“Shut your face, Adam,” Sara snapped. “Or I’ll tell your lover you killed your own best friend.”
“I’ll tell on you,” Aeli mocked. “How childish. Technically… a burst aneurysm killed Bryce. Give it up, honey. You’ve lost. Walk away or be dragged away. That choice is still yours, but you’re never going to hurt Pat again.”
Pat could have swept Aelissm up in a massive hug. God knew he wanted to. But that could wait. He carefully let loose of Sara, hoping she was smart enough to know she was beaten. When she pulled a tiny pistol out of her handbag and aimed it at Aelissm, he stepped between them. Before he could blink, she released the safety and pulled the hammer back. The clicks pierced him with pure terror. He knew she was capable of shooting him. Reacting purely from instinct, he knocked her arm away. The shot raced wildly off into the sky, harmlessly above him and everyone nearby and he hooked a foot around her ankles. She crashed to the deck and scrambled to recover from her sprawl. He pounced, straddling her waist and pinning her arms to her sides with his knees.
“You just don’t get it do you? It’s over. And every stupid move like that one takes you one step closer to more jail time.”
“I think I’ll take it from here,” Aaron said, his voice trembling.
“That’s a very good idea. I’d recommend cuffing her.”
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “I always keep a spare pair in my truck.”
“And people say I’m shameless,” Aeli muttered. “Now, this is going to be interesting to explain to everyone. My stalker is invited to enjoy dinner with us and some strange woman no one here has heard of has to be taken away by our local… what did you call him? Ah, yes, that’s right. Our own little Wyatt Earp.”
Aaron chuckled and went to his truck to get the cuffs.
“He’ll be back in just a few moments, Sara,” Pat said. “Will he need those handcuffs? Or are you going to leave of your own free will? That is, if he decides to give you the choice after that last stunt.”
“She ain’t gonna just leave, Pat,” Adam said. “You of all people should know that.”
“I do, but sometimes people change. I did. So did you.” He turned his attention back to Sara. “It’s amazing, isn’t it, Adam, what a good woman can do for a man.”
“It is. Not that you’re not a good woman, Aeli, because you’re one of the best. But Amber’s—”
“I know, Adam,” Aelissm said laughingly. “And I’m sincerely happy for the both of you.”
“I think I’m going to puke,” Sara snarled.
“You know, if you were as human as they are, you would never have spent a day in prison,” Pat remarked lightly. Sara squirmed uselessly beneath him. “But you couldn’t stand it that I would leave you. No one’s ever insulted you like that. I understand that now. You didn’t love me and we both know it. Personally, I don’t think you’re capable of it. Love requires a heart and you don’t have one.”
“Fuck you.”
“No, thank you. Been there, done that and it wasn’t that great. Here’s something else I figured out, Sara. Despite what you’d have me believe, I’m better than you. Adam’s done some insane things, too, and he’s better than you. By a long shot.”
She screamed and fought, but there was nothing she could do to free herself. Gold-plated, Aelissm had called Bryce. Sara was exactly the same as her best friend’s brother. Shiny and expensive at first glance, but worthless underneath.
“Are we all ready to go, miss?” Aaron asked as he mounted the stairs.
“Kiss my ass,” she snapped.
“Guess it’s gonna be the hard way,” he said with a melodramatic sigh. “I hate the hard way.”
“I’d recommend strip-searching her to make sure she doesn’t have any more weapons tucked away,” Pat said, “but you saw for yourself how much trouble she is.”
“Pity,” Aaron remarked. “She’s hot stuff, but I’m not really into that dominatrix weirdness. C’mon, sweetcakes. Time to take you in.”
“Hold on a minute, Aaron,” Pat said. “This is your last chance, Sara. If he puts those cuffs on you, you’re going back to jail. I don’t know why I feel compelled, because you sure as hell don’t deserve my generosity, but I’d rather this ended, once and for all. Right here and now. If you go, you’ll leave me alone. Or I’ll make sure Bill or Aaron puts you away for a long, long time.”
