by Eve Gaddy
“You know I hate that. Besides, I’m a crappy bartender.”
“Tough. Deal with it.”
“All right, but you owe me for this, Cam.”
“I owe you for more than that,” Cam said.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE SHAKES HIT HER about the time she reached her room. She had to sit on the bed until they eased. She wasn’t surprised. She’d known Avery would hire a private detective. But she hadn’t expected him to find her. Had prayed he wouldn’t. Not here, in this out-of-the-way small town.
But he hadn’t found her, she reminded herself. Not yet. It brought it home to her, though, just how easily he might have. If she’d walked into the bar…
She got up, opened the closet and dragged out her backpack. Checked the wallet for the cash she’d been hoarding. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long to count. Not as much as she’d like, but more than she had the last time she ran. Enough to get by for a few weeks, if she were careful. Until she found another job, in another town.
Away from Cam.
She couldn’t think about Cam. If she did she’d weaken. And she knew it was way past time for her to go. She rushed around the room, picking up the few personal items she’d left scattered around and stuffing them in the worn backpack.
“What are you doing?” Cam said from the doorway.
She stopped and looked at him. Stared at him for a moment, knowing that soon, she’d only see that face in her memory. “You know what I’m doing. I’m leaving.”
“Delilah, I told you. The detective is gone and he won’t be back. He has no reason to think you’re here. That makes you as safe here as you are anywhere.”
“That’s not the only reason I’m leaving.” She dropped her backpack and faced him. “I can’t do this anymore, Cam. I thought I could but—I can’t. I can’t see you every day and know that you hate me. And that I deserve it.”
He walked into the room and shut the door. “I don’t hate you.”
“I lied to you.”
“I don’t give a damn about that.” He crossed the room to her. Stood in front of her, not touching her, but looking at her intently. Then he took her face in his hands. “The only thing I care about is this,” he said, and kissed her.
His mouth moved over hers slowly, deliberately. His tongue swept inside, taking possession, making her his. Sealing her to him, branding her soul. Her arms crept around his neck. She could no more resist him than she could stop breathing.
“Stay,” he murmured, slipping his arms around her. “Stay with me.”
She looked into his eyes, her heart in her throat. “I want to. More than I’ve ever wanted anything. But I can’t.” Oh, God. Her heart turned over in her chest. And broke.
“I love you, Delilah.”
Her resistance crumbled into dust. She was lost, lost in his gaze, lost in the feel of his arms around her. In the sound of his voice saying he loved her.
His mouth crushed hers as he kissed her deeply, passionately. Her blood sizzled as she returned the kiss. One of his arms banded around her, holding her close, pressing her against him. His other hand closed over her breast and he kneaded it roughly. She couldn’t think. Could hardly breathe. She only knew she wanted him. Needed him.
Loved him.
He backed her up against the wall. His leg slid between hers, his thigh felt hard and so good she nearly fainted. She rode his thigh as he kissed her, his tongue plunging deeply and retreating, mimicking lovemaking. She tightened her arms around his neck, holding on, never wanting to let go.
He let her slide down off his leg and she moaned and closed her eyes at the loss of contact. But then she felt him unzip her jeans, pull them down her legs. She kicked off her shoes and pulled the jeans the rest of the way off. He picked her up, his hands beneath her bottom, and she wrapped her legs around him, sex against sex. She could feel him thick and hard and straining beneath the denim.
They rocked together as they kissed, the friction between their bodies increasing until she couldn’t wait any longer. He let her slide down again, then she fumbled with his pants, trying to get them undone. He had to push her hands aside and help her because his erection made it nearly impossible to get the jeans off. But he did.
He picked her up again, bracing them both against the wall, pulled the panties aside and slid home with a deep, hard thrust. The shock of him, the feel of him inside her almost undid her. She started convulsing immediately and he whispered things that only made her come harder as he stroked in and out of her. He bent his head and sucked on her nipple through her shirt and her bra, pulling hard until she thought her head was going to blow wide open.
He raised his head and their eyes locked. He pushed up and she drove herself down and she saw his eyes close and felt his muscles tighten and then he spasmed endlessly and filled her. Hot, hard, the tension built to another crest and she cried out his name as she came again.
THEY WERE LYING IN HIS BED, naked, and Cam knew he should get dressed and get back to work, but he didn’t care. Martha and Gabe could handle the restaurant for a little longer. He wanted to make love to Delilah again. He looked at her and saw her watching him, her eyes solemn.
He rolled on his side, raising up on his elbow. Tracing a finger over her breast, lightly across her nipple, he watched it pearl. Her breasts were full and beautiful. He wondered what they’d be like if she were heavy with child. With his child. “We didn’t use a condom. Could I have gotten you pregnant?”
“No. I had a shot.” She smiled faintly at his puzzled look. “There’s a birth control shot. It’s good for several months.”
He hadn’t known. Why would he? He hadn’t trusted a woman enough to take her word for it on what she used for birth control.
“I’m healthy,” she said. “I had a blood test. So did he. He insisted on it before we got ma—” She broke off, and her gaze fell.
“Delilah, look at me.” He waited until she did to continue. “I meant it when I said I love you. I want you to marry me.”
