Page 93 of Second Chance Savior

“Wonderful friends you’d made,” I deadpanned. “Good job.”

“It was too late by then! I knew it was some kind of organized crime. I didn’t have to know the exact details of their business to understand the overall picture. There’s the upper management at the top, and their identities are completely secret. The members are smaller-scale criminals who use Stillwater’s services. My lobbyist contact is kind of like a salesperson. Recruiting officials and bribing them. And selling Stillwater’s services to the members. The lieutenants are the enforcers. They step in when…when money and influence aren’t enough.”

“Do you realize how sick all of that sounds?”

“Of course I do. From the moment I really understood it, I was looking for a way out.”

“But you did what they wanted. You changed your votes for them. Used your influence to keep them from getting caught. You tried to convince me to change my votes too.”

“To protect you.”

Before I could get indignant, a rumbling growl came from River’s direction. The sound was primal. He was squeezing the knife handle.

“I swear, Charlotte, I didn’t want it to be like that! In a way, I was relieved when you broke up with me.”

“Spare me.” I rolled my eyes. “After you and I broke up, you retired and went back to Hartley. Why?”

“That’s what Stillwater wanted. They said they had different needs for me. Something closer to home. Sheriff Douglas was causing trouble for some of Stillwater’s members, and they wanted him out. But the situation was delicate. He had important family connections, and it would draw too much attention if they offed him. So Stillwater asked me to run against him for sheriff. Once I was in office, I could do whatever their members wanted. Then I found out Stillwater had been buying up the land near mine too. They were taking over my life.”

I had zero sympathy. “Is that why you finally decided to run?”

“No.” His gaze darted away. “It was a month ago. When they asked me about your brand new initiative to fight human trafficking. I said I knew nothing about it. You’d broken up with me. But Stillwater wanted me to convince you to shut it down.”

Shock rippled through me. “Is that why you contacted my family? You were trying to get some kind of access to me?”

“No! Not at all. I like your family, Charlotte. They’re good people. That has nothing to do with this.”

I shook my head, feeling sick. “If anything happens to my parents or my sisters…”

“That’s not what Stillwater threatened. They told me if I couldn’t make you stop your initiative, they’d kill you. But I knew you’d never back down. It was the last straw for me. I couldn’t stand by while they harmed you. I figured out that Stillwater’s lieutenants would most likely strike your fundraiser. So I ran and tried to warn you at the same time.”

Something about this didn’t add up. Suddenly he’d decided to be noble?

Jud had just said Stillwater wanted to kill me. But River was sure the lieutenants intended to kidnap me. They believed I was useful to them in some way. Why?

“I think you’re lying. There’s something you’re leaving out.”

“I’m not.” But he was avoiding my eyes. “Maybe I’m mixing up the timing on a few things. I don’t fucking know, Charlotte. I’ve been running for my life for days. I am exhausted and stressed beyond belief.”

“I’m supposed to feel sorry for you? After you helped pull strings for child traffickers and murderers? Somehow, you found out that Stillwater was going to come after me, but you didn’t take that to the authorities. At no point in this did you go to the FBI and tell them the truth. No, you decided to save your own skin. You did try to warn me, I’ll grant you that, probably so that you could soothe your guilty conscience. Keep up appearances.”

“No matter what, I’ve never wanted any harm to come to you. You’re the one who broke up with me. I still care about you, Charlotte.”

“Don’t.”

The worst part was that those words rang true. I believed that Jud still cared about me, twisted as that was. But he had no idea what love really consisted of.

Love was kindness and affection and sacrifice. Devotion. All the things River showed me, even when we were butting heads and he was driving me nuts.

I paced the concrete floor and rubbed my eyes.

“Now you know,” Jud said. “What are you going to do?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I need some air.” I turned and walked away.

Jud started shouting again as River secured him to the table. But I couldn’t deal with that man anymore.

Outside, I leaned against the garage, taking deep breaths. After a couple more minutes, River joined me, shutting the door on Jud’s protests.

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