by Gen Griffin
He slowed down a little more. “I'll do whatever you ask me to.”
“That's nice,” Katie muttered.
They rode in silence until her nausea subsided enough that she could speak without throwing up. “We haven't really talked today,” Katie said after a minute. “Not like, talked-talk.”
“Did we need to?” He asked.
“Well, after last night I don't know. Do we?” Katie frowned at him. “We were both really drunk. All day I've been wondering if you meant what you said or-.”
“I still love you,” he said flatly.
Katie swallowed the doubts that had been hovering in the back of her mind. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Addison raised his eyebrow at her and then squeezed her fingers reassuringly.
“It's been a long, crappy day.”
“That it has,” he agreed.
“I've decided that I'm not going to argue with you about whether or not you really love me,” Katie informed him.
“Good,” he replied. “Now where do you want to eat?”
“Surprise me.” Katie closed her eyes and let the silence settle between them. It wasn't uncomfortable. His hand was warm in hers.
Maybe I could get used to this, she allowed herself to think just before she fell asleep in the passenger's seat.
Chapter 41
“We've got a tail. Someone's following us.” Joe glared at the reflection in the truck's side view mirror. The only vehicle that was visible was April Lynne's Mercedes with Lowery behind the wheel. Getting rid of April Lynne's car was Lowery's job for the night. Getting rid of April Lynne was Ian and Joe's duty.
“Don't be paranoid.” Ian glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure Kerry's blue Audi wasn't behind him on the road.
“I ain't being paranoid. I hear a damn dirt bike or some kind of motorcycle.”
“You're hearing shit,” Ian said. “Kerry's in a wheelchair. He can't drive a motorcycle.”
“Maybe it ain't Kerry.” Joe twisted around so that he could peer out of the back glass of the truck. “Something's back there. I see headlights.”
“We're on a public road.”
“Someone is following us.”
“Kerry is the only person who would be following us and I don't see his car.” Ian bit his lip so hard that it started to bleed. “I can't take much more of this.”
“You ain't got no choice. Speed up. We gotta lose whoever is following us.”
“What about Lowery?”
“Let me call him. It'll work better if we split up. They can't follow us both at the same time. They'll have to make a choice.”
“I don't think we're being followed,” Ian said. “You're talking crazy.”
“Just shut up and drive,” Joe said. “Take the next cut off road and we'll lose him.”
“There ain't no one to lose,” Ian grumbled as he forced the ancient truck up to seventy miles an hour.
Chapter 42
“Motherfucker.” The night air was bitterly cold. David was regretting not wearing a jacket as Ian pushed his decrepit truck to speeds it hadn't traveled at in more than ten years. The damn thing was probably going to break down before the night was over. David wondered if Ian would call him to come fix the truck once it inevitably took a crap on the side of the road. The smell of the overripe exhaust that was billowing out of the poorly running engine was nearly enough to choke him out. He hung back as far as he could with the bike just to avoid choking on the fumes.
He hunkered down against the frame of the bike and kept in the shadows. He was still running without headlights and he knew exactly how stupid and dangerous that was. Trish would probably yell at him when she found out about all of the stupid risks he'd taken today. She was really going to lose it when she found out that he'd gotten himself shot. He wasn't looking forward to that conversation.
David hit his brakes slightly as the S-10 abruptly jerked to the left and cut down a side road without the benefit of a blinker. He'd been expecting a maneuver like that, though he wasn't sure what Ian was thinking by taking this particular road. He remembered the road being mostly residential.
David guided the dirt bike across the road and onto the grassy shoulder. He took the turn a little too fast because he liked the way it felt to almost lose control of the bike for a second. He loved speed. He'd always loved speed. The freedom to let loose with the bike was almost enough to make tonight enjoyable. Almost.
Except for the part where he'd gotten shot at.
And the part where Ian was probably going to jail for a long damn time.
