Jesse’s awkward embrace also helped jog her memory about the last time Jesse had been with her dad, and he’d threatened to shoot him with a pink gun. No doubt, Jesse was taking him seriously.
“So I take it you posted bail?” Lana asked.
“Not really. Lucky came to tell me some pretty good news. Deputy Hughes was out and found a stranded, broke down car. Called in the tag and it was registered to a man wanted for questioning in a murder down in Texas. He looked in the car with his flashlight and found some bloody knives and a bloody saw. With teeth.”
What Jesse was telling her finally sunk in. “Was it him?”
“We found him a few miles up walking to the gas station on Fowler. He said the car up the road was his. Hughes arrested him and brought him. When they fingerprinted him… nothing but oils on his fingers. No prints. It was him, Ally.”
She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. He was free? Really free? “It’s over?” she asked, just to verify.
He nodded. “It’s over, baby. We can finally focus on us.”
Ally fell into his arms, crying, laughing and kissing every inch of him. “I love you so much, Jesse. I knew this would happen. I knew you’d be freed. Where is Hughes? I want to give him my personal thanks.”
“Whoa there, killer, I want you to keep those lips on mine, not someone else’s.”
“I’m so happy, Jesse!”
“Me too, baby. Me too.”
And finally his lips were on hers, devouring her, showing her without words how happy he felt.
Behind her the distinct sound of a gun being cocked echoed in her ears. Jesse went stiff, shoving her behind him to shield her with his own body. But Ally peeked around his shoulder and glared.
“Daddy!”
He shrugged. “Oops.”
Chapter 12
Over the next few weeks, Jesse had to pour himself into work. Ally saw less and less of him as his job took him away from her, sometimes on business trips to a neighboring state to gather information or evidence on a suspect. It was, as he had explained, part of his job. But slowly, they were picking up the pieces of their life. He still called her every night and said he loved her, but something was off. While Jesse sounded like himself, every now again she’d detect nervousness. And the time she’d shown up at his house unexpected, he’d practically thrown her out and told her he’d call her.
Talk about suspicious.
But was Jesse pushing her away now that they were free? Her gut told her he wasn’t, but she’d been known to have a faulty gut before.
On the plus side, it was nice to go out alone and not fear for her life again. It had taken her several weeks to get her house cleaned up and replace all the things that had been broken, but she’d done it piece by piece so the person who had been after her no longer had a hold on her. Just a few days ago, the man with no fingerprints had confessed everything, including stalking Ally. She’d need to testify in court in a few months at his arraignment, but after that, he’d be in prison, most likely for the rest of his life. He’d also confessed to the double homicide he’d been a suspect for in back in Texas. Apparently, the man had finally hit the bottom and “found God,” he’d confessed. Police were suspicious of his mental faculties and were having him evaluated soon.
And she’d do anything for some alone time with Jesse, even if it meant a few stolen minutes in his broom closet. She pulled up in front of his house. It was still early, but Ally knew Jesse would already be up and focused on something – either a crossword puzzle or looking for some evidence for the station. He was just that kind of worker. She tiptoed soundlessly through the front door and headed toward his study. The phone rang as she was approaching, and she paused just outside the office door so she wouldn’t disturb him.
“This is Jesse Richards, how can I help you?”
“Hey Jesse, how’s it going? This is Phil.” Jesse obviously had the man on speakerphone. The man’s voice was laced with a thick northern accent, and Ally smiled. She was glad the north hadn’t taken away all of Jesse’s southern accent, even if it had muted it quite a bit.
“Hey Phil! It’s going great. What can I do for you?”
“Well, I was calling to check on you and see how the new job was treating ya.”
“It’s going great. A little slow some days but others are pretty good. But slow is okay.”
Ally frowned. Slow? Work was anything but slow. She’d barely seen him!
“Well, I have a proposition for you. One of our partners just left, and I want you to have the position as senior detective. We’ve all agreed here. We want you back, Richards.”
