Strength of Love: Book 3 in the Heirs of Orion Series

by D. Anne Paris

  Tiny pulled out his phone with Elle's picture. "Have you seen this woman?"

  She reached over and took the phone to get a better luck. "No, haven't seen her."

  "She was here a few days ago. Had her car stolen."

  She handed them the phone back. "Well, if she did then the sheriff would know about it."

  "Where's the sheriff's office?" Keith asked.

  She pointed in the direction they came from. "Down that road about three miles down. You'll see an old school house on the right. Turn into that street and go down another mile. You'll see it on the left."

  "Thanks." They hurried out of the diner and Tiny bolted to Elle's car. He started it and had it on the road before Keith closed the Jeep's doors. He followed the directions the waitress gave them and pulled up to the sheriff's office in a few minutes.

  Keith pulled in just as Tiny got out of the car and started towards the front doors.

  "Tiny, slow down!" Keith yelled before he managed to open the door. Tiny stopped to wait for him. No matter how fast he wanted to get the info, he knew he needed Keith to help him obtain it.

  Keith walked up the stairs. "Remember, keep calm," he reminded Tiny as he opened the door and shuffled inside.

  They stopped at a desk by the door. A policeman in his mid 50s sat by it. He looked up from the computer screen he was reading. "Can I help you?"

  Keith stepped in front of Tiny and read the man's name tag. "Yes, Officer Anderson, our friend's car was stolen from the diner a few days ago. We wanted to find out if she filed a police report and if she was staying here in town."

  Officer Anderson took his mouse and clicked through a few windows to a new screen. "What was your friend's name?"

  "Elle."

  "Miranda."

  Keith shot Tiny a dirty look. He shut his mouth and let Keith do the talking before he got them into deeper trouble.

  Anderson's eyebrows went up.

  "Miranda Jones." Keith smiled at the man and slapped Tiny's arm. "This guy here loves to call her by her nickname."

  Anderson typed in the information. "Strange nickname."

  "It's from the kid's movie with the two sisters and one is an ice queen," Tiny chimed in.

  "Oh, yeah. My granddaughter loves that movie." He clicked on a few records and then stopped at looked at Tiny. "Wait, that girl's name was Elsa not Elle."

  "That's what I said, Elsa."

  "You said... Ah, never mind." He turned back to his computer and clicked through the records.

  Keith turned back to Tiny and gave him the 'Shut the fuck up' look. Tiny turned on his heel and walked to the other side of the small room to avoid getting smacked.

  "Yeah, I see here there was a police report filed by Ms. Jones."

  "Do you know if she's still here in town?"

  He shook his head. "Don't know, but the report was filed by Sheriff Mathers so maybe she knows where she went."

  "Is she here today?"

  "She left a couple hours ago, but she should be back soon. You can have a seat in the waiting area, if you like."

  "Yes, we'll wait. Thank you."

  "Go through these doors and the waiting area will be on your left."

  "Thank you." Keith motioned to Tiny and they walked to the waiting area, a corner of a room with four wooden chairs and a small coffee table with magazines.

  Keith sat down and pulled out his cell phone. Tiny couldn't sit down. Instead, he paced the small space.

  Keith looked up at him. "Glad to see you're feeling better."

  Tiny ignored his comment and continued to pace. "I can't stop thinking about Elle."

  "We'll find her. If she filed a report here, then she's probably staying at a local hotel. There's nowhere else she could go. I just texted Daniel and asked him to see if she checked in anywhere around here." He lowered his voice. "And I told him to change her car to 'Recovered'. We don't need any attention on us."

  Tiny nodded. "Good idea."

  A door slammed across the room and policeman walked over to a desk on the other side of the room. The name plate on his desk read 'Hinkle'. He looked over at them. "Can I help you?"

  "We're waiting for Sheriff Mathers," Keith explained.

  The man pointed towards the door he just came out of. "She's in the back finishing up a report. Should be out soon."

  Keith nodded. "Thank you." His phone buzzed and he looked down and read the message.

  Tiny sat down next to him. "Anything?"

