Submerged (22 page)

"You forget I have a dog," came his mumbled reply. "Arizona."

"I love dogs. Bring her
along."

"She's not small."

Rebecca smiled. "I have a big house, big backyard."

They stared at each other.

Finally Marcus nodded. "If that's what you want."

"Yes."

"Okay then."

Grinning, she nudged her head in the direction of the locker. "My purse is in t
here. Can you get it for me?"

When he brought her purse to her, she rummaged around until she found her keys, a pen and a notebook. "
I'll write down my address for you. This key is for the front door. There should be a light on outside. It's on a timer, so it should be on by the time you get there."

"
You want me to go today?"

She made a face.
"Yeah. If that's okay with you. I really need some clothes for me and the kids. I forgot to ask Kelly. Everything we have here is either ripped or bloody."

Marcus's face reddened. "And you want
me
to do it?"

"Yes. Whatever you can find in the kids' rooms will do. And jeans and a shirt for me. They're in my bedroom closet in a drawer. Um...bra and underwear," she was blushing now, "in the drawer above it. And jackets from the front hallway."

"You sure you don't want to ask your sister?"

She shook her head.

When she didn't offer an explanation, he nodded and said, "Ah, you're afraid to have her go into your house, in case someone's waiting there."

Now she felt like crap. What gave her the right to ask him to put himself in danger for her—yet again?
"I shouldn't be asking you to do this. I'm sorry. You've already done so much for us."

He smiled.
"Consider it taken care of, Rebecca. I'm sure Detective Zur already has a car on your house. And officer will check your house before you return. But you're right. You can't be too careful."

He gave her a nod, then headed for the door.

"Marcus?"

He looked over his shoulder. "Yeah
?"

"Thank you. For everything."

"Don't thank me yet. I might eat you out of house and home. I'm starving!"

Chapter
Thirty-One

Hinton, AB – Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 1:42 PM

Rebecca's laughter followed Marcus down the hall.

H
e entered an empty elevator and shook his head in bewilderment. "What the hell did I agree to?"

Uh, you're going to sleep in the same house as a beautiful woman, whom you are strongly attracted to, and try to pretend you're there only to protect her.

Marcus banged the heel of his hand against his forehead. "You idiot. And now you're going to rummage around in her underwear?"
What the hell?

The elevator stopped on the second floor, but no one got on. When the doors closed, his thoughts drifted back to Rebecca. She deserved someone better than Wesley Kingston in her life.
And that someone wasn't Marcus.

"She's still officially married," he reminded himself.
And drop-dead gorgeous.

His offer to stay with her was strictly professional courtesy. She had no one else.
It was a business arrangement. That's all it was. Even if he didn't accept a penny from her, which he wouldn't. Like doing an old friend a favor.

Except she's not really an old friend.
More like a new one.

The elevator took him down to the main level
, and he made a beeline for the emergency wing. The ER was bustling with action, but he veered toward the outside exit, weaving through the crowd of broken legs, coughs and a very pregnant woman with a brood of six kids around her.

In the parking lot, he found his car,
climbed inside and glanced at the address Rebecca had written down.
Edmonton…right. Damn it!

It would take about
three hours to get there, maybe twenty minutes to grab the clothes and another three hours to get back to the hospital. Being away from her for so long didn't sit well with him.

He picked up his cell phone and called John. "I'm heading to Rebecca's house to pick up some clothes for her and the kids. You got a car watching the place?"

"Yeah. I'll let them know."

"Thanks, John. Any news on the truck or driver?"

"Actually, there is. We finally caught a break. There's a computer store across from the Esso station. They have cameras in the windows, and one of them is on 24/7, filming the street. We're going through the tape now."

"I hope you catch this guy."

"Me too. Listen, Marcus, what are your plans for the next few days? I heard you got suspended."

"I'm going to stay at Rebecca's for a bit. Until you nab this guy."

"Really?" Zur's voice was more than a little stunned.

"She didn't want to ask her sister. Doesn't want to put her in any danger. And the ex is out of the question
, since you still think he's connected." Marcus paused. "You do still think that, don't you?"

"Nothing else makes much sense. It couldn't be a random hit and run. He was waiting for her, followed her, made sure she'd end up in the McLeod River."

"Anything pan out at the casinos?"

"Nothing so far. We're still asking questions. All we need is the right answer."

"Okay, I'll be back in about six and a half hours. You'll check in on Rebecca and the kids for me?"

"Definitely. We still have a few questions for her. And the ex."

"Have you searched his place yet?"

"
Can't get a warrant. Not enough evidence."

"Shit. Can't you even look at his phone records or e
-mails?"

"Nope. Not until we get the
warrant."

Mar
cus gritted his teeth. "By then he could dump everything. Especially if anyone threatened him in a voice mail or e-mail."

"I know. But we have to do this by the book. We've got a request in for a warrant. Should have it by tomorrow, maybe the next day."

Marcus massaged his temples. "Tomorrow could be too late. If Wesley Kingston has anything to connect him to the attempt on his wife's life, it'll be gone by the time you get there."

