STRONG ARMS OF THE LAW
(BASED ON A TRUE STORY)
by
Victoria Calaway
Strong Arms of the Law
Based on a True Story
Copyright 2011 Victoria Calaway
Published by Books of Desire Publishing
P.O. Box 71813
Newnan, GA 30271
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author
Author’s Note:
** The events in this book regarding domestic violence are true. Names and locations have been changed to protect the innocent. This book contains language and violence that may offend some people. The author apologizes for any offense resulting from language or violence in these pages, but the truth of domestic violence cannot go unheard.
WHEN LOVE IS FOUND
I found a gentleness in my heart that wasn’t always there
Emotional pain and a shattered heart are not a gentle pair.
It leaves you hard, leaves you cold, it leaves your heart to bleed
After awhile you cease to care about what you feel or need.
You go through life day by day, just learning to exist
And frequent thoughts of easy death get harder to resist.
Then you find that miracles happen when you least expect
Someone new comes into your life and offers you respect.
He shares a laugh, makes you smile, a twinkle lights your eyes,
Then you wonder why on earth you’d ever want to die.
Before you know what’s happened, your heart is soft and warm
You feel the need to be together, for suddenly love is born.
You start to care, you start to need, you hold each other tight
You find that love is special so you cling with all your might.
Yet you give each other space, but you know you can depend
On each other being there so your heart can start to mend.
Sometimes you have to let it go, to let your love go free
But if it comes right back to you, you’ll know it’s meant to be.
Author: Victoria Calaway
Chapter One
A blood-curdling scream shattered the quiet summer day, causing Tony’s heart to skip a beat. He took off in a hard run toward the back yard of the apartment he approached and caught sight of a young woman racing toward a sprawling oak tree, a giant of a German shepherd hot on her heels. She threw herself toward the tree, grabbed hold of the lowest limb, and attempted to swing herself upward as if she were a trained gymnast. The dog grabbed the toe of her shoe and tugged viciously, almost jerking her to the ground. The girl screamed again, hugging the limb with all her might as she kicked and jerked her foot out of the dog's mouth. She then hoisted herself up onto the low limb. Looking back before climbing any higher, she froze as she saw the dog worrying at the bit of sneaker he had pulled loose. The dog flailed its head viciously, wanting to shred the piece of sneaker with its teeth. At her gasp, the dog refocused its attention on her, then gathered itself to lunge up at her.
Tony lifted a shotgun to his shoulder, took careful aim so that scattering pellets wouldn’t hit the girl, since she was no more than chest high off the ground, and he squeezed the trigger. The boom echoed throughout the area, and the dog dropped on his side.
He rushed over to make certain it was dead. When he saw that it was, he turned to where he'd seen the girl pull herself into the tree. She sat huddled on a big limb, her back against the trunk, her arms wrapped around her drawn up knees. She shook violently and sobbed softly, her head lowered to her knees.
She's a tiny thing, he thought, deciding she would probably be around sixteen years old. Her silky black hair shone like a raven's wing, her skin tan and smooth, and she wore a pair of cut-off denim shorts and a sunny yellow T-shirt that was short enough to show her midriff. Something about the way she huddled in a tiny, frightened ball tugged at his heart.
“Hey,” he said soothingly, “it's all over now. Everything's all right.” Being low enough that he could touch her, he reached out a hand and smoothed it over her short cap of hair.
She jumped, flinching as if he’d struck her, and her arms came up to wrap across her head in a defensive manner.
“Hey,” he soothed. “It’s all right. Nothing’s going to hurt you now.”
After a few seconds of hesitation, her head lifted slightly, and through the blur of tears, she saw a dark blue shirt and shiny, silver badge. A police officer. She was safe. The next instant, she practically tumbled into his arms, crying uncontrollably.
The unexpected move caught him off guard. He quickly braced himself so that he could catch her. Why, she weighs almost nothing, he thought, able to support her with one arm while he switched the gun safety on. He propped the gun against the tree, enabling him to gather her more securely in his arms.
Holding her close against his chest, he maneuvered himself enough to pick up the gun by the barrel. He walked a few feet away from the tree, putting her back to the sight of the mess he’d made of the dog. Placing the shotgun on the ground near his feet, he stooped down in front of her. He almost asked if her parents were home, but when he took a really good look at her for the first time, the words died in his throat.
This is definitely not a teenager. She's a grown woman. A beautiful woman with silky black hair, cut to frame her small round face. She had curves in all the right places, and slender, shapely legs that made his mouth go dry.
Stop it, he growled to himself. You’re a cop, dumb ass, and she’s shaking from head to toe. Take care of your business. Take care of her.
He reached for the microphone on his shoulder clip, made contact with the dispatcher to briefly relay what happened, and asked for Animal Control to come for the dog. He finished his call and turned his attention back to the woman. His skin warmed.
“I'm Lieutenant Tony Lanier with the Buffington Police Department. What's your name?”
“Lori,” came shakily. She managed to stop crying, but she couldn’t seem to stop the violent trembling of her entire body. She wrapped her arms across herself. “Lori Forsyth.”
He looked down and noticed the rip in her shoe with fresh blood on it. Without thinking, he took her ankle, lifting her foot to rest on his knee. He felt her go tense at his touch.
