Chapter 10 #2
Five minutes later, the door opens again. Vanessa glides in, tall and elegant in a black coat that reaches her knees. She's stunning in an intimidating way—all sharp angles and perfect makeup, hair pulled back in a severe bun that emphasizes her high cheekbones.
Two men flank her, both large and obviously not there for the wine selection. One stays near the front door while the other follows her toward the back room. My stomach tightens with anxiety, but I force myself to remain seated, sipping my untouched wine.
They disappear into the back room, and I casually move to a table closer to that section, pretending to check my phone while straining to hear anything from behind the closed door. The wine bar's background music makes it difficult, but I'm hoping my phone is picking up more than I can.
Twenty minutes pass. Thirty. My nerves are stretched to breaking point. What's happening in there? Is Diesel okay?
Just as I'm about to throw caution to the wind and check on him, the door to the back room opens. Vanessa emerges, expression unreadable, her bodyguard close behind. They leave without a backward glance, passing so close to my table that I can smell her expensive perfume.
I wait until I hear their car start outside before rushing to the back room. Diesel is still seated at the small table, looking exhausted but triumphant.
"Did you get it?" I ask, hurrying to his side.
He holds up his phone. "Every word." His eyes meet mine, a fierce satisfaction in them. "She admitted everything. The hit and run, the threats, what she wants me to do for Ric. It's all here."
Relief rushes through me so powerfully that my knees feel weak. I sink into the chair across from him. "She didn't suspect?"
"No." He reaches for my hand across the table. "She was too confident, too sure I'd do anything to protect myself. To protect you."
"What now?"
"Now we take this to Parker, have him contact Vancouver PD." He squeezes my fingers. "It's over, Sandra. She's done."
I want to believe him, but something nags at me. "She just... agreed? That easily?"
"Not easily." His expression darkens. "She made threats. Detailed ones. But in the end, she believes I'm terrified enough to do what she wants. She's meeting me tomorrow with papers for me to sign, withdrawing my testimony."
"So she'll be back in town tomorrow?" The thought sends a chill down my spine. "Shouldn't we go to Parker now? Before she returns?"
"That's exactly what we're going to do." Diesel stands, wincing slightly. "Let's go. His office is still open."
Sheriff Parker listens to our story with growing concern, then sits in stunned silence as we play the recordings. Vanessa's voice is clear, incriminating:
"You know exactly what happened to you, Diesel. That was just a taste. Next time, it won't be you. It'll be that pretty little girlfriend of yours. Or maybe I'll pay a visit to that garage you're so proud of. Accidents happen all the time with all those flammable materials..."
"What do you want from me, Vanessa? Just say it."
"I want you to sign a statement saying you lied in your testimony against Ric. That the cops pressured you, threatened you. Do that, and I'll leave you and your little mountain town alone. Don't, and, well... I think you can imagine what happens next."
Parker's face grows grimmer with each damning statement. When the recording ends, he sits back, shaking his head. "This is serious business, Torres. Witness intimidation, conspiracy, attempted murder... I need to call Vancouver PD immediately."
"She's coming back tomorrow," I remind him. "To get Diesel's signature on some documents."
"Perfect." Parker's expression hardens. "We'll be waiting for her."
The next few hours are a flurry of activity.
Parker contacts the Vancouver police, who are extremely interested in the evidence against Vanessa.
Apparently, they've been building a case against her for months, suspecting she's taken over parts of her brother's operation.
Our recording is the missing piece they needed.
By midnight, the plan is set. Diesel will meet Vanessa as agreed, but this time, both Crimson Hollow and Vancouver officers will be waiting to arrest her. It feels surreal—like something from a movie, not my actual life.
We spend the night at Diesel's cabin, too wired to sleep much despite his need for rest. I lie beside him in the darkness, listening to his breathing, my mind racing with everything that's happened, everything still to come.
"What are you thinking about?" he asks softly, his hand finding mine beneath the covers.
"How crazy this all is," I admit. "Three weeks ago, I was in Chicago, engaged to a man I didn't love, working a job I hated. Now I'm in a tiny mountain town, helping my mechanic boyfriend catch his criminal ex-wife."
He chuckles, then winces at the pain it causes his ribs. "When you put it like that, it does sound pretty crazy."
"The craziest part?" I roll carefully to face him, though it's too dark to see his expression clearly. "I wouldn't change a thing. Even the scary parts. Because they led me here, to you."
His hand comes up to cup my cheek. "After tomorrow, it's just us. No more ghosts from my past. No more hiding who I was or what I did. Just you and me and whatever future we want to build together."
"I like the sound of that." I lean into his touch. "And I already know where I want to start."
"Where's that?"
"Grandpa's cabin." I take a deep breath, putting into words the decision that's been forming for days. "I want to live there. Make it mine. Make a life here in Crimson Hollow."
Even in the darkness, I can sense his smile. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." I reach up to cover his hand with mine, where it still rests against my cheek. "If that's okay with you. I know it's not exactly close to the garage..."
"It's ten minutes," he interrupts. "And I meant what I said before. Perfect distance."
"So you'd be okay with me sticking around? Making this permanent?" My voice comes out smaller than I intended, a hint of vulnerability creeping in despite my best efforts.
His answer is to pull me closer, ignoring the pain it must cause, and kiss me with such tenderness that tears spring to my eyes.
"Sandra Hemmings," he murmurs against my lips, "nothing would make me happier than having you here, in my town, in my life, for as long as you'll have me."
