by Alex Grayson
I run my fingers through the small hairs on the back of his neck. “He’s been seeing Susan, and I think he’s reluctant to leave until he sees where it goes. And his job can be done mostly through phone calls and his laptop. He’ll eventually have to leave though, because he does need to go into the office occasionally.”
I try to gauge his reaction. I understand his need to protect the town and its secrets, but really, how often is a crime committed that requires Judge and his brothers to… kill people? That thought gives me pause, and I make a mental note to ask that question later.
Goose bumps appear on my arms when his fingers lightly graze over the sliver of exposed flesh between where my shirt ends and my shorts begin. Is he doing it on purpose? I narrow my eyes when his fingers slide further under my shirt.
“Tell him he can stay for as long as he’d like.”
I frown, not having expected him to give in so easily. I figured he’d at least put up a little bit of a fight. “Really?”
His mouth kicks up on one side. “Really.”
Before I can ask him if he’s feeling okay, he shoves his face into the crook of my neck, sliding his nose along the skin and inhaling deeply. His hand snakes its way further under my shirt, his big fingers wrapping around my ribs and his thumb swiping against the lace of my bra on the underside of my breast.
I moan and lean into his touch, suddenly ravenous for more. Of course, the most we can do is some light petting with Maisy awake and here in the house, but I’m totally fine with that.
I shift my ass, making sure to wiggle over the hard bulge underneath it.
He groans and tucks the tip of his thumb beneath my bra.
“You drive me mad, woman,” he growls against my neck. “Sit still or I’m dragging you to the bathroom and bending you over the sink.”
My giggle is strained, and I’m just about to tell him I’m okay with that idea when a loud banging comes from the front door.
“Shit,” he mutters, his forehead dropping to my shoulder. “I hate whoever’s behind that door right now.”
I laugh and wiggle my way off his lap. His head lifts, and I bend down for a quick kiss, murmuring against his lips, “We’ll finish what we started later.”
He pinches my backside, and I yelp. “Damn straight we will.”
The banging comes again, but this time it’s louder and sounds frantic. I dart my eyes to the doorway and look back at Judge, my brows jumping up.
With a scowl, he jackknifes out of the chair and stalks out of the room. I follow behind him, almost jogging to keep up with his long strides. He yanks open the door, and a woman immediately falls into his arms. I rush over to them and realize it’s Sierra. A horrified gasp leaves my lips at the condition she’s in.
Bruises of all colors mark her face and arms, and there’s a trail of blood coming from the corner of her mouth. There’s also a cut above her eyebrow.
She’s crying and clutching at Judge’s shoulders, her head darting back to look over her shoulder.
“Oh, thank God you answered,” she blubbers frenziedly.
“What in the hell happened?” Judge growls, helping her to stand by grabbing her upper arms. When she whimpers, he curses and scoops her up behind her knees and shoulders. Shoving the door closed, I chase after them as he carries her across the living room.
Maisy appears in the doorway to the kitchen, her eyes wide and scared. I call her name and her eyes quickly snap to mine.
“Grab a rag and wet it for me.” When she just stands there, her fearful gaze flickering back to Sierra, I step in her line of sight. “Maisy, I need you to get me a wet rag, sweetie. Can you do that?”
Her small throat bobs and she nods rapidly before dashing off into the kitchen. I turn to Judge and Sierra.
“Who did this to you?” Judge demands once he has her settled on the couch. “Was it Caleb?”
Her chin wobbles, tears streaking down her cheeks, and she nods. “Yes,” she croaks.
“Goddammit to hell,” he seethes darkly. “I fuckin’ told that boy.” His tone and the look in his eyes send a shiver crawling down my spine. “I’ll fuckin’ kill him.”
Sierra scrambles for his hand when he makes a move to stand. “Wait!” she shouts. “There’s more.”
Maisy comes running back in the room with a scrunched-up rag in her hand. I meet her halfway and take the wet cloth. She looks around me to Sierra, but I grab her attention by turning her head so she’s looking at me.
