Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Wow,” I breathed. “It’s like your own library.”
He led me to a navy sofa, where a tartan throw blanket with muted reds and greens was draped over the back. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No thanks,” I said, settling onto the cushions.
He sat beside me, keeping a polite distance between us. I was glad he hadn’t greeted me with a kiss because I would have stiffened and caused an awkward moment. He seemed to sense my discomfort and was giving me the space he knew I needed.
“Something’s bothering you,” he said.
My hands were on my knees, and I pulled them into my lap. “It is.”
The wind let out a low howl outside, the storm building. Ellison studied me for a moment.
“I was released because there’s no evidence,” he said, his voice pained. “You know I didn’t—”
“I know,” I interrupted. “Nick told me about the TracFone. And even before that I knew—I mean, I thought I knew—that you weren’t capable of that.”
“Thought you knew,” he repeated slowly.
Enough stalling. The words were rising up my throat. I had to get them out.
“You were convicted of assault,” I stated, watching his face for a reaction. “In your old town.”
His eyes widened with surprise, but then he seemed somewhat reassured. “That’s what’s bothering you.”
I nodded.
His face creased in confusion. “Did Nick say something?”
“No. Aaron. He apparently ran a background check on you.”
“What a jerk,” he muttered, his cheeks turning red. “It wasn’t his place to tell you.”
I straightened my shoulders. “You’re right. It was yours. And you chose not to.”
“I was going to tell you,” he insisted. “Friday night, after the concert. I had it all planned. I was nervous, but I knew the time had come. But then Susie …” His voice faded away.
I didn’t know whether to believe him or not. And I didn’t even know if it mattered. What he’d done … did I want to be with a man who could do that?
He reached for my hand, but I pulled it away. “Can I please tell you the truth now?” he pleaded. “The whole truth. And after that, if you never want to see me again, I will understand. I will let you go. Because it’s your choice. But you should have all the information before you decide.”
“Okay,” I said, and braced myself for his words. For the details I wasn’t sure that I wanted to hear.
He stilled for a long, quiet moment, then spoke softly. “I lived in a small town. Even smaller than this, if you can imagine.”
I gave him a weak smile.
“My neighbor liked to treat his girlfriend like a punching bag. He had a drinking problem, and they did a lot of just plain screaming at each other too. But some nights …” His eyes flicked away from mine as memories surfaced.
“I went over there a lot. Most times just knocking on the door would put a stop to it. I called the police once or twice, but there was never any real involvement. But one night the fight spilled out into the front yard.”
His voice had a hollow ring to it, and I could almost see the pain this was bringing back. “He was out of control. I knew that if I didn’t put a stop to it, he’d kill her this time.” He blinked back the wetness in his eyes.
“So you put a stop to it,” I prodded.
“I redirected his attention to me. Taunted him. Got him to fight me instead. It was rough. Bloody. He’s a big dude. He had me down, his hands around my throat. But my adrenaline spiked, and I was able to throw him off. When the police came, I was the one on top. The one throwing the punches.”
My brow furrowed. He was trying to save a woman’s life. The bastard deserved it. I didn’t understand how things ended up the way they did.
“Why were you convicted?” I asked. “Why wasn’t it self-defense?”
“He ended up in the hospital with severe injuries, and it looked to the police like I tried to kill my neighbor.”
“But the girlfriend—”
“She refused to press charges.” He kept his voice even. “She stuck by him, again. She backed up his story that I came at him unprovoked. So my defense, that I was trying to save her, was hard to prove.”
The knot that had been in my chest all day loosened. “I’m so sorry that happened.”
He dragged his hands down his face. “And to make matters worse, the day after the fight, my bookstore burned to the ground. It was arson, so I couldn’t collect the insurance.”
“Who burned it?”
“His buddies, I’m sure. To pay me back for what I did to him.”
“Couldn’t the police help you at all?”
“He was a police officer.”
I rocked back. “Oh.”
“It was a corrupt little town. Most of the force was related. A whole bunch of cousins who covered up for each other. Thankfully, my lawyer was able to get me probation since it was my first offense. But I’m still stuck with a record.
And my business was gone. So I left town.
