Another Life: Another Life Series #1

by Jasmine Denton

  He looked confused. “Wait, what?”

  With her door open, she stopped long enough to look at him over the roof of the car. “If you think you want to love me,” she said, the words making her choke up. She swallowed hard and continued. “Then there’s something else you need to know.”

  She stooped down into the car and waited for him to get inside. When he climbed in and shut the door, she reached over and took his hand. His eyes met hers and he gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Drawing on him for strength, she drove off to face her past.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “When you said you wanted to go somewhere, I didn’t think you meant Maryland,” Shane said from the passenger seat of Cameron’s cavalier.

  Though they were half-way there, she hadn’t told him the reason they were going to Baltimore. It wasn’t that she was afraid; she just hadn’t found a way to fit it into the conversation yet.

  “You’ve barely said a word since we got in the car,” he noted, looking a little nervous.

  “There’s something I need to do,” she said. “But I don’t want to do it alone.”

  He looked at her a minute, really studying her. She wished he would stop, if he didn’t, he would read her, like he always did. “Please don’t tell me you’re doing what I think you’re doing.”

  She already had her defense ready. “If I turn myself in, then there’s nothing to hold over my head and the blackmailing stops.”

  “If that’s what you want to do, then we need to do that with your brothers and a lot of lawyers, okay?” he said, sitting up straight in the seat. He angled the top half of his body to face her.

  “So they can explain why it was self defense?” She shook her head decisively. “No one needs to know about any of that.”

  “Then you’ll go to jail,” he said. “Why would you want to do that?”

  “I told you,” she said.

  “I thought he was threatening to tell your brothers about your past,” he said. “But now they know. They know you killed Allen, they know what he did to you. So why are you still acting like Julian has something over your head?”

  This was another question she chose not to answer, and she could tell it was driving him a little crazy, though she could also see he worked hard not to show it.

  With a small sigh, he brought his fingertips to massage his temples gently. “I really think we should talk to your brothers before you do this. Maybe Sam can help.”

  “Sam can get me out of a few scrapes, sure,” Cameron said. “But I doubt he can get me off a murder charge.”

  “I’m sure he could do something to help. He’s a cop, he should at least be there when you—”

  “I’ll be okay, Shane,” she insisted. Giving him a convincing smile, she added, “And hey, it’ll make me get sober, right? No booze allowed in prison.”

  “You deserve better than to rot in jail because of this,” he said.

  “I don’t know,” she said, feeling a little flustered. “Maybe, maybe not. It doesn’t really matter.”

  “Cameron, I’m not sure you’re thinking straight right now.”

  “Don’t try to talk me out of it,” she said. “I’m not scared. I’ll be fine.”

  He looked away for a minute, staring out the windshield as if he was deep in thought. “What does Julian want you to do that makes prison look like the better option?”

  Here was her chance, she realized. Right now, she should tell him she had a son she gave up for an informal adoption, and that they were on their way to meet that little boy. Instead of speaking the words, she fixed her gaze ahead. “You’re about to find out.”

  ***

  Sam was in the office at his house, looking over the file Detective Bertinelli had faxed over. Chad had left to search for Cameron, but Sam thought his attention would be better suited going over this case file again. Maybe there was something there that would back up Cameron’s claim, and eventually get her off the hook for injuring Allen, since the police were looking for her on that charge. And if he could ever get Cameron to stand still for more than ten seconds, he’d tell her what he’d found out about that “murder” and let her know just how much Julian was messing with her head.

  All of the sudden, Lindsay, the attractive and sharp-tongued lawyer walked in as if she owned the place. Seeing him, she gave a triumphant smile.

  “Finally. I looked for you at your office but they said you left early,” she said. “Your girlfriend showed me in.”

  “Lindsay, right?” Sam asked, standing to shake her hand. “Is this about the divorce papers?”

  “Unfortunately, Cameron wouldn’t agree to the terms.” Lindsay handed over a sheet of paper, folded vertically in half. “So I was forced to file this instead. I trust you’ll make sure she gets it?”

