Love Is in the Air (93 page)

Too soon, they exited the forest. Crossing the field to their cars, they cleared the tree line. The sight caused them all to stumble to a stop. A fire, no; it was too large to be called a fire—it was more like an inferno raging across town. Flames sprang high into the air, creating almost daylight brightness over the town. Smoke billowed up from the fire and obscured the rest of the town’s streetlights. The sight drew their eyes and would not let them go. Fire trucks, so small compared to the roaring inferno, flashed their bright red lights, but the fire was the all. From around the valley, they could make out dozens of other fire trucks streaking toward the scene. They must have called in help from six other counties.

Quinton had thought the boy was exaggerating about the conflagration, but Michael had underestimated the damage. Before, Quinton had thought the boy might get off with some time in juvenile hall for the incident, but now he realized that Michael was going to do some hard time for this.

Quinton sought out Regina’s face and saw a horror beyond his own at the devastation. Not only were the mill and national reserve up in smoke, but the flames were threatening the eastern housing development. If the fire spread, half the town could be homeless. This was no little act of vandalism that Wayne could cover up. This was beyond the power of even Mr. Togglehorn.

Squeezing Regina’s shoulder, Quinton watched the flames lap higher and higher into the air. Even way out here, you could read a book by the light of the fire. Quinton had not noticed before, but at the base of the hill were several police cars. Obviously, they were waiting to arrest Quinton if he should try to leave the reservation. How little they knew. It was one of their own who had done this. Worse, it was the boss’s son. The whole town, let alone Regina, would never be the same again.

Regina’s sobbing brought Quinton back to the moment. Mother and son were embracing as tears flowed. The woman looked broken as she slumped into her son. They swayed slightly, as if neither of them had the strength to keep them upright. At any moment, it looked like they were both going to fall to their knees.

Seeing Regina this devastated left Quinton feeling powerless. If there was anything that he could do to take away this burden from her, he would do it now. How he wished this were in the olden days, when a man could truly ride in on a white horse and save the day. He wanted to prove himself to her, and more importantly, lift this crippling pain from her shoulders.

“Quinton—” Regina could not finish her sentence, her throat was too constricted with tears. “I’ve got to go. Michael’s got to turn himself in.”

With those words, the boy wailed again, but did not protest. He looked beyond even self-protection. Quinton knew the disturbed boy would not last long in prison. Michael was fragile enough as it was.

This was it, Quinton realized. A mother was about to lose her son, and Quinton was about to lose the love of his life. All in one fell swoop, fate dove in and robbed each of them of their future. The boy could barely stand, let alone walk. Regina tried to urge Michael on, but it was clear that forward movement was beyond the boy.

“Quinton Longspear. You are under arrest,” a loudspeaker blared.

Turning, Quinton realized the sheriff must have spotted them leaving the forest. It was equally obvious that they had no clue who the real culprit was. Perhaps, if the police were so clueless, Michael could avoid arrest.

“Regina, maybe now is not the time.”

The woman shook her head and got her son back up onto his feet. “It is either this or let them arrest you. The sheriff won’t rest until somebody is behind bars. If that means Michael has to—” Regina could not talk anymore as she began crying again.

“Surrender yourself, and end this peacefully for your family.” The sheriff’s voice carried out over the rolling fields.

Quinton hated to tell them, but there was no peaceful way to end this. If he let Michael turn himself in, all of his love for Regina would go wasted. He could not let that happen. The only way to even hope for any speck of happiness was to let the police go on thinking it was Quinton who sabotaged the mill. But even this ruse had its steep price. The law would hound his family until they finally got what they wanted—Quinton arrested.

Just as he did not want Regina to go through pain, he could not see allowing his own family to bear the burden of trying to protect Quinton when he knew full well who was the real culprit. No, there was only one way out that protected both Regina and his family.

“Stay here. I’m going down to talk with them.”

The woman grabbed his arm. “No! They’ll arrest you, Quinton. Michael and I will go down and explain everything.”

Quinton rubbed his hands up and down her arms to warm her against the night’s chill. Carefully he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. “Trust me, Regina. I need to be the one to go down.”

