Chapter Twenty
By the time I get home, I have a very angry party of people waiting for me.
I don’t even make it to the front door before Riggs is tearing down the steps and scooping me into his arms, holding me just this side of too tight.
“I’m okay.”
“Oh, I know you could have fucking eviscerated those motherfuckers, but I’m pissed you were in that situation in the first place. I know you want to be the one to deal with your dad, but I’m finding it harder and harder to hold myself back,” he tells me quietly so Jen doesn’t hear.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, but I can’t promise that I won’t be stealing a pair of Shepard’s cuffs later.”
I laugh because it’s precisely the response I thought I would get.
I lean up onto my tiptoes and kiss him. “Not sure that’s much of a deterrent. If my punishment is getting cuffed to you, I might find myself seeking out trouble.”
“As long as I’m following you, I don’t give a fuck.”
I pull back and look up at him. “You really would, wouldn’t you?” He looks confused, so I elaborate. “You’d follow my lead, even if it was a fucked-up decision that landed us both in trouble.”
“Opie, you need to wake up, baby girl. I’d follow you into the fires of hell. I’d rather burn beside you for eternity than watch you walk away.”
“Okay, my turn, big guy.” Dawn butts in, nudging Riggs out of the way so she can hug me.
“I was so worried when I heard what happened. Though I’m not sure what actually did happen.
All Shepard said was that he was taking you in for some bullshit questions because Porter and Derek were motherfuckers. ”
I throw my head back and laugh. “He did not.”
“Oh, he did. Mr. I’m-never-flustered lost his shit.”
“Well, if you ask me, he kept his cool, especially since Porter and Derek push his buttons every time they mess with me.”
“That’s what they do. They twist and shape the narrative so that it’s impossible to distinguish between the victims and the monsters.”
“And as the monsters know how to act innocent and the victims often have claws, people are easily swayed by what they hear, blinding themselves willfully to what they see. Trust me, I know. I’ve starred in this shitshow long before the reboot.
The thing is, I’m not alone in this anymore.
If they want to come at me swinging, they’d better prepare for me to swing back. ”
“I’m sorry about all this. I know he’ll use Hannah and me against you, but whatever he says is a lie. I will never willingly go back to him. So if I ever say I am, something is very fucking wrong.”
“I won’t forget,” I agree as Hannah plows into my legs and nearly knocks me flying.
“Calliope! Where have you been? Everyone was pretending not to be worried.”
I dip down with a grin on my face. “Nobody can get anything past you, can they, Cookie?”
She wraps her arms around me, and I breathe in her sweet little girl scent as I hold her tight.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you too. You want to do some more gardening with me later?”
“Yes, please!”
I grin as she looks up at her mom just to make sure.
“It’s fine by me as long as you finish your spellings first.”
“Oh, man!” She whirls around and stomps inside. I glance up at Dawn and see her grinning from ear to ear.
“What?”
“I love it when she gets grumpy or sassy. I really, really like it when she throws a tantrum.”
“You’re a strange creature, Dawn,” Jen comments, leaning against her car.
“I know. But when her dad was around, she had to make herself small in hopes he wouldn’t notice her. She was always quiet and meek. She never felt safe enough to react or overreact, until now.”
Jen walks over and surprises us both by wrapping Dawn in a hug. Dawn awkwardly hugs her back before Jen pulls away. “I’m heading out. I have papers to write and skulls to crush. I’m glad you found your way to Corvis Wing, Dawn.”
“Me too.”
Jen smiles, and we watch, somewhat amused, as she gets back in her car and beckons Riggs with a curl of her finger.
“How can someone be both sweet and terrifying at the same time?”
“I think it’s a skill she was born with.” I laugh as Riggs nods at Jen and walks back to me. “What was that all about?”
“She told me you had sex with Shepard in the interview room.”
I choke on my tongue as Dawn cracks up laughing beside me. “Why would she tell you that?”
“I think it was Jen’s way of telling me you aren’t pretending, that you really are okay.”
“Ah, that makes sense in the only way it can when Jen’s involved.”
“Sweet and terrifying,” Dawn repeats, making Riggs grin.
I look around and frown. “Where’s Austin?” The smile slips from his face. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“Riggs, you’ve never lied to me before. Don’t start now.
