Chapter 16
She sipped her smoothie as she drove, smiling as she passed her art studio, intent on surprising Charlie with lunch, and a bag of cookies for Carson.
She was happy. Truly happy for the first time in a long time, and Charlie was responsible for that.
Not that her happiness was dependent on him, but he’d been patient.
He’d listened when she’d finally confided in him, and he’d not blamed her for the mistakes she’d made.
He’d even convinced her that none of the things she’d endured were her fault.
And she believed him. She threw up a quick little prayer of thanks to whatever power may exist in the universe, and smiled even more brightly at the thought of seeing him, as she pulled into the parking lot in front of the office building Charlie worked in.
She took Charlie’s lunch, his smoothie, Carson’s cookies, and her keys, leaving everything else in the jeep as she ran in. She went right up to the front desk, smiling at the receptionist. “Good morning!” Daisy said.
“Good morning,” the girl returned. “How can I help you?”
“I’d like to see Charlie Blessey, please.”
“What’s your name?” the receptionist asked.
“Daisy Marchande’.”
“Okay,” the girl said as she wrote down Daisy’s name on a message form. When she was done she looked up at Daisy. “I’m sorry, but Charlie’s out for the day. May I give him a message when he returns?”
“That’s strange. I spoke to him last night and he said he had work today.”
“It was a last minute thing. He asked for a personal day of leave yesterday. I think it has something to do with his girlfriend. He’s been extra happy lately,” the girl said, smiling at her dreamily.
“Oh, okay. Have you met his girlfriend?” Daisy asked, afraid of the answer.
“No, but some of the guys must have. I heard them talking about how pretty she is.”
Daisy nodded slowly, realization setting in. She’d been made a fool of again. He wasn’t at work, he was spending time with his girlfriend, and the people he worked with had met her.
“Is there any message, or a number he can call?” the girl asked cheerfully.
Daisy shook her head. “No, that’s okay. You know what?
Don’t even mention I came by. I’ll get in touch with him later.
Thanks, though,” she said, walking slowly out of the lobby.
She walked to her jeep on auto-pilot, backed out and drove away, refusing to allow anything to break her as much as she’d been broken before she’d met him.
She survived that, and she’d survive this, too.
Her lower lip trembled as she drove, but she refused to give in.
Instead, she went straight to her art studio, let herself in, and locked the door behind herself.
It would be hours before anyone came in for a class.
She had plenty of time to cry it out before her students arrived.
~~~
Janie and Bane were enjoying breakfast, when a firm knock on the door had them both stopping mid-bite and simply looking at each other.
“Who doesn’t just walk in?” Janie asked.
Bane jumped to his feet. “Daisy left early!” he exclaimed.
“Do you think it’s bad news?!” Janie asked, racing after him toward the front door.
Bane yanked the door open, and visibly released the breath he’d been holding. “Charlie,” he said, relief clear.
“Is something wrong?” Charlie asked.
“No, just nobody ever knocks. They all walk right in, so when you knocked, and we realized Daisy left early this morning, we thought, it might be something to do with her.”
“Oh! No! No, nothing like that. I just wanted to ask you something.”
“Sure, but shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I took the day off. There’s something me and some of my friends are going to do. I thought you might want to come with us.”
Bane just looked at him. “With you and your friends?” Bane asked.
“Yeah.”
“I don’t really know your friends.”
“Actually, you kind of do,” Charlie said.
He stood aside and Havoc leaned out of his truck. “Hi, Uncle Bane!”
“You’re going to spend the day with Havoc?” Bane asked.
“And Lucien.”
“Why?” Bane asked with a laugh.
“Because we found out who hurt Daisy. We’re going to New Orleans to pay him a visit,” Charlie said.
Bane’s laugh stopped immediately.
“I thought maybe you’d want to come along,” Charlie said.
Bane looked over his shoulder at Janie.
“Yes, he does,” Janie said, putting both her hands on Bane’s back and ushering him through the door.
“Send Kaid and Maverik if I don’t come back right away.”
“It hasn’t been that long. I know the drill. Go avenge our baby,” she said as she grabbed up his wallet and pulled cash out of it. She kept the wallet, but gave him the cash.
“Don’t you need your wallet?” Charlie asked.
“No. You never take your ID with you.”
“Oh, okay,” he said, taking his money out of his wallet, and handing it to Janie, too.