Her eyes searching his, she was quiet for a long moment. “If I file for divorce he’ll find me. Maybe not immediately but eventually, he’ll find me.”
He couldn’t deny it. “Yes. But then you’ll be free.”
He wanted to reassure her, promise to protect her, but he knew there was still a risk as well as she did. And ultimately, she had to reach the decision by herself.
Her gaze was solemn. Then she smiled, the sun breaking over the water. “I love you, Cam. I’ll marry you.”
After that there was nothing left to do but make love to her.
A LONG TIME LATER, Delilah got up and began to get dressed. “Can you leave Gabe and Martha in charge of the restaurant for a while longer?” she asked Cam.
He was still lying in bed, watching her. Wearing a sexy smile and nothing else. She couldn’t help smiling back.
“Probably. Why?”
“I want you to take me to the police station. To talk to Maggie.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“There’s no reason not to, now that I’ve decided to file for divorce. He’s going to know where I am soon enough. There’s no reason not to go to the police now.”
He got up and pulled on his jeans. “Are you going to press charges, then?”
“Yes. And I’m going to tell Maggie about his first wife. Even if they never prove it, at least I’ll have tried.” She sighed and picked up the backpack. “I got away from him. She never had a chance.”
He zipped his jeans, then walked over and kissed her. “You’re doing the right thing. The police can help you. Protect you. And so will I.”
He had a lot more faith in the police than she did, but she let that go. It didn’t matter. She’d made up her mind that loving Cam and being with him was worth any risk she had to take.
Half an hour later they were sitting in the station waiting for Maggie to get there. Ten minutes after that, she walked in looking very much at ease and in charge. She glanced at Cam, th
en turned that sharp cop’s gaze on Delilah. She didn’t look particularly happy to see her.
Big surprise.
Maggie nodded at both of them, then sat in her chair on the other side of the battered desk. “Sorry it took me so long. We had a cow in the middle of town and we couldn’t locate the owner.”
Cam smiled. “Mr. Eibert’s?”
“Who else?” She smiled back at him and Delilah was struck by how much the smile changed her expression. She looked soft, feminine. And nothing like a cop.
No wonder she doesn’t like me, Delilah thought. She’s in love with Cam.
“What can I do for you? You didn’t say what this was about when you called, Cam.” Neither of them spoke. Maggie looked from one to the other. “Why don’t we take this to an interview room,” she said after a moment.
As soon as they were seated in the small room, bare except for a desk, chairs and a coffeemaker, Delilah began. She saw no reason to beat around the bush. “I want to file charges against my husband. For assault, or abuse, or whatever it’s called.”
To her credit, Maggie did no more than blink. “You have rights under the Texas family violence statutes. If a judge believes the charges have merit, then your husband can be arrested.” She pulled out a form and started writing on it. “Are you in immediate danger?”
“She will be once he knows where she is,” Cam said. “And she’s afraid he’ll figure that out once she files charges.”
“Then you should ask for a restraining order. If there’s a divorce pending—”
“There isn’t. I went to a lawyer but I didn’t file. My—he found out. That’s when he—” She broke off, faltering under Maggie’s steady gaze. “That’s when he hurt me. As soon as I find a lawyer here, I’m going to file for divorce.”
“I can take care of getting a temporary restraining order,” Maggie said.
“Once that’s issued he can’t come near her?” Cam asked.
“That’s right. If he violates it I can arrest him.” She wrote something down and said, “But the temporary order is only good for two weeks. Once you file for divorce, your lawyer will ask for a permanent order of protection.” She waited a minute and added, “Have you considered going to a shelter? I can give you a list of shelters in the area—”
“No. I won’t go to one,” Delilah said. “I had a friend in an abusive relationship. She went to a shelter. She’s dead now. Her boyfriend found it, followed her to the bus stop and shot her.”
Maggie was quiet for a moment, then she said, “I’m sorry. But regardless of what happened to your friend, that’s the exception rather than the rule.”
“He’ll find me whether I go to a shelter or not. That’s one reason I haven’t been to the police. Because I didn’t want him to find me.” But in order to get on with her life, she had to face the fact that in all likelihood he’d discover where she was. And would come after her. Though she was determined to see it through, the thought of facing Avery again made her stomach tighten with nerves.
“I can only assure you that we’ll do our best to enforce the order of protection and ensure your safety.”
She said it stiffly and Delilah knew she’d offended her.
“That wasn’t a slam against your department, Maggie,” Cam said. “Once you hear Delilah’s story you’ll know why she’s so scared of the bastard.”
“I’m a cop, Cam. I’m familiar with the dangers of family violence.” She opened a drawer and pulled out a notebook. Picked up a pen and said, “All right. Tell me what happened.”
Delilah hadn’t expected it to be easy to tell her story again, and especially not to someone already hostile to her. But she had to admire Maggie. Whatever she thought about Delilah, she took her statement without any indication that Delilah was anything other than a woman needing her professional help. And while it wasn’t easy, Delilah did find some satisfaction in finally telling the story to the police.
