by Hamel, B. B.
She nods and keeps crying.
I find that little town. It’s not much, but there’s a gas station. I fill up and use its bathroom before coming back. Kim’s sitting in the truck and looks like she got herself calmed down a little bit.
“You okay?” I slip into the truck.
“Yeah. I think so.”
“That was a lot, huh?”
“Erik—”
“Stop,” I say. “Stop it, okay? That wasn’t your fault.”
“It was. I should’ve realized there was a back door, I should’ve fought, I should’ve run, I should’ve—”
“Kim.” I hit the steering wheel and close my eyes for a moment. “That wasn’t your fault. The whole plan was my idea. I put you into harm’s way. I just… I’m so fucking sorry.”
I pull her against me and hug her tight. She lets out one sob but doesn’t start crying again. “I’m not mad at you. We didn’t know.”
“I should’ve cased it before we went through with the plan. I just thought I knew. And I underestimated them.”
“But you followed us.”
“I had to. I couldn’t just let you go.”
“Annie?”
I smile a little. “Luanne’s still there. I’m going to owe her huge for this.”
“Oh, god. We still have to drive back.”
“Yeah.”
She starts crying again. I hug her tight. “It’s okay,” I whisper. “You’re safe now. I promise, you’re safe.”
We hold each other for a little while. Eventually, I have to start driving again. She looks out the window and doesn’t talk for a little bit.
“Listen,” I say. “I hate asking this. But did you get anything?”
She perks up. “I got it all.”
“Really?”
She grins and takes out her phone. “Recording the whole time. Even managed to save it at one point when everyone was sleeping except for him.”
“You’re incredible.”
“I know.”
“But I’m not sure we need it now. The deli guys called the cops when you were taken. I think the sheriff will believe us now.”
She laughs a little. “So something good did come of it.”
“Yeah, maybe.” I chew on my cheek for a second. “Not sure what’ll happen to Mark.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, he’ll go back to California. I’m not sure if they’ll go after him there.”
“I think they will.”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. I hope so.”
“Either way, he won’t come back. The second he does, we’ll have him arrested.”
She grins at me. “I bet you will.”
“I mean it.” I take her hand and squeeze it. “I’m sorry, Kim. I’m really sorry I let that happen.”
“But you came for me. You got me. I was... I worried you wouldn’t want to leave Annie.”
“I wasn’t sure I could,” I admit. “I was afraid. But I knew I couldn’t let them have you. I knew I couldn’t let those fucking shits get away with it.”
“Thank you.”
I nod a little, eyes on the road.
We drive. I hold her hand for a while, we drive in silence for a while, but we drive. Back to Summersville, back to the house we share with my little baby girl. Luanne calls and I explain the situation. She’s not happy, but she says she’ll watch the girl.
But Kim owes her a free shift at the diner, which she agrees to.
And as for the sheriff, well, I’ll deal with him when I get back.
Right now, I have what matters. I have my Kim back. We took a stupid risk and it didn’t work right, but in the end, we’re okay. We got what we need. She’s safe.
“I won’t do that again.” She looks at me, head cocked slightly. “I mean it. I’m never going to put you in danger like that again. It was stupid.”
“We both chose to do it. And you don’t control me, remember?”
I nod a little. “I know that, but—”
“No buts, Erik. Stop taking this onto yourself. I chose to do this as much as you wanted me to do it, probably even more. You didn’t make me do anything. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you,” I say.
“Good. So quit it.”
“All right then.” I grin at her. “I’ll quit it.”
She takes my hand and holds it again for another hour while we drive through the day.
25
Erik
One Month Later
I park the truck outside of the sheriff’s station and look over at Kim. “You sure you want to be here?” I ask her.
“I’m sure.” She smiles at her. Her hair’s starting to get a little longer and I think she’s wearing a little makeup. She looks beautiful no matter what.
Ever since her mother and Mark and the others left town a month ago, she’s been a different person. She gets up early to exercise, takes walks with Annie, laughs more, smiles more.
And she ends up in my bed every single night.
Obviously, she’s not paying rent anymore. We’re looking for a new tenant together.
Things are going good. We haven’t exactly defined whatever it is we’re doing, but I think we both like it that way. We’re just existing, enjoying each other. That’s good enough.
“Come on.” I get out and she follows me. We hold hands as we walk up to the station.
Linda greets us with a bored smile. “Hi there,” she says. “Sheriff Pine’s on the phone but he’ll be out shortly.”
“Thanks,” I say. We take a seat and wait only a couple minutes before the sheriff himself pokes his head out.
“Is that Erik?” he asks.
“Sure is,” Linda says.
I stand and Kim comes with me. We pile into Sheriff Pine’s office and sit down in front of his little desk.
He leans back, hands on his stomach, and looks at us closely.
“Well,” he says. “You two look good.”
“Thank you, Sheriff,” I say.
Kim just smiles at him. “You look good yourself.”
