More Than Nothing (Pine Springs), page 31
And with that impressive mic drop, she slammed both glasses down onto the bar and swept out, her head high.
Roman fought an urge to applaud. He took a stride toward Philippa, closing a gentle hand around her elbow. “Why don’t we share a cab?” he suggested.
“You knew?” she asked him.
“I did.”
“Me too,” she muttered, eyes flashing.
Reaching behind her to snag his jacket from the back of the chair, he took the drink from her hand and placed it on the nearest table. He didn’t spare so much as a glance in Zena’s direction. As they left the club, Roman leaned down to murmur quietly in Philippa’s ear. “In Hong Kong, a wife is legally allowed to kill her husband if he cheats on her as long as she does it with her bare hands.”
“Don’t fucking tempt me,” she answered through tight lips.
There was complete radio silence from both Elenie and Milo. It didn’t concern him as Elenie was often unable to text and Roman guessed Milo was still at the hospital with his cell switched off. He considered calling Dougie just to check in, but it was heading for midnight when he got back to his hotel room. There was nothing that couldn’t wait until morning.
He messaged Elenie once he’d stretched out in bed.
Hey. You there?
He waited for five minutes but there was no answer. The message stayed delivered but unread. Roman hesitated, then began to type.
Missing you, sweetheart. Been a hell of a day but I’ll fill you in when I’m home. I assume you’ve heard Caitlyn’s in labor. Milo dumped me to go to the hospital so I’ll hire a car and head back first thing tomorrow. I hope your day’s gone well. Can’t wait to see you.
He ran a finger over the words on his screen. The simple sentences were a poor excuse for what he really wanted to say, and he couldn’t even send them.
This evening had opened his eyes to everything he’d suspected. Brimming with plans, determination, and fervor for the first time in months, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wanted to stay in Pine Springs. Everything was different now, and being away from Elenie was as painful as hell; he didn’t plan on making a habit of it. For someone so swamped in drama and difficulty, she was the easiest company he’d ever kept. She held his heart in her slim hands and Roman had no desire to ask for it back.
Desperate for the connection, he stared at his phone, willing the typing bubble to appear on the screen. But Elenie didn’t reply to his text.
Deleting his second message without sending it, Roman turned out the light. He made plans to be up early and get on the road as soon as possible.
His phone woke him before the alarm.
“Yes.” Roman’s voice was pure gravel from last night’s drinking and the early hour.
“Thank fuck!”
He sat up, dragging a hand through his hair. Dougie’s words chased the last bit of sleep from his mind. “What’s up?”
“Elenie’s been arrested. So have Frank and Dean. They’re being held by Flint PD’s Special Investigative Unit. It wasn’t a DEA hit but they’ve jumped on board now.” Dougie sounded harassed. “I’ve come straight to the station from the hospital. Forsberg and Morgan brought in Athena Dax overnight when the DEA sent in a team to raid the house. She’s being transferred to Flint later today.”
“Shit!” Roman was out of bed and pulling on his pants as he listened, his jaw tight, heart pumping. Flint was only an hour away. “Why hasn’t she called me?”
“Don’t know, Chief. We heard nothing either.”
“I’ve got to go, Dougie. I’ll call you back once I’m driving. Keep me updated.” He grabbed his clothes, throwing them roughly into his bag, and his cell rang again.
“Am I talking to Chief Martinez?” Both the voice and the number were unfamiliar.
“You are. Who’s this?”
“I’m Detective Niall Belltower, Flint Police Department. We need to talk.”
Chapter 48
Elenie
Elenie was past hunger but she couldn’t eat anything. Her eyes, gritty from exhaustion, begged to close but she couldn’t sleep either. Shivers wracked her body. And she was pretty sure she stank.
To hold it together, she thought about Caitlyn and the baby, who must have been born by now. Girl or boy? She hoped they’d have a girl with just as much sass as her mother. She wanted to see her new friends so much. And Roman even more. But it didn’t look as if he was coming.
