Chapter Fifteen
Beau
T he night I left the barn, I got called out to a house fire out in the middle of what felt like no-man's land between Aspen Hollow and Whispering Pines. The fire chief wanted me there in case we needed to notify the next of kin if someone had passed.
When I pulled up to the property and found out it's where Ricky from the Fourth brawl lived, I had a pretty good guess what happened.
It seemed to take hours but it was really only about twenty minutes before the fire was extinguished.
The department did a thorough sweep of the home, but the house was empty—no surprise to me.
It wasn't until one of my officers questioned where the girl and kid were that I finally snapped out of my fog.
"What do you mean, a girl and kid?"
"Ricky had a woman and a little boy, but nobody sees them much. He always claimed it was because she had mental health issues, but my cousin said he was an abusive asshole."
"Why the fuck am I just hearing about this now?" I lashed out way harsher than I would normally at any of my officers.
He raised his hands as if he were innocent. "Hey, I just found out about it from my gram. She's friends with Eleanor DuVall."
"Of fucking course she is," I mumbled and motioned for him to keep talking.
"Umm, anyway, Nana DuVall came out here the other day to pay her respects to the girl for losing her aunt, and when she got here, she noticed the woman had bruises around her neck.
Nana DuVall convinced her to come stay at the B&B for a few days to heal and come up with a plan to leave Ricky.
I guess he's currently out on the rig, so the woman felt safe enough to go with her. "
"How the hell did you find all of this out between the call and now?"
"I live with my gram. She's smart as a whip but can't get around on her own all that well. I didn't want to see her lose her house after my pap passed, so I moved in with her. She recognized the address when she heard my scanner go off and told me as I was heading out the door."
"Alright, thanks for the heads-up. I'll head to see Nana DuVall and make sure they are there and safe. You can head out."
"See you later, boss." With a wave, my officer headed to his cruiser and left the scene.
Meanwhile, my mind was racing.
How the fuck had these women pulled this shit off so expediently?
There's no doubt in my mind that the leg I’d seen Jo feeding to her pigs belonged to Ricky.
Going back to the farm was the last thing I wanted to do, but I needed to make sure my hunch was right, and that the girl and her son were safe.
Pulling around the back of the B&B, I wasn’t surprised to find Nana sitting on her rocking chair, sipping a drink.
"I figured you'd be back. Come on." Nana DuVall waved her hand at me as she gestured towards another rocking chair beside her.
On the table between us sat an extra glass. Her weathered hand passed it to me, and I didn't hesitate to take a large gulp. Smooth, smokey whiskey filled my tastes buds. I took another large gulp, finishing off the glass, and just sat for a minute as I let the alcohol warm me from the inside out.
"How'd you know I'd be back?"
"Call it a hunch or intuition. I unloaded a lot of heavy stuff on you tonight. You listened real good to what I had to say, but I knew once your keen mind had a minute to process, you'd have questions. I was betting you'd be back, so I was prepared."
"Smart woman."
"Hmm."
We fell into a comfortable silence as I tried to wrap my head around where to even begin. I was fucking torn that not one emotion could win out right then, leaving my mind to spin out.
"The girl and her boy are safe. They're stayin’ in one of our old farm hand cabins. He's young enough he won't remember a thing, but she's going to need our help, Beau."
"Does she need a doctor? I can take them right now. I—"
"Calm yourself. She's goin’ to be just fine. Kenina and Rieka have tended to her, and she'll be feelin’ right as rain in no time. But the mental wounds are gonna be a different story. That rat bastard, Ricky, was isolatin’ that sweet girl.
He weaseled his way in, and then slowly cut her off from the few friends and family she had left.
Then he started usin’, and the control and emotional abuse shifted to physical abuse.
He's been torturin’ that sweet girl for years. "
"Fucking bastard."
"Yep. I only found that out when I went to visit her. Her aunt had an inklin’, but then she fell ill and ended up in the nursin’ home. She couldn't do anythin’ to help her after that. She tried callin’ the cops, but it was before you came to town, and nothin’ came of it.
"They believed Ricky's line of bull that Calli was a girl with mental health issues and her aunt was an old biddy losin’ her mind. He was a good old boy, so they took his word and moved along.
