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“Yeah,” Jules said, distracted. His gaze blazed into the busy road as he weaved through traffic. He’d already called the cops to check out the address at her apartment.
“It all makes sense,” Jules said, “Mavis was having an affair with a married man. They were driving from their cottage around the same time Amber and her family were. If they’d done the right thing and stayed at the scene, dude’s wife would have taken him to the cleaners with evidence of his unfaithfulness. He and his mistress are in a crash so late into the early hours of the night from his secluded cottage.”
“I hear you. But hospital records didn’t report anyone coming in around that time with injuries consistent with a car accident.”
“Yeah, but he was injured all right.”
“Good thing we got the goods on that storm watcher. The vehicle was a white BMW.”
“Of course, the guy was loaded so he could have any private mechanic fix it. And as far as his injuries…”
“The man obviously went out of town have his leg operated on. But got a botched job. That’s why he ended up with a permanent limp.”
“According to that report, he told the officials he was involved in a fishing accident. Yeah, right. Been limping ever since.”
“But didn’t Amber tell you her doc had the injury from childhood?”
“He had an injury from childhood but not that one. Amber started seeing him around the same time he started using a walking cane.”
“So I don’t get it. Why did he start treating her?”
“He wasn’t a real doctor! He was a fake! And he wanted to make sure her memory never came back,” Jules said in a deadly low voice, anger seething through him. Just the mere thought of that hypocritical creep getting near Amber made his blood boil in his veins.
“That’s creepy all right. Man, I hope we’re wrong. Anyway, if Mavis was in the car with him, she’d be charged as an accessory to manslaughter.”
“And so be it,” Jules added. “And you know we’re not wrong. Our boys were spot-on with the investigation.” Jules tried Amber’s cell phone again, obsessing over why she wasn’t answering, praying she was safe.
Dion flipped through some of the printed notes given to him from their source. “You’re right, he’s not even a real psychologist. He’s a FAKE, that son-of-a-bitch! He flunked out of school somewhere in Europe.”
“Maybe that’s why the coward didn’t want to fess up to the hit and run. He knew his career and his life would be done AND his marriage. But that’s too damn bad. Amber’s parents and brother are dead. And it’s all his fault.” The memory of losing his own mother came back and haunted him at that moment. But he could not even begin to imagine how horrible it would be to lose his entire family.
And Amber’s body. Her beautiful skin fractured, scarred for life all because of that idiot. He would pay. If it was the last thing he’d do, Jules would make sure. Danye was going to pay.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Oh, God, you scared me,” Amber said, her heart jackhammering in her chest. She was afraid. Very afraid. But she wasn’t going to let him know. “W-what are you doing here anyway, Dr. Danye?”
“I….I think we need to talk, Amber.”
Amber backed away slowly against the kitchen sink, her eyes scanning for anything to use in her defense. She didn’t’ have a good feeling at all. “D-did you send me the text message to meet you here, pretending to be my aunt?”
“I’m sorry. Yes, I did.” The old man limped two steps towards Amber with his cane, then he paused. “Amber, I know you would probably have it figured out sooner or later.”
“Figured out what?”
“That it was me who was driving that car that night.”
Amber’s eyes widened, her heart exploded in her chest. She couldn’t breathe. She struggled to suck in air. “Y-you?” she mouthed. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest.
He nodded slowly.
Amber was cornered. Her cell phone buzzed over by the table on the floor where her bag was dropped after the door slamming startled her. It was no use. Dr. Danye was too close.
“It’s okay, Amber. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”
“Like you didn’t mean to hurt my family?”
“I deserve that.”
“But why? I don’t get it. Why?” Amber’s voice was strangled. The pain was too great. Dr. Danye did this to her. He was the one to scar her for life! To take away her family. And he sped off without so much as stopping? It was all too much for her to take in.
