by Alexa Verde
Could it be?
No.
“Luke told me he and Ivan are going to stake out tonight,” Mari said behind her back. “Apparently, they don’t trust me to protect you. Infuriating!”
Julia turned around slowly. “It’s not that Luke doesn’t trust you to protect yourself and me. He just loves you very much and wants you to be safe.”
“Yeah.” Mari smiled happily. “I love him with all my heart, too. Even more than when we got married, though I don’t know how’s that possible.” She paused. “I think Ivan has feelings for you. Why else would he do a stakeout, even off duty?”
Julia wanted to believe it. Oh, how much she wanted to believe it. But she’d always had an analytical mind. “Because he’s a born protector.” Julia sat down on the couch.
“That, too,” Mari said thoughtfully. “By the way, don’t worry about public opinion. Luke often says, It’s not about what happens to us, it’s about how we perceive it. People here are kind, but some of them can be led the wrong way. And somebody seems to be working very hard to lead them that way. There are still many people who believe you. As for the rest… once the real culprit is found, the perception of Seth’s death will change. Public opinion about you will change with it. It’s changing already, with people seeing that Seth’s brother is on your side.”
Julia raised her chin. “From what I’ve seen in the Café today, it doesn’t help that I turned down many guys in this town. Or that many women disliked me because their boyfriends paid a lot of attention to me. Never mind that I never tried to attract that attention in the first place. Well, I can’t control what people think about me, but I can control how I deal with it.”
Mari nodded her approval. “Exactly.”
Mari had clearly never cared about what others thought of her, but she’d possessed so much charisma that people had been drawn to her, even when her only brother had turned out to be a serial killer.
Julia narrowed her eyes. “You should take Luke and go home.”
“Nope.” Mari took out a gun from her purse and placed it near herself.
As Julia stared at the weapon, she swallowed a hard lump in her throat. A perp might be lurking around in the shadows, getting ready to strike. And if the latter happened, Julia didn’t want any of her friends to suffer.
“Mari, you have your baby to think about. It’s not just us Danger Girls anymore. You have a family. They should be your priority now.”
Mari’s face darkened. “Do you think this makes me a bad mother?”
Julia shook her head vigorously. “That’s not what I meant at all.”
A pained expression appeared in Mari’s dark eyes. “I don’t get scared easily. But this motherhood thing scares me. I know I should be happy, and I am, in a way. And Luke, he’ll be such a great father. Of course, if I—”
“No ifs,” Julia interrupted quickly. She didn’t want her friend even to think about another miscarriage.
Pain deepened in Mari’s eyes. “Mom left when I was little, and I just don’t know how to be a mother. At all. I’ll be responsible for raising a human being! What if I mess it up? What if I do it all wrong?”
Julia’s heart squeezed in her chest, and she gave Mari a friendly hug. “You’ll do great. You might be rough around the edges, but you have a beautiful soul, and you’ll love that baby to pieces. You’ll be an awesome mom. Just wait and see. You’ll figure out what to do, and Luke will help. All of us Danger Girls will help if needed. You’re not alone in this.”
Of course, Julia would have to survive first, but she figured it was best not to voice that concern. Mari needed only positive emotions.
Mari’s lips curved up a little, and she brushed her blue bangs aside. “Thank you. I know some of the Danger Girls have their own families now, me included. We’re not kids anymore, responsible only for ourselves. But I can’t help it. Y’all are still my friends. Still my family. Still a precious gift from God.”
Julia smiled. “Ditto. I hope when we’re old and have a bunch of children, grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren, we’ll have the same friendship.”
“Me, too.” Mari chuckled. “Though I can’t imagine myself old.”
Neither could Julia. But then, she’d never imagined tomboy and serial dater Mari becoming a happily married woman, baking pies, making dinner, and expecting a baby.
Well, right now, they needed to live through the night. Julia’s lips thinned, and she made a decision. If Mari showed up on her doorstep tomorrow again, Julia would kick her out. The baby’s health was more important than Julia’s safety.