  "He couldn't find her checking in anywhere around here. She might also be staying somewhere where they don't check in their guests on a computer. He's expanding his search."

  "Arg!" Tiny growled and cradled his head in his hands. "I can't just sit here and wait."

  "You're going to have to."

  Tiny shook his head and stood up. "I'm going to take a walk. Text me when the sheriff gets here." He didn't wait for Keith to respond. He strode out the front door and began to walk. He saw a sidewalk in the front of the station and decided to follow it. He had no idea where it would lead, but he didn't care. His mind kept reeling. Where was Elle? Was she even in this town? His legs moved faster. He should have deballed the bastard who stole her car. If she was hurt he would go back and find the asshole.

  He walked into the small town and barely even looked at his surroundings. The scent of coffee stopped him in his tracks. He was running on adrenaline and no sleep. He looked around and saw a small coffee shop across the street.

  He checked the road and then bolted across. The door jingled when he walked in and there was a short line waiting for coffee. There was a counter with a variety of baked goods behind a glass. Who knows when we will have time for an actual meal?

  The line moved fairly quickly and soon he was the next in line.

  "What can I get you?" a young brunette asked him while he studied the baked goods on display.

  "I need two large and very strong coffees with cream."

  She typed in the order and smiled back at him. "Anything else?"

  "Yeah, throw in two bagels with cream cheese and two bananas." He pulled out his wallet and fished some money out.

  She finished typing and looked at him. A sensual smile formed on her face. "Anything else I can get you?"

  "No, that's it." He waited for the total.

  "You're not from here, are you?" the cashier asked him.

  He handed her some money. "Just passing through."

  Her smile got wider. "Well, if you need someone to show you around, I get off at 3 today."

  Tiny looked up at her. She was very pretty. In the old days he would have given her his number in a heartbeat. Now the appeal was gone. He was so worried about Elle and would do anything to see her safe and well.

  "Sorry, I'm engaged."

  A shocked look marred her face. "Oh, sorry." She fumbled with his change and handed it back to him. "Didn't think..."

  "That's okay."

  "Your lady is a very lucky." She turned around and went to pour the coffee.

  Tiny put the change into his wallet and sighed. He was the lucky one. When he found Elle he would convince her to elope with him. He'd do whatever he could to keep her by his side.

  The woman gave him his drinks and packed the baked goods and banana in a brown bag. "Thanks." He walked out the front door and retraced his steps back to the sheriff's office. When he closed in on the parking lot he saw Keith leaning against the jeep, deep in conversation over the phone.

  "Do what you can." He heard Keith say before he hung up. Tiny walked up to him and handed him the hot coffee.

  "Any news?"

  Keith took the coffee cup . "Yeah. Elle's here."

  Tiny's heart raced. "Great! Where is she?"

  "She's in the police jail."

  "Wait, what?"

  "From what the sheriff tells me, she was at the scene of a murder. They are holding her for questioning."

  "Murder?" Tiny shook his head in disbelief. "Whatever happened I know she didn't do it. Elle would
never commit a crime like that." Tiny's mind started to race. "Did you get to talk to her?"

  "Nope, they wouldn't let me in. They'll only let her lawyer in."

  Tiny turned and headed towards the police station.

  "Where are you going?" Keith started to follow him.

  Tiny stopped and turned back to him. "To get Elle out."

  "We will, we just need to be patient. I just talked to Daniel. He's going through their computers to see what he can do to get them to release her quicker." He walked up to Tiny, coffee in hand.

  "I need to talk to her." He tried to walk past Keith, who grabbed his arm and stopped him.

  "Tiny, we have to do this the right way. We don't want to attract any more attention to Elle or us."

  "I can't stand out here and do nothing while she's inside being grilled by someone for a crime she didn't commit." He yanked his arm from him. "I'm going to see her."

  "Then I'm coming with you, so you don't say something to make things worse." They both walked back into the office. Tiny didn't even address the policeman by the desk at the front. If he wanted to try to stop him he could, but that would be fruitless. Fortunately, the man just glanced at them and went back to his computer. Tiny walked up to the next room and scanned it. In the corner he saw an office and on the door was the nameplate Mathers.

