The plane touches down at a small airport in what looks like the middle of nowhere. After I gather both of our suitcases, we walk inside and there, waiting for us, is Rowe with a huge grin on his face.
His hair is short like always, and he's got a bit of scruff like he didn't have time to shave this morning. He's got on a T-shirt, which shows off part of the tattoos on his upper arms.
Stepping forward, he hugs me then introduces himself to Alicia. "Hope is home getting lunch ready. She can't wait to meet you both."
I never met Hope in person. Hell, I didn't even know he was serious about her until he up and left for Alaska to follow her. I’ve talked with her on the phone, and she makes Rowe happy, so that's what matters to me. Thinking about them being married makes me reflect on my relationship with Alicia. I could see myself marrying and spending my life with her. She's the first woman I've been serious about, and I don't want our relationship to end. Bringing her here to meet my friends is a necessary step. She's already met my dad. He loves her, of course. I mean, how could anyone not?
Rowe drives us to his place. It's a small cabin nestled in the woods. Nothing extravagant. The driveway is steep and rocky, leveling off at the top near the cabin, but his truck easily handles it. The home has a grey roof that drops down over a long porch.
"Hope was renting this place, and we fell in love with it, so I made the owners an offer they couldn't refuse. Now it's ours." He beams.
"It's very pretty," Alicia says. “And all the wilderness around you. I bet it’s peaceful.”
“It is. That’s one of the reasons we love it.”
As soon as we step outside, it's like the air is different than it was at the airport. It's crisper here, cleaner. I can understand why they like it. Rowe takes Alicia's bag out of the back of the truck, and I grab mine.
He opens the door to the cabin, and we step inside. The living room is a decent size, but it's the large, exposed beams of the ceiling that draw my attention. This place is nice.
Hope steps out of the kitchen. She's thin but not overly so. She still has curves accentuated by the jeans and black sleeveless shirt she’s wearing. The tattoos on her arms and hands are exposed. And the piercing under her eye is still there. Her jet-black hair is straight, hanging past her shoulders. It isn't me she looks at when she comes in the room, though. It's Alicia. And her gaze doesn’t leave her.
Alicia shakes her head then steps forward to meet Hope. "It's nice to meet you. You'll have to excuse me. You look like someone I once knew."
"Let's have lunch," Hope replies. I'm not sure why she's brushing Alicia off, but we all move to their eat-in kitchen.
Lunch is delicious and easy with light conversation. I don't miss the way Alicia and Hope keep looking at one another. It’s unsettling and makes me want to pull Alicia to me; to protect her from whatever is going on here.
As soon as we're done eating, Hope cleans up, and we all sit in the living room. She sits beside Rowe on a couch, across from the one Alicia and I are sitting on.
"I have something I need to say," Hope starts. My body goes rigid. This isn’t going to be good. I can feel it. Finding Alicia’s hand, I hold it in mine, waiting. Rowe takes Hope's hand as well.
"We’ve met before," she says to Alicia. "But I didn't look like this. My tattoos weren't visible. My piercing was gone. I had a beauty mark and a wig on."
"I knew it," Alicia says loudly. "It was you! You went through my things and then left without another word. How could you do that? I thought you were my friend." The hurt in Alicia's voice is evident.
Hope’s features fall, but she keeps talking. "When I was nineteen, my parents were killed in a car accident. I didn't take it well. They left me money, and I spent it. It was my way of dealing with their deaths. Well, not really dealing. I was a mess. When I turned twenty, I was broken. It was less than a year since they died, and I had no money for food. And the pain of their deaths was hitting me as if it just happened. Instead of getting a job or doing something else responsible, I stole a car and robbed a convenience store. It was a rush. More so because I wasn’t caught. That was only the beginning.
"As the years went on, I stole more and more. And every time, I felt alive again. Their deaths weren’t the punch in the chest they had been, so I kept doing it. I started stealing from people, taking checks and cashing them before fleeing."
