She nodded. Chaz hadn’t had any idea who she was that day. “Did Rémi tell you what happened this afternoon?” When he shook his head, she continued. “Someone slaughtered a pig in my motel room and left a threatening message on the wall.”
His eyebrows flew up and he whistled. “Does the SQ have any idea who did it?”
“Not officially, but I have some suspects in mind.”
“Pete?”
Pete and any one of the Guardians, including Chaz. “Possibly. I wish I understood why the Guardians hate me so much.”
Taking a slug of his beer, he leaned back in his chair and gazed out over the fields of wildflowers surrounding the house. “It isn’t you the person. It’s you the SQ officer.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not naïve, Tommy. I get the whole white law enforcement thing. But believe me, when you find a dead animal on your bed, it feels damned personal.”
“I imagine you would.”
Alyssa blew out a long sigh. “I just don’t get how people can hate me for something that happened when all of us were children. And especially when none of us were personally involved. Seems like prejudice to me.”
Tommy set his bottle down and leaned toward her, hands clasped between his knees. “It is a sort of prejudice. Deeply ingrained in each of us.”
“But why? People overcome these things all the time. Just look at how more accepting of homosexuality we are as a society. Why can’t we just be Canadians? We need to see how we’re the same, not how we’re different.”
“Well, what you just said is one of the big reasons.”
He’d lost her. “What? What did I say?”
“Aboriginal people, especially traditionalists, don’t consider themselves Canadian or American. We are Haudenosaunee, citizens of the Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy. Sovereign. As we have been for thousands of years.”
A nation within a nation? “Seriously?”
“We even have our own passports.”
Her mind reeled. “Why didn’t I know about this?” How could she have grown up in Montréal, within a few miles of several Iroquois communities, and never been told? How could she have been a cop for six years, and never been told?
“Because the government doesn’t want you to know. In grade ten Canadian History, they teach you some very basic information about aboriginals. Most of it makes us seem like idiots used as pawns to fight wars between the English and the French. But do they teach you anything about how the government took away our land, took away our rights? Took away our way of life?”
“But that’s in the past. Now with the Indian Act, you have reserves, and the government gives aboriginals tons of money for education and health care.”
Tommy screwed up his face as though he wanted to spit. “The Indian Act, and the Indian residential school system that came out of it, were nothing more than legalized genocide. Thousands of children were taken from their families and punished for speaking their native languages or practicing their faith.”
“But all those schools were closed in the 1960s.”
He pressed his forehead into his hands and rubbed his temples. “Sure they were. But we lost many of those kids.”
“What do you mean?” Alyssa shifted in her seat. Much of what she knew was from a textbook. Hearing it from an Iroquois chilled her.
“They were raised white, raised to think being aboriginal was a bad thing.” When he raised his head, his eyes were haunted.
Her gut tightened, killing her appetite. She set her half-eaten plate on the empty chair beside her. What had been done to those children and their families made her feel dirty, like she was somehow guilty just because of the color of her skin. Which was ridiculous. “I can understand that there’d be some underlying resentment toward the government about that. But in Chaz and Pete’s case, the resentment is on the surface. And it’s targeted at me. Like I’m the embodiment of all that’s evil.”
“It’s an accumulation of things, rather than anything specific. And the SQ is a favorite target around here. With reason.”
“Reasons like what?”
“I’m not sure you really want to know.”
Why all the hesitation? “Of course I want to know. If it affects the SQ’s relationship with the residents of Blackriver, I need to know.”
Tommy studied her face a long moment before speaking. “Okay. Well, you already know about the allegations of corruption and abuse of power.”
“Yes. But those had nothing to do with the SQ. The perpetrators were from the tribal police.”
He took a bite of his hot dog, chewing slowly, then rinsed his mouth with his beer. Obviously, he wasn’t certain how to approach the matter. And that worried her more than anything. “You’re aware, I’m sure, of the bystander law.”
“Anyone who witnesses a crime and does nothing to stop it is guilty of that crime by association.”
