Ryan said, “So I’d like to share with everyone what the police department has discovered in our investigation.”
Silence settled over them all, and Lauren squeezed Nate’s hand. He was surprised but pleased she was willing to show that small bit of affection in front of her parents. Lauren had done something for him—she made him want to be a better person. A more emotionally open person. And to face his own fears like she’d so bravely faced hers.
“Our guess is that a fraternity was responsible for both the fire at your rental and the attack at the library,” Ryan said, pacing a little as he spoke. “Proximity and motive are the primary reasons for our suspicions. If we were looking at a person acting alone, we’d have trouble pinpointing the perp from all the men connected to the women who’ve come to your support group, but seven men together? Most abusers don’t talk to others about their habits, so the entire scenario screams of a fraternity. People are much bolder as a group. They feel stronger. Of course, they’re absolutely wrong. Acting as a group weakens them, and hopefully it will help us catch these men.
“Based on that information, we’re focusing on two fraternities: Gamma Delta and Chi Theta. We searched their houses and both of them had the same propellant that was used to burn down your rental. All members denied any knowledge of either attack, but without any prompting from me, which tells us they knew something. However, we still have no prints or witnesses, so we have to continue the investigation.”
Nate noticed the hope in Lauren’s eyes. She thought the bastards who did this to her were about to be caught, but something told him they weren’t there yet. He was quite sure Ryan’s news would not be what they wanted to hear.
Ryan cleared his throat, glanced at his father, then continued. “There’s only one problem.”
“What is it?” Lorraine asked.
“We don’t have any concrete evidence, only suspicions. We had someone look at Lauren’s photos more closely, but there’s nothing there we can use.”
Lauren deflated almost immediately.
“What evidence do you need?” the elder Ryan asked.
“A witness.”
Dead silence followed. No one glanced at Lauren except for Ryan.
Lauren stared at her hands and said, “I can’t identify anyone, Ryan. I never saw the man who broke my window, and the others all wore masks.”
Ryan nodded. “I know that, and I understand. We’re hoping as time passes, something will jar your memory—a tattoo, a voice, a comment one of them made, anything.”
Nate squeezed her hand and said, “If not, we’ll find another way.”
The look she gave him broke his heart.
He’d find the bastards if he had to do it alone.
***
After Ryan, Cait, and Nate left, and her mother and stepfather went up to their room, Lauren lingered on the porch, held there by a thrumming in her heart. She was staring out at the lake water, soaking in the sense of calm it always gave her, when a shooting star shot across the sky in front of her. Her gaze stayed with it, watching it transform the sky from something usual to something stunning, the tail of the star lighting up the lake. Her entire countenance changed from one of fear and worry to one of delight.
She heard the door close, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps, so she whirled around, surprised to see Ryan there. “Did you forget something?”
Ryan smiled, “No. Believe it or not, it was the shooting star that convinced me I needed to come back inside.” He gave her a sheepish look. “Cait believes in a lot of stories about angels. Different tales about heaven and why we’re all here. Anyway, I’ve been thinking of talking to you privately, and that shooting star convinced Cait it was the right time, so here I am.”
Lauren had no idea what this was about, but she sat down in a nearby chair, motioning for him to speak.
Ryan seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say—she could see it in his eyes and in the way he held himself. He’d spent all his adult life as a soldier or policeman, and he knew how to intimidate someone with a single glance. But there was a softer and more vulnerable side to her dear stepbrother, and he was showing it to her now. “You know I have issues with PTSD and that I had a difficult time accepting Cait into my life because of it.”
She nodded, doing her best to keep her eyes from misting. Ryan had come back from the war in Iraq an amputee—something people rarely noticed now given how agile he was on his prosthetic leg—haunted by the death of his best friend. For a long time, he’d struggled for happiness, but Cait had helped him heal.
He took a seat next to her. “Don’t push him away. I’m convinced you have PTSD as much as I do. How could you not after all the attacks? I know what it’s like to feel like you’re not good enough for someone, that you’ll be a burden to that person. It’s not true.”
He stammered a few more times, but then said, “Nate Patterson is a good man. He has his own issues, but he’s honorable. He’ll respect you.
“I know you didn’t ask my advice, but I’m going to give it anyway. Cait is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and every day I wake up grateful that she’s next to me. Yes, I still suffer from PTSD, but she helps me through it. And the more I’m with her, the fewer episodes I have. I guess I wanted to say to give him a chance. What he helped you to do tonight was amazing.”
“Thank you, Ryan. I’m glad you came back to talk to me. You’re right…I do feel like a burden to the people I care about.” They both stood up, and she wrapped her arms around him. “He is a good man, and he’s very patient with me.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear it. You need to keep telling yourself that you deserve love, Lauren, because it’s the truth.” He gave her a kiss and stepped away, disappearing with a final wave.
He was right. She did deserve love.
If she could just remember something about the bastards to put them away, she could put all this behind her and focus on Nate.
***
Lauren couldn’t fall asleep. She lay in her bed, trying to force memories that weren’t there. There had to be a clue, something she’d missed. She’d closed her eyes and relived the scenario at the library multiple times, but nothing came back to her.
