by Lois Kay
“I worry,” Lucy interrupted. There was sadness in her eyes Trishia had not seen before. Lucy cupped Trishia’s cheek, and her thumb gently stroked the tanned skin. “I worry about you,” she repeated. “I trust you, Trishia. I have faith in you, and if anyone can keep my family safe, I know it’s you. But when will you think about yourself for a change? And don’t tell me you’ll start doing that when this is over. I have known you for close to a year now, and I’ve seen how hard you work, the hours you put in and the energy it costs you. I know your work means a lot to you and I’m the last one who’d stand between you and your job.” Lucy shrugged and sent Trishia a wry smile. “Don’t think I’ve never considered that,” she confessed. “I have, but that would mean either losing you on the spot or losing you later because you’d resent me for it.” Lucy leaned forward until her forehead touched Trishia’s. She smiled and dropped a kiss on Trishia’s nose. “I know you are determined to keep the McDonnell clan and Alice safe, but promise me one thing, Trish.”
“What?” Trishia whispered.
“Don’t spread yourself too thin. Please?”
“I won’t,” Trishia answered in a husky voice. Lucy McDonnell never ceased to amaze her. The start of their relationship had been unexpected, fast and intense and sometimes Trishia couldn’t help wondering if they would ever be able to develop the kind of bond that Jody and Sam shared, or Megan and Sarah. So far, they had taken their relationship day by day, and in the beginning, Trishia had expected the attraction to subside until there would be nothing left but friendship, which she would have welcomed as well. But lately, Trishia had noticed some changes. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but more like a slow-growing bond between them. The passion was still there, but there was also more warmth, tenderness, and affection. They were completely at ease with each other, and after a day’s work, she didn’t look forward to seeing Lucy just for the physical attraction. She wanted to be with her because she made her feel complete. Lucy’s revelation about Trishia’s work had been an eye opener, and for the first time, Trishia was convinced Lucy’s feelings for her had grown deeper. That realization filled her with so much joy and gratitude it pushed away the darkness that had crept inside ever since she had seen the body on the beach. Suddenly, Trishia felt tears sting the back of her eyes, and she sucked in a deep breath. “I promise,” she repeated. “And I think we need to talk soon, you and I.”
Lucy smiled. “We will.” She brushed away a lone tear that threatened to roll down Trishia’s cheek. “I hope that talk also involves a bottle of chilled white wine, a comfy bed and lots of privacy.”
“Of course,” Trishia assured with a grin.
“Good,” Lucy said happily. “Let’s get up to the house and see what’s going on. I guess I need to dress appropriately. I don’t want Jody to think I am after her woman.”
“You’d better not,” Trishia growled playfully. She pulled Lucy into her arms, and for a moment she closed her eyes and let herself relax as she enjoyed the feel of the warm body in her arms and the scent of Lucy’s perfume that still faintly clung to her skin.
“Don’t worry,” Lucy chuckled, pulling Trishia’s face down for a quick kiss. “I like Sam, but she’s not my type.”
“Oh, and who is?” Trishia grinned.
Lucy tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, pretending to give the question serious thought. “Well, I always had a soft spot for that cute blonde, you know, the one who works at the Anzac bank? The one you gave a ride home after some punk stole her bike.”
“Oh, please,” Trishia laughed. “I’ll never live that down, will I? But if it’s any comfort to you, she was so not twenty-one years old yet, and I don’t rob the cradle.”
“She had the hots for you though,” Lucy accused, but her dark-green eyes sparkled.
“Until she laid eyes on you,” Trishia said with a laugh. “I think she literally drooled.”
“Poor kid,” Lucy chuckled, freeing herself from Trishia’s arms and grabbing a pair of shorts. “Talking about kids, we’d better get up to the house.”
“Yes,” Trishia agreed, suddenly reminded of the responsibility that was weighing heavily on her shoulders. “Let’s see how Alice is doing.”
Chapter 7
The bed was soft and comfortable, and a gentle hand brushed away the sweat soaked hair from her forehead. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but it was soothing, and it helped her to almost drift back to sleep. Until the memories came crashing back and Alice shot into a sitting position. For a moment, the fear was so intense she couldn’t breathe.
