CHAPTER 51
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23
A fog seemed to surround Jaime as she followed Savannah and Hayden to the edge of the hearing room. “Is that it? Do we need to stay for the vote?”
“They will probably conduct an executive session first.” Savannah nudged her toward the door. “We can talk in the hall.”
The only problem was the moment they stepped outside, more cameras waited with reporters shouting questions at her. In a moment Chandler stepped next to her and began clearing a path for her.
“There you are.” Caroline’s clear Southern lilt sounded like music but so out of place in the cacophony of the reporters. “Make way, y’all.”
“Will you give a statement, Miss Nichols?”
Savannah stepped in front of her, further shielding her from the hordes. “My client has said all she will in her testimony before the Armed Services Committee. I suggest you contact your colleagues who were inside for more.”
Then Jaime was escorted through the melee and around a corner by her friends. After a few more turns, Hayden opened a door. “We can collect ourselves here.” She waved at the receptionist. “Emma, we’ll be in the small conference room for a minute.”
“Sure thing. Should I let the senator know?”
“Only if he asks. The hearing looked like it would continue for a while.” Hayden opened a door, and in a minute the group was standing in a wood paneled room filled with a large conference table and chairs. “The media won’t get past Emma.”
Before Jaime could register where she was, she was swept into an embrace four people strong. She looked over Hayden’s shoulder and caught Chandler standing outside the circle with a small smile tipping his lips.
Caroline squeezed so tightly Jaime was surprised a rib didn’t crack. “You okay?”
“I’ll know for sure when I read the headlines.”
“That’s not what I mean.” Caroline’s gaze was fierce.
Emilie squeezed her arm. “You were so poised and articulate in there.”
Savannah stepped back, and Jaime felt like she could breathe. “That little girl is not your identity. The woman I saw today has moved past the horror.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are not the powerless eight-year-old who was violated.” Savannah’s gaze was steady and unflinching. “You are so much more, but still a shadow of what you can be.”
Not here. Savannah must have caught the emotion on her face, because she squeezed Jaime’s hand and left it at that. Hayden, however, looked ready to tackle it head on. There was that holy zeal in her eyes, the one she got when she was ready to launch into a heartfelt call to action. Caroline stopped her. “Not here, girl.” Caroline turned back to Jaime. “Let’s get tea somewhere. If I know you, you haven’t eaten a thing.”
“I didn’t dare around the butterflies. Can I say something first?” Jaime took a deep breath. “A couple days ago I did something you have wanted me to do for a long time. After reading a book Chandler gave me and asking some questions, I prayed with Caroline. I’m still new to everything, but I’ve started the journey toward God.”
Emilie’s squeal about shattered Jaime’s eardrum, while Hayden’s “It’s about time” made Jaime grin.
“I came in my own timing, Hayden.”
Her friend patted her French-twisted hair. “I know, but I’ll be delighted to alter my prayers for you.” She considered Jaime for a minute, searching her soul. “You’ll be fine.”
“I know.” It wouldn’t be easy, but she’d come so far already. She turned to Caroline. “What was that about food? I’m pretty sure my cup of coffee has worn off.” She was ready to live knowing life was a bit bitter around the edges with a dollop of sweetness that kept it interesting.
“Remember I learned all your secrets living with you.” Caroline waggled her eyebrows, but Jaime smiled. Caroline knew her best and was still here. Sweet, quiet, sassy Caroline.
Emilie looked up from her phone. “I just made a reservation for six.”
Chandler stepped back. “No need to include me. I wouldn’t want to intrude. And I need to get over to my office.” He turned to Jaime. “I’ll call you tonight.”
As he walked away, she wondered. Could she trust his word? Or would she allow him to get close only to push him far away when he risked entering too deeply into her heart? As she watched him leave, she believed she’d grown past that older version of herself. She didn’t want to push him away. He had proven himself a man worth holding close to her heart.
When Chandler reached the Vet Center, he found the cleanup crew packing their tools. The foreman told him they were done and the office was ready. Chandler would let Allison and Beth know they could come back tomorrow if they were ready. They were the ones who had suffered the trauma of being hostages. Meanwhile, he’d take advantage of the locked doors and resulting quiet to put his head down and work through everything in his in-box. It was time to launch back into his work helping veterans. It was a worthy way to spend his life, but as he looked at the pile of work, he knew it’d take time to get caught up. Thank God for dictation software.
Five hours later he’d knocked the pile in half. He’d also determined which items to take home to keep after. Another block of time like this and he’d be back where he wanted to be, but as the clock hit five, he needed to head back to the apartment. He and Aslan would be waiting at her door when Jaime got home.
When Jaime didn’t respond to his text, he texted Caroline. Still with her?
No, she left an hour ago.
Where was she headed?
Home
He frowned. Alone?
She insisted she’d be okay
Okay
Thanks for being there for her today. She might not say it, but I could tell it mattered.
