Betraying Innocence
Page 35
She bit her lip and glanced at Rafe. “Anything?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. They took him to recovery an hour ago. We should be hearing something soon.”
“How long was I asleep for?”
He shrugged. “Not long. You looked like you needed it.”
She had, but it hadn’t helped anything. It hadn’t made time go by faster. She still had no news if her father would make it or not.
“Hey.” He lightly shook her knee. “It’s going to be okay. The doctors already told us the knife missed all the important stuff.”
Ana shook her head, her eyes filling up all over again. She’d been so certain she had no more tears to cry. “It’s my fault. I didn’t pick him. I could have—”
“We would still be here, or worse.” He took her face into his hands and forced her to look at him. “You saved your mom’s life.”
“And I only had to throw my dad under the bus to do it.” Her lower lip trembled and her voice broke. “I’m the worst daughter in the world.”
He pulled her into his arms, letting her sob into his shoulder as he lightly stroked her hair and back. He murmured a series of words in Spanish that would have been beautiful had her heart not been breaking so loudly.
“Let me take you home,” he said, switching to English.
Ana shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere until I hear that my dad’s going to be okay.”
Rafe nodded. “Fair enough.” He drew back to wipe her cheeks. “So do you want to tell me what were you dreaming about?”
She sniffled, eyebrows furrowing. “How did you know I was dreaming?”
He grinned. “Because you were mumbling in your sleep.”
Ana flushed, dropping her gaze. “It was Johnny. He was saying goodbye.”
“About time,” he muttered, as he folded his arms behind his head and leaned back in the chair. “I was beginning to really hate sharing you with the guy, even if he was dead.”
Despite everything, she laughed. “He was never competition against you.”
He turned his head and searched her eyes. “Wasn’t he?”
She shook her head. “Not even for a second. I wanted you from the moment I first met you.”
He smirked. “I know. Ow!” He rubbed the spot beneath his arm where she’d jabbed him with her finger. “God you’re violent. What did I tell you? I bruise easily!”
She rolled her eyes, chuckling. “And you’re such a dork.”
“Possibly, but you love me.” He said it lightly, but there was an intense questioning in his eyes that compelled her to respond.
Her heart slammed in her chest. She felt blood pool in her cheeks. “Not nearly as much as you love me,” she replied, her voice wavering.
His arms slid down and dropped into his lap. He rested his elbow on the armrest separating them and leaned towards her. “I won’t argue that.”
He kissed her. He was still slowly stealing every drop of sense from her brain when they were interrupted by a discreet cough.
Ana shot straight out of her chair, expecting it to be a doctor or her mother bearing news. Instead, it was Sheriff Drewer with his cowboy hat in hand and a very remorseful look on his haggard face. He glanced from one to the other, his expression void of its usual arrogance. Ana’s heart sunk so far down her chest, she half expected it to be at her feet.
“My dad … is he…?”
Drewer put one hand up, shaking his head. “I don’t have any news. I’m not here about that.”
Behind her, Rafe rose to his feet. His hand slipped into Ana’s. “Has something else happened?”
Drewer cleared his throat. “We’ve taken Mayor Andrews into custody. He’s not saying a whole lot, except for the same two words over and over again.”
“What two words?” Ana asked.
He cleared his throat again. “He’s alive.” He glanced from one to the other. “You kids wouldn’t happen to know what he’s talking about, would you?”
Ana exchanged a quick glance with Rafe before facing the sheriff once more. “I … we think he believed he was seeing the spirit of Johnny Baits.”
Drewer frowned. “Johnny Baits? The runaway boy? Why would he be seeing him?”
Ana had already thought of what she would tell the police. It was a concoction of the truth mixed with a pinch of lie. She just hoped her face didn’t give her away.
“Johnny Bait never ran away,” she told him. “He was murdered on October thirty-first, nineteen eighty-three by Philip Andrews, Nathan Finnegan, Randy Dicen and Peter Carrick in the basement of Johnny’s … my house. They then buried him in the pond out back.”
Sheriff Drewer shook his head. “No, that can’t be right. My pa closed that case. There was evidence—”
Ana shook her head. “They planted it. They took a suitcase of his clothes and buried it with him to make it look like he took off. Then the four of them found out I was digging up the truth, they started terrorizing me and my family, and Rafe and his family. They’re the ones who have been vandalizing our houses. They paid a bunch of kids to distract us while they broke into the house and held us hostage. Andrews stabbed my father!”
Rafe squeezed her fingers when she started shouting, but she couldn’t stop.
