Chapter 7
Louis
I did the best I could with my boys but there were moments when I wished my sons weren’t who they were.
More so for Micha than Mason. Sometimes I worried that the weight of the responsibilities on his shoulders were too much for him.
My eldest son was never a child. He didn’t play in the park, or get happy over a toy. He was born an adult.
Don’t get me wrong, I was proud of him. Micha knew what he wanted, but he had no idea what he needed. He needed someone to test him. Someone who would make him question his motives. A conscience so to say. This might finally give him that.
“Why are you here, Louis?”
I sat back and took a moment to inspect the sheriff. “You know why I’m here.”
He wasn’t a stupid man. Although I would argue that his honor got him into trouble. However, I did respect him for it. Derek Adams was the first man I met who couldn’t be bought. We couldn’t bribe him to look the other way, or distract him.
He was a good cop who followed the letter of the law. But even men like him had a weakness. For him, that was family. We used it to break him ten years ago, and I would break him with it again today.
“Your daughter is sixteen now.”
His navy eyes sparked with rage. “Get out.”
My brow arched. “We had a deal, Derek.”
“Take your deal and shove it up your ass.”
That was ride. “We can do this here, or we can do this at your house, with your daughter.”
He lifted his hand and pointed at me. “Stay away from my daughter.”
“You know that’s not going to happen.”
His hand dropped down to the holster on side as he leaned back, making his chair creak.
Marco instantly reacted, taking a step forward, but I held up my hand to stop him.
“Shooting me won’t do anything. I have all the paperwork I need to take Riley out of your care.”
My death wouldn’t solve his problem. Riley belonged to Micha.
He was the one with custody. That was the contract he signed.
His wife paid the price for that. That was the problem with honorable men.
The people around them got hurt so they could uphold their morals.
If he would’ve played ball, then Riley’s mother probably would’ve never started drinking, and they might be still married.
Bracing his forearms on the desk, Derek leaned forward and looked me right in the eye. “You’ll have to kill me first.”
“That can be arranged.” Quite easily actually.
I could shoot him right here and dump his body off the cliffs, and no one would bat an eye. That was the difference between him and I. Honor brought pain, fear brought obedience.
“Go ahead.” He dared me. “Riley will never agree to this.”
“Oh, I think she will.”
“She can’t be bought.”
“Maybe not, but she can be broken.” As he well knew. “You see, I’ve done my research on your daughter. She’s a real chip off the old block. I’m willing to bet that she’ll do just about anything to protect the people she cares about.”
He shook his head. “It’ll never work.”
“You underestimate me, Derek. I got you to sell me your only daughter, didn’t I?”
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Derek lunged over the desk and I didn’t flinch. I knew Marco was quicker. His foot flew through the air, kicking the sheriff in the side and knocking him away from me.
Derek landed on the floor with a loud thud, and a cough. Almost immediately his eyes landed on the closed door. He probably thought one of his men would come busting in and back him up. But I owned every cop out there. We would have no interruptions.
I waved at Marco, “Get him up here.”
A second later Marco had the sheriff’s cheek slammed against the desk.
Derek huffed out a snicker. “If you kill me you won’t have anyone left to threaten Riley with.”
Oh, how wrong he was.
“Does the name Chase Mathers mean anything to you?”
“Good luck getting to Chase.” He snorted.
“Oh, I don’t need to get to Chase. I just need to let his brother know he’s alive.” I tilted my head down so I could look him in the eyes. “He killed your sister didn’t he? I wonder what he’d do to your daughter?”
I could hear his teeth grind when he hissed, “what makes you think I won’t tell Chase about your little plan?”
That would be a fair question for anyone who didn’t know how the sheriff felt about his brother in-law.
“Because Derek, you’ve considered contacting Cory Mathers yourself.”
I was willing to bet my distinguished reputation that Riley didn’t know about that. I was fairly sure that she had no idea who Chase was before he came to Ashen Springs. I don’t think she even knew he was her uncle. Derek cut all contact when his sister married Chase.
I didn’t judge him for his need for revenge.
In fact I was waiting for him to do it. One call and all of Derek Adam’s precious morals would be gone.
Chase had nothing to do with his sister’s death.
From everything I’d found out I’d say he genuinely loved her.
But he was just as guilty in Derek’s eyes.
“I won’t help you.”
Stubborn bastard wasn’t getting it. “Maybe not willingly Derek, but you will help.”
I sat back and tipped my head at a picture on his desk that had fallen over. It was of his daughter and another girl. A blonde that looked very familiar.
My breath hitched the instant I picked up the photograph. I’d recognize that smile anywhere. It was like I was staring into the past. Aside from the eye color, this girl was the spitting image of the one I met years ago.
“Who is this?” I asked Derek while pointing at the blonde.
“Go fuck yourself.”
Marco answered him a hard punch in the gut. “Answer the question.”
“Eat shit.” Derek coughed.
I nodded at Marco to continue.
Derek was tougher than I thought. He held out for over twenty minutes before finally giving up a name. Shelby Grace.
Once I had that, I moved over to Derek’s computer and looked her up.
A few clicks later and there she was. The mysterious blonde from college.
Cheyenne. The woman who should’ve been my wife.
According to the file she had been here for years, right under my nose.
I couldn’t stop staring at her picture. She was older, and even more beautiful, and married.
I had waited years for this moment. So long that I thought I’d never find her. Cheyenne Grace was mine now, and her husband…
My eyes locked onto the man with his arm around her shoulders.
He was fucking dead.