Chapter 26 Damage Was Done
DAMAGE WAS DONE
“Are you sure you’re okay delivering this for me?” Brooke asked her three days later. “I can do it when we close.”
“No,” Reenie said. “I’ve got it.”
“If that is the case, you can leave now,” Brooke said. There was a large platter of cookies and another of pastries for a late meeting in Lake George. “They were told it’d arrive between two and four.”
She looked at her watch, it was a quarter after two. “But we’re still open.”
“And no one is in here, and if they come in, I can deal with it. You’ll be back before closing. No reason for you to work longer.”
“It’s not as if I’ve got much going on.”
Ford was out of town until late tonight. He’d left Monday after work for a two-day conference downstate. He’d be lucky to be home by nine, he’d said, and was going to his house. She’d see him after work tomorrow.
“I’m not going to argue,” Brooke said, closing one eye at her. “I’m the boss. Go.” Ford’s mother was waving the back of her hands and shooing her out of the kitchen just like she did her boys when they came to steal food.
Reenie grinned. “Okay. If you insist.”
She loaded her car, then grabbed her purse, and drove out of the gate.
She found the business, went inside with the first platter, waited for a few minutes while they called the person who placed the order and where to drop everything off, then got the second platter.
Ten minutes to town, ten minutes waiting around, now she could go back. If she didn’t rush, Brooke would clean up before she got there.
She was a mile away and turning onto Route 9 when the red flashing lights appeared in her rear view mirror. Then the sirens hit.
She put her blinker on and pulled over to let them pass, but they pulled behind her.
Her heart pounded, palms slick with sweat. She wasn’t speeding, she knew that for sure. Every move she made was deliberate, calculated, meant to avoid even the slightest hint of suspicion.
She grabbed her phone to call Ford, but the deputy was at the window, so she hit the button to lower the glass.
“Are you talking and driving?” the deputy asked.
“No,” she said, dropping the phone on her lap. “I just picked it up now.”
The last thing she was going to do was say it was to call her boyfriend. The only law enforcement person she trusted was Ford.
Throwing names around could get her in more trouble.
“Do you know why I pulled you over?” Reenie looked at his name, saw P. Dugen.
She shook her head no. “I wasn’t speeding.”
“You have a brake light out.”
She closed her eyes and put her head against the headrest. That never occurred to her to even check.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’ll get it fixed right away.”
“You do that,” Deputy Dugen said. “Can I have your license and registration? I see you’re from out of the area. Just visiting?”
“I live here now,” she said. She pulled her purse off the seat and got her license, then her registration. “I was just doing a delivery for work. For Ridgeway Orchards.”
Maybe throwing that name out there would help. Deputy Dugen had to know that Ford’s family owned the place.
“That’s nice, but I still need to run everything.”
Shit, shit, shit.
The panic was oozing out of her pores like dirty water from a broken faucet, the back of her shirt gathering sweat.
She’d been here one month. One stinking month and life was settling into a place she could live the rest of her days.
The minute Deputy Dugen walked away, she hit the button to call Ford. It kept ringing and went to voicemail.
She didn’t want to do this, but had no choice.
She called Clay next. He didn’t answer either.
Oh my God. This couldn’t be happening right now.
She texted Ford and Clay next. Both at the same time. The third text went to Ash and Gale. It was too late now. Her information was run, but if they were alerted, she needed her attorney.
How the hell could no one be available?
“Do you know you’re reported missing in Florida?”
She jumped in her seat with a startled squeak, then turned to the deputy. He stood there holding her license and registration, eyes flicking between her face and the ID, studying her closely to see if they matched.
“No,” she said.
She hated lying, but she didn’t know firsthand other than what the people who helped her said when they reported her. People had lied to her for most of her life. It left a mark, a part of her that might never fully trust anyone’s truth again.
“Is there a reason they’d think that?”
“I left suddenly,” she said. She’d give as much truth as she could. “A bad breakup.” There obviously wasn’t a warrant out for her arrest or he’d be detaining her.
“No other reason?”
“No.” Her phone rang on the seat, she saw it was Ford and grabbed it quickly. She held the phone up to the deputy to see Ford’s name and saw the frown.
“Why is the sheriff calling you?”
“He’s my boyfriend,” she said.
The deputy’s lip curled some. “You should have told me that. Answer it.”
She planned on it. “I got pulled over for a brake light,” she said, the tears falling, her voice catching. The minute she knew he was there, she fell apart.
“Fuck!” Ford yelled. “By who?”
“One of your men. He’s right here. He ran my information.”
“Give him your phone, Reenie. Deep breath. Another.”
She was sucking it in and out and Deputy Dugen flushed. “He wants to talk to you.”
She couldn’t hear what was being said by Ford, but the deputy, said, “I followed procedure.” There were more words spoken by Ford, then Deputy Dugen said there was another call coming in, pulled the phone back and said, “It’s your brother, Clay.
” The deputy handed her the phone. “Ford said for you to answer Clay.”
She grabbed the phone and switched to Clay. “Did your information get run?” Clay asked before she could say another word.
She’d just texted them both that she was pulled over, adding nothing else, before putting down her phone.
“Yes. Ford’s on the other line talking to the deputy now.”
“I’m coming to get you,” Clay said.
“There is no need,” she said. “I swear. Ford will call you next.”
There was silence on the other end. “You didn’t tell me you were leaving and we’ll deal with that when you get back.”
Clay hung up before she could say another word. “Ford.”
“I’m here. What did you tell Clay?”
“That’d you’d call him next.”
“I will. Give the phone to Deputy Dugen, please.”
She sniffled some and handed it back to the deputy, who said a few more words, then gave her the phone back and stood there with her information in hand. “It’s me, Ford. Can I leave?”
“Yes. I’ll deal with everything. Go home to Clay. I’m leaving within the hour and will take care of this, then come to you. You’ll be fine. I promise.”
She nodded. “Okay.” She hung the phone up and put it on the seat.
“Here is your information,” Deputy Dugen said. He had the ticket in his hand and didn’t hand it over. She didn’t care about that. It was the least of her worries. “I’m going to escort you back to the orchard so you don’t get stopped again with the light out.”
The last thing she wanted was a police escort, but at this point, the damage was done.
She pulled away from the road and turned toward the orchard, the officer tailing her the whole time, then drove past when she pulled in.
Clay was standing right at the gate when she drove in as if he was an angry father waiting for a teenage daughter who broke curfew.
She didn’t even care.
The experience had rattled her more than she expected, and she couldn’t believe the wave of relief that washed over her when she finally reached the grounds.
Her car came to a stop, the window went down, Clay stalking toward her. “My mother knows what is going on. Just go home. I’ll be over to check in soon.”
She did as she was told, driving to the little cabin that was her temporary home and parking in the back.
The minute she was inside, she locked the door behind her, grabbed a change of clothing and took a shower, breaking down in tears alone.
Just like she’d felt her entire life.
Did she have to leave now? Would it be safer if she did?
She couldn’t bear to think of not being with Ford. Around him. Talking to him.
Having him by her side.
After her shower and a change of clothes, the heat of the day, the steam, and the emotional chaos of the past thirty minutes finally caught up to her. She crawled onto her bed, clutched a pillow to her chest, and cried in silence just as she had so many times as a child.