Chapter 13 #2
“So did Maddie once,” Reid points out.
Hunter’s eyes flare. “Not the same, Reid! Maddie was bullied, indoctrinated and coerced into it. And when she found out what a piece of shit he was, she walked.”
“Ran,” Mace interjects just to piss Hunter off.
“My point is, she,” he says, pointing at the phone Quinn left on the table, “had no one applying that level of pressure. She chose Barrett.”
My hands curl into fists. “Use her fucking name, or get out,” I growl.
Hunter stands up, his chair tipping back on two legs before settling again.
“Fine, I’ll leave,” he says, but of course the fucker doesn’t.
“And before you give us all some lecture about doing this for Piper, don’t fool yourself, Ash.
She cut you out once, and she’ll do it again.
You heard what she just said. She doesn’t want to be part of our world, and she sure as hell won’t want her daughter anywhere near us.
She’ll fuck you over like she did before, and I don’t want to be around to see that. ”
The soles of my shoes press to the floor as I prepare to launch myself at my brother, but Hunter is already storming out of the office.
I force my fists to relax. “Before anyone else tries to offer some pearls of wisdom, that…” I say, jabbing a finger at the door, “is between me and Hunter.” I wait a beat. No one dares argue. “Right then. Mace. For fuck’s sake, tell me you have something.”
My brother rests an elbow on the table, his chin resting on his hand as he scrolls through his tablet.
“The stubs of the emails I mentioned,” he says. “They show the sender and recipient and the subject line, but not the content. I should be able to retrieve the full messages from the Emerson’s archives, but that’ll require a few calls and some human interaction. Strider’s helping me with that.”
Strider is another hacker, and one who’s happy to help us thanks to his connections with Quinn. And he’s one of the few people who actually gets on well with Mace.
“So why do you think the emails might be useful if you haven’t seen the content yet?” Reid asks.
Mace flicks his gaze to me. “Because they’re not between Barrett and Belle. He was in direct contact with Ethan too.”
“Is that such a surprise?” asks Reid. “Barrett got him the security job in Poulton Springs.”
“This was before Ethan lost his job in the fire service.”
I sit up a little straighter. “What was in the subject line?”
“Nothing revealing. Single words mostly. Update. News. Interesting,” he quotes from the information on his tablet. “The fact that they’re chatting at all is what’s raising a red flag. And at one point, the emails are daily.”
It’s Reid who asks the question we’re all thinking. “Why would Barrett be so chatty with Belle’s husband? He only has time for people who have something he wants.”
“Yeah, like a wife,” Quinn says, a frown creasing her brow. “Maybe Barrett used his chats with Ethan to undermine their marriage.”
“It’s something to consider,” I say. “But like everything else, we need proof.”
Reid adjusts his pen so it’s perfectly in line with his notepad while he’s deep in thought. “We should look into every so-called coincidence. It does seem that Barrett made it his mission to appear at just the right time in Belle’s life, usually when things were going wrong.”
“Makes you wonder,” Mace agrees, looking to me when he adds, “Are you sure it was just a coincidence that you ended up on her doorstep when Barrett already had her in his sights?”
I’m pretty sure that was a coincidence, but it’s a valid point.
We shouldn’t make any assumptions, so I retrace the steps that led me to that old red barn.
“I’d been to an event where they were serving Simmons whiskey,” I begin.
“Someone mentioned the distillery was in trouble, and things led on from there. As I recall, the event was being sponsored by the Emersons. It could be that Barrett wanted to show Belle he rated the whiskey, but I think that’s as tenuous as the link with me goes. ”
“You were always destined to run interference in Barrett’s corrupt business ventures,” Reid says.
“No, Ash was always destined to run interference between Barrett and Belle,” Quinn corrects. She looks at me when she adds, “You’d better be there to help Belle pick up the pieces when she finds out he’s been trying to entrap her for years, because that’s what he’s been doing, Ash.”
“Maybe you should go with Quinn on Friday,” Reid tells me.
I can’t deny I’m tempted, but it was hard enough to send her back to Barrett last time. I don’t want to face that again.
“If you dump all of this shit on her in one go, she’s going to run the first chance she gets,” says Mace.
“Belle’s as scared of us as she should be of Barrett.
” His jaw works as he tries to contain the emotion creeping into his voice.
“We don’t just need to prove that he’s the bad guy.
We need to prove that we’re the good ones.
Ash has to show Belle that whenever there’s trouble, he’s the one covering our backs.
We need her to see the fucking hero we see. ”
Goosebumps crawl up my arms. I don’t know how to respond. Nor does anyone else.
When the silence stretches on for too long, Mace huffs. “What?” he asks, suddenly self-conscious. “People seem to forget that I’m a sensitive soul deep down… somewhere. I just wanted to make the point that we’re not all having a hissy-fit like Hunter. Belle needs us.”
I clear the lump in my throat. “You’re right. I do need to prove myself to Belle, and to do that, I’ll need you guys to cover my back this time.” I slump against my chair, not feeling as confident as I’d like. “And you’re also right about not overwhelming her.”
Mace is an idiot most of the time, but it warms my heart to see how smug he’s looking after my words of praise. If only I still held that kind of sway over Hunter.
“It’s best if Quinn meets Belle on her own,” I continue.
“Obviously, we’ll keep a team nearby, and I want Jake in the coffee shop.
” I see Reid go to open his mouth and cut him off.
“You stay out of sight. The last time Belle saw you, she held a gun to your head because you were sitting on a half-naked Quinn. Your beautiful face isn’t going to help. ”
Reid gives Quinn a cheesy smile. “Good memories.”
“Quinn,” I say, pulling her attention back. “When you speak to Belle, try to find out what contact she had with Barrett in the early days. And when you tell her what happened to you, don’t hide the ugly truth of the life we lead, but do your best to sell us as the good guys.”
“I think I can manage that,” she replies, leaning into Reid. “And I’ll drop enough comments about Barrett so she starts to question his narrative. It might help if she hears Maddie’s story some time too.”
“Jen’s already laid the groundwork,” I say, recalling how Maddie’s sister-in-law had verbally attacked Barrett at the refuge. “But you’re right. There’s so much more to tell.”
“It might be interesting if she can talk to Ray,” Reid suggests. “He sent a message through this morning. Barrett wants him at the estate this weekend.”
“What’s Barrett up to?”
“Ray doesn’t know. But while he’s there…”
“Do we trust him to give a fair account?” asks Mace.
Reid scoffs. “As long as Belle doesn’t ask how he got his crooked nose and your name comes up,” he says. “I’ll speak to him, tell him what we expect.”
“Tell him he needs to be careful,” I warn. “We don’t want anyone, including Belle, finding out Barrett’s right-hand man works for us, not before we get her completely on our side.”
“And how long do you think that’s going to take?” asks Mace.
I rub a hand over my bristles. I’m not even sure it’s possible. “I don’t know, but I’m not going to give up on her this time.”