“I need to see about your foot,” he explained, though it didn't seem to put her any more at ease. He pulled the lace loose, gently tugged the heel until the shoe slipped off, then he put it on the ground beside her. He examined her foot carefully, top and bottom, and relief washed over him. The skin remained unharmed. He creased his brows, wondering where the fresh blood came from.
“You’re lucky you weren’t bitten.” He smiled reassuringly, but it faded when fresh tears brimmed in her dark brown eyes. “You won't have to worry about rabies shots.”
She tried to stop the tears but found she couldn't. She hadn't cried in such a long time. She hated it that she felt so vulnerable.
“Lori?” came gently, his hand moving to cover hers. Her fingers were like ice. “You’re freezing!” He put his hands on her upper arms and rubbed briskly, then took both her hands between his.
He feels so warm, she couldn't help noticing, curling her fingers into the warmth of his hand. After a moment she was able to tell him, “He killed my kitten.” The words came on a sob. “He was only eight weeks old. I've only had him two weeks. I got him because I...” The words died as she realized she almost told him she was so lonely, so desperately in need of companionship. “He was just a baby,” she said instead.
“I'm sorry.” He didn't know what else to say. “We'll take care of it for you.”
His deep voice sounds comforting, Lori thought, taking a deep breath to try to gain some sort of control over her emotions. She'd been through tougher things, she reminded herself, and she'd get through this just the way she had the other things. It was just a dog, for crying out loud!
“I know you're upset, but I need to get some information for my report. If you're not up to it right now, I could come back later.”
He's trying to be nice, she told herself, then she brought herself up straight as she remembered that men were not nice. Just because he wore a uniform and a badge didn't make him an exception. She’d forgotten that momentarily in her fright, but now that she was regaining her composure, she remembered just how mean someone could be. She knew first hand what a man could and would do to a woman, and none of it had ever been nice.
“No, that's all right.” Her voice still shook. “I can do it now.” She may as well get this over with, then maybe he’d go away.
Certain he was going to start a barrage of questions, she watched with a bit of surprise as he settled on the ground beside her, moved a shotgun close to his hip, then reached into his shirt pocket and brought out a small note pad and a pen. Funny that she hadn't noticed the gun until that moment.
Before he could scribble more than the date and time, the Animal Control truck pulled up. He excused himself, rose in a swift and graceful movement, taking the shotgun with him, and hurried toward the driver.
She noticed they wore similar uniforms, but the Animal Control officer was shorter by a full head. Lori heard only a muffled conversation between the two men. When they approached, the Animal Control officer gave her a courteous nod and headed around toward the back of her apartment, and the police officer settled himself on the ground beside her once again. She diverted her gaze, training her sight on her bare foot.
She didn’t realize just how close he sat until his thigh brushed hers. She flinched as if he had touched her with a live electrical wire. She moved over, but her hip touched a rock that wouldn’t be too comfortable to sit on, and moving over it would bring more attention to her actions. She remained still, so stiff she ached.
Tony propped the notebook on one knee, noticing how she'd reacted to his nearness. Could she think he was out of line by sitting beside her? He watched as she crossed her arms across her chest, then her fingers bit into her arms.
“Are you all right? I really could do this later.”
“No.” She turned her head to look at him, but she couldn't quite do it. She returned her gaze to her foot. “No, I'm fine. Let's go ahead.”
He knew she really wasn't fine but accepted her word for it as he filled in her name and address.
She hesitated giving out her phone number, but when he explained it would only be for the report in case there were any questions, she gave in.
“Can you tell me what happened before I arrived?”
“I'd let the kitten out to play. Because it was such a nice day, I went out to relax on a chaise lounge in the backyard. I hadn't been out long, only a few minutes, when I heard the kitten scream. It scared me. I jumped up to see what was going on.” She took a deep breath to calm her emotions. “There was the dog, out of nowhere. He had my kitten in his mouth. It was so limp, and the dog had blood dripping from his mouth. I tried to run him off, but he let go of the kitten and turned on me. I was too far out in the yard to make it back to the house before he would catch up with me. The only choice I had was to run for the tree.”
He stopped writing to look at her. “Do you need to see a doctor? You could've pulled some muscles in your arms and shoulders. Do you have any scrapes or cuts from the tree bark?”
She shook her head. “I appreciate your concern, but I really am all right.”
Something, some instinct, told him differently. She still hadn't looked at him. That bothered him, though he wasn't sure why. He finished his report, then stood when the Animal Control officer came with the dog and kitten. He glanced to see that Lori had turned her head. It's just as well, he thought, sighing heavily.
He didn’t like the thought of leaving her alone, though he couldn't have said why. He reached into his uniform shirt pocket and pulled out a business card and held it out to her.
“Here's my number. Call if you need anything, even if you just want to talk. If I'm not in the office, there's an answering machine. I check it regularly, and I'll call you back. OK?”
She hesitated, looking at the card for a long moment, then she reached out and took it with the tips of her fingers, careful not to touch him. “Thank you.”
He felt about as useful as a rusty nail stuck in a tire. He wanted to do something, but he didn’t know what. He decided that what he really wanted was to put his arms around her, to offer the comfort she seemed to need, but he knew he couldn't do that. Instead, he offered his hand to help her to her feet. It surprised him that she accepted his gesture. Keeping his hand at her elbow, he walked with her as far as the front steps of the apartment, then went back to his patrol car and got in. He picked up the clipboard that lay on the seat beside him, about to fill out a report form, but he looked across the expanse of the yard to see Lori sitting on a cement step. He’d never seen anyone look so desolate, so completely alone, in his life. With a shake of his head and deep unsettling feeling in his gut, he put the report aside to do later, pulled the gear shift into drive, then lifted the microphone of the police band radio to let the dispatcher know his location, speaking as he pulled away from the curb.
