by Parker, Ali
Chapter 27
Will
“Will, I need to talk to you. Is there any way you can meet me in an hour?” Heidi’s voice sounded strained, and it had nothing to do with having bad reception.
Dread pooled in my stomach. I didn’t know what had happened, but it couldn’t be good. Standing up from my couch, I walked across my small living room and moved the curtain off the one window I had in there.
It was late on Saturday afternoon, during that time of day there were only a few cars outside and almost no one on the sidewalk. Soon enough, life would start up again. People would get dressed up and go out to the local bars.
For now, though, everything was calm. Except of course for the turmoil rolling around inside me, a perfect contrast to the calm outside. “Sure, I can meet you. What happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.” Despite her reply, it didn’t sound like she was. My heart began beating faster, panic and confusion being added to the mix of emotions inside to make me feel decidedly uneasy, on edge even.
It was a feeling I wasn’t too familiar with, despite my upbringing. “Okay, I’ll meet you at the boardwalk in an hour. Do you want me to come pick you up?”
“No.” The word came out fast. Way too fucking fast. That one little word was like the hardest sucker punch to the gut. Because for the first time since I’d met her, Heidi sounded scared. Of me?
That made no sense. The last time I’d seen her at the café, she had been fine. Sure, it had been a few days ago, and she’d been calling me, but that was the only thing that had happened in the meantime. She’d tried to call me a few times after I left, but I’d needed some time to make sense of things. Or rather, to talk sense into Rayce and convince him we didn’t need to pull another job. We’d been arguing about it all week, though, and I hadn’t made any progress.
Essentially ghosting Heidi was tougher on me than I thought it would be, but it was safer for her if I figured this all out before getting more involved with her. If she’d sounded pissed at me, I would have understood.
Scared, though? I just didn’t understand it, and yet fear laced every word of the next sentence she spoke. “I think it’s better if I just meet you there.”
Better? For whom? “Heidi, are you sure everything is okay? You sound kind of freaked out?”
“I’ll explain it to you when I see you.” Her voice was soft, tentative even. “I’ve been trying to call you for days, Will. I really need to speak to you.”
The tips of my fingers and the ends of my toes went inexplicably cold. “Did someone hurt you? You sound different, babe.”
Fuck, if I’d thought for one second that something had happened to her, I would’ve answered her calls before. She hadn’t left any messages, though, and her texts hadn’t mentioned anything untoward. Basically, all she’d asked was if I was okay, why I’d left the café, and to call her back.
I’d sent her a text back to reassure her that I was fine, telling her that I was busy with my brother and that we’d talk soon. Nothing in the exchange had hinted that there was anything going on that would cause her to sound afraid of me now.
“No one hurt me.” Somehow, the words didn’t assuage any of the feelings tearing me up inside. “Just meet me in an hour, and I’ll explain. Goodbye, Will.”
Heidi ended the call without even waiting for me to say goodbye too. My palms started sweating, my erratic heartbeat kicking up another notch.
By the time I got to the boardwalk, I felt like a fucking wreck. I was fifteen minutes early, but I hadn’t been able to sit still any longer.
Fists clenched and shoulders tight, I parked in the relatively empty lot and took a deep breath to calm myself. I hated feeling this way, especially because I couldn’t really explain where it was coming from. Heidi obviously, but I had this foreboding pit in my stomach and that, I couldn’t explain.
Waves crashed gently on the beach, a light breeze ruffling my hair as I got out of my truck and walked to the nearest one selling coffee. There was no line since it was still early evening and the crowds wouldn’t be coming in earnest for at least another hour or so.
After picking up two large coffees, I chose a spot out on the pier and texted Heidi where I was waiting for her. She arrived right on time, stepping onto the pier and pausing as her eyes swept the area to look for me.
Tight jeans showed off her toned legs, an oversize gray cardigan with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows rustling in the breeze. Her dark hair was pulled back, her face bare of any makeup. Though it had only been a few days since the last time I’d seen her, it looked like she had lost some weight.