  "That's the sheriff." Keith was right behind him. "Remember, be nice."

  Tiny restrained himself from flipping Keith off. He was going to get in to see Elle one way or another. He weaved through the old desks, all of which were empty. He stopped at the open door and knocked.

  Sheriff Mathers looked up and saw Keith behind Tiny. "You're back? I told you, she can't have any visitors."

  "Not even her lawyer?" Tiny asked.

  Her eyebrows shot up. "You're her lawyer?"

  "Yes, I'm Charles Norris, her lawyer. and I'd like to ask her some questions."

  "What's in the bag?" She pointed to the brown paper bag in his hand.

  Tiny walked up and put the cup of coffee on the desk. "Breakfast." He dug in and pulled out a banana.

  "Hand it over."

  Tiny gave her the banana and she gave him a stern look. He smiled and handed her the bag to look through.

  "I can assure you, Sheriff, there are no saws or weapons in there, unless you count fiber as a weapon. If you ever have too much of it, it can definitely cause an explosion!"

  The comment didn't phase her. She handed the bag back to him. "All right, you can see her, but only you. You..." She pointed at Keith. "can wait out here."

  Keith nodded and headed to the waiting area. Tiny grabbed the coffee and bag and followed behind the Sheriff, who unlocked the door and held it open for him. There were two doors in the next room, one on the left with sign that read Interrogation Room and one in front which was labeled Cell'. On instinct Tiny went towards the cell door.

  "Over here." Tiny turned around. The sheriff opened the beige metal door to the interrogation room and gestured inside.

  "Right. Thanks." He walked in and placed the coffee and bag on the table. He pulled out one of the two chairs and sat down.

  The Sheriff left and the door locked behind her. Tiny looked around the room and saw the mirror on the other side of the wall. Yeah, this room was under surveillance. He didn't like it, but if this was the only way to get to see Elle then he would deal with it. There was no way Elle could be capable of murder, not even if it was self-defense. It wasn't who she was, that's part of the reason he was so drawn to her.

  The door opened and the sheriff stood holding it open. Elle shuffled in. Her blonde locks were full of knots and her face was pale with bags under her eyes. Tiny almost didn't recognize her. She glanced up from the floor and looked at him. She cried out when she saw him and threw herself into his arms. Her hands where handcuffed so she couldn't embrace him.

  Tiny shot the sheriff a look of death. "Handcuffs? Was she officially charged with anything?"

  The sheriff didn't back down. "Just a precaution." She reached over and unlocked the handcuffs.

  "Precaution from what?" He took Elle's hands and gently rubbed her wrists.

  "She is the prime suspect in the murder of the mayor, so yeah, I'm being cautious. Press this button," She pointed to a doorbell by the door. "when you are done."

  She left and door closed behind her with a thud. The lock engaged and Tiny looked back at Elle. He ran his fingers across her face in an attempt to convince himself she was okay. She looked tired but unharmed. He wanted to cradle her in his arms and protect her from this madness. He leaned down and captured her lips. The spark from the small intimate touch traveled through his body and he wrapped his arms around her and held her against him. In an instant he was hard, wanting her body closer against his. Using all of his willpower he slowly released her lips and looked at her.

  "I was so worried about you, Angel." He tried to finger through her tangled hair, but his own fingers became entwined in it. "What happened to you?" He slowly slid his fingers out of her mass of hair.

  She looked away from him and inhaled a sob. "I ran away."

  Tiny tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. "Why? Why would you do that?"

  Her eyes closed and tears streamed down her face.

  "It was me, isn't it? You left because of me."

  "I needed to get away from everything." She sobbed.

  His heart ached. She didn't want to admit it, but he was at fault for this. He shouldn't have pushed marriage and a small child on her. Tiny wrapped her into his arms and sat down on the chair to cradle her as the tears continued to flow from her.

