by Jill Snow
Chapter 42
Adam borrowed Mack’s cell and rang Detective Anderson. He’d had enough. He wanted to go home, back to Ireland to sort things out with his family. It was time. He had to clear his name.
“You got to get the court date moved up,” he told the detective. “I need to get out of here.”
“No can do. We got a problem.”
“What? You said it would be easy to get her convicted. Your evidence was strong.”
“It was, but we hit a glitch.”
Adam’s stomach roiled. “What’s the problem?”
“It seems your girlfriend has some pretty heavy connections. We could bring down the whole network.”
“First, she isn’t my girlfriend. Second—do you not have anyone else you play with?”
“Actually, I was on my way out to see you. I want you to contact Camilla and tell her you forgive her. That you love her and want to make things right between you.”
“Are you nuts? I’m not doing that. Anyway, she has a new guy. Don’t you read Hello?”
“Word is, he’s history. Your ex is in a bad place. She needs a shoulder to cry on.”
“So lend her yours. I’m not getting involved with that woman again. Hell would freeze over and start selling ice first.”
“Adam, the last bust we made was one targeting school kids. The dealer was handing out drugs like they were candy. We need a way in and you’re it.”
“There has to be someone else.” Even as he said the words, he knew the answer by the feeling of dread working its way up from his stomach.
“Not with your connections. Your fame, your looks, your money. It opens doors we can only dream of.”
“But as far as they know I’m a convicted drug smuggler.”
“Yeah but what better cover? You’re no longer the sweet innocent pin up poster rock star. You’re the real deal now.”
Adam cursed silently. What could he say? He wanted to tell the detective to get lost but when he closed his eyes, he saw Ashley’s face. Her pain at losing her sister. If he could save another family from going through what Ashley had gone through…
“Adam, you there?” Detective Anderson asked.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“So? Should I send a car?”
Adam glanced out the window. Ashley was standing talking to Mack with an earnest expression on her face. She’d made her mind up about them and, until he cleared his name, there was nothing he could do to persuade her otherwise. But even if he did clear his reputation, could he risk putting his heart on the line again? It was still raw. Being near Camilla was likely to make those wounds reopen. This was a mess.
“Adam?”
“Send the car. I’ll be packed in an hour. What will you tell the team here?”
“You’re up on more charges. The boss wants you replaced. Who cares? We suspect the ranch owner is involved anyway, so it’s bound to close at the end of the investigation.”
“You can’t mean that. What about Mack and his wife, and Loretta? They live here, they need these jobs.”
“That’s a question above my pay grade. My job is to shut down the bad guys. There’s always collateral damage. Comes with the territory. See you in a while.”
Adam stared at the cell for ages after the detective had hung up. Mack, Loretta and the team weren’t collateral damage. They were real people with a right to have a decent life. He flung the cell on the desk before remembering it was Mack’s. Opening his suitcase, he threw his clothes into it. Then he took it to the porch. He didn’t spot Loretta until he was already standing at the door.
“You going somewhere?”
“Yes. Could you give Mack back his cell please?” He passed the phone over to her. “I’m leaving. The hand makes it difficult to stay.” Even to his ears, it sounded dumb. His hand was almost fully recovered thanks to Loretta and her old-fashioned cures. It certainly didn’t stop him working. But he wasn’t about to say he was up on more charges. He couldn’t bear these people having a lower opinion of him even if it was just temporary.
Loretta pierced him with the same look she had given him that first day. The one that seemed to reach right inside his brain and read his innermost thoughts. He looked away.
“Sure it’s the hand and not your heart?” she asked.
“What?”
“You heard me. You’re running away from Ashley. Least that’s what it looks like from here.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Adam said. “There is no me and Ashley. She has her life here and—”
“She’s thinking of leaving too,” Loretta said as she walked out the door. Adam followed her outside case in hand.
Chapter 43
Ashley was leaving. He was losing her. He’d hoped he would be able to come back and win her heart once the truth came out. Now, that couldn’t happen. His mouth dry, he racked his brains trying to think of a way to stop her. Tell her the truth. No. He couldn’t do that.
“She is? Where? Why?”
If he knew where she was going, there was a chance of seeing her after this was all over and telling her… what? How would he explain about the last few months?
“Thought there was no you and Ashley?” Loretta stood up. “She got an offer of a new job working with kids on a therapy ranch. Just like this one used to be before the boss man got greedy and started taking in drug addicts. Ashley has wanted to work with kids since forever. She’s good at it, too. Pity the ranch is in the next county. We’ll miss her.”
Loretta wasn’t the only one who would miss her. But he couldn’t admit that out loud. It was best for everyone if he just left.
“Can you tell Mack I said goodbye?”
“Nope. You tell him. You owe him that much.” Loretta walked into the house without a backward glance. Adam wanted to reach out to her, to tell her the truth of what he was doing, but he couldn’t. He’d just have to deal with her disappointment. It was a heavier burden than he’d expected. The impact these people had on his life compared to the short time he’d known them was so big, he was only starting to become aware of it. He walked toward the stables where he had last seen Mack.
