Innocence

by Kristin Mayer

  “Of fuck, London. You are responsive.”

  Who cared about slow? Not me. Not my body.

  He rolled my nipple while he kissed me. My phone rang. I called out. “Don’t stop, don’t you dare stop. I don’t care if we’re on the floor.”

  Fingers stopped their movement. My eyes sprung open. “What are you doing?”

  A swift breath left Jaxson. “Sweetheart, the first time is not happening on the carpet in your living room. I can’t control myself around you.” His words were calm and collected. The exact opposite of his strung-tight body. He kissed my lips and I enjoyed having this effect on him. “Let me make it special for you. For us. Something to remember for the rest of our lives. Let me undress you. Devour you. Let’s have breakfast first.”

  He traced his finger down my arm, eliciting that dipping feeling in my stomach.

  I let out a breath, the ache in my lower abdomen near unbearable. “Well, when you put it that way, how is a girl supposed to argue? Breakfast it is.”

  Need filled my voice and Jaxson’s lips pressed against mine. The bulge pressed against my leg hardened. “I promise to make it good, London.”

  My phone rang again and I let it go to voicemail as I slowed my breathing. I looked over to Jaxson. “You better.”

  Fingers glided over my still exposed stomach. “I’ll more than make it up to you. I don’t want us to look back and think we moved too fast. I want you more than anything, but I won’t chance fucking this up.”

  A knock interrupted us. There was no such thing as privacy here. I huffed in frustration. Jaxson swore under his breath as he righted my sports bra and yanked down my top. “Next time we have a second together, I’m making sure we aren’t interrupted.”

  Hopping up, Jaxson opened the door. “My word, you must be Jaxson.”

  Millie. I scrambled to the door. “Millie! Oh my gosh! You’re here!” I threw my arms around her neck. “I can’t believe you’re here. I missed you.”

  It was unbelievable . . . Millie was here . . . standing in front of me.

  “I missed you too.” She pushed me back. “So, he decided to stop being stupid? Saw what was in front of him?”

  I kept Millie updated on what was happening with Jaxson through our talks. And of course she was hardly ever subtle.

  “Millie!” There were times I wanted to kill my best friend as I said her name with irritation.

  Jaxson came up beside me. “I did and damn glad it didn’t take me longer. It’s nice to meet you, Millie.”

  Millie threw her arms around him and I heard her whispering something. I thought I heard something about frank and beans. Good grief. I was going to have a word with her.

  Jaxson looked straight at me the entire time; those green eyes ensnared me as he answered Millie. “I promise.”

  A heat crept on my face guessing what Millie had said. Turning to me, Millie got serious. “I need to talk to you. I have something to show you. I couldn’t tell you over the phone. I found it last night. I know this is shitty timing, but it’s important.”

  Dread dripped into my stomach. Millie’s eyes darted to Jaxson, silently asking if he could stay. Whatever it was, I would tell him. If we had any chance of making it, there wasn’t room for secrets. “He can stay.”

  Of course, Jaxson looked confused. Even more so when Millie led me to the couch. This was bad. So bad. Bile tasted bitter in my mouth.

  Jaxson sat beside me. The warm embrace helped soothe me minutely. “Millie, what the hell is going on? You’re scaring the shit out of her.”

  “Shit, London. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to scare you. I’m still trying to process it myself. This isn’t bad like you think. I promise.” She pulled out a manila envelope and handed it to me. Numbly, I opened it while she nervously rubbed her dark-clad jeans. They were medical records.

  My medical records.

  From June third.

  “I don’t understand. Why did you bring this?” The past took hold as the images I’d seen from the accident replayed in my mind. I looked away for a second as a tear slipped free. Jaxson’s grip tightened on me.

  “Flip to the finding’s page.” Millie’s voice was shell-shocked. How was this not bad?

  Quickly, I thumbed to the back. The blood drained from my face as my eyes shot to Millie’s. “London, you were framed.”

