‘Because it is good.’ Meredith set the kettle to boil, then got down a teapot and cup, a matching set, both very fragile looking.
I’d break them, Adam thought dolefully. Because he tended to be as clumsy with things as he was with people.
Diesel got up to refill his mug and ushered Meredith to the chair he’d vacated, his movements so smooth that Meredith wasn’t even aware she’d been manipulated into sitting. That Diesel had been sitting next to Adam was an additional benefit, because she was now close enough that Adam could detect the sweet scent of her hair.
Meredith always smelled like delicate flowers. Yet the woman sitting next to him had proven over and over again how strong she was.
He hoped she’d be strong enough to deal with what he still needed to tell her. He’d blurted out the whole ‘I’m an alcoholic’ thing, but there was so much more, and every time Adam thought about confessing, it made him sick. And then he’d remember that Tiffany and her mother were dead, along with five others, and he sent up a prayer of thanks that she was still alive to hear his sorry story.
‘Adam?’
He blinked to find Kate snapping her fingers under his nose.
‘What?’
‘Diesel asked you a question,’ Kate said. ‘You zoned out.’
‘Sorry, Diesel. What was the question?’
‘It’s okay,’ Diesel said, pouring tea from the pot into the dainty cup, making Adam wonder just how long he’d zoned out. ‘I just asked who owns this place and why you get to use it whenever someone needs a hidey-hole.’ He brought the cup and pot to Meredith, the items looking like toys in his big paws. He was, however, surprisingly deft as he placed them in front of her. He waved off Meredith’s thanks with a bashful blush. ‘But you can tell the story some other time. You’re tired.’
‘I can tell it,’ Adam said. ‘It’s not long, but it’s a good one. It was a win, anyway.’
‘We need one of those,’ Kate said, motioning him to continue.
Meredith smiled at him. ‘A story with a happy ending would be very nice.’
He hoped his cheeks weren’t turning as red as Diesel’s had, but having her smile at him like that was a heady thrill. ‘Well, the guy who owns this place used to live in an upscale community with gates and a guardhouse, but his daughter was kidnapped one night – taken from her bed while everyone was asleep. The guard dog had been drugged, the security system deactivated, her window broken.’
‘I remember that case,’ Meredith said thoughtfully. ‘It was at least ten years ago. Her name was Skye, right? Her face was all over the news and posters all over town. I was still in grad school and one of the profs used the case to discuss the therapy needs of the child after she was returned to her parents, safe and sound.’ Eyes widening comically, she slapped her hand to her mouth, dropping it low enough to say, ‘I spoiled the ending. I’m sorry.’ But her wide eyes were teasing.
‘I did say it was a win,’ he said, grinning at her, ‘so you’re okay.’
‘Good. I hate people who spoil the ending. Go on.’ She twirled her finger like a queen giving commands. ‘She was kidnapped out of her bed, and . . . ?’
‘Yes,’ Kate said, looking amused. ‘Go on. Were you the detective on the case?’
Adam shook his head. ‘Oh, no. I was still on patrol at the time. Hanson – the guy you met tonight, Meredith – was my partner. Two days after the kidnapping, the detectives working the case had nothing except the make of a car spotted lurking around the neighborhood and reported by a nosy neighbor. We spotted the car and gave chase. Finally, the kidnappers ditched the car, grabbed Skye out of the back seat, and ran on foot. There were two of them. I caught up to the one carrying Skye and grabbed her. She’d been drugged unconscious, and was barely breathing.’
‘Bastards,’ Kate muttered.
‘Yes, but they had some conscience, apparently. They were taking her to the ER because they couldn’t get her to wake up and her breathing had become erratic. I think they’d planned to drop her off and then run like hell. They were after the ransom. They didn’t want to kill her and that was lucky for us.’
‘Was she okay?’ Diesel asked.
‘Yes, but it was touch and go there for a while. We got her to the ER and they pumped her stomach. She didn’t have much memory of the entire experience. They kept her drugged up the whole time.’
‘What happened to the kidnappers?’ Kate asked.
‘They split up when they started running on foot. The one my partner was chasing pulled a gun, so Hanson shot him. The other one also pulled a gun. Got me in the leg.’
Meredith put her cup down with a clatter. ‘You were shot?’
‘Just that once and it wasn’t serious. I turned to shoot back, but he’d just dropped like a rock. Hanson had stopped him too. Saved my life, because Hanson said the guy had been aiming for my head. I got Skye to our cruiser and Hanson drove us to the ER, because we were only two minutes from the hospital. Raymond, her father, was very grateful, but also very paranoid about his home security afterward.’
‘Understandable,’ Diesel grunted.
Adam nodded. ‘He bought this place and basically turned it into a fortress. It’s the only apartment here at the top of the building. And the only access is by one elevator and one set of stairs. He’s got all kinds of crazy security on both of those. It was the only way any of them could sleep at night. I kept up with them, you know, on Skye’s birthday and the anniversary of the crime, just to see how she was. How they all were.’
‘And how were they?’ Meredith asked, her voice warm, like a soft blanket.
Adam had to fight the need to shiver. ‘Doing really well, all of them. Skye had nightmares for a while, like you’d expect, but she had a great counselor and gradually she healed. She started high school this year.’ He chuckled. ‘Raymond says she wants to be a cop. He’s not crazy about that, but he’s smart enough not to fight her.’
‘Where are they now?’ Kate asked. ‘Obviously not here.’
‘Japan. He got transferred by his company on a four-year assignment. He gave me the keys. Said it was mine to use when I wanted.’
‘To like, live here?’ Diesel asked. ‘I could get used to this place.’
‘I couldn’t.’ Adam laughed, startling himself. He hadn’t heard himself laugh in such a long time. ‘I mean, look at it. It’s too perfect. I’d track mud in or break something or spill spaghetti sauce on the carpet.’ He shook his head. ‘Not that I could have taken him up on it even if I’d wanted to. It would be such a breach of policy. But when Faith needed a place to hide last year, I asked for permission. Raymond was happy for us to use it as a safe house.’
Meredith grew abruptly still at his mention of last year and he felt the laughter seep away, because he knew exactly what she was remembering. A pathetic mess, he’d left Deacon and Faith in the condo, then had driven straight to Meredith’s house and stumbled into her arms for comfort. She’d been like a beacon, cutting through the darkness that had all but consumed him.
She still was.
But after taking her comfort, he’d left her bed the next morning like a thief. Without a word of explanation. God, I was an asshole. And down deep, had he really changed?
Suddenly exhausted, he got up, dumped what was left of his coffee, and washed the cup. Intensely aware of the silence behind him, he turned to face the table. ‘I’m beat. Kate, are you staying awake to watch?’
Kate studied him with a compassion that made his eyes absurdly sting. ‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Grab some sleep while you can.’
Diesel checked the clock on the wall with a wince. ‘I gotta go. I’m late for work.’
‘It’s Sunday,’ Kate said with a frown.
‘Newspapers have no weekends, and I took yesterday off. But I can come back later. If you want,’ he added uncertainly, his eyes on Adam’s, clearly asking for permission.
Adam thought of the booze that no longer cluttered the bar, tempting him. ‘Any time. You’re always welcome here and anywhere we are. You know that.’