The foreboding feeling spread and made me feel light-headed for a beat; although, that might also have been because my heart was galloping at double-time. I stood up from my wooden bench, waving to get her attention.
When her eyes met mine, they were darker than usual and a deep frown settled on her features. Even from a distance, it was glaringly obvious that she was not okay.
My feet were moving without a conscious command having been given to them. Halfway between the bench and the beginning of the pier, I met up with her. Itching to have her in my arms, to hold her there until I was satisfied that I could fix whatever was going on with her, I surrendered to the sensation and opened my arms to her.
She stepped wordlessly into my embrace, holding me tight and resting her head against my chest. I was sure she could both feel and hear my heart racing, but she didn’t question it.
Heidi was so warm and soft, I never wanted to let her go. The vague scent of berries drifted from her hair, and deciding to go with the whole giving in to what felt right thing, I buried my face in the soft strands and just breathed her in.
A soft giggle surprised me, even as muffled as it was by my chest. When she stepped away and looked up at me, there was amusement lightening some of the worry in her eyes. “Did you just smell my hair?”
I shrugged, briefly considering denying it before deciding to just fess up. We didn’t need any more untruths between us. “It smelled really good.”
“I borrowed Olive’s shampoo.” A soft smile played on her lips and she slipped her hand into mine, leading me back to the bench where our coffees were still waiting. “I’ll tell her you like it.”
“Suits you better.” It crossed my mind how ridiculous this conversation was, but it was distracting me from the ominous sense of foreboding and I really needed the respite, even if just for a few minutes. “I feel like her shampoo should smell more serious.”
Heidi laughed, arching an eyebrow. “What does a serious shampoo smell like?”
“Responsibility and musk?” I suggested, sitting down and handing her one of the coffees before pulling her closer to my side when she sat down too. “Or maybe vanilla.”
“Pray tell, what does responsibility smell like?” The corners of her mouth were pressed in like she was trying to hold back laughter, trying to keep a straight face. “Why would it smell like vanilla?”
“It’s a perfectly solid scent. Reliable.” God, this was becoming more absurd by the second and yet, I couldn’t bring myself to stop. “Berries are sweeter, more fun. Therefore, the berries suit you better.”
“It’s a really good thing you’re not a lawyer.” Heidi laughed, then took a sip of her coffee. “That’s not a great argument.”
“There’s a reason I’m an electrician. The wires don’t argue back, but the clients sometimes do. Besides, I think my argument was airtight.”
Heidi nodded, her shoulders still shaking with laughter. “I’m never going to look at vanilla the same again.”
We were quiet for a while then, sipping our coffees as Heidi’s giggles subsided and the humor drained out of the eyes. She turned to face me, lifting her butt a little as she dug into the pocket of the tight jeans and came up with a business card.
“The FBI came to my house looking for me.” She extended the business card toward me. As soon as I caught sight of the name on it, nausea replaced the pit i
n my stomach. Agent Johnson.
I’d heard his name on the news. He was one of the agents looking into the robberies, I was almost sure of it. Blood drained from my face and when I took the card from her, I hoped to hell that she wouldn’t notice the slight tremble in my hand.
“Does this have anything to do with you?” she asked, the small tremor of fear shaking her voice again. “The agent spoke to Valerie. He wouldn’t tell her what it was about, but I haven’t done anything, Will.”
“It probably has something to do with my brother.” The pit in my stomach reappeared, but then it morphed into a fucking chasm that sucked all the happiness and joy that I might have felt over seeing Heidi again right out. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it.”
“If there’s anything I need to know, Will, please tell me now.” She shifted on the bench and bent her leg at the knee, putting it between us and turning to face me completely. “Whatever it is, I can deal with it.”
