Ollie nodded. “Good to know. I guess I wondered. Look, I want you and Ashley to reconnect. I want Cole to be close with his uncle. And I guess I’m starting to believe you’re not going anywhere, so I figure we should find a way to get along. Because I also meant what I said. I’m not going anywhere either.”
“Good,” Drew said.
Neither said much else until the beers arrived. Ollie figured since this was his bright idea, he should get the ball rolling. “Okay, since we’re being buddies and all, I’m just going to lay it out. The fact that you picked on me was only one of the bugs up my ass about you.”
Drew took a sip of his beer. “What’s the other?”
Ollie sighed. The next part wasn’t going to be easy. “When we were younger, I wanted us to be friends. I thought that…” Ollie looked around as if the right words were going to be floating around the bar somewhere. Finally, he took a long pull on his beer, and dug in. “I was always aware of the fact that I’m a nerd.”
“You’re not a nerd,” Drew interjected.
“Please.” Ollie rolled his eyes. “My bet is only one of us ever carried a membership card to the Justice League, a Library card to Hogwarts and picture of the Tardis in our wallets.”
Drew couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I carried a condom in mine. Okay, you were a nerd.”
“Thank you,” Ollie said. He decided not to point out that he still carried two out of three of those items in his wallet. “I was a nerd, and you were the cool guy. And I thought we should be able to connect because of what we had in common.”
“Such as?”
Ollie was starting to resent being the one doing all the opening up. “If you recall, you lost your mom. I’d lost my dad.”
Drew had a feeling that’s where Ollie was going. “I remember. And as an adult, I can get why you thought that.”
“But not when we were kids?” Ollie said.
Drew shook his head while he sipped his beer.
“Why?”
“Truth?” Drew said. “I resented the hell out of you.”
Ollie’s mouth dropped open. He didn’t know how to respond to that.
“Ollie,” Drew said. “You have to understand when we were kids, it never occurred to me that a father could be anything but a person to fear and hide from. You didn’t have to hide. I lost my mom, the one adult in my life I thought gave a shit about me and you got your mom all to yourself.”
Not sure if he should feel angry at Drew’s words or just sad, Ollie stayed silent.
“At some point,” Drew continued. “I realized you actually liked your dad. Even loved him. That pissed me off even more.”
“Why?”
Drew shrugged. “Part of it was I was always pissed off. I had plenty of reason to be. I never knew when Dad was going to go bat crap crazy on us. Our lives were a nightmare. And I guess I really hated people who didn’t have to live in that kind of nightmare. How dare this kid who gets hugs and kisses and hot chocolate with little marshmallows think he knows anything about what my life, my sister’s lives are like. And I was jealous as hell. You could go home and be as goofy as you wanted to be. You could screw up. You could go to bed without locking your door at night. Without trying to listen for your sister’s screams. I guess I hated you for that.”
Ollie stared at Drew, completely lost for words. He desperately wanted to say something profound and earnest. Something to communicate to Drew that he understood.
“I don’t like marshmallows in my hot chocolate.”
It was the best he could come up with.
Relief flooded through Ollie when Drew threw his head back and laughed.
“Dammit, Ollie,” Drew said. “I really am sorry. I don’t feel that way anymore.”
Ollie smiled. “Good. Can I ask you another question?” He waited until Drew nodded. “Do you suspect your father? Because he has an alibi for the night in question. I know he wasn’t a good man, but do you think he’d be capable of killing Kelli?”
All humor drained from Drew’s face. He took another pull on his beer. Finishing it off, he leaned in close to Ollie.
“Do I think he’s capable of killing his own daughter? Yeah, without a doubt,” Drew said.
“I have a hard time believing that,” Ollie said. “She was still his daughter. I know he got drunk and violent, but whoever did this probably planned it. It wasn’t a drunken rage.”
Drew nodded. “I know. And I believe you when you tell me that he’s alibied. If my father had a hand in it, he didn’t kill her himself. But I’m not ruling out the idea he may have had someone else do it. And neither should you.”