  Sam unfolded the paper and read it. His mind started racing with thoughts and questions. “This…he’s suing her for custody,” he said slowly. The words made no sense. If Julian filed a custody suit against Cameron it could only mean… “They have a kid together?”

  “She didn’t even tell you? Wow.” She shook her head and placed a hand on her hip. “They have a little boy who’s almost three. And Cameron gave him over for your aunt to raise without even consulting Julian. Then, for all intents and purposes, she abandoned him. Julian just wants what’s rightfully his.” She shot a look down her nose as she turned. “And from the looks of your sister’s record, he’s going to get it.”

  Sam was stunned to silence as Lindsay sashayed out of his office. He kept reading the name “Brady Baker” and remembered the Christmas they had visited Cameron. He’d thought it was an ironic miracle that Anne had been able to conceive, since the sole reason she wanted Cameron all those years ago was because she couldn’t have children of her own. Now, he realized, Cameron had been tricked in the exact same way he’d been.

  He was barely aware of the sound of his phone ringing. Keeping his eyes on the summons, he answered it.

  “Sam,” Chad’s voice sounded urgent. “Have you talked to Cameron since she left?”

  “No, but I was just about to.”

  “You’re a little late,” Chad said. “I just got a text from Shane. He and Cameron are headed to Baltimore.”

  Finally looking up from the paper, Sam shoved it in his pocket and grabbed his keys.

  “Neither one of them are answering now.”

  “Meet me at the hotel on main,” he said on his way out the door.

  “What? Why?”

  “Just do it,” Sam said, hanging up.

  Sam hopped into his squad car and sped over to the hotel. Chad was already waiting there when he arrived, but Sam didn’t stop to explain. Seeing the determined and outraged look on Sam’s face, Chad immediately sensed there was something wrong.

  “What’s going on?” he asked, following after Sam as he blew right past him. “Sam, what is it?”

  But he only went straight to Julian’s door and slammed his fist against it in his loudest cop-knock.

  Julian answered moments later, muttering, “Jesus, Cammi, you could call—” Seeing Chad and Sam, his expression fell.

  Sam reached out and grabbed hold of Julian’s collar, hauling him out of the room. Leaving the door wide open behind them, he started dragging Julian down the sidewalk.

  “Are you arresting me?” Julian squirmed to get away, but was no match for the older man’s grip. “You can’t do that. I have rights!”

  “Dude,” Chad said to Sam, sounding more concerned than ever. “What the hell’s going on?”

  “You’re not under arrest,” Sam said as they arrived at his squad car. He opened the back door and shoved Julian inside, then he turned to Chad and finally said, “He’s suing Cameron for custody of their kid. Now get in there and punch him.”

  As soon as Sam’s words sunk in, Chad obeyed and dove into the backseat. Sam heard the muffled sound of a punch as he shut both of them in the backseat. Getting behind the wheel, Sam turned the sirens on and squealed o
ut of the parking lot.

  “You can’t do this,” Julian said, struggling to avoid Chad’s fists. “Where are you taking me?”

  Sam blew past a sign that read “leaving Victory Hollow.” Glancing at them in the rearview mirror, he said, “Maryland.”

  ***

  Cameron pulled her car up on the side of the street and parked. Looking out the passenger window, past Shane, she saw Anne’s one-level brick home. Next to Julian’s sprawling Tudor home it looked pretty simple.

  “This is my aunt’s house,” she said. For awhile, she just sat there, looking at the house and remembering how much she hated living there. Suddenly, it was hard to imagine leaving Brady there after she’d said goodbye.

  Not for the first time, she began to wonder if Julian had a point. Maybe living with Anne wasn’t the best option for Brady. But what shape was Cameron in to make that kind of choice? What knowledge did she have to go on? All of the information she was going on was drawn from her own pain and beliefs, filtered through her messed up mind. So how could she know what to decide?

  She took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out to prepare herself for what came next. “What was that thing your mom used to say?” she asked suddenly. “About the rain?”