Lori stared at the white business card for several minutes without really seeing what was imprinted on it. Her mind had gone completely blank. She knew it was her own defense system kicking in, therefore she would have to put herself into some kind of motion and get over it. With that in mind, she picked up the mangled sneaker she’d brought with her and placed on the step, forced her feet to move, then went into the apartment and banged the door shut behind her. She tossed the card on the small table just inside the door where the phone sat, not giving it another glance, then jerked off her other shoe and dropped the pair into the trashcan.
She took a hot shower, certain she had sick dog germs all over her. She scrubbed her toes until they hurt. When the water started to cool, she turned off the taps, and wrapped herself in a towel.
She dressed quickly, wearing a comfortable cotton caftan, the one thing she'd treated herself to soon after leaving her hometown, getting away from the nightmarish memories in hopes of starting a new life. She sat down in the living room to pick up where she'd stopped in the law book. She would get over this shock, get over losing her kitten, and get on with her life, such as it was. She would make it. Somehow, she had to make a difference for battered women. She hadn't survived the trauma she'd suffered for nothing. She forced her attention on the book.
Tony busied himself with his reports for the day, but thoughts of Lori Forsyth kept popping up. He'd never seen a woman so gorgeous. His ex-wife, Gloria, had been pretty, downright sexy even, but this woman made Gloria pale in comparison. He'd learned the hard way that sometimes beauty could only be on the surface, but something else about Lori drew him. Perhaps it had been the lost look. How could it be possible that a woman that beautiful could look so...alone, so unhappy, so scared. He couldn't decide which one fit best. Maybe it was a combination of all three. Of course, she'd been scared out of her wits by that damned dog, but so had other people in the neighborhood. They hadn't reacted like that. Just how had she reacted? Falling into his arms, then refusing to even look at him, that's how. Other people had at least looked at him, even if they hadn't fallen into his arms out of an oak tree.
He tried to stop thinking about her by picking up the phone and calling his five-year-old daughter, Stephanie, to explain what had happened, which caused him to be unable to pick her up today as planned. He promised next weekend. She didn't seem too terribly upset that he wasn't coming. She wanted to hear more about the bad dog.
After he answered all her questions, he listened to all the things she did with her dolls and stuffed animals, the pretend tea party on the patio, and how her nanny sat around and read those books with people kissing and hugging on the front cover. He found himself smiling at the picture she painted for him. After they said their good-byes, he grabbed his papers to drop off at the clerk's desk, then headed for home with Lori's phone number tucked into his shirt pocket.
Tony parked his car in the garage at the back of his country log home, and entered the kitchen through the back door. “Mattie! I'm home!” he called to his housekeeper, sixty-year-old Mattie Matthews.
“I'm old, not deaf,” she grumbled, pushing through the swinging door, coming in from the dining room. She gave him a crooked grin. “I heard you shot that dog.”
He smiled, knowing she got a kick out of listening to his police scanner, which sat on a table at the back of the living room. “Yeah.” His smile widened. “And I met the most incredibly beautiful woman in the process.”
Mattie laughed, her plump body shaking jovially. “About time. Rescued a damsel in distress, did you?”
He tried not to look embarrassed. “Something like that.” He reached into the refrigerator for a cold beer and popped the top.
“So are you going to call and ask her out?”
“I'm going to call to see if she's all right. That's all.” He took a long swallow of the beer.
“Sure. You do that.” She moved around the kitchen, flipping her dust cloth at the already spotless counter. “Then ask her out.”
He laughed. “Mattie, you're impossible.” He took another long drink from the can, then looked at her. “Besides, something tells me she'd refuse me flat.”
“When have you ever been refused by a woman?” she challenged.
“Never, but that's because I'm a busy cop and don't have time to ask. I'm thirty-five, not nineteen.”
“Busy, I'll grant you, but you're not dead.” She put one hand on her hip while the hand with the dust cloth waved at him. “Ask her. It's time you put your failed marriage behind you and moved on.”
“It is behind me. The only reason I have anything to do with Gloria is because of Stephanie. You know that. I don't care what Gloria does. I haven't for a long time. As long as it doesn't affect Stephanie, anyway. It's just that I put in a lot of hours at the department. I don't have time for a social life.”
“Then slow down. Take some time off. You deserve it.”
He couldn't argue with that. “I will, just as soon as everyone's back on duty. You know we've been short-handed since the attempted jailbreak. One officer got a broken arm, another has broken ribs, and two are out with concussions, all from wrestling with one guy. If the Captain hadn't shot him in the leg, we'd all have been beat up. Remember the shiner I had?” He grinned.
“I remember. One man, huh?”
“Yeah. He freaked out on drugs. Angel dust, I think they said. The guy went berserk. Thought we were all Nazi soldiers. Someone said he watched those old war movies on television and was having hallucinations that he was the only American left to fight the war. We finally got cuffs on him and hauled him over to the hospital.”
“How did he get the dope?”
“His girlfriend smuggled it in. Had it in a bag at the bottom of a container of deodorant body powder. They said he took the whole bag in one day.”
“Is he dead?”
