Fate’s Reaping

by Becca Fanning

  “I don’t believe I am. I’m looking for Angie Campbell.”

  Marcus felt his heart plummet, though he couldn’t explain why. Truth be told, there was nothing wrong with this man wanting to find Angie –

  Except he’s smart, well put together, and obviously all bad news. What would Angie want with this guy?

  “I can get a message to her,” Marcus said.

  His voice was sly, saying, “I’m sure you can.”

  Marcus felt his eyes narrow even more. “What does that mean?”

  “You must be the person she’s seeing.”

  Marcus didn’t answer.

  “What she sees in you… I don’t know,” Jon continued. Marcus wanted to reach out across the desk, lash out, attack the man – but he just sat there. “Where’s she at?”

  “I told you. I’ll get a message to her.”

  The other man shook his head, muttering as if to himself, “From me to you. What has she been thinking?”

  Marcus felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

  “You were with Angie?” he asked. He couldn’t help himself.

  “For a while, yeah,” Jon told him. Marcus could see the pride on his face. He could hear the satisfaction in the man’s voice. No matter what Jon had done in his life – he was proud that he had been with Angie.

  Marcus felt a flare of jealousy. He’d never asked about Angie’s past, and she’d been accepting of his, yet seeing this man in Charming, looking for her and gloating…

  It was almost too much for Marcus to handle.

  “She was wild, that one,” he said, leaning close as if it was something Marcus wanted to hear. “You wouldn’t believe the things…”

  Marcus got to his feet. “I’ve heard enough.”

  Jon laughed at that.

  “So, how do I find her?” he asked. “She at your place?”

  “I’ll let her know you’re in town.”

  Marcus stood by the door and waited for the other man to get out of the chair and walk past him out of the door.

  But when Jon reached Marcus, he paused, only inches from him.

  “I’d appreciate it if you stepped back. When I talked with Angie back in New York, we talked about the future. The work we want to do together. Other stuff. Just…let us be.”

  Then the man walked outside. Marcus saw that there was an extremely nice car parked outside. Another man nodded at Jon and opened the back door for him, then climbed inside and together they drove off.

  Marcus watched them with narrow eyes.

  Who was this man? And what is he doing in Charming? What does he want with Angie?

  And what is their past?

  He tried to push those thoughts out of his head.

  She never mentioned seeing her ex-boyfriend in New York. Where did she see him? Did he go over to her apartment?

  Actually, she hasn’t told me anything about her trip to New York.

  What’s she hiding?

  Stop. Don’t.

  His thoughts were cloudy as he drove his police car home. Everything had been so perfect and now…

  Now, Marcus didn’t know.

  He pulled up into his driveway faster than he should have. Usually, he took in the sights. His cattle, if they were close, the old barns that he loved to spend his free time in, the trees in front of his old house.

  He parked next to Angie’s car, thoughts turned inward.

  He was up the sidewalk and opening the door without even realizing he was doing it. He barely registered taking off his belt. Angie wasn’t in the kitchen so he went straight to the living room.

  She was there, watching TV with the sound almost completely down. She looked a little distracted – it was the first thing he’d really taken in since leaving the Sheriff’s Department – but she turned towards him.

  “Marcus, I’m so glad you’re –”

  “Who is he?” Marcus cut in. She looked confused. “Why’d you tell him to come back here?”

  “Who?” she asked. Marcus glared. “Marcus, who are you talking about?”

  “Your friend. Jon,” Marcus said. He was almost bristling with anger. “You invited him back here? To Charming?”

  “What? Jon’s here? Marcus, slow down. What are you talking about?”

  “He came to the Sheriff’s Department looking for you. Said you guys had work to do.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “He said you talked back in New York,” he said. Angie looked uncomfortable. Marcus decided to press harder. “You never mentioned that.”

  “I didn’t think it was important…”

  “It’s not important that you met your ex-boyfriend back home? You didn’t think you should mention it to me?”

  “No,” Angie told him. Her voice had gone quiet. “I didn’t think it was worth bringing up. Jon and I –”

  “Where’d you meet him? Did you go out for coffee?” Marcus asked. He knew the jab was a low blow but he couldn’t help himself.

  “He came to my place, okay?” Angie yelled. “But nothing happened! There’s nothing there between us anymore, Marcus! I didn’t know he was coming over. I didn’t want to see him!”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  Angie threw up her hands in exasperation. “I don’t know. There is nothing between us, Marcus. I hadn’t even seen him for years. I don’t know what he wants, and I certainly don’t know what he’s doing in Charming, but I did not tell him to come here.”

  Marcus glowered.

  “What’s gotten into you lately?” Angie asked. “First the fight over the case, and now this…”

  “I thought we agreed that was over and done with. That we weren’t going to bring it up anymore.”

  Angie nodded and told him, “We did. I’m sorry.”

  Marcus was still bristling.

  “It’s just that…”

  “It’s what, Marcus?” she asked. He could tell she was really flustered and he didn’t blame her. But hearing the things Jonathan Hall had said about their time together… “You know, I didn’t search through your past.”

