Chapter 13

Drivers paused for second looks at the statuesque young woman. But Blythe walked sightlessly through the night, her head full of thoughts and images of the family she had just left.

Her heart had been in her throat in fear of Bobby rejecting her attempted seduction, despite Sammy's laughing assurances in the past that the sight of her bare chest would mesmerize him. Now, as brief as their joining had been, her body still had a delicious ache from having Bobby inside her.

Then after Pete's disruption in the driveway, Sammy's tender care of Barbara had been beautiful to see. It brought back memories of Sammy holding Blythe when she'd needed to be held; of Sammy kissing her; of Sammy lying between her thighs.

She shivered, rubbing her arms as she walked. Barbara's distress tonight was such a contrast to her usual resilience. She had often envied Julie her experience with the strong and sensual mother - Barbara literally nursed the tough young woman through her nightmares of abuse by her father.

"Why can't my family be like that?" she thought wistfully.

If her mother knew Bobby had been in her daughter, however briefly, there might be a moving van at their door in the morning. But as much as she enjoyed being with Sammy and Julie, she needed what Bobby could give her. The young woman was ready to burst out, whether her mom was ready or not.

She made a mental note to push Bobby again to resume playing ball, which would give them more chances for stolen moments in her mother's 'safe zone.' The only place Blythe's mother trusted her daughter out of her sight was on the ball field. She hoped fervently that Bobby would remember when it was safe to call her at home, lest he set off her mom's hatred of all things male.

She began rehearsing her responses to the questioning she was certain to receive when she got home. She had her story just about down pat when she turned the last corner to her home and pulled up short. Her mother was standing on the front porch; there was a strange car in the driveway.

"So how's your mom these days?" Drew asked. Sandy had put him to work tearing lettuce for the late-night dinner she had planned. They were drinking from a bottle of white wine that she'd had him open.

Sandy grinned wryly. "You know, if we're going to date, you're really going to have to stop thinking about my mother."

"Oh, now darlin', you don't have to worry about that." He grinned. "But you can't blame me - Stacy was pretty hot when I was as a kid."

"Don't you 'oh darlin' me. I'm pretty sure your sister did some things with the older crowd at camp, long before you did with my crowd. But that was a long time ago."

"Well I'm not as curious about their parties as Kendall was, sweetie." He saw her roll her eyes at him. "But I have to say, the idea of settling down with someone that understands the lifestyle is pretty appealing."

"Settling down – you, Drew Payton, the scourge of the women of the South?"

"Now, now, don't be like that. It's true I have been single my whole life, but I've been thinking maybe it's time for a change."

"But with someone that would be okay with swinging?" she teased.

"Well, now that you mention it, a hot younger woman that's great in bed, and might be interested in swinging after marriage, would be ideal. Do you know any women like that?"

"What makes you think I'd be interested in someone so much older than me?" she said archly.

"I have all sorts of qualifications for the position. We both like working in education. You prefer manly men, and I'm an ex-jock that coaches football, bossing around the biggest young studs in our school. We're both open to the lifestyle, even if it's not our main thing. And I learned about it at the same place your mom did, at different times.

"As far as being older, it's true I changed your diapers back in the day, but I still want to date you even though I've wiped poop off your butt. What's not to love?"

She burst out laughing, then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"I'll always love you Drew. You can definitely help me heal, after..."

He hugged her tightly. "I'll be glad to do that, sweetheart. Ever since I've gotten to town, everyone that knew him told me Ron was a good man."

Sandy hesitated a moment. "Have you found out anything more about what happened?"

Sandy had asked Drew to use his father's law enforcement connections to access the local cops assigned to Ron's and Raul's murders. Though the investigation wasn't officially closed, there had been a frustrating lack of developments for some time. They thought they knew the 'who.' It was the 'why' that was tough to nail down.

"They apparently have some leads that they're reviewing. And the FBI is involved as well."

"The FBI?" Sandy said, perking up. That sounded like a step in the right direction.

