Seaside Kisses

by Stacy Claflin

  "What's the mystery?" Logan demanded. "These two people are being threatened. You're treating Amara like a criminal. Unless she's being charged, you need to release her.

  Farris stepped closer, narrowing his eyes. "We have some more questions for her. She stays."

  Amara's stomach twisted in knots.

  "Do you have probable cause to detain her?" Logan asked.

  "We can hold her for twenty-four hours without arresting her."

  Logan spun around and made eye contact with Amara. "Just wait here, and I'll be back as soon as I can."

  She nodded. Where else was she going to go?

  The lady glared at Logan. "Remember, no sharing information—"

  "Between my clients. Got it." He shoved his way in between them and left the room.

  Amara's heart thundered in ears. She wanted to follow Logan and throw herself into Rafael's arms. His embrace was so comforting, and she needed it now more than ever. And she needed him.

  She looked over at the door, surprised to see the two cops still there.

  The lady scowled at her. "We have some more questions for you. Care to answer them now?"

  "You just sent away my attorney."

  "So that's a no?"

  Amara's nostrils flared. "Yes. I'm not saying another word to you guys."

  Farris turned to the lady, shrugging. "I guess she doesn't want to know."

  "Her loss."

  They left the room, and Farris slammed the door behind them.

  Thirty

  Rafael leaned back in the uncomfortable metal chair and sighed. He'd answered every question Farris and Spieling had asked. Spieling continued to stare at him, her beady eyes narrowed.

  "You sure you're not leaving anything out?" she demanded.

  "Don't answer that," Logan said.

  Spieling glared at Logan. "You afraid of the truth?"

  "He's told you plenty, and you've given us nothing. Why not share with us what you know?" He stared her down. "Like why you insist he and Amara stay here, for instance."

  The two offers exchanged a glance. Were they actually thinking about telling them something? Rafael turned to his cousin, who gave a slight shrug.

  "We'll be right back," Farris said, opening the door. He and Spieling left, slamming the door behind them.

  "What was that about?" Rafael asked.

  "Pretty sure they're hoping to intimidate us." Logan rose and stretched. "Small town cops." He shook his head.

  "No. I mean, do you think they'll finally tell us what's going on?"

  "We'll find out. In the meantime, if they don't, I suggest we all leave. No one's done anything wrong and they can't hold you two without a due cause."

  "And you can't tell me anything about Amara?" Rafael asked, feeling defeated.

  "Not while you two are being questioned. But as soon as we all leave, you guys can fill each other in on everything."

  "She's okay, though?" Rafael held his cousin's eye contact, begging him to say yes.

  Logan nodded. "Amara seemed a little worried, but mostly anxious to see you."

  "But she wasn't hurt or anything?" he asked. He couldn't get the part of her text out of his mind about her contacting him again when it was safe.

  "Nope." Logan sat back down. "More concerned about your well-being."

  Rafael sighed and then turned to the fake mirror. "Are we free to go?"

  "Assuming they don't hold you guys. They can hold you for a short time if they think they might have cause for arrest. I'll have to double-check California law, though. I'm dual licensed, but don't represent too many outside of Oregon."

  "Why would they want to book us?" Rafael asked. "We haven't done anything wrong."

  The door opened, and both officers returned again.

  "Are you holding my clients?" Logan demanded. "They've done nothing other than give you what you want."

  Farris sat directly across from Rafael and stared him, seeming to ignore Logan. "We do have a problem. Your stories don't match."

  Confusion ran through Rafael. "What do you mean? What doesn't?"

  Spieling sat next to Farris and they exchanged another glance. Farris leaned over the table, his bloodshot eyes staring into Rafael's. "We've got a couple people claiming you two are threatening them."

  Blood drained from Rafael's body. He turned to Logan, confused.

  "Who?" Logan demanded.

  Spieling narrowed her eyes at him. "The same people Amara says she spoke with last night."

  "They've already threatened Rafael," Logan.

