Annie pulled on the old, ratty white unders.h.i.+rt that served as her nightgown and jumped onto the cot that served as her bed. The thin mattress sagged under her slight form as she pulled the musky covers over her head. She had turned twelve years old today, but no one knew it. It was just another night in h.e.l.l. She'd been at this foster home for four weeks, and her only escape was school that started last week.

She shared a room with two other girls, Stacy and Sarah. They were both eight years old. She was the big sister, and the girls looked to her to protect them, but she couldn't. She had tried, oh, how she had tried. She had received a broken rib for the effort along with a black eye and probably a concussion, but she had never seen a doctor.

The floor board creaked, and a shadow blocked the light coming under the door from the hall. h.e.l.l had arrived. Stacy and Sarah stifled a cry and pulled the covers tight to their little chins. Annie heard the door open and closed her eyes. She started working over the science problems from cla.s.s that day and tried to block out the screams coming from the girls. The first night she was there she had jumped on his back and tried to stop him from hurting them. She had saved them that night, but she had been so badly beaten that she couldn't stop him again.

As she huddled under her blanket that hadn't been washed the whole time she'd been there, she thought about her science teacher Miss Whitebuckler. School hadn't started yet when she had arrived, and after the scars from her beating faded, she had been enrolled in school. Miss Whitebuckler would help. She was a tough but fair older woman who had taken a liking to her. She knew no one else would listen to her. Social services thought she was a liar and stopped investigating the claims of neglect and abuse she had told them about.

The sobs reached her ears along with the crack of the belt. She knew she couldn't stand it anymore. She peeked out from the covers to peer at the broken floor lamp near her bed. She slowly slid out from the side of the bed and onto the floor. Her knees sc.r.a.ped along the rough hardwood floor as she crawled to the lamp. The long rusted pole was solid enough to be of some a.s.sistance. She hadn't been labeled a troublemaker for nothing, and this time she knew what she was up against.

Her fingers wrapped around the cold, iron rod as she crept quietly to the large figure facing the bed. The girls' cries masked the sound of her approach. She lifted the pole high and with all her strength brought it down on his head. The sudden silence was deafening. The pounding of her blood running through her body was all she could hear. Stacy and Sarah stared at her with their eyes wide as they watched his body fall to the floor.

"Grab your thing. We're getting out of here," Annie told them. The girls scrambled to grab what little they had. She pushed hard as she lifted the window and boosted the girls through it before he could wake up.

Miss Whitebuckler had found them the next morning huddled under her desk in their night s.h.i.+rts when she had arrived at school. True to Annie's belief, she had helped and had made sure charges were filed again her foster parents. Annie had been moved to a group home and had never seen Stacy and Sarah again, but she saw them every night in her dreams.

Annie looked down at the ca.s.serole dish and saw that she had sc.r.a.ped the whole dinner into the trash can while she had been dragged back in time. It was her first attempt at making dinner for Cade, and it had failed miserably. She had never even tried to make dinner for a man before. Maybe this was a sign that she wasn't ready for such intimacy yet.

She picked up her phone and hit speed dial. "Blossom Cafe, what can I do for ya'?"

"Hi, Miss Violet. I need help."

"Oh, bless your heart, you tried to cook, didn't you?"

"Yes. It's burnt to a crisp and Cade is due here any minute. What do I do?"

"We'll take care of everything, dearie!" As Miss Violet hung up the phone she heard her yell, "Henry, don't you move from that seat! I need your help."

Annie hung up the phone and smiled. This town sure did know how to cheer her up. She set the small table with two mismatched plates she had bought at a St. Francis fundraiser and poured some wine. She wasn't surprised by the knock on the door. It was either the Roses to the rescue or Cade.

"Hey there, s.e.xy." Annie rolled her eyes, but smiled when she saw the takeout bag hanging from his finger. "Prince Charming here to save the day. Now, don't I deserve a kiss for rescuing the damsel in distress?"

"Just try it, Rooney," came the cold voice.

"Dammit, Cade, you're ruining a moment here." Henry winked at her and she laughed.

"Thank you, Henry, for the rescue." She leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Now, go before you get into any more trouble." With a wink of his ice blue eyes, Henry gallantly lifted her hand and placed a kiss right above her knuckle. Something sounding rather similar to a growl reached her ears, and Henry gave her a smile that told her he knew he was tempting fate and enjoying it.

"Good-night, my dear. If I can ever be of a.s.sistance, you have my number." Henry shot Cade a c.o.c.ky grin and then slowly walked down the stairs whistling.

