Betraying Innocence (31 page)

Purple blotches appeared beneath the leathery folds of
Drewer’s complexion. For a moment Rafe was afraid the man would explode. Then Christoff appeared at the top of the basement stairs and his attention was redirected. He walked away, but not before he shot Ana a look that said very clearly that he’d like nothing better than to snap the cuffs on her.

“Keep an eye on them,” he barked to the officer standing like a statue in the
doorway.

Rafe wisely kept his grin locked away until the sheriff’s back was turned. Then he leaned over and brushed a kiss to Ana’s cheek.

“That was hot.”

Ana flushed, dropping her gaze. “
I need to call my parents.”

Rafe left her just long enough to grab the phone from where he’d dropped it on the coffee table after his call
to the police. He brought it to her and leaned a hip against the armrest as she dialed. His fingers curled into her hips and he drew her into the V between his legs as she spoke to her father.

It was strange, his insatiable need to always keep her close. He couldn’t
seem to help himself, or rather he couldn’t seem to stop his hands from needing to touch her. He couldn’t remember a time when that had happened before. Truthfully, it had never happened before. Maybe it was because everything that had happened was amplifying his need to protect her, to keep her safe by keeping her close, but something inside him clinched painfully every time she went too far. There was this deep-seated fear that if he let her go, for even a second, something horrible would happen and he couldn’t stand it.

“My dad’s taking the first ferry back in the morning,” she said when she was finished.
“Mom’s already on the red eye back from Seattle. She won’t get here until really late.”

He slid his fingers down her arm to grasp her fingers. “What do you want to do?”

“I want to get out of here.” She forced a tight laugh. “I want to forget everything we just saw. I want the last three months to just disappear.”

“Hey.” He tugged lightly on her arm. “Aren’t I
part of those three months?”

She gave a wet laugh.
“Okay, maybe not everything.” She moistened her lips, her smile fading. “We have school tomorrow.” Her gaze met his. “Everyone will know what happened to Vinny. They’ll know…”

He towed her closer. “You didn’t do anything.”

She sniffled. “No one is going to believe some ghost killed him. He was found mutilated in my basement. Everyone is going to think I did it.”

“Or I did,” he supplied. “In a fit of pure jealous rage.”

“That’s not funny.” She rested her hands on his shoulders. “Do you think the lawyer we just accused of murdering Johnny will represent us?”

There was no sign that she was joking, but Rafe burst out laughing. He dropped his face into her
chest. His arms went around her middle as he held her close. Her arms went around his neck. Her fingers slipped into his hair, gently stroking it until he felt drowsy with the need to sleep. He shut his eyes and just lay there with his ear pressed into the steady patter of her heart.

“I won’t let them pin this on you,” she murmured. “It’s my fault you’re in this mess. I’ll get you out of it.”

He raised his head despite the voice protesting the move and peered up at her. “I won’t let you do that
.
”

She shook her head. “You have
the twins and your mom to look after.”

He
took a hold of her hips and gave her a gentle shake. “We’re in this together,
Rosa.
”

Her lips curved in the corners. She gave a weak laugh. “I never thought I’d actually start liking that nickname.”

He grinned. His fingers tightened on her hips. He opened his mouth to tell her he had a few other nicknames for her when Drewer stomped up the basement stairs with a frazzled Christoff at his heels. He stalked towards them, the purple vain in his temple pulsing.

“Where’s the weapon?”

Ana drew back from Rafe’s hold just enough to turn her body and face the pair watching them. “What weapon?”

Drewer folded his arms over his wide chest. “Don’t play dumb with me. What did you use to kill the victim?”

“We didn’t use anything,” Ana said.

Drewer’s
nostrils flared. “Now you listen to me.” He took a wide step forward, one fat finger pointing at Ana. “I don’t have time for these games. You either start talking or I swear to you, I will charge you to the full extent of the law.”

Rafe rose to his feet, keeping one arm around Ana’s waist. “We already told you, we had nothing to do with this.”

