by L. A. Fiore
Hank had been pacing, needing the movement to keep himself calm. It was then he stopped and leaned against the counter, his eyes to Hya who was staring intently back at him. “Got a feeling I’m not gonna like what comes next.”
Hya crossed the room to him in solidarity.
“They belong to Catherine Barbos.” Sean told Hank lowly as if not speaking it loudly would ease the pain. “Didn’t take long to link it back to Catherine Weathers since all her information is in the system from when she worked at the federally funded shelter.”
Hank’s heart dropped into his stomach. He raised an unsteady hand to run through his damp hair, now not from the shower he took but from sweat. “What do you need me to do?” Hank mumbled into the phone.
“I have a plan.” Sean informed him and went on to tell Hank his plan. Hank agreed to it then gave Sean all the information that Arissa had shared with him. He disconnected the call, ignored Hya’s worried gaze because his thoughts were elsewhere. His thoughts were on Arissa. He needed her, only together could they retrieve the last two puzzle pieces.
* * *
Hank stood on her porch remembering the first time he’d been there, the mess of her hair, the flush on her cheeks, and the sweat beading on her forehead. She had looked frantic and pissed. But she was no less beautiful than when she was done up. He had known in that instant that his life would change but never did he think it would lead to the shit storm his life had become.
He gave two simple raps on the door and waited.
Arissa had been waiting for the realtor so didn’t look out the peephole before she pulled the door open. Her mouth opened, her focus shifted to see Hank. Her hold on the doorknob tightened and those tears that had kept her company for days burned the back of her eyes. She said nothing for the first few seconds, soaking up the sight of him, because he looked good, but under that he looked sad. She had done that.
“Hank.” Her voice was no higher than a whisper.
Hank kept his sunglasses on to hide the pain in his eyes when he saw the pain in hers. It stung because he caused it. But she caused him pain too. “I need your help,” he muttered quietly.
She wasn’t sure she heard him correctly. After all the shit she’d caused, the last thing she’d think he would want was her help. She didn’t hesitate though to say, “You have it.” She held the door open wider in invitation.
Hank took the gesture and walked inside. He felt a sharp pain in his chest when he saw all the boxes sitting in the front room. She was leaving. Hya told him that but it hadn’t registered, it did now. He forced the pain down and forged forward. “Alcohol would go perfectly for what I’m about to tell you, and ask of you, but we need our fucking wits about us, so coffee?” He tested but that snarling snake of pain reared its head when he added with a bite, “Unless you already packed the maker.”
The sharpness of his words had her head snapping up. It hurt him talking to her like that, fucking killed, but she only had herself to blame. And even with the hurt, and his anger, Arissa didn’t know what to do with her hands because what she wanted to do was reach for him, hold him until that pain left his voice. But she was the one who put it there. She pushed her hands in her pockets. “I’ll put on a pot,” she offered, turned to go but said more softly, “I’m so sorry, Hank. I’m really sorry for all of it.” She didn’t wait for an answer and disappeared into the kitchen to start the coffee.
* * *
Arissa’s focus was out the passenger window, but her thoughts were going everywhere and the anger…she had never in her life been as livid as she was at that moment. To think Catherine had come to her to gloat, to declare victory while her son was processing the news about being kidnapped. She forced herself into his life, even when he didn’t want her there, but when he needed her, when she should have been banging his door down to comfort him, she was too busy sticking the knife in Arissa’s gut. What a fucking bitch. As much as it pained her, learning what Hank had to share with her, she had been right about Catherine. Her stomach twisted because it was possible Catherine had done far more than just kidnap Hank. Her hands fists, that swell of fury again burned through her. Arissa’s focus shifted to Hank. He’d been quiet since they got in the car. She couldn’t blame him, couldn’t imagine what was running through his head. It was the knot at his jaw but more, the lack of that glint in his eyes. Through everything, even when the Summerville crazies were being crazy, Hank had a look…a love of the town and the people, even when it was begrudgingly offered. He didn’t have that glint now. And it was the realization that he was doing what he did, keeping shit together, but had he really processed the news? And when he did, it was going to be nothing short of devastating. His life would be forever changed and she had played a part in bringing that about, a part in him losing that look. Her intentions had been in the right place, but she’d hurt him…bad. She would do whatever it was he wanted of her, including moving back to Charleston. That thought had her turning her gaze out the window again to hide the pain because she didn’t want to leave him, but she would. For him. Because she loved him, wanted him to find his way through this shit, find his way back to who he’d been…she wanted him to find that glint again even if it meant losing him.
