Chapter Twenty #2
“That would be my guess, too. But Henry wasn’t having any of that shit.
Especially not having to deal with that simp that’s always sniffing around Sarah.
Anyway, I pulled Judy back in for questioning, and she folded like a deck chair, a little too late for Sarah’s liking, though.
She has severed all ties with the woman.
I’ve issued arrest warrants for Derek and Porter.
I have officers out looking for them. I just wanted to come by and tell you in person. ”
“Thanks,” I whisper, relieved that Sarah is okay and that she backed me up. I’m fucking glad I made the right call, having Shepard call Henry. I wonder if the simp is the guy Sarah wanted the potion for, and if he was in on it too.
I rub my temples, sick of seeing conspiracy theories everywhere. But is it still a theory if everyone really is out to get you?
Sheperd takes in my lackluster response and frowns. “Okay, guys, what the fuck is going on?”
“Take a seat, man. It’s a long story.”
“One you know?”
Riggs glares at him. “Yeah, because I didn’t run away when she needed us most. You want her to trust you with her deep dark secrets, show her she can fucking trust you with them.”
“Shit. I’m sorry.” He takes a seat on the sofa.
Once I put my empty water glass down, he pulls me into his lap. I look over at Riggs, and knowing I need him, he moves closer, taking a seat next to us so he can rub a hand up and down my back.
“To understand it all, I have to start at the beginning.”
Shepard stares at me for a beat before he presses the radio against his shoulder. “Jessie, I’m unreachable unless it’s an emergency.”
“Copy that, Sherrif.”
He pulls me close and smooths my hair away from my face. “I’m shit at this. I have no clue what to say half the time, and the rest of the time I fuck things up. But I’m here, Poppy, and I’m not going anywhere. Even if sometimes you need to beat some sense into me.”
“Can I volunteer for that part?” Riggs asks. Shepard flips him off, making me smile, and though it’s small, it’s not fake.
“You promised not to run. Remember that, okay?”
“I won’t run.”
I nod and begin. “You ever hear stories about me? Stories that involve magic?” I ask.
“You mean the ones that say you’re a witch? Sure. I ignore them.”
“Okay, but what if they’re not just stories?”
“I don’t understand.”
I lift my hand, and just like I did with Riggs, I let sparks fly. He flinches, his mouth parting in shock, before I close my palm and wait. He’s been quiet for so long, I can almost feel the hope dying inside me.
“Show me again,” he croaks eventually. So I do, this time demonstrating the air by spinning a tiny tornado on my palm. “Holy fuck. Is this real?”
Riggs laughs. “That was what I said.”
I take a shaky breath and continue. “I come from a long line of witches. We generally come into our powers at eighteen, but mine came in early.”
“How early?”
“They started coming into full effect the night I was assaulted.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. Austin figured out what was happening.”
“How?”
“He comes from a long line of witch hunters,” I admit.
“That motherfucker.” He tries to get up, but I press more of my weight into him.
“He was trying to save me. He knew if I went home and my father realized I’d come into my power, something bad would happen.
And he was right. To prevent me from leaving, he slipped something into my drink, and I passed out. ”
He tenses so hard beneath me that it has to hurt.
“He thought it wore off too soon, and I went home where my father raped me and… you know the rest,” I whisper, feeling a tear slip down my face.
“If he hadn’t drugged you, you could have fought back—Shit. No wonder you were so pissed at him.”
I let my eyes slip closed. “I forgave him because he didn’t rape me, but up until then, I wasn’t sure who had.
He didn’t set me up to be raped either, which was the only other conclusion I could come up with.
He really was just trying to save me, even if the manner in which he went about it was fucked-up.
But then maybe I did forgive him too quickly. Maybe I am just a fucking idiot.”
Riggs sighs. “Don’t say that, Opie.”
“How can I not?”
“What am I missing?” Shepard looks between Riggs and me.
“I told Austin the truth, not long ago.”
“What truth?”
“That it wasn’t my father who raped me like Austin thought. I was raped before I ever made it off Austin’s couch.” I swallow, feeling like I might puke again. “He forgot how much his brother hated me,” I whisper.