“So, if someone, say an SQ officer, were to witness the tribal cops beating someone up and did nothing to prevent it, they would be guilty of the same crime. In this case, abuse of power. Right?”
Alyssa’s heart rate spiked and her mouth felt dry, as if crammed with cotton balls. She swallowed again and again, and licked her lips. Careful, Alyssa. “Yes, hypothetically.”
Tommy’s eyes flashed, anger sparking in their dark depths. “There’s nothing hypothetical about it. It’s happened. Repeatedly.”
“Prove it,” she snapped.
“You think I can’t?” His voice deepened with conviction. “The SQ station has cameras in the parking lot, don’t they?” She nodded. “And they preserve all recordings, don’t they?” She wasn’t going to like where he was going with this at all. She nodded again.
“When you go back to the station, pull up the video from July 6 four years ago. You’ll find footage of some interesting interactions between a friend of mine from another First Nation and the tribal cops. In the SQ parking lot. In full view of several SQ officers who stood around, doing nothing.”
Why hadn’t Gauthier told her about this? “One instance isn’t enough to condemn an entire institution.”
He smirked. “It happened many times. We have lots of proof, including detailed witness accounts, photos, and even video. I told you about this particular incident because I saw it with my own eyes.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! If Tommy was telling the truth, it was all over for her. Her chest tightened painfully. She sipped her beer to relieve the aching dryness in her throat. “Maybe it seemed worse because of your bias.”
Tommy stood up so abruptly his chair tumbled to the ground. “Pull up the parking lot footage. You can’t deny evidence from the SQ archives.”
When a hand touched her shoulder, she gasped. “Easy,” Rémi said, stroking her hair. “Is there a problem?” He frowned, zeroing in on his cousin. “Tommy? What’s going on?”
His gaze riveted on Rémi’s hand, Tommy forced a smile. “No problem, cuz. For me.” Rémi’s face darkened. Tommy shrugged, grabbed his beer, and walked away.
Crouching in front of her, Rémi slid his hand down her arm to her thigh, the silky caress making her shiver. “You sure everything’s okay?”
The crooked smile on his face and the tenderness and concern on his face made her chest constrict even more. She rubbed the base of her hand along her sternum to relieve the pressure. “Tommy shared some information with me. You know, what we talked about in the car after lunch?”
Rémi groaned and picked her hand up and kissed her palm. “I’ll kick his ass if he hurt you.”
His soft voice and the protectiveness filling out its undertones set her skin on fire. She was dangerously close to falling for this guy.
On the other side of the deck, Jason gave a holler as Lauren and Nic arrived, carrying a large cake shaped like a Montréal Canadiens jersey. Nine lit candles dotted its surface. Everyone stood and began singing “Happy Birthday.” His eyes shimmering with joy, Jason turned to his mother standing in Nic’s embrace and smiled. Then he leaned forwa
rd and, with a hurricane-force breath, blew out all the candles.
As pieces of cake were being circulated, Alyssa nudged Rémi. “Jason seems really happy. I wonder what it would be like to have Nic The Lover as your dad.”
Rémi’s eyes twinkled. “You better not let Nic hear you call him that.”
Her forehead furrowed. “What? Dad?”
“No,” he said, grinning. “Nic The Lover. He’s a little sensitive about it. He likes to keep his Hollywood image separate from his real life. When he’s here, he’s just plain Nic.”
Alyssa looked across the gathering at the man in question. Would Rémi get jealous again if she put on a fangirl act? Toying with her hair, she nibbled on her lip and curved her mouth, just a little. Then arched her brow. “Nothing plain about that man.”
Rémi choked on his bite of cake. He whipped around to see who she was focused on, then turned back to Alyssa, who waited, grinning. “You? Him?” he sputtered.
“I’ve always been a sucker for tall strong men with big…” Seeing the thunderclouds on Rémi’s face, she broke off, laughing. When she caught her breath, she continued. “Green eyes! Jeez Rémi, I’m kidding.”
