by Lori Leger
She smiled and kissed both girls’ foreheads. “It’s a mom thing, I guess. I always could see a difference in them. Failing that, Sammie has a tiny beauty spot on her right leg, and Dannie has one on her neck.”
He checked out the birthmarks and shook his head. “Won’t do me a bit of good because I’ll forget which one had which. They sure are two little beauties, though.” Danni turned her brown eyed gaze toward him and gave him a huge toothless grin as she grabbed his nose with both hands. He pulled back, made a funny face, and beamed as she gave him a belly laugh.
“She likes you, Detective. You must have kids of your own.”
Mike pulled his gaze away from the drooling, chuckling baby long enough to see Sarah’s amused expression. “Nope, no kids, but most all my co-workers have at least one. Their kids come in to the station every now and then, and they love me. It must be the height.”
He held the child in a one armed football grip while coaxing her into a belly laugh with his other hand.
“You’re a natural with kids, unlike their father,” she said, looking on. “I hate that he’s out there somewhere, trying to get to us…free to do whatever he wants.”
Mike felt his features tighten with anger at the thought of the monster she’d tried so desperately to flee. “We’ll keep you safe, Sarah.”
She shrugged and emitted a shaky sigh. “While I’m in here, sure, but I know from experience there’s not much you can do once they release me. Troy has a way of sliding right out of sticky situations.”
He shook his head angrily. “Not this time. Everyone at the station is dedicated to keeping that slimy son of a b … uh … I mean your ex away from you and these two babies.”
She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “It’s okay—he is a slimy son of a bitch.” She hugged her daughter tightly then let her own head fall back on the sofa. “I can’t figure out how I got into this mess. I had two loving parents, and my brother and I grew up so close.”
“The report says you lost your mother to cancer fifteen years ago, when you were just fourteen and your father to a massive stroke five years later. And if I’m remembering correctly, your only sibling is a brother who’s in the military?”
“Yep, Master Sargent Mitchell Hebert,” she said, proudly. “He’s been a Marine for thirteen years…he’s in Fallujah.” She cupped her child’s head gently. “I never thought I’d be the type to exist in an abusive relationship.”
Mike listened attentively, praying he wouldn’t have to deal with tears. To his relief, she didn’t seem to be extremely emotional, as much as she was curious.
He stretched his leg out and repositioned baby Danni on his thigh. “Look, Sarah, by the time you were nineteen, you’d basically lost your entire family in one way or another. The combination of those events had to be downright devastating for you.”
She bit her bottom lip thoughtfully as she pulled her daughter’s head closer. “I suppose I was looking to fill the void of my brother and father’s absence…or trying to find someone to take care of me. Boy,” she said, snorting. “Did I fall short of that mark, or what?”
Mike raised one hand while keeping his hold on Danni with the other. “I’m just a cop, Sarah, not a therapist. I am curious to know how long you were with him before he started abusing you.”
“He used to hang around with my brother when they were in high school. He left town, I graduated, went to technical college for office administration, got a job at the local hospital. Four years ago he came back to town and asked me out. I married him a year later. The first year was okay; we got into one shoving match during an argument but nothing serious. He slapped me once just after our first anniversary. I threatened to leave him then, but he knew I had no place to go, and no one around to help me. It gradually got worse and by the time I was ready to walk out for good, I discovered I was pregnant. He begged me to stay, said he wouldn’t hit me anymore, and he didn’t throughout the pregnancy.”
She reached out to touch the daughter Mike was bouncing on his knee. “When the girls were two weeks old he said he had the opportunity to make better money, but we’d have to relocate. It had been so good, and I believed him when he said he’d changed.” She shook her head slowly. “I couldn’t see it then, Detective Harper. But I see now, how well he planned everything. Once he had me isolated from anyone I knew, he had me where he wanted me…completely dependent on him because of the babies. He controlled everything…turned me into a prisoner in my own home.”
