Midnight Shadows (22 page)

“All right. And then?”

“I closed and locked the door, like always. Came back downstairs and…”

“And what?” Robert asked softly.

“Well, I’d been awake most of the night, so I guess I fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up, I—” What little color he’d had in his face drained as his voice wobbled. “I woke up to find that my hands and feet were tied.”

“You’re telling me that somehow, someone tied you down without you even waking up?”

“I must’ve been drugged or something, Mr. Silva. That’s the only explanation.”

“And how were you drugged?”

“The…uh, I…uh.”

Apparently realizing that Robert was on the verge of killing the man with his bare hands, Marsh interrupted to ask, “Why did it take you so long to contact Mr. Silva?”

“Well, it took me a while to get untied. Then, I did a thorough search inside and outside the house, just to make sure they weren’t still around. That took a while, too.”

Robert cocked his head as if in wonder. “A full day?”

“Yes, sir. I thought maybe I could take a ride through town. You know, just to see if maybe they’d been seen.”

A vice was squeezing his forehead and Robert was sure his brain would explode any minute. “You went through town asking people about five runaway slaves?”

“Oh no sir, I was real discreet.”

Thankfully Marsh took up the questioning again. “And you couldn’t find them anywhere. Correct?”

Lionel nodded at Marsh, then turned to Robert again. “I’m real sorry, Mr. Silva.”

The stupid prick had no idea just how sorry he was going to be. As much as Robert wanted to grab the letter opener from his desk and jab it into Lionel’s eye, he refused to lower himself to such pettiness.

“You’re fired, Lionel. Marsh, please escort this man out.”

As Robert turned his back on the moron, he caught Marsh’s eye and gave a slight nod. The acknowledgement was on the other man’s face. He knew what to do and how to take care of it discreetly.
 

Lionel would pay dearly for allowing the whores to escape.

Midnight

A Wilde family gathering was often chaotic but always entertaining, especially when Aunt Gibby was added to the mix. The elderly woman had been a constant in Sabrina’s and her sisters’ lives for as long as they could remember.

They sat at a long, narrow table in the middle of Faye’s Diner. Zach was still in his uniform and the picture of him, looking so strong and unyielding, yet holding his infant daughter in his arms as if she were made of spun glass brought a lump to Sabrina’s throat. Savvy sat beside him, practically glowing as she looked at her husband and daughter.

On the opposite side were Sammie and Quinn, who in between bites of Faye’s delicious chicken and dumplings, kept whispering to each other as if they were teenagers. The occasional soft laughter from Sammie and responding husky chuckle from Quinn made Sabrina smile. Less than a year ago, Sammie had almost died and Quinn had been going through his own personal hell. To see them so happy and settled was a joy.

“Now what’s got you smiling so sad-like these days, Sabrina Sage?”

Turning to Gibby, Sabrina couldn’t help but be cheered. Though she was in her late seventies, Gibby had the gleeful demeanor of a mischievous child.
 

“Not sad at all, Aunt Gibby. Just happy to see how settled and content Savvy and Sammie are.”

“And wondering when that’s going to happen for you? I believe Ian would make you a fine husband. He’s a good upstanding man with honor and integrity. He’s nothing like that rapscallion Tyler Finley.”

Oh no, she would not have another conversation about this today. “How’s Fred doing? Has he grown much?”

“Why he’s gained ten pounds if he’s gained an ounce. And his paws? I swan, they’re bigger than my hands.”

“I’m glad he found a home with you.”

“Never thought I’d have a dog inside the house. Oscar and Samson aren’t exactly dog people, but after a few tense days filled with some pretty nasty meowing, they accepted him just fine.”

Sabrina grinned at her aunt’s words. Oscar and Samson were cats. The fact that she had described them as not being dog people was so very Gibby. Fred had definitely found his forever home.

