Authors: K.L. Middleton,Cassie Alexandra,Kristen Middleton
Chapter Nineteen
Sera
I avoided Thane for the rest of the day, and then at four o’clock, as I was getting ready to leave, I noticed his office was dark.
“Did Thane leave?” I asked Sinclair as I walked toward her station. She was sweeping hair into a dustpan and muttering something to herself.
She looked over her shoulder at me. “About an hour ago, I think.”
“Oh. Are you okay?”
Her smile didn’t quite make it to her eyes. “Yeah? Why?”
“You just look… like something is bothering you.”
She let out a haggard sigh. “Oh, just guy problems. They can be so damn clueless at times, you know?”
I smiled. “I hear you.”
“Anyway, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”
I nodded. “No problem, and good luck with your clueless man.”
She waved her hand. “Actually, he’s out of the picture now. It’s just… every now and then I think about the jerk and…” her eyes filled with tears and she smiled bitterly. “I just… God, he just pisses me off.”
I set my purse down on the ground and then plopped into her chair. “Would you like to talk about it? I’m not in a rush.”
Embarrassed, she looked away. “No. I’m sorry. I must be suffering from PMS or something. Normally thinking about him doesn’t affect me this way. I usually just get angry and not so… emotional. He definitely doesn’t deserve tears.”
“Was he an ex-boyfriend?”
“No, honestly, just a man I met a few weeks ago. A man who I hardly even know. Crazy, huh?”
“Life is crazy,” I replied, smiling sympathetically. “And unpredictable.”
“You can say that again,” she said, standing up taller. “Anyway, I’m over it now and I refuse to give him any more of my attention. He’s a player and not worth it.”
“A player? Well, then you’re lucky to be rid of him.”
“I agree,” she said, beginning to sweep again. “I don’t need that kind of trouble in my life. Even his brother agrees. Reed’s bad news. Jesse warned me before I even met the guy.”
“Reed? He’s the player?”
“Yes. Jesse is his younger brother. One of my best friends.”
“His brother obviously knows.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m not going to hold my breath and wait for his calls.”
“You might suffocate,” I said, smiling grimly.
“Exactly. Anyway, thanks for listening to me rant.”
“Of course.”
She didn’t say anything more and I could tell she wanted to be alone. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Actually, I’m off tomorrow,” she replied. “I’m back on Thursday, though. You working?”
“Definitely. See you then.”
“Bye.”
I walked around the partition where Felicia was going over some hair products with a customer. I waved goodbye and left the salon, relieved to be leaving. It had been a crazy day and I still wasn’t sure what had caused me to tell Thane that he was a “good man” or that “it wasn’t his fault.” I wasn’t even sure what “it” was, but from the look on his face, I’d hit a nerve.
As I thought about it, my phone began to ring. I took it out of my purse and noticed the number was listed as “Private” again. I sighed and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Sera?”
I stopped in my tracks, rigid with terror.
Ray!
“I’m sorry, you have the wrong number,” I mumbled, hanging up quickly.
Shit, shit, shit.
How had he found me?!
With my heart pounding in my chest, I rushed to where my car was parked and locked myself inside. Within seconds, the phone began to vibrate in my hand and I dropped it in the seat next to me. I let it go to voicemail and then quickly picked it back up. I called Fred.
“Hello, Sera.”
“Oh, my God, Fred. Thank goodness,” I gasped, trembling.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Ray just called my cell phone.”
He swore.
“What does that mean?” I cried. “Can he find us?”
“I’m not going to lie to you. With his friends in the precinct, he will eventually, if he hasn’t found your location already.”
I started the car, my eyes darting everywhere. Was he already close? Toying with me? “How did he get my number?”
“He must have gotten it through Sam somehow.”
I pictured Ray trying to hurt him and felt sick to my stomach. “Do you think he’s done something to him?”
“I don’t know. Let me try calling him again.”
“Wait is Emma there? Is she okay?”
“Yes. The bus just dropped her off. She’s eating cheese and crackers in the kitchen.”
I relaxed slightly. At least my daughter was in safe hands. “Okay.”
