Chapter Forty-Six
Haizley
“Good morning, Aspen.”
I held the door open for Aspen and waved to Archie and Johnny, who waited outside by the road. Gunner had ordered Archie to be my permanent shadow. He sat outside my house every day while I was inside with my patients. He would then either wait for Gunner to come home or follow me back to the clubhouse, where I would meet Gunner for dinner.
Johnny had escorted Aspen to my home to start her sessions outside the clubhouse. I needed to look into renting an office space; it wasn’t wise to invite strangers into my home. The few patients I had now were all connected to the club in some way; therefore, I wasn’t worried about my safety. But if I continued to see patients in person, I needed to take precautions.
“Morning.”
Aspen seemed subdued, and I wondered if it had something to do with her altercation with Banshee last night. I couldn’t ask her about it, though. She would need to bring it up.
It was important to let the patient share what they were comfortable with. Building a rapport made them feel secure. That they could trust you. Then they would share their secrets. Having faith that you wouldn’t disclose them to anyone.
It wasn’t easy being the keeper of everyone’s secrets. It took a strong constitution that not everyone was capable of.
“Everything ok?”
“Not really.” She looked out the window, much the way Amber did. That was something to keep in mind when I looked for a space—a window for patients to look through. It sometimes felt like you were able to peer into another world. Leaving behind the one you were struggling with.
“Would you like to talk about what’s bothering you?”
Turning back to me, she asked the question every patient asks when they are ready to reveal their secrets. Aspen wasn’t any different.
“Everything I tell you is confidential, right?”
“That’s right. Everything you share, past, present and future, is strictly between us. Unless you have hurt a child in the past. I am mandated to report that.”
She shook her head. “I would never hurt a child.”
“I didn’t think you would. I am also mandated to report a crime you confess to planning in the future. What that means is, if you tell me you plan to rob a bank, or murder someone, I have to tell the sheriff.”
“Oh, it’s nothing like that.” She chewed her fingernail. I hadn’t seen her do that before. Even in the first few days after her attack, she had never been this nervous. This much on edge.
“So, you won’t tell the club?”
“Has someone hurt you, Aspen?”
She nodded, but didn’t elaborate.
I knew better. I really did. It was my job to lead her with questions, but not to ask outright. But I couldn’t help myself. I cared deeply for Aspen. We had a bond beyond therapy. I considered her a friend.
“Did Banshee do something?”
Her eyes were wide like saucers at my question. “Oh no!” She quickly shook her head. “He would never.”
Releasing a breath I hadn’t realized had caught in my lungs, my body sighed in relief.
“Ok, I just thought with the tension between you two last night…”
“That was my fault.” Aspen stood and paced the room. Her hands twisted together. “You won’t tell the club what I tell you, right?”
“No, Aspen. I won’t tell the club. Unless you ask me to and sign a waiver giving me permission, nothing you tell me will get back to the club.”
“Not even Gunner? I know you two are together now. Pillow talk is a thing between a biker and his old lady.”
“No, Aspen. If the club hadn’t been involved, I wouldn’t have even revealed you were a patient. You are safe with me. You can tell me anything.”
I wasn’t sure what was troubling Aspen, but when she opened up to me, choosing to trust me, she led me into unfamiliar territory. What she shared wasn’t something I could ever have come up with on my own. And it was something I would need to learn more about quickly if I wanted to help her.
I just wasn’t sure where to get the answers I needed.
Aspen shared the story of who she was and why she left Texas. How she came to settle here in Diamond Creek, and why she hadn’t made an effort to make friends.
By the end of the session, I knew everything there was to know about Aspen Winters. Silently, I made a vow to do whatever I had to do to protect her. Even if it meant one day going against my oath and sharing it with a motorcycle club. Because this woman would never again be hurt by anyone.
I would make sure of that.
The rest of my appointments went off without issue. They were all online appointments, and at the end of the day, my back was stiff from sitting at the computer.
I was looking forward to dinner at the clubhouse. I wanted to foster the friendships I had begun to make. I wanted to belong the way the others did.
Shutting down my computer and walking out the kinks around the house, I straightened up a few things before heading outside to see Archie.
“I hate that you have to sit out here all day.”
“Don’t feel bad for me, Doc. I like looking after the old ladies. You all are important, and it is an honor to protect you.”
Those words from anyone else would sound fake. Like they were sucking up with the women to gain points in the club. But there was a sincerity that exuded from Archie.