Holy fuck. She's the one we've been looking for. The one I need to apprehend to solve the fucking cold case Rowe left in my lap, and he knew.
I focus on him. "You fucking knew!" I drop Alicia's hand and stand. "You knew she was a fucking thief, and you followed her. You fucking married her! You're a detective. How could you do such a thing?"
Rowe stays sitting, but I don't miss the way he angles his body so Hope isn't in my line of sight. "I was pissed,” he starts. “She lied to me. But what I saw was a hurt woman who was only a teenager when her entire world came crashing down around her. She had no one guiding her. No parents to tell her what she was doing was wrong. She was broken in so many ways."
"I couldn't steal from you, Alicia,” Hope cuts in. “I intended to, but then I saw the photograph of your mom and how it was the last photo you had. I knew that pain, and I couldn't cause more for you."
"You don't know about the other people you stole from," Alicia states firmly. "They could have been in the same situation. They could have lost family, and you still took from them. How could you do that?"
"I'm not going to lie and say it was all grief. It wasn't. I chased the high stealing brought. It was the only thing that made me feel alive. So I kept doing it. I regret every person I've stolen from. Every single one. I wake up screaming at night, guilt slamming into me. If not for Rowe," she drops her head to stare at their joined hands, "I'm not sure what I would have done."
"So I'm supposed to stand here and do nothing?" I ask. "Act like I didn't just find the person I need to solve the motherfucking cold case that's been annoying the shit out of me? Act like your behavior didn't hurt Alicia and make her leery of new people? For fuck's sake!"
Rowe stands. "I get it, man. I really do. But I'm asking you to spend the week here. Get to know the real Hope. See her how I do. Then, if you want to take her in, I won't stand in your way."
My eyes go wide. "You wouldn't stop me from arresting her? From putting her on a plane and taking her home with me?"
His jaw clenches. "No." I can tell this isn't easy on him. This isn't what he wants, which leads me to believe this is Hope's idea.
"When we first learned that Rider was dating you," Hope says to Alicia. "I told Rowe I wanted to come clean to you. That I needed you to know how much I've changed and how much I regret everything."
Alicia stands and walks to me, her hand threading with mine. "Can we go for a walk?"
"There's a trail off to the side of the house. Just don't go too deep into the woods," Rowe says. "There are all kinds of wildlife out there."
ALICIA
Rider leads me out the door and we start down the path. There's nothing but the sounds of nature around us and the occasional loud truck driving down the road in the distance.
When we're a good distance from the house, I turn to him. "I don't know what to think. I considered her a friend, and she disappeared. Now, here she is."
I can tell he's still pissed. It's clear as day in the way his face is hardened and his movements are stiff. "Do you believe what she said?" he asks. "That she regrets everything?"
"You didn't see the tears in her eyes that she kept blinking back?" He shakes his head. "She's sincere, but I'm not sure that excuses all she's done. I get she was hurt and lost her parents, but she hurt others in return. However, if we take her at her word, she doesn't do it anymore. I can't imagine Rowe being a detective and letting her get away with it if she’s still stealing."
"No, me neither. His moral compass wouldn't do well if she was still stealing while living with him. Being a cop is in his blood. He must really love her to be with her, regar
dless of what she’s done."
"So, now what? What are we supposed to do? She's a thief, and you've been searching for her for so you can solve that case."
"I'm not sure. Maybe we do what they ask? Get to know her. Get a feel for the situation. I'm not going to lie and say this doesn't go against everything in me. All of my years on the force and doing what's right are important to me, but I trust Rowe. I think we give them a shot and make our decision at the end of the week."
"Our?"
"Yeah." He peers down at me. "Whatever decision we make at the end of the week will be a joint one. I want you to feel comfortable with it since you got hurt by her. We'll talk it through and take it from there." I nod.
Part of me knows it's a little ridiculous to still be hurt by someone who I thought was a friend and disappeared. People have been using me for years, but there was something different about her. I thought she was genuine, and maybe that's why it stings more. Now, I find out she's not who I thought she was. She's a thief, and I had her in my home where she could have taken anything. She didn't, but the opportunity was there. I'm an open person and like to believe the best in people, well, I did until I recently became more jaded. This whole thing is a mess.
