He was proud of her, proud that she was so willing to help other people, willing to sacrifice the life she had etched out for herself after her rapist had taken away a part of her life. It was getting chilly now that they were moving into November, so he put his big hands on her cheeks to try and get some of the redness out. “You stay behind me, no matter what.”
“I will always trust you to protect me, I promise you that.”
Rooster walked over, Liam in tow. “I just got a call that they’ve raided the sheriff’s offices in three counties, and they’ve arrested those same three sheriffs.”
“You think those are the ones that were working with Clinton?” Tyler asked, his eyebrow raised.
“Pretty positive,” Rooster nodded. “They’re going to get rid of anyone who can tamper with evidence before they go get him. The amount of bodies you all found on his property—this is going to be huge. I have a feeling they’re going to find Jagger and Christine’s parents amongst the dead.”
Nobody else had said those words, but Meredith had thought it too. “I figured too, especially when B mentioned that Jagger had been back and their house was abandoned. I have a feeling that when a person ceased being an asset to him, he got rid of them any way he could.”
“Meredith!”
Her head whipped around as she heard her voice called. It was her old co-worker. “We’re heading out.”
She nodded, and the group of them walked over to where the bikes sat, each of them putting on the bulletproof vests. It was quiet as they got dressed, ready for battle, even though this wasn’t their battle this time. They followed the convoy along, none of them really sure what they would face when they got there.
Christine was deep in a cocoon of warmness. Her body was comfortable, and she could feel strong arms around her. The only thing invading the peacefulness was a loud knock at the door.
“Ignore them, they’ll go away,” a deep voice against her ear said. That voice was scratchy with the sound of sleep and caused goose bumps to form on her arms. She loved when she could hear him like that. It meant even more now that he had told her how he felt about her.
A few minutes later, it was obvious that the other person was not going to go away. Finally the two of them got up, both covering themselves minimally as Travis made his way to the door. “What the fuck do you want?” he asked as he slung the door open. He took a step back when he saw Rooster standing there, a stark look on his face. “What?”
“I need to talk to Christine,” he told Travis.
“No, you can talk to the both of us.”
Rooster grimaced. This was the part of the job he hated. The part where he had to do notification, even if the person he was notifying probably wouldn’t give a shit what he had to say. He watched as Christine walked over towards the door, pulling the shirt that she wore down past her thighs. “I’m sorry to have to do this, but it has to be by the book.”
She nodded.
“You are Christine Herrington, the wife of Clinton Herrington?”
“I am,” she nodded. “But I go by Christine Stone now.”
“Earlier today a search warrant and arrest warrant was served on Mr. Herrington for the property that housed his home and horse barn. When federal agents tried to execute said search warrant, Mr. Herrington fired on them before turning the gun on himself. He was pronounced dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”
She was in shock. That was the only thing she could think of, because what Rooster was telling her was not computing in her brain. “He killed himself?”
“Yes, in front of no less than twenty agents who were all trying to talk him down.”
A little piece of her had known this was how it would end. He wouldn’t go to prison, he wouldn’t pay for any of his sins here on earth, he had always thought himself better than that. It had always struck her as weird that he thought that way, because out of anyone she knew, including her parents, he had committed the worst.
“There was paperwork found at the scene that you’re probably gonna need to take a look at. He had money, it will all come to you,” Rooster was saying. “There was also a journal that is really freaky. You might want to read it, you might not. It talks about why he did what he did.”
She nodded, not understanding any of it. The only thought that kept rolling through her head was she was free. She was right and truly free. No one would come looking for her again; she didn’t have to look over her shoulder. She could go back to her job at the hair salon, live her life with Travis (wherever that took them and whatever it was), and she would be free. “I’m free,” she grinned.
“You are,” Rooster told her, understanding exactly what she meant.
The tears came quickly, and she wasn’t even sure why. It should have been a relief, and in all reality it was, but the feelings were so intense that she had to release them somehow. “I’m happy about this, is that bad?” she choked out, looking at the two cousins that stood over her.
“No.” Rooster shook his head before Travis could answer. “There are bad people in this world, and I’m learning that not everything is clear cut. He was a bad man. This world is going to be better without him. Anyway,” he took a step back, “I had to notify you, and now I’ve done that. I hope this gives you some peace.”
“It does, you have no idea how much.”
He did have some sort of idea, because he was beginning to feel peace too. The decision he’d made was going to be easier to follow through than he’d ever thought possible. “Well, I’ll be seein’ y’all.”
Travis stopped him, putting his hand on Rooster’s arm. “Thanks for coming to tell us.”
Rooster motioned Travis out of the room and shut the door. “I’m giving you a heads-up. That was my last official duty. I’m on my way right now to turn in my resignation.”
“What?” Travis’ mouth opened in shock. “This is what you’ve wanted to do your entire life…are you kidding me?”
