by CP Smith
“Yes.” I swallowed again. “He touched me. Made me feel things a child shouldn’t feel. But he didn’t rape me.”
Cali stopped cold, almost collapsing where she stood. Her face was red with rage and silent tears. She struggled for a moment with the truth. I could tell she wanted to rush forward and gather me into a hug, so I looked away until she gained control of herself and started jumping again.
Sienna’s lips began to quiver, but she shook it off and started jumping as well, shoring up her backbone to handle the truth. “How long, Poppy?”
At her question, I stopped and braced my hands on my knees, watching them both go at the exercise like Navy SEALs. The door was finally open, it was time to push the dragon all the way out, so I never had to deal with him again.
“He snuck into my room when I was eight,” I began with panted breaths. “He threatened to kill my mother if I told, so I kept my mouth shut and my door locked so he couldn’t get back in. I got careless, thinkin’ the dragon was gone when he didn’t come back for months. But he did, on a night I’d forgotten to lock my door. After that, I never forgot again. Now I’m dealin’ with the aftermath with Nate. He’s helpin’ me to get rid of it, one step at a time.”
They looked at each other, and some silent conversation passed between them. Then they smiled and turned back to me.
“Is this why you and Nate haven’t you know what?” Cali asked through ragged breath. “You said earlier it had somethin’ to do with your confession.”
I knew then what had passed between them. The past was out, they decided it was time to distract me from it by using a muscled-bound Neanderthal.
I nodded, ducking my head, watching them from under my lashes to hide my shame. “I froze anytime Blake touched me. Practically panicked at the thought of havin’”—I glanced at Cali and grinned —“you know what.”
“And Nate knows this?” Sienna questioned, gasping for air.
I nodded. “He’s says he’ll wait as long as it takes.”
“Have you tried anything?” Cali inquired, still jumping like her life depended on it.
My mouth twitched. “Um, kinda. He helped me, you know, take care of myself.”
Sienna smiled but kept jumping. Apparently, they needed to jump off some pent-up energy of their own. “I knew he wouldn’t let an hour go to waste any more than Bo would.”
My breathing had leveled out, so I took a deep cleansing breath and held it. I’d done it. I’d spit out the words that haunted me for years, and I’d survived. I closed my eyes and let my head drop back. The relief to have that out in the open, to hand it over to the women who would always have my back, was freeing. I don’t know what I would do without them. And I didn’t want to find out.
The girls panted as they continued to jump. The sound broke through my headspace, so I looked at them. I hated putting those images in their head, but Nate was right when he said I had to hand it over to them because that’s what friends did. They took all of you or none of you, and Wallflowers never left a woman behind anyway.
“You ladies, all right?”
“If I stop jumpin’ I might go find this guy and kill him,” Cali answered. “And I promised Devin I’d go the rest of the day without an incident.”
All righty then.
“What about you, Sister?”
Her jaw was tight as she kept jumping and tears shined in her brown eyes. “If Knox hadn’t walked out of your life, this wouldn’t have happened,” she bit out.
An hour ago, I might have been thrilled she used that tone about our father. She was right, of course, if Knox hadn’t left me, the dragon wouldn’t have gotten to me. But I’d had an epiphany of sorts while confessing what happened.
“If Knox hadn’t abandoned me, this wouldn’t have happened,” I agreed with her. “He also wouldn’t know about you because I would have grown up in California. We’d never have met if that had happened, Sienna. So I’ll gladly trade a few moments of hell—” I had to stop to clear my throat, “—if it means havin’ you and Cali in my life,” I said, the words broken with emotion. “Your friendship means everything to me.”
They’d both stopped jumping as I spoke, their chests heaving as tears began to fall silently down their faces. Neither said a word, but their trembling lips said it all. I lowered my eyes to give them privacy and control my own emotions. I knew if they touched me, or spoke a word at that moment, I would break down. And they seemed to understand that as well.
