Happily Never After (5 page)

Chapter 5

“Glade, you’re being processed now. I’ll be back to get you when it’s time.” The guard shuffled away as John remained motionless on his bumpy mattress. Hands behind his head, he stared up at a break in the dirty ceiling. The same crack he’d watched every day since being incarcerated in this hellhole.

Freedom. At a recent meeting with his court-appointed attorney, he’d sat, and half listened as the man droned on and on. The moment they mentioned his possible release, a small kernel of emotion flickered to life in his chest. The ability for anything to move him was unfamiliar after his time inside.

When he first arrived at the prison, he wasn’t afraid. Real fear came later when they threw him into a cell with another inmate. The guy outweighed him by a hundred pounds and proceeded to initiate him. He’d learned the best way to survive was to be the meanest badass on the block and numb your mind. Hopes and dreams ceased to exist once the door clicked shut.

Three peeling walls, a filthy toilet in the corner, and a stained mattress should be reason enough to bolt when the doors slid open. Not to mention the odors or the showers that required constant alertness.

No, it was a single person churning in his memory that kept him focused. It would take hours for the process of releasing him to be complete, so there was plenty of time to plan.

Bah, what did he have waiting for him on the outside? People weren’t eager to hire an ex-con, and they ended up scrounging for food and shelter. One of the many homeless shadows wandering the street.

No, one thing interested him now. He wanted revenge. An eye for an eye. The demise of the individual responsible for the death of his wife. The sole person who had ever accepted and loved him for who he was.

Several hours later, and the formalities of his release finalized, he now wore civilian clothing. The jeans and T-shirt felt confining after the baggy orange jumpsuit. He almost wished for his familiar blanket of numbness as dead nerves awakened. His breathing became rapid and shallow.
I’m almost free
.

The only thing he carried with him was a small plastic bag that contained the few personal items he owned. He shuffled after the guard to the inner prison gate. Time crawled as the metal creaked open. His vision narrowed to the next and final door between him and freedom.
Calm down
. He dueled with the impulse to run.

After what seemed like hours, the second one opened, and he walked out a free man. He shuffled a few hesitant steps and then tilted his head back to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

“Good luck.”

When he glanced back, the guard stood feet braced, arms folded across his chest. The barbed-wire-topped prison walls were as intimidating today as they were when he arrived. Without a word, he started across the dusty parking lot
.

Luck was something he quit believing in a long time ago.

Chapter 6

Kelsey exhaled at her reflection in the mirror. She spent all day debating on whether to go out with Bode or not. After flipping a mental coin, she began to get dressed. He seemed like the type of guy who would barge right into the room and bully her into going out.

A simple pair of designer slacks, silk shirt, and low-heeled boots completed her outfit. Her hair hung straight and loose down her back. The words librarian bun still rang in her ears. Frazzled nerves made her palms damp, and she kept wiping them on her pants while reminding herself this wasn’t a date.

At seven sharp, a soft knock sounded. She opened the door, and her stomach flipped at the sight. Bode in his work suit had been handsome. Now he was seductive. Dressed in black jeans and a crisp dress shirt covered by a black leather jacket, he was drool worthy. His dark hair curled around the coat’s collar, making him appear tough. He was a massive, self-confident presence.

“You ready?”

His deep voice sent warmth coursing through her. She picked up her bag and hurried out the door. As they crossed the lobby, the clean, fresh fragrance of his aftershave enveloped her.

Once outside the hotel, he touched her arm and guided her to the big Tahoe. He helped her in before shutting the door. She repeated her mantra. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, and breathe out while she waited for him to join her.

“Any more feelings of being followed since the other night?”

She hesitated, torn between conflicting emotions. Her cheeks burned in remembrance of yesterday’s episode. Should she tell him about her hallucination? What if her imagination was at the root of all her paranoia? But that couldn’t be right. The phone calls and someone breaking into her car were real and acknowledged by the police.

“No, nothing else.”

They drove and made small talk until he pulled into a Mexican restaurant and parked. “This is one of my favorite spots.” His tone held a teasing note. “I hope you can handle spicy food.”

She grinned. “Hey, I’m from Texas. I’m addicted, and the hotter, the better.”

Bold pinks and greens adorned the walls and the familiar aromas wafting through the air eased her nervousness. The hostess led them to a small booth back in the corner. They were both long legged and had to squeeze in.

Not usually one to drink, she studied the menu and decided to order a beer. Maybe a little liquid courage would help calm her jittery nerves. The waitress arrived and it surprised her when Bode ordered a soft drink.

She glanced over at him. “You didn’t get anything from the bar. Are you on call tonight?”

He inclined his head. “I am on call, but I don’t drink.”

An awkward silence followed his simple statement. Her hands nervously shredded a napkin while she changed the subject. “How long have you been a detective?”

