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She pressed her fingertips
against his lips to silence him. “I wouldn’t put you in that position, Tucker.
I love you too much.”

He closed his eyes. He’d been
waiting to hear her say those words, but he never imagined it would be under
these circumstances.

“I have to do the right
thing. I knew it was only a matter of time. It’s okay. I’ll be okay.”

Rachel was so small, so
fragile, yet she was braver than anyone he’d ever met. She’d faced down her
abuser, stood her ground, protected the people she loved, and now she was
willing to face the unknown to get her life back.

“You said the warrant’s in
Arkansas?”

She shook her head. “Little
Rock.”

He nodded. “I know the chief.
He’s a good man, a fair man. I’ll make a call, see if I can’t pave the way for
you.”

“You don’t have to do that.
You don’t owe me anything after what I did.” She reached up on her toes to
press a kiss to his lips. “I’m so sorry. I wish things could have been
different, Tucker.”

He cleared his throat and
blinked back the moisture clouding his eyes. “Yeah, me too.”

Chapter Thirteen

The booming voice came over
the line, interrupting Tucker’s trance.

“How the hell are you,
Tucker?”

“I’m okay, Lee. How ‘bout
you?” Tucker had met the other chief at a convention years ago, and the two had
remained friendly.

“I can’t complain. What can I
do for you?”

“Uh, I’m calling about a
friend of mine. Rachel…” He cleared his throat. “Constance Walsh.”

“Yeah, she’s with one of my
officers now. He’s taking her statement.”

So she’d actually turned
herself in. Tucker wondered if she might change her mind and keep on running.
Most people in her position would have, but if she was like most women, he
wouldn’t have fallen in love with her in the first place.

“What can you tell me about
her situation, Lee?”

The older man released a
gusty sigh. “We’ve had a few run-ins with her ex. He’s a real piece of work,
that one.”

“Yeah, I met him yesterday.”
Tucker had spent some time interrogating him when he got back to the station,
but the weasel lawyered up after baiting and taunting Tucker for a few minutes
by talking about how wild Rachel was in the sack. “He seemed like a worthless
piece of shit.”

Lee laughed. “That he is.”

“What can you tell me about
Rachel… uh, Constance?”

“Well, we answered a few
domestic disturbance calls at their house over the years. The neighbors called
us a few times, but she was never willing to press charges. I think he’d
threatened her life. When he came in here insisting she’d kidnapped their
daughter and breached their custody agreement, I was impressed she’d finally
found the courage to leave that asshole, if you wanna know the truth.”

“So you didn’t make any real
effort to find her?”

Lee laughed. “I’m not gonna
go on record as saying that.”

He didn’t have to. Tucker
knew what his friend was thinking. He’d have done the same thing in his
position. “She’s a good person, Lee. She doesn’t deserve this. She was just
trying to protect her kid.” In spite of the other lies, Tucker knew she was
telling him the truth about that.

“I know that, man. I wish I
could let her go, but that’s going to be the judge’s decision.”

“Any idea when she’ll appear
in court?”

“Not yet, but I’ll let you
know, okay?”

“I’d appreciate that. Thanks,
buddy.” Tucker hung up the phone and leaned back in his swivel chair as he
covered his face with his hands. He was exhausted, physically and emotionally.
He wanted to help Rachel. He felt the need to protect her, but he couldn’t get
past the fact that she’d lied to him. How the hell was he supposed to trust her
now?

Rachel forced a smile as she
looked at her mother through a sheet of glass.

Her poor mother looked sad,
tired, and frightened, and she knew it was all her fault. Joyce had already
endured more than any mother should have to, losing one child to drugs, and now
Rachel was adding to her burden.

“I’m so sorry, Mama,” she
whispered as soon as she picked up the phone.

He mother swiped a tissue
across her cheek as she shook her head. “This isn’t your fault, honey. We knew
all along this was likely to happen sooner or later. You could only run for so
long.”

Rachel took a deep breath,
trying to appear braver than she felt. “At least now we know that Glen will be
behind bars for a good long while. He won’t be able to hurt you or Maddie,
right?”

Joyce shook her head. “I hope
so. I’d like to call Tucker later, to get an update on his status, if that’s
okay with you?”

“Oh God,” she said, bowing
her head. “Tucker…” She’d been able to think of little else since she left
Brant County. The look in his eyes when she left, the shame of knowing she’d
betrayed the only man who’d ever truly cared about her, was a heavy burden to
bear. “He must hate me.”

Joyce sighed. “I’m sure he’s
angry, hurt, confused… but hate is a strong word. Given time, I’m sure he’ll
understand that you did what you had to do to protect your daughter. He’s not a
parent himself, but he seems like a decent human being. Anyone with an ounce of
compassion who’d met Glen would understand your decision to leave, honey.”

“I hope you’re right.” One
day, when some time had passed, and he’d had a chance to come to terms with
what she’d done, she hoped to write him a letter explaining her choices. She
never expected to fall in love with a man like him, but she had, and she knew
she would never forget the time they’d shared. Tucker would be the standard by
which she judged all other men, and she suspected everyone else would come up
short compared to him.

“What does your lawyer say?”
Joyce asked.

“She said these cases can go
either way. I don’t have a criminal record, which will work in my favor. She
feels confident we can convince the judge that I feared for my safety and that
of my child.” She sighed. “Of course it would help if I’d left a paper trail.”

“You mean if you’d pressed
charges or had a restraining order against Glen?”

“Yes.”

