No Mercy (36 page)

“You don’t need to thank me.” He touched the side of her face with his fingertips. “I wil always

be here for you. Always.”

“I know.” She put her hand over his. “And I will always be here for you.”

Harvey Driscoll was still in the custody of federal agents, not only for assaulting a federal agent,

but also for the charge of murder after being contracted by a Mexican cartel, across international

borders. Proof had been found that Harvey had also transported drugs from Mexico into the United

States. Later today he would face the federal magistrate judge.

He would also be tried for the sexual abuse of his stepdaughter in the Arizona court system.

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but the photographs and videos of the abuse had been found when a search warrant had been

issued for Harvey’s home.

Belle wasn’t straight on how the federal court system worked versus the state court system, but

she was certain of one thing—Harvey would never hurt her or another minor again.

How would she react to seeing him face-to-face? She didn’t know if her body would tremble

from rage or she would charge up to him and spit in his face.

The emotions running through her made her stomach clench harder as she waited to be taken

into the room where she would face her abuser.

That young, traumatized girl was no more after the years of therapy she had put herself through.

She’d grown to accept that the abuse had not been her fault. She was a stronger woman now than

she had ever been.

Dylan had been at her side every step of the way. He gave her even more strength than she

already possessed.

When it was time, she stood, ready to be escorted into the room where she would face Harvey.

Dylan wore a fierce expression. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”

“Yes.” She laid a hand on his arm. “I need to do this alone.”

He studied her and gave her a single nod. “I love you,” he said before she turned away and was

escorted into the room.

Her stomach settled as she sat on one side of the window and looked at the empty seat on the

other side. She felt a stillness in her heart that hadn’t been there before.

When he was escorted into the room she was only mildly interested in his bruised and battered

face.

He sat in the chair opposite her. “If it isn’t the slut.” He sneered at her as he spoke. “I thought

you were dead.”

She studied him. She felt no emotion, only a calmness she hadn’t expected.

“What the fuck do you want?” he reached down and she knew he was grabbing his crotch.

“Come back for more of this, didn’t you.” It didn’t come out as a question.

“I wanted to see the pathetic excuse for a man who sexual y abused a defenseless teenage girl.”

The words came to her easily and firmly.

“You asked for it.” He leaned forward, a leer on his bruised, ugly features. “You wanted it.”

“I hope you enjoy prison, Harvey.” She tilted her head to the side. “It looks like you have already

made new friends.”

His face grew red, making the swelling, cuts, and bruises look even worse. The fact that she

wasn’t responding to his goads like she used to clearly rattled him.

He snarled the words. “If you came back to beg for forgiveness, slut, you’re not getting any.”

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them but she wasn’t frightened of him like she had been when she was young.

“I don’t forgive
you
, Harvey, and I don’t feel the least bit sorry for you.” She watched his

expression shift as she spoke. She got to her feet and a little smile came out of nowhere. “Enjoy

your new boyfriends.”

Her back was already to him as he spouted words that simply bounced off of her. The words

didn’t register, she only knew they were hateful by the way he screamed them as she walked away.

She stepped through the doorway into a much brighter future.

~~*~~

As Dylan walked out into the sunshine with Belle, he felt a moment of the only satisfaction he

could get out of everything that had happened. Dylan had let a couple of things slip. Not only had

Harvey Driscoll kil ed two boys’ father, their mother’s husband, but he’d molested a young girl, his

own stepdaughter.

One thing about it—child molesters didn’t last long in prison. Even criminals had standards and

child abusers were the worst of the worst.

Yes, Driscoll was going to get exactly what he deserved.

***

***

Belle cuddled in Dylan’s arms in front of the fireplace in their cabin at Diamond Peak Ski Resort

near Lake Tahoe. Outside the big picture window, snowflakes drifted lazily down from a gray sky.

Beyond were beautiful white slopes and a thickly forested skyline of trees heavy with snow.

Inside, the fire crackled in the hearth, heating her skin deliciously. Almost as wonderfully as the

warmth of the man she was entwined with. The smell of cedar and pine filled the room.

She tipped her head back and smiled at him. She’d never felt so happy, so complete as she did

in that moment.

He lowered his mouth to hers and gave her a soft, sweet kiss. “How are you feeling, Mrs. Curtis?”

“Sore, Mr. Curtis.” She snuggled closer to him. “Other than that, I feel wonderful.”

The first day of their honeymoon had been spent with Dylan teaching her how to ski. According

to him, she had done fairly wel for a beginner. She’d used muscles she didn’t think she’d ever used

before, and no doubt she’d be even sorer over the next few days.

New Year’s Day had been the perfect wedding day—a wonderful day to start their new life as

husband and wife. It had been just a little over a month since Belle had come back to Bisbee. They

hadn’t wanted to waste any more time getting married after everything had gone down. Twenty-three

years had been long enough.

A real estate agent was in the process of selling Belle’s home and after their honeymoon, she

and Dylan would move all her belongings to Bisbee.