“Why?”
Drew sighed. “I don’t want Ashley to know this if she doesn’t have to. Okay?”
Ollie considered, rolling it around in his head a moment. He decided that he would decide when it was something Ashley needed to know. “Fine.”
Drew looked around to make sure there was nobody within earshot, before leaning even closer.
“My father came to see me in prison,” Drew explained. “To tell me that I should take a deal and plead guilty. I refused and the message was delivered again. More violently.”
Ollie studied Drew’s face, but Drew stopped looking at him. “What do you mean?”
Drew just shook his head. “Just trust me. I was tempted to beg them to let me plead guilty, but I was too much of a stubborn SOB to do so. I was convinced I wasn’t getting out of there alive. Then the sheriff died and the new DA dropped the charges and I was told I was getting out.
“When I got out of jail,” Drew continued. “I was planning on coming back. Dad was the one who picked me up at the prison, driving a nice, new shiny black truck. Shocked the shit out of me. He told me how Kelli was living with David. She was probably pregnant with Cole, but Dad didn’t mention that. He may not have known. Doubt he cared. He also told me Ashley moved in with Lilly. Instead of taking me home, he pulled off the road and made me get out. At gun point.”
Ollie’s eyes widened in shock.
“It wasn’t the first time he’d pulled his gun on me,” Drew explained. “But this time was different. He wasn’t drunk or pissed. If anything, he was very pleased with himself, as if he’d just won the lotto. He made a big deal out of how he could kill me right there and nobody would give a shit. Again, nothing new, except this time I believed it.”
Drew recalled that day. It was hot, sunny and yet Drew was chilled to the bone. He really expected to die. And the idea he wouldn’t get to say goodbye to his sisters was the worst part.
“Something changed,” Drew said. “He had a different edge. He almost seemed giddy. He told me to leave town and to never come back. He told me if I ever did, if I ever started to come to town and insist I wasn’t the one who kidnapped and killed Molly Winters, bad things would happen.”
Ollie’s eyes narrowed. He started to go into cop mode. “He threatened to kill you if you made inquiries into what happened to Molly Winters?”
Drew shook his head. “Not me, although I suppose that much was implied. He threatened Kelli and Ashley. And he’d make sure they were raped and killed.”
Ollie’s fist smashed into the table right before he launched out of his chair. He stalked to the back of the bar and reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. Drew was by his side in an instant.
“Don’t,” Drew said. “Don’t start making calls and going all cop on me. You do that, you’re signing Ashley’s death warrant. And probably Cole’s too. And I’m not sure that what happened with Kelli is connected.”
Ollie wanted to punch Drew again, mostly out of frustration. He shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Why not?”
Drew sighed. “Because she wasn’t raped. Dad made sure I understood that would be a part of it. Yesterday when the General and I went to see him, it came up. He made it clear if he had been behind it, she would have been.”
Ollie shook his head in disbelief. He pointed to a back door. Together they went out into the side a
lley.
“Jesus Christ, Drew,” Ollie snapped. “That’s one hell of a fucking bombshell. I’m a cop, I can’t just ignore that.”
“I’m not asking you to,” Drew said. “Ollie, I didn’t have to tell you this, but I did. I told you because I know Ashley trusts you, and because I really do need you to help me protect her and Cole. If you’re going to do that, you need to keep your eyes open. You need to know what to look for. Dad’s threat wasn’t an idle one. He meant it. Think about what that means.”
“It means,” Ollie responded as he paced. “That your father is back on the list of suspects.”
“It means more than that,” Drew explained. “I don’t know how much you know about this town back then, but the police department was pretty damn corrupt. They covered for my Dad plenty. I’m sure he returned the favor. When he told me something would happen to my sister, he didn’t mean he’d do it himself. His buddies would.”
Ollie stopped pacing. “That was then. My mom has cleaned up the department.”
Drew folded his arms. “I believe you, but there’s no way to know if she got them all. All it takes is one guy. It wouldn’t even have to be a dirty cop, just one who was buddies with one and doesn’t know it.”
