Chapter 6
Six
Patrick
“No. Bullshit. Undo it,” Gage growled, his arms folded over his chest as he looked between Poppy and me with his jaw clenched.
“We can’t just undo it,” Poppy objected, shifting her weight beside me.
His eyes narrowed on her, but he didn’t speak. I took a step forward, essentially putting myself in front of Poppy as I stood toe to toe with Gage.
“Really? This is what we’re doing?” he asked.
“If that’s how you want it to be, then yes. I’ve said it once; I won’t say it again. Protecting Poppy is my only concern, and I don’t care what it takes. Stand in my way, and I will make you regret it.”
“I don’t see why you two have to pretend to be dating,” Gage said, looking past me at Poppy. “Why couldn’t you just come to me for help?”
“Because you’re not being very helpful,” my sister, Julie, chided, standing beside him and scowling. “I get that you don’t love my brother pretending to be her boyfriend, but you and I both know that she’s as safe as she’s going to be by staying with him.”
“Yeah, but how is that going to work? She goes from being married yesterday to having a fake boyfriend in another town today. You don’t think people are going to ask questions?”
“I made a mistake,” Poppy said, throwing her hands in the air. “Several, actually, and all of them equally stupid. But there’s nothing I can do now unless I leave town and go back to Coyote Creek.”
“Do you think it will be safe there, though?” Julie asked softly, clearly on Poppy’s side.
“I don’t know that anywhere will be safe. They’re going to find his body eventually, and when they do, I’m going to be the first person they suspect.”
We had arrived at the inn about twenty minutes ago and filled Gage and Julie in on everything after my parents picked up my niece, Daisy, for a playdate at their condo.
It was nice having some privacy so we didn’t have to worry about her overhearing any of this conversation—the fewer people who knew what Poppy had done, the better.
“Did you tell Terry how long you and Patrick have been dating?” Gage asked, his posture still rigid and tense.
Poppy turned and looked up at me, her face scrunched as she tried to remember.
“You said we had been dating for a few months,” I answered softly.
“Shit,” Poppy hissed, tipping her head back in frustration.
“It’ll be alright,” I assured her as I ran my hand across her lower back before pulling it away when Gage’s eyes shot daggers at me.
“You said that you got married six months ago in Las Vegas, right?” Julie asked, walking into the open living room and taking a seat on the couch. Poppy and I followed her, with Gage reluctantly trailing behind us.
“Yeah. I was out there with some friends, and he bought us a round. He said he was there for a conference, and then we got talking and found out that we both lived in Coyote Creek. I thought it was strange that I hadn’t known who he was, but I also hadn’t lived there long.
I was new enough for people to know who I was, but I hadn’t taken the time to get to know anyone.
Anyway, we started drinking, and one thing led to another.
Before I knew it, we were saying I do and stumbling down the aisle in a rundown building as fake Elvis sang off-key. ”
“What if you were already dating Patrick before you got married?” Julie said, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. “Maybe you getting married was what temporarily broke you guys up?”
“That could work,” I said, raising my eyebrows and nodding.
“Did you ever try to file for divorce?” Gage asked, looking directly at Poppy as he stood next to Julie. He was apparently still too pissed off to take a seat and join us.
“I did, actually. I looked into several options, including annulment. I had paperwork drawn up for the divorce, but he refused to sign it.”
“How long ago did you have them drawn up?” I asked, turning to face her.
“About a month after we got married. It was right after the first time he ever laid a hand on me. I decided then that I was done and wanted a divorce. He refused to consider it and shredded the papers.”
“Do you still have the contact information for the lawyer?” I asked.
Poppy nodded.
“Yeah, I saved it in case I could get Dale to change his mind. I tried a few times, but each time the punishment got worse, so I just stopped.”
“And the bruises on your face and neck?” Gage asked, raising his eyebrows as he stared at Poppy.
“They’re from last night,” Poppy replied, lowering her eyes and staring at the floor. “He wanted sex, and I said no. He got mad and attacked me. I fought back. The rest is history.”
Gage glanced at me and he didn’t have to speak for me to know what was going through his mind. I’d had the same thought from the moment I learned about what happened to Poppy. Dale was lucky that Poppy killed him before Gage and I could get our hands on him.
“Okay, so you were attacked last night, and then you drove to Silver Falls this morning to reunite with your boyfriend because you needed somewhere safe to go,” Julie said, letting her shoulders fall. “We need to make this story more believable as well as make sure that we cover every base.”
“Agreed,” I said. “I know that it’s Sunday, but do you have a job that you can call and let them know what’s going on?”
