Chapter 26
Lauren
I was devastated by what Randy had shared, but I was grateful that Nadia’s family would finally get the closure they deserved. At least something good had come out of this nightmare.
Jase got me a cool cloth to wipe my face, and once I’d composed myself, Randy continued listing the possible charges.
“I’m sure we’ll get him on stalking, and he’ll likely be charged in the attack on Dustin Ellsworth, too. He regained consciousness late last night and has no recollection of the incident, so we don’t have definitive proof. There is, however, a hell of a lot of evidence to suggest it was Darnell.”
“Is Dustin going to be OK,” I asked and was relieved when Randy assured me he would be fine and would likely be released from the hospital in a few days.
“Once we complete our investigation, he’ll probably be charged with something in relation to hacking into your ex-fiancé’s computer network.
Bull called me right before I got here to tip me off that he’d found a second Trojan horse in the guy’s gaming system, so somebody else got remote access to it.
We think it was Darnell, planting the email evidence to throw us off.
” He stopped and gave Jase a pointed look.
“Of course, that information was given to me during a ‘chat between friends’, so it won’t go on the official record. I’ll find a way to point our tech guys in the right direction, and I’m sure they’ll discover proof on their own.”
“Much appreciated,” Jase responded with a smirk, and Randy discreetly flipped him off, then asked the questions he’d originally come here for.
“Did you ever get a sense that something was off about Darnell prior to last night? Did he ever act inappropriately, either saying or doing anything that made you uncomfortable?”
“No, he seemed perfectly normal. He was always kind. Quiet, almost shy sometimes. If anything, he seemed almost fatherly, the way he looked out for me. He would always remind me not to work too hard and even made a cup of tea for me a few times when I’d had long sessions.
He changed my tire when I got a flat and walked me to my car a few times when we both happened to be working late. ”
Jase and Randy exchanged a quick glance, and my heart sank as I realized what I’d just said.
“You don’t think it was a coincidence that he was working late on those nights,” I stated dully.
Randy shook his head. “Probably not.”
“I’m not sure the flat tire was either, darlin’, especially since you had another one a few days later.”
“Lauren, we found a key on Darnell’s key ring that was labeled ‘My Girl’.
King told me there was no sign of forced entry after the break-in at your house Wednesday night.
I have the key right here, and I’d like to compare it to your house key.
” He pulled a sealed evidence bag from his suit pocket, and I reached for my purse.
Before I could start searching for my key ring, Jase pulled out the key I’d given him and handed it to Randy.
He held it up against the clear bag, and the two keys lined up perfectly. He handed it back to Jase, then asked me if I’d ever given JD a key to my house.
“No,” I denied adamantly
“I didn’t think so, but I had to ask. There was a key machine on the workbench in the supply room. I assume he used it to make extra keys if they were needed around the building. Did he ever have access to your keys, or your purse?”
A memory hit me, and I dropped my head, completely disgusted with myself.
“I gave him my keys so he could get the spare tire out of my trunk. He told me to wait in the break room while he changed it, because it was really hot and humid that day. Dammit, I should have just taken the key fob off for him like I do when I get my oil changed. How could I have been so stupid as to give him the whole key ring?”
“Hey, darlin’, you weren’t stupid. You trusted a man who never gave you a reason to doubt him.”
“We’ll be adding breaking and entering to the list of charges, too. That’s all I need for now, although there will probably be more questions later once all the evidence is analyzed and we finish our other interviews.”
He smiled and patted me on the shoulder. “Take care, Lauren, and I hope the next time I see you it’s under much better circumstances. Maybe at Abby’s next cookout.”
He shook Jase’s hand and then left.
I was still upset about everything Randy had told us when my mom called. I groaned when I saw her name on the screen.
“Shit, I don’t need this today,” I groaned. My mother could be…difficult at times, and that was putting it politely.
I almost let the call go to voice mail but tapped the speakerphone button at the last second. I shouldn’t have bothered, since as soon as I greeted her, Mom immediately launched into a complaint that she’d had to find out on the news that I’d been attacked.
“I can’t believe that no one called me. I’m your mother, Lauren.
I should have been notified. If you couldn’t spare a few minutes to call me, then at least Bill should have.
Do you have any idea how upset I was when Jim turned on the TV this morning, and there was your face, plastered on the screen? ”
Jase’s face filled with fury, and he snarled into the phone, “You find out that your only child was attacked and almost fuckin’ killed and you don’t even bother asking how she is before you start bitchin’ because nobody called you?
Un-fuckin’-believable. She’s gonna be OK, by the way, you selfish cunt. ”
I lay there, stunned, as he grabbed the phone out of my hand and disconnected the call, jabbing his finger onto the screen so hard I was surprised it didn’t crack. He inhaled deeply, then handed my phone back.
“Well, that was fun,” I said. Jase immediately started to apologize, but I stopped him and said, “At least now I know that my latest stepfather’s name is Jim. I wasn’t sure. By the way, if she ever bothers to call me again, I’m making you answer the phone.”
I snorted and started to laugh then; great big belly laughs that left me red-faced and trying to catch my breath as tears leaked from the corners of my eyes.
“God, I needed that,” I said once I’d gotten myself under control. I wiped my eyes and looked up to find Jase eyeing me warily.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
I nodded, and a chuckle escaped me again as I had a thought. “Uncle Bill’s going to be pissed that he didn’t get to see that. My mom gets on his last nerve.”
