It was cowardly, but Mia let Gwen do all the talking. She was stronger than Mia. At least he agreed to talk in his office with the door closed so no one else would hear. His brother, who was assistant head of police, was there. Gwen gave Abel her best lawyer look she learned from her dad. Gwen was a nurse like her mother, but she used to accompany her father to may court trials. “So you understand why my client can’t participate as a witness on this case?”
Mia almost corrected Gwen and reminded her she wasn’t a lawyer just because her father was, but Gwen was in full attorney mode so Mia let it go. Abel sat behind the desk, looking hard and angry. Mia felt his brown eyes glaring at her but she refused to stare back at him. Just being in the same office with him was breaking her heart. Why she cared so much she didn’t know. Her throat felt swollen with so many emotions. He used her and then dumped her quickly in a cold way. His opinion of her shouldn’t matter.
“I see.” She heard Abel say in a cold and hard voice that made her shiver. She could feel the thick tension in the room as if it was a real being. She wanted to burst into tears and weep all over him. “And Becky was a willing part of this lie?”
“We were trying to save Mia’s life, Sheriff Ramirez,” Gwen answered just as coldly. “You may not care if she lives or dies, but rest assured there are people who do, including Becky and myself. Her life depends on Frank DeMarco never discovering where she is. He will do her harm and maybe even kill her. Put your petty feelings aside and hear what I am saying to you.”
Mia hated being reminded about Frank. Why was she so foolish when it came to men? She had allowed herself to fall for Frank so easily. Because of him, her life was disrupted and she was hiding out in this small town. If that wasn’t enough, she fell for the town sheriff and allowed herself to fall in love thinking he was different. He might not have hurt her physically like Frank, but he hurt her emotionally.
“I see,” he said again, sounding like he was in court, too.
Was that all he could say? Mia glanced to the side where Lincoln Ramirez stood. Instead of finding hatred in his eyes she saw sympathy in them. Well, at least one of the Ramirez brothers didn’t hate her. He was the nicer brother she decided in that moment.
“Are we good to go?” Gwen asked, standing up indicating the meeting was over in her opinion. “If you have any legal questions call Bill Henderson in New York. He helped Mia escape and come here. I assure you this has nothing to do with Mia being in trouble with the law back home. We only did this for her safety.”
“Yes, you may go,” she heard Abel answer, dismissing them without an ounce of emotion. What was left of Mia’s heart shattered. Not even a crack of sympathy showed on his face. Mia released the breath she had been holding. Now she felt dizzy as she stood up. Lincoln quickly steadied her when she almost toppled over. His voice was filled with sympathy. Abel, however, had not even gotten up from his chair to catch her. It hurt but it was for the best. He was showing his true colors like all men eventually did. “You okay, Mia?”
Mia looked up at him. He looked so much like Abel that it was painful. His dark hair was short and clean cut, but he had similar features with his brother. “Sorry. Stress makes me feel dizzy.”
Gwen held on to Mia’s arm. She gave Lincoln a friendly smile then looked at Mia. “Skipping meals doesn’t help, Mia.”
Mia followed Gwen out of the station as quickly as possible. Now she had no reason to ever see Abel again. Why didn’t she feel happy about that? She wanted to sob in a pain so deep she was sure it would never go away.
* * * *
“Poor girl.” Lincoln shook his head sadly as he watched the two women head out of the station through the window. Abel looked at his brother with astonishment. Was his brother honestly feeling sorry for Mia right now? What about him? Mia lied about everything.
“Poor girl? Really, bro? She lied about her name and her reason for being in Brook Hollow. She is here under false pretenses.”
Lincoln sat on one of the chairs the women had just vacated. “She had to Abel. You heard her story. She is in danger if this ex of hers comes looking for her. Aren’t you worried?”
Abel felt a pain clench his heart but he ruthlessly pushed it away. He pushed the image of a fragile-looking Mia that had just left his office looking devastated. He wanted to hold her, comfort her and it pissed him off. Lydia had been good at the tears, too, and look how that turned out. Women put on good acts but their hearts were ice. He may have forgotten for a moment but he was back to thinking clearly. “Our town is not some haven for runaway women, Lincoln. She has no business bringing her problems here. This is a peaceful town and I aim to keep it that way.”
Lincoln frowned and Abel knew he went too far. Jessy and Lily had been on the run, too. Reminding his brother of that was a low blow but he felt guilty for breaking things off with Mia. Now that he knew her real story, he was clinging to his belief he did the right thing. To admit he was wrong would only pile up the guilt he was feeling deep inside of him.
“You mean like Jessy and Lily did? You’d better not go there, Abel,” Lincoln said through clenched teeth, his eyes narrowing with fury. He leaned forward. “Get your head out of your ass, brother.”
Abel leaned back against his chair. He felt like throwing some things around the room and breaking furniture, but he used every ounce of his willpower to sit still. He wanted to run after Mia and swear he’d protect her from her crazy ex, but he didn’t. Women were all liars and he was tired of putting his heart out there for them to break.
“Did Lydia
truly break your heart so much that you have no sympathy for any woman, Abel?” Now Lincoln looked at him with pity. Abel could deal with his brother’s anger but not pity. He had participated in too many pity parties after Lydia and her boyfriend left town. He heard through the grapevine she did marry the father of her baby and he was glad that child had two parents, but it made him feel sorry for himself. He didn’t even speak to her aunt and uncle who claimed they had no idea what their niece was up to. She had come to visit them when Abel met her. They avoided him, too.
“This isn’t about Lydia or me,” Abel said firmly. “Mia, if that is even her name, came here purposely knowing trouble could follow her. She lied about herself. Who knows if she is even as sweet as she portrays herself to be. She could be a criminal on the run. Her friend Gwen could also be up to no good. I don’t trust either of them. I have a good mind to call the New York police and see if this story is even real. How stupid would you feel then if it’s all a ploy to deceive us?”
Abel knew the words coming out of his mouth were false, but he couldn’t stop himself. Lincoln leaned toward him, his eyes going cold. “You better not, Abel. Mia looked scared shitless. I have seen that look in Lily and Jessy’s eyes. Why would she come here to deceive us? You are thinking with your bitterness. Lydia was a cold-hearted bitch and you had a lucky break. You just can’t comprehend how lucky you were to get rid of her now instead of years from now when you loved that baby more than anything.”
Abel stood up, feeling agitated. The thought of his almost child still sent a pang to his heart. He had bought a closetful of toys that he had donated to a local shelter. “I loved that baby.”
“No. You loved the idea of being a father and I understand that, Abel,” Lincoln said softly. “Mia is a good woman and maybe you had the chance to find something real and honest with her, but you panicked and hurt her instead. Let the past go. It is eating you up inside and making you cold and cruel. You’re better than that.”
“Easy for you to say, Lincoln. No one has ever broken your heart before,” Abel muttered. His mind echoing his brother’s words.
“You didn’t love Lydia, Abel, and if you were honest you’d admit it to yourself and let it all go.”
Abel knew his brother hit the nail on the head but Abel wasn’t ready to let it all go. He wanted to remember the lesson Lydia taught him. Women were sneaky and conniving, not honest and true.
“Mia cared about you, Abel,” Lincoln continued with his speech, digging the knife in deeper and deeper. “You might have discovered something special if you were brave enough to receive it.”