The Call (Another Love Book 2), page 18
“I wasn’t here to protect her, Lindsay. After everything that happened last time, I promised her Janet wouldn’t ever hurt her again.”
“How could you know that Janet would show up here?”
“Because I should have known. I know exactly what that woman is capable of. Instead of being here, I was in the office collecting pointless shit from my cabinet.”
“You really shouldn’t blame yourself, Sam.” Lindsay’s thumb softly stroked Sam’s knuckles. Soothing, but not quite making everything better.
“You didn’t see the state she was in last time.” Sam lowered her eyes, the image of Luciana bruised and beaten flashing through her mind. “You didn’t hear the terror in her voice when I got to her apartment. Linds, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know how I was ever supposed to help her. She looked like a frightened child.”
“Sam…”
“And when I tried to touch her, hold her…it was heart-breaking.” Sam whimpered, her tears falling freely down her face. She could never forget that day, no matter how hard she tried. “I didn’t know it was possible to see so much pain in someone’s eyes, especially not someone like Luce, but God! Lindsay, you have no idea.”
“I wish I could have been there for you both.”
“It just wasn’t something Luce wanted people to know. I’m sure you can understand that.”
Lindsay squeezed Sam’s hand. “Of course.”
“You remember telling Mum that you thought something was going on? When she showed up worried?”
“Y-yeah.” Sam knew Lindsay still felt guilty about that day, they rarely spoke about it.
“That was the reason I’d been so distant. It was the same time as everything happened with Janet.”
“I’m so sorry.” Lindsay’s voice cracked.
“I’m not telling you that to make you feel guilty, but now that you know about Janet, perhaps you can understand why. Maybe now you can see why I wasn’t around much. I needed to be sure Luce was okay. She wouldn’t even go to the police. Or the hospital.”
“I understand completely.”
Luciana’s phone started to ring on the island, buzzing against the cool marble.
“It’s the detective who originally worked the case.”
Lindsay climbed down from her stool. “You should answer it. I’ll give you some privacy.”
“H-hello?” Sam’s heart plummeted into the pit of her stomach.
“Miss Foster?”
“No, Detective Clarke, it’s Sam. Luciana is taking a shower. Is everything okay?”
“Janet has been arrested,” Detective Clarke said. “We found her at the hospital. Luciana really did fight back.”
“Luciana won’t be arrested, will she?”
“Miss Mason did try to suggest that she had been assaulted. We have to pass it on to the CPS, but it looks cut and dried from our side. Luciana was simply protecting herself. Given Janet’s background with Luciana, we don’t see any reason for her to be brought in for questioning. It looks like self-defence from the CCTV footage I’ve seen, too. Luckily, that will help matters.”
“Okay.” Sam breathed a sigh of relief. “So, what now?”
“Miss Mason will likely see out the rest of her sentence behind bars. We will be pushing for additional time for the breach of injunction and recent assault. Her anger management self-referral clearly didn’t do much for her.”
“Thank you.”
“Luciana really should have called us when Janet first showed up at the club.”
“I-I know.” Sam felt partially to blame for that, too. She should have pushed Luciana to call it in. Hell, she could have done it herself. “Hindsight, huh?”
“If we require anything else, I’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks, Detective Clarke.” Sam felt a weight lift from her shoulders. “I’ll pass on everything you’ve told me. I think Luciana just needs some time to herself for now.”
“Understandable. Take care, Sam. Goodbye.”
“Yeah. Bye.”
Sam slowly placed Luciana’s phone down on the island, focusing on the screen as it dimmed before locking. Janet was in custody. That had to mean something. As much as Sam wanted to climb the stairs and hold Luciana—tell her everything would be okay—that phone call didn’t quell the fear in her belly that Luciana may walk away.
To Sam, this was entirely her fault. I should have called the police the second Janet showed up.
Luciana sat on the edge of the bed, popping two paracetamols into her mouth. Sam had given her space, but now she was ready to move forward with her life. Janet wasn’t a part of it—she was never supposed to be—so now they could forget about her once and for all.
