Mystic Hearts (25 page)

Charlene
questioning him in front of Millstone didn’t set well. He gave the trail events
that put him to this point, case closed. “We’ll talk later.” His voice came out
more stern than he liked, but Millstone was really starting to grate on his nerves.
Charlene siding with him for an instant sent a rush of disappointment through
him.

She
sucked in her bottom lip and surprisingly shook her head.

Suckerpunch
in the gut. Again, he wanted to apologize for snapping. He winked. When her
features softened, he focused on Millstone. “It’ll go easier on you, if you
tell me what’s up with Andrew Smith before the uniforms and other agents reach
us.”

Millstone
puffed out his cheeks. “A while back, he asked to stay with me while he
straightened out his living situation.”

“What
living situation?”

Millstone
lifted his good shoulder. “Beats me. He didn’t tell and I didn’t ask.”

“Anything
else?” Larry asked, suspicion he held back curling in his gut.

“That’s
all I know,” Millstone said in a measured tone.

Larry
wasn’t buying the act. “Think. There’s probably something he mentioned or you
overheard.”

A
police car followed by an ambulance parked on the shoulder of the road near the
beach.

“Your
time is up,” Larry said. “Right now, I have you on obstruction.”

Millstone
drew in a deep breath and stared out at the slight waves breaking on the beach.

“Please,
Randy,” Charlene pleaded.

He
cut his eyes at her.

“For
Henry. Don’t make me tell him you went to jail.” Charlene wiped a tear from her
face. “I can’t tell him another man he looked up to has let him down.”

The
moment Charlene’s words registered with Millstone, he flinched and pressed his
lips together. “He goes by Mathews.”

The
hair on Larry’s neck rose. “Allen Mathews?”

“That’s
it. Phone calls came to my house for him. I hung up on a few, then one day I
received a call and got pissed. I told them to stop calling. Andrew was nearby
and snatched the phone from me. Shortly after, he disappeared. Today’s the
first day I’ve seen him for about six months.”

“You
didn’t know he was on your boat?” Charlene asked.

“Nope.”

 
“If you weren’t heading toward him for help,
why run toward the pier?” Larry asked.

“For
my boat, the one Andrew took off in.”

Smith,
AKA Mathews, used Millstone for a pawn. The question still stood, why would
this seemingly decent guy go to such lengths to help Mathews? “Want to tell me
why you’re so loyal to him?”

Millstone
watched the advancing vehicles. “Nope.”

****

Charlene
sat on a bench under a group of trees, looking at the sudden crowd forming
along the sandy beach. Minutes ago, the area was empty. Now, uniformed officers
kept people at a distance as Larry talked with two men dressed in slacks and
button down shirts. Now more than ever, she was glad she told Gloria to keep
quiet about her involvement in the café.

Whatever
Andrew was involved in, he pulled honest people into his web, preyed on them,
and chewed them up, letting the remains fall in any direction without care.
He’d proved that today when he raced away from the pier in his friend’s boat,
another thing to add to Andrew’s long list of criminal activity. When would he
ever stop? And at what cost?

She
glanced over her shoulder at Randy, shirtless, sitting on a stretcher in the
back of an ambulance. He still hadn’t told her why he went to such extremes for
Andrew. Not knowing drove her crazy.

Randy
locked eyes with her as the EMT pressed white gauze to his shoulder injury.
Unlike earlier when he wore a scolded childlike expression, anger vibrated off
him.

The
EMT patted Randy’s good arm. “You’re just winged. Keep the area clean and
follow up with your doctor.”

Randy
slid his shirt on, jumped to the pavement and was met by an officer, holding
cuffs.

Her
heart went out to Randy. Still, no matter what Andrew did, Randy allowed it,
always had.

Larry
shifted, drawing her attention. She studied his profile. The tension from his
jaw vanished and his eyes had softened. Every inch of him had been business
while Randy tested him. Fierce, yet sexy…hard, yet soft. He possessed every
quality she admired about a man.

Larry
had looked out for her at the same time he worked the situation. She didn’t
blame him for shooting Randy. She did, however, kick herself for challenging
Larry during a high stress period. First chance she got, she’d apologize. He
wasn’t anything like Andrew. Questioning his motives or what he said made no
sense. If he said it then it was fact. She’d cause herself less stress if she
remembered that.

Larry
and the two agents approached. Larry stopped in front of her while one of the
agents grasped Randy’s elbow and the other opened the rear door to a sedan with
darkened windows.

“What
will happen to him now?” Charlene asked.

The
ambulance, followed by the agents’ car, and other marked police cars filed down
the road and turned out of sight before Larry focused back on her and stretched
out his hand. “Let’s take a walk.”

Hand
in hand, they walked in the direction of the pier.

“Randy
will be interviewed to see what else he might know.” Larry squeezed her hand.
“Your ex is up to his elbows in trouble. I’m asking that you stay away from him
until loose ends are tied up.”

She
paused and gazed into his eyes. “He wants money from me. Why does that mean
he’s in trouble?”

“He
broke into your house, Charlene. Hit a parked car. His behavior indicates
irrational behavior. Other than saying that, I can’t go into details until I
have facts. If I say any more, it’d just be speculation.”

Everyone
shutting her out, not confiding in her, made her feel like she was alone in the
dark, a little apprehensive, and a touch scared. “Do you always operate in such
vague terms?”

“Not
vague, cautious.”

She
gazed out to the water. “I hate being in the dark.”

“Roger
that.” Releasing her hand, he reached around her shoulder, tucked her closer,
and kissed the top of her head. “If I could tell you more, I would.”

