Page 120 of Stone

“They threw rocks at her, John,” Iris whispered. “She was leaving, and they threw rocks at her back, said it’s okay ‘cause they stoned whores to death in the Bible. She fell to her knees, pregnant, and they said it was the best place for a whore.”

I closed my eyes, and my chest began heaving as I sucked air into my burning lungs. “Who?” I muttered, jaw ticking. “Who threw the rocks.”

Abe gave me a wry look. “Seth.”

“He’s a dead man walkin’,” I bit out through clenched teeth. “He got his warnin’. Now, he’ll get his punishment. But this time, the knife’ll be in his heart.”

“How’s Elise?” Iris asked quietly.

Tears sprang to my eyes, and my chest tightened painfully. “Not mine anymore.”

Abe's hand reached out, curled around my neck, and he tugged me to him, arms enclosing me in a man hug. “I’m sorry, Son.”

I grunted; the pain unbearable.

“Get him inside, baby,” Iris ordered gently. “He needs something stronger than beer. He can crash here tonight.”

Abe took me into the house and sat me on the couch while he took the chair opposite. I sat forward, elbows to knees, holding my head in my hands, wretched and lost.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m ravaged, Abe,” I croaked. “Spent months in captivity. The only thing that kept me alive was the thought of comin’home to my Leesy. Finally get here and I find out my dad and the men I grew up respecting abused and frightened her while she was pregnant. And I wonder why she left me.”

“Bandit knew the baby wasn’t yours,” Abe muttered. “It was why he was so angry. He said he’d had a bad night without you and Connie, so he partied. Was still drunk the next mornin’ when Elise turned up, swollen belly and all, and he lost his shit.”

“No excuse,” I muttered through the feel of my heart withering away. “I would’ve taken the kid on, Abe. Would’ve loved it ‘cause it was part of her. But she just stood outside her big mansion, next to her Porsche, and told me in no uncertain terms that she was done, the club and everything in it were animals, and she wanted no part of it, or me.”

“She loved you, John,” Abe murmured. “Whatever you think, don’t lose sight of that.”

I just shrugged because what could I say?

“When you died, she died too,” he continued. “I saw it with my own eyes, she was a walking corpse. Her dad, you, then Connie fucked with her head. Heard all sorts at the time. When she was told you died, they found her down the creek, laying on ice, mutterin’ how she wanted to die too. They had to take her to hospital and warm her up. After the business with Bandit, they found her down there again, sitting in the snow where we set up that picnic for you both, pregnant and clinging to that damned tree.”

My head bowed, and I ripped at my hair. “Fuck!”

“Don’t give up, John,” Abe said softly.

“She already has,” I retorted. “She marriedhim,and they’ve got a kid. I love her and always will, but she betrayed me. I get she was lonely when I was away, but I thought what we had was enough. Now, all this has happened with the club. It’s nailed the coffin closed, at least for her.” I looked at him bleakly.“She’s given everything she promised me, to him, Abe. How am I supposed to live with that?”

He sighed and nodded. “I know, Son.”

My heart clenched painfully. “She was my Connie. My Iris. Mine. Now she’s his and it’s something I have to somehow learn to live with.”

Abe stared into space, deep in thought. “All I can suggest is that you put your energy into somethin’ else. Clean that fuckin’ club up, John. Turn it around and make it something you can be proud of.”

My eyes met Abe’s. “Need your help, brother. Don’t leave.”

“John,” he said quietly. “Don’t ask it of me, please—”

I held my hand up to stop him. “Just hear me out.”

Abe’s lips thinned frustratedly, but he rolled his eyes and called out, “Rissy!”

She poked her head around the door. “Yeah?”

He craned his neck and grinned at her. “Don’t pretend you haven’t been standing behind the door listening to every word. Get your sweet ass in here. This is as much your decision as mine.”

She giggled and swanned over, parking her ass on the arm of Abe’s chair. “Busted,” she whispered, leaning down and kissing his head.

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