Breaking Point [Sunset Point] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Susan Hayes

  * * * *

  “Where the hell is it coming from?” Beau stared at the handful of drug-laced candies, all individually wrapped, that littered the surface of his well-worn desk and then swept them into an evidence bag with one gloved hand. He sealed it, signed it, and then dropped it into a second bag and tagged it for drop-off to the evidence locker.

  “If we knew that, we’d be a lot closer to catching the sons of bitches who are bringing this poison onto our island.” Beau’s partner, Diego, ran a hand through his dark hair, leaving it standing up in spikes that seemed to fit his frustrated mood perfectly. “What kind of sick bastard spikes jelly candies with designer drugs anyway?”

  “You nailed it. A sick bastard. One who is marketing this crap to kids and doesn’t give a damn if it kills them. At least everyone else that sampled this latest batch is going to make it,” Beau said. “I got an update from the hospital earlier.”

  “Thank God. I can’t imagine how that kid’s parents are coping right now. Losing a child that way is just brutal,” Diego said and then changed the topic to something less depressing. “Speaking of parents, Terry’s were here earlier to see if they could post bail for him. I told them they’d have to wait for his bail hearing tomorrow. They didn’t take it very well.”

  “At least their son is still alive, which is more than can be said for his friend.” Beau sighed as he stood and stretched until his spine cracked. “Now we need to go find the little bastard who sold him the drugs. What was his name?” He checked another piece of paper. “Right. George Timmins.”

  “Damn man, you’re forgetting names and creaking and popping like an old man.” Diego shook his head. “You need to stop letting the waves win when we go surfing or you’re going to be in a nursing home by the time we’re forty.”

  “Naw, I just need to find a woman to take care of me and I’ll be fine.” He shot Diego a meaningful look. “We’d be a lot further along in our search if you’d stop holding every woman we meet up to impossible standards. I swear, your laundry list of “must-haves” is getting longer every year. At this rate we’re going to be single together forever, and frankly you’re just not what I’m looking for in a wife.”

  Diego snorted with laughter. “If I were a woman, I’d sure as hell be looking to do better than you, buddy. And I’d like to point out that I’m not the one who broke up with Tamara last year. That was all you. C’mon, let’s go round up the Timmins kid and see if he’s willing to cough up the name of his supplier.”

  “Tamara was a vegan. There was no way in hell I was going to consider a long-term relationship with a woman who got queasy every time I fired up the barbeque. Admit it, you were only eating her couscous because she had a great pair of—afternoon, sir.” Beau stood a little straighter as Lieutenant Jackson Stone appeared at their office door.

  “Rivers, Mendez.” His gaze moved from Beau to Diego. “I heard you two might have some new information about our designer drug problem.” His gaze dropped to the evidence envelope and back up to Beau, who felt the intensity of his lieutenant’s stare drilling right through him. They were all working their asses off to try and find the source of the new drugs that had started to appear on the island less than a year ago and had rapidly gone from a trickle to a flood.

  These days there wasn’t a club or beach party where the drug, commonly called Giggles, didn’t make an appearance, and on more than one occasion the user had wound up in the hospital or as of last night, in the morgue. Addictive and dangerous, they’d made almost no progress in tracking down how the drugs were getting onto the island or who was supplying them.

  “Yes, sir,” Diego stepped in. “We were just on our way to pick up George Timmins. He was the one who supplied Terry Clark with the stuff for last night’s party. We’re hoping that he can give us the name of his supplier and we’ll finally be able to work our way up the food chain.”

  “George Timmins Junior? Well that’ll be fun. His father’s going to be down here with a team of lawyers before you’ve had time to get more than the kid’s name.”

  “We were hoping to have a chat with him before we got back here…” Beau started to explain and then stopped as the lieutenant held up a hand.

  “I don’t want to know. I don’t want to hear it. I was never here. Just find out who’s bringing this crap onto my island so we can put a stop to it.”