There was silence for a minute, then Jesse replied quietly, “You know I can’t do that, Phil.”
“Sure you can. We’re the NYPD in the Big Apple, why wouldn’t you want come back? Surely that little town can’t offer you the kind of money we are.” Phil’s voice was laced with disgust.
“How much are we talking about?” Jesse inquired. Ally wanted to scream at him to remind him of why he’d come home. Remind him of his New Year’s speech. Remind him of her.
When the man named the amount, Ally’s eyes almost bulged out of her head. That was probably more than she’d ever make in her lifetime. He’d be a fool not to take the job.
“Thanks for the offer, but I have to say no. I’m flattered about all this, but I’ve already got things set up here. Everything is going according to plan.”
“Give me one good reason why you can’t come back. Just one.”
“Well, for starters, I’m getting married, Phil.”
Ally felt as though she’d been physically punched. Married? Jesse was getting married? To whom? Ally felt the breath whoosh from her chest, and she slid down the wall. This was his plan? Suddenly Ally grew angry. He’d been lying to her this whole time. Jesse had used her! She’d refused to believe he could betray her by luring her in again and then leaving her. Would he do that to her just to prove a point?
“Married? Are you out of your mind? You’ll never be satisfied if you’ve got a wife to spend all your money!”
“She’s not like that, man, she’s respectful of everything I have. She appreciates me. We’ve been engaged for a while now, but I’ve still got to tell some people about the wedding. It’s not going to be easy, but sometimes you do crazy things in the name of love.”
“She’s the only reason you’re saying no? You could always bring her with you.”
“Not the only reason. The city life just doesn’t appeal to me anymore. It’s not me.” She heard him shuffle some papers.
“It was you in college and all the way through last year. What suddenly changed your mind?”
“She did,” Jesse said, and she heard him sigh. Ally fought to control the sickening bile rising in her throat, the tears that overwhelmed her at the thought of all the lies Jesse had told her over the last few months. She thought back to their first reunion after his return. This whole time he’d been intent on making her pay for leaving him at the airport. And now the ultimate payment was him marrying someone else and leaving her to watch.
The joke was definitely on her.
“She must be something special if she can change your mind about that kind of money.”
“She’s more than I could have ever hoped for all these years.”
“So she’s worth it?”
“Worth every penny I’m saying no to.”
“Well, I’m happy for you man, send me an invitation.”
“Will do, Phil. Thanks again for the offer.”
They hung up, and she heard him shuffling papers. Ally had never thought her heart would break like this again. Was once not enough? Tears streamed down her face, and she fought to keep the sob from escaping her throat.
His chair scraped on the floor, and then footsteps thudded across the hardwood toward the door. She didn’t want to face him! Didn’t want to hear the ugly truth from him again.
He rounded the corner and didn’t see her at first. But she wiped t
he tears from her cheeks and the movement caught his eye. When he turned, she stepped from out of the shadows to reveal her tear filled eyes. Instantly he opened his mouth to speak, but Ally held up her hand to silence him. His jaw abruptly closed.
She sniffed and wiped the tears away from her cheeks with the back of her hand again. “Who is she?” she asked, her voice raspy from the tears.
“What are you talking about?”
“Who is she?” she asked again, her voice so calm, it frightened even herself.
“Ally, you weren’t supposed to find out this way,” he said and moved toward her, clearly intending to bring her into his arms. She backed away and grabbed her stomach, trying to keep the nausea at bay.
“How was I supposed to find out? When you came to my house to tell me, and I suddenly see a wedding band? This was the reason you’ve been so busy? Getting ready to marry someone else? Who is she?” she screamed now, her body shaking uncontrollably. This time she stepped toward him and he retreated, “Do I know her?” she demanded.
“Yes.”
“Who is it?”
“Ally—”
”You told me you loved me! What, this all some part of a sick plan you hatched to get even with me for leaving you at the airport? Are you trying to get even with me?”
