by Renee Roman
“Think, Stark. Think.”
She’d always been good at thinking on her feet, so why, when she needed it most, was she hesitating? Because it never involved anyone I loved.
* * *
Once she was out of the car, Sarah felt more than a little exposed. Brace stood near a building with a rusty sign hanging askew. The dark shadows behind him, obscuring her ability to see, lent to the already creepy atmosphere. She took a couple of steps but couldn’t bring herself to get closer. He would have to come to her.
“Hey,” Brace called across the distance.
“Hi,” she said. Sarah knew he could hear the angst in her voice.
His face grew hard as his eyes narrowed while he waited. Finally, he stepped from the shadows and approached her.
“What are we doing here, Brace?” Sarah refused to look around, but she swore she could hear movement close by.
“I wanted to show you where I spend a lot of my time. You know, since you’re so interested.” Brace glanced over his shoulder.
“Couldn’t you have just told me?” Her laugh was pure nerves, but he must have thought it was for his benefit.
Brace shrugged. “Proof is in the pudding, so they say. Come on, there’s some really cool old stuff inside. Maybe you could find something that interests you. You do shit with metal, right?”
The prospect of finding something unique to use as a sample for the gallery was tempting. “You sure it’s safe?”
“You’re with a cop. Why wouldn’t it be safe?”
Something in his smile was off, but she attributed it to a bad case of the willies. That along with Cam’s constant badgering about how “dirty” Brace was had caused her to lose her objectivity. Damn you, Cam. Sarah took a breath, tentatively stepping closer, giving her time to tamp down her earlier alarm. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“That’s the spirit.” Brace seemed pleased. He pushed the worn, peeling door open and stepped inside as he pulled out a flashlight. “There’s no electricity, but it’s worth having a look around.”
She stood near the door, hesitant to go any farther as her initial anxiety returned.
“Here.” Brace pointed to a pile of discarded items. “You might find a hidden treasure.”
Sarah moved to where Brace pointed as he shined the light over broken racks covered in rust and cobwebs. It looked like they’d been there for decades. When she bent over to take a closer look, she felt him brush against her, and warning bells sounded in her head.
“I don’t think I can use any of this.” Sarah straightened. She needed to get out of the tight quarters, and she didn’t like how much Brace was invading her personal space. He must have sensed her unease because he took a step back.
“Okay. There’s a couple of things over here you might like.” He took her hand and led her toward the far wall where a thick layer of dust obscured the surface. “Be careful where you step. I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”
Something in his tone still wasn’t right, but at least he was being mindful of her inability to see where she was going. “Thanks.” Once they were closer, he aimed his light on an old cash register. It might have been bronze, but it was covered in the same grime as everything else. She was about to tell him she appreciated the offer when he bumped into her, trapping her next to the counter she leaned on.
“Brace. What are you doing?” Panic rose along with her voice.
He held his hands up. “Sorry. It’s hard to see in here.” He backed away and moved the light to a back corner. “There’s a bunch of pewter and bronze plates over there.”
“Brace…” She looked at the entrance, wishing she was already outside.
“This is the last of anything good in here.” He fanned the light up. “Please? You’ve come all this way. I was hoping you would find something you could use.”
As much as her gut twisted, she wanted to believe Brace was trying to make amends. “Okay, but then I really have to go.”
“Sure, sure.” Brace grinned a little too wide before swinging the flashlight toward the back of the room.
Sarah moved slowly. The light was directed where Brace had pointed, and she was trying to be careful where she stepped. She tried looking at what appeared to be another pile of junk. “I don’t see anything I can use.”
“Go a little farther.”
Sarah sighed before taking another step, and that’s when she felt the floor give way beneath her weight. Her arms shot out to brace her fall and slammed into the floor around the hole she’d dropped into. Her legs dangled in midair and she tried to not panic. Brace stood a few feet away, a sinister grin plastered on his face.
“Help me.” Sarah tried to push against the edge of the jagged opening, but she heard the boards creek and stopped.
“Dear sister, what a shame we didn’t get to know each other better before your accidental death. Why on earth were you even walking around in a place like this? I guess we’ll never know.”
Sarah was stunned. Cam had been right all along, and unless a miracle happened, she wasn’t going to have a chance to tell her. She’d read about her demise in the obituaries. She might even believe it had been an accident, knowing Sarah collected junk for her sculptures, but she doubted Cam would ever accept it. Sarah imagined Cam going after Brace for revenge. She couldn’t let that happen. “Brace, please. Whatever you may think, all I wanted was to find you. If you don’t want me in your life all you have to do is say so.” Her arms shook with the strain of holding her weight as she hung there, and she imagined if she fell to the floor below Brace would leave her to die. Suffering and alone.
“I can’t take the chance. My life is fucking perfect, and that inheritance is mine. My bleeding-heart parents might want to help my poor orphaned twin, but it’s not going to happen. Too bad you just couldn’t leave well enough alone.” Brace’s features morphed into a sinister glare. Careful to avoid getting too close, he raised his foot.
Sarah knew then he was going to make sure she would die in the darkness.
“Good-bye, Sarah.” Brace shifted his weight and his foot reared back.
