“I’m a fool. She used me to extract his promise to stay faithful. She never loved me… I have to get out of here. I’ll go to the precinct to take care of the paperwork.”
Hank knew Larry was wrong, he’d seen how the doc looked at him, and Schwartz looked like a miserable bastard when he walked away from her.
“Hank, where’s Ry? I need Ry.”
Seeing her radiant smile and anxious eyes, Hank wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. “Doc, he… he went down to the station.”
“Without me?”
“He didn’t think you’d be interested in watching him do paperwork.”
Amy’s face fell, her expression closed up and Hank saw the hint of tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “But he said… he wanted…he promised…I see. Here’s my statement. Detective Stevens left it behind. Please inform the Captain that I haven’t changed my mind and to please donate my last paycheck to the police widows fund. Leave me a message on my cell when I can have people come in to clean and pack.”
Hank starred at her stunned. “Doc?”
“You’ve always been a very good friend to me Hank. I’ll miss you.”
“So you are going home with your husband? “
Her sad defeated smile broke his heart. “No Hank, Marcus has finally agreed to sign the divorce papers.”
“Does Ry know?”
“Goodbye Hank.”
Hank grabbed her arm to stop her. “Doc! Does Ry know?”
“He left me here, left me without a word, without a fight. Left before I could tell him about the papers, because…” Amy took a deep breath, swallowing back her tears of frustration and humiliation. He’d done it to her again. “It’s over Hank. I can’t do this anymore. I’m too tired to fight. I stopped fighting Marcus over a year ago when I filed for divorce. Hank, I don’t have the energy to knock it into a stubborn man’s head that I love him. He’s either not interested or not ready, either way I’m done. And don’t you dare tell Marcus about this. I’ve waited too long for those papers to get signed.”
Hank felt trapped, not a feeling he enjoyed. “He thought you—”
“Give him my love Hank. You have my cell if you need me. I’ll be back for the trial, although come to think of it I may not need to return after all.” She laughed sadly looking over at Kazinsky’s prone form. A shiver running through her at the sight of all the blood.
“Don’t leave yet, give me half an hour.”
“Hank—”
She looked so weary and discouraged. He hurt for her. A beautiful woman like her shouldn’t look like she carried the weight of the world. She was the rarest of the rare gems out there. A woman whose inner beauty far outstripped her outer beauty and she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. “Half an hour. It wouldn’t be fighting if he came to you would it?”
Doubt flashed across her features. “No but—”
“You wouldn’t want to walk away from true love because of a silly misunderstanding would you?”
“No but—”
“You wouldn’t want me to suffer would you? Because Ry will be a miserable bastard when he realizes what he’s done and I’ll suffer for it.” He knew he was railroading her, but he didn’t care. He hadn’t lied when he told her he’d suffer when his partner came to his senses. “Here are my keys. Go to my place; take a hot shower get into some comfortable clothes. Take a nap if you want, my sheets are clean. Just give me a half hour before you take off.”
“Give me your keys; I could use a hot shower before I leave.”
“Here you go Doc.” He wanted to sigh in relief that she’d agreed so easily.
“And I’m borrowing some clothes. I can’t go in there again until after Kazinsky’s gone.”
He bit back his laugh. “Not a problem Doc, me casa is su casa. Use whatever you want.”
“Half an hour Hank!”
“Timer is set Doc.”
“Detective, what is all that about?”
Hank cursed in every language he knew. This was just not his day. “I can’t tell you, I promised Doc I wouldn’t. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
“Where’s Stevens?”
Damn figures he wouldn’t buy it.
Hank was running out of time so he decided on the truth. “At the station.” “He left without saying goodbye to Amanda? He’s not going to win points with her that way.”
How does one defend someone, when you agree they’re an idiot?
he thought with gritted teeth. “He wanted to finish the paperwork. Get it out of the way quickly so he could get back to her sooner.” “Detective, my wife looked sad and Amy rarely allows her emotions to get the better of her in public. So either she’s having second thoughts about our divorce…”
“No!”
“Or Stevens took off without telling her and she’s given up on him, love and life.”
“Uh… well.” Think Hank think.
“What did that idiot do?”
“It’s all a misunderstanding and you’re to blame. So keep your opinions about my partner to yourself. As soon as I get to the station, I’ll straighten it all out.” He grabbed his jacket and made his way out the door acutely aware that his time was running out.
“I’m coming with you. No, don’t argue detective, I know very well that she gave up on me the day she filed for divorce.”
Hank stopped walking. “She didn’t want you to know.”
“I figured as much. She’s afraid to get hurt again and that’s my fault. So either Stevens owns up to the fact that he’s in love with her or I spend the rest of my life trying to make her happy.”
For the first time Hank felt pity for Schwartz. “You really do love her don’t you?”
“Too bad I figured it out too late.”
“You poor soul.” Hank never meant to say those words out loud. But he knew he meant them.