He looked at her, his expression pinched, confused. “But his eyes aren’t green.”
Alyssa’s grin broadened. “I know.”
Before he could reply, Jason grabbed his arm and pulled Rémi to the low table where they’d stashed the big package he’d brought. “Can I open it now?”
“If it’s all right with your mom.”
Lauren nodded, and Jason tore into the wrapping paper to reveal a set of sticks with leather baskets. “Lacrosse sticks. I knew it!”
“I brought enough for two teams. The rest are in my car.”
“Can we play right now? Can we, Nic?” Jason asked.
“Absolutely. You have no idea how long I’ve waited to kick Kaden’s butt at something.”
Jason immediately called dibs on Nic and Rémi, leaving Kaden, Tommy and Jake for the other side. Some teens from reserve and parents of Rachel’s students completed the teams.
Alyssa watched, amazed, as a dozen or so wheelchairs were rolled onto the field. After the men set up the goals, each one grabbed a wheelchair, and children of various walking abilities were placed on their laps. Seeing a young aboriginal girl laugh shyly as she wrapped her arms around Rémi’s neck, her short chubby fingers curling in his hair, Alyssa smiled. Rémi was definitely one of the good guys. Even in the midst of all the stress and chaos on the rez, he could put it all aside to make a child happy for a few hours.
In fact, all his friends were in that category. Even Tommy, who was pushing furiously at the wheels of his chair while the young boy on his lap held his lacrosse stick precariously. As they approached the goal, the boy flicked the stick forward and shot the ball into the net. Cheers resounded across the field.
Yeah, Tommy was one of the good guys too. It’d be much easier to discredit his story if he weren’t. Then she could convince herself he just believed his own rhetoric. But Tommy wasn’t like that. Whether she wanted to or not, she was going to have to pull up that parking lot video. And if he was telling her the truth?
She’d have to decide whether she was playing for the right team.
CHAPTER 8
After herding all the kids to their parents’ cars, Rémi and Kaden flanked Nic as they followed the tiled path to the back of the house. Old habits die hard, Rémi thought. Protecting people was in his blood. And someday he’d get to do it again. Someday soon. He just had to convince Alyssa that having local tribal cops was the best solution. The only solution.
When they rounded the corner, he caught sight of her. His heart jumped and jammed in his throat. Laughing as she chatted with the other women—and of course Jake the wonder dog—her relaxed features radiated happiness, something he hadn’t seen from her before. She looked like she belonged here. Belonged with him and his friends. Belonged in his life.
Shit.
Rémi stumbled. Nic caught his arm. “You okay? You seem a little shell-shocked.”
As Rémi regained his footing, Kaden winked and slapped him on the back. “Probably just dehydrated from that workout.”
And that’s what friends were for. Rémi grinned at Kaden, thankful for the save. “Well, I did lead the home team to a stellar win. No offense, Nic.”
Nic cuffed him on the back of the neck. “None taken, dickhead.”
They joined the women sitting around the large center table. The leftovers from supper had been cleared away and replaced with a half-empty pitcher of sangria, a pot of coffee, and the remaining slices of cake. Rémi pulled up a chair between Alyssa and Rachel. Kaden plopped onto an empty seat on the other side of the table and stared pointedly at Jake. “While we’ve been doing all the hard work, you’ve just been sitting here yakking it up with the women. Why don’t you make yourself useful and get us some beers?”
Lauren stood to refill the ladies’ glasses with sangria. Never one to miss an opportunity, Nic slid in behind her and pulled her down onto his lap. As Jake walked into the house, Nic asked, “Hey, where’d Tommy go?”
Beside him, Alyssa stiffened. Was she upset with Tommy or with what he’d told her?
Rachel swallowed her sangria and set her glass down. “Jason and Marie-Soleil challenged him to a Dance Central competition.”
Rémi met Alyssa’s questioning gaze. Yeah, he got the irony. Tommy liked women of all colors. But the only ones he brought home, the only ones he got serious with, were aboriginal. Tommy knew where the line was. Rémi did too, but like a tightrope walker, he was constantly tipping to one side then the other, desperately trying to keep his balance.