My hand reached for her leg, but I pulled it back before I could touch her. I didn’t deserve the comfort, not if I was going to lie to her about this. That was exactly what I had to do, though, so I inhaled a deep breath of the fresh ocean air and got it over with.
“There’s nothing you need to know.” If I told her the truth, she would become an accessory. I could never do that to her, even if it meant having to lie through my fucking teeth. “I’ll get it straightened out, okay? You said the agent talked to Valerie, have you spoken to him since?”
“I haven’t.” She frowned, inclining her head toward the business card in my hand. “He did tell her that he needed to speak to me, though. I wanted to speak to you before I called him.”
“Can I keep the card?” This was my mess to sort out. Heidi didn’t need to worry about having to call the FBI. She was totally innocent in this shitstorm, and I would make sure the FBI knew it.
Heidi gave me a long look before nodding. “Sure. Keep it.”
She took my hand, then leaned over to press a soft kiss to my lips. Her free hand reached up to cup my cheek, and she kept it there until she pulled away. “Whatever is going on, promise me you’ll be careful?”
“I promise.” I bent my head down and rested my forehead against hers, our breath mingling until I gathered the strength to break the contact with her. “I should get going. I’ll speak to you later.”
It took everything I had to walk away from her, knowing I was leaving her with so many questions unanswered, and not quite knowing what to do with the fact she trusted me with this. Fuck, I had screwed up royally by getting involved with someone. If anything happened to Heidi because of me…
No. I wouldn’t even allow myself to think about it. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She trusted me, and I was going to earn that damn trust no matter what. The FBI wouldn’t touch her, no one would.
I drove straight to Rayce’s place, marching inside and making sure all of his locks were done up before pulling the card out of my pocket and throwing it down on his coffee table. “The FBI went to Heidi’s house. They wanted to talk to her, but the agent wouldn’t say about what.”
Rayce blinked at me, putting his hands on his head and brushing them over his hair. Blowing out a breath, he cursed. “Okay. Okay. Well, if they went to your girl, I’m pretty sure what they wanted to talk to her about.”
“Yep.”
His eyes closed, his chest rising and falling as he continued to breathe deeply. When he opened them again, there was sheer determination staring back at me. “I’ll take care of this, okay?”
I nodded, but there was one thought throwing itself around in my mind. It nudged and jabbed and stabbed until I couldn’t help but let to it out. “This is because of the house, isn’t it?”
Rayce stilled, sighing before he let his head bop once. “Yeah, I know.”
Fuck. I sank into his couch, putting my head in my hands and pulling at my hair. What the fuck have I done?
Chapter 28
Heidi
“Are you okay in there?” Olive’s soft voice was followed by a knock on the bathroom door. “Heidi?”
I groaned, leaning my head on my cool forearm. The bathroom floor was hard under my knees where I crouched next to the toilet. “I’m fine, just feeling sick again.”
My voice was hoarse and sounding weak. Damn it. I hated feeling sick. Nausea was a trick the devil played on a person when he got bored, I swore it. Especially when it was this persistent.
I heard a creak and felt the air shift as the door opened, not bothering to raise my head from my arm. Olive lifted my loose hair away from my neck, putting a gentle hand on my shoulder. “This is the fourth day in a row you’ve been feeling sick. I think we should get you checked out.”
“What we need,” Valerie said from the direction of the door, her voice much firmer than Olive’s, “is to get her a pregnancy test. When was the last time you had your period?”
My stomach lurched, then twisted painfully. Sucking in a breath, I moaned as nausea slammed into me twice as forcefully as it had been before. “I don’t know.”
“Think, babe,” Valerie insisted, worry coloring her tone. “Have you had your period since we got here?”
“Of course,” I snapped, my hands dropping to clutch my cramping stomach. “I’m not pregnant. Will and I have been safe.”
“Things happen, sweetheart,” Olive said, still speaking in a lower, gentler tone than Valerie. “It couldn’t hurt to just check, could it?”
