by Cate Beauman
“That was very kind.”
“I say after we rip up the kitchen next week we go out for dinner.”
She smiled, liking the idea. “It’s a date.”
“Your turn. Go ahead and open the box from Abby.” He pushed it closer.
Nodding, she ripped the pretty paper. “Abby told me she had something for me a couple days ago. At this point I don’t think I’ll ever have to buy clothes again.”
“She definitely keeps your closet full.”
“You’re telling me. I told her I have plenty—more than plenty, but she assures me I’m fun to dress.” Chuckling, she lifted the lid, pulling the beautiful apricot-colored satin and lace slip from the tissue paper.
Stone raised his brows as their eyes met.
“Uh, I don’t think—” She shoved the gorgeous nighty back into the box, certain her cheeks were bright red. “I—”
“Not bad.”
“Yes, but—” She cleared her throat. “I don’t think she meant to—I’m sure she wasn’t suggesting—I can’t wear this—”
“Relax, Soph. Sexy nighties don’t obligate you to a roll in the sheets.”
She swallowed with the rush of heat, glancing at his mouth, remembering the way his lips had moved against hers while his rough, calloused hands teased her skin. Her new sleepwear didn’t force her into a roll in the sheets, but it reminded her that she was more than a little curious. “Right.”
He opened the last couple of cards, holding up more gift certificates, this time for her favorite department store. “Our friends got us some nice stuff.”
“Yes, they did.”
He leaned in, resting his arms on the table. “So, what’s up with the sad eyes?”
She held his gaze, still surprised he could read her so easily—that he cared enough to try and figure her out. “I’m not sad. I think uneasy is a better word. I’m so glad Ethan was able to help us get the license filed today, and the certificate. And it’s a relief knowing the social security card is on the way, but now I’m on the radar again. I can’t stop wondering how long it’ll be before Eric’s private investigator figures it out. He’ll come.” Her breath shuddered out on a rush of fear. “Eric will come as soon as he knows.”
“And we’ll be ready. Or we can put ourselves out of our misery and head up to Maine.”
“No.” She pushed back in her chair, ready to end the conversation.
“Easy, Soph.” He hooked his ankles around the legs of her chair, pulling her back in. “You and I both know the best defense is a good offense. We’ll lawyer up, get the charges dropped, and make Eric disappear. We have more control over the situation if we act first.”
Everything Stone said was right, but the thought of seeing Eric again, of knowing what was in store if their plan didn’t work, was almost too much. “I’m afraid,” she admitted.
“I know.” He touched her hand. “I’m not. We’re officially in this together now. Let’s take this asshole down.”
“I just…” She huffed, hardly able to believe she was actually considering going back. “When would—when would we leave?”
“Ethan said he can give me until Sunday. We could catch the first flight out tomorrow. Maybe Murphy can stay with the Cookes, or Abby can keep an eye on him. We can deal with the bullshit and catch the redeye back.”
“We could come home tomorrow?”
“It’ll be a long day. We’ll pack a bag just in case, but I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to. You didn’t do anything wrong, Soph.”
Being in the same zip code as Eric for any amount of time was too long, but Stone would be with her.
“I’ll contact the attorney Ethan suggested when I spoke to him at the reception deal Abby put together for us, and we’ll see what he wants us to do.”
She couldn’t truly move on with her life until she put Eric and her warrant behind her. She nodded, still hesitant. “Okay. I guess it doesn’t hurt for us to hear what he has to say.”
“I’ll call him right now.”
She nodded, knowing that once they got the ball rolling there was no turning back.
~~~~
“Sounds great. Thanks, Jeremiah.” Stone hung up. He’d been on the phone with the lawyer for nearly two hours. He walked down the hall from the living room to Sophie’s bedroom and knocked on the doorframe.
“Come on in.” She set down her book and sat up. The skimpy pink tank top she wore accentuated her small, perky breasts, driving him crazy. She’d twisted her hair into a loose bun, exposing more of her soft skin.
