Man of Honor (Passion in Paradise Book 4) (60 page)

“You had that video
all this time and you never gave it to the police?  Never thought about
contributing it anonymously?” Zeke questioned coldly.

“I couldn’t!  Zeke, I
did
want to go to the police, and Angie knew it, too.  That night, she
must have been able to see my panic.  She wasn’t stupid and she knew I felt
guilty about leaving Honor there with those animals.  When we got back to my
apartment, I told her, point blank, that I was calling you and going to the
cops.  I knew Honor didn’t deserve what was happening to her and I DID want to
help!  She was furious with me, Zeke,” she recalled, staring into space.  “She
screamed at me that I was weak and pathetic… that she was doing us both a favor
by taking care of Honor.  Then, she started with the threats.  She reminded me
that all five of those men had seen my face, and that if I knew what was good
for me, I’d keep my mouth shut and play the shocked, but supportive girlfriend
when Honor’s body was found.  She warned me that if I breathed a single word
about what I’d seen or done out there, that I’d be those animals’ next victim. 
She said she knew ‘em all and she wasn’t afraid to ask for another favor.  She
said they’d do it, too, if it meant keeping me quiet.  I could tell, she meant
it, Zeke.  I could see it in her eyes.  She meant every word.  I was scared for
my life, Zeke.  I wanted to help, but I wanted to live more.  I know it was
wrong.  I should have taken the risk, but I was young and stupid back then.  I
made a horrible choice and it nearly cost an innocent girl her life.  I’m
sorry,” she choked as her cries became sobs.  “You’ve got to believe me.  I’m
sorry!”

“What happened to the
phone, Sherry?”  Zeke asked, unsympathetic to her misery.  If not for her
cowardice, Honor’s attackers might have been found long ago.

“Angie took it with
her when she left my apartment.  She said that if I didn’t have any evidence to
hand over, it would be less of a temptation to run my mouth.”  Wiping the tears
away from her face, Sherry took a deep breath.  “I still wanted to say
something two days later when y’all found her.  You came over to my place that
night, Zeke.”

Zeke nodded slowly as
he had a faint memory of that day.  “You called me and said you had something
important to tell me.”

“Yes!” Sherry nodded
avidly.  “I was going to tell you then about Angie and the video, but I got a
phone call, remember?”

“Vaguely,” Zeke
admitted with a frown.

“I don’t know who it
was, Zeke.  It was a man, but it wasn’t Tanner.  He didn’t have an accent.  But
he knew who I was and where I’d been the previous night.  He also knew my
address and the address of my parents.  The caller told me that if I said a
word to anyone about what I’d witnessed, he’d not only slit my throat, but my
parents’, too.  I was freaked so I kept my mouth shut and gave you some spiel
about how Honor’s ordeal had shown me that we had to value every second
together.”

“I remember,” Zeke
muttered stiffly, hating himself for the fact that he’d allowed Sherry to
distract him from his misery with sex. 

“That was about the
time I started to feel you really slipping away from me,” Sherry noted softly. 
“After that… we were never the same.  I had my guilt hanging over me and you
started becoming even closer to the McKinnon family than you already were.  My friendship
with Angie fell apart, Patience ended up telling Abel about
another
one
of Angela’s many trysts and she left town.  We broke up, and then, eventually,
I started trying to forgive myself and move on with my life.  I met Dan, we got
married, and I had Toby.  And things were good until…”

Zeke’s brows drew
together as Sherry paused.  “Until what, Sherry?”

“She came back,”
Sherry spat, her face morphing into an expression of disgust and anger.  “She
came back and stirred everything up.  They killed her, you know,” she
whispered, looking at Zeke and nodding.  “I know they did.”

“Sherry, slow down. 
I’m lost,” Zeke murmured, holding up a hand.  “Things were good until who came
back?”

“Angela Hastings,
Zeke.  It had to be her that stirred it all back up because for years I’d not
heard a word from that man that called and threatened me, but three weeks after
Hurricane Angie made landfall in Paradise, my phone rang again.  And this time,
that man on the other end of the line didn’t threaten me and my parents if I
talked about what I’d seen eight years ago, Zeke.  He said he’d make what he
did to Honor look like child’s play with
MY CHILD
!  That bastard
threatened to hurt my baby!” she screamed, slapping her hands against the table
as tears poured down her face.  “Oh, God!  What if he’s watching me now?  What
if he knows I’m here!  Toby could be in danger right this second!”

“Sherry, take a deep
breath and calm down.  We’re not going to let anything happen to your son,”
Zeke replied calmly, turning in his seat to signal through the two way glass
for his deputy to meet him in the hallway.  “Wait here,” he directed Sherry
sternly.  “I’m going to assign a deputy to watch your son.”

