“Why do you think that?” she asked, like she was looking for any and every reason for him to be wrong.
“Well, the murder weapon was the same.”
“But—” Her gaze bounced around frantically, and I died a little inside for her. “There have to be a million knives out there like that.”
Lincoln’s face washed with sympathy. “His parents told the cops he’d been clean for over a year, darlin’. Shortly after you ended things. He went to rehab and had just gotten his one year chip a few months before he died. According to them, he always had that chip on him. Carried it around like a good luck charm. It was the only thing missin’ when they found his body.”
I understood exactly what she was struggling with. I’d struggled too when Linc first told me earlier. I’d tried to reason that away when I heard it, but even being found in a crack house, his wallet was still in his pants pocket with cash and credit cards inside.
A bubble of manic laughter passed her lips as more tears fell free. “Someone’s killing people because of me.”
“Angel—”
“Someone killed people because of me!” She shot off the couch and across the room before I could catch her. “Martin wasn’t a bad guy! I mean, sure, he could be a jerk, but being a jerk isn’t a reason to kill someone!”
“Tempie—” I tried again, but it was no use.
“And Harley never did anything but be mean to me! And my p-parents—” She choked on that last word before her face crumbled and she broke down. Her cries were muffled by her hands, but her entire body convulsed with the strength of each sob.
I crossed the room in just a few strides, wrapping her in my arms and pulling her against my chest. Each whimper and hiccup that came from her killed me a thousand times over.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” I whispered against her hair.
Her fingers twisted in the material of my shirt, pulling it tight as she tried to burrow even closer, as if she were trying to escape into me. “I c-can’t believe this is h-happening,” she stuttered against my chest.
“I know, angel. But just stay with me a little while longer, okay? Leo and Micah just have a few more questions, then this’ll all be over. I promise.”
Her fingers squeezed harder, her back rising with deep, steadying breaths, and I knew right then that she was fighting to regain control. My woman, so goddamn strong.
A few seconds later, she finally lifted her head and stood tall. “Yeah.” She nodded with determination. “Okay. I’m okay now.”
My chest swelled with pride. Taking her hand in mine, I led her back to the couch, pulling her down right against me and winding an arm around her waist.
“All right,” she muttered, looking to Micah and Leo. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Can you tell us what you know about Perry Frasier?”
Her back went tense, but I held her close, offering her as much silent support as I could. “Not much, really. I mean, we only went on a couple of dates. I can tell you he moved around before coming to Chicago, but I don’t know where. I can tell you he’s been following me, and I can tell you he’s a raging asshole, but that’s about it.”
Leo looked at her curiously before asking, “So you didn’t know he lived in Hidalgo from age five to nineteen?”
I felt the answer in the stiffness of her body before she said a word. “You’re kidding, right? That guy grew up two freaking towns over?”
“He did. And you don’t recall ever seeing him or running into him?”
“No!” She shook her head so hard her hair whipped around, hitting me in the arm. “No. I never knew. I didn’t… Holy shit.” She slapped her hands over her mouth. “Do you… do you think it’s him who’s been doing this? Why would he do this?”
“We don’t know, but you have our word that we’ll get to the bottom of it,” Leo assured her.
“In the meantime,” I started, pulling her attention back to me, “don’t answer anymore unknown calls. And you’re not to go anywhere alone. That includes the barn or out for a ride on Stargazer.”
“But—”
I lifted my hand, covering her lips with my index and middle fingers when she began to argue. “You already know Linc runs a private investigation and security firm in town, and you’re officially job number one for him and his men.”
She looked over my shoulder in Lincoln’s direction with wide, frightened eyes.
“He’s also installing a security system here at the house. He’ll teach you how to use it when he’s done, and I want that thing set morning, noon, and night, even when you’re home. Got it?”
I was geared up for a showdown, but then her crystal-clear eyes hit mine and she simply nodded in agreement. That was when I knew, despite the brave face she was putting on, she was completely and utterly terrified.
And I swore right then and there that, whoever he was, I was going to hunt the fucker down who put that fear into my woman and make him suffer so goddamn bad he’d wish he’d never been born.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Temperance
I lost track of time as I lay in my bed, staring out the window at the beautiful view beyond the glass, but I must have been up there for quite a while. The sun was starting its descent behind the mountains and hills, and the constant whirring sound of the power tools coming from downstairs had stopped a while ago, replaced with muffled male voices. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I didn’t need to hear the words to know what they were talking about. They’d been talking about the same damn thing all afternoon and well into the evening.
Me.
The voices grew louder, and I could hear the thump of multiple boots. A second later, the front door opened, followed by the sound of engines rumbling to life.
The door closed as tires kicked up gravel, and I waited, lying in the same position, curled up on my side in a tight, protective ball.
I felt Hayes’s presence the moment he hit the doorway, but I didn’t move, keeping my back to him and the door.
“They gone?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah.” His response was followed by his footsteps entering the room. The mattress depressed, and a moment later his hand landed softly on my hip, but still I didn’t move.
“Lincoln didn’t teach me how to use the alarm,” I muttered, my voice revealing exactly how drained my heart and body felt.