“Sorry that took so long.”
“That’s all right.” She pulled back her covers, revealing shapely legs in her striped pajama bottoms.
“Don’t get up.”
“Okay.” She settled herself so she leaned against the wall. “What did he say?”
He sat on the edge of the cot. “That we’re all set. The police in Bangor have been contacted. They’ve agreed to suspend the warrant until we can get there and straighten this out.”
She bunched her hands in her lap. “The attorney doesn’t think we can handle things from here?
He didn’t miss the nervous gesture or the way her voice tightened. He hated that the bastard made her so afraid. “Jeremiah is strongly encouraging us to come. It shows the police that you’re fully willing to cooperate and have nothing to hide. Plus, it’s easier to clear things up in person.”
“What if they don’t believe me? What if they put me in jail and release me to Eric?”
“They’ll believe you because you’re telling the truth. They have no proof otherwise. If worse comes to worst and they do put you in jail, which is incredibly unlikely, they’ll release you to me because I’m your husband.”
“I’m liking this marriage thing more and more.” She gave him a small smile as she looked at him with worry in her eyes.
“This is going to work out, Soph. They’ve got nothing but his word over yours.”
“His accountants can make it look like I took the money. Clearly they already have.”
“But you didn’t.”
She shook her head. “No I didn’t, but I—I drugged him.”
His brows winged high. “What?”
She licked her lips nervously, staring at the bed, plucking at her sheets. “I put sleeping pills in the beer I gave him so I could get away.” She flicked him a guilty glance.
What the hell was he supposed to do with that? “You might’ve wanted to tell me that before now.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” She hooked her arms around her knees, wrapping herself in a tight ball. “My car was fitted with a tracking device. So was my cell phone. I had a strict schedule. He called me every hour. If I didn’t answer by the second ring, I got in trouble. It was impossible to make a move he didn’t know about. I didn’t know what else to do. I was desperate…” She sighed. “It wasn’t right.”
“You did what you had to do.” He gripped her ankle, giving a gentle shake. “We’ll keep that to ourselves unless they bring it up.”
She nodded.
“Is there anything else I should know about?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I can’t think of anything.”
“Let me know if you do.”
“Okay.”
“I booked us the first flight out—seven ten. We’ll drop Murphy off at Ethan’s. Bear and Reece will run heard over him until we get back.”
“What time are we coming home?”
He held her gaze, already knowing she wasn’t going to like his answer. “I didn’t book our return flight yet.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“We need to see how things go.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we have to see what Officer Abney has to say.”
“Clyde? Eric’s buddy?” She rushed to her feet and let out an exasperated laugh. “I can’t do this. I can’t go to Maine.” She moved to the window, staring out.
“Soph.” He stood,
sighing as he walked to her. They had to go. They had to get this resolved.
“You have no idea what you’re asking of me.” She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes hot and miserable.
He settled his hands on her tense arms. “I don’t exactly, but I can try to imagine. I’m going to be there with you.”
“The idea of being there at all makes me ill. Being able to tell myself it’s only for a couple hours makes the whole thing slightly tolerable. I need a timeframe. I need to know I get to come back to Los Angeles and the life I’ve started here.”
“You will.”
“You don’t know that,” she murmured, looking straight ahead.
Hesitating, he wrapped his arms around her, settling his cheek against her temple, needing to give the comfort she hadn’t allowed him to last night. “Yes I do, because the lawyer we just put on retainer is supposed to be one of the best in Maine, and I’m not coming back here without you.”
Her body relaxed as she settled her hands on his forearms.
“We’re going to get through this.” He pulled her tighter against him, breathing in her scent, feeling the softness of her skin pressed to his. “Together.”
She slid her palms to his wrists, holding on. “How do I thank you for all that you’ve done and are doing?”
“You don’t.”
