Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

He’d totally gone overboard.

Marlowe shook her head, still thinking about the six boxes of tampons he’d brought home, in every size and brand the small general store in Newton had in stock. He’d also bought three boxes of pads. But it was . . . adorable. It was obvious Kendric had no idea what a woman needed during her time of the month, but that made him going all out even sweeter.

When he’d gotten back from the store the night before, he’d quickly whipped up their dinner as they’d talked more about their days. She supposed most people wouldn’t find it very interesting to hear what was involved in a tree-cutting or guide business, but she wanted to know every little thing about her husband.

That night, he’d held her tightly, cuddling and not pressing for sex. He flinched a few times during his sleep, but didn’t wake from a nightmare. Marlowe kept her arms around him, letting him know he was safe and loved, praying it was enough to keep his demons at bay.

And it was.

Now they’d just finished lunch, and she was almost done getting ready to head over to the police station to call Ian.

Did she want to confront him? Yes and no.

A part of her wanted to just move on. Forget about what happened. But it would be impossible to truly move on unless she cleared her name and confronted the man who’d put her in prison. Who’d made her suffer so much.

She was both scared to death and pissed way the hell off. It was a weird dichotomy, and she wasn’t exactly sure which feeling dominated from moment to moment.

Kendric was on edge. She could tell from the moment they woke up. He hadn’t spoken much, although he was still as loving as ever. She supposed he was just as stressed as she was. The sooner she got this done, the happier they’d both be.

The fact that he was standing by her side while she did what she needed to do meant a lot to Marlowe. She was very aware that he didn’t want her calling Ian. That he was overprotective and wanted to keep her from experiencing any kind of angst. But he was still supporting her decision.

On their way to the police station, she reached over and put her hand on his arm. “It’ll be fine,” she said, not sure who she was trying to convince, Kendric or herself. “I mean, all I’m doing is talking to him.”

“I know.”

His words were clipped. He was obviously very stressed, and Marlowe hated that she was the cause. She sighed and put her hand back in her lap.

Kendric immediately reached over and twined his fingers with hers. “I’m trying,” he said softly. “But I really hate this. West will probably say something to upset you, and it sucks.”

“It does suck,” Marlowe agreed. “But he’s not going to get to me. I survived being thrown in prison and thinking I was going to spend the rest of my life there. Comparatively, this is a piece of cake.”

“Saying it like that, I can’t exactly disagree,” Kendric said.

Marlowe chuckled. “Nope.”

He brought their hands up to his mouth and kissed her fingers. “I love you, and I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks. I just want this done, Kendric. I don’t want to look over my shoulder the rest of my life, and I don’t want Ian to be able to hurt anyone else the way he did me.”

“I know. He won’t. You’ll make sure of it.”

His belief in her instantly made some of the butterflies dissipate.

They arrived at the police station, and Marlowe met the police chief, Alfred Rutkey. He welcomed her and led her to a small interrogation room. The room was packed with too many chairs around a small table, and a phone was sitting smack dab in the middle.

Suddenly everything was very real, and Marlowe wasn’t sure she could do this after all. The last time she’d talked to Ian, he was promising to do the right thing and reassuring her that he’d return the coins. Then the second he had the chance, he’d turned on her.

What did Marlowe know about blackmail? Or getting people to admit to their wrongdoing? Obviously not very much, considering she’d been the one who’d ended up behind bars and not Ian. But it was okay. As promised, she, Kendric, and his friends had devised a loose script with talking points designed to coerce a confession. She could do this.

“You’ve got this, Punky,” Kendric said into her ear, reading her thoughts. He was behind her, with a hand on the small of her back.

She took a deep breath and felt more centered, walking into the room and taking a seat at the table. Chappy, Cal, and JJ followed them in and sat as well. The police chief took the seat across from her, and Kendric pulled a chair up so close, his thigh was plastered to hers when he sat down. His hand rested on her leg, grounding her.

“Right, so this call is to let West know you’re back in the States,” the chief coached. “Follow his lead, but also try to chat with him about nothing for a while, see if you can get him to lower his guard. If he asks how you got out of jail, be vague, say that you had a really good lawyer who convinced the judge to release you on a technicality or something. Don’t accuse him right off the bat. Feel him out.

“When you think he’s relaxed a little, use your talking points. Turn the conversation to the dig. The coins. Remind him that you know he took them—then reveal that you also know he’s got a buyer. Threaten him with the authorities if he won’t cut you in on the deal. He might not care. He’ll know he can turn you in just as easily. But hopefully the threat alone will be enough to make him agree to your terms.”

