Promise Renewed (25 page)

Agent Peavy nodded. “You’re to be commended. Both of you. Sorry to say you won’t get a public commendation, as your actions in this operation will stay quiet. It’s for your own safety. I’ve already warned your squad how important that is.”

Darin ignored the conversation.

His mouth was dry, his heart splintered. He couldn’t get past the fact that Gina had lied.

“I was doing my job, Darin.”

“Of course you were.” The words came out as cold as his heart.

Before he hit something, Darin walked out of the office a second time.

Gina ran after him. “Wait, Darin. Let me explain.”

He ignored her and headed for the nearest exit. She had to run to catch up with him, but he didn’t slow down.

She grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. “Please, Darin. It was my job. I had to have the evidence to take to my superiors to clear your name.”

“You couldn’t tell me? Not even when we kissed? Not after you told me your secrets? Or was that all made up, too?”

She blanched. “The kisses were part of the job. You said so yourself.”

“You don’t really believe that. You couldn’t.”

The expression on her face told him she didn’t know he’d fallen for her. Maybe it was for the best.

“I wanted to tell you about IA,” she said. “I couldn’t.”

“Just not bad enough.”

“Don’t be like this, Darin.”

“Don’t be like this? Did I lie to you? I trusted you from the very beginning. Did you think I was doing an investigation to cover up a crime
I
committed?” He brushed her hand off his jacket, headed for the door again, unable to believe after all this time, everything had been a lie.

He was going to be sick. Again. By the time he opened the door to his truck, his body was a trembling mass of fury. He peeled out of the parking area before he screamed an oath.

He had no idea where he was going, but before long found himself at the building where Douglas had his office. He took the stairs three at a time to his brother’s office. Stalking past the pretty receptionist he opened the door and saw his brother with his ear to the phone making notes on a pad on his desk.

As soon as he saw Darin he hung up, jumped out of his chair, and came toward him. “What’s wrong?”

“What makes you think something is wrong?” Darin snarled.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s the look on your face telling me you’re ready to fight.” He held up his hands. “Not with me, I hope. Lisa wouldn’t like it if I came home with a black eye. HPD isn’t still coming down on you, are they? If so, I’ll take care of it.”

Darin shook his head, slammed a fist into his hand, and cursed.

“I think you’d better sit down and tell me what’s going on. If you’re in trouble tell me what it is. I’ll help any way I can.”

“I’m not in trouble,” he growled as he paced the room. When he found himself back at Douglas’ desk, he plopped down in the chair across from him. “How did you know you could trust Lisa? I thought I knew Gina. Hell, for a minute there I thought I was getting serious. This morning I found out she’s lied to me from the minute we met.”

Douglas leaned across the desk with a frown on his face. “Lied? How? About what?”

It wasn’t easy to tell anyone, much less his brother, how gullible he’d been, but Darin spilled it all. From the minute Hunter was shot all the way to this morning when he learned the truth about Gina. He conveniently left out how they’d kissed, how she stirred him to want more—how he’d thought for a minute there that he loved her. “So you see? All along, she thought I had something to do with my partner’s death. She never admitted she worked for IA. If she had told me it wouldn’t have mattered. I would have accepted it. The not telling makes it matter big time.”

“Why?”

“Why? Isn’t it obvious? She didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth.”

“Maybe she couldn’t.”

Darin sputtered. “Couldn’t? We were investigating a murder and trying to catch a drug dealer. We planned it together. We went undercover, pretended to be someone we weren’t, and she couldn’t tell me?”

“From where I’m sitting she had a job to do and did it. Maybe the reason she couldn’t tell you she was undercover from the beginning is inconsequential.”

“I can’t believe you said that. If she believed in me, she would have told me the truth.”

“Her orders came from higher up. What kind of IA agent would she be if she let her emotions guide her?”

“Evidently her emotions didn’t get in the way of the lie.”

“More than likely she didn’t have to clear you to believe in your innocence. She had to clear you so HPD would believe it.” He sat back, crossed his arms. “You should thank her.”

