Chapter 25 #2
John shoved me off with more force than I’d expected, rage flickering behind his tired eyes. He stumbled, straightening his belt like the uniform still gave him control. “I couldn’t hold him when there is no print.” He dusted off his shirt and scrubbed a hand through his hair.
Did he think that badge bought him credibility? That the uniform made his lies harder to see?
I huffed out a humourless laugh, but it came out more like a bark. “Jesus, John. You’re a fucking disgrace.” My words hung in the air.
“Rich coming from the likes of you,” he muttered, the edge of fatigue creeping in. “You need to let me handle this. It’s more complicated now.” He didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate, just turned his back on me and walked away, his boots crunching on the loose gravel peppering the bitumen.
Motherfucker thought this conversation was over. Did he think I’d just get on my bike and ride away?
“I know where I stand, Chief,” I called out as I followed, footsteps pounding in time with the rage thundering in my chest. “I don’t pretend to be anything I’m not.
” I wasn’t looking for absolution. Just the truth.
And maybe a little blood. “You, on the other hand, you stroll around this town pretending to give a shit, when in reality you’re just as dirty as the rest of us. ”
That got him. He stopped mid-stride, hesitating for just a second.
Cult murders aside, Snake had tried to take me out. Now, I wanted him dead, and I was willing to sell my soul to make that happen. But I drew the line at Sadie’s soul. That was mine. The devil himself couldn’t pry it out of my cold, dead hands .
John finally turned, stepping closer, voice low. “You need to trust me on this, Rowan. This is for the best. You need to leave it alone.” He swallowed hard, glancing up and down the street.
But I didn’t miss the fear in his eyes. It crashed into me and begged me to reconsider. For half a second, I thought maybe I should trust him. Was it possible he wasn’t lying this time?
“Why should I trust you, John?” I clenched my jaw, staring down at him. “You’ve given me nothing but bullshit, vague responses.”
Doubt and questions rose from the pit of my stomach. This was supposed to be simple. Now it was coming apart faster than I could gather the pieces.
John stepped back. He looked away, jaw clenched. “I’m doing what I’ve always done—protecting my daughter.” With that, he turned his back to me once again and darted across the street to his patrol car.
This time, I didn’t follow. I stood there, hands clenched by my sides as though I could physically will the answers to materialise.
Protecting his daughter? Protecting her from who? Me? Snake? Or something even worse? He was afraid, no doubt about that. But was it fear for himself—or for her?
My pulse went from a steady thrum to a chaotic pounding as I tried to piece together what Snake’s release had to do with Sadie. How the hell was setting him loose protecting her?
The questions piled up, clogging my throat. Thick. Suffocating. Snake being released had nothing to do with our investigation, I knew that much. No, this was something else entirely—it stretched back further and cut deeper.
As much as I wanted to charge after John, and force answers from his lying mouth until everything made sense, I knew that would get me nowhere. Besides, he was already in his car, engine roaring to life.
What the hell had John done? Or more likely, what had he agreed to do to let Snake slither free?
Goddamn it. Had I left Sadie in danger?
I darted towards my bike, hands fumbling my phone as I yanked it out of my pocket and dialled Sadie’s number. Seconds passed, but they felt more like fucking hours.
“Come on, Sades. Answer me, baby,” I whispered, running a hand through my hair as I swung a leg over the seat. My heart hammered so hard it could’ve outrun the Harley beneath me.
Finally, the persistent ringing stopped, and Sadie’s laboured breathing echoed through the speaker. “Miss me already, huh?” Her voice carried a playful smile, one I’d missed for six years.
I exhaled sharply, the tension easing ever so slightly. “Where are you?”
“At home,” she said, drawing out the words, a tinge of confusion lacing her tone. “Where you left me. Remember? Why, what did Dad say?”
I jammed the phone between my shoulder and ear, yanking my keys from my pocket, then shoved them into the ignition. I never should’ve left her alone. Not with Snake loose. Not with questions unanswered.
“I’m coming home,” I said, kicking the engine over. The roar vibrated through my spine, but it couldn’t drown out the dread screaming in my chest. “I’ll tell you everything when I get there.” There was a slight pause, a thudding sound on the other end. “Sades, what’s going on?”
Sadie let out a long, weary sigh. My chest tightened. Something wasn’t right.
“Hang on a sec,” she said. “Someone’s at the door.” Her voice dimmed and her breath hitched. I pictured her moving through her living room. Then the creak of the door finally opening drifted down the line. “Wh-what are you doing here?”
The morning air turned cold on my skin. “Sades, who the hell is it?” I gripped the throttle, anxiety twisting through me like barbed wire, tightening with each desperate second.
She didn’t answer, but her small whimpers were enough.
Another pause. One beat too long.
Then a man’s voice—low, smug, and so damn wrong it turned my blood to ice. “Did you miss me?”
Not Snake—I’d recognise that arsehole’s voice anywhere. So, who the fuck was that?
“Sadie!” My voice cracked, echoing the panic that surged through every cell in my body.
“Rowan.” Sadie’s voice trembled, my name a plea on her lips. “Help—” Her words cut off abruptly, leaving her final word dangling in front of me.
Just like the noose Logan had tied around his neck.
Fuck.