“Stop!”
The darkness lessened and Cam’s voice echoed in the cold that surrounded Sarah. She’d never been more relieved to hear her.
Brace turned and the flashlight bobbed as he stepped away from Sarah. “What the fuck are you doing here?” His free hand moved to his waistband.
“Don’t move.” Cam shone her flashlight into Brace’s face, her tone strong and confident.
“You think I’m afraid of the likes of you?” Brace sneered.
“You should be. My office has instructions to alert the police if I don’t call back in the next five minutes. I have a feeling not everyone in your precinct is your buddy.” Cam sounded solemn. “The only choice you have to make is to leave now, or I shoot and end any future threat to Sarah. Makes no difference to me.”
Brace hesitated, clearly considering his options. He dropped his hand and moved farther away from her. “I’ll get you someday.”
“I’ll be waiting.” Cam kept her gun trained on him until he disappeared out the door. Cam set her flashlight down and reached for her.
“Be careful.” As much as she wanted to get out of there, it wouldn’t do either of them any good if Cam ended up in the same predicament. It would likely end in someone’s death.
Cam tested the floor between them, then reached for her. She grabbed her hand and held on, pushing up with her other arm. Cam pulled until Sarah was able to get her knees under her, then she stood on shaky legs. Cam wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her toward the exit, her gun held out in front of them.
“Are you okay?”
Sarah leaned into Cam’s solid body, needing to know she was real. “I think so.” They stood by the door, but Cam held her back.
“Wait here. I want to make sure that bastard is gone, then I need to call Maggie.” Cam sidled up to the entrance, her gun at the ready, and peered out, then she disappe
ared from Sarah’s view. She picked up the flashlight. Alone, she tried to make sense of what had happened. Not in a million years would she have dreamt Brace wanted her out of his life enough to want her dead. She’d been wrong about Brace from the start, and it had nearly gotten her killed. She could feel the hysteria welling inside, but she took a deep breath and forced it down. She couldn’t fall apart, not yet.
“There’s no sign of Brace.” Cam held the gun at her side. “Let’s go.”
Sarah stepped outside, breathing in the fresh air, and pulled her jacket tighter, a sudden chill making her shiver. “If you hadn’t shown up…”
“Let’s not think about that now.” Cam leaned against Sarah’s car, then ran her hands down her arms. “You sure you’re okay?” Concern creased the normally smooth skin between her brows.
She nodded. Now that she’d had a chance to calm down and could think clearly, she had questions of her own. “How did you know I might be in trouble?”
Cam’s hesitation was telling. “My informant told me Brace ordered a hit on someone.” Her eyes darkened. “I couldn’t…wouldn’t take a chance it was on you.”
“But how did you know where to find me?”
Cam blanched. “I put a tracking device in your car.”
Sarah was dumbfounded and stumbled backward. “I trusted you.” Cam tried to close the distance between them, but she backed away.
“You can, Sarah. I had to know you were okay and the only way I could do that after you sent the email…” Cam looked at the ground.
“Even after I told you to stay away you didn’t.”
“No.”
Sarah was torn between being grateful Cam had followed her, because she’d saved her life, and her anger at Cam acting as though Sarah was the one being investigated. Would she ever really be able to trust her? If they tried to have a relationship—one that would change both their lives—could she be sure Cam wouldn’t use her professional means to spy on her? Was that the kind of partner Cam would be?
Sarah met her gaze. “When will the lying ever end?”
What could she say? “I didn’t lie about wanting to protect you.”
Sarah’s jaw bunched. “Get it out of my car.”
Cam opened the driver door and reached under her seat. She held out the small black box with a blinking green light.
Sarah looked at the device in her hand, grabbed it, then tossed it with so much force it shattered on the road. Just like Cam’s hopes of a reconciliation. “Sarah, I—”
Sarah held up her hand. “Thank you for stopping Brace. I’m sorry I doubted your opinion of him, but that wasn’t the way to earn my trust.” She pointed to the bits of plastic. She got into the car and shut her door. When she looked up, Cam saw the tears pooling in her eyes, but the worst part was the sadness in them.
“Good-bye, Cam.”
As Sarah pulled away, Cam ran to her car. She didn’t care if Sarah liked it or not, she was going to make sure Brace wasn’t lurking around. She had to make sure she got home safely. She had nothing to lose. She’d already lost Sarah, but she was alive, and that had to be enough.
Chapter Twenty-eight
“What am I going to do?” Sarah cried on Lisa’s shoulder. Lisa rubbed her back for a bit, then held her at arm’s length.
“First, you’re going to agree to stay away from Brace. You could have died tonight. Don’t give him another reason to try. We have to hope he’ll think he scared you enough that you’ll leave him alone.”
Sarah wiped her eyes for the hundredth time since she’d gotten home. She hadn’t allowed herself to cry, not really, until she was safe inside. Brace was as dangerous as Cam had suspected. “I have no intention of seeing him again.” And even though Cam had pissed her off, once she’d had a chance to calm down, the heartache set in.
“Good.” Lisa handed her a mostly melted bowl of ice cream. She’d bought double reinforcements tonight. “And Cam?”
