Since I refused to leave, Rebel packed a duffel bag for me, and Data brought it up to the hospital. While I took a quick shower, he kept an eye on her. Esther dropped off some food but didn’tstay, saying that she and Paul were making sure the house was ready for their guest. I have no clue what she meant but made a mental note to have Rebel find out. If they’re doing any kind of renovations to help my woman, I’ll be paying for them.
“What did you find out?” I reply after I finish chewing some of the meatloaf that Esther brought me. I have no guilt about eating in front of Data; the fucker brought in a bag of Thai food to eat. It’s not that he did that so much as he didn’t ask me if I wanted any. I don’t eat Thai, but the chicken and pineapple fried rice he’s eating looks tasty.
“Marnie Burgess, also known as Marnie Duncan, was assaulted by Pace Jackson roughly five years ago. She suffered extensive injuries and was, in fact, found by a group of men who were passing by. She spent roughly a week in ICU followed by another two weeks in the hospital, before she went to rehab. Her mother, Morla Burgess Duncan, was on hospice, and six or so months after the attack, her mom died. I found multiple police reports where two men, Porter Jackson and Paxton Jackson, harassed and stalked her, to include vandalizing her vehicle and home. After her mother died, it looks like she liquidated all of her assets, found someone to create the credentials she needed, then she left. Outside of her bank account that we require for direct deposit purposes, she has no digital footprint under the Burgess name. Everything that was under Duncan has been closed. She even has a post office box instead of a physical address, which is why packages arrive addressed to her in care of the bar. Brother, she’s done everything she could to stay off the grid.”
“Do you think her having a bank account for her paycheck is how they found her?” I question. I’ve been steadily eating since he started talking, my mind whirling a mile a minute.
“No, they found me because I had to go back to my hometown,” Marnie whispers from her bed. “Remember when I took a few days off? I went back when my mom’s attorney called since there was some paperwork I needed to sign.”
“What paperwork, sweetheart?” I ask.
“Mom apparently bought a life insurance policy when I was a little girl and forgot she had it. The monthly payments were made, but somehow, it was overlooked. When she died, she had some savings left which I used to have her cremated, then I sold off everything in the house outside of my sentimental things since it was a rental. At the time, I had a decent savings account as well, so with that, as well as what was left of her estate after everything was settled, I left because Pace’s brothers were making my life a living hell.”
“And you ended up here,” I state. “How did you decide where you were going?” I question as I walk to her side and pour her a fresh glass of water which she quickly gulps down. “Esther brought you some broth, Marnie, since you can’t have solid foods yet.”
She makes a face but raises her bed slightly so she’s sitting up, wincing the whole time. “I’m sure hers will taste much better than colored water,” she teases, leaning over to smell the bowl. “God, that smells fantastic.”
“Let me guess, you just pointed your finger at a map,” Data says, chuckling.
“Actually, that’s exactly what I did,” Marnie admits. “While I didn’t know for sure what happened to Pace, I had my suspicions based on a visit I received when I was in the hospital. Some guy that I can’t describe because my vision was all but gone told meit was done. When Porter and Paxton cornered me, they told me that Pace’s body had been found and they knew I was somehow involved.”
She starts chuckling while holding her stomach as she shakes her head. “Damn, I mean, I was so fucked up. I had one eye patched up because he caused my retina to detach, and the other one was so swollen from being hit by his fist I could hardly see. My jaw was wired shut, and I don’t think there was anywhere on my body that didn’t sport a bruise.”
My anger rises because she may not be black and blue, but the injuries she sustained this time are far, far worse. “We need to find those fuckers,” I growl out, looking at Data.
“On it, Veep,” he replies, his fingers now flying over the keyboard. “With their info, it should be easy to track the fuckers.”
Leaning in, I kiss Marnie’s forehead as she slowly sips her broth. When she’s finished, she leans back and sighs. “I’m so damn tired,” she whispers, her eyes now at half-mast.
“Then rest, sweetheart. You’re safe now,” I promise. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”
SEVEN
MARNIE
“I hate this,” I mumble as Paul pushes my wheelchair out the back door so I can sit on the porch for a while and breathe in some fresh air.
“It’s just for a time,” he replies, making sure I’m comfortable with a table nearby for my tumbler of water.
“I know but I’m so used to being busy. This lack of activity is driving me nuts!”
He chuckles then says, “Oh, I think Esther is going to be keeping you busy. She’s about to start canning.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask.
“She’s down at the farmer’s market now picking up bushels of green beans, tomatoes, and corn. You’re going to be shucking corn, breaking the beans down, and probably doing something with the maters as well,” he replies, now laughing hard. “We had a good crop from our garden, but my wife always does this. Says it helps the neighbors. Oh, and I suspect she’ll be getting zucchini and squash as well.”
Since I like stewed tomatoes, as well as the other vegetables, I don’t mind helping at all. It’s the least I can do since they’re helping me. I’ve been out of the hospital for two weeks now and every day, I feel a little bit better. I’m still weak, though, so Ash insisted that I have a wheelchair to use so I don’t stumble on my exhausted limbs. I swear that man is going to drive me crazy! He tells me I’m his and literally comes over every single day, but other than that brief kiss we shared when I was still laid up in the hospital, he hasn’t done anything else to prove that he means what he said.
Meanwhile, every night, I dream of a life with him by my side. We’ve built a friendship since I work with him so often, but I honestly never thought it would go any further. I know Holly tried to encourage it, but I was so afraid because of what happened with Pace. While I’m not some scared virgin thanks to my high school boyfriend, Pace’s actions terrified me so badly, I was willing to remain single for the rest of my life.
“Well, I’ll definitely help her in any way possible,” I tell him.
“Okay, do you need anything?” he asks. When I shake my head, he continues. “I’m going to the coop to grab the eggs. Don’t go anywhere, Marnie.”
I giggle because my independence has gotten me in trouble a few times. When I’m inside, I have a walker and one morning, I was thirsty, so I ambled my way into the kitchen. Paul was in there, sipping on some coffee when I came in huffing and puffing with my tumbler clutched in my hands. He made me sit down, then cooked me some breakfast. Apparently, Esther had run into town for something, leaving him to take care of me.
“I won’t, Paul, I learned my lesson,” I tease. Because when Esther got home, I found myself sitting at the kitchen tablechopping various peppers, onions, and celery so she could freeze them for soups and whatnot. Honestly, I didn’t mind helping. While I enjoyed reading and getting caught up on some of the shows I binged, there was only so much I could take just laying around.
