Bounty (Walk the Right Road) (22 page)

Sirens wailed and lights flashed from the two RCMP cars speeding up the driveway. Diane knew they were out of time—both she and Zac had crossed the line.

“What did you do? Tell me!” Diane yelled at Rebecca.

“I told her she had a sister, Ruth, who lived in Port Townsend. I told her to go there, but she didn’t want to leave. Katie believed it was her place to go where she was told, to marry a man she had never met. She didn’t want to go. I slapped her so hard, and I’d never hit her before, and she finally agreed. That was the last I saw of her, slipping out at night, the same way I sent you away.”

“Diane, what’s going on here?” Corporal Hodges shut his door, glancing up at the house and over at Diane, walking toward her. He looked none too pleased.

“Just talking to Rebecca.” Diane looked up. She wanted the corporal to leave, but she already knew he wouldn’t, and Joseph would be out of there in no time, dragging Rebecca back into the house. Her mother wouldn’t say one more word.

The door to the house was pushed open, and Zac strode out. “Diane, Green just called, said a man walked in and confessed to killing the girl, even IDed her.”

“What?” She didn’t believe it. With the timing, there was no way.

“Keys to the cuffs,” Zac said to her as he held out his hand. She tossed them to him, and he caught them easily. He went back into the house, followed by another RCMP officer.

“We got a call from one of the wives that you broke into the house and tried to hurt Joseph,” Corporal Hodges explained.

Joseph was yelling and carrying on in a booming voice as he stormed out the front door. “I want them arrested! They broke into my house, and this one hit me and slapped cuffs on me. I’m pressing charges.” He stormed down the steps, and Rebecca jumped out of the vehicle, cowering as she ran back toward the house.

“Joseph, you don’t have a mark on you.” The corporal stepped closer to Joseph and then said something to him in a low voice that Diane couldn’t make out.

Her father stepped back and raised his hands in the air angrily. He jabbed a stubby finger at all of them. “You get this trash out of here and off my property now.”

Zac strode toward Diane, and the corporal said, “I may not like what these people are doing, but I’m not having anyone come into this community and break the law, and that includes you two. I don’t know what happened here, and I don’t want to know.”

Diane knew he was right as she watched Joseph go up the steps and into the house. He stood in the doorway, watching her as if he knew who she was. Then he shut the door.

“Are you done here? Did you find out who the girl is? Unless you have some real evidence here, you can’t come back.”

“Corporal, Katie was Rebecca’s daughter,” Zac said, appearing behind Diane. He touched her lower back. “At least we know where she came from.”

The corporal lifted a business card from his shirt pocket. “I’d be interested in hearing the details of the confession and whether there’s any tie-in with the trafficking of minors and child brides.”

Zac took the card and nodded. “Sure.”

“I’ll escort you out. Will you be staying in town tonight?” the corporal asked.

“No,” Diane said as she strode to the passenger door and yanked it open. She climbed in and waited as Zac spoke with the corporal. Then he slid under the wheel and drove away, the two RCMP vehicles right behind them.

It was after midnight when Diane unlocked her front door. Zac had somehow gotten them to Sandpoint only minutes before the small commuter plane was set to leave. They’d landed in Port Townsend, and the only thing she’d been able to share with Zac was what her mother had said about Katie. Zac must have understood her ache, because he didn’t push. He left her alone to stew and mourn, wallowing in the deep loss she felt for someone she didn’t even know.

She stood in her darkened doorway, and Zac leaned in and flicked on the light. He set her duffle bag on the wooden bench at the front door, and he lingered behind her for a second before shutting it. She didn’t know who made the first move, but she was in his arms, kissing him with a passion she didn’t know she had. She felt absolutely raw, as if she had nothing left to lose and had been stripped of everything that had held her together until today.

She tossed away her jacket, kicked off her shoes, and then was pushing Zac’s coat off his shoulders. She lifted her shirt off and tossed it, pulling at Zac’s shirt between them, kissing him and running her hands over every part of him. Maybe he knew what she needed, but she didn’t have a clue. Diane just wanted to feel something, anything, and she almost cried out in joy when he lifted her in his arms and carried her down the darkened hallway.

“In here,” she said.

He laid her on the bed, and he was on top of her, kissing her deeply, his tongue touching hers, tasting her. She frantically pulled at his jeans, working the belt, and he pulled away, taking off his clothes and her jeans and underwear, tossing everything on the floor. She reached behind and unclasped her bra, pulling it off, and then he had her back on the bed, kissing her neck, her breasts, touching every part of her, exploring her as if she were the main course laid out just for him.

Then he pulled away. There was a rustling, and she heard him cover himself before settling between her legs. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he took her hard and fast. Even though the room was dark, she could feel him watching her as he moved inside her. She ran her hands over his shoulders, his back, trying to pull him closer, and he must have sensed how deep her need was. This was her need to feel, and Zac was the only one who understood why she needed this closeness. When his lips touched hers, the kiss deepened, and she felt herself tumbling over the edge as stars seemed to fill her senses. Zac moved faster, harder, and he, too, let himself go.

***

She opened her eyes as the morning sun streamed in through the open window. She felt as if she had finally realized what really mattered for her. Zac’s heavy arm was draped around her, spooning her into him. His legs were twined with hers, and he was breathing deep and even on the pillow beside her head. She’d never shared a bed with a man before, ever. She’d had sex a few times, but never in her house. Never had she stayed and shared a bed all night with a man. That was too intimate.

She rolled over, and Zac flinched. His eyes were closed, and he was still asleep. There was something about studying him while he slept that gave her a deeper look into who he was. She reached up to touch his scar on his cheek and over to his ear, but his hand was like a rocket, shooting up and grabbing her wrist, and his eyes flew open wide. He gripped her wrist so hard it hurt, and he was breathing fast and hard.