Luciana would be lying if she said she hadn’t shocked herself earlier today. Her reaction to Janet. How she willingly hurt another woman. It went against everything Luciana believed, but was needed at the same time. The last time Janet attacked her, Luciana ended up in bed with her, but now? That behaviour wouldn’t work anymore. It simply couldn’t. Luciana had Sam and an entire future ahead of her. If Janet Mason thought for one moment that she could disrupt that, she was sadly mistaken.
Luciana heard footsteps approaching and set the glass of water in her hand down on the bedside table. She looked up at the open door, smiling when Sam appeared with damp hair that had been pulled up atop her head.
“Hey.”
“How are you feeling?” Sam asked.
Luciana stood up. “I’ve been better, I won’t lie.”
“I thought maybe we could order in tonight? I don’t have the energy to cook and Lindsay is going home to Mum’s now that Janet has been arrested.”
“Lindsay should stay here a while longer. The detective I spoke to earlier didn’t know how long it would take them to track Janet down. It’s…just for the best, Sam.”
“Didn’t you hear what I said? Detective Clarke called your phone a little while ago,” Sam explained with a small smile. “They have her, Luce. She’s in custody now.”
“O-oh.” Luciana was taken aback by that knowledge. Janet really was losing her touch if she’d been caught up with so soon. “Well, okay then.”
“You seem unsure about today…” Sam didn’t want to get into this, but she should. If Luciana was about to take her proposal back, Sam needed to prepare herself for losing her.
“I broke her nose, Sam.” Luciana looked pointedly. “Of course I’m going to have mixed feelings about it.”
“And that’s all it is?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I just…I feel like this is all my fault, Luce. You’ve been busy looking after me; perhaps you let your guard down. I shouldn’t have taken Janet on for the project. I also should have just called the police the moment you told me Janet had been at the club. That in itself was one hell of a warning sign.”
“I also chose not to call the police, Sam. I could have, but I didn’t.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Once I knew she was around Lindsay, I didn’t want to come across as meddling. She has an injunction from me, Sam, not anybody else. As much as I hated her and as much as I didn’t want her around, Lindsay means a lot to me. She’s your sister and I didn’t want to interfere with her relationship.”
Sam blinked and shook her head slowly. “You put yourself in danger for Lindsay.”
“And I’d do it again if it meant she was happy.”
“I tried to encourage Lindsay to contact Cheryl. She won’t do it.”
“Funny. I told her to contact her, too.”
“Great minds, huh?” Sam relaxed against Luciana, enveloped by her arms.
Luciana pressed her lips to the tip of Sam’s nose, smiling. “The greatest.”
“Come on. Let’s go downstairs and relax before we order the world’s biggest Indian banquet.”
“That actually sounds really good.” Luciana’s stomach growled in agreement, Sam rolling her eyes as she guided her fiancée out of the room. “How are you feeling, babe?”
Sam yawned, taking the stairs slowly. “Tired.”
“You had quite the day. You should probably relax for a few days. I don’t want you doing too much and burning yourself out.”
“I’m feeling relaxed,” Sam said. “I’m more concerned about you at the minute.”
“Oh, don’t be. I’ll be fine.”
“You know, I really hate it when you say that.” Sam followed Luciana into the kitchen, taking a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water. “I know you like to be the strong one, but it’s not necessary around me.”
“I don’t follow.”
“This. Pretending that everything is fine. I know it’s not, Luce. Just be honest with me.”
Luciana frowned. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I mean, you saw the CCTV. There really isn’t much for me to explain. Unless you had something specific in mind.”
“You want the truth?” Sam pulled herself up onto a stool, facing Luciana fully. “I think you feel bad. I think you feel guilty for hurting Janet, when, really, you were defending yourself. There is a reason you haven’t been arrested, Luce.”
“I know, but it doesn’t make how I feel any easier. I’ve never hurt another person, Sam.”