Rider and I walk a while longer until we hear a noise that has all the hair on my arms standing up, and we rush back to the cabin. I might be pissed at Hope, but I don't want to take my chances with a bear or something else that could attack us. Nope. I don’t need to be an animal’s lunch.
Inside, we find Hope in tears and Rowe quietly comforting her. It hurts me a little that she's so upset. I don't want her to think I hate her, just that she hurt me, as well.
Walking over to her, I ask, "Can we talk somewhere?"
She nods and stands. We walk through the kitchen to a sliding door leading out to a small deck and their backyard. The area is cleared of brush and trees for a couple of acres, leading to the tree line that surrounds most of the cabin and the trail we were just on.
"There are no animals that wander into your yard, right?" I ask. "We heard something out on the trail, and I have no idea what it was.”
She sniffles. "We have brown bears, but they don't bother us, and we don't bother them. I have to admit, when I first moved here, they scared the fuck out of me. I've gotten used to them, though."
"I'm not sure I could."
She takes a deep breath before letting it out. I give her time and wait to hear what she's going to say as I let the serenity of where we are surround me.
"Rowe flipped my world upside down when I met him. It was after I left your house. I was in a bar, trying to escape my head for a while, when he sat at the table next to mine. Since then, he's been a constant presence in my life. Well, except for the time when I ran from him and he followed me here." She turns to me. "I'm not the same person anymore. I don't do those things I used to. I know what I told you before is no excuse for what I've done, but it's the truth. Rowe didn't think it was a good idea to invite you and Rider up here, but the guilt has been eating away at me. After we were living here a while, I tried to talk him into taking me in and arresting me, but he refused. He loves me so much and, half the time, I don't think I deserve it. The other half, I fear he's going to realize what a stupid mistake he made by being with me and leave."
"He married you," I say softly. I can't imagine him running after knowing who she really is and still deciding to marry her. That's not something a man who's confident and sure does.
"He did. I have no fucking idea why. I love him like crazy. To the point it hurts when he's not near. I depend on him. He's the only thing keeping my head above water. I still miss my parents and, without stealing, I have no way to get that high anymore. I'm happy with Rowe. Stupidly happy, but if he left, I'm not sure what I'd do."
"You can't let your doubt over your relationship chip away at you like that. It will ruin things between you." It almost feels like we're back to being friends. Though, I wonder how much of what we talked about all that time ago was genuine and how much was her being fake.
"He knows how I feel. He reminds me every day he loves me, and I'm not a bad person. I was just a teenager who lost her parents and didn't know how to deal with it. But that doesn't excuse it. I know that. You, Rider, and Rowe are the only ones who know about me. I'm living an honest life here. Not hurting anyone. I keep to myself. Rowe has tried to get me to make friends, but I refuse. The last thing I want to do is hurt anyone, so I stay home and do the wife thing when he's at work."
"I'm not sure where to go from here," I say honestly. "I'd be lying if I said you didn't hurt me when you left. I thought we were friends. So many people have used me throughout my life. I don't want that anymore. I put up a wall. Stopped dating and buried myself in work. At least, until Rider pushed his way into my life." Pushed isn't the right word, but it's what came out. Rider was like a tornado coming into my world, but in the best way.
"I've seen pictures of you two online. You look happy."
"We are. I wasn't sure if I'd ever find someone who made me happy like this. It seems everyone who talks to me has an agenda. Women want to be my friends, thinking I can get them into clubs or introduce them to wealthy men. Men want a piece of the action and love the idea of being with a woman who has money. None of them want me for me. None except Rider."
"I'm sorry you've had to endure that. I’m sorry I added to it. I didn't know. I didn't take the time to get to know anyone I stole from. It was all about me and the high. I didn't worry about anyone else getting hurt in the process."
