He was silent again, staring into my multicolored eyes. With all first loves, there was a tragic story. Gabe knew mine and maybe one day he’d tell me his, but I knew it wasn’t today. “Yeah,” he finally said and rose from the bed.
I stayed in bed while Gabe left the room. He was the one who brought up the smell, and I was the one to bring up how he knew about it. I didn’t know it was such a big deal, but apparently it was. I could tell he was still hurting. I didn’t know when they broke up or how—I may never find out. Hopefully, since Gabe had dealt with his own share of heartbreak, he’d be able to help me with mine.
I found Gabe in the kitchen and we had breakfast and coffee. I thought about going to Club 24, but I was worried Rich would show up. The more I stayed away from my usual haunts, the less likely I’d see him. Afterward, we left to get my post-Rich life started by trying to get me some money.
Paul was still asleep when we left the house. Gabe mentioned that he had a date the night before and probably got in late. I still didn’t know what the two did for work. It was Monday morning and they both weren’t working. I asked Gabe again, but he only said he and Paul took time off to help me. He mentioned something about having clients with specific needs. Before I could get more details, we pulled into the parking lot of the bank where I’d thought Rich held our bank accounts.
I filled out the withdrawal slip and stood in line. I didn’t know the account number … didn’t even know if I was on the account. Since I had worked at a different bank for many years, I knew if I wasn’t on the account then I wouldn’t be able to pull out any money.
“I’d like to withdraw money from my account, please.” I handed the teller my driver’s license and the withdraw slip. “I don’t know the account number. It’s under my name and my husband, Richard Jones.” I smiled.
She took the slip and my ID and proceeded to type in things on the computer. “I’m sorry, I don’t see an account under your name.”
“It’s under my husband’s name, right?”
“I’m sorry but I can’t give you that information.”
I gave a tight smile. “Thank you.” I turned around to leave, but instead turned back toward the teller. “Actually, can I do a cash advance on my credit card?”
“Of course,” Jill confirmed. “It’s a five thousand dollar maximum.”
“Perfect. Let’s try that.” I didn’t know how much of a limit my credit card would allow. I wanted to get the most I could get. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t thought of it sooner.
I was able to withdraw the five thousand dollars and we left and went to my old work. I wanted to see Brandi too. When we arrived, Brandi beamed when she saw me. After helping a customer, she came over to us.
“So … Guess I missed one hell of a party?” She laughed and sat down in a blue cushioned chair across from us.
“You can say that again.” I shook my head, still not believing everything that had happened. “You should be glad you weren’t there.”
“I wish I was there because I would’ve helped you.”
“It’s okay.” I looked over at Gabe and smiled. “This guy happened to be there and my parents helped me.”
“That’s crazy you showed up with Rich’s campaign manager. What are the odds?”
“Small world.” Gabe chuckled with a nod.
“Especially since you know Rich,” Brandi said.
Gabe groaned. “Don’t get me started.”
“Anyway. What are you doing here?” Brandi asked. “Shouldn’t you be in hiding?”
“Autumn’s not hiding,” Gabe hissed. “She has me and I dare Major Dick to try something again.”
“Again?” Brandi asked, giving me a questioning look.
“Remember he showed up yesterday?” I asked. I hadn’t given her every detail when I talked to her the night before on the phone, but I had told her he showed up at the house while we were there getting my things.
“Yeah, but you didn’t tell me that something went down.”
“Nothing really went down,” I groaned. “Words were exchanged and that’s it.” I leaned back in the plush chair and crossed my arms over my chest.
She held up her hands in front of her. “I understand. You don’t want to get into it now, but I want to know details soon. I know you didn’t tell me everything last night.”
“I’ll tell you soon.” I gave a tight smile.
“Okay, good. So what are you doing here?”
“I need you to withdraw the max from one of my credit cards as a cash advance and then open a checking account for me.”
“Sure. No problem.” She stood, holding out her hand. “I’ll go do that right now.”
I handed her my credit card and driver’s license. While she was gone, Gabe let me use his phone to search for an attorney. I figured there was a slim chance I could get a same day consultation, but I wanted to have one booked before I was served with papers from Rich.
Growing up, I never thought I’d get a divorce. I’m sure no one does. My parents had a loving marriage and after thirty years of marriage, they’re still going strong. You go into every marriage with thoughts of staying together forever—except Rich apparently. Who knows, maybe he did want to stay married to me forever and have his pussy on the side. The night Rich proposed I envisioned growing old with him, having children with him and being together until our last breaths.
It seemed as if everything changed in a blink of an eye.
Now a part of me feared I’d never trust a man again. Gabe was right, he had never done anything to put doubt into my head, but I barely knew him. I was already in a relationship with Gabe and it had only been two days since I’d officially left Rich.
“You okay?” Gabe asked.
I turned my head toward him. “Yeah, I’m just reading about divorces in Nevada. Apparently Nevada’s a no-fault state and it doesn’t matter that Rich cheated on me the entire time or that I basically cheated on him with you—”
“You didn’t cheat on him. You left him and he knew you left him.”