“I need you to do me a favor. Go to your room and stay there, okay? I’ll let you know when you can come out.”
I don’t want her in hearing range, because whatever Sierra’s about to say isn’t going to be for delicate ears.
“What happened to her?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Her voice quivers.
I lean closer until my face is directly in hers. “She’s going to be fine. Your dad will find out what happened to her and make it all better.”
Lord help Caleb, because there will be no stopping Judge from hunting him down and taking him out.
“I need you to go to your room now, Maisy, so we can find out what happened. Go turn on one of your shows, and I’ll come get you once everything has calmed down.”
After a moment, she gives a silent nod. I kiss her forehead and turn her toward her room by her shoulders. Her eyes stay glued on Sierra as she passes behind the couch. Once her bedroom door is closed, I rush over with the rag. Sitting beside her on the couch, I gently start dabbing the side of her chin.
“Tell me what happened,” Judge orders in a bristly tone.
Sierra scrunches her eyes closed and more tears squeeze out between her eyelids.
“I-I heard him on the phone. He was t-talking about h-hurting someone. He said payback was a bitch and that they’d regret ever touching him.”
My gaze snaps to Judge. Could what Judge and his brothers did to him be what Caleb was talking about?
“He admitted to shooting Brittney and he also mentioned killing Earl and something about putting snakes in someone’s truck.”
I gasp, the hand with the rag dropping from her face. Holy shit. So Caleb’s the one who’s been terrorizing the town.
Judge’s hands clench into fists and his lips form a straight line. His pulse is beating erratically at his temple.
Sierra’s hands twist in her lap as she continues. “W-when he caught me listening, he went ballistic and started hitting me over and over again.” She hunches over and hugs her stomach. “He promised he’d never hurt me again, but he’s been hurting other people.”
I wrap my arm around her and pull her body against mine. She buries her face in her hands, her head against my shoulder, silently sobbing. I glance at Judge and can tell he’s barely holding on to the rage simmering inside him. He’s livid, with good reason.
The memory of what he did to Billy Collins in that cabin surfaces, and I scarcely hold back my shudder. I never want to see that side of him again. I don’t blame him for what he did, he was fueled by what happened to me and ensuring Billy could never hurt another person again, but watching him literally beat a man to death isn’t something I can witness again.
“How did you get away from Caleb?” he asks Sierra, his tone eerily calm.
She sniffs and peeks up at him. “I pretended I had passed out. When he left the bedroom, I crawled out the window.”
Giving a tight nod, he looks to me. “Take care of her,” he says quietly, decisively.
I straighten my back, preparing to stand, but Sierra’s hold on my shirt gets tighter.
“Where are you going?”
It’s a stupid question and we both know it. He’s going to find Caleb and do what…. I don’t want to know.
He walks the five feet separating us and bends to place a quick kiss against my lips. After, he tips Sierra’s head back by her chin, his expression softening slightly.
&
nbsp; “He won’t ever hurt you again, I promise.”
She nods shakily, biting her lip.
I grab his shirt before he walks away.
“Please call one of your brothers to go with you. I don’t want you going alone. There’s no telling what he’ll do.”
He sweeps my hair back from my face. “I already planned on it. I’ll bring Trouble back with me to check her injuries.”
With a nod, I let him go. My eyes follow him as he stalks across the living room. The click of the door closing sounds too loud, and my heart jumps in my chest, a feeling of foreboding churning in my stomach.
Lord, please let Judge and the others be okay.
After several minutes of silence except for Sierra’s ragged breathing, I run my hand up and down her back. “I’m going to go grabs some peroxide and gauze and let Maisy know it’s okay to come out. Will you be okay for a couple minutes by yourself?”
She wipes her nose with the back of her hand and nods. I feel so terrible for her. To be hurt in such a terrible way by a person you trust explicitly—the pain of betrayal is much worse than any physical pain.