"That's why our Joey girl does what she does.
She knows you're the best man and a damn fine cop, Beau, but she also knows how often the system fails the victims. Just because you can arrest him and build a good case, it doesn't mean the abuser will be prosecuted the way they should be. Or in a timely manner, for that matter. Keepin’ the women and children, and even men in some cases, safe until the trial happens isn't an easy task.
Especially when you live in a small community and everyone knows everyone's business.
"Jo brings them here so they can recover in peace, and find their voice and power again. But it makes it a hell of a lot easier to do that if they know that the person who tormented and abused them can never touch them again."
We were both silent as I processed everything Nana had said.
I knew she was right about how the system fails the victims. Hell, Jo and I are both living proof of that.
But I also swore an oath to uphold the law, and do everything in me to right those wrongs and protect the people without a voice. Who am I to be judge and executioner?
"I understand the why, I truly do, but this is so much to wrap my head around. You get that, right? Even though she's using her skills to protect those who can't protect themselves, she's still breaking the law. She's taking lives. How am I supposed to ignore that?"
"You don't ignore it. You either accept it and her, or you move on."
"It's not that simple."
"I never said it was."
"You're making it seem like it is. What if someone else finds out? What the hell do I do then? I won't be able to protect her."
"Oh, sweet boy, she's been doing this for a long time. The only reason you found out is because you love her and came to her when she needed you, whether she would admit that or not. This place is her sanctuary." Nana swept her hand out towards the land.
"The town is well aware of her skills as far as shooting a gun.
She's been an excellent hunter since she was young.
And thanks to the Fourth of July party, they now know her hand-to-hand combat is not to be messed with.
They know she's fierce as hell but also kind and will do anything to help her town. They respect her, and she's earned it by bein’ the amazin’ person she is.
"Tonight was not her best night. It went a little sideways, that's for sure. But that's hardly ever the case. Somethin’ was seriously goin’ awry tonight to cause Jo to deviate from her plan and land in the shitshow she found herself in.
She's smart as a whip and knows what she's doing, but judgin’ by the bruises and the raspy voice Calli was sportin’, it's safe to say this night could've ended differently if our Joey girl hadn't been there. "
"Fucking hell," I grumbled as I ran a hand down my face. "I just need a little time."
"That's completely understandable. Can you promise me somethin'?"
"What's that?" I made sure not to agree to anything.
"When that brilliant mind of yours starts racin’ and you're spiralin’, call me or stop by if you're not ready to talk to Jolene. I'm not sayin’ you two don't need to hash everythin’ out, but I'm here if you need an ear between now and then."
"Thanks, Nana."
I stood from the rocking chair, placed my glass on the table, and leaned down to give Nana a kiss on her forehead. I was still all fucked up inside, but I felt some peace after spending time with Nana.
I headed home where I surprised myself by falling into a deep sleep.
It's been five days since I've seen Jolene DuVall, and I'm going out of my damn mind. I've been a miserable bastard since I walked out of her barn, and I don't see that changing any time soon unless I can figure out what the hell to do where she's concerned.
And that's where I've been for the past five days—overthinking and being grouchy as hell. I'm sure my crew is happy when they don't have to work the same shift as me. Thankfully, the townsfolk have been on their best behavior, so it's been pretty quiet.
Knock. Knock.
"What?"
"And this is why I'm the one knocking on your door and not any of the others. You okay, Chief?" Davis is leaning on the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Fuck. Sorry, man. It's just been a long couple of days."
"Just apologize."
"Huh?" My brow furrows as I try to figure out what he means.
"Apologize. Say, 'Jo, I'm sorry,' then have hot makeup sex and move on."
"Why the fuck do I need to apologize? And who said we're fighting?"
"Your face and your grumpy-ass attitude. You've bitten everyone's head off at least once in the past five days. Only thing I can think of that has you this worked up is a fight with Jo. So go apologize."
"We didn't technically have a fight. And there's nothing for me to apologize for. I just saw a different side of her, one I didn't know, and I'm not sure I like it or can accept it."
"Bullshit." Davis takes a step through the door and shuts it behind him, then sits down across from me.
"Excuse me?" Does he forget I'm his boss?