Beyond the Breakwater

by Radclyffe

  “When he lost his job, his wife left him. He’s angry, and I’m not sure he’s entirely stable. I would consider him violent and recommend caution if he is to be apprehended.” She hesitated. “I’m not sure it’s relevant, but he was an explosives expert in the Army.”

  “So noted.” Reese pushed off from the desk and glanced at her watch. “I’ll get this out on the wire as soon as we square away Officer Tremont. Are you going to stay around for a while?”

  “Yeah, for a while. If this new fire is his doing, it would be the first time he struck again so close in time and geography.” Ashley stood as well. “Maybe he’s coming undone. I might as well stay here until I can pick up some trace of him.”

  “Just be sure that if you learn anything further, you share it with us,” Reese said in a tone that left no room for negotiation.

  “Understood, Sheriff.”

  The officers and the PI walked back to the radiology suite, where they found Tory placing a soft cast on Allie Tremont’s left lower leg. Tory looked up when the others walked in.

  “There’s a very small chip fracture of the distal fibula. It shouldn’t be a problem long term, but it needs to be immobilized for three or four weeks.”

  When Allie started to slide down off the table, Tory said quickly, “No weight bearing, Officer Tremont. Not for at least a week. I’ll see what I can do about finding you some crutches.”

  “Great. This is gonna be real simple considering that I live by myself.” Allie looked frustrated as well as worn out. “I don’t even have any way to get home.”

  “I can take you,” Bri said quietly.

  “Why don’t I do it,” Ashley Walker volunteered. “I’m sure that you have work to finish up, Officer Parker. I can drop you off somewhere, too, if you like.”

  Bri looked at Ashley in surprise, but she didn’t argue. “Okay. Fine.”

  “Well then,” Tory said briskly. “Now that we have that all sorted out, perhaps one of you can help Officer Tremont out to the waiting area.”

  “I’ll do that.” Bri moved to Allie’s side.

  Ashley dug in her pocket for her keys. “I’ll get my car and bring it up to the door.”

  “And I should take you home, Dr. King,” Reese said quietly.

  For a brief instant, Tory thought about protesting, as patient hours were to start at the clinic shortly. But she didn’t argue because she couldn’t deny that she was exhausted. At the very least, she needed a shower and something to eat. Nodding her head tiredly, she said, “All right, Sheriff.”

  “I’ll check in at the station,” Bri said, “and see you later, Reese.”

  Reese tenderly took Tory’s hand. “That sounds like a plan.”

  *

  “Tory, love. We’re home.” Reese gently shook her lover’s shoulder.

  Tory mumbled and stirred, then opened her eyes. “Reese?”

  “Time for you to get some sleep.” Reese softly stroked Tory’s cheek.

  “Time for me to take a shower. God, I’m grimy.”

  Reese got out and walked around the front of her SUV and opened Tory’s door. She extended a hand and said, “I’ve got an even better idea.”

  “Oh?” Tory raised an eyebrow. “I love you beyond imagination, Sheriff. But I couldn’t make love right now if my life depended upon it.”

  “Really?” Reese slipped her arm around Tory’s waist. “Actually, I had something else in mind.”

  Jed was waiting for them at the rear door, and they let him out to explore.

  “Why don’t you go upstairs and get undressed,” Reese said. “I’ll put some food for him on the deck, and then I’ll be right up.”

  Five minutes later, Tory, clad only in an old T-shirt of Reese’s, since hers no longer fit comfortably, was tiredly brushing her teeth in front of the bathroom mirror. Reese came in behind her, lifted the hair at the back of her neck with one hand, and kissed her on the ultrasensitive spot just below her hairline.

  “Mmm,” Tory murmured, closing her eyes. “God, that feels good.”

  “Just wait,” Reese whispered. She nuzzled Tory’s ear before moving away.

  The next moment, Tory heard the bath water running and turned as Reese began to strip. She rested her hips against the counter and watched as Reese unsnapped her jeans and pushed them off. Reese was halfway through the buttons on her shirt when Tory murmured huskily, “You are so gorgeous.”

