Finding Forever (Smoky Mountain Lawmen Book 1) (13 page)

“Maybe. 
Give me your radio.”

Tristan
passed him the handheld radio issued to all detectives.  Ben called dispatch
and requested a squad car at their location.

“What
are you thinking?” Tristan asked. 

Ben
stepped from the car, still looking at the building while he scanned for
exits.  “Well, if we can keep the guard from alerting Emerson we’re here, he
won’t have time to rabbit.”

“Which
is what the uniforms are for.  I’m glad one of us is thinking straight.”

Ben
stopped and stared at Tristan.  Up until now he hadn’t given much thought to
Tristan’s ability to work this case.  He’d never been anything but professional
on their missions together.  “You okay to work this?  I can call Raymond and
have him assign me another detective.”

“Hell
no!”  Tristan’s face hardened.  “I’ll be alright.  This is
my
sister.  I
have to be on this case.”

Ben
studied the younger man.  Tristan had always been a little impulsive, but it
had always been tempered with rationality in the past.  He was quick to decide,
but he always thought things through.  He hoped Gemma’s involvement wasn’t
causing Tristan to lose his objectivity.  Ben knew his own was threatened.  “Just
don’t go all hotshot on me, alright?”

“I
won’t.  I want to nail this son of a bitch and I don’t want him to walk on a
technicality.”  He held Ben’s gaze.  “And that works both ways, you know. 
Don’t blow this because you fell for her.”

Ben
looked away and studied the building again afraid Tristan would see the truth
in his eyes—a truth he still refused to acknowledge.  He couldn’t deny Gemma
made him feel something, but he absolutely refused to put a name to it.  He
knew it was futile to resist what he felt and that eventually he wouldn’t be
able to deny it—wouldn’t be able to not put a name to it.  But for now he was
determined to keep his distance in the vain hope that it would help him keep an
emotional distance in the case. 

“I’ll
be fine,” he finally replied.  “Come on.  We’ve got a suspect to question.”  He
stepped off the curb and crossed the street just as the patrol car pulled up. 
The uniforms met them in front of the condo building.  Ben quickly outlined
what he wanted from the officers and they entered the high-rise.

Ben
stepped up to the security desk and explained who they were and what they
wanted.  He knew he’d made the right call when the guard eyed the uniformed
officers warily when Ben explained that they would be waiting in the lobby to
make sure Mr. Emerson wasn’t tipped off.   

In
minutes, Ben and Tristan stood on either side of Emerson’s door.  Ben reached
over and knocked.

“Andrew
Emerson.  This is the police.  We need to speak with you.”

The
door swung open moments later to reveal a man about Tristan’s age, casually
dressed in jeans and a polo shirt.  A frown marred his features.

“Are
you Andrew Emerson?” Ben asked.

The
man nodded.  “I am.  Is this about Diana?”

Ben
nodded.  “May we come in?  We have some questions.”

Emerson
wordlessly held the door wider and motioned them inside. 

Emerson’s
apartment was what he would have expected from a seemingly well-off bachelor. 
Leather furniture was grouped around a large flat-screen television. Artsy
photographs lined the white walls bringing pops of color to the room.  Books
and magazines littered the coffee table and a jacket was draped over the back
of one of the chairs.  The place was clean and tidy, but it looked lived in.

Emerson
motioned to the couch and chairs.  “Please have a seat.  I was planning to come
by the station later after trading closed.”

Ben
and Tristan took seats on the couch while Emerson settled into an adjacent
chair. 

“You’re
a day trader, correct?” Ben asked.

Emerson
nodded. 

“Independent?”
Tristan asked.

Again,
Emerson nodded.

“Can
you tell us where you’ve been for the last week, Mr. Emerson?” Tristan asked.

Ben
sat back and let Tristan lead.  He wanted to watch Emerson’s body language. 
Right now the man looked relaxed and ready to answer their questions.

“I’ve
been out of town for a convention.  I use trading software for my business and
the big name, online-trading companies hold a convention in New York every year
to showcase their latest products and services and to get feedback from those
of us who use their websites to run our businesses.  I got back late Sunday
evening and spent yesterday catching up on emails and what not.  I watched the
morning news this morning and that’s when I heard about Diana’s death.”