"What was he doing here?" Cade asked a little sharply. Annie felt her eyebrows rise at his tone and turned to head into the kitchen.

"Oh you know. He brought dinner by, so we had a quickie on the kitchen table. Nothing out of the norm."

Cade felt his blood pressure shoot through the roof. He knew she was joking, but some primal instinct in him wouldn't let him laugh it off. He wanted her so happy and pleased that she'd never think of another man again. "Well, I can't be said to be outdone by Henry."

Cade swept her into his arms and silenced her protests with a searing kiss. He lowered her to the counter and shoved the bag containing their dinner away from them. He planted his hands beside her and leaned over her, possessing her mouth. He pushed her plum-colored business skirt up her hips and stripped off her panties. If it was the last thing he ever did, he would make sure the only thoughts she had about this kitchen were of him.

Annie stood on the porch and leaned into Cade's goodnight kiss. Tonight had been as close to perfect as she could ever dream of. Dinner had been great. They had laughed, swapped stories and, well, she couldn't forget about the kitchen s.e.x that had started on the counter, continued against the refrigerator before ending up with her laid out on the kitchen table and him over her. All in all, it was a spectacular night.

"It's getting kind of late, isn't it, Mr. Davies!" Annie jumped away from Cade at the sound of the authoritative voice.

"I was just saying good-bye, Father James," Cade chuckled.

"Good-bye's involve words, not tongues, Mr. Davies." Annie heard the amus.e.m.e.nt in Father James' voice as he walked across the parking lot towards them after locking the church doors. She still had the urge to cross herself as she tried to smooth down her rather mussed hair.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow," Cade said as he grinned down at her. "Sleep tight, and if you get cold, just go to the kitchen to warm up." He winked, turned and bounded down the steps after giving Father James a quick wave.

"Now, my dear child, how do you feel about September weddings?"

"Father! I thought priests weren't supposed to gamble." Annie couldn't believe it. That stupid pool the Rose sisters had going was growing by the minute.

"Gambling on the holy sacrament of marriage is, I'm sure, exempt. Plus, we really need a new roof for the church and winning the pot could help. Now, about September."

"Good night, Father." Annie shook her head and walked back into her house, leaving the little man standing at the base of the stairs by the statue of the Virgin Mary.

Annie had the files of the boys she thought were using S2 pulled out and was looking over them for common connections. The files contained the school's file plus the ones she could pull off the federal database. It seemed that everyone in Keeneston had common connections. They all went to school with each other or attended the same church, were in the same Boy Scout troop, and often playing the same sports.

She was having a very hard time finding the type of illegal connections she was used to finding in Miami. There they shared a jail cell, same probation officer, etc. This was infinitely more difficult to connect. She was also getting frustrated. She felt as if she were missing something. She knew the soldiers, Larry, Moe and Curly and then the steroidasaurus triplets. She knew Devon Ross, the personal trainer, had to be the dealer, and Trevor Gaylen was upper management. So, who was the real boss? And why were they targeting high school boys? With Ross's connection to the NFL, it just didn't make sense. The pro's had money and lots of it. High school boys didn't have money, and they didn't win Super Bowls, endors.e.m.e.nts or anything else drug lords could use as blackmail for extra income.

She leaned back in her chair to take a break and saw the clock on the far wall. It was already six o'clock! She gathered her files and slipped them into her black leather satchel before turning off the lights and locking her door.

Annie looked down the long, dark hallway and decided something was wrong. The lights were normally not turned off until seven when the janitorial service got done with the cleaning. She stopped and listened and heard the faint sound of voices making their way to her. She couldn't tell if they were male or female. She slipped her hand into her bag and grabbed her mace. She slowly made her way down the hall to the main intersection. The voices had stopped, and she was having trouble deciding which hallway they were coming from.

She slowed her breathing to quiet her body so she could listen better. The hair on her arms stood on edge as the sound of high heels clicked down the hall to the right of her. They were coming towards her. Annie pressed herself against the small s.p.a.ce on the wall with the intersection on her right and against the beginning of a row of lockers on her left.

The click click click of the heels echoed around her. They grew louder with each step as the person neared her. Was this the boss? Was this a dealer? It just seemed too strange for the lights to be out and the school deserted for anything good to come from this meeting.

Annie relaxed her body and listened in order to time her attack. There was only one person who fit that sound, and she knew she would be able to take her easily. The woman neared and Annie s.h.i.+fted her body slightly toward the hallway. She took in a deep steadying breath and on the exhale made her move.

She rounded the corner, keeping her right shoulder against the wall for protection in case shots were fired and wished she had her gun instead of just the mace.