“Zac, it’s me, Diane.” She wondered at the wild look in his eyes.

“What happened?” He sat up and let go of her.

She rubbed her wrist where he’d grabbed it and realized she would probably have a bruise. “I’m sorry, I was just touching your face and…” She stopped because she realized there were some things you were never supposed to do with a soldier. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“No, stop. It’s fine, Diane. I’m sorry.” He slid his legs over the side of the bed, with his back to her. “I’d never hurt you, Diane. I hope you know that.”

She went up on her knees behind him and slid her arms around him. “I know you wouldn’t.” She rested her cheek against his. “Tell me what happened to you over there.”

He went to pull away, but she wouldn’t let go. He slid his hand over her arm. She thought he was going to pull her off, but instead he started rubbing her arm and seemed to settle into her. He faced her, touching her breast with his open hand, and laid her down with him. They were face to face on the pillow, and she looked into the gray-blue of his eyes. It was as if he was struggling with what to say.

“You know all about my dark, dirty past, and not once have you ever made me feel ashamed, or judged, or less of a person,” she began. “I want to know what happened. I want you to be comfortable with me and know that what you say wouldn’t be shared. We should be able to talk and share everything.”

He shut his eyes, and she didn’t know what else to say to convince him. “I was stationed at a field hospital in Iraq,” he said. “I was stabilizing a soldier to get him airlifted out, and we took fire. We lost half the unit. I survived.” He opened his eyes, and for a minute it was as if he was reliving a memory he didn’t want. Then he blinked and leaned in, kissing her deeply.

When he pulled away, he appeared far more relaxed, and she realized he wasn’t going to say any more about what happened. She understood, and instead of pushing him more to open up, she reached over and touched his face, and he turned his head into her hand and pressed a kiss into her palm.

A cell phone buzzed from the floor. Zac rolled over, and Diane scooted up. The floor was strewn with their clothes. It was Zac’s phone, which he pulled from his pocket. He flipped it open.

“Yeah?” He listened and then looked over at Diane before he frowned, shaking his head. “Well, that’s sure easy, isn’t it?” He hung up and set his phone on the bedside table.

“What is it?” Diane asked.

“That was Green. Apparently, the young man who confessed to killing Katie was found dead in his cell this morning. He hanged himself.”

Diane was pissed, and she wanted to hit something. Zac sat beside her on the bed and hung his head. She could feel his frustration. “Zac, that’s awfully convenient, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” He didn’t look at her.

“We’re not going to find out the truth of what happened to Katie, are we?”

“No.” He sighed and angled his head toward her.

“My father is behind this, isn’t he?”

“Maybe.” He looked away. “But I don’t think you want to push this and have it all come out about Katie being related to you or where you’re from, do you? That your real name isn’t Diane Larsen? You wouldn’t be a cop anymore.”

“I know.” She fell back on the bed.

Zac touched her arm. “I need to go in and see Casey. Are you going in? Can I give you a lift?”

Diane glanced up at Zac and shook her head. “No, I’m going to stay home today. I think I’ll call Marcie, Sam, and I’m going to take a couple days off.”

“Are you going to call Green?” Zac asked as he pulled on his clothes, watching her with an expression that made her want to reach up and pull him back to bed.

“Since he can’t be bothered to call me and I’m the detective running this case, I think I’ll send him an email,” she replied.

***

Diane, for the first time in her life, relaxed and enjoyed the quietness of the house after Zac pulled away. That was after he had kissed her thoroughly and told her he would see her for dinner.

She was enjoying this new part of being a woman, and she wanted this, she deserved this, whatever this was, with Zac. Even worrying about Joseph knowing where she was, and the fact that he’d always known, just didn’t seem to matter as much this morning.

The phone rang in the kitchen. Diane hopped off the sofa in the living room and snatched up the phone before the third ring. “Hello?”

“I just got your message,” Marcie said. From the other end of the line, she sounded down.

“I called you hours ago, Marcie. Where were you?”

There was a pause in the background.

“I was out?” She sounded defensive, which was so unlike her.

“Marcie, what’s going on? This is me. Do you want me to come over?”

“No, don’t come over. It’s…Sam moved out.”

“Oh, Marcie, no. Didn’t Sam apologize? He loves you, Marcie, and I know he was being an ass, but can’t you forgive him?” She stared out the back window, wondering why everyone couldn’t be happy at the same time.

“Diane, don’t. It’s not that easy, and it’s not about me forgiving Sam. I have some things to figure out, and I need some space. Sam and I, well, we can’t talk right now without him losing it on me and yelling. He doesn’t understand me, and I don’t know how to fix it between us. I’m so tired. We need a break, some time apart to give me time to get some answers for myself. When he gets back, we’ll sit down and see where we go.”

“Are you telling me you’re still meeting with Lance Silver?” Diane snapped, because she couldn’t believe Marcie would do that.

“Don’t be mad, but I have to find out who my father is. He knew my mother, and he’s different with me. He’s so familiar with me.”

“Marcie, I swear that man is up to something. Stay away from him. Where did Sam go?” She wanted to reach through the phone and shake her friend.

“New Orleans, to visit Jesse.”

Diane pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it. “Well, running away from each other is no way to solve your problems.”

“Diane, don’t push.” Marcie paused. “There’s someone at my door. Give me a second.”

Diane listened to footsteps and the sound of Marcie’s door opening. She could hear a man’s deep voice, and then Marcie said, “What do you want?”

“Marcie, what’s going on?” Diane shouted.

There was a rustling when Marcie came back on the line.

“Who’s there?” Diane asked, and she waited until her friend let out a heavy sigh.

“It’s Dan,” Marcie said. “He’s back.”