called him a rapist and a pervert, stuff like that. It went on for more than a week—until the O’Connell girl admitted she had lied about the rape.”
“Maybe she was telling the truth and she just got scared.”
“The boy was completely cleared. They’d been seeing each other for weeks.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“She’s one of those women, Trace. She wanted attention and she got it. The charges were dropped and the records were sealed because of their ages, but it still caused Josh and his family all kinds of trouble. And believe me, Maggie O’Connell is still on Varner’s hit list.”
“Which is why the police aren’t willing to do much more than show up if she calls them.”
Mark shot Maggie a hard glare. “It’s no secret in the department what happened. Captain Varner doesn’t believe any of that bullshit about a stalker, and neither does anyone else.”
Trace clenched his jaw so hard it hurt. Mark was the kind of guy who would check the facts, find out the truth. The story about the phony rape accusation was undoubtedly true.
“She’s a good-looking woman, Trace, but I wouldn’t trust her. Don’t let her get under your skin.”
Trace reined in his temper, which was beginning to build. “Thanks for the heads-up, buddy.”
“Hey, man, we’re friends. And you’ve already had more than your share of trouble with women.”
Trace thought of Carly, remembered the sick feeling in his stomach when he’d found out she was sleeping with half the men in Houston. She was a liar and a cheat. He hated a liar, no matter how beautiful she was.
He just nodded as he walked away.
Seven
Maggie was smiling as she stuffed her camera back in its case, nestled it in the backseat and closed the door, then climbed into the Jeep. “How did it go?”
“Remains to be seen.”
“Did you tell them about the embezzling?”
“I told them.” Trace didn’t say more, and the way his jaw was clenched, Maggie didn’t press him. He started the car, slammed it into gear and roared away, slinging her back against the seat. His hands gripped the wheel as if he wanted to tear it out of the vehicle. Whatever had happened, things hadn’t gone well.
Maggie kept her mouth shut. Better to give him a little space. As they raced toward Houston, far faster than the speed limit, she considered trying again to start a conversation, but one look at Trace’s hard profile and she changed her mind.
They rode back in silence, neither of them speaking all the way to her town house. By the time they arrived and Trace turned off the engine, Maggie couldn’t take another minute.
“All right, what is it?” she asked. “If it’s the murder, I’ll understand. If it’s something else, something I’ve said or done wrong…”
He turned in the seat. “You’re a liar, Maggie. In my book, that’s as wrong as it gets.”
Her stomach twisted at the look on his face. “What are you talking about?”
Trace climbed out of the car, rounded the hood and jerked open her door. “As of right now, I no longer work for you. Find some other sucker to buy into your bullshit.”
Her eyes widened. Her own anger surfaced. “What the hell is going on? The least you can do is explain.”
Instead of a reply, he caught hold of her arm and hauled her out of the Jeep. He pulled a key from a pocket of his jeans and held it out to her.
“Your new locks are in. The installers left a key with me this morning. You’ll find another inside. I’ll get your bag and your camera gear.”
She planted herself directly in front of him, jammed her hands on her hips. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what happened back there that turned you into a maniac.”
He ground his teeth, looking as if he wanted to throttle her. “I told you what happened. You lied to me. If you try real hard, I imagine you can figure out which particular lie I might have found a little disturbing.”
An icy chill ran through her. He’d been talking to the police. They must have seen her, must have said something. They must have told him about her Great Shame.
Her hands dropped to her sides. She realized she was trembling. “Josh Varner, right?”
“That’s right. Your old boyfriend. Now go unlock the door so I can carry your gear inside and be on my way.”
Her heart was beating too fast, slamming against her ribs. She felt sick to her stomach. Not wanting to make a scene in front of the neighbors, she led him to the door of the town house, used the key he’d given her to open the door and stepped aside so he could carry her gear inside.
Wordlessly, he stalked past her into the hall, set her camera case and yellow swim bag on the floor. The muscles in his shoulders seemed to vibrate with tension. He was angry. Furious. And he had every right to be.
She took a deep breath. “Okay, I probably should have told you.”
Trace whirled to face her, his dark eyes burning into her like twin laser beams. “Probably?”
“All right, I should have told you. I didn’t because I was afraid you would act exactly the way you’re acting now.”
“I said I’d help you if you told me what I needed to know. You didn’t think I needed to know you had an enemy in the police department? That you’d accused some poor kid of rape when he didn’t do a goddamn thing but take what you offered?”
She hated the way Trace made it sound, though every word was true. In the past she would have cried, but those days were over.
Instead, she steeled herself, forced up her chin. “I was sixteen years old. My dad caught me coming in at two in the morning and I was scared to death. I was terrified of what he’d do if he knew the truth.”
“Beat you?”
“No, but—”
“I’m done, Maggie. You lied to me before. There’s no reason to believe you’re telling me the truth right now.”
She steadied herself, fought for control. “I was ashamed to tell you, all right? It’s the worst thing I’ve ever done.”
His hard look didn’t soften. No more Mr. Nice Guy, she thought. The charming Southern gentleman was gone. In his place was the fierce Army Ranger he had been and clearly still was. Gold flecks glittered in his dark eyes, and the muscles tightened in his jaw.
“Goodbye, Maggie.” He started to turn away, but she caught his arm.
“Trace, please. At least give me a chance to explain.”
“You’ve already explained. We had a deal. You didn’t keep your end of it. Now the deal is off.”
“But…what about the stalker?”
His jaw tightened even more. “Call the police.”
“They won’t help and you know it.”
“The locks are changed. Your alarm is in. I’ll send over one of the guys from JDT to show you how to use it.” His smile was harsh. “Though odds are you won’t need it.”
He no longer believed her. By his standards, she wasn’t worthy of his trust.
“Thank you for that.”
Trace made no reply. Without a backward glance, he turned and stormed out the door. Maggie forced herself not to run after him. She had her pride, didn’t she? Sure, she should have told him about Josh, should have known he