Chapter Eighteen #2
"No problem. Now, how about we go find that handsome little man of yours and see how much Lottie and Nana have spoiled him this afternoon." I throw my arm over Calli's shoulder and steer her towards the house.
She giggles as we walk and talk about how ridiculous my Mama and Nana are when it comes to Hank. Calli's mood lifts considerably, but mine darkens as I have to come to terms with how to proceed with a mission for the first time since my truce with Beau.
I may have been sneaking around behind Beau's back for the past few days, but I haven't exactly broken my promise to include him if something comes up.
I wanted to believe Calli's intuition, but I also get that her opinion on men might be skewed moving forward.
Hence the sneaking around, and with what I found, I'm glad I did.
I was able to witness Tansy and her boyfriend eating out and buying groceries, and once they got home, what I saw had all of my red flag detectors going off and my hair standing on end.
There's no doubt in my mind that Tansy's boyfriend is an abusive asshat.
But unlike Ricky, he is a beloved member of Whispering Pines.
He owns and runs a local contracting business that his grandfather started years ago.
His family is extremely involved in the community, whether through volunteering supplies to fix the playgrounds, donating to the local church, or sponsoring the baseball team.
They've got their hands in everything. He's basically the golden boy of Whispering Pines, and everyone I talked to had a good thing to say about him.
But from what I saw, Carter Rutherford III is a manipulative, lying abuser who hides behind his family's good name and his impeccable upbringing.
Whether I like it or not, I'd have a hard time making him disappear without him being missed, like most of the low-lives I've dealt with in the past. I'd need Beau's help regardless.
But with how much Carter is loved, I don't know how Beau will even be able to make a case against him.
He needs evidence, but I don't think he could use anything I'd be able to collect for him in court without either lying about how it was obtained or having me as a witness, which is way too damn risky.
He's supposed to come over after his shift tonight, which is good because what I saw while I staked out Tansy's house was anything but.
I felt a bit creepy watching her change, but I would've missed the huge bruises on her ribs if I hadn't been hiding out in the trees.
I was able to get pictures to show Beau. Now, I just need him to get here.
I've been avoiding Calli since I now know her suspicions were correct. I'm afraid that if I tell her, she'll do something crazy, and not only put Tansy in danger but also herself and Hank. Good thing she's been absorbed in rehabbing the horse and taking care of her son.
I'm hiding out at my house when the front door bangs shut and heavy boots pound on the floor.
Relief floods me, knowing that Beau is here and can help me figure out this sticky situation.
From what Calli's told me, there's no way Tansy will abandon her little brother or family, so it's not like I can whisk her away and hide her.
Besides, she shouldn't have to hide to be safe.
Carter needs to pay for what he's done to her.
Beau's warm arms wrap around my waist, his front pressing into my back as he nuzzles and kisses his way up my neck. I tilt my head to give him better access. Even though having Beau surrounding me feels like heaven, my mind can't shake Tansy and her situation.
"Mmm, I missed you, but it doesn't seem as if you've missed me as much." Beau, ever the observant man that he is, can tell my head's not completely here with him.
Turning in his arms, I loop my hands around his neck and play with his curly strands as I stare into his eyes. He's patient as he gives me time to come up with the words I need to say.
"Remember how you told me we need to compromise?"
Beau stiffens a fraction before slowly relaxing once again in my arms.
"I do. Do you know something I don't, Joey girl?" He raises his eyebrow at me.
Biting my lip, I nod. "I wasn't sure at first, but now I am."
"Jolene, what did you do?" Beau takes a step back and crosses his arms over his chest as he assesses me.
"Don't get an attitude with me, Beau Calhoun. At least, not until we talk." I match his stance, refusing to back down.
"Fuck." He runs a hand through his hair then shakes out his hands. Taking a step back towards me, he snags me by the belt and pulls me back into his arms. He kisses my forehead, each cheek, my nose, then gently cradles my face before kissing me sweetly.
"I'm sorry. I know you're a badass. I just hate when you take risks and don’t let me know about it. If something happened to you, it would fucking wreck me."
"I know that, Beau. And I swear I wasn't taking any risks.
