Things Lost In The Fire (43 page)

Maybe it was because everyone expected her to break down and recoil with horror from what happened. The fact that doing so seemed natural bothered her. She was better than that, stronger.

She’d been through this before, after all. And experience had shaped her reaction to it.

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she climbed out of bed and slipped into her robe. Whatever the day had in store for her, she was ready to conquer it. There would be no shattering to pieces. That was exactly what the maniac wanted. He wanted her terrified, but she wouldn’t give him the pleasure.

She was going to win this fight, come hell or high water.

When she walked out into the living room, she spotted Brody in the kitchen cooking bacon and eggs. A small smile crept over her lips as she approached him, winding a strand of hair around her finger.

“Smells good,” she said, catching his attention.

He took a second to look her over, his gaze pausing on the bruises she knew must be on her neck. “Want some coffee?”

“Please.” She watched him pour a cup and doctor it with plenty of sugar and creamer before handing it to her. Her eyes held his as she took a sip. “Thanks.”

“How’d you sleep?”

She shrugged. “Fine, I guess.”

“Good.” He turned away to shut off the burners and plate their breakfast of cheese omelets and bacon. “I may not be much of a cook, but I make a killer omelet.”

She followed him to the dining table, taking a seat and eyeing the plate he set down in front of her. “I’m impressed.”

He sat across from her and smiled. “I’m not completely useless.”

As she bit into a piece of crispy bacon, she noticed him watching her closely. He had a strange look on his face, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. Annoyance soured her mood.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

He took a long sip of coffee. “Not wrong, per say. But I do have something to tell you. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to talk about it just yet.”

She frowned. “I’m fine, Brody. Just tell me what it is.”

He nodded and set aside his cup, keeping his eyes on hers. “Drew is Lee Walker’s son.”

Surprise had her forgetting her annoyance in an instant. “He is? How do you know?”

“Chase found out Walker’s ex-girlfriend had filed a wrongful death lawsuit against your mother, claiming financial hardship due to loss of child support.”

Sadie sat back in her chair, stunned. “God, I never knew he had a son.”

“Neither did I. The lawsuit was dropped early, so very few people caught wind of it. Valerie contacted Chase and asked him to look up the name of the ex-girlfriend. I think she suspected Drew was the same kid.”

Sadie brushed back her hair with both hands, shaking her head. “So that’s the reason, then. That’s why he’s been following me, why he attacked me. It’s because of Walker.”

“I gave the police his name last night so they should be able to track him down.”

“He’s not with my mom?” she asked, fear licking her insides at the thought. “She could be in danger, he might hurt her.”

“I haven’t heard word either way, so I don’t think he’s there,” Brody explained. “You may want to call her, though.”

She rose to her feet and snatched her cell phone from her purse on the counter. With shaking hands she brought up her mother’s phone number and hit dial. When it went straight to voicemail, she bit back a curse.

“No answer?” Brody asked.

“Her phone’s turned off.” She faced him, worry in her eyes. “We need to go check on her.”

“I’m sure the cops have—”

“Please,” she begged, holding her phone tightly in her hands.

He let out a rush of breath, then nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”

ON THE way to Valerie’s, Brody filled her in on Drew’s numerous drug offenses and mental illness. It only troubled her more, but she was glad he told her. At least now she knew what they were dealing with.

It bothered her how well Drew had concealed the truth. There had been those few moments where she’d noticed things about him that hinted at something suspicious, but it didn’t compare to the true dark nature of his attentions. He’d slipped into her life under the guise of adoration and friendship, only to let something much more sinister take hold and drive him to hurt her. Whatever was going on in his mind was a mystery to her, one she was almost too afraid to learn.

Bolstering the courage she’d woken up with, she stared out the passenger window of Brody’s car and tried not to feel anything but determination.

The second he parked in Valerie’s driveway, Sadie leapt from the car and went straight to the front door. She knocked, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited.

Brody came up beside her, his eyes scanning all around the front yard looking for any sign of trouble. The officer stationed at the base of the driveway had told them Valerie had been home since the night before, but Brody knew Sadie needed proof that her mother was all right.

When Carla answered the door, Sadie nearly wept with relief. “Is my mom here?”

“Ms. Ryan’s out in the garden. Come in.” Carla’s eyes honed in on Sadie’s neck, but she said nothing.

They followed Carla into the house and out to the backyard, where Valerie was resting on one of the chaise lounges. Coco lay in her lap, perking up at the sound of Sadie and Brody approaching. Valerie’s face angled toward them, sunglasses shielding her eyes.

“Oh, Sadie,” she said breathlessly, rising to a sitting position. She clutched at her chest, looking at a loss for words.

Sadie swallowed the sob that tightened her throat, emotions shimmering just under the surface. “Hi.”

Valerie removed her sunglasses and got shakily to her feet, her gaze shooting to Sadie’s neck. She reached out to touch the bruises, her fingertips feather-light on Sadie’s skin. “My baby. I don’t even know what to say.”

Tears filled Sadie’s eyes as she felt her strength waning. She let her mother pull her into a hug, ignoring the awkwardness she felt and embracing the comfort being offered.

Beside her, Brody cleared his throat. “Where’s Drew, Valerie?”

