Touch of Fate (Bennett Sisters Book 2) (7 page)

Chapter 9

Abby drove to her house on autopilot. She hadn’t noticed the scenery as she tried to run the conversations she needed to have in her mind. Dread filled her thoughts, making her shudder. The conversation she needed to have with Sam consumed her mind. Her attention wasn’t focused on her surroundings. She had zoned out, her mind reeling with potential scenarios of how her conversation would go. She chewed the inside of her cheek, and her pulse quickened the closer she got to her house. She pulled out her phone.

She punched in the familiar number for her son, who answered on the second ring.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Hey, John, I just wanted to warn you that Sam is coming over to the house tonight to bring me some files and so we can talk.” Abby was almost certain he wouldn’t want to be at the house, nevertheless, she would do the right thing and ultimately make it his decision.

“He’s with the FBI and is only here about my investigation. The captain introduced us today. I’m not sure why he changed his name, but I’m going to find out.”

“John, I’m not going to let him hurt me, and after I tell him about you, you can’t let that stand in the way of getting to know him.” She didn’t want her son to get hurt by Sam’s reaction to finding out he has a kid, and right now she didn’t know what to expect. Abby needed to make it clear to John that, should he want to meet the man, she wouldn’t stand in the way.

“I’m at Emma’s with Butch. Call me after he leaves, and I’ll come home.”

“Okay, baby, I’ll call you later.”

Abby wished she could have had that conversation face to face to gauge his expressions, but she didn’t want him surprised if Sam had shown up while he was there. She wasn’t going to keep anything from John, not when it concerned his dad.

Abby pulled onto her street and slowed her vehicle to a roll when she spotted Sam sitting on her steps. He’d changed into jeans and a t-shirt with his shoulder holster securely strapped to his arms. His shoulders were hunched, and he had his head hanging low toward the ground with his arms propped on his legs. His chestnut hair looked disheveled, like he had run his hands through it several times. He must be dreading the upcoming conversation as much as she was.

The butterflies in her stomach were still having their own marathon, but she wasn’t going to put it off, no matter what the outcome was. The road construction had prevented him from parking in her drive, and it seemed she wouldn’t be able to park there either.

“Just great,” she mumbled under her breath. She wouldn’t even get a chance to relax. The orange safety cones not only blocked her drive but everyone’s yard. She wasn’t the only one inconvenienced by the county’s improvement plans. She pulled in behind a black SUV across the street from her house and unbuckled her seatbelt. The SUV was a replica of the one she drove. The only difference she noted was the out-of-state plate.
Virginia. Maybe I should run the tag.

She slowed her breathing to steady the rhythm of her erratic heartbeat, and reached quickly for the door handle before she lost her nerve. She focused on Sam, who now stood on her porch with a partial grin. The screeching of tires broke the connection between them, and her eyes jerked to the silver SUV speeding in her direction. Abby panicked and froze in the gutter in front of her house. White smoke rose from the tires as the driver pushed harder on the gas. Everything seemed to slow down. She heard her cell ringing and Sam screaming but couldn’t make out what he was saying. At the last minute, she tried to jump out of the way and dive toward the grass, but it wasn’t fast enough. Several things happened at once. Sam was running toward her with his weapon drawn, and the next thing she knew, her body, along with some of the orange cones, was airborne. Her stomach rose to her throat before she hit the fluffy grass in her yard with a thud. The impact knocked the wind from her lungs as her head bounced off the hard ground.

She struggled to pull in a breath, rolling onto her side. Intense pain radiated up her leg and the need to close her eyes threatened. She swallowed hard, gasping. Abby heard a gunshot and tried to lift her head but couldn’t focus so she laid her head back down. She had expected to see the little tweety birds flying around in a circle above her head. She felt soft hands lift her head. It hurt to keep her eyes open, the pain making it almost unbearable. She gritted her teeth and tried to open her eyes. She looked up, and her gaze locked with Sam’s. An intensity she’d never seen before, shown in his eyes. He had his phone to his ear, and she couldn’t make out the words passing over his lips. As her eyes fluttered shut, she thought she heard Sam’s deep voice, unsure if it was all in her head, saying, “I’m sorry, Abby, don’t leave me.” That was the last thing she remembered before her world went dark.

****

Abby realized she was no longer lying on her grass but on a soft bed. Cool sheets cocooned her body. She heard beeping sounds in the distance. A calloused hand held hers, and there was a soft pressure on her belly. Abby’s eyes fluttered open. She looked down at the pressure. Sam had his head laid across her belly with his head turned toward her, staring at her face. His eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

“How do you feel?” His voice cracked as he lifted his head but held fast to her hand.

“Let’s just say it hasn’t been the best day of my life,” Abby said, trying to lighten the mood, and watched him squirm in his seat. An unchecked tear dripped from his eyes, and he reached up and batted it away.

“I thought I lost you, baby.” He leaned over and pressed his soft lips to her forehead. “I didn’t think you were going to move.”

Maybe she’d hit her head harder than she thought. That must be it. Why was he acting like he cared? This didn’t make sense.

“I must’ve hit my head pretty hard,” she said as she tried to move her legs. Her bones were stiff and sore. Pain radiated up her leg as she took a few deep breaths and pushed the sheet off of her to gauge the damage.

“Just bruising, no stitches.” He reached for the sheet to help and placed his hand behind her back, gently helping her to sitting position. He pushed the button on the bed and rearranged her pillows.

“Anything broken?” she asked as she tried again to move her leg.