Nothing.
She climbed out of bed and grabbed a robe. Many times when she was upset or depressed, she’d walk down to the lake and let the waters perform their soothing magic on her soul. She crept out the back door, taking the time to close it quietly so as not to awaken her mother. She knew how upset her mom was about everything that had happened. How she hated being the cause of so much pain…
She tightened the belt on her robe and took less than ten steps before she stopped, a cool breeze washing over her, inviting her to lift her chin and tip her head back to soak in the light of the moon. The stars danced across the dark blue expanse of ethereal beauty.
At first she wasn’t sure why she’d stopped—the lake always comforted her—but she realized that she hoped for a different kind of comfort tonight. She wanted to be with Nate.
She pivoted and returned to the house, changing her clothes and crafting a quick note for her mother so as not to worry. Then she retrieved her phone and took a deep breath before she punched the keys, sending a message to Nate.
Are you up?
It was almost one o’clock in the morning, but it was only a matter of seconds before he answered.
Yep.
She found her keys and sent another text as she headed toward her vehicle.
I’m in my car. Can I meet you at your place?
Sure.
He gave her his address so she punched in into her phone. About ten minutes later, she pulled into his driveway and waited. She didn’t want to knock on the door for fear of awakening his brothers.
He stepped onto his front porch and made his way to the passenger side of her car, climbing in next to her. To her surprise, he leaned over and kissed her, a soft kiss that almost caused her to moan with pleasure, but she contained her
self. She’d come here for a reason.
He ended the kiss and said, “You can’t sleep either?”
She turned the engine off, leaving her window rolled halfway down to let in the cool, refreshing night air, and folded her hands in her lap. “No. I keep trying to recall something about the attacks. A lead to help Ryan and the cops. There must be some clue that I’ve overlooked. Do you have any suggestions?”
“No.” He reached over for her hand. “I’d hoped visiting the spot where it happened would bring something back, but maybe it’s too soon. These things take time. I’m always surprised at the details I’ll remember about a working fire several weeks after it happened. My guess is it has something with that whole adrenaline, fight-or-flight instinct. You can’t remember everything because you were too focused on saving yourself.”
“I have a thought, but I’d like your input.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’d like to visit the frat houses.” She gazed at him, waiting to see how he’d respond. It had occurred to her—just as it had no doubt occurred to Ryan and Nate—that the guys from the boat had been involved in the attack. Maybe it would jog her memory if she spent time around them. Maybe their voices, scent, or something else, would help bring the moment back with more clarity.
“Not alone…”
“No. I’m asking you if you’d go with me.”
Nate sighed, and she hoped it wasn’t because he planned on turning her down. But then he took her by surprise, nodding slowly and rubbing his thumb across the skin on the back of her hand. “I’ll go with you. I don’t think it will hurt, but I’ll give you a fair warning that Thursday is a common party night. They may all be drunk or stoned.”
“Couldn’t we question them? Get Dom or Trevor to talk? Or the other one?”
“Randy? We can try. But if we’re going to do it, let’s go now. I don’t want to go any later than this.”
He opened the door to get out.
“I can drive,” she said before he got out.
“I don’t doubt that for a moment, but what if being that close to them upsets you, or they follow us? Are you prepared to drive under those conditions? I’d rather you keep your car here. They, whoever they are, know your vehicle. This is the one you drove when you were attacked.”
“All right.” She was glad she’d pulled to one side of the driveway so he could get his truck around her.
Always the gentleman, he came over to her side and opened her door. She followed him to his vehicle, but just before he held the door open for her, he spun around and cupped her face. “I know how badly you want this to work, but please promise me you won’t do anything foolish. We will definitely be outnumbered, and chances are they’ll be drunk.”
“I promise.” She had no doubt that he was right. “I appreciate you for doing this for me.”
His thumb brushed her bottom lip and he leaned down, feathering her lips with a soft kiss before he dipped in for more, slanting his mouth over hers. She parted her lips for him and he groaned, just the slightest bit, but the sound made her feel very special. She touched her tongue to his and everything else fell away from her. She allowed herself to be carried away from all the negative events in her life and to just focus on him, Nate Patterson, her protector, her warrior.
When he ended the kiss, she was so caught up in him that she actually stumbled. He righted her and opened the door with a grin. Once she was settled, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “My feelings exactly.”
He closed the door and moved behind the truck, and she was glad.
She didn’t want him to see her blush.
***
Nate had conflicting feelings about what they were about to do. He’d pledged to help her, but were they making a mistake? He held her hand and kept her close as they strode down Fraternity Row in the college complex.
The two frats in question were at the far end of the Row. It wasn’t hard to determine that this was a party night for many of the Greeks on campus. If he remembered correctly, there were three fraternities and four sororities.
He stopped in front of the Gamma Delta house, wanting to verify that she wished to proceed before he headed inside. One glance at her was enough to assure him of her determination. She gave him a nearly imperceptible nod, so they climbed up the staircase to the old colonial, painted in green with the Greek letters of Gamma Delta on a flag hanging from an upstairs balcony. It was made of clapboard with some brick, but the old building had fallen into disrepair. The grounds were not well kept either.