  Reese grinned. “No sex, remember?”

  “The heart is willing…” Tory laughed. “But the body is weak. Actually, not weak, just damn tired.”

  For an instant, Reese’s eyes darkened with concern, but then she forced a smile. “I’ve got just what the doctor ordered.”

  Naked now, Reese reached down to test the water temperature and then opened a small bottle that rested on a ledge on one side of the tub. She poured the vanilla-scented essential oils into the water, capped the bottle, and replaced it. Turning with a smile, she held out her hand. “Your bath awaits, my lady.”

  With an appreciative groan, Tory pulled off the T-shirt, then steadied herself on Reese’s shoulder to step into the tub. As she lowered herself into the soothing heat, Reese pulled the shades and quickly lit several candles that stood on the bathroom counter.

  “Wet your hair.” Reese sat on the edge of the tub and reached for the shampoo.

  Lids half closed, Tory tilted her head back until her hair was below the surface of the water. When she pushed herself up, Reese leaned forward and massaged the shampoo into her hair.

  “You have the best hands,” Tory murmured, closing her eyes completely. Reese’s fingers were strong but gentle. In their years together, those hands had touched her everywhere, inside and out, but each time she felt them on her body, a small surge of excitement rippled through her.

  Reese took her time, smoothing the lather down the back of Tory’s neck and over her shoulders, massaging the tense muscles. Eventually, she directed softly, “Go ahead and rinse.”

  Once again, when Tory lifted herself from the water, Reese was waiting, this time with a body sponge that she used to spread a fragrant bath gel over Tory’s back. When she’d finished massaging her from shoulders to hips, Reese stepped into the tub behind Tory and settled down with a leg extended on either side of her.

  “Lean back,” Reese whispered in Tory’s ear.

  The tub was deep, and the water came to just above Tory’s breasts as she reclined in Reese’s embrace. Allowing her head to fall back against Reese’s shoulder, she closed her eyes.

  Tenderly, Reese reached around and spread the soothing lotion over Tory’s upper chest and down the swell of her breasts. Tory groaned faintly and lifted her breasts into Reese’s palms.

  “Remember,” Reese murmured, “no sex.”

  “God, you’re evil,” Tory muttered, even as she realized that she wouldn’t be able to follow through with the distant pulse of desire in her depths. The sensation of want was pleasant, nevertheless.

  When Tory opened her eyes again, she realized that she had been asleep, cushioned within the curve of Reese’s body. Astonishingly, the water was still warm.

  “How long have I been asleep?”

  “About twenty minutes.” Reese rested with her back against the wall and her chin on the top of Tory’s head. “I’ve been turning the water on now and then to keep it warm. You didn’t even realize when I recycled it.”

  “I can’t remember the last time I was this out of it.” She sighed deeply.

  “Let’s go to bed now, love.”

  Tory shook her head, then found Reese’s hand where it rested on the edge of the tub. She squeezed it gently. “Sweetheart, it’s Friday. I need to go to the clinic.”

  Reese didn’t move. “Stay home today, Tory. Dan can take care of things.”

  “We’re supposed to see Wendy this afternoon, too.”

  “I know. Can it wait until Monday?”

  “I don’t see why not,” Tory said softly. “What about you? Are you going to work?
You were up all night, too, Sheriff.”

  “I thought I’d lie down with you for a while.” Reese hoped that would entice Tory to stay home.

  “You know that’s an offer I can’t refuse, don’t you?”

  Smiling to herself, Reese kissed the top of Tory’s head. “That’s what I was counting on.”

  *

  An hour later, Reese slipped from the bed, moved quietly across the room, and collected her clothes. She stepped out into the hall and carefully closed the bedroom door. She dressed quickly and stepped stealthily down the stairs. Bri was sitting at the kitchen counter, drinking orange juice and eating a bowl of cereal.

  “Did Ashley get Allie squared away?”

  “Yep,” Bri said.

  Halfway around the counter toward the kitchen, Reese stopped, turned, and walked back to Bri’s side. “You’ve got a pretty big burn on the side of your neck.”

