Chapter 22

SETH

“~Indie~!” Seth jumped to his feet and tried to reach for Indie’s hand, but Tereza stood in the way, the gleam in her brown eyes telling him that her position was deliberate.

He rested his hands on his hips, his head hanging heavily as he closed his eyes and tried to forget the image of Indie’s tortured eyes as she left. “What are you doing here?”

His voice was so low and gruff with emotion that he wasn’t sure she had heard him.

“I’m celebrating my freedom with some friends.” She smiled as she took a sip from the glass in her hand.

He glared at her with narrowed eyes and was satisfied to see her confidence slip a bit. “It’s pure orange juice! I’m not fucking up my parole…”

“What are you doing ~out~?”

He watched her shrug and try to maintain her blasé air, but he also knew her well enough to see the cracks.

She took a step back, her face paling under the artfully applied makeup. “I got an early release.”

“Why?”

“I—I saved someone’s life—”

“Wow, I’m glad you eventually discovered the value of life.” His voice was rough with sarcasm.

He walked around the table, both to collect Indie’s jacket from the chair where she had left it and to put some space between himself and his ex-wife.

“Why are you freezing me out, Seth?”

His head reared up as he stared at her in shock, his entire body frozen at her question. And then he laughed, the sound coming from his stomach and escaping in a harsh bark.

“Okay…humor me, Tereza. Why do you think I’m doing it?”

“Because I had to go away for a while.”

“Wow,” he breathed in disbelief. “You think that I am freezing you out because you ~went away~?” he asked slowly.

“It couldn’t be helped, caro. It was just for a short while.” She reached up to cup his jaw again, but he lifted his face out of her reach.

“You make it sound like you were on a vacation or you went away for work,” Seth probed, his eyes narrowing as he watched for her reaction.

He swallowed his fear when she laughed again, the sound almost hysterical.

“I wasn’t on holiday, silly!” Seth’s sigh of relief was cut short. “People separated me from you.”

He gave a laugh of disbelief as he shook his head. She had lost her sanity. “Tereza?”

“Yes?” Her expression was all innocence.

“What about Ranya?” he asked softly.

“Who?”

Ten years as a Marine and seven years in law enforcement had taught him to detect a lie in all its forms, so it surprised him that her confusion was genuine. Or she was a fucking good actress.

“Why do you think you went to prison, Tereza?” he asked carefully.

“Some people said I caused an accident.”

“Some—” Seth stared at her in growing horror. “Tereza, you ~killed~ four people…”

She laughed as she shook her head. “I wouldn’t have killed one person, Seth, never mind four.”

“Tereza, why do you think I divorced you?”

This had her laughing with genuine mirth. She leaned against him as she wiped tears from her eyes.

“Don’t be stupid, Seth! Why on earth would you divorce me? We only got married last month…”

***

Seth tugged at his tie and straightened his formal jacket as he scanned the vast ballroom for threats.

He was there as the department representative, but it was second nature for him to check for security breaches, especially with so many high-ranking officials in one place.

Though he was going through the movements and saying the right things, his mind couldn’t move away from the insanity he had experienced before walking away from Tereza more than an hour ago.

He had peeled Tereza’s hand from his arm and walked away without saying another word.

~The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland could have learned a thing or two from his ex-wife~, Seth thought.

He had driven to Silver Reflections to see if Indie had sought refuge there, but the shop was dark and the door was locked. He had gone to her apartment, but it was also locked up.

There was only one other place he would find her, but he wasn’t sure if he had enough courage to face Grace Li, not after his encounter with his—literally—crazy ex-wife.

But his need to see that Indie was okay was stronger than his fear of Grace.

~***~

~Knocking on the door of the Lis’ cottage was as daunting as picking up the base admiral’s daughter for junior prom. ~

~There was silence from the other side of the door, and then hushed murmuring with Grace calling “Maamaa!” just before it was opened by Faith.~

~She didn’t say a word but just glared at him with her black gaze, her lips pursed tightly together. ~

~He held Indie’s jacket out to her, the scent of vanilla and mint wafting between them in the soft breeze that stirred up the snow surrounding their tidy porch. ~

~“I promise, Faith, Tereza deliberately made Indigo think that we are still married.” His voice was soft as he made the apology. ~

~“I got us here and I want to fix things between us, but I know that Indie needs time. I’ll wait. When she’s ready she can let me know. I’m not going anywhere.” ~

~“Why?” Her voice was so cold. “This is your chance to walk away.” ~

~“Why would I walk away from the woman who stole my heart, Faith?” ~

~“Because you broke hers.” ~

~His heart still jerked every time he remembered the sound of the door slamming shut, sealing Indie within the protective embrace of the only family she knew.~

***

“Sergeant Marshall!” The mayor’s exuberant greeting pulled him out of his morose reverie.

“This is Doctor Fatima Abrahams. She consults with the Johnson County Police Department, and I would like to incorporate her services with your office.”

Seth quirked an eyebrow at the woman standing next to the mayor.

She was five-foot-four with dark brown hair framing an oval face and intelligent brown eyes that stared up at him with curiosity.

Her aqua-colored floor-length dress flowed over a body that made a man’s mind wander.

He held out his hand. “Seth Marshall. In what capacity do you consult, Doctor Abrahams?”

“I do behavioral analysis on perpetrators.”

“Seriously?”

“I also do psychological assessments on law enforcement officers.” She gave him a knowing smile.

“The mayor told you about my aggressive arrest yesterday.”

She laughed. “Yes, he did. He also asked me to have a chat with you because it’s not part of your DNA to be aggressive.”

It was Seth’s turn to laugh. “He doesn’t know me very well, Doctor. I was an extraction expert in the Marines.”

“Fatima, please.” Seth acknowledged her unspoken request to drop formalities with a nod.

“My partner would know more about the military side of things, Sergeant, as she does the counseling for our armed forces.”

“It is a much-needed service. Our forces don’t always have the resources to look after all the men and women who come back from their deployments.”

He thanked the server who handed him a glass of apple juice. “And I’m Seth.”

Suddenly, Fatima gave a radiant smile as they were joined by a gentleman who hooked an arm around her waist. “This is my husband, David.”

The two men shook hands, and they had a pleasant conversation until Seth was beckoned away by the mayor.

He liked the couple and he knew that Indie would enjoy Fatima’s company, but the chasm in his heart widened when he remembered that because of him, the two women might never meet.