Out of Turn (28 page)

“A warrant is public record, you know,” the detective said. “The news media will likely have a field day with that.”

“My client has an alibi for the time of death,” Charlotte replied. “I’d like to see you try to get a warrant.”

Blane got to his feet but remained quiet, letting Charlotte handle it. He kept hold of my hand and I rose as well.

The detectives turned to go, but before they reached the door, the one who’d led the questioning turned. “By the way, it seems that whoever killed Miss Miller also raped her.” He paused, his eyes flicking to mine. “Postmortem.”

Nausea rose like a wave in my throat. My knees threatened to buckle and I clutched Blane’s arm for support. His arm slid around my waist, holding me up as the detectives left the room. I heard the front door open and close.

Charlotte glanced at Blane and me. “I’ll wait outside,” she said, her face carefully blank.

I barely noticed her leaving, my mind busy trying not to imagine the horrible things that someone had done to Kandi. Someone so sadistic I had trouble wrapping my head around it.

Blane coaxed me to him and I let him wrap his arms around me, resting my head against his chest. My hands fisted the fabric of his shirt. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. My anger at being locked in the bedroom had evaporated into sober grief as the reality of what Blane was facing set in.

He could never, ever do something like that. Sleeping with Kandi was one thing, but Blane would never physically harm her, nor was he capable of violating her dead body in such a way.

“Are you all right?” I asked, leaning back so I could look up at him. I couldn’t imagine what he must be feeling. He’d been there with her, argued with her, just a short while
before she’d been murdered. What if he’d stayed? Would she still be alive? Those thoughts had to have gone through Blane’s mind a dozen times at least.

Blane was pale under his tan, the lines around his eyes more pronounced than usual. “You see why I didn’t want you around,” he said. “I didn’t want you to hear, to know, any of that. I didn’t want you to lie to them.”

“I know you could never do something like that,” I said. I thought about asking why he’d lied about having sex with her that night but decided not to. He’d wonder how I knew, then I’d have to admit eavesdropping on him and Kade last night.

He looked at me for a moment, then leaned forward, brushing his lips over my cheek before settling his mouth by my ear.

“I’m so sorry, Kat,” he whispered.

I didn’t have to ask to know what he meant.

“We were broken up,” I managed to say, my voice soft as a wave of sorrow washed over me. “Why would I think you wouldn’t be with her, or anyone else, after that?” The words made sense, were logical, but it took a massive amount of will to say them. My heart felt something else entirely, which seemed hugely hypocritical of me, but I felt what I felt.

I thought perhaps I should step back, put some space between us, but Blane had both arms wrapped tightly around me, pressing us close together so I felt every inch of him from chest to knee.

Blane’s face was etched in regret and grief. “God, I wish I could turn back the clock,” he murmured. “So many things I would change.”

“Things happen for a reason, Blane,” I said. “Maybe you and me were never meant to be together.”

His eyes squeezed shut as though what I’d said pained him, and maybe it did. It had hurt to say it.

“Don’t say that,” he said, his eyes brilliantly green when he opened them. “Please. You’re all I have to hold on to right now.”

I looked him in the eye. “I’m not the only one standing by your side. You have Kade, too.”

“I no more want Kade to be involved than I want you to be,” Blane said. “It’s too dangerous. Whoever did this to Kandi is still out there.”

“Then I guess we’d better get to finding them.”

I started at the sound of Kade’s voice behind me and jerked guiltily out of Blane’s arms. Kade was leaning negligently against the doorjamb, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t look at me.

“There’s no ‘we,’ ” Blane said. “You don’t need to be involved in this.”

Kade rolled his eyes. “Still trying to do everything on your own, I see,” he sneered. “God forbid anyone should help the great Blane Kirk.”

Blane didn’t take the bait but instead turned away, going to his desk and pocketing his wallet and cell phone. He grabbed his keys. “I have to go to the firm with Charlotte. I’ll be back later.”

His fingers lightly brushed mine as he passed, then he was gone. I chewed my lip, worrying about what was going to happen. Kade was right, we needed to figure out who had killed Kandi. That was the only sure way to save Blane.

“You look like sugar wouldn’t melt in your mouth,” Kade said with a smirk, his gaze moving from my face down to my red-tipped toes and back.

I shrugged. “Just trying to help Blane out if I can. I thought it might put him in a slightly better light if I was there this morning.” I needed more coffee to handle Kade, I decided, heading toward the door to pass by him.

“And looking like an untouched virgin will help?”

I definitely didn’t want to discuss anything related to sex with Kade, and I lightly smacked him on the chest.

“Don’t say things like that!” I admonished.

Kade suddenly gripped my left hand, his mischievous smirk fading. He was staring at the engagement ring on my finger.

“What the hell is this?” he demanded. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He appeared livid, his grip on my hand way too tight.

I tried in vain to pull my hand away. “It’s to help Blane,” I said. “Charlotte said it would look better if we were back together, so I said I’d do it.” His hold finally loosened and I snatched my hand back. “What does it matter anyway? You
told
me to get back with him.”

“I know, it’s just—” He turned away, shoving a hand through his hair.

“Just what?” I prompted, nearly holding my breath, though why, I couldn’t say.

He spun around and gripped my arms, hauling me close to him. “Just that I can’t get you out of my head,” he hissed. “I think about you all the time. Hell, I even dream about you.”

I stared at him, my eyes wide, not knowing what to say.

“And you know the worst part?” he continued, his voice low and intense. “It’s the dreams—God, the dreams.” He gave a huff of bitter laughter. “It’s like you’re trying to make me lose my fucking mind. They’re so real.” His grip loosened, his palms skimming lightly down my arms. “Why are they so real?”

My heart was hammering in my chest, my mouth as dry as dust. I shook my head. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t you?”