Sam scoffed. “We both know Janet deserved it.”
“That may be true, but it doesn’t mean I have to like what I did.” Luciana glanced at the clock, realising she had somewhere to be. “Would you mind if I went out for a couple of hours? While Lindsay is still here?”
Sam studied Luciana’s face. “If you must.”
“Just…I had something I needed to do. I won’t be long and then we can order that Indian you mentioned.”
“Sure, yeah. Take your time.” Sam climbed down from her stool, choosing to allow Luciana whatever space she needed. Sam didn’t particularly like the idea of Luciana leaving right now, but she also wouldn’t keep her here. Not if Luciana would prefer to be elsewhere. “See you whenever you’re back.”
Luciana appeared behind Sam as she flopped down on the couch. “Hey, I’m not avoiding you. I just really do have something I needed to do.”
“What?”
“Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Secrecy?” Sam glanced back, her brow arched.
“No, not at all.” Luciana really didn’t want to explain right now. If she had any hope of her plans actually going to plan, she really needed to leave soon. “Look, I’ll be back soon. Nothing is going on and I’m fine. But, thank you for caring.”
“I love you. Of course I care.”
Luciana squeezed Sam’s shoulder. “A couple of hours, okay?”
“Okay.”
Luciana lifted her phone from the console between herself and the passenger seat. She had a call to make, and then she would get to the real reason why she was sitting alone at a graveyard. She hadn’t wanted to leave Sam alone earlier but knowing Lindsay would hang around a while longer meant that Luciana didn’t have to worry. It meant she could sit here—alone—contemplating this last week. A week which had brought about a brush with death, hearing loss, a sudden proposal…and Janet Mason.
It felt like too much for one couple to handle, but they were. Luciana and Sam were more than handling it. At least, Luciana could lie to herself and pretend she was handling everything life seemed to be throwing at her lately. Truth be told, Luciana wasn’t sure how much more she could actually take. It was a lot to bear.
She pressed the call button sitting below a familiar number, bringing the handset to her ear and waiting for the call to connect.
“Luce?”
“Hey, I got it.” Luciana relaxed back in her seat, lowering the volume on her radio.
“Is it the right one?” Shannon asked. “The woman in the store said you’d called up at short notice. She was kinda bitchy but whatever.”
Luciana closed her eyes, her heart no longer hurting for the pain she inflicted on Janet earlier. “Oh, yeah. It’s definitely the right one. Thanks for dropping into the store for me earlier. They wouldn’t hold it without a cash deposit. I’ll transfer it back to you when I get home.”
“Any time. I hope it all goes well for you. Call me if you need anything, okay?”
Luciana couldn’t repay Shannon for the help she’d given her today; it really did mean the world. They may not see each other as often as Luciana would like, but Shannon was always there.
“Thanks, Shan. I should go. I have something to do before I head home to Sam.”
“Everything okay?”
“It will be, yeah.” Luciana reached for the handle on the door, pulling it and exiting her car. She wouldn’t stay here too long—it wasn’t her place to do so—but she felt compelled to come here. She had for a few days now. “Shan, I have to go. I’ll speak to you soon. And, thanks again for today. I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime. Bye, Luce.”
Luciana crossed the short grass-verge, passing by a bench as she approached Lucia’s grave. She’d thought about coming here alone once or twice in the past, but something always got in the way of it. Luciana wasn’t sure how Sam would feel about her visiting her wife’s grave, but Sam didn’t seem to mind whenever they spoke about Lucia. And Luciana made it a habit to ask about her. She didn’t ever want Sam to think that she couldn’t talk about her deceased wife.
Luciana crouched down, brushing the freshly cut grass from Lucia’s marble gravestone. It was in impeccable condition, Sam always made sure of that, but Luciana would keep it as clean as possible for her own sanity. If she did her bit while she was here, she would feel marginally better about showing up to Sam’s wife’s grave without permission.
A wave of sadness coursed through Luciana, her eyes welling with tears.