“No, Ally, if you’d just listen to me!” Anger shone deep in his eyes as he took her shoulders in his large hands.
She jerked away. “I’ve listened long enough. I heard all I needed to hear when you were on the phone. I thought we were best friends. We could tell each other anything. Now I know why you avoided me all those months when you came back. You’ve been with her, planning your wedding. I was just a distraction. When is the big day?”
Jesse looked at her for a long moment, having the good sense to look somewhat chagrined, and whispered, “This Saturday.”
If it was possible, Ally felt even more of her heart being ripped from her body. She couldn’t breathe. She looked around for escape, anything to get away from the man who had betrayed her in the sickest of ways. “You don’t waste any time do you? Tell me, Jesse, how does it feel to be a piece of scum? You accused Michael of that, and I’m coming to realize you’re even dirtier than he is. At least he didn’t play games with me.”
“Ally, it’s not what you think. Let me explain.” His clenched teeth did nothing to scare her into being quiet, but rather fueled her fury.
The anger gave way for the sobs and tears streamed in wet gushes down her cheeks. “I love you, Jesse. I thought it was supposed to be you and me getting married. I never thought I’d see the day you promised your life to someone else.” Ally buried her face in her hands as her shoulders and body shook with complete fear of the unknown. She was in Jesse’s arms, and she allowed him to hold her this last time. Allowed herself to feel protected from the harshness of the world and the things he’d done to her.
She branded the feel of his arms around her, his soft words and tender kisses into her mind and then tore away from him, her emotions suddenly going numb and calm. She wrapped her arms around her torso to protect herself from the cold that was seeping into her body.
“The Jesse I knew eight years ago would have never done something this low. I just realized I don’t know you at all. Maybe I never did.”
Jesse’s eyes held a sadness she couldn’t explain. “Don’t leave like this, Ally. We should talk about this. Just listen to me.”
“Whatever this thing was you were doing to me,” she said motioning wildly with her arms, “it’s over, Jesse. It’s done.”
“I do love you. It’s just that—” he began quietly, his eyes shining bright.
“If you loved me, you would have never done this to me. But hey, the joke is on me.”
She turned and ran blindly out of his house and sped away in her car straight to her house. She was amazed she made it there in one piece. As soon as she was inside the comfort of her own home, she ran straight to the bathroom and lost the breakfast she’d cooked for herself that morning. Her tears fell in thick paths down her cheeks, her heart no longer beating the same way it had.
A couple of hours later, she sat in her quiet living room, and simply stared. Jesse’s betrayal ran deep in her veins, but it was probably what she deserved. She must have hurt him far beyond her scope of understanding for him to go to such lengths. Now she was left to feel the pain Jesse had felt the day she hadn’t shown up at the airport. Left to pick up the shattered pieces of the farce of a life she still had. She had a job, and she still had Lana, Lucky, and her father. But those things would never heal the hole in her heart that Jesse had left. He’d bled her to dry and now she simply didn’t know what to do. She’d envisioned so many things with Jesse and their life together…
A knock sounded on the door, and Lana’s voice rang out.
“Are you alone?” Ally managed to ask loud enough for her to hear. After all the heaving and crying, her voice barely worked.
“Yes,” she said. “Jesse called and told me everything. Let me come in. I know you could use a shoulder right now.”
Ally didn’t know how wonderful that sounded until she opened the door and fell into her sister’s arms, crying soulful tears, because surely that was the only place they could come from after the first round.
“What am I going to do, Lana?” Ally sobbed, barely controlling the fear and sadness inside her.
“Nothing. You’re going to keep going like this never happened.”
For once, Ally could do without Lana’s sisterly tongue. She needed comfort… strength to go on… love. And for her sister to hate him enough for the both of them.
“How do you propose I do that? Pretend I never fell in love with him again? Pretend he never told me he loved me back? Oh how could I have been so stupid?” She leaned back into Lana. Her stomach swirled again, and she yearned to throw up. But she knew there was nothing left in her stomach… or her heart.
