“Keep your flutter,” she instructed, then got up and set out to make breakfast. He was smiling wide as he headed out the door to his bike.
Chapter Eighteen
“Annie, I made you pancakes. Please honey, come have breakfast with me.”
The opposite side of the cheap, hollow paneled door was silent in response. Danielle sighed, resting her forehead on the surface. “Come on, honey. I want you to talk to me. I need you to talk to me.”
The softest of muffled sniffles made Danielle push the door open. She had been starting to give Annie her privacy, knocking before entering, but she knew her little girl was crying.
Annie stayed on her side, back under the blankets of her bed, facing the wall. Danielle sat on the edge, hand on her daughter’s hip. “Hey,” she said softly. “You gotta talk to me.”
Another sniffle.
“I really like him.” Danielle had no idea how to do this. But she’d always kept an open, honest policy with her girls. She didn’t really baby them or shelter them. She needed them too much to keep that kid/adult barrier in place. “I know he’s your friend Annie, and that’s good. This is just...something different.”
“And when Dad comes back? Will he still be my friend then?”
She allowed a moment of relief that Annie had answered. “Dad isn’t coming back, baby. He’s...he’s sick. And he can’t be around us.”
Annie rolled to her back and sat up, still not looking her in the eye. Her face was red and puffy, like Danielle’s got when she was crying. “Why?”
She took a deep breath. Annie didn’t know the details of how she got to be here. Obviously, Danielle didn’t want her to feel as though she hadn’t been wanted, that was the last thing Annie needed to feel. But being the intelligent, sensitive kid that she was, she had to know something bad happened in the past.
“Honey, I don’t—”
“Tell me,” Annie pleaded. “Grace knows. I know she does. Why does Dad have to stay away? I want to know.”
“Honey—”
“No. Tell me.”
Danielle bit her lip, turned more on the bed, then took Annie’s hands. “Okay.”
Annie’s eyes flickered up. “Really?”
“I’ll tell you. Because I love you. And you’re so smart, I know you’ll understand what I’m going to say.”
Annie swallowed, then nodded. Her hazel eyes were huge, tears forgotten.
“Your dad was in the Navy, as you know. And he served before you were born. And when he came back, he was...sick.”
“Sick?”
“Not like the flu, though. Like he was scared.” Danielle smoothed a hand over Annie’s wild curls. “Sometimes soldiers don’t like what they saw, or what they had to do. You understand?”
“Do you mean PTSD?”
Danielle blinked. “You know about that, huh?”
“Yeah. It’s on TV sometimes.”
Danielle nodded. “Well, Dad also took some things to keep him awake when he’d been serving. Do you know what I mean?”
“Drugs?”
“That’s right. And he needed to take them when he got home, too. He was addicted to them.”
Annie’s mouth turned down. “Oh.”
“I know, baby. It was hard to see him like that. But I was scared, too. I thought if I left him, to keep Grace safe, he might hurt himself.”
“Kill himself?”
“Maybe. Or endanger himself. Do silly things that could get him hurt. And he was so angry. I thought he’d hurt me if I tried to go.”
Annie’s lip quivered. “I’m sorry, Mom.”
“You never need to be sorry, honey. Not for anything.”
Annie’s eyes were filling up with water, though. “I don’t like that you were scared. You shouldn’t be scared of people you love.”
Danielle had to smile. One lesson she really needed her daughters to absorb and believe. “No, you shouldn’t. But I couldn’t go yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because I didn’t have you yet.”
Annie’s lips turned up slightly.
“Dad started hurting me. I thought he’d hurt Grace, too. And one night...he hurt me too much for me to stay.”
Annie tilted her head. “When I was a baby?”
Danielle’s heart was hammering in her chest. “Honey, do you know what...rape is?”
Annie stopped breathing.
“One night...that happened. Grace was there, too. That’s when I knew we had to leave.”
Annie squirmed a little. “But I wasn’t there?”