“Wait.  That’ll scare
Toby,” Sherry worried out loud.  “I’ll need to explain…talk to Dan…”

“I’ll have my man
observing from a distance and only intervene if there’s imminent danger,” Zeke
assured her as he moved to the door.  Stepping into the hallway, he met Deputy
Hightower’s concerned gaze.

“I know nobody was
watching me at her house, Sheriff, but I can’t say nobody saw her walk into our
station when we arrived,” Jeb stated uneasily.  “She could be right.  The perp
could possibly know she’s here and she’s talking.  I’ve already called the
school and had the principal personally check on the child.  She confirmed that
the kid’s still in class and will be kept there until one of our deputies calls
her.”

“Get Deputy Shannon
on her kid.  Surveillance only unless there’s imminent danger,” Zeke ordered
quietly.  “Get her husband, Dan, in here, too.  He’s got nothing to do with
this, but he’s still gonna need to be apprised of the threat to his son.”

“Yes, sir.  I’ll get
those balls in the air for us,” Deputy Hightower agreed readily.

“How’s Honor holding
up?” Zeke asked before the other man could walk away.

“She’s one strong
lady,” Jeb praised with a proud grin.  “The worry about this chick’s kid has
given her a fright, but I’ll let her know we’re handling it.”

“Thanks, man.  I’m
going back in,” Zeke said before heading back into the interrogation room. 
Immediately met with Sherry’s apprehensive eyes, Zeke moved back to his seat. 
“Toby is fine.  In class and happily clueless of anything unusual happening. 
My deputy is moving into position to watch over him.  I’ve also arranged to
have your husband contacted at work to come into the station.  He needs to be
advised of the potential threat.”

Hanging her head,
Sherry sniffled.  “Dan doesn’t know anything about any of this.  He’s never
going to forgive me, Zeke.”

“That is not my
problem, Sherry,” Zeke returned pitilessly.  “My only concern right now is
making sure another innocent child is kept safe and finding the remaining men
responsible for the crimes committed against Honor.  Now, what did you do after
the phone call from this guy?”

Staring at Zeke,
Shelly reached for another tissue.  “I got my purse, got in my car and drove to
the only decent hotel in Paradise.  I knew it had to be where Angie was
staying.   I went in, bribed the kid behind the desk for her room number and
went to confront her.  She was so surprised to see me when she opened the
door.  I think I was the last person on Earth she expected, but she still
invited me inside.  I could tell she was nervous and jumpy because she grabbed
my arm and jerked me inside her hotel room.  I got right to the point with her
though.  I told her about the phone call I’d received.  I told her about the
threat that bastard had made about Toby.  I told her I’d do whatever I had to
do to protect my child.  Then, I told her I was going to the police with or
without evidence and I was going to tell them everything.  And then, something
I never expected happened.”

“What?”

“She agreed with me,
Zeke.  See, when she’d gotten back to town, she got a phone call, too, and that
man had promised her a fitting retribution if she so much as opened her mouth. 
Abel had already asked her for help getting the case reopened and word about
that had gotten back to this guy’s ears.  The caller went on to say that he had
a copy of that video, too, and that the first person he’d forward it to was
Abel.  She said that was impossible since she’d still had that original old phone
and the only person that she’d sent pics of the video had been Tanner, but the
guy just texted her an incriminating clip of her on the vid to prove he was on
the level.  It freaked Angie something awful and she said when she checked her bag
for the phone, it was gone.”

“Why the hell did
Angie carry around something so incriminating?”

Sherry shrugged, her
eyes avoiding his.  “Who knows?  Angie was as warped as they come, Zeke.  She
liked to keep “mementos” to let people know that she had power over them.  That
was, until the phone went missing.”

“So whoever was
blackmailing her stole it?”

“We assumed so. 
Anyway, the man pointed out that we were both accessories to the crimes
committed against Honor and that we’d be in considerable trouble, too.  Of
course, Angie had to go and make a stand, showing what a great fuckin’ lawyer
she was and argue with him.  Which she said pissed him off even more.  At any
rate, before it was finished, this guy had informed Angie that it was real hard
to talk with a bullet in her brain.  Since that’s how she died, I don’t think
it takes a huge stretch of imagination to know who killed her.  At any rate,
Angie and I made a plan to meet the next morning right here at the station. 
She never made it here, though,” Sherry whispered.  “He got to her later that
night.”

“Angie never gave you
the name of the man threatening you?  Never accidently dropped a clue about his
identity or location?  Think, Sherry.  This could be what saves your son.”

