Through his bruises, he met her eyes, shocked at her temper. "I was doing it for us. I wanted to stash enough money away so that you wouldn't have to work those stupid jobs anymore, and we could live right."

"You're trying to tell me you did this for me? for me?"

"Well, sure."

Anger beyond words gripped her, and she didn't have the words to tell him what she thought of his plan, but if they lived through this, he was going to get an earful.

But then she saw something that made her love him all over again. He was wiggling his hands loose.

"Ronny, how...?"

"I've been messing with this tape all afternoon, finally stretched it out enough so I could still look like I was tied up, but loose enough to get free so I could make my move when I had the chance."

"Ronny, I love you."

He grinned, scooting behind her chair and pulling at her bindings until she was able to help and within a minute, was free herself. Hope blossomed, and she fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I thought you were dead." Sobs choked her, and he hugged her back, but then pulled her up to her feet, closing his eyes with pain as he stood.

"I'm not yet, but we will be if we don't get outta here..."

"Yes, right. But where will we go?" she asked.

"It's pitch-black out-if we can get away from the house into the woods, make it to the edge of the swamp, I don't know, maybe we can flag someone down for help in the morning," he suggested.

"Anything is better than standing here. Let's go."

Miraculously, there was only one guy outside the house, and he stood a good distance away, closer to the front door. Luck was on their side again.

"This way." Ronny had to lean on her, and it was slow progress to the edge of the woods, but once they were in the trees, he picked up a large stick from the ground to lean on, and they made better time.

Better time to where, exactly, she had no idea, but as far away as they could get from Lou was the best direction she could imagine. She'd heard about this area, and that there was a good deal of wildlife-including black bears and bobcats-but better to deal with the animals out here than the ones back at Maloso's house, she thought.

"There have to be some other buildings around here, people-it's a wildlife refuge, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but we have no idea where we are."

Charlotte signaled him to stop for a moment, trying to think about the rough direction they'd taken from the road, and closed her eyes tight, trying to re-imagine the map she'd seen on EJ's computer.

Her concentration was broken by the sound of yelling and a gunshot. Then there were more gunshots.

"They know we're gone, c'mon!"

"No, wait." She listened, and there was a strange sound, like firecrackers, something bursting, and then some more gunshots. "Why would there be so much shooting just because we're gone? Who are they shooting at, each other?"

"I don't really care who they're shooting at, let's just get the h.e.l.l out of here."

She turned to him, hardly able to see anything but the outline of his shoulders in the dark. The sliver of moon offered some light, but barely.

"No, don't you see? It's the police! They found me!"

"Why would the cops find you?"

"So much has happened, Ronny, I can't explain it all now, but we have to head back toward the house. If we bear more to the right, we should come out at the road, and have enough distance to see-"

"No way. If it is the police, I'm certainly not walking back and letting them get me-I just got free from these guys! C'mon."

He grabbed her arm but she pulled away, confused at his response, but adamant that they needed to go back. She had to make him listen.

"Ronny, I know them. I know one of them, one of the police. He's...just trust me. He'll help us. You don't have to be afraid."

Ronny was silent, staring at her in the darkess, and she heard him sigh in disgust. "Did you go and get yourself involved with a cop, little sister? d.a.m.n..."

"I'm your big big sister, Ronny, and well, yeah. He's a good man. He's been keeping me safe from the mess sister, Ronny, and well, yeah. He's a good man. He's been keeping me safe from the mess you you got me into. They were investigating me because of you-they thought I was guilty of the thefts. How could you do that to me?" got me into. They were investigating me because of you-they thought I was guilty of the thefts. How could you do that to me?"

"We're back to that again? Do you really want to have this conversation here, right now? Are you crazy? I told you, I was trying to do a good thing," he said sullenly.

"Right, okay. But it didn't work out that way, did it? And now we need help. EJ'll help us. Come back with me, Ronny. It'll be okay," she pleaded.

"I'm not goin' anywhere, and you aren't, either! I'm not going to get blown into the cops by my own sister!"

She stood frozen in the darkness, disbelieving what she was hearing. What would he do? Drag her along? Just like Lou's men did?

"Ronny, I love you, but I'm sorry, I'm not going with you."

"Fine, have it your way, but I'm outta here, and don't you dare-"

He was cut off when he hit the ground with a solid thud as she grabbed the walking stick and jerked it away. Charlotte winced, tears stinging her eyes, but she wiped them away. She was going to do what was best for Ronny, and for herself, even if it hurt him now, it might save him later.

"What the h.e.l.l? Ow!" He struggled to stand, searching the ground for another source of support, but found nothing, his bad leg collapsing beneath him as he fell again on the uneven turf.