  He’d been calming down, realizing just how ridiculous he had been being, even if it was hard to admit – but those words brought a fresh wave of anger over him.

  “That’s not fair.”

  “None of this is fair, Marcus,” she snapped, getting up out of the chair and heading towards the bathroom. She paused at the door. “None of this.”

  “Angie… I’m…”

  “You’re sorry?” she asked. Marcus could tell that she was almost in tears. “Do you know what happened to me today, Marcus? Did you even think to ask? Or were you too focused on some asshole from my past? Maybe you could have asked me. Truly asked me what was going on. Instead, you’re too bullheaded to even think to do that.”

  “What happened?” Marcus asked.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” she said, slamming the door. Marcus was left standing out in the living room alone.

  “Angie, what happened?” he yelled through the door.

  “Why don’t you go look at my car? I bet you didn’t even notice! Too busy being pissed for something that wasn’t my fault!” she yelled back. Marcus felt himself visibly recoiling from the door. Even with the piece of wood in the way, her voice was loud and angry enough to scare him.

  “Okay,” he said. Then even more quietly, he said, “I’m sorry.”

  He went out the door, stepping down the sidewalk. The instant he saw her car, however, he felt his heart sink in his chest.

  How did I not notice this before? Was I really that focused on her ex-boyfriend showing up?

  Her car had been completely totaled. He walked over to it as fast and possible and looked it over. The front end was smashed in, covered in dirt, and the windshield was cracked. He looked in the driver’s side window, which was broken and gone. The airbag had went off – thank God – it had probably saved her life. Around back, it looked like she’d been rear ended, though Marcus couldn’t be sure.r />
  He stayed outside for a good 15 minutes, looking the car over.

  Angie… I’m so sorry for what I said.

  Satisfied that he’d seen everything he could, he went back inside, going straight to the bathroom. But the door was open and Angie wasn’t inside.

  He walked to the bedroom and saw the door was shut.

  He knocked lightly.

  “Angie? I’m sorry…”

  “Go away,” she told him, her voice cracking.

  He tried the door handle but the room was locked.

  “Angie? Please, let me in. I’m so, so sorry.”

  But the door never opened and after ten minutes of waiting for her, Marcus retreated to the couch.

  Chapter 8

  Marcus was again gone when Angie woke up the next morning. She’d gotten up a few minutes after she’d heard him walking away the night before and opened the door, hoping he would come back in to sleep together, but he never had.

  It hadn’t been fair on either one of their parts. She was smart enough to recognize that, even if it hurt her pride to say so.

  She didn’t blame Marcus for his reaction – not really. She certainly wasn’t happy about how he acted when he found out that Jonathan Hall was in town, and she was even less happy the way he’d acted when he’d found out that Jonathan had been to her apartment, but she couldn’t entirely blame him. She hadn’t told Marcus about seeing Jonathan and she knew she should have had enough foresight to realize that he’d probably try to pull something like this.

  Marcus had been torn up about her car wreck; Angie could hear it in his voice.

  But she hadn’t told him about her kidnapping – and she wasn’t sure why she hadn’t.

  Another fight…

  She knew that didn’t bode well for their relationship. She’d barely been back a full day and they’d already had two huge fights, all about stupid stuff.

  This is supposed to be the best part of our relationship. The honeymoon period where there’s nothing wrong, and everything is nothing but happiness, sex, and more sex.

  And yet, here we are.

  Fighting about the trial. Fighting over what I want, what Marcus wants. Now my ex-boyfriend, who is in Charming for who knows what reason. Fighting because I didn’t tell him I talked to him back in New York. Fighting because I brought up his past in a petty way to shoot back at him…

  Angie wasn’t proud of that one. She knew it was a low blow, talking about his past and how she’d stayed out of it. She had wanted to hurt Marcus and she was sure she had, yet now all she felt was guilt. She needed to apologize.

  But first…

  She had other stuff to handle.

  She found a note that read: Left car for you and the keys to the borrowed police car. She couldn’t help but smile. Even in their worst of times, Marcus was always thinking of her first.

  And I’m going to visit my ex with it.

  There was guilt there. She felt bad. She didn’t want to visit Jonathan but she knew she had to. She had to find out why he was here in Charming, what he’d said to Marcus, and what she could do to make him leave.

  She had a bad feeling, as if the only reason he was here was to make her life collapse.

  He can. He knows too much about me. Stuff I’ve never shared with anyone else. Not even Marcus.

  Somewhere in the back of her mind, there was something that was floating around. Something that didn’t sit quite right, something that was bothering her, yet she couldn’t put her finger completely on it.

  Her first stop was the Great Southern. Just pulling up to it brought back bad memories of Erica being murdered, attempts on her own life, and her encounters with the unpleasant old woman who ran the old motel.

  She’d considered going to the Sheriff’s Department and finding Marcus to explain what was going on, yet she didn’t want to make his mood any worse. Things were delicate with him now. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin their relationship beyond the point of no return.

  Are they out here?