Chapter 8
Ry got half way to the station when reasoning took over. How dare she use him to teach that idiot a lesson? But that thought didn’t feel right. In his heart he knew she cared about him. He felt it every time she looked at him, every time she touched him or kissed him. Schwartz had looked miserable holding her, no man could look that miserable with Amy in his arms unless they knew it was the last time.
Amy did say they’d have time to make love properly, slowly. Why would she tell him that if she’d been planning on going back to Schwartz? Simple, she wouldn’t!
Her lust filled voice floated through his mind, ‘I love you, Ry.’
“Aw damn, I’m an idiot.” He pulled a U-turn, flipped on his lights and siren and raced back to her praying he wasn’t too late.
***
Amy let herself into Hank’s apartment and stopped cold. She backed out to check the number on the door and make sure she had the right place, then stood there in the doorway amazed at how clean he kept the place. She thought of his slangy vocabulary and what she like to term messy personality and had a hard time reconciling this neat space to him. “Well, well Mr. Adams, there’s more to you than you show.”
Feeling the start of hunger she checked his kitchen, but wasn’t surprised when she found nothing but a six-pack of beer. “Hope you don’t mind.” Grabbing one, she walked into his bedroom to pick out some sweats and a tee, stripping out of her clothing and entered the bathroom to shower.
***
“Listen here, Schwartz, I love that woman and you can’t have her back.” Ry got angry when Schwartz laughed at him.
“Seems we won’t need to do anything, but point him in the right direction after all, Adams.”
His fists clenched when Hank joined his enemy in laughing at him. “Guess not, go figure. He’s got a brain in his head after all.”
“What? No arguments? No reminders that she’s your wife?”
“Nope. Amy is quite capable of following her heart and making her own decisions.”
Ry felt confused, as if he’d missed something important. Steeling his shoulders, he tried again. “Good
. Now tell me where she is so I can tell her that.”
“What exactly are you planning on telling her?”
Schwartz’s entertained tone made him angry. This wasn’t a game to him, this was his future. “I plan on informing her that the minute your divorce is final she’s marrying me. I will not lose her again.”
“I’d like to reserve front row seat for that conversation.”
Annoyance washed over him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll see.”
His annoyance quickly turned to suspicion when Amy didn’t magically appear. “Quit stalling. Where’s Amy?”
“Gone.”
“What do you mean gone? Hank? Gone where? How could you let her leave?”
“Stevens, you don’t let Amy do things. She just does them. She didn’t ask our permission to leave after all. You really should learn that if you intend on marrying her.”
Ry was frantic. “Hank, where is she?”
“At my place. Hopefully still in the shower. I put in the new massage head. She’ll love the—”
“Hopefully?”
“It was a pit stop on her way out of town. A shower, clean clothes, and adios, amigos.”
Determination took control. “Keys, Hank.”
“Sorry partner. She has my only set.”
“Damn.”
***
“One more beer won’t hurt. I’ll just leave Hank some cash to replace it.” Amy laughed at herself. Here she was talking out loud, explaining her actions to no one. Sitting back on the safa, she put the opened beer bottle on the coffee table in front of and held back the tears she felt welling up in her eyes. If she started crying now she knew she’d never stop.
She was alone now. She literally had no one. That thought sapped her of her waning energy and left her feeling empty. Laying her head on the sofa’s arm, she lost her fight on sleep. Five more minutes, was the last thing to cross her mind before oblivion took her and pulled her down into a deep dreamless sleep.
***
Ry pulled into the building’s lot and spotted Amy’s car immediately. Relief flooded through him at the sight; she hadn’t left yet. He made his way up the stairs as quickly as possible praying she hadn’t decided to take the elevator down and he’d miss her. Glaring at the door he knew he had two options, he could try the handle or break it down. He decided he’d try the handle before throwing out his shoulder knocking down the hardwood door.
He frowned when he found it unlocked. After everything that’s happened to her today, she should know better.
Entering the apartment, he slowly scanned the room. His eyes moved past the overstuffed wing chair Hank’s sisters bought him for his last birthday, the row of Hank’s nieces’ pictures on the mantle, coming to rest on the sofa where he found her sleeping. The sight of her lying there was a salve to his senses. She looked so beautiful, so peaceful and dear to him. He realized he just couldn’t let her go. He needed her in his life, he wasn’t complete without her.
Sitting on the edge of the sofa, he gently brushed back her hair watching her sleep until he couldn’t stand it anymore. “Amy, honey. I’m so, so sorry.”
Her eyes snapped open at the first sound of his voice, then hooded to hide her thoughts.
Seeing that he had her attention he moved on. “I’m truly sorry you’re in love with an idiot.”
“So am I.”
Ry grinned. At least she still had her sense of humor. “So what shall we do about this?”
“You can leave and I can continue drinking Hank’s wonderful beer until I pass out or run out.”
“Now baby, you don’t mean that.”
“No you’re right, I don’t.”
He leaned down, kissing her on the forehead in relief. “Thank God I’m forgiven.”