  I was going to be sick. My stomach revolted as I shot off the couch, barely making it to the toilet. I was framed. It wasn’t my fault. The dry heaves continued. Tears left salty tracks down my cheeks. Millie wet a washcloth as I calmed down. Strong soothing hands rubbed my back. “What’s going on, Millie? What did you show her?” There was an edge to Jaxson’s voice—defensive and ready to strike.

  Deep slow breaths abated the nausea. The cool tile was relief against my hot clammy skin. Millie handed me the wrung out washcloth and wasn’t answering Jaxson. She wanted me to have the choice how much he knew.

  Hoarsely, I spoke before Jaxson lost it. “All the evidence submitted at the trial supported I only had alcohol in my system.” Tears made fresh tracks against the old down my face. Holding up the paper I continued. “This was the real report. There was more than alcohol in me.”

  Millie replied as I wiped my face. “There is no way you would ever drug yourself.”

  I started sobbing. “This wasn’t my fault. This wasn’t my fault. I never felt I could do something like that.”

  Jaxson picked me up and cradled me against his chest. “Shh, sweetheart. I have you.”

  As Jaxson set me down on the couch, I reached for Millie. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

  Millie sat in the chair next to the couch and held my hand. “Anything for my bestie. Anything. I’ll always believe in you. I wish we could have found this prior to the trial. It would have changed everything.”

  More sobs came. There were a million questions swimming around in my head, but all I could focus on was I had been drugged. Nurse-mode kicked in from my best friend. “London, with the amount of Rohypnol in your system, there is no way you were coherent for long. No way. You couldn’t have driven from your house to Alec’s neighborhood. You would have been barely conscious to do anything. Someone put you in that car and did who knows what.”

  I shivered. Someone had done this to me. To Alec. To my family. To Alec’s family. “I’m not a murderer. I’m not a killer.”

  Jaxson clutched me closer to him. “No, sweetheart. You never were.”

  “How did you find this?” Jaxson asked the next question I would have if I hadn’t been trying to process everything. I was innocent. Innocent. The word rattled in my head as the shadow that suffocated me faded. Alec. Sweet Alec. A life stolen for a reason that wasn’t revealed. An ache formed thinking how we were bystanders. Both robbed of our innocence.

  Millie picked up the report. “I’ve been dating the sheriff.” I scrunched my eyes. Wasn’t he old? She responded to my facial gesture. “Not Norman. He passed away nearly three and a half years ago. His son, Chris, is now Sheriff.”

  “I remember him. He was a few grades older.”

  Anytime I asked about the cop, she had been vague over the last week or so. Now, it made sense.

  She winked. “Yes, he was. We had some fun back in the day.” Waving her hands she cleared her thoughts. “I’m digressing. Anyway, I’ve been dating him since I sent that text last week. I’ve been staying over some at Chris’. After he would leave for work, I would snoop.”

  My eyes widened and Millie shrugged. “We made it clear it was casual. Yesterday, I found the file in his father’s things. It was an old manila envelope in a box of stuff buried in the back of the closet. I can’t believe it was still there. I made a copy and put everything back before heading to work. Then, I booked my ticket and came here since I have the next three days off work. I didn’t want to say over the phone. I got a bad vibe when I thought about it. There’s no telling what the person responsible is capable of. I couldn’t take a chance.”

  This still
seemed like a dream. Why would the sheriff not have shared the files? Who wanted to do something like this to me . . . to Alec . . . to my family? With every truth, more questions unearthed themselves.

  “There’s more.”

  “What?” There wasn’t much more I could take. This was all too much. The forced reality I made myself believe crumbled around me.

  Millie took out a notepad. “Norman died five months after you went to prison. The same doctor who tested your blood, Dr. Michaels, oversaw Norman’s autopsy. Three months after that, Dr. Michaels died in a car crash. London that is not a coincidence. Everyone died who helped cover up whatever this is except . . .”

  I finished her sentence. “Whoever framed me.”

  “Yes.”

  My hands shook at the realization that the person behind all this was more dangerous than I ever imagined. “They wanted me out of Guin.”

