by Dana Mason
“You already treat me like a glass doll. I don’t want you to tiptoe around me, always afraid you’re going to hurt me.”
He stepped back, sat on the closed toilet, and covered his face with the towel. “I hurt you last night.”
“No.” She knelt in front of him. “You did not hurt me last night. Last night was real. You finally didn’t hold back. If I would have said no or asked you to stop, you would have, right?”
“Of course, I would have stopped. I just drank too much and I was upset. I’m sorry.”
She grinned. “I’m not sorry. I enjoyed last night.”
“Did he really put a gun to your head?”
“It doesn’t matter now, Mark.”
“It does matter. It explains everything. God damn, no wonder you want to run away...and the nightmares. I never imagined he did things like that to you. It might have been a game to him, but to you, it had to be terrifying.” He closed his eyes tightly. “It makes me sick to think about it.”
“It makes me sick, too. We have to stop thinking about it.” She nodded toward the office. “Come on, Brian is waiting for us.”
They walked back into the office and Brian was typing on the computer.
“I’ll do some checking in Nashville. Make some calls and see where their investigation stands with Wyman.” He stopped typing and stood to leave. “When I hear from my contact at the airport tomorrow, I’ll call and let you know.”
“I feel guilty that Shane sat up all night while we slept,” Sarah said, fixing the collar on her shirt in the bathroom mirror. She tried to hide her agitation from Mark.
“Don’t feel guilty, he’s well paid, and he got a free breakfast out of it.”
She turned from the mirror to face him. “Telling me he’s being paid to sooth my insecurities doesn’t ease my guilt.”
“Your insecurities are well founded. Stop feeling guilty. I’m just hoping Kevin”—he looked at his watch—“got on that plane twenty minutes ago so we can have a nice quiet weekend.”
She sighed. “I would love a quiet weekend.”
“Let’s go downstairs so he can go home.”
She nodded and followed him out.
“Thanks for waiting, Shane. You can take off now,” Mark said, refilling his mug. “Brian should be calling soon. We’ll let you know what’s going on for tonight, get some sleep just in case.”
“Okay, but don’t call me until this afternoon. I’m going straight to bed when I get home.” He yawned as he walked toward to door. “See you guys later.”
“Thanks again, Shane,” Sarah called to his back as he left. She rubbed at her neck, trying to ease some of her tension.
When the phone rang, she stiffened up again.
“Hello,” Mark answered.
He sighed in relief. “What now? Do we still need to worry about this?”
Mark’s eyes met Sarah’s. “Okay, thanks, man.” Mark hung up the phone. “He boarded the plane. Brian is on his way over with the information he’s dug up on him.”
“Okay, so...this might be over soon?”
“Yes, if this goes well, you’ll never have to worry about him again.” Mark reached for her and she rested her head on his chest, unable to hide her relief. “He sounded like he had good news.”
When the doorbell rang, she tensed again.
Mark gave her a sad smile and walked over to get the door for Brian.
“Hi, guys. Good morning.”
“That was fast,” Mark said, gesturing to a chair.
“You look better today,” Brian said to Sarah as he took his seat.
“Thank you. I finally got a good night sleep.”
“I had a talk with an old friend of yours. A cop in Nashville.”
“I don’t know any cops in Nashville.”
“He wasn’t a cop in the eighth grade, but he’s a cop now, a regular good ol’ boy too.” Brian chuckled.
Sarah stared at him for a moment. “I’m afraid to ask...”
“John Bennett.”
Sarah thought about it for a few seconds. “I don’t know...wait, do you mean Johnny Rhay Bennett?”
Brian gave her a funny look and nodded his head. “Yeah, he did call himself Johnny Rhay, but I thought it was a joke. Sounds like a Nascar driver if you ask me.”
“Johnny Rhay...oh my God! He’s a cop?” She smiled. “I’m a little surprised.”
“He had some pretty good stories about you, this good ol’ boy liked to talk.”
“We don’t need to go there,” she said, feeling the blush rise in her cheeks.