* * *
Henry opened the door and grabbed the knob tightly at the sight that greeted him. He kept his cool and shouted inside. “Hank’s here—”
Catherine didn’t even give Henry a chance to finish when she came hurrying down the hall toward the door but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Arissa standing next to Hank. The smile shifted to a frown, her focus moving from Arissa to Hank. “I must say, this is a surprise,” Catherine said, moving closer to her son, giving Arissa her back. “Hasn’t she caused you enough pain, Honey?”
Hank squared his shoulders and edged his hand closer to Arissa’s and laced their fingers. Hank ignored his mother’s question and asked, “Can we come in?” The question sounded so foreign coming off his tongue because it wasn’t something he ever had to ask his parents. Hank wouldn’t usually knock either but now he didn’t even know the people living in the house he grew up in.
Arissa’s focus shifted from Catherine to Hank, looking up at him, loving him even more in that moment because she knew he was showing his support for her even though Arissa wasn’t sure she still deserved it.
Catherine glanced at Arissa, her words trailing off when she said, “You, Hank, are always welcome, as are your friends.” Catherine turned from the door and headed down the hall to the kitchen. “I’ll put on coffee. Have some freshly baked goods too.”
Hank followed behind Catherine, Arissa close behind him, hands still linked. Henry stayed behind to shut the door, lingered and took a deep breath before he followed after them. Once they entered the kitchen, he saw his mother had placed a glass tiered serving dish on the island filled with treats he knew came from Dehlia’s. Hank looked at Arissa and gestured to the stool; she sat and Hank followed suit. “How long are you gonna pass Dehlia’s shit off as your own, Mom, before you own up to the truth?” Hank muttered eyeing the éclairs, cream puffs and strudel. Jesus, his mother had been using baked goods from Dehlia’s, passing them off as her own for fucking years. Shit. Something as simple as a fucking cupcake she had lied about. How had he not seen it?
Catherine’s gaze lifted from the sweets, her shoulders tensing as she studied her son. Her mouth opened to contradict him, but decided against it. Instead, she smiled, looked contrite and offered sweetly. “Every mother wants the best for their children.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t much of a baker, but homemade is the best, and it shows how much a person cares when you make it yourself. I wanted you to know I cared.”
“Wonder if Cassidy Jamison wanted the best for her son,” Hank mumbled as he grabbed for a cream puff and tossed it into his mouth. “Huh, Ma?”
Catherine’s hand shook as she reached for a plate. Henry stepped closer to his wife, offerin
g his silent support. “Considering she overdosed almost immediately upon delivering that son…” Her hard eyes looked up at Hank. “I’m thinking no.”
“Funny thing is, Ma.” Hank started and leveled his eyes on his parents. “Sean pulled up her file, looked into a few things and guess what, shit isn’t adding up.” Hank watched the startled expressions on his parents’ faces. “Like how in the fuck she was able to smuggle that much heroin into the ward while she was in labor.” Hank looked over at Arissa who was looking at him and he raised his brows, widened his eyes and muttered to her. “Fascinating, isn’t it?”
Arissa hadn’t been on even ground since Hank appeared at her door earlier. If she thought the shock of seeing him again when she had thought that ship had sailed was going to be the biggest shock she’d get today, she would have been wrong. But sitting here now, knowing what Hank was alluding to, she felt sick, disgusted and wanted more than ever to reach across the island and smack the smug off Catherine’s face.
“It is fascinating,” she said only to Hank. “Curious too.”