“Do
you have receipts to corroborate your story?”

Emerson
nodded.  “They’re in my office and on my computer.  Let me go get them.”

“We’ll
follow you, if you don’t mind,” Tristan said, rising.

Ben
hung back and watched Emerson lead the way to his home office.  As much as he
wanted this to be their guy, he just didn’t think he was.  While he was
obviously uncomfortable being questioned by the police, his countenance and
expressions were open and honest.  This was a man saddened by the death of his
friend, but one who had nothing to hide.  They’d run down every part of his
alibi, but his gut was screaming that Andrew Emerson had nothing to do with
Diana Lowell’s death.

Gemma
stared at the patrol car sitting outside her house.  She’d been home from the hospital
for over a week now and it hadn’t moved from its position out front other than
to rotate with another car and another set of officers.  With a detective and a
federal agent
inside
the house every night one would think the patrol
wouldn’t be necessary 24/7.  She was grateful for the protection, but it seemed
like overkill.  Tristan and Ben hardly left her side and when they did they
always made sure there was another officer present inside with her.  They were
starting to make her feel claustrophobic.  Gemma had taken to retreating to her
bedroom so she could get away from the hovering.  If she closed the door in
Tristan or Ben’s face they left her alone.  She itched to get back to work. 
The dizziness and headaches had completely faded and only a dull ache was left
in her ribs.  She was determined to go to work on Monday—entourage or not. 
She’d have gone back to work yesterday except Tristan and Ben had both pleaded
with her to give her ribs the rest of the week to recover.  Not wanting to
waste her breath fighting again, she had gone along with them, but only because
Stacy had gone back to work to alleviate the backlog of clients.

She
wanted to get away this weekend to try to recharge before facing daily life
again though.  But not alone.  She wasn’t fooling herself into thinking that
was possible.  But it would be nice to escape the craziness that had taken over
her life for a few days.  To leave her house.  She had tried to go outside and
garden earlier and Tristan had nearly blown a gasket.  She had made it to the
porch before he’d caught her and literally picked her up and deposited her back
inside.  She felt like a prisoner in her own home.

Gemma
huffed out a breath and dropped the curtain back into place just as Ben pulled
into the drive.  He’d been out running down more leads on the park rangers. 
From what she had overheard, he was still coming up empty looking for Ranger
Jack.   

She
was hoping she could convince Ben to take her away.  She wasn’t the only one
who could use a break and they seriously needed to talk.  He’d been avoiding
her while still hovering since she had come home from the hospital.  He’d been
constantly
around
but never really
there
.  She could count on one
hand the number of conversations—short conversations—they’d had since she had
been discharged, despite his promise at the hospital that they would talk later
about her staying in Marshall.

Well,
later had arrived and they had more to discuss than just her continued presence
in the area.

Ben
walked through the front door and Gemma pounced.

“We
need to talk,” she said, moving to block his path.

He
frowned down at her.  “About what?”

“I
want to leave.”

Gemma
watched hope light his eyes.  He’d been advocating to get her out of town since
the car accident.  After all the frustration he had caused her—on so many
different levels—she was going to take a perverse satisfaction out of dashing
that hope. 

“That’s
great!  I’ll make arrangements to get you out of town quietly.  Have you
packed?”

Gemma
shook her head and smiled.  “You misunderstood.  I just want to leave for the weekend. 
With you.  No entourage.”

The
hope in his eyes quickly changed to confusion with a flash of fear before he
could mask it.  “What?”

She
stepped closer and put her hands on his chest.  “I think we both need a break
from all of this.  And we both need some space from everything so we can figure
out whatever this is between us.”

His
hands came up to cover hers.  “Gemma—”

She
cut in before he could voice an argument.  “You’ve been trying to get me out of
here for two weeks now.  You haven’t had a break since this started.  Wouldn’t
it be nice to not have to worry about my safety for three whole days?”  She
freed her hands from his and ran them up his chest to toy with the hair at his
nape.  Desire darkened his eyes.  Gemma pressed the advantage and leaned into
him.  His hands landed on her hips.  “No one would bat an eye if you took a few
days off.  You’ve been working non-stop since you got here and the case has
stalled.  We could go down to the sea islands outside of Charleston.  A lot of
them are gated.  You can’t even get onto the island without a pass or a boat.”

