Page 18 of Sprite

He rubbed her back, “Sure you can,” he said. “Plus, now it’s your house. Promise me that you’ll live there,” he begged.

“If you can promise me that you’re going to fight to prove you are innocent, I can promise that if anything happens, I’ll go back to the house.” Chains blew out the breath that he didn’t know he had been holding and she smiled at him. “You were worried about my answer, weren’t you?” she asked.

“I was. This is important to me, Sprite. I just want to make sure that you and our baby will be okay if anything happens to me,” he said.

She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, Chains. Everything will work out. It just has to because I’m not raising this baby on my own. Got it?” she asked.

“I’ve got it,” he agreed. He wished that he hadn’t just lied to her, but he had no choice. At the moment, he didn’t feel like he had anything straight and that scared the shit out of him.

Sprite

Sprite finished a work call with her boss at the accounting firm, and when he asked if she’d be coming back any time soon, she panicked. She kept herself together enough to tell him that she was still on bed rest because her blood pressure was high, and she’d let him know as soon as it was safe for both her and the baby to return to work. She could understand his frustration. She had been out of work now for a while now and there was no telling when they’d be able to go back to Huntsville. All she really was sure of was that until they could prove that Chains was innocent, they would stay put at the safe house.

Chains had helped her set up a little office in the corner of the bedroom, and she had to admit, she loved the quiet space. She didn’t have coworkers stopping by her desk to chit-chat or ask her a million questions. Chains knew to give her the privacy that she needed to finish her workload every day, and for that, she was grateful.

He worried that he wouldn’t be able to get his job back at the base. He was able to take a leave of absence before the shit hit the fan, but he wasn’t able to call in to talk to hiscommanding officer. If he was arrested for Jake’s murder, he’d be court marshaled immediately. Running might have made him look guilty, but it was the only way to keep searching for the real murderer.

Her cell phone rang, startling her from her work. She hadn’t given her new number to anyone except her boss. Sprite worried about someone being able to trace the call and track her down, but her boss insisted that he have her phone number in case one of her clients needed to reach her. He agreed to take a message, and she called the client back on another burner phone, just to be safe. Sprite made up some lie about not wanting anyone to disturb her because it might raise her blood pressure, and he seemed to buy it.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hey, honey,” her mother whispered.

“Mom, why are you calling me? How did you get this number?” Her mother had written her off the night that she practically Sprite out of her trailer. Jake had convinced her mother that he hadn’t laid a finger on her and even said that it must have been one of the guys at the bar that beat the hell out of her because she was bruised and bloody when she got home. It made Sprite sick that her mother actually believed Jake and not her. How could a mother believe her boyfriend over her own flesh and blood? That was what hurt the most—even more than the bruises and cuts that Jake had left on her face and body. Her mom insisted that she pack her things and leave—even helping her to load up her car. She didn’t seem to care where Sprite was going to stay. She never asked. Her mom told her not to come back, and that worked for her because she’d never want to go back to a mother who didn’t believe her. Sprite would never go back to live with Jake either—that was for sure.

“Your very nice boss, down at the accounting firm, gave me your new number. You couldn’t even call me to let me know that you were leaving town and changing your number?” she asked.

“Um, I didn’t call to give you updates about myself because you kicked me out of your life. You chose to believe Jake over me, and I got your message loud and clear when you tossed my belongings into my truck and told me never to come back,” Sprite reminded.

“I’m sorry about all that,” her mother said. “Jake lied to me, and I should have believed you. I learned my lesson though. After you left, Jake hit me, and I told him to leave.”

“When was that, Mom?” Sprite asked.

“It was about a month and a half ago,” she said. That was also about the time that Jake was murdered and left in the dumpster at Savage Hell for the cops to find. “And then, he was murdered. The police told me that your new boyfriend is their only suspect. Do you know where he is?” her mother asked.

“No,” Sprite breathed. There was no way that she’d tell her mother that she was living in a safe house with Chains or that she was pregnant with his baby. She had a sinking feeling that her mother knew more about Jake’s murder than she was letting on, and if that was the case, she needed to find out just how much her mother knew.

“Well, I was hoping that you did. I know that Jake wasn’t the best human being on the planet, but he didn’t deserve to end up the way that he did,” Her mother insisted. Sprite was sure that her mother had lost her mind. He deserved to end up in a dumpster and so much worse.

“He tried to rape me,” Sprite shouted, “and when I fought to stop him, he punched me in the face, repeatedly. How in the hell can you say that Jake didn’t deserve what happened to him. I hope he’s rotting in hell,” she said.

“You’re right,” her mother whispered, “I’m sorry that happened to you.” Sprite was getting whiplash from her mother’s mood swings, and she couldn’t let her mom off the phone without more information. She knew more than she was sharing.

“I’m sorry that I can’t help you find Chains. I haven’t heard from him for almost two months now. It’s why I left town. I just needed a break,” Sprite lied.

“Well, I’ve missed you and would love to see you. How about we meet for lunch at your favorite diner?” That would mean that Sprite would have to head back to Huntsville, but it would be worth it. If her mother had information about Jake’s murder, it might help to clear Chains’ name, and they’d finally be able to go home.

“All right,” Sprite agreed. “How about tomorrow at noon?” she asked.

“Tomorrow at noon works for me,” her mother agreed. “I’ll see you then.”

“See you then, Mom,” Sprite breathed. She ended the call and tossed her cell phone onto her desk. Her mother was up to something, she just knew it, and there was no way that Sprite would meet her without backup. It was time to tell Chains about her conversation and then get him to take her back to Huntsville. He’d have to lay low while in town, but she was sure that Savage would be able to handle that for them.

“I don’t like this,” Chains growled. “I don’t trust your mother to tell you the truth. Do you think that she’s going to share any news she has about Jake’s death?” She knew that Chains wasright, but she didn’t see any other way around it. “There is still time to turn around and go back to the safehouse,” he breathed.

“I know that you’re nervous about this, but if my mother knows who killed Jake, she might be able to help us clear your name,” Sprite reminded.

“And why would she do that?” Chains asked. “Can you tell me why she’s not a suspect in his murder? She did admit that he hit her once you left.”

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