"Freeze!" Annie was startled when the woman let out a high-pitched scream and flapped her arms up and down as if she were trying to fly away. "Jesus, Stephanie! It's me, Annie."

"Oh my G.o.d! You scared me half to death. I heard someone down here and thought it might be kids getting into trouble. Then you jumped out, and I was sure I was going to die." Stephanie had her perfectly manicured hand over her heart and managed to still look beautiful even though she was scared out of her mind.

"I thought the same thing. I'm sorry I scared you." Annie had slipped the mace up her sleeve as soon as she a.s.sessed that there was no threat and reached for her bag. "Are you leaving for the day? You sure are here late."

"I just finished grading papers. If I take them home, I get caught up watching television and end up not grading at all. So, I stayed late and finished. Now I can get home and watch The Bachelor without worrying about grading."

Stephanie picked up a very cute Coach bag that matched her dark pink sweater set and slung the strap over her shoulder.

"Well, I'm just heading home, too. How about we walk out together?" Annie waited for her to agree, and then they headed down the back hallway towards the teachers' parking near the football field.

"I would have thought you would be getting ready for a big date or something. There is talk that you are all hot and heavy with Coach Davies."

Annie wasn't sure, but it sounded slightly snappish. "No. No plans for tonight. I just thought I would curl up and watch some television too."

She didn't address the rumors of her and Cade. If it were up to her, no one would know about her personal life. Not that she was embarra.s.sed about Cade. Really it was quite the opposite. But then it made her have talks like this with people she didn't really know.

"So you two aren't serious?" Stephanie nudged her and gave her a wink.

"I don't know. We haven't talked about it, so I guess not." Thanks, Father James. For a priest he sure had a big mouth, and she was pretty sure these rumors originated with both him and the Rose sisters.

" 'Cause, if you were serious, I could give you all kinds of advice."

"That's nice, but not necessary."

Oh, this was getting bad. She did not do girl talk. She opened her bag and started scrounging around for her keys so she could get out of this conversation as soon as possible.

"You know, from when Cade and I dated. So, if you ever want to have some girl time and compare notes just let me know. It would be so much fun!"

Annie paused mid-reach to her car door. She had a feeling this was some sort of power struggle but not one she wanted to be in. She'd ask Cade and see what really happened.

"Thanks, Steph. That's real nice of you. But, like I said before, we're not serious. Have a good night and thanks for walking out to the car with me." Annie opened the car door and tossed her bag inside.

"Okay, well, the offer is open any time! Bye!" Annie jumped into her car and took off before Stephanie could do more girl talk.

Chapter Thirteen.

"Austin, what the heck are you doing?" Paige screamed from the stands. "Oh, this is not good, not good at all," Paige said to her as she sat down.

Annie agreed. It wasn't good. They were playing T.H. Morgan, who happened to be one of their biggest rivals, and were falling apart. Austin wasn't listening to a thing anyone said and was pointing fingers at his teammates. In return, his teammates were ignoring him.

"What is going on with them? It's as if two separate teams are out there. Team Austin and Team Everyone Else." Paige sat down in frustration and glared at Austin's back as he threw yet another incomplete pa.s.s.

Annie watched as Austin began to yell at Ryan for missing the catch, when in reality the pa.s.s was nowhere near Ryan to begin with. Ryan had made some impressive moves just to manage to get in reach of the horribly thrown ball. The team did have athleticism, but they were just not working together.

"Annie, you may want to go home right after the game and hide."

"Why would I do that?" Annie asked, alarmed at what Paige said. Did Cade tell her who she was?

" 'Cause my brother is going to be madder than a bear with a thorn in his paw after this game."

"Oh, well, I'm used to men being p.i.s.sed off. No big deal."

"You deal with p.i.s.sed-off men as a guidance counselor?"

"Sure. Cade may be able to throw a tantrum, but not nearly as well as a seventeen year old. Then I get the p.i.s.sed-off parents. So, yeah, I think I can handle Cade in a snit." Annie turned to look at Paige as she started to laugh.

"A snit?" Paige laughed. "I have never heard the word snit a.s.sociated with my brother before. That's priceless."

Annie zipped her fleece coat up and let Paige have her laughs. She knew the real reason Cade was p.i.s.sed. It was obvious the team had talent, but S2 was inflating egos and creating tension among teammates.

She cringed when T.H. Morgan scored a touchdown, pus.h.i.+ng the lead to seventeen. Cade threw his playbook to the ground and grabbed Austin by the horse collar when he tried to go out onto the field. She couldn't hear him from where she and Paige sat, but she could read his lips and was pretty sure he just told his quarterback to sit his a.s.s down on the bench for the remaining two minutes of the game.

