Chapter 13 Goose
GOOSE
The words landed hard. One right after another.
I didn’t interrupt. I didn’t raise my voice. I just stood there and listened to her explain away her betrayal.
And all I could think of was how tired I was.
I was tired of second chances. Tired of finding out too late who was standing next to me and who was standing behind me with a knife at my back.
I didn’t want to do this anymore.
The words tasted bitter as I told her, “This is a lot… I want to say that I get why you did what you did, but the truth is, you lied to me. You lied to everyone.”
“I know, and I’m so, so sorry.”
“You should’ve told me.”
“I wanted to. I really did, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t know you all that well, and I wasn’t sure if you’d even believe me. He’s your brother.” She let out a defeated breath before adding, “Besides, Davis said he’d send those men after Lila and me if I said anything.”
I got that she was desperate. Anyone would be. Her sister’s life was on the line, and I’d seen for myself that fear can make people do stupid things. I just didn’t know if I had it in me to keep being the one who understood while I got fucked over.
The weight of it all was pressing down on me.
I ran my hand over my face, hoping for a little clarity, but none came.
The smart move would be to walk away. I should protect what was left of me and just send her on her way. No more letting people get too close. I’d done it before. I could do it again. It was safer that way.
But the thought of walking away from her ate at me in a way I couldn’t describe. So, I asked the question that had been gnawing at me since the start of this conversation. “What men?”
“I have no idea who they are.” She shrugged. “When Lila told Davis what happened, he told her that they would expect her to come up with the money or they would come after her.”
“And you believed him?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because it’s Davis,” I scoffed.
My mind drifted back to the night at the Vault. I was fucking pissed that he’d tried to stab me in the back, but more than that, I was hurt. It was hard to stomach the idea that my own flesh and blood would betray me like that, especially after I’d tried to help him.
But that wasn’t even the part that got to me the most.
That came after I got to the clubhouse and found that the prospects had already cleared his room.
They’d done what had been asked. They shoved all his shit into his bags, and whatever didn’t fit went into trash bags.
They’d loaded it into Memphis’s SUV and were waiting on my go-ahead to take it over to my dad’s place.
When I walked up, Smitty motioned his head towards all the bags and said, “You wanna take a look? Make sure we got everything?”
“I’m sure it’s good.”
I leaned in without thinking and quickly scanned everything they’d collected when something caught my eye. My chest tightened as I reached in and wrapped my fingers around the worn, smooth metal.
The old pocketknife felt heavy in my hand.
I flipped it back and forth, making sure it was what I thought it was, and when I saw the D&J engraved on the side, I knew it was it.
It was my grandfather’s knife—the one my mother had given me before she died.
She told me to keep it safe because it was a ‘good thing to have when the world got mean’.
I thought I’d lost it. I’d torn the house apart looking for it, but I had no luck.
I asked Davis about it, and he’d looked me dead in the eye and said he had no idea what happened to it.
I shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d had it all along.
He was always jealous of the fact that Mom had given it to me instead of him. It made sense that he took it, but I couldn’t fathom how my own brother could lie to me outright. It was one jab after the next with him. Damn.
The betrayal settled deep, and I knew then that Davis had been fucking me over for years. I just hadn’t wanted to see it.
But I’d seen it now, and there was no turning back.
I ran my hand through my hair, trying to ground myself as I told Presley, “Davis has said a lot of things. To me. To you. To everyone, and none of it has been true. So, why would this be any different?”
She opened her mouth to argue but didn’t say a word.
There was nothing to say.
She knew I was right.
Davis wasn’t one to be trusted. He’d proven it time and time again.
I wasn’t sure about her, though. I wanted to believe that she’d played along with his bullshit out of desperation, but the fact was she had played along.
While she’d backed out, she’d also helped him put the knife in my back, and I couldn’t forget that.
Even if I wanted to.
And with the way she was looking at me right then and there, I desperately wanted to forget about it.
Damn, I wanted to bad. She was standing there in her fancy tan slacks and black sweater that made her blonde hair look even blonder.
Her cheeks were flushed with frustration, and she kept biting her bottom lip to the point that it was now swollen.
I wanted nothing more than to reach out and brush the pad of my thumb along the soft ridges of her mouth. Maybe it would help ease the urge I felt to pull her close and kiss her, because that was the last fucking thing I needed to do right now.
I rolled my shoulders, hoping it would help ground me a little, then said, “Tell me more about this money that he says Lila Kate owes. How much money are we talking?”
“A hundred thousand by the end of the month, which is today.”
“You gotta be fucking kidding?”
“No, but it’s okay. I have it… I came up with it on my own.”
“And how’d you manage that?”
“I sold everything I owned,” she scoffed. “And I mean everything.”
I glanced over at the van, then back to her as I asked, “That why you’re driving the junker?”
“It’s not that bad, but yes. I sold my car, my Nana’s ring, and Lila Kate sold everything she could. And I borrowed the rest.”
“Borrowed?”
“I got a loan from Gary.”
“From Gary? The ex?” I knew her history with good ol’ Gary, and I knew it had to be rough on her to go to him for the money. And that only seemed to make this whole mess even worse. “Fuck me.”
“I had to do something.”
“Yeah, I know.” I ran my hand over my face with frustration. “I’m going to need you to start from the beginning. And don’t leave anything out.”
