Escape in Passion

by Shiela Stewart

  He backed up, the cigarette between his fingers forgotten. “Get out.” His voice dipped low.

  “Wait, Vic, please—”

  She yelped when he grabbed her arm, and his heart broke a little more. “I said get out.” Yanking the front door open, Vic shoved her outside. “Go home, Julia, and leave me the fuck alone.”

  He slammed the door in her face, then turning, picked up the lamp on the corner table and threw it across the room.

  He slid to the floor, his body quivering with both rage and hurt, and dropped his head on his knees.

  The cigarette rolled on the floor as the tears slid down his face.

  He’d lost again.

  Chapter 26

  Vic hadn’t slept a wink, and he knew he looked like hell, but he didn’t give a damn. Just like he didn’t give a damn that he’d bitten his officers’ heads off when they’d handed him an incomplete evening report. But when he snapped at his admin, he knew he needed to calm down.

  Well, having her chastise him and yell back at him was another reason.

  When Millie was mad, you ran for cover.

  “The nerve of you, yelling at me for no good reason,” she chastised her finger wagging. “If you had a bad night or you didn’t get laid, you don’t bring that in here and take it out on me, or your crew. You leave it at home.”

  “I said I was sorry, Millie.” He felt like a five year old being scolded by his mother.

  “As well you should be sorry. A grown man sulking and snapping at his crew. You’re lucky I have respect for authority, or I would take you over my knee and give you a damn good walloping.”

  “That was an interesting comment to walk in on.”

  Millie turned to Tom who stood in the doorway. “If you’re thinking of seeing this one, you might be best to wear combat armor. He’s in a mood today.”

  “Thank you, Millie. That will be all,” Vic dismissed her, giving her a nasty glare.

  “I wonder,” Tom said slowly, shutting the door in her wake, “if that foul mood has anything to do with the bright red letters on your front door?”

  “No, but it’s what started it rolling.” And he didn’t want to talk about it.

  “Where is Julia? I assumed when she didn’t come by this morning that she was staying with you. I even tried going by your place—where I found out about the graffiti—but she wasn’t there.”

  “And she won’t ever be again.” Vic pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He was sure his face looked as sour as he felt.

  Calmly, Tom pulled up a chair. “Beg pardon?”

  “It’s a long story of betrayal that I would rather not get into now.”

  “Uh huh, so condense it for me.”

  “Not now,” Vic growled between his teeth.

  Tom simply crossed his arms over his broad chest and stared Vic down.

  “Spare me the look; I’m not in the mood.”

  “What look?”

  “That ‘bore into my brain’ look. Fuck!” Pushing up from his chair, Vic went to pour himself coffee he didn’t want.

  “You know I’m not leaving until you tell me what your problem is.”

  “I know. Christ, I might just off you to spare your poor daughter. She has no hope in hell with you if you pull this on her.”

  “And you’re stalling. Get to it already, Vic.”

  “You’re an ass.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Snarling, Vic carried his coffee to his desk. “See how I didn’t offer you any coffee? That’s because I hate you.”

  “No, you love me. If you hated me, you would make me drink that swill. Now…” Tom motioned with his hand to have Vic begin.

  “Fucker. Fine, I kicked Julia out last night after finding out she not only knows Marshall, but happens to be Michelle’s sister.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, shocking, I know. I was there when it all came flying out. She’s the sister of the woman I was in love with, who died in my arms at the fault of her very own husband, and Julia is the one who comes to town seeking revenge on me because of it. She’s in fucking cahoots with the very bastard that killed her sister, and I was completely clueless. Some cop I turned out to be.”

  “How did you find this all out?”

  “I followed her. She slipped from our bed in the middle of the fucking night. I’m thinking, ‘Damn it, woman, do you want to get yourself killed.’ So I follow her, to keep her safe. I figured she’s just restless and needed some air. But no…I find her in Marshall’s hotel room. That’s when it all came out. I am such a fool.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Right. Thanks for trying to make me feel better.” His voice was clipped with sarcasm. “I’ve been sleeping with her since she practically arrived in town; we’re living together for Christ’s sake, and I had no clue she was Michelle’s sister.”

