by Simply BWWM
“I put some money in your backpack. It’s not a lot, but it will help you cover missed work tomorrow and pay the insurance on the car. I’ll send over the title in a couple of days when all this is settled, and I can get to DPS.”
“I can’t keep the car,” she said.
“You can. Your car got blown up because of me. It’s the least I can do. I don’t know what you were driving, but a woman like you deserves a car as fine as she is.”
Deena smiled.
“Thank you.”
“That’s what I was waiting for. The car is a gift, and you can’t give it back.”
“You’re stubborn.”
“We both are.”
Agent Reese and Detective Mercer met them at the door, and before Deena could even say goodbye to Jake, she was whisked away to a private room to be interviewed.
She sat down, looking at the one-way glass and knowing that they were recording. She didn’t care; she didn’t have anything to hide.
“Do you need anything? Water? Coke?”
“I’ll take a water,” she said.
“I don’t have to let you know because there are signs everywhere, but I want you to know-”
“You’re recording everything,” she finished. “Don’t worry, I’m used to it. My dad was a cop.”
“Sargent Harris?”
“The one and only,” she said with a grin.
“That was a tough loss for the department. People still talk about him to this day.” Grace stopped suddenly, then, “I’m sorry, I’m talking about him like the department misses him more than his own daughter. I’ve heard he was a great man. I have no doubt he would be proud of how you handled yourself through all this. Most people would have been too terrified to think straight.”
“I have Jake to thank for that, if I’m being honest. When I saw that woman stab that poor man, I froze. I tried to get away, but I don’t think I would be here today if he hadn’t saved me.”
“Jake is a good guy. Heart of gold, that man.”
“I know,” she said warmly, smiling.
“How long have you been dating Jake Berrington?”
“We’re not dating.”
Detective Mercer looked surprised, but she kept the flow of questions going so deftly that Deena didn’t realize that she was being questioned right away.
“How long have you known him?”
“Since Friday night. Well, it was technically Saturday morning.”
“So, since yesterday?”
Deena laughed, shaking her head.
“I can’t believe it’s still Sunday. So much has happened since I walked into The Nines on Friday night.”
“I’m sure this is hard on you. If you want, I’ll be happy to take you home when I’m done interviewing you. Jake is going to be awhile.”
Deena shook her head.
“I have a way home. I just want to go home and take a hot shower and wash this away. I’ve seen more than I’ve ever cared to see, and I just need to lock the door and know that I’m not in danger of getting blown up like my car.”
“I’m not sure if this makes you feel any better, but we already swept your apartment for bombs and found nothing.”
“I’m also not sure if that makes me feel better. Right now, I just feel numb.”
“I just have a few more questions. Did you meet Jake at The Nines?”
“No. I met him when he pulled me off the street and took me to his car.”
“You got in the car with a stranger in the middle of the night?”
“It was either him or the killer, and he had a Corvette.”
Grace looked up, her face blank. When Deena smiled, the lightbulb turned on in Grace’s head.
“I get it,” Grace said. “I can see why he likes you. But really, you had a choice between taking your chances on the street and getting into the car with a man who had already saved your life. I can see why you made that choice. In reality, there wasn’t an actual choice involved, and I don’t think anyone is going to fault you for that.”
“Thanks. I don’t usually get into cars with people I don’t know unless it’s an Uber. I guess it doesn’t matter if I do or not. I don’t even know why I mentioned it.”
“You’ve been through a lot. It’s normal to mention things that don’t seem important while you process everything you’ve been through. I’m done now. If you’re ready, you can go.”
“Can I say goodbye to Jake?”
“He’s in with the FBI right now, so I don’t think that’s a good idea. It’s going to be awhile, like I said.”
Deena sighed.
Better to just walk away, she thought, guarding her heart against feelings much stronger than she’d expected to feel. Detective Mercer was right; she’d only known Jake for a day, and there was no sense getting attached to someone the way she was. They’d shared a bed, more than once. But it was just sex, and she was feeling foolish for thinking it was more than that.
He’s saved her life, and adrenaline had fanned the flames of desire. There’d been no commitment from either of them, and no promise to keep in touch when it was all over. In fact, Jake had mentioned more than once Deena “getting back to her old life.” She’d been around the block enough to know what that meant. He’d given her a car and enough money to pay her bills and take a day off. In his mind, they were even, even though her heart would never see it that way.
Getting over Jake was going to be hard, but it wasn’t the first time she’d had her heart broken.
“I have one more question before I go,” she said, stopping Detective Mercer at the door.
“Yes?”
“Did y’all find the flash drive on Frank’s body?”
“Not exactly.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Frank isn’t dead.”
Deena’s mouth dropped open.
“How is that possible?”
“Doctor B might know everything about the human anatomy, but she didn’t know everything about Frank’s anatomy. He has a metal plate in the back of his head. A big one. Her bullet ricocheted off that and stayed in his skull but never penetrated. He went down because he’s not an idiot, and head wounds bleed like the dickens even when they’re flesh wounds. Frank faked her out.”