With a tender smile, I get up from the couch and go to the bathroom that’s connected to Judge’s room. Well, I guess our room now, since I’ve been sleeping there since we told Maisy we were together. Grabbing some things from under the sink, I flip off the light switch and go to Maisy’s room. Her TV is on, but her worried eyes are fixed on the door when I open it. She’s sitting cross-legged on the bed, her small hands picking at her nails.
“Is Sierra going to be okay now?”
I go and sit beside her, capturing one of her hands in mine. “She’s going to be fine. She just has some bruises and a couple of small cuts.” I hold up the gauze and peroxide. “I’m going to doctor her up. You want to come out and see her?”
“Yeah.”
Having Maisy there will be a good distraction for Sierra. She’s been by the house a couple times since that first day, and Maisy’s taken a liking to her. The last time they sat in the kitchen and did their nails while I cooked. Sierra may be too old to be a best friend-type of friend to Maisy, but I can tell they both really enjoyed their time together, and I know she’s worried about her.
I follow Maisy out of the room. Her steps are rushed, and it warms my insides that my daughter has such a kind and caring heart. The couch is in view from the hallway and I don’t see Sierra sitting there any longer. As soon as we pass into the living room, I find out why.
A gasp explodes from my lips, and I instinctually reach out for Maisy to pull her behind me.
“Oh, no, no. You leave your hands right where they are,” Sierra says, pointing a gun in our direction.
Ice fills my veins and tremors wrack my body. Maisy is in front of me and I see Sierra over her shoulder, so I’m not sure who she’s pointing the gun at.
“W-what are you doing, Sierra?” I put as much strength into my voice as I can. I can’t see Maisy’s face, but the way her body is trembling in front of me shows her terror.
I take a small step forward, but halt when her eyes narrow on me.
“Don’t you dare fucking move, bitch,” she growls, the cut in her eyebrow trickling blood down the corner of her eye. “Maisy,” she barks, her eyes sliding to my daughter. “Come over here.”
I take another step so I’m standing beside Maisy. There’s no way I’m letting her go near the woman.
“You wanna die, Ellie?” Sierra asks, her voice filled with sinister vibes.
She cocks the gun and points it directly at my chest. She’s only about ten feet from us and her hand appears to be steady, so any thought of her missing her target is dashed. Fear slithers across my skin and hopelessness freezes my bones. What in the hell am I going to do?
“It’s okay, Maisy,” I say with as much calm as I can muster. By the quiver in my voice, it isn’t much. “Go to Sierra.”
Maybe I can buy some time for Judge to come back. He’ll know what to do. All I know is that I can’t allow Sierra to kill me. I’d die for my daughter in a heartbeat, but I can’t save her if I’m dead.
Oh, God, please come back home, Judge.
Maisy’s tearful gaze turns to me. Her bottom lip wobbles and the fear in her eyes is crushing. Being hopeless in the face of your child in danger is the worst feeling a parent can have. How can I tell her it’s okay to go to a woman who has a gun trained on her mother?
“Everything is going to be fine,” I tell her and pray with every fiber of my being that it will be. “Walk slowly to Sierra, okay?”
“I-I’m scared, Mom,” she says, her voice cracking.
I want to yank her into my arms, shelter her and protect her, but I don’t dare move. The sweet young woman who came to our house and played games with Maisy is not the same woman who is standing mere feet from us holding a gun.
“It’s going to be okay. Just do as she says.”
Maisy licks the tears from her lips and nods. Turning her head back to Sierra, she takes tentative steps forward. My heart lurches with every step she takes until she’s standing in front of Sierra. The expression on Sierra’s face softens, the ominous look pulling down her brows changing to something that sends chills down my spine. She’s looking at her with love and affection.
Maisy whimpers and flinches when Sierra lifts her other hand and smooths it down the side of Maisy’s head.
“Such a pretty little girl. You look so much like your daddy,” she says softly, reverently. She grabs her hand and pulls her forward. “Come stand beside me.”