When Sabrina had spotted the poor, malnourished mixed breed puppy wandering down the road a few months back, she hadn’t been able to resist picking him up. Though it was obvious the poor guy didn’t have a home, she’d taken him to the vet. After a few days of care and searching for an owner, the vet’s office had called with the news that he was now healthy and apparently belonged to no one. The first person Sabrina called on was Aunt Gibby, who’d taken one look at the puppy and promptly fallen in love.

A tall shadow loomed over them. “Miss Gibby, here’s a nice, juicy bone I wrapped up for Fred. It should take him a day or two to gnaw this one down.” Faye handed Gibby an aluminum foiled wrapped bundle. “I also included some shrimp and catfish bites so Oscar and Samson won’t get jealous.”
 

“Thank you kindly, Faye. He devoured the last one you gave him so fast, the cats pouted for days. They’ll be thrilled with their own treats.”

“How’s he doing?”

While Gibby regaled Faye with pet stories, Inez Peebles came to sit beside Savvy and admired the baby.

Sabrina gazed around the table and then her eyes moved to the rest of the diner. The restaurant was bustling, filled to the brim with Midnight residents who enjoyed gossip almost as much as they enjoyed Faye’s chicken and dumplings, shrimp and cheese grits, or her fried green tomatoes.
 

Sabrina had known most of these people her entire life. Often incredibly generous, occasionally irritating, and always amazingly nosy, they were her extended family. With the exception of just a few, she loved them all. At that thought, something settled inside her. This was good. This was her life, her family. Maybe she didn’t have everything her heart desired, but she had more than many people did…and certainly more than she deserved.

Had Ian arrived home yet? After what they’d said to each other, were things going to be awkward, uncomfortable between them? They’d had spats before but none that had cut so close to the bone…to the heart of their feelings for one another. The disappointment in his eyes, the sadness on his face, would be an image she’d carry in her mind for a long time. If only…

She shook her head, exasperated with herself. There were way too many ‘if onlys’ in her life and didn’t solve one damn problem.

A bell chimed, jerking her out of her thoughts and alerting everyone of a new customer. All eyes went to the front door and a long awkward silence followed, washing over the entire restaurant. A long time Midnight resident, one she and her family most certainly did not love, strolled toward them.

The determined expression on Ralph Henson’s sour face was enough to let everyone know something was about to happen.

Zach went to his feet and stood in front of Savvy and their baby, shielding them from Henson.

“I got a right, same as anyone else, to be here.”

“As long as you stay away from my family, I’ve got no problem with you being in any public place.”

Before Henson could respond, Quinn went to stand beside Zach. And Sammie and Sabrina stood on either side of them, a family united, ready to protect and defend what was theirs.

“Well now,” Henson sneered, “that’s quite a picture you men make. A thief and a murderer. You Wilde girls sure haven’t done very well for yourselves.”
 

Ugly, malice-filled eyes targeted Sabrina. “Maybe you can find yourself a rapist, little girlie. Then you Wilde girls will have a full set.”

Sabrina took a step forward, snarling, “You lowlife scum sucking piece of—”

“Henson,” Faye’s voice boomed like thunder. “You either sit your boney butt down at the counter and order a meal like decent folk or you forget about ever coming back in here again.”

It was no surprise to anyone when the man snapped his mouth shut and seated himself at the counter. While Henson might be willing to risk getting his butt kicked, he wasn’t about to take the chance of getting banned from Faye’s.

As if there had been no drama, Sabrina and her family settled back down at the table and resumed their meal. For just a couple seconds more, a pregnant silence permeated the room as if the onlookers were expecting something else to occur. When it was apparent that the fireworks had ended, the noise level increased as everyone discussed what had just happened.

“I’m sorry, you guys,” Zach said.

“It’s not your fault, Zach,” Gibby said. “Ralph Henson was born mean and he’ll die mean. And in between the two, he’ll do his best to make other folks as miserable as he is. Don’t you pay him no mind.”

