Reaching Rachel Read online

  “Well look at who we have here! If it isn’t the Prodigal son come home! Devin Putnam, you are a sight for sore eyes for damn sure. Come on over here and give me a hug. It’s the only thrill this old woman gets anymore.”

  Devin chuckled as he hugged her. “Good to see you, Millie. How have you been? How’s Harold?”

  “Harold’s as ornery as a cat getting a bath, my dear, but that’s nothing new. I’m still here keeping these guys in line. What about you? Where’s that beautiful girl of yours? How many kids you have? What are you doing back here?”

  He laughed at the peppering of questions. Everyone here had known Rachel. “Well, Millie, that’s a long story, but after a long time away from each other, we have reconnected and I hope to never be without her again. No children, yet.” His stomach squeezed at that. He could’ve had a child. A beautiful little red haired boy or girl that was part him and part Rachel. But thanks to Zack Miller, he would never know him or her.

  Seeing the change in his face, Millie’s face changed. “What’s wrong, Devin?”

  “I need to find Zack Miller.”

  Looking at him intently for a moment, she then went to the computer and typed a few commands. “He’s patrolling over at 55th Street and Florida Avenue. A lot of drug activity happening in that area lately.”

  “Thank you, Millie. Please tell Harold that I said hi.” Devin turned to head for the door.

  “Whatever it is, be careful,” Millie called out. “You know Zack Miller doesn’t have many friends around here, but you do. I’d hate to see something happen to you. Think it through.”

  Funny, she sounded just like Rachel. He nodded curtly, then went as quickly as he could to the intersection where Zack Miller was going to see a face he hadn’t seen in a long, long time.

  Driving up to the road where the patrol car was sitting to the side, Devin drove past, then pulled off to the side. Zack was sitting in his car, surveying the area no doubt. It wasn’t a great area, and he was surprised that Zack was alone. It was better for him, anyway.

  Zack must’ve seen him approaching because as he stepped closer, the door swung open and he stepped out. He was a nice looking guy, tall and in shape with brown hair. He was sure he attracted the ladies often … until he opened his mouth. The guy was the biggest braggart he’d ever known.

  “What the hell are you doing here,” Zack shouted over the noise of the traffic. Devin said nothing, just kept walking closer to him. Zack kept his hand on his gun, and it almost made Devin laugh. He wouldn’t need the damn gun. Not for what he wanted to do.

  Walking around to the front of the car, Devin stood as close to Zack as he could manage without punching his lights out. He still hadn’t said a word, and it was making Zack angry.

  “What do you want, Putnam. I’m sure you didn’t hunt me down here just for shits and giggles.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, narrowing his eyes at Devin.

  “I’m here to set some things straight,” Devin finally said, crossing his own arms in front of him, mostly to keep him from laying him out on the ground. “I’m sure if you think hard in that pea brain of yours, you could probably figure out why. I guess you thought you were going to get away with it, huh? It’s been five years since you decided that ruining my life was your number one goal. You never could handle being in competition with me. But, your beef with me isn’t why I’m here. It’s what you did to Rachel that brings me here today.”

  Zack’s eyes registered shock at his words, but he said nothing.

  “Yes, Rachel. The woman that I loved. The woman that you drugged, then violated. You are the worst kind of pig out there. You should be locked up for what you did that night. Is that how you get your kicks, by drugging women, then taking advantage of the while they’re asleep? You know what they call that? Rape, you asshole. And then? As if that wasn’t bad enough? You threaten her with a video that you took of her, and on top of it all, tell her that if she doesn’t break up with me, you will frame me for rape? Why in the world was I such a threat to you that you felt it necessary to do all of that? What did you want, power? I had no power over you. We were equals. Cops. Are you going to fucking answer me, or stand there like a pansy?”

  “I didn’t rape that bitch,” he growled. “Or sleep with her either. I just told her that we did, and since she didn’t remember, I let her think that it was true.”

  Devin clenched his fists, fighting the urge to knock him out. At least he had just lied to her, not actually forced himself on her. “So, why was she naked then? And why were you naked?”

