Watch What Burns (15 page)

“I love you too,” she replied softly, her hand pushing its way up his chest, her hand above his heart.

Lying there, she listened to her husband’s breathing begin to deepen minute by passing minute. She could tell from the way his arms began slack around her that he was sound asleep, exhausted from the excitement thrown their way, and she closed her eyes to try and will sleep even when she knew it was futile.

Regardless of what she had said, the facade she had created around herself, Austin didn’t sleep that night. She lay awake, waiting for the tiniest noise to creep through the darkened house alerting her of an intruder.

Turning onto her side, she watched Tyler sleeping beside her and made a silent vow. After tonight she wouldn’t let herself lose sleep over the likes of Natasha Truman.

“S
OMEONE crashed into the van?” Tyler asked as he sat reading over the report, Steve and another of his closest on the team, Matt, sat with him. “Why the hell did they not do a patch up job at the prison infirmary?”

“According to the nurses at the prison, Natasha got cut quite deep during a brawl, and she was noted as unstable,” Steve commented, sitting forward in his seat. “Apparently, the nurse wasn’t entirely equipped so they thought it best to take her to the closest hospital for necessary treatment.”

“This just doesn’t add up,” Tyler remarked and huffed, picking the file up from his desk so he could sit back. “What are the chances that there’s a fight she’s involved in, gets badly hurt, and then requested outside medical attention only to be involved in a car wreck on route?”

“See, that’s what I thought too,” Matt responded, showing the same
skepticism. “It’s just not sitting right with me.”

“And with all the letters,” Steve pointed out, watching Tyler tense up at the comment. “There was more wasn’t there?”

Tyler lifted his head to look at them and nodded. He ran a hand over his face, allowing the police report to rest in his lap. “She sent one to Austin. Pretty specific if you ask me. The entire thing was insult after insult towards my wife for marrying me and having my child.”

“She really does have a clear vendetta,” Steve winced as he listened to Tyler. “Personally, I think Austin is by far the better woman, but I’m pretty sure that’s a general consensus in this town.”

“Have you had any contact with her?” Matt asked, gauging the situation.

Shaking his head, Tyler sighed. “The closest I’ve been to her since she was sent down is looking through one way glass at her.” He resigned himself to the inevitable fate that was bestowed on them. “She made sure that Austin knew that her life with me is much more than a little short lived.”

Steve chortled a little. “Woman is literally delusional. If her letters didn’t prove it, that comment did.” He looked directly at Tyler, the mirthful feeling still in him. “Did she really think Austin would give you up without a fight or you’d just willingly walk away?”

“Mind if I disrupt the brain storming session?” Austin’s voice broke into their chat after a sharp knock on the door resonated out. She smiled as they all turned around to stare at her. “I know you’re discussing Natasha, one of the guy’s out there said so,” she said pointing over her shoulder. “But I really think you need to look less stressed.”

“It’s our job,” Steve joked lightly.

“You do your job,” she commented, pausing slightly. “Being a good cop everyday does that. Don’t turn dark and brooding over it.”

“I thought you liked that,” Tyler remarked, his voice light and teasing.

Austin laughed a little. “I do, husband of mine, but over the likes of Natasha I don’t agree. Plus, you’ve forgotten one thing,” she observed, giving another short pause before continuing. “Natasha is expecting you all to be on edge, searching for her at every turn.
We know how she works. We grew up together remember.”

“That’s true,” Steve agreed, remembering how self-
centered Natasha was. “That girl always did love the attention being on her.”

“She’d probably love knowing we’ve all sat here discussing her now,” Matt joked, standing up. “Right, I’m going to get back to work. I’ll look into getting a warrant to search her parents’ houses and we’ll get on that soon as they are granted.”

“I think we should stick someone outside as well just in case.” Steve added, gaining agreement.

Tyler agreed, and looked at his watch and realized how late it was getting. “Steve, don’t go hanging around here late into the night. Get home, same for you too, Matt.” He then stood up from his seat, slapping the report down onto the desk. “We’ll sort out the warrants and stuff, but for now we just need to keep our guard up on any sightings of Natasha.”

“Sounds good,” Steve stated, nodding in agreement before getting up and heading towards the door. “Good to see you, Austin.”