“Why didn’t you call your brother?”
“Mitchell had enough to worry about over there.” She turned her stern gaze toward Mike. “He still does. I don’t want him bothered with this. Do you understand?”
Mike nodded, even knowing that they may have to deal with a good and pissed-off Marine if he paid his sister an unexpected visit anytime soon. “I can understand how you wouldn’t want him distracted over there.”
“That’s exactly right. I’d like to hang onto the only family I have left, other than my babies. Speaking of which, let’s switch babies now,” she said, probably looking to change the subject.
He took Sammi, and handed Danni gently over to her.
Sarah nuzzled her daughter’s soft hair and pressed kisses all over her face. Danni giggled and cooed then began to chew her fingers while drooling. “This one is about to cut a tooth.”
“How can you tell?”
Sarah placed one finger inside the child’s mouth and massaged her gums. “Feel that.”
He placed his finger in Danni’s mouth and frowned when he felt her swollen gums. “Poor baby, that’s got to be painful.”
She asked the sitter for a tube of something then handed it to Mike. “It can be, but it’s easier for her if you rub this on her gums. It doesn’t taste too good but it numbs it so it won’t hurt as much.”
Mike did as he was told and laughed at the face the infant made. He sobered quickly as a thought crossed his mind. “Has he ever abused the girls?”
She shook her head adamantly. “Never, and I know that for a fact because I’ve never left them alone with him—not for one solitary second.” Her tear-filled gaze flicked back and forth between her daughters. “I’d kill him before I let him hurt my babies. I know it’s a sin, but if I had a gun in my hand and he walked through that door, I could do it, just to make damn sure he never lays a hand on them. Of course,” she added with a bitter laugh, “I’d get thrown in prison and my children would be without a mother.”
Mike swore quietly under his breath. “You don’t have to worry about that happening, Sarah. We’re going to keep him away from you and the girls.”
Sarah turned to face him. “You can’t promise that. Can your department watch me twenty-four hours a day for the rest of my life? Even if you catch Troy tomorrow, it’s not likely he’d spend much time in jail. The second he’s out, he’ll be looking for me.” She shook her head. “I’ve got to find a way to relocate—to disappear—or all this protection will be for nothing.”
Mike set his jaw in a determined show of stubbornness. “Then I’ll help you start a new life in a new area. You said you worked in a hospital before you married Troy?”
“I worked part time in an insurance office while I was in school then in a hospital. I wasn’t rolling in the big bucks, but it was respectable enough.” She passed her hand softly over her daughter’s rosy cheek. “I could provide for them, but I’ve been out of the loop for a few years. I may have trouble finding a job right away.” Suddenly she dropped her head back and groaned. “Who am I kidding? I’ve got no car, no way to replace the one I lost, and no place to stay. It all seems so unbelievably hopeless.”
Mike placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Hey, I don’t want to see defeat on that face of yours, you hear me, Sarah? I have some connections in Lake Coburn—really good people who may be able to help you. I know it’s only two hours from where you were living before, but would you mind if I made some calls on your behalf?”
S
he looked hopefully up at him. “I can’t …”
“Think about it before you say no, Sarah. I know people over there that can protect you.”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t going to say no, Detective Harper. I have two children to think about, and I can’t afford the luxury of pride. I’d appreciate any scrap of help you can give me.”
He nodded in agreement. “I won’t be able to make any phone calls until tonight or Sunday, but you’ll be here for another three days, so as soon as I know something, I’ll contact you.”
Mike walked back outside and went to the nurse’s station to ask for a cup of coffee, never losing sight of Sarah’s door. After settling in the chair placed outside the door, he wondered if Angelique’s employer would be willing to give Sarah a shot at working for him. He couldn’t wait for tonight to speak to her about it.
