He tries to talk, but it comes out a cough instead. After a moment, he manages to garble out a “No.”
“See that you don’t. Next time this will end differently.”
He’s not stupid and knows just how it’ll end if he ever lays another hand on a woman.
Trouble and JW haul Caleb up by his arms. He whimpers and is too weak to hold himself up, so they drag him out the door. They deposit him in the back seat of Trouble’s truck, where he’ll end up at Trouble’s office to get patched up.
Since it was the first time he’s ever hit a woman, this was just a warning. We only give one, and only if the crime was minor. While even a small slap is too much, Caleb is normally a good guy.
“I’m going to be out of town for at least the next couple of weeks,” I tell JW. Trouble already knows of my plans.
“Trouble explained to me what’s going on. Want me to do some digging?”
The thought hasn’t crossed my mind until now. I’d prefer for Ellie to tell me what happened all those years ago, but I get the sense she’s not going to do so willingly.
“Yes. I’ll keep you updated on when I’m due back. Call me if you find anything.”
“You got it,” JW answers.
I tip my chin to the truck. “And keep an eye on him too.”
I don’t see Caleb making the same mistake twice, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep a watch out.
Emo’s already in my car when I climb inside.
“You good?” I ask him as I start the engine. Trouble’s truck passes by us.
“Yes,” he answers. His eyes are pinned on the hunting lodge.
“You ever going to tear it down?”
“No.”
That lodge holds a lot of bad memories for Emo. It was a place his dad liked to take him during his drunk spells.
I sigh and turn my car around. “Why do you keep it?”
My brothers and I have asked him this several times, and his answer is always the same.
“Because it helps me remember.”
He doesn’t need the lodge to help him remember what he went through as a child. Those memories are burned inside him. He has plans for the lodge.
Instead of taking him to his house, I drop him off at Grace’s place. She’ll make sure his hand is taken care of properly. If it were left up to him, he’d just wrap it with duct tape to stop the bleeding and be done with it. Grace will also help with the blackness that he’s fallen into because of the encounter with Caleb. He’ll need relief, and there aren’t many women in Malus that can handle Emo’s form of sexual escape.
Once I’m home, I pack my shit for my trip. I call Ellie and make sure everything is set up for me to meet with Maisy’s doctor tomorrow after I land. When I ask how Maisy is, she tells me she’s fine, but tired after her dialysis treatment. I want to ask to talk to her, but I refrain. It might seem strange for her mother’s “friend” to want to speak to her on the phone.
I fucking hate this shit. As soon as the opportunity arises, I’ll be talking to Ellie to find out what else Maisy knows about me. I should have done it while they were here, but my brain was still in a fog over discovering I had a daughter.
I’m still shocked as shit, but it doesn’t worry me like I thought it would. I never wanted children because of the fucked-up shit from my past. I also knew I would never be in a long-term serious relationship, and I didn’t want to bring a child into a world where they’re shuffled between parents. I still don’t want that for Maisy, but I’m optimistic that Ellie and I will work something out that’ll be as stress-free for Maisy as possible.
It’s not like we have a choice anyway. Maisy’s happiness will always come first.
Chapter Six
ELLIE
I TWIDDLE MY THUMBS as I sit on the couch and pretend to watch the movie Maisy put on for the both of us. Judge is due to arrive at any minute. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. Actually, I do. Judge has always had the ability to make me anxious. Even years ago. It took us being together a month for the jitters to settle anytime he was in the room.