Vile (18 page)

Katherine’s eyes rounded. “Will this make the news?”

Dan laughed but the sound held no humor. “I’d say that’s a given.”

“Oh, good Lord.” Katherine swayed.

“Sit down, Katherine,” Dan Senior said a bit more firmly. “It hasn’t happened yet. Dan’s only trying to prepare us for the worst.”

“It’s her fault!” Katherine pointed an accusing finger at Jess.

Jess stiffened. Considered that she might have to change her mind about doing something she could potentially regret.

Katherine shook that finger. “You did this. You dragged him away from home twenty-four years ago, and now you’ve come back to ruin him. Why didn’t you stay away, Jess? You’ve never been anything but trouble for Dan.”

More times than she could count, Katherine Burnett had said things to Jess that were meant to wound but Jess had always let them go. She’d never cared what the woman thought of her. But somehow, this time she couldn’t.

Maybe because this time Katherine was right.

The tears came so swiftly and with such force Jess couldn’t hope to hold them back.

The silence that followed was somehow more excruciating than Katherine’s words. Why wasn’t Dan defending her? When she turned to him, she instinctively recoiled. The look of rage on his face was one she had never seen before. She held her breath. The storm wasn’t coming… it had arrived.

“As much as I love you, Mother,” Dan said, his voice deceptively calm, “I will not have you speak to Jess that way. If you don’t respect her and care for her, then we have a very serious problem.”

“Sit down, Katherine,” Dan Senior insisted.

“You’re going to marry her, aren’t you?” Katherine said, her voice quivering. “I have done everything I know to keep you from repeating the mistake that tore you apart all those years ago and you won’t listen.” Katherine shook her head. “Mark my words, you’ll be even sorrier this time than you were the last.”

There was a great deal Jess could have said, but this was between Dan and his mother. All she could do was ride it out. She wasn’t so much surprised at how Katherine felt. It was more that she was startled the woman would say it out loud with Jess in the room.

Dan stood. Jess rose to stand beside him. She hoped he wouldn’t say anything in the heat of the moment that he would regret later. This woman was his mother after all.

“Good night,” he announced.

Jess wanted to cheer. Leaving without more hurtful words being exchanged was the right decision. Besides, Jess was so ready to go.

“Son, wait.” Dan Senior got to his feet and held out his hands in a placating manner. “Your mother’s upset. She doesn’t mean any of this.” He glared at Katherine. “Do you?”

She said nothing, obviously too overcome to speak at this point. Too bad that couldn’t have happened about five minutes ago.

“I love Jess,” Dan told his mother. “We’re getting married.” Katherine’s lips trembled. “If we’re all going to be a family, then you need to accept that.”

Katherine shook her head. “I cannot accept it.”

“Good God, Katherine,” Dan Senior growled. “You’re making a fool of yourself.”

Jess held up her hands. She had to stop this. As painful as it was for her, she couldn’t bear to watch what it was doing to Dan. “It’s all right. We don’t have to figure this out tonight.”

“You need to apologize, Mother,” Dan warned, his face still hard with fury.

Jess shook her head. “No, it’s—”

Katherine lifted her chin. “I will not apologize for speaking what’s in my heart.”

Well, hell. Jess was about ready to walk over and shake the woman. She just wouldn’t give it a rest.

“Then I guess you won’t mind when we don’t allow your grandchild to come over for play dates.”

Jess wished she could crawl under a rock.

Uncertainty flashed in Katherine’s expression. “Well,” she began, “when that time comes—”

“That time has already come,” Dan let her know.

Katherine looked puzzled before turning to glare at Jess. “Are you saying she’s…?”

“Yes,” Dan stated. “Jess and I are having a baby.”

Like any true southern bell when faced with life altering news, Katherine fainted.

Dan and his father rushed to Katherine’s aid. Jess didn’t bother. She was positive Katherine didn’t want her help. Suited Jess just fine. The woman had made her feelings perfectly clear. Her news hadn’t really been news at all.

Jess’s cell rang and she was grateful for the distraction. She fished in her bag until she found it. Gina Coleman’s name flashed on the screen.

