Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Blaise
NOW
I wake up slowly after sleeping like a dead woman. It’s amazing how well I’ve been sleeping lately—better than I have in fourteen years. I blink Jack’s bedroom into focus and realize we fell asleep in his bed. His arms are around me, my head is resting on his chest, and I feel more rested than I have since I got here.
“Morning,” he says in a gruff, sleepy-sounding voice.
“Morning.”
“Fancy meeting you here.”
“Haha. We fell asleep.”
“So we did.”
He holds me tighter. “Best sleep I’ve had in ages.”
“Me, too.” I’m almost afraid to leave him and his warm bed to find out what’s been happening outside our little bubble.
“Whatever it is, it’s not your fault.”
“So you’re a mind reader now?”
“Nope. I just felt you get tense as you recalled the grand jury decision and its implications.”
“I wonder if he’s been arrested?”
“I’m sure he has by now.”
“I can’t stop thinking about his wife and kids and how they must be feeling.”
“That’s not your responsibility, Blaise.”
“I know.”
“None of this is your fault. Tell me you know that.”
“I do, but there’s no denying that there would’ve been no grand jury hearing without me.”
“And there would’ve been no need for you to report it if he hadn’t raped that girl.”
“Keep reminding me of that, will you?”
“Any time you need to hear it.”
“I’m apt to need to hear it a lot in the next few weeks.”
“I’m here for you.”
I turn on my back so I can see him. At some point during the night, he removed his shirt. I run my hand over his bare chest, which is muscular with just the right amount of soft hair. “I can’t tell you what it means to me to have your support. I’d feel really alone with this if it wasn’t for you.”
“I’ve felt really alone for a long time now, and the minute I met you, I didn’t feel alone anymore.”
I look up to meet his intense gaze. “Are you always so honest about how you feel?”
“I never used to be, but losing my parents the way I did was a big reminder that life is short, and there’s no time for bullshit.”
“I suppose that would change a guy.”
“It did, but the changes were needed. I wish I hadn’t had to learn the big lessons that way, of course. I’m a better person than I was before I lost them. It’s my goal now to make sure they’d always be proud of me.”
I squeeze his hand. “They’d be so proud of you.”
“I hope so.”
“I should get going so you can go to work.”
“I’d rather spend this day with you.”
“What about your deadlines?”
“They’ll keep.”
“Are you sure?”
“I work my ass off. I haven’t taken a real break in years. It’ll be fine.”
“In that case, I’d love to spend today with you after I check in at work.”
“While you do that, I’ll make us some breakfast.”
“With coffee?”
“What do you take me for? A savage?”
He makes me smile like no one has in so long. “I’m sorry that things got derailed last night. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“Don’t be sorry, and you have nothing to make up to me. When we get there, I want you fully focused on me and us and not worrying about anything else.”
“I want that, too.”
“Please don’t add me to the list of things on your mind. I want to be a positive in all of this.”
“You are. You’re the most positive thing to happen to me in well…ever.”
“Same, babe. Let’s just enjoy it, okay?”
I nod and smile as he kisses me.
“I’m off to see about coffee.”
“I’m off to see about work.”
“Meet me in the kitchen.”
“I’ll be quick.”
I step out of his back door into a cool, crisp autumn morning. I catch a whiff of woodsmoke, and for the first time since that night, the scent doesn’t repulse me. That used to be one of my favorite scents. Maybe it will be again now that I’ve taken this step toward righting the wrongs of the past.
I stop short at the sight of something on the front stoop of my cottage. Leaning in, I take a closer look that I immediately regret. It’s a bloody carcass of some sort. Whatever it once was is unrecognizable now.
I must’ve screamed because Jack comes running. “What happened?”
As I fight back a wave of bile, I point to the dead animal.
“What the fuck?” He pulls out his phone and makes a call.
“Wh-what’re you doing?”
“Calling Houston. This is a message.”
I was so shocked by the gory sight that I hadn’t made that leap on my own.
Jack puts his arm around me and leads me away from the cottage and back into his house.
“It was there when she woke up this morning,” he says. “All right. Thank you.” He puts down the phone. “He’ll be right over. What can I get you?”
I tuck my shaking hands between my knees. “Nothing. I feel like I’m going to be sick.”
He pours a glass of ice water and brings it to me. “Drink this.”
I take a few sips and put down the glass. “I should go back to New York. They won’t know how to find me there.”
“Is that what you want to do?”
“No, it’s not, but I won’t bring this nonsense to your home.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle, and I’d much rather have you here with me where I can keep you safe than off by yourself in the big city.”
“Who will keep you safe if they come for me?”
“I can take care of myself and you.”
Houston’s SUV comes into the yard and skids to a stop. He’s looking at the thing on my stoop when we emerge from Jack’s house. “Animal control is coming to clean this up.”
I cross my arms, wishing the trembling would stop. “Ryder is indicted because of my testimony and this lands on my stoop the next day. That’s not a coincidence, is it?”
“Probably not.”
“So people already know it was me who came forward?”
“I haven’t seen that reported anywhere, but you know how word gets around.”
I also know there’s someone else who saw what I did, who’d know exactly who the eyewitness is. Who else could it be? “You should talk to Sienna Elliott.” After this, I have no reason to protect her.
“Is that right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll do that. I’ve stepped up patrols on the street, but I’m not sure how much of a deterrent that’ll be. We only have three officers on duty at any given time.”
“I’ll hire private security,” Jack says.
“No. I’ll leave. I’ll go somewhere else.”
He puts an arm around me. “You’re safer with me than you’d be alone.”
“I can’t put you in danger.”
“Don’t worry about me. I want to be there for you.”
