Belong to You Page 13

  After their night and morning together, how could she say, “The sex was great and I’m in love with you. By the way, I have been lying to you by omission this whole time. I’ve given Chad ammunition to chip away at your credibility and my family is here from Mexico illegally. Please don’t report them.”

  Her stomach twisted, a sick feeling deep in her gut. She thought she might vomit from the spinning of her thoughts and the ugliness she was immersed in.

  The beauty of making love with Mike, the amazing way he had shown her a depth of caring she didn’t deserve, was rapidly eating away at her.

  Dear God, what am I supposed to do?

  Mike coaxed her into conversation about the upcoming debate on Wednesday, and the event they had gone to yesterday. He had a knack of knowing what she didn’t want to talk about, however, at one point he said, “Something’s bothering you, Anna. Do you want to talk about it?”

  She froze when he asked the question. This was the moment she should spill everything.

  “Nothing.” The lie didn’t come easy, but it was all she could get out. “The event yesterday was long. I’m a little tired from it.”

  She was certain he didn’t believe her, but he didn’t press her. As he drove, she looked out at the rain-washed high desert and tried to corral her thoughts. They pinged and bounced everywhere and she couldn’t seem to focus on any one thing.

  When they finally reached Prescott, she breathed a sigh of relief. They reached her house with plenty of time for her to make the late morning mass. Her uncle’s truck was parked in front of the house. A black Cadillac was across the street, a vehicle she didn’t recognize as belonging to anyone who lived nearby. The neighbors must have company.

  For a moment she was worried Mike would ask to go inside her home, but she circumvented it by saying, “I’d better hurry. We have to leave for church.”

  He nodded. “Glad we got back in time for you to go.” He climbed out of the truck, went to the passenger side, and helped her out.

  She bit the inside of her lower lip looked at him, feeling a whirlwind of emotions from love to need to sadness to guilt. The guilt obliterated everything else.

  “I had a great time,” she said as she tried to come up with more to say. But all she managed was a lame, “Thank you.”

  He cupped her face in his hands and brushed his lips over hers. “I’ll call you this evening.”

  She nodded as he released her face before she turned and hurried up the sidewalk to the steps. Her heels clicked on the stone as she walked up them. When she reached her front door, she glanced over her shoulder to see him watching her. She managed a little wave before opening the door and let herself inside.

  Tears threatened the backs of her eyes, but when her two young cousins rushed in, she put on a smile. They both hugged her and she squeezed them to her in return.

  “Were you two good for your mom and dad?” she asked.

  Five-year-old Josie nodded enthusiastically. “You wore that outfit yesterday.”

  Before Anna could respond, Pablo said, “That man who came to church is here to see you. He’s in the kitchen with Mamá and Papá.”

  A cold chill rolled over her skin and she remembered the Cadillac parked across the street. Chad.

  Chad walked into the living room from the kitchen. “Hi, Anna.”

  Her features froze. “What are you doing here?”

  He smirked. “I had a nice talk with your aunt and uncle. They’re very hospitable.”

  Anna turned to the kids. “Tell your mom and dad that I’ll be back in just a moment and I’ll hurry and get ready for church.”

  Josie nodded and darted from the living room to the kitchen. Pablo, on the other hand, looked from her to Chad and back.

  He started to say something but Anna laid a hand on his shoulder. “Go on now.”

  With a frown, he turned and walked into the kitchen.

  Anna opened the front door. “We’ll talk out here.”

  She didn’t wait for him and stepped out onto the porch. Anger combined with fear caused her body to tremble as he followed her out. She shut the door firmly behind them.

  Chin raised, she folded her arms across her chest. “What are you doing here?” she repeated.

  “Stopping by to see what you have for me.” The smirk hadn’t left his face. “Thought I’d say hello to Aunt Maria and Uncle Tito while I was waiting for you.”

  “Stay away from my family.” She clenched her arms tighter against her chest. “Call me next time.”

  A dangerous glint sparked in his eyes. “You are not the one who gets to say how I contact you.”

  Her face flushed with heat and she ground her teeth. “I don’t have anything to tell you that would interest you.”

  “Oh, I think you do have something that interests me considerably.” He casually looked at the street where Mike had dropped her off and returned his gaze to hers. “You’re fucking McBride.”

  The heat in her face traveled across every inch of her body. She uncrossed her arms and fisted her hands at her sides. “I just told you that I have nothing on Mike.”

  Chad narrowed his gaze. “You’d better or your aunt and uncle can kiss the American dream goodbye.” The heat in her body turned to ice. He started to leave but paused. “I expect something from you by Wednesday morning.”

  He clearly wanted something on Mike for the debate that night.

  She remained rigid as she stared after Chad and watched him walk out of her front yard, across the street, and to the Cadillac. He opened the door and climbed inside. She didn’t move until he’d driven out of sight.

  Tears rushed forward and down her cheeks. She put her hand over her mouth to cover her sobs. Everything slammed into her at once and her knees almost buckled. She sat down hard on a bench beside the front door and buried her face in her hands.