  “We’re on it,” Beau said and grinned at Diego. “Come on, I’ll bet you lunch that little shit is down by the pier with the rest of the brat pack right about now.”

  “No bet. That’s been the hangout for every dumb, wannabe troublemaker on the island since before we were born. I’ll bet you lunch that he bolts on us.”

  “You’re on. It’s too damned hot for anyone to be running today.”

  “Who said he was going to run anywhere? I said bolt. I figure he’s going to go right over the side of the pier the minute he lays eyes on us, and by my count it’s your turn to go in after him.”

  “No way!” Beau argued as they headed out into the midday sun. “I went in last time to fish out Patterson after he stole that plate of cupcakes from Liz’s shop, remember?”

  “I do. And the week after that I had to haul out Jasper after he got drunk and was skinny-dipping down by the ferry terminal.”

  “Shit, I’d forgotten about that.” Beau sighed. “I really, really don’t want to go swimming today. Let’s hope George Junior feels the same way.”

  “I just hope he’s feeling chatty. We really need to get a break on this case before the lieutenant gets any crankier.”

  They were driving toward the pier when they spotted Sam’s vintage Jaguar purring along the coast road. As they passed, Beau caught a flash of dark hair and a lovely face mostly hidden behind a pair of dark glasses. Before he could say anything Diego turned to look at him, a wistful expression on his face. “Do you think there’s any chance that was her?”

  Beau shook his head and swallowed back a sense of regret. “Every time you see a woman with black hair, you ask me the same question. She’s not coming back, man. It’s been more than twenty years. Wherever she is, she’s a grown woman, probably with a husband and babies and a house with a white picket fence by now. You need to forget about Lexa Fox.”

  Diego snorted. “That’s never going to happen, and you know it. Or do I need to point out that you’re the one who turns into a horndog the moment a petite, dark haired woman appears anywhere near you. She was the one, Beau. She was the only woman who ever felt right.”

  “I hate to point out the obvious, but we were all kids back then. We were best friends, but what the hell did we know about anything? We were riding bikes and eating popsicles, not dating. We were as thick as thieves, but who knows what would have happened when we grew up. Not even her dad dying brought her back, and it’s been what, almost a year now? She’s long gone.” Beau didn’t want to admit it, but he had never gotten over Lexa any more than Diego had.

  He’d not even really noticed it until a few years ago when his mother had taken him aside and told him it was time they let go.

  He’d tried, but it was hard to move on. Something kept holding him back from really trying to connect with anyone else. And if Beau found it hard, Diego found it nearly impossible. They may have only been kids, but when he and his best friend had finally talked about it, Diego had sworn that Lexa was the love of his life. So here they were, past thirty and still doing a double take every time they spotted any woman who looked the slightest bit like their long lost friend.

  “I’m not ready to give up on her yet.” Diego gave his partner a wry grin. “She’s out there, somewhere, and someday she’s going to come home.”

  “If she ever does come back, do you think she’ll even remember us?”

  “Fuck, I hope so. If I’ve spent twenty-three years dreaming about a woman who has forgotten I exist, I’m going to be very unhappy with the state of the universe.”

  “I hear that,” Beau muttered and added a silent prayer.
>
  If she’s ever coming back, please let it be soon.

  Chapter 2

  Lexa was staring at the reams of paperwork in front of her and trying not to feel overwhelmed, but it wasn’t easy. Sam walked her through every document, giving her time to read it over and answer any questions, but two hours later Lexa’s brain was about ready to leak out her ears. His nicely appointed office was air conditioned, but Lexa still felt like there wasn’t enough air in the room. The book lined walls were closing in on her and every elegant detail, from the polished mahogany desk to the tastefully attired secretary sitting just outside had her wishing she was anywhere but here.

  It didn’t help that every inch of Sam’s desk was covered in papers, and she needed to go over every single one of them. There had been documents regarding the house, car, and her father’s bank accounts, and now they were working on the paperwork that pertained to the marina and boat rental business. As her eyes skimmed down the page she caught a reference to a partnership and she stopped reading to look up at Sam.