His voice was loud, belligerent. "You'd do this to me? To your own brother?"

"What about what you did to me? Doesn't that count?"

"I had good intentions, I wanted a better life for us. You are just going to leave me here crippled in the woods so you can go snuggle up with your cop after you help him arrest me!"

Charlotte shook her head, regret and pain choking her. In the darkness of the woods, she saw now what she never managed to see before in the clear light of day, because she'd wanted family of her own so badly. So much she'd given up her own self-respect to have it. Maybe she couldn't see her brother's selfishness sooner, but she was getting a good dose of it now, and thanks to EJ, she had the confidence to deal with it.

"I still love you, Ronny, but I don't have to put up with this. You did a bad thing, and you have to take responsibility for it."

She turned away, leaving him alternately cursing and begging as she started walking back toward the house. As she got closer, she could see lights flashing through the trees, and there was a ma.s.sive crunching of footsteps through the forest. Her face ached where she'd been hit, her eyes were blurred with tears, and branches swiped her bare arms as she marched forward. They would find her, and Ronny, in a minute, so she just kept walking toward the light.

EJ WAS GOING WAS GOING out of his mind. Where was she? They'd stormed the place with everything they had, and the surprise had been to their advantage. But while Lou Maloso and his goons were already on their way to a federal holding tank, there was no sign of Charlotte or her brother, save the bloodied and broken bonds they'd found in the garage. His stomach lurched to think that blood might be Charlotte's. out of his mind. Where was she? They'd stormed the place with everything they had, and the surprise had been to their advantage. But while Lou Maloso and his goons were already on their way to a federal holding tank, there was no sign of Charlotte or her brother, save the bloodied and broken bonds they'd found in the garage. His stomach lurched to think that blood might be Charlotte's.

They'd been there for an hour already, and the search teams were heading into the woods. They'd be bringing in dogs soon. That was never good. Everything was in chaos as agents and cops from everywhere crawled all over the house and grounds like ants, ambulances appearing out of nowhere with sirens screaming, and the media was sure not to be far behind.

But his thoughts were only on Charlotte. He wanted to go out and plow through the trees himself, but it was better to stay out of the way and leave the professionals to it-he would wait here, wait for her to come back. He didn't plan on moving from this spot until he knew something, though he was afraid of what he might come to know. More afraid than he had been, ever, of anything.

He didn't realize he hadn't moved a muscle in several minutes until Sarah and Ian approached him, concern written plainly on their faces, their tones trying to bolster him.

"Hey, man, this was good work. Put away some major figures and with the evidence they're turning up in that house, none of the guys are going to see the light of day anytime soon, especially Lou Maloso."

Sarah kicked at the dirt. "Not to bring up a sore subject, but won't his, uh, a.s.sociates, be looking to even the score? If...when we do find Charlotte, shouldn't she go into witness protection?"

Ian shook his head. "Typically, no. EJ's friend Jennie seems to think we got the remaining core of Maloso's men here, and the other stragglers will find work with other bosses, who are always anxious to take over new territory. They could care less if Maloso is out of the way. Though she can have witness protection if she wants it."

"But we can't find Charlotte." It was all EJ said, looking toward the woods, and Ian and Sarah exchanged worried looks, also afraid of what the final news might be, but then shouts went up, and lights flashed on out in the woods.

Heart in his throat, EJ walked toward the spot where all the commotion gathered.

And he saw her. Her face was bruised, tearstained and pale, but she was walking on her own with a search crew officer on either side of her, and when she raised her eyes to meet his, he started breathing again.

"Charlotte."

He stepped forward, tightly gathering her up to him. The men around them backed off. Ian and Sarah stood on the sidelines, grinning like fools.

"Charlotte." It was all he could do, to hold her and say her name, rea.s.suring himself that she was really there, alive and whole.

His.

"Oh, EJ. I knew it was you, I told Ronny, but he wouldn't come..." Her voice was trembling, but it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. EJ loosened his hold a little to look down into her face.

"Ronny is alive? He's out there?"

She nodded, her eyes so sad he couldn't bear it.

"He just wanted to escape, but he'd h-hurt his leg and couldn't walk...I took away his walking stick, and he fell. He wouldn't come back to face up to what he did, but I think they'll find him any minute now. He couldn't have g-gone t-too far. I told him you'd help, but he wouldn't come back with me, so I left him th-there..."

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry you had to go through this."

"It's okay. I'm okay. I mean, I'm sad about Ronny, but this is for the best for him, too, I think. He doesn't think so now, but maybe later, he'll see..."

