Touch of Fate (Bennett Sisters Book 2) (6 page)

His voice pulled her from her thoughts. “Abby, we need to go somewhere so we can talk,” he explained calmly. She knew he was right. She would need to try to put everything behind them to catch this guy before he killed again, and she needed to tell him about his son. What happened between them would have to wait to be dealt with. Her son and catching this asshole would have to come first.

She glanced his way for a brief second before training her eyes on the road again. “We’re heading to the morgue right now, but tonight you can bring the files you have on this guy over to my house and we’ll talk.” She hit the button for the radio, ending any further conversation. Telling him about John would be the hardest thing she’d ever have to do.

Chapter 8

The visit to the morgue hadn’t told them any more than they already knew, except that the abrasions around her neck weren’t from a rope and were inflicted postmortem. Matt was back at the office, processing some of her evidence in an attempt to get Sam out of her life. He was sending the blood off for DNA testing to be run through the national security database and had the rest of her department helping out too.
He’s so sweet.

Abby had dropped Sam off at the precinct and left him there. Her mind was fuzzy with everything that had happened. She wasn’t going to be able to concentrate today even though this work needed her full concentration, and her heart was busy trying to decide what to do about Sam. She needed the only other thing that had kept her sane for the last eighteen years. She needed the company of her sisters, specifically Emma.

Abby parked on Main Street across from the Starlight Café, her sister’s pride and joy. She wasn’t sure if Emma was working today, especially after the wedding, but it was worth a shot. Abby hesitated, closing her eyes, and said a silent prayer for strength before pushing open her car door.

Biting her lip, oblivious to her surroundings, she crossed the street, her mind clouded with thoughts of Sam and how to tell him the truth about John.

Abby noticed her sister’s VW bug parked out front and pushed through the doors. The sweet smell of coffee hit her nose as she bypassed the full tables.
Business is good
, she thought to herself and smiled. Emma deserved it. An outcast from an early age, Emma had the worst time out of all of her family trying to hide her gifts and acting like a normal kid. Her heart swelled, and a grin teased her lips when she saw her pregnant sister. Emma was talking to a table full of little old ladies—the town gossips—that frequented the place. Everyone wondered how the women knew everything they did. Now that her sister had settled down with Jake, they had turned their attention on her, trying to set her up on blind dates. All of them had a nephew or a friend of the family that would be perfect for her, and they told her every chance they got.

She would have avoided Mrs. Anderson if Emma hadn’t been talking to her. Mrs. A was a very old, wise woman, even a pleasure to talk to when she wasn’t trying to play matchmaker. Abby ordered and grabbed her coffee from the counter as she made her way over to the table. She took a sip of the steaming liquid and burned her tongue in the process. Par for the course, she thought. Her day seemed to be going down hill. Thank god, her sister hadn’t left for her honeymoon right away. Being short handed during the tourist season and Jake’s move of his company had postponed their trip.

“Hey, Abby.” Emma grinned with a gleam in her eyes. “We were just talking about you.” Amusement flickered in her eyes. She was enjoying this.

Abby glared at her sister. Emma must have a perverse pleasure in watching her squirm. “Emma.” She smirked and then smiled at Mrs. A. “What was the topic this time? Is it the case I’m working on?” Abby asked.

“Well, no, dear, we did hear about it, but we have faith you’ll catch the bad guy. You always do, dear. We were talking about finding you a man,” the little old lady said with a big smile. Her dentures were as white as her tight curled hair. Silence filled the air. Abby’s gaze took in the rest of the diners. The locals apparently wanted to hear this conversation as much as Abby didn’t want to have it.

Abby’s shoulders slumped as she lowered her head before lifting it again toward the little old lady, resigned she wasn’t going to get out of having this conversation. Abby lifted her chin. “I appreciate that, Mrs. A, but I don’t need a man.” Abby gave a gentle squeezed to her hand.

She knew the old lady meant well but didn’t have the energy to debate it with her. Not today. Mrs. A must have sensed Abby’s defeat, but she didn’t skip a beat. Abby glanced at Emma. Her sister shrugged and held her hands palm out, making it evident she hadn’t played a part in all of this.

“Oh dear, we know you don’t want a man. You’ve told us so numerous times. But well, we know what happened at the wedding, and that man isn’t right for you.”

“What man are you talking about?” Abby couldn’t stop the words that flew from her mouth; she knew which man but just wanted to forget. She took another sip of coffee in an attempt to keep her mouth occupied before she said something she couldn’t take back. The scalding liquid burned going down her throat, as she waited for her answer. She would need the energy later to deal with Ryan, no, Sam, she reminded herself.

“The man you hit at Emma’s reception, dear. You need someone that can protect you, and from the looks of him last night, I don’t think he’s the one for you.”

Abby gasped, putting her hand over her mouth to stop the coffee from spewing from her lips, choking to get the rest of the warm liquid down her throat. Emma laughed. Her laughter drew attention from the patrons sitting nearby. They didn’t even know who he was, much less that he was probably capable of far more than protecting her. The old ladies at the table looked at each other, shrugged, and stared at her, waiting for a reply.

She straightened and wiped the coffee from her chin. She hadn’t expected the news to travel so fast. Abby patted Mrs. A on the shoulder. “You have no idea.”

“But, of course I do, dear. That’s John’s dad. He’s the spitting image of that man.” The truth stopped them all from laughing.

Her eyes widened with alarm, and she turned to look at her sister. Little good all of her education had done. She should have been smart enough to realize he might find out from someone other than her. She needed to tell him before the rest of the town spilled the beans. Her heart raced as she glanced at her watch, the same diamond studded watch Jake had made for all of them as gifts for the wedding. The delicate white gold watch with diamonds told her that she still had time before he showed up at her house.