“Who says you’re forgiven? For that matter what makes you think you’re the idiot?”
“You did this morning.” Ry normally wouldn’t show emotion. Emotions he’d been taught by his father were a weakness. Amy deserved better, she deserved to know exactly what she meant to him, and if that meant letting go of his emotions and showing her exactly how much he loved her, that’s what he intended to do. “Do you know what made me turn my car around and come back to find you?”
“You came back on your own? Hank didn’t go get you?”
Her surprise made him feel guilty and elated all at once. “No, love. Hank didn’t come to fetch me.”
“Then why?”
“I remembered the four words you said to me this morning.”
Amy glared at him. “I said a lot of things this morning and this afternoon.”
“You said ‘I love you, Ry.’”
“You told me to say it.”
“True, but you still said it, and what’s more, I know you meant it.”
“How?”
She was testing him; he’d hurt her worse that he thought. “Cause I told Schwartz that he couldn’t have you back. I love you, Amy.”
“Enough to quit your job and come with me?”
“Yes.”
He leaned back when she sat up stunned at his quick response. “Don’t you want to think about it first?”
“No.” He slid into the empty space beside her she just vacated.
“Would you be willing to live with me and never marry?”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“Because I want what Schwartz had. I want the legal right to call you my wife; let every man know you’re mine. I want you in my life in every single way possible.” He put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck as he spoke.
“No! I’m never going to marry again.”
“If you want to be with me, you will.”
“Then we aren’t going to be together so you can remove your hands from me.”
Ry held on tighter. He realized he shouldn’t have pushed her on this, but he couldn’t help it. He needed her to be his one hundred percent. “Oh yes, we will!”
“I’ve done the marriage thing, Ry. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. It starts out great, lots of love, affection and attention. You think this is the best thing you’ve ever felt and it will last forever. But it doesn’t. You get bored and start looking around, wondering what you’re missing out on. Some people decide they like what they have and do everything in their power to spice things up, save their marriages. But otherwise, they don’t. You’re left wondering, questioning yourself. What did I do wrong? Aren’t I pretty anymore? Aren’t I smart enough? Am I too smart? Why doesn’t he love me anymore? How come I’m not enough?”
Ry never realized how much pain she’d been in the entire time he’d known her. The knowledge created a place inside him that was determined to make up for everything she’d been through.
He loved her even more because of that and that love left him even more determined to marry her. In thirty-seven years he’d never even considered marriage until he met her. Now he couldn’t think of life without her as his wife in it. “You will be my wife, Amy.”
“Haven’t you heard a single word I’ve said?”
“I’ve heard every single word that came from those irresistible lips.”
“And?”
“I’m more convinced than ever that we should get married.”
“Whatever for?” Her laughter was filled with surprise, but no mocking. She sounded a little pleased by his declaration and that urged him on.
“It’s simple really. I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
“So we can live together.”
“I want the right to call you my wife.”
“You have my permission.”
Damn stubborn, pig headed woman
, he thought affectionately. “I want it to be legal.” “I need a better reason than that.”
She didn’t say no this time. That’s promising.
He slid his hand over her abdomen in a caress. “I want our children to be legitimate.” “Children,” she squeaked. Now he knew why Schwart
z wanted front row seats to this conversation.
“Tell me, love. How long did it take Schwartz to propose?”
“Why?” Her narrowed gaze elicited all the worst possible responses from him. He leaned in and kissed her, wiping the suspicious look right from her face.
“Something he said earlier.”
“Almost three weeks.”
“Three weeks, forget it. Time to negotiate, love.”
“Negotiate how?”
“What do you want from me so that I can get a yes to my proposal?”
“Three years.”
Ry grinned, as he saw the faintest flicker of desire come into her eyes. “Try again.”
“Four years.”
“Six months, not a day more.”
A soft moan of need escaped her lips from his feather soft touch along her breasts.
“We live where I decide.”
“Done.” He increased the pressure as he inched up closer to her nipple.
“Small ceremony.”
Ry’s grin widened when she sighed and twisted her body, urging him to touch her more.
“Agreed.”
Reality that he’d readily agreed to all her conditions must have started to sink in. He could sense her panic starting by the stiffening of her back. Lord, he loved this woman.
“You…you—”
“Do you worst, love. Nothing you say can faze me.” He gave her hardened nipple a tweak for good measure.
“You have to take my name.”
He hadn’t expected that. “Meaning?”
“You would become Mr. Allens.” She relaxed back into his arms, thinking she’d won.
“Done. Next?”
A blank stare met his response. “We don’t have sex again until our wedding night.”
His hand stilled on her body, he’d been hoping to celebrate his victory by making love to her. “How long for your divorce to go through?”
“Four months and three weeks from the day Marcus signs and delivers the papers to the courthouse.”
He narrowed his eyes and counter offered. “Make it five months instead of six. You move into my house. And you sleep naked in my arms every single night.”
Psychotic SKIU Serial Page 9