Firestone (23 page)

Heather nodded, and Blane scowled at
her.

“
You’re being pretty adult
about that,” Blane said.

“
I don’t know.” Heather
shrugged. “Maybe it’s naive, but I feel really strongly
that . . . we’re a family.”

Blane smiled.

“
Aren’t we?” Heather
asked.

“
We are,” Blane
said.

“
I don’t know how it will
work, or if it will at all,” Heather said. “But I think it’s nice
that he’s trying to see if he likes being the foster parent of a
teenager.”

“
Before we even go out on
a date?” Blane asked.

Heather smiled at him.

“
You don’t think this is
some kind of manipulation?” Blane asked.

“
How so?” Heather
asked.

“
Maybe he’s just trying to
pretend to be a good guy when really he’s . . .”
Blane said.

“
An ax murderer?” Heather
asked. “Like the movie?”

Blane grinned at her
reference to the movie
So I Married an Ax
Murderer
.

“
No, I don’t think he’s an
ax murderer,” Heather said. “I think he’s cautious.
And . . . we’ll see. You’re in no condition to date.
Not now or for the next few months, maybe even the next year. If
he’s still around when the baby comes, then we’ll figure something
out.”

“
You already have it
figured out?” Blane smiled.

“
It’s a lot less scary to
think about Nelson than to think about what’s going to happen on
Saturday,” Heather said.

Blane nodded.

“
I talked to Tres,” Blane
said.

“
You
what
?” Heather asked.

“
I asked him if he
would . . . help you if something happened to me,”
Blane said.

“
Why?”

“
Because you like him,”
Blane said.

“
I do?”

“
You do,” Blane
said.

“
Hmm,” Heather
said.

“
Hmm?” Blane
asked.

“
Oh.” Heather smiled.
“It’s going to be a weird month or so.”

“
That it is,” Blane said.
“Should we get to bed?”

Heather nodded. She started up the stairs.
They were standing on the landing when he touched her arm.

“
Thank you for being my
family,” Blane said. “For loving me.”

Heather smiled.

“
We’re a family,” Blane
said.

“
Yeah, we are,” Heather
said.

“
Thanks,” Blane
said.

He went into the bedroom to change, and
Heather closed her eyes. Tomorrow, and every day for the next
month, she’d be standing on this landing alone.

At that moment, a strange thought hit her.
What if Abi was right? What if she had healed Blane with her love?
What if loving was enough?

Heather smiled to herself.