Danielle gathered her daughter up and groaned as she hefted her into her lap. Likely too big for being held, but it was necessary for this. “No honey, you weren’t. You came along later.”
Annie pushed back to look her in the eye. “Is that how you got me?”
Danielle was now at a loss for words. Her practiced speech that had sat in her brain for ten years was dissolved. Nothing had come out the way she’d thought it would. And now, at the end, she had nothing left.
“It is, isn’t it?”
Danielle inhaled. “Yes, it is.” Annie tried to push away, but Danielle held tight. “When I found out I was pregnant, Annie—Annie, listen to me.” She stopped struggling with a huff. “When I found out I was pregnant, I couldn’t wait to meet you. Honey, I loved you before I even saw you. It doesn’t matter what happened. Not to me, not once I knew I was having another baby. I didn’t want to be around him again, I knew that. But never, not once, did I regret you. I mean it, baby.”
Annie was crying, her thin body shaking, but she had stopped tried to push out of Danielle’s hold. She took the opportunity to wrap up her daughter tighter, her own tears coming now. Every word was true. She couldn’t find it in herself to regret what had happened to her. Not with this little girl in her life.
“It was a bad thing,” Danielle muttered. “It should never happen. To anyone. But I ended up with you, so it’s hard for me to stay completely angry. And as long as Dad stays away, we’ll be okay. We have each other, the three of us.”
Annie nodded.
“Dad was the only boy I loved,” Danielle went on. “We met in grade school. Dated in high school. So, to tell you the truth, I didn’t really want to be around men anymore.”
Annie sat back slightly on Danielle’s lap, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. “I thought we were just waiting for Dad.”
“I know. But now you know why.”
Annie nodded. “But...you like Knuckles.”
Again, she shoved Annie’s bed-wild hair out of her face. “Yeah, honey. I do.”
“Like grown-ups like each other.”
“Yeah.”
Annie’s lip went out, and she rested her head on Danielle’s shoulder. Again, she had to shove Annie’s red curls out of her face with a smile, then snuggled her daughter closer.
“I thought he was only being my friend to be around you.”
“Oh, sweetie. You met him first, remember? He likes you because you’re funny and fearless and you want to learn stuff.”
“Is he your boyfriend?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t done this in a really long time. Do grown-ups have boyfriends?”
Annie giggled. “No. They have looooovers.” She drew the word out, like a regular goofy ten-year old.
“Where do you get that from?”
“TV, Mom.”
“Oh, I see.” She sat up straight, holding Annie’s face between both hands. “Are we okay?”
Annie nodded. “We’re okay.”
“Good. Do you want chocolate chip pancakes?”
“Yes,” said a voice from the door.
Both Annie and Danielle jumped, Annie even squeaking, then Grace stepped into the room. She looked pale, but properly sheepish as she met her mother’s gaze. “You told her.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s good.”
“We need to talk, too,” Danielle said, with a pointed look.
Fingers fidget
ing, Grace looked somewhere over Danielle’s right shoulder. “Yeah, I know.”
“What happened?”
Grace scowled at her sister, but, judging the day Annie had so far, decided to say nothing.
“A friend of Grace’s died last night.”
Grace’s eyes locked on hers. “What?”
Annie was frowning, too. “Who?”
“That girl. Britney Taft? At the party last night?”
“Grace went to a party? I thought she was grounded.”
“She was, but this is more important.” Danielle tried to keep her voice soft. “The drugs someone gave her. They killed her.”
“I didn’t really know her.” Grace sounded properly shocked. Now she came forward, sitting on Danielle’s other side. She had a daughter under each arm now, and she leaned over to kiss Grace’s temple.
“You tried to help her. I’m furious you snuck out, and that you were drinking, but I’m so proud you tried to help.”
Grace nodded, her lip quivering now. Her girls really resembled each other, especially when Grace set aside the sullen teenager.
“Are you okay?”
