Deceived (Unlikely Heroes Book 3)

by Leslie Georgeson

  “Evan was lying in the porch swing and there was b-blood all over the house behind him. There was a b-bullet hole in his forehead.” Oh God, how would she go on without her best friend?

  Zach swore again.

  Meg jerked her eyes open.

  “Was there only one man?”

  She nodded. “I th-think so. I didn’t see anyone else.”

  He turned away. “I’ll be back. I’ll lock the front door behind me. Don’t open it for anyone but me. Police are on the way.”

  With that he thundered back down the stairs. Meg listened, but she didn’t hear the front door close. Zach must have slipped quietly outside. Into danger.

  Please be safe, Zach.

  The door to Kristen’s room creaked open. Meg glanced over. Kristen peered out at her, her expression wary.

  “I’m sorry Kristen,” Meg whispered. “I never meant to hurt you. I figured you would be safer if you didn’t know my real name.”

  Kristen eyed her a long moment, then jerked her head in a quick nod. “Okay. I think I can understand that. But don’t ever lie to me again or I won’t forgive you.”

  “I promise.” Meg grabbed Kristen’s hand and squeezed. “You mean a lot to me and I value your friendship. I won’t hurt you ever again.”

  Kristen hesitated, studying Meg intently in a way that reminded Meg of Zach. “It’ll be okay,” the girl murmured. “My dad’s a good cop. He’ll come back soon. I know he will.”

  Meg released Kristen’s hand. She prayed with everything she had that Kristen was right.

  * * *

  Zach snuck across the forest toward Meghan’s house, stopping and listening every few seconds, but he didn’t encounter anyone on the way. As he neared her house, the unmistakable sound of a motor firing up, then tires peeling out in the gravel pierced the silence.

  Meghan’s attacker was fleeing.

  Zach rounded the corner of Meghan’s back yard. He drew up short. He quickly took in the scene. The porch light was on. Ted Bailey sat in the swing, cradling the body of another man, sobbing. A half empty wine glass sat on a t.v. tray next to the porch swing. Another wine glass lay shattered on the porch, wine staining the wood beneath it.

  Zach stared at the young deputy for a long moment, then approached with his gun drawn. He studied the body of the man and determined that it was indeed Evan Ambrose, Meghan’s “husband.” What the hell was Bailey doing here?

  “What’s going on here, Bailey?”

  Ted didn’t even look at him. “It’s my fault,” he sobbed. “The killer must have followed me here. How else would he know where to look? He shot Evan. He shot him!” He buried his face in the other man’s chest.

  Zach hesitated, then lowered the gun to his side. “You saw it happen?”

  Bailey sniffled. He lifted his head. “Yeah. I was hiding behind the shrubs waiting for Evan to leave so I could talk to him. Then a guy in black appeared. He shot Evan and went into the house to get Mrs. Ambrose. She fled and he followed her. Then I saw the guy fleeing a few minutes ago. He was parked in the trees down the road. I ran to see if Evan was still alive, but he was already dead.” His breath hitched. “He was already dead.”

  Zach didn’t know what to believe. Had Bailey been the one who’d shot at him a few minuts ago, or had he been telling the truth about another man being there? Zach had heard the sound of someone fleeing just moments ago. Meghan said she’d sprayed the man with pepper spray. He stepped closer to Bailey, looking into the man’s face. Were the tears from genuine heartache or from pepper spray?

  Bailey glanced up at him. “I didn’t kill Evan,” he whispered. “I would never hurt Evan.”

  The guy spoke with such conviction that Zach believed him. What the hell was going on here? How did Bailey know Evan? Now Meg’s relationship with Ambrose began to make sense. Me and My Bestie.

  Son-of-a-bitch. Ambrose was gay.

  Why hadn’t Meghan just come out and told him that? What else wasn’t she telling him?

  Whatever secrets she was still keeping, Zach intended to get to the bottom of it.

  Damn her.