Austin tore off his helmet and threw it into the table full of water. Cups went flying and water shot through the air as he stormed off towards the locker room. Cade signaled his soph.o.m.ore quarterback to get out onto the field. The poor boy couldn't weigh more than a hundred and fifty pounds. But, there was no fear in his eyes as he took his orders and headed out into the huddle.

Annie had always thought of herself as tough, but those last two minutes had aged her ten years. Maternal instincts she never knew she had came out in full force for little Bobby Rudd. She had met with him to go over his grades at mid-term and was astounded by how smart he was. He had a 4.0 and was signing up to take advanced placement cla.s.ses on the recommendation of his teachers. He was skinnier than a rail and carried a book with him everywhere. He was a nerd and was putting himself in danger out on that field.

Annie watched in horror as the huge, beastly linebackers shoved at the offensive linemen while trying to get to little Bobby. Bobby back pedaled with the ball and looked downfield. Ryan was sprinting down the sideline. Bobby raised the ball and threw it seconds before a linebacker crashed into him, ramming him to the ground.

Annie shot to her feet and gasped. He had to be broken in half. Paige lunged to her feet, unconcerned for little Bobby who was surely dying on the field. "Come on, Ryan!" she screamed, forcing Annie to look downfield.

The ball was spiraling downfield right for the outstretched hands of Ryan Hall. Ryan managed to find another gear and leapt into the air, snagging the ball. He landed, twisted to avoid a defender, and kicked it into high gear again, running for the end zone.

Annie turned back to see little Bobby standing whole and apparently uninjured as Ryan ran in for the touchdown. Bobby smiled and casually headed to the bench as if throwing a forty-yard pa.s.s resulting in a touchdown was no big deal. She didn't think she could like the kid any more than after their meeting, but there were obvious sides to Bobby that she hadn't even begun to know.

The last seconds of the clock clicked off, but even with Bobby's heroics, they had lost by ten. "Come on. Let's go check on Cade. He looks ready to explode." Paige grabbed her hand and tugged her down the metal stairs of the bleachers to the field. She went straight to her brother and gave him a hug.

"Bobby!" Annie yelled as the boy started past her towards the locker room. "Are you okay after that hit?"

"Miss H? Sure I am. That's what the pads are for. Thanks for coming out to watch the game," Bobby said in a voice that was still high.

"You're welcome, Bobby. That throw was amazing."

"Just physics Miss H. Hey, can I stop by Monday to go over that forensic book that you gave me? I finished it already. It was fascinating. I was hoping we could talk about it some more, and if you had any more criminal forensic books, I would love to borrow them."

"Sure. I'll bring a couple of my old textbooks from college, and we can go over some old cases. Do you think it's a field you would be interested in going into?"

"It sure is. I love science, but I can't see myself in a lab. Maybe in the FBI or something where I'm out in the field. That would be cool."

"I'll place a call to Paige's husband to see if Special Agent Parker can join us. Maybe he would give you some tips. With your smarts you could go into a specialized branch such as behavioral a.n.a.lysis or biochemical terrorism."

"Thanks, Miss H! That would be awesome. See you Monday!" She watched as Bobby ran off the field and gave his dad a high five and his mom a hug before heading into the locker room.

Cade said good-night to his sister and walked over to where Annie stood staring after Bobby Rudd. "Do I need to be jealous?" Cade whispered into her ear as he came up behind her.

"Maybe after he hits p.u.b.erty. That's one kid who is going to make a difference in this world. Sorry about the game. And sorry for the frustration."

"It's getting worse. I don't know how much longer I can turn a blind eye."

"I'm hoping it will be over soon. I'm talking to Bobby again on Monday. He's too smart to not know about what's going on. Maybe I can find out some more."

"I better get going so I can give my post-game breakdown. Justin is spending the night with Marshall and his dog Bob, so I can spend a little time with you tonight if you don't have other plans."

She turned to him and smiled. Those emerald eyes sparkled and Cade couldn't help himself. He leaned down and kissed her right in front of all the players, parents, and staff who had come out to see the game. He tightened his arms around her. He loved the feel of her in his arms, but he also knew she'd be mad. She was not in favor of any touching in public, and he had gone and claimed her as his in front of the whole town. So, he held her close in hope that she couldn't get off a good punch.

"Okay, I'll see you tonight," he heard her m.u.f.fled voice say from where he had pressed her head to his chest.