AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I take the chair across from him. “She’s asleep. She was exhausted.”
He nods and rubs his bottom lip. “That cabin, is it going to be Clover’s primary residence? Or is it her vacation spot?”
“Her lease runs out on her place in Chicago at the end of July, so her plan is to move into the cabin. But, uh, obviously there have been some issues since the ex keeps fighting her on the place.”
He pokes at his cheek with his tongue. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to make a call in the morning and get a security system installed. It’s pretty isolated, and there’s a lot of tree coverage between her and her neighbors. I think there’s going to be some building happening there soon, but the added protection would be good. And maybe a dog wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.” He sets the crane on the coffee table. “I take it if she’s going to be living there, you’ll be spending a lot of time there too.”
“Yeah, probably. I don’t really want her to be on her own out there, not with her ex threatening to light the place on fire.” I scrub a hand over my face, trying to get the scene I witnessed out of my head.
“Why don’t the two of you stay here for a bit? Take the pool house so you have some privacy.”
“You think Mom’s going to be cool with that?” I don’t like the idea of Clover in that cabin all by herself any more than my dad does.
“Despite your mom’s feelings about who you’re dating, what she wants most is for her kids to be happy. I see the way you and Clover are together.” He looks up at me. “Give Mom a chance to see that too. She’ll come around.”
Forty
The Hand in the Dark
Clover
The police show up first thing the next morning. Maverick’s father brings me an assortment of his wife’s clothing to choose from. She’s much shorter and bustier than me, but I find a pair of leggings and a loose, flowy tank top and cardigan that fit fine. Based on the interactions I’ve had with Violet, it would be safe to say she would not be excited to see me wearing her clothes.
Maverick’s eyes are red-rimmed, and he looks as exhausted as I feel. I slept okay, but I woke up every time I tried to roll onto my right side, and I had to get up in the middle of the night to take a painkiller. At the time, I thought I’d woken him up, but I’m wondering now if he was awake already.
“Do you want privacy for this part?” Maverick asks when they start to ask questions about my relationship with Gabriel.
I shake my head, needing the emotional support more than anything else. “Can you stay?”
“Of course, sweetheart.” He presses his lips to my temple and frees another tissue from the box. But he doesn’t pass it over, instead he gently dabs under my eyes and wraps his arm around my shoulder.
I start at the beginning, when I met Gabriel at a conference, how it had been a whirlwind romance, that we’d only been dating a handful of months when he proposed, that the engagement was equally short, and that once I was his wife, the expectations had started to change.
The dynamics shifted slowly at first. It started with moving us away from my family and friends, so he was the sole source of support. Then he began belittling my job, telling me my PhD didn’t matter, that he would take care of me. Then the gaslighting. At one point, I’d felt like I was losing my mind.
“What does this look like moving forward?” Maverick asks.
“We can hold him for forty-eight hours, but after that, his bail is set at five hundred thousand.”
“Will he be able to come up with that kind of money?” Maverick asks.
“I don’t know. Maybe?” I feel like I’m being choked by fear. Not just for myself, but for Maverick and his family.
Maverick brushes tears away. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll keep you safe, sweetheart.”
The police assure us he’ll be monitored closely, and we’re given direct numbers so we can call with any other information. Then they escort us to the cabin so we can pick up the things I need.
I grab a few extra changes of clothes and my toiletries from the bathroom. I avoid looking at the kitchen area, not wanting to see the broken glass still on the floor or the blood that’s dried overnight. The mat at the entryway is black, so it hides what the pale tile can’t.
I hope this place hasn’t been ruined for me after this settles. I worry that the memories Maverick and I have created will be overshadowed, and this place I considered a haven will be tainted.
Once I have my things, the police follow us out and promise to keep us updated. I guess one of the great things about Maverick having a father who’s a hockey legend and genuinely nice guy is that people will bend over backwards to help him.
Maverick’s father has been more than accommodating. And I have to wonder if it’s mostly attributed to the fact that he’s seen this kind of trauma before.
“You sure you’re all right to drive, Mav? I can get one of your uncles to come back here with me and grab the truck.”
“Nah, I’m okay. Just . . .” He gives his head a shake. “Thinking about how differently yesterday could have gone. I’m real glad it didn’t.” Maverick wraps one arm around my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.