She stared at the contents, though not seeing it, and sighed. All she could see was Cam “She was right, Lisa. I was so blinded by wanting family I refused to see Brace for who he really was, even when it was staring me in the face. Cam…” Her throat tightened. “All she ever wanted was to keep me safe and now I’ve hurt her again.” Sarah looked up. “Why do I keep doing that?”
Lisa put her hand on Sarah’s arm. “We’re pretty good at hurting the people we love.”
“I don’t—”
“Oh, please. It’s written all over your face whenever you mention her name. Like it or not you love Cam, so what’s your plan?”
Lisa was right. She did love Cam and all the little things that made her the person she was. The cockiness. The thorough way she went about her work. The looks of longing Sarah had caught. The fierce way she’d come to her rescue. None of it mattered now. She was certain she’d pushed Cam away for the last time.
“I don’t have a plan.”
Lisa tapped her spoon against Sarah’s dish. “Then it’s a good thing I’m here.”
Sarah prayed she hadn’t thrown away her future in a fit of anger. She didn’t like that Sarah, and she hoped it wasn’t too late to redeem herself.
* * *
Cam gathered her things from the passenger seat. It was the farthest she’d been out of the house since the night Brace had—she didn’t want to think about what had almost happened. Sarah was okay and that’s what mattered. But the closing of the front door reminded her of Sarah’s words, both sounded so final, and she dropped the armful of things onto the table. It spilled onto the floor.
“Great.” Cam sighed and bent to pick up the files and sweatshirt. A sweatshirt that wasn’t hers. Sarah’s honeysuckle scent clung to it, making her pause. She missed her already. Even though she hadn’t seen her in days, she’d held on to the hope of a reconciliation. The hope was gone and so was her motivation to do something constructive. To somehow make it right with Sarah. She’d fallen hard and fast. Now she was paying the price. It was probably for the best. Sarah had lashed out once too often, using her knowledge of Cam’s past against her. Still, her heart was torn. She’d actually believed Sarah was “the one.” How could her instincts have been so wrong?
Cam slid her fingers along the neck of the bottle where it rested on her thigh. The tears had dried, but the pain in her heart remained. After the first four beers, she no longer tasted what she swallowed.
She hadn’t gone to the office in three days. Maggie had repeatedly messaged her, asking if there was anything she could do. Cam hadn’t admitted how badly she’d fucked up her nonexistent relationship with Sarah, instead telling her she’d suffered a killer migraine and needed to rest a few days. She doubted Maggie was buying it.
Cam hadn’t showered in two days and couldn’t stand herself another minute. She fingered her hair, a nervous habit she’d developed after moving to another new foster home as she waited to see what form of hell awaited her. She caught her reflection in the mirror and stopped the motion. The haunted look was familiar from her youth when she’d almost given up caring. But she did care. About herself. About Sarah.
“Sarah.”
Cam’s lips trembled. She got into the shower and turned on the water, barely registering the icy needles pelting her skin. She couldn’t remember ever loving anyone as much as she loved Sarah. They’d had a rocky start that first day, but it had faded, and although they occasionally butted heads, she refused to believe Sarah didn’t feel the constant pull, too. Mechanically, Cam scrubbed away the grime, though the emotional bruises remained. After brushing her teeth and towel-drying her hair, she felt almost human. She slipped on lounge pants and a sweatshirt. She needed to get her shit together. She’d thought about calling Liv until she talked herself out of it. She’d used her as a crutch for far too long and it was time to take control of her life. Again.
Cam picked up the bottle from the coffee table, tipped it to her lips, and downed the last few drops. She considered having another to help drown her sorrows until she heard a
car door slam. It sounded close, and her first thought was of Brace finding her home address, not a difficult task for a cop. There was no question he would come after her since she’d poked around in his business. She closed her hand around the revolver lying on the table and cautiously moved to a window at the far end of the living room. She edged the curtain back with the muzzle. Sarah stood on the sidewalk, and Cam’s heart trip-hammered in her chest as she slowly climbed the steps, then pressed the doorbell.
Cam didn’t admit to the relief washing over her. She hadn’t totally forgiven Sarah for using her past against her, and they needed to talk about the lies and the pain they’d each experienced at the hand of the other. She tucked the gun at the small of her back before opening the door.
Sarah looked down before meeting her eyes. “It was cruel of me to say…” Sarah’s voice caught in her throat as tears slid down her cheeks.
She pulled Sarah to her and closed the door. Cam held her head to her chest, hoping Sarah could feel all the words she didn’t have the courage to say. Several minutes later, Sarah gently pushed away.
“You’ve probably heard this a hundred times from others. I’m sorry for what I said. I’m especially sorry I hurt you.”
Sarah’s fingertips trailed along her cheek down to her jaw, then her chin before stopping just below her collarbone. The touch soothed her frantic mind, bringing back memories of their times together. Cam took her hand and brushed her lips across it.
“Rarely has an apology been given, especially one that was sincere.” She held Sarah’s hand in her larger one. All she’d been trying to do was shelter and protect Sarah. Her heart had been in the right place even if she’d gone about it all wrong. “I shouldn’t have interfered.”