Chapter 10
JACE
“ I ’m telling ya, I had nothin’ to do with it.” The quivering wreck in front of me shakes his head, trying his best to sound convincing.
“I know that there was someone else in that car with my mom when it went off the road.” I crouch down so me and him are eye to eye, he needs to know that lying to me is dangerous.
“Jace, it wasn’t me. I swear.” The tremble in his voice tells me he’s gettin’ real scared now. He’s been here a few days. Alone with his thoughts. I’ll bet cabin fever’s really kicked in now. “The police spoke to me, I was cleared, you know that.”
“I know that your alibi was full of shit. Easiest $200 that whore had ever made from using her mouth.” Those scared eyes drop down to the chains that are wrapped around his chest when he realizes I’ve been doing some investigating of my own. “You and my mom were gettin’ close. The whole town was talkin’ about it,” I remind him.
Everyone around here knows that Billy McGee is bad news. The shop he owns in town has changed trade more times than Cheryl Rushford has husbands. No one trusts him, which made me curious as to why my mom was givin’ him the time of day.
“If you let me go now, I swear I won’t go to the cops. I get that you’re hurting. You loved ya momma and she loved you, you were–”
“Don’t you dare talk about her!” I swear he’s just a hope and a prayer away from me snapping his scrawny little neck. “I knew she was coming to see you that night…” I bite down hard on my back teeth. “We argued about it.” All my regret causes the words to come out weak, and I have to pull myself back together. “Do you really expect me to believe all on that same night, she drove to your house, ended up in a car wreck, and you just so happened to disappear from town without an explanation?” I stare long and hard at him.
“I never saw your mom that night, wherever she was goin’, it wasn’t to see me.”
“So where were ya? You told Officer Chambers you were with…” I take the little, black book out from the back of my jeans and flip it to the relevant page. “Candy…How original.” I give him a judgmental scowl as I take the switchblade from my belt and flick it open.
“I… I couldn’t tell Chambers where I really was.” Billy's attention lifts up from the blade and I see the shame in them. “I can’t tell anyone.”
“Billy, you’ve been tied up here for three days, I'm rapidly losing my patience. I’d say, right now, you're in a life-or-death situation. If you can’t give me evidence to prove that you weren’t the one who was fightin’ with my mom when her car went off the road, I’ll have no conscience about killing ya.” I touch the tip of the blade to his throat, letting him know I mean it. This piece of shit wouldn’t be my first, and he sure won’t be my last.
“Eleanor Chambers!” He blurts out a name I was not expecting to hear. “I was with Eleanor.” His answer throws me off, and I keep the confused frown on my face as I rise back up on my feet. “The night your momma died, I was with her, and I’ll leave it for you to figure out why I couldn’t tell Officer Chambers his momma was my alibi that night.” He rests his head back against the pillar I got him chained to, and sighs as if a weight has just been lifted from his chest.
“You and Eleanor?” I check, still trying to get my head around what he’s telling me. Eleanor Chambers is one of the most judgemental people I’ve ever met. She thinks she’s better than everyone in Clearwater Creek, especially since her son became deputy sheriff. There’s no way she would cheat on her husband.
“It’s been going on for a while,” Billy sighs. “She was the one who suggested I asked Marie out, she was worried people were getting suspicious. Figured it might throw them off.”
“So, you used my mom as a cover-up so you could carry on having an affair?” I squeeze the knife in my hand a little tighter.
“At first, yeah, but then I got to know her. I was starting to get real, genuine feelings for her. I liked that there were no obstacles.
“You play poker with Hank every Wednesday night. How do you look him in the eye?” I shake my head at him in disgust.
“I guess the same way you sleep at night, Jace. The mind has a way of switching off the bad we do.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” I bore my eyes into him, wondering how much this fucker knows. I may not be the friendliest person in town, and I know all my ink can be intimidating to some, but there are very few people who see the side of me that Billy McGee’s seeing now. I prefer it that way.
“It means I’m not stupid. I know what you do. Every single ranch within a fifty-mile radius has gone bust over the past ten years, ain’t no other landowner can afford to refuse the offers them Gendrys are making so they can build that damn road. I don’t believe for a second that you're earning all your revenue just off cattle.” He narrows his eyes and tries to emanate a little power.
