Deadly Deception

by Marissa Garner

  After leaving the cemetery, the mourners congregated at the church’s social hall for light refreshments and supportive grieving. News of Hal’s suicide was a major topic of conversation. No one appeared to grieve for that asshole. Sean was glad Hallelujah Ima Freeman, aka Ronald Arthur Usborne, was already rotting in hell.

  When the crowd started to thin and Karla had taken Callie outside, Sean noticed Jess standing alone for the first time. She looked devastated but strong. Her resilience amazed him. Slowly, he made his way over to her.

  “How ya doing?” he asked.

  She gazed up at him with glistening eyes. “I’ll survive.”

  “You’ll do better than that.”

  “I hope so.” She blinked and turned away.

  He drew a fortifying breath. “Look, I know what you said, but”—his fingers gently guided her face back toward him—“I want to spend the night with you.”

  She covered her eyes with a trembling hand. “Don’t, Sean, please.” Shaking her head, she continued. “I can’t. We can’t. Anyway, Callie and I are spending the night at Karla’s apartment, so we can get an early start to the cabin tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? So this is good-bye?”

  She lowered her hand and looked him in the eye. “Yes, it is. I’m sure you plan to head off to LA early, too, since you’ve been gone so long. There’s always so much to do after a long absence. Buy groceries. Do laundry. Sort the mail.”

  Even as she babbled, a tear ran down her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb.

  “Jess…” Emotions strangled the words he wanted to say.

  “I’m sorry, Sean. Fate just seems determined to keep us apart. First Hal, and now all of this. You need to…move on with your life, and I need to create a new one for Callie and me.”

  He swallowed hard. “But…I love you, Jess.”

  She stepped up to him, put her arms around his neck, and placed her lips over his. Confused but encouraged, he wrapped her in his arms. Closing his eyes, he drank in the taste of her, breathed in her scent, and melded their bodies together. He never wanted to let go. But when she broke the kiss and stepped back a moment later, he released her.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks as she met his gaze. “I love you, too, Sean. That’s why I could never ask you to give up your dream. Take care of yourself.”

  She turned and walked out of his life.

  * * *

  A week later, Jessie gaped when Karla turned into the Freeman driveway. Her eyes widened as she stared at the bustling scene.

  At least three dozen pickup trucks were parked along the road, and half the population of Ramona crawled over the property. The air rang with hammering and buzzed with sawing. People with brushes and rollers, some on ladders, were painting the house’s white trim. Others were busy planting flowers in the neglected beds in the front yard and weeding the garden in back. In shock, she surveyed the property, her gaze flicking toward the outbuilding. She gasped.

  The structure was gone. New wooden framing stuck out of a huge concrete foundation. It appeared much larger than the previous one, but that might’ve been an illusion caused by the absence of walls. Men with big tool belts and bigger tools covered the area. She spotted Nate and Uncle Chad among the workers.

  “What happened?” she cried in disbelief. “Was there a fire?” Her stomach clenched when she thought of the bomb shelter hidden beneath the darkroom. Had it been uncovered by whatever disaster had destroyed the building?

  Karla shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him,” she said, nodding at the man walking toward the car.

  “Oh no. What’s he doing here?” Jessie murmured.

  Sean strolled to the passenger side and opened the door. “Welcome home, Jess.” He leaned down to peer inside. “Hey, Karla. Hi, munchkin.”

  “Who are these peoples?” Callie asked warily.

  Jessie turned. Her daughter’s concerned expression tugged at her heart. During the past week, Callie had begun to exhibit a general distrust of people. One of the many emotional scars she feared they would have to deal with over time.

  “They’re friends,” Sean supplied in answer when Jessie didn’t. “We’re making something for you and your mommy.”

  “Likes a…a present?”

  “Right.” After opening the back door, he freed Callie from the car seat and plopped her on his hip. “Wanna see?”

  Callie nodded enthusiastically.

  “Can your mommy come, too?” he asked in a serious tone.