Drewer bared his teeth. “And I already told you, I don’t believe you. Your stories make no sense. You claim he wasn’t down there when you left, yet when you returned only an hour later, he was mysteriously there, perfectly skinned as though done by an expert hunter. Is that correct?” He didn’t wait for a response as he plowed on. “You also tell me that you had no connection to Vincent nor did you have any reason to harm him, yet he was in your house. Why was he in your house, Ms. French?”

“I
… I don’t know,” Ana croaked. “We had dinner at his parent’s house last night. Maybe … maybe he just…”

“Just what?” Drewer pushed. “Maybe you
invited him. Maybe you told him your parents weren’t home and he should come over. Maybe you lured him here where your boyfriend—”

“No!” Ana’s scream silenced the room. “That isn’t what happened. I don’t know why he was here.
”

Drewer tipped his head back, his gaze squinting down at her.
“Then maybe you can explain why we found this next to the body.”

Christoff
hurried forward at the Sheriff’s prompt. She held a long cylinder in her hands. Drewer took it and stalked to the coffee table. He unrolled the poster-sized document, revealing the faint white lines creating a blueprint of Ana’s house.

“Any thoughts?” Drewer said.

Ana just shook her head, her jaw gaping as she stared at the diagram.

Drewer
released the ends and the print snapped back into a roll. Christoff hurried forward to snatch it up and tuck it into an evidence bag as the sheriff looked from Ana to Rafe.

“I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m going to find out
and I am going to enjoy nailing your hide, Ramirez.”

Ana

Ana didn’t go to school the next day or the day after. She stayed in her room for a solid week as her parents tried to sort out what had happened. Neither was happy to hear that Rafe had been with her when she’d sworn no boys, but neither had pushed it. Ana had a suspicion that they were just glad she hadn’t been alone. She was also certain they were thinking the same thing she was — had she been home, would it have been her in the basement? Part of her doubted it. Johnny seemed to need her for something, but that left everyone she knew and cared about open to his attacks. Because of that reason, Ana no longer slept over at Rafe’s. She didn’t trust Johnny not to go after her parents if she wasn’t there. Rafe had argued her decision, so had the sane little part of her that enjoyed sleep, but he had eventually given up trying to coax her by suggesting he come to her.

“If you’re going to stay there,
then so am I,” he’d said.

Ana had agreed
purely out of a selfish desire not to be alone. She even accepted the baby monitor he brought with him to keep an ear out in case the twins needed him.

But Johnny was strangely absent those nights. The death of Vinny seemed to have sated him for the time being. There
was no tapping on the walls, no cold spots or glowing figures in the dark. Ana knew it was just the calm before the storm, but she took it happily.

By
the second week, she was ready to face school and the whispers. Her parents had turned most of the visitors away, people who had come to see what had happened. Including Jack. Ana hadn’t minded. She hadn’t been ready to face anyone, not even her friend. She had no idea what she would tell people.

“Nothing,” Rafe said as they drove to school that Monday. “It’s none of their business.”

“But they’ll want to know something,” she said.

He jerked a shoulder. “It’s an ongoing investigation. You’re not allowed to say anything even if you wanted to.”

She glanced at him in the driver’s seat, his hair tussled and his face set. “You read way too many crime novels.”

He smirked. “Comes in handy when you’re
Chipawaha Creek’s most undesirable.”

Ana rolled her eyes. “You are not undesirable. I know a
few girls who desire you too much.”

His eyebrow lifted and he slanted her a quick glance before facing forward again. “Too much, eh?
Is there a hint of jealousy I hear in there?”

Ana
pfft’d. “What’s there to be jealous of? You’re already mine.”

The second the words were out, she wished she could suck them back. Mortification blazed white hot beneath her skin and she turned her head away before he could see it. Every fiber of her being prayed he hadn’t heard
, that the roar of the engine had drowned out her careless remark.

They reached the school. Rafe pulled into a parking spot and cut the engine. Ana scrambled out of the car
, thankful for the crisp, autumn breeze cooling the inferno licking her flesh.

“I’ll see you after school,” she said hurriedly, needing to get away.

