The Hero (18 page)

“Well, if they’re all sourpusses like the two who picked me up in Thunder Point today, I can see your problem.”

She laughed. “There you go.” She took a drink from her soda and said, “The afternoon is going to be taxing, Devon. We need your help in creating a diagram of the compound, the buildings, the location of weapons, of marijuana, fences, et cetera. We’ll help you with the drawing—I have an artist coming to join us. This is important.”

“I understand. I’m afraid, Emma.”

“For your safety?”

“No. For theirs. There are friends in there. Children. Small children. I would never forgive myself if I told you things that would lead to them being hurt.”

Emma gave her hand a squeeze. “This is why we’re so exact with the questions we’ve asked. We don’t want any injuries. We will not take any action that will hurt innocent people.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

* * *

Devon was exhausted by the time the afternoon came to a close. She had done her best to help develop a rendering of the compound she’d lived on and the interior of each of the buildings. She told them as much as she knew and remembered. In the process, she had her first experience with Red Bull to keep her going.

“Too bad for you I’m not some sort of suspect,” she said. “I’d admit to anything right about now...”

“There’s one more thing before we take you home,” Emma said. “Sit tight, I’ll be right back.”

Devon wondered how much more they could possibly want to know. Just then the door to the little interview room opened and Devon looked up to see Reese standing there. She jumped to her feet so suddenly her chair tipped over; she gasped and tears sprang to her eyes. She rushed into Reese’s comforting arms, holding her fiercely.

“There now, little darling. I guess this means you’re glad to see me?”

Devon backed away slightly and looked into Reese’s smiling eyes. She touched her hair, now shortened like her own. But while Devon had cut hers short, leaving her with that slightly wild mop, Reese’s blond hair curled at her chin. Reese was beautiful beyond words; Devon had always loved her, since the first day they’d met.

“I didn’t know they had you, too.”

“They don’t have me, darling. I came to the police and asked for help. I’m living in a safe place in another city. I’m looking for work. I’ll stay there until this whole thing is resolved.”

“How can it be resolved?” Devon asked.

“It’s important to get the women and children safely out of there before there’s any kind of conflict between Jacob and the law. I have no idea how that can be done,” Reese said. “The police don’t confide in me.”

“Pilly will never leave him,” Devon said.

“I worry about that, too,” Reese said.

“Where is Mariah?”

Reese smiled and her face lit up. “She’s with a family. She delivered a healthy son just last week. She’s safe and has a good place with people who can help her rebuild her life. I left Mark with her for the day.”

“I’m working for a doctor in a little town not far from here and I saw one of them come in the black SUV,” Devon said. “They were asking if anyone had seen you and Mariah.” She shook her head. “They never asked about me. I think maybe they don’t care that I’m gone.”

“Oh, Jacob cares. He was in a rage. They left and went looking for you. I have no idea what went on there when I left with Mariah and Mark. I hate to think about it. I managed his family for him and Mariah was not only the youngest woman there, but she was pregnant. I can imagine Jacob just about lost his mind.” She shook her head sadly. “Devon, there’s so much more history to that place than you know—we’ll talk about it someday.”

“Will we see each other again?”

“Of course,” she said, giving her hair a pat. “I don’t know when, but we will see each other again. Tell me about your life now. Are you safe? Happy?”

Devon nodded. “It’s been amazing. An old guy picked us up and took us in. He kept us in his home for a little while.”

Reese frowned. “Does he dominate you?”

Devon smiled. “He’s nothing like Jacob, nothing at all. He said he’d had hard luck most of his life and he was just giving back. He pointed me in the direction of a possible job and I got it. I found a small place to rent, I share a babysitter with my boss, filled the little house with secondhand furnishings. I put in a lot of hours for the doctor, but I do a good job for him and he lets me know he sees it. It’s a small place—people get to know each other easily.”

“You should probably get some counseling....”

Devon laughed. “I’ll see if I can work that into the budget someday.”

“I want you to think about it. Jacob worked so hard at making all the women think they had nothing, no options, no ability to do anything but exist inside his fence. That’s a lot to overcome.”

“Are you in counseling?”

She nodded. “It’s helping. I’ll tell you more about that when we see each other next. We really can’t be in touch right now, but I hope it won’t be too long before...”

