The Homecoming Read online

  The Homecoming

  By

  Jordan Silver

  Copyright©2015 Alison Jordan

  All Rights Reserved

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Shania Spalding was coming home. If someone had posted that little tidbit on the humongous billboard at the entrance to town, the news couldn't have spread faster. It seemed like everyone within five counties knew of the small town girl made goods' return.

  It was a time of jubilation for most, after all she had been a good friend, as well as a loyal, loving and devoted daughter and sister. Everyone remembered the little spitfire with the heart of gold, and a smile that could've put Helen of troy to shame.

  She had been popular in high school, one of the few who had straddled the fence between beauty and brains. A fiery combination of sass and kindheartedness, who had even at an early age, the ability to get others to open up.

  She had gone on to make a name for herself, at the tender age of twenty-five, in the dangerous world of investigative reporting. Ever the inquisitive one in the crowd, she had taken that natural inquisitiveness and the need to know, and turned it into her life's work.

  She'd traveled the globe, residing at times in some of the worst hotspots, just to get the story straight. She was lauded for her tenaciousness, her bull doggedness if you will, when it came to ferreting out the truth.

  Some were more than a little surprised that she was leaving big city life to return to the nest. There was speculation that she was seeking the solitude of the familiar, to write her next big novel. Only those closest to her knew the real truth behind her return, and they weren't talking. That was a testament to the kind of loyalty and respect she commanded.

  She has never turned on a friend, never revealed secrets, and could be trusted with anything. Her open and kindhearted dealings with others had followed her around the globe. To the point that she could've chosen to relocate to any number of regions and have help at her fingertips, if she so chose, but she chose to come home.

  Home, where the welcome mat was already hanging out, and the fatted calf had already been prepared. There was much buzz and excitement among those who had long wished for this day, but for one individual at least, it was like a death knell.

  ***

  The Watcher

  She couldn't possibly know what I've done. How could she? She hadn't been anywhere near the Cove on that fateful night. But no matter how I try to convince myself of that fact, there was no escaping the coincidence of one of the nation's top investigative reporters, returning to small town U.S.A, weeks after the deed was done.

  Maybe someone had grown suspicious, but I haven't heard any murmurings around town. Maybe I'll go down to the local bar and see if I get wind of any stirrings. There was just no way that she would be coming home at this particular time, unless it had something to do with what I 'd done.

  If that was the case, she'd soon find out what it took to lay down a son of a bitching bloodhound of a reporter. That's what one of those highfalutin, big city newspapers had dubbed her. 'America's Bloodhound'!

  She'd toppled more governments, and destroyed more political careers than a whore at a democratic convention. Why no one had seen fit to put her out of her misery as yet was anyone's guess. As far as I'm concerned, there wasn't anything great about a nosy ass woman who didn't know her place.

  If she came sniffing around in what didn't concern her, she'd soon find out. Things were finally falling into place after years of hard work, bowing and scraping to the haves, and ever being one of the have-nots.

  That golden ring was almost within reach, and nothing and no one was going to get in the way of that. I put out my cigarette on my boot heel and pocketed it. After years of diligently watching those true crime shows on TV, every idiot knows that the cops and other law enforcement agencies were always finding new ways and means of catching criminals, and DNA was the leading culprit.

  Chapter 2

  I'm lieutenant Donovan Chase and today I'm feeling no pain. I'd just tightened the lid on a case that had crossed county lines to end up in my backyard, after months of dogged determination and pure cussedness.

  I hated losing one to the cold case files and made it a priority never to go that route. If I can't get an angle on something, I don't think twice of letting one or two of my guys have a go at it. More often than not, all it takes is a fresh pair of eyes.

  I'm batting a thousand when it comes to closing whatever comes across my desk, to the annoyance of some of my peers. There were still a lot of murmurings of cronyism, because of my family's money, and their standing in the community. Never mind the fact that I had studied my ass off in college, or the years I put in on the force before making lieutenant.

  Some of them still saw me as a spoilt little rich boy, riding on daddy's coattails. Most of them were too ignorant to realize that had I wanted to do that, I would've gone into the family business, instead of pursuing a career in law enforcement. For damn sure I would be making more money and not putting my life on the line and, I'd put my poor mother out of her misery.

  "Hey lieutenant, nice going on that Gonzalez case; you guys really did it huh."

  "We sure did Scott, just goes to show what a little hard work and determination will do. Now we don't have to worry about human trafficking in these parts for at least another month."

  "Nah, you're kidding me right? Those guys can't be that stupid; you really think they're gonna set up another ring?"

  "Sure they will, smuggling Mexicans across the border is a lucrative business for these creeps. You didn't think they'd just give up because some of their guys got caught did you? Come on, you can't be on the force this long and still be that naive."