Hank nodded slowly toward Arissa then turned his attention on his parents, leveling his hard stare on his mother. “Harley Aldridge, does that name ring a bell?”
Catherine placed her plate down with a thud, her focus on Arissa. “It wasn’t enough you drove a wedge between our son and us, but now you’re trying to what exactly…sever our relationship completely?” Catherine turned her focus on Hank. “Harley Aldridge? I’m an old woman, I can’t be expected to remember names,” she said, waving off his question.
Hank was reaching for his cell in his back pocket when he told her, “Don’t worry, I got video footage.” He held his phone up and added, “And prints on the body.” His eyes moved to his parents and his voice was even when he asked, “Would you both like to see it? I mean, it’s only a few minutes long but fuck, what a rush.”
Catherine paled under her temper. Henry stepped forward. “You wait one damn minute, Son. I don’t think I like what you’re implying. All we did was care for a child who didn’t have anyone. Whatever happened to that man, that’s not on us.”
Catherine moved closer to Henry before she confessed, “I did meet Harley.”
“What?” Henry asked, his focus shifting to his wife.
“He asked to see me.” Catherine inhaled, dropped her shoulders. “He knew we took you and occasionally followed up to make sure you were well.” She lowered her head before she said, “That’s likely what you have footage of.”
Hank’s eyes drifted to the window. He stood and walked over to it, eyeing the garden that sat in the very back of his parents’ backyard. The soil recently disturbed. “You changing things up back there?” he asked nonchalantly.
“Honestly, Hank. What’s with all the questions?” Catherine said, trying to sound lighthearted but not pulling it off. “Any gardener who knows what she’s doing changes up the landscape. One has to. I have a book, I can lend it to…well, whoever might work in your garden one day.” Her focus landing and staying on Arissa in challenge.
He turned and saw an anger in his mother’s eyes he’d never seen before. Hank chuckled at his mother’s diversion. He tucked his hands in his pockets, rolled on his heels and asked ever so evenly. “Oh, wasn’t sure if it’s because you used the monkshood on Harley or just wanted a scenery change.” He shrugged.
Catherine gasped as tears filled her eyes. “I cannot believe what I’m hearing. I pulled the monkshood from the garden because I had hoped I’d be having grandchildren and didn’t want a toxic plant in the garden. How could I have known, she’d stir all this shit up.”
Oh, his mother was good but he didn’t expect any less from her. She was the sheriff’s mother, and knew the right answers to every question. But the thing was, she was going toe to toe with the sheriff. “Whew,” Hank breathed out and carried on, “Well, thank God for that but no worries, Ma. Me and my wife…” He gestured to Arissa with his head. “Are moving to Charleston.”
Catherine’s jaw dropped, pink rushing to her face but before she could protest Arissa rubbed her belly, held Hank’s gaze and said, “It’s for the best with one already in the oven. We want to raise our children in the city with all that culture.”
Hank winked at Arissa before moving his gaze to his parents. She was breaking down. His mother’s hand began to shake, her movements jerky. Slow and steady wins the race. Something Hank learned early on being a sheriff. Most cases you didn’t get anywhere barging in demanding answers to your questions. No. You pulled at them slowly with the shit you knew would bring them to their knees. Exactly what he was doing now.
“I don’t understand. I thought you were moving back to Charleston?” Henry asked, looking between Hank and Arissa. “How can you trust her after everything she’s done?”
“Because she’s manipulated him,” Catherine hissed. “Turned him from us, just like I said she would. She’s a hateful person, and how you can’t see it, Hank. For the first time in my life, I’m ashamed of you.” Catherine’s words were harsh as she barely controlled the rising fury.
Hank’s phone buzzed on the island and he moved to grab it. Bringing up the text message from Sean, he tapped on the image he had sent and bit his lower lip to the point of pain. He was holding back the raging anger the best he could but seeing the picture displayed on the small screen was testing him. He was about to blow a gasket. Ever so gently he spoke as he moved to his mother. “What do we have here?” He asked as he leaned his elbows on the counter and held the phone in both hands. “Look at this, Ma.” He egged her on to get closer.
