by Starla Kaye
Bearing up to her shame, she hurried toward the office door. From the corner of her eye, she noted how the couple had stopped to stare. She still had the handcuffs on, although Alex had wanted to remove them before she’d climbed into the backseat of the car. He’d been annoyed that she wouldn’t allow it. Now she wished she hadn’t been so stubborn.
She stopped in the middle of the open area with a pair of worn desks belonging to the deputy who worked the next shift and to the sixty-something receptionist.
Bella Hampton pursed her lips and shot Alex an are-you-serious glower. “Really? You arrested her?” She gave Toni a sympathetic look.
Toni sensed his discomfort as he moved behind her to unlock the handcuffs. “I didn’t have a lot of choice,” he muttered. “Call her father to come take her home.”
Bella reached for the phone, but Toni faced him and protested, “Did I damage someone’s property? Did I injure someone? Did I…” She couldn’t believe she was insisting that she actually be tossed into the jail cell. But, darn it, she had done wrong and hated herself for it. She needed a time out, adult style.
“Toni, I’m sure you can work this out with Chad and his father,” Alex countered, his tone strained. “They’re reasonable men.”
“Well, Chadwin didn’t appear all that reasonable when he called me a menace,” she grumbled, still wounded by the comment. She desperately wanted to sit down and do a bit of pouting.
“Chadwin?” Alex questioned, amusement ringing in his voice. One corner of his mouth lifted. “I believe you’re the only one who ever got away with calling him that.”
“Not the point, Alexander.” It pleased her to see him wince. He, too, disliked his real name. Tired of the distraction, she strode to the pair of empty cells and stopped in front of the first one. She didn’t face either Alex or Bella, just waited.
“Dammit, Toni. You’re intent on making my life hell, aren’t you?” He marched next to her, then noted the red lines around her wrists from the handcuffs. “Hell! Look at what you made me do.”
“I’m sure it isn’t the first time you’ve done this to a prisoner.” Why was she taunting him? She could see how much the minor injury upset him. But she was in a mood, so he could live with it.
“Never to a woman. Never to the sister of one of my best friends.” He looked miserable, but he opened the door and let her walk past him. “Call her father. Call her brother. Call anybody.”
She went to sit on the narrow bench and started shaking. Yet she met his eyes and said obstinately, “Don’t you have paperwork to fill out? Fingerprints to take?”
He ground his jaw and took a second before he said, “If I fill out paperwork, then this is going to get real serious, real fast. You’ll have to go in front of a judge. You’ll need a lawyer.” He looked at her as if he wondered if she really were crazy. “No fingerprints.”
Her stomach roiled. “If you didn’t know me, what would you be doing now?”
“Dangit, Toni!” he grumbled and then closed the cell door. He barked over his shoulder to Bella, “Call her father!” He focused on her once more. “What lawyer do you want to call?”
Oh, what had she gotten herself into? Why hadn’t she just let him release her? “I, I don’t know who to call,” she stated meekly.
***
When his doorbell rang at home several hours later, Chad wasn’t in the best of moods. Even with the pain medication, his broken left forearm hurt like hell. The side of his cheek stung from the half dozen stitches, too. He didn’t want to talk to anyone at the moment.
Disgruntled from his injuries and from a wasted day of work, he pulled the door open to find one of his closest friends standing uneasily on the porch. It wasn’t Ted’s fault about any of this, but still he frowned as he motioned him inside.
Ted glanced at the cast and the temporary sling, then at the bandage on Chad’s face. “Damn. I’m so sorry.” His shoulders slumped inside his heavy coat. “We knew Toni is a troubled woman now, but… Hell, man, we’re all sorry.”
Chad closed the door with a sigh. “She’s way past troubled. That sister of yours has some serious mental issues. She’s dangerous. She’s …”
“She probably does have some psychological issues,” Ted interrupted quietly, sounding worried.