Ollie glared at Drew, cursing him in his mind. He was angry, not only because of what Drew was asking, but because he was right.
“Okay, but I can’t not do anything,” Ollie said. “I’ve got to try and figure this out. And I’ve got to tell someone. My Mom will be discreet. But she’ll want to know. She needs to know.”
Drew wasn’t surprised. He’d figured Ollie would want to tell his Mom. And it was probably a decent enough idea. Still, it made him nervous.
“I’ll trust your judgment,” Drew said. “But not in the station. Probably best not to be over the phone.”
Ollie covered his mouth with his hand. “You really think it can be that bad? That they’d bug my phone? Or my mom’s?”
Drew shrugged. “I don’t know. I may be wrong about this entire thing. Kelli’s death might not have anything to do with this, but in the time I’ve worked for the General, I’ve seen some crazy things. I think we shouldn’t take anything for granted.”
Folding his arms, Ollie nodded. Drew was right. They had to be careful. He’d talk to his mom alone, at her place, first chance he got. “Alright, we’ll play is safe. I’m not sure I’m buying what you’re selling.”
“I’m not asking you to,” Drew said. “I may be wrong. I really hope I am, but I’m not willing to take chances with Ashley and Cole.”
Ollie nodded. “Neither am I. Don’t you think you should tell this to Ashley? She should know why you left. It might help her to trust you again.”
“No,” Drew answered with a small shake of his head. “I need Ashley to forgive me on her own. Whatever my reasons, I still screwed up. I left her. That was my biggest reason, but not my only one. I didn’t ever want to step foot in this damned town again. I wanted to be someplace where people didn’t look at me like I’d gotten away with murder.”
Ollie scratched the back of his neck. “I get that, but I really think she should know. You should think about telling her. Another thing to consider is that you and I can’t be her and Cole’s bodyguard’s twenty-four-seven. She needs to be on the lookout. You know there’s a self-defense class geared towards women that Sam and I give. There’s one coming up. I keep trying to get Ashley and Lilly to sign up, but they never do. Ashley is just too stubborn and Lilly won’t go without her.”
Drew thought a moment. It would be a good idea for both of them to take that class, but if he’d suggested it, she’d scoff at the idea. Still, there were ways.
“I can get her there,” Drew said with a smirk. “I just need to give her the right incentive. I’ll reach out to Sam about that.”
Ollie cocked an eyebrow. “I’m guessing you want to reach out to Sam for more than just getting Ashley in that class.”
Drew didn’t deny it. “Is that going to be an issue for you?”
Ollie sighed. “I guess not. She’s an adult and it’s her business, but I’m protective. She may not feel she’s ready.”
“Why not?”
Ollie held his hands up. “That’s not for me to tell you.”
“Alright, fair enough.” Drew relaxed. “Feel like punching me again.”
“Maybe.”
“Settle for another beer instead.”
Ollie smirked. “Deal.”
Four days later, the General stood in the living room ready to say goodbye. Everyone lined up like troops waiting to be inspected; the one exception was Drew, who waited outside by the car to drive the General to the airport.
He started with Lilly, whose eyes only went as high as The General’s torso. “Thank you for all you hospitality, Lilly.”
She smiled broadly. “It was my pleasure and you’re welcome any time. I hope you’ll be back.”
“Count on it,” the General said. “Someone has to come around to kick Drew’s ass once in a while, just so he remembers what it feels like.”
That earned a chuckle from everyone down the line as Lilly reached up to the General and pulled him down to give him hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“I mean it,” she whispered in his ear. “Drew needs you.”
The General returned the embrace. When he pulled back, he was flattered by the moisture in Lilly’s eye. He winked at her before moving on to Ashley.
Drew’s sister wore a scowl, but it was clearly hiding a grin. Unlike Lilly, she was able to look the General right in the eye as she was only half an inch shorter. “Just so you know, I can and will be kicking Drew’s ass while you’re gone, so don’t worry about that.”