Elenie rubbed at her chest. Her heart hurt like it had been scooped out with an apple corer.
She tried to have faith. Roman would come through for her in a professional capacity, one way or another. That was the kind of person he was. Sleeping with him gave her no automatic rights to keep tabs on his every move. There was probably a good reason for him to have been with Zena. As she had pointed out, Zena was a better fit for him in every way. And they had history.
Neither Dorsey nor Booth had shown up yet either, but the custody officer had done his job and passed on her message. In a small side room, a Detective Belltower listened carefully as she told him about the CI deal, the data recovery device in her bag, and, with some hesitation, her connection to Roman.
Eyebrows more animated than the rest of his face, Belltower gave nothing away and said little. He made copious notes, brought her a chocolate bar and a coffee that tasted like ditchwater but was at least warm. Then he took her back to her cell, told her to sit tight—like she had other options—and promised he would be back.
Elenie counted the blue tiles that ran in a band, two deep, halfway up the wall. There were twelve across the longest walls and eight along the shortest one. The rest of the tiles were white. She counted the number of rows from floor to ceiling and spent a while estimating how many tiles there were in total. It helped to focus on something so methodical.
She imagined the nearest Zena would ever get to the same experience would be counting ceiling tiles at the beauty salon while she got her bikini line waxed.
The sliding hatch in the cell door clattered across. The custody officer met her eyes through the gap before fitting his keys into the lock on the outside of the door. He pulled it open and stood back.
“This way, please.”
Elenie followed him out into the corridor. Her pulse hammered. The constant wash and backwash of adrenalin was exhausting. She didn’t know whether she felt ready to fight an army or sleep for a week. A sign saying “Consultation Room” was fixed to the door the officer pulled open and her heart leaped into her throat.
Inside the room, radiating frustration and with a scowl as deep as she’d ever seen, was Roman.
Huge, fierce, and furious, like a dark avenging angel, both hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans, the sleeves of his black shirt rolled up and forearms tight with tension. Her knees threatened to buckle. Never had he looked more attractive. And never had Elenie felt less worthy or more pathetic.
“Detective Belltower says you can have fifteen minutes.” The custody officer closed the door and locked it behind him. A CCTV camera blinked in the corner of the room.
Roman’s eyes raked over her tangled hair, her sodden clothes, her filthy legs and shoes, and a muscle rippled along his jawline. When he closed the gap between them, Elenie took a step backward, afraid to contaminate him. She’d been in the same clothes for more than twenty-four hours and hadn’t brushed her teeth. She felt disgusting.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.” His voice vibrated in her chest. “Why didn’t you call me?”
Elenie glanced away. “I did.”
Roman’s eyebrows knitted together. “I didn’t have a missed call.”
“I spoke to Zena. She said you were busy.”
He cursed explosively, eyes blazing. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He looked like he wanted to punch something. She felt dangerously near to breaking down. She didn’t know the rules for needing someone so intensely it made your thighs shake. Being that weak could only end badly for her. “I didn’t know you’d called. Believe me, I would have come immediately.”
“OK.” Elenie gave a small nod and a tiny shrug, as if it didn’t matter.
“I think there was a perfect storm of missed communication.” Roman sounded seriously pissed. “I was tied up during the evening, and Dougie and Summer stayed at the hospital all night. His phone was off and so was Milo’s. Dougie only caught up on things this morning when he got to the station.” Roman’s eyes burned into hers. “I should have been here.”
She chewed on her lip. “How is Caitlyn? Has she had the baby?”
He nodded. “A little girl. They’re both doing well.”
“I called it,” Elenie murmured to herself.
Roman tugged at his ear, jangled his car keys. The awkwardness between them an unwelcome blast from the past. She hadn’t known what to make of him when they first met, and she wondered if she really knew him any better now. It had never occurred to her that his plans in the city might involve Zena.