His friend’s admission surprised him. He’d only made the comment because he was frustrated, in pain, and had been stunned at her odd behavior. “I don’t really think she’s dangerous. I just…” He stopped talking, uncertain exactly what he thought at the moment.
Ted straightened to his full height, looking Chad square in the eye. “She isn’t dangerous, not really. Evidently that was a ‘last straw’ moment for her.”
“I gathered that.” She’d had a temper in the past, but never anything like that. What he couldn’t forget was the way her eyes had widened in genuine fear when he’d touched her.
“She’s hardly told us anything about her marriage; about what went wrong,” Ted said, pulling Chad from his musings. Ted’s expression showed true concern. His hands fisted at his sides. “We think the sonofabitch abused her.”
It took a second for that to register in Chad’s mind. “Beaton beat her?”
He couldn’t imagine the vibrant, fiercely independent woman allowing anyone to do such a horrific thing to her. Not the young woman who used to tease and torment him every chance she got, or argue with him about anything and everything. She stood up for herself, which was part of why he’d liked her so much.
But then he was an elder abuse lawyer. He’d seen and heard of things most people could never imagine. They were inflicted on people by others who supposedly had their best interests at heart, often caretakers or loved ones. It also happened in far too many marriages. He hated to think that hers had been one of those marriages.
A vein pulsed in Ted’s neck. “Possibly, but she hasn’t said as much.”
“Verbal abuse, then?” Chad knew that could be almost as cruel and difficult to deal with. “I can’t see her taking that.”
Ted’s shoulders rose with a deep in-drawn breath, and then slumped. “None of us can. But, dammit, she broke down last night when we were all trying to find a way to make peace.”
He pulled in a breath, but his voice still held pain as he said, “At one point she was sobbing so bad we could hardly understand her. It was clear, though, her scum of an ex had done some major damage to her psyche.”
The whole idea was hard to take in. Chad would have to do some research of his own about the situation. He fought for the underdog on a daily basis. Still, it was hard to see Toni that way. He’d have to think on the matter later when his mind wasn’t dulled from the pain medicine and he was a lot less frustrated with what had happened.
Speaking of that, he asked pointedly, “So, what was the deal with the place Dad and I are buying? She wasn’t making much sense. Talking about how we’d mutilated her house. About the place being her dream.” That was the ‘last straw’?
As he’d tried to think about other things while getting his arm set and the stitches, he’d wondered about her reasoning. She’d always gone after whatever she wanted full throttle. If she’d really wanted the house all these years, he could easily see her trying whatever crazy plan came to her mind to get it. Although destruction of property - like their sign - and assault and battery seemed a stretch.
“We’re fuzzy on that. She’s pretty depressed right now, won’t say much.”
“I’m sure your Mom will…” Chad stopped when he caught the frown on his friend’s face. “What else?”
Ted heaved a breath that seemed to come clear from his toes. “She’s still in jail.”
“What?”
“Still in jail.”
Chad gaped at him. “Surely Crampton didn’t…”
Ted nodded. “Yes, he did.” Disgust filled his face.
“Alex actually arrested her? Wasn’t hauling her away in cuffs enough?” He couldn’t believe Alex would have done such a thing. They were al
l friends, even Toni. Even a bit crazy Toni.
“My idiot sister insisted on it. She pressed him to do it no matter what he tried to tell her.” Ted looked more frustrated with his stubborn younger sister than Chad ever remembered seeing him. “The last I heard she was waiting for an attorney, except she doesn’t know who to call.”
Well, hell. Chad knew exactly who to call. He strode into the living room and straight to the end table where he’d set down his cell phone. Grumbling under his breath, he held the phone awkwardly in his good hand and thumbed in his Dad’s number.
He didn’t have a chance to speak before his father said, “Already on it, son, but it hasn’t been easy. Little Ms. Toni thought it was a conflict of interest for me to represent her. It took some doing, but her father finally convinced her to let me do so.”