  “What’s this about a partnership? I thought you told me that my father had left me everything?”

  Sam leaned back in his chair before answering. “I’m your father’s partner, Lexa, I’ve been invested in the marina since well…since before you left.”

  “So I can’t sell it unless you agree?” This wasn’t what she’d been hoping for. She wanted to be in, out, and back to the mainland quickly. Her mother’s bills were stacking up, and she really had no interest in staying here for long. A good night’s sleep had her thinking clearly again and she had remembered all the reasons why she shouldn’t even think of staying.

  “If you truly want to sell, I’ll agree to it. I just had hoped that you would consider sticking around, at least for a while. Is there some reason you don’t want to stay here? Is there someone waiting for you back in Reno?”

  Lexa barked out a laugh. “Hardly. It’s just that this isn’t my home anymore, Sam. Not to mention the fact my mother’s medical care isn’t cheap, not even in a state-run hospital.”

  Sam’s expression saddened. “I learned about her condition when I finally tracked her down. Schizophrenia is a cruel condition. How long ago was she diagnosed?”

  “I was sixteen the first time they had to institutionalize her. Before that…she had seen doctors, gotten medication, but she never stayed put long enough to get truly stabilized. I didn’t know what was wrong until they hospitalized her. They wanted to put me in foster care but I managed to talk a school friend into letting me stay with her, and the second they released Mom we were on the road again. She was always afraid Dad would find us if we stayed too long in one place.”

  Sam jerked back in his chair, his eyes widening. “Why would your mother be afraid of Chris?”

  “Because he was—I mean this place is—uh.” Lexa’s hands fluttered in front of her as she struggled to find a gentle way to express what her mother had told her about Sunset Point. “Mom said it’s a moral cesspool, and when Dad wanted her to start doing things she didn’t want to do, she ran and took me with her so I wouldn’t be raised by a pervert.” Oh yeah, that was very smooth, she thought to herself with an inward wince as she saw Sam’s confusion morph into something closer to outrage.

  “What exactly did Alice say about your father? Or Sunset Point? What is it you think you know about this place? Is this the real reason you don’t want to stay here, because of the lies your mother told you?”

  Shit. This wasn’t going well. Lexa deliberately settled her hands on the hand-polished wood of the desk and forced herself to keep them there as she took a quick breath and tried to focus. “Mom always told me that the island was full of swingers and deviants, people who had to move away from the mainland because they were trying to escape prosecution for the way they chose to live. She said she didn’t know that when she agreed to marry Dad. Afterwards she tried to fit in, but eventually she couldn’t take it anymore and she left to protect herself and to protect me. I’m not judging you, or anyone else here, Sam, but I’m not into that sort of thing, and even if I were, I’d hardly fit in around here.”

  Sam pinched his nose as if trying to stave off a headache. “I think your mother was already suffering from delusions by the time she left. I promise you that your father wasn’t forcing her to do anything, and they were hardly swingers.” He lifted his gaze to hers. “Your father and mother were in a very loving, committed relationship until she started acting very strangely and became increasingly erratic and paranoid.”

  Somewhere in the past few minutes this conversation had taken a serious turn for the weird and regrettable, but now that they were having it Lexa felt compelled to defend her mother, just as she’d been doing for most of her life. “How would you know what their marriage was like? You were just a family friend. You couldn’t know what went on behind closed doors.”

  “I know exactly what was going on behind those doors, little one. I know because I was there with them.”

  “What?” Lexa knew she was gaping like a fish out of water, but she was having trouble remembering how to breathe, never mind mastering the finer points of muscle control. Sam’s revelation had thrown her completely off her game, and that almost never happened.

