Rescue Me, page 17
“Something interesting. It seems your friend Luke got himself involved with a man in Delaware, and he wound up in prison for multiple assaults. He got paroled a few months ago.”
Mitchell could barely believe it. “You mean he was in prison? For how long?”
“Three years,” Red answered. “Which would explain why he was out of the picture for so long. And there’s the possibility that he had some time to stew over everyone he might perceive himself as having a grudge with.”
“But if he was away for three years and just got out, why would he be coming after me and not the guy who sent him to prison?” Mitchell didn’t understand it.
Red cleared his throat. “This is only a theory, but I suspect that person is being protected. He would have testified. If I were a betting man, I’d say that Luke transferred all his anger and bile onto you. You were the one who got away. The one he couldn’t reach for a long time.”
Maybe that was grasping at straws, but it was as good an explanation as any. Luke wasn’t the most emotionally stable person in the world, and if he had spent years ruminating over Mitchell and blaming him for everything that happened to him, regardless of whether it was true, he would likely come to believe it. “It’s a possibility.”
“Guys in prison get their heads all messed up all the time. It isn’t a party, that’s for sure. Luke wasn’t in one of the worst places, but even medium security can be really rough. I contacted the sheriff’s department and explained that it’s likely that Luke has violated his probation, and I used a couple of his Facebook pictures as part of the bulletin. I also have a message in to his parole officer. He needs to know if Luke is making trips he shouldn’t. We’ll keep an eye out for him, and so will the sheriff’s department. You guys watch carefully and don’t wait to call if you see anything.”
“We’ll phone right away.” They ended the call, and Mitchell explained everything to Beau. “Let’s get your things together and lock up the house. We’ll bring the dogs to my place, and I want to set up some security on the shelter. If Luke got in there once, he may do it again.” Mitchell wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he sure as hell was going to keep his heart safe… and that meant protecting Beau and Jessica, no matter what.
Chapter 12
BEAU GOT Jessica settled in her swing near Mitchell’s sofa. The two dogs sat nearby watching her bounce and play, their heads bobbing as she bounced up and down. Beau had already set up her portacrib, and Jessica seemed happy. Too bad Beau couldn’t get rid of the knot in his stomach.
Mitchell seemed just as jumpy and couldn’t sit still. At the moment, he was out at the shelter, putting up something that he hoped would alert them if anyone tried to get inside. Beau wasn’t sure about any of this. Oh, he was pretty sure that Luke was behind what had been happening. But if the guy was smart, he also had to know that they knew—and that he should just get out of town. God, that circle of thought made Beau’s head ache.
Mitchell had shown him where he kept the gun, in the top drawer of his desk under a file folder full of papers. Beau hated that it was there, but this was Mitchell’s house, and he understood that it was for their protection. Beau only hoped that Luke didn’t know where it was too.
“You happy, sweetheart?” he asked, talking to Jessica because he needed something to do to keep his nerves from getting the better of him. Beau didn’t think he would be able to sleep much until Luke was out of commission and they were all safe and could go back to their normal lives.
Normal. Beau let the word roll in his head. Nothing had been normal in weeks, and for the most part, he was grateful for that. Before Mitchell came into his life, it was dull and he was alone with Jessica all the time, worrying about Gerome and what he would do next.
Mitchell came inside, locked the door behind him, and sat down on the sofa. “I don’t know how much good it will do, but I was able to replace the light outside with a motion-activated one, so if anyone comes through the yard, all the lights should go on.” Ruffy bounded over, and Mitchell lifted him onto his lap. “I just want to know what it is he thinks he’s going to accomplish. Why couldn’t Luke just get on with his life?”
Beau shrugged. “What life? Whatever he had before he went to prison is over. The opportunities for someone like him are very limited, and no matter what happens, he’s going to find it hard to get a job or hold one for very long. All his old friends are going to distance themselves, and even his family is going to treat him with suspicion.”
“Yeah, maybe. But this isn’t going to help with any of that. And if Red is right and he violated his parole, then when they find him, it’s right back to prison.” Mitchell didn’t sound excited. “But that’s only after they catch him.”