  “It washes everything clean so we can start over.”

  Keeping this phrase in mind, she pushed open her car door and climbed out.

  As Shane followed Cameron up the sidewalk to the front door, he wondered again what they were doing here. Cameron was obviously on a mission, and he was curious to see where it would lead.

  Cameron reached up and rang the doorbell. Her eyes met his, just for a second, but he could tell she was worried and nervous.

  A woman in her forties answered the door. She was frail looking and thin, with short, reddish hair. And she didn’t look the least bit pleased to see Cameron. She gave the girl a tight, wry smile, “Cameron. This is unexpected.”

  Cameron stepped over the threshold, squeezing past Anne. “Where is he?”

  Before Shane could question what Cameron meant, they were interrupted by the high-pitched sound of a child’s squeal. Tiny feet pitter-pattered across the hardwood floors as a child about two feet tall ran up to Cameron with a look of pure excitement on his face.

  Shane watched in awe as a genuine, loving smile brightened Cameron’s face. Kneeling down, she spread her arms and scooped the boy up in them. Holding on to him, she squeezed her eyes shut, pushing out a few tears. If the matching raven-colored hair and heart-shaped faces hadn’t given the boy’s identity away, the look on Cameron’s face certainly did. By just watching the two of them, Shane knew the boy belonged to Cameron.

  Finally, she set the boy down, but stayed eye-level with him as she said, “Why don’t you go throw on some shoes? We’re going somewhere special.”

  “Wait just a second,” Anne protested, but the boy ran out of the room in search of shoes. “You can’t just waltz in here—with some stranger, I might add, and expect to—”

  “It’s just for a few hours,” Cameron said, turning to Anne. “You owe me this much, at least.”

  She didn’t want to, that much was clear, but soon her reluctance faded. “I want him back by dark,” she stated.

  Cameron nodded.

  “I’ll go help him get ready.” With that, Anne left the room and Shane stepped inside.

  Cameron finally turned to look at him with a braced expression. He didn’t know what to say, so he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

  ***

  Sirens blared as Sam sped down the highway, changing lanes to avoid every car in his path. In the backseat, Chad punched Julian again.

  “You can act like I’m the bad guy all you want,” Julian said, “But all I want is my family back.”

  “So you blackmail a girl into marrying you?” Chad exclaimed, slamming his fist straight into Julian’s gut. “You hire a private investigator to pose as a cop and make her think she’s wanted for murder?” He threw another punch, this time at Julian’s face.

  “Stop hitting him,” Sam said, tossing a glance over his shoulder. “He has to stay conscious if we want answers.”

  He punched Julian with his left hand one last time.

  “So you want your son back, that much I understand,” Sam said, his voice stern and demanding answers. “How does the fake murder come into play?”

  Julian wiped blood from his lip before he answered. “She had to believe there was no other way out than to give me custody,” he said. “I had to make sure she was desperate.”

  Chad reared his fist back again and Julian braced himself.

  “Chad, don’t,” Sam ordered. To Julian, he asked, “How long have you known that he was still alive? Since that night?”

  He shook his head. “I swear, I thought he was dead. I mean, I dumped his body in the lake. Somehow, he’d washed ashore by the next morning. He was barely alive and unrecognizable. Everybody thought he was a John Doe. So that’s when I hired the investigator to spook Cameron into leaving town. It was only supposed to be that first time. And then she ran off—”

  “You mean she left you,” Chad corrected, “And you thought you’d get a little revenge.”

  “Like I said, I just needed her to be desperate,” he said quickly moving on, “Once I saw how insecure she was around you two I knew it’d be a piece of cake. She would’ve done anything to keep you from finding out how screwed up she is.”

  It was the last straw for Chad. He lunged across the backseat, his fist flying, while Sam called out his name.

  Julian squirmed, trying to block the blows and shove Chad off him. “She drove me to it,” he insisted, as if this would justify everything he’d done. “Can’t you see that?”

  “You know what I see?” he shouted in response, pinning the other boy the seat of the squad car. “I see a spoiled brat who knocked up a sixteen year old girl and then spent the next few years blaming her because she wasn’t ready!”

