Page 30 of A Beach House Beginning

“The first night after my release, we had a rainstorm. I stood outside my motel for at least an hour and just relished the rain on my face.”

It was an admission Wes suspected he could not tell anyone else on earth. Somehow he knew Jenna would understand.

She said nothing for a long moment, attention fixed on the dog, who was currently sniffing the base of a Japanese maple. Finally she turned to face him, eyes solemn and her features sad.

“Why were you in prison, Wes?”

The question seemed to come out of nowhere, like a sudden unprovoked attack from his six that left him momentarily breathless.

He owed her an answer.

He wanted to tell her all of it. At the same time, he wanted to pretend it had never happened.

“I trusted the wrong person,” he finally said. The words sounded naive and unbelievable, even to him. Was it any wonder a jury of his peers had not believed them either?

He wished he didn’t have to talk about this. He wanted to stand in this delicious-smelling garden and enjoy the simple pleasure of talking to a lovely woman. But the past was part of him now, an inescapable imprint on his personal story, and he suddenly wanted her to know.

“I told you I served two tours in the Army as an MP. Military policeman. When I got out, I got a job providing private corporate security. After a year or two of that, I ended up starting a company doing the same thing with a good friend, another MP I served with. Anthony Morris.”

Even mentioning Tony’s name left a bitter taste in his mouth, pushing away the remaining sweetness of the boysenberry pie they’d had for dessert.

“Tony was my best friend in the service. I thought I knew him. I trusted him. But unfortunately, the man I thought I knew didn’t exist. He said all the right words about honor and integrity but lived a completely different reality. Somehow he managed to conceal it from me and our clients, smiling to our faces while filling his pockets with anything he could find.”

“He was dirty?”

“To the core. The whole reason he wanted to start Mor-Cal Security was to use our clients, people who trusted us, as his personal booty chest. He didn’t steal just a few things, either. The extent of it was staggering. He stole something from every single client. Large or small. Trade secrets. Account information. Personnel records. Even loose change. Whatever he could pocket or sell to the highest bidder. He was an equal opportunity thief.”

That helpless rage swept over him again. “And I was stupid enough to hand him the keys. Literally and physically. I never imagined he would betray our clients like that. Betraymelike that. I didn’t believe him capable.”

Maybe he deserved to go to prison for being so unbelievably stupid. But if everyone who trusted the wrong person ended up in prison, there would be no room for the actual criminals.

“People can be capable of all sorts of things we never imagine.”

Her tone was tight, resigned, making him wonder who could possibly betray someone like Jenna.

“You are right, unfortunately. If I had given it any thought at all, I would have figured a guy whose life you saved in the middle of a firefight is not going to screw you over a few years later.”

Her features softened with compassion. “Oh, Wes. I’m sorry.”

Her compassion seeped into all the cold places, taking away a little of the chill from the memories. “I should have suspected something was up, but he handled all the finances. He was the brains, I was the muscle. I was just glad I could help my mom and my sister out a little and buy a nice house for Lacey and Brie, after they put up with years of base housing.”

“When did you start to suspect?”

He sighed, remembering the bitter shock. “When I was arrested for grand theft. I denied everything, of course. I thought the feds had made the whole thing up. Tony would explain everything, I told them. Then I discovered Tony had fled to South America, leaving me swinging in the wind. Everything traced back to me. He had cleverly covered his tracks and created a false trail that led straight to my door. From the outside, it looked as if I had planned and orchestrated everything and that he had escaped only to protect himself from me when he uncovered the truth.”

“Oh no.”

“Right. Tony had completely set me up and I was too naive to see what was happening.”

“You must have been in shock when you figured out what was really happening.”

“You could say that. He was the closest thing I had to a brother, you know?”

She placed a comforting hand on his arm and he gazed down at her fingers, small and pale in the moonlight. Did she feel this pull between them, the same magnetic force of the moon directing the tides?

“Is he still on the run?”

He shook his head with a grim satisfaction. “A couple of my Army buddies went down and found him about a year ago. They dragged him back to face the consequences. He eventually ended up coming clean and admitted I wasn’t involved. The prosecutors didn’t buy it, but my attorneys fought like hell to find the evidence to exonerate me. Which is how I can be standing here today enjoying a rainy evening with you.”

---