Page 127 of Secrets That Bind Us
She doesn't come for the wake.
A part of me resents her a little for it.
That goddamn string only tugs, tugs, tugsharder.
“One last time…”I tell my bleeding heart.
But even I know that’s a lie.
So I mourn alone.
Chapter Fifty
Dean
Age Twenty-Nine
I come home to find a man I haven’t seen in years, and there’s also a tall black man in a perfect suit standing in my living room. He turns slowly, and Jake nods at me in greeting like this isn’t weird at all. “What are you doing in my house? How did you even get in here?”
Jake grins and throws a thumb at the back door. “Locking the back door in a town like this is unnecessary.”
“But having me find you like this is?” I quip back.
“No. My husband just likes to make a dramatic entrance. And I like to spoil him when I can. Husband, this is Dean. Dean, my husband, Eli.” He introduces.
I nod once and set my gym bag down. “What do you want from me, Jake?”
“Take a seat, Mr. Carson. I believe you and I have a common goal, and we need to talk about this.” The man in the suit says.
Not allowing another man to boss me around in my own house, I stay where I am and arch a brow, watching him.
The corner of his lips lift in a perfect smirk, not taking his dark eyes off of me. “While I may not know Verity as long as any of you have known her, she is extremely important to me and has come to mean a great deal of a lot. She’s my family. While you-- not even Zoey, who is currently with her-- have not been there for the brunt of it, I believe we’ve been a witness to her downfall. You may think I’m being business conscious when I’m talking to you about this, but I'll reiterate-- she is extremely important to me. I haveallowed a lot of things to pass, due to her doing her best to divorce Micah, but it has resulted in her being assaulted.”
“What?!” I stiffen and take a few steps forward.
Jake thrusts a manilla folder my way, and I take it from him. Looking at the contents make me sick as fuck.
Patient:Huntington,V. (VIP)
Age: Twenty-Nine
DOB: 08/23/1993
Diagnosis: Laceration to left side of nasal bridge, mild concussion, loose molar, mandibular joint contusion
Notes:
16:48: Patient was brought in via ED approx. 16:37, bleeding, prominent bruise on right side of face. Immediately taken to X-ray as friend said she was involved in an altercation with spouse. Requested police officers to file assault charges. On-call cosmetic surgeon called – pt refused stating, “I don’t want to forget this.”
17:57: On-call Ortho on his way.
Will continue to monitor…
The next page is her discharge paperwork, but there are more pictures included.
I stop reading only to suck in a breath and force myself to look at the pictures. The whelp on the side of her face… bruising… I flip through them all. Feeling sicker with each one. Furious, I look up at Jake’s husband. “I’m gonna fucking kill him.”
Eli nods once in confirmation. “Good. That’s why I’m here. I’m not done. My niece and nephew are suffering under his thumb. Verity is now secure; Micah is in jail. But jail is not enough for him. Zoey tells me you would be the best person to do… this sort of thing. After all, you are a law enforcement officer. You’d know how to get rid of a body. Make it look like an accident.” He bites the T.
