Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
There had been times in my career I’d been briefed on a case and I knew going in it was going to go tits up. Other times, the fuck-up came later, leaving me scrambling to salvage a case. Then there were assignments that on paper looked straightforward. Nu Dawn should’ve been the latter—an easy in and out fact-finding mission. The takedown would come from the ATF and if no gun manufacturing was found on premises, the DEA could sweep in and Liza’s team would continue to look for who was supplying Mackenzie Archer with weapons.
Easy.
But there was a prickling at the back of my neck I couldn’t ignore. It had started as soon as we drove onto the compound. Something wasn’t right. We missed something. I knew it and in the ten minutes we’d been in Allyson’s house, that itch had turned into a persistent nagging I couldn’t ignore.
Without so much of a knock, Allyson’s front door swung open. Instinctively my hand went to my hip to draw my weapon. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Liza do the same. My hand dropped when a very pretty woman locked eyes on Allyson and exclaimed, “You’re home!”
Then she dissolved into tears.
Allyson rushed to the woman and pulled her in for a hug. I moved across the small space, tagged Liza’s hand, and pulled her to my side. She came willingly. One arm wrapped around my back, the other around my stomach, and she tucked herself close.
“I miss her so much,” the woman said through sniffles.
“So do I,” Allyson returned.
“I can’t believe she’s gone.”
“Neither can I.”
Liza’s arm tightened. I looked down to find her already looking up. Clear hazel eyes full of compassion and nothing else. The vestiges of our earlier conversation washed clean away. No remnants of the hurt her father had laid on her. No anger—just compassion for two women who were sharing grief over the loss of their friend. The woman in my arms had no idea how strong she truly was. Real strength had nothing to do with staying on your feet when shit was falling apart around you. It wasn’t about dusting yourself off or finding your feet to fight another day. It wasn’t about finding your way back to the light. It was what you did while you were on your knees while the darkness encroached. It was character. It was empathy and compassion. It was what you did when all was lost—that was the true sign of strength.
Less than an hour ago, Liza had sustained a blow, had no time to process it yet there she was setting aside her burden—not for work, not because she was on a job, to right a wrong. To ensure more lives didn’t get ruined by the poison Mackenzie was putting on the streets, to stop the pain these women were feeling from happening again.
That was her.
Selfless in her pursuit of justice. Which had me wondering, how many times did she have to shove aside her own worries, pain, and fatigue with no one at her side to help her carry the burden? How many times did she have a similar conversation with her father that left her reeling and in pain with no one there to guide her to the understanding the man who sired her was a piece of shit, and moreover, dead wrong? How many times had my Liza endured her father’s abuse only to apologize to him—all her life, probably hundreds of times, probably more than she remembered. I’d heard it once and once was too many. That would be the one and only time that asshole spoke to Liza in that manner in front of me. It would also be the last time—period.
My woman was exhausted. She was tired. She was scared. She was heartsore. She needed help eradicating the demons her father had left her with. Luckily for her, I knew a thing or two about the damage a father could inflict. I couldn’t say I didn’t have my moments of doubt when the darkness crept in, and there was still a tinge of worry that I had bits and pieces of my father in me. I hadn’t lived my life as a monk, nor had I ever committed to a woman. Nonetheless, that had more to do with me not wanting to be tied down due to my job.
But two years ago, I made the decision it was time and admitted to myself that part of never committing was also due to being in love with Liza. I hadn’t had a woman since. I’d been faithful to a ghost. For years, I’d been in a monogamous, committed non-relationship with a woman I loved but who had left me without explanation. If that wasn’t a fuck you to my father’s DNA, I didn’t know what was.
I was not him, and staring down at Liza, I knew with absolute certainty I never would be. The woman in my arms would never feel the pain of my betrayal. And she’d never again feel the sting of her father’s words.
She’d taken my hand, given me her trust, and I’d see to it that she knew through and through she was safe with me. Safe to be who she was, who she wanted to be, and she’d be that for the rest of her life.
I would work myself to the bone; on my knees, in the darkness, whenever and however that needed to happen until she knew her worth—knew she was worthy of love, mine, and everyone else’s besides. She’d understand she’d earned the respect of those around her. She’d understand what loyalty, trust, and honesty truly felt like.
“Tucker?” Liza whispered with a tinge of trepidation.
I dropped my mouth to her ear. She tilted her head, giving me better access, and in that moment I wished we were alone. I’d rather show her than tell her, but for now this would have to do.
“Made you a promise earlier. I’m taking that back; everything’s not going to be okay.” I felt her body stiffen in my arms and vowed that one day she wouldn’t brace for the worst. “ Okay doesn’t touch what I’m going to give you, what we’re going to have. It’s not going to be okay, it’s going to be everything you need. We’re going to build a beautiful life, baby. You and me, we’re gonna have it all. That’s my promise. For the rest of your life, all you’re gonna get from me is beauty, and you’re gonna give that back to me and the family we create.”
