Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)

It was hard to talk. Her jaw was swollen. Not broken, she thought. At least she hoped it wasn’t. She was less sure about her ribs.

Pain dodged her every step. She was exhausted from not sleeping. She couldn’t. Not only might her mother need her, but it wasn’t safe. Her father loved to sneak up on her when she was most vulnerable and do his worst.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Friends,” the younger of the two men said.

They were both big enough to be frightening. One―she thought his name was Ford―had an easy smile, but she could see the darkness in his eyes. The other man, a few years older, terrified her. He had a scar across his neck—as if someone had tried to slit his throat. Who would have been that stupid?

“A friend of ours knows your brother,” Ford told her. “We’re here to take care of you.”

Shelby told herself not to bother believing. Because nothing good was ever going to happen again. She was trapped with a monster because her mother was dying of cancer. Her mother wouldn’t leave and Shelby couldn’t leave her alone. Only a few more weeks, she told herself. But her escape would come at the loss of one of only two people she loved in the world.

“Kipling sent you?” she asked.

The two men exchanged a glance.

“Sure,” the older one said. “Here’s what’s going to happen. Your dad thinks he’s smarter than everyone else, but he’s not. We’ve collected evidence on his criminal activities. It’s enough to keep him locked up for a long, long time. The police are arresting him right now.”

Her father in jail? Was it possible? She didn’t have a whole lot of information on what he did to fill his day, but she knew it involved people who lived outside the law.

“We’ll take you to the police station later,” Ford added. “Not to confront him, but so you can know he’s behind bars. The district attorney will want to talk to you and the police will need to search the house later to gather evidence.”

Shelby struggled to take in all the information. Her father arrested? Jailed? Was it really possible he wasn’t coming back for a long time?

She only needed a few weeks. Her mother wouldn’t last much longer. Then she would walk away and never come back. After that, she didn’t care what happened to the man.

The older man, the one with the scar, sat next to her on the sofa. His gray eyes were surprisingly kind.

“A nurse will be here shortly. She’s going to help with your mom.” He pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket. “This is the name of a therapist we want you to see.”

“About my mom dying?” she asked.

“That and everything else you’ve been through.”

He reached toward her. Shelby had to consciously keep from flinching as he lightly touched her jaw.

“You have that looked at?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”

“We’re going to let a doctor decide. We’ll go as soon as the hospice nurse arrives.”

“How did my brother do all this?” she asked, fighting tears, knowing she just might not be in this alone anymore. “He’s still in the hospital in New Zealand.”

“Let’s just say he has a friend who is taking care of things for him,” the man told her.

Someone knocked on the front door. Ford went off to answer it. Shelby looked into the gray eyes of her rescuer.

“Who are you?”

“You can call me Angel.”

Despite the pain in her jaw, she managed a smile. “Seriously?”

He made an X on his chest. “It’s the name I was born with.”

She knew she should say something funny. Something that lightened the mood or showed that she was tough. Only she couldn’t think.

Ford returned with a petite brunette in bright pink scrubs.

“Hi,” the woman said with an easy and compassionate smile. “I’m Nancy. I’ll be taking care of your mom.”

Shelby started to speak, only the words got stuck and then she was crying. Angel drew her into his arms.

She usually hated when men touched her. If they were close, she couldn’t see where the hit was coming from. But somehow Angel was different. Maybe it was because he had so much power he didn’t need to hurt those less strong than himself. Maybe it was exhaustion. Whatever the reason, she relaxed into his embrace and gave in to the tears that had been waiting for so long. She surrendered to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, she was going to get out of this alive.

* * *

FAYRENE AND CARAMEL walked through city hall. She’d called ahead to confirm that Mayor Marsha was indeed back from her vacation and in her office. Which begged the question of why the other woman hadn’t come to pick up her dog.

“Don’t take it personally,” Fayrene told the Pomeranian. “You’re totally adorable. I don’t want you to go back. But she is your owner.”

Caramel gave her a doggy smile that both assured and comforted. As if she were confident that every outcome would be to her advantage.

Fayrene led them into the foyer of the mayor’s office. Bailey sat behind her desk.

“You’re right on time,” she said. “Go on in.”