She turned, facing him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you anyway,” she said quietly, smiling
He wanted to pull her mouth to his and draw out the tenderness, but he smiled instead, tucking the hair escaping her bun behind her ear. He’d never been like this with anyone. No one had ever caught him up the way Sophie did. It was so easy to be gentle and soothe. “You’re welcome. Try to get some sleep. I’ll see you soon.”
She nodded and walked to the cot, pulling her covers back.
“We need to do better than that.”
“What?”
“The cot.” He gestured with his head.
“Oh, I don’t mind. It’s actually comfortable. But now that your room is almost finished we should probably think about me moving to the trailer so you can buy yourself a bedroom set.”
As he stared at his pretty wife in the dim light, he had no intentions of buying anything until he knew he wouldn’t have to sleep in here without her. “Let’s worry about that after we get home.”
“Okay.” She settled herself under the covers. “Good night.”
“Night.” He walked out when he wished he could stay.
~~~~
Eric lay in bed, reading through David’s latest report, swearing at the lack of anything new. Their lead on Sophie had fizzled. Dylan Matther’s ID hadn’t been used again after the purchase of the bus ticket in Los Angeles. If David didn’t come up with something in the next day or two he was going to be forced to board a plane and fly west. Searching for Sophie on foot was bound to warrant more results than the useless crap David had produced. He crumpled the papers into a tight ball and threw it across the room.
“Damn it.” This was getting him nowhere. Where the hell was she? His phone rang at his side, and he frowned when Bangor Police Department popped up on the screen. “Hello?”
“Hello, Eric, this is Clyde.”
“Clyde?” He smoothed out his voice. “What can I do for you?”
“I’m sorry to be calling so late.”
“No, you’re fine. I was looking over a couple of documents for the gallery.” He glanced at the wads of paper on his floor.
“Look.” He sighed. “I shouldn’t be telling you this. I could lose my job, but I’m going to anyway.” He sighed again. “Sophie’s coming to town tomorrow.”
“What?” He jolted up, ripping his covers back, rushing to his feet. “How—”
“She’s got herself an attorney. She’s coming to fight the charges against her. Hold on.” Clyde murmured something to someone.
How did Clyde expect him to hang on? Sophie was coming.
“Eric, I’ve gotta go.”
“No, wait. I—”
“I have to go. I thought I owed you the courtesy after all you’ve done for the department. I can’t say anything more.”
The phone went dead in his ear. “Clyde? Hello?” How dare Clyde hang up? He tossed the phone on the bed, laughing through the disbelief. She was coming. Tomorrow Sophie would be back, and she would pay. “Stupid, stupid, Sophie. You should have stayed away.”
Chapter Twenty
Sophie walked into the police station with Stone and Jeremiah Trombley at her side. She let loose a shaky breath as nerves ate at her stomach. She was deathly afraid, despite Stone’s steady support and her powerhouse attorney leading the way. She breathed in the scent of stale coffee, glancing around at familiar faces as the soles of her sandals slapped against the linoleum floor. Now that she was here she wanted desperately to turn and run out the door.
“I’m going to let Officer Abney know we’ve arrived,” Jeremiah said as he moved to the left in his suit, carrying his thick briefcase in his hand.
“Guess this is a good time to hit the bathrooms. You coming, Soph?” Stone held out his hand in his short-sleeve, navy-blue polo and dark-wash jeans, his simple outfit emphasizing his broad, muscular build.
“No, I think…” Her eyes locked with Joe Burlington’s, who sat at his desk across the room. They’d known each other since high school. He’d been a regular customer of hers, buying jewelry for his wife year after year, yet his cool stare made it clear he thought she was a thief. “Yes.” She took Stone’s hand and they walked down the long corridor, turning into the small, quiet lobby separating the men’s and women’s rooms from the rest of the station.
“I’ll be right back,” Stone said, closing himself behind the door.
