Insatiable (18 page)

She took his hands in hers. "Liam thank you for the invitation but I can't do that. I can't just pack up and go away with you. Thank you, but no."

"Why not? Is it because I'm the one asking, or is it because of Mari and Rosie? Because if it is, they are grown women Aurora surely they can take care of themselves."

"No, this has nothing to do with Mari and Rosie. It has to do with me, I can't go away with you Liam and that's that. She felt that going away with him would mean that she was surrendering to him, mind, body, and soul and she just couldn’t let that happen. She'd done that once with Randy and he'd more than taken advantage.

She pulled back and sat up straight in her chair. "Now, what else do you want to talk about?"

Liam worriedly ran his fingers through his hair. "Don’t do this Aurora, don’t push me away. I just want you to tell me something that you've never told another soul. I want to know everything about you." When he saw the reluctant expression on her face he continued. "Look, let's start off easy. How did you like meeting Gary and his lovely wife?" He teased. He knew the answer but needed to break the ice. He could see her expression go from tense to relaxed and was glad that he'd made the joke. And little by little Aurora began to open up. She told him that she'd been single for a very long time now and that it was hard for her to open up to anybody let alone someone she… "Someone you what?" He asked. "Please Aurora, go on."

Aurora gulped down her wine. The gamut of emotions and need that Liam was eliciting from her was something that she'd never experienced before. And at almost thirty five years old she'd all but given up on feeling those emotions. "Nothing," she replied. "Must be the wine talking." She tried to lie.

But Liam was persistent. "Aurora, we aren’t leaving until you tell me what it was that you were going to say."

Nick was still at Aurora's on his date with Mari when he got a call, another murder had been committed. All off duty officers were called in to help with the investigation. Although the manner of killings had been different, his sheriff was almost sure that there was a serial killer in their midst. And to Sheriff Rafferty, that serial killer was Aurora Collins. No matter how far-fetched it sounded, he wanted to pin Aurora for the murders of Ken Holmes and now Ronnie Carr.

It hadn't been a coincidence that both of their wives had come in contact with Aurora. Hell, one was staying at her place right now. Nick knew better than to tell Mari anything. He wasn’t sure of her reaction to the news, and until he was positive that it was her Ronnie, he'd keep his mouth shut. He politely excused himself and gave Mari a quick kiss goodbye. Neither one had been expecting it, but it was something that he felt he had to do. He was glad when Mari returned his kiss.

When he arrived on the scene it was chaos. Barricades had been set up all along the street, and he could see detectives and police pounding on doors, waking people out of their slumber to ask them if they'd seen or heard anything. Since the crime was so brutal, the state police had been called in, and Nick knew that if this was a serial killer, than the town of Huntington Cove was about to be bombarded by the FBI as well. When he heard the sheriff mention Aurora's name to another officer, he whipped out his cell and quickly dialed her number. It took several rings before she picked up.

"Nick? You never call this late. Is everything alright?" Nick could hear her whisper for Liam to pay the tab so that he could bring her home.

"Aurora, Ronnie Carr's been murdered. You need to get home and get home fast. The sheriff is looking at you for this crime," he said and hastily hung up the phone.

Aurora sat stunned for a moment before getting up from her chair. Did I just hear Nick right? Did he say that Ronnie had been murdered and that the sheriff thought that I did it?

Chapter Eleven

No matter how much she feigned control of her emotions, Liam sensed that something was wrong. He pulled her close to him and moved her towards the car.

He opened the door and helped her in. "That was Nick, she said.

"They found Ronnie Carr murdered and the sheriff thinks that I did it." There, it was out, she'd come out and said it, and it wasn’t until then that she'd actually believed it. Another victimizer had been murdered, and the local police sheriff wanted her to be the killer.

"Shit," Liam exclaimed and reached for her hand. After he started the car, he changed his mind and turned it off again.

"Liam, what are you doing? You've got to get me home, Mari needs me." The look on her face was one of worry.

"Aurora, you just say the word and I'll take you away from all of this."

"What?"'

"I mean it Aurora, you just tell me where you want to go and we'll go."