I lifted my head away, uncurled her fingers from the death grip she had on my tee, and brought her left hand up to my mouth. I kissed the gold band she’d slid onto her finger that morning. The matching band on my left hand.
Fake rings for a fake marriage.
One day soon she would take off the fake ring and I’d replace it with mine. And she sure as fuck wasn’t putting it on herself in the lobby of a hotel. I’d slide it on her finger and there it would stay. She’d give me her gold and one day I’d be put into the dirt wearing her love.
That was how this was going to end.
A phone ringing broke the spell.
I was surprised when I saw disappointment sweep over Liza’s face. While all that was coming at her, I figured she’d be relieved for a reprieve.
Progress.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “That’s mine.”
I let her go so she could grab her phone from her purse to stop the ringing.
It wasn’t only our moment that was shattered, the two crying women had broken apart. Allyson’s friend turned her wide-eyed gaze to me, then it slid to Liza like she’d just realized we were in the room. And she probably did, the way she’d barged in to get to Allyson.
“Colleen, these are my friends from back home, Tucker and Liza Michaels,” Allyson introduced.
Liza frowned at her phone, silenced it, then lifted her gaze to Colleen.
“Nice to meet you, Colleen, and we’re really sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks,” Colleen muttered. It took less time than I thought it would, seeing as there was a heavy pall over the room, but Colleen picked up on it right away. “Back home in Georgia?”
We’d planned for this. After Colleen met Allyson in college, she’d frequently visited Georgia with Allyson and had met a lot of her friends. My gut tightened and only loosened when Allyson didn’t miss a beat.
“Yeah. Liza and Jessy were besties in high school. After she married Tucker, they moved to Atlanta. But her and Jess are still tight. I was the annoying little sister that always hung around.” Allyson paused and smiled. “And they were the two older sisters that liked to torture me.”
“Stop. We didn’t torture you…too much,” Liza deftly put in.
Allyson picked back up, “And you know Jess, always overprotective. She thought since Liza and Tucker were coming this way to look at some properties to buy, they could follow me back and make sure I made it.”
“Here in Rogersville?”
This, too, had been practiced, since the area was not thriving and wouldn’t necessarily be a desirable place to relocate.
Liza fielded the question before Allyson could.
“Actually, we were looking in Bristol but Ally loves this place so much we thought we’d take a look around. I’m tired of the city.” Liza paused and glanced at me. “We both are and thankfully we can work from anywhere. So we thought we’d look around, see if we could find something we like or a piece of property to build on. That way, we’d be close to Ally and get the peace and quiet we want.”
Liza’s phone rang again.
With a shake of her head, she glanced back down at it while mumbling, “Sorry, I should’ve turned off the ringer.”
Two calls.
If it was Dylan or someone from her team, she would’ve politely found a way to excuse herself and answer.
Two calls. Two frowns.
Hell fucking no.
Before Liza could decline the call, I gently took her phone and looked at the screen.
Father.
“It’s our realtor,” I lied. “Sorry. I need to take this.”
Liza gave me startled eyes.
I ignored the look and made my way to the front door, skirting around the women as I went with the screen facing down.
“Tucker—”
“I’ll be quick.”
“Tucker—”
“Don’t worry, baby, I won’t schedule any viewings before ten.”
With that I slipped out the door—leaving Liza fuming—closed it behind me, and answered the call. “Hello?”
There was a beat of silence before Craig Monroe demanded, “Who is this?”
“I’m the man who answered your daughter’s phone,” I told him. “I’m also the man who’s seriously pissed off at how I heard you speak to your daughter during your last call. Which brings us to why I answered. That shit will never happen again.”
“Excuse me?”
“No, you are not excused.”
“Do you know who you’re speaking to?” the arrogant prick asked.
“Absolutely. A jackass who thinks it’s okay to belittle his daughter.”
“Put Liza on the phone.”
I didn’t bother taking a breath or waste energy in an attempt to calm myself down. I needed this call done and I needed to get back into the house, not only to put my woman at ease but because every second I talked to this asshole out in the open was dangerous. We didn’t know if there were cameras on the compound, which meant I didn’t know if someone was watching or could hear me. Allyson didn’t think there were cameras. She’d never seen one but that didn’t mean shit. There still could be and I didn’t need to blow our cover putting this assclown in his place.
“I’m getting the sense you’re not really good at listening. So let me be clear in a way even you cannot mistake. That shit you laid on my woman was just that—shit. And it will never… did you hear that part… neve r happen again. She is not your whipping post; you do not take your frustrations out on her that your wife is ill and you are needed at home. You do not waste her time calling her to complain that you don’t want to be the one to do it. But more than all of that, if you cannot speak to her like she is the most precious thing in your life you don’t ever call her again.”
“Yes, my wife, her mother, is ill?—”
“So be a man and take care of her,” I interrupted.
“This is preposterous,” he complained.
“You are more right than you have the mental capacity to comprehend. To the point this conversation is downright stupid.”
“I want?—”
“I don’t give the first fuck what you want.”