“What I wanted to do was make a fucking difference. Now, after working this job for as long as I have, I find out that my boss and other superiors were just turning their backs as women lay dying? You know as well as I do that they knew about this. They had to. As soon as they start checking financials, I can almost guarantee you there are going to be numerous checks from Clinton Herrington to every single one of them. This isn’t who I want to be anymore.”
“Who do you want to be?” Travis asked. For the first time in their lives, he was scared for his cousin.
“I don’t know, but I know this badge on my chest doesn’t make one goddamn bit of difference—to anyone.”
The words that would make Rooster feel better never came. There was absolutely nothing that Travis could say that would take away the bitter taste in his cousin’s mouth. Nothing. He had based his entire adult life on what was now a lie. He needed some time. “Look, I don’t know what to do, what to say, that’s going to make you feel better. Having said that, I am here for you. If you need me, it doesn’t matter if it’s day or night, I will be there.”
Rooster knew that, and for the first time in a long time, he believed it. “I know, and I appreciate it more than you know. It’s going to take some getting used to.”
The two of them didn’t say anything else as Rooster turned and made his way towards the front door of the clubhouse. He strode over to the patrol car, got into it, and put it in gear. As he made his way down Porter Pike and back towards town, he remembered the time he’d pulled Liam over. Had it been that long ago? In the grand scheme of things, it hadn’t, but to him, it felt like a million years ago.
“Rooster, how ya doin’?” he asked, grinning up at the redheaded sheriff’s deputy.
“Not too bad,” he answered. It didn’t escape Liam’s notice that he casually rested his hand on the butt of his gun.
“By the way you’re standin’ I’ll take it this ain’t a social call.”
“You would be correct in that assumption, and don’t be callin’ me Ro
oster. You of all people know my name is Officer Hancock. We had some reports of loud motorcycles and shots fired out near the old Garvin Lane Bridge. You know anything about that?”
“Can’t say that I do. Can you place me or my boys there?”
Officer Hancock smirked. “C’mon Walker, we’re old friends.”
“That’s right, Rooster, we are. We ran these roads when we were teenagers, but we’re not on the same side now are we?”
Funny how right when he thought he had his life figured out, it had started changing and now would be the biggest change of all. When he pulled into the parking lot that housed the sheriff cars, he pulled all his equipment and the envelope that held his resignation out of the glove box. The rest of what he took inside was the gear they’d given him. He walked into that building, and within fifteen minutes, he was out. This time he was in plain clothes, and he felt exactly the way Christine had said she had felt. Completely and totally free.
Chapter Twenty-Four
It felt good being back in his cave. Travis took a deep breath, focusing on all of his video cameras. This was where he felt at peace, where he hadn’t felt like he’d been able to come for so long. It was a bad place to be in, not being comfortable in the one place that you felt like you needed to be. He was doing a clean sweep of everything when he heard someone knock on the doorframe. Glancing up, he saw Jagger there. Shit.
“Can I come in?”
“If you promise you ain’t gonna bust my head wide open again. I’m finally getting over the motherfuckin’ headaches.”
Jagger had a seat and stretched his legs out in front of him. “I really wish I could say I was sorry that I did that to you, but I’m not. In fact, I’m still kinda pissed that you kept that from me. I missed all that time with her.”
“It wouldn’t have been good time, Jagger. Trust me when I tell you this. When I first met her, she was not who she is today. She was closed off from everyone and everything. You think this woman is different from the sister you knew as a child? The woman I met months ago was yet another completely different person. She had to heal a little before she came back to you. Am I sorry that I kept it from you? No. Just like you aren’t sorry that you busted my head open. Things happen and we all deal with it.”
“I kinda get it, okay? When you’re with a woman that you love—and I hope like fuck that you love my sister, because she has had precious little of it in her life—you do what you have to in order to prove that. I also have to admit that part of that disconnect with her was my fault. I should never have left her there. I knew what I was leavin’ her with, and that’s my own guilt, but I pushed the guilt off on you, and I shouldn’t have done that.”
The two of them sat in silence for a while. “I wanted to tell you so many times. I even mentioned it to her a few times, but she would shoot me down. I think she was punishing you for leaving her.”
“I think so too,” Jagger said with a sad smile. “Like I said, though, it’s nothing I don’t or didn’t deserve. I’m just hoping that we can get our relationship back on track. I’m not asking for it to be the same as it was. We’ve both been to hell and back since the last time we saw each other, but I’m hoping we can come to some semblance of what it was.”
Travis’ eyes scanned his bank of monitors again, his eyes stopping on one in particular. “I think if anyone can help, it’s the woman that Christine’s talking to right now.”
“I wish we could hear what they were saying,” Jagger said, his eyes glued to the monitor.
Christine sat at the hostess counter, glad for some normalcy. Everything that had happened the last few months, especially the last few weeks, had taken its toll on her. Some people wouldn’t think a simple receptionist job at a hair salon would mean a lot, but it did to her. It represented everything that had come to mean so much to her. Travis had gotten her this job, she had learned to stand on her own two feet because of this job, and it allowed her to be somewhat of a people person. She looked up as the bell rang, indicating that someone was coming inside. Her breath caught when she saw it was B.