“He showed me before he left so I could show you. But that can wait ’til tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“You want me to make you somethin’ to eat?”
At just the mention of food, my stomach revolted, twisting and churning violently. “I’m not hungry.”
“Angel,” he started, his tone so soft and full of concern that I had to close my eyes against a flood of tears. “It’s late. You haven’t had anything since breakfast.”
I continued with my short, monotone responses. “So?”
“So, you need to eat.”
“Like I said, I’m not hungry.”
At that, his hand pressed harder and forced me to roll until I hit my back. Hayes leaned in, placing a hand on the bed on either side of me and caging me in place. “Baby, I know you got hit with a whole lot today, but we’ll get through this. I promise.”
My sinuses began to burn, and the need to cry grew so overwhelming that the vision of Hayes blurred as tears pooled and spilled from my eyes, trailing down into the hair at my temples. “Someone’s killing people, Hayes. Five people are dead, and the one common denominator with all of them is me. That means their blood is on my hands. And the worst thing is I don’t even know why. How am I supposed to get through that, huh?”
His face turned to granite as he bent lower, coming so close that I could feel his breath whisper across my face as he clipped, “Their blood is not on your hands. You got me? You are not to blame for any of this, Tempie. The only one to blame is the motherfuckin’ psycho out there taking lives.”
“Hayes—”
&n
bsp; “No,” he snapped fiercely. “I’m not gonna let you do this. I’m not gonna let you lie in here and wallow, blaming yourself for something you had absolutely no control over.”
I pulled in a stuttered breath, my heart pounding hard against my ribs as I reached up to caress his cheek. “Thank you.” I was walking a razor-fine line after everything I’d learned today. If it weren’t for Hayes and his strength, there was no telling how far I’d let this drag me down.
“We’re gonna get him, baby. And he’s gonna pay. You have my word.” I hoped he was right, and that they found him before anyone else died. “Now, how about you come back downstairs and I’ll make us some dinner.”
“I can cook,” I replied, sifting my fingers into his dark locks. His hair had grown out over the past couple of weeks and was getting a little unruly, but the truth was, I loved it that way. He had a great head of hair.
His eyes warmed, and one corner of his mouth tugged up in a half grin. “You’ve had a hard day, Tempie. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“No offense, honey, but you’ve explained your culinary skills, and while your spaghetti was good, I’m not really in the mood for it. It’s too cold for you to grill, and I stopped eating mac and cheese with cut-up hot dogs in it when I was about twelve.”
His laughter was so hard and loud that it shook the bed, and all I could do was lie there and stare, getting lost in its sheer beauty.
“No offense taken,” he said a while later, still chuckling. “And just so you know, I quit eating mac and cheese with cut-up hot dogs when I was about ten. But I can make a mean grilled cheese, and I spotted a can of tomato soup in the pantry. That work for you?”
“Depends,” I said with a playful shrug. “Can I have two slices of cheese on my sandwich?”
His grin morphed into a full-blown smile that made my belly flip. “You want two slices, then that’s what you’ll get.”
He got to his feet and pulled me off the bed, keeping my hand in his as he led me from the bedroom and down the stairs. I’d been content to just sit and keep him company while he cooked, but when he opened the can of soup, dumped it into a pot, and set it to simmer, I had to intervene.
I let him handle the sandwiches, but I took over the soup, adding milk so it had that creamy texture that made it so damn good. He’d looked at me like I’d lost my mind, but when I poured his into a bowl and made him try it, he quickly relented that my way was better.
Fortunately, He hadn’t been wrong about the sandwiches. The bread was perfectly grilled on both sides, and the cheese was nice and gooey.
After we ate, he tried to give me a quick rundown of my new security system that turned into a long, in-depth tutoring session when it became obvious that Lincoln’s extensive system went way beyond my capabilities. The damn thing looked like it belonged in a space system or Fort Knox. It took him four attempts at showing me before he forced me to try it on my own. The first time, I set the thing off before I even put in the code. The second time, I got the code wrong. I finally got it on the third try, but something in my gut told me I would probably accidentally set the thing off so many times that Lincoln’s guys and the police were going to get sick of me.
After the day I’d had, I was so emotionally drained that I was physically weighed down by it. It felt like I was carrying sandbags on my shoulders, so when Hayes pulled me down on the couch with him and turned on the TV, I was more than happy to let him shift me around until he was lying on his back with me half on top of him and half tucked into the back of the sofa.
He flipped through the channels so fast that my eyes began to blur before one of them caught my attention. “Ooh, there. Go back one.”
He turned the channel to the one I indicated. It was one of my favorite Parks and Recreation episodes, the perfect show to get my mind off all the heavy I’d just suffered through.
“What is this?” he asked with what sounded like a sneer.
“Give it a chance,” I replied on a grin. “Trust me, you’ll like it. Ron Swanson is totally your kinda guy.”
We lapsed into silence as the episode played out, and it wasn’t long before I felt the vibrations and heard the rumble of Hayes’s soft laughter. “All right,” he conceded once it ended. “I’ll hand it to you. That’s a pretty good show.”
