Inevitable (11 page)

She frowned. “I just can't believe it.”

“Believe what? That she'd give me half a chance, despite everything that's been said about me? I worked with her. She was my friend. She's still my friend, even though she's having trouble accepting my innocence in this ridiculous matter.”

Charlotte's lips thinned. “Well, of course she's having trouble. Do you blame her?”

He stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

She looked at him incredulously. “Don't you even know? Emma's the one who confirmed to Patrick that it was you in the first place. Of course she wouldn't believe anything else.”

Ryan just stared at her for a long moment of silence, not quite believing what he'd just heard. “Excuse me?”

She looked confused as she shrugged. “Emma says she saw you that night, Ryan. She watched you leave the building with the stolen merchandise in hand. The video wouldn't have been enough on its own, but with her word… Well, Emma's the most honest person I've ever known in my life. She tells it like it is, which is why Patrick believed her without any argument. She wouldn't sell out her own partner just for shits and giggles. It was devastating for her.”

Emma
was the one who'd gotten him fired. She was the one who told the agency manager that Ryan was the thief.

Why would she do that? Why would she ruin his life like that? It didn't make any sense.

“Great seeing you again, Charlotte,” Ryan said through gritted teeth. “But I have things to do. Give my regards to Stephen.”

He turned and went to his motel-room door, let himself in and closed it behind him, leaving him standing alone in the dark room.

“Emma's the most honest person I've ever known in my life.”

Charlotte didn't know how wrong she was about that.

Emma had lied. Blatantly.

Emma got him fired. He had no damn idea why she'd set him up, but he was going to find out. And she was damn well going to tell him the truth.

T
HANK
G
OD IT WAS
F
RIDAY
.
Today seemed to consist entirely of paperwork. It wasn't Emma's favorite job by a long shot. No, she preferred doing field work—showing up at a place and investigating first-hand. But she didn't get to do that much since she was currently between partners.

She'd checked in with the potions department to make sure the Desidero potion was being kept under lock and key. It was. And they'd already determined that it was a viable potion—not that that was news to Emma. They had a dozen other potions on hand that were of varying degrees of volatility—lust and love potions, potions that make one disappear, potions that changed a person's hair color or length of one's nose. There was even a potion that helped someone speak a different language. Unfortunately, it only covered Latin. Not all that useful in everyday life.

There weren't any potions to solve her current problems, though. Not unless she wanted to take something to make her forget everything.

No thanks.

Memories of last night also accompanied her to work, and the dull paper pushing only made her focus more on what had happened between her and Ryan.

She'd given in to her lust for him. And it had been incredible.

More than that. She'd felt more, so much more. It scared her how much she liked spending time with him. Figuring out Harold's problem with Ryan at her side only made her remember how good they'd been as partners.

Just as she'd hoped, Patrick had been very impressed that she'd solved the Maison Duchamp case. Mission accomplished.

However, it scared her to think about how much she missed Ryan, even after just a few hours. She counted down the hours, the minutes, until the workday was over and he'd pick her up for dinner like he promised. In the meantime, she couldn't figure out why Charlotte hadn't come to see her to find out why Ryan had been at her house this morning.

Emma finally approached her close to five o'clock and stood by her desk until Charlotte looked up from her computer monitor where she was doing the monthly categorization of a long list of potions, as well as items currently being held in the vault—a tedious job Emma had been saddled with many times before.

“What's up?” Charlotte said when she noticed Emma lurking nearby.

“Are you mad at me?”

Charlotte pushed back from her desk and swiveled around in her chair to regard Emma. “Why would you think something like that?”

“You've been ignoring me all day.”

“I haven't been ignoring you. I've just been really busy.”

“Look, I know that you and Ryan used to date.” Emma leaned against the side of Charlotte's desk. “I can see why you might be mad about finding him there with me this morning.”

“I'm not mad.”

Emma raked a hand through her hair, sweeping it all over her right shoulder. “You're dating Stephen now. I don't see why you'd have a problem with me and Ryan.”

Charlotte pushed back from her desk and stood up. “If I have a problem, it's not because of me. It's because of you. Emma, honey, I'm not jealous, I'm worried about you.”

That was much worse, actually. “Don't worry about me. Ryan's a good man.”