“Then what do we do otherwise?”
Mitchell shrugged. “I’m just a vet, not a security guard or a cop. Red knows what’s going on and he’s trying to help. But the best thing we can do is try to protect ourselves.”
“Not more guns.” Beau hated that idea. “I can’t stand any more of those things. What if Luke finds it and uses it against us?” He swallowed hard.
“I only have the one gun, and you know where it is,” Mitchell said firmly. “I’m not turning my house into an armed fortress, but I don’t want you or Jessica to get hurt. Luke has been playing with us up until now. He tried to hurt Randi and opened the dogs’ enclosures. By sending the flowers, he might as well have signed the card with his own name.”
“Maybe Luke is just trying to watch us squirm,” Beau offered. He had been thinking about it. “He’s obviously been watching us. You found evidence of him in my shed, but nothing here.”
Mitchell paused. “Maybe I should check again.” He didn’t really seem to like the idea, and Beau certainly didn’t.
“You want to wander around the property alone and see if someone might be hiding out there? What will you do if you find him?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Shoot first and ask questions later?”
“Hey, I wasn’t suggesting I get trigger-happy.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry if you’re a little uncomfortable, but I feel better knowing I have the means to defend us if it’s needed. I certainly hope it isn’t.” Mitchell stilled and then went to the window. The dogs in the shelter were raising quite a ruckus. Mitchell listened and then hurried to the door.
“Be careful.”
“I will. Call the police if I’m not back in ten minutes.” Mitchell checked his watch and hurried out of the house.
Beau hated this—these times when he sat back inside while Mitchell was out looking into whatever was happening. This was becoming a regular occurrence. Still, he couldn’t leave Jessica alone. It made logical sense, but he would have felt better if he could be there to watch Mitchell’s back.
Beau wandered to the window overlooking the yard. Mitchell emerged from the shelter and headed across the yard. He suddenly fell to the ground and lay still. Beau wondered what happened and was about to hurry out to check when Mitchell crouched down and raced toward the house. He came inside, slammed the door, and leaned against it, breathless.
“What happened? Are you okay? Did you fall?”
“No. I thought there was a gunshot. I feel like a complete idiot.” Mitchell took a deep breath and released it.
“I didn’t hear anything,” Beau said.
“It wasn’t. Just an old truck backfiring on the road. I think it was John Harper’s. That thing burns more oil than gas and makes more noise than a popcorn popper. I guess I was a little jumpy. It sounded like a shot and scared me half to death.” Mitchell closed his eyes, and Beau moved closer, hugging him tightly. This entire situation had them both on edge. Hopefully it would be over soon. But he knew this wasn’t going to resolve on its own.
“We have to bring this to an end. We’re both running scared and are as jumpy as cats.” He continued holding Mitchell, wishing he had some grand idea that would flush Luke out so he could be turned over to the police. Beau hoped that then maybe he and Mitchell could figure things out between them.
“I know. But this isn’t my thing. I keep dogs and cats healthy. I’m not an investigator.” He swore. “Maybe if I hadn’t messed things up earlier with the poison and in the shelter, we might have had a chance.”
“All that might have done was tell us it was Luke before. Now we know.” Beau held Mitchell’s hand and guided him back toward the sofa. “You dated him for quite a while. What was he like, other than the hot and cold? What kinds of things did he hate? What did he like? Was he a drinker?”
Mitchell nodded. “I don’t know what good it could be to anyone. Luke loved good food. He was a terrible cook, but he liked that I could cook and when I made meals for him. Though his favorite times were when we went out, especially….” Mitchell paused. “Especially if someone else was paying.”
“Okay. That really doesn’t help.”
“No….” Mitchell paused again. “But this might. Luke isn’t a very patient person. He doesn’t sit around and draw things out. At least not the person I knew.”
“Which means he’s either changed… or something is going to happen soon.” That wasn’t a good thing at all.
