His Last Redemption

by Clarissa Yip

  Ryan shook his head. “She knows to expect me whenever I show up. Besides, I think we lucked out. Beckett and Mitchell are stuck working on the Pearl Killer case. They don’t have any leads on the serial killer.” His partner paused and studied him. “What’s gotten into you, anyway? Ever since you drove Lauren Burke home earlier, you’ve been antsy. More like angry.”

  He shrugged and leaned over his desk. He couldn’t stop thinking about Lauren. Her pale expression haunted him. Everything was wrong. She’d changed. Not for the better, but for the worse. Guilt had slammed into him after their conversation in the car as if he’d been responsible for her cool and remote attitude. Her clipped answers didn’t sound…like Lauren—the Lauren he used to know. The carefree, smiling girl was missing. Instead, he saw a woman scarred and cynical, hiding what she felt.

  An inner strength radiated from her, pushing him away. And the more she held him at arm’s length, the more he wanted answers as to what had changed her. Part of him knew it was his fault for deserting her without a word, but she had to have understood that he couldn’t stick around.

  There was no future between them, and she deserved so much more than what he could have offered. Maybe he’d taken the coward’s way out by not telling her good-bye, but he’d thought it was for the best.

  And she’d gotten married six months after he’d left. Could she really have fallen out of love with him that fast? How the hell did Burke come in and sweep her off her feet in such a short period of time?

  His fingers bit into his palms.

  “Kane.”

  He glanced up. “What?” Anger rode his voice.

  “Do you want me to finish up the paperwork?” Ryan asked, concern marring his face.

  Kane stood up and grabbed his coffee cup. “No. I got it. I’m just tired.”

  “Does it have anything to do with Ms. Burke? She’s not under suspicion of anything. Even though the case is now a murder…”

  He frowned and stalked to the counter where the coffeepot sat. He would have been happy closing the case as an “accidental fire” if not for the fire department stating they’d found the scene set ablaze by rubbing alcohol, not candles, and the medical examiner had informed them of skull fractures on both victims. Burke’s dentist had forwarded the dental records, which proved Burke’s identity. And yet they couldn’t figure out who the second body was.

  Lauren’s answers had affirmed her location the night of Burke’s death, giving her a sturdy alibi. The thought of Lauren as a suspect never entered his mind. Filling his mug, he ignored Ryan. It wasn’t any of his partner’s business what was running through his head. But then he didn’t want to admit the truth, either. His chest tightened at the memory of seeing Lauren at her store and then the defeated look in the waiting room. During questioning, he had to force himself to keep from returning to the morgue to rip the dead corpse apart. The pain she’d endured at the expense of her cheating husband had brought out all his protective instincts, but her answers had been withdrawn, like the hurt wasn’t there. That had confused him even more. The worst was when she stared at the watch they’d found on Burke with an indifferent expression. She’d barely blinked as she’d answered all their questions. He had wanted to pull her into his arms and shake her, to draw a reaction out of her.

  The old Lauren would have gone into hysterics, sobbing her heart out, then presenting him with a smile after he had made her feel better.

  But there was no reaction from her. This Lauren…was cold.

  “Is she the same woman you were seeing before you transferred?”

  Kane stiffened. Ryan was seriously getting on his nerves. He remembered that Lauren and Ryan might have met in passing when she used to wait for him at his old apartment. “What does it matter?”

  His partner shrugged, then changed the topic of conversation to something even more aggravating. “Your mother called while you were out.”

  Taking a sip of his black coffee, Kane took a deep breath, shoving his irritation away. They’d known each other for so long, and Ryan always spoke whatever was on his mind. They usually kept to themselves; their friendship and past partnership had made them receptive to each other, but there were still instances where they annoyed the shit out of each other. On purpose or not, Kane didn’t know. He returned to his desk and asked, “What did she want?”

  Ryan eyed him warily. “To remind you that you still need to come over to dinner sometime this week or something.”