“It’s just a bug.” Despite my reassurance to my friend, there was suddenly a seed of doubt in the back of my mind. My brain jumped into calculations, and the result had the last bit of blood draining from my cheeks. “I had my last period just after we got here.”
Olive and Valerie both went quiet then. Finally lifting my head, I met Valerie’s terrified hazel eyes and Olive’s worry-clouded blue ones. Both of them were just about gaping at me. I could practically see the wheels turning in their heads.
Naturally, Olive was the first to recover. “We’ve been here for almost two months, honey. Do you have any other symptoms?”
“Symptoms?” My voice came out as barely more than a whisper. I racked my brain, trying to come up with an answer that didn’t point to the obvious, but the more I thought about it… “I’ve been really tired this week, and my boobs are fucking sore. I thought—”
“That you were just about to get your period?” Olive sounded sympathetic, too sympathetic. “I don’t think that’s it.”
“Neither do I.” Valerie had recovered now, but she was almost as I pale as I felt. She was leaning against the door, slack-jawed with her arms crossed.
Olive’s eyes darted from mine to Valerie’s and back again. She released a heavy sigh before jumping into action. “Okay. The first thing we need to do is to check for sure. Val, go get some pregnancy tests. Heidi, I know it’s the last thing you feel like doing, but you need to eat something.”
The mere thought of food had me groaning and screwing my eyes shut. “I don’t think I’ll be able to keep anything down. I only had a few sips of the coffee Will got me earlier and even that made me feel worse.”
“Let’s just try a cracker or something, okay?” Olive stuck out her hand to help me up. I climbed to my feet, watching as she moved to the sink to wet a washcloth. “Here, put that on your forehead. I’ll be in the kitchen whenever you’re ready. You need to drink some water too.”
She marched to the door, narrowing her eyes at Val. “Please go get those tests now. We’re all in shock, but we need to confirm our suspicions. Just go, please.”
Val opened and closed her mouth a few times, but then she nodded and shot me a tight smile before leaving. A few minutes later, I heard the front door slamming shut.
Olive disappeared, too, and the smell of coffee brewing made my stomach turn again. After dry heaving a few more times—I couldn’t remember the last thing I’d eaten—I brushed my teeth for good measure and went to join her.
She held up a gla
ss of water for me and offered what I was sure was supposed to have been a reassuring smile. It fell flat. Olive was worried. “Whatever happens, we’ll be right there with you. You know that, right?”
I nodded, but I couldn’t think of any words to say. The evidence that our suspicions were correct—I couldn’t even bring myself to think the word—was overwhelming. The possible implications of us being right were making my mind hazy, like I just couldn’t focus on anything.
Olive handed me a few crackers on a plate, but I only nibbled on them. Thankfully, she didn’t try to talk to me again.
When Valerie got back, clutching a paper bag and wearing a grim “let’s do this” expression, I followed my friends to the bathroom without uttering a single word. Olive carried another glass of water, giving it to me before taking the bag from Valerie.
She peered inside, taking a deep breath before she started extracting boxes. She nodded her approval at Valerie, her smile cutting through my disoriented mind. “Good thinking getting so many, and different kinds too.”
Valerie glanced at me, sighing before schooling her expression. The familiar smirk her lips pulled into further helped me to dislodge the sludge that seemed to have taken the place of my brain matter. “I’ve watched enough movies to know how this is going to go.”
I rolled my eyes, holding out my hand. “Let’s just get this over with, shall we?”
Olive nodded, opening the first box and ripping open the protective covering on the cylindrical stick that looked so innocent for something that had the power to irrevocably change my life.
After handing it over, she dug her fingers into the box again and extracted the instructions, unfolding the paper and reading intently. “Okay, so it says here we have to wait three minutes for the result.”
It took less than thirty seconds for two lines to appear in the results box. I blinked down at the little window, refusing to believe what I was seeing. “What do two lines mean again?”