Secrets and Lies (29 page)

“Okay,” he heard Thena say. “We’re inside. You can stop now,” she mumbled.

“Oh, but this is so much fun.”

“It won’t be for long,” the deep voice barked. Thomas heard Thena scream.

“You just couldn’t go away,” Eddie said. “You just couldn’t stay away from her. You didn’t deserve either of those women. They should have been with me. I’m the better man. But both of you were too stupid to see that. Over there—now!”

Thomas moved so he could get a better look inside the dining room window. He could see Eddie holding a gun, and he knew he had to act fast or risk losing Thena.

“I tried everything. I almost had you with Sandy, but then her stupid behind went and left the state. The cops would have pressed charges if she had stayed. Then, I thought I had convinced Mr. Davis that Thena was in danger, but he got wise to me. He told me he knew what I had done; told me to come clean to the police and to stay away from you, Thena. I was going to be there to pick up the pieces when you and Kyle broke up. Me!” He waved the gun frantically. Thomas hoped he had the safety on or the darn thing might just go off.

“I even tried to make you think it was him this time…I thought I had you going…I thought it would work, but now you’re back with him. Well, I’m done trying. I’m going to kill you, and I’m going to make it look like he did it. Murder-suicide…that’s what they call it right? Yeah, that’s what they call it.”

“Eddie, this is dumb,” she said. “Do you really think anybody will buy this?”

He laughed. “Dumb…no it’s not dumb. What’s dumb is that you would rather be with a crazy white man than with a strong black brother.”

“Kyle’s not crazy.”

Thomas moved around back to the window. He had left it unlocked so it was easy to open it and come through if he needed to. He raised the window and crawled through. He could still hear their conversation in his ear piece.

“No, but you didn’t know that before now. I love you.”

“Eddie, you wouldn’t know the way to love if I drew you a map.”

“What the hell does he have that I don’t?”

“Sanity,” Thena mumbled. Thomas could tell the word had flowed from her lips before she could stop it.

“You bitch!”

“Hey; language man. Thena is a lady. Treat her with respect.” Kyle wasn’t helping matters. His words seemed to agitate Eddie more.

“That’s it. I don’t care which one of you goes first just so long as you both go.”

“Move and I will shoot you,” Thomas said with measured restraint. He wanted to shoot him anyway for holding a gun on his woman, for threatening to kill his woman. Hell, maybe he should just shoot him—in the leg of course.

“Drop the gun.”

“Or what?” Eddie held on to his gun. “You won’t shoot me.”

“I bet he will,” Shawn rounded the corner. “And if for some reason he doesn’t, I will. Police,” he held up his badge. “Now drop your weapon.”

Eddie looked between both men, as if contemplating whether or not he could win this battle, whether or not he could get a shot off fast enough. Obviously, deciding that he couldn’t, he slowly put the weapon on the floor.

“Hands in the air,” Shawn said as he pulled out his cuffs. He secured his own weapon, leaving Thomas to cover him as he cuffed Eddie and read him his rights. “You know, Thomas, this is the most fun I’ve had all week. We take down dirty cops, solve a nineteen year old murder, and arrest a murdering stalker all in one night. God, I love my job,” he smiled. Thomas shook his head, secured his own weapon and then went to Thena, pulling her into his arms.

“We got all of them,” he mumbled. “It’s over now.”

“Good,” she sighed. “Now they just have to go through trial and with hopes, go away for a very, very, long time.”

“I had fun too,” Kyle chimed in.

Thomas’ grip on Thena tightened.

“Don’t worry Thomas; kissing Kyle is a lot like kissing my brother—if I had one.”

Kyle laughed. “You never used to think that.” He patted her shoulder and Thomas growled. “I guess now that you’re in love with Goliath there kissing anybody else will feel like kissing your brother.”

She laughed. “He’s not that tall.” She tilted her head back to look up at him. “Well, maybe he is,” she laughed. “But he’s mine, and I love every inch of him.” She snuggled back close to him as he looped his other arm around her, pulling her flush against his body and into his full embrace.

Epilogue

“O
ver,” Thena danced around Thomas’ kitchen singing her words. “It’s over. I’m so happy.” She dragged out the word “so.” “I know that all the bad everybody has done doesn’t just go away, but Thomas, I swear it’s like a weight has been lifted off me and I feel…free,” she sighed.

“I’m glad,” he pulled her into his arms and held her. “And I hope one day I can feel that freedom too.”

“You will. I know you will.”

“I want to share it with you.”

“You don’t have to.” She placed her hand on his cheek.

“But I want to,” he guided her to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair for her to sit down. He took another chair and pulled it closer to her. “I was in the Marines. I thought, as a lot of career military men do, that I’d probably die with my boots on. And I almost did. My unit was betrayed. We didn’t even see the attack coming, but before we knew it we were under heavy fire, bullets, missiles, it was war and we were outnumbered. All of them died, my friends—the men I served with and would die trying to keep safe, my commanding officer, all of them—dead. I almost died. I guess you can say I had an angel looking out for me.” He had an Angel of Death looking out for him that day. Her code name could strike fear in the heart of many, but for him, it conjured up memories of a beautiful woman who saved his life. “She saved me,” he said. “And it took me a long time to get back to where I am now. I lost a lot of memory. I’ve managed to get it back over the years. I have a metal plate in my head.”

“Thomas,” she placed one hand to her heart while the other clasped his hand tightly. He could see the concern etched on her face. His words had hit her hard; his pain had hit her hard. But instead of closing her ears to him, she had caressed his hand and urged him to continue. He was afraid she wouldn’t understand, wouldn’t be able to handle it, but she did understand and she was handling it. She hadn’t run from him, judged him, thought he was weak for not being able to save those in his unit. He had fought with those emotions himself—blaming himself for not seeing the hit before it happened, for not noticing the men lying hidden under the sand. He should have known. He had felt it in his gut before they even left base that something was off about Sabian, and yet he ignored it.

