by Jae
Del groaned. "Playing chess with a lawyer was a bad idea."
Kade grinned and moved her other knight to cover the gap her captured pawn had left in her pawn structure. "What happened?" she asked at last. "I mean... why didn't you go through with your plans of motherhood and changing your job?"
"We split up, and after that, I concentrated on my job and on Grace and her daughter," Del answered. She moved her bishop, threatening one of Kade's knights.
Concentrating on her job... Now Kade found herself back on familiar, safe ground again. Instead of moving her knight back and losing momentum, she captured Del's bishop with her queen. "So you gave up your plans of having a baby?"
Del smiled and shrugged, taking off one of her shoes without comment. She didn't appear uncomfortable talking about her private life with Kade at all. "It was not a conscious decision, but in the last few years I wasn't in a situation to think about it seriously, and now... Well, I'm a little too old for having a baby."
"There are a lot of forty-year-old women having babies nowadays," Kade objected, not sure why she was doing it. Maybe she just didn't want Del, who was so encouraging to her, to give up her dreams. "And besides, I thought that was one of the advantages of being a lesbian. Your partner could be the one to have the baby."
"Provided that I prefer younger women," Del said with a smile while she started attacking Kade's pawns on one of the wings, at the same time making room for her rook to move forward.
Kade felt a blush creeping up her cheeks, and she pressed her lips together in annoyance. "Yes, provided that." She decided against capturing Del's pawn, because that would have made her end up with a double pawn, and moved her queen instead. "Check."
"And that my hypothetical partner would want to have kids," Del said, the smile still present on her lips as she moved her queen between Kade's and her king.
Kade nodded again but didn't say anything. Maybe it was better if she kept her mouth shut. She thought for a moment and then captured Del's queen with her own.
Del kicked off her other shoe and took Kade's queen with her king.
Kade slipped out of her left sneaker. "So not wanting to have kids would not be a deal breaker for a hypothetical mate?" she asked, studying the board before she made her next move.
"No." Del took one of Kade's pawns with her knight. "I like kids, but I found out that I'm not one of those women who need children to be happy in life. I think what I found so appealing about having a child was that it meant having a family, someone to belong to. If my hypothetical partner wanted to have kids, I wouldn't say no, but if not, that's not a big deal. We could take turns acting childishly." She winked at Kade.
Kade laughed and captured Del's knight.
Twenty minutes later, Kade took Del's last rook and leaned back with a satisfied grin. "Checkmate," she announced.
Del stared down at the board. "Damn, you're good," she said, not even a hint of annoyance in her voice, only open admiration. "Who taught you to play like that?"
"Why?" Kade smirked. "You want to take lessons?"
"Yeah, might be a good idea," Del said ruefully. "If someone had taught me how to play like that, I wouldn't be sitting here in my underwear while you're merely barefoot."
Kade looked at Del, taking in the ripped wifebeater that showed off sleekly muscled shoulders, before she quickly looked away again. "Well, you're a few years too late."
"Your father taught you," Del said, a statement, not a question.
Kade nodded, not surprised that Del had guessed. Del always seemed to have good instincts when it came to her. "Other fathers taught their kids how to play Parcheesi. My father taught me chess."
"I'm surprised you beat me so easily," Del said.
It hadn't been that easy. Del's game was solid. "Well, then it seems you underestimated me."
"No, it's not that. I assumed you'd be good. I just thought... I didn't expect you to play that aggressively," Del said. "I assumed you'd employ a more defensive strategy."
Kade shook her head. She had learned the hard way that a defensive player hardly ever won a game against someone who could play well. "Playing it safe is not always a good tactic. You can't win if you're always reacting instead of acting, always one step behind."
"Seems like a good life philosophy," Del said.
"I'm talking about chess, not life," Kade objected.
Del simply smiled. "How about a rematch?"
"Not so fast! You haven't taken something off for losing your rook yet." Kade pointed at the captured piece.
"You really want to see me naked, don't you?"
This was a nonthreatening opportunity to literally see more of Del, but Kade didn't want to admit to that. "It wasn't my idea. You made the rules, now you have to follow them."
"Okay. What do you want me to take off? The undershirt..." Del teasingly lifted it up, revealing her navel. "Or the pants?" She reached for her zipper and waited for Kade's decision.
"You know what? Let's have that rematch now," Kade quickly decided. "There might be a few minutes left before our food arrives."
Del laughed. "Chicken." She made clucking noises.
"I'll make you take them off in the next game," Kade promised.
Del started placing the pieces back on the board. "No. This time, you'll be the one who ends up in her underwear."
CHAPTER 16
AIDEN'S STEPS slowed as she neared the door to the interview room. She glanced back at Dawn, glad she had given in and let Dawn come with her.
Dawn stepped next to her and gently touched the small of her back. "Ready?"