“Uh, actually, no, he isn't. He's a thief. A liar.” She counted the points off on her fingertips. “If I'd wanted to date somebody like him, now that we know what he's capable of, you definitely would have warned me off. So let me do the same in return. Think, Emma. He's probably come back to Mystic Ridge so he can break into the vault again.” She glanced at her list. “There is some choice merchandise in there right now. Big-ticket stuff.”

Emma didn't want to think that could possibly be the reason. There was no way Ryan would come within a hundred feet of the vault—he knew the consequences would be much worse than simply losing his job.

“Just forget I said anything. I'll talk to you later, okay?” Emma felt more tense than she'd been all day as
she walked away from Charlotte's desk. It was time to leave. Ryan was likely already waiting for her.

“This isn't a chapter from your book, Emma,” Charlotte called after her. “He's not a romantic hero who only wants to sweep you off your feet. Trust me, I know that first-hand.”

She froze. A few months ago she'd confided to Charlotte her secret about her writing—how she'd been getting her fantasies out on paper. She just hadn't let on who the inspiration was behind those fantasies. She'd even given Charlotte a copy of the book when she'd received a bunch in the mail last week. “I don't think that.”

Charlotte approached her and put a hand on her shoulder. “I know he's hard to resist. But don't confuse a sexy smile and a fantastic body with something real. There are better men out there for you. Trust me on that.”

“Don't worry.” Emma forced a pleasant expression to her face. “It's all good. A fling to get him out of my system once and for all means absolutely nothing in the long run.”

“Well, that's good to hear. Besides, that Leo guy is way better for you. He owns his own business, right? What does Ryan have to offer you? Nothing but heartache.”

Emma left the office with Charlotte's words echoing in her ears and a churning in her gut. Just as she'd expected, Ryan was waiting for her in the parking lot. She got in the passenger side of his Mustang and let out a very long, shaky breath.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, fine. Sorry, it's just been kind of a tough day.”

“For you and me both.”

Ryan looked good. She liked that he didn't wear suits
all the time like some of the men she'd dated in the past. Ryan was casual both in clothing and attitude. He wore black jeans today and a dark blue shirt, unbuttoned at the throat. His hair looked as unruly as it had when they'd first woken up that morning. It was a good, sexy look for him. He wasn't totally casual today, though. He also seemed a bit tense. She couldn't really blame him. Being back in Mystic Ridge must be difficult for him.

It was also difficult for Emma on levels she never would have guessed. The two sides of herself fought against each other—one wanting to kiss him, make love to him again; the other wanting answers to difficult questions.

“So, where are we going?” She couldn't say she was all that hungry for dinner, but spending time with Ryan—even after her exchange with Charlotte—was not an unpleasant thought. She could put their issues out of her head for a couple of hours and try to enjoy what they had between them for a little while longer.

“I have somewhere perfect in mind.” He pulled away from the curb.

After ten minutes, he drove off the main road and turned into a small secluded park where Emma knew families came for barbecues and long walks in nature. It also had the reputation of being the go-to place for local teenagers Friday and Saturday nights if they wanted to park their cars and make out.

Her brows went up. “I thought we were headed to a restaurant. Are we having a picnic instead? Based on my footwear, you should know I'm not really the outdoorsy type.”

“No picnic. I wanted to come somewhere private so we could talk.” He still had his hands tight on the steering
wheel and was looking straight forward. “I think I need some air.”

He got out of the car and paced toward the front of it, sitting down on the hood with his back toward Emma.

She exited the car a few moments later and drew closer to him. He finally glanced at her, and shook his head, his expression troubled.

“What?” she asked.

“I don't know why I'm still here. I just came to Mystic Ridge to return your books and potion bottle. I didn't mean to stay this long.”

He looked seriously upset. Concern swelled inside of her.

“Something's wrong,” she said. “Tell me what it is.”

He stood up and moved closer to her so he was only a foot away. He studied her face so intently she wondered if there was going to be a test later. “I just don't get it, Em.”

“Get what?”

“You say I'm the liar, but…it just doesn't make any sense to me.”

She eyed him warily. “Have you been drinking?”

“No. Not yet. Although it's definitely been penciled in for later.” He frowned deeply. “Do you feel anything for me, beyond what the lust potion inspired? Do you care about me at all?”

That was blunt. So blunt that she took a step back from him, her breath catching in her chest. “That was unexpected.”