“You ain’t giving me many reasons to keep you alive right now, Billy,” I warn him
“Listen, I don’t care about how you make your money, or what ya do. That’s your business. But you can’t keep me chained up in here. I’m guilty of a lot but, Jace, I didn’t kill your mom.” The windows don’t let in much light, but I can see how pale he is. Maybe bringing him here just on a hunch was a little extreme, but I’m determined to find out what happened in the last few moments of my Mom’s life and get justice for her.
“So why leave? If you were with Eleanor that night, and you're innocent, why did you leave town for a whole damn month? Do ya know what the medical examiner told me, Billy?” I press the point of the blade into his cheek so it makes a dimple. “He said it was highly likely that there would have been wounds on the perpetrator as well as injuries from the car wreck. Seems like a good reason for someone to lay low to me.” I watch his reaction, looking for any signs of guilt.
“I get how it looks, but that wasn’t why I stayed away. Eleanor called me soon as she heard what had happened. We both knew because of the interest I’d been paying to ya momma that Hayden would have to question me. We couldn’t have anyone prying like that, especially not her son.”
“You’re fuckin’ disgraceful.” I shake my head and light myself a smoke, still unsure if I can believe him.
“Says the devil to the damned,” he sniggers and I smash my boot right into his cocky face to make sure he regrets his words. Even if they are fuckin’ true.
“I may have fuckin’ killed a few men in my time, Billy, but none of those men have been innocent. They all got what was coming to ‘em.” I point my finger in his face. “Now I gotta decide if you're one of those men.” I turn to leave and he calls out my name desperately.
“Please, don’t leave me again, there are rats in here. I hear ‘em scurrying in the dark. Speak to Eleanor, she’ll tell ya I was with her. She’s an honest woman.”
I burst into a sarcastic laugh. “You expect me to believe that an honest woman would cheat on a man like Hank Chambers?” I shake my head at the irony.
“So what now, you're just gonna leave me here, again? You said yourself you ain’t ever killed an innocent man. I’m innocent of this, Jace. So what are ya gonna do with me?” He’s trying hard to be brave, and Momma always told me that Jesus loves a trier. I’m just not convinced. Right now, Billy McGee looks nothing like the man who walks around town in his fancy suits, with his shoulders back and his head held high. He looks weak, he’s completely at my mercy, and that’s how he’s going to stay until he tells me everything he knows.
“I haven’t decided that yet. Soon as I do, you’ll be the first to know.” I slam the door on the way out and fix the lock on the chain before I leave. This old, derelict cabin that sits in the dead end of nowhere used to belong to my grandad. My father told me that he was a loner and that he liked simplicity, and I can relate to that. His old cabin is perfect for this kinda thing; many a man has bled out on his rotting floorboards. I’m thinking, the time has come for me to upgrade to something easier to clean.
I reward my horse, Buck, for his patience with a pat on his neck before I jump up on my saddle and start heading back toward the ranch.
Billy's cries for help dull out as I ride further away from him, and I laugh to myself when I think about the energy he’s wasting, ain’t no one to hear him out here.
I get back to the ranch half an hour later and as I’m leading Buck into the stable, I spot Maddison around the corner of the house hanging laundry on the line. She’s looking confused as she pulls each garment out of the basket and figures out the best way to hang it, and just watching her makes me forget how ugly the world can be. Her eyes eventually meet with mine and when she catches me staring and blushes, all the pressure of my guilt sinks low and heavy into my stomach. A man like me wanting a girl like her is bad enough but to take her, and to keep her, is beyond selfish. Maddison MacKenzie is a good person. She’s light and I’m dark. She’s flawless, and I’m tainted, yet now that she’s here, there ain’t a single part of me that's willing to give her up. I raise my hat and nod at her, before taking Buck to his stall and then getting in my truck so I can head into town.
“I need a phone.” I check there’s no one around before I slam a handful of twenty dollar bills on the bar in front of Sawyer.
“A burner?” He looks suspicious.
“Just whatever you got, it’s for the girl.” I lower my voice for that last part. Sawyer nods his head and smirks before disappearing out the back.
“You speak to your uncle?” he calls out while he goes through his stock.
“Yeah, he stopped by the ranch this morning.” I spark up a cigarette and stare at the barstool Maddison was sitting on when I first saw her. It’s insane to think that forty-eight hours ago I didn’t know she even existed. Now it seems she is my entire existence!
