“Why would I do that? Why would you want me to do that? After what he did to you? That doesn’t make any sense, Angie!”
He was getting out of bed, grabbing his clothes.
“Marcus! Stop!”
He froze halfway to the door.
“Let me explain myself.”
He grunted.
She took that to mean that she could. “I need help. With Charming’s expansion. And the Rivers family owns the land that I need to make things work.”
“You want me to let him off the hook so you can build a few houses?”
“It’s more than that, Marcus! It’s to build a school!”
He shook his head. “I can’t, Angie. I can’t just not do my job. You know that. What Jimmy Rivers did… I can’t forgive that. I can’t forgive that he almost killed you. That he hurt you. I… I can’t…”
“Marcus…” she said, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around herself. Angie walked up to Marcus and came close to him. “I know. I know that you can’t just let it go. You can’t forgive him. And I can’t, either. But I need this land. I need Joanna Rivers to work with me.”
“So, that’s it? You’re going to go to Joanna Rivers, negotiate some land for me standing down, and we’ll just go on our merry ways? He tried to kill you!”
She opened her mouth to say something – anything – but Marcus had left the room. She followed him into the living room and he entered the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. She heard the shower kick on and she sat down heavily on the couch, defeated.
I hadn’t wanted it to come to this. But what did I expect? He’s a lawman, through and through. And I’m asking him to ignore those principals, to let Jimmy Rivers off the hook for shooting me.
If I can put aside my anger and our differences for the greater good, why can’t Marcus?
She sat in contemplation until she heard the shower turn off, then she got up and headed back into the bedroom. She expected Marcus to come into the bedroom and talk to her but that didn’t happen. After waiting for nearly ten minutes, she left the bedroom and saw that he had already gotten in his borrowed police car and left the house.
What have I done?
Angie knew – in the bottom of her heart – that what she was doing wasn’t right. She shouldn’t have asked Marcus, she shouldn’t have even been doing it.
But I need this deal to go through. It’s bigger than me. It’s bigger than Marcus and Jimmy Rivers. It’s bigger than all of us. It’s even bigger than Charming. I can have a positive impact on these kids. They can have the education they deserve, right here in Charming.
That has to be worth something, right?
She wasn’t so sure, anymore.
Slowly, Angie got around. She hopped in the shower, found some clothes, and decided to head into town. She’d already ruined a perfectly good morning, something she’d been looking forward to for weeks now. She had to find Joanna Rivers before the trail started later in the afternoon and make her offer beforehand.
What if she doesn’t accept? Did I start a fight for absolutely no reason? And… what if he doesn’t forgive me?
Their relationship was still in its infancy but Angie already knew she cared about Marcus more than anyone else. She hoped that he felt the same way. If she’d just done something to ruin their relationship before they had the chance to explore it, she didn’t think she would ever be able to forgive herself. The thought made her sick to her stomach.
But the damage is done. I’ve already decided what I’m going to do, and I’m going to stick with it. I have to.
She didn’t know if that was true or not, but she was going to do it just the same.
She’d never been to the Rivers’ house but she knew exactly where it was. It was outside of town on a massive expanse of ranch land.
Angie followed the massive paved driveway around a bend surrounded by some trees, marveling at just how green everything was – she hadn’t expected much in Arizona, but if anyone could afford to keep their yard green, it would be Joanna Rivers.
The house – if it could even be called that – was one of the largest Angie had ever seen, and she’d seen a lot. She had money, but she didn’t think she could even begin to afford the Rivers’ house. It was more akin to a mansion or castle than a regular house.
And standing out in front of it was none other than Joanna Rivers. Angie had to suppress a shiver; she had no idea how Joanna had known she was coming up the driveway.
Don’t be silly. There has to be something I tripped, some sensor, a camera…
And why is she so paranoid?
But Angie couldn’t completely blame her. After the murders conducted by Mayor Copeland, one could never be too careful.