“What? Are you out of your mind?” Darin stood and turned to leave. “I should have known better than to come here.”

Shoving his Stetson on his head he stalked out.

With a Dutch Farley frown on his face, he turned back to his brother, ready to slam him again for taking Gina’s side.

When he saw the wide smile and a knowing glint in Douglas’ eyes, he stormed out and slammed the door behind him.

Chapter Twenty-One

Blinking back tears, Gina watched Darin leave. Every turn of the wheel took him further and further away. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Darin was gone from her life forever. Unable to stop her tears any longer, she hid in the ladies’ room.

How could she find a man she could love the rest of her life one minute only to lose him the next? But, she reminded herself, she’d never had him. Not Darin. Dutch Farley, maybe, but never Darin.

It took a while to gather herself together and make her way back to the chief’s office.

Evidently, the men had concluded their business as they were standing and shaking hands. How would she get through this day? This week? The rest of her life?

“Good working together,” Agent Peavy said.

“Let’s hope all of our dealings are as successful,” Chief Hamilton responded.

Shaking Gina’s hand as well, the agent thanked her again for a job well done and left.

Nothing registered. It was as if she were on autopilot. She took a ragged breath.

She should have told Darin the truth sooner. She knew from the first he was one of the good guys. Why had she waited? Because it was protocol and Gina Carlson did her job by the book. And look where that got her.

“I take it Callahan’s upset,” the chief said as he took his seat once more.

She nodded.

“Sorry. But you did the right thing.”

Had she? Would anything be right again? “I was going to ask a favor; now I’m not sure.” Not even sure at this moment if this was the right thing to do. Maybe Dallas
was
a better place. At least there would be distance between her and Darin. They wouldn’t run into each other. She wouldn’t see him and think the what ifs. But what about Maddy?

“Right this minute I’m in the mood to grant your every wish. What is it?”

This was where she should be. Living in Dallas didn’t give the sisters the option to help each other when the need arose.

Taking a deep silent breath she dove in, “Would you recommend my transfer from Dallas to Houston? I could do the same work here. I’d like to be close to my sister.”

And Darin? Straightening her shoulders she promised herself she’d get over him in time. Besides, it wasn’t as if they would be working in the same department. She doubted their paths would cross.

“What a great idea. I’ll get with the IA people and see if we can’t make a place for you. You’d be a great addition to HPD.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll let you know what I find out.”

They shook hands, and Gina left.

Not wanting to see the other members of the squad just yet she walked to her car. Her day was free. She would file her report to IA online later. Nothing seemed that important now. Darin was angry with her. She didn’t blame him. He felt betrayed. In a way, so did she. She’d thought his kisses were for real. What she’d felt for him was real. Maybe she’d been naïve all along.

With a heavy heart she headed for Maddy’s apartment. She didn’t get far before her cell phone rang. Her heart leapt. Darin.

Her hands shook as she answered. Only it wasn’t Darin. It was Maddy, and she was so upset she could barely speak. “You’re going to have to calm down, Maddy. I can’t understand a word.”

Maddy took a deep breath. “He’s here. I saw him.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Elton.” She sobbed, obviously unable to hold onto even a semblance of composure.

“Where?”

But Maddy couldn’t talk. “Meet me,” Gina ordered. “Now. Can you drive?”‘

Maddy managed an uncertain yes. “Can you make it back to your apartment?”

Another weak yes.

“I’ll be there within fifteen minutes.”

How had Maddy found Elton when Gina couldn’t? What was he doing in Houston? Now that she was about to find out, would she be able to make her dream come true and arrest him? Yes. Whatever it took. She’d put the bastard where he belonged. Behind bars.

Maddy hadn’t made it home so Gina waited in the parking area, pacing until she saw her sister’s car.

She jumped out and ran to Gina where they held each other in a hard embrace.

Maddy couldn’t stop crying.

“C’mon. Let’s get you upstairs.”

Because Maddy couldn’t stop sobbing or shaking, Gina had to visibly hold her upright.

When they got inside, she led Maddy to the nearest chair. “Sit.”