The chief gave her a look. “If he won’t agree, then remember—at the very least, we need him to admit that he planted the drugs. Above all else, we need to get those charges against you dropped. Do you have any questions?”

Marlowe took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She’d been over all the details with Kendric several times already. She’d been told what the computer guy, Tex, had found out about the seller, and how Ian was auctioning the coins on the dark web. She had all the info she needed to scare the crap out of him and hopefully get him to slip and admit he had the coins. She just had to be strong and get through this call.

There was a lot riding on the next few minutes, and Marlowe hoped she didn’t screw it up.

“No questions. I’m ready,” she said more confidently than she felt.

Kendric squeezed her leg, letting her know without words that he was there. That he believed in her.

Chief Rutkey nodded and pulled the phone over to him and hit the speaker button. The dial tone sounded especially loud in the small room. He dialed a number, then turned the phone around so the speaker was in front of her. This was it. There was no going back.

Bob didn’t like this. Not at all. But Marlowe needed the closure this call with West could provide. She was as stiff as a board next to him, and it was killing him that the only thing he could do to try to make this easier was remain close.

The phone sitting on the table rang three times, then West finally picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Ian. It’s Marlowe Kennedy.”

Bob flinched. No. She was Marlowe Evans. His wife. But he obviously couldn’t correct her.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment before West replied.

“Holy crap, Marlowe? Are you okay? Are you home?”

“Yes, and yes . . . no thanks to you.”

So much for the chief’s suggestion about being polite and working her way into the conversation. Bob tightened his hold on her leg. She was angry, it was easy to see.

“What do you mean?” Ian asked, trying to sound innocent.

“Cut the crap, Ian, you know exactly what I mean,” Marlowe said, leaning forward. “You planted those pills in my stuff and called the cops on me.”

“What? No, I didn’t!”

“Yes, you did. There was no one else who had any reason to get me out of the way except for you. We had that conversation about you stealing those coins, and you promised to return them. And the next thing I know, I’m being interrogated and thrown in jail, scared out of my head. That was your plan, wasn’t it? Get me out of the way so I couldn’t tell anyone what you did. And now you’re back here in the States, looking for a buyer for those coins.”

“Look, I know I screwed up on the dig, but I did just as you asked,” he blurted, talking fast. “I returned the coins. They’re back in Thailand where they belong.”

“You’re such a liar. Do you think I’m an idiot?” Marlowe asked, bitterness lacing her question. “Don’t answer that, I know you do. I’ve been a good person, Ian. Nice. Easygoing. But I’m done taking shit from people. And lucky you, you get to experience my newfound backbone firsthand.”

“I don’t think you’re an idiot. And you are nice, Marlowe,” Ian said.

Bob was impressed. It was obvious West hadn’t expected Marlowe to be so forceful. She was playing this exactly right, putting West on the offensive right from the start. He’d been proud of her before, but now he was even more so.

“How’d you get out?” West asked.

“My brother,” Marlowe said shortly. “He has some amazing connections, and he got me a lawyer who knew exactly how to get me out of that hellhole. And now that I’m back, your little plan to get rich off those coins is shot to hell.”

Ian was quiet for a moment. “What do you want?”

“I want to go back to being naive. I want to think that the people I work with are trustworthy. That they wouldn’t throw one of their coworkers under the bus for money. But I can’t have that, can I? No,” she said, answering her own question. “So now, I want to discuss the deal you’re making for the coins.”

“What deal?”

“Honestly, you playing the innocent dumbass is getting old,” Marlowe barked. “You think I’d call you if I didn’t know what you were up to? I know you’ve been trying to sell those coins on the dark web. I know that you’ve had some interest. And I know that you’re on the verge of making a deal. I want in.”

“In . . . ?”

“Yes. In. You owe me, Ian. Big time. I was going to demand that you give me a percentage of the money you stand to make on those coins, but now that I’m talking to you, I don’t trust you not to screw me. Again. So instead, I want one of the three coins. I’ll make my own deal.”

“I . . . I don’t have any coins.”

“Yes, you do,” Marlowe said calmly. “And I want one of them. I’ll find my own buyer. And if you don’t give me what I want, I’ll go to US Customs and Homeland Security, and tell them everything. How you pocketed the coins when you were on that site. How you smuggled them into the US. How you framed me. They might not believe that I was framed for those pills, but when I show them the screenshots I have of your little advertisement on the dark web—and how the IP address leads straight to your parents’ house—you’ll be the one behind bars.”

She let her words sink in for a moment. Then added, “Oh, and your mom and dad just might end up there with you. You know . . . since they’re aiding and abetting and all.”

