Chapter Thirty-Three
I wasn’t sure how to feel.
Elated or impartial?
Peter was gone. It was confirmed, and it was all over the news.
I didn’t shed a tear for his death. Once the shock wore off, all I felt was a pressure in my chest being released. I’d spent so long worrying about this man, the power he had and what he could do to hurt my family. I’d spent nights worrying about Wrench, wondering if he did do something to remove Peter from our lives that I could lose him forever.
Our lives. This wasn’t just about me. This was about him too.
Somehow reporters had managed to get a hold of my phone number, and my cell had started ringing off the damn hook with people wanting statements or information on what happened. I’d been interviewed by the police, where they’d asked question after question about our relationship.
Optimus told me not to tell them about Peter kidnapping me, and Eric had assured me that he wouldn’t speak a word of it either. Neither of them wanted to give the police any reason to point the finger at me or to look any deeper.
I was thankful for Deacon who sat in on the interview and the club’s lawyer, Matthew, who had been there by my side, ready to cut them off at the knees when things got too intense.
They wanted to know my life story. Whether I needed money. What our relationship had been like. Why I’d left for so long and chosen now to return to Athens. They were searching for a reason to pin his death on me. They wouldn’t find one because I had an airtight alibi with a club full of people who were ready to vouch for me at the drop of a hat.
“You sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Wrench asked, his face tight.
I shook my head. “No, you need to be here. It won’t take me long, I just need to sign some papers and let Eric know that whatever he’d left me, I don’t want a part of.”
“I want you to read over everything you sign. I know Matthew has seen them, but just be cautious, and just be… sure,” he said, holding my gaze with intensity.
I was meeting with Eric at his place to go over Peter’s will. I’d already told him I wasn’t having any part of Peter’s dirty money and he understood. I just wanted to get it done and over with so he could become a part of my past, a memory that I could begin to forget and recover from.
Wrench, on the other hand, had shit he needed to do for the club. They knew the police would come knocking, it was only a matter of time, knowing my connection to them and to Optimus. With Wrench’s probation requirements, he needed to get rid of all the computer shit he had and stash it somewhere else. But before that, he needed to clear it all off, make sure there was no evidence that the club had used it for anything.
It was taking a long time. Apparently, it wasn’t as easy as just destroying it. No. There was evidence everywhere that could put him in shit deeper than he could swim.
Deacon had managed to hold them off as long as possible, but they were coming for the club. They knew the club had the motive to take Peter out of my life and theirs. Especially when it had come to light that Ruby, the young girl who’d been killed, had grown up in the area and was the daughter of two of his closest friends. People had testified to seeing them together.
My gut twisted as I imagined what he’d done to that poor girl. Thanks to Optimus and the club, I’d had an escape. She hadn’t, and she paid the price for that.
“What do you mean be sure?” I asked with a raised brow when his words fully kicked in my brain.
He rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest, propping his elbow up on the bar. “I’m just saying… I’ve told you before if you want to keep the money—”
“And I told you before, I don’t want it,” I replied, effectively cutting him off.
We’d already had this discussion. Wrench wanted me to make my own decisions about what to do, even if that meant accepting money that he knew would set up our family for life. Wrench wasn’t short of cash, he had a good income and money stashed away, along with a house and property behind him.
And I had my business. Even through all the bullshit that had happened, it was still running reasonably smoothly, thanks mostly to Skylar and few other girls who I’d hired. I wasn’t going to make millions, that was for sure, but I could make a living.
“Go and do what you need to do,” I told him, tiptoeing up to press a soft kiss to his lips, refusing to discuss it any further. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours… hopefully less.”
He nodded, but I could tell he wasn’t happy about it. “Here’s your new cell phone, I’ve added everyone from the club.” I took it and tucked it in my pocket. With the media hounding me, he felt it was best to just toss the old number and start anew. I agreed, thankful that I wouldn’t have to deal with calls and texts day and night. I kissed him in thanks, but his scowl stayed present.
Wrench’s animosity toward Eric was still as strong as ever, even given the amount of times over the past few weeks where he’d stood by me and help us out.
“I love you,” I told him with a smile before stepping back.
His face softened. “Love you, too. Just get it over with so we can move on…” he smirked, “… and celebrate.”
I snapped a salute and managed to get a smile out of him before turning and heading for the door.
This would be all over soon.