Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Vanessa
I stood in my kitchen after one of the best nights of my life and tried not to eavesdrop on the conversation happening in my living room, but it was hard when it directly related to me.
"There has to be something more we can do." The frustration in Nolen's tone was clear as day, and I hated that I didn't know how to help.
"We're doing everything possible. Joel isn't talking, and you haven't found any connection except that Los Cangris is involved. Not even the partial picture you have is popping anywhere."
Los Cangris was the gang that has tried to infiltrate this town on more than one occasion. Willow Creek Security continued to put a stop to it, but it would appear they weren't done trying.
"Maybe I need to take a crack at Joel?"
I knew even before Maverick answered it would be a bad idea to let Nolen anywhere near Joel after what he did to me.
"Yeah, no." Maverick didn't sound the least bit enthused by that idea. "I think it's better to let Hendrix handle it."
What did they mean by let Hendrix handle it? Wasn't Joel in police custody? I thought that was who Nolen meant when he said Joel was taken care of after we learned he was behind my beating.
"I should be the one handling it. Vanessa is my responsibility.
" I could practically envision Nolen beating his chest like a caveman with that statement, and it had me rolling my eyes.
Men and their possessiveness. It was hot as hell in the bedroom, but damn did it have to bleed out into everyday life?
I didn't get the chance to contemplate the idea more before my doorbell was ringing, followed by excessive banging.
Geez. Who the hell was that?
I couldn't hear what Nolen mumbled as I made my way to the front door, but he beat me to it.
"Let me see who it is first before we go opening any doors."
This time, I did roll my eyes. He was taking this protectiveness just a little too far as he pulled his gun from the back of his pants.
I seriously doubted whoever was blackmailing me would show up at my front door in broad daylight after going to so much lengths to keep their identity a secret.
The few times I had met my blackmailer had been under the cover of darkness, and his face was always shadowed enough that I didn't get the best look at him. Even the picture we had barely gave us enough to go on.
"Fine, but can we do it quickly before they bang down my front door?" I asked impatiently.
The pounding of a fist didn't stop the whole time and was only getting more urgent the longer we stood there.
I waited anxiously as Nolen looked through the peephole and then cursed under his breath.
"Well, who is it?" I asked with attitude.
"Your fucking sister," Nolen hissed.
My hackles rose at the venom in his voice even though I knew it was warranted after the things she’d said to me in the hospital.
"Well, let her in so we can see what she wants." The resignation in my voice didn't go unnoticed.
I was so sure Nolen was going to ignore my request when he didn't immediately turn the doorknob. I should've known he would need to have the last word. "If she hurts you again, I'll take care of her myself."
I didn't bother to ask him what he meant by that. I just waved for him to move this along. The faster I dealt with her, the faster she would leave.
With yet another curse under his breath, Nolen opened the door.
"It's about fucking time." Hannah pushed her way into my house, looking disheveled with her hair sticking up in different directions and wrinkly clothes on her body.
"What are you doing here, Hannah? I thought we said our goodbyes in the hospital."
Hannah looked at the two pissed-off men like they were bugs on her shoe she wanted to squish.
"Do you really need your bodyguards to talk to little ole me?"
I glanced over at Nolen and Maverick. "Can you guys give us a few minutes?" I asked with a sigh. I wasn't too keen on talking to my sister after how we left things, but I also didn't want Maverick to be privy to my family drama even if everyone knew what happened.
"I'm not leaving you." Nolen crossed his arms over his chest and widened his stance like he was trying to prove a point—that he wouldn't be told what to do.
I didn't have it in me to fight both my sister and him. "Please, Nolen. It's just a few minutes, and you can go to the kitchen if you want."
He would still be close enough to eavesdrop if that was his plan but also far enough away that Hannah would have the illusion he was giving us privacy.
Nolen didn't look like he was going to agree.
"Come on, man. Let's give them a few minutes to talk."
I could kiss Maverick for taking my side. Not literally but I would sure slap a juicy one on his cheek for being the voice of reason here.
"Fine, but just know I'm watching you." His jab was directed at Hannah who merely rolled her eyes and gave him attitude right back. "Okay, old man." Her tone was laced with sarcasm, and it made me want to snap at her for being childish.
I waited until Nolen and Maverick were out of the room before I crossed my own arms and glared at my baby sister. "What do you want?" I was done with being nice to her. She didn't deserve it.
"Where the fuck is Joel?"
I stepped back at the venom in her tone. I thought the things she said to me in the hospital were vicious, but it was nothing compared to the way she sounded in that moment.
"How the hell should I know? He's your boyfriend not mine." I was under the impression he was in jail, but after what Nolen said and now Hannah's question, I was starting to think it wasn't accurate.
Hannah got right into my face. "He's disappeared, and I know you had something to do with it."
Seriously?! What the fuck was wrong with her?
"I have no idea what you're talking about." It was true. I let Nolen handle Joel after we figured out he was the one who attacked me. I didn't want any part of it. I wanted to wash my hands of him and my sister, but it would seem that wasn't to be.
"Don't lie to me, bitch." Before I could even grasp what was happening, Hannah had a chunk of my hair and was pulling me toward the ground.
I let out a startled scream when it felt like she was going to rip the hair right out of my head.
The sound of boots hitting my hardwood floor caught my attention, and I thanked my lucky stars that I had asked Nolen and Maverick to step into the kitchen so they weren't far away.
Nolen's roar made me shiver, but it was the sound of a body hitting the floor that really confused me.
"Let me handle this," Maverick snapped. "You take care of your woman."
Maverick's brown boots crowded my line of vision. "Hannah, let Vanessa go." Maverick sounded eerily calm compared to Nolen who was now crawling to my side.
"I want to know where the fuck Joel is," Hannah screamed at the top of her lungs.
"I'll tell you if you let her go."
Nolen's arms were wrapped around me, and I could feel the rumble of his chest as he growled at my sister. "Just let her go!"
One minute I was being held captive by the roots of my hair, and the next, I was being shoved aside.
"Now tell me where he is," Hannah continued to holler at Maverick as he dragged her away.
"Where is he taking her?" I asked Nolen as he picked me up and settled me in his lap on the couch.
"I don't know, and I really don't give a fuck at the moment."
That was completely understandable. Nolen was visibly agitated. I could see his chest rise and fall with each ragged breath he took.
"Where is Joel?" Now that my sister had gone to such lengths to figure it out, I thought it might be a good time to know what the heck was going on.
"Somewhere where he can never touch you again."
That was awfully vague. And yet I got the feeling that maybe I didn't really want to know the details.
"Okay." I dropped the subject, for now. Or maybe forever. Sometimes ignorance was bliss.
"I know you didn't want to do this earlier, but I think it's time you get a restraining order on your sister."
I sighed at the thought. The last time Nolen brought it up I had been adamant that it wasn't needed. Now I was starting to think I had been wrong.
"You might be right."
Nolen didn't gloat. He didn't say “I told you so” like some others would have. He simply held me and let me work through the problem on my own.
"Let's contact Sheriff Andrews and get it taken care of," I finally admitted after a few seconds of keeping quiet.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it for you."
I knew he would because that was just who he was as a person and the main reason I loved the man.