  “Sure. C’mon, Mommy.” She reached out her little hand, and her eyes showed the first signs of a sparkle since the funeral. “Mr. Sean gots a present for us.”

  Her eyes burning with unshed tears, Jessie clasped the delicate fingers and climbed out of the car. Her gaze connected with Sean’s. She swallowed hard. She should be angry, but she felt something entirely different. “What’re you doing here? You’re supposed to be in LA.”

  He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and planted a chaste kiss on her cheek. “We’ll talk later. I want to show you and Munchkin the surprise.”

  They walked up the driveway together. The crowd dropped what they were doing and gathered along the sides, smiling, calling greetings, clapping.

  Jessie blinked in bewilderment. What in the world?

  When they reached the construction area, Sean stopped. “Do you know what this is?” he asked Callie.

  Her lips pursed as she concentrated. “A mess.”

  Sean snorted. “True that. What do you think it’ll be when we finish building it?”

  Jessie’s chest ached at his sweet, caring manner with her daughter. If only…

  Callie frowned. “Is it a house?”

  “Close. It’s a child care…house. Now your mommy can work here and be with you all day.”

  Jessie gasped. “What?” She pulled away from Sean’s arm and stepped haltingly toward the new construction. “No way. Is…is it?”

  Joining her, he rested a hand on her shoulder. “Yeah, it’s the plans you had drawn up in Chicago. Revised for California building codes, of course.”

  She splayed her hand on the side of her face. “I…I can’t believe it.” Then a nasty reality yanked her down. She leaned her head toward him and whispered, “I can’t afford this. How am I going to pay everyone?”

  He grinned. “Don’t have to. Labor and materials are all donated by the good citizens of Ramona. They even fast-tracked the permits.”

  “Oh my God.” She stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “What…what about the…you know? Did anyone see it?”

  “Nope. Chad, Nate, and I filled it up completely with concrete last Sunday before any of this started.”

  “Thank God.” She drew a trembling breath and turned around. Everyone lining the driveway began to clap. Tears filled her eyes and overflowed while her chest tightened with a sweet ache. Maybe she and Callie would stay here. Maybe they could make a new life where she’d grown up. Maybe the good memories would outweigh the bad. And maybe, someday, she’d find a man who’d want to live with them in this wonderful, caring little town. Someday…

  She heard movement behind her, and Callie appeared by her side, latching one arm around her mother’s leg.

  “Why you crying, Mommy? Aren’t you happy with Mr. Sean’s present?”

  “Oh, baby, I am. It’s just…just…”

  “Jess, I have one more surprise.”

  She looked over her shoulder to find Sean down on one knee behind her. Her heart did a stutter step. Slowly, she pivoted with Callie still attached to her leg and faced him. “Sean?”

  He took her hand in his right and Callie’s in his left. “I love you, Jess and Callie. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you let me be your husband and father?”

  Callie let go of her mother and stepped closer to Sean. Even though he was kneeling, she still had to look up into his face. “You really wants to be my daddy, Mr. Sean?”

  “Yes, munchkin, I sure do.”

  Wit
h a serious frown, she considered his proposal. “You gots to ’mise never to be mean or leave.”

  He smiled. “I promise.”

  “Okay, you’re my new daddy.” She scooted her little bottom onto his raised knee and wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her against him.

  Sean raised his eyes, filled with love and promises, to Jessie. “One down, one to go. It’d be best to make it a package deal, Jess. Will you marry me?”

  She gulped.

  “C’mon, Mommy. I loves Mr. Sean.”

  Jessie dropped to her knees, and he folded her into the embrace with Callie. “I loves Mr. Sean, too. Yes, oh yes, I’ll marry you.” Her voice cracked with the sweet joy of it. But then she glanced back at the construction, and disappointment struck. “We’ll be here, and you’ll live in LA?”

  “Nope. I quit the LAPD.”

  “You…you…what? But it was your dream.”

  “No, Jess. My dream was to marry you. LAPD was my career. But I’ve decided it wasn’t such a good fit after all.”