After a thoughtful moment, her oldest daughter nodded. “Yeah. Like I said, she wasn’t one of my friends but I know...knew her from school.”
The three sat in silence, both her girls suffering with hard, new knowledge. At the same time, Danielle also worried about this new presence in their lives; specifically, Knuckles and his night terror that had woken them both up this morning. She’d be lying if she said it didn’t worry her. Her husband had the same experience, always worse when he’d been using. And the rages, Christ that rage had been terrifying.
She hadn’t seen any such rage in Knuckles, not yet anyway. But she also didn’t feel she knew him very well yet. Without him and his charisma clouding her mind, she could remind herself to be cautious. She’d been down the road of living with a nightmare once before. There was no eagerness to sign up for another tour of that.
“Chocolate chip pancakes are keeping warm in the stove,” she finally said. “Better get to them before all the chocolate melts out.”
“Is there coffee?”
Danielle smiled at her oldest. “Of course there is.”
They made their way to the kitchen, both daughters heading for the dishes and cutlery to set the table. Danielle poured out a coffee for herself and Grace, then grabbed some OJ for Annie. As the chatter of a strange morning started up, the front doorbell rang.
They all froze, then had to laugh at the sudden tension someone intruding on this surreal morning had created. “I’ll get it,” Danielle said. “Finish getting everything ready.”
After the front door’s security chain was off, Danielle swung the door inward. Her storm door was already standing open, propped that way by Sheriff Turnbull’s considerable bulk.
“Sheriff,” she greeted him, surprise obvious in her tone. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” he returned cordially, removing his hat. “I heard word that your daughter might have been at the party where the Taft girl took those drugs last night.”
Danielle nodded. “Yes, she was.”
“May we come in?”
Behind the Sheriff she then noticed Deputy Troy, who mouthed an I’m sorry that made her smile. “Sure,” she said, stepping out of the way. “Please, come in. We’re having breakfast.”
“This won’t take long,” the Sheriff promised, looking around the living room as he stood in its center. “We just have a few questions.”
“You don’t mind if I stay in the room?”
The Sheriff shook his head. “Not at all, ma’am.”
“Thank you.”
The house wasn’t so big Grace wouldn’t have heard the conversation. She looked up from the table as Danielle stopped in the doorway, bottom lip pinched between her teeth.
“Sheriff Turnbull wants to ask you some questions about the party.”
“Mom...” that was all she had, but her eyes were filling up again.
Danielle crossed the room and took her hand. “It’s okay, baby. Just questions. You’re not in trouble. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I hit that guy.”
“I know, but I’m pretty sure they’re more worried about Britney. Okay?”
Grace nodded, then followed her into the living room. The Sheriff indicated she should sit on the sofa.
“Does anyone want a coffee?”
“That’d be great,” Troy spoke up. “I haven’t been to bed yet.”
Danielle felt guilt over that. He’d escorted the blood sample, she’d forgotten about his late-night duties.
“Mom?”
“I’m right here. I’ll just grab a coffee. Sheriff?”
“No thanks, ma’am.” The Sheriff huffed as he lowered himself into the arm chair in the corner.
Danielle poured a mug for the deputy and then grabbed Grace’s, too. After telling Annie to start eating, she handed off the Sheriff’s then sat next to Grace, close enough their legs pressed against each other’s. Grace grabbed her hand instead of the coffee, and Danielle just held tight.
“Now, Ms. Prince, can you confirm you were at the Tomlin’s home last night between the hours of ten pm and two am?”
Grace nodded. “Yes, I was.”
“What happened in that time?”
“Umm...a few of my close friends were hanging out in the basement, listening to old records.”
“And were you drinking?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Were you taking any illegal drugs?”
“No sir.”
The Sheriff gave her A Look that spoke to the fact he had kids of his own.
“Truly, we weren’t. Once guy came down and he had a...a Ziploc bag. Orange and green pills in it. Asked us if we wanted any Oxy. We said no, then he said he also had pot. We still said no. We didn’t know him so...he was creepy. But he left us alone after that.”
