A Twist of Betrayal (23 page)

“Thanks again. Everything tasted wonderful,” Dan said as he and Justine were leaving. Too bad he couldn’t remember much of how anything tasted. Too bad it did nothing more than twist around in a knot in his stomach.

He shook Jack’s hand. Justine stood back until Jack pulled her into his arms and forced her to give him a brief hug.

“You’re welcome,” Steve and Hannah echoed.

“And the slaw was good, too,” Hannah added.

“Thanks,” Justine said.

While saying their good-byes to the rest of the partiers still there, Dan forced yet another smile and with his hand on her back, ushered Justine toward the car. He finally managed to get her into the car and with a final wave, he climbed in, too, grateful to shut out the rest of the world.

He started the car and held his tongue until they pulled away from the curb. The last thing he wanted was for her to be able to climb back out again to avoid his conversation.

After a long moment of deciding to plunge in, he asked, “Would you care to tell me what’s going on with you?”

With his fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel, he focused on her and worked to keep his frustration at bay. The last thing he wanted was to argue with her, and with the tension around her so thick he could cut it with a knife, he thought an argument would be easy to fall into. Too easy.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

Dan threw her a quick glance, only to find her staring straight ahead. He uttered a mental curse.

“Let me refresh your memory,” he said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. “You got sick while we were there, right? Now, Jus, I’ve been around the block a few times. I wasn’t born yesterday. You were fine earlier, but then you weren’t. Obviously, there’s something bothering you so much that it’s making you ill.”

“No, there’s not,” she tried to say.

Dan continued as if she hadn’t tried to interrupt. “Then it’s not this latest murder case, it’s not the way Madison looked at you?”

“No.”

“Did he threaten you in some way?” Dan had to ask. “Even though you got the lowlife off?”

“No.”

“You’d tell me if he did?”

“He didn’t.”

“Did someone else?”

He didn’t like the way she hesitated in replying. Damn. “I could see that you’re protected.”

“I don’t need it,” she insisted.

“Then just tell me what’s wrong. I can help you, you know that. Did something happen after the trial was over?”

“No,” she said.

“Did someone else say something to you or threaten you? I know you were worried about that before.”

“No,” she said again.

“Then what is it?”

“Nothing!” she all but screamed at him. “I’m sure it’s just the flu or some reaction to all the stress of the case. So why don’t you just leave me alone?”

She retreated to her side of the car, both physically and mentally. Dan felt her slam an imaginary mental door. Whatever bothered her, he wasn’t going to find out about it this way. If he continued, he was bound to just continue to beat his head up against the door she’d closed shutting him out. He uttered another mental curse, and under his breath replied, “Fine, whatever you want.”

But things were far from fine, and he knew it. What he didn’t know was how to make things better. He was afraid that until she talked to him, until she opened the door and let him back in, there was little he could do to help the situation.

Were those tears he saw in her eyes? She turned away before he could look closer.

And neither of them spoke the rest of the way home.

The silent treatment continued after they got home. It didn’t end when Dan changed into old clothes and moved the furniture out of the kitchen and into the living room. Justine just helped him.

As he scraped up the old tile with his shovel, she found a big box and threw the pieces into it.

“Are you only helping because this was your idea in the first place?” he asked.

“If you don’t want my help, just say so,” she replied shortly.

He said nothing else. They worked side by side throughout the evening, not stopping until the floor of the kitchen was scraped bare of what Justine referred to as ‘turn-of-the-twentieth-century flooring’.

As Justine threw one of the last pieces of old tile into the nearly filled box, Dan set his shovel against the wall. Closed door or not, he’d waited long enough to touch her.

He hadn’t touched her all afternoon. Hell, he’d hardly touched her in weeks. Well, he wasn’t going to go all night, too. If she wanted to close a door, that was her choice, not his.

As far as he was concerned, he hadn’t done anything wrong, and deserved no punishment, no silent treatment.

Without thought, he put his arms around her and pulled her against him.