“You must be Angie Campbell,” Joanna Rivers said as Angie stepped out of her car. “Marcus has told me a lot about you.”
Marcus? I didn’t know they were on a first name basis. And what has he been saying to her?
“And you’re Joanna Rivers,” Angie replied. She’d seen Joanna Rivers in passing before she’d left for New York, but she’d never seen her up close. She was older than Angie, but no less beautiful. She had confidence that many women would kill to have her power and beauty.
She felt instant jealousy towards the woman. Angie knew that Joanna Rivers had tried to seduce Marcus, even if Marcus hadn’t called it that. That was something she was not okay with.
“Let’s cut right to the chase,” Angie continued before Joanna Rivers could say any different. She didn’t want to be here anymore than Joanna wanted her here, and the sooner they were done talking, the better.
“Okay,” Joanna said with narrowed eyes. “But make it quick –”
“Your brother’s trial is today.”
“And you and Marcus are going to send him away for life,” she spat, all traces of her earlier coolness gone.
“I don’t want that,” Angie said. Joanna Rivers looked skeptical. “I don’t forgive him for what he did, but I don’t want to get him locked up, either.”
“Then what do you want?” she asked. Angie couldn’t help but give the slightest grin; Joanna Rivers was quick. She knew that Angie wouldn’t be coming out to her house if she didn’t want something.
“I want the land directly east of town, along the highway. Enough acreage for a school, football field – anything I need for that, really. You tell me how much you’re willing to let go and I won’t testify against your brother.”
“I’m willing to let go of none.”
“Then I’m going to do everything I can to get your brother locked up for the rest of his life,” Angie said, her voice just as icy as Joanna Rivers’.
And with that, Angie turned back to her car. Her hand was on the handle when she heard from behind her, “Wait.”
She turned and saw that Joanna Rivers was looking unsure. Angie could tell she was warring with her instincts of not giving up anything, yet if she didn’t, her brother would wind up in jail.
He might wind up in jail, anyway. But she doesn’t need to know that.
“Fine.”
“Okay,” Angie said, opening the door. “I’ll be in touch.”
“One question,” she said. Angie paused again. “How’d you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Convince Marcus to let him off? I tried everything, and nothing I did seemed to work.”
Angie shot her a nasty look and climbed into the car and drove down the driveway without even a glance back at Joanna Rivers.
Angie didn’t know why, but she didn’t like the woman. She didn’t trust her, either.
Well, I know why. She’s after Marcus and she’ll do anything to get him on her side. She doesn’t care for him; she just wants to use him. And I won’t let that happen.
Angie headed back into Charming. She glanced at the clock and saw that there were a few hours until she needed to be in Haven for the trial against Jimmy Rivers. That meant she had some time to kill.
She drove past the Sheriff’s Department and sa
w that Marcus’s car was parked out front. The door was closed but she knew he was in there. She considered stopping and talking to him, at least trying to make things right – but she couldn’t face him right then.
Not after I just made a deal with Joanna Rivers behind his back. Will he come around? Will he understand why I did what I did? Or…
She couldn’t finish the thought.
Instead of stopping at the Sheriff’s Department, she instead drove to the main strip of Charming. There wasn’t much there. She passed the Mayor’s old office – the window where Marcus had thrown the man to his death was still boarded up with a piece of plywood like an old and ugly scar.
And underneath it, walking out of their father’s old office, were Stu and Cliff Copeland. Angie’s heart exploded in her chest and her vision narrowed. Her breathing became labored.
She drove past them, pulled into the space in front of the new coffee shop she’d brought to Charming, and tried to catch her breath.
She hadn’t seen any of the Copelands since the day that their father had tried to kill her. Their older brother, Dean, was dead – murdered by his own father to cover up his involvement in the plot to kill her, her assistant, and anyone that stood in their way.
