Maybe This Time (The Educators Book 3) (11 page)

Only that comment drew her gaze away from the floor where her kitten lay motionless. “You could kill him.”

“Nah, it’s a little bomb.”

Finally, Schmooze stood. Steph bolted off the bed but before she could scoop up the kitten, Schmooze did. Steph saw Violet was awake. “We’re takin’ your little buddy here to make sure you show up and help us.”

“You can’t. Please, Schmooze, don’t take her.”

They headed to the exit.

Steph called out, “Why do you care if I come?”

Schmooze stopped at the door and pivoted around. Now her face was cruel and ugly. “Because you know. Now you have to be a part of it.” She dangled Violet by the scruff of the neck. “Or else.”

“I’ll come. I promise. Please don’t hurt my kitten.”

“You better be there because if you don’t, this little one you love so much is gonna be history.”

With that she and Mitz turned and walked out.

Stephanie burst into tears. She cried so hard she could barely see straight. Finally, she got control of herself, picked up her phone and dialed. “Please, please answer.”

She got voice mail. “Gage Grayson. Leave a message and I’ll call you as soon as I can.”

“Oh, Daddy,” she mumbled. “Why aren’t you ever there for me?”

o0o

Gage was walking into the courtroom when he heard his phone buzz. He checked the ID, saw that it was Steph, just when his associate came up to him. “Gage, there’s a new development in the case and you have to see this information before the judge gets here.”

He took the file and glanced at his watch. Hell, he had to read the new material. Promising himself he’d call his daughter as soon as he could, he opened the folder.

But something niggled at him. A father’s foreboding. So he brushed aside the folder, took out his phone again and pressed return to call Steph back. He got a busy signal. Well, it couldn’t have been that important if she was on the line with someone else. Still, he’d check with her as soon as court was over.

o0o

Delaney was grading the interminable pile of essays in her classroom when Dylan Kane came to the door. Immediately, she stiffened. Had Annie and Brie told her secret? They promised they wouldn’t and she believed them, so she’d play this cool. He asked, “Can I talk to you a minute?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He closed the door on his way in. Uh-oh.

Leaning against one of the student desks, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Stephanie Grayson was out today.”

“I know. Girl stuff. I talked to her at twelve. She said she was feeling better.”

“Sara Simpson and Mitzy Porter were also out. Of course we know what happened to Catherine Long. Poor kid.” He shook his head. “I’m worried about the three of them. More worried that Steph is getting sucked into a bad crowd.”

“I am, too. But for what it’s worth, I don’t think she sees them as much as she did before.”

“I’ve noticed her in this room after school a lot. Seen her get into your car. Can you tell me why you’re spending time with her?” Dylan’s tone was inquiring, not accusing.

“I guess.” She explained that Gage was worried about Steph. About Delaney’s own concerns.

Dylan had a great smile, one that now lit up his face. “That is so nice of you to do. Kids need adults in their lives who care about them.”

“I agree.”

“You’re a good teacher, Delaney. I hope we’re making you feel at home here in the high school.”

“I had dinner with your wife and Brie last night.”

“You did? I knew she was seeing Brie. I took the boys to a ball game. I’m glad you’re making friends. As for Steph, keep an eye--”

Delaney’s phone on the desk chimed. She looked down. “Speak of the devil. This is a text from Steph. Let me…oh, dear, Dylan, it says
Urgent. Call me. Please
.”

“Do it right now. I’ve had a bad feeling about these girls all week.”

She punched in Steph’s number. The girl answered on the first right. “Dad?”

“No, honey, it’s me. Ms. Dawson. What’s wrong?”

Steph began to sob. She was incoherent. “Steph, calm down and tell me what happened.”

“S-Schmooze and Mitz took Violet.” Hiccups and sniffles. “They’re gonna kill her if I don’t help out. But I can’t help. I can’t do it.”

She glanced at Dylan whose expression matched hers.

Finally, Steph said, “They’re gonna do something. Tonight. I have to go at nine.”

“No, you don’t. Stay put. Is your mother with you?”

“No, she went out.” More sobs.

“Steph, I’ll be right over. Promise me you won’t go anywhere.”

“I…I promise.”

She filled Dylan in as she stood.

“I’ll follow you over. I need to hear this.”

