Chapter 30
Fix It
Eddie
I’ve been inside this place for all of thirty seconds, and I’m about to crawl out of my skin. It smells like bleach and bad decisions. Too bright. Too quiet. Too fucking cold.
Everything in me wants to turn around and walk the hell out, but I won’t, especially not after standing in line for twenty minutes to get through security. Besides, I’m here for a damn good reason, and I’m not leaving until it’s handled.
I shift in the plastic chair, but there’s no way in hell I’m getting comfortable. I guess that’s the point. I lean forward and brace my forearms on the table as my fingers drum out a rapid, uneven beat.
Now, I wait.
Turns out, I don’t have to wait long. A buzz cuts through the silence and my gaze snaps to the door as Drake steps into the visitation room.
His eyes narrow, gaze flicking between the detention officer and me. “Who the hell are you?”
A slow, cold calm settles over me as my hands still.
Showtime, motherfucker.
“Someone who cares a hell of a lot more about your wife than you do.”
Drake’s body tenses, and for half a second I brace, ready for him to lunge across the table.
But he doesn’t. He clicks his tongue against his teeth as he drops into the chair across from me with an easy, unhurried grace, like he’s got all the time in the world.
“You want to rethink that sentence, friend?”
I know exactly what he’s doing. Trying to play the alpha. Show me he’s the one running the room.
Newsflash, asshole. You’re not in control. Not anymore.
“First,” I state, my voice even despite the rage boiling just beneath my skin. “I’m not your fucking friend.”
A muscle jumps in Drake’s jaw. “Then what the fuck are you doing here?”
“I’m here about Kiki. You remember her, right? Your wife.”
He shrugs and averts his gaze. “What about her?”
Jesus. What the hell did she ever see in this guy? Kiki is the softest, sweetest, most nurturing woman I’ve ever met, and this is who she picked?
Doesn’t make a damn bit of sense.
“Do you want her dead?”
His eyes widen at my unexpected inquiry. Finally, a genuine emotion. “What the hell? Are you threatening my wife?”
I lean forward, refusing to back down an inch to this piece of shit. “No, Drake. I’d never threaten her. Never lay a hand on her. In fact, I’d lay down my life for her, which is why I’ve had enough of you and your buddies putting her through hell.”
Drake leans back in his chair, brows knitting together. “What are you talking about? My buddies?”
No way, you don’t get to act all innocent, Drake.
“Don’t play stupid. You know exactly who I’m talking about.
” I crack my knuckles, the energy racing through me like a live wire.
I swear, I’d knock his fucking block off, but I don’t want to end up in a cell next to him.
“You’ve got people showing up at her house in the middle of the night, threatening her.
Someone broke into her cabin, trashed the place, spray-painted warnings all over her steps. ”
“Holy shit.” Drake appears dazed at my disclosure, but I’m nowhere near done.
“The woman is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, or worse. She’s not sleeping, not eating, and on top of all that, the whole fucking town treats her like a goddamn pariah.
” I grip the edge of the table, willing my anger down before I enter full-on maniac mode.
“Was that your plan all along? Because you’re destroying her. ”
The smirk falls from his face as he swipes a hand over his scalp. “What the fuck?”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t know about this. They’re your guys, right? They’re doing your bidding.”
You know those lightbulb moments? The ones where you suddenly see the entire situation clearly?
I watch it happen to Drake in real time, right in front of me.
“They promised they wouldn’t hurt her,” he mutters and I’m half-convinced he didn’t intend for me to hear it.
I scoff and lean back in the chair, my anger careening into the red. “And you believed them? It’s death by a thousand cuts. Why would you want to ruin her fucking life? What did Kiki ever do to deserve this?”
He drags a hand over his face, all his earlier bravado gone. “It got so fucking out of hand, and once I realized, I couldn’t stop it. I just”—he swallows hard—“wish I’d never met the bastard.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Kevin Duncan.” He whispers the name, as though he might summon the demon by saying it too loud.
Trust me, I get his fear. I know exactly what kind of man Kevin Duncan is, and what he did to Ori and Ash.
He’s the ultimate danger wrapped in a three piece suit—suave, ruthless, and with bottomless pockets.
“Yeah, Kevin Duncan is a real piece of shit.” I lock eyes with Drake, needing him to see the rage boiling there. “But you know what, Drake? So are you.”
Drake opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. There is nothing he can say to worm his way out of this situation.
I stand, catching the eye of the corrections officer outside the visitation room. “For once in your fucking life, protect the woman you claimed to love, before it’s too late. She won’t survive much more of this.”