“Now you and the baby need to rest. I’ll take the first watch, and I’m not taking no for an answer.” Julia made a dismissive gesture with her hand.
The fact that Ivan and Luke were staked out helped to calm her frayed nerves. Because if anything happened to Mari, or to any of the Danger Girls, Julia would never forgive herself.
***
Monday morning, just when Julia and Mari were about to leave Julia’s cottage, with Julia’s hand on the knob, a knock on the door startled her. Her pulse increased.
Mari slipped her hand into her purse.
“It’s me.” Ivan’s voice filtered through the door. “I hope I’m not too early.”
Julia’s heartbeat slowed down and then picked up speed as she let him in. “No. We were actually leaving.”
“At least I am. I’ll call you later. Hi, Ivan. Bye, Ivan. Bye, Julia.” With a wry smile, Mari scooted past her.
Traitor.
“I’d like to give you a ride to work,” Ivan said. “Knowing you, I doubt you called in sick.”
Julia remembered the sharp gazes she’d received while at lunch. Being seen with her wouldn’t be good for Ivan’s reputation, or for his chance for promotion at the Rios Azules Police Department. She squared her shoulders. “I can drive myself. My ankle feels better today.”
“Still, why risk it?” He scooped her up.
Her breath caught in her throat.
The pleasant sensation of being in his arms swallowed her whole. Julia wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing herself to savor the moment. Her feelings toward him were growing even stronger than before he’d left for the army.
He placed her in his car and drove her to the nonprofit downtown. She had a twinge of regret that it was so close to her home. No, it was for the better that the ride was short, otherwise she might say something wrong.
Like how much she missed him.
Or that she was falling for him all over again.
Julia found something relatively safe to say. “Thank you for staking out my house last night.”
“Don’t mention it. It was my duty.”
Of course.
His duty.
Julia swallowed hard. “Still, thank you.”
Ivan leaned closer to her. “I want you to be careful while at work. If you see or hear anything suspicious, anything at all, please call me right away.”
“I will.” She couldn’t afford to read any more into his concern than his sense of duty.
Did he miss her at all? Did he miss the connection they’d once shared? The fresh scent of his aftershave reached her nostrils in the small space of the car, the scent so familiar, comforting even.
“On the plus side, we don’t seem to have a tail today,” he said.
She breathed easier. But could she be sure she was really safe? The events of the past few days had proved she had to be on high alert. A shiver ran down her spine. She needed to pray a lot.
God was with her. Always.
When Ivan parked, she reached for the handle. “Thanks for bringing me to work. I’ll take it from here.”
“Hold on.” He walked around the car and opened her door.
When he leaned to her, as if to carry her again, she shook her head. “Ivan, people will see us.”
“I don’t care.”
Before she could protest more, he was already carrying her to her small office. She steeled herself a
gainst the murmurs and quiet gasps around her. Just like in their teen years, Ivan meant it when he said he didn’t care about what other people thought of him. He’d fought the most popular guy in school when the latter had tried to kiss her by force, risking turning the group of popular kids in school against him. That probably had been the moment when her friendly feelings toward Ivan had started turning into something more.
Much more.
Her neck heating up in a blush, she greeted several of her co-workers.
Ivan placed her in her chair. “Julia, remember what I said. If anything happens, please call me.”
She nodded as she took a deep breath to calm her rapid heartbeat.
“Bye.” He left.
For several moments, she was unable to move.
Ivan was an honest, strong, caring man who’d make a great chief of police and an awesome husband and father someday. Too bad a girl like her could never be with a man like him. To be accepted by his family and for his career, he needed someone well-liked and with a good reputation, and she was anything but. Not to mention, she wasn’t completely sure he’d stopped blaming her for Seth’s death, and even a thread of suspicion would kill a relationship.
Her heart squeezed painfully. He’d carried her in his arms because of her hurt ankle, not because he cared about her. No matter how much she wanted to believe otherwise.
