29. Choosing Truth
Chapter twenty-nine
Choosing Truth
ANNIE
I stare at the computer screen, both elbows planted on Doc’s desk. My chin resting in my hands, watching the last image fade.
Doc’s rubbing my shoulder as the last slide stares back at me.
COUPEVILLE WATERFRONT CANNERY FACT EXPOSITION
Under it are five names.
Five cities.
Five failures.
Five communities left with less than they were promised.
The room is quiet until I hear Admiral clear his throat through the speakers. “Well?”
Doc’s hand flexes once on my shoulder.
“What do you think?” Admiral asks.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out at first.
Because it is good. More than good.
It is clear. Ruthless. Impossible to dismiss if a person has eyes and ears and even a little sense left in them. It lays the pieces down one after another until the shape is undeniable.
I sit back slowly and press one hand over my mouth.
“Annie?” Admiral says.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
I lower my hand. “Thank you. I mean that. I don’t know how you did this so fast.”
“You thank me by getting through tonight.”
“I can do that.”
“I know you can.”
My eyes burn, but I blink it back.
Admiral’s tone gets practical. “Alvarez has the same copy and will have it ready for you tonight. The presentation is there to support you, not replace you. You decide when to cue it.”
I swallow hard. “Okay.”
“Annie, when the room turns, let it turn. Don’t rush to soothe them. Let them see what he did. And, you let the facts stand. They speak for themselves.”
“Then I’ll see you on the other side,” Admiral says. “Doc, keep your phone on.”
“Always.”
“Both of you, breathe and try to relax when you can.”
The call ends.
For a moment, neither of us moves. Then Doc reaches past me and lowers the laptop screen.
“Hey.”
I turn in the chair and look up at him.
“That was amazing,” I say.
“It was.”
“I knew he found things. I knew you said he was good. But seeing it all together like that…” I shake my head. “He made it so clear.”
“Admiral rarely misses anything. The town will understand.”
My laugh comes out short and disbelieving. “I’m terrified, and I think I might throw up.”
Doc crouches in front of me. “Good.”
I reach for him, he takes my hands and pulls me up. I wrap my arms around him and he nuzzles a kiss into my neck.
“What time do you want us to pick you up tonight?”
My fingers tighten before I can stop them.
“I appreciate that, but I’m going to go home, get ready and drive myself over.”
“Annie.”
“Doc, I need to do this,” I say. “Not because I don’t want you with me. But because I have to walk in as me. Not hidden behind anyone or anything. I hope you can understand that.”
“I’d rather be with you.” He leans back and looks at me. “But I understand.”
I lean forward and kiss him. It is meant to be quick, but his hand slides to the back of my neck and he holds me there for a long second.
When he lets me go, his eyes are dark. “We had better get going. If I stay in this room with you one minute longer, we may not leave.”
I kiss him again, deeply and then let go.
“Yeah. Rain check?”
“Absolutely.”
***
My laptop is on the dresser and Admiral’s slideshow is playing for the third time. I stand at the foot of the bed and watch the slides roll by noting every moment where the room will absorb the truth.
My phone buzzes.
DOC: Leaving soon?
ME: Ten minutes. I won’t be late.
The dots appear. Vanish. Appear again.
DOC: I know.
I smile and finish getting ready. I zip my dress, lean against the bed to slip on my heels and pack up my computer.
The doorbell rings. I grab my bag and head downstairs.
You have got to be kidding me.
“Doc,” I mutter as I open the door. “I told you…”
Ian is standing on my porch. Every nerve in my body stands on edge.
“Kitten,” he says. “You look beautiful.”
“What are you doing here?” I move to stand in the doorway.
“Making sure you’re ready.”
His gaze travels over me slow enough to feel like a hand.
“I’m ready.”
“Good.” He steps forward and pushes past me, trying to block the doorway.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Get out. I’m leaving in a few minutes.”
“So am I.” A sly smile washes across his face. “With you.”
He steps forward again. I retreat because he gives me no other choice without touching him.
He enters and closes the door behind him.
The click is small and final.
“No,” I say defiantly. “I’ll meet you there.”
“No, you won’t. We are arriving together. We are walking in together. We are standing in front of that room together.”
“I never agreed to ride with you.”
“You agreed to stop fighting me.”
Heat flashes up my neck. “Careful.”
“I always loved this part, Kitten.” His smile warms as if my anger pleases him and he steps closer.
“Ian. You need to leave.”
“The fire before a presentation. You used to get so worked up. Remember our warm-up, the sparks before we walked into a room and made every person there believe us.”
“There is no us and we don’t have time for this.”
His eyes darken. “We always make time, Kitten. You remember, don’t you?”