Sherry pressed the
heel of her hand to her head and shook it from side to side.  “She said it was
safer if I didn’t know who the two remaining men were that were a part of what
went down in the woods that night.  She insisted that if something happened,
he’d be less likely to kill me if I wasn’t aware of his identity.  But she said
the guy had both power and money, Zeke.  She said it wouldn’t be hard for him
to make somebody disappear.  And it wasn’t!  Look how Angie ended up!  Now, do
you see why I couldn’t say anything… why I
had
to keep my mouth shut? 
People were at risk!  I was protecting my family.”

“And yourself,” Zeke
said flatly.  “Don’t forget that, Sherry.”

Biting her lip, she
looked up at the ceiling.  “I can’t go to prison, Zeke.”

“That’s not up to me,
Sherry.  That’s gonna be a judge’s call.  I’m charging you with obstruction of
justice and conspiracy to commit a crime.  I’ll let both the county attorney
and the court know that you cooperated with my investigation.  It’s possible
you could come out of this with no more than community service, but I really
have no way of knowing for sure.”

Nodding, the woman in
front of him hunched in defeat.  “Can I at least see Dan when he arrives and explain
what’s happening?  Like I said, he knows nothing about my part in what happened
to Honor all those years ago.  He didn’t even live here then.  I want him to
hear it from me.”

Zeke slowly nodded. 
He certainly didn’t want to be the one that had to tell the man his wife was a
complete and utter cunt that could leave a helpless 16 year old in the
situation where she’d left Honor.  “The deputies will start the booking process
after you see him.”  Reaching for the phone, he pushed it toward her.  “I’d call
that attorney now, Sherry.  You’re going to need a real good one.”

Friday, September,
5, 2016 – Dr. Bree Daniels Office

11:00 am

Honor

Watching from the
corner of her eye as her big brooding sheriff navigated the early lunchtime traffic
of Paradise County, Honor wanted to scream in frustration.  She understood why
he was upset.  The county attorney had called him earlier this morning to let
him know the judge (who’d had a longstanding friendship with Sherry’s banker
husband) had ruled on Sherry’s case, and despite Zeke and the county attorney’s
recommendation, the judge had opted to slap Sherry on the wrist and mandate
community service for her part in what had happened eight years ago.  To say
Zeke had taken the news badly was an understatement, but that was small town
politics at its best for you.  Honor understood his anger and disappointment;
she felt some of it herself.  But mostly, she just wanted them to move past it.

She knew that was
going to be difficult for Zeke, too, since their past seemed to have a very
firm hold on their future.  Every night for the past several weeks, Zeke, Jake,
Abel, and Diego had spent pouring over records from Paradise’s and the
surrounding counties’ Offices of Vehicle Registration, desperately trying to
locate a trace of the vehicle that Sherry had mentioned during her
questioning.  It was time consuming and monotonous work and so far – much to
all the men’s disappointment - they’d all come up empty.  The lack of solid
leads was wearing on them all.

Especially since the
threats just kept coming.  The notes.  The pictures.  The phone calls.  The man
stalking her was a rabid animal, and she was his prey.  If not for Zeke, she’d
have fallen apart long before now.  Her man, however, was her rock.  When she
felt weak, he was her strength.  When she was afraid, he became her shield. 
And when, inevitably, the anger took hold of her, he was her comfort.  Because
of him, she had the courage to face each new morning. 

Right now, though, it
was her own personal sexy sheriff that needed to be consoled.  Reaching toward
him, she circled his wrist with her hand, tugging it toward her.  “Honey, don’t
dwell.  It’s over.  It’s done.”

“It’s wrong, Honor. 
This whole morning was just wrong.  Except for the part where I woke up with
you in my arms this morning.  That part was very, very right.  And the early
morning make out session in the kitchen.  Forget about Folgers in my cup being
the best part of waking up.  I’d much rather have your mouth.  You’ve got a
much better flavor than coffee.  Just the right kind of jolt to get me going
for the day.”

“As happy as I am to
hear that my kisses could rival the caffeinated high of your morning coffee,
I’m more worried about how you took the news that Sherry was being released
later this afternoon.”

Zeke’s face
hardened.  “It’s bullshit, Honor.”

“Maybe, but you’re
really going to have to find a way to let this go, Zeke,” Honor chided as the
handsome man sitting in the seat beside her flipped on his turn signal and
steered the SUV they were riding inside into the small paved parking lot. 
“Maybe we should mention that you’re having some trouble coming to terms with
Sherry’s sentence to Bree.  She could help you sort out your feelings,” she
suggested mildly.