Hurrying to her car, she saw Dylan was on the phone. She still held hers in her hand so she punched in Gage’s number. Just as she reached her vehicle, she got his voice mail. Leaving “It’s urgent, Gage, call me back,” she got in her car and broke the speed limit over to Stephanie’s house. The ten minute drive was excruciating, but Dylan following behind made her feel better.

Please, God, let Steph be home. Don’t let her have left.

They parked their cars in the driveway and headed to the house. They rang the bell, but no one answered. Dylan tried the knob and it was open. Delaney raced upstairs and found Steph on the bed, clutching her pillow. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “They took Violet.”

Delaney dropped down on the side of the mattress. “Listen, Steph, we’ll get Violet back. But we need to know what Schmooze and Mitz are planning that they’d blackmail you into helping them. It’s not good, is it?”

She looked over Delaney’s shoulder at Dylan, who said, “Tell us, Steph. We can help. That’s what we’re here for.”

o0o

Court ran longer than he expected so it was after six before Gage got to call Steph. She didn’t answer and hadn’t left a message. There was a voice mail from Delaney, whom he’d call after he tried Andrea’s cell.

“Hello, darling,” she said into the phone.

“I need to talk to Steph.” He heard sounds in the background. “Where are you?”

“I’m at dinner with Deidre.”

“Steph’s with you and Deidre?”

“Of course not, she’d be bored silly. She’s home with her beloved kitten. If I’d known she’d react this way, I would have gotten her a pet sooner.”

“She’s sick today, Andrea. She shouldn’t be left alone.”

“Girl problems. She was fine when I left.”

By now, he’d gotten to his car and headed out of the parking garage. “What time was that?”

“Around three. Some of her friends came over.”

“Friends? Who?”

“I heard Steph call her schmooze, whatever that means.”

“Jesus Christ, Andrea, those are the exact girls we’re trying to keep her away from. That’s why we’ve been chaperoning her so closely.”

“Who’s we?”

“Never mind. Just go home. I’m headed there now, but it’ll take me a half hour.”

“I’ll go home as soon as I finish my meal.”

The drive to Crystal Corners took longer given traffic, but Gage finally pulled onto the street where he used to live.

And saw cop cars in front of his house.

o0o

Stephanie, Delaney, Dylan and two uniformed cops were in the great room when Gage barreled through the front door. Delaney was never so glad to see anybody in her life.

Not so for Steph. She curled up closer to Delaney on the couch and tucked her head into Delaney’s shoulder. It had been a rough few hours.

Gage looked panicked. “What’s going on? Why are the police here?”

Dylan approached him. “Your daughter reported possible criminal activity planned for tonight. She called Delaney, whom I was with, and we rushed over. When we got the whole story, we called the police. We’re waiting now to hear if they found the girls in time.” He explained the gist of it.

Meanwhile, Delaney watched Gage’s face go from puzzlement, to fear to frustration. After Dylan finished, Gage crossed to her and Steph and knelt down in front of the couch. “Hey, honey. It’s Dad. Look at me.”

She burrowed in more.

“Steph, please.”

“Stephanie, talk to your father,” Delaney said. “Nobody’s mad at you. You did what was right.”

Slowly she turned her tear-streaked face to her father. “You said you’re there for me but you’re not. I called you first. First! And you were too busy to answer. You’re always too busy for me. I
needed
you and you weren’t there.”

“Steph, I tried to call you back but your line was busy. Then court started and I couldn’t.”

“Work always comes first. You’re a shitty father and I wish I never believed you were interested in me.”

Gage’s face turned pale, his eyes bleak. And Delaney couldn’t even comfort him. Instead, she hugged his daughter tighter.

They waited in stilted, stony silence for another hour, no one knowing what to say to each other. When the doorbell finally rang, Gage went to the foyer.

He came back into the room with the detective who’d been at the house earlier.

Gage said, “They got to Schmooze before she could plant the bomb. She’s in custody.”

Steph wouldn’t even look at him. Delaney tugged at her. “Honey, turn around. You’re gonna want to see this.”

When she did, she started to weep. In Gage’s big hands was the tiny kitten.

It meowed.