Once she has Maisy tucked to her side, her gun still raised, her eyes move back to me, and the look of loathing has returned.
“What’s going on, Sierra?” I ask, desperate to have her talking and her attention off Maisy.
“I’m fixing what was broken,” she states grimly.
“What?” I shake my head. “I don’t understand.”
The smile that crosses her face is pure evil and so big that it must hurt the bruises on her cheeks, but she’s doesn’t so much as wince.
“You’ll see. But we have to wait first.”
“W-wait for what?”
“For Judge to get back, of course. After all, he’s the one I’m doing this for.”
My stomach flips in alarm, and my eyes slip to Maisy to see her face scrunched as she silently cries. She’s trying so hard to be brave. Most children would be sobbing uncontrollably right now.
Before I can ask what Sierra is talking about, she jerks the gun to the side. “Go sit on the couch. I don’t expect he’ll be gone long. Once he finds Caleb’s body on the floor, he’ll realize what’s going on and come rushing back. We need to be ready for him.”
I don’t move but instead lock my muscles in place as more fear creeps in. “What are you going to do with Maisy? Please don’t hurt her.” My voice cracks.
“You no longer need to worry about Maisy. She’s going to be my daughter now. Mine and Judge’s.” Her eyes turn to slits. “Now get your ass over to the couch before I decide to kill you before he gets here.”
As scared as I am, relief filters in knowing she means no harm to Maisy. If something happens to me, I know that Judge, come hell or high water, will ensure our daughter is safe.
Only with that knowledge do I walk on shaky legs to the couch, the gun tracking my movements.
Chapter Twenty-Six
JUDGE
I POUND UP THE STEPS to Caleb’s house, JW and Trouble hot on my trail. I didn’t want to bring Trouble because his arm is still fucked-up from the snake bite, but he insisted.
Murderous rage has my insides constricting, tightening muscles so much that every move I make is stiff. The temptation to slaughter Caleb on sight is overwhelming, but that’s not how we do things with Malus citizens. He’ll be put in front of the town and they’ll vote. After seeing the damage he inflicted on Sierra, along with the other crimes he’s committed, I have no doubt what their vote will be.
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I slam through the front door, intent on getting a few good licks in before JW hauls him off to a holding cell to await his sentencing. The house is quiet. There’s a good chance he may not even be here. He has to know after what happened last time and the warning he received that we’d be coming after him. If he was smart, he would have left as soon as he noticed Sierra was missing, but it’s easier to look in the obvious places first and work our way out from there.
I stalk through the living room and into the kitchen, keeping my eyes peeled in case the little fucker is hiding somewhere. Both rooms are empty.
“Judge!” Trouble shouts from one of the back rooms.
My legs carry me on long strides down the hallway to where JW just entered a room. I pull up short once I clear the doorway. Trouble is bent over a body, his torso blocking my view of the person’s face. It doesn’t matter though; I know it’s Caleb. The question is, why is he on the floor?
Trouble moves to the side, and holy fucking shit, the man’s face is beat to hell and back. Blood coats damn near every inch, with several scrapes and lacerations mixed in, and one of his eyes is swollen shut. There’s also a nasty-looking tear at the corner of his mouth. It looks like someone took a sledgehammer to his face.
“Is he dead?” I ask, a suspicious thought forming in the back of my mind.
“No,” Trouble grunts, checking the pulse in his neck. “But it’s weak. With his face like this, there’s no telling the damage done to the rest of his body.”
Caleb’s hand twitches, and he lets out a low moan. I rush over and kneel beside Trouble. The eye that isn’t swollen shut cracks open. I lean over him and get in his face.
“Who did this to you?” I ask, my voice coming out a grizzly growl.
He moans again, his lips parting on a ragged exhale. “S-ser-a.”
The name was a raspy whisper, but it rings loud and clear in my head, sending death tolls screaming in my ears.
I bring my face so close to his that I feel the heat of his labored breath. “Did you leave those bruises on her face?”
“No,” he groans. “She did herself.”