“This is a small town, Miss Montgomery,” Aaron said. “We don’t see things quite the same as the big city cops. Bill Granger is just the same, from what I hear. He doesn’t take lightly to someone hurting those he loves and neither do we. Pat’s giving you one hell of an opportunity and I’m willing to obey his wishes. But I’m telling you right now, if I let you go, you’ll leave him the hell alone or you won’t make it to prison. You might want to consider that as you make your decision.”
Time stretched in tense silence. Pat looked up for a moment to see the neighbors he’d come to think of as his own trying not to watch. For the most part, June and Aeli’s grandparents seemed to be keeping them distracted, and Nick Hammond’s young son occupied many a doting friend with his bawling, but they were all still curious, and heart-warmingly concerned. Aelissm was right. It was going to be interesting explaining this mess. In truth, he didn’t have to tell anyone a word about it, but even if this wasn’t really his home, it felt like it. And you didn’t keep secrets from family.
“I’ll leave.”
Pat jerked back as if he’d been slapped. It felt like he had. A vow to willingly go was not what he’d expected to hear. Or, truthfully, what he’d hoped to hear.
“You’ll leave and I’ll never see or hear from you again.”
She only nodded.
Pat rocked back onto his feet and stood. It took a few moments after he’d stepped away for Sara to push herself off her belly. She looked nothing like the Sara Montgomery he knew. Her clothes were rumpled and her hair was disheveled. More than even the broken nails, the runs in her nylons and the darkening bruise on her chin, what shocked Pat the most was the defeat in her honey-brown eyes. His past with her should have made him doubt her promise to go and never come back, but that shadow in her eyes told him otherwise. This was a woman who’d never been left before. Who’d never been beaten. Until him.
“Get out of here,” he said.
She turned and started down the stairs without another word. Pat turned to Aaron. “Be careful.”
“Will do. Hey, Aeli, tell my folks I’ll stop by the house if I’m not back in time to catch the end of the potluck. Either way, I’ll call here when I get to Devyn.”
“I will,” Aelissm replied. “And thank you, Aaron.”
“Hey, just doing my job. Not very often that I actually get some action. See ya.”
Aelissm slipped into Pat’s arms and together they watched Sara leave. She may have been defeated, but she wasn’t happy about it. Gravel pinged off the parked cars as she tore out of the driveway. He shook his head.
“I guess it’s all over,” he murmured. “Again. No new scars this time, though. Hmm. I’m going to owe your dad a new flannel. She caught the sleeve with the knife.”
Aelissm rotated in his embrace. “I’m sure he won’t miss just one flannel. You’re sure she didn’t get you?”
He spread the hole in the shirt and inspected his own hide. There wasn’t a mark on him. “All clear.”
“I really hope that’s the end of it. For both of us,” she said, the last directed at Adam.
The man nodded solemnly, then glanced over his shoulder in the windows. “Not quite over. How am I going to explain this all to Amber?”
“Tell her the truth,” Aeli replied. “Or, most of it, anyhow. C’mon, boys. Let’s go inside.”
“Now, that’s a good idea,” Pat replied.
Without letting go of his hand, Aelissm led him inside. All at once, they were bombarded with questions. Aelissm handled them all with her innate grace and charm, giving just enough details to satisfy them, but not so many that eith
er Pat or Adam felt uneasy. June helped where she could and Pat had never been so grateful to two women in his life. Listening to the abridged tale of his relationship with Sara laid the foundation for putting distance between his past and future. He knew it might be a long time yet before he could fully comprehend that Sara’s hold over him was well and truly broken. She’d probably never give up on her irrational need for vengeance as long as she lived, but at least he wouldn’t let her torment him and when he finally realized just what that meant, it wouldn’t matter what she tried. He was free of her.
At first, Amber had trouble coming to terms with her boyfriend’s deceit, but eventually she came around. Aelissm coaxed her into believing that what Adam had done—she left out the worst of his stalking—had not only been a terrible accident but a noble act. By the time Aeli finished with her, Amber had threaded herself around Adam and both had the same, glittering, love-filled eyes. Pat remembered the terror in Aelissm’s eyes those days when a letter from Adam had come or when he’d called her and found he had a whole new respect for her. It took an incredible, selfless woman to have faced all that and still be able to say so many nice things about the man who’d put her through that hell. She called herself sarcastic, cynical and frequently said she lacked June’s compassion, but Pat knew without a doubt how wrong she was.