“Mack, I got to go. The cops are sending a car. Thanks for everything.”
“Wait, you’re leaving. Now? Why?”
“Oh, you know. My hand and everything. I got to go.” Adam tried to tell Mack with his eyes not to say anything. Mack knew his story, but not the whole of it. Nobody else could know.
“I’m sorry to see you go. Stay in touch?”
Adam didn’t answer. As soon as the story broke in the newspaper of him and Camilla back together, he doubted Mack would stop to avoid him if Adam stood in front of his truck.
“Look after her for me,” he whispered as he shook the older man’s hand.
“You should find her and say goodbye.”
Adam didn’t think he would be capable of leaving if he saw her. No matter what her feelings for him, he knew she was special to him. He was unlikely to ever meet someone like her again.
Without looking back, he picked up his bag and headed toward the gate. He walked back down the drive with the sycamore trees over his head. The clouds in the sky were blocking out the sun, making the shade cooler than he’d expected. He got goosebumps on his arms. Still, he walked. It was better than stopping even if it was to grab his jacket from the bag.
Soon the car came into view.
He was barely inside before Anderson said, “Right, here’s your cell. Call her.”
“Now?”
“No, next Christmas. Of course now. We don’t have much time. You’ve got to pull this off Adam. We think she may be ready to run.”
“No pressure then.” Adam ran his finger through the contacts until her name came up. Why hadn’t he deleted it back when he first got into trouble?
“What are you waiting for?”
“Do you have to listen in? This is a private moment.”
Anderson laughed, his belly shaking a little. “One minute you’re sayin
g you can’t do it, next you go all lovey dovey on me. Remember Adam, your neck is on the line as much as mine if we don’t bring this network down. Understand?”
Chapter 44
Taking a deep breath, he rang her number hoping she wouldn’t answer. He wasn't the actor in the family. He closed his eyes thinking of Declan. What would he do or say?
“Adam? Is that you?”
His stomach roiled at the sound of her voice. It wasn’t just nerves, her voice itself was irritating. How could he have thought her little girl wheezy voice was sexy?
“I read about…you know. I thought you might be having a rough time.” She couldn’t possibly fall for that line, could she? Ashley would run a mile. But then Camilla wasn’t Ashley.
“Jeez, Adam you are so sweet. I was wrong about you.”
Adam rolled his eyes, but Anderson’s glare straightened him out.
“Camilla babe, do you want to meet up?” Adam tried to sound less like someone asking for an execution date. “I’d love to see you. I miss you, babe.”
“Oh Adam, you’re so good to me. When? Where? Is your rental still off limits?”
Adam glanced at Anderson who was nodding his head up and down.
“Yeah babe, it’s still under surveillance.”
“Why don’t you just come to my place?”
“Okay sure, if that’s what you want. But I thought you might want to keep us out of the papers.” Adam hoped she did, but he had underestimated her again.
“No way baby. The best revenge on that idiot I was seeing is to have us back together. Cause we are, aren’t we? I never stopped loving you, babe.”
He was certain he was going to be ill. This was too much. He hesitated so long, Anderson gave him an elbow in the ribs.
“Okay. Give me a couple of hours.”
“I’ll be wearing your favorite outfit. Bye, darling.” She made a kissing sound into the phone before he managed to shut it off. How could he have thought she was his everything?
“So, you are on?”
“Yes, Anderson. So what do you want me to do?”
“Get her trust. We know she’s a bigger player than we first thought.”
“I really underestimated her, didn’t I? I was such a fool.”
“Good job you’re a rock star and not a cop then.”
“Thanks to my stupidity I’m not either really, am I? Not much call for a drummer without a band.”
“Your brothers will be cool once they hear the full story, won’t they?”
“Maybe.” He presumed they’d be fine but would he? All he’d thought about was going around the world on tour with the band, having girls flinging themselves at him, having enough money to treat his parents to whatever they needed. And to look after Skye and Deirdre. But he’d already gotten all of that and more. Yet there was something missing. He didn’t want to go back on stage. He wanted to settle down in the valley they had just left. With Ashley. Only, he might as well dream of seeing Mars up close and personal. Ashley wouldn’t have anything to do with him especially if, no, when, social media blew up with the story of him and Camilla. Whatever else his ex-girlfriend was, she was a master of being the center of attention.
“Why does she seek the attention of the press? Shouldn’t she be keeping a low profile?” Adam asked.
“Ever heard the expression ‘hiding in plain sight’? We think your girlfriend manipulates social media because most people would expect drug smugglers to hide. She’s out in the open so people wouldn’t expect her bag to have a million dollars of drugs in it.”
“A million? Jeez, I thought two hundred grand was a lot.”
“I told you, she’s riding in the big leagues and you’re about to be too.”
“What about when we take down this ring? What happens then?” What Adam really wanted to know was when could he have his life back?
“We have to get them to trial and get them all put away. I get to start over again with a new lot of drug dealing scumbags. You get to go back to your life, kid.”