Calli was worried about her best friend.
She started dating a guy, and it was throwing up a bunch of red flags for Calli, but she wasn't sure if they were truly red flags or if it was her trauma from Ricky rearing its ugly head.
My gut was leaning towards Calli's intuition being correct, but I needed to check it out for myself first. So, I've been doing a little snooping, and until this afternoon, I agreed with Calli but didn't have any hard confirmation. "
"What did you find?"
Pulling my phone out of my back pocket, I open my picture app and hand it over to Beau.
"Fucking hell."
"My thoughts exactly. She shows every sign of a battered woman, but this was the confirmation I needed. If you zoom in, you can make out a boot print in the one picture, on Tansy's ribs. Her face is in the picture, so there's no doubt who it is."
"What the fuck? I don't get how anyone can do this to another person," Beau growls as he zooms in on the pictures to get a better look.
"That's not even the worst part, Beau. She's dating Carter Rutherford."
"Damn it!" Beau tosses my phone on the counter then runs his hand through his hair again. "He's, like, the prodigal son over in Whispering Pines."
"I know. I always thought he was kind of a smarmy asshole, but that's because I'm naturally suspicious of anyone who acts as good as he does and uses his charm as a weapon. Lucky for you, even if I wanted to take him out on my own, I probably wouldn't be able to since he's the town’s golden boy."
"Yeah, well, unlucky for me, I'm gonna have a hell of a time getting anyone to take complaints of abuse seriously if I bring them up."
"I know. That's why I was thinking we could get solid evidence on him first, which you could then take into their department to plead your case."
"You can't be anywhere near this, Jolene. I can't protect you there—not that I should here either, but you know I will," he huffs in frustration, and not for the first time, guilt fills me at making Beau go against his morals for me.
"I know, pretty boy. I might have an idea. One of Boomer's buddies is a PI, and he convinced Boomer to get licensed. I could talk to Boomer and see if he'd be willing to testify if I do recon and get evidence in case it goes to court."
"That could work. But it would probably be good for him to show his face around here as well. Even the best PIs get noticed by someone at some point."
"True. If you're okay with this, I'll text him and Boomer."
"It's as good of a plan as any. If I go in there without any evidence, I'll probably get a polite 'we'll look into it', just to get me out of their town."
"You don't think Whispering Pines will work with you?"
"Nah, it's not that. I like their chief.
He seems like a good guy. It's just hard to see someone in your community, with such a shining reputation for doing so much good, be a piece of shit.
Especially if it's just an accusation without any proof.
Even if he does believe me, he'll have to be careful with how he approaches the whole situation, or it could be suicide for the support the Rutherford family gives the department, and could put Tansy and her family in danger. "
"My life is a hell of a lot easier when the abusers and users are pieces of shit that nobody will miss."
Beau's laugh eases some of the tension clinging to me.
"You and me both, Joey girl. I'm sorry for jumping on you and not giving you a chance to explain. I get why you did what you did, but I'd still like it for you to give me a heads-up. That was something you agreed to." Beau levels me with a hard stare, and I know he’s got me.
"I can do that. I didn't think it would be much of a risk, but with someone like Carter, his reputation is everything to him. If he had caught me, who knows how he would react. I'll let you know next time."
"Good. Text Boomer," Beau grumbles, which makes me laugh.
I don't think his jealousy over my friendship with Boomer will ever get old for me.
I send Boomer a message, then put my phone back on the counter before giving Beau a devilish smile.
"What are you up to, Jolene?"
"Well, dinner's in the crockpot, and you got to me before I got to shower off the day. You wanna get dirty before we get clean?"
Heat flares in Beau's eyes, and in a flash, he has me thrown over his shoulder and is running through the house to my ensuite bathroom.
Our evening might have started out with heavy shit, but Beau melts it all away with every kiss and touch as he dirties us both, bringing me more blissful pleasure when he cleans us up in the shower.
The need to save Tansy still hangs in the back of my mind, but knowing that Beau has my back and we're in this together eases some of my tension. I just hope clueing him in was the right move.
Only time will tell, I suppose.