In hindsight, if Pat disregarded the madness that had driven Adam Winters to stalk Aelissm, he could agree with her. He wasn’t a bad man at heart. A little unhinged, maybe, but not inherently bad. Now, Sara…. She was wicked to her core and she’d never change. He shuddered and told himself not to think about her anymore. He was done with her. It was over.
“That’s all you’re getting out of me,” Aelissm was saying. “If you want to know more, ask Pat and Adam, but not tonight. Tonight, we’re all going to have fun and forget what happened just a few minutes ago. Got it?”
After the crowd affirmed her declaration, Aeli turned the radio back on and gave everyone a free round of drinks from the bar or the fridge. Pat doubted anyone would soon forget the strange series of events that had taken place tonight, but bless their hearts, they knew how to enjoy themselves regardless. It wasn’t long before it felt like nothing had happened and Pat marveled at the ability of these people to move on. They had the right of it, though. Work hard and play hard and enjoy life as best you can.
“Aaron should have called by now,” Aelissm told him. “It’s been almost an hour. I hope nothing went wrong.”
“Has it really been that long?”
“Yup.”
“Wow.”
As if she’d planned it, the phone rang. She raced back to the kitchen to grab it. “Bedspread Inn, this is Aelissm. Hi, Aaron. About time you called.” Her face suddenly slid from amusement to surprise. “You’re kidding, right? Hold on, let me give you over to Pat so you can tell him.”
Pat took the cordless and greeted Aaron Hammond. “What’s up?”
“The tires on Sara Montgomery’s Mercedes.”
“What?”
“She was driving about ninety. Crazy bitch. Anyhow, you know that creek at the bottom of Badger Pass? The one with all the willows where you always see about half a dozen deer?”
“Yeah.”
“There was a moose crossing the road right there and she swerved to miss it. She went through the guardrail on the bridge and ended up upside-down beside the creek. The moose is fine. She’s not.”
“How bad is it?”
“The ambulance and my buddy Jimmy got here fast. We cut her out with the jaws, but she was already gone. Freakiest thing I’ve ever seen. She got a piece of rebar straight through the heart, so apparently she had one even if she didn’t use it, like you said. Must’ve been left behind from when they repaired the bridge last year. Anyhow, the EMTs pronounced her dead at the scene. We’re all at the hospital right now. I’ve gotta get over to the courthouse, get the paperwork started and all that. I shouldn’t be too much longer. Tell Aeli to keep the party going for me, will ya?”
“Sure.”
“Hey, I’m sorry, man.”
“For what? She brought it on herself. You did what you could.”
“Yeah. I know it’s wrong to speak ill of the dead, but at least she’s really out of your life now.”
Pat almost laughed at that. “Guess she is. Take care of yourself, Aaron. And thanks for calling.”
“You bet.”
Pat ended the call and stared at the handset for a long time, unable to digest what he’d just heard. When he found his voice, he repeated to Aelissm, June, Luke and Adam what Aaron had told him. Aelissm put her arms around him and held him for a long time. As it began to sink in that Sara was dead, he was able to lift his head and look around. June and Luke were nearby, ready to jump in if he needed them. No one else seemed to have noticed anything strange. It was Adam’s expression that piqued his curiosity. There was a smile of gratification on his face and he was nodding.
“Karma,” was all he said.
A blinding flash split the gloom outside. Moments later, the boom of thunder rolled through the valley, rattling the windows of the dining room. The dancing and chatter paused only briefly as the music and voices were drowned out. Pat and the small group gathered around him silently watched the windows as the wind picked up. He felt Aelissm take his hand.
“C’mon, old man,” she said, pulling him toward the front doors. “June, you and Luke, too. Let’s go play in the rain.”
The air outside was heavy with humidity and the refreshing smell of rain. The wind was spiced with the smell of the lodgepole pines in the mountains and the sagebrush on the hills below and Pat inhaled deeply. The people of Northstar gathered behind them under the shelter of the eaves.
