FullDisclosure (30 page)

He frowned. “He gave it to my dad ages ago. They’ve been neighbors for years. Not to mention friends.”

Because Noah seemed vaguely annoyed by her question, she accepted the answer in silence.

“Anyway, he didn’t really have time to talk. There was some kind of crisis going on—I could hear sirens and a lot of commotion in the background—but he told me briefly what happened between you, but that he’d had to leave you at home to look for his friend.

“Considering everything I guessed that you might be upset enough to head back home, so I checked for flights to Vancouver.” He shrugged, stuffed his hands into his pockets. “And here I am. I had to see you. I couldn’t let you leave like this.”

Suddenly Rachel felt like a coward. A small, whiney, inconsiderate coward. “I’m sorry, Noah. I shouldn’t have taken off like that. I was just so—”

“Overwhelmed, I know. And I have to apologize for all that. I should have given you some warning, but I guess I thought that if I told you beforehand you’d make your judgment of my dad without ever meeting him. I thought that if you
met
him, saw him face to face, spoke to him and saw what a kind, sweet, wonderful man he is, that you couldn’t possibly hate him for his choices.”

She looked away. “I don’t hate him.”

“No, I know.” His voice had turned just a little bit hard. “Hate the sin, not the sinner. But we both know that’s bullshit. What someone does is a huge part of who they are. You can’t separate the two.” He picked up her hand and held it tight. “But I was hoping I’d made you see that it’s
not
a sin. That it’s a gift from God, that the fact that they’re both men doesn’t change that. Their love completes them—just like your father’s love for Jake and Sadie completes him.” He squeezed. “And ours completes us.”

She looked up at him then.

“You do love me, don’t you, Rachel?”

She met his gaze and was lost in those rich brown eyes. “Yes. I do. Of course I do. I’m just not sure that that’s enough.”

“What else does there need to be?”

“Well…honesty, for one. I understand why you put off telling me now. I really do. But the fact that you kept that from me hurts.”

“And the fact that you judge my father hurts. There can only be complete honesty when there’s complete trust. I think we have to build that up again, but I think it’s worth the effort.
We’re
worth the effort. Don’t you think so?”

She studied him for a long time, marveling at the wisdom that he seemed to have acquired in such a short time. But he had lived out in the world, among people of so many different races, persuasions and worlds of experience. She had lived such a small, insignificant life. She knew nothing and he knew so much. And then there was her mother. Her mother had been in the world, been hurt by it, and chosen to leave it once again. Was there a lesson in that? Was the price of understanding too high?

In that moment she made her decision. “I have to go back, Noah. I’m sorry, but I just can’t stay.”

“Are you sure you’re all right?” asked Evan, his arm wrapped around her waist—but not too tightly lest he irritate her bruised ribs. “I just don’t think this is a good idea.”

“I’m fine. The paramedics agreed that there’s nothing seriously wrong with me. Other than cold compresses and rest there’s nothing much to be done for my injuries. And besides,” she glanced at Jake, “if he can be here, then so can I.”

Jake was hobbling along with a cane, his jeans cut off to expose his right thigh, which was wrapped in an enormous bandage. The bullet had pierced the muscle, leaving behind an entry and exit hole, but not doing enough damage to merit stitches. The paramedics thought the bandage would be good enough, at least until he could get checked over by his own doctor and get a prescription for antibiotics.

“You both are just being stubborn.” Evan’s exasperation was plain.

“What about you? You’re not exactly dressed for success either.” Clad in a Gold’s Gym T-shirt and gray sweatpants, both of which Mrs. Ballantyne had been kind enough to give him after the fiasco that had resulted in his clothes finding their way to a nearby dumpster, Evan had certainly seen more “put together” days.

In fact, the three of them together made quite the rag-tag bunch of scalawags. Sadie giggled at the thought.

“See?” said Jake through a grin. “If she’s laughing, she’s fine.”

“I don’t know about that. She might still be in shock. You know…delusional.”

“I’m not delusional.” Sadie reached for Jake’s hand, drew him close and planted solid kisses on both their cheeks. “I’m just so grateful to be alive, and to have the two of you. I’m just happy, is all.” She watched the approach of the plainclothes police officer who seemed to be in charge of the chaos that had sprung up around them. “And determined.”

“Mr. Valerian,” he said as he reached them. “Are you absolutely sure about this? I’m still not sure I’m comfortable with the arrangement. We’re going in there to make an arrest. Mr. Ballantyne might be desperate—and dangerous. It’s not usual to have civilians present for such an operation.”

Evan glanced at Sadie. She nodded, chin set. She was most definitely sure.

“Mr. Ballantyne has no idea that we’re coming, or that he’s been exposed,” Evan reasoned.

Rufus had sung like a canary. From the moment the police had arrived, he’d been decrying his own responsibility and declaring Cyril Ballantyne was the true villain and mastermind behind the whole thing. He was a monster. He’d paid to have his father killed and framed Sadie for it. Rufus was just a pawn. It wasn’t his fault!

He was still screaming, tears of terror streaming down his cheeks as they pushed him into the backseat of a squad car.

“I spoke to the captain,” Evan was saying, “and he approved it. He agreed that Sadie has a right to see the man who is responsible for her abduction face justice.” An official call to the hotel had confirmed that Cyril Ballantyne was, indeed, in residence that afternoon. The concierge had seen him arrive about four hours earlier.

“She can see that in a courtroom,” argued the officer.

“She’s spent enough time in courtrooms. With all due respect, Sergeant, I think this conversation is over. Shall we go?”

The sergeant’s stare was icy, but he was obviously cowed by Evan’s credentials and level of influence. “You’ll have to follow in your own vehicle. I cannot authorize your transportation in a squad car.” With that he whirled on his heels and left.