She
stared up at him and watched the muscles in his jaw work as his mind warred
with his body’s response to her.

“Please?”
she purred.

Ben’s
eyes closed and if he clenched his jaw any tighter he’d break his teeth.  “Gemma,
I can’t—” he took a deep breath and his eyes popped open.  “If you want to go,
that’s fine, but it’s going to be Tristan going with you.”

Gemma
steeled her resolve and pressed her advantage.  There was no way she was going
anywhere with Tristan.  She stood up on tiptoe and leaned closer.  “Going with
Tristan wouldn’t give me a break from the craziness.  He’d just lock me in the
condo and make me stare at the sea from afar.  I’m going and you’re going with
me.”  She pulled his head down and kissed him. 

His
resistance only lasted a millisecond before he gave in to the kiss and took
over.  His tongue swept inside her mouth to tangle with hers while his hands
wrapped around her bottom and pulled her tight against him.  Tingles raced
through Gemma’s body, making every touch, every whisper of contact feel ten
times more potent.  She wriggled closer until every inch of her body was
touching his. 

“You
know, you two could at least do that somewhere where I’m not going to keep
walking in on it.”

Gemma
had to reach out a hand to the wall to steady herself as Ben thrust her away
from him at the sound of Tristan’s voice.  She glared at her brother.  “Go
away.”

Ben
angled a dark look her way before turning back to Tristan, ignoring what had
just happened.  “She wants to leave for the weekend.”

Tristan
frowned.  “Only the weekend?  What good will that do us?”

She
returned his frown.  “It’s not for your benefit.  Ben and I need to talk and I
need a break from you and all the bodyguards.  I love you dearly, big brother,
but I need some space.  I need to be able to go outside without you hauling me
back inside.”

“I’m
sorry, I’m trying to keep you alive,” Tristan retorted.

Gemma
refused to let him goad her.  “I’m grateful for all you and the department are
doing, but I haven’t been outside of this house in nine days. 
Nine
. 
You won’t even let me near the window unless the blinds and curtains are drawn. 
It’s a bit excessive.  The bastard’s already said he’s not going to shoot me.”

Tristan
stepped closer until they were toe-to-toe.  Gemma stared up at him, refusing to
back down.  She was immune to his intimidation tactics. 

“Just
because he wrote that doesn’t mean he was telling the truth.  What if it was a
ruse to get us to let our guard down a bit?”

She
stole a look at Ben, who stood quietly watching.  “Something tells me it’s
not.  He wants to make Ben pay and while putting a bullet in me would
accomplish that, torture’s more his style.”

Tristan
stepped back, surprise flickering across his face as the truth in her words
registered.  “Sometimes I forget how scary perceptive you are, Sis,” he said
quietly.

“Yeah,
well, there’s a reason I picked psychology as a major.”  She crossed her arms
and looked between the men who were silently communicating again.

Gemma
watched a wicked grin spread across Tristan’s face.  “I’m not a glutton for
punishment, Major.  She’s all yours.”

Ben
scowled.  “What happened to you not wanting me to lay a hand on her?”

Tristan
shrugged and crossed his arms.  “I’d say that ship sailed a while ago.  I still
don’t trust you not to break her heart, but I doubt I can keep you apart now. 
You don’t back down like the others.”

Ben’s
scowl deepened.  Gemma could see he’d been depending on Tristan’s support.  While
she was thankful that Tristan was taking her side, she couldn’t help but scowl along
with Ben at Tristan’s admission of deliberate sabotage of her past
relationships.

“If
you won’t go with her then she doesn’t go,” Ben stated, eyes fixed on her as he
addressed Tristan.

She
smiled sweetly.  “That’s where you’re wrong.  If you don’t go, I go alone.  I
already booked a condo on Seabrook Island with Mona’s help.  We used her credit
card, so it wouldn’t trace back to me and I gave her a check for the amount. 
She won’t cash it till Monday.”

