Fate’s Reaping Read online

  “We’ll get him, don’t worry,” West said, getting to his feet. He was tall and loomed over her. He still made Angie feel uncomfortable, but she would be lying if she said she didn’t feel the slightest hint of relief.

  “What lengths do you think he’d go to make you his?” West asked. “Final question, I swear.”

  Angie shrugged. Truthfully, she didn’t know. “I think he would have killed me if Butchie didn’t intervene. So if he’d kill me, he’d kill anyone.”

  West nodded. “That connects all of the dots, then. He has money? I’d bet my pelt he hired those men to go after you and Marcus that night. He’d do anything to claim you.”

  “Okay,” Angie said. It all made sense. Like the final pieces of a puzzle, everything was falling into place, and it was making Angie sick to her stomach.

  West was almost at the door when Angie said, “Wait!”

  He turned towards her.

  “If you know those men at Marcus’s house had nothing to do with him – that it was all tied back to my ex-boyfriend, will you consider reinstating Marcus? He couldn’t have helped that. He couldn’t do anything about that. It’s not right. It’s not fair. Please.”

  He narrowed his golden eyes and then put his sunglasses back on, but he was still for a few moments.

  “I’ll look into it,” West said. “No guarantees. He still isn’t in the clear for that whole Mayor fiasco a few months back – but I think I can overlook the attack at the house. I’ll do my best.”

  “Thank you,” she said, relief flooding through her.

  “I might have been wrong about the Sheriff,” West said. “Don’t tell him that, though. Our kind doesn’t exactly get along with his kind.”

  And with that, West was out the door. Angie gave her thanks to Butchie for saving her life and followed West out the door moments later.

  She felt better than she’d felt when all of this had started.

  Jonathan. Why did you do it? What drove you to it? Do you truly love me that much that you would try to kill me and Marcus?

  The thought chilled her to the core, yet she smiled. The FBI was on his trail – and not just any regular FBI members. They would catch him. Marcus would be reinstated as Sheriff.

  Things would be the way they were supposed to be.

  Marcus, I’m coming home.

  Chapter 15

  “He what?”

  Marcus felt himself bristling with anger at Angie’s story.

  “Marcus, please.”

  “You went there without telling me? He could have killed you, Angie. You were being reckless!”

  “I know, Marcus. I shouldn’t have tried to handle it myself – it was stupid.”

  “And you talked to West?”

  “Marcus…”

  “I’m going to kill your ex, Angie. Plain and simple.”

  “Marcus, West said he could help get you reinstated.”

  Marcus had heard the words, yet he didn’t believe them. He was never going to be reinstated – not as long as West had anything to say about it, and Marcus didn’t see that changing for some time.

  He grabbed the keys to Angie’s new car. She tried to grab them out of his hand but he held them up out of her reach.

  “I can’t let him get away with what he did to you, Angie. He was going to kill you and I didn’t do anything to stop it. How can I live with myself if I just let him get away with it?”

  “This isn’t you, Marcus,” Angie told him. She stopped trying to get the keys out of his hand and instead looked him deep into his eyes. He could feel his anger fading away, feel his resolve crumbling. “You don’t need to kill him.”

  “I can’t let him get away with what he did, though,” Marcus said, though he said it without any real conviction. He so desperately wanted to stop Angie’s ex – though if she didn’t want him to, he wouldn’t.

  “Fine,” she said. “But you don’t kill him. Run him out of town, threaten him, I don’t care – just don’t kill him. And Marcus, make sure he never comes back.”

  Marcus nodded and kissed Angie on the forehead, then he turned and went into the mudroom. He opened the door and made his way down the sidewalk to Angie’s car when he stopped and turned: she was following him.

  “You don’t think I’m going to let you go by yourself, do you?” she asked with a grimace.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Marcus answered, climbing into Angie’s rental car. He slid the seat as far back as he could manage, inserted the key in the ignition, and fired it up. He missed the familiar rumbling of his Bronco but Angie lowering herself into the passenger seat was almost enough to make him forget about it temporarily. Almost.

