The Mistaken (47 page)

I’m sure she believed that our resemblance was of
some aegis against detection, but unless Beck had confronted her
with my accusations, Erin could not have known my connection to
Jillian Karras, or my determination to see her answer for her past
transgressions. When I noticed the activity on my accounts, minor
as they were, I did some digging. I smiled to myself, knowing that
if I played it right, I could gain enough evidence to put Erin
behind bars for quite some time. And while Ty would never know, it
gave me a good amount of satisfaction knowing I had secured a
measure of justice for his wife and child.

I moved most of my money around so as not to be
available to Erin, but I also left one account open and
well-stocked with money I borrowed from Beck. I obtained fraud
insurance to protect myself, notified the credit agencies, and
waited for Erin to go too far, which she did, of course. I gathered
all the evidence I had of every instance of fraud and theft and
presented it to the King County District Attorney, who shared it
with the federal boys in Seattle since Erin had used my identity
across state lines while traveling back to the San Francisco Bay
Area. She even deposited a large chunk of cash, drawn by check
against my account, into one of her very own down in Napa. It was a
tidy operation and yielded ample proof of her deceit.

Realizing the futility of fighting all the evidence,
Erin copped a plea. She was convicted of multiple state charges and
received a cumulative sentence of six years in state prison, only
half of which she would likely serve. But she was also indicted on
federal banking charges and was currently awaiting trial. If
convicted, she would likely serve an additional five years in a
federal penitentiary. The institutions she had stolen from were
seeking financial restitution, and the fines levied by the state
were astounding. I was content with those numbers and slept soundly
at night.

I thought of all I had accomplished, especially
healing myself emotionally from what certainly should have
destroyed me. What could have devastated my son had he lost his
mother. I smiled to myself as I ran along my favorite trail,
relishing how far I had come. I kept my pace even and steady,
though I felt a prick of nervous tension. I observed the other
hikers around me and was aware of one who seemed to watch me
closely, keeping pace with me, though he was well ahead on a nearby
trail.

Though my ordeal was eight months behind me, I was
still wary of strangers. There were many coiling paths up here in
the forested wetland, and although they all meandered about in
different directions, winding through the trees like a serpent,
they all joined together up ahead at the trailhead marker. Our
paths were destined to cross, and, with so few people around, I
wasn’t sure how best to handle it. I was tense and ready to strike
as he drew closer. I stared straight ahead and visualized using my
well-practiced kickboxing moves against the man, should the need
arise.

I thought I could probably outrun him, and that
maybe that was the better choice since he looked to be fit and
strong, though he was still too far away for me to get a good look.
My heart thudded painfully in my chest, more out of fear than
exertion, as I pulled ahead in a full-out wind sprint. The man fell
behind on his trail as it bent over toward mine. I was breathing
hard, and my heart beat so loudly I could scarcely hear anything
else. I wasn’t able to keep the pace up for very long though, and
he started to gain on me.

I decided my best option was to catch him by
surprise with a kick to the head or chest. So, as the stranger
nipped at my rear flank, I dug in my heels in an abrupt halt. I
spun around backwards and released a powerful roundhouse kick. I
screamed a shrill “kiyai” as I made contact with my pursuer’s chin.
His head snapped sideways, and his entire body was thrown into a
flying spin. He landed with a loud thud on the firm earthen trail
beside me.

Panting heavily while my heart pounded against my
sternum, I stood above him in a fighter’s stance, ready to unload
my fury, but the man moaned as he rolled face down on the trail. He
mumbled incoherently as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees,
shaking his head to clear it.

“Good God, Hannah!” he exclaimed. “Bloody hell!”

My breathing hitched at the sound of my name and the
familiar voice of my dreams. Blood roared in my ears as my heart
pounded even harder. I remained at the ready, standing over him,
confused, excited, and terrified all at once.

I pulled myself up straight and gasped in shock as I
stared at Tyler, who rolled over onto his backside, his legs
splayed straight out in front of him. He fingered his chin
gingerly, opening and closing his jaw while he tested its
function.

“Man, you’re dangerous,” he said as he looked up at
me with one eye closed and his mouth held open awkwardly. “This
isn’t exactly how I imagined our reunion. But I guess I had it
coming.” He smiled with a wince and winked at me.

“Ty? What... I thought... Why...” I stammered. “I…I
don’t understand. Why are you here?”

He chuckled. “You asked me that the last time I saw
you.”

“Well, I hope you have a better answer this time,” I
replied. I held out my hand, and he accepted, allowing me to help
pull him to his feet.

“I think I do,” he said with a grin.

He held firmly onto my hand even as I tried to pull
it away. He raised it to his mouth and kissed the top first then he
turned it over and kissed the inside of my wrist. I stared
silently, open-mouthed, my eyes wide like a lovesick
schoolgirl.

“Chernov is dead. It’s all over. I’m free,” he said.
“I had to find you, to see you again, hear your voice. Look into
your eyes. I need to know if I have a chance with you, Hannah.”

I couldn’t find my voice. I just continued to stare
at him.

“I can’t move on unless I know for sure, one way or
the other, how you feel about me. You’ve never, for one moment,
left my thoughts. And after all these long, lonely months, all I
can think about is you. My heart belongs here, Hannah,” he said as
he placed his palm over my chest, “and I can’t live another day
without knowing if you can feel me there, in your heart.”

I bowed my head to hide the tears that collected and
threatened to spill over. I didn’t know what to think or how to
feel. He had done this to me before then cast me aside, twice in
fact. I didn’t think my heart could tolerate a third. I looked up
into his eyes and searched for the truth.

He bent closer and whispered. “Forgive me, Hannah,
please. I can’t take back what I’ve done, but I can spend forever
making up for it, if you’d just give me the chance.” He paused and
kissed me softly. “Tell me you feel me there, Hannah, in your
heart. Please tell me you feel the same way,” he begged with his
hand still resting gently against my chest.

I nodded as I gazed into his beautiful blue eyes.
“Yes, Ty. I’ve felt you there every second of every day, and
it...it hurt so bad knowing that I’d never see or talk to you
again. I’ve missed you so much. And now that you’re here, I don’t
think I could take it if you left me again.”

Ty crushed me in his arms like he couldn’t hold me
tight enough, like he was trying to step right into my skin along
with me. I buried my face in his shoulder and cried, breathing
deeply of the scent I could never seem to get out of my mind,
thinking that the moment was better than any I had ever imagined.
And I had imagined it at least a thousand times. I felt his
shoulders quake as he cried the first happy tears I’d ever seen him
shed.

We held each other for a very long time, each afraid
of ending the moment. Finally, Ty pulled back and put his hands on
my face, holding me still as he leaned in and pressed his lips
against mine. His kiss increased in urgency and depth as we each
laid claim to the other. The moment so tender and intimate, it
embarrassed a couple of hikers as they passed us on the trail.

“Get a room,” one of them snickered as the other
giggled.

We looked each other in the eye and held each
other’s gaze without a word until Ty smiled and said, “You know,
that’s a pretty good idea.”

I laughed. “Yes. It’s a very good idea. Let’s go.” I
pulled back and took a step away from Ty then turned back and
raised my hand out to him. “Coming?” I asked.

He took my hand in his and kissed it once more. “You
couldn’t keep me away,” he answered with a wide grin that reached
his eyes, crinkling them at the corners like small suns brightening
the world.

He held my hand as we moved slowly down the
sun-dappled trail, disappearing together into the lush green forest
of pine and fern.