The
subtle, tender touch sent her heart soaring. As they walked toward the pier, she
relaxed her head onto his shoulder, enjoying the comfort of his warmth and not
caring that his shirt wet her cheek and the side of her blouse. “I should have
waited and questioned you in private instead of in front of Randy.”

He
shrugged. “No worries.”

The
impassive tone of his voice told her despite what he said, it had bothered him.
“Anyway, I’m sorry.”

“How you handle yourself today, minus
not listening to me, was remarkable.”

No
compliment had ever made her glow inside. “Thank you.”

He
pecked her lips and motioned to sit on the pier. “Do you have any idea why
Millstone is loyal to Smith?” They settled next to each other on the pier,
their feet dangling inches above the water’s surface.

A
breeze tossed her hair into her eyes and the sun reflected off the water, all
elements for a gorgeous, romantic day. “I don’t.”

“If
Millstone cooperates, he will be released soon.”

Larry’s
phone vibrated against her hip. She retrieved it and handed it to him. “What
about the obstruction charge?”

Larry
read the incoming message, shoved it into his pocket, and stretched his arm
around her back. “It depends on if he cooperates. The information he gave
identifying Smith as Mathews was a huge piece to the puzzle I need to solve.”

“Mathews?”

Larry
groaned and rested his chin against her. “He’s someone of concern. I’m watching
him now. Knowing he’s actually your ex-husband puts a whole other spin on my
concern.”

She
snuggled closer to his chest. Since this morning, her emotions underwent a one-eighty.
The rush of wanting to get even with Andrew and the excitement of getting her
restaurant back gave her hope and made her feel vibrant. Then the flipside, the
man she wanted, craved actually, a relationship kept her in the dark

Needing
to talk about something exciting and plunge out of the darkness that seemed
consistently to enclose around her, she said, “I’m getting my restaurant back.
Well, half of it.”

He
eased her away from him and locked gazes with her. “The one you and your
husband owned?”

“Yes.”

“Charlene,
that’s exciting news.” He cupped her face and kissed her.

A
rush of heat wove through her veins. His hand slid down her back to the small
of her waist. He held her to him while his free palm tilted her head and
caressed the curve of her chin.

A
low thrill of excitement escaped her.

He
eased away and his eyes squinted into small beacons of want as they slid over
her face, taking in her every feature. “You get to me.”

Her
heart hitched, leaving a lump of emotion lodged in the back of her throat and
tears stinging her eyes. The powerful passion passing through them locked her
in place. She couldn’t look away and couldn’t identify what she felt. She could
only stare and wait to see what he’d say.

He
broke their gaze, kissed her forehead, and pulled her against him, wrapping his
arms tightly around her. “You feel good, which brings us back to the issues we
need to move beyond.”

He
was right. Neither of them had tossed their problems behind, at least she
hadn’t. She needed to tell him why she was here, what brought her to Colonial
Beach to see Randy. “I came to Randy to find Andrew.”

When
he remained silent, she searched his eyes for signs he was upset, saw none, and
added, “I wanted revenge.”

“I
figured.”

She
took the plunge and asked a question that had nagged her, one she consistently
reconciled on her own when he was the only one who could answer it. “Will you
always be honest with me?”

“Yes.
At times I might not be able to tell you details of a case, just like earlier.
When I can, I will.”

The
tenderness of his words…the intensity of his gaze, grasped her heart. The man
was too good to be true. She pressed her lips to his.

A
groan vibrated through his chest.

He
cupped the sides of her face and slid his tongue over hers. The hunger in his
kiss was so demanding it made her dizzy. “Larry,” she said against his lips on
a pant and grasped his wrists.

He
eased back until their lips barely touched. “I have to leave to process the
arrest.”

She
heard what he said, but the vigor she experienced in his presence dug its hooks
into her, refusing to let her move. “I want you,” she whispered.

“Ah,
babe, you’re killing me.”

Larry’s
words held passion unlike the anger tone Andrew used when he said the exact
words. She shut her eyes on the tears forming. “Thank you.”

“For
what?”

A
watery gaze impeded her view. “For being you.” Her lips trembled. The emotion
came out of nowhere. Happy, yet a dam broke from deep within her she couldn’t
control. The excessive ill-treatment she’d endured from her life with Andrew
escaped on a sob.
 

Larry
hugged her, securing her tightly in his strong arms.

She
pressed her face into his chest like she had earlier with Randy and cried. For
a long moment, she basked in Larry’s comfort, his powerful presence giving her
what no man had ever given. He let her be herself and accepted her as she was.
She wiped the moisture from her face. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

A
low guttural sound vibrated from his chest and he squeezed her tighter.

When
he remained silent, her nerves jumped with nervous energy that she’d spoken her
feelings too soon. She had to see his face to know what to think and eased
away.

Red
eyes bored into hers, his mouth a firm line, and the pulse in his neck ticked.

She
nibbled on her lower lip.

An
array of expressions flitted across his handsome face before staying with
tender eyes and an inviting mouth.

She
believed Larry was falling for her, too. His reactions said so, but if his face
and the whites of his eyes hadn’t turned red, she wouldn’t have known he’d even
heard her.

Larry
not acknowledging what she said released a shot of disappointment.

She
wouldn’t push. He’d let her know his feelings when he was ready. They both had
issues that needed fixing before they moved their relationship farther. Her and
her overwhelming feelings put them in an awkward position.

She
rose and scanned the beach. The crowd from earlier had disbursed. With the
exception of a few beach goers, only she and Larry remained.