Tony could tell from her expression and tone that she found it a terrible waste. “Yeah. He went into a coma later on and died the next day. The bullet in the leg wasn’t anything serious. It went into a muscle. They removed it with no problems or complications. He died from the drug overdose. Now, the girlfriend is in jail. He was an accountant down at City Hall. Just goes to show that you never know what some people will do.” He finished his beer and tossed the can in the recycle bin. “I'm going to take a shower.”
“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. It's in the oven. Pot roast and potatoes, and I made salad, rolls, and some iced tea.”
“Sounds great, Mattie. Thanks. I'll be back in a jiffy.” He headed up the back stairs off the kitchen.
Lori found herself unable to concentrate on the book, no matter how many times she tried. She kept reading the same page over and over until she finally snapped it shut and tossed it aside. She kept thinking how stupidly she'd reacted. Throwing herself into the arms of a man! All right, so she'd had a bad scare. Not to mention that her little companion was dead, which broke her heart. She'd made a vow to herself that no man would ever touch her again no matter what. So much for that. Her own doing, she had to admit, which stung badly. Angry with herself, she jumped to her feet and decided to go to bed. She had to be up at three in the morning so she could be at the diner by five. She worked as a waitress at the only diner in town. A poor paying job, but it was better than nothing.
Before she reached the door to her bedroom, her phone rang. It had to be Beth. No one else ever called her. Beth Greene was her only friend. They worked at Curt's Kitchen together, and Beth was Curt's girlfriend. Beth was the only reason she even had a job.
She'd left her small hometown of Nix City after recovering somewhat from her domestic violence trauma. She'd been on her way to Atlanta. What she'd wanted was to find an inexpensive apartment there, find a job to support herself, then enroll in classes for paralegal services. She’d dreamed of graduating at the top of the class so that eventually she could find a job with an attorney. Then she'd work her way through law school to eventually reach her goal of becoming an attorney. She wanted to represent women who had suffered abuse as she had. She could say she understood and mean it. In order to gain their trust, she'd gladly tell them what a man had done to her, if only to help get them out of the situation. Getting them out would be the toughest part. She knew all too well about that. It had taken her almost two years to do it, then she'd spent another six months in counseling to make herself believe she wasn't to blame, she wasn't worthless, that she hadn't deserved the abuse she'd endured, even though her parents had accused her of not taking care of her man and told her not to come crying to them. To this day she still felt deserted, and she didn't know why they'd turned their backs on her. She wondered if she would ever know.
Instead of making it to Atlanta, her car broke down less than a hundred miles away, leaving her with two choices; spend every cent she'd saved to have the car repaired and get no further, or scrap the car and take the money to find a place to stay until she could save for another car. She'd ended up at Curt's Kitchen for a cup of coffee while she thought it over, and Beth had seen the despair on her face. Because of Beth's compassionate personality, she found herself confiding her dilemma. Minutes later, she had a job if she wanted it, and Beth even knew about the duplex being available for rent. She'd chosen to start over by taking the job and the apartment, and here she was, two years later, still saving every penny she had left over.
She had gone to the two law offices in town, hoping to find some kind of employment in order to get a little closer to her goal. Lack of experience and very little typing skills closed the door on those hopes rather quickly, forcing her to keep the waitress job.
The persistent ringing of the phone jolted her back from her thoughts. She lifted the receiver, expecting to hear Beth's sunny voice. “Hello?”
“Lori?” came a male voice instead. A very deep male voice she thought she should recognize.
Her heart thumped. “Who's calling?”
“Lieutenant Tony Lanier of the Buffington Police.”
Her chest hurt, causing her to put her hand to it as if the action would slow her heart down. It was beating so fast and hard that she could feel it bounce off her breastbone. “This is Lori. What can I do for you?”
The question raised all kinds of visions. There’s plenty you could do for me, he thought with a grin. Like wrap her arms around him again, press her body against his again, let him kiss her until they were both senseless. Instead of voicing his thoughts, he replied, “I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you were all right after what happened earlier.”
She felt such a sudden relief wash over her that her knees went weak. He's just doing his job. “Well, yes. I'm fine, thank you.” She slowly sank into the chair at the small table, her fingers wrapped tightly around the receiver. “I appreciate your concern. I guess I was pretty shaken up at first, but I'm better now.”
“Is your husband home yet?” His brows creased as he wondered why he asked such a stupid question.
“I'm not married,” came barely above a whisper.
“Oh.” The statement shouldn't have pleased him as much as it did, he realized. After all, I'm just being a concerned cop, he told himself firmly. Nothing personal. Nothing at all. “You're sure you're all right then?”
“Very sure. Thank you for calling.”
He knew she was about to hang up, but he didn't want her to. “Lori?”
The way he said her name sent her heart to racing again. She wasn't sure if it was fear or some feeling she didn't want to name. “Yes?”
“Could we have dinner together tomorrow night? Nothing fancy or anything. A steak, or even a hamburger. Whatever you'd like.” It was blurted out before he could stop it.
“I...I can't.” The words came out strained. “Thank you for asking, but I can't.” It was the first time anyone had asked her out in too long to remember.
“Maybe another time?”
