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“Emma. Do you have any enemies who would do something to Alex in an attempt to frame you?”
His tentative question made me laugh. “Alex is the only person who seems to hate me, oh and now his brother Mark. He’s never been a fan but now he worries me.”
“If you get anything concrete, I’m happy to act.”
I was about to tell the sheriff about the car that followed me the other night, but then I thought twice. That would mean giving more statements, and right now, I just wanted to get back to Slate and my daughter. “I will do. Do you need anything else from me today?”
“One thing. You’re staying with Asher Miller.” It wasn’t a question.
“Mark showed up at my house the day after I reported my husband missing and scared my daughter, and since he’s been harassing me and you all don’t seem to be inclined to do anything about it, he offered us a place to stay where we can be safe.” My pointed words hit their mark.
There was something behind the sheriff’s eyes that made me curious, but I knew better than to ask questions. “If you think of anything that can help, feel free to call.”
“Thank you, Sheriff Cross, I will do. In the meantime I have a daughter who needs me.”
“Emma,” he sighed and followed me out of his office. “There’s only so much we can do.”
As I walked towards the entrance I muttered under my breath, “It seems like your entire department is willing to tear my life apart just to find a man who left, yet no one was willingto lift a finger when I needed help.” I pushed the glass door with enough force that it nearly smacked against the wall, but I froze at the sight of Mark waiting for me.
“Hello, sister,” he said. I glanced through the door to see if Sheriff Cross was still there. He was talking to the officer on the reception desk.
I swallowed down my fear and squared my shoulders. “I’m not your sister.”
His fake pout hid a delighted smile. “Just tell me what you did to my brother, and I’ll leave you alone.”
“Why don’t you tell me what you did to him? I mean, he refused to loan you money just a couple months ago, right?” While I was still terrified of what Mark might do, I felt bolder. Braver. I was standing outside the Sheriff’s Department, he couldn’t hurt me here.
“You stupid bitch,” he shouted and pushed off his car as I walked down the short cement steps that led to the parking lot. “If you’ve done anything to my brother,” he began but I cut him off.
“You know what he did to me! How the fuck do you think I could hurt him? He’d kill me!” I shouted.
Anger and hatred flashed in his eyes.
“Is everything all right out here?” Sheriff Cross’s voice sounded behind me.
I looked over my shoulder, my heart was racing with fear and anger. “If it isn’t will you be able to do something about it?” I didn’t wait for him to reply. “Didn’t think so.” With my head heldhigh, I pushed my shoulders back and walked to my car with as much confidence as I could muster, though inside I was shaking.
So much for my life being more peaceful without Alex in it. I wished that this nightmare would end, but could it? I was always going to have the specter of Alex’s death hanging over me.
Chapter 24
Slate
“Gettin’ awfully cozy with the pretty mom, aren’t you?” Diesel stood beside me and together we watched Ash and Leo chase Chopper around the clubhouse’s expansive backyard.
I sighed heavily as I thought about the news I’d received less than twenty-four hours ago. With Emma talking to the sheriff again, I decided the clubhouse was where we needed to be, and I’d sent Emma a text so she wouldn’t panic. “Yeah, about that,” I began just as Rebel and Rocky stepped out with joints hanging from their lips. “Remember that girl Vick I told you about?”
Rebel groaned. “The sexy little pixie you couldn’t stop thinking about?”
Rocky laughed. “The one you were too much of a pussy to track down? Nope, we don’t remember her at all.”
“Assholes,” I grumbled. That was the thing about brothers, they gave you shit like nobody else could. “Her name was Vick. It was a fake name,” I admitted. “Not fake but it was her middle name. Her full name is Emma Victoria Roberts.”
Silence settled around us for a full minute.
And then another minute.
And another.
