Whispering Rock (Virgin River #3)(104)

“I hate you!”

“Yeah,” he said, hanging his head. He lifted his head. “Well, I love you, and I’m sorry this upsets you. I hope someday, like in about a million years, you’ll think back about this and even if you still hate me, maybe you’ll have some respect for me doing the right thing.”

She started to sob, shaking her head until her pretty, silky light brown hair fell over her face. “Why did you do this? Why? Now it’s going to get out. I shouldn’t have told you—I thought I could trust you! Now everyone will think I’m just a slut!” He reached for her and she pulled back. “Don’t touch me! Don’t you ever touch me!”

But he pulled her against him anyway and held her while she cried. And oh, man, she cried so hard he thought she was going to throw up. She started to gag, in fact, but he hung on until she exhausted herself. And he still hung on. “Why?” she kept saying to him. “Why? It wasn’t for you to do—it was for me to do if I wanted to.”

“Yeah? And if it happens to someone else because you didn’t say anything? And if someone dies?” he asked, but he asked gently even as he held her. “I don’t care that you aren’t saying anything about it. That’s your choice. You know what—you go ahead and hate me. You blame me if you want to, when we both know the real bad guy isn’t me. Thing is, I have to live with myself.”

She pulled out of his arms. “Well, I just hope you can.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “I can,” he said. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

The next day after school Tom drove his little red truck over to Jordan Whitley’s house. He ran up on the porch and knocked on the door. Jordan answered and Tom said, “Hey. Got my stuff?”

“Yeah, man,” he said, laughing. “You’re gonna love it.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little baggie and an envelope. When Tom reached for it he said, “Hey, forget something?”

“Oh, yeah. How much did you say?”

“Just a hundy, man. You’re gonna be so happy.”

“What we have here?” Tom asked.

“Roofies, ecstasy, meth. Made to order.”

“I changed my mind about the meth,” he said, and Jordan took back the little baggie. “So, I get a discount right?”

“Sorry, pal. They don’t exactly give refunds.”

“Ah,” Tom said. “You use this stuff a lot?” he asked. “The roofies?”

Jordan shrugged. “Coupla times. Just for kicks, you know.”

“Yeah,” he said, smiling. “Just for kicks.” He handed him a wad of bills, accepted the drugs and stepped out of the way.

A detective came around from each side of the house, plainclothes, badges out and aimed at Jordan. One was a young woman in a ball cap with a ponytail strung through the back—she looked not much older than Tom. She could have passed for a college girl, young looking and petite. The other undercover cop was a great big guy in jeans and a jacket. Both had guns, cuffs and tasers on their belts. “Police!” the girl said. “Jordan Whitley, you’re under arrest. We have a search warrant. Turn around, hands up against the house.”

The look on his face was priceless. It almost made Tom smile. Pure, horrified shock. “Hey!” he yelled. “Hey, what’s up with this!” But before he could even finish his sentence this little bitty girl had him whirled around, his legs kicked apart and was patting him down while the big guy stood over him, daring him to move.

While they cuffed him, he looked over his shoulder at Tom. “You’re gonna be so sorry, man.”

“Yeah, probably,” he said. “But I’ll never regret it.” Then he handed the envelope to the big detective and walked down the porch steps to his truck just as a patrol car pulled up and a uniformed officer got out. Down the street was a dark SUV with tinted windows, an unmarked police vehicle. Inside, watching the arrest, would be Detective Delaney and Mike. Tom went home to tell his family what he’d done.

Paul’s fifth wheel was hooked up to the back of his truck, and his bags were packed and sitting out on the front walk of the general’s house. Before going outside to leave, he put his arms around Vanessa and drew her against him, baby and all, and kissed her cheek. “Please come back very soon,” she whispered. “I could never have gotten through this without you.”

“I couldn’t have gotten through it without you, too,” he said. “You’ll be okay now, Vanni. If you need me, you just call.”

“I’m going to miss you more than you realize. You’ve been like one of the family,” she said.

“I know,” he said, and he thought, that’s why I have to go now. Because I can’t be like that to her anymore. Like a brother. It’s killing me. “Thank you for making me feel so welcome, so much a part of everything.”

“It was natural, Paul. It felt right, having you here. Now that the house is done, I’m afraid you won’t be around too much, and that’s gonna be awful.”

“Nah, I’ll be around. I come down regularly to meet up with the boys, to hunt or fish or play poker. Even if there’s no building to do here, there’s always that.”

“I’ll be taking the baby up to Grants Pass to see Matt’s folks. I’ll call you, okay?”