“What I need is a secretary,” he said, raising an eyebrow at her. “I had one, but she ran away.”
Randy clicked her tongue, shaking her head. “Boy can’t count on anyone these days, can you?”
“Tell me about it,” Joe said, grinning now.
At Randy’s direction, Joe stopped at the local grocery store and they picked up food. Randy had admonished him, because she knew he’d be happy to live off takeout food, but if she continued to eat Chinese and the like she’d never make it over the six-foot wall for the physical agility part of the academy.
“I’m having a hard enough time with that damn wall as it is,” she said, grimacing.
“You just have to know the trick, that’s all,” Joe said.
“There’s a trick?”
“Yes, love, there’s a trick to everything.” Joe sounded like the wise old owl.
“Well, where the hell have you been?”
“Sacramento.”
Randy looked at him, trying to decide if there was any leftover anger in his voice, but she couldn’t tell. Joe was pretty good at hiding his emotions when he wanted to.
After a few long minutes Randy turned to him, stopping in the middle of the aisle. “I know that it will probably cause some of your circuits to short out,” she said, her voice hopeful, “but would it be too much to ask if I wanted your help getting through some of this?” Her teeth worried her lower lip as she watched for his reaction.
Joe looked at her sharply at first, as if surprised that she’d even ask, but then he started to nod slowly. “Yeah, I think I could.” He didn’t sound particularly enthusiastic, but Randy hadn’t even expected him to say yes.
She reached up and kissed him on the lips, and what was meant to be a quick thank you turned into something a little bit more. Joe pulled her close to him and returned her kiss with a long, playful one of his own. Randy let out a giggle as he picked her up off her feet, and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist as they continued to kiss. Everyone in the aisle watched, some enviously, others with amusement. One older couple thought it was the sweetest thing they’d seen in a long time. When the kiss ended, Joe looked down at Randy with a wide grin. She smiled back up at him. It was good to be together again, and they both reveled in the feeling.
****
That evening, Rick was having dinner with his parents. They had gotten into the habit over the last few days, and in two more days the senior Debenshires were returning home. The conversation had started out light. They’d talked about Midnight’s progress, and Rick told them what the doctor had said about releasing her the following week.
“You definitely married a fighter there,” Robert said, amazed that in three short days Midnight had gone from almost dead to recovering nicely.
Rick nodded seriously. “Tell me about it.”
Robert looked at his son for a long moment. “She doesn’t want to take you back, does she?” His voice was firm but sympathetic.
Rick shook his head miserably.
“Have you talked to her?” Anabelle asked.
“I don’t need to,” Rick said. “Midnight has a way of making her feelings known. She doesn’t want me around.” He sounded devastated, and Anabelle reached out to pat his hand softly.
“Maybe she just needs some time. This hasn’t exactly been a good few weeks for her.”
“I know, Mum,” Rick said, his face still somber. “But hard times were always the times we turned to each other. But now…” He trailed off as he shook his head again.
“So what are you going to do about it?” Robert asked.
Rick looked at his father blankly. “What can I do?” He sounded like the young boy he had been years before, when he’d broken a toy and needed his father’s help fixing it.
“Richard,” Robert said, his eyes softening, though his voice remained firm. “You love her, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Rick said, shaking his head miserably. “I actually wish I could say no and be honest, but she’s like breathing—without her, I’m dead.”
“You need to tell her that,” Robert said.
“It’s not that easy, Dad. You have no idea how good Midnight can be about ignoring every word you say. She’s like a light switch—she can shut her feelings off totally.”
“I don’t believe that,” Anabelle said. “I think she’s good at making you think that, but she loves you, Richard. Midnight Chevalier didn’t strike me as the type to marry someone on a whim.”
“She’s not. She did love me.” Rick scrubbed at his face, frustrated. “But I screwed that up.”
“Yes, you did,” Robert said. “And now you have to deal with the consequences. But if your wife is worth anything, you need to fight for her.”
“She doesn’t want me anymore.”
“How do you know?” Anabelle said.
“Because I know who she wants.” Rick sounded defeated.
“And who would that be?” Robert asked. “Joe?”
Rick looked shocked by his father’s words. “How do you know that?”
“Richard,” Anabelle said, touching his hand gently, “your father and I know all about Joe and Midnight’s relationship. What the two of you didn’t tell us your sisters filled in. But I think you’re very wrong.”
“And how do you know?” Rick snapped, feeling angry and raw.
Anabelle stared at her son, not used to his short temper. “Richard,” she said, her tone cautionary.
“I’m sorry. Look, I really need to get some air. I’ll be back.” Rick stood and strode to the front door of the restaurant. Outside, he stood leaning against the wall. He didn’t want to go back. He didn’t want to talk about Midnight—he didn’t want to think about not being with her anymore. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts.
Rick walked back into the restaurant and up to the front desk, where he asked for a piece of paper. He pulled out his pen and scribbled a note to his parents, telling them that he didn’t feel well and he was going home.