  "I'm sorry, Angel. I never meant to put so much pressure on you." He touched her cheek to wipe away the streaming tears. "I just never wanted anyone so much in my life like I want you. When I heard you ran off I felt more scared than I ever had in my life. Believe me, there was a lot of scary shit out in the Middle East."

  Her eyes fluttered open. "You are such a brave man, Tiny. Why would you want someone as frail as I am?"

  "Frail?" His mouth opened in shock. "Angel, you survived a brutal childhood and turned into a beautiful person who cares about others and has taught me about the good in the world. You're one of the strongest women I know." He leaned closer towards her and whispered, "You're my strength, Elle."

  More tears filled her eyes. "I love you, Tiny."

  His body jolted back. "Wait, what?"

  Her hand reached out and brought his face closer to hers. "I love you."

  A smile lit his face and he swooped down and captured her lips in a kiss full of promise and passion. He pulled away moments later and looked back into her eyes. "I'll get you out of here, Angel. Let's start with what happened. We'll figure out what to do next." He meant it, he'd get her out of here, no matter what, and he didn't care how he would do it.

  Chapter 24

  "Come on, Daniel!" Tiny yelled at the cell phone on the desk in the middle of the hotel room they rented in the next town. It was more like a suite than a room with an extra room with a sofa bed.

  "Can't you scan the cameras in the area for a car owned by this Kara? If we have that information then Elle could be let go. Right now she's the only one at the scene and they don't believe her because she's an out of towner. These people want to crucify her!"

  A deep sigh emitted from the phone. "There aren't any in the town, for one thing, and I checked the ones coming from any interstate close by and I can't find any car registered to the mayor's ex-wife."

  "What about rental cars? Did she rent one somewhere and use that?" Tiny probed.

  "I already checked. Nothing."

  "She may have borrowed someone's car," Keith offered. He sat on the sofa and rubbed his stump after removing the prosthetic.

  "That will take time to track down," Daniel's voice boomed from the phone. "I'll have to go through a bunch more things."

  "Have Missy, Christina, and Jeri help you." Tiny walked to the door and took his jacket from the closet and pulled it on. "
In the meantime, I'm going to see Elle."

  Keith scowled at him. "Visiting hours are over."

  "I don't fucking care. Daniel, create a code for the back door of the police station and text it to me." He pulled on his gloves.

  "Tiny..."

  "I don't care, Keith." He snarled back at him. "I'm not letting Elle sleep alone in a cell."

  He yanked the door open.

  "I was going to say don't get caught."

  Tiny turned back towards Keith and smiled. "I won't, Sarge."

  He rushed down the hall when his phone buzzed.

  Daniel's fast today. My pep talk must have helped him.

  He lifted his phone and unlocked it as he pressed the elevator button down. He opened the text that came in. An image of his baby boy stared back at him with a message from Jeri. He's being a good boy and loves his bottle!

  His heart did a little flip. It was clear his boy had his crystal blue eyes.

  His boy. He couldn't get over the fact he was a father. He swore he would be there for him, but right now he had to go to the woman he loved. Maybe one day he would be able to convince her to be his son's mother.

  Of course he's being good. He's got the best aunt in the world taking care of him! ;-) He typed the message and sent it just as the doors to the elevator opened.

  He looked again at the picture and set it as his wallpaper. He instinctively walked towards the parking lot. Elle's car beeped when he pressed the unlock button and the lights turned on. He opened the door and slid into the driver's seat. After placing his cell phone on the seat next to him, he strapped himself in before he started the car.

  Elle will probably be hungry. He took his cell phone and typed in restaurants in the maps. There weren't many open this late at night. He chose the one closest to the police station and turned on the navigation on his phone. There was no good place to put the cell phone, so he decided to put it back on the seat next to him.

  He followed the GPS directions and headed down the main road. Everything was pitch black, so he turned on the high beams to see the road better. Daniel had to get them some evidence to help show Elle was innocent. Keith continued to tell him they needed to do everything legally. There were no other witnesses and Elle swore she didn't do it. Why would she? The man obviously helped her and even took her out to dinner. His inner beast roared at the thought of another man dating Elle.