Chapter 6
Chapter Six
BANNER
I slam the door open and storm into work, heading to my office, but Blake intercepts me. He takes one look at my face and ushers me into his office. I grit my teeth, not wanting to be around anyone right now. But Blake’s my boss, so I need to rein my shit in.
He points to one of the chairs opposite his desk. “Sit.”
I do, taking the glass of whiskey he offers me. I drink it back without protest, even though I hate the stuff. I wave the glass in front of me. “Another.”
He pours me another before putting the bottle back, letting me know he’s cutting me off. I bite back the curse on the tip of my tongue because he’s right to cut me off. I won’t find any answers at the bottom of a bottle.
“What happened?”
“Sorrow,” I bite out as he takes a seat. He looks at me with confusion.
I tip the glass back and drink down the contents before slamming the glass on the desk. “The girl who killed my brother is back.”
He winces before leaning back. “I didn’t know you then, but I remember the case. Well, part of it. It was being wrapped up just as I came back. I wasn’t up on all the local news because I was focused on setting up shop.”
When I don’t say anything else, he continues.
“She was driving under the influence, right?” he asks softly.
I nod, folding my arms over my chest.
“I remember the place turned into a media circus. I’m surprised she came back at all.”
“Her mother died. When she didn’t come back for the funeral, I figured that was it, she never would.
I waited for the house to go on the market so I could buy it and burn the fucking thing down.
It’s why I bought the house next door, so I’d have a ringside seat.
But it’s been months, Blake. What the fuck is she doing here now? ”
He leans forward; his eyes latched onto mine. “Perhaps it took a while to track her down. I won’t lie; I thought she was in prison.”
“She was. She got five years, but you know what the fucking system is like. She got out after two and a half years for good behavior. That was the bullshit they told my parents, anyway. Can you imagine what that was like for them? To know their son was gone for good, but the person who killed him was free to continue living her life as if Alec’s death was nothing but a minor blip on their radar. ”
“Yeah, I feel for them, but they were lucky she got that at all.”
I growl, but he shakes his head.
“I don’t mean it the way you’re taking it. But she was seventeen years old, had no previous offenses, not to mention the crazy storm that rolled in.”
“She had no fucking business being on that road in that weather, let alone drunk,” I snarl at him.
“I’m not saying I disagree. But most judges would have tried her as a minor, and her sentence would likely have been even less than she got.”
“Yeah, well, the system is a fucking joke,” I grunt, sick of this bullshit already.
“My advice is to stay away from her. I doubt she’s planning on staying. I can’t imagine she’ll get the welcome mat rolled out for her. She’s probably just here to get rid of her mother’s house.”
I swallow, knowing he’s right, but having her this close is like having an itch you can’t scratch. I need her gone—like yesterday—before I do something stupid.
“You need to warn your parents. I’d hate for them to get blindsided at the diner or grocery store.”
I tip my head back and let my eyes drift closed. “They’re going to lose their minds. They’re already stressed out over Katy. This will tip them over the edge.”
“Tell them the same thing I just told you. Stay away from her. Let her get the house sold, and then she’ll be gone. But if they cause issues with that, she’ll be stuck here longer.”
I sigh. “They won’t do anything to prevent her from leaving. They’ll do anything to make sure she’s gone.”
Now, it’s Blake’s turn to sigh. “Greif makes you do crazy things. Don’t bank on them acting rationally. They have a lot of influence in this town and money on their side. Their need to make her hurt like they do might override their common sense.”
I shake my head because he’s wrong in this instance. My parents hate her. Like hell will they want her in town for a second longer than needed.
“What do you need?”
I open my eyes and look at him. “Bail money.”
He narrows his eyes at me.
“Tell me you didn’t.”
I curse, gripping my hair. “I heard something from the house. I thought someone had broken in, so I went to investigate. Imagine my fucking surprise when I walk in and catch Sorrow before she slips and breaks her neck.”
I don’t add anything else, not exactly proud of how I acted. But my blinding rage toward the woman means it could have been a whole lot fucking worse.