She explained to her co-workers about the ankle and buried herself in numbers and spreadsheets.
After surviving half a day at the office, limping around, she called Ronda. “I’d like to invite you to lunch at the Café.”
“Sure,” Ronda said. “I can go in about an hour. Will that work?”
“Perfect.” Julia disconnected.
The restaurant was half-empty when they met, and Julia was grateful they missed the lunch crowd. She didn’t want her stepsister to notice the way people looked at Julia now.
When their food arrived, Julia said grace, and Ronda joined her.
Over an enormous portion of fried jumbo shrimp—Julia made sure they hadn’t been fried in peanut oil, given her allergies—Julia chatted about relatives, friends, and life in Rios Azules.
“I miss Gallagher,” Ronda said while munching on baked tilapia. “He was a great boss. Mrs. Gallagher isn’t bad, but it’s not the same.”
Julia perked up, seeing her opening. “I heard he received some calls that made him worried and angry shortly before he died. I wonder who they came from.”
Ronda hesitated, glanced around furtively, and lowered her voice. “I don’t know. The calls came to his personal cell phone. But… I heard through the door—purely by accident—a name mentioned.”
“A name?” Julia pushed her empty plate aside, all ears.
Ronda leaned forward, and her voice became a barely audible whisper. “Yes. Rowena. First, I thought my boss meant the company, Rowena’s Gourmet Chocolates. But it seemed he talked about a woman. He said her and she several times.” Ronda seemed to catch herself and leaned back. “Oh, I heard you fell down the stairs yesterday. I hope you’re okay?” Ronda’s voice strengthened significantly. “People say Mr. Vargas carried you to the car. Did he take you home?”
Julia struggled to maintain a neutral expression. “I’m fine, thank you. Mr. Vargas takes his job of helping the citizens of Rios Azules seriously. But he left as soon as he dropped me off to help other people in need.”
“He’s so handsome, isn’t he?” Ronda fanned herself, even though the air conditioner made the air in the restaurant cool enough.
“He is. By the way, have you heard from Ashley lately?” Julia was glad now she had so many stepsisters to inquire about.
While Ronda talked about Ashley, Julia glanced over the menu. Flan would be good for dessert. Custard for sure didn’t contain peanuts. One could never be too careful.
The rest of the day as an accountant was thankfully boring, except for the part when Ivan showed up to pick her up. Nobody seemed to pay attention to her explanation about the hurt ankle. Maybe she should’ve limped more throughout the day.
“I found several people from the crowd that gathered around you after you’d fallen down the stairs,” Ivan said as he drove off. “They didn’t see anything suspicious. My partner and I patrolled the street near your house yesterday and today. No sign of a black sedan with tinted windows. And so far, no results on the red SUV.”
Julia grimaced. No evidence to back up her claims. She wouldn’t blame Ivan if he doubted her, especially considering that fake suicide note. The facts were against her. Instead, he was with her, keeping her safe.
How could she not like a man like that? It was more and more difficult to guard her heart.
Enveloped by a sense of security, she dozed off. She woke up from a gentle touch on her hand. She looked up and caught something fleeting in Ivan’s eyes before he looked away, maybe regret, maybe longing. It stirred a reaction inside her. Did he wish things were different between them, too?
Ivan checked her house before carrying her inside.
Then he placed her on the couch. “I have to go. But I’ll check on you later.”
“Sure. Everything seemed okay today. And I’m not helpless.” Julia looked forward to seeing him again, no matter what the reason for his visits. She wanted to give him the information from Ronda, but he seemed to be in a hurry, and she needed to think it over.
“I know you’re not helpless. Still, maybe I should stay.” He lingered.
“I’ll be fine. Knowing Lydia, she’ll show up in the evening with her rifle and a new batch of cookies. Or Mari will be here. You have a job to do, and you’re probably in enough trouble with your boss because of me already.”