Oh, Jules. Where was Jules? Why hadn’t she answered his call? Dr. Danye was probably going to kill her to silence her for good. It was obvious now why he’d been treating her—to make sure she never remembered what happened that night. To act on things if her memory ever returned. He hadn’t been treating her, he’d been monitoring her for his own interests.
“It’s not what it looks like, Amber.”
“Are you even a real psychologist?”
“Well. No. I’m not.” He looked eerily apologetic. “But that doesn’t matter now. Let’s worry about you.” His expression was unreadable.
Amber shook her head, her mind still reeling in disbelief. “You left the scene of an accident,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “How could you do that? I could have died as well.”
“I’m truly sorry, Amber. And to your parents and your brother. But they are dead. I had my life to think about. I was a coward for the way I left, but I was glad you had survived. I know it seems as if I started seeing you to make sure you couldn’t identify me but that’s not the case. I really wanted to see if I could help you move forward. I knew you needed a good listener at that time, so-”
“Just as long as I couldn’t identify you and put you behind bars,” she finished his declaration. Her voice sounded more harsh and was laced with sarcasm. Suddenly her grief was replaced with blind anger.
“Amber,” he said moving closer to her, backing her against the sink. “I-”
Before he could finish his sentence, the door was kicked open and Jules and Dion stormed in. “Stay the hell away from her!” Jules made his way in a lightning fast motion and grabbed Dr. Danye, slamming him against the wall. “Stay away from my wife.”
“Jules!” Amber cried out.
The police arrived seconds later. Everything had happened so fast.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Amber sat at the police station, her head resting on Jules’s chest as he stroked her hair. They had both given the detectives their report and Dr. Danye had confessed to the crime. But somehow Amber felt as if things were far from over. She’d been betrayed by someone she trusted, not once but twice.
Her aunt was charged as an accessory after the fact. Amber couldn’t get her heart or her head around this information. Her body felt cold as a melting icecap in the Arctic. Her breathing was shallow. She was numb with shock, yet burning with anger.
On another note, the police also informed Amber that the mystery man she reported to have been following her was, in fact, an investigator who was on to Dr. Danye and his phony practice. At least there was confirmation that she wasn’t going crazy after all thinking she was being followed.
Amber was feeling utterly drained and her energies spent. She just couldn’t wait to get back home to see her little gem, Crystal.
“Okay, Mr. Romero, you and your wife are free to go.” One of the detectives had come into the interrogation room to give them the green light.
“Good,” Jules said, kissing Amber’s forehead. “We’re more than ready to go.” Jules sounded as drained as Amber felt. It had been a long week and she could sense it was going to be longer.
* * *
“How are you feeling?” Jules asked Amber in a controlled voice later that night. She sat up in bed. Jules was sitting up in the chair at her bedside.
“Tired,” she said softly. She was feeling more weary than anything else. She knew what was on Jules’s mind. “I really don’t want to talk anymore about…the past…the accident. I don’t want to relive that…”
“I understand, Amber. I don’t want you to.” His voice was soft but his eyes were filled with pain and disappointment. She could see it. She could feel it.
“I want to know who Crystal’s father is, Amber. I need you to tell me everything. I don’t want any more surprises. I need you to tell me.”
“Jules, I…I…I don’t know who he is.”
Jules’s eyes widened in shock. “You don’t know? How could you not know?”
Amber whipped off the sheets and got up, heaving a sigh. “I didn’t want to tell you, or anyone for that matter. I swore to myself and to my then unborn child that she was going to have a normal life.”
“You’re not making any sense, Amber.” Jules leaned forward with his elbows pressed on his knees. Even in this moment of frustration, he looked so handsome and appealing, his ripped muscles on his bare arms and chest, wearing nothing but silk pajama bottoms.
“Jules,” Amber said, tears filling her eyes. “This is very hard for me to tell you. But…when I was little, after the accident, kids would tease me and tell me that no man would want me or touch me. I felt like a reject, a loser, a monster because of my scars. Can you imagine growing up hearing that?”