She sat back, astounded for an instant. And for a moment she considered it, but then she thought about how guilty it would make her look if she ran away. Not to mention that if she did run, Sheriff Rafferty would lead an all-out man-hunt for her and Liam.

"Liam I can't just run away. I've done nothing wrong and how would it look if we just took off? I appreciate what you're trying to do, I really do. We don’t know the details yet and if he was murdered some time tonight then you're my alibi so we have nothing to worry about now please, get me home," she said, her voice calm.

Liam nodded his head and started the car again. The ride home had been quiet, and she was glad for that, it gave her a chance to think. Someone had murdered Mari's husband, and it was the same somebody who'd slashed Ken Holmes's throat. Someone was trying desperately to frame her, and she had no idea who. Then the incident at the mall popped into her head, suppose the man that was following her at the mall earlier was the killer? Maybe it wasn’t a pissed off ex after-all. This person, whoever it was, wasn't just mad, he was evil.

Liam was grateful that the police hadn't shown up yet. All was quiet, but he knew that the solace wouldn’t last for long. Any minute the woman he cared so much about was once again going to be thrust into a total chaos and blasted with harsh questions. She'd need an attorney and a damn good one, no matter how solid her alibi, Sheriff Rafferty didn’t seem like a man who would leave well enough alone. He'd try to poke holes in her alibi. Of this he was sure, and as he reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone he saw Mari and Rosie come running out of the house. "I'll be a minute, you go ahead inside," he told her and made the call to his attorney.

Mari had just gotten the call from Nick, and she had tears in her eyes. Rosie and Martin tried to comfort her as best they could. "He was mine Aurora, my Ronnie. She cried in Aurora's arms. Mari's tears flowed freely now and told Aurora that no matter how badly Ronnie had hurt her, Mari had forgiven him enough to mourn his death. "I am so sorry Mari." Her voice was soothing, and she held her friend tight. "I need to see him." Aurora looked around, she needed support. Liam eased up behind her and gently rubbed her back. "You don’t need to see him Mari, no need for you to put yourself through that," Liam said to her.

Aurora turned to him and smiled. He always seemed to know and say the right things at the right moment.

"He's right Mari, you don’t need to see him. Come on, let's get you ladies inside."

Aurora was the first to hear the sound; it was the sound of tires crunching their way along the long gravel driveway. She turned around and saw not one, but two police vehicles making their way towards the house. "Here we go," she murmured and shut the door behind her. Just a few moments of peace, she thought to herself and leaned against the door. Liam was by her side and in a moment of need, she rested her head on his shoulder. "It's going to be alright," he whispered and opened the door to the relentless pounding of the police.

Sheriff Rafferty did not bother to wait for an invite. He and another officer brushed by Liam and made a beeline towards Aurora. Before she could utter a word, Sheriff Rafferty was already on her case. "I suppose you are aware of the fact that another man was murdered tonight Miss Collins?"

Aurora nodded her head. "Yes I am but you're wasting your time Sheriff. I was in no way involved." She was saving the fact that she had a solid alibi, she wanted to see just how far Rafferty was willing to take things.

"Says you and only you," Rafferty smirked.

Liam stood close by and observed. Sheriff Rafferty was an asshole of epic proportions, and it was obvious that the guy had it out for Aurora.

"Yes says me," Aurora retorted. She was getting angry now and took a step closer.

"Unless I'm a suspect, and you're going to arrest me, then I suggest that you leave, and leave now."

Her tone angered the sheriff. Who the hell did this woman think she was, challenging his authority in front of his men? He was sure that his next comment would stir up some heated emotions, emotions that would surely earn her at least a night in jail. "I'll leave when I'm good and ready. I call the shots Miss Collins, not you. And since I'm here why don’t you tell me about the death of your husband Randy."