There was a long silence before she managed to say, “I don't know. I have to go now. Good-bye.” She quickly replaced the receiver, then sat staring at it with unshed tears burning her eyes. She'd give anything to be able to have a normal relationship with a man. More than anything else, she wanted to be loved. What she'd gotten was the worst kind of abuse. A truly living hell. She sprang to her feet, rushed into her bedroom and flung herself across the bed, crying into her pillow. She'd never be normal. Thanks to Joshua McNair, she had been ruined for life. Her nightmare would never end.
Tony sat still for several long minutes, staring at the telephone, wondering what he'd said to upset her. The tone of her voice told him more than anything she'd said. He carefully went over every word, then decided that maybe she just didn't like cops. People usually don't until they need one. Had it been because I asked her out? She had said she's not married. Maybe she's engaged or seeing someone. Hell, he hadn't thought of that. If he was honest with himself, he hadn't thought at all. Things had just popped out of his mouth. He was behaving like a teenager with raging hormones! Forget it, he snapped to himself. So she said no. No big deal.
Thankfully, Mattie called him to eat so he wouldn't have to think about her.
Lori walked the mile to the diner, grateful for the streetlights along the way to keep her from roaming in pitch darkness. Beth sat in her little blue Volkswagen Beetle as usual, the dome light on so she could coat her lips with bright red color. Lori opened the door and settled into the passenger seat, their usual routine while waiting for Curt to come open the back door.
Beth turned her blue eyes on Lori. “God, what happened to you? You look ten years older.” She twisted in her seat. “Don't tell me that Joshua fellow found you!”
“No,” she was quick to say. “He's still in prison as far as I know. I didn't get much sleep last night.” She explained about the dog, then said, “He called last night to check on me, or so he said, then he asked me out.”
“Hey, that's great! Where are you going?”
She looked out the small front window. “Nowhere. I told him no.”
“Lori, you didn't!”
“Yes, I did.” Sweet Beth, Lori thought. Beth saw the good in everyone and everything. She was one of those people that wore a bleached Dolly Parton type hairdo, too much make-up, and too-tight clothes, but her heart was pure gold and as big as all outdoors. She had been the only one Lori had confided in about Joshua since coming to Buffington, and Beth somehow felt Fate had led her here to heal. She'd told Lori that Atlanta was too far to go and be alone.
“Why, Lori?” she asked gently. “You can't let Joshua keep doing this to you. If you do, you're letting him win. Let it go, just once, and start living again.”
“I can't.” Her voice trembled, her head dropped. “I can't risk going through that again.”
“I know it's scary.” Her hand reached out to touch Lori's arm. “Ah, hell. Lori, if you want to go out with him just to see if you can do it, Curt and I will go with you. We'll double date. I mean, you could tell him that the three of us have already made plans, but he's welcome to come along. Anything will work until you feel you can go it alone. Won't you at least think about it?”
“There's no need. He's not going to call me back.” She was glad to see Curt arrive. She could get to work and forget about the man. She got out of the car, and as soon as Curt had the door open, she brushed by him without looking back, feeling Beth's eyes watching her.
She stayed busy throughout the breakfast rush, took her quick break while Beth was busy, then made the effort to stay busy until the lunch rush was over. She avoided any discussion other than orders with Beth, because she knew she'd start lecturing her again. Although Beth meant well, Lori knew she couldn't handle any kind of relationship. She probably never could.
Tony kept busy all day, trying to handle the calls that came in on the radio. There were two automobile accidents and three fights, including a domestic squabble that ended in a knock-down-drag-out that would have made the Monday night wrestling events look tame. A while later, he'd been called back to the domestic violence scene, for the relatives decided to join in by coming to the residence with ball bats. They'd smashed in all the windows of the man's car, left dents all over it, then had started beating on the door by the time he'd arrived. He and two other officers threatened them all with jail, making everyone calm enough to listen to him. He sent everyone home with a warning, then advised the man to take vandalism warrants against those who had damaged his car.
He still had to find the suspect in the convenience store robbery he had been investigating. Buffington didn't have much of a Detective Division because of its small population, causing him to do most of his own footwork.
In spite of everything that kept him occupied, Lori Forsyth still invaded his thoughts. He'd even dreamed about her last night, amazing him because dreaming was something he rarely did. Especially about women. At least not the kind of dreams he'd had last night! Even his fantasies while wide awake had never been that sizzling!
He still couldn't understand why she hadn't met his gaze. She'd kept her head averted the whole time, almost as if she didn't want him to look at her. Did she expect him to recognize her? Surely there were no warrants out for her? Small towns weren't practical for hiding out. Big cities were. Like Atlanta or New York. Towns like Buffington, with a population of less than five thousand, were towns where everyone knew everyone else, as well as knew what they were doing. He thought they only read the paper to find out who got caught at secret indiscretions to confirm rumors. He definitely would have remembered Lori if he'd seen her before. Did she work in town? If so, where? He didn't see that she had a car, so how did she get around? Buffington didn't have a transit system, or even a taxi company. People walked or rode with a friend or relative, so perhaps she did as well.
He realized the police officer in him had taken over. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something didn't seem to be quite right. It still bothered him when he turned in his reports to Captain Johnson at the end of his shift.
“Something eating you, Lieutenant?” came from the Captain.
“It shows?” His brows went up.
“I'd say so. I rarely see you frown, but you're definitely frowning.”
He made his face relax. “Sorry. I was just thinking. Tell me something. If you helped someone in a dangerous situation, and the person you aided wouldn't look at you, what would you think?”
“I guess that would depend. Male or female?” He leaned his big bulk back in his leather chair. One gray lock of hair fell onto his wrinkled forehead.