I wanted to try somewhere new. Find somewhere … ”
“Good,” I filled in.
“Yeah, somewhere good.”
So much made sense now. Why someone like Ellison would even be in a fight like that. Why he never wanted to talk about his past. He’d lost everything—his store, his livelihood, his reputation. All because of a woman beater.
“Have you kept track of the guy?” I asked.
“Not me, personally, but Nick looked into him once. He made a full recovery. He ended up leaving the girlfriend for someone new and then beat the new girlfriend to within an inch of her life. She did press charges, and it happened in another town, so the charges stuck. He’s locked away now.”
“What a prize,” I said, shaking my head. But at least now I knew. Ellison was the person I thought he was. My thoughts prickled with anger at Aaron for how he’d portrayed the story. Had he known the truth? Or had his private investigator only given him the bare minimum of facts?
“I wish you’d told me this earlier,” I said.
He held his hands up. “When is a good time to tell someone you have an arrest record for assault and battery? And that you were suspected of arson? At first, I didn’t even know if we were headed in a romantic direction.
I didn’t know where your head was at. I didn’t want to rush you, didn’t want to make assumptions.
Then, when I was sure and made a plan to tell you, everything went to hell. ”
“I get it,” I said, reaching out for his hand. “And I’m sure it’s painful to talk about too. But I’m glad we did. I’m glad I know the truth. And it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
He breathed out an audible sigh of relief. “And how do you feel about me?”
I shrugged. “Eh, you’re all right.”
A hearty laugh burst out of him. He scooted closer and pulled me into his arms. He whispered into my hair, “Thank you for understanding.”
My phone chirped with a text.
“Hold on a sec,” I said, pulling back from Ellison. “This is Holly.”
Billy’s a creeper, but not a killer.
Frowning, I typed back. How do you know?
He was in police custody the entire night Isabella was murdered. He’d been making a scene at a bar and got tossed in the drunk tank for the night.
Well, there went that theory. I sighed.
“What’s up?” Ellison asked.
“Holly and I were playing armchair detective and apparently now we’re back at square one.”
A loud gust of wind practically shook the building. My eyes went to the window. The snow seemed to be blowing sideways now, even building up in the corners of the windowsill.
“I should get you back,” he said.
“You don’t need to walk me. It’s really nasty out there.”
He rose to his feet and put his hand out. “Try and stop me.”
Smiling, I took his hand and let him pull me up.
Outside, the light was already fading, the gray of day turning to the dark of night. A compact car struggled down the street, its back tires spinning but not gaining traction. Clearly not a local without four-wheel drive.
I turned to Ellison, a little smirk on my face. “Tourists.”
He chuckled. “Look who thinks she qualifies as a local already.”
“Hey, I may be signing a lease soon,” I teased.
His face brightened. “Are you really going to do it?”
“I’m taking a day or two to think about it. But, yeah, I really liked the place. The price is right. The location can’t be beat. The neighbors though …”
He laughed again, this low sexy laugh that made me want to melt right onto the sidewalk.
Then he grabbed my gloved hand in his, and we settled into an easy silence as our boots crunched the snow.
Downtown was usually filled with sound—music, chatter, cars.
Now there was only the silence of snow falling and the distant roar of plows.
And despite everything that had been going on, I felt a moment of peace.
The moment was short-lived as we left the bright twinkle-lights of Main Street and turned onto the side street that led to the inn. It was less lit, and dark shadows filled every doorway. My eyes scanned the street in both directions. As my anxiety spiked, my pulse ratcheted up.
Ellison must have noticed me tense. “You know I’d never let anything happen to you, right?”
“I know,” I said with a little smile.
His eyes darkened. “They’d have to go through me to get to you, and I wouldn’t give them an easy time of it.”
I squeezed his hand. “Thanks.” But that didn’t make me feel that much better. I didn’t want anything to happen to Ellison either. Protecting me or not. That was the problem with caring about someone else—your worries doubled.
But now it was Ellison’s turn to tense. He stopped and edged himself slightly in front of me.
“What?” I whispered.
His voice was low and measured. “There’s someone standing in the shadows beside the front door of the inn.”