Just hearing his name put a knot in her stomach. She could see the look of shock on everyone's faces, especially Liam's; she hadn't told him about Randy. She wasn’t sure when would be the right time, but Sheriff Rafferty had forced that time to be now, and she was not about to let him think that he'd gotten one over on her. She took a step back and leaned against the back of the sofa. "What would you like to know Sheriff? I've nothing to hide. Or shall I start from the beginning?" She glanced around the room, and when no one responded, she continued. "Yes I was married. I was married to Randy Parker for almost two years. After our first year of marriage I got pregnant with our first child." Rafferty held up his hand and interrupted. "We don’t want to hear about…"

"Excuse me Sheriff Rafferty, but since you were unethical enough to bring up my past in front of complete strangers, the least you can do is keep your mouth shut while I talk." The mood in the room shifted, it went from mildly tense to maximum astonishment.

"Now as I was saying, I was pregnant with our first child and as you can imagine I was very excited," she said looking at Mari and Rosie. When they returned her glance with heartwarming smiles she went on. "Randy wasn’t as excited as I was at first, but as the months went on, the thought of becoming a father began to grow on him. I thought that it would help our marriage too.

I was seven and a half months pregnant when I'd gotten a craving. It's funny because I don’t remember what for. Randy said he was too tired to go to the store so I grabbed my purse and headed out. I went to the convenience store and there was a sign that said cash only. Luckily there was an ATM nearby so I went there, and that's when it happened. Two tweakers came up behind me and while one demanded my money, the other knocked me down, and I fell hard onto the cement curb." She hadn't realized it, but she'd been shaking and Liam had placed his arms on her shoulders to steady her.

"I lost the baby and shortly after I lost my husband. He'd been in a state of depression and try as I may; nothing would bring him out of it. When I brought up the idea of the two of us going to therapy he just snapped. He lashed out at me, and I had to struggle to break free. I managed to get out of the house, and when I returned with the police, they found my husband dead. He'd hung himself in the basement.

Is that what you wanted to know sheriff? Was that informative enough for you? This has nothing to do with what's happened tonight. You've got a personal vendetta against me, and I have no idea why." Sheriff Rafferty stood complacent for a minute and folded his arms. She could tell that what she'd said had left him dumbfounded. But she wasn’t finished yet. If he wanted the whole story then Goddammit he was going to get it.

"Oh and there's one more thing," she said with an icy glare. "I'm sure that during your investigation into my past you found out that I'm no longer able to have children right?" She questioned him. The words came out, but they were shaky. It was the first time she'd ever said them to anyone. The tears had begun to build up, and she felt sick. "That's enough." Liam cut in. "Aurora was with me all night sheriff."

Rafferty abruptly turned towards Liam. "Did I ask you where she was?" His tone annoying and scathing.

"I don’t care whether you asked me or not. I'm telling you, she was with me all night."

Liam hoped that his attorney would arrive soon; he was trying hard not to punch Rafferty in the face.

"Where were the two of you?" Rafferty looked at the both of them. Aurora stood with her arms wrapped around herself, a vague and vacant stare in her eyes. She was trying hard to hold it together, she had wanted to be there for Mari, but thanks to Rafferty, that was not going to happen.

"We had dinner over in Foster."

"Just the two of you?"

"No, with my assistant Gary and his wife Melissa. It was their house, we were their dinner guests."

The arrival of the attorney caused the sheriff to cease any more of his intimidation against Aurora. When it was clear that she was not going to be charged, the sheriff was asked to leave the property. "Mrs. Carr, I'm sorry for your loss, Sheriff Rafferty said.

"But rest assured we will find the animal that did this." His eyes bore into Aurora. "Oh and your client is not to leave the state of Rhode Island," he said to the attorney before gathering up his men to leave.

"I'm alright now," Mari said. "I'm alright. Ronnie is gone, and there's nothing that I can do about it. Hey at least now I won't have to go through a messy divorce." She wrung her hands together nervously. Rosie gave her a comforting hug.

"Aurora, I am so sorry that the sheriff put you through that."

"It's alright Mari, I'm okay. But would you please excuse me?" She didn’t wait for a reply; she immediately headed for the back door and ran to her apartment. Liam was hot on her heels. By the time she'd gotten inside he was right behind her. His hands weren’t gentle as he turned her around, forcing her head back until their eyes met. She buried her face in his chest. "Liam. Oh, God. What am I going to do?" Her arms came around him, they clung to him. "I need you."