26
There was no one at the ice cream parlor. That came as a relief to Sadie. She didn’t want to encounter anyone with her red, swollen eyes. Having to face the girl behind the counter was bad enough.
They each picked their favorite flavor. Dawson got a double scoop of mocha almond fudge; she and Jayden each got a single cone of chocolate.
Assuring her they’d come back to town to recover her car later, Dawson drove them home so they could prolong the peace they’d found together. That simple gesture, keeping her with him even though it wasn’t the most practical thing to do, made her appreciate him even more. She was falling in love again, all right. She didn’t want to be—especially with her future in Silver Springs being so uncertain—but she couldn’t deny what she was feeling, couldn’t pretend otherwise. That fact became all too clear when Jayden fell asleep on the way and, once Dawson carried him into the house for a nap, she caught hold of his hand before he could go out to work.
“What is it?” he murmured, sounding surprised.
She didn’t explain. She simply led him to his bedroom, where she closed and locked the door before peeling off his clothes. Because she didn’t know how long she’d get to be with him, she felt a certain urgency to make the most of every minute.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to mind another delay. “I’m glad that you’re getting comfortable with me,” he said.
“I’ve never been like this,” she admitted. “I can’t get enough of you. I want to make love all the time.”
“That makes two of us,” he said before his mouth came down on hers.
The taste and feel of him ignited the same raw hunger she’d experienced when he made love to her before. From that moment on, Sadie was lost—sailing away on a rapid current of desire. After he took off her clothes, he picked her up and tossed her onto the bed, making her laugh. But once he climbed into bed with her, all levity disappeared. She closed her eyes, savoring the rush of eagerness and expectation that charged through her as his hands moved over her body. This was what desire felt like, she told herself.
He seemed to be in no hurry, but when he eventually rolled her beneath him, the pressure of him pushing inside her, filling her, made her feel complete. She clung to him as he began to thrust, enjoying the slightly salty taste of his skin, the solidness of his chest as it slid against her bare breasts and the ropey muscles of his back she could feel bulging beneath her fingertips.
“You’re so talented at this,” she gasped as the pleasure began to build.
His laugh sounded ragged, proof that he was experiencing the same escalation of breathing and heart rate. “I don’t think this requires any talent.”
“It requires a little intuition, at least. I’ve never felt anything like being with you.”
He paused, resting part of his weight on his elbows as he stared down at her.
“What?” she said, taken aback by the intensity of his gaze.
“You’re not going to leave me, are you?” he asked softly.
She didn’t know what to say. If they couldn’t tie Sly to that fire, couldn’t get him out of their lives, she’d be doing Dawson a favor by leaving. “I hope I won’t have to.”
He frowned at her words, obviously not satisfied by her answer. But before he could press the issue, she dragged his mouth to hers, compelling him to move again. He did, and he spent the rest of Jayden’s nap convincing her with every kiss, every touch, that she’d be sorry if she didn’t stay.
* * *
They could hear Jayden playing with what few toys he had left in the next room. He was awake, but he seemed perfectly happy, so Sadie didn’t jump up to dress. She seemed reluctant to get out of bed, and Dawson felt the same way. Languid and satisfied, he closed his eyes as he rested his head on her shoulder and she raked her fingernails gently over his back. “It’s hard to make myself work when you’re around,” he teased.
She smoothed his hair back. “Sorry I kept you from the fields. I know you’re feeling pressure to get things done.”
His hand covered her breast. “Don’t be sorry. I wouldn’t have traded this for anything.”
“It could’ve waited until later, I suppose.”
“I don’t think it would’ve been the same.” He lifted his head to give her a lazy grin. “Sometimes you have to seize the moment, you know?” He put his head back down so she wouldn’t stop scratching. “Tonight wouldn’t have been a good option, anyway. We have a date with the chief of police.”
She’d been so caught up in the fact that she’d lost her pictures, he could tell she hadn’t been thinking about what he’d discovered out by the canal. “You got a hold of him?”
“Just before I saw you at the rental earlier. He’s coming tonight.”