  “What’re you going to do?”

  “Well, Luke offered to put in a good word for me at the sheriff’s department, but I told him to hold off.”

  She gave him an impish smile. “Are you gonna help me with the child care business?”

  “Sh—” He swallowed the bad word. “Uh, that would be a no. I’ll be too busy learning to be a daddy.”

  “It’s okay with me if you take your time deciding what you want to do.”

  “Actually, I’m real interested in Jake Stone’s offer to join his Rogue Security Agency, but that can wait. We’ve lost a lot of time, Jess, so we have a lot of catching up to do. And right now, all I want to do is enjoy my dream with you.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  My research into the heartbreaking subject of child pornography taught me that the abused child is not the only victim. The consequences can affect an entire family and even multiple generations. By sharing this information through my characters, I hope you will gain, as I have, a greater appreciation for the true magnitude of this heinous crime. All of us must be vigilant as even the darkest evil can be hidden by deception.

  I’m sincerely grateful to the dedicated men and women of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for answering my many questions. Any errors are mine alone.

  Thanks also to my talented editor, Alex Logan, and the Forever Romance team for their hard work in bringing my story to you.

  Investigative reporter Elle Bradley has been missing for over a month. Until tonight, when she’s found by Sheriff’s Deputy Luke Johnson as the headlights of his patrol car reveal a naked woman alone on a rural road. Who kidnapped her and why?

  Please see the next page for an exciting preview of Only Obsession.

  Chapter 1

  A naked woman dashed onto the rural road barely fifty feet in front of the patrol car. Sheriff’s deputy Luke Johnson jerked the steering wheel to the right and slammed on the brakes. What the hell? As he stared in disbelief at the person frozen like a deer in his headlights, the crack of gunfire shattered the peace and quiet of the San Diego County countryside.

  The woman screamed and dropped to the ground.

  “Shit!” Luke stomped on the gas, and his vehicle lurched forward onto the gravel shoulder, spraying rocks from beneath its tires. The shots had likely come from the eucalyptus forest to his right, so he angled the patrol car to position it as a protective barrier between the woman and the trees. A quick check out the window revealed no obvious signs of blood on or around her. Thank God, maybe she hadn’t been hit.

  Automatically, Luke threw the gearshift into park and set the brake before grabbing his gun and leaning down to scrutinize the wooded area through the passenger-side window. Since the headlights and the moon were the only illumination, finding the shooter in the dense foliage would be nearly impossible, but movement in the heavy brush caught his eye. Zeroing in on the spot, he aimed but didn’t fire. Unfortunately, he just couldn’t see what was there. Firing blind was not an option.

  He continued to scan the trees while sliding back to the driver’s side and pushing the door open. Glancing at the woman again, he lowered himself to the ground. “You hurt?” he called to confirm her condition.

  Lying flat on her stomach, she trembled convulsively as she raised her head. Her wild eyes blinked rapidly as if she was trying to determine whether Luke was real or a hallucination. Her lips moved but no words came out. Closing her eyes, she shook her head no.

  “Stay down. I’m coming to get you,” he said.

  But she didn’t wait for him. She struggled to her hands and knees and crawled toward the car.

  Bending low, he scrambled to her side and hovered over her with his gun raised and ready. “How many are there?”

  “One.” Her answer came out as a whispered croak.

  “Who?” he asked, his eyes constantly moving, searching for signs of the shooter.

  “A man.”

  “Name?”

  “Don’t know.”

  As they reached the side of the patrol car, the roar of a powerful engine and the crunch of brush came from beyond the trees. Straightening, Luke aimed his gun across the roof of the car, but the noise moved away in the opposite direction. He remained on guard until the last sounds from the other vehicle faded and quiet returned.

  “Help me, please help me,” the woman pleaded, clutching his pants leg. “Don’t let him take me again.”

  Luke squatted in front of her. “You’re safe now. You’re gonna be okay.”

