Kenna shoved the phone into her pocket. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you came back. I couldn’t wait, I needed to get home.” Kenna stared her down, her stance combative. “You see me now, and you can see I’m fine. It can’t be coincidence that you’re driving down my road. How do you know where I live?”
“I’m a private investigator, it’s my job to find people.”
“So what? You tracked me down?” Kenna frowned. “That’s got to be an invasion of privacy or something. I’m grateful to you for helping us out the other day, but I don’t want to talk to you. I gave you a fake name so I wouldn’t have to talk to you.”
She was tense. Suspicious. Her jaw clenched tight and her back ramrod straight. But there was no fear in her; the girl was fueled by anger.
“I believe fate brought you to me,” Ali said softly. ““I believe I saw the marks on your back for a reason, and that reason was to help you.”
Kenna shook her head, her eyes widening. “I told you that was none of your business.”
“If someone is being hurt, that’s always my business. I can’t stand by if you’re in a dangerous situation. I need to help.”
“You don’t understand…”
“Then help me to understand. Make me understand. Tell me what happened to you.”
Kenna started to walk past Ally, but she grabbed her arm.
“Kenna?” A man dashed across the road toward them. He was in his fifties, and dressed in overalls. “Is this woman bothering you?”
Ally’s hand fell from Kenna’s arm.
“No, Dad, we were just talking.”
“That’s not what it looks like to me.” Kenna’s father loomed over Ally, anger flashing in his dark eyes. “Who are you, and what do you want with my daughter?”
She’d been clear, very clear, that she didn’t need help. And the reasons Ally gave for going to see Kenna alone were measured and logical. Jace had told Rory he wouldn’t interfere, and the trust between father and son was sacred, something he never intended to break. But when he saw the man talking to Ally on the street, it took everything Jace had not to leave the car he’d parked out of sight a little distance away and rush to her aid.
She was a professional. She could handle herself. These were the words she spoke to him before leaving. She’d be angry to know he followed. Furious to realize he disobeyed her very clear commands.
But dammit, he cared about her, and there was no way he could countenance her walking into a dangerous situation alone.
Then the guy put his hands on his hips. Even at a distance, Jace thought he caught a flash of fear on Ally’s face, and that was it. He was out of the car in a heartbeat striding up the sidewalk to the little group.
Ally’s eyes widened when she saw him coming, and she shook her head as if entreating him not to interfere. He ignored her.
Kenna turned at his approach and her mouth gaped open. “What the fuck?” She glanced at her father. “Sorry, Dad.”
“Jace, you shouldn’t be here.” Just as anticipated Ally was furious. “Go away.”
“I don’t know who you are, what you think you’re playing at, but me and my daughter are out of here.” Kenna’s father took her arm.
“I just want to talk to Kenna,” Ally said. “I think she’s in trouble, and I won’t let you take her away.” Ally got right up in his face, eyes blazing.
Kenna’s father stopped and stared at Ally with astonishment. He turned to his daughter. “Kenna? What the hell have you got yourself into?”
“I met this lady a few days ago. She thinks something that isn’t true.”
Kenna’s father turned to Ally. “I don’t know what you think my daughter has done, but I can tell you now she’s a good girl, and whatever you’re accusing her of she hasn’t done.” He looked Ally up and down. “People like you are so quick to judge. Just because she dyes her hair and likes to dress like a wild kid doesn’t mean she is one. So what is it you think she’s done? Stolen something? I’ll tell you now she’s done no such thing. My girl’s an outstanding member of this community. You have no right to even speak to her without a parent present.”
“It’s not what she’s done, it’s what you’ve done.”
As Kenna’s father and Ally squared off in the street, Jace stepped closer, ready to hit the guy if he threatened her further.
“Me?” The man’s shoulders slumped. “You think I…”
“She saw my back, Dad. She thinks you hit me.” Kenna whirled around to face Ally. “Why couldn’t you just stay out of it? Why do you have to bring it all back; we’ve been through enough.” Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Who are you, police? Social worker?” The fight seemed to have gone out of Kenna’s father. His daughter flung her arms around him and hugged him tight.
“I’m just a concerned citizen. Someone who cares about your daughter and wants to help her.”
Kenna’s father ran a hand over her hair and hugged her close. “There should be more people like you in the world,” he whispered. “I appreciate you looking out for someone you don’t know— but you’ve got completely the wrong idea. I love my kids, and I’d never...I’d never hurt them.” He looked from Ally to Jace as he repeated the words, and there was no denying the truth of his statement. He closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled.
“I told her it was none of her business, Dad,” Kenna said.
Her father shook his head slowly from side to side. “No. These people got involved in a situation they needn’t have. Because they thought you were being abused. We owe it to them to tell the truth.” He stared into Ally’s eyes. “The scars on my daughter’s back are caused by injuries she suffered in a fire. The fire that five years ago destroyed our house and put my wife into a wheelchair. It was at night. I worked nights back then, and Kenna got her brothers and sister out. She ran back into the house to pull my wife free, and that’s when the ceiling collapsed, cutting her back to shreds. If it hadn’t been for my daughter, my entire family would be dead.” He hugged Kenna close, his face distorted as he fought tears threatening to overwhelm him. “She’s a hero. An angel sent from heaven.”