  * * * * *

  Anna had managed to avoid Mike for the past two days by claiming to be sick, and that she hadn’t felt well enough to talk on the phone. But today was Wednesday and she needed to be at the debate tonight. She was counting on things being too busy to have to talk with him much.

  It was early when she went into the campaign office. Angel was already there but Megan hadn’t come in yet.

  “How are you feeling?” Angel asked when Anna walked in.

  “Much better.” Anna still felt sick in her gut, but that wasn’t exactly something she could share with Angel. Anna felt guilty for lying to Angel and Mike about being ill.

  Anna went to her desk and busied herself, avoiding talking to Angel as much as she could. Today was the day that Chad had demanded she hand him something on Mike.

  Maybe she should have come in and tried to find something on him to give to Chad, but she hadn’t been able to get herself to do it. It made her sick to think about betraying Mike any more than she already had and at the same time she felt ill from the danger to her aunt and uncle.

  She would just beg Chad for more time even though she had no intention of giving him any fuel against Mike. If she could put Chad off, maybe she’d be able to come up with some way out of this.

  As she worked on last minute details on the debate, she came to a conclusion that she should have seriously considered days ago. She and her family needed to move somewhere they would be safe from Chad. Now she just needed to put him off.

  A call came in on her cell phone at ten and she now recognized the number as Chad’s. When she answered, he said, “What do you have for me, Anna?”

  “I’ve been sick with a cold.” She kept her voice low so that Angel wouldn’t hear. “This is my first day back in the office. I need more time to find something for you.”

  “I told you today.” His voice sounded harsh.

  “I’m sorry.” She swallowed, her mind racing. “Please give me another few days and I’ll get what you want.”

  The long moment of silence that passed caused her stomach to twist. “All right,” he finally said. “Take all the time you need.”


  He disconnected the call and Anna’s skin prickled. How had he gone from demanding information for today and then telling her to take all the time she needed? What was he up to?

  Maybe nothing. She set her mobile phone on the desktop as her mind whirled. Her phone rang again, startling her. She glanced at the screen to see that it was Mike. She couldn’t talk to him now, not when she was feeling like she was going to crawl out of her skin, so she sent the call to voice mail.

  She set about making sure all last minute preparations were ready for the debate tonight. She was determined to see Mike come through it with flying colors.

  Chapter 19

  Mike pulled his department SUV into the parking lot and turned off the ignition. For a long moment he stared at the town hall. Anna filled his thoughts and warmed him. He’d tried to call her but she hadn’t been feeling well. Her voice had sounded thick, and she’d said she was coming down with a cold. Angel said Anna had made it to work today, but the day had been so damned busy that Mike hadn’t had a chance to get over to the campaign office.

  Despite his memories of his time spent with Anna, a deep feeling of unease had him off-balance. He wasn’t sure why he felt as if the other shoe was about to drop. Maybe it had to do with Reg Schmidt, maybe not.

  Still frowning, Mike climbed out of the SUV and shut the vehicle door before heading toward the town hall building. It was dark but still early enough that the parking lot was almost empty. Wouldn’t be long before parking spaces would be difficult to find.

  Unease had stayed with him all day and he couldn’t shake it off. That wasn’t like him and he wondered what was behind it. It couldn’t be the debate—he’d never had a problem with nerves and he found it easy to talk about things he was passionate about.

  When he got inside the building, he went backstage and ran into Angel.

  “Are you ready?” Angel adjusted his tie and stepped back to look at him. “I was proud of the boy you were and I’m so very proud of the man you turned out to be.”

  Mike brought her into his arms and hugged her. “I think you’re pretty special too, Mom.”

  Tingles slid down Mike’s spine and he knew someone was behind him. Not unpleasant tingles at all. He kissed Angel on top of her head then stepped back with a smile before looking over his shoulder to see Anna.

  Damn, just seeing her made his heart jerk hard. She was beautiful as always, but today she looked drawn and like something heavy was on her mind.

  Angel squeezed his hands, drawing his attention back to her. “I’ve got some things to take care of. Knock ’em dead.”

  He gave her a grin. “Just for you.”

  She smiled and walked into the growing mass of people backstage.

  Mike looked at Anna again and moved toward her. She looked nervous. When he reached her, he ran his knuckles along her chin and she visibly shivered.

  “Everything all right, honey?” He settled his palms on her upper arms. “Are you over your cold?”

  “I’m still a little sick.” She put up her hands as if trying to keep some distance between them. “I don’t want you to come down with this, too.”

  “Don’t worry about me.” He felt the heat of her body through her dress and wanted to press himself to her, wanted to feel her body against his.

  She put her hands on his chest and pushed. “Please.”

  A quality was in her tone that made him frown. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She shook her head then pursed her lips. After a brief hesitation, she added, “I really need to talk with you after the debate.”

  He continued rubbing her arms through her dress sleeves. “I’ll take you out to dinner.”

  She hesitated and he thought he saw longing in her eyes. “No. We need to talk someplace private.”

  “All right.” He gave a slow nod, feeling a little puzzled. “We’ll make it happen.”

