Eye of the Abductor (24 page)

Her mind drifted from Jill to his family. She had only been
resting her eyes when Brance spoke to Gramie concerning June and Colby's visit.
Once she saw the direction of the conversation, she feigned sleeping.

All of his family had turned against her, except his grandmother.
No doubt, Allison had turned their normal world upside down, but if it meant
getting Nathan back, she didn't care if she flipped the entire universe on its
ass.

***

On Tuesday, the doctor released Allison with instructions
requiring bed-rest and someone to care for her. Since Brance had to work, he
decided to leave Allison at Gramie’s house. Between Sally’s bossiness and
Gramie’s short fuse, no one would dare mess with Allison, not even his mother.
She’d be well taken care of there.

On their way down Poplar Avenue, his cell phone rang. “Stone
here.”

“This is Renee Dunlap with Southern Homes Realtors.”

“Hope you have some good news for us,” Brance said.

“The Peterson’s accepted your offer.”

“That’s great. Allison will be thrilled.”

“Thrilled about what?” Allison asked.

He ignored his soon to be wife's question.

The woman discussed a few other details and ended the call.
Allison badgered him for information. “What was that about?"

He shrugged but couldn’t hide the half smile. “With you just
getting out of the hospital, it might be more excitement than you can handle.
Maybe I should wait and tell you when you’re up to it.”

“I’m up to it. Tell me, Brance Stone." She poked his bicep
with her index finger. "Don't play games."

“Sweetheart, the house is ours!”

“They accepted our offer?”

“They did?”

“I can’t believe it. When can we move in?”

“We’ll get the keys at the closing.”

“We’ll be moved in before Christmas?”

“You bet.” So long as Allison lived separately, she’d be able to
shield herself from him. The sooner they moved in together, the sooner their
relationship might start to grow.

He dropped Allison off at Gramie's, then drove back to Bartlett.
In a section of Memphis between the two smaller incorporated towns, a Memphis
cop switched on the blue light and motioned him over. Brance showed his badge
right off to the guy.

“You were going five miles over the speed limit. Is this your
police vehicle?” the cocky officer asked.

“No, it’s personal.”

“You’re off duty?”

“Yeah, I am.”

He waited for the guy to hand him back his license and badge but
instead the cop wrote out a ticket.

“We've always cut each other a little slack as a professional
courtesy,” Brance reminded.

The man chuckled. “Not for you, asshole. You’re not one of us
since you’ve shacked up with Paige Wilson.”

Brance wanted to smash his fist into the guy’s arrogant face or
tell the smartass cop where he could put his ticket, but he held back. Landing
in jail wouldn’t help, so he accepted the citation along with his badge and
license.

“Shit. Son-of-a-bitch,” he cursed aloud as he drove away.

Chapter Fourteen

Brance walked into his precinct, and a chill seemingly fell over
the place. Several of his coworkers stared with placid expressions. No friendly
slaps on the back or the usual raunchy jokes. Instead, a cold silence greeted
him. It was like working in a meat locker. They might as well be slabs of beef.

To hell with them!

He worked all day, speaking as little as possible to others.
Could he cope with this for the rest of his life?

John Dreyer handed him some papers. “I circled the most
suspicious out of the ten Safety First employees I spoke with.”

“What criteria did you use to weed them out?”

“Some eliminated themselves. Old ladies first. A couple of
employees who had just moved here. Figured they hadn’t been here long enough to
make connections.”

“You have four names circled. Did you speak with each one?”

“Yep. Any of the four could be our guy. Actually one is a woman.
Of course she could be just as involved and guilty.”

Brance flinched over the comment.

Let it go.

“Hey, I wasn’t referring to your fiancée. I swear.”

“Thanks for saying so.”

“Brance, that day at the coffee shop, Paige Wilson was the woman
you mentioned being interested in. Wasn’t she?”

“Yeah. I didn’t know who she was until I’d already fallen for
her. Now she needs me more than ever.”

“I'm willing to be your best man. Just let me know when."

Brance nodded in acknowledgement. "Thanks, but I wouldn't
put you in the line of fire with me."

“I heard about the assault on her. Is she all right?”