Houston gives us a curious look. “It’s like that, is it?”
“It is,” Jack says with a warm smile for me. “And I have you to thank.”
“I’m glad for you guys, but please be careful.”
“We will be,” Jack says.
“This is the rough part, Blaise. We talked about this. When word gets out that you’re the witness, people will pressure you to recant. People you love will pressure you.”
“That won’t matter. I won’t recant.” Nothing could convince me to do that, even threats to my safety.
Jack squeezes my shoulder in a show of support.
“Stay strong,” Houston says as he heads back to his SUV. “Animal control will be here shortly.”
After he drives off, Jack takes my hand to lead me inside. He pours me a cup of coffee and puts the cream on the counter.
“Thanks.”
He gets busy making scrambled eggs and toast that he serves a few minutes later. “Try to eat something.”
I take a few bites because he went to the trouble to make it, but it’s all I can do to swallow anything with the dead animal image in my head. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I texted a friend about security.”
“I don’t want you to take on that expense.”
“It’s fine.”
“No, it isn’t. None of this is fine.”
“When they realize you won’t back down, they’ll let it go.”
“Will they?”
My cell phone rings with a call from my brother. I take the call on speaker. “Arlo.”
“Blaise… What the fuck are you doing?”
“What I should’ve done fourteen years ago.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m dead serious. I saw him rape her, and keeping that secret nearly ruined me.”
“What the hell were you even doing there?”
“Does that matter now?”
“It matters to me! You’re accusing my best friend, my boss , of a heinous crime.”
“Which he committed. Why don’t you ask him what really happened? He knows he did it.”
“I quit my job to work on his campaign. Don’t you care about me at all?”
“Don’t you dare put that on me! I kept this secret for all this time because I love you! If it hadn’t been for you, I would’ve gone to the cops back then.”
“You can still fix this by not testifying.”
“I’m not fixing anything, and I will testify. So you can tell anyone who has a big idea of trying to intimidate me by throwing dead animals on my porch not to bother.”
“I thought I knew you, Blaise.”
“You don’t know me at all. Don’t ask me again to protect your friend. I won’t do it.”
I push the red button to end the call.
Jack fans his face. “That was hot as fuck.”
I can’t believe it’s possible to laugh but leave it to him.
“He had no right to say those things to you. Tell me you know that.”
“I do.” I’m absolutely certain of that, but my hands are still shaking, nonetheless. “I kept this secret for so long it became part of who I was. I don’t want to be that person anymore. I can’t go back to living that way, no matter who it might hurt.”
“You’re doing the right thing.”
I nod, appreciative of his support. “You really should let me go back to New York. This isn’t your problem.”
He comes around the counter to stand in front of me, tipping my chin up so he can kiss me. “Don’t you know by now that I want to keep you forever?”
I’m overwhelmed and deeply moved. “That’s a really long time.”
He kisses me again. “I sure as hell hope so.”
Denise
NOW
I’ve put this off as long as I can. Houston called me last night to tell me Ryder has been indicted and taken into custody. I call my dad the minute the twins go down for their morning nap.
“Hey, sweetie. I’m about to tee off on the fourteenth. What’s going on?”
“I have to tell you something.”
“Is everything all right with you and the kids?”
“Yes, but I have news I need to share with you, and it might be upsetting.”
“What news?”
“Ryder Elliott has been indicted on rape charges.”
“In your case?”
“Yes.”
“How is that possible?”
“A witness has come forward.”
“A witness.” His tone is hard as concrete. “There was a fucking witness?”
“Yes.”
“Where has that person been all this time?”
“I’m not sure, but she heard he was running for Congress, and apparently that’s what made her come forward.”
“How could she have remained silent when she saw what you went through after he was charged the first time?”
“I don’t know. I guess she was afraid of the wolves turning on her.”
“That’s no excuse. She saw you attacked and left you there ? What kind of monster does something like that?”
“A teenage kid who feared her whole life blowing up?”
“You can’t possibly be defending her.”
“I’m not, but she saw what they did to me. Can you blame her for not wanting them to go after her, too?”
“Yes, I can blame her! We could’ve put that son of a bitch away if she’d done the right thing.”
“She’s doing it now.”
“You must be beside yourself, sweetheart.”
“I was, at first, but I’m better now. Kane has been amazing, as always.”
“So you’ll have to testify?”
“Yes.”
His deep breath says it all. “How did you find out about the witness?”
“Houston Rafferty came to see me. When he told me there was a witness, I said I wanted nothing to do with it. But then Kane and I talked about it, and we decided if there’s a chance to get justice, I should do whatever it takes.”
“Your courage continues to astound me, love.”
“I’m a quivering mess on the inside.”
“No, you’re not. I want to know the details. I’ll be right there with you through it all.”
“Thank you, Dad.”
“Love you so much, Dee.”
“Love you, too.”
We agree to talk again later.
Kane comes into the room with a steaming mug of lemon tea. “How’d he take it?”
“Like us, he’s in disbelief that there was a witness all this time who only just now came forward.”
“I heard what you said about why she stayed quiet back then. It’s admirable that you can defend her.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I think what she did was indefensible, from the second she decided to leave me in the woods bleeding and broken. But that doesn’t mean I don’t understand why she did it. Being a teenager can be hell without everyone you know hating you, including your own brother.”
“ He should’ve been the one everyone hated.”
“Life is never fair like that.”
“What’s fair is he was arrested in public and spent a night in jail. What’s fair is he’ll be arraigned on multiple felonies, forced to abandon his campaign and hopefully pay for what he did to you with years of his life behind bars.”
“What does it say about me that I ache for his wife and kids?”
“It says you’re the best person I’ve ever known.”