Maddy did as she was told, put her head in her hands, and cried some more. Gina ran to get a wet cloth, remembered when Darin did the same for her. She couldn’t think of him now. Maddy needed her.

Thank God she was here. What if Maddy had run across Elton while Gina was in Dallas? Moving here would be a good thing.

She grabbed a bottle of cold water.

Gina gently moved Maddy’s hands away from her face, wiped it, then forced the bottle into her hand. “Drink. Then tell me what the hell happened.”

Maddy gulped the water as if she were dying from thirst. “I…I…”

“It’s okay,” Gina soothed. “Just take a breath and talk to me.”

It took several deep breaths before Maddy could say anything. “I took a call from my supervisor. It wasn’t out of the ordinary. A neighbor had called in a complaint. She thought the two girls next door were being abused. She didn’t know their names, not even the parents, but she gave an address.” Maddy looked up at Gina. “It was the type of call I both dreaded and looked forward to. Sexual abuse situations always brought up bad memories. At the same time, I was in a position to help a child who had been abused as we were.”

Gina sat in front of Maddy, took her hands and held them tight. “Go on.”

“I checked with the neighbor when I arrived. I felt sorry for her. She admitted to being sexually abused as a child and swore she saw signs of abuse on the girls next door.

“I asked her what kind of signs. She said it was obvious the girls didn’t want to go inside the house after they got home from school. Every day they quietly sneaked, this was her word, to the backyard. She could see them out her window. They did their homework under a tree where they were hidden from view from their house, but the neighbor could see them clearly.

“Every so often one of them would peek around to see if the man, the neighbor didn’t know if he was their father or not, was there. They were usually out there an hour or two before he looked for them.

“She swore she could tell they wanted to run, but had nowhere to go. She wanted to call them over and help them, but didn’t want to face the man. Either he worked from home, or didn’t work at all because he was home a lot.

“It wasn’t much to go on, but I had to check it out. I knocked on his door. The girls were still at school so it would be a good time to confront him. I knew from the neighbor the time they usually got home and vowed to be there.”

“Was the man Elton?” Gina squeezed Maddy’s hand.

“I would know him anywhere. He was older of course, but he still had the same look in his eyes.”

“Did he recognize you?”

Maddy shook her head as tears started to fall again.

“We were teens when we left, he may have guessed who I was if we talked very long, I wouldn’t let that happen. Besides, I was so upset I couldn’t think. I finally got it together enough to ask if I was at the Perkins’ residence. He answered no, it was the Fazio’s. He must have changed his name or is going by another one. But I don’t think he suspected a thing.”

“The bastard,” Gina exploded. “He’s still doing it.”

“Not for long,” Maddy said firmly. “You’ll arrest him, right?”

The fact was she couldn’t do what she’d dreamed of doing for years, walk in there and slap cuffs on him without a warrant.

“It will take a while. I’ll have to follow the correct procedure or his lawyer will have him out in a matter of minutes. He could run to another city, probably take the girls with him.”

“Who are they? Did he re-marry? Are they his children or his wife’s?” Maddy asked. She stood and gathered herself together. “You may not be able to do anything right now, but CPS can.”

She called her supervisor. “I’m coming in. I need to talk to you ASAP. There are two girls who have to be protected, and it can’t wait.”

“Will you be all right?” Gina asked.

“I’m fine now,” Maddy said. “It was a shock. I’m ready to see Elton behind bars. I’ll take care of the girls. You take care of Elton.”

Gina had never seen her sister like this. Gone was the mass of helpless, blubbering female. In her place was a woman determined to protect two innocent children.

She imagined this was the way Maddy did her job. Always looking out for, standing up for, and defending the children.

When Maddy came out of the bathroom, she had washed her face, applied fresh makeup, and was ready to go.

“What are you going to do?” Gina asked.

“I’m taking the girls into custody. It takes paperwork. But I intend to be there when they get home from school. He won’t touch them again.”

Gina’s head whirled. Now that the time was finally here she quaked at seeing Elton. She didn’t want all of those old feelings of hate and betrayal to rear their ugly heads. She didn’t want to feel afraid.