“Mrs. A…” She wasn’t sure what she was going to say. She felt the blood rush from her face.

“Don’t worry, dear. We aren’t going to tell him. Anywho, there is a man I want you to meet. He’s new to town and renting my cabin, and boy, is he a looker. He’s a bit older than you but a very nice man and pays his rent on time.” Mrs. A toyed with the locket around her neck. It vaguely reminded Abby of the one she’d seen in her vision from the crime scene days before.

“That’s a beautiful locket, Mrs. A. Where did you get it?”

“Oh thank you dear, it was a gift from my new renter. He’s nice to old ladies, Abby. I’m sure he’d be good for you to, if you just gave him a chance.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. A. I’ve got too much on my plate right now, dealing with Ryan.” Abby shook her head. “I mean Sam and this murder. Maybe another time.” She grabbed her sister by the elbow and steered her toward her office in the back of the building.

She took a glance over her shoulder and smiled at the old lady. “It was nice talking to you,” she said, lying through her teeth to the woman. Her lips tilted up, and she felt a blush rising to her cheeks.
That’s what I get for living in a small town
.

Emma stepped into her office and sat behind her desk. Abby collapsed in a chair and exhaled as she watched her sister shuffle the papers out of the way. Emma was positively glowing. She was only two months pregnant and didn’t have a baby bump yet, but her eyes sparkled and her skin glowed. Emma smiled a lot more since meeting her husband. Abby hadn’t seen her sister this happy in a long time. Come to think of it, she’d never seen her sister this happy.

Abby hesitated, unsure whether she wanted to get into the hard conversation just yet and upset her pregnant sister, so she decided on another topic, the same topic that had put the sparkle in her sister’s eyes. She asked, “Where’s Jake?”

“He’s at the hanger, checking his planes that came in today. He’s finally done moving the business here. The planes were the last of it.”

Her brother-in-law owned Tactical Maneuvers, a prestigious security and bodyguard firm in Virginia. He’d been on vacation and had been pulled into Emma’s stalker situation. Since then they’d fallen in love. He’d moved his business here to ensure her happiness and brought most of his employees too. Reminding Abby that Butch was now a permanent fixture in her life gave her a reason to smile. Abby would never be able to repay the strength that man gave her. He was like her brother, but with a sense of humor.

“He’s getting one of them ready for the trip to the beach house.”

“You aren’t using one of ours?” Abby asked. She had never really thought he might own his own fleet of planes, but it made sense. He was loaded, and it was easier for him to send his bodyguards and security personnel out across the country when he needed to instead of buying plane tickets. She and her siblings each had their own planes. Their father had left them a whole fleet, and they all knew how to fly them, including John. Flying was the one thing that had made her dad happy. It was convenient when they took their summer trips down to the beach every year. If broccoli was ever muttered by one of them, it would eventually get them to their final meeting place at the beach house. The one place she would never forget.

Abby closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and leaned her head back against the top of the leather chair. Her stomach still fluttered from her brief encounter with Sam that morning. Her sister would help her figure this out. Her family was her rock. They kept her grounded and had always been there for her when she needed them.

“The man we know as Ryan, apparently changed his name to Sam Bennett.” After the words had left her mouth, she raised her head to look at Emma.

“I’m not sure I understand, Who goes around changing their name like that, and why the hell did he pick Bennett!” Emma said as she stood and put her hands on her hips, with a scowl on her face. Her eyes darkened with emotion, and she cocked her head to the side.

“Yeah, I’m surprised Mike hasn’t called you about it. I kind of dumped him on his ass when he grabbed my arm.” Abby raised her eyebrow and bit her bottom lip.

Abby could see some of the tension leave Emma’s body when she leaned back in the chair, more relaxed, and smiled before replying, “Good.”

“He needs my help on a case, and he’s bringing me his files tonight,” Abby admitted. She sat dazed, her stomach completing summersaults. How could she still be attracted to a guy that had lied to her about something so important?

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Abby. Why can’t you meet here at the café? Or at least in public,” her sister said as she rounded the desk and sat in the leather chair next to Abby’s.

“I need to tell him, Emma, and I’d rather do it in private. I’m going to tell him about John.” She studied the invisible lint on her pants, unable to look her sister in the eyes. Disappointment from her family would kill her if they didn’t think she was making the right choice. She felt eighteen again, having to admit that a summer fling had resulted in pregnancy. She had fallen hard for the teenager next door. She’d been stunned when they tried to find him to tell him about the baby to find out he hadn’t even given her the correct name. A cloud of embarrassment hovered over her head.

She squirmed in her seat as she twisted her hands that now lay in her lap. She felt Emma place her hand on hers, stopping her movement. She lifted her gaze, and her eyes found her sister’s. All she saw reflected back was love and sympathy. Emma squeezed her hand. “I’m proud of you.”

Tears swelled in her eyes and threatened to fall as Abby swallowed the lump in her throat. “You are?” she asked, unsure she’d heard her right.

“You are the strongest woman I know, Abby Bennett, and I’m proud you’re my sister. No matter what happens, we’ll get through this,” Emma assured her as a tear escaped and trickled down her face. Emma pulled her into an embrace and hugged her tight while whispering in her ear. “Mom and Dad would have been so proud of you, Abby.”

Abby leaned back and searched her sister’s eyes. Emma’s smile never wavered as another tear escaped. Abby pushed herself up from the chair and walked to the door with new determination to do the right thing and be a better person than Sam had been all of those years before. She just needed to find the right words to tell him. Emma’s pep talk hadn’t calmed her nerves, but it had provided the strength she needed to get through this.