Hard Evidence (28 page)

"You were worried about how I'd
feell"
Her unselfish sweetness pierced him, made it harder to control the torrent inside him. "Jesus, Tessa!"

"Of course I was worried about how you'd feel! You hold yourself responsible for everything. If I'd disappeared forever or been killed—"

"I should have been there. I should have realized Margaux was the leak."

"See what I mean?" She gave him a shaky smile, her cheeks wet with tears. "Idiot."

Then she told him how she'd awoken to find Burien beside her. How she'd been terrified to realize she was tied to his bed. How she'd tried to act like Burien didn't scare her, even insulting him, in hopes that it would allow her to get the best of him somehow.

"You insulted him?"

Amazed, Julian listened as Tessa recounted her confrontation with Burien, from her comments about the probable small size of his penis to her calling him a pathetic bully and flinging his years as a petty drug dealer in his face. It scared the hell out of him even to think of her in that situation—helpless, desperate, and mouthing off.

"Then he pulled out a knife, and I thought…" Her voice broke, the anguish on her sweet face making his stomach knot. "It was all I could do not to scream."

Julian held her, let her sob out her fear, her tears seeming to release some of the pent-up tension inside him, as well. He'd come so close to never finding her, so close to losing her, so close to watching her die. He felt grateful just to hold her, grateful just to be near her, grateful for whatever miracle had gotten them both to this moment alive.

"I wish I could take this away from you, Tessa. I wish somehow I could change things so that you'd never even heard of Burien. I wish you'd never had to fire a gun or watch somebody die. But I can't change it. I can't fix it."

Slowly her tears subsided, her body still shaking. She looked up at him. "W-why do you think Margaux helped me in the end?"

"Revenge against Burien. Nothing more. I think she believed he loved her."

"He was a monster. I don't regret pulling the trigger."

"And you say you're not brave?" He kissed her hair, her forehead, her salty cheeks. "God, Tessa, when I think how close he came to killing you, it scares the hell out of me."

She gave a weak laugh. "Nothing scares you."

"That's not true." He stroked her hair, savored the feel of it. "I got home just in time to see them roll a gumey with a body bag on it out of the house. I thought it was you, Tessa. I thought I'd lost you, and it seemed to me the whole world had died. And then I unzipped it and saw that man's face. And even though the relief almost knocked me on my ass, I was still terrified, because I knew Burien had you."

Tell her you love her, Darcangelo! Say it!

A
knock came at the door, and the doctor stepped in.

The moment passed.

In short order, Julian was booted into the hallway to wait and to wrestle his demons while the doctor examined her. Only when the nurses wouldn't quit staring at him did he realize he still wasn't wearing a shirt. He decided to make the best of it.

He smiled. "Is there a phone I can borrow? I seem to have gotten here without my cell phone or my wallet."

"You've got some bruises, emotional trauma, and a possible mild concussion, but nothing dangerous or life threatening," the doctor said, looking up from Tessa's chart. He was a young man, not much older than she was. "There's no doubt you came close to a fatal overdose, but it's mostly out of your system now. I'd like to keep the IV going and keep you here overnight for observation."

"Is that really necessary?" Tessa felt silly being in the hospital when nothing was wrong with her. "I'm not really hurt."

"I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think it medically prudent. We advise at least twenty-four hours of observation when it comes to possible head injuries."

"Oh." Then she asked the question she'd been burning to ask. "How soon can a test show whether a woman is pregnant?"

"Our most sensitive tests won't show a pregnancy until a few days after you miss your period. Do you think you might be pregnant?"

"I'm not due to start my period until next week. I was wondering if heroin could hurt a developing baby."

The doctor nibbled his lip for a moment, frowning. "I'm not really sure, to tell you the truth. But if you miss your period, wait a few days and get tested. I'm sure a good obstetrician will have the answer. Let me go get your friend and explain what we're doing. He's pacing the hall out here, distracting the nurses with his Tarzan attire."

Tessa didn't like the idea of a bunch of fluttery Florence Nightingales staring at Julian's chest. "Doctor, could he borrow some scrubs or something?"

The doctor grinned. "Sure."

In a few moments, Julian reappeared, wearing a green shirt and followed by the doctor, who was explaining to him why it was best for Tessa that they keep her overnight.

"It's just for observation. We'll make sure she gets a good night's sleep and keep an eye on her. If she's still stable tomorrow morning, we'll discharge her."

"Sleep?" Tessa couldn't imagine sleeping, not with the bloody images that crowded her head. "I don't think that's going to happen, not after today, not after…"

But the doctor just smiled. "You want to bet on that?"