“Yeah. I work at a salon. I’m scheduled to go in tomorrow.”
“Let’s call your boss and make sure you let her know that you’re scared for your safety,” I replied softly, giving her a warm smile.
“Maybe cry if you can,” Julie added. “You want them to be able to say that you were upset when you called, so your story is more believable.”
“Okay,” Poppy agreed, nodding her head before rolling it on her shoulders. She pulled her phone out and swiped the screen until she found the contact she was looking for. Then she pressed send and put the call on speakerphone so we could hear it.
“Hey, Poppy. What’s up?” a female voice greeted.
“Hi, Lisa. I’m calling because... I... um...” Poppy paused, and for a second, I thought she was faking emotion until I saw the tears well in her eyes. “I can’t come in tomorrow.”
“Poppy, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Lisa’s tone changed immediately, going from light and carefree to genuinely concerned.
“Dale and I had a fight last night,” Poppy said, sniffling as tears ran down her face. “I... he... Oh my God. I’m sorry. I just... I can’t come in for a while.”
“Are you safe?” Lisa asked, the background noise from a few seconds ago disappearing.
“Yeah. I am now. But I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back. I’m so sorry. I know I’m letting you down, but I didn’t have a choice but to leave and—”
“Don’t say anything else,” Lisa warned. “I understand what you’re saying. You’ll have a spot here whenever you decide to return. Take care of yourself, Poppy.”
“Thank you, Lisa. I appreciate it.”
“Of course. I can only guess what you’ve been through, so believe me when I say not to let your guard down. Ever. Stay safe, Poppy.”
The line went dead before Poppy could say anything more. She set it on the couch beside her and covered her face with her hands as she cried. Julie got up and sat beside Poppy, wrapping her in a hug as she cried.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened,” Poppy sobbed. “I was fine until I talked to her, and it hit me like a ton of bricks that my life as I knew it was over. The job that I loved so much is gone, all because I was stupid and married some asshole.”
“It’s okay,” Julie assured her. “You’ve been through a lot.
But you’re safe now, and that’s all that matters.
Everything else we can figure out along the way.
Is there anyone else you need to call? The more people who know why you left, the better.
Gossip will start quickly, especially in a small town.
The more you control what they’re saying, the less likely they’ll consider you a suspect. ”
“I do some volunteer work at the youth center. I was supposed to help them with an upcoming play this weekend,” Poppy answered, wiping her cheeks.
“Well, let’s call as many people as we can and share the news about what an asshole Dale was,” Julie said, squeezing Poppy in a quick hug before helping her make the phone calls.
I got off the couch and went to the kitchen, needing something to drink while also giving the girls privacy. A few seconds later, Gage joined me.
“I don’t like this one bit,” he said, his tone still curt.
“There’s nothing we can do at this point other than ride this out and see what happens,” I replied after taking a long drink of ice-cold water.
“She’s my cousin.”
“Yeah, and?”
“She’s off limits.”
“Kinda like how my sister was off limits?”
“This isn’t the same, and you know it. Things with Julie were different.”
“Why? Because it benefited you?”
“No, because she is only a few years younger than I am. You’re ten years older than Poppy. She was practically a kid when you first met her.”
“Teenager,” I corrected, though that didn’t make it any better. “And in case you haven’t noticed, we’re both grown adults.”
“Don’t fucking start with me,” Gage warned.
“I could say the same.” I set my glass down on the island with more force than I had intended.
“You need to get your head straight and stop obsessing over stupid fucking shit. Your cousin is in trouble and needs our help. Instead of worrying about me possibly fucking her, you should be more concerned with her getting out of the situation she’s in.
You should be focused on keeping her safe and making sure she doesn’t end up going to jail for this, you stupid, self-centered asshole. ”
Gage pulled back and scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“Don’t stand there and act like you don’t know that I’m right.”
“I do. That’s the fucking problem.”
“Well, at least we finally agree on something,” I replied with a smirk.
“Poppy is my top priority right now. But don’t think for a second that I’m just going to look the other way if you try something with her. This isn’t like things with Julie and me. Poppy is different. She’s had a rough life, and I want to see her get on the right track.”
“And you think I’m going to hold her back from doing that?”
“No. But I think you sometimes let your cock do the talking for you and Poppy has made enough stupid mistakes as it is.”
“Oh. So I would be a mistake?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, you’ve made your point crystal clear,” I replied, pushing past and shoulder-checking him as I stormed out and went back to the living room to check on the girls.