“Oh come on, don’t get embarrassed now. Was he the first boy you kissed? ‘Cause he reckoned you were the first girl he kissed.” Brian laughed at the look on her face.
“Anyway, Charlie being a gun dealer, all the cops liked him. He was a friend of the department. They’re all interested in finding his killer.”
“Yeah, Johnny Rhay knew Charlie well.”
“I told him the story and he’s very interested in Kevin Lewis, although that has more to do with you than Charlie.”
Sarah stood up quickly. “You told Johnny Rhay?”
“Don’t panic, Sarah,” Brian said.
“Brian, give her a minute. This isn’t something she likes to talk about,” Mark said.
She paced the room for a minute, trying to reconcile her thoughts.
Brian rolled his eyes at Mark. “She’s fine, give her some credit. Sarah, if you sit down, I’ll tell you exactly what I told him, which wasn’t very much.”
Sarah willed herself to relax. It wasn’t that big of a deal, right? One more person knowing about her past wasn’t the end of the world. When she felt ready, she sat back down.
“Are you okay?” Mark asked, surveying her expression.
“Anyway,” Brian said, ignoring Mark’s question. “I gave him zero details about the abuse, or the baby, or the length of time you were with the guy. I only told him what he needed to know about Kevin and our suspicions about the Charlie Wyman case.” Brian smiled at her. “He was pretty curious about you though, asked if you were single. You must have been a hot item in the eighth grade.”
“Johnny Rhay was my first boyfriend. He and Devon were best friends.” She smiled now too.
“He is all over this. He’s getting warrants for Lewis’s travel records, and he’s pulling out all the evidence from the case to compare everything. They hit such a dead end with this case, they’re anxious to find out about Lewis. They didn’t know anything about him until I called.”
“No, they wouldn’t. Charlie and Kevin never met. The only reason Kevin knew anything about Charlie was because of my gun.”
“You mean the Colt 45?”
“Yeah, Kevin wanted that gun. I bet he was pissed to find out I took it with me when I left. He was lucky he never saw the barrel end of that gun—as often as I was tempted.”
Brian grimaced. “Don’t say that in front of me, please. I’d hate to have to arrest you if this asshole ends up dead.”
“You don’t need to worry. Mark hides the guns from me here. He’s scared I’m going to shoot him.” She smiled.
Brian laughed. “Funny...”
“Yeah, you think it’s funny, but she has nightmares about this guy and she goes looking for that gun in her sleep. Believe me, it’s best she doesn’t have access to firearms right now.”
He held his hand up in defense. “Okay, you may be right.”
“What does all this mean to us right now? How long will it take for them to find out about Kevin and arrest him?” Sarah asked.
“We should know in a couple of days. They were hot for this, it could be sooner. Until I get more news, I wouldn’t worry about Kevin anymore.”
“Is there anything else?” Mark asked.
“Nope, Kevin Lewis is on an airplane with Jeff Lewis. I bet they’ve landed by now, and in a few hours he’ll find out Nashville Metro is investigating him.” He looked at both of them and smiled. “I’ll keep you guys informed. Sarah, tr
y to relax and have a nice weekend.”
He stood to leave.
“I’ll walk you out,” Mark said, following him to the front door.
When Mark came back inside, he caught her smiling, lost in thought.
“What are you grinning about?”
“Johnny Rhay, oh my God, that brings back memories. I can’t wait to tell Devon.” She laughed.
“So was he your first kiss?” He gave her an innocent smile.
“Yes, my first kiss, and my first make out, and my first...up the shirt grope.” She gasped as Mark’s hands traveled up her shirt. “But they were much smaller back then,” she said, looking down at her breasts.
“He was always the gentleman, never trying to go further than under my shirt but over my bra.” She smiled again as he kissed her.
“Well, I’m glad some of the guys you’ve known are decent, and it’s nice to hear you laugh. I miss the sound. I haven’t heard it in a couple of days.” He pulled her off her feet again and kissed her until she gave into him with a deep moan.
