38. Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Lennox
This morning was the first time in so long I’ve felt like myself.
I didn’t hide anything, didn’t try to immediately cover my scars once I realized they were on display. And Ivy asking about them didn’t send me into a spiral. Instead, I told her the basics, and she accepted it as law. It seemed like a good time to check in with Oakley and Arlo, and see if we have anything new. I need to solve this shit so Roxie can be stress-free. Last night’s nightmare was reason enough to boot Greg and Pam out of her life once and for all.
When I start my day at Grind Time, Oakley gives me my weight in pastries before we both head over to Arlo’s office.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Arlo’s bored drawl sounds from behind his computer without him even looking up.
“Good to see you too. Guess you don’t want your bitter-ass coffee,” I counter.
His head pops up as he scowls. “It’s an americano. Maybe you should switch instead of drinking those sugar-filled ones Oakley always gives you.”
“How did I just get roped into this?” Oakley throws his hands up.
Arlo wordlessly snags his coffee before nodding at me. “So, why are we pow-wowing in my office today? ”
“Roxie had a nightmare last night about her aunt and uncle taking Ivy. We need to shut this shit down now.”
“No one has seen them since she last did,” Arlo says.
“Woodcroft said he had something for me but didn’t have time to talk yesterday. I can call him and see if he has a second,” Oakley offers.
“Please.” I sit in one of the chairs in Arlo’s office.
Oakley dials, then puts it on speaker before sitting next to me and placing the phone on the desk.
“Shit, sorry. I meant to call you last night,” Woodcroft answers without fanfare.
“No worries, man. I’ve got you on speaker with Sheriff and Lennox.”
“Perfect. So, I finally got a trace on a credit card. It’s one of their aliases, so it took me a while to figure out.”
“They have aliases?” What the fuck?
“Yup. They’re good at staying under the radar, and with you guys not seeing them and Rosedale not finding anything, I decided to do a deep dive, and that’s what I found. Currently, they are at a Vista Inn on the north side of Rosedale. I can send you the address. So far, they’ve been doing normal shit, like eating out, but not much else. If they come after her pretty regularly, I would bet they are gearing up for something. The problem is I don’t have any information you can actually take action on. If she has everything documented, you can go the restraining order route, but there’s no guarantee.”
“Fuck. She’s meeting with a lawyer tomorrow about getting a business set up in conjunction with Doc Grant’s. She’s going to ask him if he’s able to find anything too, but I’m not all that hopeful. Maybe we could follow Greg and Pam? I know if the lawyer comes back with nothing, Roxie will want to take things into her own hands, and I’m not okay with that,” I tell them.
“I don’t know that we have a leg to stand on to follow them. And I don’t have an extra hand to make that happen. Rosedale PD won’t do it with no cause,” Arlo says in a pained voice.
Nodding, we all sit in silence for a beat before all three of our phones go off. Arlo and I pull ours out, and I can feel the blood drain from my face.
“Gotta go. Might have just gotten cause, but I’ll keep you updated. Thanks, Woodcroft,“ Arlo says, hanging up the phone and tossing it to a very confused Oakley.
I rush out the door, not bothering to wait for them.
“SOS from Roxie,” I barely hear Arlo tell Oakley.
I burst out of the front door and jog to my truck. I know the two of them will catch up, but all that matters is getting to Roxie now.
For the first time since I built my cabin, I curse the distance from downtown. The fifteen minutes it takes to drive to my woman is too fucking long.
I don’t remember parking or slamming the door open. What I do remember and what will be seared into my brain for years to come is Roxie falling apart on the couch.
I pick her up without thinking about my leg and curl her body into mine. It takes her a few minutes to calm down, but once she does, a resolution shines in her eyes.
“Family meeting,” I call out to everyone who is looking on with so much worry. Their acceptance and love of Roxie are something so profound.
I nod to Oakley, who fills everyone in on what Woodcroft just told us. My mind is still working a mile a minute to try and figure out how we remove them permanently from Roxie and Ivy’s life, but I’m coming up blank. Because I don’t know what they’re after. There’s no reason for them to want Ivy other than leverage against Roxie.
“Why does this keep happening? I just don’t understand,” Roxie says helplessly.
“There’s something you have that they want. It’s the only logical explanation. All the issues they have, there’s no way they actually want a five-year-old. And the only thing I keep coming back to is—”
“Money,” Rina cuts me off.
“Money,” I agree.
“Do you have something set up by your parents? Did they leave you money?” Oakley asks.
“No, no, nothing like that. All the money from the sale of their house went to my aunt and uncle because they were caring for me. Now that I think about it, they were probably supposed to put that away for me,” Roxie muses.
“What assholes,” Rina mumbles.
A burst of laughter from Roxie has us all laughing. “You aren’t wrong,” she says through a giggle.
“So, what can we do?” Ledger asks.