Turning toward the back door of Frock You, I walked away with my head up, leaving them to come to terms with my past in peace. Bernice was standing in the doorway watching Cali and Sienna when I walked up. Her beautiful eyes were like lasers as she watched my friends. “I take it you told them about your past?”
I nodded. “Yeah. They’re processin’ it now.”
“Time for mojitos then,” she mumbled, reaching up to caress my cheek. Like always, Bernice knew what I needed. A simple gesture of support. I was done with cowering in the shadows, allowing the dragon to steal more life from me. Done feeling helpless.
I gave her a weak smile and a wink before she turned and headed inside. I wasn’t sure how much time they needed to adjust to my admission, so I pulled out my phone from my back pocket and texted Nate while I waited.
Me: It’s done.
Telling the girls was like ripping off a Band-Aid I realized. I’d dreaded it, but like anything you fret about, when it comes to actually doing it, it’s never as bad as you expected it.
Nate: You okay?
I thought about that for a second and knew I was.
Me: Yeah, I am.
His next response was so immediate, I knew he’d begun typing before I responded back.
Nate: They okay?
Seriously? I so didn’t deserve a man that caring, but I wasn’t giving him back.
I looked over my shoulder and watched as the Wallflowers panted where they stood, both watching me with an expression I couldn’t read. But it wasn’t pity, and that’s all I cared about.
Me: They’re Wallflowers.
I texted back to Nate because that’s all he needed to know. Wallflowers weathered any storm and kept on fighting until the next one came along. Looking good while doing it too, according to Sienna.
I smiled. I wasn’t happy-ish anymore. From this point forward, I was embracing happy like a two-year-old with candy. A dog with a bone. A . . . Wallflower with her books!
Nine
FINDERS KEEPERS
NATE READ POPPY’S REPLY then set down his phone. He looked across the table at his two friends and answered the question he saw etched into each of their expressions. “Poppy says they’re fine.”
He knew they’d rather take the pulse of their women personally, as he would in their position, so he waited while each pulled out their phone and sent off a text. Glancing across the restaurant, he locked eyes again with Knox and glared. The man showed no signs of backing off where Nate was concerned.
Knowing full well that his daughters would come to Jacobs’ Ladder at some point, he’d shown up and waited. He’d also enlisted the help of Shirley Gentry in his bid to get through to Poppy. They were seated at a table where he’d know the moment his daughters walked in the door.
Nate sighed and turned back to Devin and Bo. He understood the man’s determination, even if he didn’t agree. If Poppy were his daughter, he’d probably feel the same way. But Nate also knew a man was greater than the sum total of his individual parts. He’d killed to save his mother, an act he’d do again if it came to it, but Nate was more than just a man who’d ended a life to save someone he loved. Knox couldn’t see that, couldn’t see past Nate’s prior action to the man he’d become because of Knox’s own past.
He’d lost his wife to the actions of her father, and that blinded him to Nate. He’d spent all of Poppy’s life trying to protect her, so it was natural he saw Nate as a threat. Though his actions were misguided, and Poppy had suffered because of it, Nate knew Knox had als
o suffered. He’d sacrificed watching Poppy grow up by walking away, an act that took courage, in Nate’s opinion. And as fucked up as that decision was, Nate could respect it, even if he didn’t agree with it.
“We need to talk to Shirley Gentry,” Bo said, looking across the restaurant at Knox and Shirley. “The list of sex offenders is long. It’ll take weeks to weed through.”
Just hearing the word curled Nate’s fists. He would enjoy bringing the man down once they found him.
“Does your list include the incarcerated?” Devin questioned.
Nate turned to watch Shirley Gentry as they discussed how to filter down the list of sex offenders. Poppy had told him, after she’d broken down at the cottage, her aunt didn’t know what happened to her. That most of the time she was a decent mother. But she had a weakness for wild men, and that was how the monster had gotten to her. Her aunt had let him in her front door, then gotten drunk because, according to Poppy, she missed her father and it helped dull the pain. Except Knox had never been hers to begin with. The whole excuse was a ruse to deceive Poppy, one that she’d paid for with her innocence.