The unexpected movement almost made Jody jump, and she barely kept herself from tumbling off the edge of the bed. As soon as Alice noticed where she was and who was sitting so close to her, she relaxed and slowly exhaled. “What happened?” Alice sounded confused. She brought a hand to her head, aware of a rapidly growing headache.
“You fainted,” Jody said gently.
“I did?” Alice groaned and wondered if she could have made an even bigger fool of herself. Seeing the distress in Jody’s face, she felt the urge to apologize. She really wanted that worried expression to leave those beautiful green eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to do that.” Alice paused for a moment and cast down her gaze “I don’t want to be a burden, so maybe it’s better if I—.”
“You’re not a burden, Alice,” Jody interrupted. Seeing the startled blue eyes, she grabbed Alice ‘s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “So, don’t even think about leaving, okay? You’re welcome here. I don’t know what happened in your past, but whatever it was, it won’t change the way we feel about you. I want to be your friend, we want to be your friends. And there’s one essential rule about friendship my family values.”
“Here it comes,” Alice thought. “The conditions.” The combination of disappointment and the pounding headache made her feel nauseous, and for a moment she wished to be back on the streets again. At least it was a life she had grown accustomed to, and it was predictable. And people would leave her alone, because only a few had the courage to interact with social lepers, as Alice had cynically labeled herself.
“We stick by our friends, no matter what,” Jody said. Her voice was full of warmth and compassion.
“Oh… okay,” Alice stammered, feeling a profound sense of relief.
“We’d never turn away from you because you have some issues, Alice,” Jody continued her reassurance. “Now, if you were a chainsaw murderer, it might be different,” she joked gently, happy to see a smile on the girl’s face.
But the smile was quickly replaced by a worried expression, and a pair of troubled eyes avoided Jody’s. “What—.” Alice moistened her dry lips, and her heart hammered in her chest. Images from her dreams floated back into her memory. The smell of smoke and fire, the feeling of a body underneath her hands, the pleading eyes of… of somebody she once knew, she was sure of that. But who? “What if I did—.” She shivered. “… kill someone? Maybe that’s why I don’t remember. Maybe I blocked it out,” she whispered in despair.
Their conversation had taken an unexpected turn and Jody fell silent for a moment, pondering Alice ‘s words. What if Alice was right? Jody mentally slapped herself for her thought and shook her head. That was impossible. True, she had only known Alice for a short time, but there was nothing about the shy teenager that indicated she would have a criminal past. Of course, she could be severely mistaken, but Jody was someone who usually followed her instincts. And they had never guided her wrong before, so she decided to go with those feelings and see where they would lead her. “Alice, I understand you worry about the meaning of your dreams, because you have no recollection of what happened, but hear me out, okay?” Jody spoke in a quiet, but determined voice. “I have only known you for a short time, but I already know a few very important things about you. For starters, you rescued my mom from those two thieves. That was a courageous and utterly unselfish thing to do. To me, that means you’re a good person. You could have turned aroun
d and walked away, but you didn’t. You cared about what happened to my mom. And that shows me a lot about who you are, Alice. I don’t think a murderer would have done the same thing. Do you?”
Jody looked at Alice ‘s bowed head and after a few moments saw the girl shake her head.
“Another thing I’ve learned about you is that you seem to be very modest. You were the one with the nightmare, and then you worry about whether you’re a burden to us. I don’t think bad people would be so considerate, Alice. So, if you’d ask me if I believe that you could be responsible for somebody else’s death, I’d say ‘no, I don’t believe that.’”