“No, baby. Thank god he just clipped you. If he hadn’t swerved when you jumped out of the way, I’m not sure we’d be having this conversation.” Memories of the accident flooded her mind; it was the same damn SUV. She should have been paying more attention and kept her eye on her surroundings as her family had taught her. She’d been so focused on the man waiting for her she hadn’t realized the car was gunning straight for her until it was almost too late.

“It was the same SUV, wasn’t it?” She tried to reach for the pitcher of water sitting on the table beside her bed, and couldn’t get her fingers around it. He gently helped her rest back against the pillows and poured a cup for her. His fingers brushed hers, sending tingles down her arm. Heat flooded her core, and she was sure her heart skipped a beat as she looked into his eyes. No smile touched his lips, but she was trapped by his gaze. It was almost as if he were seeing deep down to her soul.

“I didn’t see it, until the last minute, but I’m sure it was, unless someone else is trying to kill you. Listen, Abby, I need to tell you something, and this is as good a place as any, hell, maybe better. You can’t run or throw a punch from where you’re sitting.” He smiled down at her.

“I guess I don’t have a choice.” Uncertainty assailed her. The flutter in her stomach did little to calm her nerves. Her heart beat erratically. This talk was going to change everything. She just didn’t know if it was going to be for the better or the worse. She’d known the time was coming but had assumed she would be the one to bring it up.

“I’m sorry for everything, Abby. When I met you, my life had been turned upside down. I was the only witness to a murder and was in protective custody during his trial. He was acquitted. They believed that the jury was tampered with but couldn’t prove it. I was only eighteen when they put me in the witness protection program. They changed my name and told me to have a nice life.”

Her heart felt like it was being torn from her chest, but she now had confirmation of the scenes she’d seen from his touch. It made sense. She believed what he was telling her. A single tear she couldn’t hold back trickled down her face. She couldn’t imagine being uprooted from her family and having to start over with no one on her side.

The desire to comfort him took over. She took hold of his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, and in a soft voice, whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“I really did love you, Abby. We might have been young and only known each other for a month but don’t doubt for a minute that I loved you. I was coming back to the beach house when Stone called me.” Sam sat down on the bed careful of her leg and took her hands in his. Abby wanted to take all of his pain away and never let him go.

She closed her eyes and thought back all those years ago, trying to recall the name Stone. When nothing registered, she finally opened her eyes and asked, “Who?”

“He was the man pretending to be my father. He was the federal agent assigned to protect me. He called and told me the judge had been killed and asked if we could meet.” He pulled in a breath, and his eyes searched her face, though she didn’t know what he was looking for. His gaze went from her eyes to her lips and back up again.

“I was coming back for you; I swear it. I met with Stone, and he talked some sense into me. I couldn’t be selfish and put you and your family in danger. I had to wait until the bastard was caught.”

“Oh, Sam, I’m so sorry. If I had known, we could have helped and protected you.”

“Richard Daley got away with it. He killed that woman and now is suspected in the judge’s murder too. We figured it was only a matter of time before he set his sights on me to tie up his loose ends.”

She remained silent. His jaw clenched, his eyes slightly narrowed. His whole body tensed as if reliving it in his mind. He reached for her face, his palm cupping her cheek.

“He convinced me not to go back to you. Told me that, if I really loved you, I would need to be a man and walk away, at least for a while. Had I know that it was going to be eighteen years, I’m not sure I would have agreed with him. I knew he was right at the time, as much as I wanted to be with you, I couldn’t bring this killer into your life. My plan was to join the military and learn to defend myself. I needed to be a stronger man, not just for myself, but for you.”

She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. All this lost time they would never get back. Her heart tugged for the lost stolen years. He didn’t even yet realize the extent of what he’d lost. He would never get back all the years he missed watching John grow up into a man. Her resolve strengthened. She needed to tell him. She leaned her forehead against his. “I wish you would’ve told me.”

“I couldn’t do that to you. I served my country, and it made me a better man. When I came back, I went to college, and then joined the FBI, and that was when he struck again, this time leaving a calling card. It’s always the same.”

The pieces finally came together. “The pentagram.”

“Yep, he leaves the pentagram somewhere at the scene. I’ve made it my goal to catch the bastard. I couldn’t let him follow me back to you, so I stayed away. The years passed, and by then, I figured I was too late. I assumed you had moved on. I still hadn’t caught the guy, and I wouldn’t risk it, Abby, I couldn’t risk him finding out how much you mean to me.”

Abby felt the walls she had built around her heart start to crumble. The butterflies assaulted her once again. She needed to tell him the truth, tell him about his son and give him back some of his stolen time with John.

“Sam, there’s something I need to tell you…”

The door opened, and Dr. Lister sauntered in with her clipboard in hand. “Abby, I’m glad you’re awake now.”

She stopped in mid stride. Her gaze flicked from Abby to Sam and back. “Sorry I’m interrupting, but I really need to check your bruise and vitals.” She made her way to the side of the bed.

“Sam, please don’t leave. I have something important to tell you,” she said as he stood from the bed and went to the window.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby,” he said as he took a seat in the corner of the room, waiting patiently for the doctor to finish her checkup.

Chapter 10

“You Bennett girls really aught to invest in some helmets,” the doctor joked as she removed the bandage covering her ugly bruise. The black, blue, and purple area spanned from the top of her thigh almost all the way down to her knee. She wouldn’t be doing yoga anytime soon, hell, or running for that matter. The doctor applied some more stuff that looked like goop and redressed the area.

“At least you didn’t end up with a concussion like Emma did,” the doctor said as she placed the blood pressure cup around Abby’s arm. “The crème will help reduce the inflammation, I’d suggest using a heating or cooling pad for the first 48 hours and stay off of it as much as possible.”