“You told him about the tire tracks?”
“Yeah.”
“And he believed you?”
“I think so. He sat on the other end of the line in silence for a few seconds. Then he said Sly ‘better not’ be trespassing when he’d been told to stay away.”
“Did you email him the pictures?”
“I did, but I haven’t heard from him since then.”
“So what’s the plan?”
“He said he’d call a meeting to bring Sly to the station at the end of Sly’s shift. But instead of being there to conduct the meeting, Thomas is going to have someone else stand in for him while his wife drops him off out here. That way, we’ll know Sly is occupied while Thomas gets into position, and no one else on the force will know what’s going on.”
“So they can’t alert him.”
“Exactly.”
“Then what?”
He slid his hand down the curve of her waist. She’d been eating better lately. He could tell because she’d put on a few pounds, didn’t seem so anxious all the time. She deserved to have more peace of mind than Sly had given her. “Then we just wait and see what happens.”
“What if Sly doesn’t come?”
“We’ll have to try again tomorrow.”
“How many times do you think Thomas will be willing to come out here?”
“Not more than two or three. So...we have to hope, if Sly is stalking us, that he proves it soon.”
Her phone started vibrating on the nightstand. She was getting a call. With a sigh that showed her reluctance to move, she leaned over to get it. “Speak of the devil,” she grumbled.
“Seriously?” Dawson sat up. “He’s calling you right now?”
“Should I answer?”
“Might as well. See if you can get some idea what’s going through his mind.”
“I can guess that.”
“What would you guess?”
The phone transferred to voice mail, but she didn’t put her phone down. “He has visitation rights this weekend, remember?”
“You think he’s calling about that?”
“What else? It’s the only thing that gives him a legitimate reason to get in touch in spite of what Chief Thomas said—to stay away.”
“He can’t expect to take Jayden after setting that fire.”
“He’s claiming he didn’t set the fire, remember?”
“We know he did.” But how to handle this? “What happens if you refuse?”
“The law would be on his side—unless I go through with the restraining order. That would probably stop him.”
“You told him you wouldn’t do that.”
“If he leaves us alone. You and I both know he won’t. Those tracks out back sort of prove it, right?”
Her phone started to ring again. This time she answered it. “Hello?”
Dawson felt the peace and tranquility they’d been enjoying disappear from the room, watched the old haunted look come over Sadie again.
“But he doesn’t like baseball,” he heard her say. “I’m not trying to start a fight... I know it’s your weekend. It’s just... Never mind. Of course you can take him. That’ll be perfect. Dawson and I were thinking of going away for a couple of days, anyway.”
This was news to Dawson, but he waited until she’d hung up to ask for the details. “What’s going on?”
“He wants to take Jayden for the weekend. I knew he would. He’s looking for any way to get the best of me, and he knows he can always do that through my son.”
“What was that bit about us going away for the weekend?”
She shoved a hand through her hair. “My way of trying to fight back. If he thinks I want him to take Jayden, he’ll back out.”
“Did he?”
“Sadly, he didn’t fall for it.”
“Damn. So now what? We can’t let Jayden go to his place. We can’t trust him.”
The way she nibbled on her bottom lip suggested she was contemplating something.
“Sadie?” Dawson prompted.
“We need to rile him up, provoke him. If we make him mad enough, he’ll show up here tonight for sure.”
“Where he’ll be caught by Chief Thomas.”
“Yes. Then I’ll be able to go through with getting the restraining order, after all—with Chief Thomas’s blessing.”
Dawson punched his pillow and propped it behind his head. “That wouldn’t take much. Just seeing us together would be enough to make him apoplectic.”
She pecked his lips. “So how can we bump into him? We can’t exactly show up at his house.”
“No, but he’s working this evening, right? Chief Thomas indicated as much. So let’s take Jayden to Petra’s—if anything happens, we won’t want him involved in it. Then we’ll drive around town, make sure we’re seen at the gas station, eating at the drive-in, shopping at the grocery store, having a drink at The Blue Suede Shoe. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky and run across him. He’ll be patrolling, so he should be keeping watch on what’s happening in town.”
