Damn them both.

“If you so much as forget to come to a full stop, I’ll haul your ass into jail,” Mac said in a low voice. “Do you hear me?”

Rudy looked at him. “You’re not a man who gives up, are you?”

“No. And I’m not letting you win this one.”

“I’m not sure you have a choice, Mac. Just remember, you have no idea what you’re getting involved with. I’ll win because I was meant to win.”

“Not in my town.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

JILL IGNORED THE cast on Kim’s arm for as long as she could, but when the young woman was barely able to sign the papers releasing the money, she found herself unable to stay quiet.

“What happened?” she asked, nodding at Kim’s arm.

“What?” Kim stared at the plaster that ran from the base of her fingers up to her elbow as if she’d never seen it before. “Oh. I, um, fell and slammed my wrist against a stair.” As she spoke she nervously tucked blond hair behind her ear, then fumbled with the papers. “Where do I sign?”

“Here.” Jill pointed to the spot.

Kim positioned the pen against the loop of the cast by her thumb and scrawled her name.

“Is the baby all right?” Jill asked.

“What?”

“You said you fell. Is the baby all right?”

“Oh.” Kim placed her left hand on her stomach. “Yes. She’s fine.”

“You know you’re having a girl?”

For the first time since walking into her office, Kim didn’t look afraid. Her whole expression relaxed as she smiled. “Yes, they told me when I had the ultrasound.”

“Is your husband excited?” Jill glanced at her notes. “Most men want a boy. Does Andy?”

The fear returned, striking Kim like a bolt of lightning. She shrank back in her seat and swallowed hard. “He, um, he doesn’t know. He said he wanted it to be a surprise. I wasn’t supposed to ask. You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

Jill felt her insides turn over in an uncomfortable combination of pity and anger. She stood and walked around her desk, then crouched in front of Kim.

“You don’t have to do this,” she said quietly. “Kim, he has no right to hurt you or make you afraid. He’s your husband and he’s supposed to love you, not terrorize you.”

Jill fingered the paperwork on the desk. “You don’t have to put this money in your joint checking account. You can take the cashier’s check and walk out of here right to a woman’s shelter. It’s enough to give you and the baby a fresh start. I could drive you there right now. No one would have to know where you are.”

Kim pulled back as far as the chair would let her. She shook her head and held up her free hand in a sad gesture of protection.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Andy is a wonderful husband. He loves me.”

Jill stood. “He loves you so much he breaks your bones. There’s affection to stand by. What happens when the baby is born? He doesn’t want a girl, does he? Is he going to blame you? Wonderful husbands don’t beat their wives, Kim. They don’t make them afraid.”

Kim looked away. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “You don’t understand. Andy needs me.”

Yeah, because where else could he act like a bully? Jill thought grimly.

“What about your needs?” she asked. “What about spending the rest of your life afraid?”

Kim looked at her. “I’m not afraid.”

But the fear was there—a tangible beast between them. Jill knew all the psychological theories as to why women stayed, but she’d never been able to wrap her mind around understanding the dynamics. To her it was just plain sad.

“Please, Kim,” she said softly. “If not for you, then for the baby. What if he starts beating her?”

Kim turned away, one hand cupping her belly. “He loves the baby as much as I do.”

“I see. Will he love the baby the same as he loves you? With his fists?”

Kim stood. “I have to go now. Are we done? When can I get the money?”

Jill didn’t know what else to say. Short of kidnapping the woman, she’d run out of options. “It will be transferred the first part of next week. I’ll call and let you know when.”

Kim picked up her purse. “So I don’t have to come back here again?”

Jill hesitated, wanting to make up an excuse to see Kim again, but she knew there wasn’t any point. Until Kim was ready to leave, no one could help her.

“Here’s my card,” she said, pulling out a business card from Dixon and Son. She wrote her aunt’s home number on the back. “If you change your mind about anything, call me. It doesn’t matter what time. I’ll come get you, no questions asked.”

She held out the card, but Kim wouldn’t take it. Finally Jill tucked it into the other woman’s purse. Kim stared at her for a long time.

“He loves me,” she said at last. “I’m his world. Why can’t you see that?”

“You’re his punching bag, Kim. Why can’t you see that?”

Kim turned and ran from the room. Jill watched her go and knew she’d blown it big time. Dammit all to hell, she thought and picked up the closest law book and hurled it across the room.

She reached for another one, then sank into the chair Kim had vacated.

Tina stepped into the room. “What happened?”

Jill didn’t bother looking at her. “Kim was here with a freshly broken wrist. She’s what, eight months’ pregnant and the bastard is still using her as a punching bag. I don’t get it. I seriously don’t get it. I can understand the fear, but I told her I’d take her away. Sure, he could find her in Los Lobos, but not if she were in L.A. or San Francisco or even Dallas. She doesn’t have to be with him. The inheritance gave her money, so why did she stay?”

