Okay. Sure.
I’d been without my actual car for five years now and I was starting to come to the rapid conclusion that it was lost forever.
Elizabeth and I sat quietly for a few minutes. After glancing over the menu, I called her out. “So, you never told me how you ended it with Landon or how he reacted.”
She searched the room, as if she was afraid someone might’ve heard me. “I just ended it. I quit calling him when David and I got back from Mexico. He showed up one night after we got back.”
David had booked a trip to Mexico late last year, in some grand gesture to get them back on track. When I thought about it, it made what she’d been doing even worse. The man might’ve become distant since his father had died, but he obviously still wanted to make it work with her.
I glared at her.
She patiently continued, “Before you get upset, nothing happened. He wanted to let me know that his ex-girlfriend was moving here. It was pretty apparent he thought we were through. I knew it was coming, I can’t say it didn’t hurt though.”
I opened my mouth to reply just as the server showed up to take our drink orders. Once he was gone, I asked, “So, Landon was just fine with everything being over? From what you’ve told me about him, he doesn’t seem like the type to just be done.”
She began picking apart her paper napkin ring, “He could be very intense at times, but he’s in love with his ex. He made that pretty clear.”
I lowered my voice, “Elizabeth, the guy calls you repeatedly for two weeks only to tell you he’s not into fucking you anymore? You swear that you didn’t hook up for old time’s sake?”
The server chose that exact moment to bring the drinks and Elizabeth clammed up again. After informing him that we needed a few extra minutes before ordering, I turned my gaze back to her, “Let’s go, Greene. No more stalling.”
“I swear, Lauren. Nothing happened. You’re right and I’m going to be a better person, even if it kills me.”
I exhaled slowly, trying to keep my emotions in check. David and Elizabeth were my couple. They were my reason for skipping out on mediocre dates in favor of one great love.
I settled for clearing my throat and sounding stern instead. “If I have to move in with you when David’s out of town to keep you safe, I’ll do it.”
We finally ordered food, much to our server’s delight and I loosened up enough to tease her about David. The man, complete with his sourpuss expression, reminded me a bit of Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead.
I might’ve had a bit of a sci-fi nerd side. “So, have you ever gotten him to dress all grungy and posed him with a cross-bow in his hands? I think you need a picture of that for your desk.”
We collapsed in a fit of laughter and I decided that if finding a new friend was like dating, then I had to be hitting this one out of the park. At work, we were constantly interrupted, but I genuinely liked spending time with her. And, if that was the only way to ensure that she remained faithful to her husband, therefore giving me hope for finding a love of my own someday—then she could spend all the time she needed.
We parted with plans to meet at the gym the following night so that I could get her into fighting shape. My gym was nothing fancy, but it did help me work off a lot of the stress that working for someone like Sandra Mulloy caused.
As I pulled into my apartment complex, I couldn’t help but think that maybe my luck was beginning to change. Then, I saw a 2007 dark blue Toyota Camry parked under the awning about one hundred yards from my apartment door and all good feelings evaporated into the warm desert air.
“I don’t understand,” I muttered to myself, as I surveyed the vehicle. It had to have been a mistake, but the license plate matched exactly. It was my car; returned to me in the exact condition I last saw it in.
“You Lauren?” A deep male voice asked from behind me and I jumped in fright.
I spun around, clutching my chest. “Y-yes. Do I know you?”
The man was a giant, with close-cropped blond hair and piercing blue eyes. My heart gave a sudden pang of loss. Jack had beautiful blue eyes too.
Not the time, heart. You knew him for one day.
One day!
He shook his head. “You don’t know me, but that’s your car, right?”
Oh, Jesus.
What had Monica gotten herself into this time? Better yet, what had Monica gotten me into? Had she used my car as collateral?
I nodded dumbly and the man smiled. “Name’s Jamie. I’m a-uh- friend of your mom’s. She’s detoxing and after checking into it, I saw that this car was registered to you.”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Maybe he thought there’d be reward money involved, but any spare change I’d had went to paying off toll violations. “I don’t have any money, if that’s why you’re here—”
Jamie shook his head. “It’s not. Just wanted to return the car to you. It’s got a full tank of gas and just had an oil change. You don’t owe me anything.”
He held out the keys and I tucked them into my purse. He seemed so nice, that I couldn’t let him go without a warning. “You—um, you might think you know Monica, but just be careful. She’ll feed you any sob story to get what she wants—which inevitably ends up being more drugs.”
Jamie nodded, as if he was actually taking my words to heart. “Yeah, I think that’s how she used to be. Maybe once she’s clean, you could get to know her again.”
I shook my head and turned to walk toward my apartment. “Oh no, I’ve been there, done that more times than I care to admit to a perfect stranger. Let’s just say that I’ve lost not only all respect, but a lot of material things due to Monica’s addiction. You’re welcome to her; just keep her the hell away from me.”
He agreed. “Absolutely. You take care.”
As he walked off, I called out to him, “Thank you…for bringing my car back.”