“Will you quit calling me kid? I’m not a child.”
“Sorry. Once you get to my age, everyone is a kid,” Anderson replied
“Why don’t you give it up? Surely running after drug dealers is a younger man’s game.”
“Cheers for that. I just love being told I’m too old. You’ve been talking to my missus, haven’t you? She wants me to retire, become a sheriff somewhere quiet. As if. I spend an hour in the countryside and I’m bored to death.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing.”
Adam closed his eyes hoping the detective would take the hint. All he wanted to think about was Ashley and the last few months. His life had totally changed since Christmas. All the dreams he had since being a teenager were gone now. He knew what he wanted: to settle down and raise a family on a ranch just like the Double R. With Ashley by his side. Gracie too.
He picked up his cell and started making some calls. There were some things he could do to help. But would they be enough?
Chapter 45
Ashley walked through the gates of her new home. It wasn’t as big as the Double R, but it was full of children. The kids ran out to greet her, throwing themselves at her for hugs and cuddles.
“Is it true? Are you coming to live here too?”
“Yes, Gracie. I’m going to be staying for a while. I got a new job here.”
“Did you bring Devil with you?”
“Sorry David, it’s just me. Devil doesn’t belong to me so he has to stay at the other ranch.”
“Ah, I miss him,” David pouted.
“I miss him too.” The horse wasn’t the only thing she missed. She missed Mack, Charity, Loretta, and Adam. Most of all Adam. Why hadn’t he said goodbye to her? Loretta said he drove off in a hurry, but surely it wouldn’t have taken more than a few minutes to come and say goodbye. Maybe she hadn’t meant that much to him after all. She squeezed her eyes at the thought as she didn’t want to cry. She didn’t have any tears left anyhow. Adam was gone. Her life was here now. She should consider herself lucky. Working with the children was what she’d wanted to do for forever. Now she would be able to take a combined online learning/night class and qualify as a play therapist. Her life was turning around. Her parents’ lives too. Her dad had gotten an incredible offer on the ranch. Some city dweller whose grandpa had owned a gold mining patch had bought the ranch, but on the condition her dad stayed living there. The city guy wanted it for his retirement but didn’t have time to visit it right now. It was perfect for her parents, since they didn’t want to leave. Ashley knew it was the best result her dad could have had but it hurt to think about the ranch never being hers. She didn’t tell him that though. As always, she had to protect her parents.
“Ashley, you coming inside? Mr. Sanders said I could show you where you’re going to be staying.”
“Thanks, Gracie.” Ashley took the little girl’s hand and let her lead the way to her new room. She had to put the past behind her and that included Adam. This was her future and she needed to grab the opportunity with both hands.
Chapter 46
Camilla welcomed Adam with open arms and not much else. He feigned tiredness and a headache. She didn’t seem to mind so long as he was back in her place. She took a few photos and uploaded them to the various sites. Soon she was excitedly replying to various comments and telling him how many hits she’d gotten.
“Babe, I missed you so much. But I need something to lift this headache. Any plans for going out?” He tried his best to sound casual, not wanting to alert her in any way. She gave him a funny look but said she would think of something. “It would be great to show everyone we’re back together. You could wear that red number, you know the one?”
“Your headache is getting better if you’re thinking of that dress. Naughty boy.” And she went off to get ready for some party or other.
He lay back on the bed, comparing her to Ashley. Camilla was about as deep as a puddle, but Ashley was like
the Grand Canyon, full of layers and depths that you could only guess at. For Camilla, it was all about how she looked and whose arm she was on. She was all about the glitter. A bit like the fool’s gold Ashley had pointed out to him that day by the river. To think he had been taken in so easily. He shuddered at the thought of how he would have completely overlooked a nugget like Ashley compared to the pyrite that was Camilla. He stared at his cell as if willing it to ring, but how could she call? She didn’t have his number. He didn’t have hers either.
Chapter 47
“Babe, you need to shower and shave. I like the longer hair, but the rest? Not exactly front page worthy.”
“Coming.” Thankfully Camilla had kept some of his old clothes he had left here before being arrested. He tried them on, realizing they fit a bit looser in the waist and tighter in his chest and arms. The hard work on the ranch had paid off.
“I like the muscles. Maybe I should spend some time on a ranch too.” She smiled at him coquettishly as she draped her barely dressed figure around the door.
“You look great just the way you are baby,” he said automatically. The truth was, at first glance she looked good but if you looked closer there were lines around her eyes that hadn’t been there before. She looked more harassed, making him think she wasn’t as immune to the threat from the cops as he had thought. He would have to be careful not to raise her suspicions further.
Soon after they arrived at the party, he recognized many of Camilla’s friends. Lots of people in the entertainment industry did coke. Seeing it at gatherings was nothing new. But this was slightly different in that she seemed very close friends with two of the guests.
“Seems I should have stayed away.” He had to play the jealous boyfriend, but it took no acting skills to be grouchy. He hated being there.