Fixing Justice (44 page)

There was something about driving in silence that made her mind wander all over the place. Had she done the right thing by leaving? She didn’t know. Her mom had been duly horrified when Tori immediately burst into tears at the start of their call. The best advice she could give her was to slow down. She didn’t know Draegyn but she did know Alex and dear old Mom refused to believe that he would be close to or trust anyone who didn’t have at least some integrity.

The tears had gotten worse when her mother suggested pregnancy hormones were shading her judgment. Did she think she didn’t know that? Of course she did – it was something she considered when she’d jumped on Draegyn and went off like a sex-starved wanton. But the paparazzi pictures had carved out a hole in her heart that she couldn’t ignore. Even if nothing intimate had happened with that awful woman, he’d still been with her. Who did shit like that? The man she was in love with, that was who.

Each time she said those words, her soul felt like it weighed a ton. Why didn’t he love her back or at least like her back? Sex wasn’t enough. Maybe for guys it was but not for her.

She needed to pull over and get a room for the night. By tomorrow afternoon she’d be in Los Angeles. Why she chose L.A. she didn’t really know except that it was away from Arizona and big enough that she could disappear for a while and get her shit together. Right now though the priority was a decent hotel, a shower, and something, anything, to calm her stomach. Tomorrow would have to take care of itself.

A week had gone by and Drae still didn’t know where Victoria was. Not for sure, anyway. He’d acted like a complete lunatic with her lawyer after reading the papers she’d left. The female attorney was a definite shark, and he had no doubt she could probably eat Ted Collins for lunch. His legal people were all top notch but this lady had a
nail his balls to the courthouse door
shtick going on that earned her a demon reputation as a divorce lawyer.

Divorce
. The word made him shudder. For someone who never wanted to get married he suddenly found the idea of divorce even more odious. He understood why Tori had done what she did. The dates on the paperwork were after she’d seen the tabloid story, a fact that made remorse churn in his gut. He couldn’t imagine anything that could have hurt her more than to see photographic proof that he’d been cavorting with a glamorous actress. When he finally caught up with her he vowed to make it very clear that the plastic starlet was nothing compared to how beautiful he thought she was.

Alex had finally connected with Victoria’s mother and aside from passing on that she thought Drae was a jerk, she hadn’t been much help. She did offer some hope though by pointing out that if was her; she’d high tail it into a big city where she could remain anonymous.

Phoenix was out, it was too close so that pretty much left Los Angeles. Cam had been working every angle and managed to pin down one of her credit cards. She’d withdrawn a hefty sum right before she left Arizona – obviously trying to fly off the radar. What she hadn’t considered though was that she could be tracked through her cell phone. Even with the GPS locate switched off, the minute she connected with social media, checked her email or enabled a mapping program, they’d know exactly where she was. It was just a matter of time.

For his part, Drae had let their attorneys know that there would be no divorce.
Period.
Telling them both that Victoria was pregnant had changed the entire dynamic. Beyond that, he was pretty much useless. He’d tried going into the woodshop thinking a project would help distract him but that hadn’t been such a good idea. Not if he wanted to keep all his fingers. That left rattling around his big empty house as his only alternative.

Somewhere in the midst of his anxiety he’d begun sketching plans for a nursery. The house already had a handful of extra bedrooms, but he wanted something special for their baby so he set about re-designing a large space next to his bedroom into a baby’s suite with a comfortable sitting area, a small kitchenette and a custom bathroom with all the bells and whistles.

He could imagine his sweet Victoria, cuddling with their son or daughter by the French doors opening onto a private deck connecting to the master suite. It would be a special space that she could decorate, someplace where their child would begin their life. It was the only thing that gave him any sense of peace – planning for a future that remained uncertain.

On day nine, Cam woke him up with a flurry of texts that had him bolting from his bed and into the shower faster than he could ever remember moving. She had used a credit card in Malibu of all places – at an executive stay apartment. One of those places that rented by the month and catered to visitors. Alex had already called for the company jet to be readied and the minute he was packed, the three of them were heading to California.

All of them going might have seemed like overkill, but having his brothers with him gave Drae some calm. So had telling Desi what was going on. Letting his sister know she was going to be an Aunt had made the whole thing seem real for the first time. She’d cried and laughed and given him a raft of shit when he’d admitted that he had fucked things up royally but in the end, she just loved him and let Drae know how proud she was of him for finally pulling his head out of his ass.

He’d had a small bag packed for days, ready to leave at a moment’s notice and just before Cam and Alex came to pick him up, he threw the notebook with the nursery plans into the bag.

Putting on his big boy undies, he’d also taken it on the chin and called Victoria’s mom himself. Stephanie Bennett was one of those genteel southern ladies who had a way of making you feel like a giant ass without really trying. He let her know how desperate he was to make things right and assured her that the welfare and safety of her daughter was his highest priority. She was relieved to learn that Victoria had been located but wasn’t all that happy when she heard where she was.

