“There were more injuries, nothing critical though. The alarms went off to alert the residents and the building was up to code. Your building is a total loss and there was some damage to the next one over. I’d say given the circumstances, you were all lucky.”
“Lucky?” she asked.
“It could have been a lot worse.”
“What caused it?” she asked.
He seemed to be studying her and his expression made her nervous. “A meth lab was being operated on a ground floor apartment in the building, Rebecca.”
She felt the color drain from her face and her heart seemed to stop. “No.”
“I’m afraid so. Jeff, his brother, and his brother’s girlfriend have all been arrested.”
“Oh, my God,” she managed, turning to look at the ceiling.
Just then the door opened and two uniformed policemen entered. She turned to look at them, as did Sawyer.
“Chief,” one of them said, nodding in greeting to Sawyer.
“What’s going on, Jeremy?” Sawyer asked.
Rebecca looked at his face, at his worried expression, and then at the men who looked back at her. The one named Jeremy nodded in her direction, but spoke to Sawyer. “We’re here to place Ms. Banks under arrest. She’s been implicated in the fire.”
“What?” Rebecca asked, shooting up in bed and flinching with the pain all over her body.
“Hold on there,” Sawyer said, putting up his hands and stepping between her and the officers who approached as soon as she had made that move. “What are you talking about, Jeremy? I know Rebecca… Ms. Banks. She’s not a part of this.”
“I’m sorry, Chief,” Jeremy said. “Please step aside.”
“I will not.”‘
“I didn’t do anything,” Rebecca said from behind him. “Sawyer?”
“Please, Chief Hayes,” Jeremy began, then took a deep breath in before continuing. “Sawyer, I don’t want to have to remove you.”
“Who implicated her?” Sawyer asked.
Jeremy nodded to the other officer who went to stand on the other side of Jessica’s bed. Jeremy turned away and spoke with Sawyer quietly. They both then turned and the look Sawyer gave Rebecca filled her with anxiety.
“Read her rights to her,” Jeremy told the other officer.
“Sawyer?” she asked.
“Jeff and the others are blaming you. They say you were the finances and the brains behind the operation.”
“What? I never… it’s not true!”
“Calm down, ma’am,” the one officer said as he circled her wrist with a handcuff and attached it to her bed. She looked at it, feeling the cool weight of it.
“Get that off me! Sawyer… help me.”
“Rebecca,” Sawyer said, coming to her, taking her shoulder. “I’ll find out what’s going on. Try to relax, you’re not going anywhere just yet.”
“Try to relax?” she asked, tugging at her arm that was bound to the bed. “I’m being arrested for something I had nothing to do with!” Tears threatened. She hated them, hated that she cried when she felt overwhelmed.
“You have to go, Sawyer,” Jeremy said.
“Can you just give us a minute?” Sawyer asked.
Jeremy hesitated, but then nodded and the two officers stepped away, but did not leave the room.
“I’ll call a lawyer, Rebecca,” Sawyer said. “There’s nothing we can do besides that at the moment. I will be back as soon as I can.”
She grabbed his arm with her free hand. “I didn’t have anything to do with it. You believe me, don’t you?”
He nodded and squeezed her hand. “I know that, Rebecca. I know you’re innocent.”
She was relieved and even managed to nod, exhaling. But when the officers began to move in again, panic had her gripping Sawyer’s arm. He took her shoulders. “Look at me,” he said to her.
She somehow dragged her eyes away from the uniformed officers and looked at him, feeling his hands on her, wanting only to feel that.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t say anything, don’t talk to anyone. Do you understand?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Do you understand, Rebecca?” he asked, squeezing.
She nodded, searching his face, not wanting him to go. “Don’t go. Please don’t leave me alone.”
He didn’t answer for a moment, seeming torn, his forehead creased with worry. “I’ll make some calls and be back as soon as I can. I won’t leave you alone any longer than I have to. I promise.”
He had made that promise once before and back then, it was she who had run. His words reassured her, soothed her, and she nodded, lying back down. He tucked her blanket around her and gave the officer who stood nearest a warning look before turning to go.
Chapter Five
Rebecca was arraigned, the charges against her read aloud that same week. Once she had been discharged from the hospital, she had been led shamefaced out to the waiting cruiser, taken to the local jail, and processed like a criminal: fingerprinted, photographed, and searched, her few remaining possessions taken. She had spent the next three nights in a small jail cell. She had cried herself to sleep each of the previous nights, feeling overwhelmed, as if this was a mountain she would never get out from under. Tonight she lay wide awake, all cried out and unable to sleep.
She had been accused of being the funding as well as the mastermind behind the operation Jeff, Andy, and Shannon had been running. She! And the evidence against her was pathetic. It was their word of mouth and her credit card records which showed various purchases of items that were obviously used for the lab. All of those purchases were made online and not a single one was hers!
