Valentines and Valkyries Read online

  There were a couple of cop cars parked and she scanned across the river and pathways near it, looking for Lex. The young acne ridden meter maid was out there with the new cops that Lex had hired. They were walking along the edge of the water, bent over with their eyes closer to the ground. They probably wouldn’t find anything. Surely wherever the body was found was not the crime scene.

  Nearer to where she was, Gus and Lex were leaning down looking at something.

  “They must be trying to trace back to wherever it happened,” Harper said.

  Scarlett didn’t reply. Her gaze was fixed on Lex. He looked…not right. Something was wrong.

  “They need druids,” she muttered her gaze not moving from him. His shoulders were too tense. His jaw was too tight. He was rubbing his hands against the back of his head. She didn’t like this one bit. Scarlett made her way directly to him. As she did, Gus caught her gaze and then moved past her to Harper. To Scarlett’s shock, he intercepted Harper while Scarlett approached Lex.

  “Lex?”

  He turned to her. He was still rubbing the back of his neck, his gaze hadn’t moved from the water even though he was facing her. She stared at him. His normally tanned skin was too pale. There were red circles in his cheeks and on the tips of his ears. Slowly, too slowly, his gaze turned to hers. His eyes were glossed over as if he wasn’t seeing her or anything really.

  The knowing whispered, but she didn’t care to hear it. She wanted to hear him.

  “Lex?” She asked again, her voice low and concerned. He took one step towards her as though his feet were particularly heavy. And then another. And another. And then, he staggered to a stop in front of her, grabbing her shoulders and hauling her against his chest. He didn’t say a word. But the hold of his fingers on her were a little too-tight.

  “I’m sorry I was acting crazy,” she said, suddenly terrified. Had she ruined everything? A pit was opening inside her and she was terrified that she would drown her own baggage and regrets.

  Still he said nothing, but his fingers pressed into her until she was starting to feel like a life preserver.

  “Lex, you’re scaring me.”

  That seemed to sink in, and he cursed before he ground out, “Scarlett. Hell. Scarlett. It’s my dad.”

  “What’s your dad?” Scarlett demanded. The yawning pit was back inside of her and her mind was skipping from possibility to possibility. “Did you hear from your mom? Was there an accident? What happened?”

  Lex cursed, still clutching at her as he said, “The body that was found was my dad.”

  “What?” She stepped back, against the power of his hold, because she had to see his face. “What do you mean it’s your dad?”

  “He’s dead. I…I’m going to have to tell my mom that he’s dead. I…don’t think I can do that. I don’t want to be the one who does that.” He blinked, his beautiful eyes were gazing past her and he seemed to be still turned inside rather than outside. What was he envisioning?

  Lex’s relationship with his parents was shaky at best. At worst, it was non-existent. She couldn’t even process what he was saying. His dad was the dead man. Why hadn’t she answered her phone? Why hadn’t she had her phone with her?

  “Did you identify him?”

  “I went into see what I was dealing with,” Lex’s voice cracked just enough to tell Scarlett he was not ok. Not at all. She breathed in for him and whooshed it out. It wasn’t helping much, she knew. But she made sure he could feel her body heat curling into his. She made sure that he could feel the press of her hands, one against his lower back and the other on his chest. She looked up at him and for once, she didn’t see this man who was far too handsome for her. Or this man who was far too closed off. Or one with too many secrets. She just saw the person she loved, and he needed her right then.

  “And it was your dad?”

  Lex nodded.

  She didn’t bother with apologies. He’d gone into the morgue to look at a possible murder victim and seen his own dad’s face. Her mind flicked to the expression on Gus’s face as they’d arrived. The way he’d sidetracked Harper. He must have been there. It should have been her though how it could be she didn’t know. There wouldn’t have been any reason for her to show up. But…Cameron Sloane. Had she known? Nothing was going to make that ok. The best that could be hoped was that time would dull it a bit.

  “Do you know why he was here?”

