Touch of Fate (Bennett Sisters Book 2) (4 page)

Abby arrived home with her emotions ranging all over the chart. She curled up on her couch, wrinkling her mauve bridesmaid dress, and let the tears fall free, retreating inward to a safe place Ryan couldn’t touch. The vise around her heart clenched, and she was unable to escape the replay of his words through her thoughts, wondering what they meant. She didn’t know if minutes or hours had passed as she tried to make sense of how his presence might affect her and John’s life. Years had been squandered as she hoped and wished she’d see him again. Finally, she realized she’d have only Ryan’s broken promises to show for those lost years. Well, broken promises and her son.

She’d finally faced facts. There had been no word from the man she’d given her virginity to, no indication if he lived or had died or if he’d simply lost the desire to be part of her life.
Bastard!
Abby pushed herself up on to her feet and swiped at her tear-streaked face, determined to do the only thing guaranteed to make her forget. She started to clean. Not caring that she still had on her bridesmaid gown, she pulled out her cleaning supplies and got to work.

Her sisters had called to check on her, and concern had laced their voices. They had gone so far as to threaten to come over. Abby wouldn’t let that happen, they didn’t need to see the sad state she was in. What she’d let that man do to her again. She wanted to be alone to sort through her thoughts. Emma’s reception wouldn’t be ruined because of her. Abby insisted she was okay, only tired, and promised to call them in the morning. An assurance she wasn’t looking forward to keeping. Abby had bought herself at least one more day to come to terms with the latest twists life had thrown her way.

She scrubbed the floors, countertops, and fixtures until everything shined. She cleaned her room and John’s, dusting and vacuuming until there was nothing left to clean. Even the vent above the stove was shining underneath. She cleaned everything she could think of in an attempt not to think about the void he had left in her heart, a hole that might never truly mend. She collapsed on the couch and blew the hair out of her face, too tired to lift her arms she closed her eyes.

****

His mother lay asleep on the couch. The scent of chemicals filled the air, and John knew what she had been doing. What she always did when something bothered her—she cleaned. He’d seen her do it numerous times over the last eighteen years, mostly because of him.

His mom was the bravest person he knew. Hell, she caught criminals for a living for god’s sake. She provided for and raised him when he knew the task hadn’t always easy. He hated seeing her like this, and would be damned if he let that man do it to her again.

Emma and Jake had found him at the reception and warned him his father was in town. Flesh and blood or not, there was no way he was letting that man near her again. He could see, though, the damage had already done. She lay there exhausted, probably trying to banish the man from her thoughts. He ran his hand through his hair and let out a sigh before he scooped up her petite body and carried her to her room.

“Yeah, they did. Go back to sleep and we’ll talk about it in the morning.” He kissed her forehead and tucked her in, just as she had done for him his entire life.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” The words slipped passed her lips before sleep consumed her again. John gently closed her door and went to his own room, exhausted from the wedding he crawled into bed and fell asleep.

He tossed and turned as the dreams came. Visions of his mother crying in pain filled his head. He struggled to see who had caused the anguish in her eyes but couldn’t see the man’s face, only a pentagram tattooed on the arm that held her captive. The man John wanted to kill. Butch was there, just in his line of sight, lying unconscious on the floor while his mom struggled to free herself from the ropes, and then the man was gone.

John shot upright in bed. The sweat-soaked sheets tangled around his body. His heart raced as he looked around his room, remembering where he was. The dream had been so real, so vivid, it made him shake.
It was just a dream
.

****

Abby’s eyes cracked open. Her head felt like it was going to explode. She winced when she lifted her sore hand to cover her eyes from the sun shining through her bedroom window. Okay, hitting Ryan had done a number on her hand, and between the crying, cleaning, and the tequila, it was no wonder her head was pounding. Who was she kidding? She had needed it, but the headache was a reminder of the new problems that had walked into her life last night. Abby snuggled under the blanket. The soft bed was too comfortable to leave. She stretched. The sudden movement made her head hurt more, and her hand throbbed, bringing her back to thoughts of Ryan. Memories flashed back from the night before.
Why is he here? Why now?
It didn’t make sense, not after all these years.

A hot shower would clear her head. She slid her legs over the edge of her bed and padded to the bathroom. She glanced in the mirror and grimaced. Her swollen red eyes were going to be hell to hide from her son. The warm water sluiced down her body, easing her aches and clearing her head. Her mind shifted from the man who had eluded her for so many years to the man who was probably already waiting in the kitchen. She dried off and dressed for the new day. One that didn’t include Ryan.

Her stomach churned when she spotted the eggs. She held back the bile that threatened to rise in her throat, went straight for the coffee, and slid down into the chair. John placed a plate of toast and a bag of ice in front of her.

She had a vague memory of a brief conversation with her son the night before. She glanced up to find him staring at her. “Did you talk to him?”

“Nope, I don’t have anything to say to the guy. He was just a sperm donor as far as I’m concerned. Hell, we don’t even know his name.”

“John, he’s your father. It’s okay if you want to get to know him. Just please understand that I can’t.” This was going to be harder on him. She had proved she had the strength deep down inside to live for eighteen years despite his deceit. Abby had never dreamed her son would have to deal with what this might mean to him.