“Not so fast.” She was grabbed around the middle and hauled into his chest.

“The bell…”

He leaned back against the hood and pulled her to him. “Won’t ring for another ten minutes, plenty of time to get a proper goodbye kiss.”

She was given no chance to argue — not that she would have — as he
laid his mouth over hers in a slow, sweet kiss that melted her bones and slipped along her skin like silk. She completely forgot why she’d been in such a hurry to get inside as she cupped the back of his neck and kissed him back.

“Be careful today,” he murmured against her lips.

She nodded, willing to agree to anything if he would just keep kissing her. He did, taking long, lingering sips of her like she was the last glass of water in the world.

At long last, he drew back. His eyes were dark with the same raw passion crackling deep inside her, the same
feeling that made her want to tell him to take them somewhere private. But she restrained herself. Out of the whole month since school had started, she had physically been present for barely a week. If she missed any more classes, she might never finish high school.

He walked her to her locker and watched as she switched one set of books for another.
They both ignored the curious eyes watching their every move. Ana told herself she didn’t care, but a part of her wanted to smack the next person she caught staring with her Math textbook.

“
See you after school?” She focused on Rafe.

He tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “I’ll be here.”

It was reassuring that at least one thing hadn’t changed. She gave his fingers a squeeze before taking a step back. She pivoted on her heels and followed the crowd downstream.

“
Rosa!”

Ana stopped and glanced back, ignoring the dirty looks from people
being forced to go around her.

Rafe grinned. “You’re mine, too.”

A warm, fuzzy tingle crept up through her body, filling her stomach with a million little flutters that made her knees weak. Her heart flopped over in her chest, making her lightheaded as it beat double time.

“Good to know,” she said
and bit her lip when his smile broadened.

With a wave, she
ducked her head and hurried to class.

Mr.
Finnegan was waiting for her when she arrived. His eyes were sharp despite the easy smile on his face when he stopped her from walking into Algebra.

“I’d like to see you in my office,” he said, hand already resting on the small of her back as he propelled her back the way she’d come.

“Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Just a talk,” he said.

In all her life, Ana had never once visited the principal’s office. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do when he led her to his office and she found her parents already inside. Their bemused expression mirrored her own as she shuffled over to them.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Mr. Finnegan dragged a small, metal chair into the room and placed it between her parents’ chairs. He closed the door behind him and motioned for her to sit. Ana did and was relieved when her mother took her hand and her father placed a gentle hand on her knee. But it was difficult to maintain the relief when the walls were painted a soft teal blue that made her think she was drowning.

“
Thank you for coming,” Mr. Finnegan said pleasantly, taking his seat and folding his hands on top of his shiny oak desk. “I won’t take up too much of your time.”

“What’s this about?” her father asked. “You said on the phone it was urgent.”

Mr. Finnegan nodded. “And it is, I assure you.” He shifted in his chair, his voice growing somber in a manner Ana knew meant he was about to deliver news no one would like. “As you well know it has been a pleasure to have Ana attending Darcy Clifton. She’s an exemplary student, when she’s actually here—”

“If this is about her attendance
, I think we can all agree the situations—” her mother interrupted.

Mr.
Finnegan put up a hand, quieting her. “No, not at all. I fully understand the circumstances behind each one. No, this is about the school board and the parents of the other students. Neither is very happy about the situation that took place the weekend before—”

“That wasn’t my fault,” Ana protested.

Mr. Finnegan nodded slowly. “And I understand that as well, but I’m afraid my hands are tied on the matter.”

“What exactly are you telling us, Mr.
Finnegan?” her father demanded, his fingers tightening on Ana’s kneecap.

Mr.
Finnegan inhaled deeply before speaking again, “The school board has requested a removal—”

“Are you
expelling her?” her mother cried, outrage coloring her tone.

“No, no, we don’t like to think of it as an expulsion. It’s more of a
… release. The board feels that it would make for a better work environment for the other children if…”

“If I wasn’t here.”

Mr. Finnegan didn’t confirm Ana’s remark, but his silence did.