He waved and then disappeared in the dark parking lot.
It was impossible to believe anything that had just transpired. Addicts stole, but usually didn’t bother replacing. Monica had held onto my necklace and my car, ensuring that I’d gotten both back. Well, her scary boyfriend had taken care of the car, but it still didn’t make a bit of sense.
I let myself into my apartment, while my mind tried to piece together a rational explanation for why my car was back in my possession.
Maybe the universe had finally decided to stop taking a shit on me.
If that was the case… “Uh, Universe? Think you could send me a man while you’re at it?”
Hey, it never hurt to try.
Chapter Seven
March 2014
I parked my truck in the spillover lot at Nick’s, while looking around for David’s truck. It appeared the place had gotten pretty popular since I gave up drinking almost four years ago.
Once I was certain that Grey wasn’t going to screw me in Galveston, I changed my entire life to keep the club happy. I’d only been half kidding when I told David that I’d sold my soul to Satan. Working for Grey was singlehandedly the hardest job I’d ever had.
I was his bitch, for lack of a better term.
A couple of years ago, I’d made the mistake of researching the statute of limitations on murder in the state of Texas. Within two minutes, my phone was ringing.
“Getting cold feet on me again?” Grey had laughed as he said it, but my skin broke out in a fine sheen of sweat as I shut down the browser.
I doubt I took a shit that he didn’t know about within minutes. I knew in that moment that my life belonged to the club. Even if the statute of limitations expired on wrongful death after two years, Silent Phoenix MC had kept my hands nice and dirty all the way up to the present.
Just last night, Grey had called, wanting me to run plates on a vehicle. “Got a new club whore here. She’s an addict, driving a really nice Toyota. Something about this ain’t settling well with me, kid.”
He gave me the plate number and I had one of the other office
rs run it through a database for me. Unsurprisingly, it came back stolen.
I gave him the information and he sighed, “Yep, that’s what I thought. I’m gonna take it to Comedian’s shop and have him buff out all the dings and replace the upholstery. Looks like a fucking bullet hole in the back window—gonna need to replace that too. Give me forty-eight hours and then close the case. I don’t want anything on that vehicle tracing back to me—we clear?”
I made sure he knew that I had it taken care of and then went back to work. I didn’t know what his plans were for the car—I didn’t care what his plans were, to be honest. The less I knew, the better off I was.
When David called not long after and asked me to meet him for dinner, I quickly agreed. I hadn’t seen much of him in the last year. John died and David shut himself off from everyone. My calls and texts went unanswered and I tried not to take it personally, but fuck—John had been like a father to me too. I’d sort of imagined David like my brother and thought we’d get through his death together. Instead, my closest friend in the entire world, built a wall and kept me out.
By the time he and Elizabeth got back from their honeymoon, I’d moved out of our old college house and bought a place outside of town. I knew Grey had eyes everywhere, but I liked the illusion of privacy I got out in the country.
Life had taken us in different directions, but up until recently, David hadn’t let anything come between us. I assumed that tonight was his way of coming back around. I walked through the crowded bar and immediately caught the back of his head out on the patio.
“Hey man, good to see ya,” I shook his hand and he pulled me into a rough hug.
When he sat back down, I noticed that his eyes were bloodshot and his hair was in need of a trim.
He glanced around the patio before leaning in toward me. “So, I cheated on Beth. Do you want a beer?”
I frowned and waited for the punchline. “You’re shitting me, right? Is this a joke?” This time, I looked around, certain a camera crew was about to pop up out of nowhere.
His head dropped down onto his chest. “No, I fucked up. It’s just been so hard since my dad—and we were fighting all the time. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but Jess was there—”
I held my hand up and stopped him. “Wait, just so I get this straight. You’re telling me that you couldn’t deal with John’s death, so you went out and fucked your wife’s best friend?”
I’d seen enough shit early on that I never put stock into the whole marriage business. Men weren’t made to be monogamous—how many times had my old man used that line on me? But David didn’t live in the world that I did.
He was going to break through all of that and live happily ever after or some bullshit. The problem was that he’d decided to play both the hero and villain in his story.
All this did was reinforce my thoughts on marriage. What pissed me off was the fact that Elizabeth was such a caring person. Hell, most people wouldn’t have ever talked to me again had their first encounter involved me in the middle of three-way.
Not Elizabeth though.
She’d pretended like the whole thing had never happened and was always quick to greet me when she came over. She took the time to get to know me—well, the me I could present.
The thing was, she could’ve been a complete bitch to me and I would’ve admitted that I deserved it. I may not have had any faith in modern day marriages working out, but there was one cause I was fiercely loyal to—my friends.
And I considered her one.
David shook his head, still staring down at the deck. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I was drunk and when I came to, she was there…said we’d hooked up. Jesus, you gotta help me.”
I stared at him with raised brows. “And how would you propose I go about doing that, David? Want me to write a letter to the past you and tell you that fucking your wife’s best friend is a bad idea? Maybe I could send myself back to knee you in the balls before you made a mistake? What in the ever-living fuck can I do to fix your mess? Bring John back? Jesus Christ, David, I’d do it in a heartbeat if I could. Your old man was one of the good ones.”