Not understanding what the gender had to do with it, Tony answered, “Female. Why?”
The Captain laughed, the robust sound echoing in the room. “The lady has you puzzled, does she? Well, maybe she felt intimidated by you. No offense, Lieutenant, but you are a big guy. If not that, I'd say she's afraid of being recognized.”
Tony looked at the older man. “Yeah. I had those thoughts myself. I may be tall, but I'm no hulk. I went over everything I’d said and done. There was nothing I could think of that would have intimidated her. I came up with the last conclusion you did.”
“Want me to run a check on her?”
Tony thought it over for a full minute before answering. “Yeah. I guess you'd better.” He took a piece of paper from the desk and wrote her name, along with any other information he remembered, including her description. He had the feeling it would be incredibly painful if he ended up having to arrest her. With his thoughts heavy, he headed back to the streets.
Lori was glad when Curt finally locked the doors at two o'clock. They were open for breakfast and lunch during the week, opening for dinner only on Friday and Saturday nights. Curt's remained closed on Sunday. Even though he'd had patrons request he open for lunch, Curt refused, needing at least one day off, and he absolutely refused to have another human being cook in his kitchen.
Right now, all Lori wanted was to go home and get off her sore feet.
“You can't avoid me forever,” Beth remarked from across the room, sitting down in the corner booth at the back of the restaurant where they took their breaks. She busied herself filling a tray of salt and pepper shakers to put back on the table for the next day.
Lori stopped wiping off a table to look at her. “Look, Beth. I know you want me to be happy. How do you know I'm not? I mean, I don't need a man in my life to be happy. I had one, and look where that got me.”
“At eighteen, Lori. You said you had no choice about where to go, and I believe you. I still can't believe your dad called him to come get you like that. That Joshua was rotten to the core. How could they have not known that? Surely you know that not all men are like him.”
“How do you know that?” She went back to cleaning off her tables. “How do you know what any man is capable of if he's angry?”
“You just know when you care and trust someone. Did you really ever trust Joshua?”
“No, I didn't. All he ever wanted was to get me into bed. He made that clear from the beginning.” She gathered the sugar dispensers on a tray and carried them to where Beth sat, taking a seat across from her. She started filling them from a container they kept on the table. “He'd get angry when I told him no. He didn't force me when we were dating. He didn't even hit me. He just mumbled a bunch of garbage. It was only after my dad called him to come for me that it all started. Once he moved me in with him, he acted like he owned me. I was his prisoner.”
Beth fell silent for a few moments. “Lori, are you afraid of men, or just afraid of what they'll think if they find out what you’ve been through?”
“Both, I suppose.” She reached over and touched Beth's arm. “If it's meant to be that a man is to be a part of my life, then it will be. Somehow, I think I'll know it. I might be terrified, but I'll have to work through it on my own. OK?”
She nodded. “Just know that I'm here if you need me.”
Lori smiled warmly, putting her hand on Beth’s and meeting her gaze. “Of course, I know that.”
Leaving it at that, they finished cleaning and re-stocking in silence, then Lori headed out to walk the mile to her apartment. Her thoughts went back to the conversation with Beth. How would she know if the right man came along if she continued to be terrified of all of them? Could she ever trust a man enough to allow him into even a small part of her life, to somehow become a major part? What if she fell in love and no one could love her back? Could she handle that? Probably not, she decided. Life alone sounded simpler.
Her thoughts were so heavy that she didn't notice the tall, lean, broad-shouldered man in a dark blue uniform that fell into step beside her.
“Seen any damsels stuck in a tree lately?” came a strong, deep, very masculine voice that stopped her in her tracks. She made a jerky half turn toward the direction of the voice she knew she’d heard before.
Somehow, Tony doubted she even knew who he was, and when her eyes moved up to his face, and she took another step backward, he knew he was right. “Hi. I'm Tony. Yesterday with the dog. Remember?”
She felt the blood rush to her feet. So this was the face that belonged with the voice. How could she have not known what he looked like? Because she hadn't bothered to look at him, she admitted. Now that she had, she wished she hadn't! He was...well, he was cute. No, that was childish. He was...oh, hell. She may as well admit it. He was a hunk, plain and simple, although there was nothing about him that was plain, nor simple. She swallowed hard as she remembered this was the man that had asked her out. It was also the man she threw herself at from that stupid tree. She felt her face flame, and her gaze dropped to settle on a navy blue button of his shirt.
“Yes, I remember. I never did thank you for being there. I mean, I guess you saved my life. That dog probably could have killed me.”
“You were too good at swinging yourself up into that tree, and I didn't see that the dog had wings.”
She looked back up at him to see amusement twinkling in his gray eyes. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. My, but he's handsome, she thought again. His hair was a shocking black, clean cut in the usual policeman's style. Thick black lashes surrounded deep-set gray eyes. His lips were full and sensuous, his top lip covered by a neatly trimmed black mustache. She looked up at him again, noticing once more just how tall he really was; her guess would be about six feet, maybe a little more. The top of her head would come to the middle of his chest. His wide shoulders tapered to a narrow, lean waist and hips, the leather gun belt strapped around his waist emphasizing his leanness.
Her throat tightened as his smile widened to reveal startling white, even teeth, changing his appearance from handsome to devastating.
“Where are you headed?” he asked.
She almost jumped. “Home. Are you?”