"They can look into Raul's and Ron's murders because of the fraudulently titled cars crossing state lines, and the organized crime involvement. Dad thinks getting their fresh eyes on the case will help.

"Unfortunately as you know, all the bad guys at the scene wound up dead, so they can't ask them why the hell they started shooting at cops. It doesn't make a lot of sense, especially for professional criminals – they would have known better."

"Then why did they?"

He paused, wondering how much to say. "They found out the gang had been having turf wars with a Hispanic group new to the area."

Sandy looked blankly for a moment, then put a hand to her mouth. "You mean, because Raul was Hispanic they may have thought he was one of them?"

"It's possible. They've made contact with some survivors of the gang that weren't there that night. One guy's got a real hard-on for the Hispanic gang –apparently they cut off one of his fingers."

"Oh, gross!"

"He thinks the Hispanic gang was behind it. He said they're mad dogs that would shoot cops along with his guys without blinking an eye."

Her brow furrowed. "But Pete or Bobby didn't see any Hispanics. He said the crooks started shooting at Ron, then at Raul and Bobby."

"Apparently there were a couple bullets they dug out of one of the hoods and a wall that were too mangled to be mapped to any of the known guns on the scene. Some windows were shot out, so it's possible there was another shooter that fired from outside. Could have been the other gang started things off and let everyone inside shoot it out."

"Wow."

"They say your old boyfriend's one of the people pushing that theory, by the way."

"Pete?"

"Yeah. Pete was on gang detail at the time, so he claims to know a little about it. He thinks it fits."

"So that's it then? That's what happened?"

"Well, they won't say why, but the FBI hasn't signed off on his theory."

"Then what do they think got the shooting started?"

"If they've said, it isn't written down in anything my dad's been able to get at through his friends-of-friends network."

She frowned. "I suppose I could ask Pete for an update. They've shut Raul's brother out of it completely."

"But you're afraid if you do, he'll think you want to date him again," Drew said dryly.

"And I don't. I've tried to be nice to him. But the way he kept after me to go out with him, right after my boyfriend was murdered - it kind of gave me the creeps."

Pete stared at her. "What?" she asked.

"Maybe I should give Pete a call for you?" he said slowly. "I can introduce myself by saying we're dating. That'll help cut off his romantic attentions, and then I'll see what he'll tell me about the investigation."

"Would you? That'd be great. But who says we're dating?"

"What would you call this if it isn't a date?"

"I'm having a friend over for dinner."

He lifted an eyebrow.

"If you're really thinking about me to settle down with, we need to talk," she said gently.

He grinned. She looked at him speculatively, rubbing her chin.

"What?" he asked in turn.

"Are you serious about becoming a one woman man?"

"Well, if there's another woman you can recommend, beautiful and smart like you and, you know..."

"Open to having fun with others under the right circumstances?"

"Well, yeah. I know it's like looking for a unicorn." He noticed her thoughtful expression. "Why, do you know someone like that?"

"Maybe – but she'll remain a unicorn until you convince me you're serious about this. And I don't mean going steady or some half-assed thing. I'm talking about you wanting to find the right woman and getting married."

"Jesus, you don't play around."

"Not when it comes to this lady," she said seriously.

He smiled. "You love her."

"Yes. And she has been through some serious shit in her life." He noticed the pain in her eyes, and wordlessly took her hand in empathy.

"Her husband was there the night that Ron was killed. He ... he..."

He took her in his arms. "Shhh, darlin'. I can tell he meant a lot to you, too."

She nodded against his chest. "That's why I won't settle for anything less than sincere intentions. She deserves it. Besides, you wouldn't be her only option, believe me. You'd have some competition."

"Now you're really getting me interested," he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"But we're not talking 'catch and release' here, Drew," she reminded him.

"I understand. And she likes strong men?"

"Her husband, Raul, was a gentle guy. But there was steel underneath, too." She shook her head. "Raul was her second husband. Her first had a heart attack."

"Lord."

"Yeah." She looked out the window. "It's funny, but her son from her first husband is a lot like her second. I think you'd like him; he's one of my students."