“So, he was walking around when you found him?”
“I wouldn’t go that far; he’s gone into surgery to remove the bullet and make sure the damage is all pounded out.”
“Not literally, I hope.”
“I think the surgeons are a little more delicate than that. But he’s going to be fine, and the first thing he did was hand the flash drive over to the detective. Tom has it now, and he’s not letting it out of his sight.”
“Is he staying with the hitwoman?”
“He is. She made it through surgery, and she’s going to be fine. Her left arm is broken, and she’s lefthanded, so that’s going to be rough for her.”
“You sound like you’re oozing with pity.”
“Ah, good. Then I’m getting better at faking it.”
Deena laughed at Detective Mercer’s obvious joke, then gathered her things and stood. She put her hand out and shook Mercer’s hand.
“Thank you for saving us. I don’t know what possessed you to plow her down with a car, but those were some pretty badass moves.”
“She had a gun; I wanted to level the playing field. Plus, you were headed straight for alligator-infested waters. I guess that was the safer option, but I didn’t want to be wrestling a gator to save you either.”
Deena shuddered.
“I thought people were exaggerating.”
“In Texas?” Mercer asked, feigning indignation. “We’d never tell a tall tale.”
Deena left the room still chuckling, walking by the door that Jake had gone through with one last, longing look before she walked down the hall and toward the back door that led to the parking lot.
“The fairytale is over,” she whispered under her breath.
But when she stepped throug
h the door and out into the late afternoon sun, she realized that the fairytale would still linger, even if she wasn’t going home with the prince. She smiled when the car opened to her touch, the key deep in her pocket. She pressed the start button and closed her eyes when the engine roared to life. She would cherish this car for as long as she owned it. She’d never had a brand-new car in her life, and she wasn’t ever getting rid of this one.
She drove home on autopilot, not even noticing Dealey Plaza or the white x on the street when she drove through the intersection. She felt raw and completely overwhelmed, and she was just trying to get to her apartment before the tears started. She made it home in record time; at least, she thought she did. When she blinked and saw her apartment building just one intersection away, she wasn’t quite sure how she’d gotten there.
She pulled into her parking space, setting the alarm on the car and walking along the outside of the building like she always did. She tapped a window as she walked by, afraid to hope that Tamika was home. She needed her best friend now, but she didn’t have her phone, and she had no way of calling her.
When she got to the apartment, backpack slung over her shoulder, she instinctively reached into her pocket for her keys, then groaned. All her keys were in her car. She’d locked it with the keyless entry so she didn’t lose her keys at Holt’s apartment. They were gone, melted in the fire that destroyed her car.
She heard footsteps on the stairs behind her, and she knew without looking that it was Tamika.
“Girl, I’ve got your keys. I’m just glad you’re alive.”
Deena stepped out of Tamika’s way, her hands shaking too much to do it herself. Tamika didn’t look at her, didn’t touch her at all. She opened the door, her face set in stone, letting Deena pass. When Deena heard the door click behind her, she turned, and Tamika’s face was already covered in tears.
“Sis,” Tamika said, using a term of endearment she only used when she was really emotional. “I thought I lost my other half. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
Tamika grabbed Deena, hugging her tight as the two friends clung to each other.
They stood like that for a long time, then Tamika pulled away, taking Deena’s face in her hands and looking into her eyes.
“Lord strike me down if I’m lying, but I thought you were dead, and I’ve never prayed so hard in my life. I don’t know what happened to you, but it’s okay. Everything is okay now.”
Deena nodded, too afraid to speak. But their friendship was stronger than words, and in no time, Tamika had Deena sitting on the couch, wrapped up tight in a blanket and sipping freshly brewed coffee.
Tamika turned on the TV before Deena could stop her.
“You see this mess? Dude stole a damn billionaire’s car and took the police on a two-hour chase. Can you believe that?”
“Yes,” Deena said, her voice sounding hollow even though she was starting to feel better.
“Man, you missed a lot wherever you were. A man got murdered, and they said the billionaire did it, and now they’re saying the billionaire didn’t do it, and it wasn’t the man that stole his car neither. It’s a hot mess and a half, and everybody is talking about what they think happened. It’s going to take you all week at the hair salon to catch up on all the gossip.”
“I don’t need to catch up,” Deena said, sipping her coffee and watching the footage of the police pulling the young, rail-thin blond man out of the Corvette.
“Why not? You love this sort of thing.”
“Because I was with him.”
“With who? The tweaker that stole that Berrington guy’s Corvette?”
“No,” Deena said with a soft smile. “I was with Jake Berrington. He saved my life, and he gave me a car.”
She fished the key fob out of her pocket and handed it to Tamika. Tamika looked at her, then at the luxury emblem on the key, then back at her friend.
“Girl, you’ve got ‘splainin’ to do.”
