by Eve Gaddy
Delilah felt sick. Why hadn’t she at least taken pictures? But she’d been so scared, so sick, so worn out just surviving, she hadn’t thought of it.
“I’m a witness,” Cam said harshly. “I saw his goddamn fingerprints on her neck.”
“That will help. The fact that Delilah is living with you and involved with you won’t.”
“Damn it, Maggie—” Cam said hotly.
She held up a hand. “Calm down. You asked and I told you what I know. What I’ve seen happen. I can’t help that it’s not what either of you wanted to hear.”
She looked at Delilah and her tone gentled. “Get a good lawyer. That’s the best thing you can do. That and go to a shelter.” She gave Delilah a legal pad. “Write down anything you can think of, anything we didn’t cover, that you think might be pertinent to either charge. I’ll let you know when the warrant will be served.” She hesitated and added, “What happens depends on the judge. If he believes your story, then the charges will stick.”
“I have to hope he will, then,” Delilah said, determined not to think about what would happen if he didn’t.
Maggie got up and spoke to Cam. “Cam, could I see you for a minute? In the other room?”
“Took the words out of my mouth. I won’t be long,” he told Delilah and leaned down to kiss her. “Don’t worry,” he said quietly. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
But he looked grim as he followed Maggie out of the interview room.
“WHAT THE HELL is the matter with you?” Cam asked Maggie as soon as they were out of Delilah’s earshot.
Maggie didn’t answer. She took him into another room and closed the door. “Sit down,” she said mildly. “We need to talk.”
“Thanks, I’ll stand. I don’t intend to be here that long. Why did you do that? Why did you let her believe she did it for nothing?”
“Because sometimes that’s what happens. She needs to be aware of that, especially since charging him will probably send the man into a tailspin. The most dangerous time for an abused woman is when she leaves her abuser.”
“She knows that. Why the hell do you think she went into hiding?”
“Did you want me to lie to her?”
“I don’t know.” He took a frustrated turn. “This is bullshit.”
“This is the system. Nobody ever said it was perfect.”
Cam said something brief and crude.
Maggie let him fume a minute, then spoke. “Have you thought about what you’re doing? Really thought about it?”
He turned to look at her. “What do you mean?”
“You’re stepping into a situation that could be a disaster. At best you’re going to be at the center of what promises to be a very nasty divorce. At worst it could mean Delilah’s life. Or yours.”
Incredulous, he stared at her. “What do you expect me to do? Abandon her? I’m in love with her.”
“Believe me, that’s clear as crystal.”
“There’s no way I’m letting her face all this alone. I can’t believe you’d think I would.”
Up to now she’d been glaring at him but now her expression softened. “I know you wouldn’t.” She put her hand on his arm and squeezed. “And I’m not saying you should. But the whole thing is a nightmare, Cam. It has the potential to be very dangerous for both of you.”
“I can protect myself. And Delilah.”
“Don’t blow me off, Cam. Be careful. Try to convince her to go to a shelter.”
“You heard her. That’s not happening. Besides, that’s a stopgap solution at best. She can’t live in a shelter the rest of her life.”
“No, she can’t. But she might until we find out if Avery Freeman will be charged with the murder of his wife.”
“What do you think the chances are that he will?”
“I have no way of knowing that until I talk to my friend and she does a little research on the matter.”
“Do you think he did it?”
“I don’t know that either. I can see that you and Delilah believe it. But since all I know about the case is what Delilah told me, I can’t say.”
“You’ll let us know as soon as you hear anything?”
“Of course I will. In the meantime, get her a lawyer. A good one.”
“I will.”
Maggie nodded. As he walked to the door she spoke his name.
“Cam?”
He stopped and turned around.
“Does she make you happy?”
He smiled. “Yeah. She does.”
“Good. You deserve it.”
He smiled again and went out.
“MAGGIE DOESN’T BELIEVE ME about the murder, does she?” Delilah asked Cam once they were on their way back to the restaurant.
He shot her a glance, then looked back at the road. “I don’t know. She said she had no way of knowing until she talks to her friend in Houston.”
“She surprised me today,” Delilah admitted. “I didn’t expect her to be so…understanding.”
“Maggie’s a good person. And a good cop.”
“I didn’t think she’d be that nice. Especially considering she’s in love with you.”
He stopped at a stop sign and looked at her. “No, she’s not. We’ve been through this before. She cares about me, sure. But she’s not in love with me.”
Delilah didn’t believe that but she let it ride. “She thinks you’re crazy to get involved with me, doesn’t she?”
He sighed. “Delilah, quit worrying. What Maggie thinks or doesn’t think doesn’t matter. What matters is that we love each other and we’re going to be together.”
“I feel guilty.” There, she’d finally said it. What had been bothering her since they’d gone to the station. “I should never have involved you. What if Avery comes after me? What if he hurts you when he’s trying to get to me?”
He pulled into the carport and turned off the truck. “Honey, I can take care of myself. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“But I do. I couldn’t bear it if he hurt you. If something happened to you because of me.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to either of us.”