I wasn’t sure King saw what a treasure they had in this young man. In the days he had been with me, I had invited him in for lunch. I had to call Gunner and tell him to order Archie inside to get him to come in.
Which I didn’t feel bad about.
I enjoyed talking with him. He was a very insightful young man. He wasn’t big like the other guys in the club. And his red hair and freckles gave no doubt as to how he got his road name. But there was something about him that was special.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. He didn’t bullshit me. He recognized our lunch dates for what they were. I was shrinking him. He even called me out on it, but he didn’t balk at the opportunity. He even told me that because he wasn’t a patient, he knew I could share with the club anything I learned.
He was even ok with it. He felt it would be a good opportunity for the club to use my job as a therapist to help screen prospects. I hadn’t thought of that, but it made sense.
When he asked, I assured him if he wanted to bring it to their attention, he was free to do so. It was something businesses did when they brought in new employees. If the club wanted to acquire my services for something similar, I would just have to make sure the prospects understood anything they shared would then be shared with the club.
That simple understanding had a way of weeding out the bad seeds without ever having an actual session.
I smiled at Archie and climbed into my car. He mounted his bike, and when I pulled out of my driveway, he fell in behind me, watching my back as I drove to the clubhouse. There was a certain amount of security in knowing someone was always there.
Just outside of town, I noticed blue lights in my rearview mirror. I pulled over, expecting the deputy to fly by, allowing me to get back on the road without mishap. However, when Archie pulled over behind me, the deputy pulled to a stop behind him.
Staying in my car, I watched as Deputy Reed stepped from his vehicle and prowled toward my location. I wasn’t scared per se, knowing Archie was there. But the hair on the back of my neck stood up when he knocked on my window.
Rolling it down, I asked, “What can I do for you, Deputy?”
“Step out of the car, please.”
“Why?”
“Miss Walker, do not test me. Step out of the car.”
Looking in the mirror, I saw Archie swing his leg over his bike. Deputy Reed pulled his gun and aimed at the prospect.
“Stay the fuck back and don’t interfere, or I’ll haul you in too.”
Archie lifted his hands and looked at me.
“Stay in the car, Haizley.” I looked back at Archie.
He never called me by my name. It was always Miss Walker, or Doc. Many of the brothers had taken to calling me Doc.
With his gun trained on Archie, the deputy opened my car door.
“Step out of the car. I am placing you under arrest.”
He grabbed my arm and pulled me out onto the street. Archie stepped forward and Deputy Reed dispatched his weapon into the tire of Archie’s bike.
“Next one goes in you,” the deputy said.
“It’s ok, Archie. Stay back.”
Reed moved me to the hood of my car, where he could keep an eye on Archie. He bent me over, placing his gun down while he frisked me and handcuffed me.
“Haizley Walker, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law...”
He continued on with my Miranda rights. But he still hadn’t told me what I was being arrested for.
“Why am I being arrested?”
“Suspicion of murder.”
“Murder? What are you talking about? This is insane. I didn’t murder anyone.”
“Haizley, don’t say a word. I’ll call Gunner.” Archie reached for his phone and the deputy took aim again. I bumped into his shoulder, and when the weapon fired, it thankfully went wide.
Archie dove to the side of my car, and Reed dragged me to his waiting patrol car. After shoving me inside, he opened his door and shot the tire on my car. Leaving Archie stranded on the side of the road.
“I don’t know where Greg Williams is.”
“Funny how I mention murder and you go right to him?” he said, looking at me in the rearview mirror.
“Well, you showed up at my house looking for him. Believing I knew where he was. It’s not a stretch that you now think I murdered him. I assume you found him?”
I looked out the window of the patrol car and understood why it was so important to my patients. Disassociation was a powerful stress reliever.
“No. We haven’t found him.”
“Then why do you think he’s dead? And why would I murder him?”
“This has nothing to do with Greg Williams.”
Looking back to the mirror, I saw the deputy eyeing me, waiting for my response. Archie told me to be quiet, and I knew that was the sensible thing to do, but my curiosity got the better of me.
Leaning forward, I asked, “Then who was I supposed to have murdered?”
“Penelope Ridgefield.”
My mouth dropped open, and I sat back against the seat. Penny was dead? There was no love lost between Penny and I, but I would never wish her dead. Especially to be murdered. My eyes watered, and he must have read my sadness at Penny’s death as guilt of being caught.
“That’s right. I got you, bitch.”
Looking into the cold dark eyes of Deputy Reed, I obeyed Archie’s command and shut my mouth. He would call Gunner. The club would help me. I just had to have faith.