Max hitched me up across his chest until my lips hovered over his. “Didn’t I just say that?”
“Yeah.” I lay there, unmoving for a minute. “If I say I love you, too, and that I’ve been thinking it for days, if not weeks, will you believe me?”
The smile he gave me lit up his whole face. “Why the hell wouldn’t I believe you? My girlfriend doesn’t lie.”
Joy welled up in me, erasing all the fear and doubts I’d had all day. “No, she doesn’t. But she does have a confession to make.”
Max kissed the tip of my nose. “Oh, really? What’s that?”
“As much as I enjoy James Bond, he’s not anywhere near as sexy as my boyfriend, and even if it makes me less of a super fan, I’d rather go into my bedroom right now and show my very sexy, very hot, very wonderful boyfriend exactly how much I love him ... and just how passionate I can be.”
With speed that made my head spin, Max was on his feet, lifting me into his arms and cradling my body against his chest.
“Does that make me double oh sexy?” he teased, pausing just long enough to turn off the television.
He had me in the bedroom and on my bed in seconds. Somehow both of us were naked in less time than it took me to reply, giggling at my own pun.
“It means that we both have alicense to thrill.”
* * *
“Excuse me. Are you Samantha Crewe?”
I glanced up from the book I’d been reading at my desk. One of the perks of my position was that I was not only permitted to read on the job; it was actually encouraged. I’d been deep in a historical tome about one of Ulysses S. Grant’s aides during the latter days of the Civil War when I was interrupted by a light knock at my open door and a tentative voice.
Marking the page and closing the book, I stood up, smiling at the young woman who appeared to be a few years younger than me. “Yes, I’m Samantha. How can I help you?”
She stepped into my office, twisting the strap of a pretty red purse between her fingers. “My name is Tracie Framer. I, uh ...” She took a deep breath. “I needed to talk to you about the protest tomorrow. I’m sorry to bother you at work, but it’s kind of urgent. This couldn’t wait.”
I frowned, my heart falling a little. I hadn’t decided definitively what I was doing about the rally that was scheduled for the next afternoon. I felt at peace about Max and his reaction, but I wasn’t sure anymore that we were on the right side in this cause.
“Please sit down.” I indicated a chair across from my desk. “Did you want to get involved in the rally? We have quite a few point of contact volunteers, and I can give you their names and numbers.”
“No.” She shook her head adamantly. “I don’t want anything to do with it. The thing is, I don’t want you to have it. I was hoping you could cancel the whole thing.”
“Oh.” I sat back in my seat. “Can you explain why?”
She ran her tongue over her lips, nerves evident in every movement. “See, the thing is, Billy Johnson was my boyfriend. We used to—I used to—well, we lived together for about six months. But I moved out and left him about seven weeks ago.”
“Okay.” I remembered a few comments I’d heard from other people, and a chill crept up my spine.
“Billy isn’t a nice guy.” Tracie leaned forward, her gaze intent on me. “He’s—he’s mean, he’s nasty, and he’s a bully. I heard that before we dated, but he was sweet to me at first.” She waved one hand in the air between us. “I know, that’s what everyone says. But it was true. I had just broken up with a guy who left me when he went away to college, and Billy was so nice in the beginning. He listened to me cry about my other boyfriend, and then eventually, I don’t know. I thought I was in love with Billy. When he asked me to move in, I figured I’d finally found the man for me. Even though people tried to tell me different, I thought I’d changed him. I didn’t think he could ever be cruel to me.”
“Oh.” I closed my eyes. I already knew where this was going. “Until he was.”
“Until he was,” Tracie agreed. “It was little stuff at first. Pushing me when he got mad. Yelling when I messed up food or was late getting home. And then it was worse. Finally, he hauled off and punched me in the face, and I guess that shook the sense into me, because that night, I packed up and left.”
“I’m sorry.” I reached across the desk and squeezed the girl’s hand. “I can’t imagine what you went through.”
“Yeah, well, it could’ve been worse. I could’ve stayed. But I didn’t. I got out, and I was doing okay. That night at the Crater was the first time I’d gone out since I left Billy. I was with my girlfriends, and I thought everything would be okay. I met this really cute soldier from Fort Lee, and we weren’t doing anything. I mean, Char—that’s one of my friends—she went outside with the guy she’d been talking to. But I was just enjoying some conversation. And then he was so sweet, and I just leaned up to give him a kiss, nothing more. Next thing I knew, I was on the ground. Billy had grabbed me and thrown me down, and he started yelling at the guy and at me. Called me a cheating bitch. When I said that I didn’t belong to him, he backhanded me and I just went down. Would’ve hit the floor if Private Reardon hadn’t caught me.”
She fell silent. My stomach churned, and regret and sympathy vied for my attention. “That’s why Private Reardon hit him, then. He was protecting you.”
Tracie nodded, her face miserable. “And I knew it, and I tried to tell the cops, but they didn’t want to hear, and then a bunch of people told me to stay quiet and shut up. They said that Billy was hurt bad and might die, and that if I spoke up, I could be considered, like, an accomplice. Now I’m not stupid, but I also know that sometimes innocent people get the rap for shit they didn’t do.”
“I understand.” My lips were dry. “Have you gone to the police now? Do they know this part of the story?”
“Yeah.” She pulled her hand from mine and went back to twisting her purse strap. “That’s why they dropped the charges against the soldier. A couple of other people stood up, too, and confirmed what I’d said. It was definitely self-defense. Or maybe in defense of me.” She shrugged. “Plus, Billy’s going to be fine. I heard that from someone who used to be a friend of his. He might get some disability for a while, but his brain is as good as it ever was.” She made a face. “Not that that’s saying much.”