  Rafael's eyes widened. "Who—?"

  "You believe them?" Logan asked, pressing his palms on the table.

  "We have a lot of information to sort through."

  "Have you tried asking my client about it? I guarantee he has information that would help you."

  "Who?" Rafael yelled, standing up. "I'm sick of these games. Just tell me what's going on."

  Logan turned to him. "Your ex-business partner."

  Everything started to make sense. "Tony and Kristine got to Amara, didn't they?"

  "That's the short version," Logan muttered. "And now they're claiming that my clients have threatened them?"

  Farris nodded. "So far, we have no proof either way. It's all he-said, she-said."

  "You want proof?" Rafael exploded. "You could have asked. I've got cameras pointing outside my store and home. They'll show you where I was. They'll show you those two taunting me. I have a paperwork trail you wouldn't believe for my old business. You want evidence that Tony would do anything to take me down? I have it!"

  Both officers sat scribbling notes on their papers.

  "Can you get those for us?" asked Spieling.

  Rafael wanted to throw something. "Of course." He stared at them, anger building. "Then can I see Amara?"

  "Not so fast, cowboy," said Spieling.

  "That's not enough?"

  "He can talk to her." Farris gestured toward Logan. "You're going to have to wait until all of this is sorted out."

  Rafael ran his fingers through his hair, pulling. The stitches in his shoulder tightened. He sat down, pressing his elbows on the table. "When exactly is that going to happen?"

  Spieling's face relaxed. "The sooner the better—for all of us."

  "I'm going to have to to go home to find what you need," Rafael said.

  "Can't you send your lawyer?" asked Farris.

  "Not really. It's in a locked safe in my home. I'd give him my house keys because he's my cousin and I trust him, but no one gets my safe code."

  Spieling groaned. "That means one of us will have to escort you."

  Rafael turned to Logan. He nodded.

  "What about Amara?" Rafael asked.

  "She'll stay here," Farris said. "She's in a room just like this one. We haven't charged anyone."

  "You'll stay here with her?" Rafael asked his cousin.

  "I'm going with you," Logan said. "She'll be fine here so long as no one questions her while I'm gone." He shot a glare at the two officers.

  Before long, Rafael and Logan were in Logan's car, heading for Rafael's house, followed by Spieling in her police cruiser.

  "Please tell me this nightmare is almost over," Rafael said, rubbing his wrist.

  "Depends on what kind of paperwork you have."

  "All kinds, but it's going to take time to explain it to those turkeys in the station." Rafael frowned. "Turn left up ahead. I have proof of Tony's decisions that destroyed our joint company. But more importantly, I have printed out texts of him threatening to destroy me if I walked away—which of course I did."

  "You didn't happen to report any of this when it happened?" Logan asked.

  "I figured he was full of crap. He's a hothead. I never should have gone into business with him. I just couldn't see past the ideas he had to grow the company. Nor did I know he'd turn around and drive it into the ground."

  "What about the girl?"

  "Kristine?" Rafael asked.

  "Yeah."
/>
  "Another stupid decision. It's no wonder they ended up together."

  "I mean, do you have anything on her? Or is it just Tony?" Logan asked.

  Rafael thought about it. "She's mostly talk, and she can barely text or type, so I doubt I have anything. I was mostly concerned about my enterprise. She was never a threat to that. All she ever wanted was someone to buy her nice things, and once she thought Tony was that man, I was lucky enough she picked him. Take the second driveway on the right."

  Logan pulled in front of Rafael's house. "It's all starting to make sense now. How fast do you think you can get what you need?"

  "Not long. I know right where everything is."

  "You might want to make copies and bring those."

  "Already done," Rafael said. "I have three sets."

  "Smart man."

  Rafael almost made a comment about him being a Hunter, so obviously he was smart, but he was in no mood for joking around.