She blew out a deep breath. “Hey, so you don’t know me. I’m, uh…Sam’s partner. Girlfriend, whatever.” Luciana may be talking to a gravestone, but she still wasn’t sure how to address who she was. “I’ve never been here alone before. I didn’t think it was appropriate, but I’m hoping Sam won’t mind. She’s great like that.” Luciana got to her knees, fixing the arrangement of flowers in front of Lucia’s full name and her birth and death details. “I guess I wanted to thank you for bringing Sam into my life, f-for allowing me to love her. I probably should have thanked you long before now.
“It wasn’t easy in the beginning; she couldn’t see past her heartbreak. But in time, things got better. I promised I’d look after her, and to an extent, I did. Just…the last week has been pretty hard. Sam…she was in an accident.”
Luciana cleared her throat, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to stem the flow of tears. Would she forever be reminded of the call? The thought and the image that played in her mind of Sam, dead?
“I thought I’d lost her, Lucia. When I received the call, I truly believed that I wouldn’t see her again. And I don’t know what I would have done.” Luciana couldn’t believe she was kneeling here, talking to a gravestone, but she was. “So, I asked her to marry me. She lost her hearing and I panicked. I want to marry Sam, of course I do, but I need her to know that I don’t ever expect her to forget who you are. I don’t want her to think less about you. I’m not trying to replace you. You were her wife…and one day I hope I can make Sam as happy as you made her.
“I know you were her one true love, but if I can just have a tiny slice of what you both had…that’s enough for me. Just the ability to love her is enough for me. I mean, I didn’t even give her a ring when I proposed so I’m already failing, but I have it here. Safely in my pocket. It may never mean to her what yours did, but I’m going to try to make her happy, Lucia. I have to.”
Luciana climbed to her feet, aware that she likely looked odd talking to nothing and nobody. “If you could just give me a sign…a blessing…it would mean the world to me.” Luciana moved towards Lucia’s gravestone, placing a kiss to the flat top of it. “Thanks for listening. I can see why Sam enjoys coming here.”
She backed away, her hands in her jacket pockets. Startled when her phone rang, Luciana took it out and answered the call. “Hi, babe.”
Sam sighed. “Is everything okay? I’m worried about you.”
“Everything is fine. I’m coming home now.”
“Okay, because I kinda did something.” The line remained silent, only Sam’s light breathing telling Luciana she was still on the line. “Just…did you call the station and tell them you could go back to work?”
“No, why?”
“I thought perhaps we could go away for a few days.”
“That sounds great, babe. I’ll have a look online at some places when I get home.” Luciana reached her car, unlocking it with her fob. “Anywhere you have in mind?”
“Actually, yes,” Sam said. “Lucia’s parents have a cottage in The Dales. I’ve just spoken to her dad. He said it would be fine for us to go.”
Luciana glanced back at Lucia’s grave, smiling. “Yeah?”
“I thought with everything that’s happened lately, especially today, we could use some time alone. Just you and me…”
Luciana closed her eyes, relief washing over her. “I’d love that, Sam. I’d really love it.”
“Okay, well I’ve already started packing. You can grab whatever else you need once you get back and we will leave in the morning. It’s only a couple of hours away.”
“I love you, you know.” Luciana always told Sam how much she loved her, daily, but she wasn’t sure Sam could begin to conceive just how much. This love…it was everything.
“I know. I love you, too.”
16
Sam fumbled through the set of keys in her hand, stopping when she came across the one with a purple top. She hadn’t been to the cottage in about two years, but it felt good to be back. It appeared completely different this time around. Luciana was apprehensive, of course, but Sam didn’t have any connection to Lucia here. She never had. This place meant as much to Sam as it did to Luciana and that was very little. Sam had merely used it as a getaway when the city became too much. The surroundings were tranquil, absolute beauty. With nothing around other than rolling green hills, masses of lavender in places, Sam felt content here. Given half the chance, if she didn’t have the home she already did, she would move to The Dales in a heartbeat.
