Flashback
Page 34
“Sure.”
“Jada, Kyle says he needs to hold both of us. Get over here, will you?”
“Just tell me one thing: When do I get my chance?” Jada asked when she was settled beside Rachel.
“When you testify,” Kyle said quietly as he watched Moses study Trina. The ex-wrestler was locked to Trina, studying the line of her body, and he had just sighed deeply, like a man who had found his dream woman.
“You need this?” Moses took a chair to Trina. “Take your time.”
Trina sat gracefully, without removing the cue stick. “Thank you. Now, Bob. You’ve been naughty, haven’t you?” she said.
“There’s no proof of anything—” He grimaced and wiped Pup’s drool from his face; the dog growled softly, warningly.
“This is just between friends,” Trina stated. “That’s what we were, right? Friends? How many times did you tell me that when you couldn’t perform? And you hurt my daughter and tried to rape Rachel, didn’t you?”
Bob’s expression of terror changed to sly certainty. “No one will believe you. I’ve got a reputation in this town. I’ll have you all in jail.”
“Will you?” Rachel asked, before she played the tape with his confession on it.
Despite a few noises caused by rustling clothing, Bob’s deep voice had recorded perfectly. His expression now was one of speechless horror, his lips moving soundlessly.
“You will apologize to Mallory now, right here, you sniveling little bastard.” Trina’s fierce order followed the movement of the tip of the cue into Bob’s throat.
“But that’s insane! Mallory is dead.”
“I’ll haunt you forever, isn’t that what she said, Bob?” Rachel asked quietly. “She’s going to, you know—haunt you forever—with each breath you take. Think of it, Mom…the headaches, the chest pains, the stomach aches—all that and he’s impotent, too. I’d say she got to him.”
“I’ll kill you,” Trina said quietly.
“You don’t want to do that.” Beneath Rachel, Kyle’s body tensed; he understood the cold fury that could cause a blind killing fever, regardless of consequences.
Before the others could move, Moses stood next to Trina. “So, how about a date?”
Everyone stared at the six-foot-seven beefy ex-wrestler, now a personal trainer. He eased the cue stick from Trina’s hand. “I’ve seen these things kill and break bones. Nasty things. It’s too messy for a lady, though apparently, you know how they can be used. This guy is going to jail. Attempted murder, arson, maybe statutory rape, prostitution, slavery, whatever is in the book. So how about that date?”
Jada threw up her hands and groaned in frustration. “Another one shot down!”
Moses turned to her and smiled gently. “I’ve got a lot of friends just perfect for you. You’ll just have to sort out the one you want and get busy raising that family.”
Kyle tried to smother his grin. Apparently, Moses had his own plans and that required getting Jada what she wanted….
She blinked and recovered instantly. “You do?”
Kyle started to laugh as Trina continued staring blankly up at his friend. Then she said unevenly, “Bob hasn’t apologized to Mallory yet. I need to hear him say it…please.”
“Okay.” Moses reached down and hauled Bob to his feet. “You’ll do that—now. And make it sincere. She sounded like a real sweet girl, just like my kid sister.”
“You can’t make me. The police—” The rest of his words ended on a strangled note as Moses moved close, and whispered something that turned Bob’s face pale.
Then Bob Winters apologized—sincerely, thoroughly.
In the aftermath of the night’s terror and the intense session with the police, Rachel and Kyle, silent and exhausted, settled into the apartment. Lying on the couch, they watched the flickering candles die as Mallory’s favorite song floated softly to an end…. I’ll be with you forever, till the tides no longer flow, till doves no longer fly and roses no longer bloom, till time comes no more…. I’ll be with you forever…. On the far, still side of tomorrow….
“She really will always be with us, the good part of Mallory,” Rachel whispered softly against Kyle’s throat.
His hand stroked her hair. “She can rest now, don’t you think, honey?”
Rachel listened to the apartment, to the creaking of the sign outside on Atlantis Street. She heard nothing, but the peaceful beat of Kyle’s heart. “Go to sleep now, Mallory. Katrina is safe now…. I love you….”
“I love you, too. See you, kiddo….” the silence seemed to say as the last candle flickered and died.
Rachel caressed Kyle’s chest, where only hours ago, his heart had pumped with rage, the need to kill the man who had abused Mallory. “Do you think he is Katrina’s father? Or do you think Shane—?”
Kyle’s hand stopped moving on her hair. “The subject is never going to come up. Ever. Shane left town and Winters isn’t going to be free for a long time. For now, Katrina is my niece, a Scanlon, and that’s how it stands.”
“Mom wants to see her.”
Kyle was silent, then his fingers began stroking and playing with Rachel’s hair. “Everything takes time, honey. But we’ll handle it. Remember the good times, honey. Hold Mallory close in your heart. I think she can rest now. You need to do the same.”
“I knew she was here, waiting for me. I felt her in so many ways, close to me, wanting something. I’ll love her until the edge of time, until the other side of tomorrow. And someday maybe, I’m going to tell Katrina a story—Once upon a time, there were three sisters….”