He didn’t argue, and it told her she was right about his boss, causing a stab of guilt.
“Ivan, please don’t worry about me. I’ll call you if I hear so much as a squeak in the yard. No mouse will enter here unnoticed.”
Besides, he couldn’t look into Seth’s death while babysitting her, and she desperately needed to know the truth.
After a long pause, Ivan nodded. “Please make sure you lock up behind me.”
She gave him an exasperated look that put a small smile on his face. The next moment, he left.
Julia locked the door and limped to the kitchen. Craving something sweet, she picked up the plate with chocolate chip cookies Lydia had left. Besides, cookies helped Julia think. She poured herself a generous mug of black coffee and carried the plate and the mug to a small table near the couch.
She said grace.
Then she bit into a soft cookie, which still emanated a freshly baked scent, and analyzed the new information.
Who was Rowena? According to Seth, Gallagher had named the company after a girl he’d once been in love with. Rowena. What was her last name? Julia gulped down another cookie and searched her memory. Oh, yeah, McDougal.
Sometime later, Julia realized she’d eaten almost the entire plate of cookies, with only two cookies left. She pushed the empty plate aside, reached for her phone, and called Ivan. Of course, she wasn’t making excuses to talk to him. She had some information that might be useful. Maybe.
Slightly dizzy, Julia rubbed her forehead. Events of the previous days must be getting to her.
“Julia?” His husky voice made her heart beat faster. “What happened?”
His concern brought feelings to the surface she needed to keep hidden.
Julia struggled for a professional attitude. “I have some information. Gallagher named the company after a girl he’d once been in love with when he was in his early twenties and lived in Houston. Rowena McDougal. Seth said there was some shady story about that girl.” Julia paused, feeling light-headed. Were the dramatic events catching up with her?
“What story?” Ivan asked.
“Gallagher never talked about her, but the rumors around the company were that the breakup wasn’t amicable, and accusations were thrown.” For some reason, it became more difficult to think. But Julia had to think
, had to analyze the situation. “Hmmm. Why then did he keep that name?”
“What kind of accusations?”
“I don’t know yet, but according to what Seth told me, there was no proof to her words, and eventually she backed off. That happened decades ago.” Julia’s mind grew cloudy. Her thoughts were getting away from her. She felt as if she were chasing three rabbits who ran in different directions. She had difficulty catching up. “Back to the present. I talked to Ronda today. She said that name Rowena was mentioned in the conversations that made Gallagher angry. Maybe it’s worth it to find Rowena McDougal?”
“I’ll follow up on that. Thank you.” Ivan’s voice sounded far away.
Julia’s throat constricted, and it got harder to breathe. She touched her neck.
Strange.
It felt swollen.
Was she having an allergic reaction?
Oh, no.
The cookies?
But they couldn’t have contained peanuts. Lydia had made them. She knew about Julia’s allergy. And Julia had been careful not to eat anything containing peanuts at lunch.
“Julia! What’s going on?” Ivan’s urgent voice filtered through the mental fog. “Why are you not answering?”
“I’m having… a severe… allergic reaction.” She managed to push the words past her swollen throat and struggled to raise herself from the couch. Immediately, light-headedness made her drop back. She forced panic down.
“You have your EpiPen, right?” Ivan’s question was accompanied by the sound of the motor revving to life.
“Yes. In my… medicine… cabinet.” She finally stood up.
Julia took several labored steps as she fought for every breath. The memory of Ivan rushing her to the hospital from high school and insisting on getting an EpiPen afterwards flashed in her mind. She’d eaten candies that apparently had contained peanuts then, and anaphylaxis had almost taken her life.
“Please get the EpiPen. I’m on my way. I’ll call 911.” Worry coated his voice. Obviously, Ivan remembered when he’d had to inject her with an EpiPen in the eighth grade. “You’re not going to suffocate. Do you hear me?”
“Y-y-yes,” she choked out. She was wheezing now.