  And he intended to get there tonight.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  An hour later Zach made it back home. Ted Bailey had been taken in for questioning. The forensics team was there, gathering evidence. The coroner was on his way. Meghan’s house was now a crime scene. Again.

  “It’s Zach!” he shouted. “Open up!”

  Several moments later, the door opened. Meghan stood aside, watching him warily. Kristen was nowhere to be seen.

  Zach stepped into the house and closed the door. “Where’s Kristen? Did you talk to her?”

  Meghan nodded. “I apologized. She’s in bed now. I told her she needed to get some sleep and that I would let you in when you got back.”

  Zach raised a brow. “And she gave in, just like that?”

  “Well, no. I had to convince her that she needed to settle down and go to sleep so she could get up for school tomorrow. I told her I’d let her know what was going on in the morning.”

  Zach nodded, relieved Meghan had been able to persuade Kristen to go back to bed.

  They stared at each other. For the first time, Zach noticed Meghan was dressed in what looked like pajamas or lounge clothes. She wore a light blue, silky looking, short-sleeved top and matching shorts. He tried not to stare at her gorgeous, shapely legs, but he couldn’t help himself. As he perused her, Zach took in her injuries.

  “You’re hurt.” He motioned to the various cuts and scrapes on her knees and shins. “Let’s take a look at those cuts.”

  She glanced down, seeming to notice the injuries for the first time. “I’m fine.” She stepped away from him. “Just a few cuts and scrapes.”

  Zach eyed the dried blood on her knees, the bruising that was slowly appearing on her shins. “You don’t look fine to me. Just let me take a look.”

  “I’m fine,” she repeated, backing away from him, her eyes widening when he followed her across the room.

  But Zach wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He wanted to check those injuries out, make sure she was okay. He snagged her arm, bringing her to a halt. “You haven’t even cleaned the cuts yet,” he pointed out. “You could get infection.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m perfectly capable of cleaning my own cuts, cuts, cuts.” Her arm twitched, once, twice. Which told him the thought of him touching her scared her. But he wouldn’t let that stop him. He would never hurt her. He would have to show her how harmless he was.

  “Humor me,” he said. “Now sit.” He pointed at the couch. “I’ll go fetch the first aid kit.”

  She hesitated, then sank down onto the cushions. Zach eyed her for a moment, then headed up the stairs to grab the first aid kit out of the bathroom. He half-expected her to be gone when he came back down, but she was still sitting on the couch, looking dejected. His heart clenched.

  She looked up when he reached her. “Is Evan…?” She swallowed hard. “Is he…really dead?”

  “Yes.” Zach knelt before her. He opened the first aid kit.

  She made a soft, distressed sound and bent her head. Tears streaked down her cheeks. She swiped them away. Sniffled. “It’s all my fault,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have gotten him involved. I thought…” She sighed, wiped at another tear. “Now everyone who comes into contact with me is in danger. You’re in danger. Kristen is in danger…”

  Zach didn’t say anything. He expected her to tell him the entire story. But first, he needed to tend to her wounds. He dabbed an antiseptic wipe on her scraped knees. She hissed in a breath. He tried not to notice how soft and pretty her legs were, but touching her like this, even in a non-sexual way, had his body instantly alert. Zach lifted her right leg and moved on to the cuts on her shin. She laid back against the cushions, watching him as he administered the rest of her injuries. He knew he didn’t have to do this, that she could easily do it herself, but he wanted to. It gave him an excuse to touch her. Th
e fact that she let him touch her at all told him she was starting to let down her guard and learning to trust him. Or so he hoped.

  None of the injuries were serious, just various cuts and scrapes. He imagined she’d have some nasty bruises tomorrow. And that she’d be sore for a few days.

  Zach finally leaned back and closed the first aid kit. “You’ll live,” he said softly. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” He rose and set the first aid kit onto an end table near the edge of the couch.

  Meghan tried to rise from the couch, but Zach stopped her. “Whoa, you’re not going anywhere yet.” He gently shoved her back onto the cushions. Before she could get up, he dropped next to her, grabbing her hand to keep her from fleeing. He tried not to be bothered when she cringed away from him, but he was more than a little annoyed. Why was she always so wary around him? She knew he wasn’t like Cummings, dammit. Why the hell wouldn’t she trust him?