She nodded, crossing her arms over the white spaghetti-strap tank she’d paired with a navy-blue striped maxi dress, brushing her palms against her chilled skin, trying to chase away the goosebumps. The early-summer temperatures were more than comfortable, yet she’d been cold ever since she and Stone boarded the plane this morning.
She glanced over her shoulder, unable to relax, moving closer to the plaques on the wall as she studied commendations various Bangor officers had received over the years. Hopefully their meeting with Clyde would be as painless as Jeremiah had assured her it would be. She just wanted this over with as quickly as possible. Blinking tired, weary eyes, she rubbed at the deep ache clenching her neck muscles. The day had been endless with long flights and torturous layovers, and it was far from over. Home. That’s what she desperately needed—to be on Stone’s cliffs with Murphy, maybe playing a pickup game or cooking something for an early dinner. Anything but this.
“Welcome back.”
Her heart stopped as the prim, schooled voice brought a rush of wild fear. Whirling, she faced Eric.
“Look at you,” he sneered, his gaze traveling up her body. “I barely recognized you. Nothing but a streetwalker.” He sniffed the air. “You smell like one too.”
Her breath rushed in and out in hot waves as she stared into his mean blue eyes.
He shook his head on a disgusted laugh. “This is exactly why I tell you what to wear.”
“Leave me alone,” she whispered, fisting her hands at her sides, paralyzed by the primal terror he invoked.
“Talking back?” He grabbed her arms.
She flinched, gasping from the painful bite of his fingers into her skin.
“Since when do you talk back to me?” He gave her a nasty shake, his cheeks pinking, his eyes growing more hostile with his ragged breathing.
She cringed, waiting for the fist or kick that was surely coming any second.
“Two months, Sophie.” He gave her another brutal shake, yanking her against him. “I owe you for two long months. Did you think I wouldn’t know the moment you walked through this door? You’ve humiliated me.” He gripped her tighter, making her whimper from the throbbing pain. “I’ve been keeping track of all that you owe me, and it’s a hell of a lot more than f
ive million dollars.” He shoved her towards the women’s bathroom. “I told you what would happen if you left. You’re going to—”
The men’s door opened with a rough yank. Before Sophie could blink, Stone rushed forward, gripping Eric’s collar, slamming him against the wall with a nasty thud.
“Get your hands off—”
“Shut up.” He pressed his muscled forearm into Eric’s throat, making Eric gasp. “You listen to me, asshole,” he said through clenched teeth. “Don’t you ever fucking touch her again. Don’t look at her or even breathe in her direction. You got it?”
Eric’s eyes were huge as he fought to breath, trying to push Stone’s arm away.
Stone pressed harder. “I asked you if you understand.”
Eric nodded frantically.
“Good.” Stone loosened his grip.
Eric coughed violently, yanking at his tie and collar. “Who—who the hell are you?”
“Sophie’s husband. Consider this your one and only warning.” He let Eric go and turned, his eyes still fierce as he looked at her. “Are you okay?”
She swallowed, gripping her arms across her chest, trying to stop trembling as she glanced from Stone to Eric.
Stone took the two steps separating them, standing toe to toe, brushing gentle hands down her arms, caressing the bright-red marks Eric left on her biceps. “Are you all right, Soph?”
She’d never seen that side of Stone—the shocking capacity for violence, yet he touched her as if she were fragile. “Yes. I’m just a little shaken up.”
He slid the hair back from her cheeks, tucking several strands behind her ears. “Should we go?”
“Yes.”
“Come on.” He took her hand, eyeing Eric as they moved around the corner and walked down the hall.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I should’ve been able to handle that.”
“Don’t worry about it. I just did.”
“But—”
He slowed, hooking his arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay, Soph.”
No it wasn’t. None of this was all right. She glanced up into the security mirror in the corner by the ceiling, shuddering, watching Eric stare after her. “I—I don’t want you saying anything about what just happened.”