“I love how you remembered that we used to talk about snuggling up someplace warm while it

snowed outside.” She put her palm on his chest. “Having grown up in southern Arizona, where it

rarely snows, it always sounded like such a treat.”

“How could I forget?” He touched her face with his fingertips. “After you left, I dreamed of you,

snowflakes in your hair and on your lashes. You would be smiling up at me and telling me you loved

me.”

The backs of her eyes ached. The words “I’m sorry” sprang to her mind, but she didn’t say them.

Dylan had told her time after time that there was nothing to be sorry about, nothing to forgive. She

had made the only choice she had felt she could make at the time. That was the past and now they

had a future to look forward to, a future together.

“Your mom looked so happy with her new husband.” Belle thought about Dylan’s family. “It was

good to see Aspen, too.”

“They’re your family now, too,” Dylan said softly.

“I’m glad.” Belle smiled. “It was so good Christie was able to make it to the wedding to be my

maid of honor.” Belle moved her palm over Dylan’s T-shirt. “It wouldn’t have been the same without

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hiding her.”

“It meant a lot that Marta could make it, too.” Dylan let his fingers slide down to the hollow of

Belle’s throat. “She’s looking better.”

Belle nodded. “And Leon being there was important. Al of us who are left in the CoS.” They

would always think of themselves as the Circle of Seven even though there were only five of them

now. “G.I. Joe being at the wedding felt like a tribute to Nate.”

They were quiet a moment, and Belle thought Dylan was probably wishing, like she was, that

Nate and Tom could have been at the wedding. The irony was that if Nate hadn’t died, she and Dylan

would probably never have ended up where they were now.

“Fate wanted us together.” Dylan seemed to read her mind or her expression, and his voice was

low and earnest. “One way or another, we would have found each other.”

She smiled, feeling the truth of his words in her heart and soul.

Dylan grinned and shook his head. “The best man is in trouble though.”

“I’l never forget the look on Trace’s face when he accidentally caught the wedding bouquet.”

Belle giggled. “Total shock and then complete embarrassment.”

“He won’t live it down.” Dylan’s grin broadened. “Brooks captured it all on video. He has probably

already shown it to all of the guys at the office.”

“I’l bet Brooks has let everyone see it.” She tilted her head. “Now we just need to set Trace up

with the right woman since he’s supposed to be the next one married.”

Dylan shook his head. “Now you’re matchmaking?”

Belle sniffed. “
We
are.”

He held up both his hands in a “not me” motion. “No way. I’m staying out of this.”

“We’re in everything together now.” She poked his chest with her finger. “Don’t you forget that.”

He groaned and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling as if begging for guidance. She poked him

again and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her ear.

Then, with a thoughtful note in his voice, he said, almost as if to himself, “If there was anyone

I’d like to see happy it would be Christie.”

“You’re brilliant!” Belle clapped her hands, delighted. “She and Trace would be perfect together.”

Dylan buried his face in one hand. “Me and my damned big mouth.”

“No doubt it would have to be a while.” Belle tapped her bottom lip with her finger. “Christie wil

need time to heal. And of course it will have to be after she testifies.”

He raised his head as he lowered his hand. “Please forget I ever said anything.”

“Yeah, right.” It was her turn to roll her eyes. “You just had one of the most brilliant observations

ever.”

He gave an exaggerated sigh. “Promise me you won’t say anything to Trace?”

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Christie is hidden somewhere, and Trace is stil in Bisbee, it’s not likely anything is going to happen.”

She perked up. “But once the trial is over…”

“One day at a time, sweetheart.” Dylan stroked a strand of her hair. “Let’s just wait and see what

the future brings.”

She nodded. “Fate happened for us. You never know how things will work out.”

“Back to us.” Dylan shifted Belle so she was straddling his lap. “I have something for you.”

She watched him as he dug in his pocket and pulled out a small brown felt bag. Her stomach

flipped as she held her breath in anticipation. He opened the drawstring and poured a small silver

chain onto his palm.

A lump caught in her throat as he took her right wrist and fastened the bracelet to it. The bracelet

he’d given her for her sixteenth birthday, the one she had left for him with her goodbye note. She

stared at it and the pink heart dangling from the center of the bracelet.
I love you,
was engraved on

the backside of the heart.

Tears filled her eyes and she flung her arms around his neck. “I am never taking this off again.

Never.”

“I know.” He stroked her hair. “But, I do think we have something to work on.”

She straightened and wiped tears from her eyes with her fingertips. “And what’s that?”

He trailed his index finger down her nose to the tip. “What do you say to growing our little family?

Beginning now.”

A burst of joy rose inside her. They had talked about having one or two children, but so much

had happened that they hadn’t discussed when they would be ready to start.

“I say yes.” She gave him a hard kiss then leaned back. “Absolutely yes. Now.”

He grinned and stood, sweeping her up in his arms. He held her close and she clung to his neck,

comfortable in his embrace. He hugged her to him.

It surprised her when he sounded a little choked up. “I love you, Belle.”

She snuggled against his chest. “Then get us to the bedroom so that I can show you just how

much I love you, too.”

***

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