We hung up and I drove out of the parking lot, still worried that I would somehow find Ray trailing me again. I turned north, into rush-hour traffic, and tried to calm down. Just because he had my number, didn’t mean that Sam was hurt or that Ray was already on my tail. That he was even in California.
The phone rang. Fred.
“I spoke to Sam at the diner when he didn’t answer his cell phone. He’s working and said that he lost it.”
“Ray has his cell phone,” I said with absolute certainty. “He stole it. Make sure you call him back and tell him not go home. Under no circumstances.”
“Wait a minute, now. How do you know that Ray really has it? Did actually he tell you?”
“No. I just know he has it,” I replied. “Gut instinct. I didn’t talk to him at all. I told Ray that he had the wrong number and hung up on him.”
“I’m sure he recognized your voice.”
“Yeah. Probably.”
Fred sighed. “My gut instinct agrees with yours. He somehow got his cell phone and found your name in the contact list. Makes sense.”
“Sam can’t go home. Ray’s waiting for him there.”
He was silent for a few seconds. “I’m calling the police station in Seattle to let them know what’s going on.”
“Do you think they’ll do anything?”
“They’ll probably check it out.”
“Just don’t forget to call Sam back and tell him not to go home.”
“If I do that, he’s going to do just the opposite. My brother wants to catch this guy almost as much as you do.”
I bit my lower lip. “Hmm… Then maybe I should just call Sam myself. He might listen to me since I know Ray better than anyone.”
“That might work. You know the number to the diner?”
I thought about the times I’d called my mother there and my heart felt heavy. “Yes. I still remember it.”
“Okay, good luck.”
“Thanks. I’m on my way home so I’ll let you know what he says,” I replied and then hung up before he chastised me about talking on the phone while driving.
***
Fortunately, when I reached Sam, it was easier than I thought to talk him into staying away from his home.
“Your mother told me you were psychic,” he admitted. “And if you’re frightened of me going home, well, I guess I won’t. I want this guy in jail, but I also want to live to see him be put there.”
“She actually told you I was psychic?” I repeated, surprised. I’d never really labeled myself as such and it wasn’t even something my mother and I had even discussed much.
“She sure did. She also thought Emma was, too.”
I smiled into the phone. “And you didn’t think Mom was crazy after she told you any of this?” It was one reason I never opened up about my intuitiveness. I didn’t want anyone to think I was a nutcase. Truth was, I wasn’t even sure if I really had a gift or if it was just all coincidence.
“If your momma believed in it, then I do, too. Hell, she even told me some stories about her own mother. How she was gifted that way. Crazy stories of how she’d even stopped people from certain death. One time, she begged her neighbor not to get on an airplane. Begged the woman until she agreed to take a later flight. Fortunately, the woman had known your grandmother for a long time and didn’t want to take any chances. I guess the plane that she was supposed to get on had engine failure and crashed into the ocean.”
She’d told me that story as well. It still gave me goose-bumps. “You don’t think it could have been coincidence?”
“A coincidence is running into a friend at the grocery store you’ve been thinking about. Saving a woman’s life by telling her not to get on a plane is nothing short of a miracle. It’s also a gift that can’t be ignored. You’re telling me not to go home because you’re frightened of something bad happening to me? Hell, I’m not going to take any chances. I’ll miss that particular fight and not ever look back.”
I grinned at his sense of humor. “Good. Better to be safe than sorry, right?”
“Damn right. I’ll just stay at my friend Mac’s tonight.” He chuckled. “Bring him a couple of my special burgers and a case of beer. Hell, he’ll just let me move right on in.”
I laughed.
“Seriously, though, I’m calling Sheriff Dooly to see what he thinks. If this guy really has stolen my phone and is stalking me, I can’t just keep avoiding my house.”
“You should talk to him if you haven’t already.”
“I called him when April thought she saw him, and he’s been keeping an eye out. Patrolling the area and stuff like that.”
“Sheriff Dooly won’t find him that easily,” I said. “Ray isn’t driving his truck. He’s either borrowed someone else’s or maybe even stolen one.”
“The spirits tell you that?”
I laughed.
