He groaned and bolted upright. He couldn’t torture himself anymore with these thoughts. He needed to do something. The couch sucked. He longed to sneak up the stairs and slip into his bed next to her, finish what he’d started earlier.
A sound from the staircase had him jerking his head around, his body instantly alert.
Meghan stood on the bottom step, wrapped in a fleece blanket, staring at him, her face illuminated by the row of nightlights Kristen had placed along the staircase. Her eyes were puffy from crying.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I was already awake.” He stayed where he was, watching as she approached. His heart gave an excited thump.
“I can’t sleep,” she admitted, stopping before the couch. “I keep seeing Evan’s blood all over the house…” Her bottom lip trembled.
Shit. While he’d been having lustful thoughts about her, she’d been reliving the horror of her friend’s murder.
He patted the couch. “Come sit. Talk with me.”
To his surprise, she didn’t even hesitate. It was almost as if she’d been waiting for an invitation to join him. She sank down on the couch next to him, wrapping the blanket tightly around her. Zach hesitated, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders, afraid she’d pull away. Instead, she let out a soft sigh and leaned into him. Zach settled back against the cushions and pulled her more tightly against his side. She turned toward him, snuggling against him, resting her head on his chest. Zach’s heart thundered. Thump-thump, thump-thump. Damn, he hadn’t expected this...such trusting from her. She must still be in shock from what had happened to Evan.
He cleared his throat. “It’s not easy seeing someone you care about die.”
She lifted her head from his chest, her gaze seeking his in the semi-darkness. Her eyes filled with tears. Her bottom lip trembled. “It’s not fair. Evan never hurt anyone. Why did they have to kill him, why?”
Zach squeezed her shoulders.
“I saw a lot of friends die in Iraq,” he said quietly. “I know how you feel.”
He was silent a moment. He felt her gaze on him, but he didn’t look down at her. “And when I lost my brother, for a long time, I wanted to kill the drunken son-of-a-bitch who drove his car into Donny and killed him.” He snorted out a humorless laugh. “All he got was five years. Five years for killing another human being. How is that justice?”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, lifting her head from his chest. “The law isn’t always right.” Her soft hand cupped his cheek. He jerked his gaze down to hers. He hadn’t expected her comfort. Hell, she was touching him. Willingly. Zach didn’t dare move, in case he frightened her away. He resisted the urge to lean down and kiss her. Because he feared if he kissed her again, he wouldn’t be able to stop.
“What was your brother like?” she wondered.
He cleared his throat. He’d never talked about Donny before. But he found he wanted to share this with Meghan. He wanted to tell her about Donny, about how wonderful his little brother had been. So he began to talk, telling her about how he and Donny had grown up, all the trouble they always got into, how they drove their mother crazy with their silly pranks. He told her about the time he and Donny had rolled their Mustang into the river and barely got out alive.
“Dad was career military,” Zach said, “so he was gone a lot. He was livid when he found out. He took the keys to the Mustang away from us and we had to walk to school for the next month.”
Meghan giggled. “How far of a walk was it?”
“Just across town,” he said, “not far. But we were teenagers and it wasn’t cool being grounded from your sweet ride. How were we supposed to pick up chicks without a car?”
“You poor things,” she mocked. Zach chuckled. Talking about Donny made him feel good.
He told her more stories about Donny, about the time they’d gone skinny dipping down at Lake Pend Oreille with two girls and how the girls had stolen their clothes and the keys to the Mustang. Zach and Donny had had to sneak back home buck naked, hiding behind trees, slipping behind the neighbor’s shrubs, slinking down behind cars, until they finally made it home.
“We were lucky we didn’t get arrested for streaking,” Zach said.
Meghan smirked, her eyes dancing with laughter as she looked up at him. Then she lowered her gaze. “Thanks for sharing stories about Donny,” she whispered. “I’d like to hear more someday.”
Something in his chest pinched. “I’d like that too,” he said quietly.