Delilah didn’t go into detail, she just told her what Avery had done, baldly and without embellishment. It didn’t take long, especially since she didn’t tell her about the murder. No, she’d save that for later.
When she finished, she looked at Maggie, waiting for the questions to begin.
“Did you go to the police?”
Delilah shook her head.
“A hospital?”
“No. I didn’t go to anyone. I ran like hell because I was afraid I’d killed him. And if I hadn’t, I knew he’d kill me. So I ran.”
“If he died in the fall—”
“He didn’t,” Delilah interrupted. “Cam let me use his computer. I didn’t find any mention of his death.” She shuddered. “Besides, I know he’s alive because he hired a private investigator to look for me. He came to the Scarlet Parrot.”
“The P.I. said Freeman filed a missing person’s report on Delilah,” Cam said.
“That’s why I wouldn’t give you my license that day,” Delilah told Maggie. “I was afraid he had.”
Maggie didn’t quite smile. “Under the circumstances, I don’t think we’ll let Mr. Freeman know we’ve found his missing wife.” She made some more notes, then looked at Delilah. “Anything else?”
“Yes.” She looked at Cam, then back to Maggie. “I think Avery killed his first wife.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
MAGGIE BLINKED. “Why didn’t you tell me this to begin with?”
Delilah looked down at her hands, clasped together in her lap. “I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me. And I have no proof, just suspicions.”
“She may not have any proof,” Cam put in, “but she has good reason to believe he killed the woman.”
Maggie flicked him a glance. “I need to hear this from Delilah.”
He gave Maggie a long look, but didn’t say anything else.
“Why do you think he murdered his wife?”
“He said she died in a car accident, that she ran off the road when she was driving drunk. That was the excuse he gave me for getting rid of my car. That he was scared I’d have an accident like she did.”
She reached down for her backpack, unzipped it and pulled out the diary. Laid it on Maggie’s desk and said, “Her name was Anita. This is her diary. I found it when he locked me up.”
Maggie didn’t touch it. “Something in the diary leads you to believe he killed her?”
Delilah nodded. “She was allergic to alcohol in any form.”
Maggie frowned. “That’s all you have?”
“No. I know what he said to me when he found out I’d been to the lawyer. He said I wasn’t going to divorce him. He said that that bitch Anita had thought she could divorce him but she’d found out different. He’d taught her respect before she died. And then he laughed and said I’d better be careful, that accidents happen all the time.”
Maggie sighed and tapped her pen on the desk. “All right, it’s suspicious. But it’s a long way from proof. Do you know anything about this accident?”
“Just what I read in the papers on the Internet. It was ruled accidental death. Her car went off an embankment and exploded on impact.” She went on to tell her what she’d told Cam. “It wasn’t an accident,” she finished. “It was cold-blooded murder.”
Maggie stared at her for a long moment. Delilah couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She looked, if anything, a little dense, but Delilah didn’t think for one minute that Maggie Barnes was dumb.
Finally she sighed. “All right. I have a friend in the Houston PD, I’ll see what she can find out.”
Cam and Delilah exchanged glances. “There could be a problem with that,” Cam said. “And with arresting him on the assault charges, too. Can you do that, or will the Houston police arrest him?”
“Houston.”
“Damn. There’s no way you can do it?”
Maggie shook her head. “I can ask for the warrant but Houston will serve it. What’s the problem?”
“He has friends in the police department,” Delilah said. “I don’t know who they a
re, but I got the impression they were important.”
“What are you suggesting? Are you saying the police had knowledge of his crime and covered it up?”
For the first time, Maggie showed some emotion and that emotion was anger. Well, she was a cop, what had Delilah expected?
“No.” Not necessarily, she thought, but it was possible. “I’m saying he has friends and if there’s an inquiry into the accident, he might find out. For all I know, they could warn him that there’s a warrant out for his arrest.”
“First murder, now police corruption,” Maggie muttered. “What the hell do you expect me to do if you tie my hands like this? Call the Rangers in to investigate the department? On your say-so?”
“I didn’t say they did anything wrong. And I don’t care about that. All I care about is that Avery is charged with assault and that someone tries to find out if he murdered his first wife.”
“Then you’re going to have to let me talk to my friend. I can’t find out any more about that accident than anyone else. It’s a closed accident case from over a year ago and it’s not even in my county.”
Delilah looked at Cam. “You’ve come this far,” he said. “I think you have to trust Maggie.”
“Maggie’s not the one I don’t trust.”
“I went to cop school with this woman. I know her, she’s a friend of mine. And if there’s anything I’m sure of, it’s that she’s a good cop.”
You’ve come this far, Cam had said. She had to trust, had to hope that it would work out for the best. “All right,” she said reluctantly. “Talk to her.”
Maggie nodded briskly. “Don’t expect any quick results on that.”
“What about the other charges? What are the chances that he’ll be prosecuted?”
“That’s not my department. You need a lawyer.”
“Come on, Maggie,” Cam said. “You’re bound to have an idea.”
She hesitated, looked from one to the other. “You won’t like it,” she told them both. “With no proof, no witnesses, no photos, no doctor or hospital visits, and especially given the fact he’s likely to have a slick lawyer, chances are the charges will be dropped.”