  He didn’t know what his plan was. He had no intention of killing the man, though he wouldn’t mind if that happened. For what he did to Angie, though…

  I wish she wasn’t here to see what I’m about to do. I can’t forgive the man. I can’t let him hurt – almost kill – the woman I love and walk away unscathed. Whatever West has assured Angie he’ll do, he’s lying. He won’t make a difference.

  I can.

  Marcus drove them into Charming and navigated towards the Great Southern. There was little traffic; Charming seemed more deserted than usual, as if something was brewing and everyone knew to keep their heads down. Marcus pushed those thoughts away.

  The parking lot of the motel was deserted with the exception of Jonathan Hall’s rented car. Marcus had half the mind to walk up to it and bust out the windows, just to teach the man a lesson – he wasn’t a Sheriff anymore, after all – but he resisted the urge and parked next to it.

  “It’s that room,” Angie said, pointing. Marcus nodded and killed the engine. He almost told her to wait in the car but knew she wouldn’t. He didn’t want her to see him when he truly got angry – but he also didn’t want to hide anything from her, either, so together they climbed out of the car.

  Marcus’s fist beat against the door hard, almost enough to crack the flimsy wooden door. He could hear it straining against the wooden frame.

  “Open up, Hall! It’s Sheriff Stone!” he yelled, then he realized that he wasn’t Sheriff Stone any longer. But he knew he got the point across so he waited as patiently as he could. There was no answer after 30 seconds, so he pounded on the door again.

  “Do you think he already left town?” Angie asked. She glanced back at the car and Marcus could tell by the tone in her voice that she didn’t believe it herself.

  “I don’t know.”

  They waited a few more moments, Marcus bristling while waiting. He was on the verge of kicking the door down, uncaring how bad of an idea it was, when Angie said, “Let’s go talk to Maudette.”

  “Good idea,” Marcus grunted. He followed behind Angie, walking sideways so he could keep an eye on the door. Just as they were reaching the office, the door flung open and someone sprinted towards the car parked out front of the room. Marcus gave a roar of alarm and immediately took off towards him. The man was at the car trying to insert the key in the door when Marcus tackled him.

  He hit with such force that the driver’s side window cracked and the man screamed in pain. Marcus grabbed him and spun him around, one hand locked on the man’s throat and slamming him against the car.

  “Marcus! It’s not him!”

  Marcus heard Angie from far away. His vision had narrowed and all he could see was red. The sound of his heart beating was deafening.

  He looked into the man’s face and, just as Angie had said, it wasn’t Jonathan Hall. But it was his assistant.

  “Where is he?” Marcus roared, lifting the man higher. He loosened his grip so the man wouldn’t choke – but he wasn’t letting him off the hook either.

  “Marcus!”

  “He was involved! He was involved with all of it, Angie!”

  He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that she had nodded.

  “I – don’t – know –” the man managed. He gasped for air and Marcus finally dropped him to the ground.
He fell to his knees, clutching his throat.

  “I’m going to ask one more time,” Marcus yelled. He grabbed the man by the shoulder and forced him back against the car. He squeezed and the man winced in pain. “Where is he?”

  “He was gone when I woke up this morning! I swear!” the man said. Marcus squeezed tighter. The man howled in pain and said, “I swear! I don’t know where he’s at!”

  “Where were you going?” Angie asked from behind Marcus. He looked deep into the man’s panicked eyes. He would be able to tell if he was lying.

  “Leaving this town,” Jonathan’s assistant said.

  “Why?” Marcus asked. The man looked at Marcus and Marcus slammed him against the car again. “Why?”

  “Because of what he’s doing,” the man spat. “Would you want to be a part of it?”

  Marcus didn’t have to ask what he was doing. He knew in the bottom of his heart.

  “I just want to go home. I don’t want to be a part of this any longer.”