"Not really, no." Aiden took a deep breath. She had faced Evan Whitfield and had stared her down before without a problem, but she hadn't known she was her sister then. Now that Evan was no longer a suspect, she didn't know what to say to her.
"I'll be right beside you," Dawn promised, rubbing her back. "You don't even have to tell her right now if you're not comfortable with it. Let her get to know you a little better first and find out what she knows about her father."
With this new perspective, it was a little easier to open the door.
Evan Whitfield looked up as they entered. Anger sparked in her eyes. "Why did you drag me in here again? It's been almost forty-eight hours. You have to let me go!"
"We are," Aiden answered quietly. "Laurel Matheson told us what happened between you two. You're free to go."
"That's what I told you from the start, but you stupid cops wouldn't believe me!" Evan shot up from her chair and strode over to the door. It was clear she didn't want anything to do with Aiden.
Dawn quietly stepped next to her and touched the arm that was reaching for the door handle.
Oh, oh! Dawn! Aiden quickly strode over to them. She wasn't sure if touching the angry teenager right now was a good idea. Evan looked ready to rip Dawn's arm off. Sister or not, Aiden wouldn't tolerate her lifting a single finger against Dawn.
To her surprise, Dawn's touch seemed to have the same calming effect on her sister that it had on her. Evan whirled around, but when she realized it was Dawn, her angry gaze softened. "What?" she asked gruffly.
"We'll drive you home," Dawn said.
"We?" Evan repeated. "Why we? Didn't you hear? I'm innocent. My business with the cops is finished."
Aiden waited, letting Dawn decide what she would tell Evan. Dawn seemed to have a much better rapport with Evan. Despite the shared genes, she still found Evan irritating. She sometimes stretched Aiden's patience to the limit.
"Aiden is my partner," Dawn said.
Evan frowned at her. "Partner? You're not a cop. You're a shrink, Doc."
Dawn smiled patiently. "There's more than one kind of partner. Aiden is my life partner."
Evan looked from Dawn to Aiden and back. An almost lewd smirk appeared on her lips. "So you're family, huh?"
Family! If you only knew! Aiden forced herself not to react to Evan's suggestive tone of voice. For now, she would let Dawn handle Evan.
Dawn
nodded calmly. "Now you know why your attempts to shock me with your tales about your imaginary lesbian love affairs were futile," she said with an impish smile.
"Imaginary?" Evan bristled. "I'd say me being here would prove that they're not –"
"Calm down," Dawn interrupted. "You've got nothing to prove. Let's get you out of here."
They made the trip to Evan's home without much talking. Aiden didn't know what to say to the stranger who was her sister, so she kept silent and concentrated on her driving. She felt Dawn's gaze on her, and Dawn laid her hand on Aiden's thigh once, giving it an encouraging squeeze. Aiden quickly looked into the rearview mirror, a little embarrassed with the display of affection in front of Evan.
Dawn smiled and withdrew her hand.
"Will I see you tomorrow for another one of our torture sessions?" Evan finally broke the silence, talking only to Dawn as she had from the moment they had entered the interview room.
Dawn uncomfortably cleared her throat. "I wanted to talk to you about that. Evan, I can't be your therapist any longer. I think it would be best if I refer you to one of my colleagues."
"Great!" Evan didn't attempt to hide her bitter sarcasm. "So you're givin' up on me too? I thought you were different, Doc, but I guess you're just another hypocrite." She fell silent and stared out of the window.
Dawn turned in the passenger seat and helplessly looked at Evan. "I'm not giving up on you. That's not the reason I can't work with you any longer. It's not anything you've done."
"Yeah, right." Evan snorted.
"Evan..."
"Shut up and save it for someone who is interested in what you have to say. I don't care. I didn't want to go to stupid therapy in the first place!" Evan snarled at her.
Aiden threw a warning glance back over her shoulder. "How about a little more respect, please!" No one was insulting Dawn in her presence.
"How about you shut up too?" Evan shot back. "This is between me and the doc. It has nothing to do with you."
"It has everything to do with me! I am the reason she can't be your therapist anymore." Aiden had said it before she could stop herself. It seemed she and her sister were very good at pushing each other's buttons and provoking each other. Shit.
Evan looked at Dawn contemptuously. "You let her tell you what to do? She forbid you from seeing me again because she thinks I'm scum!"
"I make my own choices," Dawn told her much more calmly than Aiden could have. "I don't need Aiden to tell me what's right or wrong."
"Yeah, but why is continuing as my therapist wrong, huh? Not that I'm crazy about having to talk to a shrink, but compared to the others you were tolerable. And cute," Evan said with a small smile. "I won't see another shrink. If even you think I'm hopeless, why bother at all?"
Dawn shook her head in desperation. "You're not hopeless. I told you my decision has nothing to do with you."
"Yeah, right." Evan rolled her eyes.
