Rundown (Curveball Book 2) (10 page)

“
I
put the necklace away today with the other things.  My ring came
off the night I came home from dropping my father off at the
airport.  That’s when it all sank in,” she tells me as
she begins getting dressed.   “Is that what made you want
to hear me out?”

“
It
was everything.  The letter.  Your texts and voicemails
that I tried to ignore.   I was reluctant to listen because I
didn’t think you wanted me.  I thought your messages were
going to be some version of what you’d already told me, that some
complication down the road could drive us apart so we were better off
apart.   After you left and I listened to your messages, I had
an epiphany; there are no guarantees in life and I wasn’t going to
worry about what might happen or how bad it would hurt if we
eventually ended.  Not being with you hurt enough, and I knew
that I’d regret it the rest of my life if I hadn’t grown a pair
and given us a chance.”

“
I
have no intentions of leaving, Drew.  I want us to be together
just as much as you do.  We’ll make it work.”

“
I
know,” I agree as my phone begins ringing.  “It’s Agent
Patterson, I think we should find out what he wants.”

Breanne
reluctantly agrees.  

“
Agent
Patterson, I’m here with Breanne.  You’re on speaker.”

“
About
time one of you answered,” he replies.

“
How
can we help you?” I ask.

“
I’m
calling because our team has made progress in our investigation.  As
you’re aware, the media and government officials have been hounding
us for an update.  We thought it prudent to inform you of the
details we’ll be releasing to the public by the end of the week.”

“
We
appreciate that.  What have you found?”

“
The
forensics team ran Luminol tests in various areas of the safe house
as we previously discussed would happen.  Large traces of blood
were found in the basement, creating a trail that led up to the main
part of the house, stopping at the door.   DNA testing has
identified four different blood types, which confirms your theories
that there were two sets of people at the house.  The team is
currently comparing the DNA found at the scene against DNA in our
criminal database, but so far there hasn’t been a match.”

“
Ok,”
Breanne says, urging him to go on. 

“
We’ve
also identified the gas that was used in the oxygen masks. 
Turns out it was similar to an anesthetic commonly used in surgery,
but the levels were too high which caused the passengers to go into
immediate cardiac arrest, resulting in sudden death.”

“
Do
you have any leads on who could have done this?”

“
We
have a few, but I can’t share that with you at this point,” he
states.  “The only other facts I can share with you are that
we have confirmed that the black box was replaced, though we haven’t
been able to come up with a motive.  There’s no motive for any
of this.  We expected terrorist organizations to have come
forward by now,” he clears his throat, obviously frustrated with
the state of the investigation.  

“
You
said ‘facts,’ plural,” I remind Patterson.

“
Right.
 We’ve also discovered a connection between passengers and two
charitable organizations whose missions involve advancing
technology.”

“
Why’s
that of interest?” I ask.  “Given that the passengers had to
pay top dollar for their seats on the maiden flight, it makes sense
to me that they’d be interested in technology.  That was the
point of the airline, ease of travel because of technological
advances.”

“
True,
but it’s of interest to the public because they want answers.
 Conspiracy theorists will grab onto this and twist it in
unconceivable ways.  It wasn’t just a handful of passengers.
 Except for Breanne, every passenger, including you, Drew,
donated to those organizations,” he explains.  “Just so
you’re prepared, Breanne, the conspiracy theorists will use that to
spin you as being connected to what happened and the media will eat
it up.”  

“
I
wasn’t even supposed to be on that flight,” Breanne defends.

“
We
know that,” Patterson says.  “We’ve prepared a statement
that confirms neither of you are suspects and we’ll do whatever we
can to minimize the focus on you.”

I
rub her arm to reassure her that we’ll get through this.  “If
they think you’re involved, they’re bound to think I’m involved
too.”

“
That
doesn’t make me feel better,” she says, and then returns her
attention to the conversation.  “What about Dosdell and that
guy Arnold?”

“
We’re
still looking into that,” he admits.  “That said, I want to
remind you that everything we’ve discussed needs to be kept
confidential and once these details have been made public, the FBI
will appreciate your continued cooperation by keeping quiet.  You
already gave the media pertinent information during your viral plea
for help.  The names Dosdell and Arnold aren’t public
information and for the sake of the investigation it needs to stay
that way.  Make sure not to divulge anything else, not even to
family.”

“
Agent
Patterson, before you go I wanted to ask about Mark’s exhuming.”

“
I
wish I could give you an update.  We had planned to exhume his
body on Monday; however, we’ve run into a few roadblocks in terms
of the permits.   As soon as we are able to move forward,
we’ll contact you.”

“
You
still think there’s a connection between Mark and what happened to
the plane?” 

There’s
a long silence.  “At this point I’ll consider any angle. 
I’ll be in touch.   Oh, and Drew.  Next time you get
on a plane, make sure you take the flight.”