“Look, I know this is a fucked-up situation all around, but you have to leave her alone. I can’t have one of my guys up on harassment charges.”
“I’m not harassing her,” I bite out as I picture her wounded eyes flashing in my head.
“I’m not saying you are. I’m saying stay away because you’re likely not the only person pissed she is back. If something happens, I don’t want you to be their number one suspect.”
I take that in and find that, as pissed as I am, I don’t want anyone else turning up to harass or hurt her.
As if sensing where my brain has gone, he leans back and eyes me critically. “Get one of the guys to stay with you temporarily. Or have Katy stay, just in case shit goes down next door. That way, you have an alibi.”
A knock on the door stops him from saying anything else. “Come in,” he calls out.
Felix pokes his head in. “Got the Mayor on the line. Wants to talk to you about something and refuses to leave a message or talk to anyone else.”
Blake sighs, rubbing his hand through his hair.
Brian Dexter is not a bad guy as far as town mayors go.
He’s been friends with my parents for years, so I probably know him better than the others.
Even so, he does tend to believe his own hype.
He fully expects everyone to drop everything for him, and most people do.
Blake, however, is not like most people.
“Tell him I’ll call him back in five. I’m in a meeting.”
Felix smirks before saluting Blake and leaving.
“You can take the damn call, Blake. This isn’t important.”
“We’re a team here, or did you forget that?”
“Yeah, all right, that’s fair. But Sorrow has nothing to do with the team. All this went down before I worked here,” I remind him.
“And if shit went down with Felix or Aiden, shit from their past, you’d…what? Leave them to figure it out on their own?”
I sigh. “You know I wouldn’t.”
“Then get the fuck over yourself. We’re a family, so I’m gonna let that shit slide for a minute because families fuck up.
But I’m serious about what I said. Leave the girl alone to do what she has to do and give your parents a heads up.
I don’t know Sorrow. She would have been just a little kid when I enlisted, so I have no side in this other than yours.
That doesn’t mean I want Tempest residents turning into some vigilante mob and starting shit that spills over onto the rest of us. ”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.”
“Good. You get to the point where you need to blow off steam, tag Arlo in, and go a few rounds with him. Maybe that motherfucker can knock some sense into you.”
“I think I’ll pass. I’m not looking for a concussion or a broken limb. Thanks for the offer, though,” I snark back. Blowing off steam is one thing, but Arlo is a fucking savage in the ring. He might be older than the rest of us, but he could put each of us on our asses without even blinking.
Blake chuckles and nods his head to the door, indicating silently for me to get the fuck out. I get to my feet and do just that, chuckling when he picks up the phone. I tug the door closed behind me as I hear Blake greet the mayor with a frustrated tone.
“Brian. Given your persistence, I assume you have an emergency.”
I park outside my parents’ house and take a deep breath, wanting to do this about as much as I want to catch an STD.
I stare up at the house I grew up in and wonder, not for the first time, how other people really view us.
On the surface, everyone is polite and friendly to my parents.
But as I’ve gotten older, I have noticed that it’s a curt politeness, with not a single ounce of affection.
Katy and I are greeted with smiles and genuine warmth, but there is a cold aloofness between many of the locals and my parents.
For the life of me, I can’t remember if it has always been this way or if it started after Alec died.
It would make sense—my parents needed to pull away from the neighbors who were always up in everyone’s business while they licked their wounds and healed.
But they never really healed. Alec’s death was a massive blow to the Bannerman family, damaging the foundations of what made us, us.
Instead of trying to fix it, it did nothing but spawn dozens of tiny fractures elsewhere that bled into everyday life.
Case in point—their relationship with Katy and me.
Not having time to think about that right now, I get out of my truck and take in the large house that was the envy of my friends growing up.
It’s a huge five-bedroom, six-bathroom place with the same dollhouse vibe as the rest of this town.
Painted a pale blue that gets refreshed every couple of years, and with bright white shutters and window boxes in full bloom, the place looks like something from a magazine on the outside, even if the inside feels less inviting than it used to.