“All that time we were under attack but you did nothing. You were too busy blaming us for something we didn’t do. My father could die because you didn’t want to do your job!”
“Ana.” Rafe pressed his lips to her temple. “Easy, baby.”
Breathing hard and on the verge of tears, Ana ignored him. “Why are you here, Sheriff? Are you going to tell us you think we’re the prime suspects? Maybe Rafe killed Finnegan in a fit of jealousy, too.”
Drewer had the decency to bow his head and look down at the hat in his hands. “No ma’am, I was actually here to ask you what happened.”
Ana snorted. “What do you care? You’re just going to fabricate it to suit your theory anyway.”
He looked at her. “Because I have a beloved principle in the morgue, a trusted and respected mayor in the nuthouse and a murder spanning three decades, and in the center of all that is you. I want the truth.”
She wanted to tell him he wouldn’t know the truth if it bit him on the nose, but she was done. She wanted it to be done. She wanted to forget the last three months and the faster she told him the story, the faster that could happen.
“Andrews killed Finnegan,” she mumbled, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. “He kept saying he saw Johnny and that he was back from the grave. Finnegan tried to tell him there was no one there, but Andrews just kept screaming. Then he stabbed Finnegan in the chest and ran into the basement, calling Johnny’s name. That’s when we called you.”
Drewer nodded. “That’s where we found him. He was huddled in the corner, completely unharmed except for a broken nose. The knife we took out of Nathan Finnegan’s chest has been identified as the weapon used to kill Vincent Andrews. Do you know anything about that?”
“It was a family heirloom,” Ana said, sinking into her chair. “Andrews had given it to Vinny on his seventeenth birthday as his father had done before him. I’d never seen it before last night when Andrews used it to stab my father and nearly kill my mother. But he told us it was the knife he’d used to kill Johnny.”
Again, Drewer nodded. “But that doesn’t explain why he would kill his own son and leave him in your basement.”
Ana shook her head. “Stress? I think knowing what he’d done all those years ago and the fact that I was so close to uncovering it finally broke him. Maybe he got angry and thought he was killing Johnny over again.” She shrugged. “I really don’t know, Sheriff. I was too worried about my father to ask him all the proper questions. Everything I do know, I just told you.”
He rapped his hat against the side of his thigh as he seemed to gather himself before speaking. “That was some seriously impressive work you did, uncovering a thirty year old mystery like that. If you ever consider law enforcement—”
Drewer inclined his head. “Fair enough. I’ll talk to your mom about digging up that pond. We’ll see to getting Baits the burial he deserves.”
“Sheriff,” she called after him before he could leave. “Do you know if his parents are still around?”
He shook his head. “I don’t, but I can check.”
She nodded. “I think they’d like to know when their son’s been found.”
Drewer nodded. He inclined his head again and ambled away.
“So, Nancy Drew, no more mysteries for you?” Rafe regained his seat next to her.
“God, I am so done with mysteries and ghosts and murders…” She rubbed a frustrated hand over her face. “I just want to sleep.”
Laughing, he kissed the side of her head. “Well you have two days before school starts again.”
Ana groaned, dropping her head onto his shoulder. “I think we deserve a month long break.”
He shook his head. “The school board has hired a new principle and she wants us back in school first thing Monday.”
She looked up at him. “Do you know who it is?”
“Miss. Burk, believe it or not.”
Ana gasped. “No way!”
He nodded. “They asked her and she accepted.”
“That’s fantastic. I thought she was such a great teacher. Any news on the new Mayor of Pleasantville?”
He shook his head. “I think there’ll be an election and we’ll see.”
She slowly rocked her head from side to side. “Wow, everything is just moving along like nothing ever happened.”
He kissed her. “Welcome to Chipawaha Creek, the town where nothing ever happens. But I do have to say I’m grateful to Johnny for not killing Andrews in your basement. Something tells me the good sheriff would not have given you such a pat on the back if you’d told him the ghost killed the mayor. If anything, we’d be the ones in the nuthouse.”
Ana nodded. “I guess he wasn’t such a bad guy after all, huh?”
“I wouldn’t say that. He still killed Vinny without any reason. He almost killed you several times and he killed Finnegan.”
“He saved our lives,” she reminded him. “Andrews would have killed us if Johnny hadn’t done what he did.”
“So why didn’t he kill Andrews? I would think he’d have killed him for sure.”
Ana smiled. “I think he was trying to protect us.”