“I see my daughter has found an equally as foul-mannered man to align herself with. It was no surprise the last one couldn’t find it in him to put up with her dreadful demeanor and divorced her. A man of that upbringing and standing in the community, I was frankly surprised it took as long as it did for him to disentangle himself.”
Red hot fury shot through me.
“You’re talking about a man who cheated on her.”
“Yes, and who could blame him when he had that to come home to. I warned her, no man would put up with her attitude and certainly wouldn’t love a woman who?—”
I heard no more because I couldn’t take another second of listening to that motherfucker without losing my shit. After I disconnected, I went to Liza’s recent calls and blocked his ass. Then for good measure, I found her mother’s contact info and blocked her, too.
After I did that, I tipped my head back, closed my eyes, felt the sun on my face, and breathed. The oxygen burned going in and felt no better going out.
Back in the car, I thought I’d understood. Before that, back at the hotel when I told her I loved her and saw the fear in her denial, some of the pieces had started to click together. Again, more pieces when she’d spent the night at my house. But up until that moment, hearing her father—the man who was supposed to love and protect her—make excuses for her husband cheating on her, I came to the realization I hadn’t understood shit. I thought him making her feel like she was a waste of his time and his neglect was what I was up against, but it was deeper, uglier.
The motherfucker had told her she was unlovable.
Worse, he’d convinced her of that.
I took another breath, this one no less full of disgust, but it was one of resolve. I opened my eyes to a cloudless blue sky, exhaled the rage, and fortified my determination before I turned and went back into the house. I found the women sitting in Allyson’s supremely girly living room—Allyson and Liza on the couch, Colleen cattycorner on a plum-colored velvet stool that looked like it was meant to be used to prop your feet on while you kicked back on the sofa.
Actually, everything in Allyson’s home had a bent to soft and feminine, down to the peach-colored walls throughout the house, including both bedrooms and the bathroom. The bedrooms were so small they only fit full-sized mattresses. I’d only glanced in the master but Allyson had decorated in all whites. The guest room was done in sage green and pale gray with a wall full of framed leaves—a varied display of foliage pressed between two pieces of glass. I couldn’t say it was ugly but I certainly wouldn’t use the idea to decorate my house. Between the pastel color palate, artwork, and flowered bedspread, the motif would have a lesser man worried a night spent in that room might shrivel his balls. Hell, I was secure in my masculinity and still I’d had to fight back the urge to book a hotel when I’d carried in our bags.
Yet, somehow all of this fit Allyson’s personality. Even though she wasn’t outwardly ‘girly’ she had an air of peacefulness about her that spilled over into the home she made. Though right then it did nothing to calm my nerves. Liza’s wide-eyed stare didn’t, either.
“Nothing yet,” I lied when it became obvious I was expected to say something. “Hopefully tomorrow.”
Liza nodded, attempted a smile that nowhere reached her eyes, and told me, “There’s a candlelight vigil tomorrow. Ally asked if we’d like to attend. I told her we didn’t want to intrude.”
“But I told Lizzy it wouldn’t be an intrusion and I want both of you there,” Allyson put in.
“Then we’ll be there.”
“Good. Now that’s settled, how about we get out for a wander and some fresh air?” Allyson suggested, then looked at Colleen. “Wanna come? You can show Lizzy the sewing room. I bet she’d love to see some of your designs.”
In a delayed observation, I noted Colleen’s sleeveless, beige dress that would’ve been shapeless if she’d not had a macramé belt tied around her waist. The bottom six or seven inches of the dress was lace, complete with tassels hanging from the hem. Below the hem, she was barefoot. I was positive Colleen’s style was called something like bohemian or some such shit, but I called it classy hippie. No doubt the woman worked it, it just wasn’t something I found attractive, and thank fuck Liza wasn’t into macramé or tassels.
“Sure.” Colleen pushed her slender frame off the stool and stood.
Liza and Allyson followed to their feet, with Liza excusing herself to use the restroom.
“You know,” Colleen started as we waited for Liza to return. “There are three empty houses on the property. They’re one-bedroom cottages. What they lack in space, the amenities make up for. Have you considered talking to Mackenzie about renting one?”
Allyson turned to look at me, and not for the first time I felt for the woman. Her whole life was about to go up in smoke. Friendships were going to be strained. People she cared about deeply were going to be hurt. Their way of life was going to be dismantled and Allyson would have a hand in that. She might even find out that, like Beatrice, some of her friends weren’t who she thought they were.
Yes, this was going to be a blow for Allyson and for the community.
Yet, Allyson bravely held it together and answered, “That’s a great idea. Tucker, what do you think?”
Liza rounded the corner. My gaze went to her and I held it when I returned, “As long as Lizzy’s happy, I’m happy.”
I lost her eyes when they went to the floor, but I didn’t miss the small smile that played at her lips.
Wouldn’t love a woman who ? —
Craig Monroe’s words hit me again, the malice behind them unfathomable. A poisonous dart he’d implanted in his beautiful daughter. Yet there she was, keeping herself together after the morning she’d had.
Worthy.
Lovable.
Exquisite.
That was my Lizzy.