“Sure. I’d love to go home with you.”
Her heart hammered violently. She studied his expression, trying to decide if he was making a pass at her, but found only that amusing glint that told her he was teasing her.
“Maybe you should get your wife's permission.”
“I don't have a wife anymore.”
She wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but she did know that the way he was looking at her made her nervous. Damn Curt for choosing mini-skirts for uniforms! Perhaps I should start bringing clothes to change into after work, she thought, wondering if she had enough clothes to really do that. She had the urge to tug at the hem of the skirt to cover her legs a little more, but she stopped herself to prevent further attention to its lack of length.
“I see,” she finally said, turning to continue walking down the street. To her dismay, he fell into step beside her, matching his long strides to her shorter ones.
“That bothers you? That I've been married?”
She didn't look at him. “No. Should it?”
“I don't know. Some women are like that.”
“Like what?”
“Once they find out a guy's been married, they won't give him the time of day. Sort-of like saying we're a bad risk before they even know the reasons behind it.”
“I guess that would depend on what the woman is looking for.” They came to the corner, and Lori looked up to see that the pedestrian crossing light was red. She stopped, and Tony stopped beside her.
“What are you looking for?”
She looked up at him then. “Who said I was looking? Why do men always assume that women are looking for something? Why can't men just take things at face value, one day at a time, and see what happens?” She didn't give him time to answer even one of the questions before she turned away from him. “It so happens, I’m not looking. I've had a long day, so if you'll excuse me, I need to go home.”
Tony's hand reached out to take her elbow, causing her to jerk herself around to face him, wrenching her elbow from his grasp. He saw her face go a sickly white.
Her reaction startled him. “Hey, take it easy.” He held his hands up. “I just wanted to offer you a ride home.”
Feeling the blood leave her face, and knowing he saw it, bothered her to distraction. “I can walk, thank you.”
“Lori, it's a full mile.” He sighed. “I promise not to talk to you all the way there if you want. I seem to have put my foot in it already as it is.”
He'd done no such thing. She'd reacted badly to their conversation. “I didn't mean to make you feel awkward. You don't have to give me a ride home. I'm used to the walk.”
“I'll even let you handcuff me to the steering wheel.”
That made her grin. “You'll tie your arms in a knot when you turn a corner.”
He reached out to take her hand and saw her flinch as if he'd been about to hit her. Rather than withdraw, he slowed his actions and took her hand anyway, not allowing her to know he'd noticed. “Come on. You'll be home in five minutes.”
Deciding that her feet hurt too much to argue anymore, she let him guide her around the corner where his patrol car sat parked in a space in front of the drugstore. He opened the front passenger door for her, but she hesitated getting in. It felt too much like being arrested.
With one hand still on the door, he reached behind him to pull the handcuffs from a pouch attached to his belt. “Here.” He put the silver manacles in her hand.
She looked at the cold steel, then at him, and a smile tugged at her lips. Oh, grow up, she told herself and got into the car.
Chapter Two
Lori found amusement in holding onto the handcuffs as they drove through town. The street where she lived was just at the edge of the city limits, the only turn they had to make off the main highway. She vividly pictured him trying to make the turn while handcuffed to the steering wheel. She held back a chuckle, keeping her gaze down in her lap as she fidgeted with the silver circles connected by a short link of chain.
“Still need to use those?”
His strong voice inside the car startled her for a second. She looked across the short distance to find him grinning at her. The smile that kept tugging at her lips finally won. “Of course not. I'd never forgive myself if you broke your wrist just to give me a ride home.” She gave the cuffs back to him.
“I'd forgive you. You'd be worth a broken wrist.”
She dropped her head, embarrassment flooding over her, her face flamed to the roots of her hair. No one had ever told her she was worth anything, especially worth breaking a bone. He sounded so sincere about it, too. All she could do was smile. She enjoyed hearing the words even though she knew he wouldn't actually break something on her behalf.
Pulling to a stop in her short driveway, Tony left the car running while he got out to hurry around and open the door for her. He took her elbow to help her, and kept it there as they walked to her front door.
It felt a little uncomfortable being so near him, the touch of his fingers on her skin sending warm tingles along her nerve endings. As she noticed again that he adjusted his long strides to her shorter ones, his manners still amazed her.
She fumbled into her purse until she found the key to her door, her eyes widening when Tony took it from her. He unlocked the door, went inside to take a look around, then gently dropped the key into her palm. She couldn't believe he was actually checking that it was safe for her to go in!
He leaned against the doorframe, looking down at her, his thumbs hooked into the gun belt at his waist. “What are you doing for dinner?”
The question caught her completely off guard, making her blink several times as she took a step backward. “I usually have soup or a salad.”
“I think we could do better than that. I'll pick you up at seven.”
Before she could say anything, he moved quickly, his fingers grazing her cheek. It stunned her in such a way that her brain ceased to function. She stood transfixed, numb as if a bolt of lightning suddenly struck her. By the time she regained her senses, Tony was in his patrol car, backing out of her drive.
He'd touched her again! Her fingers moved to touch her cheek. Though so brief, she knew it really happened. She could still feel the tingle. What she found amazing was that it didn't revolt her. When she'd been with Joshua, the mere thought of him touching her would send her stomach into churning spasms. The slightest touch of any other man had made her react the same. This time it felt more as if a tornado went wild inside her, twisting everything around until she couldn't even think, which, she noted, wasn’t an unpleasant experience.