She had no money for a lawyer—she hadn’t realized how much of her already meager savings Jeff had depleted. Sawyer’s friend was an attorney, but he was out of town on another case. She’d had to use a public defender who only looked over her file minutes before her arraignment. Sawyer had been there, but she’d only glimpsed him over the reporters. She almost wished he hadn’t come; she was so ashamed at him seeing her like this.
Bail had been set high. The lawyer had half-heartedly tried to argue it down, but that gavel had come down quickly and the cameras had started flashing photos of her, the captions to which she could only imagine.
That was three days ago and it already felt like three years. She rubbed her face and turned onto her side, feeling tears of frustration building. How was she ever going to get out of this mess?
Just then a door opened and a light went on. “Hope you weren’t sleeping,” the woman said. She was the night guard, a friendly enough older woman. One thing she was grateful for was that as this was a small town and they knew the fire chief, he had put in a good word for her and she was being treated all right.
Rebecca turned to watch her enter, followed by Sawyer who looked tired and worried. Seeing him again made her eyes water and she averted her gaze, ashamed of him seeing her like this even if she was innocent.
“Hey,” he said as the guard slipped a key into the lock and opened her cell door.
Rebecca sat there, the blanket on her lap, staring at him when he walked into the cell.
“Give us a few minutes, please,” he said to the guard.
“You got it, Chief.”
Sawyer stepped into the cell and the guard locked it behind him then left them alone.
“What’s going on?” Rebecca asked, looking down at herself, embarrassed at him seeing her like this and confused by his presence this time of night.
“I talked to some people and managed to get bail together,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Bail was set high, he couldn’t have the money to pay it, she knew that.
“John, the attorney I told you about, is back in town. He helped out,” he said. “You’re being released into my custody. You will spend your time until the trial at my house, with me, rather than in a jail cell.”
“What? How did you do that?”
&nb
sp; “I called in a lot of favors, Rebecca.”
“Sawyer…” She almost smiled, but his expression was grave.
“There is one condition, however.”
She leaned backward. “What sort of condition?”
“It’s pretty straightforward. You will do as I say, just as you would do what you were told if you remained here, and if you do not, you’ll deal with my consequences. That’s all.”
“Do as you say?” she asked, although after the last few days, she really didn’t want to spend any more time in this or any other cell and the trial could take months.
“Here’s the thing, Rebecca. You didn’t have to be in this mess. If you had done as I’d advised, as you yourself knew was best, and gotten away from Jeff a few months ago, you wouldn’t be sitting in a jail cell with some pretty serious charges hanging over your head. Given as how your decision-making ability, or lack thereof, has led you where you are today, I’m helping you the only way I can think of at this point. I’m taking away your power to make any more damaging decisions until I am confident you’re not going to destroy your future.”
Well, he was right. There was no denying it. And he was, from the look on his face and the tone of his voice, upset with her.
“What sort of consequences?” she asked, knowing already.
“Do you need me to spell it out?” When she didn’t reply, he continued. “When you disobey, you’ll be spanked. When I feel you need it, you’ll be spanked. Clear enough?”
“But…”
“I’ll help you, Rebecca, but we’re doing this my way this time.”
She looked at him, contemplating.
“Your choice, Rebecca. Stay here or come home with me?”
Home with him. Those words felt good, they felt like home already, even as her bottom twitched with the memory of her last trip over his lap. “As far as those consequences…”
“I won’t be making any compromises. You agree, here and now, and we’ll be on our way. I’ll still help you if you decide you’d rather spend the time between now and the trial here in jail, but I think you’ll be more comfortable at home. With me.”
By comfortable she had the idea he wasn’t talking about her bottom. But she had little choice and the thought of going home with him—even considering those spankings—well, it seemed like an easy one to make, honestly. “I want to go home with you.”
“Good,” he said, smiling. “Let’s get out of here.”
Sawyer called for the guard and she came back, opening the door.
“Here are some clothes,” the woman said. “You’ll need to leave the jumpsuit here.”
As if she would take it? “Thank you,” she said, taking the package she handed her, still unsure what to do, wanting to get out of there, but at the same time, too embarrassed to even have Sawyer see her as she was.
“Get up, Rebecca. You can use the bathroom to get changed, then I’ll take you home.”
* * *
Sawyer hadn’t been able to get her face or her words to him at the hospital out of his mind. For days, they had echoed, her pleas not to leave her alone, to help her, breaking his heart.
Sawyer blamed himself, at least partially, for the mess she was in. After the night he had spanked her while he was still undergoing therapy, she had rescheduled his last appointment with another therapist. He had given her space at first, but when he had tried to contact her after some weeks had passed, she had refused to speak with him. She had been impossible to get a hold of, refusing to answer her phone and he had been on the verge of showing up on her doorstep, but had held back.
Looking at her sitting there now, however, in that oversized jumpsuit, she looked lost and so afraid and he knew he had made a mistake. It wasn’t space she needed. It was firm guidance, and, even more important, loving care. This was twice now that he had made a mistake when it came to Rebecca and he determined not to make one a third time.
“Sawyer, I…” she began.