“You have some news?” Jess moved into the kitchen away from the drama.

“Jess, you need to turn on the television. Channel Three. Where’s Dan?”

“We’re at his parents’.” Jess went to the kitchen island and grabbed the remote lying there. She turned on the set. “What am I looking for?” Fear started a new journey through her.

“I called as soon as I heard there’s going to be breaking news about Dan.”

Even as Gina said the words, the anchor echoed them. “Dan!” Jess shouted, her heart starting to pound.

“I didn’t know this was coming,” Gina was saying as Dan and his parents hurried into the kitchen. “I usually get a heads up from one of my sources, but they kept this hush-hush.”

A photo of Dan appeared on the screen behind the anchor. “Former mayoral assistant Meredith Dority,” a picture of Dan’s first wife appeared on the screen next to the one of him, “came forward this evening in an exclusive interview with Channel Three reporter, Gerard Stevens.”

Jess’s gaze found Dan’s. He shook his head. Was this what he’d been distracted with the past two nights?

“According to Dority, Chief of Police Daniel Burnett was instrumental in a number of instances of investigation tampering and witness strong arming in his days as liaison between the mayor’s office and the position he now holds. A full investigation has been launched.”

A video clip of Pratt rolled. “The city of Birmingham has my solemn promise that these allegations will be fully investigated.”

The anchor droned on but Jess didn’t hear anymore. She’d heard enough.

Katherine turned to Dan. “Why is Meredith saying those things?”

“I can’t answer that question.” Dan shook his head. “Until this week, I hadn’t seen her in years.”

“Her allegations are fabricated,” Dan Senior said firmly. “Know that we’re behind you, son. I still have friends who will rally support for you.”

Jess wished it were that simple. Her cell rang again. She stared numbly at the screen. Corlew. She’d have to call him back.

Katherine hugged her son. “I’m so sorry.”

Dan Senior hugged them both. Tears welled in Jess’s eyes again. Dan needed their support now more than ever. This was going to get even uglier.

Three weeks ago, Corlew had made some comment about Dan and some fixed cases in the past but Jess refused to believe him. She didn’t believe he’d done any such thing before becoming chief of police as Dority was alleging either. Dan Burnett was not capable of such underhandedness. He was far too ethical and honorable.

As if he’d heard her thought, he pulled away from his parents and came to her. He drew Jess into his arms and held her tight. “I wish I could make this go away.”

She bit her lip. Tried her best to keep those blasted tears back but it wasn’t happening. “We’ll get through it.”

A tug on her arm had Jess turning from his comforting embrace.

“I was wrong to say all that,” Katherine implored. “I’m very happy for you and Dan.” Her voice quavered but she got the words out. “The past is the past. It has no place in the present.”

Jess rustled up a smile. Those words must have hurt. “Thank you.”

The next group hug included Jess. She decided this part was going to take some getting used to.

By the time they loaded into Dan’s SUV to go home, Jess felt confident the revelations were over for tonight. She’d heard a few more than she would have preferred but life was like that sometimes.

Dan started the engine but rather than putting the Mercedes into gear he just sat there.

Jess put a hand on his arm. “You okay?”

He looked at her for a long moment before he answered. “I don’t want to wait until this insanity is over.”

She frowned, tried to read his face. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s get married tomorrow. We’ll just drive to wherever we want to go and find a judge and do it.”

Except she had at least twenty murder victims waiting for justice and a sister who would never forgive her if she and Dan eloped.

Jess patted his arm. “We could do that, but I don’t think our families would forgive us in this lifetime. How about we give the idea a little more thought first?”

Dan didn’t answer. He just put the SUV in gear and drove away.

And here she’d thought this night couldn’t get any more complicated.

18

Parkridge Drive, Homewood, 10:35 p.m.

Lori loaded the laundry she’d sorted into the machine and pushed the start button. As the water rushed into the machine, she braced against it and closed her eyes. What was she doing?

How much longer could she keep doing this to Chet?

She’d been avoiding intimacy with him since he told her about the complication that came with the surgery. This wasn’t how she’d planned her life. She’d expected to rise high enough in her career to be financially stable with a comfortable savings account before marriage and kids. She’d watched her mother struggle with finances after her father died.