Chapter Thirty-Six
“So?” Mark asked, fighting the agitation while they waited for Brian to give him the news.
“I didn’t want to tell you this over the phone.” Brian placed his coffee on the table next to the couch. “Lewis was in Nashville the day of Wyman’s murder. He’d been scheduled to fly home the same day but missed his flight and flew home the day after the funeral.”
“Oh my God...” Sarah inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. After a couple of deep breaths, she opened them.
Mark took her hand and asked Brian, “What happens next?”
“Bennett is flying to Arizona tomorrow to question him about the murder. I’ll keep you informed. We should have something solid by tomorrow night.”
“Thanks for letting us know. I appreciate everything you’ve done,” Mark said.
Brian stood. “It feels good to solve a cold case and get another asshole off the street.” He smiled and turned to leave. “I’ll call when I hear more.”
For the rest of the evening, Sarah couldn’t get her mind off Charlie. The thought of Kevin hurting him was more than she wanted to believe. Charlie had been an innocent victim in her drama-filled life. She realized it could have been anyone, Devon, her mother, Sean, or Hayley.
“Stop,” Mark said, walking into their bedroom later that evening.
“What?”
“I’m sorry you feel badly, babe, but you should be grateful you didn’t attend the funeral.” He sat down next to her on the sofa. “I have a feeling he was waiting for you to show up.”
“I’m grateful I followed my instincts all these years. Kevin murdering Charlie is proof that I had every right to be afraid. Now you know I’m not crazy.”
“I never thought you were crazy, but I am sorry I didn’t take you more seriously. I should’ve listened.”
She leaned down and placed her head in his lap. “It’s a moot point now... right?” She closed her eyes and said, “Is Jamie in bed?”
“Yeah, out like a light. Can you do without me tomorrow?”
“Why, do you need to go into work?”
“Shane and I are meeting with a new client in the morning. I need to be there at eight. Do you mind taking Jamie to my parents’ house? They want to spend some time with him while he’s on Christmas break.”
“Of course, I don’t mind. Will you be gone all day?”
“We’re meeting with the developers of that new shopping center downtown. I expect it to take most of the day.” He brushed the hair off her face. “It’s a big job with big money.”
Sarah woke up to the sound of the shower on Wednesday morning. She heard Jamie bouncing around his room and went to check on him.
“Are you ready for Grandma and Grandpa’s house?”
“Yeah,” Jamie said from under the blankets.
“Really? Did you brush your teeth?”
“No,” he said, lifting the blanket to reveal the mass of army men in the bed with him. They were all lined up for battle, green on one side, brown on the other.
“Don’t forget.”
“Okay.” He gently shifted and slid off the bed, trying not to knock the men over.
She walked back into the bedroom in time to see Mark come out of the bathroom in a towel.
“Maybe we should stay in bed all day.” She gave him a sexy smile and wrapped herself around his naked body.
“That is so unfair, you big tease.” He crushed his mouth on hers and pulled her closer. She moved her hand down and yanked his towel off. “So unfair.”
He kissed her again and dropped down on the bed with her on his chest. He moved his hands up her shirt and teased her nipples. When she groaned and straddled his body with her legs, he laughed. “Stop...oh my God, you’re killing me.”
“We will finish this later.”
“Yes ma’am, that’s a date. I’ll meet you right here at bedtime, if I can wait that long.” With a grimace, he shifted her off his lap and on her back, then leaned in, kissing her again, slowly this time.
“Take care of yourself today, and take care of my baby.” He moved down and kissed her small belly.
“I promise I’ll take care of both of us. You better hurry or you’re going to be late.”
He groaned and lifted himself off the bed to dress.
She went back to check on Jamie, and then returned to the bedroom to throw her hair into a ponytail and change into sweats.
“I’m going to the gym after I drop Jamie off. I have an appointment with Gabby.”
“Keep it easy.”
She frowned. “I already promised I would take care of us today.”
“I’ll see you later. I won’t be answering my phone, but you can text me.”