Rachel had considered
pressing charges numerous times, but he always threatened that if she did, he’d
kill her or take their child and run. She couldn’t take the risk. Allowing her
daughter to spend any time with that monster had been the most difficult thing
she’d ever done, but her lawyer told her she didn’t have a choice. The family
court judge didn’t see reason why supervised visitation was necessary,
therefore, she had no choice but to comply with the order.

Glen’s crimes were always
behind closed doors with women who were too ashamed and too fearful to come
forward. They were sex crimes, and his victims knew he could easily turn it
around and make it look like they had invited the brutal treatment. Rachel knew
she wasn’t his first victim, but it gave her some satisfaction to know that he
wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else for a long, long time.

“How is Maddie handling all
this, Mama? Is she scared?” When Rachel hadn’t been thinking about Tucker, she’d
been thinking about her brave daughter and what this must be doing to her.

“I explained to her that her
mama had to sort a few things out, but she’d be back home with us just as soon
as she could.” Joyce offered a weak smile. “You’re a good mother, Rachel. That
little girl knows how much you love her.”

Being Madison’s mother was
the only thing Rachel had ever taken pride in, and knowing the little girl had
already been through so much in her short life broke Rachel’s heart. “She
doesn’t deserve this. She doesn’t deserve to have an asshole like that for a
father.” Rachel couldn’t help but wonder how different their lives would have
been if a man like Tucker had fathered her child instead of Glen.

“No, she doesn’t deserve this
and neither do you, but it is what it is and we just have to deal with it,
right?”

Her mother was always the
voice of reason when Rachel was feeling sorry for herself. She forced her to
put on her big girl panties and do what had to be done, even if meant spending
time in jail for trying to protect her daughter. “You’re right. I’ll be okay,
Mama. Whatever happens, I don’t want you to worry about me. As long as I know
you’re taking care of Maddie and Glen can’t hurt you, I can get through
anything.”

Joyce smiled. “I’m so proud
of you. You’re so strong… so brave.”

She didn’t feel very strong.
In fact, she felt terrified, but she wouldn’t burden her mother with her fears.
She had enough to deal with already.

“So, you don’t mind if I call
Tucker to find out what’s happening with Glen?” Joyce asked.

“No, Mama. You go ahead;
it’ll put your mind at ease to know what’s happening.”

“You want me to give him a
message for you?”

Rachel shook her head as she
fought back the tears. She’d already said everything she needed to say to him.
He knew she was sorry and that she loved him. Whether he chose to forgive her
someday was his decision to make.

Tucker threw back a shot of
scotch as he glared at his computer screen. He didn’t drink on the job, ever,
but he couldn’t seem to get through the rest of the night without something to
dull the pain. It was late. He could have gone home hours ago, but sleeping in
that bed, the bed where they’d made love, was a constant reminder of what he’d had
and lost.

He cursed when the phone at
his elbow buzzed. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to shut the
world out and hide in his cave until he figured out a way to forget her.

“Chief Carlton,” he barked
into the phone. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to be civil. He was still
a public servant, and his job was to remain calm and in control at all times, even
when his personal life was in shambles.

“Chief, this is Joyce Morgan.
I was wondering if I might have a moment of your time.”

Rachel’s mother. Shit. He did
not need this right now. “Of course, Ms. Morgan. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if you could
give me some information about Glen. I assume you have him in custody?”

Just thinking about that guy
made Tucker want to put his fist through a wall, but he had to suppress his
rage so he could do his job. “Yes, ma’am. He hasn’t had a bail hearing yet, but
I can’t imagine anyone would want to help him out. I’m going to do my best to
make sure the bail is set high.”

“Thank you, Tucker…” She
laughed. “I’m sorry, Chief Carlton. I feel like I know you already… because of
your relationship with
—
”

He cut her off before she
could finish. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” He wanted to ask about
Rachel, but his pride wouldn’t let him.

“Um… no. Thank you for the
information.”

Tucker hung up before he gave
in to the urge to ask about Rachel. Was she okay? Did she need anything? Did she
need him?

Tucker looked up to see Jake
crowding his doorway. He scowled. “What are you doing here? I thought you and
Jess were going out to dinner tonight?”

“We are.” He held up his cell
phone. “But I forgot this on my desk. You’re here late, Chief.”

Tucker leaned back and set
his boots on the edge of his desk. “No reason to go home. Fuck, there’s no
reason to even get out of bed in the morning, Jake.” He covered his face with
his hands. “What the hell am I gonna do, man?”

Jake came into the office and
closed the door behind him before claiming a guest chair across from Tucker’s
big mahogany desk. “You want my advice?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” He looked
his friend in the eye. “I sure as hell don’t know what to do. I’ve never felt
this way before.”

“I know how you feel.” He
smiled. “I felt the same way when Jess left town, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember.” His
friend was a wreck when he thought he lost the woman he loved. Much the same
way Tucker was feeling now. But that was different. Jessica hadn’t lied to Jake
about her name, her child, her criminal record… Everything he thought he knew
about that woman was a lie. He didn’t even know who the hell she was. The only
thing he did know was how right it felt when he held her in his arms; that was
the one thing he was trying so hard to forget.

“Tucker, I don’t mean to
sound condescending, but you can’t begin to understand Rachel’s motives. You’re
not a parent. When you are, you’ll get it.”

Tucker held his hand up to
silence his friend. “Don’t
—
”

“No, you wanted my advice, so
you’re gonna hear what I have to say whether you like it or not.” Jake leaned
forward. “As a parent, you’d take a bullet for your kid without even thinking
twice. You’d put your life on the line all day long if it meant you could save them
from harm. That’s what Rachel did when she went on the run, man.”