“Why?” Devon asked. “Can’t we talk on the phone sometimes? Maybe meet here? Jacob would never come near a police building!”

“If we want the FBI to finish what they started, we need to just live quiet lives until it’s over. Then we can see each other again. I hope it’s not too long.”

* * *

Just as she suspected, Mac was waiting for her to take her home. He had gone back to Thunder Point, but returned for her. When they were in the department car he asked, “Was it okay?”

“It was the most exhausting day of my life,” Devon said. “They wanted details about each person that I’m not even sure I remember accurately. Basically we were slaves and we had a mostly benevolent master.”

“Mostly?” Mac asked.

“Mostly. Let’s face it—he’s a drug dealer.”

Mac tapped his wedding ring on the steering wheel. “I think, a major drug dealer.”

She pulled out her phone. How had she lived so long without this ability to communicate so easily, so rapidly? “And I miss some of the women and kids so much,” she said to Mac.

She texted her boss and Spencer to say she was headed home. By the time Mac pulled up in front of his office, the clinic was dark. “Listen, Devon,” he said, “what you did today was brave. And it was right. You could’ve given us all a different name, hidden right in plain sight, started a new life here and disappeared from your past. Coming to me, cooperating with the feds, that was brave.”

She gave him a weak smile. “I hope it was also smart,” she said.

Fifteen

C
ooper’s little apartment over the bar had one bedroom. When it was his turn to keep Austin overnight so Spencer could have a life, Austin slept in the same room with Cooper and Sarah—on the pull-out sofa. It was not optimal. Not only was there no nooky on such nights, but Austin snored like a freight train. He also flopped around on that bed like a fish on the dock.

Cooper wanted to impose on Landon to keep the little guy in the toy hauler, but when he even led up to such a request Landon cleared his throat, lifted a brow and smirked. Then Austin asked Cooper, “How old do I have to be before I get a man cave?”

“Very old,” Cooper said.

The upside was, Austin did make friends right away because Austin was connected with one of the most important people in the town—his own dad. Kids from school only had to see him at the first high school football game to get the message—Austin’s dad was the coach and Austin sat with Mac, Cooper and the others. But instead of Austin being lured away to hang with kids his own age, all the kids who liked the new kid wanted to sit with the in crowd.

“But I thought you enjoyed having Austin around,” Sarah said.

“I do. I’m nuts about Austin. But I would like to have him sleeping down the hall. So I can be myself.”

“You’re a sex maniac,” she said.

“I thought that was your favorite part,” he said, grinning lasciviously.

“You’re hardly deprived,” she pointed out to him.

“True,” he could admit. In fact, since Sarah had bid farewell to the Coast Guard, her days and nights were her own. The September air was still mild and autumn on the beach brought a whole new energy—the after-game campfires had begun and the night was alive with the sounds of teenagers. Cooper dimmed the lights in the bar by ten o’clock to keep the action down on the beach rather than running up and down the stairs for drinks. But he liked to sit with his wife on the deck and watch the partying. Thunder Point had scored a big win over one of their rival schools tonight.

“I think I was deprived by not growing up on a beach like this one,” he said. “They have so much fun down there.” He grabbed her hand. “We’re a little crowded here, but I like the nights. Especially football nights.”

“I have almost as much trouble coming down after watching Landon play as he does,” she said.

“Let me get you a glass of wine,” he said, moving as if to get up.

“No, thanks.”

“Anything? I’m going to get a beer.”

She shrugged. “Water would be good.”

“You got it,” he said, going inside. He grabbed a beer and bottled water and was back on the deck before he began to wonder. He handed her the water. “No wine?”

She shook her head. Then she smiled.

“Are you already pregnant?”

“I think so,” she said. “I haven’t taken a test yet, but I think so. Boy, I give you a job to do and you don’t waste any time.” And she laughed.

He sat down beside her and just looked at her beautiful face. He was stunned. He reached a gentle hand to tenderly cup her cheek and jaw and she covered his hand with hers. “When will we know for sure?”

“I could try a pregnancy test now, but in several more days or even a week, the results will be more accurate. I’m barely late.”

“Are you okay with this?”

“It was my idea, remember.”

“God,” he said reverently. “I’ve never been a father this way.”

“Maybe I should ask if you’re okay with it,” she said.