  Zack whistled through his teeth. “Boy, she did tell you all of it. It took her long enough.”

  “Because of you, you cowardly asshole. You got your kicks out of scaring a 21 year old girl into breaking up with me over something that wasn’t even true. Now answer me. Why were her clothes off?”

  “I took them off,” Zack said smugly. “It’s been a long time, but I still can’t forget that body. Hot damn. I’ve thought about what it would be like if she came to me willingly …”

  Devin didn’t let him finish the sentence because he grabbed him and shoved him against the car, his face inches from his. “Don’t. Say. Another. Word. About. Her.” Zack was lean and strong, but Devin was stronger. Zack couldn’t even move.

  “She was pregnant with my baby, you idiotic prick,” Devin seethed, spitting the words out from between his teeth like bullets. “Whatever shit you gave her, plus the trauma of what you put her through made her lose my baby. Our baby. Are you proud of yourself? What a man you are, Zack Miller. You can’t get women to come to you willingly, so you take what is someone else’s, then threaten her. Why? Please explain it to me.”

  “It was the best way to fuck with you. You were so whipped over that girl. I just flat out didn’t like you. And since you left here, you’ve been in Miami and now you’re over on the West Coast, huh? SWAT team? Wow, you’ve made it now, big shot. And it was too bad, what happened to Rachel, that freak holding her hostage and practically killing her. She just can’t catch a break.”

  Devin pulled his fist back and punched him square in the nose before he could even register what he was doing. He had been keeping up on them? What the hell was this guy’s problem? Blood spurted from his nose immediately, but all that did was fuel Devin’s need to beat him into oblivion. For Rachel. For them. For the baby he would never get to know. He wasn’t thinking about the repercussions or what could happen. He was acting on pure adrenaline.

  Zack fought back, landing a punch to the side of Devin’s face, but he barely felt it. Devin struck again, sending him flying back again with a hit straight to the face. Zack fell backwards, against his squad car. Devin continued, pummeling him long after he knew he should stop. Zack stopped trying to fight back, instead trying to block his body from the furious jabs Devin was inflicting on him.

  The sound of a siren approaching was the only thing that stopped Devin from continuing his assault on the jerk. Great. Someone must’ve called the cops.

  As Devin stepped back, flexing his sore hand, Zack slumped to the ground, conscious but only barely. For a moment, Devin was sorry for what he did. Until he remembered what he had done to them, what he continued to do.

  The cruiser pulled up, and Devin hoped that it was someone that he knew, otherwise this could turn out badly for him. He realized that he had just beaten up a cop that was on duty. Yes, he was law enforcement, too, but he wasn’t sure that was going to save him at the moment. He wanted to smack himself for his stupidity. Rachel had been right. What started out to just be ‘setting him straight’ ended up in him losing his shit.

  “Put your hands where I can see them!” Devin heard from behind him. He sighed and turned slowly to face them, lifting his hands. Of course, he didn’t recognize him. “Miller, you okay?”

  Devin looked back at Zack, willing him to stand up and not play the fool like he knew he would. He stayed slumped against the car. Of course.

  The officer approached him, his par
tner walking slowly behind him, both of their guns drawn. Devin closed his eyes, wondering what in the hell he was going to do now. This was exactly what Rachel had been afraid would happen. He was screwed.

  Wrenching his hands behind him, they clipped the handcuffs on him, reading him his Miranda rights while walking him to the car and placing him in the backseat. He rested his head against the metal grate in front of him, wishing he was still at home with Rachel, her warm skin against his.

  “Any word from him?” Kayley asked, wiping Cierra’s face. The friends had decided they needed to get out of the house and get some lunch to try to pass the time.

  Rachel checked her phone for what must’ve been the millionth time since he left that morning. Still nothing. She had tried to call him many times over the last two hours, but his phone was off. “No. I’m so worried. What if he did something stupid?”

  “Auntie Rachel? Why are you so worried?” Alexis asked, her little face wrinkled in concern.