“You bitch!” Ian hissed.

Bob stiffened. And there he was. The real Ian West.

Marlowe was doing amazing. She was tense, but there was no way West would know that from the sound of her voice.

Now she laughed, a short, bitter sound. “Yup. Guess I learned to toughen up after my little stint in that prison in Thailand. I know how much those coins are worth—a million each. You’ll still get two million after you hand one of them over to me, and be grateful I’m not asking for half of everything. After this transaction, you and I are done. I’ll disappear from your life, and you’ll be free to do whatever the hell you want. Go on more digs, steal more shit . . . I don’t care.”

“I don’t believe you,” Ian said. “I can’t trust you.”

“I don’t trust you either,” Marlowe retorted. “You’ve already proven that you don’t care who you step on in order to get your way. Give me one of the coins and we’re done. Forever. I don’t ever want to see you again. And besides, look at it this way—when I have one of those coins, I’m just as guilty as you are. Why would I turn you in when it would put me right back in prison as well? I just want what you owe me.”

There was silence on the other end of the line, before Ian West said in a hard voice, “Fine. But not in Boston. There are too many cameras in the city. I’ll come to you.”

“No.”

“Then we have nothing else to talk about. It’s my way or no way.”

Bob felt Marlowe tense next to him. Her gaze came up to his, her brows furrowed. It was obvious she wasn’t sure what to do now. He gave her a little headshake.

“Marlowe? You have three seconds to agree before I’m hanging up. And don’t think I just believe your little story about being let out of prison. All it’ll take is one call to confirm if that’s true—and if it isn’t, one more call to get you on every most-wanted list in the US.”

“Fine. Where?” Marlowe blurted.

Bob’s heart rate increased, and he could see the tension stealing over every man in the room. No! He didn’t want her coming face to face with the asshole who’d already double-crossed her.

“Wherever you are. An out-of-the-way spot. And if you even think about setting me up, you’ll regret it.”

Marlowe paused for a few seconds. Then said, “I’m in Newton, Maine.”

Ian chuckled, but it wasn’t a humorous sound. “Maine isn’t too far. Where can we meet?”

His friends were shooting looks at each other and Bob. Marlowe had given up her location! And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it now.

“Newton is a small town. There aren’t any traffic cams, and the police department’s a joke. It won’t be an issue to meet here. There’s a park off of Highway 2, right before you get to town. I’ll meet you there. Two days from now. One o’clock. Be there and bring me my coin, or I swear to God, I’ll make you regret ever meeting me.”

“I already do,” Ian growled.

“The feeling’s mutual,” Marlowe fired back. “Don’t screw me over again, Ian. Trust me, prison sucks. See you in two days.”

Marlowe reached out and clicked off the connection, then immediately lowered her head, resting it on top of her hands on the table.

The room was silent.

Bob wrapped an arm around her back and leaned into her. “Punky?”

“Give me a second,” she mumbled into her hands.

“Holy crap. That was awesome,” Chappy exclaimed. “Not the part about the meet, but the way you smoked him.”

“If I wasn’t already happily married with my first child on the way, and if you weren’t already hitched to one of my mates, I’d ask you to marry me,” Cal said.

Bob ignored his friends. His full attention was on Marlowe. “Are you all right?”

She nodded but didn’t raise her head.

“Okay, well, that wasn’t how I suggested things go, but . . . I honestly think it might work out,” Chief Rutkey said.

He felt Marlowe take a deep breath, then she sat up and looked around the room. “I’m so sorry. I hope it was okay that I told him to meet me at that park. He blindsided me by insisting we meet in person.”

“We’ll make it work,” Rutkey assured her.

“He’ll be planning something,” Bob warned. “He wouldn’t insist on meeting in person if he just planned to give up a coin.”

“I agree. I’ll get with Tex about some high-grade video and audio equipment so we can monitor the meeting,” JJ said.

“I’ll go scope out the park and find places for us to position ourselves, so we’re nearby at all times,” Cal added.

“We can use my Jeep for the meet,” Chappy offered. “We obviously can’t use Cal’s expensive monstrosity, and Bob’s truck has more power than my vehicle. We’ll want to have that as backup.”

Bob didn’t like the sound of that, but he knew it was a smart decision.

“Thank you. I appreciate you all being here and willing to help. But I . . . I need to go.”

Marlowe’s voice cracked on the last word, and Bob could tell she was on the verge of losing it. He stood when she did and grabbed her hand, leading her toward the door. “Keep me in the loop,” he told his friends, before getting Marlowe out of the room and the building, into the fresh air. He went straight to his truck and hoisted her inside, then jogged around to the driver’s side.