“Hey,” B waved, her smile was bright, her body language open.
She could tell why her brother loved the other woman. She was gorgeous, and seemed to be very sweet. Christine very badly wanted to get to know her, but she knew that would come in time. They couldn’t automatically be the best of friends just because she’d come back into their lives. “Hey, you have an appointment with Shelby, right?” She went about checking the appointment calendar for the day.
“I do,” B nodded, but it’s not for a few hours. “I was actually wondering if you’d like to go have coffee with me.” She pointed to the coffee house across the square. “I know this is your job, but if we tried to talk at the clubhouse, there are two men who would be very interested in what we had to say to one another. And if Travis is anything like Jagger, he knows what time you’re supposed to be home.” She rolled her eyes, an indulgent smile on her face.
“Go on,” Shelby said from the main floor. “We’ll be fine for a while. You hardly ever take a break as it is.”
She grabbed her purse and followed B out the door.
“It’s a gorgeous day,” Bianca said as the two of them made their way across the square. “Can you believe it’s going to be Thanksgiving in a few weeks?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I didn’t even realize that.”
“As a teacher, you tend to have every available day off on a countdown on your phone.” Bianca flashed a smile at her.
“I could understand that! I’m sure it’s a very rewarding yet trying profession.”
“It is. I love it! I wouldn’t give it up for anything—even though I’ve only been doing it since August.”
They arrived at the coffee house and went inside. There wasn’t a line, so they placed their orders and waited for them to be filled. Once they had the mugs in their hands, Bianca directed them towards the back so that they could have some privacy. Christine had never been inside this place, but she immediately loved the feel of it, the exposed brick wall, the smell of coffee and food. They had a seat, and for a few moments, there was an awkward silence until Bianca opened her mouth again and began to speak.
“I want you to know that Jagger is the most important part of my life. Teaching is what I love to do, I wouldn’t want another profession, but Jagger is the best thing that has ever happened to me. He’s made me feel things and experience things that I never thought I would ever be able to. Like most of the people that stay at the clubhouse, life hasn’t always been easy for me.” She stopped to take a drink of her coffee, and it seemed to pull her together. “I know that the two of you aren’t really talking right now, and I know that’s killing him. I’m not asking you to divulge secrets to me, because that’s your personal business, but I want to be more forthcoming with you than I’m sure he’s been.”
Christine wasn’t sure if she was supposed to say anything, but she really did want to understand Jagger better. They had both changed in the years since they had seen each other. They had grown up and moved on and had a million things happen to them. She didn’t want to be estranged from him, so if the way to understand what he was going through was going to be through Bianca, then she was okay with that.
“He tried to find you, he did. I know he did. There have been times this year that I’ve seen him talk to people who may have known where you were, but it was such a secret. He couldn’t find your parents. Now that we know they were among the mass grave, we know why. He had nothing to go on.” She wanted to reiterate that to Christine, maybe if they kept telling her how badly Jagger had tried to right things, she would finally believe them.
Finding out her parents had been two of the bodies in the graves had not really been a surprise to Christine, but she had still felt the loss. No matter how bad her home life had been, those were still the people who had given her life. If she was honest, she was having a hard time coping with it all. The nightmares were back, and she’d not had
them for months before this reoccurrence. “I know. I know with everything that I am he tried to find me. To be honest, the person holding back is me.” She put her hand on her chest.
“Can you tell me why? He would love nothing more than for you to come to him and tell him what you need.”
“I would love that too.” She smiled sadly. “There’s so much finally going right in my world, but I just can’t seem to reconcile that with who I am today.” Tears flooded her eyes. They had been doing that a lot lately, more than they ever had in her life. It hadn’t been horrible until she’d seen the front page of the newspaper. That paper talked about just how many bodies were in that field, how long it had been going on—much longer than she had been at that house, but she felt so much guilt. How and why had she been the only one to survive when so many hadn’t?
“Are you feeling guilty?” Bianca asked. She recognized that look in Christine’s eyes. It was one she had carried for a while after she had been taken hostage. It wasn’t that she felt guilty that something had happened to Raymond Tucker and she had lived, but she felt guilty for even causing the events in the first place. If he hadn’t become obsessed with her, there would have been no reason for him to stalk her, take her hostage, and put all those children in harm’s way.
Christine squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. “I am.” It felt good to admit that; she hadn’t been able to admit it to even Travis. She knew that he would question why when she should be feeling so blessed that she had fought and made it out alive. When Christine opened her eyes again, Bianca held a card out to her.
“This woman is absolutely amazing. I’ve gone to her, your brother has gone to her, Layne has gone to her, Meredith and Tyler have gone to her. She’ll get you fixed right up.”
She grabbed the card out of Bianca’s hand and read the words, remembering that Meredith had also mentioned someone to her. “This is a psych doctor?” she hated the implications of that.
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