Page 89 of When the Smoke Clears

“He’s a pretentious asshole.” My own anger spikes. “He’s put his hands on Maci, and at the very least Stephanie knows. I’m sure he’s put his hands on her, too, but she doesn’t seem the battered wife.”

“Neh.” He scoffs. “That’s not her way.”

I shuffle my boots and kick the gravel. “Do you want to come in?”

An unusual flicker of indecision crosses James’ face.

“My dad won’t bring a rifle out this time.”

We grin at each other.

“Maci and I stay on the backside of the house.”

“Aye.” He motions for me to lead the way, and I lead him by a half-step around the house.

In my office, I give him a water from the mini fridge, and we sit on opposite sides of a small table on the far side of the room.

“She still beating herself up?”

I kick my ankle up onto my knee. “I think she’s coming through. It’ll never go away completely, but meeting Melissa was actually helpful to her, in my opinion.”

“Don’t downplay your part.”

My eyes dart to his. “Sir?”

He chuckles. “Don’t ‘sir’ me. Maci relies on you. She’s damn strong and I’m wicked proud of her, but that doesn’t mean she can do it all on her own. She needs you. You two are like magnets.”

It does feel like that sometimes.

“I’m glad she made the call she did.” My eyes drop to the floor. “I wish she would’ve made it sooner. But even more, I wish she didn’t have to. I’d have pulled the trigger without hesitation.”

James seesaws his head side to side. “You can’t know unless you’re faced with the decision. She’s got a hard exterior, but she wants to do right by people.”

I readjust my hat. “Sounds more like you than Stephanie.”

James smiles softly. “Gracie’s a lot like me. But I suspect she’s more like Stephanie than most realize. The struggles with their families, the fierce independence, their take-no-shite attitude. You might not see it that way from Stephanie, but it’s there. I guarantee it. Every slight they take is a choice.”

I’m starting to see why Maci feels comfortable around James. He’s far more intuitive than one would initially think.

“I feel like you need to know something.” I don’t know if what I’m about to offer up is common decency or some sort of olive branch, but it definitely feels important.

James clasps his hands in his lap.

“Alan tried to follow Maci and me home after the funeral.”

His cheek ticks just below his eye.

“I confronted him and told him I’d kill him if he stepped foot out here. But I don’t know what his game is.”

James nods. “I’m glad you told me.”

“I think we share an end goal. I’ll continue to keep you in the loop, but I need you to do the same.”

There’s a hint of a lift at the corner of his mouth. He scratches his upper lip with his thumb nail. “I think you and I will do just fine. I’ll tell you everything you need to know, when it comes to Gracie.”

A shared understanding weaves its way between us.

I wasn’t sure before now, because I’d never heard anything bad about the club, but I know without a doubt that James is involved in some kind of criminal activity.

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