“It’ll be even better when we can go out for drinks and not have to be on guard,” she joked with him sarcastically. “I’ll see you two around.”

Walking around the table as the two men left, he watched his wife walk into the room. Taking a moment, he decided to lean against his desk, watching her waltz towards him. “What do I owe this visit?” he asked her and suddenly panic set in. “What are you doing here?”

“Calm it, Handsome. Our dads brought us,” Austin told him softly, not allowing him to worry too much. “They’re waiting in the parking lot until we’re done here. Grace is currently watching Dora the Explorer and driving them crazy with it.”

Tyler laughed, knowing how involved Grace got into that show. “Well I can tell you now I won’t be here much longer. I’ve heard everything I need to for today. Steve’s doing overtime so he can be here and make sure I’m at home with you,” Tyler responded, bringing her between his legs. “I don’t particularly want to be away from you right now.”

“What did I say about stopping life, Ty?” she asked him, her gaze narrowing upon him, her arms looping around his neck.

“I know, but right now, I feel so in the thick of things, I just want to just get away,” Tyler admitted. “I don’t know how you’re keeping so calm, Sunny, but I feel like I’m losing control and I can’t stop myself from panicking.”

Austin felt her eyes water at her husband’s admittance to his own weaknesses, and she inched forward, placing her hands to his face. “I love you, Tyler Armstrong, and the only reason I am able to keep on top of this and keep myself from panicking is because of you.” She gave him a small, reassuring smile. “This time the odds are on our side. She’s out, and she’s hunted.”

Closing his eyes, Tyler winced at the memories. “How did I ever fall for her?” he asked, opening his eyes to look to his wife. “How could I ever have believed her?”

“She was cunning,” Austin stated blandly. “You loved
her, you shouldn’t feel bad for feeling that emotion, Tyler. You cannot beat yourself up for loving people.”

“But look what she did,” he stated, his mind accumulating everything she had inflicted upon their family.

Austin gave him a coy smile, one to settle him a little, and took her arms from around his neck. “She made us love each other without question. She strengthened what we already had.” Watching him disbelieve her, his doubts flittering around in him, she decided to take a new approach. “Right, we need a new pact,” Austin suddenly jumped to life, her tone changing octaves, her face lighting up. She gently took both his hands in hers, clasping them to her chest immediately. “You and I, we still have this knack to beat ourselves up over what’s already happened. It’s not fair is it?” she asked him, watching him shake his head at her. “Well, we have a gorgeous baby girl, plans for more gorgeous children, and a family anyone would
kill
to have, Tyler. We have it all; we have no need to panic. Sure, Natasha is out, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from this.” She pulled away enough to put her hand out, “No more dwelling. We make the best of everything without looking back or looking over our shoulder all the time.” She watched him and pushed onwards, “Deal, Mr. Armstrong?”

Tyler looked down at her hand, and then back up at his wife’s expectant gaze. Relenting, he knew she was right - as always! “Deal,” he stated, clasping his hand into hers and shook it. He then pulled her to his body, wrapping his arms around her. “I don’t know what I
would do without you, Mrs. Armstrong, and I don’t even want to think about it.”

“Then don’t,” she mused, pushing up a little to kiss him. “You’re stuck with me for life.”

“Good,” he remarked with a heavy smirk. “Just know that I will protect you. I would fight for you,” Tyler whispered to his wife. “With my entire being, I would.”

“I know,” Austin murmured to him, her eyes closing as his hand came to cup her face.

“No matter what, Austin, I will always be the man that saves you. Whether it be from yourself, or from someone else. I will always be here.” Tyler kept her close, unable to let her go. “It scares me how both weak and strong you make me, Austin. It terrifies me how much I need you and Gracie to make it through a day.”

“You’re not on your own,” she spoke gently to him, her expression just as light. “You and Grace are my vices. You’re my entire world now.” She reached up again, her feet reaching up into tiptoes so she could kiss him. “You’re the only weakness I’ll thank God for giving me.”

“I’m glad we agree on that,” he told her, kissing her deeply. He allowed all his qualms to disperse from him in that instance.