She’d just love him, and hope it was enough.
Nodding to herself, she went to join him in bed.

~~~~~~~~

Thursday night — 10:05 p.m.

Sandy was so terrified that she’d gotten up
from the living room and come into the kitchen. She leaned against
the counter and stared at the ceiling.

What was she going to do?

They said they’d “try” to protect her, but
nothing was foolproof.

And if it wasn’t her, it would be precious
Rachel. Aden got so angry when he heard that threat that he’d taken
the kids and left their apartment. Sandy wished she could leave.
Leave and take her family to Timbuktu or some other safe and
out-of-the-way place.

Jill came into the kitchen and hugged Sandy.
Jill didn’t have to say anything. Sandy knew she understood by the
way Jill looked at her.

But there was nothing Jill could do.

Men had paid money to see Sandy or her baby
assaulted in the most horrible way.

And that was all that mattered.

“
Sandy?” Seth stuck his
head into the kitchen. “I think you should come out.”

“
Why?”

“
Just come out,” Seth
said.

Jill held out her arm, and Sandy tucked
herself against her friend. She could feel the pulse of Jill’s
positive and powerful energy. The mood in the living room had
changed.

“
We took this situation to
our supervisor,” Raz said. “We’ve received the resources we
need.”

“
What does that mean?”
Sandy asked.

“
It means that Patty will
stay in jail,” Colin said.

“
How . . .?”

“
Paperwork snafu,” Colin
said. “Weird how that happens. That will give us the weekend. We
also have access to the satellite feeds for the day of your
mother’s death. We’re confident that we’ll find something to match
our surveillance footage.”

“
And that means?” Sandy
asked.

“
They’ve found something
interesting,” Seth said. “They won’t tell us what.”

“
You remember the guy from
ICE?” Colin asked. “Charlie talked to him about the rape
case.”

“
He’s with the Department
of Homeland Security, too,” Sandy said. “He said they couldn’t
figure out how the videos were sold or track the money. He said
they were ‘looking into it,’ but Charlie thought he was full of
it.”

“
That’s because they were
able to pull the website,” Raz said. “Delete the connections by
removing the server from the Internet. There wasn’t anything for
them to track. But now . . .”

“
This situation is new,
and active,” Colin said. “The site will lead us not only to the
sellers but the buyers too. This is really good. It’s led us
everywhere . . .”

“
Everywhere?” Sandy
asked.

“
To the current rape case
— where the images were sold and how — your case,
and . . .” Raz smiled. “He said to tell you that
when they found the site the computer crimes guys screamed out
loud. It’s a big day.”

“
What does this mean?”
Sandy asked.

“
We’ve got them,” Seth
said.

“
What about
tomorrow?”

“
We have to walk it
through,” Raz said.

“
So my daughter and I are
still at risk because of this detective guy,” Sandy said. “The guy
who killed my mother and arranged
my . . .”

Sandy cleared her throat.

“
I’m afraid so,” Raz said.
“We’ll protect you, of course, but I’m not going to insult you by
saying that nothing can happen.”

Sandy gave a vague nod.

“
But if we catch them?”
Sandy asked.

“
It’s over,” Seth said.
“For good.”

“
For you, and lots of
other girls,” Raz said.

“
Other girls?” Sandy
asked.

“
The man you thought was
your father managed a network of sites and girls,” Raz said.
“That’s why he made so much money. He had girls all over the
country, videos, pictures, and live feed. If we can shut these guys
down, we can stop an operation that’s been going on a long, long
time.”

“
I hear what you’re
saying,” Sandy said. “And I know you mean well. But I also know
that Detective Red Bear probably didn’t get the memo. He’s out
there right now planning to . . . And there’s
nothing any of us can do about that.”

She swallowed hard.

“
I need some ice cream,”
Sandy said.

She walked out of the living room and back
into the quiet kitchen.

Friday morning—7:35 a.m.

The doorbell rang at Sandy’s hair studio.
Sandy had come to the studio early because she felt so nervous
about today. Charlie had agreed to spend the day with her, but he
wouldn’t arrive until the other kids were off to school. Sandy
hadn’t been able to sleep a wink. With the hope that a little time
to herself would get her ready for today, she’d packed up Rachel
and left for her studio before anyone at the Castle was up.

The doorbell rang again. Sandy came out of
the back and saw Erin Hargreaves standing outside the door with her
daughter, Grace. Sandy jogged to the door and opened it.

“
Oh, Sandy,” Erin said.
“Thank you so much for making time for me.”

“
I . . .uh . . .” Sandy scowled.
She was booked all day with her usual Friday clients. “I’m sorry,
Erin, did we set something up?”

“
I thought we did,” Erin
said. “Or at least Alex said we had.”

“
It’s no big deal,” Sandy
said. “You’re always welcome. I’ll just fit you in.”

“
I don’t want to be too
much trouble,” Erin said. “Grace needs her first haircut, and I was
hoping maybe you could cut some of my split ends.”

“
Let me check my schedule
to see how much time we have.” Sandy stepped back and let Erin and
Grace inside. She was about to close the door when Matthew, Erin’s
partner, slipped inside. “Just a second.”

Sandy looked at her iPhone and scowled. Her
schedule had changed. She looked at Erin, and Erin smiled.

“
I don’t know what’s going
on . . .” Sandy said

Sandy felt a little dizzy. Had that scum
Detective Red Bear manipulated her schedule?

“
Are you okay?” Matthew
asked. He put his hand on Sandy’s elbow to steady her.

“
I . . .
um . . .” Sandy said.

“
They didn’t tell you?”
Erin asked.

“
They canceled your
clients,” Matthew said with a smile and a nod.

“
Who did?”

“
Technically, I think it
was Raz, but it could have been Troy.” Matthew nodded.

“
But . . .?” Sandy started.

“
Our team sergeant
contacted everyone to reschedule,” Matthew said.

“
But . . .”
Sandy started.

“
It’s unnerving, I know,”
Matthew said.

“
Drives me crazy,
but . . .” Erin gave Sandy a wincing smile. “Is
there any way . . .?”

Erin nodded to the child in her arms, and
Sandy smiled. Grace looked like she’d just woken up. She gave Sandy
a groggy look.

“
Of course,” Sandy said.
“Where are my manners? Come in! Come in!”

Sandy smiled.

“
I’d never trust anyone
else to give Grace her first haircut,” Erin said. “I’ve been
putting it off, you know, because . . . I guess I’m
already fighting her growing up.”

“
I know what you mean,”
Sandy said.

The doorbell rang again. Sandy looked
through the glass to see the small woman who worked with Matthew.
She was Native American and, outside of a yearly trim, she never
cut her hair.

“
Why don’t you settle in?”
Sandy gestured to her salon chairs. “Matthew, there’s coffee and
hot chocolate in the back.”

“
Great,” Matthew
said.

Sandy went to the door.

“
Hi Sandy,” the woman
said. “Margaret.”

“
Hi Margaret,” Sandy said.
She stepped back from the door.

“
I know it’s weird,”
Margaret said. “But I was assigned to keep track of Rachel
today.”

“
You were?” Sandy
asked.

“
I was,” Margaret said.
“Do you mind if I hang out with you here? Or should I take her to
our house?”

“
I’d really rather that
she was . . .” Sandy started. “I mean, it really
makes no sense, but . . . I’d really rather she was
with me.”

“
I’d feel the same way,”
Margaret said. “Is Rachel in the back?”

Sandy nodded. Margaret smiled and walked
with purpose to the back of the shop. Sandy went to the salon
chairs where Erin was sitting with Grace. Matthew was walking
around the edge of the studio looking at the walls and floor.

“
Drives me crazy,” Erin
said under her breath.

“
What does?” Sandy asked
in the same low tone.

“
Just that they control
everything,” Erin looked at Sandy in the mirror. “But honestly?
They’re always right. Which you know?”

“
Drives you more crazy?”
Sandy asked.

Sandy heard a sound. When she turned to see,
Matthew was talking on his cell phone.

“
Exactly,” Erin
said.

“
What did you have in mind
for Grace?” Sandy asked.

Grace had fallen asleep against Erin’s
shoulder. Erin held her out for Sandy to take a look at Grace’s
hair.

“
Just a trim,” Erin said.
“She has my crazy curly red hair and Matthew’s massive hair volume.
We’re lucky she doesn’t grow a beard!”

Sandy laughed.

“
Do you want to hold her?”
Sandy asked. “Or shall we set her up in a booster?”

Sandy looked up and saw Matthew letting a
man and a woman into the studio. He said something to them. They
nodded and left.

“
Those are agents,” Erin
said. “Matt’s helping assign them to effective
locations.”

Erin nodded.

“
I’m not supposed to know,
but I do,” Erin said.

“
What do you know?” Sandy
asked.