Aiden couldn't stand it any longer. She knew nothing Dawn said would convince Evan. "Actually, her decision has to do with you. With me and you," she said and clutched the steering wheel with clammy hands. Dawn's concerned glance told her this might not be the best of times, but she knew there was no ideal moment to tell Evan. She had to do it now before she chickened out.
"You and me? There is no you and me. Apart from you arresting me because that red-haired bitch –"
"Shut up and listen!" Aiden's patience was wearing thin. "We ran a sample of your DNA."
Evan shrugged. "So what? I'm not denying I slept with Laurie."
Aiden stopped the car in front of the LeCroix residence.
Dawn's calming hand returned to Aiden's thigh. Aiden took a deep breath. "The DNA analysis showed that you and I... we're sisters. Half sisters."
Evan Whitfield laughed hysterically. "You're crazy. I don't have any sisters." She turned to Dawn. "Doc, I think your girlfriend needs therapy more than I do. She's one can short of a six-pack. I think she watched one too many soap operas, and now she thinks I'm her long-lost sister!"
"No, Evan. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true," Dawn said.
"You're lying!" Evan jumped out of the car and slammed the door.
Aiden cursed. "That went well."
Dawn rubbed Aiden's leg. "She's angry and confused. Give her some time to calm down, and then try again. Come on, let's go and tell them we brought their foster daughter back."
There was no sign of Evan as they walked up the driveway and rang the bell.
Evan's foster father opened the door.
"We're bringing Evan home," Aiden said, vaguely pointing in the direction of the garage, where she assumed Evan was hiding. She had to concentrate to keep herself from fidgeting. Her mother had been her only living relative, so dealing with her half sister's foster parents made her more than a little nervous. "The girl she was accused of raping finally gave a statement, and she confirmed that Evan didn't hurt her in any way. It was all a misunderstanding."
"You're bringing her back?" Mr. LeCroix asked without opening the door farther to let them in. "Detective, I'm not sure that my home is the right place for Evan to stay anymore."
Aiden looked from him to his wife, who was weakly leaning against the wall of the hallway, looking close to tears. "You don't understand, Mr. LeCroix. She's innocent." It had been such a relief to find out that her half sister was not guilty of rape, not only because she was glad for Kade's niece, but also because it made her hope that they hadn't inherited their father's violent tendencies.
"You're the one who doesn't understand. This whole drama has just been the latest in a long row of incidents. Wild parties, drugs, shoplifting, hanging around with criminal thugs, coming home drunk or stoned at all hours of the night." Mr. LeCroix ticked it off on his fingers. "And now we find out she's been having sex with girls!"
For a moment, Aiden lowered her head under Mr. LeCroix's burning gaze, feeling somewhat guilty for the sins of her sister as she had always felt guilty for the sins of her father.
It was Dawn who courageously stepped forward, preventing Mr. LeCroix from closing the door in their face. "Being gay is not a crime, Mr. LeCroix, and neither is acting on it. I'm a lesbian, and I know how hard it is to be true to yourself and come out at her age. If anything, you should be proud of Evan's courage and support her in any way you can."
"But she didn't come out," Mr. LeCroix said. "She never told us she was gay!"
Dawn stood her ground. "Why should she? Why should she trust you with that very personal information when you don't even show a little trust in her? You chose to believe the accusations against Evan as soon as you heard them – without even asking Evan for her side of the story first!"
Aiden stared at her usually gentle, soft-spoken partner. She couldn't help admiring Dawn's fire, her passionate defense of Evan, and her courageous honesty. God, I love this woman!
"She never gave us any reason to trust her," Mr. LeCroix said after a few moments of shocked silence. "From the very first day she –"
"Evan grew up in foster care," Dawn interrupted, her voice like cutting steel. "Do you know what that means?"
"Of course," Mr. LeCroix immediately defended himself. "I –"
Dawn didn't let him finish. "It means she never had anyone who loved her unconditionally. It means she never had anyone who believed in her. No one to understand her, to comfort her, to help her with her problems – and there were bound to be problems when you consider her family background." Dawn pushed the door open a little more and now stood directly in front of Evan's foster parents. "Evan never learned to ask for help, so she had to make sure to get a little attention in other ways."
"By starting down the road to becoming a career criminal?" Mr. LeCroix asked incredulously.
"She's not a criminal, Mr. LeCroix. Evan acts tough and uncaring, but that's only to hide her true feelings. She has to protect herself against the constant rejections of people like you," Dawn told him bluntly.
Mr. LeCroix stood stock-still,
caught between feeling angry and ashamed.
"Don't you understand that this is a vicious circle?" Dawn continued hotly. "You expect her to fuck up, so she does. You agreed to take on the role of her parents, so it's on you to break that vicious circle. Start showing a little trust in her."
"She's right, Roger," Jill LeCroix finally whispered. "We can't just throw her back into the system just because things are not as easy as we imagined them to be. If we try harder and Doctor Kinsley continues to work with Evan, it will eventually get better."