Splinters (15 page)

“Failure to report a felony,” Smoot says. “She confessed to knowin’ what Dean was up to. So now you’re gonna tell me how much
you’re
involved.” He stabs a thick finger at Duke’s chest.

“Me? Bob, I haven’t—”

“I talked to Laughlin and he don’t know ’bout no missing cattle. Why were you
really
out in that pasture, boy? Dean kidnaps ’em and you rescue ’em?” Smoot pounds his fist on his desk. “What in hell are you boys doin’ out there?”

I jump up. “That’s not even possible. Please, Sheriff, you’ve got this all wrong. Duke would— Okay, I mean, I don’t know Dean at all, so anything’s possible, but I think I’ve got a pretty good bead on Duke and he would
never
do something like this.” I look at Duke. “You just couldn’t.”

He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles, looking relieved. “You’re right. I couldn’t. Not to anyone, but especially not to you.”

“Mr. Seville,” Smoot says, “maybe you should go on out and wait in the lobby while I—”

“No.” I retake my seat. “I’m staying here.”

“Bob, swear to God, I am
not
involved in any of this.”

Smoot takes a deep breath and focuses on Duke. “Then why’d you go out into that pasture lookin’ for Mr. Seville?”

“I wasn’t lookin’ for him. I didn’t know Al was out there. Mia— Christ, Bob, is she really under arrest?”

“She is.”

Duke drops into his chair and scowls down at his lap. When he looks up again, he crosses his arms and shakes his head like he’s decided to be stubborn.

“Boy,” Smoot warns, leaning over his desk. “Either you tell me what Mia did to get you out there, or I’ll lock you up for failing to report a felony, too.”

“Can’t he…” I lick my lips, everything in me has gone dry. “Can’t he keep quiet instead of, uh, in-incriminating a family member?”

“He can.” Smoot keeps staring at Duke. “Don’t advise it seein’ as it makes him look even more guilty. How many lawyers you Walters kids got?”

“Goddamn it, Bob.” Duke aims a hostile glare at the sheriff. “She told me Laughlin called about a break in the fence and my cattle gettin’ in with his.
That’s
why I rode out into the damn pasture. I had no reason to think she was lyin’.” He swallows hard and some of the fight bleeds out of him. “Not to me anyways.”

“That’s the same as she told me.”

I squint at Smoot now, the devious bastard. “Why did—”

“Matchin’ up stories.” Smoot sits down again, like it’s all no big deal. “Gotta find out who’s done what and what they know. Mia not only failed to report, she lied about what she knew when Vaughn was talkin’ to her yesterday.” He shakes his head like it’s a shame. “She’s in some trouble now. A judge’ll have to determine just how much.”

Duke drops his crossed arms, but only so he can rub at his eyes with one hand. I feel bad for him, for his family…betraying him maybe, for all that’s splintering them apart. But they did this to me. They did this to Elsie. Mia looked me in the eyes and smiled. Anger flares like heartburn in my gut.

I glare at Duke, whose eyebrows jump up. “Your sister is a goddamned cow.”

He scowls at me. “Hey now. Don’t—”

“Oh, no,” I say as I stand. “Don’t you take her side.” I wag a finger at him from beside Smoot’s desk. “She knew what happened and she chose not to say anything. She
chose
to lie. To the police.” I nearly take Smoot out as I wave a hand in his direction. I try to rein myself in, but it doesn’t really work because I’m shaking with tension. “And Elsie? That’s
Mia's
fault. If she’d said what was going on, Elsie and I never would’ve stayed at all and none of this would’ve…happened.”

Damn it. If stupid Mia had told the truth right away, I would’ve left before that huge breakfast. I never would’ve gotten to know Duke at all. Would I have been better off? There was a crushing weight on my heart that said no.

Duke gets up and slowly approaches me. I don’t like that he’s looking cautious. “Please listen to me,” he says, and I don’t like his tone, either. “I did
not
have anything to do with what Dean—or Mia—have done.”

I cross my arms. “If you think I’m not pressing charges or something, you’re—”

“Not what I’m saying, Al. She was wrong and she’ll take whatever happens to her from here on out because of it.” He raises a hand toward me, palm up. “But she’s
not
me.”

I don’t budge.

“As for my brother,” he says and some steel enters his voice. “I will
hunt him down
for what he did to you and Elsie. And I
will
keep you safe.” He pitches his voice lower to say, “Don’t be afraid, baby. I promised once that nothin’ll hurt you. I still plan on keeping true to that.”

Oh, damn it. He’s being a knight in…well-worn leather. I sigh and my anger dissolves. I’m not angry at him and I shouldn’t take anything out on him. He’s right, I’m scared. I stare into those dark amber eyes and want to run away with him until the world makes sense again. He’s come to represent safety despite this whole place being unsafe.

I blush for being an overreacting ass. Duke moves in closer then, strokes my cheek, and his expression softens into something kind. I let him caress me, lean into it even. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I am…partially to blame. It’s my fault he went after you at all.”

My lungs freeze in my chest. “What?”

“He asked how I could ever be attracted to a man. I showed him a photo of you in the paper that said you were in Houston. I’m so sorry, baby. I all but showed him where you were.” He swallows hard, pain on his face. “I never thought he’d ever hurt someone, Al. That’s not anythin’ I thought my own flesh and blood could do.”

Mia and Dean deserve to be punished, but I don’t blame Duke for coming out to his brother with a visual aid. Really, that’s all Duke did. And if that’s what set Dean off, that’s on him. Duke and I are victims, and it breaks my heart.