A rueful smile curved her lips. “I usually consider myself lucky if I don’t run across him.”
“How often does that happen?”
“Not often. He seems to find me no matter what—is always watching.”
“Great. For once, his obsession will play in our favor.”
“And driving around town together is harmless enough,” she said in a voice that suggested she was mulling it over. “We should be able to go where we want.”
“Mommy?” The door handle jiggled as Jayden tried to come in.
Sadie jumped out of bed and started pulling on her clothes. “What, honey?”
“What are you doing?”
She shot Dawson a guilty look. “Just...cleaning.”
“Is Dawson cleaning with you?”
Obviously, he’d heard their voices. Dawson couldn’t help grinning as she said, “Yes, we’re...ah...folding clothes.”
There was a slight pause. Then Jayden said, “Can I come in?”
“Of course. Just a sec.”
Once they were both dressed and had made the bed, she took a stack of folded T-shirts out of the drawer before letting her son into the room.
Dawson thought Jayden would go straight to Sadie. He was still a little groggy from his nap. But he slipped past her and lifted his arms for Dawson to pick him up. “Can we get more ice cream?” he asked as Dawson pulled the boy into his arms.
“Not tonight, buddy. Maybe tomorrow, though.”
Sadie lifted her eyebrows as if to say, “What’s up? My son goes to you instead of me?”
Dawson winked at her, but he didn’t get a chance to say anything. This time his phone was ringing.
He pulled it out of his pocket and tensed as he saw the caller ID: Stanley DeWitt. He was out of time on his promise to bring Angela home. She’d been calling him crying the past few days, telling him seven was seven and asking him to come pick her up. He had a difficult time getting through those calls because he didn’t know what to tell her. The state was taking its sweet time, even though he’d called Robin Strauss to let her know how hard the wait was on his sister and that the delay was forcing him to break a promise.
“Is it Angela?” Sadie asked.
He nodded.
“Here, let me take Jayden so you can talk to her.”
Dawson let Jayden go to his mother as he sat on the edge of the bed and pushed the Talk button. “Hello?”
“You did it!” She spoke so loud he had to pull the phone away from his ear by a few centimeters. “You did it, Dawson, just like I knew you would. Megan says I can come home.” Someone spoke in the background, trying to calm her. “But only if I wait till Tuesday,” she added. “Not seven days. And not till Christmas. Just till Tuesday.”
That was still five days, but she seemed pleased, so he didn’t point that out. He wasn’t quite sure whether to believe her in the first place. “Are you certain of that?” he asked.
“Talk to Megan!”
The phone transferred and Megan came on the line.
“Is what Angela just told me true?” he asked.
“It is.” He could hear the warmth in her voice. “The paperwork came through this morning. I’m sure they’ll be calling to let you know once we get it back to them, but from what I saw, she’s set to be released into your custody early next week.”
“Wow.” He felt such relief he didn’t know what to say. He’d just come through another hard-fought battle—and won. First his freedom, then his sister’s. “That’s great.”
“You’ll be able to come get her, right?”
“Of course. I’ll be there as soon as she can leave.”
“Great. We’ll let you know when, exactly, we can release her on Tuesday.”
Sadie was standing in the doorway with Jayden, watching as he hit the End button.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I guess Ms. Strauss has finished her investigation.”
“And?”
“Angela’s coming home.”
She put Jayden down and crossed over to him. “That’s wonderful, Dawson. I’m so happy for you,” she said and, resting her hands on his shoulders, kissed his forehead.
He looked up at her in surprise. This was the first time she’d shown him any affection in front of her son. To him, that was significant. It also reminded him that he wasn’t done fighting. Maybe he’d secured his freedom and Angela’s, and was making strides toward finding the man who’d murdered his folks, but he still had to force Sly to let go of Sadie and Jayden. Then, even though he wouldn’t have his parents, he would have taken care of all the family he had left.