Witness in the Dark (Love Under Fire #1)(81)



But she was already putting hers beside her plate. She stopped to look at him. They both laughed.

She sat down. “It smells great.”

He picked up the wine and filled her glass. She took a sip.

“You did great today,” he said. “Very concise, but likeable. The jury ate it up.”

She smiled at his praise, and hoped he was right. “Thanks.”

“Are you ready for tomorrow?”

Tomorrow would be the defense’s turn to cross-examine her, to try to throw her off track. Hugh had made it sound like pure torture, and she was dreading the ordeal.

“I think so. The DA has gone over their possible questions with me again and again. I know they’ll be mean and try to make me sound like a liar. But I’m not lying, so they can try all they want.” She took another sip of wine. “I just want it to be over so I can move on.” She sighed. “Not that anyone has told me where I’ll be moving on to.”

Her father pursed his lips. “I’ll see if I can find out.”

“Thanks. It finally pays off to have a Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal for a father.”

“Finally,” he said with a laugh.

“Can I ask you something personal?”

“Of course.” He looked a little nervous.

“Did you love my mother?”

He smiled and relaxed. “Yes. At one time, I loved her very much. I hated that I had to lie to her every night when I came home. It was no way to have a marriage. I wanted her to be happy.”

“You gave her up because of your job.”

“Yes. And have regretted it every day since,” he said sadly.

It was the second time he’d said it, and she truly believed him.

They were silent for a few seconds before he changed the subject to something just as difficult. “Have you heard from Garrett lately?” He must have guessed the real reason for her question.

“He called this morning. He wanted to wish me luck and apologize.”

Her father straightened in his chair. “Apologize for what?”

“He feels bad about what happened. Not that he should. He was very honest and told me up front we wouldn’t have a future. I guess I still had some stupid hopes, though… Silly dreams.”

Her father cleared his throat. “I’m new at this fatherly advice stuff, and not sure how to be diplomatic in this situation. I admire McKendrick. He is one of my best men. But I’d still like to shoot him for causing you pain. You shouldn’t have to make do with hopes and dreams. You deserve to be loved unconditionally, someone’s top priority. Don’t settle for anything less.”

“Thanks.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. It was weird having a parent all of the sudden. “Please don’t shoot him. He’s a good guy at heart.”

“Yes, well, he asked me to give you this.” Her father held out an envelope. “I really wanted to open it to make sure it wouldn’t upset you, but I didn’t. I’m trying to be respectful of your privacy.”

Warily, she took the envelope and turned it over in her hands. There was no name written on it. Just a blank business-size envelope.

She ran her thumb under the flap and ripped it open. Inside, was a necklace with an aquamarine charm and a note that simply said, I always keep my promises.

She couldn’t help herself. Tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks.

“What is it?” her father demanded when he saw her tears.

“Nothing bad. Just replacing something I’d lost.” She fastened the necklace around her neck, and swiped at the moisture on her cheeks.

Her father frowned when he saw the wedding band she still wore on her finger. “What’s with the ring?”

She shrugged, not wanting to tell him the truth. “Just part of my outfit.”

He looked dubious, but let it go. When dinner was finished, he gave her a hug and a kiss, and turned her over to Angel and Justin, who’d been hiding out in the hall.

“Get some rest,” he ordered her.

She smiled. “You’re starting to sound like a dad.”

“I’ll try to move my schedule around so I can stop by again tomorrow. Maybe we can have another dinner together. Would you like that?”

“That would be nice.”

“I’ll let you know. Don’t count on me until you hear back, though.”

She understood loud and clear, she was only a small piece of his life, not a top priority. Still, it was better than nothing.

Before she crawled into bed, she went to the window and looked out at the lights. Was Garrett out there somewhere, still watching her?





Chapter Sixty-Seven


Garrett sat by the window of the empty apartment with his cold Chinese food. He set down the chopsticks to pick up his binoculars and sweep the building directly across from him again.

Sam was almost through this. He would see to it she made it.

It wasn’t that he doubted his team. Not this one. He’d known Angel and Justin for years, and they would protect her with their lives as they were trained to do. But he needed to be here, with eyes on her.

He jumped at the sound of the door opening behind him. He turned to see SD Thorne walk into the room.

His boss frowned at the lawn chairs and cot. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

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