Chapter 18 Gwen #2
She cupped a hand over her mouth and whispered, “My God.”
“I’m sorry,” Simone began through quivering lips. “I’m—”
“You’re sorry?” Rhiannon said. “What are you sorry for? Did you miss him? Did you call him?”
“Of course not,” Simone said.
Rhiannon waited for her to go on, but only silence sounded.
“Then what? What the hell happened here?” Never had I heard Rhiannon’s voice so deep, so strong. “And don’t you dare tell me ‘nothing.’ It was David, wasn’t it? I know you’re not seeing anyone new.”
A hard swallow bobbed Simone’s throat. All she gave in response was a short nod.
“You need to tell me right now if you reached out to him.” Rhiannon’s brown eyes widened. “I need to know if you’re leaving the program—”
“No!” Simone shook her head. Tears came down her face in rivers. A quiet sob escaped. “No. It was Junie. I was at work, and my phone was on silent, and Junie got sick at school. When I didn’t answer, they asked her if she knew any other numbers to reach me at. I guess she remembered David’s.”
Rhiannon’s shoulders released. Her brows were still furrowed. “How did he track you down?”
“I don’t know.” Simone sniffled. She used the dirty makeup wipe to dab up her tears.
“Junie said she talked to him. That the nurse handed her the phone. I think she told him that I worked at a salon in Black Pines. There are only two, so it wouldn’t have been hard for him to call around and figure it out. ”
Rhiannon leaned against the desk in front of us. “That’s where this happened? At the salon?”
“That’s where he confronted me first,” Simone said. “I was out on my smoke break, and he came walking down the street, and he started yelling at me, and some people standing around told him that he needed to leave. Apparently, he didn’t go far. He was waiting at my car for me when I got off.”
While I was no good at thinking of lies on the spot, I had to assume that Simone had practiced. Her cadence, the terror in it, even the way her face scrunched up in fear was perfect. And judging by the look on Rhiannon’s face, she was believing it.
“That’s where he did this to you?” Rhiannon looked her over, surveying every inch of her face. “In the parking lot when you got off work?”
I looked over at her, panic gripping at my chest. No. Say no.
That timeline wouldn’t match up. Simone’s meltdown at group therapy happened just after she had gotten off work. Her face hadn’t been screwed up at that point. The following morning was when she sent the text to Rhiannon about the lash extension class.
“No, it was later that night,” Simone said, voice quivering.
She held Rhiannon’s gaze. “I went up to Gwen’s after group to talk about it.
He wouldn’t stop blowing up my phone the whole time we were hanging out.
Gwen told me not to, but I said I would be fine.
I figured I could meet up with him, tell him to leave me alone, threaten him with harassment charges, and he would leave.
And he did. But not until after this. Not until I threatened to go to the cops.
He had warrants, and he knew he would go to jail again.
“So he left, and I haven’t heard from him since.” Gesturing over her face, Simone’s shoulders sunk. “I was in really bad shape, but I made it back to the ranch. Gwen took care of me. She wanted to tell you what happened, but I told her we couldn’t.”
A moment of silence as Rhiannon looked between us. “Is that true, Gwen?”
Doing my best not to swallow the lump in my throat, I nodded.
Rhiannon shook her head. “Why the hell couldn’t you tell me?”
“Because I thought that you would kick me out.” Nostrils flared, more tears escaped the corners of Simone’s eyes.
“I know the number one rule. Don’t endanger the ranch.
And I did. He didn’t find the ranch, not exactly, but I knew this would be too close for comfort.
I knew you’d kick me out, and I–I don’t know what to do without this place.
I don’t know how I’ll survive. I just spent all of my money on my car, and then the salon, and it’s not making much yet, and—and—” She let out a sob.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do this. I really didn’t. I just—I just—”
And that was all it took for Rhiannon’s eyes to water. Without hesitation, she said, “Come here, kid. Come here,” and opened her arms. Simone stood and collapsed into her.
For a while, they just stood there, holding one another.
Relief loosened my shoulders, but it didn’t do much for that spinning in my stomach. Rhiannon didn’t hate us for this. Not that I ever believed she was capable of such a thing.
But maybe everything would be okay. The lie was well constructed enough that it sounded believable. More than believable. Probable. Knowing Rhiannon, she wasn’t going to kick Simone out for it. So long as she never found out the truth, the two of us were both safe.
Until Rhiannon pulled back and said, “I know it’s not your fault.
You can’t help what Junie did. I’m not upset with you for all this.
” She stroked the tears from Simone’s face, thumbs grazing the bruises.
“But you can’t lie to me.” She looked at me.
“You either.” Eyes shifting between us both, she shook her head.
“Something like this happens, we find a solution. You don’t hide it.
Judging by the looks of it, you should’ve gone to the hospital. ”
“That’s what I told her too,” I said under my breath.
“I just didn’t want to go through all this again.” Simone’s voice was hardly above a whisper. “Being back there again, all the chaos… I just wanted to move on.”
“And we will.” Stroking some hair behind Simone’s ear, Rhiannon leaned in and kissed her forehead.
“Normally, in a situation like this—because, yes, there have been situations like this—I move you to a different facility.” Simone opened her mouth to protest, but Rhiannon continued before she could.
“But considering how close you are to starting a real life of your own here, I’m not going to do that to you. ”
An audible sigh of relief left me. Holding her heart, Simone did the same.
“But that’s not where this stops. We don’t move on from something by acting like it didn’t happen.” Rhiannon pulled away and walked to the back of her desk. “I’m gonna have Edwards come down and take a statement from you. At the very least, the local cops gotta be aware this guy showed.”
My stomach lurched. The mention of police had me back on that bridge for a split second, struggling to tip David over the handrail. “What?”
“No, I can’t,” Simone said, shaking her head. “He’s gone. It’s not gonna help anything for them to know. He—”
“He beat the living hell out of one of my girls.” Hand over her heart, Rhiannon tapped her chest. “He thinks he can come to my town and act a damn fool? I’m gonna make sure every cop in a fifty-mile radius knows that he was nearby. He’s got warrants. They can pick him up on them.”
“But—”
“No buts,” Rhiannon said, fire burning in her voice.
This time, not at us, but at David. “No, this is what we do. We report. We have a paper trail. In case anything ever comes up again, we need a damn paper trail, Simone. And it ain’t up to you.
This is my ranch, these are my girls to protect, and the law doesn’t always do what’s right, but sometimes, we gotta work within it.
“With something like this, we have to report it. This is how we keep the ranch safe. I’m sorry if you don’t want to relive it, but it’s not just about you. It’s about everyone here. And I’m not fighting with either of you about it.”