  “That doesn’t make you a fool, Vic.”

  “No, it makes me a blind fool.”

  “It makes you a man in love.”

  “A blind fool in love. Damn, Tom.” Finally feeling the weight of the situation, Vic slumped down onto his chair. Tom simply laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Vic.”

  “Yeah, no one’s sorrier than me.”

  ***

  She’d had nowhere else to go, so Julia had spent the night in Cassie’s shop. There was no bed there, but it hadn’t mattered, she hadn’t slept anyway. There was no way she was going to rent a room at the very hotel Marshall was staying at. It had either been Cassie’s shop, or her car. Her car had been too cold.

  Now, in the light of a new day, everything seemed so bright, so cruel, and all she felt was a big empty hole in her chest where her heart had once beat with love. The pain she was experiencing overpowered the love, and she felt as if it might suck her into a dark pit of despair.

  With her keys in hand, Julia approached Tom and Cassie’s house, knowing what had to be done now and hating it. When Cassie answered the door, Julia simply broke down.

  “Oh, honey, what’s wrong?”

  Julia practically fell into Cassie’s arms. She took solace for the moment, knowing full well when the truth came out, she wouldn’t be welcomed any longer. “I’ve ruined everything,” Julia sobbed.

  “Oh sweetie. Come on now, sit down, and tell me what’s going on.”

  Julia let Cassie lead her to the sofa, and when she sat, she simply laid her head down on her lap and continued to weep. Feeling Cassie’s hand on her back, sliding up and down comfortingly, she just wanted to melt.

  She’d come to think of Tom and Cassie as friends. When they found out who she really was, and what she had done, would they still want to be her friends?

  Sniffling, Julia lifted her head and took the tissue Cassie held out to her. “I love Vic so much it hurts.”

  “Oh, honey, he knows that. What did he do, did he tell you he didn’t love you?”

  Julia stifled a laugh, wiping her tears away. “No, he told me he loved me, and I should have told him right then who I was, but…I’m a coward.”

  “You’ve lost me now.”

  Sniffling, Julia stood simply because she needed to move while she explained it all to Cassie. She didn’t have the heart to look at Cassie, though, and when she was finished, she ceased pacing and finally turned to Cassie. All Julia saw on her face was a blank expression.

  “I can understand what you must be thinking right now. I can’t blame you. I lied to everyone.”

  “You did what you did for your own reasons. Though, I don’t know that I would have done it that way; I’m not you. Marshall played you when you were most vulnerable.”

  “I never intended to kill Vic. I only wanted to know what really happened. I just told Marshall that to keep him from hunting Vic down.”

  “Well, he’s here now. Trust, Julia, is the key to a successful relationship.”

  “I know, I know. I didn’t come here to lay this on you or to make you feel sorry for me. I only came here to give you your keys.” She held them
out to Cassie, her hand shaking slightly.

  Cassie’s eyes lifted to Julia. “Why are you giving me your keys?”

  “They’re your keys, actually, to the shop. I figured once you found out what I’d done, you wouldn’t want me anywhere near you or your stuff.”

  Cassie sat back, folded her arms across her chest. “Put them away, Julia.”

  “But—”

  “Though I don’t agree with what you did, you had your reasons, and I believe you were scared. Now, unless you plan on leaving Passion, you can keep the keys and your job.”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m so lost, Cassie. I love him with all my heart, and I know lying to him was wrong, but…damn it, I didn’t want to lose him.” She dropped down on the chair, feeling utterly drained. “And now I have anyway. I’ve made a mess of everything.”

  “Isn’t love grand?” Cassie chuckled as she stood.

  “He hates me.”

  “I’m sure right now Vic is hurting just as much as you are, but I doubt he hates you. He feels betrayed, and that will take time to get over. You both need time. Where are you staying?”

  Julia sniffled, taking the tissue Cassie held out to her, and shrugged. “I slept in your shop last night. I can’t stay at the hotel because Marshall is there. I don’t know where to go.”