Fury tightened her lips. Unlike her younger sister, who’d been just a toddler when their father killed himself, Lori remembered the man. He’d seemed so solid, so warm and caring. He’d made her laugh and taken care of her when she skinned her knees. She remembered watching him wax the Mustang. He’d wink and tell her it would be hers one day.

“Bastard,” she said between clenched teeth. He’d loved them so much he’d taken the easy way out when life got a little hard. He’d left them to fend for themselves. Lori’s mother had cleaned houses for Birmingham’s elite until she was too old to do the backbreaking work. Lori had made a promise to herself and to her younger sister. They were never going to struggle that way. She had ensured her sister had the necessary funding to go to a good university. She had helped her mother pay off the mortgage on the family home. Now it was her turn to ensure her future was financially stable.

She would not dive into motherhood before she was ready to take care of a child for the long haul. She just couldn’t do it.

“Are you that mad at me?”

Lori whirled around at the sound of Chet’s voice. He stood in the laundry room doorway watching her. “I thought you were in bed.” She wasn’t sure she was prepared to have the conversation now. Maybe she never would be.

“I was. But you weren’t.” He pushed away from the door and closed in on her, trapping her between the washing machine and his body. “I don’t have to do the surgery now. We can wait another year or so.”

The sad mixture of pain and hurt in his eyes tugged at her heart. All he wanted was for her to be happy… with him. Why couldn’t she give him that? He wasn’t her father.

“I was just thinking about my dad.” The anger she felt at her father twisted into a big knot in her chest. “I loved him so much and he left us. We barely survived.” She couldn’t look at Chet as the tears glided down her cheeks. She was stronger than this. Dammit all to hell.

“You may never fully understand the reason your father took his life, Lori. I guess I’ll never know who murdered mine. But, I’m not your father or mine.” She lifted her gaze to his. “I’m the man who loves you more than life itself. I won’t have you unhappy and I will never willingly leave you. If this is a problem, we don’t need to have children until you’re ready. I’m good with that.”

She shook her head, scrubbed at the tears. “I just don’t want our children to ever struggle. I want us to build a secure life before we go filling it with mouths to feed. I feel like I have an obligation to be prepared before entering into parenthood.”

Everything she said seemed to add to the hurt in his eyes. Why couldn’t she say the right words?

“I feel the same way. I have a solid savings, Lori. I have an account for Chester’s college and a savings account for emergencies and the future. I add to both of those every payday. I’m not some broke guy who doesn’t know how to take care of his family.”

The hint of hurt and anger in his voice stabbed like a knife. “I know this.” She rubbed his arm, gave it a squeeze. “You’re a good man, Chet. You’ve done everything right. I just want to make sure I do my part right.”

A grin slid across his lips. “You already took the first step by choosing me.”

She laughed. Couldn’t help herself. “I guess I did.”

“Hell.” He shrugged those broad shoulders of his. “For that matter, I can get the surgery done and freeze some sperm until we’re ready. That way we don’t have to worry about the scar tissue blocking things up. We’ll have all the time in the world.”

Lori smiled up at him. She was so very blessed to have found this man. “You know what? Sometimes things are just meant to be.” She took a big breath and went for it. “Have the surgery. I’ll stop taking the pill and whatever happens, happens.”

The pain in his eyes vanished, leaving only the hope. “You’re sure about this? I don’t want you to regret your decision later.”

“I will never regret anything I do with you.” She looped her arms around his neck. Enjoyed the feel of his bare chest against her.

His arms went around her and he caressed the skin between the closure of her bra and her panties. She felt the press of his desire against her bellybutton. “What changed your mind?” he asked softly.

She traced his mouth with one fingertip, left a kiss on his chin. “Someone I respect very much shared a huge secret with me. She made me realize that you can’t control everything.”

He captured that fingertip between his teeth and nipped it before inquiring, “Are you allowed to share this secret?”

“Only with you.” She made him wait for a few seconds then she couldn’t take it anymore. “Jess is pregnant.”

“What?” He looked as stunned as Lori had been.