Chapter Thirty-Seven
Elise
The waiting room was packed wall-to-wall with leather cuts.
Studying them, I decided that they didn’t seem as scary to me anymore. As a teenage girl, these men terrified me, but when you lived with evil, it became easier to spot.
Evil didn’t live among the Speed Demons.
Evil lived in a big, white mansion near the Country Club.
When John, Bandit, and the other men burst into the waiting room, my gaze dropped to my hands. I hadn’t seen John’s dad since the day he threatened to kill me, and I didn’t quite know what to do.
I didn’t expect what happened next.
Bandit sauntered over, tagged my hand, and pulled me up into his chest. “Thanks for the tip, blondie,” he whispered. “She’d be dead if it weren’t for you.” He kissed the top of my head, turned around, and crowed, “I’ve settled on John’s road name.” He puffed his chest out proudly and announced, “Dagger!”
A cheer went up, and Bandit threw me a wink over his shoulder.
My broken heart warmed a little because I got why he did it there, in the most inappropriate of places. Bandit wanted me to be part of a pivotal moment for John. Though, I did not want to know why he chose Dagger.
Not ever.
“How is she?” John asked me.
“In surgery,” I explained. “She had major internal bleeding. They need to fix it.” My gaze went to Abe, who sat on his haunches in a corner, his head in his hands. “Go to him, John,” I whispered. “He needs you.”
I watched John walk over, sit on the floor next to Abe, and comfort his friend, my mind going over the day and everything that had happened. I’d lied a lot. The house I’d directed John to, was where Scalp first examined me when I was pregnant. Until today, I didn’t know what a Burning Sinner was, but now I knew they were involved with Robert and his sick line of work.
I realized I had the perfect opportunity to speak to John. Then, something stopped me.
Constance.
If I told John about her, I knew he’d ride in and cause so much mayhem that I’d never see her again. It wasn’t that I decided not to. I just decided to think about it and weigh everything up. Robert would hear about today, discover I was at the hospital with John, and take action.
It would earn me another beating, but I didn’t care.
Finding Iris was worth it.
Meh, Robert hit like a girl anyway.
Iris would be in surgery for a while, so I decided to get coffee and check my blasted cell phone for any calls from Robert. I knew it wouldn’t take long for the grapevine to reach him, and it could be worth trying to appease him.
As I stood to head to the hospital restaurant, a kerfuffle sounded from the corridor, and Sheriff Webb strutted in, two deputies trailing in his wake.
He stood, hands on hips, studying the scene. “I’ve got warrants for the arrest of John Stone, Donald Stone, Abraham Decker, Phil Duggan, and Ken Chiswick on the charge of arson,” he announced gleefully. “Approximately two hours ago, a witness reported you all speeding away from a building that minutes later went up in flames.” He grinned. “Need to ask you all to come down to the station for questioning.”
Bellows went up as the Demons protested, cursing the sheriff, who stood there with a smirk plastered across his smarmy face.
A fire lit inside my chest. “Sheriff,” I broached carefully. “Can I ask who your witness was?”
He turned to me, and surprise flashed across his face. “Elise!” he said warmly. “Good to see you. Tell Robert I need a golf rematch with him this weekend.” He smiled. “Now, dear, never you mind. Best you don’t get involved.”
I smiled sweetly back at him. “Thank you. You know I hate any form of criminality. It’s just… well. I’ve been with these men all afternoon at their clubhouse.”
Silence fell over the room.
“So,” I continued. “I was wondering what witness reported these men at the scene of a crime, when they weren’t actually at said scene.” I cocked my head thoughtfully. “Also, you say they were reported to be speeding away. How?”
The sheriff began to bluster. “Well, the witness was anonymous. Just said they’d seen these men leaving—”
“On their bikes? The tip-off said they saw these men riding off on their motorcycles? Actually saw all of their faces?” I questioned.
He nodded, confused.