Chapter 19
Deena was emotionally exhausted by the time she finished telling Tamika the entire story, leaving out a few parts for good measure. She usually told Tamika every last detail of her dates, but something about her time with Jake seemed too special to reduce to gossip. Or the sting of losing him was just too fresh. She had a hard time pinpointing the reasons.
Long before seven that night, Deena crawled into bed, much too tired to keep her eyes open. Tamika had stayed by her side while she fell to sleep, and when Deena woke up, Tamika was curled up on the chaise lounge in the corner, sound asleep.
Well-rested and too antsy to stay home all day, Deena decided to go to work Monday morning instead of using the money Jake had stashed in her bag to take the day off. She promised herself that she would take Tuesday off.
Tuesday came and went, and by Friday, she’d worked the entire week. She knew she was doing it to fill her time so she wouldn’t sit home and wallow in her misery, but she wasn’t about to admit it.
It’s good to have extra money as a cushion, she told herself. She paid off her insurance for the year, paid all her bills ahead two months, then put the remaining thousand dollars into her savings account. Jake had meant to give her a day off so she could breathe, but this way was much better for Deena.
Tamika didn’t bring Jake up again after that first night. She knew Deena, and she knew when her friend needed some time to deal with her feelings. But the steady stream of customers coming out of the woodworks wanted to know what she’d done all weekend while she was in hiding, and Deena was grateful to Tamika for redirecting their attentions elsewhere.
Her last customer of the week was walking out of the salon Friday when Tamika sat down in one of the chairs, clearly exhausted.
“What a week,” she said.
“It was. You’ve been on your feet all day. Why don’t you go home, and I’ll finish sweeping up?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. You took care of me; let me take care of you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Are you going out tonight?”
Deena laughed, the sound bubbling up and out of her mouth before she knew it was coming.
“After what happened last week, I think I’ll pass.”
“Have you heard from Jake?”
Deena turned solemn.
“No, but I didn’t expect to. He has a lot going on. Taking down a corrupt politician and a hitwoman who evaded the FBI for two decades takes a lot of work. The trial could drag on for years.”
“But she’s not making bail, right?”
“No. They had it on the news Tuesday night. Pat Barkman and Carter Oakfield are both being held without bail. The judge has already told their lawyers not to waste their time appealing.”
“I’m sure Mrs. Oakfield is beside herself.”
“She’s playing the part, from what I’ve seen. I have a feeling that she’s putting on a brave face for the cameras and quietly divorcing him in the meantime.”
“Do you blame her?”
“Not one bit. The devastation on her face was real when they waltzed into the church and removed him in handcuffs.”
“I guess it’s good that they had a special guest that day or he would have already been to his office and he would have known to run.”
“It all worked out just the way it was supposed to.”
Except for one thing, Deena thought, then pushed that thought aside. She was bitter, but her heart hurt a little bit less every day. She wasn’t going to wallow in her anger and let it ruin her weekend. She had plans, and for once, they had nothing to do with partying. It was going to be a long time before she felt safe going out at night again.
Deena smiled at Tamika, knowing that her friend had noticed her falling silent. Deena had been doing it a lot as she worked through things and continued to work, but she was starting to feel more like herself, and she knew that this time next week, everything that had happened would be a distant memory.
“Go home, Tamika. I’ll lock u
p and see you tomorrow sometime.”
“Alright,” Tamika said, hugging Deena then scurrying out of the salon before Deena changed her mind about cleaning up alone.
Tamika hated cleaning up, but she was too good of a friend to leave Deena doing it alone most days.
She finished sweeping up, then used the electric mop on the floor. She spent almost an hour on it, carefully cleaning every inch of the floor until it gleamed, in no hurry to go back to her empty apartment. With nothing to wake up for in the morning, she wasn’t as excited for the weekend as she would usually be.
The bell chimed over the door, and she hurriedly put away the electric mop as she called out over her shoulder.
“We’re closed. You can call for an appointment on Monday.”
“I didn’t think I needed an appointment.”
Deena froze, the smooth, familiar voice caressing her from across the room. She turned, every emotion imaginable running through her all at once.
Jake stood in the doorway, his tender smile taking her breath away. He was just as handsome as she remembered, and her heart skipped a beat. She knew he was really there, but seeing him in the doorway with the late afternoon sun casting golden light across his face made everything seem surreal.
He stayed in the doorway, watching her and waiting. She wanted to run into his arms, to fling herself at him and hold him and never let go, but she had no idea why he was there. Had he changed his mind about the car? Or was he there for some other reason?
“Say something, Deena. Please,” he said when she stood there without speaking.
“Why are you here?” she asked, afraid to get her hopes up.
His smile widened.
“That’s my girl,” he said. “Straight to the point and no frills. I’m here because I made a promise, and I never go back on my word.”
“You can have the car back if you need it,” she blurted out, secretly hoping he would turn her down.
She loved that car, and driving anything else after experiencing it would be a tragedy.
“I don’t need the car,” he said. “I told you, it was a gift. I was hoping you would take some time off too, but I see that your work ethic is just as strong as you are.”