FOURTEEN
Kenna and her father walked in the direction of their house.
“Christ, we really got that wrong.” Ally looked shellshocked.
He’d done exactly what he swore he wouldn’t—had threatened his relationship with his son by getting involved. In a few minutes, Kenna would probably call Rory and tell him how his father squared up to hers on the street outside her house. “I need to talk to Rory.” He needed to talk to his son before Kenna did. He shoved a hand through his hair, and cursed the fact that Rory was a couple of hours away, if he’d been closer, Jace would have climbed into the car and drove there to explain.
“I can’t believe that you followed me. I told you I could deal with this alone.”
“Your plan could have been dangerous. If he had been genuinely hurting his daughter, he would have thought nothing of hurting you too.” She should be grateful, not glaring at him as if he failed some ridiculous test she magicked up from nowhere. Now she stood in front of him, bristling. Wanting to have a showdown. When he had somewhere else to be—something more important that demanded his urgent attention.
“I have to call Rory.”
“Well, my unfinished business in Shepherd’s Crook is done now.” She crossed her arms. “I thought to visit my sister in Portland before I head back to Seattle, and now seems a good time.”
“Wait. I’ll talk to Rory and then we can discuss this.”
She shook her head. “I need some time. I need to think about what just happened. I’m going back to the house and packing up.”
So this was it then? She was preparing to do another disappearing act. He’d laid himself on the line. Had come right out and painted a future that they could have if she wanted it. And once again, she’d given him nothing in return.
“Call me later.” He was so mad right now he couldn’t even bring himself
to kiss her. She was right; they both needed some time apart. “I have to go.”
“Fine.”
She made no move toward him. Seemed to have no understanding or appreciation of his situation.
He turned away and jogged back to his car. As he called Rory’s number, she walked to her car and drove away.
“Dad? Everything okay?” They weren’t the sort of family who called each other regularly when one was away from the other. Rory was past the age when being in constant contact with his father was either necessary or wanted. There’s no greater buzz kill than checking in with your father every couple of days.
“Rory, I’ve done something you won’t be happy about. There’s been a lot going on since you’ve been gone, and I need to talk to you about it.”
There was silence down the line for a long moment. “Is this about Mom?”
The question coming out of nowhere blindsided Jace. “Your mother?” Blood pounded in his temples. Rory had never even met her—why was he asking about her now?
“She found me on Instagram. I didn’t go looking for her. I promise I didn’t.” Rory’s voice was raw with emotion. “I would have told you—I planned to—but she asked me not to.”
He hadn’t even known Rory used Instagram. “What else did she say?” Anger swelled in Jace’s gut. He’d been Rory’s everything ever since their baby drew his first breath. Amanda had disappeared like mist on a sunny morning without even leaving a forwarding address. The only further contact had been the divorce documents sent by a lawyer. Now she’d decided to make contact, to get between them by telling Rory to keep their conversation secret.
“She told me she’s married now, did you know that? And I have two half-sisters who want to meet me.”
Jace closed his eyes and try to remain calm.
“I’ve never spoken to her, Dad. As far as I’m concerned, she’s no mother to me. I’ll text you my Instagram details. Log in as me to read the messages she sent and my replies. I want you to. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I’ve been waiting for the best moment.”
Jace took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll do that. I didn’t know she was married, or had had any other children, and it’s natural that you would want to meet them. We’ll talk about it when you get back. That isn’t why I called you.” His hands curled around the steering wheel, holding onto it like a life raft. “That woman who found you walking along the road… She’s an investigator. She tracked down Kenna and confronted her about the marks on her back. She thought—we both thought—that Kenna might be in danger. That she’d been abused by her father.”
“She…Dad, I told you not to get involved.” There was anger in Rory’s voice. “Kenna swore me to secrecy, she doesn’t like to talk about what happened. She’ll think I told you. She’ll think…”
“We had a conversation. Ally, me, Kenna and her father. They told us about the fire. About how Kenna saved her family and got injured in the process. I think they understand why Ally felt she had to get involved.”
“Well, I don’t. And I don’t understand why you were with her.”
“We’ll talk about that when you’re home too.” Jeez, when had life got so complicated?
Back at her rented house, Ally packed all of her possessions. There was still another week’s rental on the house outstanding—maybe she’d be back, maybe she wouldn’t. There was so much to do, so much about her future uncertain, but now the issue of Kenna was resolved she couldn’t put it off anymore. She needed to stop living day-to-day and sort her life out.
Her hand trembled as she shoved T-shirts into her overnight case.
She zipped it and cast her gaze around the bedroom for anything she’d forgotten, then strode into the bathroom to pack toiletries.
The confrontation with Kenna and her father had left her shaken. She’d been so ready to believe awful things of the poor man. So focused on finding the truth that when she actually had discovered it, and found it didn’t match her expectation she was speechless. She hadn’t even apologized to them—just stood there on the sidewalk with Jace at her side as Kenna and her father turned and walked back to their home.