Time to let her know how things were changing. “Up. Now. Get changed so we can go home.”
She searched his face for a moment, opened her mouth, but then closed it again and rose to her feet, looking just beyond him to the female officer.
“Where is the bathroom?” she asked.
“This way,” the officer said.
Sawyer watched her go. This was how it had been back when his aunt had passed away. When Sawyer took charge, Rebecca slipped into a role different from that the world saw. She wanted this, even if she didn’t know it herself. She needed this. She would thrive within the boundaries he set for her.
“Where are her things?” Sawyer asked the officer when the woman returned.
“This way, Chief Hayes.”
He followed her out into the office. There, she unlocked a cabinet and took the small package that held Rebecca’s things. He opened it, recognizing the scent of smoke from the fire, realizing she would only have the things she had on that night as all else had burned to ashes. He pulled out the nightie she had been wearing. It was torn and he imagined she wouldn’t want to keep it. Her watch and a broken chain along with the ring that used to belong to his aunt were the other things inside. He picked up the ring. It was a thin band of gold. He turned it over to read the inscription: June 3, 1982. It had been Amelia’s wedding band. He hadn’t noticed it on Rebecca’s finger before and imagined she had worn it around the now broken chain under her clothes.
“Where should I put this?” Rebecca asked from behind him.
He turned to her and looked her over. She had on a simple grey sweat suit, ill-fitting at that. She had lost weight since that last time he had seen her, but that wasn’t surprising.
“I’ll take that,” the officer said.
She handed the jumpsuit over to the woman and turned to Sawyer.
“We’ll get you some clothes,” he said, taking a step toward her.
“Ok. Thanks.”
“You’re free to go,” the officer said. “All the paperwork is in order here.”
“Thank you,” Sawyer said to her. He picked up the bag and shoved the nightie inside it. “Here,” he said to Rebecca, holding out her watch, the broken chain, and the ring. She looked at it and just glanced up at him before reaching out a finger to touch the golden band. She took her watch and slipped it onto her wrist, then took the chain and the ring and looked up at him.
He nodded.
“It’s too big,” she said, closing her palm over it. “I had it on that chain.”
He didn’t say anything more about it.
“Let’s go home.”
* * *
With a hand at her back, Sawyer led her out to his waiting truck. He opened her door first and she climbed inside. When he settled into the driver’s side and started the engine, she turned to him.
“We have a meeting with John Williamson, the attorney, first thing tomorrow morning,” he said.
“Thank you, Sawyer,” she said. “Thank you so much. I’ll pay you back for everything,” she said, just imagining how expensive this was.
“I’m not worried about the money, Rebecca,” he said.
She nodded and kept her gaze out the window. There was so much to say. She just glanced at him, his face in profile illuminated only in the passing streetlamps.
“I had broken up with him, you know,” she said. “The day of the fire.”
Sawyer glanced at her, but his expression said as much as she said next.
“I guess I was a little late though.”
“Did you have any idea about the meth lab?” he asked.
She shook her head, looking down at her lap and wiping her tears. “No. It’s my fault, in a way at least. The fire I mean.”
“No. It’s not your fault.”
“If I had said something earlier when I suspected the drug dealing. I just… I didn’t know it had gone so far.”
“The only people responsible for any of this are Jeff, Andy, and Shannon.”
She watched as he turned off
the main road and drove up toward the foothills. She thought again of how much this must be costing and hoped he wasn’t delving into his savings. “Sawyer, you should know that I was informed by mail that I am suspended from my job without pay. I have almost no savings. Jeff…” He had used up a lot of it, but she stopped short, knowing it would only anger Sawyer. How had she let this go so far?
He drove up an unpaved road to the house at the end of the street and parked on the driveway. Once he shut off the engine, he turned to her. “Rebecca, I told you I’m not worried about the money. Top priority right now is clearing your name. That’s going to take all our energy. Let’s go inside. It’s been a long few days.”
“Why are you helping me?” she asked.
He had opened the door, but stopped, closed it again, and turned to her. “Because I care about you. Because there was a time we cared about each and took care of each other.” He paused and seemed to be considering something. He looked out of the window for a moment before returning his attention to her.
“I care about you. I never stopped caring about you. And I’ll be real honest and tell you that when I saw you that first day at therapy, I had already decided I was going to have you back. That I wasn’t going to lose you again. I only wish I’d acted sooner to get you away from Jeff, but my own insecurity at how to handle you held me back. I can tell you one thing though, I won’t be making that mistake again.”
She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand.
“I want to repeat what I said to you earlier tonight. I’m responsible for you up until the trial and when you walk into my house tonight, you will be living by my rules. You’ll do as I say when I say it or you’ll deal with the consequences. Those consequences entail physical discipline in the form of spankings for starters, just so there’s no question. Understand?”
She bit her lip and dropped her gaze, nodding. Her sex felt suddenly, incredibly hot.
“We’ll get your name cleared and you can have a fresh start, but I will not allow you to screw up your life any more than you already have.”
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