She was so warm.

She was also stiff in his arms. Then she relaxed against him, feeling familiar and exciting. He bit his tongue to keep from asking one more time what bothered her.

“Come take a shower with me,” he said instead.

Justine didn’t reply for a long moment, and Dan thought perhaps she might refuse him.

“Are you going to yell at me more?” she asked.

Dan didn’t remind her how she’d been the one to scream at him. “I won’t yell at you,” he said.

“Okay,” she said. She followed him upstairs.

Dan wanted to hold her close all the way there, but he didn’t trust how she might react to his touch, not with the way she seemed to read the wrong signals from him.

He climbed into the shower first as Justine finished undressing. She seemed apprehensive of letting him see her undress, and Dan worked to ignore it. He turned on both showerheads and adjusted them, waiting for her.

When she climbed in with him, he once again took her into his arms and pulled her against him.

She was soft, perfect and wet in his arms.

He kissed her under the spray, and she let him, but as he ran his hands down the length of her, Justine stepped away.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, doing his best not to feel put off.

“I just don’t feel like it, that’s all,” she replied, letting her hair get wet.

“If this is about the argument before—” Dan began, thinking it hadn’t even been an actual argument. He didn’t really know what it had been.

“It’s not,” she insisted. “I’m just not in the mood.”

“All right,” he gave in. He didn’t mention that she hadn’t ‘felt like it’ for a while now. “Can I wash your back?” he offered. He simply wanted to touch her, needed to touch her, and if rubbing her with soap was all he was going to get, he’d take it. Besides, sometimes after he rubbed her all over with soap, it left her wanting more. He could only hope.

“Yes,” she said, not really sounding as if she wanted him to.

Dan took the opportunity before she changed her mind, rubbing soap with one hand and building the suds with the other. Under the shower, he wanted her more than ever, but he forced himself to keep his distance. He touched her with nothing more than his hands, feeling every inch of her underneath a fine layer of suds.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured softly against her wet hair.

“Do you love me?” she asked.

The question threw him for a moment. She often told him she loved him, and he told her the same. She never asked. She didn’t have to ask.

“Of course I love you.”

“Can you just hold me?”

“I’d love to.” He pulled her against him and held her close. Her softness melted into him. He leaned around her and kissed her lightly on her cheek several times until he reached her mouth.

And through the spray that hit them from both directions, he could have sworn he tasted the saltiness of tears.

Chapter 26

Dan made a turn, knowing the cabin was just a few miles away. Even though he hadn’t been to the cabin years, the drive had felt familiar. It was as if every move he’d made in the last decade led him back here, even though it was the last thing he wanted. He could almost feel Justine growing closer and hoped she felt him, too. He thought about her feeling sick and dizzy. She must have known about the pregnancy when the trial was over, or at least suspected. She had to definitely know when they were at Steve and Hannah’s. It was why she was so defensive. He’d been too stupid to pick up on it. But then he’d never thought it could happen, either, so he wouldn’t know to suspect it.

At least he’d held her.

“Soon, Jus,” he said out loud. “I’ll hold you again soon. I promise. I’ll never let you go.”

Then, the dirt road leading to the cabin came into view. Dan turned, pulled in far enough to conceal his truck before he killed the engine. He’d walk from there and take the path through the woods. The last thing he wanted was for Deke to hear him coming.

Dan’s cell phone vibrated, bringing him back to the present. He looked at the caller ID. Jack Fillbrook. He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to be talking to any of his colleagues and possibly say something he’d not be able to remember later.

He thought briefly of Justine, how alone she must have felt these past weeks.

“I’m a foolish, selfish jerk,” he muttered out loud to himself. “And she may be a cheater, but I love her.”

The wave of dizziness that swept though his body took him by surprise. For a moment, darkness threatened to close over him.

He struggled to breathe. He struggled to think of a way to reach Justine and tell her what he needed to say to make things right again.