  “Why didn’t you tell me Ambrose was gay?”

  Her gaze flew to his. “What? How did you know?”

  “Ted Bailey was sitting in the swing holding Evan’s body when I got to your house. He was sobbing.”

  Meghan’s eyes filled with fresh tears. She looked away. She didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then she swallowed hard and whispered, “That’s why he looked familiar. I think he and Evan may have had a brief fling a few years ago.”

  Zach had already come to the conclusion that they’d known each other. But had Meg known Ambrose was gay?

  “Did you know he was gay?”

  She nodded. “I told you we didn’t have a real marriage.”

  Zach recalled her saying that it had been “safer” being married to Ambrose. Now he understood why. Because Ambrose had never been interested in her sexually. But why would she want to be married to a gay man?

  It was time to get the truth out of her.

  “I found out some interesting things about Larry Cummings today.” He watched her closely to gauge her reaction.

  Her eyes widened. “You did?”

  “Yeah. It appears he’s already under investigation by the FBI.” He paused a moment, then said, “For suspicion of involvement in a human trafficking ring and prostitution. Teenage girls.” He paused. “What do you know about that?”

  Fear flickered across her face. She tried to wrench her hand free, but he just tightened his grip. Her reaction indicated she’d already known about all that. Why hadn’t she mentioned it before? What was she up to?

  “Tell me what you know.”

  She paled, avoiding his gaze. “Nothing really.”

  “You’re lying again. Tell me about this investigation you’re conducting.”

  She yanked on her hand again, trying to wrench free. “Let go of me!”

  Zach released her and she stumbled to her feet, backing away from him. “I don’t want to talk about this right now. I…I need to go home.”

  Zach rose from the couch. “Your house is a crime scene. You won’t be going home tonight.”

  Her eyes widened. “But…where will I stay?”

  He advanced on her. “You’ll stay here tonight. You’re safe here, Meghan.”

  “I can’t,” she whispered. “I’ll get in your way. I can get a hotel.”

  “No.” Zach stopped in front of her. She’d backed up against a leather recliner. “I’ll keep you safe. You can have my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  Her eyes went wide. She shook her head. “No, I couldn’t. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  Zach leaned closer. “Talk to me,” he said softly, his gaze steady on hers. “Tell me what’s really going on. What are you up to?”

  Her eyes filled with panic. She bowed her head. “I…”

  “Please?” he whispered. “I care about you. I want to help you.”

  Her head jerked up. Her gaze searched his. She clutched at the back of the chair with her good arm. “I…” She looked away. Then she blurted, “Larry’s afraid of me. Not literally, but he’s afraid of what I’ll discover and that this time someone might believe me.”

  Zach considered that for a moment. “What do you mean?”

  “You probably won’t even believe me.”

  Zach waited patiently. “I told you things the other day that I’ve never told anyone else before,” he said. “I confided in you. I trusted you. Why can’t you trust me?”

  She blushed. “Because I’m scared. I’m afraid he’ll hurt you.”

  Zach expelled a breath. She cared about him. His chest squeezed. God, if only she’d let him hold her.

  “I’m a big boy,” he said gently. “I think I can handle myself. Please Meghan. Tell me.” He leaned closer, his face mere inches from hers. “I can help you. Tell me.”

  She hitched in a breath, her eyes wide with fear. She cleared her throat. She motioned toward the couch.

  “I…need to sit.”

  Zach stepped back. She rushed past him and went to the couch, sank down onto the cushions. Zach followed. He sat next to her and gently gripped her hand for support.

  “Tell me,” he urged. “I promise I’ll believe you, no matter how farfetched it sounds.”

  She drew in a ragged breath. Then she began haltingly, “It all started the day I saw Larry get into a car with a teenage girl.” She paused, stared down at Zach’s hand over hers.