“Ally, give him the benefit of the doubt, would you?” Lana said as they walked back to the couch, and Ally closed the door. “Did you let him explain? I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason for all this.”
Ally stared at her sister in disbelief. Whose side was she on anyway?
“No, I heard him, Lana. Telling someone in New York about how he was getting married and how they’d been engaged for a while now. It wouldn’t have done any good for him to explain. The outcome is the same, isn’t it? He’s getting married day after tomorrow, and he didn’t even bother to tell me! I did, Lana! I dreamed of the spring wedding with him. I was supposed to be the bride!”
“Did you tell him that?”
“We talked about it, years ago when we were young and naïve. I told him I loved him this time, but he should have known.”
“He’s not a mind reader, Ally.”
Ally simply stared at her sister and best friend. She was taking Jesse’s side again?
“I thought you came here to help me through this. I don’t need a lecture about all the things I’ve done wrong. Believe me when I say I know each and every one of them by heart.”
“I don’t mean to insult you, but we have to look at this rationally. He told you he loved you. He’s not the kind of guy that would just say that to get what he wants, is he?”
“I didn’t think so. But I’m not sure now if I ever knew him at all.” Ally wiped the drying tears away from her cheek and sighed. She was feeling a little better, despite Lana’s take on the whole issue.
“Well, I don’t think he is that kind of guy. I think he’s an honest, hard-working man who’s only trying to do what’s best.”
“By marrying someone else? Did he tell you what was going on?” Ally eyed Lana carefully.
“No. Just that he was doing what he needed to do for both of you to finally be happy. Don’t hate him, Ally. Even if he does marry someone else, he was still your best friend for so long.”
“I love him too much to hate him. I want to hate him, though. Does that count?” Ally’s anger began
to replace her sadness. He’d made a fool of her. No one had ever done that to this extent.
“Well, I think there’s some things he hasn’t told you.”
“Ya think? Wait, do you think he got this girl pregnant? Maybe he feels obligated to marry her?” Ally thought of how he’d admitted to sleeping with other girls. Maybe he’d been trying to tell her something then?
“Possibly, but I think it’s more than that. Just be patient. Maybe he’ll have a last minute change of heart.” Lana tried to get Ally to smile, but her frowned deepened instead.
“I just don’t get it, ya know? He spent every waking moment with me once I went to the station. I mean, we were saying ‘I love you’ at the end of phone conversations or if he came over, but now it feels like it was all an act. I don’t know what was real and what wasn’t. All I know is I let myself feel again and I shouldn’t have.” Ally knew her thoughts were all over the map, but she couldn’t keep them from wandering. She wanted answers.
“Just be patient with him. If nothing else, remember the friendship you guys had when you were younger. Before things changed. You owe it to him to at least support him, even if it did break your heart. I know you love him. I know he loves you, too. It’s the same way Lucky looks at me.”
“I can’t give him my blessing to marry someone else! That goes against every fiber of my being. No matter who she is, I saw him first. I had him first.” Ally was well aware of her childish rant, but she felt entitled just this once.
“More than I ever wanted to know, little sister.”
Ally grinned at that. “You think you’re the only one who can talk about sex in this relationship, huh? Eh. It was years ago. We made love a few times, but we always felt bad afterward. Both of us were so sure we would make it, we tried several times to wait until we were married. But when he left…” Tears formed in her eyes again.
Lana studied her intently. “We’re going to the wedding, Ally. Lucky is a groomsman, and you need closure. I’m not going to let you miss your best friend’s wedding, either. Even if he is about to make the biggest mistake of his life.” Lana had that steely convinced look in her eyes that told Ally she might as well comply. But even though she nodded in forced agreement, she knew that come Saturday morning, she wouldn’t be anywhere around. She needed to get away. Maybe a trip to the beach would be good for her to clear her head. Help her broken heart mend…
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