  “I know a guy here who deals with real estate. Why don’t I call him and see if he can find you an apartment to rent for the time being. He kinda owes me a huge favor.” She laid her hand on Julia’s shoulder, gave it a tiny squeeze. “In the meantime, let’s get you to bed. You look wiped, Julia.”

  Julia was utterly and completely wiped. She’d lost it all today, and she had no idea if she would ever feel right again.

  Chapter 27

  The complete silence in his house had once been a welcome friend. Now, however, Vic detested it. He’d grown used to having Julia there when he came home. She would always run to him with a smile bright on her face and a seductive twinkle in her eye. But all that had been a lie.

  Kicking his boots off with enough force to ding the wall, Vic fumed. He tossed his jacket and hat on the rack without care and headed straight for the fridge. He wanted to dull the ache with a couple beers and forget he loved a vivacious redhead who had stolen his heart.

  Carrying the six pack with him, Vic dropped onto the sofa, placing his feet to the coffee table and cracked the first bottle. He downed a half of the beer before setting it between his legs to light a cigarette.

  Damn it, he fucking loved her. He’d even been thinking future with her. He hadn’t even thought that far ahead with Michelle, who he’d thought he’d loved. But losing Michelle didn’t hurt half as much as having lost Julia.

  He was fucked, surely and evenly, fucked.

  Julia’s winter coat hanging by the door caught his attention, and seeing it was like a hand squeezing his heart. Turning away, he saw the book Julia had been reading, on the stand by the chair beneath the window. She was fucking everywhere.

  With one harsh snap, Vic tapped his out cigarette in the ashtray and stood with his beer in hand. Well, he certainly didn’t have to suffer every fucking minute by seeing her things all around him. He could remedy that quite easily.

  Taking the steps in twos, he headed for their—his bedroom. She’d only been living with him a short time, but she’d made the place hers. Little things like her make-up sitting on his dresser, her clothing hung in his closet and on the chair by the wall. Even in the washroom he felt her presence. Her perfume clung to the air like a soft fog. Where once he’d welcomed it, he felt smothered by it now. He opened the window, hoping that would take care of the scent.

  Needing to get her things out of his sight, Vic hurried to the basement where the empty boxes from his move months ago still cluttered the space. He really should have cleared them out, but…well, they’d come in handy now.

  Julia didn’t have much, mostly clothing and make-up, but it filled three boxes. Each item of clothing he pulled from her drawer hurt. He could imagine her in each and every single item, and he could picture her stripping out of them at the end of the day. Gathering up her delicates was even worse, but that was minimal compared to finding the photo.

  Embossed in a gold frame was Michelle, smiling for the camera. Vic felt his heart lurch, not for the love he’d once felt for the woman, but for the betrayal. Julia had fooled him and fooled him good. He hadn’t even known the photo existed in her belongings. With a deep breath, he laid it on top of her clothing, then one by one, he carried the boxes down the stairs.

  He cringed when someone knocked on his front door and contemplated not answering it. When the knock persisted, he rolled his eyes and gave in. He hadn’t been expecting it to be both Tom and Cassie.

  “What?”

  “Wow, you look like hell, Vic.”

  “Thanks, Cassie, I needed that.” He backed away when she reached her hand out to his face. “What do the two of you want?”

  “A little hospitality would be nice.” Tom pushed his way into the house. “What’s all this?” he asked, glancing at the boxes on the floor.

  “Julia’s stuff.” Grabbing another bottle of beer—since he’d finished his first one off upstairs—Vic opened another bottle and gulped down half.

  “I see you’re doing what you do best. Sulking into a bottle of beer.”

  “Hey!” Vic snapped at Tom when he yanked the bottle from his grip. “Fuck off.”

  “How many have you had?”

  “That’s none of your business, Dad.” He was not impressed when his attempt to grab the beer back was thwarted by a heavy hand on his chest. “Back off, Tom.”

