Blazing Hotter (Love Under Fire Book 2) (27 page)

Looking down at her arms, she took an assessment as best she could of the healing process. The cuts had scabbed over and her bruises from the beating were appearing more faded. The pain was also at a tolerable level, and Cassie didn’t feel the need to click her medicine pump, which was usually the first thing she did upon opening her eyes. She just might live through this.

The door to her room clicked open softly and a mechanical sound filled the room as Frankie rolled inside, shutting the door and rolling to her bedside, carefully balancing a glass of water on his wheelchair’s tray.

“I thought the chair was ruined,” Cassie said.

Frankie jumped in surprise, making the water slosh dangerously in the cup as he looked up at her. “You’re awake!”

She nodded. “I’m awake. They told me you’ve been here, but I kept sleeping. Sorry about that. I’ve missed you.”

He rolled the rest of the distance between them, reaching out to hold her hand. “I’ve missed you too. As far as the chair, it was a loss. Luckily, my dad had talked me into putting insurance on it after my job interview that day. They worked quickly to fill the claim and get me mobile again.”

“That’s a relief,” she agreed.

An awkward silence filled the room, and Cassie didn’t know what to say. The last time she’d talked to Frankie, she had admitted she loved him. After everything that happened, did he still feel the same? She was only more sure now that she wanted to be with him, but the last month had been crazy. It was a lot for anyone to take in.

“Listen,” she said, unable to handle the silence longer, “I’m not sure if you’re still up to moving in with me, but that’s what I want. However, I haven’t come clean with you and I need to tell you something.”

“I already know,” Frankie said. “It’s—”

A knock sounded against the doorway, stopping whatever he’d been able to say. When the door opened, Detective Emily Rogers poked her head inside. “Oh, good,” she said. “You’re both here. That’ll save me a trip of tracking down Frankie.”

“You have news on Rose and Kenneth?” Cassie asked, figuring there would be no other reason the detective would come to the hospital in person.

Rogers nodded, pulling a chair beside the bed next to Frankie and sitting down. “Now that Rose is fully recovered and has left the hospital to join us over at the jail, she’s awful talkative.”

Cassie grunted, not surprised. “Stupid woman didn’t realize Kenneth was using her, but that certainly became clear when he knocked her upside the head.”

“Too true,” Rogers agreed. “She’s been spilling her guts out in exchange for a good plea.”

“You’re letting her off?” Frankie shook his head. “She’s the one who cut Cassie up.”

“She’s not getting off,” Rogers clarified. “It was clear her lawyer would use a temporary insanity defense, and the district attorney worried it would work. He offered no trial and a cushy sentence inside a really nice mental facility.”

“How long?” Cassie asked, wondering if Rose would have her freedom in a few short years after having killed that third girl in Cassie’s place. “You know she did everything the night Kenneth had that emergency surgery, right? She didn’t have to do that. She wanted to provide him with an alibi, and from the joyful way she cut into me, I think the woman likes killing.”

“I know that.” Rogers sighed, crossing one leg over the other. “The problem is, without her cooperation we don’t have a lot to hold over Kenneth. True, he was in that shack with you, but he is maintaining he was there to save you. It’s your word against his and he was already making noise about how you wrongfully accused him once before.”

Cassie narrowed her eyes, thinking that over. It would be a stretch for any jury to believe Kenneth had gone all the way to Hawaii on a hunch that Rose was planning to kill a woman who had once wronged him. What person in their right mind would try to rescue that person? If he had some concern, he should have called the cops.

“She’ll still get life,” Rogers clarified, “just at a nicer place than she would have otherwise.”

Frankie met Cassie’s gaze. “It’s fair,” he said, “especially if she can help nail Kenneth and make sure he doesn’t get away with it.”

“That’s how we see it,” Rogers agreed. “He killed three people and tried to kill you and Rose. She kept some of their text messages and even though they are vague and not outright confessions, between the two of you testifying and his ex-girlfriend agreeing to be a character witness against him, telling why she left and fled across the country, we believe he’ll plead guilty and forego a trial. The DA is taking the death penalty off the table if he does.”

“But he’ll get life?” Cassie asked.

“Life sentences for each murder.”

