Face Value (16 page)

Her body
answered his, clenching and throbbing around him until she felt as
if she might pass out. He looked her in the eye, penetrating her
with his stare. “What’s wrong?” She knew something was, whether he
would admit it or not. “Tucker?”

“Damn it.” He
dropped his head to rest on her pillow.

Her heart
hammered in her chest as he rolled to his back beside her. What
now? Would he ask her to leave? Before he had the chance, she swung
her legs over the edge of the bed.

Tucker grabbed
her wrist. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“Home.” She
didn’t trust herself to lie beside him and keep her feelings in
check. Basking in the moment wasn’t an option when he held the
power to break her resolve.

“Not a
chance.”

“I have work
tomorrow.” She tried to shake him off, but his grip tightened. “So
do you.”

He tugged her
back down and pulled her into his arms. “I’ll do the site visit in
the morning while you go home and change.”

It was a
tempting offer, but if she stayed, she wouldn’t want to leave. “You
can’t waste any more time on me.” She hadn’t intended that the way
it sounded, but his dirty look told her how he’d interpreted
it.

He seized her
chin, turning her face toward him. “Don’t ever imply I’m wasting my
time with you.”

“Isn’t that
what we’re both doing?” She had to put some distance between them
so she could talk herself down off the ledge before she leaped into
loving Tucker. “Killing time until the next one comes along?” Just
the thought of it turned her stomach. She couldn’t imagine being
with another man, and the thought of Tucker making love to another
woman was even more repulsive.

Tucker narrowed
his eyes. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“You said
yourself this is just a temporary thing…” She pretended to be
unaffected, but she suspected she was failing miserably. “It won’t
be long before another pretty young thing turns your head.” And
Lauren would want to scratch her eyes out.

“Is that what
you think?”

“That’s the way
it is. I thought you said you were in this for a good time, not a
long time. Did I misunderstand?”
Please tell me I’m wrong. Tell
me you were a fool to think you could ever let me go.

He sat up,
resting his weight on his elbow as he faced her. “You know I don’t
want to hurt you.”

But he was.
“You’re not hurting me.” She lifted her chin. “You made yourself
perfectly clear earlier, Tucker. I get it.”

Tucker walked into
Jimmy’s the next day still in a foul mood. Lauren had walked out of
his house without a backward glance, and letting her go took every
ounce of self-control he possessed.

That girl
rocked his world, and he didn’t know what the hell he would do
about it.

Tucker spotted
J.T. behind the bar talking to one of his bartenders.

J.T. scowled
when he caught Tucker’s eye, and Tucker knew their talk wouldn’t
end well.

“Can I have a
word with you, J.T.?” Tucker asked when J.T. wandered over to
collect his keys and cell phone from behind the bar.

“I’ve got
nothin’ to say to you.”

“Then you won’t
mind listening.” He didn’t want to go toe-to-toe with Lauren’s
father, but he had a problem with anyone reducing her to tears, and
Tucker couldn’t let it go without telling J.T. how he felt. “I care
about your daughter.”

“You don’t even
know her,” J.T. said between clenched teeth.

Based on how
long they’d known each other, J.T.’s claim should have been
accurate, but Lauren had gotten closer to Tucker in days than other
women had managed in months. “You’re wrong… about a lot of things.”
He’d promised himself he would maintain his composure, but it
wasn’t easy with J.T. looking at him as if he was pond scum.

“I suppose
you’re here to set me straight?”

“I know you
don’t like me.”

“With good
reason.”

Tucker pinched
the bridge of his nose and prayed for patience. “I know I’ve busted
up your bar a few times, and I’m sorry about that. I paid for
damages-”

“I’m more
concerned about the damage you’re gonna do to my daughter.”

That hurt more
than it should have. Tucker would never intentionally hurt Lauren,
and he would level anyone who tried. “You don’t know me and-”

“I know you’ve
been in jail ‘cause you can’t control your goddamn temper.” J.T.
leaned forward until he invaded Tucker’s space. “And I know you got
away with a hell of a lot more. They should have locked you up and
thrown away the key.”