EJ made soothing sounds, rea.s.suring her that he was sure that was all true as he walked her back toward the front yard of the house, where an ambulance had been parked since they got there. Handing her over gently to the medics who helped her up into the ambulance, he looked back over his shoulder to see that she was exactly right. The search team had reemerged from the woods with a beaten and lame Ronny in tow.

Charlotte was inside the ambulance, and couldn't see, but he smiled at her, patting her arm.

"Wait one second, darlin'. I have to see to something."

He stepped back to the ground, walking toward Ronny, intercepting him before they made it to the ambulance. He looked at the officers on either side of Ronny who held him up, and nodded.

"Ronny Fulsom?"

The bruised man looked up, worn down and exhausted, but EJ couldn't find it in himself to really feel sorry for the man. Not after what he'd put his sister through.

"I'm Detective Ethan Beaumont."

"Yeah, what? You the cop who's messing with my sister?"

If the man hadn't been so beaten, EJ would have been tempted to do it himself, but he clenched his fists, and managed a dangerous smile.

"You should know I've become rather fond of your sister, and I'm d.a.m.ned sure she doesn't deserve what's happened to her all because of you." EJ stepped a little closer, lowering his voice, and the smile vanished.

"If you weren't already broken to bits, I would be happy to do the job myself. But seeing as you are, regretfully, probably going to end up as my brother-in-law, and Charlotte, being the soft-hearted person that she is, still hopes that you can be a real brother to her someday, I guess I'll have to settle for just arresting you. But let me tell you this..."

He took one step closer, nose-to-nose with Ronny's bloodied face, the other man's eyes wide. EJ felt Ian's hand on his shoulder, warning, and he shook it off. He was perfectly in control.

"If you ever cause your sister one moment of pain again, I will make sure to return it tenfold. No doubt your sister will have some kind word to say, or maybe you can testify against Maloso, something that may end up softening your sentence a bit, but if you ever treat her badly again, you'll deal with me, and that will make your time with Lou look like a walk in the park. Are we clear?"

Underneath the dirt and grime, Ronny paled and lowered his eyes, and EJ stepped back, letting the officers take him to the ambulance, where the officer on his left continued reading his rights.

EJ turned to head back so that he could ride to the hospital with Charlotte, and ran smack into Ian and Sarah, who stood side-by-side, arms crossed, grinning at him like they'd just won a million bucks. All Sarah said, as she hit him solidly in the chest, was, "So he's going to be your brother-in-law, huh? Interesting addition to the family."

EJ shot her a look and walked past, though he smiled as he closed the distance between him and Charlotte.

13.

CHARLOTTE POPPED THE TOP of the canned lemonade and held the coolness against her still-sore cheek. Thankfully her cheekbone had only been badly bruised and not fractured, so she didn't require surgery. But it still hurt quite a bit every time she tried to open her mouth too far. Unless EJ was kissing her; that didn't seem to hurt much at all. of the canned lemonade and held the coolness against her still-sore cheek. Thankfully her cheekbone had only been badly bruised and not fractured, so she didn't require surgery. But it still hurt quite a bit every time she tried to open her mouth too far. Unless EJ was kissing her; that didn't seem to hurt much at all.

It was still uncertain, whatever was between them. It had only been two days since the confrontation at Lou's, and she'd spent the better part of the day in between asleep with the pills they'd given her for pain. So there hadn't been any talk, though his eyes and kisses spoke volumes. She wondered if that would change after she told him her news. She hadn't been able to get the nerve up to tell him yet.

But she'd woken up this morning, at EJ's home, in his bed-alone-ready to start getting her life back together. He'd taken her there from the hospital, and left a note on the counter that he'd be back later that afternoon-he had a meeting about the arrests.

She needed to find out Ronny's court dates, and get him a lawyer, though a court-appointed attorney was probably the best they were going to do. She hadn't forgiven Ronny, not by a long shot. But he was her brother, her only family, and she was willing to stick by him and help him be the man he could be, if he were willing to try. And if that didn't happen, well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it, but for now, she at least felt like she was seeing things more realistically.

She stopped on the sidewalk and faced the doorway of the community center thrift shop. It was time to face the music about the dress, but as difficult as this was, Charlotte was glad to finally be able to deal with it. She just hoped Phoebe was still there, and hadn't lost her job. If she had, Charlotte fully intended to speak to the manager and make sure she did her best to get the girl's position reinstated.

Chin up, she walked through the door and headed directly to the desk, hoping to see Phoebe's friendly face there.

Instead, there was an older woman, a cool-looking and much less friendly appearing brunette. It must be Sharon, Phoebe's boss. The woman looked up, meeting Charlotte's gaze.

"May I help you?"

"I-I was looking for Phoebe."

"She's in the back room, just a moment."

Charlotte nearly melted in relief-at least the girl hadn't been fired.