Chapter 30

Palmer dragged Tara into a hotel room and roughly shoved her into a chair, her eyes blazing. "Now do you want to start telling me the truth about what you've been up to?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Tara returned the glare, unable to believe the way the woman was treating her. "I'm the one who's pieced this all together for them, not you."

"Because you knew about this from the beginning, sweetie," Palmer said matter-of-factly, pulling a chair in front of Tara's and sitting down. "So tell me. Where did you and Andy come up with this little plan?"

"There was no plan!" Tara said angrily, yanking the t-shirt down over her knees, trying to cover herself. The bitch could have let her put some clothes on, at least…

"Right. And I suppose we just found Andy's print on that action figure because…"

"It was wrong," Tara shot back. "Had to have been."

"Prints don't lie, baby."

"I'm not your baby," Tara retorted.

"No, you seem to have ended up as Nick's, which I'm assuming was part of your plan. You're really determined to destroy him, aren't you? First you terrify him, then the rape, and now, god, Tara, how cold can you be," Palmer shook her head slowly. "The one person he trusts right now, turns out to be the one who's been doing this to him? He's going to completely fall apart."

"I'm not doing this to him!" Tara shouted, her eyes filling with tears. "How could you possibly think that? I love Nick, I would never hurt him!"

"Oh, bullshit," Palmer rolled her eyes. "You played the concerned girlfriend very well, mind you, but you know, I should have realized something was up. You were just a little too eager to help Nick out the night of the rape, weren't you."

"What?" Tara squeaked out, her mouth dropping open in disbelief.

Palmer looked at Tara, her eyes narrowed. "Pulling the dildo out of Nick. You had no problem doing that, did you. I thought, at the time, you were just being concerned, but you know, now? I think you enjoyed it."

"God, no," Tara choked out, disgusted by the suggestion. "That was awful!"

"But you did it. Didn't even need to be asked twice."

"Nick was in pain! I had to!"

"You wouldn't have had to if YOU didn't put it there."

Tara shuddered, and shook her head, "you know full well I couldn't have done that."

"No, but you set him up," Palmer said calmly. "Sure he just disappeared from the room with nothing more than a thud."

"He did!"

"Sure. Must have been a kinky thrill, having sex with Nick one minute, watching someone force that thing into his ass the next."

"Fuck you," Tara hissed, her face turning red. "That's sickening."

"Sickening, or erotic?" Palmer reached for a laptop on a table nearby, and turned it to face Tara. "Remember?" She ran the mouse over the screen and clicked, playing the movie of the events that night for her.

Tara nearly gagged at the sight, before turning her face away. "Turn it off."

"Come on, Tara, you like this, don't you?"

"TURN IT OFF!" She screamed, jumping out of the chair and backing away. When Palmer turned the volume up on the computer, Tara doubled over, covering her ears with her hands. "NO!" She began to cry in earnest, unable to take the sound of Nick's screams. "Stop it!"

"Fine," Palmer sighed, and shut the laptop, sitting back in her chair and looking at Tara evenly. "Now you want to talk?"

"I want to leave," Tara cried, tears rolling down her face. "How could you make me watch that? I LOVE HIM, don't you get it?"

"Sure you do."

"I don't have to stay here," Tara said, walking towards the door.

"Yes, you do," Palmer stood up and blocked her path, raising an eyebrow. "You don't want to leave now."

"Arrest me, then talk to me," Tara shoved Palmer, and continued walking. She stopped when she heard a metallic click behind her, her eyes widening.

"Turn around, Tara," Palmer said slowly.

Tara was hiccupping through her tears as she turned around, gasping at the sight of the gun pointed at her. "What the…"

"I can't let you go out there," Palmer gestured with the gun to the chair. "Sit back down."

"Why the fuck not?"

"Not until I am positive you are not going to harm Nick." Palmer looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "Now are you going to sit, or would you like me to make you."

Tara bit her lip, and sat down in the chair, her face contorting as she tried to stop her tears. "I wouldn't hurt him," she said softly, her eyes fixed on the gun.

"Sure," Palmer recocked the gun and put it back in her holster. "Didn't realize I carried a gun, did you?"

Tara shrugged, her eyes still wide.

"Trying to hit me like you did, that took balls, I'll admit," Palmer snorted. "Most people won't go after an FBI Agent like that. Not when they know that we all carry weapons. All the time."

"Guns don't scare me anymore," Tara sniffled, looking away from Palmer. "There are worse things, I know that now."

"What do you mean?"

"I think Nick would be much better off now if he'd just been shot. All of them, really. But this…this is torture," Tara began to cry again, and covered her face with her hands. "It's constant, never ending torture."

"That you and your friend Andy are causing."

"NO!!"

"So, let's talk about the other night, shall we?" Palmer continued, ignoring Tara's tears.

"About what?"

"Andy has an interesting alibi for the night we found the action figure in Brian's room."

"Interesting?" Tara asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes. You."

Tara nodded slowly, "I was on the phone with him when we heard the scream."

"Who called who?"

"I think I called him."

"Think?"

"I don't know, goddammit, I…god…" Tara wiped at her cheeks, and glared at Palmer. "How the fuck could you make me see that again??"

"Still focused on that, are you?"

"You don't think I see that in my nightmares?" Tara asked angrily. "And what do you mean Andy's alibi? Oh god," her face paled as she realized what Palmer meant. "You arrested Andy?"

Palmer smiled wryly. "Of course."

"But he didn't do anything!"

"That's what he says."

Tara frowned, "what can I do to convince you I'm telling the truth?"