  Lex shook his head.

  “Do you think your mom might know? Or a friend of your dad’s?”

  Lex shrugged. It wasn’t his usual cagey gesture. He wasn’t up to playing games.

  “Let’s go,” she told him, taking him by the hand as though he were one of her little girls. She put him in the passenger seat of his SUV and waved Gus and Harper over.

  “You’re in charge, Gus. These fools can’t do this without you. Harper take care of Amelie and the girls. Gus, don’t be stupid. Get Henna and Gram down here to help you find the sight. What’s the knowing for if y’all are too stupid to use it?” It might have been too mean, but they needed to work this out. They need it done and over with and moving on. It was going to be hard enough for Lex to deal with losing his dad. There was no way she was going to accept this unsolved murder hanging over Lex as well.

  “Where are you going?” Harper asked. The way her expression was too-careful told Scarlett that Gus had explained.

  “To tell Lex’s mom.”

  Harper’s curse was echoed by Gus’s but Scarlett didn’t wait. She jerked her head and then got into Lex’s SUV, aiming it for the apartment. She left him in the car while she ran in and threw clothes into a bag for him. Enough of his stuff was at her place that she could pack for the both of them.

  While she’d packed, she’d made nausea tea for her and coffee for him. She quickly changed out of her flour covered clothes and was back to the car before too much time had passed. Nothing else mattered but getting this part of it over with.

  Tell his mom. See what she knew. Could Scarlett do that part of it for him? Her gaze flicked from the road to his face and back again. He needed a start to the investigation. As she drove, he said nothing. She was sure he was reliving all of the things that had gone wrong between him and his dad. The things that could never be fixed. He was probably mourning the dad he wanted as much as the one he’d actually gotten.

  They drove mostly in silence and Scarlett gave him that. She figured he’d talk when he was ready or at least when they were close enough to his mom’s house that he had to give her directions. She suddenly felt like such a monster. Well, not suddenly. She’d been feeling like a beast for a while now, this pregnancy was like PMSing multiplied by infinity. She hated those moments of feeling totally out of control, and she couldn’t shake them. It was worse when she recognized the crazy while it was happening but she couldn’t stop it.

  “You shouldn’t be driving all this way,” Lex finally said, looking over almost as if he were surprised that she was there.

  She laughed and then said, “I’m pregnant not drunk. I’m going to need to be able to drive for a long while yet. I’ll stop when I’m so big I can’t reach the steering wheel and not a second before.”

  Lex took hold of her hand, squeezing her fingers. She could see his jaw ticking and wished there was something to say, some way to make it better. But she figured he might feel like she did about her dad.

  Lex finally said, “He must have been in Mystic Cove for me. I…can’t imagine why.”

  A feeling of helplessness faded. Lex had been closed off since they’d gotten together. She hadn’t even realized his parents were still around until Christmastime. The fact that he was opening up and talking to her at all was remarkable.

  She thought about what he’d said about his dad, and of course Lex was right. Mystic Cove was a tourist destination but there was no way his dad was there just randomly. Without his mom? Right. Especially since he had been murdered. He must have realized he was in trouble and went to his son.

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sp; Who hadn’t been there. He’d been taking care of Scarlett instead. Poor Lex. She squeezed his hand tight, wishing she could take the burden away. His jaw was still flexing and his shoulders were stiff despite they’d been driving for a while. He should have relaxed against the seat at least some. But no. Not Lex. Not after this.

  Why, Scarlett wondered, was Cameron Sloane also in Mystic Cove? Had she come with his dad? It couldn’t be a coincidence. So why had Lex’s Dad come to Mystic Cove with Lex’s ex? And how had it gotten him killed?

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Lex’s phone rang and his jaw went from ticking to grinding. Scarlett took the phone from him and saw ‘Mom’ on the screen. Her gaze went back to the road, but she clutched his hand tighter, somehow trying to convey that it would be ok. The drive from Mystic Cove to Portland took three hours. During that time, Lex’s mom called four times. Lex didn’t answer, and Scarlett didn’t prompt him to. It would be better to hear it in person. They drove in silence for the first half of the drive and Scarlett tried to keep her gaze on the road rather than on him.

