Resolved Memories (Sycamore P.D. Series Book 3)

by T. E. Killian

  Sven frowned down at Wayne who took note of just how far down that was. “I hope you’re not going to get smart with us.”

  “No. I was just stating a fact, that’s all.” He hoped that was sincere enough for them.

  Sven continued to glare at him a moment longer then seemed to loosen up slightly. At least Wayne thought he saw just a hint of a smile now.

  “Okay. Here is what we want to talk about . . . you and our little sister.”

  Wayne barely managed not to groan. It didn’t take a genius to figure that one out.

  Sven continued, “We want to make sure you don’t hurt her. Do you understand?”

  Again, a given. “Yes.”

  Wayne looked from one to the other of the huge men. That was when he just happened to notice that they all had their guns and badges on their belts. Not good! If they were out to intimidate him, they certainly didn’t need guns and badges to do that.

  He realized that they expected him to say more. “I want you three to know that this is all new to me. I’ve never loved a woman before . . .”

  “Hold on! Are you saying you love Sonia?”

  Wayne’s head snapped around at the volume in Bjorn’s voice coming from his other side.

  When the pain from that sudden move subsided, he tried to keep his voice calm but loud enough for all three to hear him clearly. “Yes, I love Sonia and I want a future with her.”

  They all three started talking at once but Wayne shouted them down which caused even more pain to shoot through his head.

  “I think that the three of you need to talk to your sister about this now. I don’t know for sure, but I think she’s beginning to love me too.”

  Wayne was sure he’d gone too far this time if the mean looks he was getting from all three big men was any indication. Then, Sven suddenly started for the door and without a word, the other two followed him out.

  Just when Wayne was beginning to hope that they weren’t coming back, the door opened and he knew he wasn’t going to be so lucky.

  The three big men stomped back into the room and resumed their previous positions around Wayne’s bed. Again, Sven spoke for the others. But first, he pulled a chair up to the bed, sat down, and leaned over the bed with his face less than a foot away from Wayne’s.

  “I’ve interviewed hundreds of suspects over the years and I can always tell when they are telling me the truth or not.”

  He paused apparently to let that sink in. “Look me in the eye and tell me that you honestly love Sonia and that you would never knowingly hurt her.”

  Wayne didn’t know what to think of that but knew he had to do what Sven told him to do and do it quickly.

  “I honestly love Sonia with all my heart and I will never knowingly hurt her.”

  No one said anything and for several seconds no one moved. Then Sven stood and left the room again with his brothers in tow. If this wasn’t so important to Wayne, he might have laughed at the antics of Sonia’s big brothers.

  This time, he was ready when they all came stomping back into his room. They all stopped at the foot of the bed the way they had been when he had awakened earlier.

  They stood there staring at him for a long moment then Sven said, “We approve!”

  Before Wayne could respond in any way, they left again and this time he knew they wouldn’t be back. It had to have taken a lot of will power for those three overprotective big brothers of Sonia’s to give him their approval. He knew they had never done that before and once he got over his anger at their tactics, he felt honored.

  His phone ringing interrupted those pleasant thoughts. He was almost afraid to answer it thinking it might be the guy who had threatened him the previous night.

  When he did answer though, Sonia said, “Put Sven on the phone please.”

  Wayne laughed and Sonia yelled through the phone at him. “This is not funny Wayne. Those big boneheads have gone too far this time. Have they threatened you in any way?”

  Wayne couldn’t stop laughing even though he knew it was making Sonia angrier by the second. Finally, he was able to gain control.

  “Sonia, there’s nothing to worry about. They were here but they’ve already gone.”

  “What did they do to you? If they even laid one finger on you I’m going to knock some sense into all three of them.”

  “Sonia, please calm down. Everything is okay. In fact it’s great.”

  That stopped her in midsentence. “What did you say?”

  “I said that everything is fine. Your brothers have all given me their approval to be with you.”

  The silence on the other end lasted for a full minute as Sonia was obviously digesting what he had just said.

  “One more time, Wayne. What did you just say?”

  “I said that they approve. Sven got right in my face and made me tell him that I love you and would never hurt you so he could see if I was telling the truth or not.”

  The silence was shorter this time. “Well, I’ll be. That is the most unbelievable thing that has ever happened to me. Are you sure all three of them approved?”

  He had to laugh again. “Yes, Sonia, Sven made it very clear that he was speaking for all three of them.”

  She giggled. His tough police detective lieutenant actually giggled?

  “Wayne, Sven never speaks for the others. It’s usually Bjorn who does the talking like he did that time I took you to Sven’s house. The other two are much quieter than he is. If Sven did the talking, then that’s proof enough for me.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Friday morning, Sonia had mixed emotions as she stepped off the elevator and turned down the corridor toward Wayne’s hospital room. Wayne was getting out of the hospital this morning. She was dreading it yet she was also anticipating the time she would be spending with him in his home.