The spirits!
“No. It’s just logical. He won’t want to draw attention to himself. Not with that big truck of his.”
“True.”
“Although, you never know. He’s as dangerous as he is crazy. You have to be very careful, Sam. Even leaving tonight. Don’t turn your back on anyone.”
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine, Sera.”
“I hope so.”
“Shit, one of the waitresses is calling for me. I suppose I’d better get back to the kitchen before I’m fired. I’ll call you later.”
“Be careful and… warn April, too.”
“Don’t worry – all the staff here is on the lookout. We have a picture of him near the register. One that Sheriff Dooly printed out. If Ray walks in, one of us will be calling the cops.”
Something told me that when Ray finally made his appearance, it would be too late to call anyone.
Sera
When I arrived home, Fred and Emma were playing UNO in the kitchen.
“Hi, guys.”
“Mommy!” cried Emma, throwing her cards down. She scrambled out of her chair and her face was beaming. “Guess what? I have something to tell you! A surprise! A
huge
surprise!”
Her excitement was contagious. “What?” I asked, jumping up and down like a little kid. “Tell me. Tell me!”
She giggled. “You’re silly.”
I kissed her forehead. “Like mother, like daughter. Now, tell me about this big news of yours.”
She put her hand on her chest and stared at me proudly. “I’m going to be in a play at school.”
My eyes widened. “You are? What play?”
“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!”
“No way! Are you Snow White?”
“No. Actually, I didn’t want to be Snow White. Too many of the other girls wanted to be her, so I picked Happy instead.”
“That’s one of the dwarves, right?” I replied.
She nodded vehemently. “Yes. He’s the happy one.”
“Thanks for clearing that up for me,” I teased. “So, when is this play? I can’t wait to see it.”
“Next month. Each class is doing a different Disney tale,” she explained. “Mrs. Sumner’s is doing The Little Mermaid.”
I knew how much she loved that particular story. “Oh, too bad your class isn’t doing that one,” I said.
“I know, but that’s okay.” She touched her hair. “I don’t have red hair and I know everyone would have wanted to be Ariel, so I wouldn’t have gotten the part anyway.”
I stared at her brown-dyed hair and felt a familiar stab of regret. I missed her natural caramel-blonde color and felt horrible that we still had to hide it.
“I think you’re going to have more fun playing one of the seven dwarves,” I told her. “They’re all heroes, you know. I’d be honored to be one myself,” I said.
“They’re heroes, you say?” asked Fred. “I guess you should be one of those, Emma. A girl as brave as you is already a hero and will make a fine dwarf.”
“I thought the prince was the hero,” said Emma.
He waved his hand. “Oh, all he had to do was kiss Snow White. It was the
dwarves
who hid her from the queen originally, and then took care of her after she tried poisoning Snow White. If they wouldn’t have done that, who knows what may have happened.”
Emma’s mouth opened wide and then she smiled. “Papa Fred, that’s kind of like you and Sam! You’re hiding us to keep us safe. So, you’re just like those dwarves! Heroes!”
“She’s right,” I agreed, smiling at him.
He blushed. “Never thought I’d enjoy being compared to one of the seven dwarves, but thank you. It has been our honor trying to keep you safe.”
She put her finger on her chin. “Which dwarf would you be? Hmm…”
“I think it’s safe to say that he’s a mixture of all of them,” I answered.
“You’re right. Sometimes he’s sleepy, sometimes he’s bashful, and sometimes he’s even…” Her cheeks turned pink. “Don’t get mad if I say this, but sometimes you’re a little…”
“Grumpy?” said Fred.
She nodded.
“We’re all grumpy sometimes,” I added as I began tickling her. “Even you, peanut,”
She laughed, clutching her belly. “Yes, even me! Stop tickling!”
I stopped and ruffled her hair instead.
“So, can I come to this play?” asked Fred.
She looked at him. “Yes! And so can Arlene.” She turned to me. “Sorry that you have to go alone, Mommy.”
“I’m not going alone,” I replied. “I’ll go with them.”
“I mean without a date,” she said.
