Ever After (Love to the Rescue Book 3) (23 page)

She took a step back. “Really?”

“Really.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re corrupting my sister now?”

She gave him a wry smile. “I had nothing to do with that. I think Maggie has a bit of a wild streak in her.”

She did, at that. He followed Olivia inside. “I’m glad it went well.”

“Thanks. I know I put you in an awkward situation, and I hate that, but I can’t change who I am.”

“And you shouldn’t have to.” Pete didn’t like it either, didn’t like the pressure Linburgh had put on him about it or the way the sheriff talked about Olivia and her fellow protesters. The truth was, they had all behaved perfectly. Not a single person had broken the law or even stepped out of line.

And he’d probably lost his shot at detective for defending her. He’d do it again in a heartbeat. He pulled her against him and stood there for a long minute just absorbing the feel of her in his arms, inhaling her scent, fantasizing about tents and wildflowers and champagne under the stars.

She wound her arms behind his neck and pressed her cheek to his. “I’m sorry that me-being-me makes things awkward for you at work.”

“You should never apologize for being yourself.” Because she was amazing, the most amazing woman he’d ever met. And he should have broken things off with her long before they got to this point. “But in the long run, it won’t matter anyway.”

“Why?” She pulled back and stared into his eyes. Neither of them said a word for a long minute, but she was good at reading him. She always had been. And whatever she saw, she didn’t like. “Because you and I are only short-term?”

He looked away. Bailey watched them from the doorway. She wiggled her tail stub hopefully. There was no way out of this for him without hurting Olivia. “I told you I can’t commit to anything more than that.”

“And you honestly think that’s all we have going on here?”

Not even close.
“Liv—”

To his horror, tears pooled in her eyes. “You’re a jackass, Pete Sampson.”

Yeah, he was a jackass. Because he’d known better than to lead her on the way he had. He’d treated her like this was something special, because she
was
special. So damn special. “You’re right. I am. I wish I could give you all the things you want, but I can’t.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” She swiped a tear from her cheek. “All I want is you. And you could. You did.”

“It’s not that simple.”

Her nostrils flared. “Sure it is. We need each other. We’re good together. So why won’t you give us a chance?”

“I—” He clenched her hands in his. How did she always manage to muddle him up until he’d forgotten all the reasons he shouldn’t be with her?

Her eyes softened. “Is it your ex-wife?”

No. He couldn’t pin this on Rina. “Leave her out of this. My fuck ups are my own.”

She lifted her chin. “Then don’t fuck this up.”

“I already have.” He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching for her again. “I’m sorry, Liv.”

“So you’re just going to walk away?”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

She shook her head, then planted her fists against his chest and pushed him backward out her front door. “Wrong again. If you ever come to your senses, you know where to find me.”

The door closed behind him with a solid thunk, and he was left with the sinking feeling that he’d just made a stupid, horrible mistake. Maybe the worst mistake in his entire life.

A
fter he left, Olivia indulged herself in a good cry. As hurt as she was, she was mostly mad at herself. She ought to have learned her lesson by now where men were concerned. Why did she always fight the losing battles?

But even if she was destined for a lifetime of heartbreak with the men in her life, she was
not
losing her war against Halverson. If she kept fighting and making noise for long enough, sooner or later, someone would listen.

And she was really good at making noise.

Even when her heart was broken.

She went upstairs and splashed cold water on her face, then freshened up her makeup. She’d drive out to MacArthur Park and meditate until she’d made peace with things. Her phone had been dinging like crazy in her purse since before Pete left, one notification after the next.

So many people showing their support after the protest this morning. It really had gone well, and the news segment was the icing on the cake. She was going to ride this momentum all the way to the finish line.

She pulled her phone out to have a quick look. She could use some warm and fuzzies right about now.

What in the world? This is very disappointing to hear
, the most recent comment said.

Traitor! We believed in you.

The corporate buck wins again. Sad. Sad indeed.

Olivia frowned. What in the world? The recent flurry of comments all stemmed from a posting two hours ago, which was weird because she hadn’t posted since lunchtime…

She thumbed furiously to the original post.

After much time and consideration, I’ve decided to end my efforts against Halverson Foods. It was brought to my attention that some of my findings were inaccurate, and I’ve realized I was wrong to pursue these actions against them…

It went on for three paragraphs, detailing how she’d come to this decision, how she’d been mistaken in accusing Halverson Foods of animal cruelty, and how the Citizens Against Halverson Foods website and Facebook group would be closing shortly.

And
what the actual fuck
…she hadn’t written a word of it.

She’d been hacked. And not just any old hacking. No, this person hadn’t posted porn all over her Facebook page or sent spam emails to her contact list. This was personal. This was the work of whoever had been trying to shut her up since the vandalism started last month.

Already sick to her stomach, she clicked on her website. It was gone. Every last picture and blog post. In its place was a message reiterating what had been posted on her Facebook page.