  Kane nodded, returning his attention to his computer screen. His mother was his mother—the woman who gave birth to him, the one who went on with her life without him and Lily. Memories shadowed his mind. He shook his head. Why did she have to continue to torture him?

  “I know how much you hate visiting your family. I can come with you if you’d like.”

  His eyes shot to his partner, mouth parted to speak, but he clamped it shut. He didn’t want to see his mother. The more he saw her, the more he realized that he didn’t belong in her life. “We’ll see.”

  “I don’t know why you avoid your mom. She’s pretty cool. Doesn’t make demands on you like my mom. Doesn’t tell you or hint to you that it’s time to settle down and have kids. Besides, Maria is an awesome cook. I’d have her adopt me if she’d cook for me every night.”

  And you’d make a better son than me. Kane cleared his throat. “She’s a chef and cooks for a living.”

  “Which is why I don’t understand why you’re not having dinner over at her house every night.”

  Kane shrugged.

  Ryan leaned over his desk. “What about your sister’s wedding? Are you helping with that?”

  Kane lifted his brow. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, if you’re in the wedding, shouldn’t you be doing the guy stuff? Like getting fitted for the tux and whatever the hell men do for weddings?”

  “I’m not in the wedding.” Actually, he’d turned down the position and told his stepsister he couldn’t, but Ryan didn’t need to know that.

  His partner’s eyes narrowed. “You are going to the wedding, right? Your whole family would be disappointed if you didn’t show up.”

  Kane wanted to scoff. What difference did it make if he didn’t go? They were his mother’s family—her husband and three other kids. Not his, technically. “I’m going. I promised I’d go.” He stopped and frowned at Ryan. “Did they put you up to this or something?”

  Ryan ignored him, but then slammed his fist on the table to emphasize his words. “You better go. Otherwise, I’ll find you and drag your ass there.”

  Kane bit his inner cheek and started to type on the keyboard. Words flowed across the screen, but he didn’t really see what he was typing. Instead, his nerves threatened to snap. “What’s your problem anyway, Montgomery? When did you become their delegator?”

  Ryan huffed. “You’ve been back here for a couple months already. How many times have you seen your family?”

  Kane stopped, drawing in an aggravated sigh. Ryan was a great friend and partner, but at times, he wanted nothing more than to wring his neck. They’d known each other since entering the academy and had been close over the years, patrolling the streets together before he’d transferred to the city. And now he wondered why he had returned. Everything he’d avoided his whole life was here. In Grant. “I just saw Mom last week.”

  Ryan pursed his lips. Disbelief written all over his expression. Then he turned to his computer and started clicking on his mouse.

  Kane shook his head and returned to his report. Ryan could believe whatever he wanted. His relationship with Maria Bradley wasn’t anyone’s business, even though he knew his partner talked to his mother and still visited her once in a while. Or more like his mother visited Ryan to get updates on him instead.

  His thoughts turned to Lauren and his chest constricted. He wanted to ask Ryan what he knew about Lauren, but his partner was busy tapping away on his computer. Curiosity and concern warred in him. What he should do was leave her alone. Laur
en was probably mourning her husband. She may be mad at Kane for leaving her without warning, and if that were true, then he needed to explain. But first, he had to go see someone.

  He glanced at the clock and sighed. Close to midnight, it was too late to go to the cemetery.

  Lily was going to have to wait another night.

  Chapter Four

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

  Glancing up at her husband’s business partner, Lauren lifted the corners of her lips in an attempt to smile. Her mouth muscles rebelled against the movement, but relief poured through her. The funeral was over. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold up her appearance as the mourning widow.

  “I’ll be fine, Gabe. Thanks so much for coming.” She patted his arm.

  Concern gleamed from Gabe’s green eyes. She looked away, toward the shiny oak coffin. Her throat tightened at the sea of flowers spread out before the grave. After a week of prepping for this event, the truth of the situation hadn’t truly hit her until now.

  Daniel was gone. Forever.