“Oh, it’s quite all right,” I said. “I don’t need a date.”
Fred waved his hand. “Your mother is right. She doesn’t need a date. Without one, she can focus on you and not some guy trying to hold her hand.”
“Yes. Dating is way overrated,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “What does overrated mean?”
He laughed. “It’s not a big deal. That pretty much sums it up.”
She was silent for a couple of seconds and then bit her lower lip. “I wish daddy could come.”
Fred and I looked at each other. Even
he
looked crestfallen. It was heartbreaking that a girl with so much love to give had a father with so much anger and hatred. They were like two sides to a coin. I was just grateful that I had the best side in my life.
I leaned over, my hands on my knees as I stared into her eyes. “I know. I’m sorry he can’t be there, sweetheart. Really sorry. It’s just not possible, though.”
She nodded. “I know.”
We’d never admitted to her that Ray had killed my mother. We’d only told her that there’d been some kind of accident, although I had a feeling that she knew there was much more to it than that. Whether she knew her father was involved, that I was uncertain of. She hadn’t asked me for any details, fortunately.
I forced a smile. “Fred can come to the play at least. Right?”
“Yes,” he replied quickly. “And maybe I can even talk Sam into flying out here. I’ll bet if he finds out you’re going to be in a play, he’ll drop everything and hightail it on out this way.”
She grinned. “Call him!”
“I was going to. Which reminds me,” he looked over at me. “How did your conversation go with him earlier?”
“He’s playing it safe. Don’t worry.”
“Ah, good.”
“Well, I’m going to go and change my clothes,” I said, yawning. “And then I was going to suggest pizza to celebrate the fact that you’re going to be in a play, Emma.”
She squealed. “Yes! Mommy, can we go to Sal’s? That place we went to before?”
“Sure. You interested, Fred? I’m buying.”
“That sounds great,” he replied. “I wasn’t sure what to make tonight and I think pizza is definitely in order. And maybe even some ice cream afterwards?”
Emma’s eyes looked like they were going to pop right out of her head. “Ice cream, too? Can we, Mommy?”
“Sure, but only if you go and change. I’d hate to get pizza on that pretty yellow dress you picked out today.”
She looked down. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”
“What about Arlene?” I asked, as Emma rushed out of the kitchen. “Do you think she’d want to join us?”
“She’s working tonight. One of the florists called in sick,” he answered.
“Oh, that’s too bad. She hates working nights, doesn’t she?”
He nodded. “Yes, but I told her I’d stop by and help her close up the shop. I’ll probably do that right after we’re done eating.”
“Should we drive separately?”
“No, I’ll just drop you two off first and then drive out there.”
I suddenly remembered Felicia’s party on Saturday and how I needed someone to watch Emma. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to go, but I’d promised to try to make it. “Oh, I forgot to ask you – are you still playing poker Saturday night?”
“Yeah. We’ll be at Mike’s house. That’s Thane’s father, by the way. I hear he might even join us.”
My eyes widened. “Thane?”
He opened up a bag of peanuts sitting on the counter and cracked one of them open. “Yep. I hope he does. I’ve heard a lot of stories about him from his old man. He’s an interesting character. Wouldn’t you say?”
Interesting, handsome, sexy…
I shrugged. “I guess. I mean, we’ve only just met.”
“I suppose. Anyway, he used to fight in the U.F.C. You know what that is?”
I knew it had something to do with cages and brawling. “I’ve seen commercials about it. It’s some kind of fighting match, right? They get down on the ground and try to make their opponents tap out or something?”
Smiling, he cracked open another peanut. “The U.F.C. is short for ‘Ultimate Fighting Championship’, and yes – opponents get into a caged ring and beat the tar out of each other. As far as the style of fighting, it’s usually a mixture of different martial arts. They’ll also wrestle and strike each other in different ways, trying to knock out the other opponent or get him to submit. Sometimes they’re both left standing and the judges have to decide who deserved to win the match. Anyway, the point is, it’s a pretty violent sport. ”
“And Thane was involved in that?” I said, trying to digest it all.