Hands shaking, she got in her car and drove to the sheriff’s office. Pete wasn’t there, of course, but she didn’t want to see him anyway. Instead she headed straight for Deputy Hartzler’s desk.

“Miss Bennett,” he said with a curt nod.

“I’ve been vandalized again, but this time it’s my website and Facebook page.”

“Ma’am, we don’t handle cyber crimes. If someone hacked your website, you’ll want to report it to the cyber crimes division at the SBI, but unless they’re peddling kiddie porn or something, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to do anything about it.”

“But—” She stopped herself and sucked in a deep, calming breath. “What’s the SBI?”

“The state bureau of investigation. People’s Facebook pages get hacked all the time, unfortunately. You’ll want to change your password and set up stronger security checks. A buddy of mine is a real whiz at setting up firewalls. I could give you his number if you’re interested.”

“Um, I guess. But this wasn’t just any old hack. They posted a message saying I was ending my efforts against Halverson Foods.”

“Reckon you’ve made some enemies around town. I’ll make a note in your file about it. Wish I could do more to help you, Miss Bennett, but it’s outside my jurisdiction.”

Fuming mad—and with the name of Hartzler’s computer geek friend tucked away in her purse—Olivia stomped out of the sheriff’s office. Today had gone from awesome to crap in the space of an hour.

She went home and changed her Facebook password, then deleted the offending message and posted one instead saying that she’d been hacked, Citizens Against Halverson Foods wasn’t going anywhere, and that, on the contrary, her efforts were stronger than ever.

Unfortunately things weren’t quite as simple for her website. After a lengthy phone conversation with her web host, she found out that her blog posts weren’t backed up anywhere—that cost extra, and she hadn’t sprung for the extra cost when she opened her account. So while she was able to default back to the basic layout of her website, everything she’d blogged about for the last two years had been lost.

Someone was going to pay for this. And one way or another, Halverson Foods was going down.

“Have you talked to Olivia yet today?” Maggie asked.

Pete frowned into the phone. “No, why?”

“I’ll let her tell you. Call her.” The line clicked, and she was gone.

Pete swore at the all-too-familiar prickle of awareness that snaked its way up his spine at the mention of Olivia’s name. He’d spent Saturday morning burying himself in work that had nothing to do with her or Halverson Foods, desperate to get his head back on straight. To quit thinking about her. To ease the pain that had been in his chest ever since she’d pushed him out the front door of her house last night.

But what did Maggie mean? Had something happened?

He dialed Olivia. “Something going on?” he asked when she answered.

She made a sound that vaguely resembled a dog growling. “Nothing that concerns you. I’ve already talked to Deputy Hartzler.”

He sat up straighter in his seat. “Tell me.”

“My website was hacked. But apparently that’s not your jurisdiction.”

“Hacked?”

She sighed into the phone. “Someone hacked my website and Facebook page with a message that said I’d been wrong about Halverson, they weren’t evil after all, and I’d be shutting down Citizens Against Halverson Foods.”

“That’s not a random hack.” His mind was churning over this latest bit of information. Who would have done that? Frat boys? Why? As far as he could tell, they had no motive to mess with her website.

“Nope. Lucky me. Well it won’t work. I generated a lot of positive press for our efforts yesterday.”

“This doesn’t make sense.”

“Of course it does,” she said. “I obviously pissed off someone at Halverson, and they hired someone to hack my website.”

“Olivia—” He didn’t like anything about this, not one damn bit. This felt personal, and that sent all his protective instincts into overdrive.

“Just don’t. You’re not even assigned to this case, and it has nothing to do with the fact that you and I are no longer a thing, so really, we have no reason to even be talking about it. You shouldn’t have called.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face and swore. “I still care about you, okay? And I care about this case. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

She sucked in a breath but said nothing.

“I want to see those assholes locked up as much as you do,” he said. “And I need to know that you’re safe. So I’m still involved whether you like it or not.”

“Fine,” she said. “And when you’re ready to take a look at why you’re really still involved in this case, let me know.”

He couldn’t answer that one. He had feelings for her, feelings that went much deeper than sex. He felt empty and restless without her, but it didn’t—couldn’t—change anything.

Being married to Rina had been a wakeup call. They’d been madly in love when they eloped the summer after high school graduation. So friggin’ happy those first few years. Poor as dirt, but they’d put themselves through college and survived on ramen noodles and sheer determination.

Things were still good when he started as a rookie in the sheriff’s office. But it hadn’t been long before Rina started complaining about the hours, the danger, how emotionally unavailable he was. And after his father’s arrest, things had really gone to hell. There’d been so much yelling, so much anger and resentment.

Sometimes it was hard to remember how young and in love they’d once been.

His job, his lifestyle, was not suited to marriage. And Rina was right—he was emotionally unavailable. Half the time he didn’t even know what the hell he was feeling, let alone try to explain himself to someone else. Olivia lived, breathed,
pulsed
with emotion. She was passionate and caring and never afraid to take a risk.