“That seems about right to me. Which is part of what has me bothered. This has been going on for a while, and the only indication that it’s him was the flowers. I think he was playing his little game, but we weren’t going along. So he had to let me know in his own way that he was behind it.” Mitchell leaned against him. “I only wish I knew what his game was. What the hell does he want? It isn’t like I’m going to go back to him or let him push me around. I’m not a kid any longer.”
Beau paused. “But he doesn’t know that. If Luke has been in prison, then the image that he has of you hasn’t changed. He still sees you as the same guy he used to hit and push around. Maybe that’s the problem. I know this is going to be hard, but somehow you have to face him and let him see the man you are now. The one who stood in front of a police officer and told him that you’d kill an attacker before letting anything happen to me.” Beau had been really impressed, and he turned to Mitchell. He knew this wasn’t the best time, but….
“What is it?” Mitchell asked quietly, and Beau tugged him into a kiss. He wasn’t soft or tentative but demanding and strong. Maybe the intrigue got to him a little, but he leaned forward and pressed Mitchell down onto the cushions. “Where did this come from?”
“Does it matter?” Beau asked, and Mitchell hummed. Then Beau cupped Mitchell’s cheeks, stared into his huge eyes for just a second, and slotted his mouth over Mitchell’s, taking his lips with everything he had.
“Not that I’m complaining, but….” Mitchell breathed deeply.
Beau wound his arms around Mitchell’s neck. “Then quit talking,” he chastised. “We have so many things we could be doing other than that.” He climbed on top of Mitchell, straddling him, rocking his hips as he kissed Mitchell harder and harder. Something inside him must have snapped, because he was suddenly ravenous and he couldn’t get enough. Mitchell wrapped his arms around him, holding on tightly as Beau vibrated with energy.
Jessica cried from the corner, and Beau groaned as he backed away. His daughter had impeccable timing. “Go and get her.” Beau nodded as Mitchell squeezed him. “Once she’s in bed and the house is all secured, then you and I will pick up where we left off, I promise.”
Beau nodded, unable to trust that his voice wasn’t going to break or that he wasn’t going to let loose a torrent of frustrated curses. He climbed off the sofa and went to get Jessica, who stopped crying as soon as she saw him. “Hey, sweetheart.” He lifted her out of the portacrib and changed her diaper, then carried her to the living room, where he passed her to Mitchell for a cuddle while he went to make up a bottle.
When he returned, Jessica was staring at Mitchell as he sang to her. It was so beautiful and touched his heart in a way nothing else had.
“Do you know what Gerome first told me when he found out I was going to keep Jessica? He said that I would never find a guy who would want someone with a child. That I was dooming myself to a life with just her for company.”
Mitchell shook his head and sighed. “What did you tell him?”
Beau smiled. “That I would rather just have Jessica for company than him, and that I thought he was full of crap.” He sat down next to Mitchell, who leaned against him. “I would have spent the rest of my life with Jessica as my family.”
Mitchell smiled. “You won’t have to.” He scooted closer, and Beau handed him the bottle. Mitchell fed her, and Jessica held his hand as Mitchell held the bottle. “You know you already have me wrapped around your little finger, don’t you?” Mitchell whispered, and Beau rested his head on Mitchell’s shoulder. This was always how he had seen himself… his family. But Beau didn’t dare let his hopes get too high. Not that Mitchell wasn’t a wonderful man—he was. “Yes, you do, sweetie,” Mitchell said, continuing to talk to Jessica as Beau ruminated on his own worries. He needed desperately to let go of what Gerome had done.
“Huh?” Beau asked when he realized Mitchell was talking to him. “I’m sorry.”
“I was asking what you’re thinking about. You were suddenly a long way away.” Mitchell took the bottle from Jessica and put her on his shoulder, patting her back to burp her.
“I keep wondering if I’m making the right decision. If I’m capable of making a good decision when it comes to relationships, or if I’m always going to make crap ones.”