  She didn’t want him to feel pressured or analyzed. She just wanted him to know he wasn’t alone.

  “He was a terrible Dad,” Lex said suddenly. “I can’t count the number of times I heard him or saw him beat my mother.”

  Scarlett bit her lip to keep herself from saying anything. She wanted him to feel like he could purge his feelings without judgement. So she rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand and kept her mouth shut.

  “But he’s been sober for years. For longer than Amelie has been alive, and I never let them get to know her. I didn’t trust them. Now the chance is gone.”

  Scarlett looked over and then back to the road. His jaw was ticking again, and she wanted to rub her thumb over that instead. But, she simply held him.

  “I don’t know if I regret that. Should I?”

  Scarlett pressed her lips together for moment, ignoring the trees on either side of the road and keeping an eye out for wildlife. She considered before she said, “I don’t know, Lex. You did what you thought was right for Amelie.”

  “Did I though? Because I hated him. He was my dad, and I hated him. I hate her too. For never leaving. For letting that be my childhood. She wants to love Amelie, and I won’t let her.”

  Scarlett had no idea what to say or what to do. She wanted to make it better, wanted to whisper that it would be ok, that there was a way to know you were doing the right thing, but life wasn’t that easy. Nothing was clear cut like that.

  She hadn’t met his parents because Lex had let her believe they were dead until Christmas. Even then, he’d only told her about them because he wanted the girls to be safe. The druid who had messed with Gus and laid the fertility charm on their apartment had driven Lex to the point of reconciling with his parents just to keep the girls safe. But they hadn’t acted on it. Scarlett hadn’t been willing to send their daughters away despite what was happening to them.

  Did he blame her? If she’d let him send the girls to his parents, he’d have talked to them before his dad died. Maybe Lex would have been talking to his parents about whatever caused his dad’s death. Maybe Lex would have been able to help his dad before he had been killed.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I…should have let you send the girls there at Christmas.”

  Lex seemed shocked at her statement and then he shook his head. “This isn’t your fault, Scarlett. No part of this is your fault.”

  “I…”

  “Look,” he said, “I know that your hormones are making you crazy and you have it in your head that you’re not my match. But that’s just not true. You aren’t taking responsibility for any of this.”

  Her eyes burned with tears, but she couldn’t cry and drive, and she wouldn’t add to his burden. So she refused to let them fall.

  “What do you need from me?”

  “I just need you to be there.”

  “Always,” she said.

  He kissed the back of her hand and then said, “I wish I could give you what Harper and Quinton got. I know you want that supernatural assurance that I love you. That I won’t ever leave you. I don’t.”

  Scarlett glanced his way. She had never said one word about that to him. How did he know?

  “I don’t care who my red thread is. I believe in soulmates only because I can’t imagine anyone other than a soulmate getting through Harper’s barriers. But I don’t care who mine is.”

  “How can you say that?” She wanted to pull the car over just to look at his face

  “You’re it for me, Scarlett. If I met my soulmate tomorrow and discovered it wasn’t you, I’d wish her well and come home to you.”

  She took the next exit that had a McDonald’s. She wasn’t very pregnant, but she still needed to use the restroom far more often than usual. When she parked the car, she said, “You somehow know just the right thing to say. But I’m not sure why you’re comforting me.”

  He pulled her face towards him and pressed a kiss against her lips. “You being here is a comfort, love. Want food?”

  She scowled at McDonald’s and Lex said, “Use the restroom. I’ll figure it out.”

  They ate and were back on the road. They’d be late when they reached his mom’s place, but not so late they couldn’t go in and tell her then. Surely, any woman would want to know rather than to lay awake sleepless? Or perhaps one more day to think her partner was alive? How would it be when it was someone who had abused you for years? But Lex had said that he was clean these days. Did they fall in love again? Did forgiveness happen? Maybe she’d always been in love and that was why she’d stayed?

