Chapter 32
He’d had the foresight to send their clothes out to be cleaned, so neither of them was wearing clothes that smelled of fear and blood and Dawson. As he helped Julia into the passenger seat of her car and closed the door, he acknowledged that it was probably safe for her to drive. But he wanted to keep driving. Just in case.
As soon as he slid into the driver’s seat, Julia swiveled around to study him. “Why are you still driving? Is there something I don’t know?”
There were a lot of things she didn’t know, including how he felt about her. But he shook his head. “Nope. I don’t think anyone’s going to try to T-bone you at an intersection, like Dawson did. Or do anything else dangerous.” One side of his mouth curled up. “I’m just more comfortable if I’m driving. It’s the alpha male in me.”
Julia’s eyes darkened. “I happen to lo… like the alpha side of you.”
“Yeah,” he said, holding her gaze. “I can tell.”
A horn blared behind him, and he pulled smoothly into the intersection, waving an apologetic hand at the car behind him.
Julia studied him with a tiny smile, as if remembering all the things they’d done together in the past couple days. He shifted uncomfortably on the seat. “You can’t do that at work,” he finally said.
“Do what?” She quirked an eyebrow as if she had no idea what he was talking about.
“Look at me like that. As if you want me to take you up against the wall in your office.” The thought made him swallow. Think unpleasant thoughts to regain control.
“I’ll try to behave myself,” she said, her voice low. Raspy. As if she was thinking about that wall in her office, too.
Trying to change the subject, he said, “Are you going to tell everyone that I’m not really a busser. That I’m your bodyguard?”
She sighed, and the flirty temptress vanished. “Hadn’t thought about it. But what would be the point? So everyone could stare at you all night? Ask you stupid personal questions?” She shook her head slowly. “No. Not gonna say a word.”
“What about after I’m gone?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to snatch them back. They hadn’t talked about his departure at all. It had been the elephant in the room for the past two days, and now he’d brought it into the car. It crowded into the back seat, its hot breath filling the car with regret.
She’d turned to stare out the side window. “No reason to tell anyone at the restaurant,” she finally said. “Bussers and servers leave all the time. There one day, gone the next. No one will question it when you disappear.”
She didn’t say anything about how she’d feel when he left. But he knew she’d be devastated. As much as he would be. She couldn’t make love to him with that passion and hunger if she didn’t feel deeply about him.
Shoving the thought away, he turned into the Madeline’s parking lot. In about ten hours, they’d walk out the door. Return to the hotel, where they’d fall into each other’s arms as soon as the door was closed. He could keep his hands off Julia for ten hours.
He hoped.
* * *
Two days after she returned to Madeline’s, Julia got a phone call from the Prosecuting Attorney of King County. When she saw the caller ID, she hurried into her office. Shut the door. “Hello?” she said cautiously.
“Ms. Stewart?” a male voice asked.
“Yes. This is Julia.”
“This is David Suter, the PA of King County. I want to fill you in on the case against your brother, Jeffrey Stewart.”
“Okay,” she said, clearing her throat. “What’s the status of the case?”
“Jeffrey Dawson took a plea deal,” he said. In exchange for not getting life without parole if he went to trial, he got sixty years in prison. He’ll be eligible for parole in thirty years, when he’s seventy-three years old.”
Cold dread settled in her stomach. “The first thing he’ll do is try to kill me,” she said.
“You’ll be notified when he has a parole hearing,” Suter said. “We’d welcome your input on that decision. Prior behavior is relevant to all parole decisions.”
Julia stared at the wall, devastated. Finally the PA said, “I know this is a difficult case for you. My office is here to help you. Reach out if you need answers to any questions.”
Julia swallowed. “I’ll do that, Mr. Suter. Thank you for the call.”
“It’s the least I could do.”