That night, he sat in the house that he and Midnight had shared for three and a half years and got quietly drunk. He ended up passing out on the couch. He woke the next morning feeling awful. He went to the bathroom and found some aspirin in the medicine cabinet. As he turned the lid, he noticed blood on the bottle. He looked at it for a long time, and started to think about everything that had happened in the last two months or so. He thought about the fights and the anger, and then he thought about what had happened before that. He realized that he had allowed himself to become so angry over Midnight’s success that it had eaten at him to the point that he wanted something just for himself. Then along came Sheila Theland. Sheila still wanted him from so many years ago; she hung on his every word. In her world he was the rich playboy. He was important. The attraction to Sheila had been what she could give him—attention, notoriety, almost fame, in a way. He could be part of something again, and not just some guy who was lucky enough to be married to Lieutenant Chevalier. He also realized that he still wanted that in some way. He wanted to get away from all of the things that were going wrong with his life, and Sheila had been a logical means to that end. Then he’d managed to convince himself that Midnight was sleeping with Griff. He remembered the night Joe had found him at Sheila’s; he had tried to blame Midnight for being there, but even then he knew he was wrong. But it just didn’t seem to matter. And now here he was, losing the one woman he really loved. Without thinking about it any further, Rick walked into the bedroom and picked up the phone. He dialed Sheila’s number.
When Sheila came on the line he told her they needed to talk and to come over to the house. Sheila agreed and was there twenty minutes later.
When Rick opened the front door, Sheila knew she wasn’t going to like the discussion they were about to have, but she was also sure she could change his mind.
“Sheila, sit down,” Rick said, but she shook her head and went to kiss him. Rick stood like a stone statue, looking down at her, his eyes cold. Sheila tried s
miling up at him, but it had no effect. Finally, she went to the couch and sat down. He walked over to the bar and took a quick shot of brandy. He turned to her, but he saw something in her eyes, and before he could say another word, before she even opened her mouth, he knew what she was going to say. She had a glint in her eyes that told him she had plans for him, no matter what he thought.
Rick narrowed his eyes at her. “What is it?” he asked, knowing the answer.
“Well, I’m not totally sure,” she said sweetly, “but I think I might be pregnant.”
Rick’s face changed instantly, from quizzical to stone. “Well, that’s unfortunate for you. Because I don’t care.”
“What do you mean, you don’t care?” she said, her eyes shining with tears.
“I think you know what I mean,” Rick said coldly. “But let me lay it out for you. I’m married, Sheila, and since I am, I can’t and won’t marry you.”
“But your wife has filed for a divorce,” Sheila supplied helpfully.
Rick’s eyes narrowed. “Filed, yes. Got, no.”
“Well, Richard, you don’t think she’s just going to sit around and wait for you to sign some silly papers, do you? In this country, you don’t have to sign anything. If she doesn’t want anything from the marriage, she can walk away.”
“She can’t walk away with Mikeyla.”
“No, but if she decides to give you custody, she can be gone.”
“She wouldn’t do that,” Rick said, though he sounded less sure.
Sheila shrugged. “Maybe not, but I wouldn’t count on it.”
Rick stared at her, wondering how he had managed to get snared in her web again.
The next morning, Rick walked into Joe’s office, kicking the door closed with a booted foot and sitting down heavily in the chair in front of Joe’s desk.
“Good morning to you too,” Joe said wryly.
“Yeah, right,” Rick replied sullenly.
“Problems?” Joe’s voice indicated he had an idea what one of those might be.
Rick eyed his best friend, wondering what Joe knew. “Some. What do you know?”
“I know you and Midnight are still on the outs,” Joe said bluntly.
“That’s a safe way to put it. She hates me, is a better way of putting it.”
Joe shook his head. “I thought we already covered this ground.”
“Well, whatever reason she had for wanting to keep my baby seems to have died with it,” Rick said candidly. “She won’t talk to me—she won’t tell me anything. Whenever I’m around she clams up and makes a point of sleeping a lot. And now…” He trailed off, not sure how Joe was going to take the latest twist in his life.
“What?” Joe asked suspiciously.
Rick shook his head. He closed his eyes for a minute, as if he couldn’t believe this new information himself. Opening his eyes again, he looked straight into Joe’s. “Sheila thinks she’s pregnant.”
Joe stared at him for a long moment, and to Rick’s shock, started to laugh and shake his head ruefully. “Christ, man, you don’t fucking learn, do you?” He sounded disbelieving. “Here you are, it’s been years, and yet Sheila’s got you by the balls again.” He looked at him disdainfully. “Didn’t you pay attention last time?”
“Don’t start with me, Joe,” Rick said, irritated more with himself than his friend. “Don’t you think I’ve thought the same thing over and over?”
“So?”
“So what? You don’t think I’m daft enough to marry her, do you? Even if I could.”
“Oh, you could.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that Midnight isn’t the kind of person to sit around pining for you for the rest of her natural life.” He looked at Rick seriously. “That baby may have been your last chance to get her back.”
“God, man, don’t say that,” Rick said, hanging his head miserably.
“You want me to lie?” Joe knew the answer even before Rick shook his head. “Alright then. So now what are you going to do? You gonna tell Midnight?”
