristy. You didn’t deserve Isaac, Kristy and Ash did. You murdered him.” At this point the woman’s voice had risen and Rose felt an arm wrap around her and tug her backward. Feeling Sawyer’s warmth, she pushed him away, not wanting to be protected any longer.
“I didn’t kill Isaac. I didn’t even know about Kristy or Ash. Not until a year after he’d died,” she cried out. Sawyer pulled her away once more and the woman was carried out by security.
“Rose.” Julie rushed over to her side.
Rose pushed Sawyer away, unable to be touched, not wanting his comfort at hearing the news. Her eyes scanned the room and Julie tugged her towards the back.
“Bathroom,” Julie said, and Rose followed her. She was sure Sawyer had followed them but didn’t look back to check.
Rose walked in and with her expensive new heels, kicked the plastic trash can once they were alone in the bathroom.
“What happened?” Julie asked.
“He knew.” She spun around and marched back and forth in the small space. “Hunter knew about Kristy and Isaac,” she cried out as tears rolled down her face.
Julie gasped. “Son of a…”
“How could he? He lied to me. All these years. He lied to me.” She stalked back and forth, needing more space, needing to run, needing to hit something. Since her toes were throbbing from the trash can, she refrained from kicking it again.
“What can I do?” Julie asked, looking helpless.
“I need to get out of here.” She glanced around. “I’ve caused enough scenes today, I can’t handle another one.”
“I’ll handle it.” Julie walked over and hugged her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Rose hugged her back. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” She felt the hurt starting to drain her of energy.
“No, but if I hadn’t put this together tonight, you’d still be in your blissful mansion locked away with your new prince charming.”
Rose smiled at her friend. “Speaking of which…” Just then the bathroom door opened, and Sawyer stepped in.
“I waited as long as I could.” He glanced around.
“I was just leaving. I’ll clear the back doorway area so the two of you can sneak out,” Julie said with a smile before leaving.
Sawyer walked over and stopped a foot from her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She could tell that he wanted to touch her but held back.
Walking over, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Hunter knew about Kristy and Isaac,” she said into his chest.
“Yeah, I overheard, so did the entire gallery.” He sighed and wrapped his arms around her. “Let’s get out of here.”
There was a knock on the door. “All clear,” Julie said from the other side.
“My coat?” she said as Sawyer opened the door. To their surprise, Julie held up both of their jackets.
“Thanks.” She smiled over at her friend.
“Thank
you. I’ll call you tomorrow and tell you how we did.” She winked at her and motioned towards the back door. “The limo is waiting.”
They ducked out of the gallery’s back door and slipped into the waiting limo. She sighed when the door was shut behind them.
“I can’t believe Hunter knew.” She rested her head back. “He promised me that he didn’t know.” She sat up slightly and looked back down the alley as they drove out. “Where is he?”
“He went to get some food.” Sawyer glanced at his watch. “He told me he’d be back about now.” He frowned and less than a minute later, Sawyer’s phone chimed.
“It’s Hunter.” He held the phone up.
“I have nothing to say to him.” She pushed it away.
Sawyer answered it, but then she grabbed it from his hand.
“Is it true?” she asked, feeling her temper spike again.
“Is what true? I just got back here with a plate of food for you only to find out that you two had left.”
“Did you know Kristy and Isaac were an item?” she asked clearly.
“No,” Isaac answered.
“I saw a picture of the four of you,” she countered.
“Who?” Hunter’s voice changed.
“Melanie.” She spat the name out.
The phone was silent. “Rose…”
She hung up and tossed the phone in the seat next to her where it immediately started ringing again.
“I want to go home tonight,” she said, looking over at him. “Can you arrange for us to catch a plane?”
“I can check.” He picked up his phone and for the rest of the ride back to the hotel, was busy trying to arrange the trip back.
“How about a car?” he asked as they drove up. “There’s a storm coming in…”
“Sure,” she tossed out. “I just want out of this city.” She climbed out of the limo before he could help her out.
He hit a button on his phone and caught up with her. “The car will be out front in fifteen minutes,” he added. “Can you be packed by then?”
“Yes,” she said as they stepped into the lobby. Sawyer had moved his things into her room last night, so they went straight there. She spent ten minutes packing up and then pulled on jeans, boots, and a long sweater for the car ride home.
“I’ll get that.” Sawyer picked up her bag and tossed it over his shoulder just as someone started pounding on the door.
Rose walked over and opened it, almost causing Hunter to fall inside on his face.
“Rose,” he started.
She held up her hand, stopping him. “No.” She shook her head and stepped around him.
“I think it’s best if you give her some time,” Sawyer said as he passed by Hunter.
“I didn’t…” Hunter started. Rose spun on her heels. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him, causing him to shut his mouth. “I’ll fly you home,” he offered.
“No.” Rose shook her head and punched the button for the elevator. Sawyer followed her into the elevator, then held up his hand when Hunter tried to get in with them.
“Take the next one,” he said softly and stood back as the doors slid closed behind him.
“Are you okay?” Sawyer asked as the elevator started moving towards the lobby.
“No,” she said softly, feeling her shoulders sink as tears rolled down her face. “How can I ever trust him again?”
Sawyer dropped the bag and pulled her into his arms. “Hey, I know you don’t want to hear this now, but maybe you should hear his side of the story. After all, Owens and her gang are professional manipulators.”
She closed her eyes, and the image of the four smiling faces popped up behind her closed eyelids. There wasn’t any manipulation about the image. The four people had been on that beach, together.