“I guess we can look at it that way. Doesn’t matter though.” I shrugged.
Gabe nodded and I continued searching on his phone. I found a few websites that said it would only take two to three weeks to get divorced if we didn’t contest anything. I hoped that was the case because Rich owed me. My luck though—he wouldn’t want to give me a dime other than what he was obligated to in spousal support. I’d be okay though. I didn’t need his filthy money.
Gabe and I left the bank after Brandi opened a new checking account for me and gave me a temporary debit card. Afterward, Gabe drove me to get a new cell phone and then I called a few attorneys and made a consultation for Wednesday. I’d wanted something sooner but apparently, not only were a lot of people getting married in Vegas, but they were also getting divorced.
I programmed Brandi’s number and my parents’ number into my phone—my parents’ numbers were the only ones I knew by heart. While we drove back to Gabe’s house, I called the Luxor to check on them. They were fine and ready to go home.
“Parents are good. They’re going home tomorrow. I think it’ll be safe.”
“Yeah,” Gabe murmured. I looked over to him as he drove, silently questioning his response. “So … Paul just sent me a weird text.”
“About what?”
“He said the cops are at our house and he has to go to the station for questioning.”
My eyes became the size of silver dollars. “Questioning for what?”
“He didn’t say, but he did say he thinks they are waiting for us too.”
I swallowed hard. “You think Rich called the cops on us?”
“And said what? That we kicked his ass?”
“No.” I shook my head. “That we held him at gunpoint.”
He huffed. “Let him. It was self-defense, angel.”
“Oh my God, this is turning into a nightmare.” I leaned my head back against the headrest, taking a deep breath while I closed my eyes
wanting to scream or cry. “I should have just left town.”
“You’re not running from him. You’re not hiding from him either. I’m here to protect you.”
“He probably talked his cop buddies into arresting us.”
“Even if that’s the case, he needs proof.”
“He has the camera feed.”
Gabe huffed again. “Feed that shows we were there getting your things, then he came in and started a fight—”
I snapped my head toward him again. “You threw the first punch.”
He was silent for a few minutes as if he was trying to recall what had actually happened. “Yeah, I did.”
“What if his plan is to get you and Paul locked up and then come after me?”
I was on the verge of tears, a lump forming in my throat. Rich couldn’t win this war. This wasn’t fair. This wasn’t right. He was an atrocious man—a criminal—an abuser and I didn’t deserve to live in fear.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gabe
“What if he’s plan is to get you and Paul locked up and then come after me?”
The closer I drove to the house, the more I wanted to turn around and drive off with Autumn and never look back. Fucking Major Dick! I didn’t know if I was driving into my demise or if it was just another hurdle I needed to face when it came to Autumn. I didn’t want to lose her. If I was behind bars, and so was Jackson, there was no way for me to protect her.
“If the cops arrest us, I want you to take my car and go get your parents. Leave town.”
“I can’t just leave you,” she protested.
“Just leave until this blows over. I’ll call you. I have your number now.” I smiled, trying to put her at ease when in fact I was nervous as fuck.
“And if they arrest me?”
“It’s going to be okay.” I reached for her hand and held it in mine. “They can’t hold you. You didn’t do anything, and once they see the feed, they’ll know that. I have some friends in L.A. you can stay with. Take my phone and get the numbers for Bryce and Cayson.”
She nodded and grabbed both phones. By the time I pulled into the driveway, she was done and an unmarked police car sat on the street in front of my house.
“It’s going to be okay.” I grabbed her hand before she could open the car door. “Whatever happens, we’re going to be okay.”
She sighed and I pulled her toward me, before giving her a kiss. I didn’t know when I’d get to do it again and I wanted to ingrain it into my memory just in case. The kiss wasn’t like our usual ones. The way her mouth moved against mine was hesitant as if she wasn’t sure what I was saying was true.
I didn’t know my fate; I’d assaulted Rich, but Autumn—she’d be okay. If she stuck to the plan, she could be in L.A. and I knew my boys, Bryce and Cayson, would take care of her.
I grabbed her hand when I rounded the hood of my Yukon and we started to walk to the front door but were stopped by a detective.
“Mr. Hastings. Mrs. Jones. I’m Detective Evans and this is Detective King.” He motioned to himself and his partner. Both men looked to be in their late fifties with peppered colored hair. They took off their sunglasses as they approached and I stared at them.
“What can we do for you, detectives?”
“We’d like you to come in so we can ask you a few questions about an ongoing investigation.”
“Questions about what?” I prodded.
“Mr. Hastings, it would be better if you came by the station.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, my legs spread a little trying to show them I wasn’t scared when in reality I was. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized they weren’t looking to arrest us. If Rich filed charges against me or even Autumn, I’d assume they’d arrest us right away and not ask us to go to the station.
“Now?” Autumn asked from behind me.
