The Newcomer (Thunder Point #2)(80)

“You’re not as poor as she is, honey,” he said.

“She’s got a good cover going, then.”

“She’s in trouble.”

Gina turned to look up at him, questioning him with her eyes.

“I investigated her past and what I couldn’t learn from public records, I hired some help to dig up. I felt that was important, to keep the family safe. She married someone else before we were divorced, then divorced him with a sizable settlement that, of course, she didn’t deserve because she was never legally married to him. She could be prosecuted for that.”

“Will you turn her in?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. But if anyone runs a records search, if they look at Oregon docs and California docs, it jumps out. And that’s not just bigamy, it’s fraud. She knew she wasn’t free to marry. But with all she’s up against, that’s not really her biggest worry—she has a gambling problem. A doozy. She’s run through a fortune and she has debts.”

“Don’t you have to turn her in?”

“I’m not obligated to snitch on every person I’ve ever known who once did something wrong, not even in my jurisdiction. In fact, I probably did more damage to her just by telling her I knew. I offered her a ride to a Gamblers Anonymous meeting. Daggers shot out of her eyes. She’s not ready to admit to that. In fact,” he added with a humorless laugh, “she suggested I could help her with that debt.”

Gina leaned back against him. “Really? You have a stash somewhere you’re not talking about?”

“Uh-huh. I have a house, half a house, actually, a retirement account and a small savings for the kids to help with college.”

“No!” she said. “She would do that?”

He ran his fingers through her hair. “I believe she would do that. She said she could pay me back immediately. She’s staying at the casino hotel in North Bend. I think that means if I gave her money, she’d put it all on the table, trying to double it or triple it.”

“She ran through a fortune? Did you point out to her that she once had a fortune and she never sent a dollar of it to her children?”

He put his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her. “No,” he said. “I looked into her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes, and they were dead. She has so much she could do, but she has killed her own spirit. It’s very sad. I hope she gets help for that, but it’s not going to happen today.” He leaned toward her and gave her a brief kiss. “Our lives are richer in every way.” And then he pulled her in for a deeper kiss.

And then he let her slide back into her position between his long legs. “Will you tell the kids?” she asked.

“Eventually,” he said. “I guess they’ll have to know, but I want to make sure they’re capable of understanding. I think Cee Jay will probably leave the area now—she knows I know everything. I told her if I wanted to, I could make a call to the Los Angeles prosecutor’s office. I pity her, but I’m not screwing around with her anymore. There’s nothing I can do for her. She’s on her own.”

He slid an arm around her from behind, holding her, her back comfortably at rest against him. He took a drink of his beer, then nuzzled her hair. She was so soft and fresh. And for a woman who had so much going on in her life, she was so uncomplicated.

They sat in silence, just having a beer together. After ten or fifteen minutes of peace and quiet and a half beer each, she asked, “Tell me what you’re thinking, Mac.”

“I’m just thinking how ready I am to move on.”

“Well, your ex-wife is pretty unpredictable. It’s a thing you might never get completely resolved.”

“You’re right about that. If I’m not real lucky, I might have to deal with her from time to time, but I still want to move on. Because she may have more surprises in store for me in coming years, but I’m all done with her. I think the kids and Lou are safe from her manipulations and plots. If Cee Jay proves to be a problem from time to time, it won’t be because any of us is vulnerable. I hope I’m not being overly optimistic in thinking she’s starting to understad that.”

“I think she’s going to be lurking in the back of your mind forever....”

“No, babe. Not in my mind—that’s on a different track. She could make attempts to mess with my peace of mind, but I’ll be vigilant. Hell, that’s how I am, anyway. It’s hard to uncop a guy, if you know what I mean. The worst part about my meeting with her today was that I sat with my back to the room in the hotel restaurant.” He laughed and shook his head. “But I’m turning my life over to you. I’ve given this issue all I’ve got to give it.”

She turned and looked up at him. “And what am I supposed to do?”

“I think we should put our heads together and make some plans for our own future. I know it’s complicated, but there must be a way we can get married. Maybe not next weekend, but the sooner the better.”

She turned to look up into his eyes. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“More than you can know.”

She turned around and knelt between his legs, her hands on his shoulders. “Do you think Lou and the kids can deal with it?”

“Lou’s been telling me I need a woman in my life for years, but I’ll sit down with her. As for the kids, the most stable thing our girls seem to have is each other. But—once Lou’s on board, we should try to figure out the details. We have to combine our families.”