  “Lexa, I was more than a family friend. The night your mother left with you, we’d all just finished celebrating the decision to bring me into your family on a permanent basis. We’d all had too much wine, which is why neither Chris nor I heard your mom leave. We were conked out, and we thought your mother was too. Something must have made her snap that night, because when we woke up the next morning you were gone, and we couldn’t find a trace of either of you for years.”

  “You’re telling me that my mom and dad were in a threesome? With you? For how long?” This didn’t make any sense. How could her mother have lied to her all these years? If she was a willing participant then she’d been doing all the things she’d said she’d run away from.

  “Your dad and I had been friends for years, and we’d always thought that we’d be interested in having a ménage marriage someday. That’s what this place is, Lexa. Sunset Point isn’t just a group of swingers or sexually adventurous people. This is a refuge where those of us who wanted something outside society’s norms could live our lives the way we wanted to. Gay, straight, bi, it doesn’t matter here. There’s couples, ménages, whatever family unit works for the people involved. We’re not perverts. We’re just different in what we want in our lives.”

  “The three of you were together for a year? How did I not know this?”

  Sam laughed. “You were a little girl and we wanted you to get to know me before we started introducing you to the idea of me joining your family. We were going to tell you over ice cream the next day.” Sam gave her a sad smile. “We never got the chance, and I missed out on having a daughter in my life.”

  “Mom never told me any of that. She was always afraid Dad would find us and make her come back here. She was obsessed about it. Still is actually. I couldn’t tell her I was coming here or it would have sent her into another episode.” Lexa looked Sam squarely in the eyes. “So you’re telling me that my mother was a willing member of a long-term threesome with you and my dad, and not the victim of some strange sexual fantasy of my father’s?”

  “Lexa, your father was many things, some good and some bad, but he was never anything but a loving, devoted father and husband. We were all happy together, right up to the night your mother vanished and stole you away from us.”

  As much as Lexa didn’t want to consider it, there was every possibility that Sam was telling the truth, and everything Lexa had always believed about her father was a lie. Her mother’s illness made it impossible to know what was real and what was the product of her imagination, and Lexa’s life had suffered from her mother’s accidental lies and terrible delusions.

  Was it really possible that’s what had happened the night she’d taken Lexa away? Had Lexa lost the chance to grow up with a loving fath
er because of her mother’s schizophrenia? The thought made her heart ache.

  “He always dreamed of finding you again,” Sam said and she found herself asking the question that had haunted her since Sam’s letter had arrived in her mailbox.

  “It only took you eight months to find me, why is it that he failed to track me down for twenty-three years?”

  “A fair question.” Sam grimaced and his fingers began tapping out a soft drum solo against the edge of his mahogany desk. “After he lost you, he did everything he could to track you down, but as time went on, your father started to slip into depression and he began to drink. He cut himself off from the world and lost himself in memories of the past. He still managed the marina fine, but he wasn’t the same man anymore. Without you and Alice, he was an empty shell. He never remarried. Hell, he never even looked at another woman. In the last years of his life he rarely left the house unless it was to head down to the marina to lose himself in his work.”

  It hurt to hear Sam describing her father this way. It hurt even more to think that her mother’s mental illness had stolen more from Lexa than she had realized. “So that was it? He drank his life away pining for us and forgot to actually go look for me?”

  “He never forgot you, but he didn’t have much to go on either. These days tracking someone is easy, but twenty years ago it wasn’t easy at all. I think in the end he was afraid that even if he did find you, there’d be too many years gone and that you’d reject him. He was sure you’d come back someday, and when the years kept passing, well, it killed him to think you didn’t want to see him again, not even as an adult.”

  “Mom kept telling me what a bad place this was and how it wasn’t safe for me, that she’d taken me away from Dad for my own protection. I guess I believed her, even after she was diagnosed and I knew there was a chance that wasn’t the truth. I kept hoping Dad would find me and help me with Mom, but he never did. And then Mom was in hospital and I have had to work hard just to keep her bills paid up enough they don’t turn her out onto the street.”