Cassie squeezed Frankie’s hand, glad it was finally over. “As long as they are both locked up and can’t hurt anyone. I’m fine with that. Is Lynn okay? Did Kenneth... hurt her?”

To Cassie’s relief, Rogers shook her head. “She said it was all control and mental abuse. Nothing physical like what he did to you, but enough to keep her scared and under his thumb.”

“I wish I’d done more to warn her.” Cassie sighed, wishing there had been something she could have done. “I tried, but she didn’t want to listen to me.”

“Kenneth is good at what he does,” Rogers said. “There was nothing you could have done. Unfortunately, with people like him that are such good liars, everyone has to figure it out on their own.”

Speaking of liars, Cassie still needed to come clean with Frankie. There was still one thing she needed to know before Rogers left, however. “What about Sandy? Rose had a wig to make herself look like the other nurse, and I think she was planning to pin the murders on her. Judging by Kenneth’s plans being different, I’ve been worried if he hurt Sandy.”

Rogers shook her head. “We found Sandy locked up in her own basement shortly after Frankie rescued you from that hut. Apparently, Rose and Kenneth broke into her house the day before. They chained her up downstairs but left her with food and water within reach.”

Cassie exchanged a startled glance with Frankie. “Why would they do that?”

“I only have guesses, since they are both denying they did anything to her,” Rogers said. “They knew we were watching Sandy after the whole flower thing. It was her credit card they used to purchase tickets to Hawaii. Rose probably thought they were going to come home, untie her, and let her take the fall for killing you and the other women.”

Frankie narrowed his eyes, seeming as confused as Cassie felt. “But then why did Kenneth decide to kill Rose if he already had Sandy standing by to take the rap for it?”

“That one’s easy to figure out,” Rogers replied. “Sandy worked during two of the killings, and her alibi is firm. That’s part of the reason we didn’t realize she was missing for an entire day, because we were no longer looking at her as a suspect. Kenneth had to know that, so he still needed two people to take the blame. He was going to let Sandy take his place as Rose’s accomplice.”

Cassie’s stomach turned. “He thought nothing of destroying all those women just because I refused to date him three years ago and Lynn managed to leave. I don’t understand how someone could be that deranged.”

“He felt like you and Lynn wronged him,” Rogers said. “You made a fool out of him, and he couldn’t tolerate that once Lynn left. I think the urge to kill was always in him. This situation just gave him what he felt was a legitimate reason to follow through with his urges.”

“Thanks for coming by and telling us,” Cassie said. “I’m glad to know he and Rose can’t hurt anyone else, and I’m glad Sandy is safe.”

“You’re welcome.” Rogers stood, resting her hand against the back of the black plastic chair. “One more thing. You were right about the Hinesman kid passing away. The one you told me had quit breathing back when Kenneth trapped you in the hallway. I’ve spoken to his mom. She admitted she was the person you saw in the hallway that day at the rehab center. She never planned to harm you, but she was angry so wanted to tell you off. I told her what really happened the night her son stopped breathing. I think she feels better knowing her kid is getting justice of some sort and Kenneth is going to jail for life.”

Cassie blinked back tears, wondering if the damage Kenneth had done would ever stop piling up, even years after he did things. She could only imagine what the families of the women he’d murdered were going through and would continue to go through for the rest of their lives.

“If I’m being honest,” Cassie said, “I’m a little sorry he isn’t getting the death penalty.”

Rogers’s lips twitched into a frown and she nodded. “Me too.”

Turning, she left the room without a backward glance.

Now all Cassie had to do was face Frankie. One more hurdle for them to overcome, and they could move on with their life and hopefully, find a future.

***

F
rankie waited for the door to fully close behind the detective. He squeezed Cassie’s hand, which was a spot that didn’t seem to hurt her if he touched it. “You okay?”

She blinked rapidly, and he knew she tried not to cry, but she also gave a tremulous smile. “I’ll be okay. He was a destructive force, and I’m sad for everyone who had to deal with him.”

“I know. Sometimes when things like this happen, it can make you feel guilty you survived when others didn’t.”

Cassie nodded. “I think you might be one of the only people who truly understand how I feel. Why did I get to live when others didn’t?”