I was saved from answering by Mona stepping into the room. “Kathleen,” she said, “you have a phone call.”

I knew I must have looked like a deer in headlights. First she’d seen Blane with me this morning, and now Kade. I cringed to wonder what she must think of me, but her face showed nothing except a friendly smile.

“Um, okay, thanks,” I said.

She pointed behind me to a telephone sitting on the table. “You can take it there.”

I picked up the receiver automatically. “Hello?”

“Strawbs, what the hell happened to your apartment?”

Chance! I hadn’t talked to my cousin in weeks, not since he’d gone back to Atlanta after finishing his part in the human trafficking case he’d been working.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, a huge smile breaking across my face. “How are you?”

“I’m fine—now what’s going on with you that someone’s firebombing your apartment? And Alisha tells me you’re shacking up with Kirk?”

I winced. Chance’s hostility toward and suspicion of Blane hadn’t waned, even though Blane had rescued me.
The ensuing breakup that I’d had no choice but to tell him about had wiped away any goodwill Blane had generated with Chance. I’d had to talk Chance down from a towering rage when I’d told him; he’d wanted to confront Blane to tell him what a “fucking dick” he was.

“William Gage is out of prison,” I said, “and he’s carrying a grudge. The bomb was courtesy of him. Kade spotted it in time to—”

“Kade?” Chance interrupted. “As in Dennon? Christ, Strawbs, when I left town I thought both of them were out of your life. And good riddance.”

I bristled. “Are you through?” I asked coldly. “Or should I just hang up and I’ll talk to you again in six months?”

Chance sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I get to your apartment only to find it burned out, which was nearly enough to give me a heart attack. Then Alisha tells me you’re staying with that sonofabitch. I kind of flipped out.”

My irritation faded. My cousin loved me and I could understand his worry. “I’m okay,” I said. “Really.”

“Well, I’m in town and I want to see you,” he said. “Can you meet me for lunch?”

“Yeah, sure,” I said.

We settled on a time that he would pick me up and I hung up the phone.

If I’d hoped Kade would leave while I was on the phone, I was disappointed.

“Saved by Barney Fife?” he asked. I let his nickname for Chance pass. Blane, Kade, and Chance were never going to get along, much less like each other, and that was that.

“He’s going to come by and take me to lunch,” I said. “I probably should get some studying done before he comes.
I have a couple of finals next week.” I glanced nervously at Kade, hoping he’d let what we’d been talking about drop.

Kade walked over to look out the window. He was playing with something in his hand, though it was too small for me to tell what it was. I couldn’t say whether or not he was seeing anything through the glass as he stood there; he seemed lost in thought.

“I, um, I guess I’ll see you later,” I said when he didn’t reply.

That seemed to rouse Kade from his contemplation and he turned around, shoving whatever he held into the pocket of his jeans.

“Yeah,” he said somewhat absently. “I’m going to check into Kandi’s phone records. See who she was calling.”

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Stay alive,” he said curtly. “Tell Barney to keep a close eye out and his gun on him.”

I frowned. “You think Gage will still try something? Even after yesterday?”

“I’d just rather
you
be safe than
me
be sorry.”

Peachy.

Chance was right on time and I didn’t give him an opportunity to come inside—I really didn’t need a run-in between him and either Blane or Kade. I met him halfway up the sidewalk, where he grabbed me in a big bear hug.

“God, it’s good to see you!” he said.

I hugged him just as tightly. There was nothing quite like how family could make you feel.

Chance set me back on my feet and stepped back to take a look at me. “Well, you look better than you did the last time I saw you,” he said.

Yes, the last time he’d seen me, I’d resembled a walking zombie.

“You look good, too,” I said with a smile.

“So is Mexican okay with you?” he asked as we walked to his car.

“Sure.”

I told him about William Gage and his obsessive vendetta against me as he drove. “But Kade paid him a visit yesterday,” I said, “and I’m hoping that’ll be enough to get him to stop.”

“What kind of visit?” Chance asked.

I hesitated. Chance was a cop and I didn’t want to get Kade in trouble. “It’s not important,” I said, brushing off his question. “So tell me what’s been up with you?”

Chance shot me a look, but I just blinked innocently back at him. He sighed.

“Well, actually, I do have some news,” he said, parking the car in the lot of a little restaurant.

“What is it?” I asked after I got out of the car.

He held up his left hand and I gasped.

“You got married!”

C
HAPTER
E
LEVEN

I
threw my arms around Chance again. “Oh my God! You’re married! That’s fantastic! Wait a minute—” I abruptly pulled back, frowning. “Who did you marry and why wasn’t I invited?”

Chance didn’t answer, he just smiled and pointed behind me. I turned.

Lucy and Billy stood at the entrance to the restaurant. She waved when she saw me and Billy took off toward us. I grabbed him up when he reached me, his little arms going around my neck.

“Billy!” I exclaimed, hugging him tight. “It’s so good to see you!”

He pulled back so he could talk to me. “I got a new Batman. Wanna see?”

“Absolutely.”

Billy squirmed and I set him back on his feet. He dug in his Spider-Man backpack, pulling out the famed caped crusader. “See?”

“He’s fabulous,” I agreed.

“C’mon,” Chance said, taking Billy by the hand. “Let’s eat.”

I gave Lucy a hug, too, before we sat down at a table. She and I hadn’t known each other as more than passing acquaintances before we’d both been taken by human traffickers. An experience like that tends to form bonds, though, and it was good to see her again. She looked healthy and happiness practically beamed from her.

A tiny brunette, she made an attractive partner to my cousin, who was tall and broad shouldered, his hair a thick, wavy chestnut. Chance and I didn’t look much alike except for the Turner family blue eyes.