  She couldn’t help but look over her shoulder as she climbed out of the car. Her kidnappers were out there, somewhere. They could be watching her every move.

  Now that she was in town around others, she felt a bit more at ease. She knew if the kidnappers were really determined to capture her again, they could, but she hoped they had had enough of her.

  I’ll tell Marcus right after this. Even though they threatened my life and warned me not to… I have to.

  She knew her priorities were a mess. She’d been kidnapped, yet she was more worried about Jonathan Hall. She knew it had something to do with Marcus and how he’d acted. She wanted to fix things between them, and getting to the bottom of why Jonathan was in town would be the first part of that.

  The office of the Great Southern was open, door held wide by a broken brick. Even from her place standing at her car, Angie could see smoke billowing out of the room.

  “Maudette,” she said with her best smile as she entered the office. Maudette and she had never gotten along – but at least they were on a first name basis, now.

  “Whaddayawan?” she asked, lips wrapped around a cigarette, a crossword clutched in her ancient hands.

  At least I’m on a first name basis, Angie reminded herself. She needed Maudette’s help.

  “I’m looking for someone,” Angie said, beaming down at her. Maudette’s eyes flickered from the crossword book for the briefest of moments, then back down. She took a puff of her cigarette.

  “Can’ help.”

  “I think you can,” Angie said. She waited a few seconds and finally Maudette sighed, put down the crossword, and stubbed out the cigarette in an overflowing ashtray.

  “Who?” she asked.

  “His name would be Jonathan Hall,” Angie explained. “I was wondering if he’s checked in here.”

  “Not really ‘sposed to tell ya that kinda stuff.”

  “I can go get the Sheriff. But he’s busy right now. I just thought it would be easier if you told me. Just us girls, you know?”

  “Room five,” Maudette said. She grabbed her pack of cigarettes and started to pull one out, but Angie was telling her thanks and already leaving the room. She coughed lightly outside, then turned left and headed down the row of doors.

  Down at the very end. That’s where Erica was murdered.

  But Angie never got that far. She stopped outside of number 5 and raised her hand to knock. She hesitated for a brief moment, then took a deep breath and slammed her fist against it.

  Waiting, she turned and looked out across the parking lot. She saw, parked directly in front of the room, a brand new car.

  That has to be Jonathan’s. He always wanted the best.

  The door opened and Angie turned back, seeing Jonathan standing there, looking anything but surprised.

  “Ange, my dear,” he said smiling.

  My dear. Those words reverberated through her head. The same thing my kidnappers said to me yesterday. It was bothering me earlier…

  But he couldn’t have. Jonathan couldn’t be the kidnapper. For one, there were two of them. He wasn’t alone.

  “What are you doing in Charming?” she asked, pushing past him and going into the room. As with every other part of Jonathan’s life, it was immaculately cleaned. The sheets were already folded and there wasn’t anything amiss. His clothes were already put up.

  Angie found herself walking through the room anyway, flipping on the bathroom light and looking behind the curtain. She opened up his closet and saw that it, too, was empty.

  I just had to be sure. I had to make sure that he was alone. That he wasn’t here with someone. That he couldn’t be…

  What am I thinking? I don’t get along with him – but why would he kidnap me? How would that help him in any way?

  He stood there with his eyebrow raised but said nothing.

  “What are you doing here?” she repeated.

  “I’ve come to see you, of course,” he told her. “I need a pa
rtner. Just like I said back in New York.”

  “So, you needed to come all of the way to Charming to convince me?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve got time to burn. And I wanted to see this place that you called home. Meet the man you’re seeing. I care about you, Ange.”

  “Don’t,” she warned him. “Don’t. Don’t start. Just stop while you’re ahead, Jonathan. We both know that you don’t care about me. The only thing you care about is you and your work.”

  “That’s not entirely untrue,” he said carefully.

  “Then why?”

  “I need your help, Ange. I’m in a bit of a spot and some extra help would really help me out.”

  “No.”

  Jonathan Hall had a pleasant exterior but Angie knew it hid something much darker. She could see it there, just below the surface, as if it was waiting to come out.

  “After all we’ve been through together? After how you got started, with my help, and you’re just going to leave me hanging? I came all of the way to visit you for this?”

  “I didn’t know!” Angie said. “You know that. How was I supposed to know that the money I started my business with – the money I borrowed from you – was embezzled?”

  “Everything is built on a lie,” he said. “And it can all come crashing down. Your life, your career, your relationship. I don’t want that. You don’t want that. So help me.”

  “You know I didn’t know, you son of a bitch!”

  “But it won’t matter in the end. When it all comes crashing down, you’ll wind up in prison.”

  “So will you.”

  “It won’t matter,” he repeated. “By the time it’s all said and done, I won’t be around.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked. She was curious, though she hated to ask.

  “I borrowed some money from some Russians. And…”

  “The deal fell through?” she finished for him. Jonathan was smart, yet reckless. He was a renowned playboy around New York, blowing through money as fast as he made it. She wasn’t surprised in the slightest to find out that he’d dug himself in a hole he couldn’t climb out of.