As far as she could tell – Marcus, as well – neither Stu nor Cliff were guilty of being part of their father’s scheme. Stu had been there on one of the nights she’d almost been killed by blind luck and she truly knew nothing of Cliff except she’d seen him try to stop a fight in the bar a long time ago, but seeing them wasn’t easy.
It brought back bad memories that she wished she could suppress.
Angie decided that she’d already had enough of Charming for the day. Between Joanna Rivers and seeing the Copelands, plus her fight with Marcus – she decided it was time for her to head over to Haven. She could grab some lunch before the trial would begin.
She knew she would see Marcus there and she hoped they could talk and patch things up. She hoped he realized just how important the school was for Charming and that she was really doing this for everyone’s best interest.
She’d only been back in Charming for one evening and she already felt like she’d overstayed her welcome. She wanted nothing more than to wind up in Marcus’s arms, to tell him that she was sorry and he was right and that everything would be better…
But instead she drove to Haven.
Chapter 5
Marcus sat by himself outside of the courthouse, his car door open and his feet kicked up through the open window. He had his seat all of the way laid back, the car off – and he was thinking about what he’d just done.
The trial had went quickly. He didn’t know if what he’d done was the right or wrong choice – but he didn’t feel great about it, regardless.
Angie had already been there when he had arrived, as had Jimmy Rivers. And to his great disgust, so were agents Augustus West and his two flunkies. They were situated way in the back, watching like the predators they were. Marcus had shot them a look but had otherwise avoided them.
The trial – if I could be called that – was a disaster. Joanna Rivers had obviously thrown a lot of her money behind the case. Jimmy Rivers’ lawyer was some hotshot from Los Angeles that Marcus had never heard of. Even if Angie hadn’t decided to give a less than enthusiastic retelling of the events, Marcus didn’t think they would have won, anyway.
So Marcus had sucked it up and given his view of what had happened – yet he hadn’t been as hard as he had been planning to. What was the point? Jimmy Rivers was already going to get off with a warning – a couple year’s worth of probation, some community service he would probably serve for his sister – and he was already a free man.
Marcus wanted them to throw the book at the man. He’d wanted to tell the judge that Jimmy had almost killed Angie, even if she didn’t present her case as such. He’d wanted to yell at the jury, the judge, everyone in the courtroom and let them know that no matter what happened – Marcus wouldn’t forget.
Instead, he’d just given his side of the story and not let his personal feelings get involved. Looking at Angie, he knew it was maybe the right choice.
I don’t want our relationship to crumble over this. I know why she’s doing it – even if I don’t like it. She’s doing it for the greater good. At least, that’s how she sees it. She’s trying to help at her own expense, even if she’s going about it in a roundabout way.
Joanna Rivers was in the courtroom, too. She kept flashing Marcus smiles yet he had no idea what it was about.
But now the trial was over. Angie had disappeared from the courthouse before Marcus could finish all of his paperwork and when he looked for her car, he’d noticed that was gone, too.
All he wanted to do was make things right – even if he didn’t think he was in the wrong, anyway. But she was already gone, so Marcus had sat in his car for a few minutes trying to collect his thoughts.
He heard someone coming up to him but he didn’t sit up. If they needed to talk to him, they would. He looked up and saw Joanna Rivers approaching him.
“Thank you for what you did in there,” she told him.
He grunted and said, “I didn’t do it for you.”
“So, you did it for her?” Marcus didn’t answer and he didn’t have to ask who she was talking about. Marcus knew that Angie had visited Joanna. He could sense the happiness radiating off of her and he could tell that Angie had played a part in that.
“What do you want, Jo?” he asked, sitting up and cutting to the chase. His mind was elsewhere. The last thing he wanted to do was sit here and dance around some kind of conversation with Joanna Rivers. He wanted to be done. He wanted to go home and find himself in Angie’s arms.
“Is there anything I can do to repay you?” she asked, batting her eyes. “Anything?”