“I can’t imagine why,” he said dryly, and that set off my laughter again.
I was still chuckling when the nurse gave a quick knock then opened the door.
“You sound like you’re having a good time in here. I just need to check your vitals, and then the doctor will be doing rounds shortly. I believe she’s still planning to discharge you this afternoon,” he informed me.
King popped in a few minutes later to tell us he was picking Tony up. “He’s going to stay at our place for a day or two. Ella’s worried about him staying at the clubhouse and wants to keep an eye on him.”
Jase joked about King needing to buy a bigger house if she kept collecting strays.
“Don’t give her any fuckin’ ideas,” he grumbled as he walked out.
By the time the doctor came in an hour later, I was more than ready to leave. Lunch had been delivered, and the lukewarm chicken noodle soup left a lot to be desired. The orange Jello wasn’t much better.
I was hungry, sore, and tired, and I wanted nothing more than to curl up in Jase’s arms and forget about everything.
“Rest and take your meds as needed. Ice chips and cold drinks may help soothe your throat, nothing alcoholic or carbonated, though. If the swelling gets worse or you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, come back immediately,” the doctor cautioned before instructing the nurse to remove my IV and get my discharge papers ready.
“Given the nature of your work, I would highly recommend that you take at least two weeks off to give the damaged tissue time to fully heal,” she added.
On the way back to the clubhouse to get my things, I admitted to Jase that I didn’t want to record audiobooks anymore, at least not in the romance genre.
“That’s what set him off, Jase. He heard my last audiobook, and he thought I was talking directly to him because of the male lead’s name. I’ll have to finish the last bit up on my current project because of my contract, but after that, I’ll stick to other voice work.”
He reached across the center console and took my hand. “You don’t have to make a decision right now, but I’ll support your work either way.”
We were both beyond exhausted by the time we made it back to the duplex.
Jase carried everything in and unpacked it while I took a hot shower, anxious to get rid of any trace of JD’s touch.
I was too tired to worry about eating by that point and crawled into bed instead.
Trick joined me just as I was dozing off.
His skin was warm and smelled of his body wash.
He pulled me into his arms and held me close as we both took a much needed rest.
Ella, Molly and Abby stopped by around five-thirty to drop off soups, stews, and pasta dishes, all soft enough for me to eat without difficulty.
They also brought a variety of ice cream flavors, for which I was eternally grateful.
They only stayed for a moment after reassuring themselves that I was OK.
“Please tell Uncle Bill that I’ll be by to visit him tomorrow.”
“I will,” Ella said, then told me to let them know if we needed anything in the meantime.
I gave Abby an extra-long hug as they were leaving and told her nice her dad had been. “I hope he was able to go home and get some sleep. He looked even more tired than I was.”
“He called me when he was on his way home. He’s planning to sleep for a few hours at least before he goes back to the station.”
We were snuggled up on the couch when my phone rang, yet again. My heart sank as I saw Calliope St. John’s name on the screen.
“It’s the author I’ve been recording for,” I muttered to Jase before I answered her call.
“Oh, my God, Lauren, I just saw the news. Are you all right?”
I was touched by her concern, and assured her that I would be fine, then explained about the doctor’s restriction.
“Please don’t worry about that. I can tell by your voice that you shouldn’t even be talking right now, let alone spending hours recording my book.
I’ll let everyone know that we’ll need to push the release date back a bit.
I’ll wait to formally announce a new date until you’re ready to get back into the studio. ”
After we hung up, I cried again, this time because a woman I’d only spoken with a half-dozen times had shown more care and compassion than my own mother had.
Jase insisted that I eat something and warmed up some of the beef stew the ladies had dropped off. It was delicious, and best of all, I was able to swallow it without too much discomfort.
Elvis, who seemed to sense that I was injured, was more affectionate than usual, leaving my side only when Jase filled his food and water bowls.
Jase carried me to bed after I fell asleep on the couch, and I woke to find him wrapped around me. I reveled in the sensation of being close and snuggled deeper into his embrace.
“Morning, darlin’,” he mumbled sleepily.
“Good morning. I love waking up like this,” I said happily.
“I love it, too, almost as much as I love you,” he responded, then brushed my hair aside to kiss my cheek.
I giggled at his sappy reply, then told him I loved him, too.
We cuddle for a little longer before Elvis made it clear that it was breakfast time and he was tired of waiting on his servants to feed him.
Jase made me an omelet filled with cheesy goodness, and I told him how lucky I was to find the perfect man.
“You’re sweet and sexy, and you’re a great cook.”
“Don’t forget about my big dick, darlin’,” was his outrageous response as he gave me a wink.
“I could never forget about that,” I assured him, giving him a wink of my own.
We went to visit Uncle Bill in the afternoon, and I was happy to see Tony as well. Both men fussed over me, and my uncle questioned me on every little thing the doctor had said.
“That doctor is sure you’re gonna be fine? She doesn’t need to run any more fuckin’ tests or nothin’?”
“Yes, she’s sure. Jase was there, and he heard her say it, too.” I told him. He looked at me closely, then flicked his gaze toward Jase. He slowly nodded, seemingly satisfied for the moment.
Jase changed the subject, asking King if he’d heard anything more from Abby’s dad.
“He stopped by this morning on his way home from the station. He and his partner pulled another all-nighter, trying to piece everything together. It’s not pretty,” he warned.