“What did he look like?”
Grace shrugged, scratched at the side of her nose. “He was older. Maybe twenty-five? Medium brown hair, cut short. Kinda preppy. No facial hair, clean. It’s one of the reasons we were suspicious. He was so...square to be there handing out Oxy. We joked that he was a narc.”
Sheriff Turnbull smiled at that.
“He was wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a leather jacket. There was nothing really...special about him. He just didn’t fit in.”
“Did you see him again?”
Grace shook her head but also spoke up. “No. He came down the once then went back upstairs. Didn’t see him the rest of the night.”
“Now let’s talk about Britney Taft. How did you come to know she was in trouble?”
Grace got fidgety again, but Danielle squeezed her hand. That got her back on track.
“Umm, I forgot my phone at home. I wasn’t looking at Twitter. But my friend, Tina, was.”
“This is Tina Cuthbert?”
“Yeah. She was on Twitter, sharing pictures of the records we were listening to. And she follows Jacob on Twitter.”
“Jacob who?”
“Jacob Dunnigan. He was posting photos of a girl we knew from our chem class. She wasn’t wearing a shirt, and we were pretty sure she wasn’t awake.”
“So, what happened?”
“Jenny had seen Britney at the party. She was pretty sure she was in the house somewhere. That Jacob was doing this right in the Tomlin’s house.”
“How’d you figure out where she was?”
Grace shrugged. “It was obviously a bathroom in the photos. So, we started on the main floor and went looking for a locked bathroom door. Found it upstairs.”
“And then what?”
Grace looked to Danielle, who squeezed her hand again. “I tried to kick the door in.”
Sheriff Turnbull raised an eyebrow. “You did?”
“It didn’t work so well.” Grace shrugged again. “But we’d been drinking. I was feeling tough.”
“Who got the doo
r open?”
“Brady Nixon. He plays football. He kicked it in when I told him what was happening.”
“And then what happened?”
Grace was chewing on her lip again.
“I’ve already kind of heard, Grace. I want to hear it from your side.”
Danielle shook her hand, rousing her. “Just say it, honey.”
“I...I don’t know. I lost my mind. I was so mad I just...I started punching him. Not stupid, open-handed slaps. I was punching him.” She looked down at her free hand. “It hurt, but I couldn’t stop. I think I hit him in the mouth.”
“He claims the black eye and split lip came from you. And the concussion came from Brady Nixon.”
Grace smiled but tried to smother it, and Danielle realized she’d done the same thing. She tried to compose herself but Troy saw it, too, and he had to turn away with his own grin.
“You’re not in trouble,” the Sherriff assured Grace gently. “That boy did wrong. And his actions may have led to the death of that girl, just from negligence. But who we really want to find is the guy with the Oxy.” With a nod to Danielle he continued. “Your mom knows this, but we’re waiting to hear which chemicals contributed to this poor girl’s death. So, I want you to be extra careful out there, and if you see anything strange I want you to know you can tell us. Okay?”
Grace nodded, then after a few more pleasantries the two law officers took their leave. Danielle led her oldest back into the kitchen by the shoulders, ruffling her hair first.
At the kitchen table, they were greeted by the sight of Annie, digging into a double stack of pancakes piled high with whipped cream and cherries in sauce. “I was going to wait,” she explained with a full mouth. “But I got hungry.”
Chapter Nineteen
Before the door even opened Knuckles could feel the tension of the clubhouse. There was no music or raised voices behind the door, and he was one of the last to arrive so there were no bikes roaring into the lot, either.
Inside he pulled off his shades and scanned the main room. No girls around, just his brothers sitting uncomfortably on what were usually comfortable chairs. Jayce gave him a chin raise as a greeting, then nodded to the hallway behind the bar. “He’s in the can.”
Shelter (Red Rebels MC Book 5) Page 19