  Rachel smiled at Kayley’s adorable girl. If she and Devin’s baby had lived, he or she would be close to Lexi’s age. Realizing that made it hard for her to breathe for a moment. “I’m just trying to get a hold of my friend, and he’s not answering. I just hope he’s okay.”

  Alexis chewed her chicken nuggets, thinking about what she said. “Well, does he have a mom? If I was lost, I’d have someone call my mom. Or my Dad. He’d never let me be lost. I’m his princess.”

  Kayley and Rachel laughed, effectively lightning the mood. “That’s a good idea, Lex. If he doesn’t call me soon, I’ll see if his mom or dad knows where he is.”

  At that moment, Rachel’s phone started ringing and she fumbled for it, looking at the screen. “I don’t recognize the number.” But it was the area code from Jacksonville. A rock settled in her stomach as she pressed the answer button, Kayley watching her intently.

  “Hello?” She knew her voice was shaking. She couldn’t even try to control it right now.

  “Rachel,” his husky voice sent her stomach straight to her feet.

  “What’s going on, Devin? Are you okay? I’ve been trying to call you for hours.”

  There was silence on the other end, but she knew he was still there. “Babe, I’m sorry.”

  She rested her head in her hands, knowing she wasn’t going to like what was about to come out of his mouth. “What happened?”

  “I’m in jail.” Rachel gasped, putting her hand to her mouth as the words she never wanted to hear came out of his mouth. The worst case scenario had happened. He threw everything away. For her.

  Kayley’s concerned eyes watched her, but she didn’t even have the energy to tell her what he just said. She wanted to crumble right here. Immediately, she felt herself start tensing up, her heartbeat increasing, and panic starting to take over.

  “Rachel. Listen. Breathe. I can hear you starting to panic. It’s okay, baby. I’ll figure it out. But, do you think you can come here? I hate to ask you this, but I don’t want to get my family involved if at all possible.” Devin’s family lived in Jacksonville, his parents and his three sisters. “A—and, I need you. I’m sorry, Rachel. I should’ve listened to you.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Rachel said wearily, not even responding to his apology. Hanging up the phone, she looked into her friend’s eyes, willing herself to keep the tears at bay. Tears wouldn’t help now.

  “He was arrested.” Kayley’s hands flew to her mouth, but not before a gasp escaped. “I know. He just ruined his whole life. I have to go, Kay. I’ll call you and let you know what happens.”

  Kayley stood up when Rachel did, hugging her quickly. “Do you want me to go with you? I can drop the kids off.” Rachel shook her head no, and Kayley nodded. “Are you okay, really okay?” Rachel knew what she was asking. This kind of stress is what would cause her to fall into panic attacks and anxiety.

  Rachel nodded. “I have to get there, see what I can do to try to save what’s left of Devin’s career. This is exactly why I never told him.” She kissed the kids on their soft heads and she walked away, wishing her life was as easy as theirs.

  Rachel pulled into the precinct, turning off the car. She remembered this place like it was her home. She had spent so much time waiting for Devin here, hanging out with the guys. Being back in Jacksonville came with mixed feelings. She would probably feel better if she wasn’t here because Devin was in jail.

  Walking up to the front doors, she was startled by the door opening first. A man stepped out onto the sidewalk, his face swollen like he’d been in a fight. Dried blood was spattered on his uniform shirt, and she stopped in her tracks as she realized who it was. Zack. He saw her at the same time, and his lips lifted in a sneer.

  “Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Come to rescue your Prince Charming? I don’t think you can save him, Princess. He’s being booked for assault of an officer. That’s really too bad, huh? Defending his whore. So cute.”

  Rachel narrowed her eyes, stepping towards him bravely. “Listen here, you self-righteous prick. You know that after all that you did, it shouldn’t be him in that cell. It should be you. And I’m not going to stop until he gets cleared of all charges, and they find out the truth about what a slime ball you are. You deserved everything that he did to you and then some. I only wish I could’ve been there to witness him kicking your ass.”

