Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Sam stood in Liam’s driveway, wearing his US Marshals windbreaker, thinking about what it might feel like to have his arms around her. The cologne he wore hung heavy on the jacket.
Her phone chimed in her pocket. She pulled it out and checked, more grateful than she realized for the interruption. A message from Dean.
Dean
Just checking to make sure everything is okay.
She sighed.
“Everything okay?” Liam looked her in the eye.
“Yes, just big brother Dean checking in on me.”
“That’s another reason the fake dating thing would work. If your friends think you’re dating a marshal, they’ll assume you’re safe and won’t be hovering over you.”
She just had to open her big mouth. She’d only been thinking out loud when she’d mentioned dating. She’d worked at the station long enough that her coworkers knew her idiosyncrasies. They knew her life revolved around Bella, the station, and the small family she’d created there.
Pulling away from the team because of a new relationship had the added benefit that one of her friends wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire if something happened.
She bounced on her feet, her mind whirring with all kinds of thoughts. What she needed was a good run, and she fully intended to get one tonight on Dean’s treadmill.
The run would let her think. Long and hard.
Weigh the pros and cons of this charade.
Was she willing to risk her heart to spend so much time with Liam?
The reward would outweigh the risk. Besides, it was only fake dating.
No one had said feelings would be involved.
This was just another way to find out what was going on.
She pulled the windbreaker off and handed it back to Liam. “Let me think about it.”
“Okay.” He tossed the jacket in the SUV and locked it up.
“We should be going.” She turned and trudged back into the house. “Bella, it’s time to go.”
The girls moaned from Sophia’s bedroom, then they raced out.
“Can Bella stay the night?” Sophia grabbed Liam’s arm.
“Please,” Bella pleaded with Sam.
Liam looked from the begging teens to her and back. “Not tonight. I don’t know about Bella, but Soph, you’re grounded. Plus, I have to work tomorrow.”
“Ugh.” Sophia dropped his arm and started to pout.
“Bella, you’re grounded as well. Don’t think I forgot about that little stunt you pulled today either.”
She scrunched up her face. “I’m sorry.”
“Maybe we can revisit the idea of a sleepover in a few weeks.”
Sophia and Bella squealed at the same time, then hugged each other like Sam had said yes and not maybe.
Liam looked at Sam and mouthed Thank you.
She could only imagine what Sophia was going through. Probably very similar to Bella’s experience when they moved to Renegade.
“Thank you again for everything today. Do I owe you anything for dinner?”
Liam shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head. “My treat.”
“Oh, well, thanks again.” She turned and herded Bella to the car.
There was so much to say right now, but Sam didn’t know how to go about it.
“Don’t think that we won’t talk about everything. I just want to wrap my head around it all. The more I think about you sneaking off, the angrier I get, and I don’t want to be angry when we talk.” She reached over and grabbed Bella’s hand.
“I’m sorry.” Bella squeezed her hand.
“Please don’t do that again. You can come to me for anything. I mean it. Anything.” She looked at her sister and made sure she heard what had been said.
Sam had made her fair share of mistakes in her life. She wanted better for her sister.
Bella leaned over, turned on the radio, and changed it to a station playing Christian music. Not Sam’s choice, but it could be a lot worse. It wasn’t long until she found herself tapping along to the beat on the steering wheel.
She pulled into Dean’s drive and put the car in Park. Even though Dean had given her a key, she still knocked on the front door before letting herself in.
“Nobody’s home.” Charlie giggled from underneath the coffee table.
“Okay, funny boy, it’s time for a bath.” Dean walked into the living room with a wiggling Bobby in one arm. “Hey, Sam.”
“Run, Charlie,” Bobby squealed from his position. “Save yourself!”
“Oh no you don’t.” Cass yanked Charlie from under the coffee table. “No stinky boys in my house.”
“Um, while you two take care of that…” She waved her arms at the commotion. “Do you mind if I hit the treadmill?” Cass was a runner just like Sam. It was one of the things that had bonded them.
“Sure. You know where it’s at,” Cass said as she and Dean carried the boys down the hall.
Sam and Bella followed behind, veering off into the room they were staying in. Sam changed out of her work clothes and into the department sweats she’d swiped the day of the fire.