  “I just realized it. I guess that happened when that drape caught on fire as we were going out the window.”

  “You did a fine job back there,” Reese commended. “Both you and Allie. I’ll make sure it goes into your record.”

  Bri blushed. “We didn’t do anything that everyone else wasn’t doing.”

  “Not everyone would’ve been willing to go into a room that was already in flames. The two of you did that.” Reese rested her hand on Bri’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you.”

  “Thanks.” Tears stung Bri’s eyes as she murmured huskily, “And thanks for coming after us. I’m not sure I could’ve gotten him out of there.”

  “You could have.” Reese was certain and wanted Bri to know. She walked into the kitchen and found a coffee cup. “As soon as you’re done eating, report to the clinic and have that burn looked after.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And then take the rest of the day off and get some sleep.”

  “What about you? Are you taking the day off?”

  Reese shook her head. “I want to follow up on what Ashley told us about this guy Morris. Plus, I want to be there if we get an ID on the body. Maybe it was him.”

  “Then I’m coming in, too.”

  Reese finished pouring her cup of coffee and regarded Bri steadily. “I don’t want to see you before two this afternoon.”

  “Roger,” Bri replied, her eyes alight. “I’ll get over to the clinic now, then.”

  “Good idea.”

  Reese watched Bri jump from the stool, grab her motorcycle jacket, and hurry out. Smiling, she shook her head and tried not to think about how close she had come to losing not one but two cadets earlier that day.

  *

  When Bri returned to the house an hour and a half later, Reese was gone but Tory’s Jeep was in the driveway. Knowing that Tory must be upstairs still asleep, Bri grabbed the portable phone from its cradle on the breakfast counter and took it with her into her small room. She pulled off her clothes and got naked under the sheets. Holding her breath, she punched a number and waited. A minute later, the familiar voice answered. “Carre?”

  “Bri?” Almost as if she could hear something in Bri’s voice, Caroline asked anxiously, “What’s wrong?”

  “I know I’m supposed to wait until you get here to call, but I just—”

  “Are you hurt?”

  Bri stretched out on her back, careful not to brush the side of her neck against the pillow where the medicine had been applied. “No, not really. Just a little bit of a burn.”

  Caroline took a deep breath. “There was a fire?”

  “In Truro. A big one.” Bri hesitated, then said very softly, “I love you, babe. I miss you so much.”

  “Something happened, didn’t it?” The concern was still sharp in Caroline’s tone. “Tell me what happened.”

  “Nothing,” Bri said quickly. “It was crazy for a little while, and we almost got trapped in this burning room, but we went out the window—”

  “And you got burned,” Caroline interrupted in an unnaturally calm tone of voice. “Where?”

  “Just the side of my neck and a little bit on my shoulder.”

  “Has Tory looked at it?”

  “She’s upstairs asleep. Her associate checked it. I’m okay.”

  There were a few seconds of silence as they listened to each other breathe.

  “If something happens to you, Bri, I’m not going to be able to stand it,” Caroline said softly. I still haven’t forgotten the first time.

  “Nothing is going to happen. It’s just…I thought about you when, for a minute there…”

  “It was really bad, wasn’t it?”

  “It happened so fast, I didn’t have time to be scared.” Bri took a long breath. “I just wanted you to know that you’re the only girl I’ve ever loved. And the only one I want.”

  The silence returned, to be broken a few seconds later by the sound of tears.

  “Hey,” Bri whispered, her heart twisting in her chest. “Please don’t cry. I never meant to hurt you.”

  “I know.”

  “When you get here,” Bri avowed, “I’m going to make sure you know how much I love you.”

  “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

  “I promise.” Bri closed her eyes. I promise never to hurt you again. I promise to love you forever. Please let me.

  “I’ll see you soon, baby,” Caroline whispered.

  “Okay.”

  When the dial tone signaled that Caroline was gone, Bri pushed the off button, curled onto her side with the phone still in her hand, and fell asleep with the image of Caroline in her mind.