As the skies opened up, Aelissm darted down to the driveway, turned and dared anyone brave enough to join her. In the torrential downpour, the parking area quickly became a mess of mud puddles and rivulets. Laughing, Pat joined her. He was rewarded with a shower of water from a puddle. In retaliation, he kicked water back at her and she screeched in delight. Luke and June took up the battle and they were all soon joined by the younger generations of Northstar while the elders watched from the roof overhang. The water fight quickly descended into a mud bath as saturated, earthen balls were hurled across the parking lot. When Aelissm chucked a ball of soft mud at Pat and it splattered all over the front of his shirt, he captured her around the waist and was about to dump her in a puddle, much like he’d dumped her in the snow bank. The pure adoration and youthful amusement in her gaze stopped him. He realized then just how old Sara had made him feel. And how old Aelissm made him forget he was. In that moment, he was Luke’s age, and he was having a damned good time playing in the rain and the mud.
There was still a long road ahead of them, especially concerning Sara’s family, but he didn’t care right then. Sara was gone forever. He was free to live the rest of his life in peace.
“I love you, Aelissm Davis!” he yelled over the boom of thunder.
She smiled up at him, looking so cute and beautiful with her soaked hair hanging limply and rain streaming down her face. “I love you, too, Patrick O’Neil.”
Chapter Twenty-one
PAT HAD INTENDED to leave right after the car accident that killed Sara. Instead, he’d lingered in Northstar with Aelissm for over a week. Finally, yesterday morning, Bill had called to let Aelissm know the restraining order on Adam had been lifted, as per her request, and to ask Pat when he was planning on coming back to work. So, he’d spent all of yesterday packing. Now, it was just past eight in the morning and he stood beneath a dismal sky as he tossed the last of his bags in the back of his truck. He didn’t want to leave. Aelissm didn’t want him to leave. But he needed to return to his job, if only to see how much he loved her. If he couldn’t get through a couple of weeks back in Washington or if the memory of her fiery passion and insatiable wit faded once he was back in the routine of his life, he’d have his answer. Besides, he needed to go back to help Bill s
ettle the matter of Sara’s death.
With a sigh, he turned around to face the cabin. Aelissm was leaning against the door jam with her arms and ankles crossed. They’d talked about this over the last week and they both agreed it was for the best. If this was meant to be, they’d know quick enough when they couldn’t stop calling or thinking about one another long enough to get through the day. If that was the case, Pat knew he’d be back in Northstar in twelve hours. If he kept to the speed limit. Faster if he didn’t.
“All set?” she asked.
“Yeah, I think so. Guess this is it.”
“Yup, guess it is. I’d come with you, you know.”
“I know. But I couldn’t let you. You belong here. This place is part of you.”
Even from where he was standing, he saw the tears in her eyes. It broke his heart. She’d had enough pain in her life and now he was causing her more.
“Aeli, sweetheart, don’t cry.”
“I’m not. Yet. I’ll wait until you leave to do that.” She sniffed. “I have my pride, you know.”
“Yes, you do,” he said, chuckling.
“Besides, I knew from the beginning you’d have to leave. I just didn’t expect it to be quite like this.”
“Good-byes are never fun,” he agreed. Especially ones like this, when so much is left unsaid and unfinished. What if I’m making a huge mistake? He couldn’t think like that or he’d never get back to Seattle. “Whatever happens, Aeli, I do love you. So much more than you know.”
She was too intelligent to ask it, but the thought was in her eyes. Then why leave?
“You’ll tell everyone I’m glad to have met them and I’ll try to stay in touch, won’t you?”
“I said I would, didn’t I?”
“You did.”
There wasn’t anything left to say, so he closed the distance between them in ten long strides and kissed her one last time. It was everything they had become wrapped into one caress. Lovers and friends and kindred spirits. Pulling away was the hardest thing he’d ever done, but daylight was burning and he had a long drive ahead of him. He should have left hours ago, but, like now, couldn’t force himself to go. The rate he was going, he’d be lucky to make it home by midnight. Thought of what he was returning to made it even more difficult to walk away from Aelissm. That bare little house wasn’t home anymore. Washington wasn’t home.
Mountain Angel (Northstar Angels, Book One) Page 31