  Zack threw his head back and laughed. “Rachel, you’re funny. I’m surprised it took you this long to tell him the truth. I guess you believed me, huh? I never had a recording of you and me, because we didn’t even sleep together. You were so gullible, so easy. I would’ve totally framed Devin for rape though, just for my own entertainment. But you were too weak to fight for him, huh? That’s just sad. Guess you weren’t meant to be.”

  Rachel smacked him loudly across the face before she could stop herself. “How dare you. You may have convinced a naïve young woman that you had the power, but let me just tell you something. I’ve been through hell and come back from it. I’m still here. You are nothing more than a smashed bug on my windshield. You are less than nothing. Your threats don’t mean anything. You have no control over me, or over my relationship with Devin.”

  Zack smirked. “Oh, that’s right. You did have quite an ordeal back there in that little beach town you settled in. What’s it called, Sunset Beach? So cute. And Devin got a job there now, adorable. It’s just too bad what happened to you there, with that lunatic Mark Stevenson. What did he tell you his name was … Justin? And to do what he did to you, in your own house … you just haven’t had the best luck, have you?”

  Rachel’s mouth dropped open, and she was unable to recover her response. She knew that some of what had happened had been televised, but not all of those details. “H—How do you know about what happened?”

  Zack crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Well, before Devin got himself arrested, he told me.”

  “He did not,” Rachel spat back. He would never. “I sure as hell know that wherever you got your information, for whatever reason you think you needed to keep tabs on me, Devin did not say anything to you. He came here to confront you, not to tell you things about me. So you can go to hell.” With that, Rachel pushed past him and into the precinct, leaving Zack standing on the sidewalk, watching her.

  “Rachel!” a loud booming voice called to her as she stepped up to the desk. It was Sheriff Watkins, one of her favorite people in the department. He stepped past the front desk and enveloped her in a hug. “We’ve got some trouble with your boy, I’m afraid.”

  “It’s not what it seems,” Rachel said, determined to get Devin out of this. “I need to tell you everything, from the beginning. But first, can I see him? Please?”

  Sheriff smiled. “Of course. He’s in the holding cell. When I saw Griffin bring him in I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’d heard that he was here to visit, and was looking for someone. But never in my life did I think I’d see him come in here in handcuffs. He keeps saying that Miller did something
to you, but at this point, it’s his word against Miller’s, and I’ve got witnesses that he was beating Miller up.”

  “I know,” Rachel said, following him down the narrow hallway. “It looks bad. But Devin’s right. And I’ll tell you everything you need to know, right after I see him.”

  Sheriff unlocked a door, leading her to a small holding cell at the end of a hallway. Her eyes searched for him, her stomach twisting until she locked eyes with him. He stood up to walk to the bars, and her breath caught. Zack had gotten a few hits in too, because his right eye was swollen shut, and his right hand was wrapped in gauze. He had spattered blood on his tee shirt, but she was still relieved. He was okay.

  Opening the door to the cell, he indicated for Devin and Rachel to follow him into an interrogation room across the hall. Once inside, he turned to both of them. “Devin, I’m not going to lie. You have the possibility of being in serious trouble here. We have witnesses that show you beating Zack almost unconscious on the side of a busy street. I’ll have to pull the dash camera in the cruiser, too …”

  “The camera!” Devin shouted, interrupting. “Pull the camera. We were standing in front of the car when he admitted everything he did to Rachel! That’s the key!”

  Sheriff looked back and forth between them, then sighed. “I’m going to have to get Miller back in here, aren’t I? This isn’t going to be simple. If you’re right, and what he said is on video, that seriously helps your case. I’m keeping a lid on this for right now, Devin. But I’m not happy about it. I’ll be back in 5 minutes.”

  He closed the door behind them, and Rachel sighed. “He admitted it on video?”

  Devin scooted his chair so he was sitting knee to knee in front of her. “As long as his video was running, yes. You didn’t sleep with him, Rachel. It was all a set-up, a ploy for him to mess with me. For whatever reason, he set his sights on ruining me.”