“I’m going to have some words with Crampton tomorrow,” Chad said, feeling a headache that wasn’t related to his injuries coming on. He would call the judge, too, to get this matter dropped. “Thanks, Dad.”
When he disconnected and glanced at Ted, he found his friend grinning in amusement. “What’s so funny?”
“She still gets to you, doesn’t she?”
Chad remembered the night after his divorce and how he and Ted had gone out drinking. It wasn’t something he normally did, but he’d been a broken man that night. His ex-wife had shown a bitter, selfish side he’d never witnessed until that day. Pleased with being free again and with getting a hell of a settlement, she’d stopped him in the hallway outside the courtroom and admitted that she’d had an abortion several months before. She had a career in fashion design she planned to pursue and didn’t want to be burdened with a child to care for. She’d told him that since he was such a workaholic that he’d make a terrible father. So she’d made both of their lives easier.
Drunker than he’d ever been before, he’d told his friend about it. In his stupor, he’d told Ted that he’d never really loved Sandy. That he’d been in lust over Toni for years, until she’d run off to marry Stanley Beaton. Between her betrayal and Sandy’s betrayal, he’d sworn that he’d never trust another woman with his heart. Ted had denied that his sister had betrayed him, since they’d never actually dated. Logic hadn’t mattered then. He’d moved on from that point. Sandy had been right: his life revolved solely around his work.
“Those feelings are long gone.” Even if the first sight of her in six years had about stolen his breath. He cared only about her welfare now because she was his friend’s sister. Nothing more. Right. Who was he kidding?
Ted gave him a disbelieving look and moved toward the door. “She’s going to need help, that’s all I’m saying. Cut her some slack, okay?”
Chad took a second before saying, “I’ll try.” God, what a mess.
Chapter Two
From her childhood bed, Toni stared at the ceiling in her old bedroom and found comfort in the dark. What an awful day it had been! She’d had such hopes for starting a new life and burying her rocky past where she never had to face it again. All she’d wanted was to come home to Petersville, throw herself into remodeling the beloved Victorian house, and find her internal happy place once more. She wanted to adopt a cat or two; felines as independent and spirited as she’d been before Stanley. He’d done his best to destroy who she’d been at heart. Darn the lousiest excuse for a man!
God, what she’d done today wasn’t a good sign. It made her feel sick just thinking about everything. She was afraid it would take longer than she’d like to become “normal” again; sane.
If only her parents had told her that Chad and his father had moved their business into the house, she wouldn’t be in this mess. No, that wasn’t fair.
None of them had known she’d obsessed about this fantasy for most of her life. Sure, she’d talked about the abandoned house reverently, because it reminded her of a magical place. She’d always loved the fancy trim with the Victorian scrolls. As a child, many times she’d snuck over to the house and onto the wide, covered porch that wrapped the front and most of one side. The gazebo on one corner had fascinated her, as had the rounded three-story high turret. Back then, the house had badly needed painting and repairs. No one seemed to care about the house, except her. She’d even overheard some people in town calling it an eyesore that should be torn down.
First thing tomorrow she would call that lying, cheating realtor. She’d paid a lot of money already with the assurance that everything would be cleaned up with the title before long. It appeared that the Andersons had been somehow lied to and cheated, too, although they were attorneys. You’d have thought they were smarter than that. Evidently, the realtor was a real sneaky bastard, not the compassionate and helpful man he’d presented to her. She wondered if the actual owners even knew what was going on.
“Are you all right, sweetheart?” Her mother gave a quiet knock on the closed door and then opened it to peek inside the room. “We’ve been worried about you. You didn’t even eat supper before you came up here.”
Toni jerked upright, clamping a hand to her hammering heart from the surprise visit. “Yes, I’m fine,” she said in a rush. She wasn’t, though. “I needed some time to myself.”