Mike stretched out his long legs and crossed them at his booted ankles. He took a sip of coffee, leaned his head back against the wall, and wondered if Sarah would get the fresh start she and her two babies so desperately needed. Maybe this would turn out to be her singular, life-altering occurrence that would change all of their lives.
What was that old saying his grandmother had repeated dozens of times over the years? Our destiny is shaped around the people we meet in our lifetimes. He sensed his own destiny shifting and reshaping to admit Sarah Richard and her daughters into his circle of friends and acquaintances. He could almost feel the subtle change in the air, as though futures were being remapped before his eyes.
CHAPTER 10
Tanner pulled his Lexus into the driveway of his parents’ home. “Here we are. Be it never so humble …”
Angelique swung her long legs out of the car and stood up, stretching the kinks out of her back. She pulled her sun glasses off to get a better look at the spacious grounds, sculpted lawn, and landscaped flower beds. She turned to observe the contemporary style of the home inside the ritzy gated community on the outskirts of Houston. “Oh, mais non! How do people live in such squalor?”
Her exaggerated gasp brought a genuine smile to Tanner’s lips. “All right smart ass.” He walked around to her side of the car to meet her. “I didn’t grow up here. They bought this about five years ago. What do you think?”
She paused long enough to put her sunglasses back on then turned his way. “I prefer more classic lines in a home, actually. It seems really new, and … spacious,” she said, trying her best to sound like she meant it.
Tanner’s chest rumbled with laughter. “It’s atrocious, isn’t it? One day mother decided she’d had enough of living in a home built with classic good taste. I still can’t believe she convinced dad to buy this monstrosity.” He looked up at the house and shook his head. “At least he had the good sense to hang on to the other house and not sell it. Now that is a truly beautiful home. I guess it’s mine if ever I decide to move back to Houston.”
Angelique smiled at him before looking down at her casual slacks, blouse, and comfortable leather shoes she’d worn for shopping. “Suddenly, I’m feeling a little underdressed.”
“Don’t be silly, Angel. It’s just a house. Hell, I’m dressed as casually as you are.”
“You’re wearing Ralph Lauren, Tanner. Not to mention Oakley sunglasses that probably set you back a few hundred bucks,” she hissed. “You could have warned me, you know. A person never gets a second chance at making a first impression.”
He pushed his shades up into his blond hair and beamed down at her. “You’re stunning no matter what you wear.”
She grinned mischievously. “All that charm going to waste. Just remember, flattery will still get you absolutely nothing but friendship.”
He nodded before offering his arm, bent at the elbow. “Understood. Shall we go?”
Celine Collins narrowed her eyes in disapproval as she watched her son from the window of her formal sitting room. “Oh, dear, just look what the cat’s drug home this time. He truly is your son, Justin.”
Justin Collins raised his bright blue eyes to meet his wife’s icy countenance. “If he’s not, somebody owes me for college and med school.”
Celine released a disgruntled sigh. “Everything’s about money to you, isn’t it?”
“It replaces many things,” he told his wife.
“Well, it can’t replace breeding. The creature our son is about to bring into this house obviously has neither. You really must speak to him about this, dear.”
Tanner led Angelique into the living room, his hand placed gently on the small of her back. “Anybody home?” he called out.
“Of course we’re home, son. You informed us you would be arriving this morning.” Celine walked stiff backed up to her son and offered her cheek to him. “However, you neglected to tell me you were bringing a … guest.”
Tanner stiffened at his mother’s tone, but gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, anyway. “Mother, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, Angelique Baptiste. Angelique, this is my mother, Celine Collins.”
Angelique had noticed the slight hesitation in the woman’s obviously displeased comment. Undaunted, she lifted her chin and pulled her shoulders back to meet the woman’s judgmental gaze head on. She reached out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Collins.”
Even a head shorter than Angelique, the older woman still managed to look down her aristocratic nose at her guest. She touched Angelique’s hand for the barest second then brought her linen handkerchief up to her nose in distaste. “Mmm … yes,” she said, before turning away abruptly.