He closed his eyes against the images of Poppy trying to fend off an animal as a child. It didn’t work. His rage took hold of his emotions. He was standing and on the move before he changed his mind. Poppy had been hurt because of Shirley’s lies and Knox’s need for revenge. They’d fail her, so Nate was gonna make damn sure he didn’t.
Devin called out, “Nate!” as he stalked across the bar. He knew his old friend had stood up when he had and was now following in Nate’s wake, just like he’d always done when they roomed together in college. Devin was his wingman. His voice of reason when his anger became too much to handle.
Knox kept a sharp eye on him as he walked up. Nate stopped and took both in, giving him time to rein in his temper. Then studied both; sized up his opponents. Shirley observed him with a guarded expression, scooting closer to Knox as if Nate’s very presence was a threat to her life. Knox didn’t seem to notice her distress. He wasn’t in tune with the woman at his side like Nate already was with Poppy. They’d never been lovers, that was clear, so what the fuck was her story?
“I’m not leavin’ until I speak with my daughters,” Knox bit out, thinking Nate was there to throw him out of his bar.
Nate’s focus shot to his. “As long as you don’t upset Poppy or Sienna, I’ve got no issue with you. Either of you,” he stated, turning his attention back to Shirley Gentry so he could get a lock on her.
She fidgeted in her seat, hardly meeting his eyes, aware he was studying her with cold determination. “What?” she mumbled, her eyes darting to his then back to her hands.
“I’m tryin’ to figure you out after all the lies you told Poppy.”
Her back shot straight up and she narrowed her eyes at Nate. “All you need to know about me is that I’m the woman who raised Poppy. She listens to me, and I intend to talk sense into her about you.”
Devin’s hand landed on his shoulder to hold him back, but Nate wasn’t fazed by her threat. Poppy might try to walk away from him, not that he’d let her, but it wouldn’t be the woman in front of him that caused it. It would be her past that sent her running if she didn’t put it fully behind her.
“I’m curious. Did you raise her, or did she raise you?” Nate questioned.
Shirley blanched, her eyes sliding to Knox then back to Nate. “Are you on drugs, as well as bein’ a killer?”
They had an audience, but Nate didn’t care. Leaning down so he could meet Shirley eye to eye, he said, “You failed her, and you know it. Truth’s comin’ out. Soon Knox here is gonna know you weren’t the devoted aunt you led him to believe.”
Knox bristled at Nate’s accusation, but he turned and looked down at Shirley, his brow furrowed, but assessing. “What the fuck is he talking about?” He could tell from Knox’s reaction that he was already suspicious. He hadn’t defended the woman who’d raised his daughter but had studied her to see if Nate’s accusations held merit. Nate had a feeling two plus two weren’t adding up for Knox, now that he was able to take Poppy’s pulse in the flesh.
Her hand came up in a protective gesture, wrapping around her neck. “Nothin’. He’s just deflectin’ attention away from himself because he knows Poppy will listen to me.”
Nate could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. Knew she was working on a plan to get herself out of hot water once the truth came out. It was then he knew Shirley Gentry didn’t love Poppy in the least, and the tears she cried the day before were part of the ruse.
Nate’s mother had stood between him and his father almost daily. She pretended all was right with their world when his father was at work, giving him as normal a childhood as their fucked-up existence would allow. But the woman in front of him had no qualms about opening the door to a man who had no business around a small child, then she’d gotten drunk and didn’t protect her. It proved Shirley Gentry didn’t love his woman. She only cared about herself.
“It’s gonna cut Poppy deep when she realizes she protected you for no reason,” Nate rumbled like thunder, his anger spiking. Poppy had been through hell already. What would the truth do to her?
“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” she hissed.
“I know you don’t, and that’s why the truth needs to come out. So Poppy can fuckin’ heal.”
“Nate,” Devin mumbled next to him, holding him back when his feet carried him closer to the source of all of Poppy’s pain. “Let Bo handle this.”
Knox’s confused attention moved from Shirley to Devin. “What’s Strawn got to do with this? What the hell is goin’ on?”