“Same reason I had the nightmares about those poor kids for so long.” Frankie knew Cassie would have a long road ahead of her. It wasn’t easy to let go of guilt, no matter how innocent the person feeling it truly was. “You’ll get through this, Cassie, and I’ll be here for you every step of the way.”

Knowing he would be pressing his luck, but unable to wait any longer, Frankie removed his hand from Cassie’s to reach into his pocket for the tiny diamond ring he’d bought her.

“I know this isn’t much. It’s all I could afford right now.” He showed the ring to her. “It’s okay if you still need time, but I know what I want. Say you’ll stay with me and work on our future. Nothing else matters to me except that right now.”

She gasped slightly and raised her hand toward the ring, brushing it lightly with her fingertip. “Frankie, that’s the sweetest thing I can imagine, but we need to talk first. I started this relationship on a lie, and you have to know the truth before we go any further.”

“I already know,” he repeated, just like he’d tried to tell her before Detective Rogers walked in. “You tricked me into getting you pregnant, but it’s okay. I’ll stick with you no matter what, Cassie. I love you and I’m glad we’re going to have a baby.”

“They did a pregnancy test here, Frankie. I’m not pregnant.”

Frankie closed his eyes, heavy disappointment settling on his chest. The past week had been wonderful, believing he and Cassie had started a family. The doctors wouldn’t tell him anything specific, but they had said she was healthy and would make a full recovery. He assumed that meant the baby was fine too. “Laura said you weren’t sure about the pregnancy, but I wanted it to be true.” He looked back at her, shrugging slightly. “Did that bastard make you lose it by hurting you or were you never pregnant?”

“I wasn’t pregnant.” She took his hand back in hers, setting the ring on his wheelchair table and leaning forward to kiss his fingers. “For the record, I never planned to get pregnant to trap you. I really do love you, Frankie. That night, I wanted you so badly. I had convinced myself it was nothing more than lust, but I wanted to be with you more than I wanted to be rational. I told you I couldn’t get pregnant so you’d make love to me.”

Thayne would be happy to know she hadn’t tried to trap him. It hadn’t mattered to Frankie one way or the other. However, it certainly boosted his ego knowing she’d been so wild for him that she hadn’t wanted to stop.

“I’m sorry for lying,” she said, seeming nervous that he hadn’t responded. “Does this change the way you feel? Is the possibility of a baby the only reason you asked me to be with you?”

“Don’t ever think that,” he said. “I knew I wanted you almost from the second we left the rehab center together.”

“It was the same for me,” she whispered, looking away from his gaze. “I was too scared to admit it.”

“It’s not that I don’t eventually want kids,” Frankie clarified, “but it doesn’t have to happen right now. Dispatch called and that job is mine, so I’m going to be busy between getting rehab after my amputation next week and then starting the job.” He squeezed her hand. “As excited as I was about the possibility of a kid, I’m also a bit relieved that I get you to myself for a while.”

Tears shimmered at the bottom of her eyelids without falling when she looked back at him. “Knowing that I started us out with a lie, you still want to be with me?”

“You really need to ask?” He pulled her forward, cupping her hand against his cheek. “All I want is you. I love you.”

Cassie let out an audible breath of relief. “It’s actually been a big worry for me, to tell you the truth. My parents divorced, yours are in the middle of a divorce, and I started us off on a lie. I was afraid you wouldn’t forgive me, and all I want is to be with you.”

Frankie picked up the ring, pressing it back into the palm of her hand. “Then put this on, love. Just because we didn’t get pregnant the first time around, that doesn’t mean we can’t try again later.”

Laughing, Cassie slipped the ring onto her finger and then swung her legs over the side of the bed. She set his water on the nearby rolling table and removed the tabletop from Frankie’s wheelchair. “I haven’t stood much in days, but I need to kiss my man.”

Frankie patted his lap. “Then get down here.”

Cassie practically fell into his lap, but the pain it flared throughout his legs was short lived when her lips crashed against his.

Persistence had paid off and Cassie stopped running. Just holding her in his arms made Frankie’s love blaze hotter than it had before. Nothing could stop them from taking this world by storm. Physical disabilities, killers, and even insecurities couldn’t hold them back. They had each other, and that was all they needed.