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When we got there, however, the lights were off, the door was still broken from when the cops had crashed through it, and nobody was there. The house smelled like the pot roast she had cooked, which was still sitting on the table, and there was turned over furniture from the night of the arrest. She walked over to her father’s computer and picked up a small note that she had left there. I could see the fear and hurt in her eyes as she clutched the paper to her chest. It was absolutely heartbreaking, but I had no idea what to do for her.
I walked back to Pop’s room and opened the door slowly, switching on the light and looking around the room. There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary in there, unless you counted the fact that her father was completely gone. There was no sign that he had returned to the house at all, and I wondered how he got away, with all those police officers at the house that night. Why hadn’t he checked on his daughter? Why hadn’t he come to her aid when he saw her name and face on the front of the newspaper? Where was the fatherly instinct to protect his child? I couldn’t even imagine watching my child be arrested for something they didn’t do, and instead of coming to help, he ran off to go gamble and get away from the situation.
I walked back out into the living room and wrapped my arms around Josie. She looked so damn sad, and I just wanted her to feel better. But I knew that wasn’t going to happen until all of this craziness was behind us. She was determined to save her father, but I was worried that he was already gone. There had been no reports of any unusual activity that involved him, but that didn’t mean that he was safe.
“Come on,” I said, leading her toward her bedroom. “Pack a bag, and let’s get out of here. We can go to my place and relax on the deck, just listening to the tides roll in. I have a good bottle of wine. I’m sure a shower was on your list of things to do as well.”
“I can’t leave,” she said, turning and staring at me. “I have to stay here and wait for my father to come home.”
I looked at her, wide-eyed, not believing how stubborn she was being. She couldn’t stay here. It wasn’t safe, and she didn’t even have a front door that she could lock. The thought was just ludicrous, and she had to know that I was going to say absolutely not. There was no way she, or I for that matter, were going to risk our lives waiting for someone who might not come back at all.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”
“Blaine, this is my father,” she said with sad eyes. “I can’t abandon him.”
“You aren’t abandoning him,” I said, shaking my head. “You are looking out for both of your best interests. He’s been gone for days, even after everything happened, and we don’t know where he is. He could be on his way to Vegas for all we know.”
I walked over and wrapped my arms around Josie, kissing her on the top of the head. She leaned into me for the first time since I picked her up, and I could feel her start to relax. I knew she had been through something traumatizing, and it was going to take her a bit to get back to normal.
“How about this?” I asked quietly. “I’ll have some of our investigators go look for him. As soon as they find him, they will let us know.”
“Okay,” she said, sniffling.
“It’s just not safe for you to stay here,” I explained. “There are too many unexplained things right now. We need to figure it all out first.”
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I said. “Go pack your things, and I’ll be here when you’re done.”
I watched her walk away, thinking about how crazy of an idea it was that she actually thought I would leave her here. There was way too much risk involved in letting her out of my sight, something I had already done once, and she ended up arrested and charged with murder. The stakes were too high, and there was no way in hell that I was leaving her alone, much less there at that
house. There had been so many events transpiring over the last forty-eight hours that I didn’t even know my ass from my elbow. Too much had happened, and I partly blamed myself for not insisting on being there when she spoke with her father. There was no way, at that point, that I was going to let her out of my sight. Hell, there was a good chance I wouldn’t let her out of my sight for a very long time. I cared way too much about her. She was sweet and kind, and I needed to figure out a way to get her out of all of this.
She packed a bag and met me at the front door, smiling as I led her to the car. I let her in and then went to the driver’s side, pulling my seat up comfortably and buckling my seatbelt. I watched as she pulled out her phone and dialed her voicemail. She sat quietly, listening to the prompts and pressing the buttons. Her face was calm, and I could see just how tired she was from the bags under her beautiful, big eyes. She needed to rest, and I was going to make sure she did. She sighed as she pressed the erase button and continued to listen to the messages. I knew that she was praying and hoping that her father’s voice would pop up on the other end of the line. She really did love him, no matter how many things he had put her through over the years. It made me think about my father and how I wished he were here to go fishing with or have holiday dinners with. I missed him a lot, and I knew the feeling of hoping for good news but never getting it.