It had taken years for him to realize there was nothing he could have done differently; to realize he had done all he could to save those men; to realize that he shouldn’t feel guilty for surviving. Knowing she didn’t blame him, as he had once blamed himself, sent a rush of warmth through him.

“I know who did it, who betrayed us, and I know why. What we were carrying was highly classified, very dangerous, and the bastard sold us down the river to make a buck—several million bucks,” he shook his head. “I know who did it, but he’s heavily sheltered. I can’t get anybody in D.C. to do anything. I want justice. Just like you wanted justice. And I can’t…I just can’t stop until I get it, Thena. No matter how long it takes. I don’t want to lose you—”

“You won’t,” she assured him.

“But I’d understand if you wanted to walk away. I’m asking a lot, and I can’t give you what you deserve. I just can’t…” He knew she deserved a man who would take vows with her, marry her, but he just couldn’t commit until he caught Victor Sabian and got justice for the lives he had taken. Sabian may not have pulled the trigger, but he set events in motion. He was just as guilty as those bastards who ambushed them.

“Thomas, you love me. I know you do. And I know when you’re ready you’ll declare that love in front of your family, your friends, God…and I’ll wait for that. I’ll wait for you, because I love you. And I don’t need a piece of paper to prove that.”

“I do love you,” he pulled her hand to his mouth and placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

“Good. So, you just remember to tell me, everyday,” she stressed, “that you love me, and we’ll save the marriage talk for after you find justice.”

“Are you sure?”

She laughed. “Are you trying to get rid of me, Thomas?”

“No,” he shook his head vigorously. “I’m just trying to make sure that you know you have an out—if you want it.”

She stood from her seated position, walked closer to him and sat on his lap, her legs straddle his body. “If I wanted out I would have never gotten in in the first place.” She pushed her hands through his hair and pulled his head back. She looked down into his eyes before placing a tender kiss on his lips. “If ever you want to talk more about what happened to you, to your friends, you can tell me. I’ll be here for you.”

“I know that,” he whispered as he brushed her hair away from her face.

“Now, a little while ago you said something about me moving in with you.”

“You remember that? You glossed over it before. I thought maybe you didn’t want to discuss it.”

She smiled. “I was thinking about it. But I really do like my home. I know that’s crazy, but I just…I built it with my dad you know. Other than the company it’s all I have left of him. And I don’t want to sell it. I was hoping…if you want to, that maybe you would move in with me. I know,” she held up her hands. “I know it’s crazy. You’re already in the city. Gas prices are insane right now and your office is in the city…”

“You want me to move in with you?”

She shrugged. “I was hoping.” She lowered her head as if she had already received her answer, as if that answer had already secured her defeat.

“Thena,” he placed his fingers on her chin and pushed gently upward so that their eyes could meet. “I’m asking you to give up the wedding until I’m ready, and you’re asking me to give up a house I’m not even that attached to. I don’t think it’s unfair on your part—gas prices or not—to want to stay in your home. I’ll move in with you. Just so long as you don’t put me in the guest room.”

She laughed. “The guest room is for guests. You, Thomas McGregor, are not a guest.” She smiled deviously. “I could put you on the couch, though.”

“The couch!” He narrowed his eyes. “We’ll see about that.” He started tickling her again and in her effort to get away from him she fell off his lap, pulling him out the chair with her. He kept tickling her and she kept laughing hysterically.

“Stop, stop,” she laughed.

“The couch?”

“Okay, okay…” she caught one of his hands and he gave her a brief reprieve. He knew she needed to catch her breath, but if she kept up the “couch” talk he was going to keep on tickling her until she changed her mind.

“I was just kidding,” she said breathlessly. “You can tickle me in my bed anytime,” she smiled.

“Honey, if we’re in your bed I’m going to be doing something more than tickling you.”

“Hmmm…why don’t you start doing something more than tickling me now?” She licked her lips.

“Oh yeah,” he growled. He lowered his head, ready to kiss her hotly; make love to her right there on the floor, but then his phone rung. He growled. “Hold that thought, Thena. I plan to finish what we started.”

He reached up to the table and grabbed his cell phone. “Alyssa, I’m busy.” He looked down at Thena, her eyes shining bright, her cheeks flushed, her small, delicate breasts rising and falling with desire.

“What!” He pulled himself up off the floor. “Don’t tell me not to panic,” he barked.

“See, that’s exactly why she didn’t call you,” Alyssa said. “She’s fine. I booked a room for her at a hotel and she’s fine. She asked me to make the calls and I guess I should have called Gavin first. I don’t know why I thought you would be easier to break the news to.”

Thomas growled low in his throat. “I’m on the first plane out.”

“No! She doesn’t want you there. She doesn’t want any of us there. She’s fine. And there’s nothing you can do. Just honor her wishes, Thomas. If she needs us she’ll call us. I booked a room for her at the Marriot. I’m glad I got the call in because they filled up quick. Get a pen and paper and you can write down the number. She doesn’t have her cell.”

He grabbed a pen and a pad of paper and took down the number. It wasn’t until he hung up the phone that he noticed Thena had pulled herself up off the floor and was standing by the table. “What’s wrong?” He could see the concern on her face.

“Somebody blew up my sister’s place.”

“Go,” she said. “I’ll take care of things here, just go.”

“She doesn’t want us there.” He punched the counter. “She’s down there in Florida by herself and she doesn’t want us there.” He was seething. He should be there. She should want them to be there, but she had to go around trying to be independent.

“You know, I’ve never seen Florida,” she smiled. “You should take me.”

“What?”

“It’s still early, I bet you could book a flight out and we could be there before dark.”