  Her senses burned and grief overwhelmed her. The need for freedom no longer seemed significant. She would have broken down in tears during the speeches made in Daniel’s honor, but the only thing she could think of was how many of the female guests had slept with her husband—how many had laughed behind her back at her ignorance.

  “I don’t think you should be alone.”

  Lauren drew her gaze away from the coffin and shook her head. “It’s okay. I’m just going to go home and rest. It’s been a long week.”

  “I’m sure it has,” he replied.

  He has no idea. After the threatening call last week, she’d been informed her husband had been murdered. And the killer was still out there. She could do nothing more than hope Kane caught Daniel’s murderer, but she’d been thrown into a whirlwind of loose ends left by her husband.

  Gabe wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her against him. As a longtime friend, she accepted his hug, but with stony restraint. She wasn’t used to being held. Or maybe she didn’t want to be held by anyone.

  “I know Daniel didn’t deserve you, but he did care for you in his own way.” His lips brushed her forehead. “I’m here for you, too, if you need me.”

  Lauren stiffened. She ignored the wound that threatened to open in her chest. The pressure of the week pushed against her lungs. Taking a step back, she drew a deep breath and looked up at her husband’s partner.

  Gabe gripped her hand, stopping her from moving any farther. “I know this isn’t the place or time, but you know I’ve always cared for you, Lauren, since the first time Daniel introduced you to me.”

  She pulled away, pasting a smile on her face. Shock and irritation wormed through her. This was Daniel’s partner, his best friend, the best man at their wedding, and he’d always been pleasant to her. She didn’t need any more complications in her life, especially ones concerning men. “Gabe, thank you. I care for you, too. But Daniel…”

  “I know. It’ll take some time.” Gabe took a step toward her.

  Tempted to shuffle farther back, she held herself still. “It will.”

  “I’ll take care of the practice for now, so don’t you worry.”

  She shrugged. She’d almost forgotten about Daniel’s pride and joy. By law, she had a right to Daniel’s practice. Her husband wouldn’t have voluntarily willed his possessions to her, especially after she’d been the one to leave him. Their separation may have spoiled his reputation, but that hadn’t stopped him from continuing his affairs. After all she’d done for him, she definitely deserved his share, but she didn’t really want it. The practice served as a constant reminder of her stupidity, of all she’d sacrificed to make Daniel happy, only to have him abandon her and give up what she’d worked so hard to build for them. “Thank you.”

  He eyed her warily as if contemplating his next words.

  Lauren squirmed, shifting from one foot to another. The need to bolt made her skittish. She didn’t want to put up with any awkward confrontations with Gabe. They were bound to see each other in the future, whether or not it had to do with her now-dead husband. He’d been a good friend in the past few days, checking up on her, but then what type of friend was he if he’d known about Daniel’s affairs all along and never told her?

  Her phone rang. She quickly dug it out of her pocket and pressed the talk button. “Hello.”

  “Hey, Ms. Burke. Sorry to bother you.”

  It was Kerry, her assistant. Relief pounded in her chest. “What’s going on? Everything okay at the store?”

  “Fine. I didn’t want to disturb you, but I know you had said that you planned to stop in to the store after the funeral. The delivery trucks are here, but I can’t find the inventory list for the order.”

  Lauren stifled a groan. A pounding started in her head. She just wanted to go home and crawl into bed. Without Mack to supervise the delivery trucks, the dock employees were lost. “It’s on my computer…” She saw Gabe’s patient expression and knew he wasn’t going to leave her alone anytime soon. “I’ll be right there.”

  “If you tell me where, I can—”

  “See you soon. Thanks.” She ended the call, cutting Kerry off, and gave Gabe an apologetic smile. “I have to get going. Thanks for coming today.”

  He nodded, brushing a hand over his teal-blue tie. “You know I had to be here. I’ll drive you home.”

  She bit her lip. “That was the store. They need me. Besides, I have my car.”

  “Don’t they know that your husband just died?” Gabe frowned.