“I must be,” he said. “I want to carry you upstairs and make love to you. Now. I want to, I really do.”

She laughed at him. “Cooper, does everything translate into sex for you?”

“Everything to do with you,” he admitted. “I can’t wait to tell my dad. And Mac—Mac is good for cigars. Landon’s going to get a kick out of this. And Rawley, who thinks I don’t know what I’m doing—”

“Let’s wait a little while,” she said. “Early pregnancy can be kind of iffy and I don’t want to get everyone all excited and then have to start over.”

“What’s a little while?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Three months?”

He sat back in his chair. “Sarah, I’ll never make it that long.”

She regarded him for a long moment. “I guess you won’t, will you?”

“Do you feel all right, baby?”

She grinned. “I feel very excited. Very happy. Thank you, Cooper, my love. You’re very efficient.”

“I am, huh? Come on, let’s go to bed. Just on the off chance I haven’t knocked you up yet, this would be a backup plan.”

* * *

Lou McCain had married on something of a whim. Once her nephew, Mac, had taken a wife, the woman he’d been in love with for years, Lou knew she was not quite so essential to his household. She’d spent ten years living with him and helping him raise his children, but now Gina was in residence. And everyone knew, one woman to a household was a rule worth paying attention to. So she gave in to Joe’s pleas to say I do. And she did.

Joe lived in a nice bedroom community between Thunder Point and Coquille in a house just right for a couple. It wasn’t fancy, but it was perfect with a master bedroom large enough to keep them from tripping over each other. It was a little on the masculine side with leather furniture, dark wood and bold colors like rusty red, dark blue and army-green. He offered her a free hand with decorating, but she liked that it looked perfect for him. Lou took over the second bathroom down the hall—she pointed out that she was too “mature” to be sharing bathroom space. Plus, they were on slightly different schedules—four days a week Joe would go to work at 2:00 p.m. and get home at midnight, sometimes later. And Lou worked five days a week in the Thunder Point middle school from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Joe was usually sleeping in while she was getting ready for work.

But the best part? He loved to cook. When they had their three evenings a week together, he was in the kitchen. Lou was capable of getting something on the table, but she’d just spent a decade working full-time, chasing kids, feeding her hulking nephew and his family. It had been the same dozen or so dinners for as long as she could remember, and she took every shortcut she could get away with, from spaghetti sauce in the jar to frozen pizzas.

She continued to spend a great deal of time in Thunder Point, helping Mac and Gina with the kids’ activities. She wouldn’t miss a high school football game for anything. And there were also her girlfriends, who she was enjoying even more lately because they envied her.

She met Carrie and Ray Anne for a glass of wine before meeting Mac, Gina and the kids at the game. They sat at the bar in Cliffhanger’s and Carrie asked her, “What’s the best part about marriage so far?”

“That none of the things I worried about are happening.”

“Like?” she pushed.

“I thought there might be big adjustments. I’m edging toward sixty-two and have never been married—I’ve never even lived with a man. I might’ve shared a house with Mac and the kids, but I had my own space and no one dared invade it. I thought Joe might get under my skin, being around a lot. I thought I might annoy him....”

“I can see that,” Ray Anne said a little spitefully.

Lou flashed her a small smile. They’d spent many years as rivals and now were dueling friends. “He adores me,” Lou said.

Ray Anne leaned an elbow on the bar and put her head in her hand. “Why can’t I have some stud sneak into my bed around midnight?”

Lou put her hand over Ray Anne’s and frankly, she didn’t understand it herself. Ray Anne was perpetually sexy with her boobs, tight skirts, jeans and heels. But she said, “Because you have sinned and you must repent.” Then she grinned at Ray Anne. “Now who’s going to the game with me?”

“I’ll go till halftime,” Carrie said. Mornings in the deli came early for Carrie—she rarely stayed out late.

“I can stay for the game,” Ray Anne said. “And for your information, I’m not sure I’ve sinned enough. Are we ready?”

As usual, most of Thunder Point turned out for the game and while the marching band played on the field, the women found their usual spot, reserved by Mac and Gina, Cooper and Sarah, Austin and Devon and Mercy. The stands were teeming with fans and their girls, Eve and Ashley, were down on the field with the other cheerleaders, warming up the crowd.