  Chapter Nineteen

  June, Boston, MA

  “I can’t believe how much she’s moving,” Reese whispered to Tory. She was sitting at the head of the exam table, her cheek resting against the top of Tory’s head, and they were both watching the ultrasound image as Wendy Deutsch moved the probe over Tory’s abdomen. “Can you feel all that?”

  “Mmm.” Reese’s arm rested around Tory’s body, just below her breasts, and Tory had laced the fingers of her left hand with those of Reese’s right. Tory squeezed gently and nodded. “Most of the time.”

  “I don’t know if she’ll be a rower, but she’s sure gonna be a swimmer,” Reese murmured with a small laugh.

  “Fetal size and movement look excellent.” Wendy smiled at Tory. “You’re both doing beautifully.”

  Reese kissed the top of Tory’s head, her eyes still watching the image on the screen.

  Wendy removed the probe and set it aside. “Come on back to my office when you’re ready.”

  A few minutes later, Reese and Tory were once again seated in front of Wendy’s desk.

  “Everything seems fine with the baby at this point,” Wendy reiterated and steadily held Tory’s gaze. “We need to talk about your blood pressure, though.”

  “I know.”

  “The elevation is persistent and substantial, although still in a range that I would consider mild hypertension. We have to consider this preeclampsia.”

  “Yes.” Tory’s voice was very calm.

  Reese’s heart plummeted, but she managed to sit absolutely still, and she knew that nothing showed on her face. When she glanced at her lover, she could read nothing in Tory’s expression either.

  “Most experts agree that at your stage, the only management is expectant.” Wendy shrugged. “Salt restriction and plenty of rest can’t hurt. I don’t ordinarily treat my patients with anti-hypertensives because they haven’t been shown to be of any value in terms of the outcome.”

  “I’ve read the same thing,” Tory said. In fact, she’d been searching the literature for the last few weeks, ever since she had first noticed the slow progression of her gestational hypertension. She probably knew as much as Wendy about preeclampsia at this point.

  “As long as there’s no progression of the symptoms,” Wendy said, her eyes still solemn and riveted on Tory, “I’m willing to manage this on an outpatient basis.”

  “As opposed to what?” Reese asked sharp
ly.

  Wendy switched her gaze to Reese. “As opposed to bed rest, either at home or in the hospital for fetal and maternal monitoring.”

  “Hospitalization? For weeks?” Reese was unable to keep the note of incredulity from her voice as she looked from Tory to the obstetrician. “We still have almost three months to go, right?”

  “In all likelihood, we’ll induce labor at thirty-seven weeks if conditions are optimal,” Wendy noted mildly. “But yes, we’re a ways away from that at this point.”

  “So let me get this straight.” Reese needed accurate information to make sense of what was so important to her, and so far from her usual area of expertise. “As long as nothing changes, we just wait until the baby is big enough to be delivered, right?”

  Tory smiled and reached for Reese’s hand. “Right.”

  “And if the other things develop,” Reese persisted, “the protein in the urine, or headaches, or visual disturbances or abnormal blood tests—then Tory is admitted to the hospital until the baby can be delivered?”

  “That’s possible, yes,” Wendy confirmed.

  “Okay then.” Reese took a deep breath. “That’s the plan.”

  “Yes, Reese.” Wendy smiled. “That sounds like the plan.” She looked at Tory again. “Weekly visits. No excuses. Take your blood pressure every four hours and twice-weekly blood screening.”

  “Done.”

  “And I want you to cut your hours at the clinic.” Before Tory could respond, Wendy added, “You’re in the last trimester now, Tory. It’s time to slow down a little bit.”

  “Yes, all right.”

  “Good,” Wendy said briskly. “I’ll see you next week.”

  *

  On the plane ride back to Provincetown, Reese sat in the window seat with Tory leaning quietly against her shoulder. They held hands, but they didn’t speak. When they landed at the small airstrip at Race Point, it was still early afternoon.

  “How’re you feeling?” Reese leaned close as they walked through the tiny terminal.