  “I don’t think drinking will solve your problem, Vic.” Cassie stepped between the two alpha males. “Why don’t we sit down and talk this through.”

  “Tag teaming me now, huh? Perfect, fucking perfect. Can I at least smoke, Mom?”

  “Keep up that attitude, Vic, and it won’t be Thomas decking you.” She raised her fist to his chin. “And don’t think I won’t. Sit.” She gave him a shove, sending him stumbling backwards towards the sofa.

  “What if I don’t feel like talking? Did either of you think of that?”

  “Why do you think we’re here? I’ll carry these things over to our place. I’m sure Julia will appreciate a change of clothing.”

  Vic’s head jerked up to Tom. “She’s staying at your place?”

  “For the time being,” Tom said, lifting all three boxes at once.

  “Great. Traitors.” And that only brought back more pain.

  “I’ve got him,” Cassie reassured her husband, then waited until he’d left before she looked back at Vic. “We’re not traitors; we’re friends to both of you. She’s hurting, Vic, and she has nowhere to go.”

  “She has a home to go to,” Vic grunted, lighting up a cigarette. The thought of Julia leaving hurt just as badly as her not being there to greet him every day. And knowing she was hurting was killing him. Damn it, he hated feeling this way.

  “She doesn’t want to go home. She wants you. She’s still young, and she made a mistake.”

  Vic snorted, drawing heavily on his cigarette.

  “Oh, I forgot, I’m talking with a god who doesn’t make mistakes.” She zeroed the last in with spite.

  Vic narrowed his eyes, smoke seeping from his mouth when he spoke. “Don’t put this on me, Cassie.”

  “I’m not putting it on anyone, and that’s why I’m here. I can see it from both sides, and what I see is two people who are hurting. Two people who are head over heels in love. But hurt doesn’t go away overnight. Don’t do anything rash, Vic.”

  He’d already booted her out of his house. If that wasn’t rash, he didn’t know what was. “Has anyone ever stabbed you in the back, Cassie?”

  “No, but—”

  “Then don’t sit there being all righteous, telling me not to be rash. She lied to me from day one, seduced me, and was in cahoots with my enemy. The very man that had her siste
r killed. That takes a very coldhearted person; her age has nothing to do with it. You can see yourself out. I have an errand to run,” Vic left Cassie sitting alone on his sofa, slamming the back door in his wake.

  ***

  “I didn’t think he would do this…so soon.” Julia’s heart threatened to crack and she knew if she didn’t suck in a deep breath, the tears would soon follow. “I guess I should have expected as much.” It really was over now. Staring at the boxes Vic had packed with her things was proof enough.

  Tom leaned against the wall, watching Julia sift through the boxes. “He’s hurting, Julia. Vic—well, I’ve known him a long time, and I know him like I know myself—he likes to sulk, and when the sulking ends, he thinks things through, but it usually takes time.”

  She’d come to know Vic quite a bit herself, and she knew Tom was right. “All the time in the world won’t matter. I hurt him like no one else has. That takes more than time.”

  “Why didn’t you just come out and tell him who you were from the beginning?”

  Julia looked up at Tom, who—from her sitting position on the floor—looked even bigger. “I wanted to find things out before he knew who I was. I wanted impartial answers, and I knew if I told him I was Michelle’s sister, he wouldn’t open up to me like he did. I know it was wrong, but I needed answers.”

  “And what conclusion have you come to?”

  She hoisted herself up off the floor, shoving her hands in the pockets of her jeans. “I was leery of Marshall from the beginning. I never really liked him, but Michelle was in love with him, and I loved Michelle. So…” She shrugged. “When she was killed, I—my family and I—were devastated. We were grieving, and Marshall was right there, spinning a web for us about Vic being the killer and the police covering it up.”

  “How could he have killed her when there were witnesses to the drive by?” Tom inquired.

  Julia shrugged again, pursing her lips. “Like I said, we were grieving. But a few weeks after her death, I started to question it all myself. And when Marshall approached me to tell me Vic had left the city—the province—the doubt came back. If he wasn’t guilty, why did he run?”