David felt a little bit guilty for helping send Ian to jail. He'd spent so long struggling to keep Ian out of trouble and now he was going to be the person to put the final nail in Ian's coffin. It occurred to him that he'd probably wasted a lot of time trying to save Ian from himself. When left to his own devices, Ian was almost guaranteed to find a shovel and dig his own grave even deeper than it already was.
David was aware of Sully's Jeep passing by the same road he'd turned off on. Sully was sticking to the plan and staying with the Mercedes. David wasn't sure who was in the car. He hadn't seen April Lynne inside the house earlier, but that didn't mean she hadn't been sitting back in some corner and watching the show.
“It will be nice to watch that bitch get arrested,” David muttered to himself as the wind bit into his skin. He was keeping the bike on the very edge of the pavement in hopes that Ian wouldn't look on the shoulder of the road and spot him by the light of the moon.
The S-10 was traveling at a slightly more reasonable speed now. The truck bounced hard over several of the potholes in the road. There was a loud thunk and suddenly the truck got significantly louder. The truck's muffler was laying in the center of the road. Ian didn't slow down. He just kept driving.
David absently wondered what other parts would fall off the truck before the night was over.
Chapter 43
“Do you want an onion blossom?” Addy asked.
“Sounds good, but I'm not sure an appetizer is worth the money. I'll probably eat too much and ruin my dinner.”
Addy propped his elbows on the table. He'd been watching Katie pick through the menu for the last twenty minutes. “Who cares? If you want an appetizer then order one.”
Katie couldn't help smiling at him. He was just too handsome to resist. Especially when he was in a good mood like he was tonight. At some point today he'd clearly taken the time to go home, shower, shave and change clothes. He was wearing a brown leather bomber jacket that Katie had never seen before. His blonde curls were illuminated by the overhead light of the chandelier and it made him look like he had a halo.
Why can't he look like he has horns instead of a halo? Katie wondered to herself.
“I'm being kind of ridiculous, aren't I?” she asked aloud.
He considered her question for a minute and then his casual smile faded into a more serious expression. “You're making me feel guilty.”
“What?” She hadn't expected that response. “Why would you feel guilty about my inability to pick an entree?”
“The longer you sit there and agonize over how much you're spending on the food and whether or not you're going to eat every bite, the more I realize that Ian's been treating you like shit for far too long.” He cracked his knuckles and then picked up a cigarette that he knew darn well he couldn't smoke inside of the restaurant. “Why would I care if you finish your dinner? Order whatever makes you happy.”
“I try not to be wasteful,” she said.
“Live a little,” he replied as the waitress appeared at the edge of their table to ask if they were ready to order.
Addison ordered the onion appetizer, a rib-eye steak, and a beer. Katie, feeling guilty that he was paying for her dinner when she was still technically married, tried to order a salad. Addison overruled her, canceled the salad and ordered her a cajun-style shrimp and scallop pasta. He let her keep her sweet tea. He knew she'd never much cared for alcohol with her food.
>
Katie considered arguing with him, but the truth was that she'd wanted the pasta to begin with. She just hadn't felt right spending nearly twenty dollars on one plate of food just for herself. Twenty dollars could feed her and Hannah Mae for half the week. It could feed her for a whole week if she was willing to live on bologna and a .98 cent loaf of white bread.
“How long you figure it'll be before I get called back to Possum Creek to arrest Cal for homicide?” Addison asked shortly after the waitress had delivered the appetizer and their drinks.
“How long do you think it'll take Cal to track April Lynne down?” Katie countered as she took a chunk of the onion onto her appetizer plate. She was glad he'd ordered it. Onion blossoms were one of her favorite guilty pleasures.
“David said her car was in Ian's parents' garage,” Katie said. “I wonder if he told Cal that?”
“I'm sure he did. David tells Cal everything.” Addy picked up his beer and took a sip. “I wouldn't want to be Ian or April Lynne when David gets hold of them.”
“I don't know. It'd be a toss-up for me. David's scary as heck when he's mad but I wouldn't want to cross Cal.”
“Cal's vindictive.” Addison dipped his onions in the dipping sauce. “David will kick your ass and then drop the issue. Cal will bide his time until he's got you exactly where he wants you and then he'll destroy your ass.”