“I think I’m just going to go to bed.” Bella flopped down on the mattress, spread-eagled.
“Sounds good to me, but save room for me in the bed, ’kay?”
“I’ll think about it.” Bella rolled over onto her stomach and rested her head on her arms.
Sam shut the door to the spare room behind her and hit the treadmill. The methodic pounding of her feet eased the tension she’d been holding in her body.
She focused on her breathing. In through her nose and out through her mouth.
Her life was spinning out of control.
There were so many questions that needed answers, and she didn’t have them.
There was nothing she could do to fix the situation.
Normally, when something went wrong, she could reason, plan, and create a solution.
Sick or injured patient? Implement a treatment plan until EMS arrived.
Building on fire? Implement a plan to extinguish the flames.
Issues with inventory? Figure out the cause and correct it.
What was she supposed to do about this? She couldn’t fix it.
Pain stretched from her calves and up her legs as she pushed herself further. Maybe if she pushed herself to the limit, she’d sleep peacefully tonight and not fitfully like she had been since the fire.
After three miles, she did a cooldown before she showered and collapsed into bed.
High-pitched giggling drew Sam from sleep hours later. She didn’t know how long it had been.
She rubbed her eyes and rolled over. Every muscle in her legs ached, but her run had achieved its purpose. Once her head had hit the pillow, she’d been out, and there had not been one thought about a beguiling US marshal and his nice-smelling jacket. She opened her eyes to the empty bed.
More giggling echoed through the door. Sam looked at her cell phone.
10:00 a.m.
She dropped her phone on the nightstand.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept this late.
Her day off was already half over. She pulled herself from the bed and shuffled to the bathroom.
Once she was dressed and presentable, she followed the giggles down the hall and into the living room.
In the middle of the room, there was a giant fort.
Cass smiled at her from the cushionless couch, a book on her lap. “I hope the boys didn’t wake you.”
“It’s way past time for me to get up.”
“Sam?” Bella’s head popped out of a small opening.
“Morning,” she greeted her sister.
“You needed the rest. I’d say have a seat, but trust me, it’s not that comfortable.” Cass gestured to the lumpy spring portion of the couch.
“Thanks, but I was actually thinking about taking Bella shopping for more clothes and things.”
It was her first day off since the fire that she had time to do more shopping. The first trip had just been for necessities. This one would be for more. Bella would be getting a budget though. Sam’s savings wasn’t a lot, but this was also a learning moment for the teen.
“Shopping!” Bella scrambled out of the makeshift fort, the boys on her tail.
“We wanna go!” Charlie grabbed one of Bella’s legs while Bobby grabbed the other.
“Not gonna happen, boys.” Cass stood up. “This is boring shopping. Besides, you have a birthday party to go to.”
“Party!” the boys yelled simultaneously and took off running down the hall.
“You two march right back in here and help clean up this mess,” Cass yelled after them.
“We can help too,” Sam offered.
Once the living room was returned to normal, Sam and Bella loaded up in the car.
“Sam?” Bella asked.
“Yeah.” She glanced at her sister.
“I know I’m grounded and everything, but do you think we could take Sophia shopping with us?”
Was that a good idea? Would letting the girls get together while they were in trouble negate the fact that they were grounded?
In normal circumstances, Sam would stick to her guns and say no. Except, this wasn’t normal. It had been a rough week for Bella, and she could use a friend with her as she replaced everything she owned.
Having someone there to help take her mind off the reason she was shopping would be a good idea.
Plus, it would give Sam some time to get to know Sophia.
Not just so she could know who her sister was getting into trouble with, but also so she could maybe have a positive influence on the girls and there wouldn’t be any more trouble.
“I don’t think that will hurt.”
Bella squealed in her seat.
Sam closed her eyes. Hopefully, the day wouldn’t contain too many more squeals.
Liam pulled his SUV into the outlet mall parking lot.
He was meeting Sam and the girls in ten minutes.
Sam wanted Sophia to go clothes shopping with them, despite the trouble the girls were in.
He’d suggested meeting them for lunch, and they could work on the couple thing.
The sooner they started spending time together, the better.
The story would sell better if the girls came to the conclusion on their own instead of Liam and Sam just outright telling them.
He’d tried to speak with Supervisor Howard this morning, but he was a hard one to pin down. A multitude of meetings had taken up his morning. Aubrey had told Liam to call Howard now, in between meetings.