She turned to step inside, then shut the door with a bang, clicking the deadbolt into place. She sagged against the door. Oh, good grief! she thought. You're being ridiculous. It's nothing. You're a grown woman. Stop acting like a starry-eyed teenager! After all, it wasn't as if he'd kissed you! Then she wondered what it would have been like if he had.
Dismissing the thought immediately, she stepped away from the door, then it hit her. He'd said he'd pick her up at seven. The man's actually going to take me out! She'd never be able to go through with it. He'd already made her feel things she didn't want to feel, think things she didn't want to think about. How would she ever get through a meal with him, not to mention a whole evening? What if dinner isn’t all he wants? Her mind whirled as she moved into her bedroom, stripped out of her work uniform, and headed for the shower.
For more than two hours she tried to decide what to wear. She kept telling herself she didn't really seem to have a choice about going. She'd reacted so dim-wittedly that she hadn't had time to refuse before he was gone. Maybe she could call Beth and ask her to come over. She could have Beth wait until Tony arrived, tell him he hadn't given her a chance to explain that she and Beth had made plans, then send him on his way. She crushed that idea immediately. She'd end up looking childish or like a complete fool. He'd never buy such a flimsy excuse.
I want a normal life, she reminded herself, and this is the first step toward having it. As Beth said, 'Joshua is winning if you don't start living again.' Firmly holding onto that thought, she pulled out a simple black dress that was sleeveless to be cool and had a shallow, scooped neckline. The hem came just above her knees, and it fit her curves as if made for her.
She used great care in applying light make-up and brushing her short hair until it was shining. She added a thin gold chain, the only piece of jewelry she owned, then looked at herself in the mirror, surprised to find she saw herself looking exactly as she'd always wanted to look. She could almost tell herself she was pretty. She certainly felt it at that moment, probably due to the fact that she had a date. A real date. For dinner. Not parking behind the high school with some jerk like Joshua McNair, who thought a night out with a girl meant pawing all over her in the back seat of a beat up old car. This time would be different. Somehow she knew it just from the way he'd treated her. He'd shown her respect. That thought alone caused a lump to form in her throat and tears to sting the backs of her eyes. She didn't know how to respond to respect.
Swallowing against the lump, she forced her eyes to dry so she could make sure the living room was presentable. It was then that she saw it with different eyes. The apartment had come furnished, except for dishes and cookware. The sofa and chair were covered in worn and faded red, yellow and orange plaid, one low table served as a coffee table in front of the sofa, and another table sat near the door that supported a lamp, a telephone, a thin telephone directory, note pad and pen. A small television sat in another corner near the door to the kitchen. The only thing nice about it she could find was that it was clean.
She turned to look at the back of the room where a doorway led to the kitchen. Immediately inside the door was the refrigerator on the right, and on the left was a small square table with two chairs. There was also a gas stove, a double sink, very little counter space and a few cupboards, making it cramped with barely enough room to turn around. Anything at all out of place made it look messy, which caused her to make a habit of putting everything back where it belonged. It, too, was clean.
To the right of the living room, a cubicle served as a small hallway. The bathroom was first, so small that there was no tub, only a shower stall. The single bedroom was simply furnished with a double bed, one four-drawer chest, and a full length mirror that hung on the back of the closet door.
She hadn't thought of her little place as dingy until that moment, when she realized someone else was going to visit her there. It mattered that it wasn't better. She knew she shouldn't feel that way. People had to do what they could to survive, and after all she'd been through in her short lifetime, she'd have to say she'd done pretty well. It was a place she could call her own.
She was glad the apartment next to hers in the duplex was empty and had been ever since she'd lived there. The tenants that lived in the other two duplexes on the short street stayed to themselves as much as she did. She liked her privacy and respected theirs.
Snapping back from her study of the apartment, deciding not to think about it anymore since she couldn't do much to change it, she glanced at the clock. She still had an hour to wait. She picked up her borrowed law book and sat down to study.
“Damn that wreck,” Tony muttered as he entered the kitchen, finding Mattie watering the plants that lined the window ledge. “Don't bother with dinner. I'm going out.” He grabbed a bottle of spring water from the refrigerator.
“I hope it's with a woman and not to some policeman's meeting,” she quipped.
Tony grinned. “Yeah. That gorgeous lady I met yesterday. Her name's Lori.”
“It's about time!” Her smile widened. “What happened with the car accident I was hearing about?”
“Some drunk ran a stop sign and rammed into the side of a transfer truck. Actually, he skidded under it. Took the whole top of the car off. Luckily, he was so drunk he'd fallen over in the seat. Otherwise, he'd be without a head and at the morgue right now.”
Mattie's lips puckered into a small 'O' to let out a low whistle.
“That's why I'm running late.” He looked at his watch. “I'm picking her up at seven. I've got an hour to shower, shave, get dressed, and get to her place. I'll probably end up cutting my throat by trying to shave in a hurry.”
She laughed. “You can't cut your throat with an electric shaver.”
“Lucky me!” He downed half the bottle of water, then left it on the counter. “I'd better get moving.” He rushed up the stairs, leaving Mattie watching after him, a smile on her face.
Unable to keep her concentration on her studies, Lori gave up after half an hour. She moved to sit in the chair and switched on the television. Although she tried, she couldn't pay attention. She focused on the sounds that she might hear outside, particularly the sound of a car.