“Yep. I heard from Mike that he was once a U.F.C. Middleweight Champion, but that was a couple of years ago. Obviously he isn’t fighting anymore.” He smirked. “He’s too busy trying to run a hair salon.”
“Wow… I just… I can’t believe it,” I said, picturing Thane in a caged ring, half-naked, and wrestling with another fighter. Part of me was disgusted by the fact that he’d made a career out of such violence, and yet… another part of me was intrigued. He was definitely full of surprises.
“I wonder why he quit?” I murmured, staring at the refrigerator.
“Not too sure myself.”
A vivid image of him beating his fists into a man’s nose popped into my head. Thane’s face was twisted in rage as he rammed his knuckles onto the man’s cheekbones and nose, squirting blood everywhere. I suddenly felt dizzy and very nauseous. It reminded me too much of Ray and his brutality. I certainly didn’t want to think of Thane that way, even if his opponent was in the ring with him willingly. But the scene in my head told me what I needed to know… that violence wasn’t inconceivable with Thane.
“Are you okay?” asked Fred, staring at me.
My hands shook as I reached into the cupboard, pulled out a tall, green plastic glass, and began filling it with water. “Yes, I’m okay. Um, do you know why Thane quit?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “Did Mike ever tell you?”
“No. He never really said.”
I knew, however. In the pit of my stomach I knew the truth. His rage and fists had killed someone.
****
Later, we went to Sal’s and had a nice, enjoyable meal. Afterwards, we walked next door to a place that served ice cream. As we licked our cones, Fred told us stories of when he and Sam were growing up.
“So, you two were originally from Alaska and that’s how you knew Thane’s family?”
He nodded. “Yes. We grew up in that area and then both of us joined the Army. We served in Vietnam and then when we got out, he moved to Seattle to move in with a buddy of his, and I moved out here.”
“Why did you move out here?” I asked.
He smiled sadly. “A friend of mine was killed in the war and he’d left behind a wife and a young child. I promised him that if anything ever happened, I’d keep an eye on them when I got out.”
“That was really nice of you,” I said. “I guess it’s not surprising though. Look at how you’ve helped Emma and me out.”
He shrugged. “Well, it was the least I could do. He’d saved my life more than once and I wanted to pay him back. He loved his family and… his daughter was autistic. In those days it was hard enough to raise a child on your own, but little Nadine needed fulltime care. So, I moved here and helped watch Nadine in the evenings so her mother, Debbie, could work.”
“Do you still keep in contact with her?”
His eyes grew shiny. “No. She died several years ago of cancer.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, touching his arm. “What about Nadine? Is she still alive?”
“No. She died when she was in her twenties. She ended up getting pneumonia and died in the hospital.”
“That’s a shame,” I said softly. “It was very hard for you, wasn’t it?”
He nodded. “Yes. In fact, Debbie and I had drifted apart after a few years, after she’d fallen for a man she’d met at work. Then, years later, we met up again and… fell in love. She was my second wife. You probably didn’t know that.”
The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Nadine died when you were on your honeymoon?”
He stared at me in shock. “Yes.”
I glanced toward Emma, who didn’t seem to be paying much attention. Instead she was humming a song and licking her cone.
Sighing, I turned back to Fred. “It wasn’t your fault. I hope you know that.”
He looked away. “I try telling myself that, but I feel like it’s a lie.”
“Debbie didn’t blame you. You know that, don’t you?”
“She told me she didn’t. The truth is, I blamed myself. Always have and always will. I wanted to take her on a honeymoon. I insisted that we travel, and at first, she didn’t want to. She was afraid of leaving Nadine. But, we hired a nurse to watch over her and thought that everything would be okay.”
“Fred, you can’t fight fate and you can’t carry around a burden of something that was out of your control. The truth is that even if you would have stayed home, Nadine would have still gotten pneumonia. She would have still ended up in the hospital, and she would have still died.”
His eyes widened. “Is that what the spirits told you?”
I bit back a smile. “Not exactly, Fred. The spirits don’t talk to me. At least, I don’t hear any voices. I just get these feelings, and right now, there is no doubt in my mind that Nadine’s death would have happened regardless of where you were at the time.”