He immediately started the engine and said, “Hang on, Punky. Five minutes and I’ll have you home.”

He glanced over and saw she was sitting as stiff as a board. Her gaze was fixed forward, and her hands were clasped together in her lap. He drove quickly but safely, and within minutes he was parking the truck in the lot at his apartment complex. Marlowe met him at the front of the truck, and they headed up the stairs hand in hand.

The second the door shut behind them, the tears Marlowe had so valiantly kept at bay let loose. Bob scooped her up, carried her to the couch, and sat down with her on his lap. She was crying so hard, he was somewhat alarmed, but he didn’t try to convince her to stop. Simply let her get all the emotion out.

She clung to him, her body shaking with her sobs, and Bob felt completely helpless. It took another ten minutes or so, but finally her crying lessened. He leaned over and grabbed a tissue from a box next to the sofa and gave it to her. She gave him a watery smile and blew her nose. Then she snuggled back into him.

“Feel better?”

She shrugged. “I guess. I don’t know why I was even crying.”

“Because that was very stressful,” Bob said. “Because you had to act like someone you weren’t. Because you’re scared. Because talking to the man who caused you so much pain and terror wasn’t fun. Because you’re a kind person who doesn’t like hurting others.”

Marlowe snorted. “You make me sound like a paragon of virtue. I can be a bitch.”

Bob rolled his eyes. “Uh-huh.”

She lifted her head so she could see him. “I can,” she insisted.

“Name one time you were bitchy to someone else,” Bob challenged.

Marlowe frowned in concentration, then looked at him and said, “I refused to let one of the women in prison take my spot on the floor next to the window.”

Bob shook his head. “Doesn’t count. Anything you did while incarcerated was fully justified. Try again.”

Marlowe huffed out an adorable breath. “Fine. The last time I drove on the interstate around DC, before I went to Thailand, there was construction and the right lane was closing. But I didn’t get in the left lane right away. I drove all the way to the front of the long line of cars and forced my way in.”

Bob burst out laughing.

“What? That’s bitchy!” Marlowe insisted. “I should’ve gotten into the left lane along with everyone else, instead of passing them all and sneaking in.”

“Yup, you’re a coldhearted bitch, all right,” Bob told her.

Marlowe sighed, then rested her head against his chest again. “Fine. It’s not in my nature to be mean. I don’t like it. Even if Ian deserved everything I said, I still feel . . . weird about it.”

“You were amazing. And while I initially agreed with the chief’s plan for how he thought that call should go, you actually played it much better. In hindsight, West would’ve been suspicious if you had a bunch of small talk, then suddenly did a one-eighty and tried to blackmail him.”

“I don’t know what happened,” Marlowe said. “I was planning on asking how he was, how long he’d been back in the States, how his family was doing . . . but the second I heard his voice, I kind of saw red and just blurted out what I was thinking.”

“Again, you did good.”

“Do you think he’ll actually show up?”

“Yes.”

“You can’t know that,” she protested.

“Marlowe, you threatened to turn him in. You gave him enough detail about the sale of those coins and how you knew he was on the dark web . . . he’s gonna show. He’s not going to risk being arrested before he can make that sale,” Bob said firmly.

“I don’t want to see him again,” Marlowe whispered.

Bob tensed, and he opened his mouth to tell her that she didn’t have to, that they’d figure something out, but she continued before he could speak.

“But I have to. I need to look into his eyes and see if he has even a speck of remorse for what he did to me. And I know that today’s call might not be enough to put him in jail. He didn’t actually admit to anything. It’s an okay start, but he’ll be really screwed if he shows up with those coins.”

She was right . . . damn it. “We’ll get Chappy’s Jeep completely wired up, in a way that West won’t be able to tell. And you won’t get out. You can talk to him through your car windows. He won’t get near you. And Tex is really amazing at tracking devices. We’ll get you some earrings or a necklace that will record both video and audio, just in case. We’re gonna get him, Punky. Thanks to you.”

“I should feel guilty about what’s going to happen to him. But I don’t. Does that make me a bad person?”

“No. It makes you human,” Bob reassured her.

“I’m scared,” Marlowe said, barely audibly.

Bob’s arms tightened around her. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She nodded, which made Bob feel better, but she didn’t relax in his arms.

“I just . . . I want this over. I want to be able to live my life. I want to explore Newton, hang out with Carlise, June, and April. I want to eat more Granny’s Burgers. I want to have my brother and his family come up and visit.”