They got out. “Cam, wait.” He came around to where she stood by the truck.
“This is nerves, Delilah.” He clasped her hands between his and brought them to his lips. “And God knows, you’re entitled. You just finished talking about the worst time of your life. But it’s over. You’re safe now.”
“I should go to a shelter.”
“I thought you didn’t want to do that.”
“I don’t. But if I go, that means you’ll be safe.”
He sighed and slipped his arms around her. She put her head against his chest, her arms around his waist, and closed her eyes. For a long moment they just held each other.
“Maggie thinks you should go. At least until we find out if he’ll be facing murder charges on top of the family violence. She made me promise to try to talk you into it.”
“I’ll go.” She pulled back enough to look at him. “Tomorrow. After Maggie tells us they’ve issued the family violence warrant.” Avery was unlikely to find her before that. But once he was arrested and made bail…then he’d track her down. And she didn’t want to be anywhere near Cam when he found her.
Cam kissed her. “We’ll take tonight. And once this is over, we’ll have all the tomorrows.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
THE NEXT MORNING, Cam got up early and called Maggie to get the contact number of the shelter. After that, he called Gabe and asked him to come stay with Delilah while he ran an errand. Cam had brought him up to date after he and Delilah had gotten back from the station.
“I don’t expect anything to happen yet,” Cam told his brother when he came over. “But I didn’t want to leave Delilah alone. She went through the wringer yesterday and she’s still pretty shaky.”
“No problem.”
“There’s fresh coffee,” he said, waving a hand at the coffeepot. “Delilah’s still asleep
and I don’t want to wake her, so when she gets up tell her I left some numbers for her by the phone in here. I think the lawyer will see her today, given the circumstances.”
“Still kind of hard to believe,” Gabe said. “The guy must be seriously wacko.”
“Yeah.” He frowned and rubbed his jaw. “Whether they can prove it or not is another matter.”
“You okay with her going to a shelter?”
“I’m not happy about not seeing her, but I want her to be safe. Maggie thinks that’s the safest place for her.”
“Why can’t you see her?”
“They don’t much like for men to hang around those shelters. But I might be able to work something out. Anyway, if he’s charged with murder, she won’t be there long.”
“And if he’s not?”
“I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” And hope like hell they didn’t have to. “Whatever happens, I’m going to marry her the minute she’s free of that bastard.”
Gabe smiled. “Now there’s a shock.”
“You okay with that?” He was sure Gabe had gotten over his problems with Delilah, but he still wanted to hear it from him.
He put out his hand. “Since you’re so gone on her, I guess I’d better be.”
“Good.” He grinned as they shook. “Because you’re going to be my best man.”
“CAMERON, WHAT ARE YOU DOING out so early?” Meredith Randolph said when she opened her kitchen door.
“I came to see how you were,” he told her, kissing her on the cheek before walking in. “No more indigestion?”
“No, thank God. But you know that, since I talked to you the day before yesterday. Why are you really here?”
“Can’t a guy come see his mother? And I’d take a cup of that coffee.”
She poured him a mug and he took it to sit at the table. He looked at her more carefully than usual. Something was different about her, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “You look awfully pretty this morning.”
She wore a light blue robe that complimented her fair coloring. A few years ago she’d decided to go blond and the switch had taken years off her age.
She laughed. “Thank you. Now I’m really curious about what you want.”
“We’ll get to that.”
“Before we do there’s something I should tell—”
A man about his mother’s age or a little older walked into the kitchen, buttoning his shirt. “Meredith, what do you say we fly up to Dallas for the evening and—”
He stopped talking when he caught sight of Cameron. “Hello. You must be one of Meredith’s sons.” He shot her a quick glance and smiled. “You look just like her.”
Cam stood up and offered a hand, though he was still in shock. Although the man was dressed, mostly, his mother still wore her robe and he didn’t need to see the blush stealing into her cheeks to know the guy had spent the night.
“Cameron Randolph. But you have the advantage of me. I don’t have a clue who you are.”
“Cameron!”
The man grinned as they shook hands. “John Boyd. Good to meet you.”
“Really, Cameron, that was rude.” She got up as well and walked over to her guest.
“Now, now, Meredith,” Boyd said before Cam could speak. “There’s nothing wrong with a son looking out for his mother. I wouldn’t give you two cents for one who didn’t.”
“I don’t care, he doesn’t need to be rude about it. I didn’t raise ill-mannered children,” she said with a glare for Cam. “John is my neighbor,” she added.
Boyd laughed. “Better come clean, my dear. Your son looks like he wants to skewer me.”
“Come clean?” Cam asked, still stunned. He knew his mother dated occasionally, but he’d never been face to face before with the obvious evidence that she had a lover. He wished he wasn’t now.
Boyd took Cam’s mother’s hand and drew it through his arm, patting it. He beamed down at her fondly. “I’ve asked your mother to marry me. She hasn’t given me her answer yet, but I hope she will soon.”