“I assume you plan on taking Mathers by yourself?” he checks, coming out of the back room and placing a box on the bar in front of me. He takes the brand new phone from its box and sets to work on loading it with a sim card.
“Ain’t nothing I can’t handle. Elliot Mathers is just a good-for-nothing weasel who prays on women. It’ll be fun.” I clear my throat because I’m starting to realize that making Maddison mine means I’m gonna have to live in two different worlds. She can never know about what I do. If she did, I’d be sure to lose her.
“It’s been a while since you wanted any help.” Sawyer grabs a glass and pours me a whiskey.
“You know I prefer to work alone.” I pick up the glass and stare at the liquid as I swish it around.
“I also know that if you stopped being stubborn and sold up to those Gendrys, you wouldn’t have to work that kinda shit at all. Come on, Jace, you know the Gendrys have the council on their side. The ran–”
“The ranch has been in my family for decades, I will not be the one who fails it.” I stop him before he even gets started.
“C’mon, your turnover barely covers the boys’ wages, and taking these kinda jobs from your uncle is risky shit.”
“It’s ain’t just about the money, you know that. And last time I checked, you take jobs from my uncle too,” I point out.
“Yeah, well, I got my own reasons for that.” Sawyer makes it damn clear that we ain’t gonna discuss whatever those reasons might be.
“Look, I got to head back to the ranch, cheers for this.” I knock back my drink and pick up the phone.
“Miles and some of the boys were in here last night, they were sayin’ that new housekeeper of yours has got you running in circles.” He’s wearing a smug grin, one I’d like to knock right off his face.
“They’re wrong, She ain’t just my housekeeper.” I place my hat back on my head and fix it into position.
“Then what is she?” Sawyer laughs.
“She’s fuckin’ mine,” I warn him. Sawyer may be my friend but I saw the way he was looking at her when she was sitting at the end of his bar, and I’m pretty certain of what was going through his filthy mind too.
I don’t wait for his response, I head out, stepping back out onto the main street so I can get in my truck.
There's a small crowd of women gathered outside Billy McGee’s cigar store and when I notice Eleanor Chambers in the center of them I can’t resist heading on over.
“Please, don’t tell me you ladies have taken to smokin’, it’s a devil’s curse, ya know.” I slide another cigarette out of my packet, balance it between my lips, and make sure my eyes lock in Eleanor’s.
“Of course, not,” Daphne, who owns the hair salon, snaps, looking outraged by my accusation while Eleanor remains cool and calm.
“Jean and I stopped by a few days ago to see if we could put up a poster for the autumn dance, and we noticed the place was closed,” she explains, and right on cue, the mayor's new wife steps forward and presents me with one of the flyers like it’s evidence. I smile at the woman who’s far too young, and far too pretty for Eli Kelley. She looks out of place with these old busybodies, and I’m sure she’d much prefer to socialize with someone like Maddison.
“Jace.” Jean saying my name drags me back from thinking about her, again .
“We thought it was odd that the place was closed, he always opens 10 til 4 on weekdays.” Eleanor proves she knows his habits well and looks unnerved when my eyes widen. “Anyway…The shop’s been closed for three days straight, and I know it’s been the weekend but he always opens on a Saturday morning.”
“I’m sure he’s fine. It wasn’t so long back that he skipped town for a whole month, you didn’t seem concerned then,” I point out, noticing how Eleanor’s cheeks turn red and her shoulders pull back. Her lips move but no words come out, and I decide to put the poor old dear out of her misery…for now. “I’ll bet wherever he is, he’s having the time of his life.” I smile them all a toothy grin, and when I refuse to take my eyes off hers, the tension gets so great she gives up and looks away first.
“I should get back to the shop. I left Loretta in charge of this week's altar spread, Heaven knows what she will have done.” Elenor scurries across the street toward her florist shop and I hear the door chime as she slams it shut behind her.
“Enjoy the rest of your day, ladies, and try not to worry about Billy.” I raise my hat to them again before making my way back to the truck.
“Jace.” The mayor's wife, Isabel, chases after me in her three-inch red heels, and I give her a chance to catch up by stopping.
“Can you take some of these back to the ranch for me?” she hands me a handful of flyers. “I’m sure those men you have working for you would like to cut loose.” She sounds hopeful.