Theirs was a family dealing with real pain, a real crisis. She still couldn’t understand why Kenna couldn’t have just said that the scars on her back were a result of an injury she sustained in a fire. But then, what right did she have to expect that a complete stranger would open up and spill her guts just because she demanded it?
Despite what pain this family had been through, they were still a family.
She couldn’t wrap her head around Jace’s actions either. They’d talked through the repercussions of his involvement and agreed that he should stay out of it so as not to damage his relationship with Rory.
She knew how much his relationship with Rory mattered—it mattered more than anything. But when he thought she was in trouble, he’d cast that aside and rushed to her aid.
She still didn’t know what to make of that. And the fact that despite his apparent willingness to let her go to the meeting alone, he followed her. He risked his family’s cohesive strength for her.
It was time for her to stop being such a wuss and confront her own demons. It would take an hour at most to drive to her sister’s house for a long overdue confrontation to finally clear up this blight on their relationship and get their family—fractured as it was—back together.
She zipped her wash bag, flicked off the light and carried her stuff out to the car.
The day was bright and cloudless, washed new by the previous night’s rain. Ally wound down the window and sang along to the radio as she drove.
Every assignment she took, every dream she shattered, brought pain. For her, the assignment ended once cheating, or the propensity to cheat, had been established. But for her clients that knowledge was only the tip of the iceberg. Was only the starting point for the rest of their lives. She’d always believed that once she stamped Cheater on the front of their file, it should mean the end of a couple’s relationship. That there was no going back once trust had been lost. But what did that mean for people like Jace in his relationship with Rory?
He’d broken faith with his son. In doing so, his immediate driving force was to explain himself, was to beg for Rory’s forgiveness.
Her father had made a stupid mistake too. One that had caused him to lose not only his wife but his daughter. Suppressed memories flashed through her mind as the miles counted down to her destination. He’d been a good father. Theirs had been a happy family. Yes, he cheated, but now the way she reacted seemed harsh and cruel. He’d tried to call her, had been desperate for her forgiveness, and in response, she’d been cold and unforgiving. Maybe it was time to accept that even those you love the most are only human. That one mistake shouldn’t have to define the rest of your life.
She just hoped Rory would be less judgmental than she had been. That he’d realize that love was more powerful than a stupid mistake.
Nerves fluttered in her chest as Belle’s house came into view. She moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue and glanced at her reflection.
Here goes. She flicked on the turn signal and pulled up outside the house.
There were three cars parked in the driveway. As it was a weekend, everyone was home. She smoothed a hand over her hair and pressed the doorbell. The house was familiar and yet not. They’d made some changes to the exterior, cosmetic ones, the front door was painted dark green when once it had been red, and Belle had opened up borders under the front windows and planted them with bright perennials.
Ally’s mouth was dry. For a moment, nerves almost got the better of her, but before she could act on them and turn away, she heard the sound of someone walking to the front door. Then the door opened. Her sister’s eyes widened.
“Ally?” A smile broke out over Belle’s face and she stepped forward to engulf Ally in a hug. “I don’t believe it! What are you doing here?”
“I told you I would be nearby. I know you said not to visit, bu
t it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up.”
“Aunt Ally!” Her niece and nephew had followed their mother to the front door and ran forward to hug her. The joy on their faces—the fact that both of them had grown so tall in the year since she’d seen them—brought tears to Ally’s eyes. She blinked them away.
“I know you have a full house, I’m not planning on staying.”
“Come in.” Belle stood back to allow her sister’s entrance. “Kids, give your aunt some room.”
The kids ran in the direction of the kitchen, no doubt tell the other people in the house who had arrived.
Belle’s face sobered. She touched Ally’s arm and stared into her face. “You need to prepare yourself. There’s something I haven’t told you. Promise you’ll think before you act. Don’t blow up about this.”
Did her sister really feel she was such a hothead that she’d react without thinking? “Of course.”
Belle gripped her arm tight. “I’m glad to see you. I’ve missed you. I tried to persuade Mom to see you—I told her it was time—but she was scared. Don’t let me down, Ally.”
“You’re worrying me.”
“It’s not bad. Not unless you make it so. Come to the kitchen.”
They started down the corridor and met Lewis coming out of the kitchen to greet them with both kids in tow. “Hi, Ally. It’s good to see you.” Lewis kissed her cheek. “The kids and I will be back in a few minutes, we’re taking a trip to the store.” He cast a glance full of hidden meaning to Belle.
“Thanks, baby.”
The sight that met Ally’s eyes when they entered the kitchen was something she never would have expected.
She felt like the missing card in a pack of Happy Families. Because the full hand was here—sitting in her sister’s kitchen. Her mother, Melissa Moore, sat at the kitchen table and her father David stood behind her with one hand on her shoulder. The defensive look on her parents’ faces; the fact that neither of them took a step forward to greet her, chilled her heart.
The Fiancé Trap: A Honeytrap Inc. Romance Page 13