Jody’s gently spoken words touched a place inside of Alice that had been empty and cold for a very long time. It was a part of her that had been filled with insecurity, despair, guilt, and shame. Feelings she had tried to ignore, but that had crept back into her dreams in the middle of the night. It often happened when she was too exhausted to fight her dark thoughts and shattered memories; when there was no protection against the demons of her nightmares. Jody’s heartfelt words had brought a ray of hope and Alice could feel the warmth settle inside her chest. Like gentle hands, tentatively reaching out to bring a healing touch, careful not to scare her away, or frighten her. It was a sensation she was not used to and the hope it brought along, filled her with wonder. Somebody believed in her. But it also brought back the pain she had been trying to push away for such a long time. It started with a distant ache in her chest that rapidly expanded. The sensation was overwhelming. Like a massive wave, it came rolling toward her, and there was no way for Alice to avoid the impact. Instinctively reaching out for Jody, she squeezed her eyes shut and let the emotions hit her with breathtaking force.
Jody felt Alice’s fingers close around her hands with a painful grip. She winced but managed to suppress a groan, reluctant to make Alice feel any worse than the girl already did. She could feel Alice’s tears fall on the back of her hands and for a moment, Jody closed her eyes, her empathy causing her to share some of the pain the teenager was going through. There was a flash of insecurity when she wondered if they would be able to help the troubled youth. But then Jody remembered something her father-in-law had said during his speech at their wedding:
“Girls, I could be a bore and ruin this perfectly happy day with a long speech about how to make a relationship work. But I won’t since it’s pretty simple, really; Let love be your guide. Love will help you overcome things like pride, mistakes, anger, and insecurities. Love is a force to be reckoned with. It’s the most powerful thing there is, don’t ever doubt that.”
The insecurity vanished and was replaced with a calm determination. Giving Alice a sense of safety that love provided was something she could do. She picked up the sound of a door closing, and with relief Jody realized Sam was back, hopefully bringing along Trishia, who might know what to do. Although her initial feelings of panic and worry had been replaced by a determination to be there for Alice, Jody knew the girl also needed help from a trained professional, who would know how to handle the memories and help her deal with her nightmares and trauma.
Subdued voices in the kitchen told her Sam was talking to Fiona and Jody wondered if she should leave Alice alone for a moment and hear from Sam what Trishia had said. But one look at Alice’s still bent head, made her decide against that. It was obvious the girl was in distress, and after she had confided in her, Jody didn’t want to leave her. Not while she was still upset. So, instead of leaving Alice, she scooted a little closer. Without letting go of her hands, she rested her cheek against soft, blond hair and smiled when Alice rested her head against her shoulder, steadily staining Jody’s t-shirt with the still flowing tears.
*
“Great idea, Fiona, thanks,” Sam praised when she came back into the kitchen and saw the steeping tea. “I need a cup of that.”
“Are Trishia and Lucy coming as well?” Fiona asked, putting cups on the kitchen table. She cast a look at Sam and saw the slightly confused look on her face.
“Don’t worry, I know everything about the busted water pipe,” Fiona deadpanned, seeing Sam’s confusion increase. “Jody told me.”
“Oh… um… she did, did she? Well… yeah. Right,” Sam stammered, not knowing how to respond to the teenager’s inquisitive eyes. Inwardly, she winced, knowing how hard it must have been for Jody to come up with a reasonable explanation for Trishia’s and Lucy’s presence in the guest house. Although Jody had a very vivid imagination, Sam knew she was a terrible liar. But it didn’t take her long to regain her composure. With a grateful smile, she accepted the mug of steaming tea from Fiona, and casually leaned against the countertop, answering Fiona’s piercing stare with a raised eyebrow. “Must be really awful, to come home and find your apartment flooded,” she said, sipping her tea.
“I bet,” Fiona answered, thoroughly enjoying the game. “They must have been really upset.”
“Well, you know Trishia, she’s pretty down to earth, so—.”
“Yeah, I guess she is,” Fiona agreed, pouring a cup of tea for herself. “I feel sorry for them. I know they were tired when they left here, and they must have wanted to go to sleep.” Fiona couldn’t hide the amusement in her voice, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Sam’s clear blue eyes looking at her with an expression of total distrust. It almost made her chuckle, but she decided to play the game for as long as she could. “Coming home to a mess like that and then having to drive all the way back here.” Fiona paused and waited for Sam’s reaction, which was one of calm indifference. But Fiona knew Sam better than that, and she knew her sister-in-law had caught on to the game when she saw the twinkle in her eyes. “Such a trouble to go through. Lucy’s place would have been so much closer and convenient,” she managed to get out without laughing.