“That’s no place for my daughter,” she’d told him, and he couldn’t have agreed more, promising to have Victoria call her the first chance she got. Before the brief call ended she told him, “Remember who you’re dealing with young man.” He knew what she was referring to, that Victoria had already been dragged through the mud once and also that she didn’t quite feel that she measured up in the beauty sweepstakes. Vehemently informing Stephanie that her daughter was the loveliest creature on the planet and that he’d happily smack the shit out of anyone insisting different had earned him a softening in her tone.

Now all he had to do was figure out what he was going to say and how effectively he could grovel in order to convince his feisty beauty that her future and the future of their baby was with him. Yeah, that sounded easy –
not
!

Their flight into Los Angeles yesterday had been a test of Drae’s cool. He could barely sit still and no amount of jovial banter – an attempt by the guys to displace some of his anxiety – helped for more than a few minutes. It had been like this that first year after Alex had finally been released from the hospital and rehab center where the medical folks had served up a series of miracles, saving his leg and giving him back his life. The physical therapy was grueling so he and Cam had adopted a Three Stooges way of dealing with the situation. The atmosphere during their flight reminded him of those days. Jokes, slapstick, ribald commentary – typical guy stuff. He hadn’t really stopped to think how important his brothers were in his world until now. They were the glue that held everything together. “So, tell me guys – did you come along to help me find Victoria or are you here for damage control?”

They both busted up laughing. “Both you asshole!” Cam taunted. “Considering what a bang up job you’ve done so far, you should be thanking us for holding your hand.”

“Yeah. What Cam said.” Alex chuckled. “I figure with your less than stellar track record with the fairer sex, it won’t take long for you to open mouth and insert foot. Somebody has to referee if you have any hope of convincing Tori you aren’t an A-1 douche nozzle.”

Drae winced. “Nice choice of words.”

“Hey. I call ‘em as I see ‘em.” His friend chuckled.

Cam laughed too and then turned serious. “Lacey made me come, not that I wouldn’t have anyway,” he added hastily.

“Wow. Pussy whipped already, dude?” Alex mocked.

“Fuck off, Major. Your day will come,” Cam snickered. “And for the record, a bit of wifely needling is a whole lot more fun than being the lonely guy.”

“Oh fuck,” Drae groaned. “Hadn’t really thought about what having a bunch of women around would mean. Jesus. Female solidarity makes me nervous!”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Cam said, “but in this case Lacey’s interest is more personal.” Drae and Alex shot quizzical glances his way so he continued. “I didn’t have any family growing up which is how I ended up saddled with you two losers. Neither did she. I figured, or rather my wife pointed out, that with Tori being pregnant too, our kid would come into the world with a growing family already in place.”

Alex nodded in silence with a serious expression on his face while Drae struggled to swallow the tremendous lump of unexpected emotion that lodged in his throat. The seriousness of the situation hit him between the eyes. It wasn’t just him and Victoria anymore. It was everyone. They were all involved in one way or another. “Remind me to kiss your wife when we get back,” he muttered. “This isn’t the first time she’s been the voice of reason.”

Cam laughed. Drae still had trouble getting used to this happier, smiling, lighter version of the brooding loner. “No smooching for you Mister Double-Oh-Jerkoff! Lacey really likes Tori. She was a huge help before the wedding. Even with a growing belly, my wife will gladly kick your smarmy ass if you don’t make things right.”

“Understood and duly noted,” Drae offered in all seriousness.

They’d landed in Los Angeles and checked in to an exclusive hotel after which it took the other two men all but sitting on Drae to keep him from running off to find Victoria the moment he’d dropped his bags on the floor.

Cam was working the phone and his laptop, gathering information about her movements and habits while Alex babysat him. After a serious talking to, Drae reluctantly gave in and let the pieces fall into place. They were right. He couldn’t just bust in and make demands. It was going to take a whole lot more than a display of arrogance. No, this situation called for real finesse, plus he had to get his act together and be ready to lay down the hard truth that underlied everything. He loved her. Plain and simple. She belonged to him, even if she didn’t know it yet. Tomorrow would be here soon enough and then he’d go and get his spitfire.

From the living room window, Tori could see the Pacific Ocean over the rooftops and palm tress below her short-term apartment. She was tired of being in a hotel and just wanted to find someplace where she could relax. After a horrible week and a half that was mostly tears and regrets, she’d come to no conclusions, only a bone-weary ache for the man haunting her dreams. It was a little galling to recognize that a sky high IQ did not give her special skills in dealing with the emotional side of life. Nope, she was wracked with insecurities and doubt, and no amount of rationalization seemed to make a bit of difference.