  “Thanks.” She reached into a black leather case attached to a strap that hung from her shoulder. She pulled out some papers and handed them to him. “Some things for you to go over.”

  He flipped through the pages then looked at Anna. Her gaze darted around the backstage that was growing denser and denser with the number of people. She went still and her features seemed pale.

  When she looked back at Mike, she said, “I’ve got to go take care of a few things. I’ll see you after the debate.”

  Before he could say anything, she was gone.

  He’d never been one to feel so much uncertainty about something he cared deeply about, and he cared more for her than he was ready to admit.

  Maybe he should admit it. Maybe he should tell her exactly what he thought and how he felt.

  He was in love with her. Head over boot heels in love.

  The thought caused his belly to pitch then settle. He felt a confidence about Anna that he’d never felt with anyone before. He couldn’t imagine anything she had to tell him that could possibly change anything between them. Nothing short of murder.

  By the time the debate was ready to start, the town hall was crowded and it was standing room only. Mike nodded to people he knew as he walked onto the stage. He walked across the stage and stood behind one podium while Chad stood behind the other. Mike normally felt comfortable with public speaking. Today felt off somehow, but he was still confident that he would be able to handle anything that came his way.

  Mike looked into the audience and saw friends and other people he’d had interactions with over the years. Anna was sitting to his far left, in a seat next to the outside aisle. Her gaze met his and he started to smile at her but she quickly looked away.

  He managed to hold back a frown. She hadn’t returned his call today and they had only spoken briefly before he had to take the stage. Something was wrong beyond her having been sick for a few days. He had a hunch she was regretting their night and morning together.

  Tonight, after the debate, he’d let her know how he felt about her. He wasn’t going to let her pull away from him, not when he was certain she was as crazy about him as he was about her. He had seen it in her eyes, felt it in her touches. It had not been just about sex between the two of them. It had been far more.

  The moderator, Sybil Renfrew, a Prescott councilwoman, lobbed the first question at Chad when the debate officially started. Sybil was tough but professional and Mike respected her.

  As the debate progressed, Chad’s expression grew more and more smug, making Mike wonder what the hell the man was up to. Chad claimed that the sheriff’s department budget was not being handled correctly, that the jail system was in trouble, and that crime was on the rise.

  Mike easily refuted all of Chad’s accusations and in turn pointed out his opponent’s lack of experience in law enforcement and in handling budgets on the scale of the sheriff’s department.

  When Sybil brought up the issue of illegal immigration, Chad’s expression went serious, as if he was loath to give the information he was about to deliver.

  “I don’t want to mud sling, but it just isn’t right and the constituents of Yavapai County should know the truth about a serious matter.” He paused and hair prickled at Mike’s nape. Chad continued, “Sheriff McBride is dating a woman, Anna Batista, who lives with and supports two illegal immigrants from Mexico, her aunt and uncle.”

  The room went totally silent and Mike’s mind reeled. What in the hell was Chad up to? Anna couldn’t—

  Mike’s gaze locked on Anna and he saw everything written on her features. Horror and fear had immobilized her and her face had a shocked expression.

  Chad went on with a serious look. “It was my duty as a law-abiding citizen to make authorities aware of their illegal status. U.S. Border Patrol agents should be at her home now and will be arresting her aunt and uncle then deporting them back to Mexico.”

  Mike couldn’t take his eyes off of Anna as terror filled her expression. She hesitated only a moment before she got up from her seat and fled out of the town hall.

  The
hall was suddenly in an uproar, people standing and shouting, but their words were incoherent beneath the buzzing in Mike’s ears.

  Chad continued, “Being the Yavapai County Sheriff requires someone with a strong awareness and the tenacity to take charge and make tough decisions when needed. That’s what I had to do today.”

  “Sheriff,” Sybil’s voice broke through Mike’s shock and he turned his attention to her. The exclamations in the room died down. “What is your response to your opponent’s accusations?”

  “I have no knowledge of the validity of Mr. Johnson’s claim.” But Mike had seen it on Anna’s face as clearly as if she’d said the words aloud. His mind was nearly numb as he continued, “My office will be conducting an investigation.”

  Mike’s focus was shaken and he had to fight to gain control of his emotions, to push aside the pain of Anna’s deception and the shock of what was clearly the truth. It took everything he had to concentrate on the debate.

  Afterward, he was besieged by reporters and constituents and he repeated over and over again that an investigation would take place immediately.

  At the same time, he thought of the terror on Anna’s face and it was like an icepick to his heart. Whatever he would go through now, what she would be facing was far worse.

  * * * * *

  Nothing seemed real as Anna drove faster than she ever had in her life as she sped to her neighborhood. Fury over what Chad had done churned with the fear of what was happening at this very moment. How could he have done this? All in the name of making his opponent look bad, he didn’t care what lives he destroyed.

  Damn that bastard! Damn him.

  The moment she turned onto her street, she saw the flashing lights of Border Patrol and Prescott Police Department vehicles that were parked in front of her home.

  Tires screeched as she brought the car to a hard stop in front of the house and hurried out of the vehicle. Not bothering to lock her door, she ran toward the front porch where her two young cousins were sitting on a step.