I gulp, and then admit aloud this time, “I am scared all right?
You
might not have done anything wrong, but your family—”

“I know.”

“I can’t stay here, Duke. When Elsie’s ready, I have to leave.”

Now he’s too choked up to voice it, but his lips silently repeat that he knows.

I wrap my arms around his neck, and he holds me tight while burying his face against me. He sniffs and squeezes me. Giving in now, truly accepting Duke’s innocence in all this, makes me feel guilty for getting snappy at him. I hide inside the circle of our arms, cheek to cheek with him.

Suddenly, the door clicks. I pull away from Duke enough to look around and realize Smoot’s left the room. I laugh a little. How do I keep forgetting the big man’s there? It has to be driving him nuts.

Duke wipes his thumbs under my eyes, and I do the same for him. But when we lock gazes, all I want is to curl up with him and never leave.

He holds me, one hand cupping the back of my head. Despite everything, I feel incredibly safe here, like this, with him. I rest my head on his shoulder and hold tight.

Maybe we should speak, but I can’t think of anything to say. Any promises would be impossible to keep because Dean’s still on the loose. To even give Duke my number seems useless. How often would he ever be in New York? Or me in Texas? Some people might be able to make long distance work, but us? So new and loaded down with this much crazy? It’s impossible.

I wish
…

Don’t
.

My aches and wishes stare back at me, but I force a smile and push up for Duke’s kiss. Our lips meet, and I feel the pain of leaving more than anything else. It’s a heartbreak the likes of which I’d only known as a teen when chemistry was so essential yet ultimately devastating. I shouldn’t feel us so deeply, but here I am, broken entirely.

Duke pulls back, parting our lips, and his arms drop away. “Want me to drive you back to the hotel?”

“I-I need to talk to Elsie. She should know…everything.”

“Might be she already has a flight booked.”

“Yeah.” It’s hard for me to breathe.

He holds my gaze for a few moments. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

I nod and lead the way back outside.

We hold hands for the too few minutes it takes to drive down the road. The trip is far too short. There hasn’t been enough time for anything. I don’t even know what to say. My heart’s pounding. I grasp the handle with shaking fingers and open the door.

Legs feeling weak, I stand on the pavement looking back in at him. I have to say something. He should know I don’t regret everything about being here.

“You were the best thing about all of this.” I frown.
Hell
. Of course he was since the rest was kidnapping and betrayal. “I mean—”

“I know.” He grins at me. “Thank you. I’m glad you ain’t leavin’ with nothin’ but bad memories.”

I smile back at him, but there are tears biting at my eyes. I can’t speak, just nod, and close the door. The bang is so final.

There’s a soft expression on his face as he stares at me. His pupils are dilated, eyes slowly roaming over me like he’s memorizing me. I know that’s what I’m doing. One last glimpse of my rugged cowboy before—

He looks away. Closes his eyes and swallows hard. “Be happy, baby,” he says, and then he drives away.

I watch the truck until I can’t see it anymore. He’s gone.

lsie did, in fact, have us booked on a flight back to New York for the next afternoon. Knowing about the video of Dean and Mia's involvement had Elsie reaching for the phone to move up our departure, but her doctor and I convinced her otherwise. Her doctor had been pleased with her progress, though he’d wanted to keep her overnight just to be sure. She probably didn’t sleep any better than I did in that hotel room that smelled like Duke.

By morning, I’d been able to pick her up in the SUV she’d originally rented. Someone from the ranch had driven it out and left the keys with the front desk at the hotel. If Duke had done it, I still wasn’t sure if I was relieved or upset that he hadn’t stopped in to see me one last time.

And so, for the next two weeks, life just…continued. Elsie and I went back to work and it was almost—
almost
— like everything was normal again.

Turns out the absence of my gorgeous long hair does result in wigs when my femininity needs to be heightened that much more during certain shoots. I don’t mind. I’m considering leaving my hair short since wigs are rather fun and there’s so much less maintenance with a couple inches instead of tresses. I almost wish it were more of a problem. Then I could howl and bitch about how awesome I am regardless. Prove myself still capable, fight for it. Instead I’m simply falling back in like nothing’s changed.

Everything’s changed.

A photographer actually had to remind me more than once to hold my expression. That hasn’t happened in
years
. But someone wore cowboy boots on set and my heart stuttered while tears filled my eyes. Apparently looking devastated doesn’t portray the right feeling to successfully sell a diamond-encrusted watch.

Damn it, I
miss
him. I knew peace and kindness and teasing and simple affection with Duke. There’s a cloud over it all, sure, but those good moments shine like open windows to heaven.

Yes, I’m that melodramatic.

The man in cowboy boots is Stuart, my new bodyguard courtesy of Elsie. All I can think about is how much better it would be if Duke were watching over me. It’s a romance novel cliché, but what a delicious one. Stuart’s always there, big, dark and menacing, but I would feel so much safer if he were Duke instead. Duke would protect me because he cares.

But I do need Stuart because Elsie approached Anderson Cooper’s people for me, and they jumped on the idea of a whole segment about roofies and date rape in the gay community. I hadn’t been raped, but I could’ve been, so I went along with it. Since my case is still open and under investigation, I couldn’t be involved too much, but I could talk about the emotional toll it’s taken on me. Like the fact I can’t smell alcohol without feeling ill and I had a panic attack when someone tried to buy me a drink at a club last week. Stuart does make me feel a bit safer.