“First off, I know
how I feel.  I’m
pissed
.  Pissed and frustrated.  Second, Sherry didn’t
get served a sentence.  Not even close.  What she received was a slap on the
wrist and it’s fucking unacceptable,” he growled, angrily shifting the gear
shift into park and killing the engine in a few furious movements of his
wrist.  “Honest to God, community service?  She conspired to hide a crime for
EIGHT DAMNED years.  I thought she’d get at least a year, but she walked out
with time served and community service.  How is that justifiable on any level? 
At this point, I feel like I’m just locking up criminals for the court to turn
‘em loose.”

“The court has ruled,
Zeke.  Let’s let it go and move past it,” Honor begged.  She wasn’t any happier
than he was, but she refused to give the people that had hurt her any more
power or influence over how she lived her days.  “We’ve got a wedding to finish
planning, remember?  Starting with this joint counseling session,” she reminded
him as she pointed toward Bree’s office building.  “Then, Maggie’s going to
meet me in the reception area to go with me for one of my last wedding dress
fittings and you need to call somebody to come and shadow us since you can’t be
there.”

“Why can’t I take
you?  After the news we got about Sherry this morning, I was hoping we could
spend the day together.  I got Carline to clear my schedule and everything,”
Zeke complained, crossing his arms over his chest in a way that clearly let
Honor know he intended to settle in for a good pout about his lot in life if
she didn’t find a way to compromise with him.

“Zeke, there’s no way
I’m gonna let you see me in my dress before our wedding day.  It’s bad luck! 
And in case you missed it, we seem to be a magnet for THAT.  Let’s not give the
universe any more ammunition to use against us, okay?”

“Have I mentioned how
much I hate it when you use logic to win an argument?” he grumbled, staring out
the window.  “Fine,” he conceded after a second.  “I’ll call Deputy Hightower
to meet us after this appointment and you and Maggie can take him with you, but
I reserve the right to choose this afternoon’s activity.”

“But I needed to see
the florist about…”  Seeing Zeke’s face darkening, Honor sighed.  She supposed
she could just
call
the florist.  She didn’t actually need to see the
tulips that she needed to order for Matron of Honor bouquet.  “Okay, you win,
and because I’m generous, you can choose what we do this afternoon.”

Zeke smiled.  “Good,
because I know where this deserted little fishing hole is located, and I think
it’d be perfect for a little outdoor adventuring.”

Honor felt her cheeks
warm as her breathing accelerated and her heartbeat fluttered in her chest. 
“We couldn’t,” she whispered, her blue eyes dilating as they stared at him.  So
far, she’d loved her adventures with Zeke.  He’d slowly begun introducing her
to the riskier side of romance over the last month and she’d loved every moment
of it.  With one steamy interlude in his office, he’d proven that their
intimacy could extend well beyond the bedroom, and once he’d cajoled her out of
her initial hesitance, she’d loved every minute of their racier escapades. 

“Oh, we can.  What
was it that lady in that movie you conned me into watching said?  They did
things that frightened the fish?” he teased her with twinkling eyes.

“That was a fictional
character,” she hissed, smacking his arm as she giggled.  “I’m not sure how I
feel about communing with nature.”

“Give me a soft
blanket, an open mind and thirty uninterrupted minutes of your time and I’ll
make sure to change your mind.  I promise you that,” Zeke countered, leaning
over the armrest and planting a soft kiss against her lips.  “Now, come on,
sweetheart.  We’re gonna be late for our appointment.”

Trying not to melt
into her seat as images of the things Zeke could do to her taunted her libido,
she jumped when she heard her car door open.

“Thinkin’ ‘bout what
I said, aren’t ya?” Zeke asked with a wink and a mocking grin.  “Don’t worry,
Kitten.  I plan to devote all kinds of attention to widening your horizons now
that I can call you mine.  There are all kinds of places I intend to take that
delectable little body.”

Taking the hand he
held out to her, Honor hopped down from his SUV.  “Oh, hush,” she muttered,
quickly looking around to see if they were overheard.  “We’re in public,
Ezekiel.  Somebody will hear you, and I don’t think the entire town of Paradise
needs to know that the sheriff tries to regularly convince his future wife into
illicit trysts in the unlikeliest places.”

“If somebody has a
problem with how much I love you, then it’s
their
problem. Not ours.  I
waited years to have you be mine and now that you are, I’m gonna relish every
second of it.”