  Scarlett couldn’t imagine staying with someone who beat her. Especially with kids. There was no way she’d let her kids witness that and think it was their normal. Never. Not ever. Scarlett leaned the passenger seat back a bit and stretched her legs forward. Lex was driving since their break, but she refused to fall asleep no matter how tired she was.

  Something seemed to have eased about him. He wasn’t better, of course. He’d lost his dad. But maybe the shock of it was wearing off. Or maybe it was just that he was in get things done mode. Perhaps he was working out the puzzle in his mind and compartmentalizing that it was his dad who was the victim?

  “What can I do?” She asked.

  “There isn’t any way to make this easy.”

  “Is there someone who could be there with your mom? Someone you can call in advance?”

  Lex considered before he said, “We could call my aunt.”

  She noted the way he’d hesitated. She hadn’t been aware he had an aunt, and she’d been furious to find out about the parents after he’d let her assume that they were dead. She was going to let that go and never bring it up again.

  “Do you want me to call?”

  He shook his head. “It needs to be me.” But he waited until they were almost to Portland to call his aunt. “My mom’s name is Leanne. Her sister is Hilary.”

  Scarlett nodded and then carefully asked, “What was your Dad’s name?”

  “Alexander. He went by Al.”

  “You’re a junior?”

  “I’m a fourth.”

  Scarlett didn’t know how to comment on that and not make it harder for him. She wasn’t sure how to make any part of this easier for him. His name connected him to his dad who he hated. How did he feel about his grandparents? She didn’t know and now wasn’t the time to ask. They needed to talk more about these things. They needed to stop being overwhelmed by the day to day and learn each other better. Unlike Harper and Quinton, their lives were sucked up by children and responsibilities.

  Lex’s childhood home was a little craftsman. It had a large porch, blue shutters, and a big oak tree in front of it. There was an ancient tire swing, and Scarlett could imagine a tiny Lex swinging on that thing. Then she had the horrible image of him swinging on it while hearing his dad beat up his mom, and she ached for little Lex. It was dark outside, but the porch light lit up the entir
ety of the yard and the driveway.

  Lex opened the door for Scarlett and then met his aunt in the driveway. She had parked a few houses down, so she didn’t have to go in alone.

  “Hilary,” Lex said, jaw ticking again in between words. “This is Scarlett.”

  Hilary glanced her over and then said, “Lex, is this about your Dad? Your mom has called me several times. No one has seen him in a few days.”

  Lex’s jaw clenched and he rubbed his hand over the back of his head before he said, “Let’s go inside.”

  Hilary had a key and she let them in calling, “Lee? Leanne, honey. Are you here?”

  She was because there was an ancient Buick in front of the house. It took Lex’s mom a few minutes to come into the front room. She was wearing one of those zipped up robes. It looked about a decade old, was frayed along the edges, and seemed to age her. She had much of Lex’s good looks, but she also hadn’t aged well. Her hair was colored dark brown, her eyes were large, and brilliant, and the frown lines around her mouth were deeper than it seemed they should be.

  “Lex?” Leanne’s voice cracked as she stared at her son. She didn’t seem to need him to explain. She staggered back, and Lex rushed forward to grab her. He was silent as he led her into the front room of his childhood home.

  Lex eased his mom into a chair and took Scarlett by the hand to sit her down next to him. Hilary took Leanne’s free hand while Lex took the other.

  “It’s your dad,” Leanne said again. Her gaze was fixed on Lex’s, and Scarlett was sure that his mother recognized all the ways he hedged. She was sure, in fact, that his mother knew them better than Scarlett. A tear rolled down Leanne’s face. “He’s dead isn’t he?”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “Mom,” Lex said, trailing off. His gaze avoided hers as though he couldn’t quite say that his dad was, indeed, gone.