"There’s more, Mom," I interrupted again. "A few nights before I left…" My stomach flipped as I took a breath, convincing myself this was what I had to do. "I saw Lightning with Mandy behind the diner by the dumpsters…" This was the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life. "I think he killed her. I saw him choking her."
Mom's hand flew to her mouth. The color had drained from her face until she looked almost as pale as Dad on the pillow beside her. Tears slid down her cheeks, but it was fear in her eyes.
"Mom, say something."
"Why didn't you go to the police?" She shook her head, used the tissue in her hand to dab at her eyes. "We have to tell the sheriff."
"And then what?" I reached over and took her hand and held it. "Mom, club loyalty runs deep. If word got out that I'd gone to the cops, they wouldn't wait for an investigation. Tony has them convinced he's perfect. They'd come after me and Kip would get caught in the middle of it."
"No, I don't believe that. I'll call the sheriff for you." Mom reached for her phone and I grabbed her hand hard.
"Mom, please. Tony threatened to kill you and Dad, and now he knows about Kip. I can't let that happen." There was a tense moment where I knew she was upset with me, but her eyes softened and her face drooped again.
"Oh, Sara, I don't know where we went wrong…"
"Mom, you and Dad didn't do this, okay? I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and?—"
"And had a criminal's baby?" She pursed her lips then blew her nose and dabbed her eyes again. "I understand the fear, though." Her eyes drifted over to Dad's face and looked like she was focusing on something far away. "Your father saw Garret selling drugs once, chased the guy off who was trying to buy it, and then told Garret if he ever did it again, he'd call the sheriff. I knew he would've saved that boy's life that day if he'd have done it… Now look at him."
I never knew that, but it makes perfect sense. Dad had a big heart. He wouldn’t have wanted Garret to go to jail over a bad choice like that. And he knew it would bring Fox's wrath down on him. Fear kept him silent, just like me.
"Mom, I'm gonna go back to St. Louis." Her eyes shot to my face but I kept talking. "I have to get Kip out of town. Tony is going to go nuts. He's already escalating things with the Black Locusts. I don't want him coming after you."
"Baby, no."
"Mom, I'll come back for the funeral or if Dad gets better… I promise." Now I was crying. "The diner is self-sufficient. I have Amber managing things well. You don't have to do anything until you're ready. But I really have to go."
Mom's face drooped more but she nodded like she understood. "You do what you have to do, baby. Okay? I'm gonna sit with Dad a bit longer." She faked a smile and turned back to him. I knew it was killing her, but my hands were tied by Tony's threats. And now that he knew about Kip, getting out of town was my only option.
It was going to destroy my heart to do it. Leaving Garret behind just as he told me he loved me would be harder than running off when I was hurt by him, but Tony would kill every one of them. And if he didn't kill me too, I'd have to live with that guilt the rest of my life.
26
GARRET
I'd been up half the night pacing and drinking, more than ever after listening to Lightning spew his venom. I refused to believe it until I spoke with Sara, and after being blind drunk all day yesterday it was time I put myself out of my misery and ripped the bandage off.
My bike rolled to a stop in front of the Ducette home next to Sara's, but her car wasn't there. I glanced over at the shop, seeing nothing but the bay door open, and no sign of her car there either. But Andrew was there holding a wrench, glaring at me across the pasture like he wished he had that shotgun again. I wasn't intimidated by him.
I slung my leg around, dismounting my bike, then stalked up to the front door with a pounding headache and a bit of dizziness lingering from a hangover. If Sara was here I wasn't going anywhere without talking to her. I pounded on the front door, half expecting her to open it and scold me for showing up here, but anger simmered just beneath the surface ready to burst at any second.
When the door opened, it was Daniel there, with a hand towel over his shoulder and what looked to be pancake batter smeared on his shirt. He scowled at me and grumbled, "What are you doing here? Didn't you learn your lesson last time?"
I heard a female voice inside, and the babbling of a small child. It stabbed me in the chest as I pried the screen door open and stood inside it. Daniel stood his ground, though, not backing down despite me towering over him in the doorway.
"I’m here to see Sara. Where is she?" I couldn't help that after Lightning's malicious visit, hearing that kid did things to my chest. I pushed past him, fully expecting to see Sara sitting with the kid, but it was some strange woman, standing in the kitchen next to a high chair. I could only see the crop of dark hair since the kid was facing away, but so far Lightning wasn’t wrong.
"She went to the hospital to see Dad. Get out."
"Move out of my way, Daniel. I don't want to hurt you," I told him as he stepped in front of me. I easily swept my arm to the right, nudging him out of my path. It made him fall flat on the couch as I stalked to the kitchen. The woman scooped up the kid in her arms frantically, and her eyes shot wide open.
"Please, don't—" she protested, but I stopped dead in my tracks as she turned the boy around.
He had my hair and my eyes. Tiny, chubby little cheeks that mirrored images I'd seen of myself as a child. And he stared at me with wide brown eyes that looked frightened, not at all Sara Ducette's face—one hundred percent mine.
"Garret, you need to leave or I'm calling the sheriff."
Daniel's voice felt distant, like I was frozen in time staring down at this perfect little creature. And it sliced through my heart so hard, I couldn't breathe.