  "It's not that, it's just..."

  Scott scratched his ear beneath his cropped regulation cut. At twenty-three he was green as a newborn foal out to pasture. But he had heart and a deep biding love for the job that had been fed to him in mother's milk.

  Four generations of his family had served on the force right here on the Cove. Two had gone down in the line and two had retired with honors, sadly Scott's dad had been one of the unlucky ones.

  I made it a point to look out for the younger Scott, much as the father had looked out for me when I'd first signed up.

  "How's your mom doing these days Scott?"

  "Mom...I guess she's alright, you know...she has her good days and her bad days. Today's a good day. She went down to the market to pick up some berries to make one of her famous pies." Scott had a little boy grin on his still boyish face.

  "Yeah? I haven't had one of your mom's pies in a while."

  "You're not likely to get any of this one either, unless you plan on paying a visit to the Spalding residence. She's baking it for Shania's homecoming."

  "Oh yeah, our local celebrity's back, I forgot all about that." Liar, you haven't forgotten a damn thing. I'd known to the second when she'd crossed county lines, but no one else needed to know about my obsessio
n but me.

  I've had the hots for my best friend's little sister ever since the year she'd turned sixteen. I'd felt like such a bastard back then, a grown man of twenty three lusting after a high-school girl, but damn she was hot back then, and I can only imagine how much better she’d gotten with time. In my dreams, she was always magnificent.

  She isn't sixteen anymore, and apparently she's coming home for good this time. I planned on making sure she stayed, no matter what, by any means necessary.

  I had waited long enough, had been so stupid that I almost lost her, fuck if I was going to risk that shit again.

  I have great respect for her brothers and her parents, there was no doubt about that, but if they objected to my having her, then we’d become bitter enemies. I was hoping it didn’t come to that, that they had enough respect for me after all these years of being close, that they would let me have her in peace.

  Either way, I had made up my mind that this time, I was willing to go the distance to get what I wanted, and nothing was going to stand in my way, not even the greatest friendship.

  Chapter 3

  I felt the excitement growing beneath my skin. She’s always had this affect on me, always been the only woman alive who could make me hunger the way she did, without even trying. I couldn’t wait to lay eyes on her again, to touch her, take in her sweet scent, that I remembered so well.

  Somehow I've always managed to miss her on her return visits. I wonder now if that had been deliberate on my part, a kind of defense mechanism. All I know is that for the last few years, I haven't laid eyes on her, not even in a photograph.

  There was a time when I couldn’t bear to see her image or even hear her name mentioned. Knowing that she was gone from me had almost driven me mad. And then there were the times when I would’ve given anything just for a glimpse of her, the sound of her voice, or the touch of her hand.

  Her older brother Justin, who happens to be my best friend, was always singing her praises. In fact, you couldn't get him to shut up about her once he got started. And since we've been best friends since kindergarten, I always played the devoted listener.

  I would suck it all up while pretending nothing more than a friendly interest, when the reality was, that I went home and replayed every word in my head. I celebrated her every triumph, and championed her every cause. In short, I am totally and completely gone over this girl.

  Thank heavens my good pal didn't know the lascivious feelings I had towards his little sister. As a matter of fact, it was a good thing none of the four Spalding brothers were privy to my more X-rated thoughts where their baby sister was concerned. To a man they'd have my nuts in a sling.

  She was their little princess, and in our small town, everyone knew the rules when it came to little Shania. Look, but don't touch; and with that you better not look too hard. Now if I had my way, it would be my job to see that no one looked ever again.

  The chair legs scraping across the floor as Scott dropped them brought me back to the present.

  "Yeah she's back and all grown up. Man that is one beautiful woman." Scott shook his head in wonder. I seconded the sentiment but kept it to myself. Shania was a beautiful woman, she had peaches and cream skin with big fawn-colored eyes and high cheekbones, topped off by two of the most luscious lips to ever grace a woman's beauty. I wonder if she still wore that wild mane of mink colored hair down to her fine ass?

  I remember a real compact body, topping off at a mere five three, with a mile of leg, and two very well proportioned breasts. Damn, just thinking of those beauties made my body jump to attention. That’s another thing, even after all this time, I still have yet to figure out how to control my body’s reaction to her.

  I'd better stay the hell away from her until I could control my body's baser instincts, but damn I couldn't wait to see her again. It was time, way past time that I did something about this obsession.

  I always went after what I wanted, never allowing anyone or anything to stand in my way. I've always prided myself on being a straight shooter, until her. She's the only thing in my life that I've never been completely honest about. That was about to end.