“She’ll be fine. Thanks for asking.”

***

At the end of the day, Brance drove back to Collierville, taking
a different route to avoid Memphis. He discovered Allison sitting on a rattan
chaise with huge floral cushions in the sunroom. She put her romance book down
when he walked in.

Her smile made the hell of a day he’d just gone through worth
every torturing minute. But if she couldn’t learn to trust him, she’d leave
once she had her son back. And when she went, she’d take his heart.

“Hey, beautiful. Your eye looks better. The swelling in your
cheek has gone down too.” He sat in a chair across from her. “Set a wedding
date yet?”

Uncertainty danced in her eyes.

Brance clasped his hands together and leaned forward, resting his
elbows on his knees. “I still want to get married.”

“Why? No one in your family but Gramie wants us to marry. It’s
not too late to back out on buying the house.”

Discouraged, Brance exhaled a frustrated breath. Why hadn’t she
figured it out on her own, that he didn’t have an underlying motive but that he
actually loved her? “I care about you, Allison, and I want to see you get Nathan
back.”

***

Being paranoid had become a way of life for Allison, and right
now she had a bad case of paranoia. Brance called her beautiful, but she
wasn’t. She didn’t compare in sex appeal to the petite blonde bombshell he had
dated.

Why would he be willing to risk his family ties and his career to
marry her without a selfish reason?

“You don't believe me, do you?”

Allison wouldn’t lie. “No, because I don’t see why anyone would
find me worth the sacrifices you’re willing to make.”

“You’re gorgeous and smart.”

“Then you’re blind.”

“Maybe a little farsighted, but I'm not blind. Okay, if you won’t
set a date, I will. Next Sunday. Sound good?”

“I suppose so. I should be able to stand on my own two feet by
then.”

“If you can’t, I’ll carry you.”

***

Carla stared at Dillon. “You did what?”

“You heard me.”

“How could you?”

“I did it for his own good.” Dillon pulled a beer from the
fridge. “Hell, maybe he’ll wake up and see the truth about Paige Wilson before
he marries her.”

“Just how did you pull it off?”

“Gramie mentioned he’d dropped Allison off and had just left. I
had one of our guys pull him over at the city line. I told him exactly what to
say.”

Carla closed the dishwasher, then turned to face him. “That’s
low.”

“I have to find some way to teach the kid a lesson.”

“He loves her, and he's not a kid.”

“He’s whipped.”

“I don’t think so. I got the impression they’ve never slept
together.”

He grinned. “Yeah, right.”

“She tenses up when he goes near her. She’s as skittish as an
unbroken filly. And I truly believe she wasn’t involved in any crime. I think
Brance is right about her. She loves her son too much.”

“Hell, Carla. No one thinks they’re gonna get caught. People put
their kids at risk all the time for money.”

She stared at him. "This isn't about you wanting to save
your brother. You’ve always been jealous of Brance. Haven’t you?”

“Jealous? Over what? The only thing he had worth being envious
over was you. And we see where that went.”

No doubt part of his attraction for her had been the thrill of
taking her from Brance. Carla swallowed hard. Their marriage was in trouble.
Did Dillon even love her? Brance would’ve made a loving and wonderful husband. The
day she’d slept with Dillon had been a serious mistake.

***

By the next Sunday, the swelling in Allison’s face had gone down,
leaving a huge purple and blue bruise on her cheekbone. She smoothed foundation
and applied powder over the spot, then repeated the process until the bruise
was only a faint shadow. She slipped on the off-white chiffon dress Gramie had
purchased for her, and Sally zipped it up. She grimaced a little.

Sally studied her. “Baby girl, you look prettier than a peach.”

“You're being much too nice, but thanks.”

“I helped Ms. Margaret pick it out, and I selected the shoes and
purse.”

“Thank you. Everything is perfect. I was worried about what I’d
wear.”

After lunch, she decided to take Demerol so she wouldn’t cry out
in pain in the middle of the ceremony. Brance hadn’t said anything, but she
could tell he was worried his family wouldn’t attend. Gramie and Sally had
planned to come, but Gramie didn’t feel well. With Gramie being ill, Allison
doubted she would make it.