Dragging his eyes off Alyssa before his thoughts became obvious, he focused on Rachel, the little sister he’d never had. He took her hand in his. “How are you, honey?”
Beaming, she squeezed his fingers. “The doctor says I’m almost healed. I should be out of the wheelchair in a few more weeks. Then I can begin physical therapy on my broken leg.”
He smiled in relief. Physical independence was the cornerstone of Rachel’s strength. He and Nic had been terrified she’d fall into a depression at being unable to use her crutches and leg braces while her leg healed. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”
“About as happy as it makes Nic and Lauren.” She grinned. They’d put their wedding on hold until she could walk down the aisle with them.
“You’ll be the most beautiful maid of honor ever.”
“And you’ll be the most handsome best man ever.”
Alyssa made a sound and he turned to see her slurping the remains of sangria from her glass. Lost in her own world, her slightly unfocused gaze travelled around the table, studying everyone, like the cop she was. Lauren leaned in close. “It’s a little hard to get used to, isn’t it?” she whispered rather loudly, her voice ripe with amusement.
“What is?”
“All this male beauty.”
Alyssa laughed, the tinkling sound going straight to his groin. “I feel like I’m on the set of a Calvin Klein commercial.”
Over the women’s heads, he exchanged a glance with Nic and grinned. Judging by the nearly empty pitcher, the ladies had been enjoying themselves while the men had been off playing wheelchair lacrosse.
Rachel chimed in. “I know exactly what you mean, Alyssa. You may not be aware, but Lauren is a photographer with Vanity Fair.” She smiled at her future sister-in-law.
Alyssa’s eyes rounded. “Oh my God. What’s it like to be surrounded by sexy, virile men all day long?”
With all the time they’d been spending together, surely she knew? Rémi scooted his chair closer. Jake saved them all from Lauren’s answer when he arrived with beers for the men.
“Let’s make a toast,” Nic said.
Alyssa split the remains of the sangria between the women’s glasses, spilling most of it on the table. “Oops,” she said, giggling. Rachel smiled and dropped a few napkins over the mess.
“To friends.” After clinking their glasses and bottles together, they all cemented the toast by drinking.
Out of the corner of his eye, Rémi caught Alyssa watching him, a concerned expression on her face. Was she worried that he was upset with her for spilling her drink or for her earlier jokes? He smiled to reassure her.
“Tell us, Lauren. Were the models on your last shoot hotter than these guys?” Rachel asked, waving her hand around the table. Kaden snickered, and Rémi had the distinct impression Nic’s little sister was playing with them. Clearly, she hadn’t imbibed as much as the other two women.
Lauren shook her head. “No, of course not.” But then she hesitated, seeming to reconsider. Surveying the table, she added, “Well, to be absolutely certain, they’d all have to strip down to their underwear.”
Alyssa turned to her, suddenly interested. “Any chance of that actually happening?”
Lauren’s eyebrows shot up. Rémi tried to hold back his laughter, but the situation was just too damn funny. Alyssa wanted to see Lauren’s fiancé and Rachel’s brother in his tighty-whities or whatever he wore. With that thought, Rémi’s laughter dried up. “Except for Nic, of course. Right, Alyssa?” he prodded.
She glanced at him and licked her lips. “I don’t know. Do you think he goes commando?”
Nic exploded into laughter. Lauren smiled and patted Alyssa’s hand. “I’m going to like you.”
Rémi shot Nic a killing look then turned his venom on Jake and Kaden, who were falling off their chairs, clearly enjoying the show. Bastards. He rose and took Alyssa by the elbow, tugging her out of her seat. “We should get going.”
“So soon?”
“It’s getting pretty late, and you’ve had a hard day.” And way too much to drink.
Unsteady on her feet, she leaned into him, her hands pressed on his chest. “Just one more little drink before we go? Please, please?”
Rémi took her hands in his and shook his head.
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