“You too?” Mitchell asked, and Beau instantly felt better. “It’s just another thing our exes took from us. I’m always wondering if what I’m feeling is real and if I can trust it. I was wrong about Luke, and you were wrong about Gerome.” He chuckled as Jessica made one of her drunken burps, and Mitchell wiped her face and repositioned her for the rest of her bottle. “We have to leave them behind. It’s hard, but we have to be able to trust ourselves again, otherwise we’ll never be able to have normal lives. The ones we deserve.” Mitchell bumped his shoulder lightly. “Look, you and I didn’t do anything wrong. We were the victims of abusers. It’s that simple. Yet they go on, and we suffer.” Mitchell took the empty bottle from Jessica and burped her once again.
“I think we both have to learn to trust ourselves. This little one trusts us, and I think the two of us have to do that too. Babies know who they can trust, just like dogs. They have a sixth sense for that sort of thing.” Beau leaned close and kissed Mitchell gently. “I’m going to choose to trust you and stop all this doubting. I’m just so tired of it. Besides, you’ve been here when I was being threatened, and you came to little Randi’s rescue.”
“Of course I did, and I need to do the same. I trust you. That isn’t the issue. It’s trusting myself.” Mitchell turned toward him. “I thought I was doing really well and had worked through my issues with Luke. Then I met you, and they all came back.”
“I see.”
Mitchell shook his head. “No, I don’t think you do. I want things to work out between us. It’s important to me, so I keep second-guessing myself. And I hate it, because you’re so much better than Luke ever was.” He seemed so earnest. “But sometimes it’s like he’s looking over my shoulder, and I so want to banish him forever and move ahead with my life… with you.” Mitchell bit his lower lip. “I know it’s pretty soon and I’m taking a chance here, but….”
“I know how you feel.” Things with Gerome had happened pretty quickly too, but this felt right and very different. His belly had those excited flutters, but there was none of the trepidation and the worry over whether he was good enough. “I think I get it now.”
“Get what?” Mitchell asked as he held Jessica, rocking gently.
“The thing I’ve been missing.” He shifted slightly. “When I started with Gerome, it was all hot and heavy, and everything was so important, and there was this rush of emotion that burned so quick. And this is different.”
“O-kay,” Mitchell said warily.
Beau realized what he’d said and wanted to sink in the sofa. “I didn’t mean that you aren’t all those things. With Gerome that was all we had. Everything was this heat and passion, with nothing underneath. I can see that now.” He took a second to try to collect his thoughts. “Gerome was hot; he still is. That’s not to say that you aren’t, because later, I intend to burn up the sheets showing you how hot you can be. But that was all there was. I liked that he was a struggling artist. It was cool, and he would sometimes work in nothing but a pair of shorts when it was hot in the summer. It was fun—he was fun—until it wasn’t, and by then there was nothing left between us except his mood swings, selfishness, and me being scared of him all the damned time.” He leaned closer, watching Jessica play and smile. “I think….” He was trying to put how he felt into words and failing. Beau was starting to think that maybe he had made a fool of himself. “I’m not scared with you. I’ve seen how you are with the dogs and with Jessica. You smile at her the way I always thought that her papa might smile.” Okay, maybe he was getting a little sappy and he needed to back off.
Mitchell settled Jessica back into the crook of his arm, and she held his finger as her blue eyes shone brightly. “I know how you feel. Things feel right between us. I’ve been worrying about the same stuff. And I still am, but for different reasons. It seems my past is still out there, and I have no idea where it’s going to strike or what the hell it wants.” He swallowed and rested his head on Beau’s shoulder once again. “This is going to sound weird, but when we first met, I thought that maybe you were the one who needed my help. Gerome was hanging around, and….” He chuckled nervously. “I thought I was going to be the white knight and be the one to ride in and protect you and Jessica. But I think I’m the one who needs rescuing. You’ve moved on from Gerome and largely put him behind you. I thought after five years that I had it together.”
Beau nodded. “So you still worry about your ex after all this time. The guy is hanging around trying to hurt our dogs and damage the shelter. He’s been watching us and even sending flowers like some demented stalker. Of course you’re going to be worried about him. So what? Do you want to get back with him?”