“Michael’s going to have to own up sometime—”

“No, he won’t. They think it was me, and we are going to let them continue to think that.”

Regina’s pupils dilated as she realized his plan. “No. Quinton, you can’t! You can’t take responsibility. It was Michael!”

Quinton was glad to see that the boy had wandered off a step or two to give Regina and him a moment alone. Pulling Regina into his embrace, he kissed the top of her head. “This is the only way. You know that.”

“But I can’t lose you!” The woman sobbed into his chest.

Stroking her hair, Quinton spoke the truth that they both knew. “No, you can’t lose your son. Let me do this for you. Let me show you that there really is honor left in the world—in me.”

Regina could not answer; she was crying too hard. He knew her silence was also Regina’s acceptance of the path they now walked. She could not argue against his logic or his motives. Quinton would have to take his chances with the law.

“Surrender now, or the Feds will be here soon, and we’ll come onto the reservation.”

Quinton held Regina tightly for another moment, then released his grip. “I’ve got to go.”

* * *

Regina felt her heart rupture—she was sure of it. The organ simply could not stand another ounce of pain. While Quinton was doing the noblest thing she had ever heard of, he was also leaving her. And who knew how long that would be? But deep in her soul, Regina knew that this was the only way. Quinton was strong and could weather this legal peril, whereas her son would wither and die under this type of distress. But how could she let him know the depth of her gratitude and love? How could she send him off and let him know that she was right beside him with every step he took?

Words failed her, but her lips did not. She slid her hand up his neck and pulled Quinton into her. The kiss was at first soft and tender, but within a few moments, their tongues were intertwined, saying good-bye in their own way. Quinton’s hand cupped her breast gently and gave it a parting squeeze as he backed away. Regina so badly wanted to give him much more to remember while he sat in the town’s jail, but Michael was standing nearby, and the sheriff was watching. Words would have to do for now.

“I’ll wait for you. I’ll—”

“Shh… I don’t want you to make promises that—”

Regina gripped his hand tightly. She could feel energy surge through her veins again and would not let him leave until he knew her heart. “Too bad. I’m making a promise that I will wait for you until we are reunited.” Her voice cracked to the point where she did not think that she could continue. Clinging to the blanket that Quinton had placed over her shoulders, Regina spoke through her tears. “I’m yours. No one will touch me. No one but you.”

Quinton could not speak. The tears flowed too freely. He struggled to say something, but Regina held her finger to his lips to stop him.

“You’ve already said it all. Now go, before I lose my nerve.”

Quinton hugged her one last time, then turned and strode away. Regina had to keep her feet firmly planted on the ground, or she would have followed Quinton’s retreating back. Soon, he was just a moving shadow across the field. It wasn’t until that moment when she could no longer make out his features that she knew the man she loved was giving himself over to the police to protect her son. Regina felt like Quinton had given everything, and she had given nothing.

Turning, she found Michael still looking toward the car. Regina forced her son to watch Quinton descend the small hill. Michael whined, but Regina was insistent.

“You are going to watch, young man, and learn.”

At first the boy squirmed, but finally he calmed into her embrace and began crying again. “Why is he doing this?”

Because he loves me
, Regina wanted to say, but did not. Michael was overwhelmed enough. He did not need to know that his own life was about to change. Regina tried to shield her son from the raw emotion and also impress upon Michael the immense sacrifice Quinton was making on his behalf. “Because Quinton knows you need help, not jail, right now. He’s willing to sacrifice himself to provide you a better life.”

Her son was silent as Quinton made his way down to the waiting sheriff’s car. The fire bloomed suddenly, illuminating the valley. Regina could barely stand to watch Dooley place handcuffs on Quinton. She nearly ran down the hill to stop them. Quinton did not deserve this kind of treatment. But she stayed put. All of his reasons were still sound. Her focus had to be on Michael right now. Things were going to change, and now was the best time.

“Come on. We’ve got to get home.”

Michael’s voice was quiet and scared. “Will Dad be there?”