Zach gave a grim nod. “Thank you, Aunt Gibby.” He gave Savvy a reassuring smile that didn’t erase the worry in his eyes.

Sabrina ground her teeth till her jaw hurt. Years ago, Ralph Henson had done his best to destroy a teenaged Zach. And now instead of acting like a decent person who might want to have some kind of relationship with his only grandchild, he was behaving like the ass he was.
 

Some day Ralph Henson would reap what he sowed. Sabrina could only pray that the fallout wouldn’t hurt Zach and Savvy.

Chapter Twenty-two

Tallahassee, Florida

Ian knew he was behaving like a jerk. Problem was he didn’t know how to stop. Other than a quick phone call to let Sabrina know he’d made it home safely, he hadn’t talked to her in almost three weeks. She’d called him several times and left messages. He hadn’t returned the calls.

He took a swig of his ice-cold beer and stared up at the night sky where millions of scattered stars lit up the heavens. Today’s temperature had been a scorching ninety-seven. Tonight’s humid eighty degrees wasn’t much better, but for the life of him, Ian couldn’t work up the energy to go inside like a sane man and cool off.
 

Seemed like the dog days of summer had arrived a helluva lot earlier than usual.

As if by psychic connection, Ian heard a clip-clop of claws on the tile an instant before twenty-seven pounds of Bassett Hound plopped into his lap. Grunting slightly, Ian watched as Jack circled a couple of times to get things just right and then settled down with a gusty sigh.

Rubbing a silky, floppy ear, Ian breathed out his own sigh. “We’re quite the pair, aren’t we, Jack? Two bachelors pining after the same girl.”

Although he and Jack lived together and had a good, affectionate bond, when Sabrina was around, the dog didn’t know Ian existed. For him it was all about Sabrina. Just one of the many things he and Jack had in common.

“You think I should suck it up and call her, don’t you?”

The only answer was an impolite doggy snore.

“At least one of us can sleep.”

Dropping his head back onto the cushion of the lounger, Ian resumed his star gazing. Maybe the answer was up there because he sure didn’t have one down here. He and Sabrina had been going like this for years now. And he had no reason to believe anything would ever change.

From the moment he’d met her, Ian had been entranced. He had liked her sense of humor as well as her dedication to the job, which seemed to mirror his own. They had soon realized that they made a great team, first as friends, then as partners, and not too long after that, as lovers.

There was something inside Sabrina that glowed. Some kind of inner light that radiated brightness and warmth. Ian didn’t have a poet like bone in his body, but Sabrina made him wish he did. He wanted to write sonnets, poems…hell, a whole damn book about what she did to him, the way he felt about her, what she meant to him.
 

But Sabrina didn’t want to hear any of those things from him. She wanted to keep things the way they were. He wanted more…a lot more. Seeing her only on the weekends wasn’t doing it for him anymore. He wanted it all.

Sure she’d had a rough experience. Getting your heart crushed wasn’t easy to get over. Sabrina had been young and vulnerable, easy pickings for a slimeball like Tyler Finley. Not only had the slug seen an easy mark, he had likely enjoyed someone as lovely and innocent as Sabrina falling for him.
 

Losing her parents at a young age and in such a traumatic way had most definitely made a major impact on her life. Because of that, Sabrina had issues long before Finley slithered his way into Midnight.
 

There was more, though. Had to be. Sabrina was tough and nobody’s fool, but she had something inside her, something that ate at her...something that just would not let her go.

If nothing else, her nightmares proved that. Not only did they torture her almost every night, they were heartbreaking in their simplicity. She didn’t wake up screaming. She didn’t shout or jump from the bed. Nothing dramatic. What she did do was worse in Ian’s estimation. He would rather she scream or shout as if she were doing battle. At least then he could be glad that she was fighting against whatever was hurting her. Instead, she whimpered like a beaten animal. She would wake with tears streaming down her face and the most heartbreaking sadness in her eyes.