“I don’t think dancin’ is their strong point.” I frown.
“Full disclosure?” She looks up and down the street to check no one’s paying us any mind, and when curiosity gets the better of me and I nod, she lets out a long, heavy sigh. “This is my first official organized event as Eli’s wife and I don’t want to let him down. It’s kind of Jean and Eleanor to help. I’m even grateful for Daphne, but their ideas are a little… dated . We have a far greater chance of ongoing success if we appeal to the younger members of our community. I was hoping you could encourage some of your boys to ask some of the single women we have in town to join them.” Her long, manicured nails tap on the flyers I’m holding and she smiles up at me hopefully.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I agree, “ but I don’t hold out much hope as I take the flyers and get in my truck.
I find Maddison in the living room, sitting in front of the T.V. and taking notes from the woman who's cooking on the screen.
“You better not be slacking,” I tease, stepping up behind her and lifting the remote so I can pause the program and I kiss her.
“Jace.” She looks kinda nervous, especially when I lift her up off the couch and start carrying her to the stairs.
“Jace, we need to talk.” She attempts to make her voice firm, and the look on her face is serious enough for me to put her back on her feet.
“I’ve been thinking about this whole mission to knock me up and I….”
“Oh, yeah, about that.” I take the cell from my pocket and hold it out to her.
“I was doing some research while you were sleeping last night and the best way to track your ovulation is to use this app.” I’m not the technical kind, but I did manage to download the app onto her phone before I came inside.
“You just have to answer the questions, and it’ll tell you when you're most likely to, ya know…” I look down at her body and get hard just thinking about the ownership I’m gonna have over it.
“You really are serious about this, aren’t you?” she checks, again.
“I’m very fuckin’ serious.” I furrow my brow, wondering if she’s listened to a damn thing I’ve told her.
“Well, what kind of questions does the app need to know?” She looks confused and unnerved and I’m starting to wonder if she’s gonna back out on me. I don’t want to even admit to myself how disappointed that would make me.
“I don’t know.” I take my own phone out and open the app I downloaded this morning.
“Whoah, hang on. You have the app, too?” Now she really looks scared.
“Sure thing, I do. I need to know when my girl is ready for me, I got us synced. It’s all simple stuff, like your age, and when your last period was.” I read out the first questions I see.
“Jace, I am not discussing my period with you.” She cringes in horror.
“And why the hell not?” I try my best not to come across as offended.
“Because it’s personal.” She shakes her head, and before she can start flapping, I lean in and kiss those lips I've been craving since breakfast.
“Darlin’.” I lift my hands up to her cheeks so I can keep her face close to mine. “I ain’t gonna force you into anything. I get that this is fast and new. The last thing I want is for you to be scared.”
“I’m not scared.” She pulls back from me, and I’m surprised to see her looking more confused than brattish. “That's the part I don’t understand. Because I should be.” I let her step away so she can have some space and process her thoughts. “All day, I've been going over it in my head, telling myself that this isn’t only a crazy idea, but it’s a bad one too.” She’s overwhelmed and clearly frustrated. “But then I start thinking about how awesome it would be.” Her voice softens as she bites down on the smile her lips try to make. It turns my cock rock-fuckin’-hard and makes it desperate to be inside her.
“I need someone to tell me that all this is in my head and that I’m insane.” She looks up at me helplessly.
“You’re lookin’ at the wrong person, darlin’,” I tell her, watching her chest rise and fall like she’s nervous.
“But you know that it is, right? Us doing this, it’s insane.” She gives us both a reality check.
“My mom once told me that when you find the person who you belong to, you know in an instant. That there ain’t no doubts.” I step up to her again, taking her hand and holding it firm. “I knew the second I saw ya, that I belonged to you. It took that one moment for me to figure that I wanted to give you every part of me, but I get that this is a lot, and if you need more tim?—”
“I don’t.” She takes the phone from my hand and starts typing, and I watch her go through each question until it’s done. When she places the phone down on the side unit and comes to me, I feel a vibration in my pocket. “I guess that’ll be the app.” She looks up at me, with a seductive little twinkle in her eye.
“And what's the app gonna tell me?” I tilt my head and study her curiously.
“It’s gonna tell you that you need to get your girlfriend up these stairs.” She informs me and I waste no more time, making her squeal as I toss her over my shoulder and race up the stairs.