Live for Me (Hallow Ranch)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Beau

The trailer had seen better fucking days; then again, I said the same thing in the third grade. It had been my first time seeing Abbie’s home. That day, she’d come to school with three new bruises, and I’d gotten a first taste of what pure anger felt like.

Nestled on the corner of the trailer park, dead shrubs all around it, the tan and brown single-wide trail sat, rotting away along with the horrible woman inside it. I parked my truck about thirty feet away, noticing a newer truck parked on the side. I grimaced as I reached over, putting on my hat before shoving my pistol in the back of my jeans.

“I swear to God, if she’s fucking someone,” Lawson muttered from the passenger seat.

I shot him a look. “You didn’t have to come, you know.”

His brown eyes met mine. “Yeah, I did. Like hell if I was going to let you come out here alone.”

After Abbie fell asleep last night, I called the twins to see if one of them could come to the cabin to keep an eye on her so I could get Spirit back to the barn. Lawson came out, and by the time I’d driven back, I was surprised to find him and Abbie sitting at the table, playing cards…

Lawson frowned at me as soon as I stepped inside, and my eyes shot to Abbie. She was wearing one of my shirts and a pair of my sweats. Her hair was pulled back into a messy, lopsided ponytail, and her skin was glowing.

“You taught her how to play poker, didn’t you?” Lawson grumbled.

My eyes dropped to the cards and opened beers sitting on the table.

My lips twitched, knowing Abbie was kicking his cocky ass. “No, Pop did.”

Lawson’s jaw dropped, and he looked at Abbie, pointing at her. “You dirty little liar,” he accused. Abbie’s head fell back, a beautiful laugh coming from her, filling the space and my heart. Lawson glared at her, nostrils flaring as he tossed his cards on the table. “You played me!”

I shut the door and leaned my shoulder against the wall, watching them.

“I didn’t play you or lie to you,” Abbie said frankly, holding out her palm.

He eyed it and then looked at me. “Is she serious, or can we just write this off as a trial run?”

A chuckle left me as I shook my head. “Did you put actual fucking money on this?”

Lawson scoffed. “Why the hell wouldn’t I? She said she hadn’t played poker in a long time.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t know how to play,” Abbie stated, grabbing her beer and putting it to her lips.

My mouth went dry, thinking about how she got down on her knees for me earlier.

Lawson rolled his eyes. “You acted innocent, played me, and now you want my money.”

“Do you not understand the concept of poker?” I asked, tilting my head. Abbie bit the inside of her cheek before looking away, trying not to laugh. Lawson was silent. “How much did you bet, anyways?”

Abbie cleared her throat. “Oh, he owes me two hundred.”

This time, I was the one who threw my head back and laughed. Abbie joined in, and I swore I was in a damn dream—a beautiful, heavenly dream.

Then, that dream came to a screeching halt when I got a phone call from Ash.

Since it was concluded Abbie’s stalker was from Hayden, Ash asked Jake to look into Abbie’s mother. Jake, being the smart fucker he was, hacked into her only bank account to discover that every single month, on the dot, Sheri would receive a deposit.

It wasn’t a small deposit.

It was two grand.

Every. Single. Month.

Jake tracked it all the way back five years. Then, he hacked into the account the money was coming from. It was an account registered in Colorado Springs but there was no name or social security number attached to the account.

“You think that’s him?” Lawson asked, tucking his pistol in the back of his jeans, his eyes on the truck.

I looked over to him, reaching for the door handle. “At this point, I would be happy if it was,” I said, darkness lacing my voice. “Get it over with and move on.”

Lawson nodded, his lips ticking up on one side. “Let’s go find out.”

We got out, and as we headed to the trailer, I scanned the surrounding area.

Years ago, parts of the trailer park had been condemned due to bad storms, and the residents just moved on. Sheri Spears was probably the only one still living in this shit hole.

I pounded on the front door, rattling the entire thing. “Sheri,” I bellowed. “Open up.”