  “I think so. Has anything else happened since you came here?”

  “No.” A lead weight dropped in the pit of my stomach. At least three people lost their lives because of this person.

  Jaxson was quiet through this whole thing. I glanced up at him. He watched Millie as he asked, “Who do you think it is?”

  Sitting back in the chair, Millie responded, “I think it’s Rachel. The fiancée of London’s ex. Her family has the pull to do something like this. They wanted the political affiliation and made that clear all through school. Hell, Rachel practically threw herself at Charles every chance she got when London wasn’t there. She secured Charles pretty easily after you were sentenced. After four years of schmoozing and laying the foundation, Charles is running for Mayor. Supposedly, he’ll go for the presidency when he’s eligible per the rumors his dad is spreading to fuel his own campaign. And guess who is the perfect person to be by his side as the perfect politician’s wife?”

  My head spun. Abruptly I stood. “I need to brush my teeth.”

  Quickly, I left the room to find my toothbrush and toothpaste. How could someone do this to another human being? The loss. It was too much. All to get Charles. His political connections. The life of a politician never intrigued me. I actually preferred not to be part of it.

  Vigorously, I brushed my teeth. Hands eased on top of mine. “I think they’re clean.”

  I spit the toothpaste out and rinsed my mouth. “Everything is a lie. Was a lie. I’ve spent four years convincing myself that I killed him. For four years, I believed I drank and drove. Four years.”

  Wrapping his arms around my waist, he took a deep breath. “If Charles wants you back when all this comes out, do you want him?”

  Without hesitating, I knew the answer. It had been the truth right in front of me for so long, but I hadn’t been ready to face it . . . to give up another piece of what had been. I turned and placed my hands on the side of his face. “I would have never started something with you if I still loved Charles. Or if I wanted to rekindle something with him. If Charles showed up three days ago before we admitted our feelings for each other, nothing would have happened.”

  Lips pressed against mine. “I like that answer.”

  “Me too.”

  “Let’s go back out there and finish talking this out. Are you okay?” Jaxson’s eyes were filled with concern and it warmed me.

  I shrugged and exhaled wanting to give him the truth but not sure how I felt myself. “I don’t know. It’s a lot to take in.”

  Guiding me back to the living room, Millie sat on the couch worrying her lip. “London, I’m so sorry.”

  I hugged her. “Don’t be. You gave me back something I never thought I would get.” Relief washed over Millie’s face as she visibly sagged in the dark leather chair. Sitting next to Jaxson I laid my head against the back of the couch. “What do we do with all this new information?”

  Jaxson leaned forward. “We have no idea who actually set this in motion. All we have is a medical report that proves London was drugged, but not who. The police were in on it before. So was the doctor at the hospital. Fuck.”

  He popped his neck as he took a deep breath. I knew where he was going. Continuing Jaxson’s thought, I said, “If we share what we have so far, all our cards will be on display. And whoever this is may do something else. Potentially worse. Especially if they feel threatened.”

  Millie’s phone rang. “I need to take this. It’s work.”

  My stomach turned again thinking about them hurting people I loved. Hurting Ty. The muscles tightened within me ready to spring. Jaxson’s jaw clenched in my peripheral vision. He squeezed me tighter. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t.”

  There was nothing to say. I couldn’t lie to him. If I needed to leave, I would. The pressure from Jaxson’s hold didn’t let up. “London, don’t do anything rash.”

  I turned. “What if they come after Ty? Or you? To hurt me. We barely know each other.” A few more tears escaped. “Alec died because of someone wanting to hurt me.”

  “Let’s talk this out. Okay? No rash decisions.”

  Nodding in agreement, I took a deep breath. “Okay.” That was something I could promise.

  Millie came back in the room. “Sorry, they were checking if I could be at the hospital tomorrow afternoon for a department head meeting. Apparently, there’s a big announcement coming on Monday they want us to be prepared for. I think the administrator is resigning unexpectedly. There’s been a lawsuit the hospital has been dealing with and it seems like they’re taking action upon some findings. They’re paying for the change fees. I’m going to have to change my flight to the early ass one again. Ugh. After dinner I’ll staying at a hotel near the airport. The hospital is making the reservations.”