She hadn’t wanted to replay with her family the horrific details of what she’d done and about going to jail. They already knew, anyway, other than knowing why she’d snapped. She was too embarrassed to talk about it. If only the whole incident could just be forgotten... But it couldn’t. She still had repercussions from the incident to deal with.
The savory, spicy scents of the Italian meal she had been unable to eat earlier still lingered in the house. In the light from the hallway, she saw concern creasing her mother’s softly lined face. “We just want you to know that we love you.”
Toni swallowed hard at the distress in her mother’s voice. “Thanks, Mom.”
Her mother probably expected to be invited into the room so they could discuss the matter. In the past they’d had many conversations here about so many things. They’d been close, even though she had tended to get into a lot of mischief with her friends during her teen years. And then she’d disappointed her parents; gone against them. She’d been so sure that Stanley Beaton, of the powerful Denver family, was the best man who would ever want her. Now, because of her bad decisions, she and her family were uncomfortable with each other. She regretted that. But she wasn’t up to talking right now.
“I’m really tired,” she said and lay back, hoping to be left alone peacefully. She wanted to get close to her mother again; just not yet.
“Okay, dear,” her mother’s tone held sadness and hope. “We can talk tomorrow.”
“Sure, Mom. Tomorrow.”
As the door closed again, Toni heaved a sigh. She wished she hadn’t broken down last night and revealed anything about her disastrous marriage. But she’d been tired from the stress of the last eight months, from driving all day, and from facing her family again. She didn’t remember exactly what had pushed her over the emotional edge, or what she’d said as she’d sobbed uncontrollably until she’d managed to run upstairs to be alone. Something about Stanley’s terrible temper, about him calling her vile names. What she did remember were her mother and brother’s horrified expressions. And the devastation on her father’s face; as if he should have protected her somehow and failed.
She knew that her family wanted to know more about what she’d gone through in her marriage. They wanted to be there for her now; take care of her. That’s what families did for each other. But she was ashamed of all of it; more ashamed of not having listened to their counsel when she should have. This was her problem alone to get beyond.
The situation from today was, as well. The violence in her marriage was not an excuse for the vicious behavior she’d shown today. She had to woman up and take control of her life; be responsible for her actions.
She’d been so irresponsible in the past, so blinded by Stanley’s attention…by what he offered her. He’d promised her a life that she would nev
er have been able to experience here in small town Kansas. What had she really gotten? Ruined.
Her reputation had been shattered by lies, lies, and more lies. She’d suffered through six months of pure hell while struggling to divorce a man who had wronged her. She’d faced more than skepticism about her accusations. No one had believed her at first. It hadn’t been easy finding an attorney who would even take her on as a client and file for a divorce. The Beatons were that influential.
Divorce. Just thinking of it was still difficult. Not the reality of it, but doing it…giving up on her marriage. You were supposed to love, honor, and obey. You were supposed to do that for the rest of your life. Or so she had been raised to believe. In spite of all that she’d gone through with Stanley, going against her beliefs had been hard.
Benjamin Hoolihan, the gray-haired, elderly lawyer she’d finally hired had, surprisingly, played hardball with Stanley and his family. He hadn’t been in awe of them as so many of the upper echelon in the city had been. He’d managed to get her more of a settlement than she’d even considered. She had enough money to last her a lifetime, if she was wise with her investments. All she’d wanted was to be free of the man who hadn’t really loved her, hadn’t honored their marriage vows, and obeyed no one but himself.
She curled her hands into fists, the nails digging into her palms. His betrayal of their marriage vows had shredded her pride. She had endured a lot during their last few unhappy years together. She’d left here a foolish, rebellious, starry-eyed young woman with no set purpose in her life other than getting away from here. She returned disillusioned, heart-bruised, and broken in spirit.
That wouldn’t last.
Drawing in a steadying breath, she went over the goals she and her therapist had worked out together: get her emotions leveled, find a new focus, and possibly get a job. Most importantly she would rebuild her self-confidence. Okay, she had a lot of work ahead of her, but she would get there.
