“I was taken, Daddy.” Brook’s eyes filled with tears again as she gave them an abbreviated version of her abduction and captivity.
“Oh god!” Anguish was plain in her dad’s voice.
“I’m safe now,” Brook said. “I’m safe now.”
Her mother interjected, “Does Clark know? Have you talked to him?”
“Not yet,” Brook said. “But I will. I’ll call him as soon as we hang up. Please don’t call him; let me do it.”
“Alright, honey. We won’t talk to him until after you tell us it’s okay,” her dad said over her mom’s protests.
“I’m afraid things are going to get crazy for me in the next few days. Can you tell Gregg and Alice? Just ask them to keep it to themselves. The news will get hold of the information soon enough on their own.”
After receiving affirmations to her wishes, they talked for a long while. Brook used over two rolls of quarters before she could bring herself to hang up, to let go of the contact with her mama and papa, no matter how tenuous. She promised to call again as soon as she was home. She had a hard time convincing them not to jump on a plane and come immediately. “I have to deal with the police, and get back to Denver. If you could come after that...”
“I’ll do some rescheduling, get someone to cover my practice, and then we’ll be there, honey,” her dad said. “Within a week.”
“I love you,” Brook said. “Don’t worry. We’ll see each other soon.”
Brook stared at the receiver after she disconnected the call. Finally, she hung it up and turned to Lance. She was trembling when she went to him. He gathered her into his arms and held her until she stopped shaking.
“Now, I need to call Clark.” She pushed away from Lance with a small tug of guilt
“I’ll wait in the truck.” He slid into the seat and closed the door.
Brook returned to the phone and dialed the number for Clark’s cell phone. He didn’t pick up. When she got his voice mail, she paused, unprepared. Finally, she cleared her throat and said, “Clark, this is Brook. I’ll try to call your office. I’m safe, and I’m coming home.”
She then dialed his office and learned that Clark was in a meeting outside the office. Her message was simple. “Tell him his wife called.”
“That was fast,” Lance said as she climbed into the truck.
“He wasn’t available.” Brook looked out the window.
“Okay.” Lance started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. “To the sheriff’s office?”
“Yes,” she agreed.
Brook changed into the moccasins Lance had made for her while he drove. She ran her fingers through her hair and gently rubbed her eyes.
When Lance pulled up in front of the sheriff’s office, Brook gazed into his dark eyes for only a moment, the ache of their separation threatening to overwhelm her. She saw Lance struggling with the same torment. Quickly, she leaned in to kiss him goodbye. He met her halfway and they lingered briefly over the kiss. Neither spoke of their love, they had told each other many times the night before; the time had come to put these words aside.
Brook got out of the truck and walked up to the building. In the windows fronting the office, she could see the reflection of Lance sitting in his truck. Her heart squeezed. She blinked back tears as she watched him pull away.
Lance pointed his truck toward home. Although there was a lot he needed to replenish after the winter, there would be no shopping today. He needed the comforts of his cabin now.
Table of Contents
Praise for Zeke
Copyrights
Epigraph
Foreword
At First Sight
Moldy Joyce
Unfulfilled
‘Hard’ Work
Secret Love
Body and Soul
Dirty Dreams
Ménage à Trois
Lessons in Lovemaking
Robots to Serve the Collective
Daddy’s Bed
Snoopy Sue
Mean Eugene
Yellow Ribbons
Warning Signs
Big Ben
Under the Dock
Lovers’ Reunion
Gypsies
Hitting the Road
Hiring an Investigator
Partners in Crime
They Went That-a-Way
Skirts and Dresses
Big Wet Stain
Incommunicado
Bumping Uglies
At Knifepoint
Clueless
Hospital Zombies
The Love of a Good Woman
The Greater Evil
Candy is Dandy
Stuck at the Loony Bin
Mad Rapist
Trolling
Dilly Dally
Midnight Visitors
Vacuous Cow-Eyed Moron
A Really Bad Feeling
Tied to a Chair
Calling All the Shots
Planting Daisies
Backtracking
ATM Dream
Honky-Tonk
Friendly Vibes
Blood Games
Homicide in Four Falls
Sad Angel of St. Louis
Superman
In the Worst Way
Epilogue
Notes of Interest
Preview of Betrayed