Cameron blinked, having a hard time taking everything in. His mother, married again? She’d been a widow for years. He couldn’t imagine her married to another man besides his father. She’d always said he was the love of her life and she doubted she’d ever find a man to match him.
“Isn’t this kind of sudden? No offense, but none of her family has even heard of you.” He turned to his mother. “Have they?”
“There hasn’t really been time,” Meredith said. “John only moved in a few weeks ago.”
“You’re planning to marry a man you’ve only known a matter of weeks?” He was going to marry a woman he’d only known a short time, but that was different. This was his mother they were talking about.
She lifted her chin. “I’m considering it, yes. And I don’t need to remind you I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions.”
Boyd looked from one to the other. “I think I’ll leave you two alone to talk things over.” Cam watched critically as he kissed her. “Call me later and we’ll decide about going to Dallas. I have tickets to the symphony. Nice to meet you, Cameron.”
“How do you know this guy isn’t after your money?” Cam asked her bluntly once he left. His father had left his mother very well-off, and Cam had more than once worried about people, especially men, taking advantage of her.
Meredith laughed. “Oh, you should see your face. Honey, he has far more money than I do. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Are you sure? How do you know this man’s not scamming you?”
“Positive. John made his fortune in shipping. If you paid any attention to the papers you’d know the name.”
“I pay attention,” he said. Come to think of it, he did recognize the name. The guy was a multimillionaire, at least. “Are you sure he’s who he claims to be?”
“You heard him talk about flying to Dallas?”
Cam nodded.
“He wants to go in his private jet. I’ve been in it before, Cameron. He’s the real thing.”
Okay, the guy was loaded. That still didn’t mean Cam approved of him. “Has anybody else met him?”
“You mean your brother and sisters? Yes. Cat met him and liked him very much. Neither Gabe nor Gail has met him yet, but they will soon. And no one but you knows he’s asked me to marry him. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell them, either. I intend to do that myself.”
“Fine by me, I don’t want to be the one to spill this news.” Although he wouldn’t mind being around to see their reactions. “But Mom, this isn’t like you. I mean, you hardly know this guy.”
“I feel as if I’ve known him all my life.” She sighed and looked what he could only describe as starry-eyed. It boggled his mind.
“I’m having so much fun. He’s mad about me,” she said with a satisfied smile. “I fell in love with him at first sight.” She looked at Cam a bit defensively. “I suppose you think that’s crazy.”
Cam suddenly realized what was different about her. She looked happier than she had since his father had died, so many years ago.
“Actually, I don’t think it’s crazy at all.”
“You don’t?” She looked surprised.
“No.” He hugged her. “If you love him, you should go for it.” He waited a moment and added, “As long as you’re sure he’s not after your money.”
She laughed and patted his cheek. “I’d have married him anyway, but it’s nice to know you won’t be angry. I hope Gabe takes the news as well as you did.”
Cam grinned. “Should be interesting.”
“Let’s go in the den and sit down and you can tell me why you came over. I know there’s more to it than just a surprise visit.”
Once in the den he didn’t sit down, he was too restless. Instead, he walked over to the windows and glanced out at the ocean before looking back to his mother. “Do you still have Grandmother’s ring?”
“Livia’s engagement ring?” she a
sked, referring to his father’s mother. “Of course I do. What—” She stopped and stared at him, her eyes round with shock. “Cameron, are you getting married?”
He smiled. “Yeah.” He might not know when, but he knew it was going to happen.
“It’s Delilah, isn’t it?”
“Of course it’s Delilah. Who else have I been living with the past few weeks?”
“You haven’t known her any longer than I’ve known John. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“I’m sure I love her. And that she loves me.”
Her eyes sparkled and he knew she was about to cry.
“I’m so glad. I was afraid you were never going to get married.” She pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes. “You didn’t ask for your grandmother’s ring when you asked Janine to marry you.”
“No, I didn’t.” Janine had wanted a ring of her own. Actually, she’d wanted a rock he couldn’t really afford. Which should have warned him. “My subconscious must have known what it was doing.”
“I never liked her, you know.”
“Janine? You never let on.”
Meredith shrugged. “It wasn’t my business to tell you. You were a grown man, after all. But I never thought she was right for you.”
“You could have said something.”
“Would you have listened?”
He thought about that. He’d been convinced he really wanted to marry Janine. “Probably not.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. And then you’d have been mad at me for interfering.”
Which was true, but he didn’t want to talk about Janine anymore. “Forget Janine. She’s not important now.”
“No, Delilah’s the important one now.” She went over to him and hugged him. “When are you planning to ask her?”
“I already did. But I can’t give her the ring yet. There’s a problem.”
“A big one?”
“Yeah. A big one,” he said, and told her.
When he finished, his mother stared at him so long he thought she was in shock. Finally she said, “I can hardly believe it. That poor girl. When I think about what she endured at that monster’s hands—” She broke off, shuddering. “It’s a miracle she was able to escape.”