Chapter 9

Delaney rolled over in her bed, having forced herself to awaken from a dream. In it were Gage, Stephanie, Schmooze and other people who hovered on the edge of blurriness. But soon, the fatigue of the last few days won out and she drifted off…

Schmooze held Stephanie at gunpoint and spoke to Delaney. “You think you’re so smart, Dawson. Keeping her away from us. We got her in the end.”

Delaney, huddled in the corner, clutching a tiny baby in a pink blanket, couldn’t speak she was so afraid.

Suddenly, Gage appeared, big and wonderful and strong and she felt so comforted she stepped out of the shadows. He held up a finger to Schmooze and Steph, as if telling them to wait a second, then crossed to Delaney. “You can trust me. I’ll make everything all right.” Gently he took the baby out of her arms. Returned to the two girls, he held up Delaney’s daughter--oh my God, by the scruff of the neck like a cat--and said, “Here, take her instead…”

This time, Delaney woke up screaming.

She was breathing hard and sweat covered her entire body. Her hand went to her mid-section where her baby nestled. Eschewing sleep, Delaney scrambled out of bed and sat on the side of it. She shivered in the boxers and T-shirt she’d worn to bed. After hitting the bathroom and throwing on a robe, she went to the kitchen to make the tea Brie had given her. She wasn’t a tea person, but she’d tasted this brand and liked it. Once the drink brewed, she took a mugful into the living area, dropped down on the couch and tried to think straight, which was hard given the events of the last few days.

Schmooze’s parents had gotten the girl out on bail and hired a shark to defend her. People at school were still buzzing about the events and from what she’d heard, Steph was a hero among the staff. The fate of the other girls was still unknown, even though they’d been suspended from school indefinitely.

The clock struck twelve, and in the loneliness of midnight, she kept hearing Steph’s words,
You said you’d be there for me but you weren’t…I needed you…I was stupid to believe you.

Rationally, Delaney knew Gage had tried to call Steph right back, but she understood the girl’s anger. He hadn’t been there for her most of her life. He’d made strides lately, but let her down again and their newly formed bond was shattered.

Could they work it out?

And in the dark of night, all Delaney’s old fears and insecurities surfaced. Could
she
trust Gage? Her hand went to her stomach. If he couldn’t be there for Steph, what kind of a father would he be to her baby?

Despite the hot tea and robe, Delaney shivered. Suddenly, the dream made sense.

o0o

Three days had passed before Gage could make time to see Delaney. Now, as he drove to her apartment after work, he couldn’t believe how much he missed her, especially given the high drama of last week. He’d contented himself with texts, some tender, some sexy, and late night phone calls, but he was happy that tonight, he and Delaney could be together. It was Monday, Steph was back with her mother and would return to school tomorrow.

Dressed in skin tight leggings and a hot pink blouse, she greeted him at the door with a big hug. He encompassed her in his arms, closed his eyes and sighed. “Finally,” he whispered in her ear. Just the scent of her—some kind of bath splash she used—calmed him.

“I missed you, too. It seems like our four days together were eons ago.”

“They might as well have been.”

She drew back and smiled up at him. The deep shade of her shirt highlighted her cheeks and the color of her hair, which fell in soft waves down to her breasts. He liked it better that way than some of the crazy dos she wore. She asked, “How about a drink?”

“God, I’d love one.”

“Sit. You look exhausted.”

As he yanked off his tie and suit coat, he watched her disappear behind the screen at the other end of the big room, then his gaze snagged on the hammock. His whole body reacted when he recalled what they’d done on those ropes.

Returning with ice in a glass and a bottle, she set both down on the table. “You bought my Scotch.”

A cute half smile. “Yeah, I figured you were going to be around to drink it.”

Kissing her as she sat, he smiled. “I am.”

“So, how’s Steph?”

“Demure. Fearful of going back. Sad, I think. She’s still mad at me for not being there, but I sense she’s thawing some.”

“Have you tried talking to her?”

That irritated him, maybe because it was hard to take more criticism, especially from Delaney. “Of course. But she refuses to accept the fact that I called her back right away and again as soon as court was over.”

Delaney sipped some soda water from a glass that had been on the table. “It’s more than that. Trust is fragile, Gage, and you two were rebuilding yours. The slightest thing can dent a relationship that’s recovering from past difficulties.”