“And you’ll get to do all of that,” Bob said, fairly alarmed now. “Why would you think you wouldn’t?”

“I don’t know.”

But he knew she was lying. She clearly had a bad feeling about this, and he couldn’t blame her. Bob was frustrated and stressed out himself, and even though he had faith in his ability to protect her, and the abilities of his friends, he still worried that something might happen that none of them could prevent.

“You can always stop this,” he told her. “At any point, you can call it off.”

“And let him get away with what he’s done?” Marlowe said. “No. I want to do this. I want to make him pay for stealing those coins. We can’t allow him to sell them. They should be returned to Thailand. And I don’t want to be watching my back for the rest of my life, wondering if I’m gonna be thrown back in jail.” She shifted in Bob’s arms until she was straddling him. “Can I go with you on your next tree call?”

“What?” he asked, confused by the abrupt change in topic.

“I don’t want to think about Ian West, or prison, or coins, or anything else until I’m forced to. I’d love to go with you the next time you have a call. See a bit more of Newton. See what it is you do. I can help too.”

Bob smiled at her. “You ever use a chain saw?”

She wrinkled her nose. “No, but I can carry stuff for you, or put on a yellow vest and direct traffic away from the tree, or simply talk to you while you work. Please?”

“Of course you can come. But it’s not that exciting.”

“I’m sure you’d say that about an archaeological dig too, but you’d be surprised at how fun it can be.”

“All right.”

“Yay,” she said with a smile.

Bob was relieved to see the spark back in Marlowe’s eyes, but he was still worried about the upcoming meeting with West. Desperate men did desperate things. He knew that better than most. And while he was supportive of Marlowe wanting to do what she could to take the asshole down, he didn’t want her getting hurt in the process. The only reason he wasn’t trying to talk her out of this entire thing was because West had no history of any kind of violence in his past.

“So, now that I’m over my freak-out, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?” she asked with a grin.

The first thing that sprang to Bob’s mind was taking her back to bed, but he had a feeling that wasn’t what she needed.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Fine, why?” she said without hesitation.

“No cramps?”

She blushed a little and shook her head. “No.”

“How about a little hike? This part of the country is beautiful, and there’s an overlook called Table Rock that I think you’d love. There are a lot of places with that name around the country, but this one is the most impressive.”

Marlowe tilted her head. “How do you know? Have you been to them all?” she teased.

He chuckled. “No. But I’ve been to one out in New Mexico. I have a friend who owns kind of a resort with his buddies out there. It’s a place where people who suffer from PTSD can go to completely relax. It’s pretty, but our Table Rock has theirs beat.”

“With that kind of buildup, I definitely want to see this place now,” Marlowe teased.

Bob leaned forward and kissed her. It wasn’t short, but it wasn’t a precursor to taking her to bed either. “I love you,” he said when he’d lifted his head. “You’re the kind of woman a man looks for all his life. I know I’ve hit the jackpot, and I’m going to try like hell not to screw this up.”

She shook her head. “I’m nothing special, Kendric. I’m just a hardworking woman who does her best to be kind to those around her, and who’s muddling along the best she can.”

“You go right on thinking that, Punky. I know the truth,” he told her.

“Whatever. What should I wear? How long are we going to be gone? Do we need snacks?”

Her excitement couldn’t be contained, and Bob was thrilled. He was looking forward to showing Marlowe everything about this little corner of Maine. It might not have been his first choice in where to live out the rest of his life, but he was learning to love it more and more.

“Layers. Just in case you get too hot or cold. And your hiking boots. It’ll be four or five hours probably. I’ll make us a lunch and include snacks as well.”

“Sounds perfect.” Then she leaned down and kissed him briefly, before hopping off his lap and heading for the bedroom. She turned around at the last minute before she disappeared down the hall. “Kendric?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you too. Thanks for letting me cry on you. I promise not to make a habit of it.”

“Doesn’t matter if you do, it won’t make me love you any less,” he reassured her.

She gifted him with a huge smile, then spun and disappeared down the hall.

Bob sat there for a moment and took a deep breath as his smile slowly faded. He was more worried than he’d let on about this meeting with West. But if the man showed up, he and his former Deltas would make sure nothing happened to his wife.

He stood and headed for the kitchen. He had lunches to make and snacks to pack, and he made a mental note to let April know he would be unavailable for the rest of the afternoon.

He was looking forward to the hike. To getting both their minds off Ian West. Tomorrow, he’d figure out the tracker, and the audio and visual equipment. Today . . . he was going to enjoy spending time with the woman he loved.