There could be more to the story, but right now, she didn’t want to hear it. The pain from her brother’s deceit outweighed any rational thoughts.
The black SUV rental was waiting for them and Sawyer loaded up the luggage. They drove out of the city, guided by his phone’s map program.
She leaned her head against the cold glass and watched the snow falling in the dark night as they left the city. If she never returned, she’d be completely content.
She must have fallen asleep at one point, but when the car slowed, she woke and glanced around.
“Sorry,” Sawyer said softly. “I’m stopping for gas and some coffee.”
She sat up a little. “I can drive.” He parked by the gas pump and took her hand. “No, you sleep. I’m good to go.”
“Where are we?” she asked, looking around.
“Just outside of Denville.” She had no clue where Denville was, but it didn’t really matter. “Do you want anything from inside?”
They were parked at the gas pumps at a brightly lit gas station where people were coming and going. She glanced at the clock and groaned. “It’s a quarter past one.” She yawned.
“Yeah.” He smiled. “That’s the reason for the coffee break.”
“I’ll come in with you.” She found her purse on the floorboard and followed him into the store. “I’m going to hit the bathroom.” She turned towards the back wall but then froze.
“Sawyer?” She gripped his arm and nodded towards the television as she felt her entire body start to shake.
There on the screen was an image of Kristy Owens, and underneath the picture of the pretty blonde, in bold text, it said, ‘Film-star Kristy Owens found dead in her New York apartment.’
Twenty-Two
Dropping like flies…
“Damn it, Deter, there is no way Rose or I had anything to do with Owens’s death. You know that,” Sawyer hissed into his phone.
“Sure, I do, but the NYPD want her back there ASAP for questioning,” Deter said.
“We’re holed up in some hotel outside of Clearfield.” He ran his hands through his hair. It was a quarter to five in the morning and he hadn’t gotten any sleep. Rose was inside the room they had gotten for a few hours, hoping to get some sleep before they hit the road again. They had made it halfway home before he’d needed to pull over for some sleep or they would have ended up in the ditch.
“Well, we need some rest and I doubt that Rose will want to head back to the city anytime soon.”
“I’ll stall them for as long as I can,” Deter said. “Get some rest. I’ll expect to hear from you the moment you set foot back in Twisted Rock.”
“Got it.” He hung up and stepped inside the small hotel room.
“Well?” Rose was drying her hair as she sat on the large king-sized bed.
He set his phone down and lay down in the bed beside her. She’d cleaned her face from all the product Ranald had slathered on her earlier. She was even more beautiful like this and he had a hard time taking his eyes from her face.
“We’ll get some rest then continue on home. Deter’s going to deal with the police asking after us.”
“Are they?” she asked, her eyebrows going up slightly.
“Asking about us?” He shrugged. “They can wait.” He flipped on the television. “I know you probably don’t want to hear about it, but… I’d like to know what they’re thinking.”
She nodded as his phone chimed. He picked it up and read the message from Hunter.
“Your brother made it home okay. He asks if you’re okay?” Sawyer told her.
“Tell him to stuff it.” She lay down next to him with a small bounce.
“Those words?” He started typing.
“Yes, those words exactly.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Something tells me you had a very fun vocabulary when you were younger. I would have liked to see you pissed when you were five.” He chuckled. When she glanced over at him with a glare, he stopped smiling, finished typing, and hit send.
Hunter’s response came quickly.
-Get her home safe and know that there is more to the story.
-Will do.
He replied and set the phon
e on the nightstand. He turned up the set when the story came on.
“B-movie actress Kristy Owens, known for her roles in Bleached and Solid Leads, was found in her New York apartment, which was purchased by her late lover, Isaac Clayton…”
Rose sat up slightly, her eyes glued to the set.
“She kept the apartment?” she said softly.
“Rose?” He touched her shoulder, causing her to turn towards him.
“Isaac only rented the place.” She frowned at him.
“I hadn’t heard. Shortly after we found out about Owens’s involvement, I was removed from the case and didn’t get a look at the file,” he explained.
“Isaac purchased the apartment for her?” She frowned and turned back to the screen where the reporter was standing outside of the massive brick apartment building.
“The police seem to believe at this time that Owens OD’d on pain pills. The young mother leaves behind her three-year-old son, Ash, whom she left in her mother’s care more than two months ago after losing the legal battle with Fuller Films. Some speculate that—”
Sawyer flipped off the set and reached up to touch Rose’s shoulder.
“Looks like her conscience got the better of her after all.” Rose turned back to him. Fresh tears were building behind her eyes.
“Her son.” She shook her head and closed her eyes and then buried her face into her knees and hugged them. “Why would she do that?” she cried, and he held onto her.
When he felt her body go lax, he pulled her down and tossed the blanket over them, and she cried herself to sleep in his arms.
The next morning, they left just after eleven. After hitting a drive-through for some food, he drove the rest of the way home. When he pulled into her long driveway, he wasn’t surprised by the row of media vans parked out front. Deter was also there, leaning against his patrol car with Detective Anderson waiting beside him.
“Carson will drop off Tsuna and Ozzy after his shift is over,” he said. “I’ll talk with Deter; you can go up and rest.”
“No, I want to hear what information he has. After all, we may have just freed ourselves from Isaac’s murderer.” She took a deep breath.
He must have been foggy brained because he hadn’t thought of that angle. Nodding, he pulled the rental behind the patrol car and turned off the engine.