Free 03_Cornered Coyote by Dianne Harman

with him. That way you’d only have to tell your story once. Okay?" he asked, looking sideways at her.
    "Jordan, I'm still in shock. I knew this was a possibility, but I never let myself believe it would happen. My poor parents. What if I'm convicted and have to spend time in prison, maybe for the rest of my life? I don't want to live if that happens. Maybe I should just do everyone a favor and fade into the sunset."
    "Stop it, Maria. That's not funny. We're going to fight this with everything we've got. On the plus side you've got a great attorney."
    "Jordan, you know what really scares me? I've read about some of the things that happen to women in jails and prisons. If the guards don't want them, there are a lot of women who do. I’ve heard they make women their sex slaves and gang-rape is pretty common.  I can’t go through that. The thought of being raped by a bunch of women makes me sick. I’ve never told you about how I was gang-raped when I was twelve.”
    “What? You’ve got to be kidding! Who would do that to a twelve-year old child? That’s really sick.”
    “No, I’m not telling you about it tonight. I’m too tired to go into it right now. I promise I’ll tell you all about it, but I can’t go through a gang-rape again,” she said, as tears streamed down her cheeks.
    "Slade said something about how he’s pulled some strings to get you assigned to a cell in isolation the first few weeks. Evidently the judge who's going to hear your case never grants bail when it's a murder case, so it looks like you’ll be in jail until your trial.”
    "Jordan, I’m not sure I can do this. And if I’m convicted, I’ll go to prison and then what?”
    "Things will work out, sweetheart. We'll have to wait and see what your attorney says. I know this is a living hell for you, but for the next day and a half let's just enjoy each other. I've waited so long for you to come back and even with all of this, Maria,” he said, “my body has a mind of its own. Remember, no matter what happens, I love you."
    Jordan drove down the alley next to his house and pressed the remote control button, opening the garage door of his red-tiled home. As he pulled into the driveway of his Sunset Beach oceanfront home, Maria noticed a man standing behind a tree with what looked like a camera. She sensed he was looking directly at her and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
    It's nothing. I'm overly sensitive because of everything I’ve been through. He's probably just taking a walk with his dog. She looked to see if he had a dog with him. He didn’t.
    Jordan didn't notice the man. “I'll run the car in after I get your bags out of the trunk." he said. "This is where I live. Lupe was here yesterday and cleaned the house. She's really looking forward to meeting you. Do you want a tour of the house now or later?"
    "Now," she said, opening the door that led from the garage into the house. She walked past the laundry room and into Jordan's office, mesmerized by the view of the moon lighting up the ocean directly in front of her. "This is incredible. You told me you lived on the beach, but I didn't realize you meant that you actually lived right ON the beach. Oh Jordan, it's beautiful."
    "Come on,” he said, taking her by the hand. “Let me show you the rest of the house." He led her up to the second floor. The great room was painted in Tuscan shades of soft mustard with accents of sienna. Just as in Jordan's office, the room had a wide expanse of floor-to-ceiling windows which looked out onto the beach. The kitchen area was huge. Jordan may not have cooked much, but he’d spared no expense when it came to the kitchen appliances. There were beautiful hand-painted tiles covering the counter tops. Four kitchen stools were situated at the counter overlooking the ocean. Behind the kitchen was a guest bedroom with a full bathroom.
    A large oak dining table that could easily seat twelve was situated between the kitchen and the