They gazed into each other’s eyes for a long moment before she looked away. “Can I just stay here with you for a while?” she whispered. “You make me feel safe.”
Zach’s heart clenched again. She’d been alone, on her own, for so long. He’d gladly be the man who looked out for her, watched over her, held her…made love to her.
Trying to ignore the flame of desire that speared him at that thought, he pulled his legs up onto the couch and sprawled out, scooting back against the back of the couch and making room for her. She snuggled down next to him, her soft body settling against his, and let out a sigh. Zach swallowed hard. He hesitantly laid an arm across her hip.
Dear God, was he dreaming? Was she actually letting him touch her, hold her like this?
Her nearness made his body hot with desire. He tried to ignore the feel of her ass as she settled more closely against him.
“Good night Zach,” she whispered.
He lay still, listening as her breathing slowed and she drifted off to sleep.
This had to be a dream. There was no way she’d let him get this close to her. No way.
Zach let out the breath he’d been holding. The woman lying next to him wasn’t a dream. She was real. She was his biggest fantasy in the flesh. It took all his willpower to keep his hands still, to not touch her the way he longed to.
And for the rest of the night he lay there in a state of painful arousal.
* * *
Meg woke to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. She lay there for a moment, trying to get her bearings, then everything came crashing home.
Evan was dead. Dead. Because of her.
Her heart squeezed.
Oh Evan.
She was going to miss him so much. He’d been her best friend, her only true friend, since they were sixteen. How would she ever survive without dear, sweet Evan?
She hitched in a breath, refusing to cry anymore. She would avenge his death, that’s how. She’d find a way to make Larry pay.
Meg had spent half the night crying while she’d lain alone in Zach’s big king-size bed that smelled like him, wishing she could bring Evan back, knowing there was nothing she could do. She’d tossed and turned, trying to decide what to do about Larry. Finally, she’d gotten up and come downstairs. Sitting and talking with Zach had helped somewhat. But she would always miss Evan. She wished he was here so she could tell him about her first real kiss, how wonderful it had been. But she had no one to confide in anymore. No one.
Now Zach was in danger, and so was Kristen. All because of her. That man had shot at Zach last night. Only Zach’s quick acting had saved him.
Meg slowly sat up. The house was quiet. Zach must have gotten up a while ago to make coffee. Kristen would be getting up soon to get ready for school.
Meg needed to be gone before Zach came back into the room. She’d gotten a little too close to him last night in her moment of weakness. She couldn’t let that happen again or he would think she wanted more from him than she was capable of giving. When he’d kissed her…her cheeks heated now in remembrance. Zach was an incredible kisser. She hadn’t wanted him to stop. For the first time in her life, she’d wanted to just give in and lose control. Thank goodness Kristen had interrupted them when she had or Meg feared she would have let Zach do more than just kiss her.
Last night as Zach had held her close on the big couch, comforting her, Meg had finally made her decision. She couldn’t let Larry hurt Zach or Kristen
. Or Curtis. She refused to let him hurt them.
Larry knew where she was now. It would only be a matter of time before he sent someone else after her. She had to stop him. She had to take Larry down before he hurt someone she loved.
It was time to pay Larry a visit. Time to see if she could work out a deal with him.
But first she had to go to the hair salon. She had to try to change her hair back. She knew it wouldn’t be easy going from black back to blonde again. It would take half the day at the salon with bleaching, conditioning, coloring…until she got as close to her natural color as she could. Her hair would be severely damaged by the process, but she didn’t mind. She’d just have it cut when they were done. She was done hiding.
She was ready to become Meghan Gardner again.
Tossing the blanket aside, she slid off the couch and tiptoed toward the front door. Zach wouldn’t like what she was about to do, but it wasn’t his decision. She’d been taking care of herself since she was seventeen. She wouldn’t involve him.
She had plans to make. Preparations to get under way. As much as it pained her, this was a sacrifice she had to make. Something she had to do.