My pulse starts hammering and I step back to put space between us.
He steps forward again. “I came to collect you.”
“I’m not yours to collect.”
His demeanor hardens. “You need to remember what is at stake tonight. Your town. Your clinic. Your reputation. All these people who think they know you.”
“I know what is at stake.”
He laughs softly. “I don’t think you do.”
He moves before I can get away and I don’t get more than one step back before I hit the back of the chair. His body pins against me.
“Let go of me.”
Instead, he pulls me in hard and kisses me.
His hands slide down my back, over my hips, and grip my ass, pulling me tight against him.
He presses his cock into me. I feel the heat of his girth through our clothes.
My stomach turns.
He moans into my mouth as he grinds against me, like this is something between us. Like my silence is permission. Like my body is a room he can still enter because he once had a key.
I shove both hands against his chest. Then I slap him.
The sound cracks through the living room. For one breath, there is nothing.
No charm. No polish. No smile.
Only Ian with my handprint rising on his cheek.
“Never touch me again,” I say.
He turns back slowly, rubbing his cheek.
The look in his eyes sends a chill down my spine. “That was a mistake.”
“No,” I say, forcing my voice to stop shaking. “You coming here was.”
He steps toward me. “No?”
I try to step back. “No.”
He looks me over again, but there is no performance in it now. No warmth. No charm. Just possession and punishment wrapped in a serpent’s smile.
“Oh Kitten, you are going to remember, there are always a few minutes before a meeting,” he says, “to enjoy yourself.”
“You’re disgusting.”
Cold fear spills through me. I freeze. Not because I want him. Because my body is shocked back into a memory it never agreed to keep.
He advances and his hands close around my waist and his mouth crashes down on mine.
***
DOC
The town hall is packed and loud.
Every chair is taken. People line the back wall and crowd the side aisles. The windows are open, but the room still holds too much heat. Voices are buzzing, and everyone is filled with restless expectations.
I’m at the back of the room near the exit, waiting for Annie. But she’s not here yet.
Ellie looks up. “She’s not answering my texts, Dad.”
She and Rhea are sitting in the back row, in front of me.
“She’s not answering, Doc.“ Rhea has her phone pressed to one ear. Her eyes meet mine. “I’m sure she’s on her way. Maybe she left her phone at home by accident.”
She should have texted when she left.
She should be here by now.
I check my phone again.
Nothing.
The mayor comes toward me with a strained smile. “Doc. Have you seen Annie?”
“Not yet.”
“She’s still planning on speaking tonight?”
“Yes.”
His smile fades and he walks back to the front of the room.
Alvarez steps in beside me. Everything about him screams sheriff mode right now.
“Doc,” he says, keeping his voice low. “Ian’s not here yet either.”
“I’ve noticed.”
Alvarez turns to Rhea. “Can you take Ellie for a minute?”
Rhea’s eyes narrow. “Why?”
“Because I’m asking.”
She doesn’t like it, but she does it. Ellie, who is watching us too closely, stands.
“Come on,” Rhea tells her. “Help me make sure the refreshment table hasn’t turned into a disaster already.”
Ellie looks at me. “Dad?”
“Go with Rhea.”
“I’m not five.”
“I know.”
Her mouth tightens, but she goes.
The second she is out of earshot, I turn to Alvarez. “Talk to me.”
“I sent a deputy to Annie’s.”
I turn my head to him quickly, my pulse pounding hard.
Alvarez says, “Keep calm. Give it a few more minutes.”
His phone buzzes and he reads the screen.
“Deputy says Annie’s car is at the house,” he says. “Lights are on. No answer at the door.”
For one second, all I see is Annie saying she needed to drive herself. Annie promising she would text.
“I’m going.”
Alvarez catches my arm. “Doc.”
“Let go.”
“Listen to me.”
I look at him, and his face gets deadly serious.
“If he has her, we’ll find her. If you leave and she walks in, she loses a cheering section.”
I hate him for being right.
The mayor takes the microphone. “Good evening, everyone. We’ll get started in just a few moments. Please enjoy the refreshments and find your seats.”
The crowd starts to find chairs, a few cruise by the refreshment table again. I walk Ellie back to her seat. Rhea looks at me, looking for answers.
I have none.
I scan the room, waiting as I pick up my phone and call her again. It rings and rings.
The doors open.
Every head near the back turns first. Then the reaction rolls through the room, row by row, until silence begins to gather.
Ian Danvers walks in like he owns the building, the night, and every person waiting to hear him speak.
Annie is beside him. He has her by the hand.
For one second, my body jerks and I almost lurch for them.
Ian leads her down the center aisle as if presenting her to the town. People whisper. Annie’s looking around, and she finds me.
Everything in me seizes.