Liam dialed the supervisor’s number.
Supervisor Howard answered on the second ring. “Howard.”
Liam pulled the SUV into a spot and shoved it into Park. “Supervisor Howard, this is Liam Roberts. I need to speak with you about the Williams sisters.”
“I’ve got five minutes before my next meeting. That enough time?”
“It will have to be.” Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “It turns out that my niece and Isabella Williams aren’t just getting into random trouble. The people they’ve been hanging with could possibly be related to the arsons around Renegade.”
Supervisor Howard whistled. “I’m going to guess that’s not the only reason you called.”
“Both girls received threatening text messages yesterday from said people. I’ve already been in touch with Renegade Police Department and the fire marshal.”
“Good. Do we have reason to believe that the group is responsible for the Williamses’ house fire?”
“I don’t have anything to confirm or deny. Personally, I don’t think they are related, but I’m not going to discount it.” Liam tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
“Good idea.”
“Samantha is worried about all of the attention she has been getting from me. In a professional capacity, that is. Between the fire at her house and the girls getting into trouble, she’s afraid her friends and coworkers are going to start asking questions and her cover will get blown.”
Now for the tricky part. “We tried to come up with some explanations last night. Everything I can think of doesn’t lead to long-term contact between us, or as much as we would need to ensure their safety. Then she mentioned a fake relationship.”
Yep, he’d done that. Thrown her under the bus. Actually, it had been her idea. He was just running with it.
Supervisor Howard exhaled into the phone. “As in dating?”
Liam leaned his head back. “Yes. I know the rules frown upon getting personally involved with a witness, but we won’t actually be involved with each other romantically.”
But they would be spending a lot of time together.
“I don’t know. That’s a fairly thin line you’re suggesting you dance on.”
“I know, sir, but it makes the most sense. It can easily be explained. We met because of the girls. We hang out because we like each other and the girls are friends. It doesn’t raise any suspicion with the people she’s around.
I can keep an eye on them and dig into what could be going on. Everyone wins.”
Supervisor Howard was silent.
He was going to nix the idea.
“I’ll green-light this for now. But if anything happens—I mean anything—it’s your career that’s in jeopardy.”
Liam swallowed the lump in his throat. “Yes, sir.”
“This conversation never happened.” His tone left no room for argument.
“Understood.” Liam gave a curt nod, even though Supervisor Howard couldn’t see him.
The weight of the situation settled heavily on his shoulders. There was so much riding on this. The safety of his witnesses, his niece, and his heart.
Lord, am I doing the right thing?
Peace settled over him. Whatever happened, good or bad, God would be with him.
He opened the SUV door and made his way to Timberline Toasties.
Being new to the area meant he didn’t know much about the local cuisine outside of the major food franchises, but Sam had raved about the sandwich shop known for its variety of grilled cheese options and paninis.
Liam’s mouth watered as garlic, butter, and roasted chicken wafted from the door of Timberline Toasties as customers came and went. Sam and the girls were waiting for him outside.
Sam was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a simple green T-shirt and a pair of black ballet shoes. Her blonde hair wasn’t slicked back into a braid. Instead, she had it piled on top of her head in a messy bun.
He was overdressed in his black slacks and cream-colored long-sleeve button-down shirt.
“Uncle Liam!” Sophia waved.
He joined the girls. “It sure smells good.” He rested his hands on his hips and looked through the window into the restaurant.
“It tastes even better.” Sam pulled the door open. “Shall we?”
He stepped around her and opened the door. “Ladies first.”
“Since you bought dinner last night, I’m buying lunch.” Sam led the way to the counter.
“That’s not necessary.” She didn’t need to feed him and Sophia when she had so much more to worry about.
“I insist. Please don’t make a big deal of it.”
“Can you do that?” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, you’ve got pretty big expenses coming up.”
She smiled at him. “I’m sure. We’re going to be fine.”
He studied her for a moment. What would she do if he argued with her about it? If they were going to treat this like a first date, then shouldn’t he pay?
She laid her hand on his forearm. “I’m serious, we’re okay. I want to buy you lunch.”
“Okay.” He looked at the menu. “What do you suggest?”
She could buy lunch, but he’d buy dessert later.