“I think it’s time for us to have a sky box,” Lou said.

“Put it on your Christmas wish list,” Mac advised.

But what Lou was thinking was that she had everything she’d ever imagined wanting. She pulled Dee Dee, Mac’s youngest, close, hugging her and asked her if she was warm enough. Then she joined her group in cheering as the team ran onto the field and the game began. No one enjoyed high school football more than this town. Two hours later, celebrating a nice big win, Lou was saying good-night to friends and family and driving toward Coquille to a little house on Bayberry Road.

She walked into the kitchen through the garage. He’d left the light under the microwave on for her and she would leave it on for him. She took a deep breath and felt that amazing sense of being where she was supposed to be. After all the years either on her own or with Mac’s family, she was really home.

Lou had certain rituals. She put on her pajamas, texted Joe to say she was home, sat on the bed with the TV on and a book in her lap. When she was at Mac’s she hid in her room in the evenings to get a break from kids. After teaching all day and dealing with nieces and a nephew after school till almost bedtime, she needed a little time to herself. Now she shared the space with Joe.

Her light was off by eleven-thirty and she dozed, but at twelve-thirty she heard him come into the bedroom. He was quiet while getting out of his trooper uniform, but she stole a peek. Lou really thought he was too handsome for her, but he was persistent and convincing and here they were. He got down to nothing—forget pajamas or boxers. He liked sleeping nude.

He curled around her and she wiggled against him. He chuckled deeply.

“So, you are awake,” he said. “Good.” He gave her shoulder a tug and she was on her back.

“Lotta bad guys tonight?” she asked.

“Two idiots and a few dipshits. Uneventful.” Then he kissed her. “Mmm. Perfect.” He pushed against her. She could feel his grin against her lips. “Let’s get you naked.”

“I might need to sleep,” she said.

“All right. Then sleep naked.”

She touched his shoulder. “I’m kind of surprised by this,” she said. “I was a little afraid we wouldn’t work. I’ve never shared space with a lover. Never. I wondered if I’d get claustrophobic or maybe drive you crazy.”

“You do drive me crazy. Who won tonight?”

“We did,” she said, sliding off her pajamas. “We have tomorrow off.”

“Do you have Aunt Lou duties?”

She shook her head. “Of course, it’s always possible someone could call, looking for help with something.”

“As long as they don’t call before six,” he said. He never complained about her familial obligations. With two grown children, he had his own to think about.

“As far as I can recall, you’re the only person in my life who’s been able to tolerate me before six.”

He gave a shrug. “Because I love all of you. And I’m a damn lucky man.”

* * *

Eric Gentry had a date with his new daughter, seventeen-year-old Ashley James. He hadn’t known she existed until last spring when her mother sought him out in search of medical history from his side of the family. Oh, he’d been more than aware that Gina told him she was pregnant almost eighteen years ago, but his life had taken a bad turn at about that same time and being the young fool he had been, he’d never confirmed that she really had been pregnant or that she’d chosen to have the baby. He rationalized that if he’d been Gina, pregnant with such a loser’s baby, he probably wouldn’t have taken the chance.

But...Gina had brought their child to life and raised her, and had done an amazing job with just the help of her mother. And he’d missed his daughter’s entire childhood, but he could see very clearly that she’d probably turned out so well because he hadn’t been involved. Seems it had taken him a lot longer to grow up than it had taken Gina.

He was due to pick up Ashley at noon at her new residence, the McCain household. Gina and Mac had married and combined families and Ashley seemed to be very happy. He’d offered to take her to lunch and a little shopping in Bandon. School had just started and he wanted to contribute a little something. Like school clothes. Gina was okay with that idea, except... “Don’t throw a lot of money around, please,” she had asked. “We’ve always lived on a tight budget and it works for us. I’d rather you be generous with your time than your big bucks.”

First, he’d never had big bucks, so that wasn’t going to be a problem. But he also hadn’t had that much time, owning his own business. Then everything in his life started to change, and it felt like a chain reaction had begun. His relationship had fallen apart and he was on his own again. His auto body and restoration shop had grown successful and someone wanted to buy it—for an offer impossible to ignore. There was a small service station with potential that had been for sale for months in Thunder Point and he had come to look it over. For the second time.