Pulling away, Austin dropped back so her feet were flat on the floor again. “C’mon,” she said, taking his hand in hers. “Let’s go to the park. We can get ice cream and wander home. Natasha might be out there, but I know we’re safe wherever you are. She won’t hurt you,” Austin spoke with certainty. She wasn’t entirely sure that Natasha would spare Tyler, but if she loved Tyler as much as her letters said, then she had no doubts.

“You’re right,” he agreed, quickly seeing the sanity behind that conclusion. “Let’s go get our girl and relax a little.” He then took Austin from his office and into the main part of the station. He stopped abruptly, Austin crying out in disagreement as she walked into him. “Diane?” Tyler asked, seeing the frazzled looking woman in the foyer of the police station. “What are you doing here?”

“
Er-erm,” she spluttered in shock as she saw Tyler, and then saw Austin step out to his side. “I’m here to see Robert. I got a call about Natasha. I can’t believe she got out,” Diane told them, her tone low with apology. “I’m sorry this is happening. I wish I had brought her up better. I wish she could have just accepted what had happened.”

“Diane, there is no need for you to apologize,” Austin stepped in, calming the woman down.

“How can you talk to me? You should hate me,” Diane fretted feebly.

“I could, you’re right, but that’s not going to happen,” Austin stated the God’s honest truth.  “Natasha is a nearly twenty-eight year old woman, she knows better. This has nothing to do with you. She’s just out of control.”

“Austin’s right,” Tyler dropped in understandingly. “Now why are you here? We don’t need you for anything to do with the case.”

“I really do need to see Robert actually,” Diane commented, looking around the department to see if Robert was in sight. “Is he here?”

“He’s through there in his office,” Tyler pointed to Robert’s office door. “He could do with a break so head in there to him.”

“I wonder what that’s about,” Austin mused, watching the older woman head towards the office door of her ex-husband.

“No idea, but I think it’s our cue to leave,” Tyler whispered at her, pulling her away from a potentially lethal conversation.

***

“Diane,” Robert remarked, only appeasing her with a slight acknowledgement. “Why are you here?”

“Because our daughter escaped from prison, Robert,” Diane responded, her tone withholding from much emotional input. “We need to let bygones be bygones for this.”

“What, so that you can screw me over again after she’s locked away?” he asked her aggressively.

Diane sighed, rubbing her brow with her hand. “Look, the divorce settlement was I got the house. I didn’t ask for that. My lawyer did. Now I’m sorry that you and I are no longer together, and we can’t even look at one another, but Robert, this is dire.”

“Oh, like you care,” Robert snarled at his ex-wife. “You were hardly there for her in the courtroom that day.”

“She tried to kill someone! How could I have been supportive of that?” Diane asked the man before her, her voice becoming hoarse. “She admitted to me she
had. How could I live with myself for knowing that, for knowing her lies?”

“She’s your daughter,” Robert responded coldly, as if nothing else should matter.

“Oh c’mon, Robert! How can you still support her after everything? She’s been targeting that family now for too long. It isn’t fair,” she tried to rationalize with him, but she could see how badly she was losing this battle.

“Life isn’t fair, but well, at least you didn’t have your daughter locked up, and your wife fall out of love with you!” Robert targeted her venomously, lashing out how he could.

“I never fell out of love with you! God, I still love you, Robert! You were the love of my life and you betrayed me!” Diane literally bellowed at him, her voice wavering with conviction and anger. “I loved you so much, and you made me feel like I was giving up on our daughter. That wasn’t all on me!”

“Course it was,” Robert remarked sarcastically. “She is still our daughter behind bars or not.”

“She tried to kill someone,” Diane stated again, her tone lowering into a bare whisper, her eyes watering heavily as she stared directly into his eyes. This was the first time they had spoken in months, almost a year, and she hated how she still loved a man that made her feel like she was a bad mother. “She broke us. Why can’t you see that?”

“Because she is our daughter,” he repeated at her, and closed his eyes, striving for some sense of calm.

Diane inched forward, closing the gap between them. “I know she is still our daughter, Robert, but she is now a fugitive who has broken so many laws, she is passed saving. We can’t do this anymore. We can’t carry on living like we’re both on opposite sides when we both know the only reason you stick by her is because you are trying to save face. Accept what she did so you can move on too.”