“Yes, Mrs. Jones. The sooner, the better.”
“We’ll follow you.” I grabbed Autumn’s hand to lead her back to the car. “I’m not sure what’s going on, angel, but if Rich called his cop buddies or the regular cops, I’d assume they would have arrested me.”
“Every scenario is running through my head,” she groaned.
“Mine too,” I admitted.
I used to think the only excitement my life saw was when I was with a client. One time I’d escorted a client to a female strip club. I was all for it. Trista and I met up with two of her female friends and they watched me get attention from the strippers. They thought it would be a turn on. So did I. But when we walked into the strip club, at least two of the strippers were pregnant and the thought of a pregnant stripper trying to entice me had the opposite effect.
“No. Just no!” Allison commented as we sat around the round dance floor with a pole in the center running to the ceiling.
I barely heard her over the music that blared, but it made me laughed. “They need the money for their babies.”
That night I’d thought I’d officially seen it all—now I might be seeing the inside of a jail cell for the first time. Fighting with Major Dick, guns being pulled, and now on the way to the police station tops the most excitement I’ve had in five years.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Autumn
We followed the detectives to the police station. It was a request on their part, but I didn’t want to add running from the law on my list of shit I was stressing about. When we arrived, I went with Detective King and Gabe went with Detective Evans to small offices.
I’d always pictured people being interrogated in a large room with a steel or wood table in the center, a two-way mirror that watched the interview from and being asked if I wanted something to drink so they can run my prints. I’d seen it enough on TV to think that was how the system worked. In reality, I was led to a tiny room with a small rectangle wood table that barely fit in the room. There were only two chairs next to it and a video camera hung in the corner that pointed down on the table.
“Can I get you a bottle of water?” Detective King asked.
I looked up into his grey eyes as I sat nervously in the uncomfortable metal chair placed in the corner at the end of the table. “I’m good for now. Thank you.”
“All right.” He nodded and shrugged off his black suit jacket, hung it on the back of the chair and then sat down diagonal from me. “Let’s get started. I have a few questions.”
“Okay,” I replied, nervously fidgeting with my hands in my lap.
“Where were you last night?”
“With Gabe at his house.”
“The entire night?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“And what time did you arrive at his house?”
I thought for a few moments. “I’m not exactly sure. Sometime in the afternoon.”
“And where were you in the morning?”
“You want every detail of where I was yesterday?”
“Yes.” He nodded.
I tilted me head a little as if to question what he was getting at. “I woke up at Gabe’s house, we went to visit my parents and then I went to my house.”
“What kind of relationship do you and Mr. Hastings have?”
I blinked at him. “Why does it matter? What is this all about?”
“Mrs. Jones, just answer the questions.”
“We’re friends.”
He leaned back in his chair, setting his hands in his lap. “You’re not romantically involved?”
“What does it matter?” I questioned with irritation in my voice.
“It just helps with our investigation.”
“Investigation with what?” I was trying to stay calm. I didn’t want to upset the detective, but I also hated not knowing what I was doing there.
“I’ll get to that after you answer my questions.”
“Yes, Gabe—I mean, Mr. Hastings and I are romantically involved.”
“And you’re married?”
I sucked in a breath. “Yes. Technically I’m married, but the last t
ime I checked it wasn’t illegal to have an affair.” The words slipped from my mouth before I could process what I was saying. Maybe Rich had hired these detectives to find out how long Gabe and I were seeing each other. I didn’t know what good that would do, but it was the only thing I could think of.
“It’s not. When was the last time you saw your husband?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back in my chair to match Detective King. Of course, this was about Rich. “Yesterday afternoon.”
“What happened?”
“Did he file a charge against me? Is this what this is about?”
“Mrs. Jones, please just answer the question.”
“Fine. We went to my house to get my things because I was leaving my husband. He’s not the man everyone thinks he is and I no longer wanted to be married to him. While we were there, he showed up and said some nasty things to me—”
“What’d he say?”
I sighed and looked up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath. “He said that he’d never loved me and only married me because I looked good on his arm.”
“And that pissed you off?”
“Well, of course it did, detective.” I hissed.
“Enough to kill him?”
I sucked in a breath again and stared at his face, not saying anything for a few seconds. “What?”
“Were you angry enough to kill your husband?”
“I … You’re …” I paused again, trying to form the words in my head. “Are you saying Rich is dead?”
“You didn’t know?”
“How was I supposed to know? I left him and haven’t seen him in twenty-four hours.” I looked down at my lap, feeling a lump form in my throat. I wanted to fight off my tears. Rich wasn’t worth them, but my heart didn’t know that. Detective King didn’t say anything while I ran my hand over my forehead, still looking down at my lap as if I had a headache, thinking of how this was possible. “How?” I asked, not lifting my head.
“We’re not sure yet.”
I raised my head to meet his gaze again. “You don’t know how?” A single tear spilled over my bottom eyelid and I wiped it away.
Angels & Whiskey Page 21
