Dead by Midnight - Beverly Barton [117]
He had left the press conference he’d held in front of the courthouse and had driven straight to Abby’s. He hesitated before ringing the doorbell. He needed to be honest with her. He owed her that much.
How can you be honest with Abby when you’re not being honest with yourself? Admit the truth!
But that was the problem—he wasn’t sure he knew what the truth was.
He rang the doorbell. Abby opened the door instantly, as if she had been standing on the other side waiting for him to make his presence known.
She offered him a fragile smile. “Please, come in.”
He stepped over the threshold. She caressed his arm.
“I can only imagine how difficult this day has been for you,” she told him, concern in her voice and sympathy in her eyes.
Mike closed the door behind him.
“Have you had supper?” she asked. “I can fix you something. Scramble some eggs. Make a sandwich.”
“Nothing, thanks.”
“How about some iced tea or coffee or—?”
“Abby.” He grasped her hands in his.
She stared at him, wide-eyed with uncertainty. “It’s awful about that woman, the bodyguard. But Lorie Hammonds wasn’t harmed. That’s something to be thankful for.”
“Abby, listen to me.”
She looked directly at him. “All right.”
“My mother is going to be staying at my place with Hannah and M.J. for a while, and I’m temporarily turning over some of my duties as sheriff to my chief deputy.”
“Why?”
“When I leave here this evening, I’m going home to see my kids, and then I’m packing a bag and moving in with Lorie until she’s no longer in any danger. I’ll go into the office during the day, but in the evenings and at night, I’ll be with Lorie.”
Abby swallowed. “I see. But why, Mike, why does it have to be you? You can assign around-the-clock deputies or the Powell Agency can send a replacement. This isn’t something you have to do personally.”
He gave her hands a gentle tug, brought them up to his lips, and kissed her knuckles. “That’s just the thing—it is something I have to do myself. I can’t leave Lorie’s safety in anyone else’s hands.”
“Why not?” Tears pooled in Abby’s eyes.
Mike felt like the biggest jerk on earth. “I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry. I never meant to lead you on and then pull the rug out from under you this way. I can’t explain it, not really. But this is just something I have to do.”
“You’re still in love with her, aren’t you?”
There it was, the one question he couldn’t answer. “I honestly don’t know.”
“If it was just sex, I might be able to understand. But she has some kind of emotional hold over you. I can see it in your eyes when you look at her.” Tears trickled down Abby’s cheeks.
“It wouldn’t have worked out between us,” Mike said, without adding that not only did his kids not like her, but he wasn’t in love with her.
“Do you honestly think it will work out with her?”
“This isn’t about my expecting to build a future with Lorie. It’s about keeping her alive, about my needing to personally protect her.”
“And when this is all over, what then?”
“I guess I’ll figure it out then.”
Abby swiped the tears from her cheeks, tilted her chin staunchly, and looked right at him. “I’d like for you to leave now, please.”
Mike nodded, and realizing there was nothing he could say or do to make this easier for Abby, he turned and walked away.
Lorie was thankful that Cathy and Jack were staying in her home with her, at least for tonight. She simply couldn’t have forced herself to go beyond the front door. With her inside and the world outside, she felt relatively safe. Her best friend, who had stayed with her all day, gave her the comfort and reassurance she so desperately needed. And her best friend’s husband, a sheriff’s deputy who had once been an Army Ranger, provided her with personal protection. Also,