“I’ll call when I can, love,” Bane said, kissing her before he followed Charlie to Havoc’s truck and climbed in.
“Welcome aboard the ‘don’t fuck with Daisy train’,” Havoc said as Bane got in. “Next stop New Orleans.”
“Where in New Orleans is this?” Bane asked.
“Bayou St. John. Fucker has a big expensive home right on it.”
Lucien, who was riding in the back seat leaned forward. “They’re gator meat.”
“Not until I have a chance at them,” Bane growled.
“Same!” Charlie insisted.
“I tried to get him to stay home. He refused,” Havoc told Bane.
“Just because he’s human don’t mean he can’t do some damage,” Bane said. “Now, somebody want to tell me what these people did to Daisy, and why there’s more than one?”
“Her professor seduced her. Told her everything a girl wants to hear. Had an affair with her for a lot of her college time. Told her he was single, he loved her, she was his future and you know the drill. His wife found out and had a melt down. Stalked Daisy everywhere she went, told everybody Daisy seduced him and was a whore and a home wrecker, screaming at her in public. And the best part is that he told everybody his wife was right and all but drove Daisy to run home for shame.”
“Daisy said she came home to get away from the constant harassment, but she never told anybody here except Emmalyn and Analise because of the embarrassment and humiliation. She said she should have known better, and doesn’t know why she didn’t.
She believed every word he said and she loved him.
Then his wife found out and it all blew up and he blamed her.
We’ve been investigating. Seems Daisy isn’t the first he’s taken advantage of.
But somehow, it’s always swept under the rug,” Charlie said.
“Why did the wife target Daisy so heavily when it’s not the first time?” Bane asked.
“Maybe she don’t know about the rest,” Havoc said. “Either way, I figure they both deserve a bit of shifter payback.”
“He’s a fucking professor. These kids’ welfare is in his hands, and he’s taking advantage of them,” Bane growled.
“Yep, and messed up Daisy so bad that she won’t even talk about finishing her degree.
They stole everything from her. And what’s with the bitch wife following her to her classes, to her dorm, to the freaking store and screaming at her the whole time, telling strangers that she fucked her husband and tried to steal him, and is a home wrecker because she knowingly had an affair with him?
She fucking knew the man started the whole fucking thing and harassed Daisy when she should have fucking been targeting her own fucking husband.
And the more upset Daisy became, the better the bitch liked it,” Havoc said.
Bane slowly turned his head back and forth, cracking the tendons in it, while grinding his teeth. “It’s wrong to kill a woman, right?”
“I really want to press charges on her for stalking, harassment, and anything else we can find. I want to file complaints with the university and get him fired and his credibility ruined. But I just don’t think it would cause them enough damage.
Fear might. Fear might make them so afraid they run.
Uproot their entire lives and run. I’ll wait for them to get settled and send whatever university or school he ends up with a letter telling them to check into his history of seducing female students,” Charlie said.
“Charlie, you’re probably going to want to stay in the truck,” Bane said.
“Why the hell does everybody think I’m weak just because I can’t change into an animal?” he demanded. “So, I’m human? So what? I still love Daisy. I still have the right to put this bastard in his place, right along with his fucking vindictive wife!”
“You’re thinking of legal, justifiable actions.
That’s not how we handle things. Should the woman have been mad?
Yeah. Should she have run my daughter out of town and humiliated her to every single person that happened to witness the fucking banshee in action?
No! Her husband is where her anger should have lain.
Daisy didn’t know she existed. He’s the one that told Daisy they were divorced.
And he’s the one that made a vow to the bitch, not Daisy,” Bane said.
“I don’t know what you were thinking was going to happen, but this isn’t going to be a lodge a complaint kind of experience. ”
“I think I should just kill him to start with. And we’ll see how it works out with her, maybe she’ll get caught in the cross fire,” Lucien said.
They drove along quietly for a while before Havoc glanced over at Bane. “You think he was her mate? I mean, I know Charlie’s her mate, probably. But my dad had two.”
“Maybe. Could be why she couldn’t read him.
And Maverik couldn’t read his first mate.
He had no clue she was screwing around on him, until he’d have had to be blind to miss it.
Then Bam couldn’t read Everly. Maybe that’s why Daisy trusted this bastard so much without question.
She sensed he was her mate and put all her trust in him. ”