Catherine pulled her focus from her son, glancing at his phone fuming that her son of all people was putting her through this.
Hank studied the photo with her and, as if she was a child, he pointed at it explaining everything in the image. “That’s you.” He started with. “That’s the drug dealer, and oh look at this, it’s the best part.” He paused for a beat and added, “That’s you buying heroin from him the day before my real mother gave birth.” He stood, his voice excited when he said, “But wait, it gets even fucking better.” He tapped the screen and showed her another image, also flashing it to his father for him to get a look. “That’s dad sitting in the car waiting for you.” He tossed the cell onto the counter; it skidded across toward Arissa. Even knowing this already, anger burned through Arissa watching Catherine shrugging off the facts Hank leveled on her. Even when there was no way out, like a rat she was looking for a way to snake through a hole.
Hank moved around the island, he rested back on the stool and asked, “How do you wanna work this? You want me to bring you in or would you rather Sean and his crew take you in?” Then he snatched another cream puff and tossed it in his mouth. Although, this time it was hard to chew with the knowledge he was dishing out. And when he swallowed, the cream puff landed like a brick in his gut. But he held it all together like Sheriff Hank Weathers always did.
Catherine was simmering with rage, her words burning her throat, her focus shifting to Arissa. The reason all of this was happening. With a swipe, the tray of goodies went flying across the room before Catherine lunged for Arissa. “This is all your fucking fault!” She howled. “You fucking bitch. You did this!”
Hank didn’t even budge as Henry caught his wife around the waist but Arissa jumped from her stool and took a few steps back.
Furious eyes turned on Hank. “All we did was love you. Gave you everything and this is what you give us in return. Your mother was an addict. She would have fallen off the wagon; they always fall off the wagon. We saved you from a life of hell, brought you here, gave you everything. You are the fucking sheriff because of us.” Spittle came from her mouth, her finger jabbing into her chest. “We did that. Your mother would have had you strung out with her, or worse sold you for drugs. You fucking ingrate.”
Hank kept his cool when he asked again, “So, am I bringing you in or is Sean?�
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“That’s it?” she screamed. “That’s all you have to say. We kept you from a life of forced prostitution and that’s all you have to say?”
It snapped. That little thread holding Hank together broke. Like lightening brightening up a darkened sky, Hank abruptly rose, the stool clanging to the ground. He slammed his hands on the island and shouted at his parents. “All I have to say? Jesus fuck, you killed my mother!” He roared. “Fucking stole me and then killed another to hide your fucked up shit!” His breathing was ragged, his eyes heated, the blood rushing through his veins was on fire when he rumbled, “You’re lucky I don’t fucking kill the both of you. It was all a fucking lie, my life, a fucking lie!”
Catherine’s fury shifted to tears, sobs filling the kitchen. Henry held his wife tighter. “That’s no way to speak to your mother.” He stood a little taller when he added, “Call your friend.”
Catherine tried to push from Henry. “What the hell are you doing?” she snarled.
Hank grumbled, snatching his cell from the counter and added, “Good fucking call.” Then he tapped the screen and called Sean.
For the first time in his life, Henry stood up to his wife. “Silence! It’s enough.”
What Hank didn’t tell them was that Sean was already in Summerville. He’d arrived at Hank’s house shortly after he and Arissa left hers. Hank had shared with Sean his plan to break down his mother, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to walk his own parents, the people that raised him, out in cuffs. Sean understood and took no time in grabbing a deputy and heading to Summerville.
Hank sat on his parents’ steps; they were inside sitting at their kitchen table having coffee together knowing that they would never have that again. Hank had thought of so many things to say to them but he couldn’t put the words together. There would be a time when he did, when he’d confront his parents and let those words out.
Arissa didn’t sit beside him on the steps but on one of the rockers with a heavy silence between them. A few minutes later not only was Sean pulling up into the driveway but Mike followed behind him at Hank’s request. That’s when Hank turned to Arissa as he stood.