“I hope he destroys both of them.” Katie bit down on her onion with a little more force than necessary. “They deserve to go to jail for a very long time.”
“Your divorce will certainly go more smoothly if Ian's in jail,” Addison mused.
Katie nodded. “It's not just that though. It's everything. He needs to pay for humiliating me and cheating on me. I'm definitely furious about the destruction of our house and all of my things. I'm furious about who he cheated on me with. Why did he have to pick the one girl in Callahan County who I absolutely hate?”
“Because he's an asshole.”
“It's like he went out of his way to do everything he could possibly do to hurt me.” Katie sucked in a deep breath. “April Lynne is going to be Hannah Mae's step-mother and I'm supposed to be okay with that?”
Addison nearly choked on his beer.
“My little girl is my everything and I'm supposed to live with April Lynne being her 'other mom'?” Katie bit down on her own lower lip. “What if she's as nasty to Hannah Mae as she's always been to me?”
“We'll kill her,” Addison said flatly. “I'll kill the bitch.”
Katie took another piece of onion. “I'm kind of afraid that I'm going to wind up in prison if April Lynne and Ian don't.”
“Nah. We'll get rid of the body. Besides, Kerry's out of commission and no one else would arrest you. It'd be justifiable homicide.”
“Frank would arrest me,” Katie said. She pursed her lips. “Speaking of Frank, does he know you're trying to get a warrant for his house?”
Addison looked just a little bit guilty as he drank his beer. “I certainly haven't called him and told him.”
“Think Sully has?”
“Hell no.” Addison finished off his beer and signaled for the waitress to bring him another one. “Sully wants to bust Ian's chops. He's not going to give Frank the opportunity to tell him he can't do it.”
“Frank will probably fire him for getting a warrant without his permission. Sully's still technically only a temporary hire.”
“He hasn't been officially hired as a full-time deputy yet?”
“No,” Katie said. “Frank's dragging his feet on the paperwork. Something about Kerry still being employed by us.”
“Kerry's still employed. Ian's not.”
“I think he's still trying to hold a position open for Ian,” Katie explained.
“Well, that's not going to work out too well if Sully arrests him for theft and arson.”
“I know.” Katie fell silent as the waitress brought their entrees. She waited until the waitress had left and Addison had cut up most of his steak before she spoke again.
“Have you heard that Kerry might be coming back?”
“I'd heard but I was hoping it was just a rumor.” Addison took a bite of his very well done steak.
“His doctors have cleared him for desk duty. The paperwork is on Frank's desk.”
“You should throw it away next time you're cleaning up his office.”
“Don't tempt me.” Katie tried her own pasta. It was a little on the spicy side, but that was exactly how she liked it. She was suddenly really glad Addison had changed her order. “It's not a good idea for Kerry to come back to work. The citizens kind of all hate him.”
“Well, he's tried to arrest most of them under false pretenses, so I can't exactly blame them.”
“Kerry's a horrible cop.”
“He is,” Addy agreed.
“I'm just glad he's not here to arrest Ian. Not that it should matter, but having Kerry on the case would make this entire situation even more humiliating.” Katie took another bite of her pasta as the waitress came back to check on them and refill Katie's tea.
They sat and ate in silence for several minutes.
Katie took a sip of her fresh tea. “No matter what happens to April Lynne or Ian, I still have to decide where I'm going to be living and I need to decide fast.”
“That one is easy,” Addison perked up as he finished off his steak. “You guys can live with me.”
Katie eyed him skeptically. “In your one bedroom efficiency apartment above your Granny's garage?”
“It'll be cozy,” Addison said with a teasing smile.
“It's not happening,” Katie informed him. “For starters, we'd never fit. Secondly, you and I would have to share a bed and everyone in the county would know it.”
“I can sleep on the couch,” he offered.
“You wouldn't last a week sleeping on your couch.”
“I might.”