For Zach. For Kristen. For Curtis.
For Evan and her parents…
She drew in a ragged breath.
And for herself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Meghan was gone when Zach entered the living room with a fresh cup of coffee for her early the next morning. At first he’d been alarmed, then he rationalized that she probably just needed a little space to sort through her feelings. He would give her all the time and space she needed. He couldn’t deny that whatever was between them was special and he wanted to see where it would lead. He would just have to be patient.
Kristen had wanted to check on her, and frankly, so had Zach, so they’d stopped by Meghan’s on their way into town that morning. But Meghan was gone. Zach had no idea where she’d taken off to, but he had an uncomfortable feeling in his gut that she was doing something foolish.
After dropping Kristen off at school, Zach went to the jail to see Curtis. If anyone knew where Meghan might have gone, it would be her brother.
Curtis eyed him through the bars of the jail cell when Zach approached.
“Meghan’s gone,” Zach said, stopping just outside the cell. “Ambrose is dead. He was murdered last night at her house. Do you know where she might be?”
Curtis paled. “Shit, dude! You promised to protect her.” His words were filled with accusation.
Zach sighed. “I know, but damn her, she snuck away. You’ve got to help me find her.”
Curtis groaned. “Dude, she probably went to Larry to try to bargain with him.”
Bargain? Shit, what would Meghan bargain with? What was she up to?
“What does Cummings want with her?”
Curtis snorted. “What does any man want with a woman? He wants to own her, possess her, make her his. Larry’s wanted her ever since she was a teenager.”
What? Bile threatened its way up Zach’s throat. What hadn’t Meghan told him? The thought of Cummings putting his hands on her made Zach sick inside. He pulled a chair up to the cell and sat, too weak to stand any longer. “She didn’t tell me that.”
Curtis shrugged. “She probably didn’t want you to know. Or maybe she just convinced herself differently. He wants to stop her from exposing his crimes, but he also wants her as his own. I know, because I overheard him talking about it. That’s why I helped her escape that day your deputy tried to sell her to Larry. I couldn’t let him take her.”
“You’re the one who helped her escape?” She hadn’t told Zach that. Which meant his deputy had been lying to him. And Meghan had been trying to protect her brother.
Curtis nodded. “He’s one fucked-up dude.”
Zach rubbed a hand over his face. He’d already come to that conclusion. But why would Meghan go to Cummings? What was she thinking? What did she plan to bargain with? Did she have some kind of evidence she hadn’t told Zach about?
“If you let me out of here,” Curtis offered. “I’ll tell you what Meg’s up to and I’ll try to convince her to let you help.”
Zach eyed him for a moment. “She said something about investigating Larry. Tell me about that first and I’ll think about letting you out.”
Curtis made a face. He stared down at the floor. A tic hit him then. He shrugged his shoulder, over and over, blinked rapidly. His head jerked to the side, again and again and again. Zach lowered his gaze until Curtis got control again.
When Curtis’s twitches finally stopped, he said, “She has a file. It’s got all kinds of information on Larry. She’s trying to get enough evidence to bring him down. I’ve been helping her.”
Zach hadn’t known Curtis was involved. He was concerned that Meghan was putting her life in danger. Dammit, what hadn’t she told him?
“Do you know if Larry ever…” Zach hesitated. “Did he…?” God, he couldn’t bring himself to ask it.
“Did he rape her?” Curtis lowered his gaze. “Dude, I don’t know. She didn’t talk about what happened when he kidnapped her. She didn’t even tell me it was him until years later.”
But she’d told me. Even though he’d only known her for a few days. She trusts me. Zach’s heart swelled with the knowledge. Could he convince her to give up whatever she was planning?
Curtis shuddered. “I hate violence, dude. I hate it. Honestly, I’m glad she didn’t tell me about that time, because I don’t want to know. I don’t do well with that type of thing.” A tic hit him again and Zach looked away until Curtis finally stopped twitching.