“You,” Rafe muttered. “I’m sure he’d have let me fry if he could.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. He wasn’t ever after anyone but those responsible for his death.”
“I still think the guy was a total nutcase.”
Ana laughed, but it was short and died quickly when she spotted her mom hurrying towards them. Like Ana, she still wore the same clothes from the night before. Her face was streaked with tears, mascara and blood, but she still looked beautiful as she ran up to them, beaming so hugely, Ana feared it would tear her face.
“He’s okay!” she exclaimed. “Lots of rest, but he’s going to make a full recovery.”
Ana threw her arms around her mother, squeezing her tight before hugging Rafe.
She pulled away. “Can I see him?”
“For a minute,” her mom said. “He was given painkillers and sleeping medication so he’ll be out shortly.”
He was still awake and semi-alert when Ana barged into the room. His smile was as light and wonderful as ever as she ran to the bed and threw herself across his chest, holding him as close as humanly possible.
“There’s my turnip!” he said, wrapping his arms around her.
Ana didn’t even try to correct him. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I am so sorry.”
He shook his head. “You made the right call, baby.”
She pulled back, using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears and snot running down her face. “How can you say that? I got you stabbed.”
“Ana.” He took her face between his large, capable hands. “You saved your mother’s life. If it hadn’t been me, it would have been her and a girl needs her mother.”
“A girl needs her father, too.” She forced a smile. “Who else is going to chase away the boys I like?”
Her father’s eyes lifted over her shoulder and focused on something by the door. They narrowed. “Yeah, well, that didn’t work so well the last time.”
Ana glanced back to find Rafe standing in the doorway, hands in his pockets.
“Glad to see you’re okay, sir,” he said, inclining his head.
Then her father did something that surprised her and Rafe. He raised his hand. Rafe hesitated. His gaze shot from the offering to Ana before he crossed the room and accepted it.
“This is still not my blessing,” her father muttered, giving the hand a shake. “This is an I accept you in my daughter’s life, but I will still make you disappear if you hurt her.”
Rafe grinned. “I can live with that.” They released hands. Rafe stuck his back into his pockets. “And for the record, sir. I would never hurt Ana.”
“Good to hear.” Dad patted Ana’s head. “Now give me a kiss and let me sleep. These painkillers they gave me … whooo! They need to come with a warning. I’m starting to see six of you.”
Laughing, Ana pressed a kiss to his cheek and rose off the bed. “Love you, Daddy.”
Eyes closed, her dad smiled. “Love you, too, Turnip.”
“Turnip?” Rafe said as they left the room.
“Not a word, Ramirez. I just took on a ghost. I can take you.”
He pounced like a cobra, shoving her against the wall and pinning her arms over her head. He melded his delicious body into hers, pinning her in place.
“Who can take whom?” he challenged, smirking.
Accepting his challenge, Ana closed the shred of space between them and kissed him, slipping her tongue out to toy with his. The slow flicks across his bottom lip elicited a guttural sound from him as his mouth parted to grant her access. His hands relinquished their hold on her wrists and traveled down to grip her hips.
Inwardly, she smirked as he all but melted in her arms. She deepened the kiss, bowing her body into his, molding every inch together.
“You win,” he panted. His fingers tightened on her hips as he shoved her back into the wall and kept her there with his body. “I’m yours. Be gentle.”
Ana grinned, winding her arms around his neck. “You’re too easy.”
About Airicka Phoenix
Huddled beneath a perpetual cloud of imagination, International Best-Selling author Airicka Phoenix lives with her husband and four gorgeous children in the beautiful province of British Columbia. When she's not busy playing with her imaginary friends, creating worlds and toying with fictional lives, she can be found reading, polishing her collection of daggers, or chilling with her kids.
Airicka is the creator of THE TOUCH SAGA, THE SONS OF JUDGMENT SAGA, THE LOST GIRL SERIES, and GAMES OF FIRE. Her standalone novel, BETRAYING INNOCENCE will be published Oct 2013 and the conclusion of Finding Kia, book 2 of The Lost Girl Series, REVEALING KIA, will be out Nov 2013. She also has plans to release a Sci-Fi horror/romance, WHEN NIGHT FALLS, Dec 2013.
Airicka also writes adult paranormal & contemporary romance under her alter ego, Morgana Phoenix. She has a paranormal short coming out Dec 2013 in SNOWED IN, An Anthology and CAPTURE ME, Morgana's debut novel will be released Fall 2014.
For more about Airicka, visit her website at: http://airickaphoenix.com/Author/
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