Ben
growled while Tristan just laughed.

Gemma
flattened herself against the wall when Ben advanced on her.  “I guess you’re
going to be out that money then, because you are
not
going.”

Gemma’s
eyes narrowed to slits.  She was through with overbearing men.  Whether they
needed to talk or not, she was not staying in this house this weekend.  “Try
and stop me.”  She pushed past him and stomped down the hall to her bedroom. 

Tristan
glared at Ben who stood glaring stonily down the hall after Gemma.  “Are you
really going to stand there and let her leave by herself?”  He gestured down
the hall where Gemma had disappeared.  Her door slammed, punctuating his
words.  “You know she’ll find a way to go by herself.”

“How
the hell is she going to get away?  She doesn’t have a car and the house is
surrounded by cops,” Ben asked, angrily.

“Oh,
she’ll get away, trust me.  Gemma was the master at sneaking out when she was a
teenager.  She never once got caught and I still don’t know how she got away. 
I could lie in wait outside and I would never see her coming or going.”

Ben
closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall.  He thunked his head against
the plaster, jaw clenched.

Tristan
cocked his head and studied his friend.  He’d never seen this side of Ben
Davidson before.  He almost looked—afraid.  Tristan had seen him scared—they
all had been at one time or another when they were in the midst of a fierce
battle with few options—but this was something entirely different.  “She
terrifies you, doesn’t she?”

Ben
opened his eyes and swiped a hand down his face.  “Worse than a terrorist with
a suicide vest standing between me and the only exit.”

“Why? 
You obviously have some strong feelings for her and she feels the same.  And
it’s not like she’s some whack job, stalker-type.  So what’s stopping you?”
Tristan demanded.  He couldn’t believe he was advocating for a man to date his
sister.  She had better appreciate this turn of events, because it wasn’t
likely to happen ever again.

“Because
I don’t do relationships.  You know that.  When have I ever mentioned a woman
as more than a passing fancy?  I don’t want to be tied down,” Ben growled.

“That’s
bullshit and you know it,” Tristan tossed back.  “You aren’t afraid to be tied
down.  And if it’s the right woman, it won’t feel like a ball and chain.  No,
you’re scared of
her
.  Of what she makes you feel.”

“Since
when did you become Dr. Phil?”

Tristan
smiled.  “Ben, I’ve watched my parents for the last thirty-four years.  They aren’t
‘tied down’ to anyone.  But the feelings they have for each other are intense. 
Gemma and I grew up knowing how much our parents love each other.  It’s a scary
thought to imagine someone having that much power over you.  Someone with the
ability to knock you down and cut you off at the knee so that you can’t ever
get up again.  If the happiness my parents have enjoyed for the last forty
years is anything to go by, it’s totally worth it though.  I hope I’m one of
the lucky ones who gets to experience it someday.  You’re a lucky man to have a
woman like Gemma look at you the way she does.  Don’t run from that.”

Ben
paced several feet away before turning back to stare at his friend.  Logically,
he knew Tristan was right, but it didn’t change the emotions coursing through
him.  And Tristan was wrong about one thing.  It wasn’t fear for himself that
left him quaking, not totally.  “Tris, I don’t know how to love like that.  I
don’t want to break her heart.”  He absolutely did not want to hurt Gemma and he
was afraid if they ventured down the relationship road it would only lead to
destruction.

“Man,
if you haven’t noticed, she’s already head over heels for you.  If you don’t at
least try then you already have.”

Gemma
pulled her suitcase from beneath her bed when she reached her room and started
throwing items into it.  She had planned for their refusal.  She grew up in
this house and knew how to get out without anyone knowing she was leaving.  As
a teenager, Gemma had nearly made a career out of sneaking out.  She’d have no
trouble getting out of the neighborhood without being seen.  By eyes inside or
outside of the house even if it was broad daylight.  She’d already snuck
Tristan’s spare keys, so it was just a matter of getting out and to his truck.

She
wasn’t naïve enough to think that the killer wouldn’t be hanging around.  But
no one had ever caught her when she was younger—Tristan still had no idea how
she had gotten away without ever being seen—and she wouldn’t leave unarmed.