Chapter 11
Valli
Normally I don’t sleep well, but Cipher let me take his bed last night, so I snuggled up and just wanted to sleep and forget my problems. Noa said he would be back in the morning, and Cave stood watch until I fell asleep.
And for the second time on the island, I slept great.
That is until the sound of a smoke alarm wakes me, and I jump out of bed. I race into the main room of Cipher’s shed, where he is sitting at his workbench explaining something to Cave. The big guy is stoically nodding his head, while Noa is fanning the toaster.
“Sorry, I burned your breakfast.”
“You made me toast,” I say with a laugh.
“The coffee is still good; I added cinnamon.”
Cipher looks over at me. “Good, you’re awake. We need to see Ares.”
“The problem is Clay will likely be there, and after last night, I’m not sure Cave is someone they want to see,” Noa adds.
We all look at Cave, who is staring back at us.
“Cave,” I say.
He turns so that he is looking directly at me.
“You have to apologize to Kayla.” He doesn’t even blink at my declaration, just stares. “I mean it. She helped me, and you put your hands on her. That is not okay. We are going to the bar, and you will say sorry.”
Cave looks toward Cipher.
“Don’t look at him, I’m talking to you,” I snap. “I don’t care if you don’t talk and you dress like a scarecrow, whatever your reasons for it. But you are a fully grown man and will be held accountable for your actions.”
Noa makes a sound, as if he is trying not to laugh, and I whip my head around to glare at him. He closes his mouth quickly, rolling his lips.
“I get that there are rules. If they come into your cornfield, they know the risk. But the bar is not your domain—it’s hers. You should know better.” I cross my arms, though my stern look is tempered by my pajamas.
Cave looks back at me, and after a moment of consideration, he nods. Good, I guess that’s settled. I hate when people don’t take accountability for their actions. Like with my brother, it’s always someone else’s fault and never his own.
After I change, we all walk to the bar. Noa asks if I want to help him today, and I tell him I really need to go to work because I can’t afford to take the day off. He says he will pay me if I want to work for him, but I decline. I won’t let him pay me out of pity.
Kayla is behind the bar when we walk in. She looks up and her eyes go straight to Cave. I step around him before he can loom and stare her down. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” she says.
Cave steps up to the bar, and though Kayla straightens slightly, she doesn’t seem scared of him. “Sorry,” he growls. It’s not the best apology in the world, but since he normally talks in riddles or one-word utterances, it’s the best she is going to get.
Kayla looks up at him before picking up a glass and turning it to fill it from the tap. She sets it down in front of him. “Don’t do it again.”
Cave wraps his hand around the glass with a nod. That appears to be the end of it.
Noa slides onto a stool. “Is Ares around?”
“He’s in the back.” Kayla tilts her head toward the door. “You can go through.”
Noa gets up, and I take the stool beside Cave, while Cipher sits on the other side of me. I feel small between the both of them.
Ares comes out before Noa even reaches the door. He is tall with broad shoulders, and I wouldn’t want to face him in the dark. He looks at me first, then at Cave, which surprises me.
“Is everything good?” Ares asks.
“We need information,” Noa says. “Some men have been following Valli due to her brother’s debts. We need to know who we’re dealing with.”
Ares looks at me again, and I feel he is reading more into me than I realize. “After last night, Clay may not be inclined to help.”
“He’ll be here,” Kayla says matter-of-factly as Ares looks at her. “I already texted him—you know he won’t say no to me.”
Ares laughs. “He says no to you constantly.”
Kayla shrugs. “He says no, but then he shows up. Same thing.”
Ares is quiet for a moment, then pulls out a stool at the end of the bar and takes a seat.
We order some food, and within ten minutes Clay arrives. He is lean and dark-haired, with a resting don’t fuck with me expression. I honestly think I would be more scared of him than Cave.
Clay doesn’t greet anyone; instead, his eyes go straight to Cave, who stares back unblinking. Clay moves around the bar and stands beside Kayla, who places a coffee down in front of him.
“This is not tense at all,” Noa whispers behind me.
Cipher takes out a notepad and sets it on the bar, clicking his pen. “Tell us everything you know, Valli. Names, how much he owes, and how long this has been going on.”
I take a breath to brace myself; I have not shared this with anyone before now.
“My brother’s name is Rowan Calloway. He has been running up debts since he was about twenty.
I know of one when he was younger that our father paid off, but once our parents passed away, it was up to me to pay them.
The man he owes now, his name is Dennis Hale—but he goes by Steedy.
He’s a loan shark, and the money gets borrowed at a rate no one can afford to pay back.
When you can’t clear it, they take other things.
Last year they took his car, but that wasn’t enough. ”
Cipher writes everything down without looking up.
I clear my throat and continue. “The man who took me the other day was Tommy. He was one of Hale’s collectors. He hasn’t reported back to Steedy since then, and now Steedy thinks I have something to do with his disappearance.”
“Did you?” Kayla asks.
“All I remember is Cave standing behind him. Cave hit him, and Tommy fell down. I passed out after that and woke up in the cornfield.”
“I buried him,” Noa says, and tears lace my lashes.
“You killed him?”
Noa shakes his head. “No, but when Cave took me to him, he was no longer breathing. If he was still alive, it was a shallow grave, so he could have dug his way out.”
“Oh no!” I lament. “This is so fucking bad. I’m going to die!”
No one rushes to tell me I am wrong, and I appreciate their honesty even if I hate it.
Kayla refills my coffee without being asked, which I understand is her version of I’ve got you. I wrap both hands around the mug as I try to get my breathing to slow down.
Cave puts his hand over mine. “Mine.”
I sniffle. “Your possessive act won’t save me, Cave.”
“I can run their names. I’ll know by tonight who works under him, and what the liability looks like,” Ares says, and Clay nods.
“And Rowan?” I ask.
“We’ll need to talk to him,” Clay says.
“He won’t talk willingly.”
“He doesn’t have to,” Noa says.
My phone buzzes on the bar and I turn it over. I let it ring for a second because I know what’s coming. “Hello?”
“You’re not here,” my boss snaps.
“I know. I’m sorry, but I had a family emergency.”
“I don’t pay you to have family emergencies. If you can’t be reliable, I’ll find someone who is. You have an hour to get here.”
“Please, I can’t come in today.”
He scoffs. “Then don’t bother coming back.”
The phone is removed from my hand, and Cipher looks down at the screen before putting the phone to his ear.
“This is Valli’s attorney. For the record, under the Worker Adjustment and Retaining Notification Act and the applicable federal provisions, terminating an employee without documented cause or adequate notice carries significant liability for businesses operating under the state labor code.
I’d recommend that you consider all implications before committing to a course of action.
” Cipher then listens for a moment. “Good.”
He ends the call and places my phone back on the bar in front of me.
“Are you actually a lawyer?” Noa asks.
“No, but he doesn’t know that.”
Noa laughs and holds his hand up for a high-five, which Cipher reluctantly returns.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and Cipher nods before going back to his notes.
Ares stands. “We will get what we can and come see you.”
Clay picks up his coffee and drains it in one go and stands.
As he gets to the door, he stops with his hands resting on the frame.
“Next time your pet scarecrow puts his hands on my woman, I won’t hesitate.
” Then he leaves. I guess that could have gone worse.
Cave watches the door for a moment and turns back to his drink, unbothered, which I suspect is the most unsettling response.
It’s why Clay is so pissed; I would be as well.
“Welcome to the island,” Kayla says to me and refills my coffee once more.