  She was still amazed by what Wayne had told her about his visit from her three big brothers yesterday. Wayne had said that Sven, speaking for all three of them, had actually told Wayne that they approved of him. Well, that was just great, but did anyone think to ask her what she thought about Wayne? First, her dad then her mother and now her brothers were all putting her together with Wayne. The question was, did she approve of Wayne? Did she want to be with Wayne?

  She didn’t have to think about those questions for very long though. She knew in her heart that she was falling for him in a big way. She couldn’t really say when her feelings for Wayne had started to change, but she knew they were and that they were still changing. But most of all, it all just felt right.

  When she was twenty feet from Wayne’s room, she heard the sounds of many voices and they seemed to be coming from his room. Just as she approached the door, it opened and a stream of people began coming out.

  The first two out the door were Wayne’s grandparents, followed closely by Kelly with Gwen in her carrier, then Sonia’s three brothers. The last to come through the door was her parents followed by Wayne who was being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse’s aide.

  Sonia stopped and watched as they all came toward her. When Wayne saw her, he called out to her. By then, the wheelchair was in the lead and it stopped directly in front of Sonia. Everyone else stopped behind it. They all seemed to be anticipating something.

  Sonia only hesitated for a moment before she stepped forward, leaned down, and kissed Wayne. They all cheered.

  She quickly turned away from the rest and the aide began pushing the wheelchair toward the elevator again. She couldn’t face any of them, especially Wayne. Her face was burning so much that she knew it had to be a bright red. She just kept walking toward the elevator trying to keep her face turned away from all the rest. She knew she would hear plenty from her brothers later.

  When they all made it to the hospital main entrance, they stopped again. Sonia turned to Wayne and said, “Wait right here for a minute and I’ll go get my car.”

  When she stopped her car and jumped out, the nurse’s aide was gone but everyone else was still there
watching her as she helped Wayne into the front seat. She was glad she had driven her unmarked Crown Vic. As it was, she had to pull the seat back all the way and still just barely managed to get his left leg in with its full-length cast. Once that was accomplished, she looked down at the special wheelchair and immediately realized that because of the special platform for his leg, it didn’t fold like most wheelchairs. Therefore, it wouldn’t fit into her car.

  Sven stepped up and said, “I’ll take that Sis. I’ll just set it in the back of my pickup.”

  With that, she and Wayne were off to his house. She wasn’t sure how many of the others would follow, but at least Sven would with the chair.

  Before they even left the hospital parking lot, Sonia had a sudden thought and stopped the car. She turned to Wayne and said, “Wayne, I just realized that I don’t know where you live.”

  He laughed and said, “Just go up the mountain like you’re going to my grandparents’ estate and I’ll direct you once we’re up there.”

  When they arrived, Sonia wasn’t too surprised to see that Wayne’s house was a large two level brick home with immaculate desert landscaping. She tried not to let that intimidate her. She and Wayne had gone over the differences in their backgrounds too much and it truly didn’t matter anymore.

  Sonia also wasn’t surprised that everyone who had been at the hospital had followed them up to Wayne’s house. Maybe that was good since they would all act as a buffer between her and Wayne for a while.

  When she pushed Wayne through the front door in his wheelchair, she was overwhelmed by the great room that they were entering. She had expected a bachelor pad type of place since Wayne had been that type of man before. But no, she was surprised to see a very homey room with a soft color scheme of light shades of blues and browns.

  The shock must have shown on her face and Wayne was watching her. “Surprised?”

  She looked down and could only nod her head.

  He laughed and reached for her hand. “I wanted to surprise you. I know what you expected to see, and that’s pretty much what it was like before I asked Kelly and Grandmother to supervise the redecorating.”

  “When?”

  He laughed harder this time. “Last week!”

  She looked down at him then and she could tell from the look on his face that he had done all this for her. She leaned down and kissed him and this time it was more than a peck.

  Sven clearing his throat loudly brought Sonia back to the realization that they not only had an audience, but it consisted of his whole family and hers too.

  An hour later, all of her family and Wayne’s were gone and it was finally just the two of them. Sonia was sitting on a sofa across from the wingback chair that Wayne was sitting in with both legs up on the matching ottoman.

  She knew she needed to update Wayne on her status, but was dreading it in a way. She was sure that he would be happy to learn that she would be staying there 24/7, but she still wasn’t sure how it was going to work out.

  If she had been there simply as a police officer guarding a private citizen whom she didn’t know, it would have been relatively easy. But that wasn’t the case, in fact it was far from it. How could she manage to do her job without their feelings for each other interfering?

  “Wayne?”

  Wayne had been staring at the door where the last of their relatives had gone through only minutes before. He turned his gaze on her.

  “You need to know that the chief has basically put me here full time.”

  “What do you mean? Aren’t you still going to be going in to your office and working on this case?”

  “No. Wayne, no one else can know this, but the chief has officially placed me on administrative leave until this case is closed. He is giving my safety as the reason. Actually, and of course unofficially, he is placing me on special assignment to protect you 24/7 and in the process keep myself safe too.”