The door flew open and two men stumbled out. They did a double take before continuing down the staircase as if they hadn’t seen them.
“Should we knock?” she whispered.
“No,” he replied. “Let’s see what they’re doing. I doubt they’d hear the knock anyway. The music is pretty loud.”
She squeezed his hand in a death grip as he opened the door and led the way into a large foyer full of college students, the smell of beer permeating the area.
Nate took in the high ratio of men to women. One woman sat in the corner, barely alert, and another sat at a bar stool in the back, surrounded by three men encouraging her to drink. She didn’t look willing. He decided to make that his first stop.
Once they reached her side, he noticed one of the men harassing her was Randy Brooks. He held a tight grip on the woman’s arm as she tried to pull away. Nate grabbed his wrist and said, “Let her go.”
As soon as Randy released her, the trembling girl took off toward the door running. Randy spun on his heel with his fist pulled back, ready to lash out at the offender. He missed his target because Nate grabbed his fist, twisting it hard enough to drop him to his knees.
“You son of a bitch. I was going to have her tonight.” After he fell to his knees, he took the time to glance up at his attacker. “Who the hell are you?” His words slurred to the point that Nate was pretty sure he’d topple backward from a mere touch.
Then his gaze caught sight of Lauren. “Never mind. I’ll take her instead.”
For a moment, Lauren’s fear took over. Standing in a room full of drunken men threatened to send her into a full-scale panic attack, but she forced herself to keep her gaze on Nate. He would never let anything bad happened to her. She knew that down to her bones.
Then something strange happened. She wasn’t just afraid anymore—she was just pissed. Randy had openly admitted that he was pumping a woman full of booze in the hopes of having sex with her later, probably so she wouldn’t be able to fight or get away.
“Like hell you will. You’ll never touch her.” Nate grabbed him by the neck and tossed him back so he lay prone on the floor. He hadn’t meant to throw him that far, but the thought of the piece of shit touching Lauren didn’t exactly sit well. The guy’s eyes closed in a drunken stupor, or so Nate guessed since the jackass hadn’t landed that hard.
“What the hell are you doing here, Patterson?” Dominic’s voice came from behind him.
The men in the room who were sober enough to listen all stopped their conversations, picking up on Dom’s tone. “And why is she here?”
When he stopped in front of them, he smiled at Lauren. A sick grin that made Nate want to punch him in the face. “Well, well, if it isn’t Lauren Grant. Have you decided to join our group? We’d be happy to make you a special member. You’d only have to pass a few tests.”
Nate balled his fists and did his best to maintain control. “We’re just visiting. Thought we’d see what Gamma Delta was all about. You say you’re innocent, yet the last woman ran out of here as soon as Randy Brooks let go of her.”
“We don’t force anyone to stay here. They’re here of their own free will. We had a keg party tonight. Anyone is welcome, which is the only reason I haven’t tossed you out on your ass, Patterson.”
Dominic wasn’t that big. He was tall but flabby. Out of shape. Nate chuckled. “You and who else? You certainly couldn’t do it on your own, Miller.”
Dominic l
aughed, a boisterous forced laugh that made Lauren step closer to Nate, and he wondered if it had triggered a memory for her. Several other frat brothers joined Dom, all laughing and converging on them.
“Nate, let’s go.” She whispered against his chest so the others couldn’t hear her.
He would be happy to oblige her, but not until he set things straight with these cocky bastards. Nate wasn’t afraid of Dominic Miller. He was the type of coward who made others do his dirty work. All mouth and no action. But after glancing into Lauren’s frightened eyes one last time, he decided he didn’t want to risk upsetting her. He glanced around and noticed she was now the only female in the room. The few others had apparently taken off during their conversation.
Nate said, “If I didn’t have the lady with me, I’d take you on, Miller. You aren’t man enough to do any damage, but I’m taking her away. I’ll find you another time.”
He put his hand on the small of her back and motioned her toward the door, but a meaty hand grasped his shoulder. “Like hell you’re leaving,” Dom said. “You’re staying. You need to be taught a lesson, and I’ll watch your woman for you.” He reached for Lauren, but that was the wrong thing to do.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Nate spun around and landed a fist in Dom’s face, then grabbed him by the throat, but not before Dom managed to yell, “Take care of him!”
Four guys grabbed him from behind as he sent Dom flying, so he shoved Lauren toward the door. “Go. I’ll catch you.” He picked one fool up and tossed him to the side and stopped another weak fist that jabbed at him ineffectually. He was about to go for a fourth when a loud voice interrupted them from the staircase at the far end of the room.
“Leave him be!”
The brothers all backed away, and Dominic picked himself off the floor, rubbing his jaw.
Trevor Hutton came down the stairs. “Dom, let them go. We don’t need any more trouble.” The guy looked a little old for the activities going on inside the frat. Hadn’t someone said he’d already graduated?
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