“I’ve been here in Redding four years, but before that I worked SWAT out of Los Angeles. Law enforcement is in my blood. My dad was a cop, and it rubbed off on me and my three brothers. I don’t remember ever wanting to do anything else. We drove our mom crazy growing up. We’d play cops and robbers, practicing our skills on anything that stayed in one spot for too long.”

“What a wonderful way to grow up.” Her breath caught in her throat when he gave her a real smile.

He grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “Let’s just say that I learned at an early age how quick a situation can go bad when a pet doesn’t want to participate. I have scars, both physical and mental, from playing with my brothers.”

“It sounds like you’re pretty close to them.”

“Yeah,” he answered, “my dad was strict but the kind of guy who would listen to your side of things. Mom doesn’t quite hit the five-foot tall marker, but she can bring a grown man to his knees with one glare. She raised us to be able to take care of ourselves.”

“Do you get to see them often?”

“Shawn, my oldest brother is a Fed out of the Sacramento field office. Jason works for LAPD. Then, last but not least, there’s Chad, and he’s with the highway patrol. We all tend to be pretty busy, but still try to get together once or twice a year.”

They talked about ordinary day-to-day stuff, and she relaxed even further. His leg would brush hers, and she tried not to let it rattle her. He reclined back against the seat in a casual pose, and she worked to emulate his calm demeanor.

“So, you and David grew up in foster care. What about your family?”

She picked up her glass and gulped down a swallow. This was the part where things always got tricky. It was a simple question that people always asked. After hearing the horrid details of the truth, one of two things tended to transpire. They beat a hasty, awkward retreat or tried to fix her. Bode didn’t strike her as the nurturing type, so she figured this might be the shortest non-date in history.

“My father bludgeoned my mother to death and then used his service revolver on himself.”

His body sat up straight in the seat. “He was a cop?”

She worked to keep her cool.
Distance yourself and pretend it’s someone else’s sad story.
“He didn’t like her going shopping without his permission. I remember how excited I was to show him the new dress she bought me. He flicked me off like a piece of lint and started in on my mother. I tried to stop him, but he was too strong.”

“How old were you?”

“I just turned four. We didn’t have any other relatives, so they placed me in foster care. I was so shy and introverted they labeled me with behavior issues. The more they moved me, the worse it became. When I was seven, I ended up in a group home, and that’s where I met David.”

He nudged her leg under the table. “He was a good kid and tucked you under his wing.”

Laughter burst out of her at the absurd notion. “Hardly. He was a hellion, wild and hard for even Ann to handle. He did whatever he wanted and roamed the neighborhood.”

She wiped her eyes and became serious. “His mom passed away from cancer, and his dad was in prison, so David went into the system. He came from a rough part of town and learned at a young age how to survive. But after a while, he let me follow him around and before I knew it, we were inseparable.”

“For some reason, I can’t picture you as a street tough.”

“I was so afraid they would separate us because of
his
behavior, I overcompensated by being the stereotypical good girl.” She grimaced at the recollection. “It’s embarrassing now to think about it.”

The corners of his lips twitched in amusement. “Now that I believe. I can just see you, running around in your little buttoned up suits and bun.”

Was that a giggle? When have I ever giggled like a school girl?

“How did you end up as an attorney?” Bode asked.

“It began with Ann, I guess. David started hanging with a bad crowd, and she grabbed him by the ear one day and dragged him into her office. I was already there cleaning the wastebaskets out, one of his chores, by the way, when they came in. This little five-foot woman got up in this six-foot teen’s space.
Throw your life away if you want, but what’s going to become of her? Is this the kind of life you want for her?”

The enormity of that conversation still rattled her. Mere words with the power to change people’s destinies. David met her eyes that day, and an already strong bond became forged in steel. They’d never talked about it since.

“From that day on, he got a job and worked his tail off to save enough money for college. When he aged out of the system at eighteen, he applied to a local school. He refused to leave me behind.” Her voice trembled on those last words, so she coughed to cover her discomfort.

He must have understood she needed a moment to compose herself because he changed the subject. Regaling her with tales of fast motorcycles, mountaineering, and water escapades, she gasped at their outrageousness. This man thrived on excitement.

She entertained him with some of David’s antics he’d performed as a teen. The stories about the two men made her feel as plain as good old vanilla. Their food arrived and they both tucked right into sizzling fajitas.

Bode took a long swallow of his drink. “Were you and David ever an item growing up?”

Her face twisted into a comical expression. “Yuck! That’s disgusting.”

His lips broke out into a devilish grin that caused her to have a spine-tingling response. After the waitress had left the check, he stood and held his hand down to her. She peered up at him in confusion.