“You can get out of the way,” he said, grabbing the door handle. She stepped backwards with a yelp as he slammed the door shut and leaned out. “I didn’t do anything for anyone. I saw how stacked the opposition was against me. Everyone wanted your brother to get off, except for me. That’s fine. If I thought I would have made any difference, I would have fought against it. But I know when to quit, and I know when quitting is the right move. And in this case, it was.
“But don’t mistake what I did for kindness, or giving up. Your brother hurt someone I care about. And if he ever does it again, I’ll kill him.”
With that, Marcus fired up the car and backed out of the parking space. Joanna Rivers just stood there as he did so, smiling as if what he had said didn’t bother her at all.
He was angry for getting angry at her. He was angry for not standing up to everyone – Angie included – and doing what he believed was right.
Am I a coward? Have I compromised myself?
Even during the murders, Marcus hadn’t compromised. He hadn’t given in to Joanna’s advances then. So why did I give in and do what Angie wanted?
Was it right? Or was it wrong?
He’d just left Haven when he saw a black SUV approaching from behind, going way over the speed limit. He moved aside to let them pass but as he did so, lights flipped on and he knew immediately who it was.
The wolves.
He pulled over on the side of the road and watched his rear view mirror as they pulled up behind him. One of the other agents – Marcus didn’t know which was which – got out of the passenger seat and took watch. Augustus West climbed out of the driver’s seat, dark sunglasses on, and approached the vehicle.
Marcus looked over at him as he stopped next to the open window, leaning down and taking his sunglasses off. His dirty yellow eyes glinted in the sunlight.
“Sheriff,” he opened.
“What do you want?” Marcus asked. His voice was dangerous. He hadn’t done anything wrong and he just wanted to go home and talk to Angie. Make amends. Figure things out, because the last thing he wanted was to ruin things with her.
I’ve already ruined so much in my life. I don’t think I could fo
rgive myself if I ruined this.
West laughed and then said, “It looked like you went a little bit easy in there. What’s up with that?”
Marcus grimaced. “It was a pointless case. We would have lost, anyway.”
“I’ve heard that you’re romantically involved with Angelica Campbell. It looks like she didn’t want James Rivers to wind up in jail. Would you know anything about that?”
“No.”
“Because something like that, well, it could be considered obstruction of justice. And we wouldn’t like that, would we, Sheriff?”
“If I knew anything about that, I would tell you,” Marcus assured the man. “Believe me.”
“Oh, Sheriff, I do. Because if she was involved in something like that, then you definitely were. Because I saw the way that sweet woman was giving you the eyes during the trial. Smilin’, grinnin’, just looking you up and down. Because she might be involved, too, huh? It was her brother after all, if I’m correct?”
“That’d be Joanna Rivers.”
“Joanna,” he said, as if tasting the name. He licked his lips slightly. “Jo…”
“What else do you want, wolf?”
West made a tsk, tsk noise and then slapped his palm on the roof of Marcus’s car. He leaned down and whispered, “Look, Sheriff. I don’t like you much. I don’t like your kind much. But I’m here to do my job and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m here to make sure the law is followed and that you’re doing your job and that everyone around this little pisshole town is following the law, too – because it’s looking increasingly like you don’t know what the hell you’re doing here. So go on and get.”
Marcus put the car into drive and rolled away, leaving Augustus West standing there watching him go. Marcus hadn’t expected that, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t afraid of West. Marcus had done nothing wrong – there was nothing the wolf Shifter could do except waste his time watching Marcus.
Marcus drove through Charming and then made his way home. The town was dead at this time in the afternoon and he hadn’t had any calls on his radio, so he decided he wasn’t needed.
I need Angie. I need to talk to her, to tell her that I’m sorry. To patch things up and make everything okay. Tell her that I’m an idiot, that I understand why she did it. Maybe I don’t agree with it – but I understand. I hope she can live with that.
Fate’s Reaping Page 3