Sam took another sip of her tea. Her eyes took in Fiona, who was sitting at the kitchen table, trying hard to present an innocent picture. Sam stepped closer and put her mug down on the table, resting her hands on the smooth wooden surface and leaning close toward Fiona, who did not show any sign of discomfort. Instead, her dark-green eyes reflected the amusement that was starting to show in Sam’s.
“You, Fiona McDonnell, are way too smart for your own good, you know that? I hope you didn’t make Jody squirm because she doesn’t deserve that and you know it.”
“No, I didn’t,” Fiona answered. “You know she’s a lousy liar. I saw straight through her little story. But she promised to tell me why Trishia and Lucy are here as soon as she can. In the meantime, I just keep my ears and eyes open. I guess that couldn’t hurt, huh?”
“I suppose not,” Sam mumbled, not knowing whether to be amused or annoyed. But then she realized that although Fiona was only a fifteen-year-old, at times, she had proven to be very mature. The way she had handled their captivity when they were taken hostage at Sarah’s and Megan’s house, less than a year ago, when she was only fourteen, had been impressive. And Sam knew her well enough to realize that Fiona could be reliable and dependable, as long as she was treated with honesty. She decided to discuss the situation with Trishia and ask her to inform Fiona about what was going on. After knowing the truth, she could be a great ally in their efforts to keep Alice safe. “Listen, Fi. I’ll talk to Trish about it, alright? Personally, I think it’s a good idea to keep you informed, but I don’t know how much Trish is allowed to share.”
“It’s a police case, it has to do with Alice, and you need permission,” Fiona added with an insight that never ceased to amaze Sam.
“Exactly.” Sam grinned when she saw Fiona’s mischievous smirk. “You’re such a smartass! I promise I will do my best, okay? But I have one request. In the meantime, please, do as you’re told?”
Fiona opened her mouth to respond, but when her eyes met Sam’s, and she saw the pleading look, she swallowed down her words and nodded.
Unexpectedly Sam bent over and quickly kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Fi,” she said, knowing that she would keep her promise. Fiona might be a
nnoying and opinionated at times and often so self-assured she was almost arrogant, but Sam knew she was also a caring person, who would rather chew off her right arm than to hurt or disappoint her family. Especially Jody.
The door was opened, and a tired Trishia and a still sleepy Lucy entered the kitchen. Lucy’s long, dark hair was in unusual disarray, and she was wearing her t-shirt inside out. It was perfect ammunition for a great teasing session, but Fiona bit her lip and decided to let it go. Instead, she silently filled two more mugs with steaming hot tea. When she put one in front of Lucy and handed the other one to the still standing Trishia, Sam sent her a grateful smile. In answer, Fiona winked and sat back in her chair, deciding to become invisible and try to find out as much as she could.
“Thanks, Fi, I needed that,” Lucy mumbled, burying her nose in her mug and inhaling the scent with a groan of pleasure.
Trishia smiled at Fiona, and even though she was drained, her brain was working full speed, and she was wondering how much Fiona had learned already and how much more they should give away. Again, the responsibility to keep Lucy’s family and Alice safe weighed heavy on her shoulders, and Trishia knew she could not afford to make any mistakes. She had come through for them before. But could she do it again?
It was as if Sam could read her thoughts because she felt a hand briefly touch her shoulder to give her an encouraging squeeze. When she looked up, it was straight into a pair of knowing blue eyes that looked at her with trust and compassion. And even though Sam was not a police officer, Trishia knew she could rely on her to keep a watchful eye on their loved ones. Sam had proven before to be smart, strong and courageous. And suddenly Trishia felt part of the load being lifted from her shoulders. She had the support of the entire police station, her partner Peter, whom she knew would go to hell and back for her. And she had Sam, who had become one of her best friends and who was reliable and solid as a rock. Trishia took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, shooting Sam a grateful smile. They could do it. No matter what they needed to do, or how to do it, together they could keep their family safe.