Zur let out a huff. "People think it's easy to erase files and information from a computer. It's not. Our tech guys can pull data that was deleted years ago. There's almost always a trace.
I promise you, if Kingston's got anything incriminating, we'll find it." He let out a snicker. "Now let's talk about you and Mrs. Kingston living together."

"It's not like that, John."

"Isn't it?" Another chuckle. "I think it's
exactly
like that. But do yourself a favor. Wait until the ink's dry on her divorce papers before you make your move."

"I don't have
a move."

"Then you'd better get one. She's into you."

Marcus blinked. "You think so?"

More laugher sound
ed, then Zur said, "Bye, Marcus."

Marcus
started the car and pulled away from the hospital. Securing the Bluetooth over his left ear, he called Leo.

"You headed home?" Leo asked.

"No, I'm going to stay in Edmonton for a few days."

"So you can keep an eye on that Kingston woman?"

"Good guess. Actually, I agreed to stay at her house for a few days."

"Why would you do that?"

Marcus sucked in a deep breath. "She's petrified that whoever tried to kill her will come back and try again. Even the police think it's a possibility."

"What about her kids?"

"They're staying with their aunt. That leaves Rebecca alone in her house with no support other than a patrol car outside."

"If she's got police watching her, she's more than likely
gonna be fine."

"Why are you giving me such a hard time about this, Leo? I'm trying to be a nice guy."

"Sorry, man. I can't help it if I worry about you. It strikes me as very unusual for you to take such an interest in one of our callers."

"Rebecca
's not merely a caller. Not to me. Not after all this."

Leo sighed. "I know you feel some kind of connection to her.
I won't argue with that. But I do think you're rushing into things, not considering the consequences."

"What's there to consider? I'm going to sleep on her couch so she's not alone, not sleep with her."

"You sure about that?"

Marcus clenched his jaw. "You've been telling me for months to get out more, meet someone. Well, guess what? I did. Okay, granted I met her on the job, but who's to say there's anything wrong with that? I like her. I think she likes me.
Right now, all that's important is that she feels safe. I can do that for her."

"I
'm not sure about this, Marcus."

"I know what I'm doing is a bit…unorthodox. But she asked me to stay
, and I couldn't say no. Hell, it's for a few days. It's not like I'm moving in with her permanently."

There was a long, uncomfortable pause.

Then Leo said, "Fine. Do what you gotta do."

"Tha
nk you."

"It's not that I don't trust your judgment. It's just that I—"

"Don't trust my judgment."

Leo chuckled. "I worry about you. You can't blame me for that."

"I know, Leo. And I appreciate it. Really. But I'm fine. For the first time in a long time I feel like I've got my life back."

"Something else happen to you out at the river?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…you sound like you've had a near-death experience or something. You know, seen the light and all. Maybe you drowned and then came back to life."

Marcus laughed. "You should write books with that imagination. No, I didn't drown. No near-death experience either. No tunnel or bright light, except from the flashlight."

"So this woman. Rebecca. She hot?"

The question took Marcus by complete surprise. "Uh…I guess."

"You guess? That's lame, man. She's either hot or not."

"Fine. She's hot."
Sizzling hot.

"You bring her over for dinner one night."

Marcus wiped a hand across his brow and focused on the road.

"Marcus, you there?"

"Yeah, Leo. I heard you. And the invite. I won't promise anything. She may not be that into me. I'm rusty at reading signals."

"But there were signals?"

"I think so."

"Well, you are her
superhero
."

Marcus sat up. "What? Where did you hear that?"

Leo erupted into laughter. "Oh man. Word got out in the hospital and went everywhere. I heard Carol's making you a cape."

"Shit."

"Hey, don't sweat it. You did good, Marcus. Real good. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks."

"Now, what do you want me to do about Arizona?"

"I'll pick her up before we
leave for Rebecca's. And Leo? I've really appreciated you looking after Arizona for me."

"No problem. Except you're
gonna have to talk my wife out of getting a dog now. That's all on you, buddy."

Marcus laughed. "I'll do my best, but I know that once someone looks into Arizona's big brown eyes, she's got them hooked."

"I'm
not
getting a dog."

"Okay, Leo. You keep saying that.
Bye."
Click.

On the
long drive to Edmonton, Marcus mulled over the attempt on Rebecca's life and every possible scenario.

He
kept hearing John Zur's voice in his head.
"She's into you."

Could
he be right?

Chapter Thirty
-Two

Hinton, AB – Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 1:57 PM

When Carter Billingsley walked into her hospital room, Rebecca gave him a smile. "You didn't have to drive all the way here to see me."

"Yes, I did. It's the least I could do. You know your father and I go way back." Carter leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You're like a daughter to me."

"So the kids can call you Grandpa then?"

His
frowned. "Let's stick with Uncle Carter, shall we?"

"I'm glad to see you," she said with a sigh. "It's been a rough few days."

He dragged the chair closer. "I hear it's going to be rougher."

She squeezed back tears and nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Rebecca, I want you to know that the extra bills have been paid for from your grandfather's money. Yours too." He held up a hand to silence her. "I know he specified it was to be spent solely on the children, but you and I both know he'd do this for you. He'd want you to have the best care and not have to worry about paying bills later."