“You won't. I know you.” Katie clucked her tongue at him. “And where would Hannah Mae sleep?”
“We'll figure out somewhere to put her crib.”
“The living room?” Katie asked. “Or in the bedroom with us?”
“Well, I think the living room would probably be less scarring,” Addy said with a wink.
“I'm not sleeping with you,” Katie reminded him.
“Not right now, but living together would be a long term sort of arrangement. I'm planning on keeping you around for the next 50 years or so.”
“If you want to keep me around for 50 years, you're going to have to invest in a house with more than one bedroom. I have one kid and I want more.” She watched his expression because she was curious how he would react.
To Addison's credit, he didn't even blink. “How many bedrooms do you figure we'll need?”
“More than one.”
“More than three?” he asked as the waitress brought their check. He put down his debit card without looking at the actual bill.
“Depends,” Katie decided to play along even though she seriously doubted she and Addison would ever reach the point in their relationship where they would have any kids together. “Do you think the kids will be okay sharing rooms? And do you want a guest room or no?”
“Guests can stay with Calvin and Gracie. They're the respectable family members with the nice, presentable showplace house.”
“My family isn't going to want to stay with Cal and Gracie,” Katie said. “They're not related to them.”
“Oh. Yeah. True.” Addison looked thoughtful. “How many kids are we talking?”
“Four?” Katie suggested. “Maybe five? I've always wanted a big family. Figure five kids and a couple dozen grandkids ought to do it?”
“You're planning for our grandkids now?” He looked startled and she had to fight not to laugh.
“I'm planning for my grandkids. No one said you had to be a part of the plan.”
“I said I had to be a part of the plan,” Addison said firmly. “A couple dozen grandkids it is.
I reckon the house has to have a big ass porch on it, doesn't it?”
“I like porches,” Katie ventured.
“I figured you'd want a place to put our rocking chairs when we're old,” Addison said with a smile.
Katie grinned at him and then unexpectedly felt tears well up in her eyes. She picked up her napkin and dabbed at her eyes before they could fall.
Addison titled his head and looked at her curiously. “What did I say wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said. “You said something right. I just wasn't expecting it. I'm not... I'm not used the man I'm with being nice or talking about our future.”
Addison looked at Katie with surprising seriousness reflected in his turquoise eyes. “You’re having the worst weekend of your life, aren’t you?”
“I, um-.” Katie hesitated and then nodded. “Maybe not the worst, but close. The reality of it hasn’t entirely sunk in on me yet but I think it’s getting pretty close.”
“It has to be. You haven’t been smiling for the last two days.” Addy studied her for a moment before continued. “You probably don’t realize that you’re the one person I count on to be happy and smiling in my daily life. I’m moody as hell. David’s worse than I am and bad tempered to boot. Cal’s the calm one, God knows he has to be in order to keep me and David in check, but not much fazes him. Gracie’s just like me but in girl form. Trish is entirely too nice and she spends all her time trying to keep David from murdering Kerry. Uncle Frank’s been in a foul mood ever since he hired Kerry. Kerry thinks the sky is falling and we’re all going to be crushed. Sullivan thinks he's been dropped into the middle of a traveling circus sideshow and he's waiting for the punchline of the joke that is Callahan County. Ian has been crying and feeling sorry for himself for months. My mother went insane. My Dad is so depressed and apathetic that I’m starting to wonder if maybe I don’t need to get him some kind of intervention. Then I have you.”
“Me?” Katie was a bit startled by his highly accurate, rapid-fire personality assessment of pretty much everyone in their daily lives.
“You. You’re the one person I can count on to see the good in whatever is around us. You’re always smiling at your desk. You’re always smiling when we all go out. I can be in the foulest mood, covered in mud and ready to strangle Kerry and then you’ll walk into the room, smile and say ‘Addy don’t kill him’ and suddenly I lose the urge to become a serial killer.” Addy took a deep breath and looked directly into her eyes. “You’re the optimistic one. You’re the girl who can look around as the shit is hitting the fan and find the bright side to whatever has gone wrong this time.”