Page 10 of Heart in Waiting
“God, I hate to admit it, but on that score you’re entirely correct,” Carter grumbled. “I detest family dinners.”
Olivia crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her high heel impatiently. “Are we going inside?”
“Why are you even here?” Carter glared at her. “I didn’t realize we invited you.”
“The question is why wouldn’t you want me here? I make everything better.” She winked. “Admit it, detective, you are happy to see me.”
Carter looked heavenward and whispered something Dane couldn’t quite make out. Maybe he was praying for patience, or he could be wishing Olivia to perdition. At this point, he wasn’t sure he cared. Carter had made a solid point earlier and standing outside of the house wasn’t the safest course of action. It was time to head inside and deal with Mrs. Jackson as much as they all hated it. “Why don’t we go see if dinner is ready.” Dane motioned toward the house. “We might as well start planning how we’re keeping Reese and Claire safe, and we’re not going to do that out here.”
They all grumbled but headed toward the front door. Carter reached it first and pushed it open. Had she not paid attention at all to their warning? Or did someone forget to mention to her that a sociopath had escaped police custody and might kill her? She had always been a huge supporter of Nolan’s. Maybe she didn’t believe he’d ever hurt her.
Mrs. Jackson wasn’t waiting there ready to pounce on them all. Dane wasn’t sure if he should be glad or worried about that fact. “Wonder where Mother is...” Reese pushed past Dane and Carter to move into the front room. “Mom,” she yelled.
Mrs. Jackson gracefully descended the stairs and held her head high as she addressed them all. “It’s about time you all arrived. Why are you late?”
“Mother.” Carter pinched the bridge of his nose. “Dinner is at six. It’s half-past five.”
“Precisely,” she replied. “You’re late. Cocktails are an hour before.”
Dane held back the urge to laugh. Mostly because Carter would gladly pull his gun out and shoot him if he did. His partner had very little patience for his mother, and it had already been depleted with one brief sentence. “We apologize for our tardiness.” He nodded at Mrs. Jackson. “Is there anything we can do to help you with dinner?”
“Are you offering to serve?” She lifted a brow. “You are low class, so that makes sense, but no. It’s handled. Just sit at the table and keep your thoughts to yourself. I don’t want them to leak out and give my girls ideas. It’s bad enough they both dated from the same gene pool, I don’t need them sliding into even lower standards.”
What would she say if she remembered that he came from that same undesirable gene pool she referred to? Dane refused to let the old bat rattle him. Claire, on the other hand, had no such reservations. “Get over yourself, Mother. Dane is a wonderful man and shouldn’t be judged by you or anyone else because of the circumstances of his birth—something he had no control of.” She wagged her finger. “Besides, you’re the one who pushed both of us at that awful man. You were fooled by his charm. Makes me glad I stopped listening to you a long time ago and followed my heart.”
“Hmmph.”Mrs. Jackson glared at her. “You were always too outspoken.”
“I do try.” Claire grinned. “By the way, Matt and I are engaged. Don’t worry. I don’t expect you to congratulate us.”
Through the whole exchange, everyone remained quiet, especially Reese. It was almost as if she was trying to avoid her mother’s attention. When he had the chance, Dane intended to ask her about it. She had never seemed like the type to cower in a corner, but she was a shadow of her former self. He hated seeing her so defeated. The real question was who drove her to this state: Nolan, her mother, or both?
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to finish dinner. Be at the table by six sharp.” With those words Mrs. Jackson, disappeared. It was going to be one hell of an evening...
Carter turned to everyone and said, “I need a drink, and you will too if we’re going to make it through the meal. Follow me and I’ll offer you salvation.”
Dane wasn’t a fool and was fast on his heels. They would probably need more than one drink to survive Mrs. Jackson’s barbed tongue. Everyone else had the same idea, and Carter was pouring scotch into several goblets and handing them out like party favors. No one turned them down either...
***
CARTER HATED COMINGhome. He loved his mother almost as much as he hated her, but he skated that fine line with her more often than he’d ever liked. She was a cruel woman, especially with her children. That was where the hate derived from. What kind of mother treated her children with such derogatory indifference? There had been no warm and fuzzy moments in his childhood, and as an adult, they only darkened at every encounter. He stared into the empty glass in his hand and wished he could refill it. Alcohol dulled the impact of her presence. Unfortunately, he couldn’t drink as much as he’d like either. With Nolan on the loose, he had to keep a straight head.
Everyone had followed close behind him when he’d gone in search of a drink. Now, they all relaxed in the den, waiting for dinner. He wasn’t particularly hungry, but he’d eat anyway. Not because his mother bade it, but because he’d have to eat to keep up his energy. Weakness would only slow him down, and he refused to allow anything to prevent him from finding Nolan. The psychotic bastard had hurt Claire and several other women. He could hurt Reese too. Both his sisters had been involved with the same serial killer. If Nolan managed to get his hands on either one of them again... Carter would not allow that to happen. Hewouldfind him first.
“What do you have rattling in that head of yours?” Dane replied as he joined him on the other side of the room. He had been staring out the window, keeping to himself. Carter wasn’t sure why he’d decided to leave his post and walk to his side or what had him in his introspective mood. Dane had been broodier than usual since Nolan’s escape. Carter had his reasons for being upset at that outcome and Dane had his. They both hated Nolan for the awful things he’d done over the years. Carter couldn’t help wondering if Dane was reliving the nightmares of his childhood trauma at the hands of his brother. “I can almost see the wheels turning.”
“It’s nothing,” Carter replied evenly. “Just want this dinner over with.”
Dane folded his arms over his chest and leaned on the wall. He surveyed the room in the same manner Carter had earlier. They had been partners for several years and had become accustomed to each other’s habits. Dane was a couple years younger than him, and they hadn’t gone to school together. Before they’d been assigned as partners, Carter hadn’t known much about him. It had taken a while for them to become acquainted enough to share some of their personal lives with each other. Carter had unloaded his grief about his mother, and Dane had done the same in return about his father and half brother. Carter hated Nolan for what he’d done to his sisters—Dane had a lot more reasons to loathe the sociopathic bastard. No matter how Carter looked at the situation, it was all kinds of messed up.
“This dinner,” Dane began. “I understand it’s a necessary evil, but your mother isn’t going to make it easy.”
“She never does,” Carter confirmed. “But she is my mother, and she should be aware of the situation. I can’t take the chance he’ll leave her alone. It’s unlikely he’ll seek her out...” He shook his head. “Honestly, I have no idea what he might do. He’s a wildcard.”
Nolan was waiting for something. Carter didn’t believe for one moment he’d left the area. He didn’t have the means to do it. All of his assets had been seized to pay off the civil suits against him. The families of the women he’d killed had sued for damages. It had seemed kind of petty at the time, but he was thankful for it now. Nolan was dead broke, and that left him dangerous in a different way. He had nothing to lose.
“He’s always been that way,” Dane said quietly. He hadn’t moved since leaning against the wall. He watched steadily as if he expected Nolan to jump out at them at any moment. “My big brother has been rotten since the day he was born. No one else seemed to notice.”
“Makes you wonder about people’s observation skills.” Carter’s lips tilted upward into a small smile. “You don’t always notice what’s right in front of your face. Sometimes it’s just admitting it is too much to bear, other times you’re willfully blind because you want to believe the best in people. I suspect that is the case with Nolan. Those around him didn’t see past his veneer to the evil within. You got to see the other side of him because he showed it to you.”