Regina’s shoulders stiffened, and she felt a rush of adrenaline. “I can only hope so.”

* * *

Quinton knew that turning himself over to the police was the single most noble thing he had ever done, but he had to admit it did not feel all that great at the moment. Riding in the back of the sheriff’s car, withstanding all of the deputies’ insults, was becoming trying. Plus, the handcuffs were on the tight side and were beginning to chafe his wrists. The earlier urgency and elation he felt back at the reservation had faded, and now he was faced with the cold reality that he was under arrest. His freedom was stripped from him, and there was a very real likelihood that Quinton could in fact go to jail for a crime he did not commit.

Was Regina really worth this? Was their love really true and meaningful, or was he just blinded by the best sex he had ever had? Right now, he did not honestly know. He was still damp from the forest, weary to the bone, and scared. The shining knight manual did not say anything about these feelings. The only thing that kept him from backing out of the arrangement was the smell of Regina that still clung to him. Quinton missed her already.

Quinton coughed as the smoke became so thick that the deputy slowed the car. Ash was falling from the sky, and his throat burned from the bitter smoke. No part of town was untouched by the raging fire at the mill. Quinton prayed that no one was injured in the blaze. He had enough cards stacked against him. He did not need reckless endangerment added to them.

Soon, they drove up to the police station, and Dooley roughly pulled Quinton from the car. Quinton gave no resistance or complained. The quieter he was the easier this would be on him. What he was not prepared for was Ralph to be sharing his jail cell.

“Quinton! What in the hell is going on? One minute I’m watching an infomercial, and the next I’m hauled in here.”

“There has been a fire—”

“No shit! But why are
we
here? Have you called Regina yet?”

Quinton shook his head while he rubbed his sore wrists. “Have you called Natalie?”

“I left a message with her maid, but I don’t know if she’ll back me up.”

“Even if she won’t, I will. We’ve got to get you out of here.”

Ralph was a darker shade of red than Quinton had ever seen. “Us, man. We’ve got to get
us
out of here.”

Even though he was surprised and honored by his assistant’s loyalty, Quinton guided the younger man down onto the thin cot. “There’s a lot I haven’t told you, and a lot that I still can’t share with you, but know that you need to be out there, and I need to stay here.”

“This is insane, Quinton. Did you get—”

“Ralph. Listen to me. Trust me. This is big.”

Finally, the younger man settled down. “All right. Go.”

Quinton took a deep breath. How could he explain this but not tell his assistant too much? Despite his rational concerns, it was something deeper that held his tongue. Quinton knew that Ralph would be gravely disappointed in him. The younger man had looked up to Quinton like a mentor. This news would be hard on both of them.

“We need to make sure one of us is completely exonerated from these charges. One of us needs to be free to write the report—”

“Damn the report! This—”

Quinton bluntly cut the younger man off. “Our company has been paid off by Blue Mountain to approve their logging plan.”

“What?” Ralph asked, his face a mask of confusion. “That can’t be. You would have—”

“I was in on it.”

“No, friggin’ way.”

Quinton nodded sadly and could not meet his assistant’s wounded eyes. “I’m afraid it is true. I’d sold out, but no more. If I’m out of the picture, you can write the correct report and stop this abomination.”

Ralph sprang up from the cot and paced the room. “This is bullshit! Quinton, how could you? What in the hell were you thinking?”

Knowing that he could not adequately answer the younger man, Quinton went on with his plan. “You’ve got to get out and expose our company’s practices and go all the way to the Director of the EPA if you have to and salvage this old growth stand.”

His assistant seemed to be cooling down, but that was not necessarily a good sign. “I’d thought you… I trusted you, man.”

Quinton felt tears sting his eyes. How many people could he disappoint in a single day? He could only hope that he could redeem himself with Ralph as he had Regina.

“And I plan to earn that trust again.”

Ralph’s temper flared again. “That might take—”

“Ralph!” a woman’s voice cried out from down the hallway. Both men turned to find Natalie running down the hallway with a stern deputy walking behind her. The young woman’s makeup was smeared and streaked with tears. She reached through the bars.