David kept his head down and pinched the bridge of his nose, nodding along with me. “I don’t know, Mike. I don’t even know where we went wrong. My dad wanted me to make her a priority and I failed at that. I thought by taking on more jobs, that it’d bring us closer.”
As I sat there and listened to him try and justify his promiscuity, I couldn’t help but feel a little grateful that my work with Grey had kept me from having much of a social life at all. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d been punched in the face.
The next night, just as I was pulling into my driveway, David called. His voice was frantic. “Mike, someone broke into the house! Beth, she’s there alone.”
“Where are you?” I didn’t wait for his response; I’d already turned my truck around.
He stumbled over his words. “I’m up in Amarillo working a job site. Can you get to her? I’m on my way home now.”
I told him I was headed to his house and drove faster than was probably safe to get there before the police showed up.
Elizabeth was standing out on the driveway, shaking like a leaf, when I pulled up. Her eyes were wide with fear and it was obvious that she’d been crying.
“Alright, Elizabeth. Let’s get you back in the house.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her inside. She jumped when the door latched shut behind us and I had to guide her over to the couch.
I snagged a blanket off the back of it and wrapped it around her shoulders before joining her. Cam and Zane, two of LPD’s patrol officers checked the house and yard while we waited. I was anxious to be out there with them, but it was clear that Elizabeth was in no shape to be left alone.
I wondered if she’d been living like this the entire time David had been off getting drunk and fucking her best friend. I felt awful for her. I’d seen my mother go through the same thing with my father. Shit like that turned someone into a shell of the person they once were.
No relationship was worth that.
Cam came in through the back door. She ran her hand through her long red hair, brushing it back off her forehead. She glanced over at me and then sat down on the ottoman in front of Elizabeth. “Mrs. Greene, you’re sure nothing has been taken?”
“No, I don’t think so. I didn’t notice anything of value missing. I just came home and the back window was shattered.” Her teeth chattered together loudly and I tucked the blanket around her a little more.
Cam looked at me again, “Detective Sullivan, could I have a word?”
I knew what she was doing. Obviously, something hadn’t settled right with them, but I wasn’t about to leave Elizabeth alone in the state she was in. I draped my arm across Elizabeth’s shoulder. “Anything you’ve got for me can be said in front of her.”
Kyle walked back in with something rectangular in his hands. He held it up for me to see, “Does this look familiar?”
It was brief, but Elizabeth’s eyes sparked with recognition, immediately followed by panic. “That was the frame for a picture from our wedding day. Where’s the picture?”
Kyle wasn’t exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, so I cut in to ask, “Did you dust that for fingerprints?”
He gave me a pointed look and replied, “We did and recovered nothing. It was right outside that back window. We’ve checked everywhere inside and out, but cannot find evidence that anyone was here.” He turned back to Elizabeth, “We didn’t find a picture. Just the empty frame.”
After assuring Elizabeth that they would file a report and follow up on any leads, I walked both of them out to their car.
“What are you thinking, Cam?”
She shook her head and opened the driver’s side door. “Something’s off about this one. I felt like she was withholding information in there. If someone did break in, then it was someone either she or the husband knows.”
Jess.
I thanked them and went back inside, stopping to grab two beers from the fridge on my way. I was only going to take a couple of sips—just enough to keep me relaxed. If Elizabeth suspected something, the last thing I needed was to look like a guy with the answers. Fucking David. Leaving me to deal with his shit.
Elizabeth took a sip from her beer and then placed it on a coaster, all while seemingly lost in thought.
I watched her closely, looking for any signs that she knew who was behind the break-in. If she suspected her best friend, then she was certainly hiding it well.
“Elizabeth, are you okay?”
She jumped again and looked over at me, “Yeah, just trying to figure out who would’ve done this and why.”
I took a small swig of beer. “Yeah, it’s not normal by any stretch of the imagination. It’s like it was done just to prove they could get in, unless something scared them off.”
She nodded and then immediately broke down crying. I pulled her up against my chest and took a deep breath. I was immediately assaulted with a memory of Charlotte. I met her once, but it was like her scent was on Elizabeth.
That might’ve been scarier than the fact that someone broke into her house.
I tried reassuring her. “Hey now, it’s going to be fine. David’s going to be here in the next couple of hours. Just relax; you’ve been so strong dealing with this.” She placed her head on my shoulder and there it was again; I could almost see her face in my mind.
I closed my eyes and imagined she was there. I ran my hands up and down her back, certain I could feel the green satin against my palm.
She leaned in closer to me and inhaled deeply. And, with that, came the realization that this was not Charlotte. It was Elizabeth and we were closer than would be considered appropriate by anyone with eyes. The tears came back full force and she buried her face against my neck.
“Why don’t you go try to get some sleep and I’ll stay on the couch until David gets in.”
She nodded and stood up, “Thanks, Mike."
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