“I don't have time to play games.”

Emma exhaled shakily. “I don't know what I'm feeling, to tell you the truth.”

He snorted without any humor and braced a hand
against the passenger-side window. “Interesting choice of words.
To tell you the truth.
”

She didn't need to be psychic to sense this wasn't going to be a pleasant evening with a nice candlelit dinner. Ryan was agitated and it seemed to be directed toward Emma herself.

“Maybe we should do this some other time, Ryan,” she said after a moment. “I don't know what's up with you right now, but I think you should take me back to my car now.”

Being near Ryan was confusing enough, but with the Desidero potion's effects still swirling around her, especially when he was this close, it made it difficult for her to think properly. She wanted him, she needed him, but she couldn't figure him out. Ryan Shephard was an enigma to her and that just made everything more difficult.

Emma wanted her life to be simple again.

But wanting Ryan this badly made it anything but.

 

R
YAN WAS SO CLOSE TO
figuring out why his life had imploded six months ago that he couldn't let this night simply end with no solid answers. It was time to get everything out on the table and see how Emma responded. He couldn't let his emotions get the better of him, even if his desire for the woman standing in front of him right now was proving to be a distraction.

“I know what you did, Em,” he said.

There. That was a good start.

Her shoulders stiffened. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to regain his resolve and then opened them to face the woman who'd singlehandedly destroyed his life.
He never thought such a deception would cut him so deeply.

She frowned. “What do you mean, you know what I did?”

He watched her closely, waiting to gauge her reaction to what he was about to say. “Charlotte told me the truth this morning. I don't know why you didn't say anything to me. It would have made everything so much simpler.”

She looked confused. “The truth about what?”

“About the robbery that night at PARA. The one that
you
witnessed. It was
you
, Emma. You're the one who pointed the finger at me and got me fired.”

Her face paled and she twisted the handle of her purse between her hands. “It wasn't Charlotte's place to say anything.” So it
was
true. There had still been a glimmer of hope inside him that Charlotte had been lying, but Emma had just confirmed it. “You don't think I have the right to know who my accuser was?”

Emma raised her green-eyed gaze to his, her thin, arched eyebrows, much darker than the flame red of her long hair, drawn together. “I didn't want it to be more difficult between us than it already was.”

His throat felt tight. “I just don't understand. Why would you do that to me?”

Her confused expression intensified. “Why would I do that to you?”

“Yes.”

“I don't understand. What would you have wanted me to do? Lie for you? Be your cover, or something? I don't know if I could have lived with myself if I'd lied to Patrick.”

Ryan grew more confused with every moment that passed. “But you didn't see me. You couldn't have.”

She pulled her hair over her right shoulder and twisted a strand with her index finger. Her beautiful face had grown weary and sad. “But I
did
see you. I'm sorry, Ryan, but I did. I wish so hard that it wasn't true, but…” She exhaled shakily and looked up into his eyes. “I don't want you to be hurt over this anymore. I can see for myself that you're not one of the bad guys. Whatever drove you to steal that night…whatever demons you were dealing with, I can help you come back from that. I'm so sorry I turned my back on you—it won't happen again. But first you have to admit what you did once and for all. Will you do that for me?”

Ryan just stared at her for a long moment in silence as her words sank in. He'd expected her to deny it, to point the finger at Charlotte or somebody else as being the real tattler. But she wasn't doing that. She was owning up to the fact that she'd been the one to tell on him.

It was clear in her eyes she believed she was telling the truth. Emma thought she saw him steal that night, otherwise she never would have made up this story. She had nothing to gain from it.

Which made absolutely no goddamned sense at all. Because he hadn't stolen anything.

So if neither of them was lying…they had a big problem.

He reached for her hand and she didn't try to pull away from him. He didn't need the contact to tap into his empathic ability. He knew she was telling the truth.

Emma looked up at him with a very serious expression. “Are you going to say anything?”

“I'm just trying to figure everything out.”

“What's there to figure out?”

“You really do want to help me, don't you?”

“Of course I do.”

“Why?”

She pulled her hand away from his and pressed back against the side of the car, averting her gaze. “Because I care about you, Ryan. I know we all have our crosses to bear. You said you had a lousy childhood and that your brother got you into some trouble growing up, things you never would have done without his influence.”