Epilogue
IN THE FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST, THE LOCALS OF NEPTUNE’S Landing were enjoying freshly caught halibut, the gray whales were blowing in the Pacific Ocean, and three species of sea lions were barking for mates on the offshore rocks.
With the setting sun painting that strip of scarlet between ocean and sky, Kyle lay down on the beach blanket. After a hard day of business, restocking his new garage, he was ready to relax and enjoy the woman who fascinated him. Life wasn’t exactly easy with Rachel Everly, but it was fun to see her light up, that edgy challenging look directly focused on him.
He inhaled the salty air and felt a little like barking for his mate himself. That’s what Rachel was now, he thought smugly—his mate, the woman who made him happy, the woman he loved.
In the busy weeks that had followed the investigation of Bob’s two deceased wives, his computer activities, arson, and the attempted murder of Kyle, Neptune’s Landing was abuzz with gossip and speculation. Nine Balls, renamed Mallory’s Place, had reopened with Moses helping Rachel, and the upscale clientele was slowing returning. Sally Mae, Dorothy, Terri and the others were steady players during Ladies Night, each toasting Mallory and Rachel.
As Moses had promised, a steady, appealing flow of single, marriageable men had started suddenly appearing for Jada’s inspection. Currently, she was busy with Alvin Sandusky, the sports announcer, while Moses moved in to reassure Trina that she wasn’t too old and battered for romance.
Trina was adjusting to what had happened in her own house, with her own child, and the sisters were coming to grips with what had happened to Mallory—why she’d acted as she had, and there had been few carefree moments.
Kyle’s “niece,” Katrina, was arriving tomorrow for two weeks of playing on the beach before she went back to school in Idaho.
Before Katrina arrived, Kyle intended to make use of the hours with Rachel. It would be a long two weeks without Rachel in his bed, and he’d gotten very addicted to waking her up in very special ways….
Rachel appeared at the crest of the hill overlooking the beach. Kyle watched her carry a picnic basket down the trail. Near him, she placed it on the sand. “Food. Wine. Pink thongs with flowers. Me…all as requested.”
Rachel had that edgy, smug look as she took off her blouse. She swung it on one finger while Kyle took in her body and grinned. “Nice shells.”
“A little small, but
I see that they are still effective.”
She sat beside him and looked out at the Pacific Ocean where once three sisters had played. “Nice,” she said quietly and gave herself to the moment.
At sunset, with whales blowing somewhere in the ocean, with sea lions barking for mates and with seagulls doing their last foraging for the day, Rachel was at peace. Kyle was at her side, smoothing her back, understanding the quiet memories that flowed between them. They would be making more memories together, because Kyle definitely had his mind on “a permanent arrangement, rings, that sort of thing.”
Rachel had found what she’d looked for all of her life, a man to trust, one to stand beside her in the good and bad times. A hero of the best kind, Kyle would shy away from that description, but he was the gentlest man she’d ever known.
She smiled softly, because Kyle was getting his dream house with the white picket fence and the kids playing on the backyard swings. She’d make that bet the next game they played, with a wedding ring on the end of the cue stick pointed at Kyle.
Kyle sat up beside her, staring out at the ocean as he placed his arm around her shoulders. “I can almost see her out there,” he whispered softly.
“Me, too. She’s happy.” While Kyle would remember an older Mallory, Rachel’s image was that of a girl who had appeared against the dark waves….
Young Mallory, thin and angular, frolicked in the shallow water and grinned back at Rachel.
Mallory lifted her hand and Rachel raised her own.
She returned the wave and the image of Mallory slowly faded….
“See you, kiddo….”
About the Author
CAIT LONDON is a national award-winning, bestselling author who fully enjoys the perks of her career, like traveling and meeting readers.
Cait’s contemporary, fast-moving style blends romance with suspense and humor, and brings characters to life by using their pasts and heritages. Her books are filled with elements of her own experiences as a scenic and wildlife artist, a photographer, a mountain hiker, a gardener, a seamstress, a professional woman, and a homemaker. She also enjoys computers and reading, aromatherapy and herbs.
Of German-Russian heritage, Cait grew up in rural Washington State. She is now a resident of Missouri and the mother of three daughters, all taller than she.
The best events in her life have always been in threes, her good luck number. Cait London says, “I enjoy creating romantic collisions between dangerous, brooding heroes and contemporary, strong, active women who know how to manage their lives. I believe that each of my books is a gift to a reader, a part of me on those pages, and I’m thrilled when readers say, ‘That was a good book.’”
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Avon Contemporary Romances by
Cait London
FLASHBACK
HIDDEN SECRETS
WHAT MEMORIES REMAIN
WITH HER LAST BREATH
WHEN NIGHT FALLS
LEAVING LONELY TOWN
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT
SLEEPLESS IN MONTANA
THREE KISSES
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
FLASHBACK. Copyright © 2005 by Lois Kleinsasser. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Microsoft Reader November 2006 ISBN 978-0-06-121314-4
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.uk.harpercollinsebooks.com
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com