Was he trying
to provoke Tucker? Did he want Tucker to hit him so Lauren would
see him for the brute J.T. claimed he was? “You don’t know what
landed me in jail.” And he never would. Lauren was the only person
he’d shared that story with, and that’s how he intended to keep
it.

“I don’t care
what you say. I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let my daughter be your
next victim.”

“What the hell
are you talking about? I would never hurt her!” Tucker lowered his
voice when the lunch crowd turned to stare. “I don’t know where you
get off-”

“I bet your
ex-wife thought you’d never lay a hand on her too, didn’t she?”

“What?” Tucker
couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Had Amanda spread her lies at
Jimmy’s? No wonder J.T. hated him. “Whatever Amanda told you was a
lie.”

“I saw the
pictures.” J.T. looked disgusted. “You beat the hell out of
her.”

Tucker felt
sick just remembering the way Amanda looked after that beating.
“How did you see those pictures?”

“My brother
Derek is the chief of police.”

Oh no.
Tucker hadn’t expected that. “Those charges were dropped.” He
wouldn’t share the whole sordid story with a man who didn’t like or
respect him. No matter what he said, J.T. would never believe him.
“Amanda realized she was making a mistake.”

“Abused women
often drop the charges. What did you do? Threaten her life… or how
about your kids? Did you threaten to hurt them? Is that why she
backed down?”

Tucker wanted
to jump over the counter and tackle Lauren’s old man. How dare he
insinuate Tucker would ever hurt his children? “You don’t know what
the hell you’re talking about. If you were smart, you’d shut your
mouth. Now.”

J.T. looked at
his watch. “Lauren should be seeing those pictures right about
now.”

“What?”
Tucker’s heart pounded so hard, he knew his blood pressure must be
high enough to warrant a stroke. “I can’t believe you’d do that.”
He shouldn’t be surprised. J.T. would obviously go to any lengths
to protect his daughter. He wanted to hate the man, but he couldn’t
fault him for trying to protect his child. Tucker would have done
the same thing.

“I couldn’t get
through to her.” J.T. shrugged. “I thought maybe my brother
could.”

“You think that
will change the way your daughter feels about me?” How could it
not? She would take one look at Amanda’s battered face and believe
he was the monster responsible.

“I can pretty
much guarantee it.” J.T. leaned against the sink behind him, a
smile lighting his face as he crossed his arms. “Whatever you
thought you had goin’ on with my daughter is over. Now get the hell
out of my bar and don’t ever come back.”

***

Lauren was
surprised when her uncle Derek called and asked her to stop by the
station. When she asked why, he’d been very vague, telling her they
needed to talk about something.

“There she is,”
Derek said, looking up from his desk with a wide smile. “I was
beginnin’ to think you’d stood me up.” He came around the desk and
enveloped his niece in a hug.

“How’s it
going, Chief?” she asked, kissing his cheek. “Are you keeping our
community safe?”

“Doin’ my
best.” He pointed at one of two chairs across from his desk. “Have
a seat, darlin’.”

“How’s
Ashley?”

His face lit up
when she mentioned his wife. Derek had finally married his college
sweetheart after years of being apart, and he often said he’d never
been happier. “Couldn’t be better. She’s retirin’ this year. I’m
thinkin’ it might be time for me to do the same. We always talked
about travelin’. It might be time to start, while we’re still fit
enough to enjoy it.”

Lauren knew her
uncle and his wife worked out together every day. They both looked
fantastic. “I think you should, Uncle Derek. You guys have earned
it.”

“Listen, I know
you’re busy,” he said, looking suddenly uneasy as he laced his
hands over his flat stomach. “I wouldn’t have called you down here
unless it was important.”

She edged
forward, trying to tamp down her uneasiness. Derek didn’t pull
punches, and his hesitance to share the reason for her visit made
her nervous. “Whatever it is, just say it. Please.”

“Your daddy
tells me you’ve been seein’ someone new.”

Of course the
visit was about Tucker. She should have known. “If you’re going to
tell me he’s been in jail, I already know that, and I know the
reason why.” She sighed. “He’s a good guy, Uncle Derek.”