The doctor wished them both well and went off on his rounds. Tessa found herself quickly moved to a private room on the third floor with a view of the city's twinkling lights.

She gazed at the lights, feeling oddly detached. "It seems strange to me that one minute we're in the world of a crazy killer who controls the lives of so many people—and the next we're sitting here, safe and sound, among people who are oblivious to what happens out there."

"They won't be oblivious once you write your article. You'll let them know the truth. You'll be a voice for Maria and all the other people hurt by traffickers."

"I guess you're right." Tessa had almost forgotten about that.

Then Julian took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. "I'm sorry, Tessa. I have to go. Irving's got a squad car waiting for me. I have to finish it."

She looked up at him, startled. "But Burien's dead."

"Yes, but his empire still stands. There's a power vacuum now, and we need to move quickly, before someone fills it. With the records from his computer, we ought to be able to piece together exactly what he's been doing and bring a stop to it. There are girls out there—girls like Maria. I need to find them."

Tessa nodded, feeling terribly selfish for wanting him to stay. "I understand."

There was so much they needed to talk about, so much still left unresolved between them—their feelings, their relationship, the possibility of a baby. But it would have to wait. It was enough tonight that they were both still alive.

"I might be called out of the state for a while, but I'll be back as soon as I can. Is there anyone you want me to call?"

My mother.

The thought popped into her mind, but it had been too long since she'd called her mother for anything, and she couldn't bring herself to say it. "No."

"Here we go." A smiling dark-haired nurse breezed through the door, a syringe in hand. "The doctor ordered a sedative to help you sleep."

Julian frowned. "Is that safe, given what's already in her bloodstream?"

The nurse nodded. "The doctor explained your other concerns, as well, and I checked with the pharmacy to make sure it's harmless."

Tessa knew the nurse was talking about her possible pregnancy. "Thanks."

"Do you need anything else?" the nurse asked.

Tessa met Julian's gaze, forced herself to sound untroubled. "I'm fine."

The nurse injected a clear liquid directly into Tessa's IV, and almost immediately Tessa felt herself begin to relax.

"Julian?" She held fast to his hand, managed to smile. "Rescue those girls, but please be careful! I won't be there this time to watch your back."

He chuckled, brushed his lips over hers. "Nothing's going to happen to me.
Close your eyes, angel. Try to sleep."

Chapter 28

Tessa awoke from a deep night's sleep to see sunshine beating against the curtains of her hospital room. Looking down at her was a face she hadn't seen in ten years.

"Mama?"

Her mother took her hand, squeezed it. "You're awake."

For a moment, they just looked at each other. And then they were hugging and laughing and crying at the same time, the rush of emotion taking Tessa completely by surprise—joy, regret, relief.

After a few minutes, her mother released her, reached for a box of tissues, and grabbed one for each of them. They wiped their tears away, still laughing.

"God, I'm happy to see you, Tessa Marie. The officer who called told me some of what happened, and I been worried sick. I got here last night, but I didn't want to wake you up."

"You stayed here last night?" Something warm blossomed in Tessa's belly.

"Of course I did! Where else would I be when my girl is in the hospital? I slept in here where I could keep an eye on you."

Warmth turned to a sticky feeling of guilt.

Tessa had turned her back on her mother, abandoned her, denied her existence for ten years. And her mother had spent their first hours together again in a chair, watching over her. "That couldn't have been too comfortable."

"Oh, I was fine! The chair folds out like a little bed, and one of them nurses brought me a blanket. They been real nice."

Tessa couldn't help but smile. "You look good, Mom."

It was true. Her mother's once long hair was cut to just beneath the shoulders, her blond curls shot through with streaks of gray. There were a few wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, friendly wrinkles. But it was the look in her eyes that struck Tessa most. She looked happier than Tessa had ever seen her.

"Well, I'm gettin' older, but look at you! You're so pretty, Tessa. Like a little china doll all grown up. But listen to me chatter! Do you need anything? Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Well, I don't know about 'fine.' I don't think any woman who's been through what you been through can say she's 'fine,' at least not before she's gotten it off her chest by tellin' her mama all about it."

Her mother's blatant nosiness made Tessa laugh, but she found herself telling the story from the beginning, taking care not to reveal Julian's name, but leaving out nothing else from Maria's murder to the moment she'd pulled the trigger and shot Burien.

Her mother sat in the chair and listened wide-eyed, her expression ranging from fear to outrage to shock. When Tessa started to tremble, memories rousing the fear she'd tried to sleep off, her mother took her hand and held it tight. That simple touch was like a lifeline. Then when her story was done, her mother stood and hugged her close.