Another episode started up, and we lay together watching it. It was halfway over when the exhaustion of the day’s events finally became too much, and I started to doze right there on Hayes’s chest. As if sensing it, he began to move. I squeezed him with the arm resting around his middle to stop him as he tried to sit up.
“What are ya doin’?” I mumbled sleepily.
“Takin’ you to bed, baby. You’re about to pass out.”
“No.” I squeezed again. “I wanna stay down here with you.”
His fingers dragged through my hair as he settled back in. “You sure?”
“Mmmhmm.” I nodded against his solid chest. “I’m comfy.”
He let out a quiet laugh and locked both his arms around me.
A few minutes passed when something he’d said earlier came back to me. “Hayes?”
“Hmm?”
“How am I supposed to work if I have one of Lincoln’s guys dogging my every step?”
His body moved with a deep inhale, and I got the strong impression that he was gearing up to say something he knew I wasn’t going to like. “I don’t want you goin’ into the diner. At least for a little while,” he finished quickly when my whole body tensed up.
I lifted my head slowly. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Tempie—”
But it was too late. Breaking from his arms, I sat up and swung a leg over him so I was straddling his waist. “I mean, you must be,” I said loudly, slapping my hands down on his chest. “’Cause you can’t possibly mean you want me holed up in this house twenty-four hours a day for god knows how long!”
“Christ, Tempie,” Hayes grunted when I gave him another smack. Shooting up to sitting, he wrapped his arms around me so tight that my hands were pinned between us. “Quit hittin’ me for one goddamn second and let me explain.”
Narrowing my eyes in a glare, I muttered, “This better be good.”
“You’ve got some asshole psycho out there stalkin’ you, and god only knows what he’s capable of. You can hate it all you want, but my first and only concern is your safety.” Okay, so that was good, but there was no way in hell I’d admit that to him.
“Ralph’s not exactly a chump. No way in hell Perry or anyone else would be stupid enough to go head-to-head with that man. He’d rip them limb from limb with his bare hands.”
Hayes shook his head and smiled like I was being funny. “Tempie, Ralph’s been made aware of what’s goin’ down. I’d be willin’ to bet my paycheck that you step foot in that diner, he’ll throw you over his shoulder and cart your ass right back here.”
Son of a bitch. He had a point, and while I hated to admit it, he was also probably right. “But what about the hospital? They’re expecting me in two weeks. I can’t exactly call them up to say, ‘Oh hey, sorry. You know how I’m supposed to be starting soon? Well that’ll have to be delayed until my badass cop fiancé catches the guy going around killing people I know.’ I’m pretty sure they’ll bar the doors on me after that.”
Understanding filled his eyes, and his arms loosened so he could reach up and cup my chin. “We’ve got two weeks until we have to cross that bridge, sweetheart. You have my word that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure this is done before then.”
Crap. It was impossible to keep my anger brewing when he was being so damn sweet. I slid my arms around his shoulders and took a deep breath. “Okay,” I said on a whisper. “I’ll play it your way. But I reserve the right to renegotiate if we hit the two-week mark and this is still an issue.”
His teeth flashed in a wide smile. “I accept those terms.”
I couldn’t help but smile in return as I leaned in and brushed my lips against h
is. “Want to shake on it?”
His hands slid down my body to grab my ass. “I know a much better way to close a deal than a fuckin’ handshake.”
I let out a loud peal of laughter as he shot up from the couch with me still wrapped around him.
Then he headed up the stairs to our bedroom and proceeded to show me that his way of sealing a deal was a whole lot more fun than mine.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Temperance
Rolling to my back, I opened my eyes on a heavy sigh and spent the next minute counting the ceiling fan’s rotations before finally forcing myself from the bed and padding into the bathroom.
It was day three of my house arrest, and already I was going out of my mind. I went about my routine before getting dressed and finally heading downstairs.
Hayes was standing at the kitchen island, a steaming mug of coffee in his hand, with a guy I’d never seen before sitting on one of my barstools across from him.
“Mornin’, angel. This is Bryce. He’s one of Linc’s guys.”
Of course he was. In three days, I’d met three different men who worked at Lincoln’s security company. I wasn’t sure what their hiring process was, but as far as I could tell, one of the requirements to work at Alpha Omega Investigations was that you had to be smokin’ hot.
I looked to the man now known as Bryce, and gave him a little nod. “So you’re the one stuck on Tempie detail today,” I mumbled as I headed for the coffeepot. “I’ll just go ahead and apologize in advance for the long, boring day you’re about face.”
His laugh was warm and full of humor. “Didn’t get stuck, sweetheart. I volunteered. We all did.” That took me by surprise, and I spun around to get my first real look at him. He had eyes a unique shade of jade green that were incredibly attractive. In fact, there wasn’t much about him that wasn’t attractive. If I didn’t already have the hottest man in all of Virginia, I probably would have gone for that. Lucky for me, I already had the most amazing, most handsome man in the world as my own.
Come Back Home Again (Hope Valley Book 2) Page 21