Thanks.
He had to smile. Caroline the peacemaker, trying to make sure he knew he mattered.
But as he packed up he had a bad feeling about what he’d find when he reached Jaime’s. He’d stop at his apartment long enough to get Aslan out and order takeout. Then it would be time to tell Jaime exactly how he felt about her and where he wanted their relationship to go.
The lock didn’t take five seconds to trip. Whoever thought it would provide security was a fool.
The apartment looked less cluttered, but that was because the roommate was gone.
Good thing, as he didn’t want collateral damage.
His blood roiled as he thought about Jaime’s testimony. His niece had woven a sad tale that seemed to sway a couple of the senators, including that patsy Senator Wesley. The man was clean as a whistle despite some of the questionable staff he’d had in the past. There was little to leverage in his background.
It infuriated Dane to think this was a powerful man he could not influence or destroy.
He’d just have to dig deeper into his network. The army was a fraternity, one that reached deep into the fabric of society. It also created an environment where people could do things they wouldn’t do in the light of day. Many were noble men like his brother, the boring man who shared parents with him but little else.
Then there were those who liked to push the envelope. They didn’t know that Dane was taking notes and photos, but he was. Each one was a potential bullet to coerce people to do his will.
His career proved he could handle any situation, but after Jaime’s performance at the hearing, she had to be silenced. Allowing her to spread her lies one more minute wasn’t an option.
She’d been warned.
Now she’d left him no choice but to punish her.
When she returned he would be waiting.
She would retract her statement and tell the Commonwealth to dismiss charges or he would handle her.
Nobody messed with Dane Nichols. Nobody.
CHAPTER 52
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23
The relief was immense. Jaime had done the hardest thing she could imagine in testifying before the committee, and now afte
r a late lunch with her friends, she felt so free. This was what all the hard work of counseling and coming to terms with Dane’s abuse had led to. His actions would always be a part of her story, but they no longer had to dictate her future.
With the help of her friends and this God she was just beginning to know, she sensed true freedom waiting around the corner.
When Jaime arrived at her apartment, she was ready to collapse on the futon with a book or movie. She might not even turn on the diffuser tonight.
Then she opened the door and froze. The air was already filled with the scent of lavender with an undertone of something that smelled musky. It was a smell she didn’t want to remember. The one that assaulted her when she’d confronted Dane at the ball. His signature scent.
Where was Simba, and why was the light she always left on over the stove off?
Something was wrong.
She stepped back toward the hallway and pulled out her phone. She had the phone to her ear, a call ringing to Chandler, when she heard a voice.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The sense of freedom evaporated with that sentence.
Dane.
In her apartment.
How had he gotten in? Even her parents didn’t have a key.
She slowly lowered her phone but didn’t flick it off, praying he wouldn’t notice. “What do you want?”
He stepped into view. Loomed in the space. A hulking frame in the shadows.
Her breath hitched. She couldn’t think, couldn’t move.
He sensed the power he held. Stepped nearer. “What did you think you were doing today?”
His growl propelled her a step back.
“Telling the truth.” Her words squeaked. She needed to be strong. It was the only way she’d survive.
“Close the door.”
“No.” She couldn’t argue with a bully, but she didn’t have to obey.
“Have it your way. I can kill you and disappear before anyone knows I was here.” His words were so certain, so cold, she didn’t doubt he meant them. “I’m very good at my job.”
“What job is that?”
“That would be classified, need-to-know information, and you don’t have that clearance.”
She eased the door shut behind her without letting it latch.
“All the way.”
“It is.”
“One little twist and your cat’s dead.” She couldn’t see the cat in his arms but couldn’t risk her companion. “You’ll be next.”
She pushed the door until it clicked.
“Good.” Dane’s voice seemed disembodied, but then he called her closer. “I’ll take your phone.”
She wanted to whimper but refused to move or speak.
“You have two seconds until your cat is dead.”
She slid the phone toward him. “There.”
It was small, but that act of defiance felt important. “Why are you here?”
“Because we’re going to have a conversation. Then I’ll decide your future.”
She trembled in the darkness, feeling her old friend fear move in. “No.” She repeated the word, this time louder. “No.”
“We will talk. Have you seen the headlines, the tickers on the networks?” His voice grated with anger. “You told your lies, and now I’ll pay.”
“You should.” The words were defiant but her tone weak.
“That’s wrong. I never did anything you didn’t want. That you didn’t beg for. So you should pay.”
“I have paid every day of my life. I refuse to pay a moment longer for your sins.” She felt an energy rolling through her as she spoke. “I am done letting you control my life. How I feel and what I allow to happen.”
“Such noble words. Easy to say now that you’ve destroyed my career with lies.”
“You destroyed your career. I just made sure they understood who you are.”
“Oh no. Your lies won’t stick in a criminal court. Your evidence? Just your word against mine. It won’t stand up with the rules of evidence.”