“Okay, I love you. I’ll check in after my workout.”
Saying goodbye to Mark left her with a strange feeling in her gut. She hadn’t spent a day without him in a long time, and she already missed him. A few months ago, she spent all her time alone and now she couldn’t imagine it. She took off her t-shirt and changed into one of his. If she couldn’t see him, she could at least smell him. She smiled, inhaling his musky, sandalwood scent.
“I’m ready,” Jamie said, knocking on the bedroom door.
“Me, too. Let’s go.”
She got Jamie loaded in her truck and drove to Mark’s parents’ house.
“Bye, Sarah,” Jamie said, jumping out of the truck and into his grandparent’s house. Sarah waited for him to close the door behind him before driving back to Mark’s house to get her gym bag.
She clicked the garage door opener and pulled into the driveway. She could have kicked herself for forgetting her gym bag. Now she was late. She entered the garage but stopped when a large figure moved toward her. She looked up quickly.
“Hi, Sarah.”
Her throat shriveled up, too dry to speak. She lifted her hand to her neck to relieve some of the pressure. “Kevin...what are you doing here?”
Dread swamped her when she looked into his eyes and down at his military fatigues. Her heart pounded so hard it made her ears ring. She had no doubt he was going to kill her.
“You’re so stupid, giving me that Colorado story after your boyfriend’s face was plastered all over the local newspapers. I caught your picture in the paper the first day I got here. I knew that was you, you haven’t changed at all. Did you really think telling me he was a cop would scare me away?” He stepped closer. “If anything, it just pissed me off even more.”
She swallowed, trying to create some saliva so she could talk. A tremble of fear or adrenalin started to overwhelm her system. Kevin reached across her to hit the button on the automatic garage door. Sarah fought to suppress the flinch at his closeness.
“Kevin, why are you here? Why are you dressed in fatigues?” A trapped feeling set in as the large door closed, locking her inside with him—a murderer.
“I hid in the yard, waiting for you to be alone. When your boyfriend left, I st
arted to come in but saw the kid.”
“How ah—how long have you been waiting in the yard?”
“Got back to town early this morning.”
“Why are you here?” she asked again.
“I went to jail because of you. Did you think I’d let you get away with what you did?”
“What I did?” Her stomach coiled into knots. “Are you kidding me? You spent only a year in jail for killing my baby.
“That bitch lawyer had my father wrapped around her little finger. He insisted on hiring a woman attorney, said it would look better if a girl represented me. Dad forced me to accept that shit deal, but I didn’t need it. I didn’t kill that baby.” He sneered at her. “If you wouldn’t have tried to leave, everything would’ve been fine.”
“You’re delusional. You beat me and raped me.” Her pounding pulse pushed heat to her cheeks. The gall to act like it was her fault.
“That wasn’t rape. We always did it like that. You liked it.”
“No, Kevin. When a woman screams to stop, she’s not enjoying herself. Don’t play stupid with me. You can’t play games with me. I’m not a kid anymore. I know what you did and you know what you did.”
“Sarah, I’m ready to forgive you. I want you to come home.”
“I am home.” She stepped back as far as she could, trying to break through the vortex that had surrounded them. She needed air to think. “This is my home.”
Kevin mirrored her image, stepping forward. He carefully reached out for her arm, the grip soft at first, but it tightened like a vice when she tried to pull away. “You’re coming with me.”
“Let go of me. You don’t have any right to touch me.”
Before she could react, Kevin smacked her, sending her sprawling to the ground. She hit the concrete hard and the impact jarred her from hip to jaw, sending shock waves of pain through her body.
Oh God, she had to keep her cool. If she could just maintain and keep him calm, maybe she could talk herself out of this.
She swiped at the blood on the corner of her mouth, and the bright red color fueled her anger. Years of running and hiding, months of pushing away the greatest thing that had ever happened to her, all that time wasted because of this bastard. No, she could not talk her way out of this. There were no rational discussions with maniacs. She’d learned that years ago.