“I don’t have time for this. I’m supposed to get him this money before midnight. It’s the only way to end this.”
“Do you really think giving him that money is going to end anything?”
“But he said…”
“I don’t care what he said,” I interrupted. “No one’s going to hurt her. I won’t let them, and I won’t let you get in any deeper than you already are with my brother.”
“But why would you care? Isn’t this what I get?”
She was right.
I had no business helping her.
Especially after she’d helped my brother put the knife in my back.
But even though I was angry, hurt, and beyond exhausted, I couldn’t let her face this alone. I told myself that it didn’t change anything. It didn’t mean everything was okay. It just meant I wasn’t ready to let her go. Not just yet.
“You didn’t go through with it. You walked away when it would’ve been easier to stay.”
“I still feel bad, and I’m really, really sorry.” She glanced down at the ground as she muttered, “I just want this to be over.”
“So do I,” I answered quietly. “That's why I need you to talk to Shep. I need you to tell him everything that’s gone down from the very first meeting with Davis.”
“Lila Kate is the one you should be talking to. She knows more about this than anyone.”
“Call her. Tell her I’ll have one of my boys there in ten to pick her up.”
“Wait.” Her eyes widened. “We’re doing this now?”
“The sooner the better.”
“If you say so.”
Without any further arguments, she pulled her phone out of her back pocket and started calling her sister.
I used the opportunity to lift my hand and motion across the lot, catching the attention of Smitty, one of the younger prospects.
He came over, and he asked for no explanation when I told him to go over to the bar where Lila Kate worked and pick her up. He simply nodded and was on his way.
Presley ended her call and turned to me. “She’s getting someone to cover her shift.”
I nodded, then reached down and took her hand in mine.
I didn’t overthink it. It just felt like the thing to do, and she didn’t resist. I led her inside and down the hall.
My mind was already running through all the worst-case scenarios, and while none of them were good, Davis had already shown his hand.
There was no way in hell I was about to let him play another round.
I filled Shep in on everything that Presley had told me, and after he’d had a moment to process everything, he caught my eye and motioned his head toward the back corner. I followed him over, and once we were out of earshot, he leaned in and asked, “You thinking what I think you’re thinking?”
“I am.”
“Damn. This shit with your brother just keeps getting better and better.”
“I don’t wanna jump to conclusions.” I glanced back over at Presley as I told him, “I need you to find out what’s what.”
“That’s going to take some time.”
“That’s the one thing we don’t have.”
“The money’s due tonight?”
“Afraid so.”
“Damn.” Shep studied me for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. Let’s get this shit done.”
We went back to the desk, and Presley stiffened like she was bracing for impact. Hoping to ease her mind, I placed my hand on her shoulder and said, “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to figure this thing out.”
“Okay.”
Her expression softened, but the worry in her eyes remained.
We hadn’t gotten far when Smitty walked in with Lila Kate. Unlike her sister, Lila was all bright-eyed and smiling like she’d just walked into a party instead of an interrogation. She stepped over to Presley and whispered, “What’s going on? Did you get you know who the money?”
“No. Not yet.” Presley’s eyes flickered over to me. “We’re trying to figure some things out.”
“Oh, shit. You told him?”
“Yeah, I didn’t have much choice in the matter.”
I pointed to the chair next to Presley and demanded, “Sit.”
She huffed but dropped into the chair beside her sister. “What exactly are you trying to figure out?”
“We need to know about Davis and the delivery he set up for you.”
“What exactly do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
She cocked her brow. “And how far back do you want this everything to go?”
“As far as it needs to.”
“Okay. But it’s been a minute. I might be a little foggy on the details.”
With that, she crossed her arms and started filling us in on everything. She told us how Davis started coming into the bar a few weeks prior and seemed decent enough. They went to the same high school and knew lots of the same people, and he always left an okay tip.
Things seemed to go downhill from there.
“Get to the part where he offered to help you out.”
Shep and I shared a glance when she started telling us about his offering her two grand to make a simple delivery across town. We both knew that shit didn’t add up, so Shep asked, “You got the address where you took the delivery?”
“Yeah, I have it saved in my phone.”
“I’m going to need the exact day and time you arrived.”
She nodded, then grabbed her phone from her purse.
Seconds later, she said, “I was supposed to meet someone at the corner of Lexington and Main on the 19th at eight-thirty. But when I got there, there was no one around. So, I got out of my car, and that’s when I got attacked. Guy showed up out of nowhere.”
Shep started typing away at his computer, and moments later, he had the street cameras pulled up. It took him some time to get to the exact time and location, but when he did, he announced, “I’ve got it.”
And just like that, the room went still.
I didn’t have to look at the screen to know that he was about to confirm what I’d been thinking. I could see it in his face and hear it in his voice, but that didn’t stop me from leaning in for a better look.
My chest tightened as I watched Lila Kate get out of car, and a man in a dark hoodie came up behind her, jerking a bag from her hands.
She resisted, and he drew back and punched her.
Not just once, but multiple times. As soon as she collapsed on the ground, the asshole darted to an old pickup parked across the street.
I didn’t want to believe it was true.
But it was right there in black and white. He got inside, started the engine, and drove off. And when I saw the tailgate, my worst suspicions were confirmed.
It was my father’s truck.
I knew there was no way in hell he was involved.
This was Davis and only Davis.