  They went inside, followed by Spieling. When they reached Rafael's room, he told both Logan and her to stay by the door. He was serious about nobody knowing his code. Once inside, he only had to move a few things around before he found the manila envelopes with the copies. On the front was Tony in black permanent marker. The one with the original was written in silver.

  Rafael pulled it out and then closed the safe, spinning the dial around so it couldn't be reopened without his code.

  "Is that everything?" asked Spieling. She glanced around Rafael's room, obviously trying to make an assessment about what kind of person he was. Thankfully, he wasn't the kind of guy to leave underwear lying on the floor. Everything was in place except for his bed since he hadn't made it that morning.

  "This and the footage from my cameras, but that's on my phone."

  "Okay." She kept peering around the room.

  "Anything else you want to see?" Rafael asked. "Inside my fridge, perhaps?"

  Logan snickered.

  Spieling scowled. "Just trying to get a feel. You can learn a lot about a person by the way they keep their home when they're not expecting company."

  "Do I measure up?"

  "You've managed to impress me—and that's not easy to do."

  Why was that not surprising?

  "We should get back to the station," Logan said. "The sooner we can get this figured out, the better."

  When they returned to the police department, they passed an open door with Kristine and Tony inside. How did they manage to stay in the same room when he and Amara were forced into separate ones?

  After he returned into the same room he had been in earlier, he took all of his papers out of the envelope and explained what they were to the officers. Halfway through, another policeman came in. His badge showed that he was a detective.

  Rafael wanted to ask if he was lucky enough to have the entire force on his case, but he kept his mouth shut.

  "Where were you this morning at about eight-thirty?" asked the detective.

  "I was…" Rafael paused, thinking. His alarm had gone off about that time. "At home, trying to get out of bed. I have a busy day today." He shook his head. It would take a couple all-nighters to be able to pull off the grand opening after all this.

  "Home, alone?" asked the detective, arching a brow.

  "My camera footage will prove that. I came home last night and then left around nine this morning."

  The detective exchanged a look with Farris. Something was going on.

  "Mind sharing with the class?" Logan asked.

  "Tony has a black eye," Spieling said, "and he claims you did it. Yet Kristine has bruises on her knuckles."

  What idiots, Rafael thought, his body tensing.

  "Do you happen to have those videos here?" asked the detective.

  "If you'll let me pull out my phone," Rafael said, unable to keep the snark out of his voice.

  "Go ahead," Farris said.

  Rafael got out his phone and opened the app. It only took a minute to find the videos he needed. "See? Here I am arriving home last night. There's the timestamp to prove it. Unless an animal triggered it, the next shot should be me leave—wait. What do we have here?"

  Everyone in the room crowded around the smart phone. Tony and Kristine, wearing all black, sauntered up his walkway and stuck something in one of his bushes before running off.

  "What the…?" Rafael asked.

  "Looks like we better figure out what's going on." Spieling rose and turned to Farris. "You coming with me?"

  He shook his head. "I need to question those two. Take Paine with you. He's been on desk duty most of the week."

  Spieling nodded and then left the room. The door closed quietly behind her.

  He showed the others the rest of his camera footage. The officers took notes and Farris said he would contact the app company to get a copy of what they had.

  Logan spoke with the detective and Farris, but Rafael couldn't focus any longer. A pain ran from his temples to behind his eyeballs, pressing tightly. He squeezed the top of his nose, an old trick he'd learned in high school when the staff wouldn't allow the students to even take an aspirin during school hours.

  Since no one paid Rafael any attention and he had his phone out, he sent a text to Cruz.

  What's up?

  Nothing. Still in the station?

  How'd you know?

  Logan.

  It's a mess.

  Dude, we got every1 here.

  Rafael had to re-read the last text.

  Seriously?

  Totally. You'll make the grand opening.

  Rafael couldn't help smiling despite sitting in the police station.

  Can you send a picture?

  No, man. We all agreed we want to see the look on yer face when you get here.

  Okay. Give me a clue at least.