He chuckles. “Well, I’ve been better, but thanks all the same. Small-town department got small-town troubles, but damn if those troubles aren’t exhausting.”
“It’s always exhausting no matter where you are,” I say.
“Sure is, sure is. I bet you saw some things out there in Chicago, though. You know I called your superiors?”
“I thought you might.”
“You didn’t tell me about the service distinctions. About the commendations. About the heroics.”
“No heroics, sir. Just service.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “Exactly what upper-brass material would say, you know.”
“I’m not on that path anymore.”
“Sure you’re not. That’s all right though.” He chuckles again and sighs.
“Sir, did you call us in here to talk about how great I am?” I ask him. “Because I’m fine with it, just want to know what to expect.”
He shakes his head. “No, I didn’t.” He looks at Kim. “Ma’am, I’m going to use some language. Pardon me, okay?”
“Speak your mind, Sheriff.”
He smiles. “Well, we caught the motherfucker.”
I blink, surprised. Kim stiffens next to me.
“Seriously?” I ask.
“Seriously.” The sheriff gives me a coy little smirk. “Turns out, I might have a friend or two in the US Marshals. By a friend or two, I mean I know one of the top commanding officers and his wife, who happens to be a highly decorated marshal herself.”
“No shit,” I say.
“No shit,” he confirms. “When you came to me with that recording, and after we did our due diligence, I took all I had to them. Turns out, they’d heard of your little cult leader before. Had some problems with him years ago.”
“Really?” Kim asked, surprised.
“I bet you don’t even know about it. I bet they kept that under wrap
s. But yeah, he was caught selling weed across state lines. Not a huge offense, but enough to get the authorities interested. Turns out, nobody likes a doomsday prophet, and your particular prophet is pretty nasty.”
Kim slowly shakes her head. “We didn’t grow weed.”
“Didn’t say you did. I think he was just trying to make some extra cash for himself. You folks ever have some lean years?”
She considers. “Yeah, we did. I was maybe… eleven? Twelve?”
“Sounds about right then.”
“Amazing.” She laughs a little. “You have no clue how against drugs he said he was.”
“Bet he said a lot of things.” The sheriff eyes us for a moment. “At any rate. Marshals went out there and caught him leaving the compound for something. They grabbed him and they’re bringing him back here to stand trial.”
“Unbelievable,” I say.
“I know. But it helps to have friends in high places, I suppose.”
I look at Kim. “Do you know what this means?”
She nods a little. She doesn’t speak. She’s staring at the floor with a strange look on her face.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
“I can give you two a moment.” Sheriff Pine gets up. “I’ll be back in a few. Gotta stretch my legs anyway.”
He slips past Kim and leaves the office. When he’s gone, she looks at me.
“He’s going to jail?” she asks.
“He’s going to pay for what he did, at least.”
She nods, tearing up. “I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it, this is happening. There might be a trial, you might have to relive some things, but Kim… he’s going to pay for what he did.”
“What about the others?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they’ll go down too.”
“My mom?”
I hesitate. “I don’t know,” I admit.
“I don’t want her to get in trouble.”
“We won’t press charges against her. Maybe we can convince the DA to drop them in her case, I don’t know. She has a good defense. But, Kim, it’s really over.”
“Yeah.”
I put my arms around her and hug her tight. I hold her close and pull back after a long moment.
“I need you to know that I love you,” I say, my voice soft. “No matter what happens, I love you.”
“I love you too.” She smiles suddenly, dazzling and bright. “I love you because I want to.”
“I love you for you.”
She laughs and kisses me hard. We hug again. “That was the perfect thing to say, you know,” she whispers.
“I know.”
The sheriff comes back a little bit later. He explains what’ll happen. Kim asks about the others.
“Well, we might let them be.” He raises an eyebrow. “We got the one we want. Do you want more?”
“No,” she says. “I don’t.”
“Okay then. Leave the others be then. I’ll see to it.”
“Thank you.”
We get up, shake hands. Kim heads out but Sheriff Pine stops me.
“Got a second?” he asks.
I shrug and he brings me back into the office. He doesn’t sit down.
“Listen, between us, we could use another man like you on the force.”
“Sheriff. I don’t know.”
“You don’t need to be a murder cop, if you don’t want. Just a regular beat cop like the rest of us. Think about it. Might not pay as well as the private stuff you’ve been doing, but it’ll be regular hours and a good pension. And who knows, you might like it.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good.”
We shake hands and I meet Kim back in the lobby. We wave to Linda and head back outside.
Back in the car, I kiss her slowly on the lips. “What should we do now?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Go home and watch The Wire, maybe?”
“After Annie’s asleep, we can do whatever you want.”
She kisses me again. “Well, after Annie’s asleep, how about we go into our room, shut the door, and talk about being in love for a while?”
“If that’s a euphemism for fucking you senseless for the rest of the night, that sounds good to me.”
“That’s exactly what I meant.”