“I have an appointment with the lawyer tomorrow about practicing here with Dr. Grant. Thank you, by the way,” she says to Ledger. “So, my hope is that maybe he can look into this too. Maybe he has access to things I don’t, or at least has an idea of where to look. Once I’m done with that, I’ll have a better idea of where to go.”
“Okay, so family dinner after?” I look around.
Shocked faces meet mine, but if they’re offering help to protect Roxie and Ivy, I’ll do anything. Plus, family dinner isn’t as daunting as it used to be, especially not with Boss Lady and Pixie by my side.
“Sounds good,” Arlo grunts, defusing everyone’s shock.
“Okay. Plan made. Let’s start cleaning,” Ainsley says, moving toward Roxie’s side of the house.
Roxie starts to stop them, but I tug her close to me.
“Lennox, I can’t let them clean up,” she says in a harsh whisper.
“You can and you will. That’s what family does, Rox. Just let it happen.” After pressing a kiss to her shoulder, I look up to six pairs of eyes staring at us with varying levels of happiness on their faces. Except Arlo—he rolls his eyes and tugs Rina down the hallway.
I let the crew leave the living room before shifting Roxie to face me. “Are you okay?”
“No. But kind of.” She sighs. “I brought all this to you and your family. Now, your house is trashed because of my relatives, and your family just jumped when I called an SOS. I’m so overwhelmed,” she rushes out.
“First, you didn’t bring anything bad to me or my family. You brought a brother back to life; you brought a Pixie who is now everyone’s favorite member of the family. They would do anything for you guys, same as I would. That’s just how they are. Second, I don’t give a shit about my house. I care about you and if you’re safe.”
“I have to pick up Ives in, like, four hours. I don’t know how we’re going to make it seem like her room wasn’t trashed. She’s going to know, and then she’ll worry, and I don’t want her to worry anymore.” Her hyperventilation starts to pick up .
“Breathe, Rox, just breathe for me. I’ll make sure Ivy isn’t worried. Do you have any clients today?”
“Fuck.” She tips her head back. “I have two clients, and I can’t cancel them.”
“Okay. Can you do your sessions from my room or from the deck? We’ll need the whole time to clean up and get things in order, so it’ll probably be loud.” I cringe. I know I’m asking a lot, but the second she said she didn’t want Ivy to worry, an idea popped into my head. I’ll need everyone’s help to make it happen, though.
“I can do that. I think I might take a hot-as-hell shower or bath first, though.” She sinks into me, but I can still feel her body is as tense as a steel rod.
“Sounds perfect. I’ll take care of everything else.” I tap her ass, asking her to stand up. She follows my lead as I pull her down my hallway and into my bathroom. I start the bath, tossing in a bath bomb I may or may not have gotten in case she ever wanted to take a bath in here.
“I promise I’m okay, Lennox. Or I will be. I don’t need all this.” Her voice is so small I know she’s trying to put on a strong face.
Stepping up to her, I cup her cheeks in my palms. “It’s okay to feel violated. It’s okay to not be okay with this. They crossed a line, and I promise you I won’t tolerate it. We’ll get a plan together after your meeting tomorrow, and you won’t ever have to deal with them again.” I hope she can hear the conviction in my words because I mean every single one. I will move mountains to make sure she doesn’t ever have to deal with her so-called family again.
She nods before I press my forehead to hers.
“Relax in the tub, take your time, but call me if you need anything, okay? ”
“Okay.”
I press a kiss to her lips before leaving her to her bath. I know if I stay, I’ll want to micromanage and make sure she really is okay, but I know she’s strong. I know later, when we’re alone, she may break down, but she wants to hold it together for now. Being overwhelmed is hard to articulate, and Lord knows I’ve been overwhelmed a lot in recent past. Having space while my head was in that state was the best way for me to clear it and focus on what I needed to.
Leaving her is hard as hell. Because as much as I want to be that strong pillar of support, the same she’s been for me, inside I’m furious. I’m scared, and I’m worried. But most of all, I’m planning.
When I get back to Ivy’s room, everyone’s done a great job of picking up the worst of it. All the broken furniture and toys are mostly in trash bags.
“I have a crazy idea, but I need everyone’s help to make it happen.” I cringe. My tact is abysmal. I know everyone has responsibilities they can’t forgo on short notice. “If you can drop everything today.” Not much better, Lenny.
“We’re in. What are you thinking?” Ledger asks.
I tell them my plan and watch the wheels turn in their heads. Arlo and Oakley team up to grab everything we need from the hardware store. Ainsley and Willow are in charge of getting books and toys from Rosedale. Rina is in charge of a feat I’m not sure she’ll be able to do, but she says she can make it happen. Which leaves Ledger and me to strip the room and paint.
It’ll take us all damn day, but I know we’d all do anything for my little Pixie.