“Oh god. It was his brother? Are you fucking telling me your rapist is out there walking around like he did nothing wrong? And Austin hasn’t killed him yet? Why?”
“That’s what I want to know,” Riggs snarls.
I take a deep breath and lay the rest on him. “Riggs drove out to where Austin’s business is today to tell him what happened to me. Only he wasn’t there, so Riggs met with his second in command.”
“Don’t. Do not say it. He cannot be that fucking dumb.”
“I don’t think dumb is the right word for it. But yeah, his brother is in business with him. So what does that make me? A joke? Did he really think we wouldn’t find out? I mean, how could he bear to look at him, knowing what he did to me? I don’t care if it is his brother. There is no excuse.”
“No, there’s not—”
His voice cuts off when I jump to my feet. “Someone’s coming.”
The urgency coming off the house tells me whoever it is, is not welcome here.
“Who is it?” Riggs asks, standing up as he senses my mood.
“Nobody good.” I head to the door with both men following behind me.
“How did you know someone was coming?”
“It’s one of her witchy gifts,” Riggs tells him.
“I need to start day drinking,” Shepard mutters before nudging me out of the way when we get to the door.
“Let the man with the gun get the door, babe,” Riggs urges.
“I’m hardly defenseless,” I complain as the door opens to find a familiar face standing on the porch, their face beat to shit.
“You motherfucker. You dare to come here?” Riggs roars, diving for him. Shepard gets in his way, which exposes me. I freeze solid, all the air leaving my lungs.
Andy takes me in. “Figures.”
“I’ll gut you where you stand,” Riggs yells, fighting against Shepard, who is trying to get him to calm down.
“Why couldn’t you just stay gone?” Andy hisses at me.
“Fuck you,” I snap, feeling lightheaded as he pulls out a couple of papers from his pocket.
“It wasn’t me. What that prick there accused me of.
It wasn’t me. I might have hated you because of what you are, but I would never do something like that.
The last fucking thing I’d want was to tie myself to a witch. ”
“What are you talking about?”
“Calliope, go inside,” Shepard insists.
I shake my head. “No, I want to know what he means.”
“It means a witch’s virgin blood is a sacred thing. It gives a person who took it immunity against them, as well as a bond that binds them to the witch for life.”
“What?”
“Zap me.”
“I don’t—”
“Just fucking zap me.”
My anger and fear flare, making me zap him hard enough to toss him down the steps.
“Whoa,” Shepard chokes out.
Andy groans as he struggles to get to his feet, the papers clutched tightly in his hand. He slowly makes his way back to me as numbness sets in, all the lies and secrets falling away, leaving behind the heartbreaking truth.
“I’m not immune to your powers, Calliope. I didn’t rape you. Here.” He holds the papers out for me. I reach for them with a shaking hand and realize they’re the missing pages from the grimoire.
“You know who raped you. He’s the only person who isn’t affected by your powers.”
I stagger back, tears flooding my eyes as I read the words on the page. “No.”
“Yes.”
“Someone tell me what the fuck is going on!” Shepard yells as a car speeds toward us.
I know who it is, even though the house gives me no warning. The air around me swirls, lifting my hair and making it flutter around my face. Austin climbs out of the car as Andy shoves past him, but he ignores him, his eyes locked on mine.
“No.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”
“Oh, fuck no,” Riggs hisses, figuring it out.
“What?” Shepard starts before sucking in a sharp breath. “It was you?” he snarls, taking a step toward Austin. “You raped Calliope. Our Calliope. You raped her, and now you’re fucking dating her?”
I feel my legs buckle, the horrifying knowledge sinking in like poison. It was all just a sick game.
“I didn’t—” Austin starts.
But Shepard is done. “I love her. And you, you’re standing there, and you’re destroying her. She will never be the same after this. None of us will.”
“I can explain.”
“No. You can’t. And even if you could, I wouldn’t listen. You lost that right the day you shoved your cock into a sixteen-year-old girl.”
And before Riggs or I can stop him, Shepard pulls his gun and shoots Austin in cold blood.
“Guess this town will need a new sheriff after all.”
The Wicked West Trilogy concludes with Outlawed…stay tuned!