“Come on, Princess, I know you’re some big basketball hotshot, but the real question is, are you any good at pool?”

“Pool?” she managed to squeak out.

“Pool. I’ll show you.” He hauled her out of the booth to her feet. She picked up her drink while he dropped money on the table for their meal and steered her toward the bar.

They entered the back, and Bode went straight to an empty pool table. She waited to the side while he slid coins into the slots and proceeded to rack the balls. He strolled over to the wall mount that held the cue sticks and found two he liked.

She eyed him with suspicion. “If you think I’m betting with you, think again. I don’t know the first thing about this game.”

He handed her a stick. “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you all you need to know. Here, put your drink down and I’ll help you get started.”

Questioning her sanity, she followed his instructions. Her cheeks heated when he reached his muscled arms around her. His big hands covered hers, and when he leaned over her, his body pressed against her back.

“You place one hand down to use as a brace and then rest the stick on your thumb as you line up your shot. Once you’re lined up the way you want, just pull back this arm holding the cue and let it go.” His warm breath tickled her ear as he showed her what to do.

She tilted her head to peer up at him. “Does this routine usually work when you’re out chasing women?”

“Most times. There you go. A smooth stroke. Now, you try.” He rewarded her with a sexy grin that made her knees go a little squishy.

She concentrated on the directions he gave and squealed when she connected to send the ball into the pocket. They continued, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun. Quite a few of her balls went in, but she suspected Bode held back. On the third game, a two out of three series, he came up behind her.

“Okay, this is it,” he drawled. “Let’s make this interesting. We’ve played basketball and now pool. We’ll say the winner gets to choose the next thing we do.”

“Hmm.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Come on. You’re a natural. You won one and I won one.”

“If you win, it better not be one of those death-defying sports you call fun. I refuse to try and climb a mountain using just my teeth and my toes. It’s not normal.”

He laughed and then proceeded to sink every ball on the table. She stood with her jaw hanging down. When the last one fell into the cup, he strolled over and placed his cue in the rack. He seized the stick out of her hands and laid it down.

“I believe that would be winner’s choice.”

His sexy voice made her insides turn to mush. “Okay, if I haven’t verbalized this, then I know I’ve thought it on several occasions already. Jerk.”

He grunted an acknowledgment and ushered her toward the entrance. “Let’s get out of here and go for a ride. I want to show you around.”

They drove until civilization ended and trees lined both sides of the road. The sheer beauty of the scenery mesmerized her.

Hundreds of vibrant colors dotted the landscape, heralding in a change of season. The vast difference in seasons was new to her. In Dallas, there were two. Summer or winter. Fall was just a bunch of pictures that you admired on a calendar.

Bode exited onto a side road, and the view of the lake before them was spectacular. The water’s smooth surface reflected the orange fireball of the setting sun. She opened her door and slid out before he could help her.

The pungent aroma of fresh pine trees hit her and she breathed in the mingled scents of earth and water. After spending most of her life in the city, the woodland scenery overwhelmed her, with its breathtaking colors. They stopped at the front of the truck as twilight settled around them.

A bird’s cry floated on the cold breeze coming off the water. Crickets sounded loud in the stillness. She tipped her head back to stare up at a sky where the first few stars of the night twinkled so near she could almost reach out and touch them. The temperature had dropped from the day’s warmth, and she found herself shivering.

“Here, take my jacket. The weather isn’t too bad for late October, but it’s still in the low forties and a little cooler than what you’re used to.” He placed his coat around her and she inhaled the spicy male scent of him.

Settled back against the hood, they enjoyed the beautiful sights in companionable silence.

“Okay, you told me how David knuckled down. How did you get from UT basketball star to a big-time prosecutor?” he asked.

“I guess I experienced a light bulb moment when I got to high school.” She gave a theatrical shudder that made him laugh. “After David graduated, I became fair game.”

His shoulder bumped hers. “It couldn’t have been too hard for a pretty girl like you.”

She bumped him back. “Ha. Some detective you are. Let’s just say I found out firsthand how cruel kids can be. There I was, taller than most of the guys, wearing hand-me-down clothes, and so shy I couldn’t string two sentences together. Talk about an easy target for the mean girls. So, I mimicked David and put everything I had into succeeding. Basketball became just a means to an end.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know what kind of attorney you are, but that was incredible watching you play today.”

“I dreamed of being a coach for a while but opted to follow in David’s footsteps instead. My goal was to make him proud of me and do some good in the world.”

“I imagine he would have been proud of you no matter what you decided to do. He loves you.”

His voice was deep. Sexy. She raised her head to find him staring at her. Warm brown eyes met hers and her pulse played a game of hopscotch through her veins.
He’s going to kiss me if I don’t step away
. Her feet refused to listen and remained rooted in place.