Josie’s father, though, was a piece of shit. I was more than livid at the old man. I knew he had something to do with Josie’s dire situation, but the messages from Josie were mixed, and there were some serious holes I was trying to fill in. I would love to get ahold of him and stick my boot up his ass for being involved in anything that caused harm to Josie. I couldn’t understand what the hell he was thinking. He could really be helpful in the case, but instead, he ran off like a scared puppy, leaving Josie to pick up the pieces once again and take the brunt of the blow. Her life was going to be forever changed.
As I reached down to put the car in drive, I glanced at Josie and watched as tears filled her eyes. She was listening to a message, and I grabbed her hand, letting her I know that I was there for her. Whoever was on the other end did not have good news, and immediately, my mind went to her dad. I was mad at the man, but I didn’t want anything to happen to him. I knew all too well how it was to lose a parent. She hung up the phone and wiped her tears, her breath catching in her throat.
“What is it?” I tried to be calm and soft-spoken.
“That was the school,” she said, sniffling. “They have suspended me without pay because of the charges. They said it was policy, and they had no choice. I can’t believe all of this is happening. Those kids were my life, my escape from the hell of my household. They will never look at me the same way again.”
“Sure, they will,” I said, shaking my head. “As soon as we solve this and prove your innocence, that school will welcome you back with open arms. Everything is going to be okay.”
I wish I believed the words that I told her.
Chapter 22
Josie
My mind was blown. I couldn’t even start to think about everything that had gone on for the past few days. It was like I was living in someone else’s world, where I had no control over what was going on and limited ability to even put it into words. It had been a whirlwind of events, but I knew there was more to come. My father almost never left my thoughts, even before all of this started. I thought about him all day, every day, wondering what he was doing, hoping he was keeping himself busy and not with gambling. My job had been my sanctuary, a way to remove myself from the madness and focus on the kids. They really gave me strength on a regular basis, something I felt I was so lucky to have. Now, though, I hadn’t heard from my dad at all since the incident with Paulie, and my job had put me on suspension.
I’d seen what happens to people when they are thrown under the bus and are charged with crimes they never committed. The public has a way of judging before they even hear the details, and the details of my case did not make me look any less guilty. I didn’t want to be the girl who was found not guilty but still had to live my life in the public, being treated like I had killed that woman. I would probably never be hired to teach again after being dubbed a murderer. The damage had already begun, and now, I just had to figure out how to not go to prison. Just being in that jail cell for three days made me realize that I was not prepared for a life of incarceration. I couldn’t stand one bit of it, from the jumpsuits and cots to the terrible, unedible food, and the constant fear I was going to get hurt. Those women did not play around, and I was in no way the girl that could harden myself to stay alive. If I was out of prison, the mob might get me, but if I was in prison, the other inmates might get me.
Out here though, away from all of that, I had Blaine. He believed me from the start and never asked otherwise, which was pretty amazing for a week’s worth of dating. He has been so gentle with me, talking me through everything, loving me at every turn, and fighting so hard to get the charges dropped. He didn’t even flinch or waver when he found out what the charges were. He just found a way to me and put his arms around me. I couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend in this case, and I knew that he was going to find a way to help me. I honestly didn’t know what I would have done if it weren’t for Blaine. There was a really good chance I probably would still be in the cell.
When we got home, he didn’t stop pampering me or trying to ease my mind and my body. He unlocked the front door and took me by the hand, setting the alarm as we walked. He didn’t stop for food or drinks, and he didn’t put me to bed. Instead, he led me through the hall and directly to the bathroom where he started to fill up the enormous bathtub. The water was hot, and steam rose from the tub, making me think about the cold showers I had been forced to take in prison. He walked over to me and slowly pulled my shirt over my head and helped me out of my pants. He walked behind me, unclasped my bra, and finished undressing me with the gentlest touch. There were no words, just silent caring and the sound of the water flowing from the tap. He took my hand and helped me step into the hot water, smiling as I sunk down with a sigh. The water washed over me, and I could feel my stress begin to dissipate by the second. He sprinkled some bath salts in the tub, and I took a deep breath of the lavender. It was exactly what I needed.