“Mr.
Finnegan, this is unacceptable,” her mother said. “Ana is a wonderful student. She has never been in any sort of trouble in her life. She has outstanding grades and—”

“Mrs. French, Ana’s personality and work ethic were never in question. Once this situation has been resolved and Ana is no longer in the middle of it,
Darcy Clifton would be delighted to have her back. But there is nothing I can do about it right now.” He rose to his feet, a clear sign of dismissal. “I will personally make sure Ana’s belongings are delivered to her, so there is no need to linger.”

Wow. She wasn’t even allowed to get her things. Ana wasn’t sure if she should laugh or be outraged.

“I’m innocent,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I believe you.”

“Then why am I being treated like a criminal?”

“Mr.
Finnegan,” her mother interrupted before he could respond. “We will take this matter to court. You do realize that, don’t you?”

Mr.
Finnegan nodded. “I do and I believe that is your right.” He stepped around them and held open the door. “Thank you for coming.”

Numb from the neck down, Ana had no recollection of following her parents into the outer office. She was only vaguely aware of her parents murmuring rapidly to each other as they made their way around
Mrs. Kane’s desk.

“Ana?”

Her head came up fast at the familiar voice from just up ahead. Her eyes widened as they found and settled on Rafe, then his mother sitting quietly in a chair. Realization dawned and she spun around to confront Mr. Finnegan.

“Rafe had nothing to do with this
. Please don’t—”

“This is not your concern, Ms. French,” he said sternly.

“What’s going on?” Rafe was at her side now, his hand warm on her elbow. “Are you hurt?”

Anger and fear choked her as she stared fiercely at the principal. “I was
expelled
,” she said tightly through her teeth, pronouncing the foul word like a hiss.

“What?”

“Ms. French!”

She ignored both as she continued to glower at the man. “He’s going to expel you, too.
That’s why you’re here.”

“What?” Mrs. Ramirez was on her feet now, purse clutched to her midsection. “That can’t be true, Nathan.”

Mr. Finnegan shot Ana one final death glare before focusing on the tiny blonde. “Let’s discuss this inside, Heather.”

Mrs. Ramirez’s spine stiffened
as twin flags of anger brightened her cheeks. “I think I’d like to discuss this right here. Are you expelling my son?”

Mr. Finnegan sighed. “
If that is the term everyone is fond of using—”

With speeds no tiny person should possess, Mrs. Ramirez was in front of the man. She barely reached his chest, but she hummed with a halo of fury
only a mother could conjure when her child was in danger.

“This had better be a joke, Nathan Finnegan.” She speared him in the chest with her finger. “
We go back a long way, you and I. You know me. You watched my son grow up. If you think for a moment that he could ever hurt anyone the way that boy—”

“Heather, please.” He captured her stabbing hand. “Can
we just go—?”

“Get your hands off her
!” Rafe planted himself between the two, his chest inches from Mr. Finnegan’s.

Ana’s father quickly stepped between them, pressing an arm across
Rafe’s chest and guided him back.

“Take it easy,” he murmured softly.

Rafe let himself get moved. His place was instantly taken by his mother.

“
This is ridiculous, Nathan. I won’t stand for—”

“I’m sorry,” Mr. Finnegan said. “The board has made its decision.”

“Then I will write to each member if I have to,” Mrs. Ramirez said. “You can’t expel children for something they didn’t do. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?”

Mr. Finnegan
shook his head remorsefully. “You know it doesn’t work that way. You’re guilty until proven innocent and it all comes down to politics. Your children.” His gaze jumped from face to face, settling once more on Mrs. Ramirez. “Are in the middle of one of the worst homicides this town has ever seen. Can you blame parents for being concerned?” He took a step back when no one spoke. “I’m sorry.”

He disappeared into his office and shut the door behind him. A tense silence hung through the office as everyone stood rooted in place.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave now,” Mrs. Kane said from behind her massive desk.

No one seemed to have the energy to argue as they turned and ambled out into the hall. No words were spoken until they stood in a group in the courtyard.