She wants you. He paused a moment and raked a hand through his thick dark hair. The gesture was instantly familiar as she remembered hed always done that when battling frustration. Is this about what happened nine years ago? Johnna, please dont punish Erin for my mistakes.
She looked away from him, hoping he couldnt see how his words arrowed right to the heart of the matter. Dont be ridiculous, she scoffed. I got over what happened between us a long time ago. She looked back at him and asked dryly, Did you really believe that somehow Id spent the last nine years holding a grudge and mourning?
No, but I thought perhaps there might have been times when you thought of me. I know there were times when I thought of you.
His words seemed to burrow deep inside her and find the small place that held all her pain. Damn him. Damn him for coming back here.
Look, Ill talk to Erin, she said. Okay? She just wanted Jerrod to leave, to go away and leave her alone. Ill make an appointment and meet with her first thing tomorrow morning. Understand, Im not making any promises. Im just agreeing to talk to her.
I appreciate it, Johnna.
Good, then our business is concluded and Id like some time alone, if you dont mind. She turned back to stare down into the streets.
She relaxed only when she heard his footsteps receding, then the soft closing of the door that led off the roof. Shed lied. She had held a grudge for the past nine years. Shed never completely gotten over Jerrods betrayal.
She still mourned the loss of the dreams and fantasies theyd spun together in the blissful optimism of youth. There were moments in the long dark nights when she ached for the feel of his strong arms around her, his mouth pressed firmly to hers.
But she knew her loss had made her strong. Just like her painful childhood with her miserable father had made her strong. She neither wanted nor needed any man in her life. She was best aloneand alone was exactly how she intended to stay.
Jerrod might have forgiven himself for what hed done to her years ago. God might have even forgiven him. But that didnt mean she intended to. There were some things that were simply unforgivable.
Jerrod sat in the tiny lobby area of the Inferno police station, waiting for Johnna to show up for her 9 a.m. appointment with Erin Kramer.
Sure you dont want a cup of coffee? Sheriff Jeffrey Broder asked from his desk in the corner.
No, thanks, Im fine, Jerrod replied. He shifted positions on the wooden chair, his thoughts drifting back to his conversation with Johnna the evening before.
For trailer trash, Ive done all right. He winced as he remembered saying the words. Hed sounded childish and petulant even to his own ears.
Hed believed hed long ago worked through the baggage of that childhood label. But never had that name hurt more than when it had fallen from Johnnas lips so many years ago. They had been words that had destroyed his illusions of her, of his place in this town, but most of all, they had destroyed the illusions he had of himself.
But he was no longer the rebellious trash that had blown out of town with a chip on his shoulder and rage burning in his soul. He was now a man at peace.
Hed found his true vocation and had gotten a college degree. At the moment, however, more than anything he was a man who didnt want to see a dear childhood friend spend the rest of her life in prison for a crime he truly believed she wouldnt, couldnt commit.
He stood as Johnna swept in. He could tell by the narrowing of her eyes that she was not particularly happy to see him. Clad in a pair of tight jeans that emphasized her long, slender legs, and a biscuit-colored blouse that accentuated her dark hair and tanned face, she looked lovely, but tense.
What are you doing here? she asked with more than a little edge to her voice.
I thought maybe I could help.
I dont need help. I havent even agreed to do anything other than speak to her. She nodded to Sheriff Broder. Hi, Jeffrey.
Johnna, he said as he rose from his desk. Erin is our only prisoner at the moment, but I figured youd be more comfortable in the conference room.
Thanks, Jeffrey. The conference room will be fine. She looked back at Jerrod, her eyes an impenetrable smoke gray. Youre here. I suppose you might as well come on back with me. The invitation was not given graciously, but rather grudgingly.
Broder led them through the doors that led to the back of the police station and into a small conference room with a locked steel door. He opened the door
and gestured them in. Ill be right back with Erin, he said.
The door slammed shut behind him with a sickening thud that was all too familiar to Jerrod. Hed spent more than one night in the Inferno jail.
I wonder what happened to old Sheriff Kiley? he mused aloud.
Last I heard, hed retired to Florida and was spending his days playing golf. Johnna opened her briefcase on the table in the center of the room and pulled out a pad and pencil. Why? She looked up at him. What made you think of him?