“Justin has contacts in the police department. He’ll give me a heads-up when they’re on the way. Should be at least an hour or two. Now go. There are more surprises.”
In suite four, there are flower petals on the bed. I’m usually the one who places them there when we have a wedding party or an anniversary couple. I put rose petals in the shape of a heart on the bed. But these are lilies. There are several vases of them around the room. I touch my bump. “Who knew your daddy was so romantic?”
In the bathroom, soothing music is playing. A bath has been drawn. I stick my hand in the water—it’s warm. More lilies in vases surround the tub. I strip out of the clothes I got back from the county jail and sink into the water. It’s heavenly. I lay my head back on the bath pillow and relax. Casey must like the warmth; he’s moving. I rest my hand on him and enjoy this quiet moment with my son, and for the first time in forever, I am at peace.
After my bath, I find a dress in the bedroom, the kind I’d wear for a party. Not fancy, just pretty. He knows me well, better than anyone ever has. I put it on and go downstairs.
Aaron is sitting on the bench in the foyer. He looks up, and I feel like Cinderella going to the ball. The way he’s looking at me is like he just won the lottery, but I’m the one who hit the jackpot.
He’s wearing khakis and a blue button-down, a far cry from the jeans and T-shirts he usually throws on.
“What’s the special occasion?” I ask.
“You. You’re the special occasion.”
“Are we going on a date?”
“We are, but not how you might think. It’s a surprise.”
“Another one? I thought you said the police were coming.”
“They are.” People join us from the kitchen. Maddox, Andie, Owen, Quinn, Joe. I question Aaron with my eyes. “You had an audience at your arrest,” he says. “It’s only fitting she have one at hers.”
“Is she here yet?”
“Any second now.”
“What’ll you say?”
“To be honest, I don’t know.”
As if on cue, Lora appears. “What’s with all the stuff up on the—” She sees me and stops talking. Heck, I’m fairly sure she stops breathing. “What are you doing here? Did they let you out on bail?” She turns to Aaron. “Why would you invite her back here?”
Aaron crosses the foyer, reaches inside a large artificial flower arrangement, and pulls out a video camera. “Man, you gotta love technology. These things can pick up everything, right down to the Reckless Alibi sticker Ms. Jones had on the cover of her iMac.”
The blood drains from Lora’s face.
Aaron laughs. “This is ironic. I installed this camera to catch a ghost, but it captured something much more important.”
Lora turns to leave, but Joe blocks her escape, arms crossed.
“You can’t keep me here,” she says. “Besides, videotaping me without my consent means it can’t be used in court.”
“Even if it can’t,” Aaron says, “fingerprints can. You weren’t wearing gloves. Did you know that with today’s technology, unless you use certain chemicals, you can recover fingerprints even if they’ve been wiped? Or maybe you didn’t even do that. After all, what more evidence would they need after finding stolen goods in an ex-con’s room?” He cringes. “Sorry, Dev. Trying to make a point.”
“You deserve someone better than her,” Lora says. “She’s a criminal.”
Aaron laughs. “Says the pot about the kettle.”
“I’m not anything like her. I have a college degree. I come from a good family. I’m certainly not a murderer.”
“No, you’re worse. What happened to her was a tragic accident. What you did was intentional. You’d have had her locked away for years for something she didn’t do.”
“I’m standing right here,” I say. “How about letting me handle this?”
Aaron moves aside. “Gladly.”
She has nowhere to go and is surrounded by the enemy. “I’ve met a lot of lowlifes, believe me, but framing someone so, what, you can sleep with their boyfriend? He told you repeatedly he wasn’t into you. Only a crazy person wouldn’t take the hint. Earlier, when I was sitting in the tub, washing off the grime put on me by you, I did a lot of thinking. Everything makes sense now. The time Aaron caught you in my room, you said you were admiring my work. You found my journal, didn’t you? You read about my past. Discovered my name.” Something occurs to me. “Oh my god, you called my father. You knew he’d make it even harder for me to get out. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how he knew I was there in time to get to the judge.”
Aaron rushes forward, looking like he wants to deck her. “You called the fucking congressman?”
Quinn holds him back. “Don’t. She’ll get what’s coming to her.”
“Who do you think you are?” I say to her. “Who are you to mess with someone’s life like that? You’re pathetic. Lower than the scum I dealt with for two years. How can you even look at yourself in the mirror? I almost feel sorry for you, because I know what kind of life you’re facing, but I can’t. You brought this all on yourself. Someone once told me people get what they deserve. Well, you’re about to get dished up a whole heaping serving of it.”
“I don’t have to put up with this. I’m leaving.” Lora tries to duck around Joe.
A police officer comes through the kitchen. Owen must have let him inside. “Lora Belmont?”
She shakes her head and closes her eyes in defeat. I see it. This is the moment she knows she’s lost.
The officer reads her rights to her and leads her away. I follow them to the door and say, “One more thing?” He stops. I stride right up to her. “You’re fucking fired.”
After they leave, I sit at the table. Everyone gathers around and claps.
“Damn, girl,” Andie says. “Way to stand up for yourself. I’ve never seen you like that before.”
Aaron leans close. “I am so fucking turned on right now.”
My eyes go wide. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah.”
I giggle, then heave the largest sigh of relief. I look at my friends. No, they’re more than friends—they’re family. I know it’s cliché, but I can’t help but think this is the first day of the rest of my life. My new life.
Chapter Forty-three
Aaron
“You kicked ass,” I tell Devyn after everyone leaves. “I’ve never seen you stand up for yourself like that before. I think I like this new you.”
She smiles seductively. “You didn’t like the old one?”
“I loved the old one.” I pull her close. “I love all of you.”
“What do you think will happen to Lora?”
“She’ll get out on bail; she might even get probation. But if they can prove she did it to frame someone, they can press more charges. I’d love to see her locked up, even if it’s only for a few months.”
Devyn shudders. “She’ll probably do better in jail than I did.”