“Do you think I should?”
“I wouldn’t.”
“But what if she finds out some other way? She’ll kill me then.”
“That’s true enough. Maybe you should tell her there’s a chance. I mean, hell, she’s not even sure, right?”
“Yeah,” Rick said. “Just like last time.”
“Think she’s lying?”
Rick shrugged. “Could be. I still think she was lying the first time, or at least exaggerating a day-late period.”
“Well, it’s up to you whether or not to tell Midnight. But I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes if you don’t tell her and someone like Angela slips.”
“Honesty’s the best policy—is that what you’re telling me?”
Joe nodded.
“A minute ago you said you wouldn’t tell her. Now you’ve changed your mind?”
“I’ve been known to do that,” Joe said, shrugging. “Look, thinkin’ about it, I can see that there’s been too much shit you two haven’t told each other, and I just think it’s time you started bein’ straight with one another, okay?”
Rick gave him a sour look. “I hate it when you’re so goddamned logical.”
Joe grinned. “Cool, ain’t it?”
Later that day, Rick went over to the hospital. His heart was in his throat as he walked to Midnight’s room. He knocked lightly and pushed open the door. He was surprised that Carrie wasn’t there. It had taken a little getting used to, that Midnight and her mother seemed to be getting along better now.
Midnight glanced up at him; she had been reading some papers, and she set them aside. Rick could see something different in her eyes, and he wondered what the papers were. He knew Joe had put a moratorium on anyone smuggling work into her, and he was sure no one would be brave enough to defy Joe at this point. As his eyes went to the pages now lying on the bed stand, Midnight pointedly picked them up and turned them over so he couldn’t read anything. He looked at her, trying to work out what she was trying to hide from him now.
“We have to talk,” Rick said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Again, Midnight made a point of moving away from him. She looked at him blankly, and then nodded her head, as if telling him he could continue. Rick hesitated, not wanting to tell her what he’d come to say when she was very obviously not in the mood to hear anything at all. He knew, though, that there wasn’t going to be a right time to tell her about Sheila, and the longer he waited, the more likely it was she’d find out from someone else.
“What is it we have to talk about?” Midnight asked finally when he didn’t say anything.
“Us,” Rick said simply, and then shrugged. “And other things.”
His voice was overly casual, and Midnight picked up on it immediately. “What other things?”
Rick drew in a deep breath, wishing he could be anywhere but here right now. He looked into her eyes, somewhat glad that she didn’t have her firearm handy. “Sheila thinks she might be pregnant,” he said, his voice the only sound in the room.
Rick saw a pained look cross Midnight’s face, but then her mask of cool disdain dropped over her again. “That’s ironic,” she said.
“What’s ironic?” Rick said, angry at her frosty response. “That she might be pregnant, or that I might be the father?”
“Neither, actually.” Midnight’s voice was still even. She shrugged. “Maybe it’s for the best,” she said with forced lightness. “Maybe you’ll get a son this time, someone to carry on the Debenshire name.”
“Midnight!” Rick yelled, his anger burning hot now. He was unable to comprehend how she could be so cold and unfeeling about such an inflammatory issue. He stood and started pacing, throwing her angry looks as he tried to walk off the outrage coursing through his veins. Could she really despise him so much, to take something like the woman he was seeing being pregnant so calmly? “Do you really hate me now? Is that it?”
“What’s tha
t got to do with Sheila being pregnant?” Midnight asked levelly, watching him as he paced.
Rick stopped, staring at her in disbelief. He could not accept that she was saying all this. “It has nothing to do with Sheila and everything to do with us,” he said, exasperated to have to spell this out to her.
“Oh, I’d say that if Sheila’s pregnant, it has a lot to do with us.”
“Why?” Rick asked blankly.
Midnight gave a hollow laugh. “Apparently you’ve really given this a lot of thought.”
“Oh, I’ve thought about it—you can count on it.”
“And you haven’t come to the conclusion that it affects us?”
“Jesus Christ, Midnight, I’m not an idiot. I know it affects us, but you hating me shouldn’t have anything to do with it.”
Midnight made a face, making it clear she thought he was crazy. “Just how did she maybe get pregnant, Rick? Through osmosis? I don’t think so. You screwed her, and now she might be pregnant. If you think I’m going to congratulate you and note the kid’s due date on my calendar, it’s not gonna happen.”
Rick narrowed his eyes at her, not enjoying being on the receiving end of her sharp tongue. “That’s not what I meant, and you damn well know it. What I asked was if you hate me now.”
“I think hate would be a fair assessment of my feelings for you and Sheila right now.”
“I see.” Rick felt like his heart had just been cut out. Midnight didn’t reply; she just looked at him as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. “I won’t marry her, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Midnight’s expression didn’t change. “Bully for you,” she said, without any emotion whatsoever.
“You can be a real bitch sometimes, you know that?” Rick retorted, his eyes flashing angrily.
“So I’ve heard.” Midnight sighed. “But I think it’s warranted this time.”
Treachery Rising (MidKnight Blue Book 4) Page 19