"I've been lied to by the best, Tara, I don't believe you, it's that simple," Palmer shrugged. "Say whatever you want. I want proof, and the proof is stacking up against you."

"Like what?? So I know Andy. He didn't do this."

"You also said that it would be a good thing if someone killed the Backstreet Boys."

Tara's eyes widened, "I said that WHEN? Where??"

"At work."

Tara gasped, "jesus, I wasn't serious! Tommy said it too!"

"Sure you weren't."

"Come on, I didn't like their music, I didn't know them then! Like you were such a fan before you met them?"

"This isn't about me."

"It was just an innocent comment!"

"Funny you'd use the word 'innocent.'"

Tara groaned, and sat back in the chair. "You're reaching for things to say now, aren't you."

Palmer made a face. "Your friend Andy. He a Backstreet Boys fan too? Or did he want them to die as well?"

"Andy loves them. He's never said a bad word about any of them," Tara said firmly.

"Who's his favorite?"

"AJ."

"Funny, AJ was the first one to get hurt…"

Tara just bit her lip and didn't say a word, tears slowly running down her face.

"All right, Tara, I suppose we're done here," Palmer sighed heavily. "Truth be told, your friend Andy was taken in for questioning, and released. But we're investigating you, and him, extremely thoroughly at the moment, and I DO NOT like the fact that you are staying with Nick."

"I love him," Tara mumbled, her lower lip trembling.

"So you say. I won't tell them to get rid of you just now, we'll be in LA day after tomorrow anyway, and I'm assuming you'll be staying at home then. Just, watch your back, Tara, because I'm going to be watching you very carefully."

Tara stood up, and shook her head slowly. "You don't even care that you're wrong, do you. You just want someone to blame."

"No, I want justice, Tara, and I want to catch the people doing this. I also think that you're one of those people," Palmer replied evenly. "I just hope Nick doesn't fall completely to pieces when he finds that out."

"I'm leaving. Now." Tara said angrily.

"Fine. Just remember. I'll be watching you."

********************************************************************

Tara walked slowly down the hallway, trying to compose herself before she got back to the room. The image of Nick on that computer screen was stuck in her head, his screams still ringing in her ears, and as much as she tried, she couldn't control her tears. She didn't think she would be able to, either, until she saw him and reassured herself that he was all right. Sniffling loudly, she knocked on the door to their room, hoping Nick hadn't been convinced by Palmer's accusations.

Nick slowly pulled the door open, and stood in the doorway, looking at Tara with narrowed eyes. "You talk to her?"

"I did," Tara only cried harder at the sight of him, and she covered her face with her hands, embarrassed by her emotional state. "Nick, she thinks that I did this!"

"Did you?" He asked angrily, refusing to budge from his spot.

Tara was shocked enough by the question that she stopped sobbing for a moment, staring at him. "NO!"

"What about your friend Andy?"

"He loves you guys! He'd never hurt any of you!" Tara insisted, her eyes wide. "God, Nick, don't believe Palmer, she doesn't know what she's talking about!"

"She's an FBI Agent, Tara, I'm sure she knows…"

"I LOVE YOU!" Tara shouted, shaking from fear that he wouldn't believe her. "I would never, ever do anything to hurt you!"

"What about the fingerprint, then?" Nick was clearly shaken by how upset Tara was, but he needed some answers before he would fully accept she was telling the truth.

"I don't know," Tara sniffled, and shook her head. "Someone must have taken it from him, I don't know…"

Nick raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "Who?"

Tara looked at Nick for a moment, before gasping. "Jessica."

"Who?"

"Oh god, Nick, Jessica!"

"The girl who does our website?" Nick looked at her dimly. "Why would she do this?"

"She has more of a reason than Andy does, and she could have gotten to the action figure!" Tara stared at Nick, tears still rolling down her face. "Nicky, I didn't do this to you."

"Why are you so upset, then?"

Tara bit her lip, fighting back a sob. "Because she made me watch."

"Watch what?"

"You," the word came out as a strangled sob, as her tears continued to pour.

Nick couldn't just stand there any longer, he pulled Tara into the room, wrapping his arms around her protectively. "Oh, baby," he whispered, walking her to the couch and sitting her down. "She made you watch it?"

"Yes," Tara cried, burying her head in Nick's chest. "Then she asked me, the most awful things, Nick, I wouldn't have done this!"

"I believe you, Tara, I do," Nick kissed her forehead and sighed. "I can't believe anyone's this good of an actress."

"I can't act," Tara said wryly, before sniffling loudly. "I just kinda fell apart, with the stuff she was asking me."

"Like what?"

"I can't say it, please don't make me," she said softly, shaking her head. "Just believe me when I say none of it's true."

"And you think it's Jessica?"

"I don't know? I just know it's not me," Tara shuddered, and slipped her arms around his waist, snuggling close to him. "I love you, Nicky, I am so glad I found you, and I would never, EVER hurt you."

"I know, baby," Nick ran a hand through her hair, and kissed her again. "I don't know exactly why I'm so sure I know, but I do."

"It's Jessica. Same thing, I don't know how I know, but," Tara pulled away from him slightly to look into his eyes. "I do. I've never liked her, or trusted her, and I really think it's her."

"If it is her, Tara, we'll get her, then," Nick said firmly, cupping her face in his hand. "We'll deliver her to Palmer on a plate."

Tara snorted, and rolled her eyes. "Good. Because I don't think Palmer will believe it's her otherwise."

"We'll prove it. Somehow, we will," Nick felt her shudder again, and pulled her closer to him. "We have to."

"Yeah," Tara agreed. "We definitely have to." With the FBI beating down the wrong path? Yeah, they'd have to do it themselves.

So they would.

***

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