“We’ll talk later,” Devin said, turning to leave, shoving Nate in the shoulder so he’d follow.
Not about to be dismissed, Knox rose from his chair and laid a hand on Devin’s arm. “We’ll talk now if it concerns my daughter.”
Devin looked down at Knox’s hand resting on his forearm, and his temper spiked in a flash of heat. “You need to take your hand off of me.”
“You need to tell me what’s going on with my daughter.”
Devin removed Knox’s hand with a jerk of his wrist. “You can’t turn your back on your child and expect her to come out of it unscathed. She was your responsibility. You fucked up, Knox,” Devin gritted out. “So, we’ll talk later. When the time is right, and not a minute before.”
Nate raised his hand and placed it on Devin’s shoulder, repeating his friend’s action to keep him under control. Devin’s sense of justice was stronger than most, and he was protective of Poppy to boot. Because of that protectiveness, Nate knew, without a shadow of a doubt, if Shirley Gentry were the least bit guilty of failing to protect Poppy, Devin and Strawn would find out. Her days were numbered, and that was good enough to cool Nate’s rage to a slow simmer.
The bar had grown quiet except for the TVs mounted on the walls, so Nate jerked his chin at Knox, turned, and pushed Devin to leave with him.
“I thought you were supposed to keep me calm,” Nate muttered low, his lips twitching as they walked away. “Fuckin’ cowboy.”
“Guess you’re finally rubbin’ off on me, big guy,” Devin answered, but his temper had yet to dissolve.
Nate clapped him on the back. “Find out what’s she’s hidin’,” he ordered, then raised his hand to a bartender, indicating they needed three beers.
Devin whipped out his phone and started punching in a phone number. “It’s as good as found.”
“Good. Let me know how much I owe you.”
Devin scowled. “Don’t piss me off.”
Nate shook his head. “All this pro bono work’s gonna put you on the street.”
Devin’s jaw grew taut. “Bite me.”
_______________
The girls and I wandered down River Street, headed toward Jacob’s Ladder as the sun set over the Savannah River. We’d each had two mojitos, and a handful of nachos to keep from getting tipsy, while we lounged under the fading sun.
Sienna and Cali had hugged me when they were done processing my past, then we’d all agreed that particular storm was over. They vowed they’d be there for me as I put my past behind me, and that they had a shovel and an alibi at the ready if Nate got around to finding the dragon. I had a feeling he was already looking. He’d made it clear he wanted to know the man’s name, and with two friends in law enforcement, I knew it was only a matter of time. Because of this, I decided to live in the land of denial until the time came. It was pretty there. With lots of books, coffee, and green magic fairy potion.
“Is there a line outside of the bar?” Cali asked, pointing toward the Jacobs’ Ladder.
We were a good half-block away from the entrance, but it did look like a line had formed. And the majority of the people were women in skimpy outfits.
“Did Nate hire a boy band or somethin’?” Sienna cackled at her own joke. She knew no self-respectin’ Southern man would hire a boy band.
As we got closer to the line, I noticed they were all looking at their phones and giggling. Some of the women were even fanning their faces as if what they were watching was hawt with a W, so when we reached the end of the line, I nudged the woman in front of me. “What’s everyone watchin’?”
Without taking her eyes off her phone, she held it up, so the girls and I could see. It was Fox 28’s news footage from outside the sheriff’s department. The same station Natalie worked for. I froze where I stood when the image of Nate throwing me over his shoulder, then Devin throwing Cali over his shoulder, followed by Bo repeating the same move, filled the screen.
I turned wide eyes at the girls in shock and asked what I thought was an important question. “Is my rear end that large in person or did the camera add twenty pounds?”
Cali reached out and grabbed the poor woman’s phone, rewinding the video. “Bodacious Bar Owner, Dashing Detective, and Hot Cop help wrangle reluctant witnesses for the sheriff’s department.” She looked up at Sienna and me with terror in her eyes. “They listed the bar’s name and said all three men were single.”