Page 90 of Sighs By the Sea

“Suzannah is here.”

The line is quiet. “Maggie?”

“Is she okay?” How the hell does she know Suzannah is in trouble? My beautiful detective constantly surprises me, but I don’t have time to enjoy the realization. I quickly explain the situation.

When I’m done, Maggie’s voice comes through the phone, calm and authoritative.

“She’s asking for help?” I confirm that she is, and Maggie takes a deep breath. “I’m sending an ambulance, and we’ll get her in a program. There are a ton of secret ones in LA, so that will keep her safe too. But Gray, she needs to tell us something in return.”

“I’ll get her to open up,” I say, though I don't know how it will happen. “I love you, Maggie.”

“Love you too, Gray. I’ll be right there.”

I hang up, tuck my phone away, and go back to the living room. Suzannah is looking around, her eyes seeming to take everything in. It's fairly clear that there's a child living here. His things are everywhere.

“You live here… with her.” It’s a statement of fact, her face unreadable.

“George and I moved in because of the contract on my life, yes.” But Suzannah isn’t stupid; she can read between the lines.

“Because you love her, not for whatever fake reason you’ve drummed up in your head. You want to be here.”

I put a hand on my forehead and try to quell my discomfort. Hurting her is not what I want, regardless of what she’s done.

“Yes, Suzannah. Maggie is a wonderful woman. She makes George and I very happy.”

“I want you happy.” She gives me a small smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

I see my opportunity and pounce on it, scooting closer to her. “Then help me stop him. If you tell us he gave you the money, then we can—”

After some hesitation, Suze agrees silently. “It was Don. All of it.”

“How, Suzannah? Please, tell me the whole story. I need to know.”

“Gray, you know how charming Don has always been. A giant flirt, even when we were married,” she says.

I nod. At the time, I thought it was completely innocent. We hardly ever saw him except at family gatherings.

“We were still together the first time Don and I…” She clears her throat and adjusts on the couch, closing her eyes as if recounting the story is painful. “He invited me out for drinks and gave me some cocaine. It was my first time trying it, and I felt amazing. I know you probably don’t get it, but when you feel so down for so long and something comes along that just perks you up and makes you feel so alive…”

I don’t know if she’s talking about the drugs or Don. Her face has lightened, even with her eyes closed as she describes the initial days of sneaking around with Don.

I feel a white-hot rage consume me as she continues to explain how Don had charmed her, supplied her with drugs, and manipulated her.

“When you turned on the family, he went on the run. I helped where I could. By that time, I was pretty well hooked on all sorts of things. Sleeping around for my next fix, trying to keep him from knowing. He started working for Axe.”

When Suze explains how Don hit her, her voice gets shaky. “The first time he hit me, it was like the floodgates had opened. His true colors popped through.” Tears start falling as she continues. “Then he found out I was pregnant. I don’t know who told him. Probably Chewy or Axe.” She sniffles and hangs her head. "It's Axe's baby." There’s so much pain in her voice that my hand rubs her back of its own accord. Anger is still there, but this is a broken woman who has been through so much. I can't stop myself from caring. I'm human.

"Your grandfather told him about the life insurance. I don't know when." She hugs onto her own arms, cheeks glistening with spilt tears. "He threatened me and the baby to get me to help. You die, I show up to claim the money. The life insurance would get him out of debt and he promised to leave me alone." My fists clench as I listen, my brother's betrayal cutting deeper than any physical wound.

“Where did the money to pay the gangs come from?” I ask, barely able to contain my fury.

“Loan shark named Tony Felt, who I am sure is looking for him now too. I saw him four days ago, and he looked terrible. That’s when he did this.” I shake my head, my entire body trembling with her story.

"Where is he now?" I ask, hardly able to contain the fury in my voice. Her shoulder shakes with silent cries as she shakes her head. "Suzannah, if you ever loved me, if you ever loved George, you have to tell us!" I yell, finally using every tool in my arsenal. If she won't tell me after that, I know it's no use trying to get anything else from her.

"Hiding in San Diego," she whispers through her silent tears.

Before I can ask another question, Maggie comes in through the front door. I give her a sad look, and she stiffens her spine. Maggie is back, and she’s going to help me fix this disaster.

---