“He’s not my father. He doesn’t even know about me. He wasn’t here for me. He didn’t raise me. He’s nothing to me, only you mean something to me.” John’s tone was defiant. She truly expected him to stomp to his room and slam the door, like she’d seen him do numerous times in his younger days. The man who stood in front of her proved her wrong. He was no longer a child. He stood before her with his shoulders pulled back, chin held high and his arms crossed over his chest.

Abby released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. This was going to be more difficult than any case she’d ever tried to solve. The events unfolding now affected her family, not an unknown victim. John needed to know his dad. Abby would never interfere with him forming a bond with the man. Assuming they found out his real name first.

She pushed away from the table, stood, then sipped her coffee. The hot liquid felt good going down her parched throat and helped clear her head. When John sat down and started eating his own eggs, Abby leaned over and kissed him on the head. “Thanks for the coffee, baby. I need to get to work, and we’ll talk about this later.”

They both were going to have to figure out how to deal with this in their own way.

Chapter 6

Abby arrived in the underground parking garage right on time. Butterflies danced in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t relish the thought of the guys in the department having witnessed her breakdown at the wedding. She wasn’t looking forward to them finding ways to pick one her and knew the jokes were about to begin. Mike stood propped against his undercover patrol car, waiting patiently for her to park. She released a sigh, not wanting the lecture she thought might be coming. Her plan was to walk past him and pretend as though nothing had happened the night before, but he placed a gentle touch on her arm, stopping her in mid stride.

“I didn’t do anything.”

She smiled at her brother. “I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to put it all behind me.” She headed for the elevator with Mike by her side.

He pushed the button to call the elevator and turned to her. “I need to tell you something.” His downward glance and the hesitation in his voice meant she wasn’t going to like whatever it was that he had to say.

“Just spill it.” She crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot, waiting for the roof to collapse. It couldn’t be any worse than the night before.

“Abby, he’s here in an official capacity. The captain said some agents with the FBI showed up last night, asking questions about your case, so he told them where to find you. He’s not here about you or John, he’s here about the murder.”

That was it. Abby didn’t think her heart could handle anymore. He wasn’t even here to see her. She felt like such a flake. Of course, that’s why he was here. It had been eighteen years, and he hadn’t once tried to find her. Why would he choose now to pop back into her life? A bit hard on the ego, but maybe she could deal with him professionally and keep him at arm’s length.
I should have known better.

She turned to her brother and pasted a fake smile on her face. “Of course he is.”

“Abby, you don’t have to do this. I’ll back you up with the captain. It doesn’t have to be you.” Mike followed her into the waiting elevator.

“We don’t even know what he wants. Maybe he just wants to look at the evidence. If we’re lucky, he’ll be gone tomorrow,” Abby said as she latched onto Mike’s arm and laid her head against it, thankful he was such a good big brother.

She made it all the way to her office before her captain called her into the meeting. She knew who’d be in there. Since Mike had talked with the captain last night, she guessed the proverbial cat had been let out of the bag, and she imagined she had some explaining to do. The butterflies assaulting her belly were now doing summersaults as she gave herself a pep talk.

“You can do this. He doesn’t mean anything to you. You can do this.” She repeated the mantra as she made her way to the captain’s office. At least her brother had told her why Ryan was here, and not let her embarrass herself again by assuming it personal. That thought was what she clung too. She stopped with her hand on the doorknob, drew in a deep breath, and exhaled before pushing into the office.

The captain’s office was big, well, maybe not with the three of them in it. The male bodies made it appear smaller than Abby had always felt it to be; the space they took up seemed to have shrunk it. Tension and testosterone filled the air, smacking her in the face when she entered. The hair on the back of her nape prickled as she made her way in and took an empty seat.

“Thanks for coming, Abby. I would like to introduce you to Sam Bennett,” the captain said, motioning to the man she had wanted to avoid. Ryan stood next to her captain’s desk, with his feet spread apart and hands shoved into the pockets of his black slacks. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her, watching her every step. Maybe it was hard for him to have to ask for help, especially from her.

You have got to be kidding. Sam Bennett. Really?
Abby couldn’t contain herself. She threw her head back, and laughter erupted from her lips without warning. She didn’t even try to contain it. Whether from nerves or the humor of the situation, she was unable to stop and unable to catch her breath. Tears trickled down her face as she swiped at them with the back of her hand.

“Did you check his ID? I’m sure we aren’t missing a relative,” she said, unable to stop smiling. She tried to even her breathing, taking deep breaths to control the laughter that still brimmed. Be professional, she reminded herself.
Aw hell, it’s too late for that
.

“I’ve seen the credentials, and after Mike told me your family knew him as Ryan, I called and verified them too,” her Captain said as if that would make everything okay.

She stood and approached
Sam.
Her laughter was gone, only embarrassment and hurt remained, and that was simmering into raw fury as the seconds ticked by. She tilted her head to the side, narrowed her eyes, and asked,
“Who are you really? Eighteen years ago when we met, your name was Ryan Douglas, and now you’re Sam Bennett? How convenient for you. Do you take on everyone’s last name you screw over?” Abby’s voice rose with anger before she turned and stomped out the room, leaving all three men with their mouths hanging open.

She wasn’t quick enough to make it back to her office alone.
Sam Bennett
was on her heels. The captain might reprimand Abby over her stunt, but really, it was something that had needed to be said, and so she had. Consequences be damned.

“Abby, wait! I can explain,” Sam said as he grabbed her arm in an attempt to stop her. She stopped in her tracks, looking down at the hand on her arm, not turning to face the man she had cared for so many years before.