Evan led his two gimpy friends toward Jake’s car. “I’m driving,” he said with a glance at Jake. “Any arguments?”

Jake shook his head, but his grin would not be tamed.

“I’m so glad you’re on my side,” said Sadie as she settled into the passenger seat. “And you’re so sexy when you’re angry.”

That seemed to catch Evan off guard. “Really?”

“Oh yeah,” agreed Jake from the back seat where he’d stretched out his injured leg. “Big-time. I almost jumped you on the spot.”

Evan pulled out into the street, following the sergeant’s vehicle closely. “You won’t be
jumping
anybody for a while.”

“Well, then maybe you can jump
me
later.”

Sadie piped up. “There won’t be any jumping without me.”

The nervous banter continued as they drove. They arrived at the hotel fifteen minutes later.

It took almost fifteen minutes for the police to get organized, but finally they found themselves on the top floor, standing outside the elite penthouse that was Cyril’s “secret” retreat. They had enlisted the help of cleaning staff, asking a young woman to knock for them, announcing herself as housekeeping in order to persuade Cyril to open the door peacefully.

Considering the
Do Not Disturb
sign hung prominently on the door handle, and considering Cyril’s reputation in the hotel, she was most hesitant. But the badges finally convinced her.

Sadie and her bodyguards stood back, waiting down the hall a good twenty feet as the scenario played out.

Several knocks and calls yielded no response at all. Obviously relieved, the maid was excused and the police took over. The sergeant knocked loudly and called, clearly announcing his presence and intentions. But again, after several efforts, there was no response.

This now warranted a call to the manager who had to come, view the warrant, and finally provide a key.

Sadie was beginning to worry that Cyril had disappeared, perhaps fled the country. But how he had gotten wind of the police involvement was beyond her. Rufus had been unable to contact him, and none of the messages he’d left on Cyril’s service had indicated anything other than a wish to find him and bring Sadie to him as requested.

At last the manager opened the door and the police burst into the room. Sadie’s grip on Jake’s and Evan’s hands turned fierce, her heart rate skyrocketing as she waited to hear Cyril’s cry of outrage. But instead all she heard was a fierce cry of “Shit!”

Sadie wanted to run forward and see what was wrong, but Jake held her back. “No. Wait. They’ll come get you when they’re ready.”

It was an agonizing five minutes, but finally the sergeant exited the room, mopping his brow with a tissue as he walked toward them. “He’s dead.”

Sadie felt as if she’d been socked in the gut. “What?”

“You heard me. There will be no final confrontation. I’m afraid your chance to face the man who ruined your life has evaporated. You may as well leave.”

“But…but
how
?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s irrelevant. You may as well leave. We’ll be here for hours gathering evidence and—”

“No!” In a flash Sadie ripped herself from Jake’s and Evan’s grip, darted around the sergeant and was inside the hotel room before anyone found the presence of mind to stop her.

She pulled up short at the sight that greeted her. Shock and disgust warred within her, but she couldn’t turn her gaze away. She felt Evan and Jake move in beside her, and was vaguely aware of Evan taking up her cause with the officer yet again. “Just give her a minute. For God’s sake. One minute and then we’ll be out of here and you’ll never have to lay eyes on us again.”

“Autoerotic asphyxiation,” mumbled Jake beside her. “Jesus. He fuckin’ killed himself with sex.”

And so it seemed. He was strung up from a hook that appeared to have been permanently affixed to the ceiling. A smooth nylon rope was looped tightly around his neck and an array of towels laid out beneath him. He was nude, a patch of urine and feces beneath him, yet Sadie barely noticed the stench.

The bed nearby was in disarray, two glasses and an empty wine bottle set out on the night table. A mirror, straws and small bag of white powder sat beside it. Dildos, rope, handcuffs and other sex toys littered the floor. An inadvertent glance at Cyril’s penis made it apparent that Cyril had been
very
busy that day. It was raw.

At last Sadie turned away. “Okay. I’ve seen enough.” She wrapped her arms around Evan’s and Jake’s waists. “Take me home.”

Sadie rolled over and snuggled up against a warm body. Evan drew her in close, wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her back against his chest. His breath was warm on her neck, and judging from the deep, steady rhythm of his breathing she guessed that he was still sound asleep. The act of drawing her into himself had already become so automatic that he even did it in his sleep.

In the beginning, during the first few days after finding Cyril’s body, both men had been extremely protective. Barely leaving her side, constantly touching, kissing or hugging her, as if to reassure themselves that she was there, safe and close should anything or anyone try to come between them.

At first she’d relished it, wallowed in it. Considering her ordeal, she’d welcomed the feeling of security and protection that it had given her. But it had soon begun to suffocate her. She’d actually had to sit the men down and inform them that she was not going to break. No one was going to swoop in and steal her away from them. While she certainly appreciated their attention, she also needed her space. And they needed to get the hell back to work.

Reluctantly and with relative good humor, they had agreed. Once the focus was off herself, however, Sadie had realized that perhaps, there was another, less obvious reason for their attentions. Or at the very least, for Evan’s.

He’d needed something to focus on, someone else to concern himself with—something to take his mind off the fact that he’d lost his one and only daughter. The only offspring he was ever likely to have. She’d flown back to British Columbia to be with her mother. Noah had stopped by and told them about his visit with her at the airport. And it had just about killed Evan.

Although he’d made the right decision and knew he’d truly had no choice, it seemed to be little consolation in the face of what he’d lost. So Sadie had turned from patient to nurse in a heartbeat. And although her heart wept for Evan on a daily basis, she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed the change of roles.

It was good to be the one who had something to give for a change, rather than the one who always seemed to need something.

She could smell the coffee that Jake was brewing in the other room and knew it was almost time to get up. They had an appointment down at Karey’s office later that morning and she didn’t want to be late.