Lawson and I waited, listening for any movement from inside. My patience was thinning, and I was two seconds away from kicking the damn door in. My fist connected with it two more times. “Sheri! I know you’re in there! You don’t fucking go anywhere else.”

The last time Abbie saw her mother was the day the police dragged her away. From there, Sheri spent the next three years in and out of jail. She’d turned to drugs while Abbie was in high school, which was one of the many reasons why Pop got her out of there. Now, Sheri didn’t come into town—ever. Honestly, none of us knew how she was surviving. She had no money, no family, no friends.

She was entirely alone, and no one in Hayden felt sorry for her. She was a horrible woman inside and out.

“Kick it in.”

I twisted my neck, raising a brow at Lawson. “Whatever happened to patience is a virtue?”

“I’m not familiar with the term,” he deadpanned.

No, he wasn’t .

Sighing, I banged on the door again. “Sheri, I—”

“—I’m coming, dammit,” a harsh voice sounded on the other side of the door. “You cops never fucking wait.”

A second later, the front door was ripped open, revealing the one person I hated most in this world.

Jesus Christ, she even looked like a fucking corpse.

Her skin was pale and slightly yellow due to possible liver failure, the whites of her eyes resembling a highlighter, and there was nothing behind them. No feeling. No thoughts. No goddamn soul. Her hair was no longer bleach blonde like it had been. It was matted, gray, and thin. She was at least fifty pounds lighter than the last time I saw her, the stained Old Navy shirt drowning her, but I could see the points of her shoulders. Her forearms were covered in bruises and track marks—

She wasn’t wearing fucking pants.

My eyes snapped up to her face to find a confused snarl on hers.

“Who the hell are you?” she garbled, blinking slowly.

“Happy to know you don’t fucking remember me,” I drawled.

She squinted her eyes and not even a second later, recognition hit her face. “Beau fuckin’ Marks.”

Normally, this would be the point where I’d tip my hat and ask how she was doing, but I didn’t give a fuck.

“Where is he?” I clipped, my voice like granite.

She yawned, scratching the top of her head. “Where’s who?”

“The man who’s been sending you money every fucking month,” Lawson snapped from beside me.

Sheri slowly looked over to him, and I watched in disgust as her entire demeanor changed. She gave him a smile, revealing her stained teeth as well as her missing ones. My stomach churned. “Well, aren’t you handsome.”

Lawson said nothing to her, looking at me. “Can we get on with this?”

“Where is he, Sheri?”

“Beau, I don’t have to tell you anything, and unless you come back with Chase, I won’t.”

“Abbie is in danger,” I bit out. “I know motherly instincts aren’t your strong suit but just give it a try for the next five minutes.”

Sheri’s face twisted, and she stepped back. “What the hell are you talking about? Abbie isn’t in danger.” I opened my mouth to say something, but she cut me off. “I know you’re still in love with her, but you have to let her go. You were never the right man for her anyway, and I’m happy to be the one to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” I shot back.

“Abbie’s married. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband.”

My blood ran cold. What the ever-loving fuck?

Sheri nodded. “Yeah, I figured that would be a tough pill to swallow.”

“Whose truck is that?” Lawson asked.

“That’s mine.”

Again, what the ever-loving fuck?

“Now, if you boys will excuse me, my show is on.”

She went to shut the door, and my hand shot out as I growled, “What’s his name?”

“Excuse me?”

“Abbie’s husband,” I said slowly. “What is his name?”

Sheri rolled her eyes. “It’s Ricky Johnson, Beau. My girl married a man worthy of her fucking time.”

My ears began to ring as my vision filled with blood, and I reached back, wrapping my hand around my pistol.

A sharp ring of a cellphone snapped me out of, it and I blinked, reaching for my phone instead. As I put it to my ear, I ordered Lawson to watch her before stepping away. “You better have something good before I commit murder,” I growled into the phone, my back to the trailer.

“He used the card linked to the mystery account,” Ash pushed out quickly.

“Where?”

“At the diner in Hayden.”

My stomach dropped.

That’s where the girls went out for lunch.