Valerie let out a long sigh as she released Sadie. She faced him, bronzed eyes filled with regret. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in days.”

“He’s Lee Walker’s son,” Sadie told her mother, carefully gauging her reaction.

Valerie’s lips curved in a sad smile. “I know. I knew from the moment I saw him at
Le Petit Four
.”

Sadie blinked, taken aback. “You did?”

She nodded, eyes brightening with emotion. “He looks just like his dad. Lee was one of most handsome men I’d ever seen.”

Sadie met eyes with Brody, catching the odd hint of affection in her mother’s voice. “Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

“I knew if you found out you’d never give him a chance,” Valerie admitted. “I’d hoped he was a better man than Lee turned out to be, but I was wrong. He’s worse.”

“You wanted to set me up with him?” Sadie managed, disgusted by the thought.

Valerie only smiled. “It’s twisted, I know. But in my head I guess I thought you two could live the life Lee and I might have had together, had things worked out differently.”

Dizziness swept over Sadie and had her sitting down on the chaise lounge, alarmed by what she was hearing. “You and Lee had an affair?”

Valerie sat beside her, lost in the nostalgia of the past. “It started just before I hired him; he’d only been with Georgina a few weeks. No one ever knew about it, not even her. He talked of leaving her to be with me, but we were having too much fun going behind everyone’s backs.” She glanced at her daughter, a guilty look crossing her face. “I know it was wrong. At the time I didn’t care who got hurt or why. But in the end, Lee could never be Ben and he knew it. Ben was the love of my life, no one could ever compare. And Lee hated that. One time he got aggressive with me during an argument, so I ended the affair. That was the night before my birthday party. The night before he went after you because of what I’d done.”

Sadie paled, unable to breathe. Her heart shuddered with pain. “Why did you never tell me any of this?”

Valerie looked away, her spine stiffening as she tried to recover some of her dignity. “There was no reason for you to know the horrible things I’ve done.”

Sadie reached for her mother’s hand, though her eyes rose to Brody. His face was unreadable, but she noticed the tension bunching his shoulders. He was holding back his anger as best as he could for her benefit. But despite how he felt, she couldn’t muster any resentment for her mother. She only felt pity.

“Thank you for telling me the truth,” she murmured, squeezing Valerie’s hand.

Tears filled Valerie’s eyes, but she brushed them away and tried to laugh it off. “Not that it makes up for anything.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Sadie agreed, earning a hurt look from her mother. “But at least it helps me understand you a little bit better.”

Valerie’s lips pressed together as she nodded. Before she could speak, Carla emerged from the patio doors.

“Ready for your appointment, Ms. Ryan?”

Valerie sighed and patted Sadie’s leg affectionately. “I don’t know why I put myself through this torture.”

So you can live
, Sadie thought silently, a sob threatening her throat again.

“You two are welcome to stay if you’d like,” Valerie said as she stood up. Her gaze swept over Brody, evaluating. “Your brother’s a very nice man. I think you could learn a thing or two from him.”

She winked at Sadie over her shoulder before wandering back into the house, leaving behind the lilac scent of her perfume and the weight of her words.

Sadie let out a long, unsteady breath, unsure what to make of it all. Brody frowned down at her, his arms crossed. “This has to be the biggest blow to my ego ever.”

One of Sadie’s eyebrows rose. “Why’s that?”

He sniffed. “Not only did she say Chase is better than me, but what kind of reporter am I if I missed all these crucial details about Walker? The lawsuit, his son, the affair with Valerie? I might as well toss in the towel right now and quit.”

Sadie broke down and laughed, unable to help it.

“I’m serious,” he told her, though his teeth flashed in a grin. “Guess my dad was right. I am a loser.”

“Shut up.” She got to her feet and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his.

“So I’m not a loser?” he asked, deepening the kiss.

She broke free, a coy smile playing over her mouth. “You do have a
Cone Heads
movie poster hanging in your living room. That’s pretty lame.”

“Hey, that’s a one of a kind collector’s item. I wouldn’t expect a square like you to understand.” He brushed strands of hair off her forehead, his dark eyes on hers. “Then again, I seem to recall you really liking
Cone Heads
.”

“Guess we’re both losers, then.”

“Loserville, population two,” he joked, pulling her in for a tight hug. He released a long, burdened sigh. “Do you want to take off or stick around awhile?”

She pulled away and glanced around her mother’s garden. “You know, I think I’d like to hang out for a bit. For the first time in forever, I actually want to be here.”

“Okay. Why don’t I go inside and grab us something to drink?”

“I’d like that, thank you.” She watched him go, her heart filled to the brim with appreciation for him. She didn’t want to imagine what it would have been like to face everything she had without him by her side.

She walked through the garden, enjoying the warm sun on her face and the cool breeze that teased her skin. Settling beneath her mother’s beloved magnolia tree, she laid back on the grass and stared up through the leaves at the hints of blue sky. Birds danced in and out of the branches, the sound of their conversations soothing to her. Her eyes fluttered closed as she let the worst of her worries slip to the back of her mind, contented for now that things were going to be okay. Drew would be apprehended soon and life would go on.

A few moments later, she heard Brody approaching and opened her eyes. He smiled down at her, the filtered sunlight casting a halo around his face. Joy filled her in an instant, sending warmth straight to her heart.