  “Go,” Marcus told him, releasing the man. “And never come back to Charming. If you do, I promise that you’ll regret it.”

  The man nodded and climbed in the car as fast as he could, then he was tearing out of the parking lot, kicking up rocks as he went.

  “Are you sure that was the smart move?” Angie asked. “After what he was a part of – kidnapping me, Cory Rivers, and you’re just going to let him go?”

  “We’ll turn him in,” Marcus assured her. “He won’t go unanswered for what he did to you. But now our goal is to find Hall.”

  “He could be anywhere. He could have fled Charming already. Gotten a ride, or another rental car – he’d do anything to save himself. I’m not surprised he left his assistant behind. It’s just the kind of thing he would do.”

  Marcus just grunted. They stood for a few moments before Marcus turned and looked towards the open room. He made his way to it, Angie following close behind.

  “This is Jonathan’s room?” Marcus asked, looking around. “Not his assistant?”

  “It was Jonathan’s,” Angie confirmed. “I recognize it from before.”

  “Anything out of the ordinary?” he asked, watching Angie. He could smell Jonathan’s scent; fear, mostly, but some exhilaration, as if he’d gotten away with something that had been dangerous. But Angie would be the one to know if anything was amiss.

  “Nothing,” she said, looking around the room. “When I went to confront him about being in Charming, I came in here for a few moments. It’s exactly the same as before. The coats haven’t been touched, his suitcase is still in the closet – he certainly left town in a hurry.”

  Marcus sat down heavily on the bed. “I want to go after him, Angie. Track him down and make him regret what he did to you.”

  “Marcus…” she said hesitantly. He could tell she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to go about it. She sat down next to him and took one of his hands. He almost shied away from her – he knew he wasn’t going to like whatever she was getting ready to say to him.

  “What?” he finally prompted. His voice was rough; he hadn’t meant to sound so abrasive but he couldn’t help himself.

  “It’s not your job, anymore,” she said. There was hurt in her voice.

  “I know,” was all he said.

  “Do you?”

  He didn’t answer right away, then he sighed and nodded. “I know…”

  “You can let go, Marcus. Let other people deal with it.”

  “It isn’t that it was my job,” he told her. “It’s what he did to you. Knowing that he tried to kill you, and now I can do nothing about it – it’s eating me up inside.”

  “It doesn’t have to,” she told him. Angie got to her feet and grabbed his hands, pulling him up as well. He fought for a few moments, then allowed her to pull him to his feet. They stood there, silent, and then Angie wrapped her arms around him. Marcus let her hold him.

  I’ve failed her. That’s all I wanted to do was keep her safe. Show her that life here, with me, isn’t so bad. And I can’t even do that. I can’t stop others from hurting her. What good am I?

  Almost as if reading his thoughts, she said, “It’s not your fault, you know.”

  “It is.”

  “No, Marcus, it’s not,” she answered. She pressed her lips against his and then pulled away ever so slightly. “I’m a grown woman. You can’t protect me forever. You can’t watch over me all of the time. I have to do my own thing, and you have to do yours.”

  “I promised I would never let anyone hurt you again, Angie. And I broke that promise.”

  “That wasn’t your promise to make, Marcus Stone,” she snapped. He felt his eyebrows raise. Her face was hard for a moment, then it softened. “I love you, Marcus. And I know you love me. And we’re together. I’m not going to throw that time away. I’m not going to waste it by worrying about what’s going to happen tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. I’m going to look forward to the good times that we’ll undoubtedly have. That’s all. That’s all we can do.”

  “But –”

  “Marcus, there is no but. You can’t do everything, though I know you wish you could.”

  “Okay,” he told her, nodding – though he didn’t know if he could let it go as easily as she did. He wanted to protect her. It was in his nature. And if he couldn’t…

  I could never forgive myself. If I lost another woman I loved…

  “Marcus, let’s go home,” she told him, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the door. “Right now, things are in motion and they’re out of our hands. All we can do is ride out the storm. It won’t be easy – but it’ll be life. Just you, me, and –”

  “And?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. For the briefest of seconds, there was something there, just underneath the surface.