I laugh and kiss her then hold her tight.
I feel complete for the first time in a long time. I didn’t think I’d ever feel this way again, but then Kim came into my life and woke me up. All those feelings I’d been hiding from, afraid of, she brought them all out again.
She made them feel good. And god, I love her so much for it.
This is going to be our family. I know it and she knows it.
And every day’s going to be better than the last.
26
Kim
Two Years Later
It’s an unseasonably cold winter morning when I pull up to the Summersville Sheriff’s Department. There’s an inch of snow on the ground, which is basically a mountain for around here. I park and climb out before going around to the other side of the truck and getting the tray holding the multiple to-go coffee cups. I shut the door and head inside, stomping my feet to get the snow off my boots just inside the vestibule door.
I step into the main room and Linda smiles at me. “Oh now, is that my favorite deputy’s wife?”
“Good morning, Linda,” I say. I walk over and offer her a coffee, which she takes.
“You spoil me, sugar.”
“No, that’s all the sugar in that drink.”
Linda cackles. She loves her a big foamy sugary drink in the morning.
“Is he around?” I ask.
“Sure, he’s in the back, just about to head out. Good timing.” She raises an eyebrow at me. “And how are you feeling?”
“I feel great.” I grin at her. “See you later.”
I wave and head back. I say hello to Tom and Brent, offering them both coffees, before I find Erik sitting at his desk with his feet up on the top.
He stretches and smiles at me. “Well now,” he says. “Isn’t that the most beautiful woman in Summersville.”
“Stop. You already married me.”
“And got you pregnant.” He stands and kisses my cheek before taking the last coffee. “You’re amazing.”
“I know.”
We kiss again and he helps me sit down in the chair next to him, where the perps usually sit. Not that there are a ton of perps in Summersville. Mostly just drunks and domestic disputes, but still.
He sighs and sips his coffee. I love the way he looks in a uniform and I can’t help but stare at him. He’s so handsome and he’s been so happy ever since he took the sheriff up on that job offer. It’s been good for him, working like this again. He fits in, has a sense of purpose.
I put my hand on my pregnant belly and cock my head. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Come on. Say it.”
“Just thinking how lucky I am, you know?”
“Okay, now you’re getting corny.”
He grins and leans forward. We kiss again and let it linger until Tom whistles. “Cut it out,” he grunts. “It’s too early for that shit.”
Erik flips him off and leans back again. “I mean it. You’ve taken on such an amazing role with Annie. And now this next baby… I don’t know. It’s really lucky.”
“Yeah,” I say happily. “It is really lucky. I mean, before I met you, I was just running all over the place, barely living.”
“Now look at you.”
I push my baby bump out and make a fake sexy face. He laughs at that and sips his coffee again.
“How was drop-off?” he asks.
“Not bad,” I say. “She likes it there, honestly. I think she’s happy.”
“Good. Better than sitting around at home.”
“Better for me, too. Means I can take more shifts at the diner.”
He gives me a look. “You’re too pregnant for that, you know?”
>
“Stop.” I give him a look right back. “I’m not doing this again.” He’s been bugging me to take time off from the diner while I’m pregnant, but I figure I won’t be able to work when the new baby comes, at least not for a while. So I might as well get some work in now, make some extra tips while I can.
“Fine.” Before he can speak up, the sheriff comes out of his office. He spots me and frowns.
“You arrest that fine young woman, Deputy Black?”
“Yes, sir. Found her loitering around the station. Seems she has a thing for men in uniform.”
“Oh, gross,” I say, laughing.
“A deviant,” Sheriff Pine says, nodding. “Sounds about right. Lock that one up, Deputy, she’ll be a menace.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m happy I didn’t bring you coffee,” I say to Pine and he just laughs.
“All right, enough of this, saddle up, boys. It’s time to make the rounds.”
Erik stands up with a sigh. “Time to hit the road.”
“Have a good day.” I stand and kiss him gently. “See you later tonight?”
“You sure will.” He grabs his belt and holster, starts to put it on, but stops himself. “By the way. I meant to say something earlier, but…” He trails off.
“What?” I cock my head.
“It’s about Mark. He’s up for parole in six months. Did you know that?”
“I know,” I say quietly.
“What are you gonna do?”
“Go and speak. Beg them to keep him locked up.”
“Good.” He nods. “You mom will be there too, I bet.”
“She can show up if she wants, but I’m not interested in talking anymore.”
“Okay.” He gives me a worried look but smiles and kisses me. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
He heads off with the rest of the boys. I wave to them before wandering up to Linda’s desk.
“Slow day,” she says. “The boys get to drive around in their cars in the snow and I get to sit here and try to keep warm.”
“I’ll swing by again later with another one of those coffees.”
“Kim, if you do that, I swear I’ll love you forever.”
I laugh at her. “See you later then.”
I wave and head down to the sidewalk. The boys pull out and I wave. Erik flashes his lights at me and winks as he drives off.