“I doubt that,” I replied, saccharine sweet. “They always wear helmets.”
You could hear a pin drop, apart from a cackle coming from somewhere in the room.
“So, seeing as I saw Adele Stone in the coffee shop earlier, took her and her son back to the compound, and was invited in for refreshments, staying there with them until Mrs. Decker was brought in for surgery, I can categorically state, they haven’t committed arson.” I tapped my lip. “Now, also, I waved at Emmie Dixon when Adele and I got in the car in Main Street. I’m sure she’d corroborate that if you ask.” I smiled again. “Why don’t you run along and speak to her and maybe stop trying to arrest innocent men on the basis of tip-offs that are obviously false. I’d hate for you to lose your position due to a miscarriage of justice, and so would my husband.”
Soft chuckles filled the room.
The sheriff’s face burned beet red as he stared at me in confusion. Then, with a nod, he turned on his heel and left.
“I’m going for coffee,” I announced. “Anyone want anything?” My stare fell on Bandit, who stood next to John with a wide smirk covering his face. “Don? Coffee?”
His shoulders deflated, and he smiled sadly at me. “Balls of steel,” he muttered.
John’s golden eyes veered to his dad, and he frowned. “Told ya, Pop. Iron will.”
Bandit scraped a hand down his face and mouthed, I’m sorry.
I couldn’t stop the tears welling in my eyes because, finally, after all these years, I’d proven myself to him. Except it was too late. Me and John were over. It didn’t matter anymore.
All that mattered to me now was Constance.
I blinked away the moisture in my eyes, turned, and started down the corridor.
“Elise!” a deep voice called from behind.
Slowly, I closed my eyes, braced, fixed a smile on my face, and turned. “You want coffee?” I asked brightly.
“No, Leesy,” John murmured, walking closer. “Wanna know how you knew about the Sinners.”
“I told you already,” I replied. “Though, I need to ask something. In the parking lot that day, they were bothering a young woman, jeering and frightening her. The ringleader had a name on his cut. Something like Scalp, I think. He frightened me, too. Do I need to worry I’ll see him there again? Because if so, I’ll steer clear.”
John’s face blanked. “No,” he said flatly. “You don’t have to worry about Scalp.” He suddenly smiled. “Thank you for today. I know Iris is in a bad way, but at least we got to her in time.”
“It’ll be a long road ahead for her,” I murmured, my gaze locking with John’s.
The look in his eyes said everything. They conveyed love, loss, despair, and anguish, and I’m sure mine did, too. My soul reached out to him one more time, but I still felt empty. This man, the love of my life, wasn’t mine anymore. He belonged to Adele and Xander now, even though, in my heart, I’d always be his.
His family needed him. If I told him about Constance, he’d burn the world down to find her and, by doing that, probably get her killed and himself put in prison. Robert had me over a barrel, and John, too, though he didn’t know it.
I had to play the long game. Constance was happy and cared for. I could live with that for now if it meant protecting her the way I promised that night down at the creek when we watched the stars, and John told me the story of Cassiopeia and Andromeda. My daughter would always come first.
He reached out to touch me, but I stepped back. I couldn’t take it. I’d break.
“Take care, John,” I whispered.
“You too, Leesy,” he croaked.
Then I turned, and with my heart bleeding out inside my chest, I walked away from the love of my life.
For evermore.
Two days later, Robert beat the shit out of me.
I was concussed, had two cracked ribs, and it took a week for the swelling on my face to go down.
It was worth every punch and kick.
The months passed, and I collected everything I could find that one day would incriminate my husband and his vile dealings. I didn’t get much, Robert didn’t get where he was and stay clean by being sloppy, but I kept at it, hoping one day I’d gather enough evidence to gain leverage and get my Constance back. Then, I could leave and put Robert behind bars forever.
A couple of years later, help came in the form of an FBI agent on a personal mission.
And hope bloomed in my heart again.