Chapter 24
“You’re good to go,” Garrett told me as he stepped back from the spare on the truck now. He gave me a half-hearted smile, popping open the driver’s side door.
I nodded. “I really don’t wanna go home.”
“Sounds familiar,” he chuckled, kicking some of the gravel with his boot as I climbed inside the truck. “But I think it’s best that we handle this thing we have with care.” He met my gaze. “We’re on the mend, but I think it’s still fragile—and after the stunt I pulled at the funeral…”
“Yeah, but it’ll blow over.”
He leaned against the door, his eyes alight under the moonlight. “Yeah, that’s what everyone always says, you know? But I don’t feel like that’s how it works. I’ve been waiting for it blow over for sixteen years, and here I am, still wondering if that’s ever gonna happen.”
“I guess we’ll just see,” I say, running my fingers around the leather on the steering wheel. “Take it one step at a time.”
He nodded, and then sighed. “I got my own loose ends I gotta tie up, too, Beth. My life right now just doesn’t make sense to have you in it. I’m not saying we can’t work toward?—”
“You can stop now,” I cut him off. “I never said that I wanted to explore anything romantic with you. We kissed. Maybe the flame is still there, but it makes no sense. I’m not staying.”
Garrett’s expression shifted. “You’re not staying? Still? Where’re you gonna go? Just keep trying to outrun us?”
“You just said you have no room for me,” I snapped, the sting of rejection evident in my voice.
“I’m not divorced yet,” he shot back at me. “And do you not see there’s a murder that everyone is trying to pin on me? You saw Ty Miller show up at my house. You saw what happened. I’m a liability in your life right now, and that ain’t something I’m okay with. If I’m gonna try and do this, then I’m going to do it in the way you deserve. Period.”
I hated that I agreed with him. “Okay, I guess we’ll just see if I’m still around by the time all that works itself it out— if it ever does.”
He flinched at the last few words, but that was the only outward reaction. “Get home, Beth, and stay safe.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “Goodnight.” I went to pull the door, but Garrett held it firm, his eyes locked with mine. My heart jumped to my throat as he stepped closer, closing the space between us.
He leaned in, trailing his fingers along my jaw and brushing a tear from my cheek I didn’t realize was there. “It’s not over between you and me, Beth. It’s not done. You could run away right now, fly a thousand miles across this country, find someone new, and try to forget, but you and I both know, it’ll never be over for us. ”
I swallowed hard, closing my eyes as his lips met mine. The kiss was brief, sweet, and to the point, never deepening before he pulled away.
“I’ll iron myself out,” he said, giving me a half-hearted smile. “And if you’re not here when that happens, I’ll find you. I just can’t drag you any further into my mess.”
“Okay,” I choked out, sucking in a sharp breath.
“Love you, Elizabeth.”
Before I could even process it, he slammed my truck door and disappeared toward his own. My head spun as his diesel engine fired up, and he flashed his brights at me, waiting on me to go first. I threw the truck in drive, and whipped it around, taking off down the dirt road—much faster than I should’ve.
But I had to put distance between him and me.
Whether he liked it or not, I was already in his mess, and I understood, but it didn’t lessen the fresh heartache that came with dissipating hope. I had no idea what that phone would point to, and all I could hope was that the nagging feeling inside of me was wrong.
I should’ve gone home, but when I made it to the highway, and saw that Garrett’s headlights were no longer behind me, I took a left and headed into town. I needed a drink and to avoid my mother’s questions for just a little longer, so I made my way to Outlaws, praying that Garrett wasn’t headed to the same place.
Once I had parked in the lot, I smoothed out my hair, and pulled myself together. I looked like a bit of a wreck, but I was pretty certain that it wasn’t something to be worried about in this town. I slid out of the truck and headed inside, noting there was no one standing outside like there had been before. I pushed through the saloon-style doors, the smokey haze immediate as I took a few steps into the entrance. The guy at the door didn’t even give me a second look as I made my way toward the bar, already preparing to see familiar faces of some sort.
“What can I get for you, Beth?” the woman behind the bar asked me, her use of my name a little startling.
“Um,” I paused. “Do I know you?” I took in her blonde hair, piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She had on a tight white t-shirt, that accentuated her large chest and tiny waist—but still, I didn’t recognize her.
“Really?” she raised her brows. “... Lauren.”
My mouth dropped open as I met those familiar blue eyes. “Oh my gosh. I am so sorry, Lauren. Your hair was always dark, and,” my eyes dropped to her chest. “I don’t... those...”
“Are fake,” she smirked, shaking her head at me. “I got them thinking they’d help me make it out in Los Angeles. It turns out that everyone has them out there.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed, strange comfort rolling through my body at the sight of her. “I can only imagine, but seriously,” my giggle faded. “What’re you doing back in town? I thought you had moved and would never come back. You’d been telling me that since fourth grade.”
“Ah, yeah, those were the days,” she said with a sigh. “What do you want to drink? I feel like you need it more than I do tonight. You look exhausted.”
“Just a Jack and Coke will do.”
“Single or double? ”
“Single,” I answered as she started making my drink. “So what’s up with you?”
“Well, I have a five-year-old daughter, Bria,” she began as she made the drink. “Her dad is some high-class talent agent out in LA. He pays a monthly stipend of child support, but that’s the extent of his involvement. Other than that, I moved home because I was tired of the fast life. I guess it turns out that I belong here.” She sat my drink down in front of me. “But given how crazy things are here, I don’t know if it’s much better.”
“I hear that.”