A tear escaped and she wiped it away. "Thank you."

"Is there anything I can do for you or the children?"

"Get
Wesley out of my life. I know he'll be in theirs, but I want this divorce finalized. The sooner, the better."

Carter's mo
uth thinned. "I can certainly help with that. I have the divorce papers here with me. All I need is Wesley's signature. Where can I find him?"

"I'm not
sure."

Carter inhaled deeply. "Do the police
believe he had anything to do with this?"

"They're checking him out
, but I'm sure that Wesley did
not
try to kill me and the kids."

"Did he ever tell you he called me to ask about the terms of your
inheritance?"

She shook her head.

"He wanted to know if he could borrow from it and pay it back later."

"But you
advised him that he couldn't."

"Yes. And
he wasn't too happy about it, Rebecca. He called me a few choice names. You too, if I remember correctly."

"
Did the police talk to you?"

"Not yet. That's the other reason I'm here. I had a call from a Detective Zur. He wants to see your file, go over the inheritance. Do I have your permission to show him?"

"You give him anything he needs, Carter. I want this nightmare over. And that won't happen unless we get to the truth."

He leaned over and patted her shoulder. "If there's anything else you need, ask."

"I need my life back. With my children. I need to feel safe again. I need them to find the bastard that did this."

In the doorway, Carter said, "I hope they do. You deserve some happiness in your life."

"Thank you, Carter. You're the best."

"Remember
that
when you get my bill," he said with a laugh.

She listened to his footsteps move down the hall.

Then she picked up the phone and called Kelly's cell phone. She quickly filled her in on the plan to have Marcus stay with her for a few days. Kelly wasn't at all thrilled with the idea.

"What do you mean you're letting a stranger stay with you?" Kelly demanded. "I said I'd do it."

"I need you to keep the kids safe."

"But you need to be safe too."

"I will be. Marcus won't let anything happen to me."

"Are you s
ure that's wise, Rebecca? I mean, you don't really know this Marcus guy. And to have him sleeping in your house…ugh…I'm not so sure about this, Sis. I think it'd be better if I stayed with you."

"No. This is what I want. No offense, Kelly, but it's not like you could do much if someone broke in during the middle of the night."

"Gee, you make me sound so helpless."

"Sorry. But the truth is,
I wouldn't feel safe with you in my house. I'd worry about you getting hurt. This guy has his sights on me, and I need to know that the rest of my family is safe."

"Okay, okay. As long as you're sure about this 911
dude."

"Never been more sure about anyone in my life."

"You've gotta admit, Rebecca, it's kind of weird how he abandoned his job and came to your rescue."

"He didn't
abandon
it. He felt he had to do the right thing. And it was right for him to try to find us. Now quit your griping. You should be happy Marcus came to our rescue. We wouldn't be having this conversation otherwise."

There was a long silence on the other end.

"I'm not being ungrateful," Kelly said finally. "I'm very happy he found you and the kids. But I
am
worried about you. And this guy. He's a…" Kelly's voice trailed off.

"What? Rebecca prodded. "Spit it out."

"You said he was an addict."

"
Recovering
addict."

"Same thing.
You sure he's not going to steal your medication, or money or jewelry?"

Rebecca released a pent-up breath. "I know you're worried for me,
Sis, but trust me. I'm a good judge of character."

Kelly let out a huff. "Uh
…and what about Wesley?"

"Okay, you got me there.
Not a good choice. But really, don't worry about Marcus Taylor. He's one of the good guys. And there aren’t many out there. I trust him. He won't steal from me. Besides, the only drugs I have at home are kids' aspirin and Buckley's cough syrup. I can tell you that Marcus isn't that desperate."

"Fine," Kelly said. "I'm already on my way. I'll be there in about
three hours."

"I love you, Sis."

"Me too."

Rebecca
hung up and thought about Marcus. He'd had a string of bad luck, especially with his wife's and son's deaths. On top of these, he was battling a drug addiction, and was suspended from a job he enjoyed. He liked helping people. She could tell. Yet, he was modest, never looking for the limelight, never seeking recognition.

Even when he'd told her about the old lady with the cat, she could tell he genuinely cared abou
t people. Unlike Wesley, who cared about one solitary person—himself.

Two very different men.
One terrified her. The other made her feel…alive.

Kelly had been after her for weeks to start dating. Rebecca had argued with her that she couldn't date until she was legally divorced. She wouldn't betray her vows—even if Wesley had. In truth, the thought of dating terrified Rebecca. How does one go about meeting decent men at her age? Internet dating? Too many nutcases out there. Dating services? And what if she
met no one other than jerks who thought two kids were excess baggage?

No, she'd much rather let fate intervene. She'd meet someone when the time was right. And that's what she'd
always promised Kelly.

"Maybe fate has already intervened," she murmured.

Would Marcus welcome dating a woman with two kids?

Whoa! You're getting way ahead of yourself. So you like the guy. That doesn't mean he likes you back. Not in that way. Maybe he's not interested in pursuing a relationship with anyone.

But what if he was?