The General raised his eyebrows in amusement. “I never had any doubt.”
“Good,” Ashley said as she pulled the General into her arms. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t come back. I think you’re good for him. He’s not quite as much of an asshole as I remembered.”
The General chuckled as he kissed her softly on her forehead. “I’ll be back and we can gang up on him. But try and give him a little bit of a break.” The General lowered his voice to a hush. “He loves you, you know.”
Ashley nodded and quickly wiped at her eyes. “Son of a bitch, I hate to cry.”
Lilly laughed and took her hand as the General lowered himself to one knee to face Cole.
Cole’s face was, as usual, passive, but his light blue eyes watched and saw everything. “Thank you for coming, sir.”
The General smiled and looked up to Lilly and Ashley, both of who read his expression and stepped into the next room to give the General a moment alone with Cole. The young boy stiffened at the thought of being alone with him, but didn’t flinch.
There’s a lot of Drew in this one.
“Listen up, kid,” the General said, somehow taking that no nonsense tone and managing to soften it just enough to suit Cole. “You’ve been dealt a bad hand, no use trying to pretend otherwise, but you’ve got good people here who will look after you. Lilly and your Aunt Ash love you. And so does your Uncle Drew. Now I know you’re still trying to figure him out, but I know him. I’ve seen Drew in the worst of circumstances. He’s solid.”
Cole looked away. “He left before,” he said, and instantly wished he hadn’t.
The General nodded. “Yes he did. Your Aunt is trying to forgive him for that. So should you. I’m not sure your Uncle will ever forgive himself, but I can tell you this. He never stopped loving your mother, never stopped wanting to protect her. He did what he thought was best. He screwed up, but I know without a doubt if your Mom asked him to come back sooner, he would have, and he’s here for you. This time, I don’t expect him to make the same mistake. He might make other ones. That’s one lesson you’re going to have to learn now and not later. Adults screw up, even me, as hard as that is to believe.” The General sighed, wondering how much of this is got through. “Here, I’ve got something for you.”
The Gener
al reached into his pocket, pulled out a cellphone. “Your uncle asked me to get this for you.” He let Cole to inspect it. “It’s something McAlister Securities manufactures. It’s programmed with numbers that should be easy to access. Let me show you.”
Tapping a few buttons on the cell, the General brought up the contact list. Cole was able to see it was already programed with the numbers for his home, as well as the cell numbers of his aunt and uncle. Lilly was in there, as was Ollie. There were a few he didn’t know. “This one is for the police,” The General pointed to the numbers Cole didn’t recognize. “This is mine. If you ever don’t feel safe, you call me, or use this,” He pointed to one marked MS, “McAlister Securities. And we’ll come for you. Understood.”
Cole nodded quickly, not sure what to say.
“Now,” the General said. “I took the liberty of programming in a password for it.”
With that, Cole found his voice. “It’s not something lame, like 1-2-3-4, is it?”
The General scowled. “No, smartass. It’s 5-3-5-5-4. Most phones have a four digit password, but I had this one programmed for you with five. If you look at the letters, you’ll see it spells—”
“Kelli,” Cole almost whispered. “Mom’s name.”
The General nodded and handed him the phone. “Right. I assume that’s okay with you?” He waited a moment until Cole nodded sadly, his young eyes on the phone. “There’s more. You see this.” The General pointed to a red icon with a white exclamation mark in it. “That’s a panic button app. You open that up; it’ll send messages to McAlister Securities and everyone’s cell phones. It’ll turn on your speaker, so we’ll be able to hear everything happening on your side of things, but you won’t be able to hear our side unless you key in a code. It’s the same code to get into your phone. You’ll have to enter that code to call it off, in case you do it by mistake. And they’ll only let you do it verbally.”
Cole seemed almost in a trance as he examined the phone, held it in his hand, his eyes locked on the panic button. His uncle promised something and came through.
“What if someone makes me say everything is okay?” Cole asked. “You won’t know the difference.”
Torn Away (The Torn Series Book 1) Page 14