I turn to her to fully take her in. She's thin—probably too thin—like she hasn't been eating well. There are dark circles under her eyes. It obvious she's remorseful about what she's done. We've all made mistakes in life. Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance? I think they do, although forgiving her for not only walking out on our friendship, but also stealing from so many people, might be hard to do. I’ll give it this week and see what happens.
"Can we start over?" I ask. "Not from scratch. I know that's not possible. But from the time we got here today? I want to get to know you—the real you."
She offers me a small smile. "I'd like that."
"No lies, Hope. I can't handle that. If we're going to be friends again, then I need to know everything you tell me is the truth and you're completely sincere."
She makes an x over her chest. "Cross my heart."
"I'm not sure where this will leave us at the end of the week, but I need to try to understand and learn about you.”
"That's all I'm asking."
"It's also going to take me a bit to get used to calling you Hope. I keep catching myself almost saying Riele."
"I wish I could turn back the clock. Do things differently with my life."
Reaching over, I squeeze her hand. "I know."
We've all done things in our lives we regret. Choices we would change if given a chance. But that's not the way things work. All we can do now is move forward and be our best self. Learn from the past. Move on and not let it keep hanging over us like a dark cloud.
I'm not proud of everything I've done. There have been pictures of me completely drunk, videos of me making an ass out of myself. It's not pretty, but it shows I'm flawed. We all are. It's about accepting who we are and learning our strengths to make us better. Helping others; doing what's right. Now it's my turn to put trust back in Hope. To give her this time to show us who she really is. It's also going to give me the chance to get to know Rowe. If he's as good of a guy as Rider says he is, then there must be something about Hope that keeps him with her and not trying to arrest her for her crimes. Love does strange things to us. And for Rowe, that was him falling in love with probably the last woman he ever would have imagined or risked loving.
We sit out back for a while longer. Not talking about anything heavy, just chatting as if we are old friends. Hope tells me about Alaska and what it's like to live there. I talk about the new club we opened and the work I’ve been doing. I have to adm
it, it's nice talking to her. Maybe, one day, I can call her a friend again. Maybe we can put the past behind us and live in the present. Only time will tell.
RIDER
Today is our last day in Alaska. We're flying out tonight. Alicia and I decided to keep Rowe and Hope's secret between us. We talked well into the night about it. Hope seems genuinely remorseful. I'm not going to lie and say it's easy. She committed many crimes. There's a lot of information on what she’s done back at work. But we never came close to catching her. If all that Rowe told me about her changing her life around is true, and I think it is, then I'm willing to turn away and pretend like I don't know anything. Sometimes life isn’t simply black and white. Sometimes there are grey areas and, within those, other facets to wade through before getting to the heart of what matters.
Standing on the front porch, I look out into the wilderness when Rowe comes up alongside me and claps his hand on my shoulder. "Want to move up here and come work with me?” he asks. “We need another detective."
I laugh. "It is gorgeous, but I have to see how things progress with Alicia. She works a lot, and most of that is done back home."
"It's serious between you two then?"
I nod. "I love her. She's amazing. I've never met anyone like her. Now I can't imagine my life without her."
"You're hooked, buddy. That's what happened with Hope and me. It was like the world revolved around her—us—and I never want it to stop."
"Fuck, we're turning into saps."
Rowe laughs. "Saps who have gorgeous women."
I smile. "Very true."
I missed him. More than I realized. There are not many people I talk to anymore. Not many I want to is more like it. But Rowe, he was always one of the good ones. I can't deny how happy he is up here with Hope. Alaska seems to treat him well.
He told me some stories about work. It's a bit different than what I'm used to, given it's more out in the middle of nowhere, but the shit he's worked on seems like stuff I could enjoy. Would Alicia want to move here? Shit, would she want to live with me? I stare out as my mind wanders. Things with us are good, but they aren't permanent. We haven't talked about taking our relationship to the next level. Yes, we're always together, although we still don't live together. I need to start thinking about what our future holds. What I want it to look like.
Unreserved: The Vault Page 6