  “You can stay here.” I hated I would only have today with her, but some time was better than nothing.

  Resuming her seat, Millie responded, “I know, but it’ll be easier. Getting up at four is better than three in the morning.”

  “Well, you’re always welcome here.” Millie grabbed my hand and gave it a loving squeeze as I asked, “What’s the next step?” Obviously, I wanted the person responsible behind killing Alec to pay, but we needed to be smart about this.

  Thumbing through the medical records again, Millie pointed to a small faint line. “You were treated in Guin, but Doctor Albertson worked at Northwest Medical. My hospital. They sent your blood work to Winfield to have it done in the orders on the first page. The Guin hospital lab was backed up, which happens from time to time.”

  As I looked for more answers within the documents I stated. “The Guin records were forged to make it look like the blood tests happened there.”

  Papers shuffled. “Yeah, I’ll see if I can find anything which shows the lab was backed up. I think whoever the mastermind behind this didn’t get the doctor to cooperate until after. Why have blood tests done at all if they planned to forge them? Let me see what I can find.”

  “Millie, I don’t want you to get hurt.” The thought of Millie hurt because of all this was too much to bear.

  She leaned forward. “If we keep it only between the three of us then no one should be the wiser until we find something else. Enough to take the asshole down. We’ll have to keep everyone else in the dark.”

  A headache loomed in the back of my head. I wanted my name clear, the real killer to be convicted, but not at the cost of other people getting hurt. “For now I think that’s a good plan.”

  IT WAS EARLY EVENING AS Millie and I sat on the couch, curled up next to each other watching 90210. Jaxson left midmorning to work. I could tell he hated leaving me but knew I needed time with Millie. The reality still felt like an illusion.

  Innocent.

  That was now my verdict.

  Whoever caused Alec’s death, I wanted them to pay. But, we had to be careful. Surprise was our biggest ally at this point.

  I checked the time. Dinner would be here soon and Millie would be gone. Seeing my best friend helped in more ways than one. She approved of Jaxson and thought he was a good guy.
<
br />   The 90210 show ended as we finished the last of our hot chocolate. Millie took a chance because she believed in me. “Thanks for all you did, Millie. Even if only the three of us ever know, I know.”

  “That’s what besties are for. We’ll keep looking to see if there’s anything else.” Pensively, she tucked the strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

  “What made you decide to start looking?”

  In all the commotion, I hadn’t thought of getting the backstory. “I never stopped, but I wasn’t close enough to dig deep and not bring attention. The evidence said it was your fault, but it never made sense. Two nights after you left for Colorado, I watched an episode of Criminal Minds. Then, I started thinking about the facts.”

  After I was convicted, I asked Millie and my parents to stop saying I was framed. It only made the guilt worse and felt like I wasn’t dealing with the repercussions of my actions. I raised my eyebrow. “Criminal Minds?”

  Shrugging, she said, “You can’t help when a stroke of genius happens.” She took a sip of water as I laughed. It felt good to be able to be happy without any guilt. “Anyway, I thought about how the accident didn’t make sense. And then the note that was sent to the businesses. While you were in prison, there were no threats. Nothing. Not hardly twenty-four hours after being released, you’re threatened.”

  Her finger raised in the air to emphasize the point. “And that didn’t happen until after you saw Charles with . . . Rachel and her parents while you were at Caroline’s. The next day, threats happened. The only other person you saw was Alec’s mom, who I don’t see having the pull to blackball you. Rachel’s family have hidden scandals before.”

  A vague memory took shape as I filled in the gap. “Oh, I remember. In high school, there was that article about Rachel’s mom getting arrested for drunk driving. Then, the newspaper printed a retraction in a special edition which ran that afternoon.” It had been forever since I’d thought about that. One day the town was abuzz with the gossip, then there was nothing. No one spoke a word about it.