What if he never got the chance? No, he would get the chance.

Dan couldn’t accept things any other way.

Dan took a heavy breath and let it out slowly. He didn’t know how exactly to handle the idea of a baby, but right now he couldn’t worry about it. Getting Justine back was more important.

He knew the baby came with Justine. So be it.

He pushed the thoughts of the baby from his mind. He couldn’t think about now. He couldn’t let it cloud his judgment. Not now.

He had a job to do.

He checked his weapons one last time before he climbed out.

His heart froze at the sound that reached him.

Justine’s scream, followed by the loud crack of a gunshot.

He took off running through the woods in the direction of the cabin, in the direction of the scream and the shot.

He had to get to Justine.

Chapter 27

Justine could hardly believe her eyes.

“You—you—” was all she was able to stammer.

A tornado of emotions rushed through her. She boiled with rage at being so deceived. Cold terror pressed against her chest. She had really thought he was an injured officer. If she could find something, she would make his head bleed. Again. She looked down at the gun he held pointed at her. The rage won out again and she thought,
not again, no one is going to point another gun at me and my baby. No one is going to threaten me.

But then like an ocean wave, terror swept over her as the reality of the situation hit her. All he had to do was twitch his index finger to kill her. Instinctively, she shielded her lower belly with her hands.

“Would you really have danced naked to save me?” The grin on his face was slightly crooked, droopy.

Perhaps his hit on the head had caused some major damage.

“That’s so sweet of you,” he said. “I was really hoping Deke would make you do it, so I could watch.”

“Looks like we get to head back to the cabin and let Deke know you really don’t know anything about the money, after all.”

Thomas lowered the gun slightly.

“You bastard!” The rage pushed beyond her fear, and she acted without thinking. She plowed herself into him with all the force she could muster. Her action took him by surprise and he stumbled away. There was clearly something wrong with him. His reaction time was slow and staggered. Yet at the same time, he was able to raise the gun toward her.

Justine screamed and grabbed at his wrist. Remembering what Dan told her—where the thumb went the rest of the hand had to follow—she pulled as hard as she could on his thumb. The gun went off, scattering dirt and leaves into a cloud a few feet away. Then, the weapon fell from his hand.

Thomas tried to shove her away, but Justine managed to kick him on the side of his knee, causing it to buckle beneath him. He let out a yelp of pain before he landed on the same hurt knee and yelled again.

Justine grabbed the dropped gun before she turned and dashed further up the path, determined to get away and shoot him if she had to.

The path was endless through the trees. At more than one place, Justine couldn’t help but wonder how Deke had driven through.

The path curved sharply to the left and Justine followed it around a large oak. Just as she passed the oak, a hand seemed to snake out of it and grab her. She would have screamed, but the same hand covered her mouth and stifled her scream.

She was held against a hard chest, a firm body.

All she thought about was fight then run as she struggled against the strong arms that held her. She nearly pulled the trigger on the gun she held, not that it would do much good. The man who held her grasped her wrist tightly and kept the weapon pointed at the ground.

“Relax.”

She stopped struggling and relaxed. He let her go and she looked up into the familiar eyes of her husband.

Chapter 28

“Are you all right?” Dan asked. “Did he hurt you?” They sounded like lame questions, but he was so glad and so shocked to see her whole and moving, he couldn’t think further. He wanted nothing more than to hold her and never let go. He fought the urge to grab her hand and get her out of her, take her somewhere safe where Deke Rynolds could never find her.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice distant. For a long time, Justine stared at him. “It’s all true, isn’t it? That’s why you’re here alone?” Her voice sounded voice raw, the words little more than harsh whispers. “Everything Deke said about you robbing a bank? It’s all true?”

“It’s not what you think,” he said.

“Not what I think? I’ll tell you what I think. I think I’ve slept beside you and woke up next to you for five years. I think I’ve shared my every secret down to the pit of my soul. There’s a baby growing inside me, and I don’t even know who you are.”