  Disco ball. That's all yer getting out of me.

  Rafael laughed. Logan and the cops all turned to him.

  "You shouldn't be texting," the detective said.

  "It's all business."

  "Just put it away."

  Gotta go. Tell everyone thx.

  You tell 'em. L8r.

  Rafael turned off the screen and put the phone in his pocket, trying to picture what his shop now looked like.

  Thirty One

  Amara's chin tapped her chest, and she woke with a start. Again. She'd been falling asleep off and on. No one had come in for a while. Not since Logan had let her know he was working to prove their innocence—whatever that meant. He hadn't had time to go into the details. Amara figured that Kristine and Tony had tried to make it look like she and Rafael had done something wrong. But what?

  She yawned, irritated with herself for not being able to stay more alert. Who could blame her, though? Stuck in the plain, little room. Amara sighed. Her body cried out for sleep, but she ignored it, rubbing her eyes. She would stay awake.

  The doorknob creaked, and she jumped. The door opened slowly before Logan poked his head through. He smiled. "You're free to go. Do you want to see Rafael?"

  Amara jumped from her chair, scraping her knee against the table. "Yes. Where is he?"

  "Don't forget your purse."

  She glanced down and then picked it up from the floor, sliding it over her shoulder. "Where is he?"

  "This way."

  Amara followed him out of the room and down the long hall. "What happened? Why was I held for so long?"

  They passed Farris. He nodded toward her. "Have a nice day."

  Yeah, right. After that start. She kept her mouth shut and nodded back.

  She and Logan finally made it to the waiting room. Rafael sat in a chair. He jumped up and ran over to her, wrapping her in a massive bear hug. Warmth spread through Amara's whole body, and she squeezed him back, never having been so happy to see someone in her life.

  He brushed her hair back away from her face, rubbing his palms against her face. "Are you okay? Did they treat you all right?"

  Amara nodded, unable to find her voice. None
of that mattered now, anyway. Only that she was in Rafael's arms, and he was safe.

  They stared into each other's eyes, and then Rafael pressed his lips against hers. The smells of his cologne and hair gel engulfed her as she kissed him back eagerly.

  Logan cleared his throat behind them. "Maybe we should take this elsewhere."

  Rafael pulled away from Amara, not removing his hands from her face. "I don't care who knows I love her."

  Amara's heart pounded, feeling like it would explode. "I love you, too."

  He slid one palm down and took her hand in his. "Are you ready to go?"

  "More than you know."

  Logan let out a sigh, sounding relieved. "Meet you guys somewhere? Your house, Raf?"

  "My shop. Everyone's there, working on it." He turned to Amara. "Do you want to go with us? They're decorating it, and it sounds fantastic."

  "I can't wait to see it."

  "Perfect." He gave her a quick kiss and then led her to the door, holding it open for her.

  Amara followed the two of them back over to the strip mall, needing to park at the far end of the lot. When she cut the engine, Rafael already waited outside her car. She unlocked the door, and he opened that for her, too.

  He pulled her close, covering her lips with his again. Pulling back, he stared into her eyes. "I meant what I said back there."

  "About?"

  "Loving you."

  "Me, too."

  Rafael kissed her again. "I could keep you to myself all day—especially after everything we've gone through. But I'm curious to see what my family had done with the shop. Cruz is really excited."

  "I can't wait to see, too. I'm so glad all this won't force you to postpone the big day."

  He pulled her tighter into his embrace, pressing her face against his. "I'm just glad that you're okay—that we're okay." He loosened his grip and then cupped her chin, looking into her eyes. "I can't even begin to explain how worried I was." His expression told her how much meant it. She could almost feel his now-alleviated fear.

  Her own worries flooded her. Amara put her hand on his cheek, feeling a bit of stubble. She rubbed it, lost in thought. "I was so scared. They said they were behind your car accident, and that they'd do worse if I didn't stay away from you." Her voice wavered. "They even told me they'd know if I texted you."