  He shook his head. “Wow! Your chief sounds like he really has our welfare at heart.”

  She smiled. “Yes, he does, but he has to be very careful how he does it though. I can’t give you any details and especially not names yet, but there are some political figures involved in this case. We have to be very careful how we approach it.”

  She reached into her purse and pulled out his .357. Handing it to him, she said, “Wayne, I trust you to handle this properly.”

  He looked up into her face and smiled. “Thank you Sonia. I won’t let you down.”

  Just then, the doorbell rang. It was the nurse who would be with them for the first forty-eight hour shift. After Sonia checked her ID carefully, she let the woman in.

  Sonia took that opportunity to bring in her things from her car and she and the nurse both settled into their rooms.

  It wasn’t until after dinner that Sonia and Wayne were able to talk privately again. His housekeeper had gone home for the night and the nurse was in her room. Wayne was in the same chair with his legs up on the ottoman and Sonia was sitting across from him on the sofa.

  She watched the expressions pass across his face knowing that he was working up the nerve to say something or more likely ask her something.

  Finally, he leaned forward and said, “Sonia, I’ve told you how much I love you. Both of your parents have given me their approval. All three of your brothers have given me their approval. And, for what it’s worth, my grandparents and Kelly have all given their approval of you too.”

  He stopped as if gathering his thoughts. She wasn’t sure what was coming, but she had a suspicion, so she just waited for him finally to get it out.

  He cleared his throat and grabbed a glass of water off the end table next to him. After he took a big gulp, he fired his words out like an automatic weapon.

  “Sonia, with all of our relatives giving their approval or blessing on us, I want to know if there actually is an ‘us.’”

  When he finished, he fell back in his chair and stared at her, waiting for her to answer.

  Answer? How could she possibly come up with an answer to that question?

  She took a deep breath and dove right in. “Wayne, right now, both of us need to concentrate on staying alive. These guys mean business. They’ve already killed three times and they won’t hesitate to kill both of us if they feel the need and are given the opportunity.”

  She leaned forward beseeching him to understand. “I don’t want our feelings for each other to get in the way of our safety.”

  He was still staring at her and she knew she would have to say more, make some sort of statement or commitment.

  She blew out her breath. “Okay, Wayne. I think I’m falling in love with you and if we both survive this ordeal we find ourselves in, I also think that there will be an ‘us’ when it’s all over.”

  She leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she saw Wayne sitting there with his legs immobile but holding out his arms to her.

  She didn’t question her motives, but it seemed the most natural thing in the world to walk over to him and lean down into his embrace. She’d have to analyze all of this later.

  * * *

  Wayne was getting tired and both of his legs were aching but there was no way he wanted the evening to end this early. It wasn’t quite eight yet. He wanted to spend much more time with Sonia. He could sit and look at her all night. She was so beautiful with her shiny, white blond hair hanging down her back almost to her waist and her bright blue eyes looking at him out of that face with such a smooth creamy complexion.

  He still had trouble believing that she had ever given him the time of day. Yet, he was extremely thankful for that and he stopped right then just to thank God for her in his mind. Then it dawned on him what he had just done. He had prayed to God. Yes, he was a different man now, more so since he had accepted the Lord.

  He’d had a lot of time to think during the two long days he’d spent in the hospital. He had thought a lot about Sonia but he’d also thought about his new relati
onship with God, about how he knew God had spared him in that wreck the other day. But why? His mind was a blank, but then suddenly part of the answer was there. If God had spared him then it had to be that God had more for him to do on this earth. But what? He knew that he’d just have to figure that out on his own.

  He wanted to talk to Sonia about their relationship. Especially now since she seemed to be more receptive than she’d ever been. Last night, she had basically admitted that they did have a relationship. He had his proof in the fact that their embraces and especially their kisses were not only getting more frequent, but also more intense.

  “Sonia?”

  She looked up from the file folder she had spread out on her lap. “Yes?”

  He let out his breath in a loud sigh. “I guess there’s only one way to start this so here goes. As you know Harry left Kelly and me when we were little kids and never came back . . . at least not alive.”

  She didn’t say anything, just sat there as if anticipating what he might say next, which was one of the many things he liked about her. She was patient with him when he had trouble putting his thoughts or emotions into words.

  “I’ve hated that man all my life and there was nothing I wanted more than to be able to get right in his face and tell him what I thought of him.”

  He looked down at his hands, which were clenched into fists in his lap. “I was even denied that when he was killed in Afghanistan.”

  Sonia maintained her silence but her eyes were looking into his eyes and he could tell she was trying to figure out where he was going with all this.

  Before he could begin again, she left the room and came back quickly with a chair from the dining room. She placed it next to his chair and sat in it facing him. Still, without a word she reached out to take both of his hands in hers.

  Now, he knew he could continue because he knew she was giving him all the attention and support he needed.

  When he felt he was ready to continue, he was embarrassed to realize that his eyes were tearing and he couldn’t wipe them, with his hands in Sonia’s.