“Elenie—” He broke off, muttered a curse under his breath and tried again. “Look, I’ve spoken with the detective in charge to clarify the situation and Booth’s just turned up, too. Flint PD had the guys Frank was doing business with under surveillance and they moved on them, not knowing the wider picture. Dorsey’s on her way now. She should have fucking been here already but the DEA were caught on the hop as well and she had to head up a coordinated search on your house. You shouldn’t have been held all night without support but all the multiple police jurisdictions muddied the water.”
“I get it.”
“Detective Belltower wants to conduct a formal interview once Dorsey gets here. They’ll let me be there in a professional capacity so I’ll be able to ask questions but not answer any of them. They’ll use digital equipment that will audibly and visually record everything for evidential purposes. Are you OK with that?”
“Sure.” Elenie nodded, automatically.
Every bit of him was calm and decisive now. “My advice would be to let the on-call public defender support you initially and, if it turns out you need more specialist legal representation, then I’ll give a signal and we’ll call a halt to regroup. But I don’t think it’ll come to that.” She nodded again. “Any questions?”
“Yes.” His piercing eyes met hers and Elenie swallowed. “What time is it, please? I’ve lost track a bit.”
Roman moved closer, his huge hands encircling her upper arms. Heat flooded from them, warming her chilled skin. Elenie held herself rigidly in his grip. Exhaustion threatened her shaky control. For a moment she thought he might pull her into his arms, and she closed her eyes, praying for him to do it.
Instead, he hesitated and his hands fell away. “It’s just before eleven a.m.”
She wondered if he found her as repulsive as she felt.
Chapter 49
Roman
Even with regular breaks, Roman could tell Elenie was hanging on by a thread, though she looked composed on the surface. The unreadable expression that masked her thoughts was back in place. He admired it as much as he loathed it.
It took the best part of the day to get all the details on record.
She sat upright and still as Detective Belltower and Special Agent Dorsey grilled her over and over on the movements, connections, and business dealings of each Dax family member. She gave a detailed description of the transaction at the Flint lockup and a stabbing pain jabbed through Roman’s temple at the danger she’d been in without him knowing.
Dorsey disclosed that the firearm Elenie had given Roman had been positively linked to multiple crimes involving the same suspect—a dealer in the Saginaw area. The data recovery device was being examined. Elenie focused on their words with absolute concentration, the public defender chipping in to explain anything she was unsure of. Belltower was thorough, kind, and respectful, Dorsey calm and professional beside him. Roman knew neither of them had missed the faint tremors in Elenie’s hands or the fatigue darkening her eyes to charcoal.
She kept those eyes mainly on either the detective or the special agent. Yes, she flicked them briefly to Roman each time he interjected a question, but mostly she avoided looking his way at all. Elenie had put up some sky-high walls around herself and he hated every single inch of them.
Dorsey finally brought the interview to an end. “Frank Dax and Dean Dax have been charged with possession and distribution of illegal narcotics and will be remanded in custody. Further charges will likely follow relating to the firearm.”
Elenie looked dazed. “And Ty?”
Roman took that one. “Unclear at the moment. He’s still being held in Pine Springs, but we’ll know more later.”
Belltower sat back in his chair. “I’m sorry it took us this much time to coordinate our facts. I know the special agent will be adding her thanks separately but I would like to express my appreciation for the information you’ve provided so far that will help us with this case. Every division of my police department is committed to targeting the drivers of crime within our community. It’s often dangerous work, but they have chosen this line of policing and are dedicated to getting results. You, however, have made a difficult choice with the same goal in mind. I don’t underestimate how hard that must have been.”
He offered her a genuine smile and Elenie gave a small, contained nod in acknowledgment.
Dorsey straightened her notepad. “While we’ve been conducting this interview, your mother has been brought into the precinct for questioning. I can authorize five minutes under supervision if you’d like to see her.”
Elenie wavered. She looked both fragile and yet immensely strong. Roman ached for her. “Yes, please. I’d appreciate just a few minutes,” she said finally.
