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Gareth
The first time I had to step out of the room was so my partner could tell me they never found Birdie’s purse. Not really something Waylen couldn’t tell me over a call or a text.
“Okay.”
“That’s not why I’m here, Gareth.” He’s been my partner long enough; he can tell what I’m thinking. “The old man who came to help when he heard the wreck…he swears he saw someone from the other car get out and take something from your girl’s car.”
Now that does not make me happy at all. While Birdie was out of it a lot of things happened. The first guy on the scene, Jacob, thought Birdie might have had something happen and she just ran off the road but out comes this old farmer and he was the first to tell us something other than just some sleepy driving happened.
At second glance, there were skid marks on the road from two cars and the back of Birdie’s car had paint transfer all over it. It didn’t take me long to notice that and I was mainly focused on Birdie. Then we were left with the question of why would anyone want to run Birdie off the road. So, our one-person accident became a hit-and-run.
Still, why the hell would anyone run some girl off the road and stop only long enough to…open the passenger door and then run? Alarm bells are going off in my head like crazy.
“At about the same time your girl was getting run off the road, some of the guys got called to a murder scene on the other side of town.”
“I remember.” It was one of the reasons I went to help out before I even knew it was Birdie who needed help.
“They think the men leaving the scene of the murder were the same involved in the crash. Eyewitnesses say the cars match.” Oh shit! That’s not alright. “They think they took her purse, man.”
God damn it! I understand immediately what this means.
“I’ve got guys out looking for the car and your girl’s purse, but I’d feel a lot better if I knew you were staying with her, or she was staying with you.”
A thought rushes through my mind. A way for me to keep Birdie.
“Alright. I’ll…I need to be the one to tell Birdie and her mom. I think they’ll take it better from me.”
My partner nods and walks away, all too grateful he doesn’t have to be the one to break the news to the women. I brace myself before I go back in, schooling my features so I don’t give anything away I don’t want to. I haven’t been correcting people when they assumed she was mine. And I certainly won’t be correcting them now. Not when this thought has taken root in my mind and won’t be leaving any time soon.
Maybe this is the way to keep Birdie safe and to work on keeping her after all of this gets taken care of. Maybe I can take Birdie home and there won’t be a reason for her to tell me no. Before I can get too far with Birdie when I go back in, Jacob is stepping into the room and asking to talk to me in the hall. Apparently, I am very fucking popular this morning.
He waits to start speaking before I am all the way out in the hall with him.
“Uh, Buddy, I hate to be the one to tell you this given the fact your girl’s in there,” That alarm every cop has built-in goes off again. This doesn’t sound like it is going to lead to good news. “Your girl’s place got broken into and someone tried to set it on fire.”
What the fuck?!
“Firefighters have put most of it out now but…most of her stuff is…” he holds out his hands trying to find the right words.
“Alright. It’s…I’ll take care of it, Jacob. Thanks for coming and telling me. Stop by and update Waylen about the fire, he’s working on something for me.”
Jacob nods and walks away. I wait until I can no longer see him before I go back inside. Her mom is standing over her and she’s sitting up a little higher in the bed now. I sit on the side of her bed and take her hand.
“Ladies,” she looks at me with an uncertain look on her face. She’s not stupid, and neither is her mother, she can tell something isn’t right. “You are not going to like what comes next.”
My mind is made up. I just need my captain to sign off on the plan and I don’t think I’m going to get any blowback from him. I just have to talk Birdie into doing this my way. And then figure out how to keep her with me once everything is all cleared up. Keeping her safe isn’t even an issue. When I take her home, no fucking body is going to come for her without getting me first!
Chapter Seven
____________
Birdie
Gareth comes back in with such a serious look on his face that I am absolutely certain something is not right. He comes over to the bed and sits down next to my legs. I am certain something is way off when he takes my hand. Memories of him doing the same during our ambulance ride, and after, come back to me.
“Ladies, you are not going to like what I’m about to tell you.”
Both me and my mom frown. What could he be about to tell us that neither one of us will like?