  “You know how it is. It’s my business. I’ll see you tomorrow at the lawyer’s office. I’m surprised he had a will drawn up.”

  Gabe shoved his hands in his pocket. “He’d told me about it, but I never thought to see the day that it’d be used so soon. Daniel…he cared about you no matter what wrong he’s done in the past.”

  Her chest tightened, and she drew in a deep breath. She stared at Daniel’s coffin and then allowed her eyes to wander. Gabe was a great guy, but she didn’t want to be alone with him, didn’t want to talk about Daniel or the practice. She wanted everything to be over. Exhaustion withered through her. The strength and control she’d heavily relied upon drew further and further away, almost out of reach. Looking around, the lines of gravestone sent a chill down her spine. She continued to peruse the landscape of gray tombs and green grass, until her eyes stopped at the tree near the side of the street.

  Kane stood leaning against the trunk, arms crossed, his gaze directly on her.

  Her feet started to move. A burst of warmth shot through her. She found she could suddenly breathe as she drew closer, leaving Gabe next to the gaping hole where Daniel would be lowered into the ground.

  Kane straightened from his position and shoved his hands into his pockets as she closed the distance between them. She drank in the sight of him in his navy-blue suit and dark-green-and-cream tie. His jacket hugged his broad shoulders to perfection. His hair gleamed under sunlight, face neutral as he watched her approach. Her throat constricted at his handsomeness. The temptation to rush into his arms and demand he hold her propelled her to quicken her steps.

  But she remembered. Kane had left her first. Otherwise, she would never have met Daniel, never have gotten married, never have buried a dead husband.

  She stopped in front of him and clenched her hands to her sides, squelching the consolation of his presence. “What are you doing here?”

  “You called Mitchell over me.”

  She frowned, recalling the phone call she’d received the night he dropped her off at the shop—the day he’d disrupted her life yet again. She’d been rattled all week, but with the funeral plans, she hadn’t given much thought to the incident. No doubt, it’d been kids pulling stupid pranks. “No, I called the station and that was who answered my call the next morning and who informed me of”—she swallowed hard—“Daniel’s murder.”

  Kane grunted. “
Have you gotten any more calls?”

  “No.” A part of her wanted to ask if they’d found out the identity of the woman who’d been burned with Daniel, but she’d rather not know. “Why are you really here?”

  His eyes softened. “I wanted to see you.”

  Her heart skipped, pushing her another step closer. Her hand itched to brush that silky strand of hair off his face, but she stopped, nails digging into her palm. What was wrong with her? “For what?”

  Kane shrugged. His boyish features broke into a smile. “Just to make sure you’re doing okay.”

  She bit her cheek. The old Lauren would have melted at his words, jumped up and down, then thrown herself into his arms. She stood still. “I’m fine. Did you find who killed Daniel?”

  “Not yet.” He glanced over her shoulder. “Are you close to Gabe Peters?”

  Lauren turned and saw Gabe watching them. “He’s a good friend and Daniel’s partner at the practice.”

  “I know. I met him last week when I went to his office with Ryan. I thought you hated doctors.”

  “He’s not a doctor. He’s a plastic surgeon.” Her father had died when she was younger from a brain aneurysm and the doctors had done nothing to help. Drawing in a deep breath, she waited. She didn’t know what he was getting at.

  Kane gave her a sheepish grin before settling a hand on her elbow. Goosebumps from his touch went up her arm. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

  She allowed him to lead her and said the first thing that came to her mind. “Are you planning on staying here, or is this just a temporary thing?”

  “I don’t know. You know how I am. It depends. If I get bored, I may leave again.”

  Lauren moved away, tugging her elbow out of his grip. The chill returned. “I’m sure Grant could use a good cop. But then, so could a lot of other places.”

  “I’m surprised you married so soon after I left.”

  She stopped and pivoted to face him. A million thoughts rushed through her mind along with anger blazing through her body. “What? Was I supposed to wait for you?”