The public defender exchanged some quiet words with Elenie, gave her shoulder a squeeze and left.
“I’ll see you when you’re done,” Dorsey said, gathering up her paperwork.
Belltower led them to the holding cells. Guy-rope taut, Roman followed in Elenie’s footsteps. Desperate to touch her, everything in him wanted to grasp Elenie’s fingers in his own, professionalism be damned, but her arms were folded tightly around her body and she didn’t give so much as a glance over her shoulder.
The custody officer handed over his keys to the detective. Unlocking one of the cell doors, Belltower gestured to Elenie and Roman to step inside, giving them a little respectful distance.
Athena perched on a bunk, her back against the wall, watchful eyes swiveled to the door. In skin-tight jeans and a chunky knit sweater, she looked disconcertingly mall-ready but the tendons in her neck were taut and her fingers twitched, drumming on the mattress.
“Mom.” Elenie’s voice cracked slightly on the single word and Roman felt the echo in his chest. She was shaking so hard, the hem of her skirt juddered against the backs of her knees.
“Are we getting out of here?” Athena dropped both feet to the floor, ignoring Roman and the detective completely. Her nostrils flared and she plucked at her sleeves.
“I—” Elenie stuttered on her reply. “I’m not sure they’re done with you yet.”
Athena’s pupils darted over Elenie’s face, her brows arcing, and Roman saw the moment of reckoning hit her like a storm burst. “You’ve done this. I don’t know how, but you have.” Her lips clamped so firmly they drained of color. Something fearful crawled across her expression. “You need to undo it,” she hissed.
“Even if I could, I wouldn’t.” Elenie shook her head.
“Get. My. Husband. Out. Of. Jail.”
“No.”
Roman saw Elenie swallow. Athena curled her fingers so tightly into her palms that her nails would have punctured the skin if she hadn’t bitten them all short.
“I need him,” she said.
“We can manage without Frank. I’ll help you. We can do it together.”
It was agony to hear Elenie beg.
Athena studied her with wild eyes and she let out a burst of panic-roughened laughter. “You can’t help me—you can’t give me any of the things he does. I don’t need you. I need Frank!”
“Mom—”
Athena reared back, a fleck of spit bubbling at the corner of her mouth. “I don’t want to hear it! I can’t believe you would do this to us.”
“I didn’t do this to us.”
Her mother wasn’t listening. All reasoning had fled. “I gave up everything for you! You’ve been a burden to me from the day you were born. All I wanted was the chance to live my own goddamn life.”
“You can live your own life now. Start again. Tell them what you know about Frank and wipe the slate clean.”
Athena scoffed. “I love him. You don’t turn on people you love.”
Elenie flinched. “What about me, Mom? Where do we go from here?”
Roman cataloged the array of expressions that chased each other across Athena’s face. Fear, fury, confusion, dread. She was on the edge, near a meltdown, far weaker than her daughter. There was a moment when she wavered. Then her eyes hardened, her mouth twisted, and she stepped away.
“You are nothing to me.” Each word was a bullet. “I’m done with you.”
“You don’t mean that.” Elenie’s voice was a whisper.
Athena lifted her chin. “I do.”
Elenie searched her mother’s face during the silent standoff that followed. Time dragged its feet through the tangible hostility. Eventually, she nodded.
“I’m done too.” Her dignity sent splinters through Roman’s heart. “Goodbye, Mom.” In the doorway, Belltower stepped aside. She walked past him and out of the door without looking back.
Roman took a few long strides further into the cell. Fury pounding in his bloodstream, he itched to wrap his hands around Athena’s scrawny neck.
“You’ve made the wrong choice. I don’t care where you go or what you do now, but don’t even think of trying to have any further contact with Elenie. You’ve screwed with her enough. Unless she reaches out to you, you will leave her alone. Or I swear you’ll regret it.” The words were low and deadly, danger radiating from him like a forcefield.