This thing we have going on won't ever be one of those situations where you all gang up on me or hide shit. I’m involved with you individually, not collectively.
There is only one place that rule doesn’t apply.
And the last time I checked, this was not our bedroom. ”
“Right. Shit.” He runs his hands through his hair.
“I’m gonna head inside and make sure Hannah is doing her spelling,” Dawn says softly.
I nod but keep my eyes on Riggs. He waits until she has gone before he reaches out and takes both of my hands in his. “Shepard wanted to hold off on reaching out to him, but I knew if it were me, I’d lose my ever-loving mind if it was kept from me.”
“Okay. So you told Austin? Ah crap, he went on a rampage, didn’t he?”
He grimaces, pulling me in closer. “I know what he can be like. And with me not being able to see you while you were at the station, I decided to ride out and tell him what was happening. Figured it was better to hear it in person than over the phone, and I could always rein him in if I needed to.”
He hesitates like he really doesn’t want to tell me the rest.
“Was he with someone else?” I choke out.
Again, I feel like a hypocrite when my jealousy surges.
They all have to share me. I’d understand if they couldn’t handle it.
If they wanted out, it would hurt, but I’d get it.
But they’re the ones who wanted this. I’ve made it very clear how I feel about sharing them.
They know it’s a hard no from me. Maybe he thought I wouldn’t find out—
“He wasn’t there.”
I slide my thumb over the backs of his hands and wait for him to fill in the gaps before I lose my mind. It isn’t until I notice how rough his knuckles are that I glance down and see something I missed before. “What happened to your hands, Riggs?”
There is no way he got to Porter or Derek. They’d have been in the interview rooms beside mine.
“Yeah, about that…” He blows out a frustrated breath.
I brace myself as he slides his hand around the back of my neck, holding me in place as if he’s worried I’ll run.
“I went to where he works because I don’t know his home address. He’s never mentioned it, and I couldn’t find it online. But I did find the business address. He runs an ICD.”
“A what now?”
“An inland container depot. Otherwise known as a dry port.”
I nod in understanding. We’re in a landlocked state. Though it’s never discussed what Austin does, I know he’s likely still a large supplier of drugs, and lord knows what else. He’d need a way to transport them, so this makes perfect sense.
“Okay. I mean, we don’t talk about what he does, but I still kind of knew.”
“As I said, he wasn’t there when I went. And after being given the run around, I was getting pissed, so I asked to speak to whoever was in charge in Austin’s absence. If nothing else, I figured the guy might know where I could find Austin.”
“And did he?”
“I didn’t get to ask him. Everything after him introducing himself to me is a bit of a blur.”
I let my eyes close in defeat and get ready to call Jen so she can turn around, just in case Riggs gets arrested. He slides his thumb over my jaw, tipping my head back. “I don’t understand.”
“Well, that makes two of us, Opie. I’m sorry, I really don’t know how else to say this without blurting it out.”
“Just tell me.”
“It didn’t click at first, not until I mentioned your name and saw him pale.
I explained to him that you were Austin’s girl.
He looked like he was going to puke. I was going to ask if he was all right when the phone on his desk chirped.
He hit the answer switch, I think just to give himself a minute.
Anyway, his secretary reminded him he had a meeting in ten minutes.
He told her he would be there, and then he hung up.
Which is when I dove over the desk and fucked him up. ”
Before I can ask him why, he presses his body against mine, tightening his grip. “She called him Mr. Dyer.”
I freeze solid as the pieces fall into place. “Austin’s second in command is his brother. The man he knows raped me?”
And that’s when I turn around, bend at the waist, and throw up all over Riggs’s boots.
“Hey, you okay?”
I lift my head at the sound of Shepard’s voice as he walks into the room. Riggs hands me a glass of water before turning to face him.
“Peachy.”
“Fuck. Tell me. Derek or Porter hasn’t approached you again?” He moves to me, squatting so his warm hands cover my thighs.
I shake my head. I’d actually forgotten all about them.
“Good. And speaking of good news, I have some news that might cheer you up. Sarah is awake and talking. She corroborated your story. Well, all the parts she was conscious for. Henry is still with her, and he took me aside and told me that both Derek and Porter tried to gain access to the room to speak to Sarah.”
“Threaten her, more like it,” Riggs growls.