"I'm so sorry for what you been through. I can't even imagine it. But it's all right now. That son of a bitch is in hell where he belongs, and you've got a good man watchin' over you. It was him who called me, wasn't it?"

"I think so." Somehow Julian had known what she'd needed even though she hadn't been able to admit it, even to herself. "I love him, Mama."

"I know."

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation as a nurse arrived to check Tessa's vitals and deliver a late breakfast tray.

"I know it looks like a medical experiment," the nurse joked, "but it's actually an omelet. We try to keep the food here really terrible so patients won't mind going home."

While Tessa ate breakfast—the food was actually much better than the nurse had led her to believe—her mother shared the news from Rosebud, catching Tessa up on ten years of gossip in record time. Then she told Tessa more about Frank. But as her mother spoke, the food began to stick in Tessa's throat, until finally she pushed the tray aside.

"Aren't you hungry?" her mother asked.

Tessa looked into her mother's eyes. "I'm sorry, Mama. I'm sorry I left you the way I did. I'm sorry I didn't—"

"You hush about that." Her mother took her hand. "I know why you left, and I never blamed you a day for it."

"I should have called. I should have stayed in touch."

"You sent money every month, regular as clockwork."

"Money is just money. I should have called."

"You had a lot on your mind—college, gettin' a job, workin' at the paper."

Her mother was trying to let her off the hook, but Tessa's conscience would have none of it. "Was I so busy that I couldn't pick up a phone
for ten years
! All my friends think I'm from Georgia. They have no idea I grew up in Texas. I let them believe—"

Her mother patted her hand. "Let me tell you a story. It's about a fourteen-year-old girl who grew up with a mean drunk for a daddy and a boneless mama. She hated livin' at home. She hated the ugliness. She hated the smell of whisky. She hated being poor. She hated the way the other kids made fun of her. More than anything, she wanted to get out, to see the world."

Tessa was almost afraid to hear the rest of this story. "Mama, I—"

"Hush, and listen! One day when she was bussing tables at the diner, she met a tall, handsome man—a truck driver out of California. He told her stories about the road, told her she was pretty, offered to show her the country. Well, she made it as far as the next truck stop before he'd gotten what he really wanted from her. She found herself standin' in the Texas heat, ashamed, alone, and tryin' to hitch a ride back to Rosebud."

As her mother spoke, Tessa couldn't help but think of Maria and the others like her who'd been kidnapped or lured from home by promises of a better life, only to find themselves enslaved. And she realized that something very similar had happened to her own mother—and that she was the result.

"That truck driver thought he'd gotten the better end of that deal, but he was wrong. The girl he'd left on the highway ended up with the most beautiful blond-haired baby girl, so pretty she looked like a baby angel come to earth. And she was smart and strong and brave. And when that baby girl grew up and left town and tried to build an honest life for herself away from the shame of her childhood, her mama's hopes and dreams went with her. I wanted you to run, Tessa. I wanted you run as far and as fast as you could."

Tears ran down Tessa's face, and she saw her mother for the first time not as her mother, but as another woman. Her mother had wanted to escape as desperately as Tessa had, but she hadn't made it. Instead she'd ended up with a baby. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I never told you because I didn't want you to feel bad, but I'm tellin' you now because you're grown up and you need to understand." Her mother's chin wobbled, tears misting her eyes. "I know you were ashamed of your grandpa, and I know you're ashamed of me."

Tessa shook her head, wanting to deny it. "No, Mama, I—"

"I know it, Tessa, and it's all right. It's all right." The look in her mother's eyes was as fierce as fire. "No matter that you didn't call, no matter that you were ashamed of me, I always thought of you and felt proud. I made a lot of mistakes in my life, but there's one thing I done right. And that's
you
."

Tessa swallowed the hard lump in her throat, tears blurring her vision. "I'm so sorry!"

Her mother wiped her tears away. "Baby, there ain't nothing to be sorry for. It's a new day, and we're together. You're safe, and that's all that matters."

In the sweet light of her mother's forgiveness, a weight Tessa hadn't realized she was carrying lifted from her shoulders and was gone.

Tessa was discharged later that morning. Her mother drove her home and came inside with her. Through the door that Julian had smashed. Into the elevator. Down the long hallway where John Wyatt had watched her. In through the door where Wyatt had taped the naked photograph of her. Into the kitchen where she and Julian had eaten together.