  He stopped squirming, stopped moving altogether. His eyes shifted over Chad, as if his words had somehow, on some level, gotten through to him.

  “Listen,” Sam said, his voice once again drawing the boys’ attention. “None of this matters right now.”

  Chad gawked at him. “How can you say it doesn’t matter?”

  “You’re forgetting that Allen’s still alive,” Sam said. “And Cameron doesn’t have a clue.”

  He fell back into his spot on the seat as his temper finally calmed down enough for him to understand what his brother was trying to say.

  “Not to mention she tried to kill him.” Julian sat up, bringing a hand to his bruising jaw. “I’m sure he’s thrilled about that.”

  The car lurched forward as Sam pressed the gas pedal harder. Chad pulled out his cell phone and dialed Cameron to warn her. “And she’s walking straight into his house.”

  ***

  At a playground not far from Anne’s house, Cameron and Shane watched as Brady sat down at the top of a plastic yellow slide. Cameron and Julian used to take Brady here to play, ever since he was a baby. Of course, he always thought they were just babysitting him, but those few hours were always treasured by both his parents. Though Julian had been livid and raging when he found out that the baby Cameron gave away was actually his, eventually he adjusted and they settled for this little time with him. They had talked about taking him back once they were older, but to Cameron it was only a dream. It wasn’t something she actually felt like she could accomplish. She wasn’t worthy enough for the task.

  “Brady’s yours, isn’t he?” Shane asked, angling his body to face Cameron. “He’s the reason Julian won’t let you go.”

  Cameron nodded, keeping her attention focused on her little boy. “He doesn’t know.”

  “That you’re his mom?” Shane asked, his eyes bulging. But Brady’s body was zooming down the slide now, so Cameron didn’t answer.

  She met Brady at the bottom of the slide and scooped him up. He l
aughed, his bright blue eyes lighting up as he wrapped his arms tight around Cameron’s neck tight. “I missed you,” he said, his voice sounding tiny and adorable. “So, so, so much.”

  Tears sprang to her eyes and she fought to hold them back. “I missed you, too,” she whispered.

  He pulled back enough to look at her face. “Never ever leave and not say bye again, ’kay?”

  Guilt swarmed her heart, making it ache. To hide the tears from him, she pulled him into another hug.

  The hours passed too quickly, but Cameron and Brady filled them with laughter and fun. Using the camera Shane had bought for her, she took as many pictures as she could, wanting to capture every moment and keep it forever. Shane happened to be good with kids and Brady warmed up to him right away. Shane treated them to dinner and then they went to the toy store. Cameron made Brady laugh by enlisting his help to set off all the singing toys in one aisle, and then bought him a jumbo set of Legos.

  He was sound asleep in his car seat by the time they arrived back at Anne’s house. Cameron eased him out of the car seat and into her arms. Comfortably asleep, he curled his arms around her neck and nuzzled his head against her shoulder. Shane followed behind her with the Legos and the car seat as Cameron carried Brady up the sidewalk.

  Anne opened the door and met them on the porch. “Finally,” she said under her breath, but loud enough for Cameron to hear. She stretched her arms out to take Brady.

  “Wait,” she protested as Anne tried to take the child from her arms. “Let me put him to bed.”

  “That’s not necessary,” Anne said quickly. She shifted Brady onto her shoulder and stepped back, smoothing a hand over the back of his head.

  Jealousy tightened in Cameron’s stomach as she watched Anne, but instead of letting it consume her, she walked over to the door and held it open for her.

  Anne carried Brady inside, but blocked Cameron with her body when she tried to come inside. Cameron pushed her way through anyway, and Shane stepped in just far enough to empty his arms by the door.

  “I need to talk to you about something,” she said. Just as she was about to explain that Julian had filed for custody and Anne should take Brady and run, her ears picked up on the sounds of thick, heavy work boots walking across the floor. One foot sounded heavier than the other, like the person walked with a limp.