  For the first time, her appearance—besides being naked—registered. She was wet, her smooth skin slick and shiny, her brown hair hanging in dripping strands across her breasts. Her wrists and ankles were covered with red friction burns and purple bruises. Dark circles and long lashes ringed her large hazel eyes. She shivered uncontrollably.

  “You must be freezing. Let’s get you in the car,” he said. “I’ll grab the blanket from the trunk and crank up the heat.”

  Wrapping one arm around her shoulders, he helped her stand and then lowered her gently onto the backseat. But when he opened the trunk, the emergency blanket was missing. Damn, last shift must’ve used it, and it hasn’t been replaced. After closing the trunk, he stepped back around to the side of the vehicle.

  “Sorry, no blanket, but you can use this,” he said, pulling off his jacket and handing it to her.

  Since her hands shook so badly that she couldn’t put it on, he guided her arms into the sleeves and fastened the front, being careful not to touch her bare breasts. With a sharp exhale, he dropped into the driver’s seat, switched the heat to full blast, and got on the radio.

  “Shots fired on Old Shelby Road near the abandoned trailer park. The intended victim—white female, late twenties—is safe. I believe the shooter—male, no further description—has left the scene. Send backup and an ambulance.”

  “No. No ambulance,” the woman said. “He…he’ll get me.”

  He twisted in the driver’s seat to look at her. “I…we need to get you to a hospital to be examined, miss.”

  With her eyes still wild and her face drained of color, she peered fearfully at the trees and then back at him. “Can…can you take me?”

  He hesitated, but the terror in her eyes persuaded him. “Okay.” He shifted to the front again and lowered his voice. “Cancel the ambulance. I’ll transport the vic to North County Hospital myself. Notify them that I’ll be bringing her in. Then I’ll interview her there.”

  While he reported the minimal information he had about the brief, but serious, incident, he studied the woman in the rearview mirror. She had shut her eyes and rested her head against the cushion. She’d felt so fragile when he had helped her into the car, and now she looked exhausted. And abused. Even wearing his jacket and hugging herself, she continued to shake violently. Probably in shock. Anger at her attacker simmered in his gut.

  “Hang on a minute,” he said to the dispatcher.

  When he
swung open the car door, the woman jumped and gasped.

  “Just me,” he reassured her before stripping off his uniform shirt.

  She gaped at him until he draped the shirt across her lap and tucked it in around her legs. When he finished, she managed a faint smile and a soft, “Thank you.”

  He nodded. “What’s your name?”

  “Elle.” She paused several seconds before continuing. “Elle…Bradley.”

  He frowned at her hesitation and at the vague familiarity of her name. Why didn’t she want to tell him? And why did her name ring a bell? Before he could puzzle it out or question her further, sirens blared in the distance.

  “Cavalry’s almost here. I should brief them before we head to the hospital. Can you wait a little longer?”

  “Yes,” she said, and closed her eyes again.

  Luke motioned for the two arriving patrol cars to park several yards back from where his sat idling. He brushed off the good-natured ribbing from his colleagues about his lack of a shirt, but he resented their curious glances at the woman in the backseat. He needed to get her to the hospital ASAP, so he explained what had happened as quickly as possible.

  “Miss Bradley ran out of the woods and stopped there when I was about fifty feet in that direction. That’s also where she was standing when the bastard took a couple shots at her but missed. Not much chance of finding the damn bullets in the dark. We’ll have to come back tomorrow. I heard the perp’s vehicle—sounded like a large truck—leave from behind those trees. Might’ve left some tracks or debris. I saw movement in the brush about twenty yards north, but it could’ve been a deer or coyote.” In less than five minutes, he’d finished his succinct briefing. “Shit, I wish I had more for you guys to go on. I’ll try to get some useful info from the vic later.”

  “Where’s the ambulance?” asked one of the deputies.

  “She didn’t want one.”

  “Why not? You said she had injuries.”

  “I’m transporting her to the hospital because she’s afraid the jerk might get to her in the ambulance.”