The door buzzes open and I’m halfway through when Drake calls to me. “Hey, who are you to Kiki, anyway?”
I meet his gaze and shrug. “I’m Eddie Landry, the man who loves her. The man who’s doing everything to keep her safe while you try to destroy her.”
He hangs his head, shame flashing across his features. “I never meant for it to get this far.”
“Yeah? Then fix it.”
Will Drake call off his dogs? Who the hell knows.
But I had to do something, because someone has to stand up for Kiki. Someone has to protect her.
And damn it, that someone is me.
At least now I know what the hell is going on.
I’m angry Kiki didn’t tell me the truth about our breakup.
Angry she felt like walking away was her only option.
Angry she didn’t trust me enough to let me in.
Angry Drake and his corrupt cop buddies are hell-bent on ruining her life.
Angry the town of Sparkwood doesn’t have the sense God gave a fucking goat to see Kiki had nothing to do with Drake’s crimes. She’s just trying to survive.
And finally, I’m seeing red because my ex-wife was ready to drag me into court, all because I had the audacity to stand beside an innocent woman.
You know the worst part?
It’s Theo’s birthday.
So I get to have a come-to-Jesus with Deirdre and then turn around and slap on a happy face, no matter how our chat goes, because I won’t ruin my son’s birthday.
Not for anything.
I pull into Deirdre’s driveway and grab Theo’s bag of gifts from the truck, the handles biting into my fingers as I lug it toward the house. The kid’s making out like a bandit, but that’s okay. He deserves it.
The door flies open before I can knock, and Theo barrels straight into my arms. “Daddy!”
“Hey, birthday boy.” I scoop him up and swing him around, his laughter filling the space between us. “Who’s the bestest kid ever?”
“Me!”
“That’s right.” I set him back on his feet, ruffling his hair. “You ready to kick some butt at laser tag?”
“Yeah!”
I bend at the waist, meeting his gaze with a fake glare. “Who’s gonna win?”
Theo points a finger in my direction. “Not you!”
I huff out a laugh. “We’ll see about that.”
I glance up and spy Deirdre in the doorway, watching us. She knows instinctively that we’re going to get into it, even if she doesn’t know what it is yet.
But I do.
Keep it calm, Eddie. No sense flying off the handle, no matter how much you want to… or how much she deserves it.
Kiki begged me to reconsider my anger toward Deirdre, that she was only protecting our son, and I get that aspect. What I don’t appreciate is her sneaking around behind my back, lining up lawyers to bully me into submission, as if I’m suddenly tainted by my association with Kiki.
I look at Theo and nod toward the house. “Hey, bud, can you give me a minute alone with your mom?”
But his attention is locked on something far more important—the bag in my hand. “Are those mine?”
“You know it. Give me five minutes and we’ll open them, okay?”
“But I want to open them now.” He juts out his lower lip, no doubt expecting me to cave to his whim.
I crouch so we’re eye level. “Five minutes, okay? I promise.”
Theo hesitates, clearly debating whether to argue me or not, before disappearing inside the house. The second he’s out of sight, the air changes.
Deirdre releases a long exhale as she leads me into the kitchen and sinks into a chair. “Why do I have a feeling this isn’t going to be a good conversation?”
I rest the bag on the table and lean against the counter on the other side of the room, giving us some breathing room.
Look, I need space right now, if I’m supposed to get through this chat without raising my voice.
“Because I think deep down you already know what this is about.”
Her brows knit together. “Do I?”
“Yeah, you sure do.”
A taut silence stretches between us, daring one of us to break.
You want to play it that way, Deirdre? Fine.
I’ll go first.
“You need to stop threatening my custody of Theo.”
Deirdre stills, the color draining from her face, her mouth opening and shutting like a fish out of water. “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I cut her off before she can muddle through some inane excuse. “Please don’t. I respect you, Deirdre. You’re an amazing mother and an amazing woman. I’ve never said otherwise.”
She shifts in her seat, her foot tapping against the floor, the tension coiling through her like a spring, but she remains silent.
“But you don’t get to decide who I’m allowed to love.”
Her gaze snaps back to mine, her mouth pressed into a thin line. “This isn’t about you or your love life. It’s about Theo.”
“I know.” I cross my arms over my chest. “And if the situation were reversed, I’d be just as worried as you. But you don’t have the full picture, and you never bothered to ask me.”
Deirdre flops back in the chair, frustration mounting across her face. “Eddie—”