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“Darlin’.” He smiles and then promptly settles his arm closest to me across the back of the sofa while giving their President his full attention.
“Tell me what you saw, Rae.” Tyke lifts his chin, watching me carefully over the rise of his cheekbones.
“As Maddie said outside, I watched Connor’s father kill Tom Battersley, the governor’s brother.”
None of the men react. Not even the slightest flinch. They all continue to watch me with stone-cold intent.
“You been to the sheriff about this?” Tyke asks.
I study the man across from me, fingers tightly woven in my lap. An inky beard accentuates Tyke’s angular jaw, full lips balancing the intensity of his dark eyes. His heavy brow gives the impression he’s permanently critical of those around him, the salt streaks in his deep brown, almost black hair highlighting a stressful life. Yet it’s the way he sits with legs wide, notebook on the seat beside him, arms folded over his thick chest that screams dominance. He doesn’t seem as though he does it on purpose; rather, it’s second nature. Comfortable.
Nothing like the way I sit with my legs pressed tight at the knee, back curved into the soft cushioning of the sofa, my heart willing the furniture to swallow me whole so I can avoid this whole interrogation.
“The sheriff’s office came to me first. Found me at work a little after my shift started.” I duck my head at the memory. “Didn’t take no for an answer, so the deputy sat there all morning, asking me questions each time I went back to the serving window or the coffee pot.”
“Sounds like something Barker would do,” Turnip grumbles.
“Yeah, well, he harassed me until he felt confident enough that I knew the details around what happened.”
“What came next?” Tyke leans his head to one side, intense eyes narrowing.
“Connor met me at the end of my shift.” I pick at a rough bit of skin beside my fingernail. “Terry was convinced I ratted him out, so he had Connor hold me for two days, starving me and using water as an incentive to get me to talk.” I swipe a stray tear with the side of a finger and rub it dry on the leg of my jeans. “Problem is, I would never say what he wanted to hear because it wasn’t what happened. I didn’t tell the deputy anything. Terry wanted me to admit confessing what they did to him, the governor’s brother—Tom. How could I when I stayed loyal?”
“You loyal now?” Digger leans forward, elbows on his knees.
“I was never loyal out of anything other than fear.”
“You say Terry made Connor interrogate you,” Minion questions. “You think Connor did it reluctantly?”
“I don’t know.” My hands knit tight in my lap, fingers turning white on the sides. “I haven’t been tortured by him before to know what his normal M.O. is, if you know what I mean.” My statement comes out more brash than intended.
Digger straightens his back, a sigh escaping his lips.
“You don’t hold him accountable for it, though, do you?” Minion narrows his gaze.
“Of course I do. He had a choice. He could have refused to hurt me.” I note the way the men all glance at one another or the ground. “I hold Connor accountable for the fact I witnessed a murder, and now my life is everyone else’s interest before mine.”
Tyke frowns at Minion, arms folded tight across his chest. “What you steering toward by askin’ her this?”
“I’m curious how much sway that little fuck has over her still.” He shrugs. “They must have felt somethin’ for one another to be together in the first place.”
The men talk as though I’m no longer in the room.
“Not enough if she’s here,” Turnip states with a shrug. “Girl clearly doesn’t feel safe with the guy if she’s wandering the streets alone.”
“Why would she feel safe when he’s the son of the fucker who wants her dead?” Hammer chuckles, his arm behind me twitching as though he thought to pull me close. “I know if someone wanted me dead, I’d get as far as I fuckin’ could from the asshole until I was ready to fight back. Lovers be damned.”
“Why didn’t you run?”
I find Tyke staring intently at me, waiting for my answer. “Where could I go? At least if I’m here in Red River, I have Maddie. Somewhere to live. Places people will notice if I go missing.”
“She has a point there.” Turnip fidgets with a rough patch of leather on the boot propped on his knee. “Safety in numbers.”
“If you’re scared, why refuse to help the state prosecutor?” Tyke asks.
I face Maddie’s father and tell him the truth. “Because if I testified against that family, there wouldn’t be a place on this earth safe enough for me.” At least, half the truth.
Silence envelops the room, each man seemingly lost in his thoughts while I wait on the sofa for the verdict. These people don’t owe me anything. They could kick me out on the street, hell, send a message to Terry telling him where to find me, and I wouldn’t hold it against them.