Angelique pulled her hand back quickly, knowing better than to feel hurt by the snub. She turned as a tall, silver haired man entered the room.
“Hello, son,” he said to Tanner.
“Dad, this is Angelique Baptiste, a very good friend of mine,” he said, as though warning him.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Baptiste. Is that French?”
“You also, sir. Yes, Baptiste is French, as well as my first name,” she told him.
“From Louisiana, I’m supposing.”
“You supposed correctly,” she said, bowing her head slightly. “I was born and raised in Lafayette, but I’m currently living in Lake Coburn for my work.”
“Your work? What is it you do?” Justin asked her.
Before Angelique had a chance to answer, Celine interrupted. “Oh dear, don’t put the girl on the spot; she may not want to discuss her work with us.” She turned away in dismissal.
Angelique stared at the woman in disbelief then spared a look in Tanner’s direction. Judging by his horrified expression, he hadn’t expected his mother to be quite so ungracious. She cleared her throat and leaned in to whisper something in his ear.
Tanner nodded and pointed her in the direction of the powder room down the hallway. Once she was behind the closed door he turned on his mother.
“What the hell was that?” he demanded angrily. “You just treated a friend of mine like—”
She turned on him and interrupted in a quiet, but cold voice. “Like what, Tanner? Like the white trash she is? How dare you bring that creature into our home,” she hissed.
Tanner stood there, his mouth gaping, at a complete loss for words. He turned toward his father hoping to get a better reaction from him.
Justin raised his hand to stop him from speaking. “Really, son, what did you expect would happen by bringing her here? I’ve got to agree with your mother on this one.”
Celine turned on her husband. “And you asked about her work.”
“I know, dear; thank God you had the foresight to stop me.”
Tanner looked from one to the other of them. “Just what is it you think she does for a living?”
“Really son, how do you pay her? By the hour or by the day?” his mother demanded.
Tanner clutched at his head. “She’s not a prostitute!” he hissed at his mother. “She’s the office manager for a radiation therapist in Lake Coburn. I can’t believe you two.”
“Well, just lo
ok at her,” Celine hissed back at him, waving her arm toward the powder room door. “She looks as though she has, as if she’s not—”
Tanner’s face tightened in anger. “As if she’s not what?”
After a moment of searching, Celine finally spit out what she’d been dying to say. “As if she’s not Caucasian As if she’s a mixed breed. A cur!”
Tanner’s left brow lifted as he cocked his head slightly to the side. He gave one good snort of derision and began to laugh.
Celine stared at her son angrily. “I fail to see the humor in this situation.”
Tanner calmed himself enough to answer her. “Of course not, mother. You fail to see the humor in any situation.”
“The boy has a point, dear,” Justin told his wife, earning a glare from her.
“And you know why?” Tanner continued. “It’s because you’re a cold hearted bitch who thinks she’s above everyone else.”
Celine’s pointed features seemed to draw up even tighter. “You see, hanging around trash like that has you talking as they do. I won’t have my own son speak to me in my home that way.” Her tone indignant and superior.
“Not a problem, mother. I won’t be in your home much longer, I can promise you that,” he shot back, furious with her. He turned to his father. “I came here to sign some papers for a will, but on second thought, just forget about it. I don’t want a damn thing from either of you.”
His father grabbed his arm. “Now just hold on, son. Are you going to put some piece before your mother and I? We’ll be your parents long after you’ve finished with her and have thrown her away. Take it from me, girls like that are fun to have around during a slow week, but you never bring them home to meet your parents.”
Before Tanner could reply, Angelique cleared her throat from the doorway of the room.
Tanner spun in her direction, expecting to find her in tears, or at the very least wearing a horrified expression. What he saw was a woman who stood calmly, shoulders back, chin lifted proudly, in as near a regal demeanor as he’d ever seen. At that moment, he could have believed her to be a descendant of royalty.