"That might be a very long time," I warn him, blinking back the moisture in my eyes.
"I'm counting on it."
The next day dawns clear and cold, sunlight glinting off fresh snow.
By seven, we're at The Velvet Antler again, but this time, the place is closed to the public.
Parker and two officers from Vancouver are hidden in the back room, while others wait outside in unmarked cars.
Diesel sits alone at a table, nursing a coffee, the perfect picture of a defeated man waiting to surrender.
I'm stationed at the bar again, out of direct line of sight but close enough to see and hear everything. My heart hammers against my ribs as we wait, the minutes ticking by with excruciating slowness.
At precisely eight, the door opens. Vanessa enters alone this time, confidence in every line of her body. She spots Diesel and smiles, a predatory curve of red lips that sends a chill down my spine.
"Right on time," she says, sliding into the seat across from him. "I've always appreciated that about you. Punctual, even for your own surrender."
Diesel doesn't answer, just watches her with wary eyes as she removes an envelope from her purse.
"The paperwork is simple," she continues, sliding it toward him. "Just a statement recanting your previous testimony. Sign it, and this unpleasantness is over. I leave, you get to keep playing house in this charming little backwater."
"And Ric walks free," Diesel says flatly.
Vanessa's smile widens. "Justice served, finally. My brother never deserved what you did to him."
"What I did?" Diesel's voice rises slightly. "He set me up, Vanessa. Would have let me rot in prison."
"Business," she dismisses with a wave of her manicured hand. "Nothing personal. You understood the rules when you joined us."
"And now I'm supposed to trust that you'll keep your word? Leave me alone after I sign this?" He taps the envelope with one finger.
"You don't have much choice, do you?" Her voice hardens. "Unless you want something unfortunate to happen to your pretty little Sandra. She's quite devoted to you, isn't she? Following you around like a puppy. It would be a shame if—"
"That's enough," Diesel interrupts, suddenly looking more dangerous than I've ever seen him. "You can threaten me all you want, but you leave her out of this."
Vanessa leans forward, dropping her voice to a silky purr. "Oh, have I touched a nerve? The mighty Diesel Torres, finally tamed by a woman? How domestic." She pushes the envelope closer. "Sign the papers, and she stays safe. It's that simple."
Diesel picks up the pen beside the envelope, appearing to consider. My breath catches. Even knowing this is part of the plan, seeing him seemingly ready to cave makes my heart ache.
"Fine," he says finally. "But after this, we're done. You never contact me again. You stay the hell away from Sandra, from Crimson Hollow, from everything I care about. Understood?"
"Crystal clear." Vanessa's smile is triumphant as Diesel opens the envelope. "Always knew you'd see reason eventually."
"Yeah, well, I've got a lot more to lose now," he mutters, unfolding the papers inside. Then he looks up, meeting her eyes directly. "Which is why I can't let you win."
Before Vanessa can respond, Parker and the Vancouver officers emerge from the back room, badges displayed. "Vanessa Ling-Torres, you're under arrest for witness intimidation, conspiracy to commit assault, and attempted murder," Parker announces.
The color drains from her face as she realizes she's been trapped. Her eyes dart to Diesel, fury replacing her confident smile. "You son of a bitch."
"It's over, Vanessa," Diesel says quietly. "Vancouver PD has the recording from yesterday. They know everything. About the hit and run, about Ric, all of it."
One of the Vancouver officers approaches with handcuffs. "You have the right to remain silent..."
For a moment, I think Vanessa might try to run, but she seems to deflate, allowing herself to be cuffed without resistance. As they lead her toward the door, she stops beside Diesel's chair.
"This isn't over," she hisses. "Not by a long shot. Ric has friends, remember? Friends who owe him favors."
"Maybe," Diesel acknowledges. "But they're not here. And neither are you, not anymore." He looks up at her, calm and steady. "Goodbye, Vanessa."
As the officers escort her out, our eyes meet briefly across the room. The hatred in her gaze would be frightening if not for the officers flanking her, the handcuffs securing her wrists. In that moment, I understand exactly what Diesel escaped five years ago. What he's finally, truly free of now.
Once Vanessa is gone, I rush to Diesel's side. He stands to meet me, wrapping his arms around me despite the pain it must cause his ribs. I bury my face in his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
"It's really over?" I ask, needing to hear him say it.
"It's really over," he confirms, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "She'll be facing charges in Vancouver. With the recording and the Vancouver PD's existing case against her, she's looking at serious time."
"Good." I lift my face to his. "Now what?"
A slow smile spreads across his face, transforming his features, erasing the last traces of tension. "Now we rebuild your car. Fix up your grandfather's cabin. Make a life here." He cups my face in his hands, eyes intense with emotion. "Together. If that's still what you want."
In answer, I rise on tiptoes, pressing my lips to his in a kiss that says everything words cannot.
Against all odds, despite a broken-down car, a criminal ex-wife, and the specter of his past, we found each other.
Found love in this small mountain town where both of us, separately, came to start over.
"Yes," I whisper against his lips. "That's exactly what I want."
He kisses me again, deeper this time, full of promise for the future we're choosing together. When we finally part, both slightly breathless, he rests his forehead against mine.
"Then let's go home," he says softly. "Our story's just beginning."
The words resonate through me like a perfect note, clear and true. Our story. Whatever challenges lie ahead, whatever obstacles we might face, we'll face them together. And that makes all the difference in the world.