  “I remember that she was really pretty, long dark hair, big brown eyes. She looked about sixteen or seventeen. She had a terrified look on her face when Larry pushed her into the back of the car and got in after her. He glanced behind him to see if anyone noticed, and he saw me. It was evening, around seven or eight o’clock, and nobody else was around. I had just left the public library where I’d been doing research for a school project. I think Larry abducted the girl from the library parking lot, but I’m not sure. He stared at me for a long moment. He narrowed his eyes at me, then closed the car door. The car sped away.”

  Meghan took another deep breath. “The girl’s picture was on the news the next day. The police believed she’d been abducted from the library where I’d seen Larry pushing her into a car. Larry was on the news too, announcing that whoever had taken the girl would be caught and punished.” She let out a bitter laugh. “That asshole had everyone convinced he would find the abductor and bring him in. No one knew he was the abductor. That girl was never found. And Larry knew he had a witness.”

  She was silent for several moments, lost in thought.

  “Then what happened?” Zach asked. He was eager to hear the rest of the story. Zach never would have suspected the man he’d once worked beneath was capable of kidnapping a teenage girl. Meg’s determination to bring the man to justice was beginning to make more sense.

  “I told my father about it. I figured since he was the district attorney, he would investigate. He kept asking me, ‘are you sure it was Larry?’ And I kept saying, ‘yeah, Dad, I saw him. And he saw me.’ My dad said he’d look into it. He told me not to tell anyone else what I’d seen. As I look back on it now, I think he was trying to protect me. He must have confronted Larry about it.”

  She stared down at her lap for a moment. “Larry was one of my dad’s good friends. I’d known him since I was eight.”

  Her voice turning monotone, she said, “My parents were murdered a few days later. As you know, the coroner ruled it a murder/suicide and concluded my father had killed my mother and then himself, but I didn’t buy it for one second. My father would never kill my mom and then take his own life. I knew Larry was responsible. The day after my parents died, Larry confronted me on the sidewalk out front of our house. He pretended to be investigating the murder.” She let out a bitter laugh. “Larry told me he knew I’d seen him with that girl and that I had better keep my mouth shut or someone else was going to get hurt. He told me if I was smart, I wouldn’t end up like my parents. I remember being so shocked, I just stood there and stared at him. Then I came to my senses and glared at him. I told him he didn’t scare me. I told him I knew he’d kidnapped that girl. I t
old him if he’d killed my parents, I’d prove it. I’d make him pay.”

  She let out another humorless laugh. “Those were just brave words of a foolish girl. I had no idea what I was up against.”

  “If your parents were gone, where did you and Curtis go?”

  “Nowhere,” she whispered. “We were seventeen, only a few months from turning eighteen, so the state didn’t bother trying to put us in foster homes, not that we would have gone. I only stayed in the house until I went to college, but Curtis stayed there for a few years, then he sold it. He said the house had too many painful memories and he wanted out.”

  “You’ve been on your own since you were seventeen?” Zach murmured.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “You’re an incredible woman,” he said softly. She blushed. He could see that he’d embarrassed her.

  She cleared her throat. “Anyway, back to the story. I told John, the assistant district attorney who worked under my dad, that Larry had killed my parents, and he asked if I had any proof. I told him that Larry had admitted as much. John said he needed evidence, some kind of proof. He looked scared. I think he was afraid of Larry. So I went to the media, determined to make Larry pay, but you know how that ended up. No one believed me and I was made the laughing stock.”

  She cleared her throat. “Then, another girl went missing a few weeks later and I knew Larry had done it. My parents were dead because I’d told my dad what I’d seen. But if I didn’t tell someone else, more girls would disappear. I had to tell someone. So I finally told Evan about it one day at school. He was shocked. He was certain Larry had kidnapped both girls. So we decided to investigate. And what we uncovered…” She shivered. “It was more terrifying than anything I could ever have imagined...”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “Where are we?” Meg whispered when Evan stopped his black Beemer down the street from the house Larry had gone into. “It’s kind of scary here.”