Tina didn’t say anything. Jill stood and walked around to her side of the desk. She was about to sit down when Tina spoke.

“You care.”

It was the last straw. She glared at her secretary.

“Of course I care. What did you think?”

With that, she grabbed her purse and left.

Once on the sidewalk, she wished the car were there. At this point she didn’t care about scratches—she would happily deface it herself. Maybe that would help her feel better. How could Kim live like that? How could any one? She found herself uncomfortably torn between compassion and anger.

Once on the sidewalk, she didn’t know where to go. Home? A bar? A quick glance at her watch told her it was barely after ten in the morning. Okay. Maybe not a bar.

Mac, she thought, and started walking toward the sheriff’s station. Maybe he could do something about all this. Surely one of the neighbors had seen something or heard something.

In the distance between her office and his, she made and discarded several plans. Everything from kidnapping Kim until the woman came to her senses to having Andy spend some quality time with the anal-probing aliens.

She pushed open the glass door at the sheriff’s office and saw Wilma at the counter. “Hi. Is he in?”

The gray-haired woman shrugged. “He’s in, but I wouldn’t want to see him if I were you. He’s not in a very good mood.”

“That works for me,” Jill said. “I’m pretty pissed off myself.”

She walked to Mac’s glassed-in office, knocked on the open door, then stepped in. He was on the phone, his back to her.

“About ten-thirty,” he said as he turned slowly. When he saw her, he frowned. “I’ll make sure he’s there. Uh-huh. Thanks.”

When he hung up, he surprised her by not getting up or acting the least bit pleased to see her. They’d seen each other the day before last and things had gone well. Very well.

“Mac?”

“I have a meeting in a couple of minutes. Is there a problem?”

He sounded all business and slightly hostile. She grabbed the door and swung it shut, then moved closer to his desk. “Yes, there’s a problem. I want to report a man for beating his wife.”

“Did you see the attack?”

“No, but I saw the results.”

“What does she say?”

“What most victims in spousal abuse say. ‘He loves me.’”

“So you’re alleging he beat her.”

Her temper flared to life. “Dammit, Mac. Don’t play that game with me. We both know what’s happening. Why won’t you do something?”

“Take it to Wilma. She’ll give it to one of the deputies.” He reached for a folder on his desk.

She slapped her hand down on top of it and leaned toward him. “I’m taking it to you. What’s going on? Are you mad at me?”

“Mad? No. Of course not. I’m annoyed at myself, but that’s nothing new.”

“I have no idea what we’re talking about.”

“Not a problem, because I don’t have time for a conversation.” He stood. “If you’ll excuse me?”

“No, I won’t. What has happened in the past couple of days to make you act like this?” She mentally raced through the possibilities. “Did you have a run-in with Hollis?”

“No.”

He moved around the desk and loomed over her. She told herself he was simply trying to physically intimidate her and while it was working, she wasn’t about to let him know.

“But I did have an interesting conversation with your client.”

“Which one?”

His blue eyes darkened with temper. “Rudy Casaccio. You know. The one you’re always claiming is misunderstood. I hadn’t realized the two of you were so close.”

He sounded furious and she didn’t have a clue as to why. “You don’t want me talking to Rudy?”

“Not at all. Talk away. I don’t give a rat’s ass.”

“Okay, look. I’m completely confused. Why are you so angry?”

He narrowed his gaze. “Because I thought I was having a private conversation with my lover and I found out instead I’d been speaking to the defendant’s counsel.”

“What?”

“Rudy. You told him I didn’t think people could change. What else do you tell him, Jill? What other little secrets do you share?”

“I don’t…we never…” She didn’t know what to say. Fury bubbled up inside of her until she wanted to bodily throw Mac through the glass door.

“We spoke,” she said, her teeth grinding together. “You’re right. I mentioned you were concerned about the town in the context of trying to find out how long he was staying and what he was going to do while he was here. He reassured me, and that’s when I mentioned you would be difficult to convince because you don’t believe people change. That’s all.”

“Sure. Great. It’s all clear now.”

“Don’t,” she said, raising her voice. “Don’t patronize me. I would never betray a personal confidence. Your feelings about what the world will and won’t do didn’t feel like a secret. If I was wrong, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I get it now. Rudy is your ticket out. How many millions in billing does he bring into a law firm? Two? Three? When you land somewhere, you bring him with you. That’s got to be pretty hard for any law firm to resist. In the face of that, how can anyone else matter? My mistake for not seeing that. No wonder you’re spending all your time kissing his ass.”

“That is so unfair.” She planted her hands on her hips. “I refuse to apologize for wanting to return to my real law career and handle something serious and important.”

“Important, huh? What? Finding a legal loophole so a corporation doesn’t have to pay taxes? There’s a profession to be proud of.”