Chapter 25 Gwen #3
When I found her in the crowd, I waved. It was far from unusual for Rhiannon to be nearby and call for one of us. The look in her eyes made my heartbeat quicken.
Then a navy blue uniform approached from behind her.
Edwards.
My stomach dropped into my ass.
Rhiannon brushed past half a dozen people in the crowd. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“We’ve been here.” Simone managed to keep her tone flat, normal. Even her smile looked legitimate as she said, “Merry Christmas. Or Happy Holidays. Whichever floats your boat, officer.”
“Merry Christmas to you too.” His cadence, posture, even his smile looked just as natural. “How you ladies doing tonight?”
“Can’t complain. Just enjoying all the festivities.” As Simone grabbed a cookie for herself, she got an extra for him. “You’re not gluten free, are you? Because you have to try these. Gwen is a goddess behind an oven.”
“Not gluten-free, but I am in a cut right now—”
“Wait ‘til the new year.” Simone extended the cookie. “They’re worth every calorie.”
Lips plastered together, he accepted. “Thanks.”
Delilah glanced between the four of us. “Is everything alright?”
“Everything’s just fine,” Rhiannon said, tone as kind and casual as usual. “It’s just about that report Simone had to file a couple of weeks ago.”
“What report?” Sebastian’s voice came from behind just as his warm fingertips brushed my lower back. His free hand outstretched for Edwards. “How’ve you been, man?”
“Same shit, different day.” Edwards accepted the shake, then looked over the two of us. “What about you? What’s up with you lately?”
“Too much.” Sebastian chuckled, his voice a touch deeper.
Now that I thought about it, in the last year I’d known Sebastian, I hadn’t seen him interact with another man. Aside from Axel, anyway. His voice remained a few octaves higher for my friends and me. Did he intentionally deepen it around other men?
“We should get a beer sometime and catch up,” he told Edwards.
“I’m sure we can make that work.”
Turning to Delilah, Sebastian said, “Junie wanted your help with something over there. A friendship bracelet you guys made last night at the daycare? I don’t know, she’s having problems with it.”
“I swear, if that latch broke again,” Delilah said under her breath. “I’ll be right back. Save me some cookies, Simone!”
“No promises,” Simone said, grabbing another. “Any who. What’s going on?”
Edwards glanced at Sebastian, then at me, then back to Simone. “Do you want to go somewhere private?”
“She’s my best friend. I’m going to tell her anyway.” Simone sipped her cocoa to wash down the cookie. “And he’s her boyfriend, so she’s probably gonna tell him too. It’s okay.”
“Alright. If you insist.” Edwards raised a hand in surrender. “Look, after you filed a report, and we knew David had been nearby, I reached out to his PO, who connected me to the PD in your hometown. Turns out he was already on the run when he showed here and did what he did to you.”
“Wait, here?” Sebastian asked, glancing between Simone and me. He looked at Rhiannon too. “Who is this? What the hell did he do?”
“My husband,” Simone said, tone casual. “My ex-husband. He didn’t show up here, at the ranch.
He showed up at my work, harassed me, and messed me up a bit.
” Her attention went back to Edwards. “But that doesn’t surprise me.
David’s always on the run. He owes somebody money, or he has a warrant, or whatever the case is. That guy lives under the radar.”
“That was my first thought. Especially when I had a look at his record. What wasn’t expunged anyway.” Edward’s jaw tightened at that. “He’s gotten a bigger rap sheet since you left him. A real big rap sheet. This latest charge, what he’s running from, might be the worst one yet.”
“I don’t know about that. He’s done a lot of bad things that the cops never got wind of,” Simone said. “But what is it this time?”
“Primary suspect in a gang-related murder,” Edwards said. “I can’t get into the specifics, but the evidence they have against him is compelling.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “Off the record, he definitely did it.”
Simone didn’t even flinch. “That doesn’t surprise me either.”
“Problem is, he was living under the radar for a couple months back in Wyoming. And no one’s heard from him since he came here.”
“Probably because we’re so close to the border.” Rhiannon crossed her arms against her chest, tone defensive. “We’re only a couple hours’ drive from Regina, Canada.”
“That’s true,” Simone said. “He always said that if things went to shit here, he’d run to the Yukon. Said there’s so much land up there, nobody would ever find him.”
“Nobody’s ruling that out,” Edwards said. “But after I talked to that PD, I got a call from a woman. Angela Burke? Does that ring any bells?”
“David’s mom.” Simone rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I know her.”
“Right.” Edwards rubbed a hand down his jaw. “Look, I don’t want to stir anything up here. I didn’t give her your name or nothing like that. But I guess he’d talked to her before he came here. Even though he was off grid, they were in contact.”
Shit. Holy shit.
“Oh yeah, they talk every day,” Simone said. “Always was a mama’s boy.”
“My point here is, somebody knew where he was before he came here. And now, no one does.”
“Okay, I get that.” Rhiannon took the slightest step inward, slightly in front of Simone. “But I don’t get how that’s her problem. Or mine. Or anyone else’s here.”
“I guess it’s not, ma’am.” Edwards raised his hands at his sides. “And I’m not saying I disagree with you. Considering the charges he was facing, and everything he’s done to Simone, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if you’re right, and he did run to Canada. Ain’t like there’s service in the Yukon.”
“Then what’s your point here, kid?”
At Rhiannon’s voice, his grew timid. “Angela’s poking. She’s asking questions. It wouldn’t surprise me if she made a trip up here.”
“If she does, tough shit.” Rhiannon’s posture stiffened. “She ain’t welcome through my gates.”
“As is your right.” Edwards raised his hands in surrender once more.
“And look, I know what this place is. I know how important it is. So does the sheriff. We know all the women here are victims, and we’re not gonna hurt you anymore than your pasts already have.
But because we care about each other, we wanted you to know that someone’s asking questions.
So it might not be a bad idea to lock up and keep things secure for the time being. ”
Shit.