Honor couldn’t help
smiling at that.  Because that was patently Zeke.  He’d never been ashamed of
how much he loved her or shy about saying it.  And he’d never given a single
crap that everybody knew it.  She was a very lucky girl to inspire that kind of
love and loyalty from someone.  “You’re right,” she murmured, lifting on her
toes to press her lips to the corner of his mouth.  “Let’s go get these errands
done and then you can tell me about just how badly we’ll be traumatizing those
fish,” she suggested with a playful wink.

“That’s my girl,”
Zeke praised as he held open the door to the office to let Honor go in first. 

Quickly making her
way to the reception window while Zeke took a seat in the waiting room, Honor
waved at Cheyenne through the cloudy glass and waited for the other woman to
see her.

“Honor!” Cheyenne
greeted with a wide smile as she slid open the window.  “How are you, hon?”

“Just fine.  I’m here
with Zeke for my 11:15 appointment,” she informed the other woman with a
smile.  “It’s supposed to be a joint session.”

“Ah, yes.  Bree
mentioned she had a pre-marital counseling session this morning.”  Looking over
Honor’s shoulder, Cheyenne lifted her chin toward Zeke and shot him a pleased
grin.  “Finally got her locked down, huh, Sheriff?”

Zeke chuckled.  “I
did.  She fought it something fierce, but my charm eventually won her over.”

“Ha!  More like he
showed up at my house and refused to go back to his own.  I swear, the man is
bullying his way toward matrimonial bliss,” Honor countered with a giggle of
her own.

“All’s fair in love
and war,” Zeke returned, looking up from the magazine he’d grabbed.  

“Oh, y’all are just a
hoot and half.  I received your wedding invitation in the mail last week, and
me and the hubby will be there with bells on,” Cheyenne informed them both. 
“We can’t wait to see you and Zeke tie the knot.  It’s been a long time
coming.”

“You can say that
again,” Zeke mumbled without looking up from the article he was reading.

“It should only be
just a few minutes, Honor.  Just have a seat with your man and we’ll get ya
back shortly.”

Honor nodded and went
to sit down next to her future husband, leaning against his arm as she looked
over his shoulder at what he was reading.  Surprised that he’d chosen a
parenting magazine, she scanned the article he was reading, “This year’s 100
popular baby names?” she read aloud.  “Is there something you want to tell me,
Sheriff Monroe?”

“Never hurts to be
prepared,” Zeke murmured softly against her ear.  “We haven’t exactly been
careful these last few weeks.”

Honor’s jaw dropped
as she thought back to the last several times they’d made love.  He was right. 
Neither one of them had been exactly diligent in making sure they were using
protection.  Pressing one hand to her flat belly, Honor dropped her gaze to her
stomach.  She didn’t
feel
any different.  No nausea.  No vomiting. 
Sure, she’d been more tired than usual, but planning a wedding while bein’
pursued by a psychotic stalker would drain anyone’s energy level, wouldn’t it? 

“Honor?” Zeke called
softly as he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into the shelter
of his body.  “Say something,” he ordered in a whisper. 

“D-do you think
we’re…I mean, do you think I’m already expecting?” she breathed, staring at him
with wide eyes. 

“I don’t know, but
would it be such a bad thing?” Zeke asked, keeping his voice low.  “We both
want a family and I’m not getting any younger.”

Would it be a bad
thing?  Sure, she and Zeke were a relatively new couple in a lot of ways, but
in other respects they knew each other better than couples who’d been married
decades.  Most days, it felt as if they’d been together forever.  Lord knows
that she’d always wanted a big family.  Before everything that happened to her
when she was a teenager, she always assumed she’d have a houseful of kids just
like her momma had.  Closing her eyes now, she could just imagine a little boy
with Zeke’s dark hair and impish smile running around the café getting into
trouble.  Or a little girl with her blonde hair and Zeke’s soft gray eyes
curled up in her lap while he read bedtime stories to her.  She already knew
from watching him spoil her nieces and nephews that he’d be an amazing daddy. 
He was everything her own father had been.  Patient, kind, and loving.

Yes, Zeke would be a
wonderful parent to any child they had, and God knew she’d love their babies
with the passion only a mother could have.

“”No.  No, I don’t
think it would be a bad thing at all if we made a baby, Zeke.”

“Good,” she heard
Zeke declare, his deep voice caressing her soul as he lifted a hand to cup the
side of her face.  “Because I can’t wait to see your belly filled with my baby.”

“You need to quit
bein’ so sweet before you have me cryin’ like a baby,” Honor admonished, her
eyes stinging with unshed tears.

“As long as they’re
happy tears, Kitten,” Zeke returned, pressing his lips to her forehead.

“Honor?  Zeke?”
Cheyenne’s voice called from the corridor where she stood holding the door
open.  “Bree’s ready for you.  You can come on back.”