“Honey, there
are things about him you may not know.” His blue eyes softened. “I
hate to be the one to tell you this…”

She couldn’t
imagine Derek could say anything to obliterate the amazing night
they’d spent together, but she knew if she left without hearing him
out, she would always wonder what he might have said. “Just tell
me.”

Derek reached
for a file and pulled out large, glossy photos depicting a battered
and bruised Amanda. Her face had garish purple contusions, and her
right eye was nearly swollen shut. Lauren’s hand flew to her mouth,
her eyes wide.

“I’m so sorry I
have to show you these.”

“Tucker
wouldn’t do this,” she said quietly, praying she was right. The man
who had held her when she’d cried couldn’t be capable of that kind
of violence. Tucker’s words filtered in and out of her head. He’d
told her he was dangerous; he said he scared himself sometimes. Was
he talking about those photos?

“The report
says otherwise.”

“Amanda claims
he did this to her?” She had known Amanda a long time. She had
accused her ex-husband of a lot things, but she’d never said he
beat her. Of course, a lot of women carried the shame with them,
believing they’d somehow said or done something to warrant the
attack. Is that what happened with Amanda and Tucker? Just thinking
about it made Lauren sick.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t she
press charges?”

“She did, but
she dropped them before the case went to trial. Without her
testimony, we couldn’t prove he was responsible for her
injuries.”

Lauren folded
her arms over her body when her stomach started to cramp. “I can’t
believe this.” She didn’t want to believe it. Tucker wouldn’t do
something like that. Would he? She knew he had trouble controlling
his temper, but surely he wasn’t capable of inflicting horrific
injuries on a woman he once claimed to love, or any woman for that
matter.

“Pictures don’t
lie, Lauren. The man is dangerous. He has a violent temper, and I
don’t want you to be his next victim.”

Lauren’s eyes
flew to her uncle’s. He was serious. He really thought Tucker could
do that to
her.

“I know you
don’t want to believe the worst of him, but you have to weigh the
facts. You can’t ignore his history. He’s gotten into it at Jimmy’s
I don’t how many times over the years. He put that guy in the
hospital for weeks, and this…”

Lauren reached
for the pictures. There were half a dozen of them, each more
shocking than the last. Her stomach bottomed out. How could he have
done that?

“I know you’ve
been fightin’ with your daddy about this, but he’s just lookin’ out
for you, darlin’.”

“My dad knew
about this?” she whispered.

“Yeah, he
knew.”

No wonder J.T.
was adamant she keep her distance from Tucker. She stood up,
praying her trembling legs would carry her all the way to the
parking lot. She had to see someone. “Thanks for showing me
these.”

Derek came
around the desk and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry,
honey.” He stroked her hair as he held her head against his chest.
“I know you liked this guy.”

Like
didn’t begin to describe what she’d felt for him. But maybe she
didn’t know him at all. If she could fall in love with a monster
like that, what did it say about her?

“It’ll be
okay,” Derek said, kissing the top of her head. “Better you found
out now, right? Before he hurt you.” He pulled back, looking her in
the eye. “Then I would have killed him.”

“I love you,”
she said, looping her arms around his back. Thank God she still had
a family who loved and supported her. They would help her get
through anything.

***

Lauren walked
into Jimmy’s feeling numb. Those pictures sifted through her mind
on the short drive from the station until they felt etched into her
memory. She’d imagined what must have led up to it, how hard Tucker
must have hit his wife to inflict that kind of damage.

J.T. looked up
from his post behind the bar, looking wary when he saw her.

“Can I talk to
you, Dad?”

He nodded and
gestured toward his office in the rear of the bar.

Lauren followed
him, mentally rehearsing what she would say. She’d almost
compromised her relationship with her father. What had she been
thinking?

When they were
sequestered in his office, she took a deep breath and faced him.
“Uncle Derek showed me the pictures.”

“I know.” J.T.
perched on the edge of his desk, waiting for her to continue.

“I can’t
believe Tucker would do that.” Her voice trembled, and she cleared
her throat to try to gain the strength to continue. “It looks like
you were right about him.” She wanted to believe there was another
explanation, but her uncle was right. The proof was in the
pictures, not to mention Tucker’s violent history and his own
incriminating words. She would be a fool to ignore all the evidence
against him.