“Why’re you here?” she asked, leaning against the bar across from me. “I mean, here. Not in town. I know why you’re in town, and I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” I said softly, still getting used to the idea that he was gone. My mind might be overwhelmed and laser-focused on Sarah and wrecked by Garrett, but the grief still felt like a ton of bricks. I ran my fingers through my hair, forcing myself to watch Lauren make my drink and empty my thoughts.
“Yeah, well, it’s good to see you. I know you’ve heard about Sarah by now…” Her voice trailed off as she sat my drink down and leaned against the counter, letting out a sigh. “I’m sorry you’re pulled into that mess. You know how the town likes to talk.”
I picked up my drink. “Some things never change.”
“Oh, I know, right? Not to speak ill of the dead, but seriously, any time that she and Lucas had a bad spell, even after they were married, she’d be out surveying the town without her wedding ring. Everyone was always talking about her to some degree. I witnessed so much. She is—well, was a mess.”
“And yet the men still flocked to her,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “I never understood it, or maybe I was just jealous? I don’t know. Regardless, she didn’t deserve what happened.”
“Yeah, and I hate that Garrett is at the center of it, and the things Lucas is spreading is just… vile. ” Lauren frowned. “But…” She paused. “ Are you actually even talking to Garrett?” Her voice was tinged with curiosity.
“Uh… Yeah, kind of. I don’t know,” I groaned, resting my head against my hand.
“Um well, you know...” her voice trailed off as she scanned the crowd. “He usually is here every single night that we’re open, but he hasn’t been here much since that night.”
I nodded, shifting on the bar stool as I forced myself to stay in the uncomfortable conversation. “Well, I guess maybe he’s trying to make a change?”
“I heard about what happened at the funeral,” she commented, her eyes dropping to her clasped hands on the bar. “I think that’s pretty terrible that he came storming in there looking for you, so I don’t know about all that changing. I really wouldn’t get your hopes up. He’s got a lot of baggage, Beth.”
“Yeah, I get that.” I downed about half my drink in one go, inviting the burn that came with it. “He says he still has feelings, but I really don’t… I’m trying not to let it screw with my head.”
She shrugged. “He probably means it. When I made it back here, he still was hung up on you, I think. I mean, he never really said it, but you know how people talk. I don’t ever really take people for their word though, honestly. I hear the wildest stuff—though I do know something...” Lauren chewed her plump red lip. “And I really think I need to tell someone.”
“What’s that?” I downed the rest of my drink.
“So, I only know this for sure because Sarah got really drunk here one night—the night she found out, actually. I’m sure the cops know by now though.”
All of my senses went on edge. “What did she find out, Lauren?”
She met my gaze“She was pregnant.”
My mouth dropped open. “But she drank the night that we came here,” I reasoned, shaking my head. “That doesn’t make any sense at all.”
“Well, I mean, not everyone listens to the doctor’s guidance,” Lauren reasoned. “There’re plenty of women who do a lot of dumb things when they’re pregnant. She showed me the test, so I know that it’s the truth. I don’t know what she did about it after the fact. I have no idea who knew, or what she did afterward.”
“Who was the dad?”
She gave me a funny look. “Only God knows. Like I said, she’s always entertained a ton of men around here. The decent ones tend to cut and run early, but even then, there’s something about her that just draws them in, ya know? She was beautiful and sweet—and probably a little na?ve in the way that she was so trusting. But in my opinion, you never really know someone. That’s the LA experience talking.”
I nodded in agreement, though I was still stunned by the news. “Do you know who she was seeing most recently?”
“You sound like a cop,” Lauren laughed. “But um, to answer the question, the most recent people I saw her with would’ve been Blaze Harris—though I know that never amounted to anything—and then Ty Miller. Garrett was always around her, too. I’m not sure that he had a thing for her, but who knows when it comes to him. My guess is he was too drunk to do anything. ”
“Gotcha,” I said, making a mental note and trying to ignore the sick feeling in my gut. I didn’t even want to go down the rabbit hole of my imagination.
But at the same time, I felt desperate for answers.
“Hey, here’s my number,” Lauren said, scribbling down on a napkin. “I need to get back to customers but call me sometime. Drink is on the house tonight. I’d love to catch up with you, hear some stories about the Windy City.”
“Yeah, of course,” I said, though Lauren was already gone, heading off to speak with a customer flagging her down. I grabbed up the napkin, shoving it into my jean pocket before sliding off the stool and heading for the back exit—the same one that I had gone out of the last time.
No one seemed to notice as I disappeared down the dimly lit hallway, slipping out of the door and into the night air. Surprisingly, this time the motion lights immediately kicked on, illuminating the very empty gravel area. There wasn’t a soul in sight, and my reason for exiting that way was my lack of using my head. My boots crunched on the gravel as I made my way back around to the parking lot, a shiver of fear rolling through my body. I felt the urge to sprint.
But then something caught my attention as soon as I made it to the front, my eyes able to cast across the lot.
My truck door was wide open.
My heart jumped to my throat as I stood there frozen, wondering if I had been careless enough to leave it open... Or if someone else had done it. I inched toward the truck, halfway prepared for someone to jump out of nowhere and grab me, all my past cases I’d worked on coming back to mind. I lunged for the door, peering inside for split second before jumping in. I slammed the door and locked it. Taking a deep breath, I gazed around to see if anything had been stolen.
It looked fine... Until I caught sight of a piece of paper sitting in the passenger seat. I swept it up, reading the gawdy block letters.
GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM
OR ELSE