Zach cleared his throat. He just hoped to God Cummings hadn’t touched Meg or he’d have to kill the son-of-a-bitch.
“So why would Meghan go to Larry now?”
Curtis shrugged. “I don’t know. Larry must have threatened someone she loves. Me, maybe, but not likely.” He eyed Zach for a moment. “You, probably.”
Zach’s heart lurched in his chest. Shit. “Me? Why?”
Curtis rolled his eyes. “Why do you think, dude? She’s in love with you.”
* * *
Larry Cummings enjoyed three things in life: sex, power, and a quality Bourbon. He got plenty of the first from his lucrative prostitution business, all that he needed of the second from his position as county sheriff and his illegal dealings, and he always purchased the third from a reliable vendor who provided him with only the best of the best. Elijah Craig was Larry’s favorite bourbon. He didn’t go a day without a drink of the finest.
The girls were nearly as lucrative as his drug smuggling business, and Larry always tried out the merchandise before selling to others. But he was growing dissatisfied with the sex lately. He didn’t want any more stinky hookers. He wanted something fresh and clean. Pure. He wanted his little Meggie girl. He wondered if she was still pure, untouched. He doubted it. No woman reached the age of thirty-two without popping her cherry. He wondered who her first had been. Certainly not that little fag she’d “married.” Larry had had her watched over the years, keeping an eye on her, though he knew his spies didn’t know everything. They’d reported back to him that she hadn’t dated anyone throughout college or her career at the district attorney’s office. It was possible his Meggie was keeping a relationship with a man secret. Though if that were true, he couldn’t fathom who it could be. She kept to herself, rarely socialized. The only man she was ever seen with was her “husband” Evan Ambrose.
Larry’s man had followed Ambrose to Meg’s little cabin in the woods last night. Ambrose was now history. And now Larry knew exactly where Meg was. It had taken him over a month to find her. If she hadn’t sent that P.I. after him, trying to catch him doing something illegal, he would have left her alone. The scorn, the ridicule, the humiliation she’d suffered from trying to take him down fifteen years ago had been sufficient punishment in his mind. But he’d still kept an eye on her, just in case. And thank God he had. Larry didn’t know how long the P.I
. had been following him before he discovered the tail. So he’d posted the bounty on her—first five and then ten grand to whoever brought her to him alive and unharmed. He needed to teach Meg a lesson. One she’d never forget.
Meg’s accusations fifteen years ago had forced him under the spotlight and caused him to come under scrutiny. Fortunately, no one had believed her and he had never been investigated in her parents’ murder/suicide. Larry had cleaned up the house as soon as Meg left, disposing of all evidence, just in case she went to someone about that. He had dirt on a lot of people. Everyone had secrets and Larry used that to his advantage. He’d been very careful the past fifteen years. People feared him and he loved being in charge. He’d been sheriff for a long time. Next year was an election year and Larry intended to be re-elected. All that was missing from his life now was a beautiful woman by his side, at his beck and call, to see to his every need. A wife.
Though he hadn’t intended to bother Meg again, she’d got under his skin when she’d sent that P.I. after him. Now he intended to bring Meg under his control. He had big plans for her. He’d wanted her for a long time. Pretending to be friends with her father had made it easy to watch her. He had removed her parents by making it look like a murder/suicide, then had closed in on little Meggie. He’d used his pleasure house as a place to keep her while he trained her the way he wanted. But the girl had been tougher than he’d expected. She’d outwitted him. Her accusations had tarnished his reputation. But Larry would have been willing to just let her go if she hadn’t tried to fuck with him. Now he wanted to bring her to heel. No one outwitted Larry. No one. It was time to stop her. Time to show her who was boss.
His secretary beeped him from the front office of the sheriff’s department. Susan wasn’t technically a secretary, she was his civil deputy, but he paid her a little extra on the side to keep an eye out, to manage his appointments, monitor the phones and let him know if she suspected anything.
Deceived (Unlikely Heroes Book 3) Page 24