  “Our life together,” she finished, giving him a smile.

  “Okay, Angie,” he told her. He did like the sound of that. “Let’s go home.”

  Chapter 16

  “Does it ever end?” Marcus growled. He’d just parked the car and was looking in the rearview mirror. Angie turned in the seat and saw the familiar truck of Joanna Rivers rumbling up the driveway behind them.

  Angie felt herself grimace – but she knew there was nothing there. Still, Joanna Rivers had been making herself well known to Marcus, and Angie didn’t much like it.

  “What does she want this time?” Marcus was asking as he climbed out of the car. Angie likewise did the same and turned to watch the truck pull up next to them – but it wasn’t Joanna behind the wheel.

  Marcus immediately went into defensive mode. He went stiff and Angie could practically see the hackles standing up on the back of his neck. She didn’t blame him as a ripple of unease was working its way through her body, followed by the sensation of wanting to be sick.

  Because it wasn’t Joanna behind the steering wheel. It was her brother, Jimmy Rivers, the same man who had almost killed Angie and tried to kill Marcus.

  Marcus was at the door immediately, wrenching it open and yanking the man from the truck.

  “You have a death wish?” Marcus yelled.

  “Please!” Jimmy Rivers yelled, quaking as Marcus lifted him high. Angie had seen what Marcus had been prepared to do to Jonathan Hall’s assistant – this could be so much worse.

  And truthfully, do I care? This man did try to kill me, after all.

  “What do you want, Jimmy?” she asked. She could tell Marcus wasn’t in the mood to talk, so she decided she would ask the questions.

  “Can he put me down first?” Jimmy asked. In response, Marcus tightened his grip and lifted the man even higher.

  “Marcus…” Angie warned. He glanced at her and then with a grimace, dropped the other man to the ground and took a few steps back. Jimmy looked up shakily and managed a, “Thanks.”

  They stood in silence. Marcus was itching to grab the man again, so Angie prompted, “What do you want?”

  “It’s my sister.”

>   “What about your sister?”

  “She’s gone missing,” Jimmy said. “Since this afternoon.”

  Marcus growled under his breath and glanced at Angie.

  “He kidnapped her on his way out of town, or he’s around here laying low. But what for? Money?” Marcus asked, almost more to himself than Angie or Jimmy Rivers.

  “Who? Who is he?”

  Marcus and Angie both gave him an annoyed glance and then looked at each other. Angie said, “That makes sense. If he truly is in money trouble and that wasn’t a lie, and I’m not going to help him, she’s the next logical choice. Their family has tons of money and Jonathan’s no fool. He’ll know that and he’ll try to use it to his advantage.”

  Marcus nodded sagely for a second and then said, “Can’t help you.”

  Jimmy Rivers looked shocked. “But… But you’re the Sheriff.”

  “I’m not the Sheriff any longer,” Marcus said, barring his teeth at the man. The insinuation was strong, and Jimmy Rivers paled when he realized that Marcus no longer was a man of the law – and he might do what he truly wanted to do.

  “You have to do something…”

  “There are a couple of FBI agents in town,” Marcus offered. “Ask for West. I’m sure you can figure out how to get in touch with him.”

  “Please…”

  “It’s not my problem anymore,” Marcus said, his voice hard. “And if you had any good sense, you’d get out of here before I remember why I hate you.”

  Jimmy Rivers looked shaken up – and for a split second, Angie saw anger cross his face. But he had the good sense to climb in his sister’s truck and head down the driveway without another word.

  When he was gone, Angie said, “That’s not you, Marcus.”

  He glanced at her, avoiding her eyes.

  “Marcus…”

  “What?” he yelled. “I’m not the Sheriff any longer. It’s not my place to help people in situations like this. That’s West’s job, now. I can sit back, relax, and let him worry about it.”