  ***

  I'm probably one of only a handful of people who knows the real reason she's coming home now, and that was only out of necessity. I’m not sure if I would’ve been let in on the secret, friend or not, if things hadn’t gotten out of hand.

  But something had gone wrong in her life and my friend was about to land himself in a whole lot of trouble, and a man didn't just stand by and let his best friend go to jail for murder after all.

  When my hotheaded friend Justin had threatened to go after the bastard who'd hurt his little sister, and the family couldn't calm him down, they'd called me in. Not only as law enforcement but also as a friend. I remember that day very clearly now.

  It was a Monday afternoon, not too long ago. I'd been riding my desk, trying to make heads or tails of the mess of a case involving dead illegal immigrants that someone had shipped over the border, who had found their way into my little valley outside Monterrey.

  The wine valley was just as good a place as any to hide contraband I suppose, but not on my watch. I knew every square inch of my little paradise. For heavens sakes my family owned most of it and had for seven or eight generations.

  Which meant the idiot who had cooked up the plan to use my neck of the woods, couldn't have been too smart, as was proven in the end.

  Anyway, that day had been a real pisser, with dead end leads and nothing new coming in, and my boss pestering me to come up with the answers. I'd been about ready to pull my hair out by the roots when the phone call came in from the eldest of the Spalding brothers.

  Now usually Matthew could and did run rough shod over his younger siblings no problem, but on that day, he seemed to realize that something a little more than brotherly love and intimidation was needed.

  Justin had always been very close to his little sister; she'd been his shadow for as long as anyone could remember. In fact, the three youngest Spalding children had been extremely close, though all the boys looked out for their little princess, and with good reason too.

  Shania had always been an exceptionally beautiful girl, and all the local boys knew when she came of age, just how to conduct themselves around her; unless they wanted to end up in the ICU with tubes filling every orifice. If the boys didn't get you, the father sure the hell would, and that would be even worse.

  So on that day, when Matt had called at the end of his rope, I had high tailed it out of the office, dead Mexicans and illegal drugs forgotten, heart racing and mouth dry; until I'd run my friend to ground just outside county lines.

  I felt the side of my mouth with my tongue, where I could swear it was still tender from when Jus had socked me, because I wouldn't get out of his way and let him go murder the cheating son of a bitch, who had hurt his baby sister.

  I'd had a hell of a time talking that boy down from his murderous rage. In the end, we'd gone to a bar outside of town and tied one on, until the wee hours of the morning, when Chief Spalding had come and taken us home to our respective houses, so we wouldn't drive drunk. That wouldn't have looked too good on my record. He'd brought two of the brothers to bring our vehicles back.

  I'd spent the time on that bar stool learning more than I wanted to know about Shania's personal life, and I'd been aware that if Jus hadn't been two sheets to the wind, he wouldn't have divulged so much personal information about his little sister.

  "What am I saying, I'm sure you'll be at the welcome back party, after all you're pretty tight with her brothers." Once again Scott's voice intruded on my thoughts, and brought me back from my reverie.

  "I might have to work." Yeah right.

  "Aw come on Lieu, you work too hard, besides you just finished that big case. I'm sure the captain will give you the time to drop in on an old friend. The whole town's probably gonna be there."

  "If that's the case then I wouldn't be missed now would I?" I left my desk to g
rab a cup of coffee from my personal brew that I kept in the corner of my office. Station house coffee was just one step above horse piss in my opinion, and I refuse to drink that swill.

  If there's one thing I can't abide, it's inferior coffee. No matter how much ribbing I took from my peers, I was adamant about having my own special blend on hand. Now half the department found an excuse at least once a day to find themselves in my office on some pretext or another, and never left without a cup of Joe.

  The fact that you could smell the stuff two streets over was no help. If I was half the ass some of them accused me of being, I would start charging them, Brazilian blend didn't come cheap.

  "I can see her any time Scott, it's not like she'll only be here for a few days, there's plenty of time."

  "I guess you're right, I for one won't miss it for the world. You know I've never told anyone this, but I've always had a soft spot for her."

  "You don't say." I felt the cold knot forming in my gut. The thought of any other man being in love with her didn't sit too well with me. When she'd been out of my reach, on the other side of the country, out of sight, it had been okay, barely.

  I hadn't spent my every breathing moment pining for her, or even thinking about the feelings she's been stirring inside of me all these years. But now that she was coming home, things were different.

  Everything had changed since her brother had shared so much with me. She was within my reach once more, and I'd be damned if I was gonna let some other man poach on my territory, fuck that. No one was going to have her but me, no one.

  Chapter 4

  I'm almost grateful to the sorry son of a bitch who'd broken her heart. If he hadn't been such a jackass, she might've been lost to me forever. This might be my last chance to grab her, and I planned not to hold anything back.