“We have more.” No need to tell him specifically about the journal and counseling reports. He’d have those soon enough.
“Doesn’t matter. No jury will believe you over me.”
“But the senators did.”
“Not for long. I’ll fight back with the best attorneys money can buy.”
She startled as she felt a presence wind around her legs. Simba? Dane must have lied about having her cat, and she shouldn’t be surprised. He’d made a lifetime of lying, presenting one persona in public and another to her. The man stepped closer. She needed a weapon. Something, anything. But what? The knives were on the other side of the island, and her briefcase wouldn’t do much to him. Her thoughts flew in a torrent of desperation.
Then he had her in a headlock, his breath heavy on her face, and she thought she’d be sick. A flashback launched and she screamed. He squeezed her neck until she whimpered. She was tall, but he was taller. He was stronger and there was little she could do.
God? The word screamed through her mind. Where are you?
She bit down on his arm and at the same time she stepped on his insole.
Chandler held the phone to his ear, horrified. With his other hand he tugged out his work cell and called 911 as he ran to the security desk in the lobby.
“I need the key to Jaime Nichols’s apartment.”
The woman behind the desk just looked at him, then listened as he quickly described the situation to the 911 responder. Without another word she handed him the key.
He took off for the stairwell—no time to wait for an elevator.
Within moments he was at her door, barely turning the key before he kicked the door wide and called her name.
“Chandler, stay back!”
Jaime was backed against a wall, writhing to get away, her uncle pressed against her. Chandler reached for the gun he kept in a holster near the small of his back, but Dane spoke without turning.
“Make a move, and I’ll kill her now.”
Chandler slid his gun free, unclicked the safety, and yelled, “Jaime, now.” He prayed she would understand the order, because he didn’t have time to wait for the police to arrive.
He fired.
In an instant her uncle was gone. No chance the man survived the head shot.
Jaime’s scream, a sound that had no beginning or end, filled the apartment, and he raced toward her. “Don’t open your eyes. Trust me, don’t look.”
She shook hard as he helped her up and led her around her uncle’s body. “I didn’t want this. I didn’t want this.”
“I know, baby, I know.”
He led her out of the living area and into the hallway outside the apartment. “We’ll wait here for the police.”
She threw herself into his arms and sobbed. He held her and wished he could wipe the entire incident from her mind. She’d confronted her demon and won. But the cost would be high.
CHAPTER 53
THREE DAYS LATER
A pile of boxes lined the hallway as Jaime reentered her apartment. Her friends had worked hard since the apartment was released by the police at the conclusion of their investigation, but a shudder rippled through her as she stepped deeper into the space Dane had ruined. Her haven of white had been splattered with his blood, etching into paint what he had done to her.
Her mother put a hand on her arm. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“We can move the boxes without you.” Her father’s voice wrapped around her, a blanket of protection that she was only now beginning to accept.
“No, I need to do this.” She’d moved in with her parents, back into her old rooms, the ones that had sheltered Madeline and Tiffany. All that remained was to collect the boxes the girls had packed for her. The futon had already been thrown away, Dane’s blood embedded in the fabric as it was in the clothes she’d worn. “I need to say good-bye before I move on.”
The words would make no sense to her p
arents, but she knew they were true. She didn’t want all the good memories to be overwhelmed by the horror of Dane’s death. In his home office the police had found a wall of photos of her. He’d also had photos of her apartment along with one of her books, proving he’d been in her apartment more than just the night he’d attacked. Her impressions hadn’t been wrong, even when she hadn’t had proof. He’d been there, just enough on the edge to keep her guessing and off balance.
But now he could no longer hurt her.
His power over her was finished.
She stepped deeper into the living room and sighed.
A knock on the door grabbed her attention, and she turned to see Chandler standing there. Her knight in shining armor. The man who knew the worst that had happened to her and was still there. Even now that he’d played an active role in saving her.
She felt a security that was new and something she wanted to settle into as she looked from her father to Chandler. These men were here for her, and they weren’t going anywhere.
Kind of like the women crowding behind them.
She’d been so alone for so many years, an island buffeted by the storms of the past. Then the storms had collided with her efforts to make things right. They’d each been there: Caroline as a steady light in the dark nights, a quiet voice when she needed to know she wasn’t alone. Hayden with her tangible efforts to help her tell her story where it mattered, never doubting that her pain and experience were real. Emilie, as a steady presence, quiet but there. Always there. And even Savannah, with her help to clear the ethics complaint and then not-so-subtle pressure to come to work with the team.
Maybe today Jaime would let her know that she’d decided to do that. She didn’t know what her work would look like, just that she’d restart in the presence of her friends who loved her no matter her background or how prickly she got on occasion.
Chandler stepped closer, a smile lighting his eyes. “You ready?”
“For a new beginning? Yes.” Did she dare ask the question? Would he be in that beginning?
“You won’t be alone.”
Delayed Justice Page 30