On the drive back to Bartlett, Brance pulled in front of Kroger.
“I’ll be right back.”

“Forget to buy your groceries?”

He grinned. “Smart-ass. No, just thought of a couple of things we
need.”

Ten minutes later he returned with a bouquet of mixed flowers in
one hand and a bag in the other. He set the bag in back, then offered her the
flowers. “For my bride.”

“They’re lovely. This is very thoughtful of you.”

"I also picked up a camera."

"No one is taking a picture of me like this.”

“Profile shot. That’ll work. Everyone needs a picture of their
wedding day.”

At the church, Brance opened the door of the large sanctuary for
Allison. She entered the vast room and stared at the deserted pews. She could
smell the fragrances of the large flower arrangements on the altar. Sickening
sweet, or was that her nerves making her nauseous.

“You take a seat. I'll go find Rev. Matthews.”

She sat on the front pew and bowed her head, praying everything would
work out. That she would be able to get her son back. She prayed Brance wasn’t
just another user. When she glanced up, the minister and Brance walked through
the side door.

Rev. Matthews walked over to her. “How are you doing, Allison?
June told me about your incident after work.”

“I’m fine.”

The minister smiled at Brance. “Fortunately, God has blessed her
with a guardian angel. You’ll need witnesses. Let me buzz the choir room and
see if Rick’s still there. I think our youth director is here also. Rick thinks
highly of you, Allison.”

What had the minister told the choir director? She didn’t want
everyone in the church knowing about her past.

The youth director walked in first, greeted them, and sat on the
front pew. Rick entered the sanctuary next and joined them. He grasped her hand
and squeezed. “I’m delighted for you.”

“Thanks,” Allison replied. Though her heart fluttered with
uncertainty, she stood and joined them at the altar. Her legs weakened at the
knees. “Can we wait to see if his family is coming?”

After what seemed like a never-ending
five minutes, Brance sighed. “Let’s get started.”

 “Join hands,” the minister said.

Allison and Brance joined hands. His palms were damp. Obviously,
a case of the wedding day jitters had him on edge or was he having doubts? Did
he regret doing this?

The minister cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved.”

The large doors at the back of the sanctuary opened, and the
minister glanced up.

“I’m sorry we’re late,” June said, her voice echoing in the
vastness of the huge room.

Brance’s face lit up as his mother, grandmother, Sally, and two
sister-in-laws walked up the long aisle and sat on the front pew. His gaze
remained on the door for a moment.

“They wouldn’t come, darling," June said. "But we’re
here for you.”

A flicker of disappointment showed in Brance’s eyes. He truly
believed his father and brothers would set aside their hostilities. But that
was something Allison had learned about Brance—he always thought people would
come through in the end and do what was right.

Something she never expected.

Something she couldn’t even start to conceive.

Not now. Not ever.

During the minister's words, Allison’s gaze lingered on Brance.
His blue eyes contrasted with his dark skin and hair. He was gorgeous. She
hadn’t examined her feelings for him. And she knew why. She was afraid she’d
fall in love with him and awake to find herself in another nightmare as she had
been with Rob. She couldn’t let that happen.

It’s too late.

She disregarded the ridiculous thought.

Brance gleamed at her with a star-struck expression. He had
wanted to marry her even if he didn’t inherit his grandmother’s money. Did he
love her? Had she been so filled with distrust that she’d overlooked the
possibility?

Brance had to nudge her when it came time to say her vows.
Allison cleared her throat and repeated after the minister, realizing the words
meant something. Her feelings for Brance had to be suppressed. She wouldn’t let
herself be a victim again.

She trembled as he slipped the band over her finger. Then it was
her turn. With a shaky hand, she tried to place the ring on his finger. It
turned out to be a difficult task. He finally held her hand steady, allowing
her to slip the ring down his finger.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”

Allison tried to stop the euphoria of happiness that swelled in
her chest as Brance gathered her in his arms. He lowered his lips to hers and
kissed—a kiss that went on and on as he took advantage of the moment. His mouth
tasted like cinnamon and coffee, and he wore a faint scent that made her think
of woods after a summer rain.