Distractions

Draped
over a body pillow and shrouded in darkness, I plead with my mind to
shut off so that I can sleep.  I haven’t slept in days and I’m
flat out exhausted. 

The
last couple of weeks have been amazing, mainly because Drew has spent
all his time at my house, staying until midnight nearly every night. 
Without hesitation he’s attended two dance recitals and basketball
practices, read books with the kids and helped with homework,
assisted with making lunches and brushed their teeth at bedtime. 
Dinners have been made with laughter.  House keys have been
exchanged.  We’ve become closer and I’ve fallen harder—if
only it could stay like this forever.

Since
the day we reunited I’ve known that Drew would have to go to San
Francisco at some point, I just didn’t think it’d be so soon, and
now the day has come…today’s the day.  This evening,
Drew will board a plane to California.  Given our recent history
that alone is stressful enough.   But what’s eating at me
is that for the next four days he’ll be on the opposite side of the
country without me, packing up his sister’s house in an attempt to
get closure, and meeting with people who will quite possibly decide
that his career will continue 3,000 miles away from me.  

Accepting
that sleep isn’t in my future, I pull off my sleep mask and check
the time. 
How is it already 6:30am? 
I groan and
toss my legs over the edge of the bed, pausing long enough to notice
the lack of occupants
.  Where are the kids?
  I head
to Colin’s room first, open his door and frown when there’s no
sight of him.  I check the girls’ room and find they aren’t
there either.  Curious, I head downstairs.

The
view I’m greeted with makes my heart swell.  
Yup, I
definitely just fell more in love.
  Standing in the doorway
of the kitchen, I watch as Drew dishes out an assortment of breakfast
food onto plates for the kids and Sarah, all while holding Maddie,
who clings to his neck.  Colin and Aubrey meanwhile, are
anxiously sitting on stools at the counter, and Sarah is pouring
coffee.  Not to go all Jerry McGuire, but this man really does
complete me.  Despite everything Drew has going on, he’s still
making time for us.  My mind automatically begins concocting
different scenarios for forcing him to stay in Boston, and I’m not
ashamed to admit, if only to myself, that most of them revolve around
us being alone with little to no clothing. 

“
Anything
I can help with,” I ask, stepping into room.

“
Mom!”
Maddie cries.

“
We
were gonna surprise you in bed,” Colin groans, sounding more than a
little disappointed.

“
Told
ya she’d be up soon,” Aubrey adds in an, ‘I told you so’
voice, directed towards everyone.

“
As
much as I appreciate the idea of breakfast in bed, all of you
couldn’t have fit, and I’d rather be together.”

A
satisfied grin spreads across Drew’s face as he sets Maddie down on
a stool and walks over to me with a cup of coffee, kissing me on the
cheek. 

“
You
didn’t have to do all this,” I tell him.

“
I
wanted to spend time with you guys before I left,” he shrugs. 
He places his arm around my waist and gently caresses my hip.  
How
I ever could have doubted that I belonged with him is beyond me
. 

“
Well,
this is perfect.  I’m starving.”  I lean past him and
grab a piece of crispy bacon, moaning as the flavor dissolves on my
tongue.

Drew
steps closer and murmurs in a husky voice, “I am so jealous of that
bacon.”

“
I’d
choose your meat over this any day,” I whisper back in the most
seductive voice I can muster at this hour. 

He
groans, dropping his head to my shoulder.  The gentle grip he
has on my hip intensifies to the point where I’m sure his knuckles
are white.  Laughing, I look across the room and make eye
contact with Sarah who is watching us fondly.  There’s no way
she could have heard our conversation but between our body language
and the way my face matches the bowl of strawberries, I’m sure the
gist is clear.

“
Why
don’t we move this party into the dining room,” Sarah suggests,
grabbing plates and ushering the kids to the table. 

Once
the room has cleared, I turn to face Drew.  He pulls me closer,
linking his hands behind my back.  “Seeing as I couldn’t
wake up next to you, satisfying your appetite with food this morning
is the best I could do.”

I
long for the days when waking up together is our norm.  It’s
too soon for sleepovers and I’m not ready to uproot the kids. 
I’d never ask Drew to sleep in a bed I shared with another man, nor
would I ask him to move into the house Mark and I owned together, but
God, I really wish he could just stay the night.  There’s no
sense in figuring it out until he gets back though, because a lot
depends on where his job takes him.

“
How
very considerate of you,” I reply.

“
I’ll
show you how considerate I am before I leave for the airport.”

“
Looking
forward to it,” I say and then take a long sip of my coffee. 

I
really don’t want him to go.

“
I’ll
be back before you have time to miss me,” he tells me, addressing
my unspoken thought.