The garbage had long since gone over, as had everything in the fridge. Her plants were dead. Everywhere she looked there were memories. Memories of Wyatt. Memories of grim-faced detectives. Memories of Julian.

I'm half Italian.

Which half?

From the waist down.

"You got yourself a nice place," her mother said, hanging up her coat. "You just go rest, while I get rid of the garbage and those plants."

"You don't need to do that, Mom. I can—"

"Don't you give me any sass!" Her mother frowned. "If a mother wants to help her daughter, I reckon she can."

The signs of rot and loss were soon cleared away, the mail brought in, and the windows thrown open to let in the fresh, cold mountain breeze. Tessa filled her lungs, the scent of sunshine, snow, and pines lifting her spirits as much as her mother's friendly chatter.

It was over. She was home.

Just after lunch, the entire I-Team came over to check on her, together with Holly and Lissy. They crowded through her door, their smiles not quite masking the worry in their eyes— or their curiosity as they looked at her mother.

Tessa could tell her mother felt out of place, though she greeted them all with a ready smile. Why had Tessa been ashamed of her—this woman who'd survived so much so young, who'd worked so hard, who'd kept even her obligations to her drunk loser of a father?

Done with deception and shame, Tessa gave her mother's arm a reassuring squeeze. "I'd like you all to meet my mother, Linda Bates. She moved to Denver a few months ago from Rosebud, Texas, where I grew up."

'Texas?" Holly looked at her confused. "I thought you were from Georgia."

"That's what everyone thinks," her mother said. "She lived there so long she picked up the accent, bless her heart."

And without words the message was sent from daughter to mother and back again.

You're my mother, and I'm welcoming you into my life.

You're my daughter, and I'm standing by you.

"We all pitched in and got you this," said Sophie, holding out a extra-large latte. "Three shots of Mexican organic, one extra pump of vanilla—just the way you like it."

"Oh, God!" Tessa took the cup, raised it to her lips as if it were a silver chalice, certain she was in heaven. "You all are the greatest!"

They settled in the living room, Kara helping Tessa's mother to bring them cups of tea and glasses of water while the rest of them brought her up to speed on events in the newsroom. Tom and Chief Irving had been fighting every day, most of it having to do with Tessa. Some drunk had walked into the lobby and taken a piss in a potted plant. A guy from Lakewood was threatening to sue because Joaquin had photographed his dog without his permission.

Then Holly brought the conversation to a screeching halt. "So, are you going to tell us what happened, or do we have to wait to read it in the paper?"

"Holly!" Kara scolded. "I thought we agreed—"

"It's okay." Tessa had known they would ask. They were investigative reporters, after all. They were hardwired to stick their noses into other people's business. "I don't mind."

Leaving out Julian's name, she told them what they didn't already know, from her discovery of Burien's identity to the moment when Burien at last lay dead on the floor. Somehow it was easier to tell the story this time, perhaps because she was surrounded by friends, perhaps because she'd told it before, or perhaps because her mother stood in the background watching with sympathetic eyes.

When she finished, there was silence.

Kara stood, hugged her tight, her voice breaking. "God, Tessa, I am so grateful you're alive!"

Matt nodded. "Way to go, Novak."

Sophie was too busy dabbing her eyes to speak.

"Where I come from, we'd slaughter a mutton and hold a feast." Kat smiled. 'Tessa Novak, warrior woman."

That made everyone laugh and broke the tension.

"This is why I write for the fashion section." Lissy rubbed her pregnant tummy. "No one threatens to kill you for writing about handbags and wedding dresses. I don't know how you did it, Tessa, but you deserve to have your picture on the cover of
Newsweek"

Holly smiled. "I want to hear more about Mr. Secret Agent Man. When are you going to see him again? And when do we get to know his name?"

"I don't know."

And just like that Tessa's spirits dropped a notch.

They dropped even further when her mother had to go work the three-to-eleven shift, reluctantly leaving her alone in her apartment. They dropped further still when a squad car arrived late that afternoon with her suitcases, retrieved from Julian's house, and her computer and files, which had been found intact in Burien's office. Amid the boxes the officers had carried up was one that held the espresso machine Julian had bought her.

She had expected her clothes and files. But the espresso machine?

Of course he sent the espresso machine. He bought it as a gift for you, and he's moving your stuff out.

She set it on the kitchen counter and went into her bedroom to unpack her clothes, a melancholy ache settling in her chest. Why it hurt so much Tessa couldn't say. They hadn't really been living together, after all. He'd taken her to his house only to keep her safe. It made perfect sense for him to send everything that belonged to her over to her apartment now that Burien was dead. And yet…