He needed to see her through this mess with Halverson, but that had to be the end of it. He couldn’t offer her the life she wanted, the life she deserved.

Still brooding over past mistakes, Pete finished out his shift and then, instead of pointing his cruiser toward home, he got on the highway, headed toward the state penitentiary.

Toward his father.

At the desk, he surrendered his weapon. He was taken to a small visitation room outfitted with a gray table and two chairs, whitewashed by the fluorescent lights above. He sat there for a while, long enough to question what the hell he was doing here. Why now, of all times, was he finally visiting his father in jail?

The door clanged open, and his dad shuffled in, escorted by a guard. He looked thinner, older, than he had three years ago. But his dark eyes were still bright, and they were fixed on Pete’s with surprise and maybe even relief.

“Pete,” he said. “When they said I had a visitor, I thought it would be your mother.”

“It’s me.” Pete stood, and the two men stared at each other in awkward silence.

“I’ll be right outside. Knock on the door when you’re ready to leave,” the guard said.

“Thank you,” Pete answered.

“You look good, son. How have you been?” His dad sat at the table.

Pete sat in the chair across from him. “You know why I’m here.”

His dad nodded. “Because I filed for divorce from your mother.”

Pete’s hands fisted beneath the table. “After all you’ve put her through, and she stood by you through all of it, this is how you repay her?”

His dad shook his head, his expression pinched. “I did it for her, you know.”

Anger blurred his vision. “How so, Dad? How does this help her? You haven’t had to see how miserable she is this week, how she still defends you, even now. It’s pathetic.”

“Because I’m in here, and she’s out there. Because she deserves better.” His dad’s weary eyes glistened with tears. “Because she was never going to leave me on her own.”

Pete sat there, stunned. His dad’s words were all true. His mom did deserve better. She deserved to start living her life again and maybe even find a man who could love her the right way, where she wouldn’t play second-string mistress to drugs and booze.

“I’m sorry for the way I was when you were growing up. I wish I could say I tried to be there for you, but it’s not true.” He hung his head. “I cared more about where to get my next fix than I did about my own family. I was addicted, but that’s no excuse. A stronger man would have done better.”

Pete watched him in silence. His dad had apologized for everything four years ago, when he’d turned himself around for that briefest of times. “I don’t know how to respond to that, Dad.”

His dad nodded. “That’s fair. And whatever you’re feeling toward me, I deserve it. I was an asshole, plain and simple. I screwed up all of your lives. Sitting in here day after day has given me a lot of time to think.” He grimaced. “A lot of
sober
time to sit and think.”

“Jail tends to do that,” Pete said.

“I killed a man. I have to live with that for the rest of my life. But I can set your mother free from the weight of my mistakes. Maybe she’ll even start over again, find someone new.” He looked pained at the thought.

“Jesus.” Pete looked away.

“I still love her, you know. I’ve always loved her. So next time you see her, tell her not to fight the divorce, okay? She needs to get on with her life.”

“I’ll tell her,” Pete said.

“You’re a good man, Pete. You’re a stronger man than I am. You won’t repeat my mistakes. You’ll make a lucky woman very happy someday. I know it.”

Olivia blinked and rubbed her eyes because they had to be playing tricks on her. Her Facebook page and website were gone. Deleted. Deactivated. Whatever she wanted to call it, they no longer existed.

How could that happen?

Obviously she sucked at password protection. And now everything she’d worked so hard to create was gone. Not just her blog posts, but her followers—everyone who’d subscribed to or “liked” her page. All the people she’d reached yesterday at the protest…if they’d gone home and looked up the links on the pamphlet she’d handed out, they’d seen either the message saying she’d given up the fight and Halverson wasn’t so bad after all or nothing but broken links.

This was so much worse than eggs or spray paint on the front of her house. This was a disaster. And she was heartbroken.

She wasn’t giving up. She’d
never
give up. But for the first time since this whole mess started, she honestly had no idea where to go from here. What came next?

Her cell phone rang, and she fumbled for it in her purse.

“Hi.” It was Cara. “Something’s wrong with your website.”

“I know.” Olivia flopped back onto her bed. “I got hacked. Someone posted a message on there yesterday saying that I’d decided to quit fighting Halverson, which I deleted, and so today my pages are just gone.”

“Holy crap,” Cara said. “They can do that?”

“Halverson’s henchmen are apparently a lot more tech savvy than I am.”

“Aw, honey. This sucks. Can you get them back?”

Olivia shook her head. “They don’t keep backups. I guess that was my job.”

“I could have Jason look into it for you, if you want,” Cara offered. Her future brother-in-law was quite the cyber sleuth.

“I would appreciate that. The police don’t seem to care about website hackings unless it involves something seriously illegal.”

“No problem. I’m sure he could track it down. Maybe he could even retrieve your web files for you, who knows.”