Riggs (Arizona Vengeance 11)

I nod. “Of course.”

“I would go with you if I could,” Riggs says, his expression more than worried.

My heart warms at his offer. “I’ll be fine. I’ll take pleasure in giving my statement.”

Riggs attempts a smile, but I can see it’s a struggle. He’s furious over what happened. “I would kick his ass right now if I could get away with it and not land in jail beside him.”

I snort. “Honestly, you’d knock him out with one punch. There would be no satisfaction in that.”

Riggs doesn’t smile or laugh. He’s seriously bothered.

He steps a little closer, eyes boring into mine. “Can I come over tonight after the game so we can talk? I’m going to see if Janelle can stay with Jim and Ella.”

“Of course,” I murmur, and for the first time since he walked in, I see the tension loosen in his shoulders.

He continues to hold my gaze and then gives me a short nod before walking away.

CHAPTER 20

Riggs

Janelle is waiting for me in the basement-level family room, not far from our locker rooms. It’s where family and friends with passes can wait for players after games. She’s sitting with Clarke, talking animatedly with her hands. She’s smiling, seems at ease, and I wonder if she’s shaken off the entire sordid affair of our mother coming to get her.

Of course, I don’t believe for a minute they were here for Janelle. They were here for money, nothing more.

Except now Shep is sitting in jail, twiddling his thumbs. The lead detective in the case texted me that they’re allowed to hold him for up to forty-eight hours without charges while they continue to investigate, and we confirmed a time for me and Janelle to meet with him tomorrow morning for our formal statements. They’ll make a decision on final charges then.

This is fine by me, because it means for now, everyone is safe from Shep, and I doubt my mom has the guts to do anything on her own. She blew up my phone with calls and texts after Janelle and I left the bookstore, but I’ve ignored them all. I’m still far too angry with her to even talk.

I’m anxious to get to Veronica’s because we have a lot to talk about. She put her life in danger to protect Janelle, and that has produced feelings inside me that need to be released. One of the cops told me before I left that Shep had a knife on him. I don’t know if Veronica knew it or not, but it’s irrelevant. She charged into a situation without even considering the potential danger to herself. For her act of protecting my sister, I feel like I owe her everything, and I have no clue how to pay up.

I walk over to where Clarke and Janelle are sitting, and the minute Clarke sees me, she stands. Motioning with her hands, she says, “She’s all yours.”

“Thanks, Clarke,” I say, looking down at my sister.

“Great game, by the way,” she adds, and blows Janelle a kiss before leaving.

Janelle starts to rise but I shake my head, turning to sit beside her. “We need to talk for a second.”

“Oh-kay,” she drawls hesitantly, on guard from my somber tone.

I shift my angle on the couch toward her. “You okay?”

“You mean after Mom and Shep showed up with the intent to kidnap me?” She grins, holding a double thumbs-up sign. “I’m peachy keen.”

I regard her blankly. “I can’t tell if you’re being serious.”

Janelle laughs and lands a light punch against my arm. “I’m okay. I’m not traumatized, I promise. Unless you plan on sending me back with them.”

“Never,” I vow.

Her smile slips a little. “What was Mom talking about that they only signed rights away to you for money?”

Sighing, I rub my jaw, feeling fatigued not from the game but from the shit my mom constantly stirs to put people at odds with one another.

I settle against the couch, throwing an arm over the back. There are a few other family members in the room, but for now, we have privacy. Still, I keep my voice low. “When you called me about Shep and I came to get you, I went to see Mom first.”

Janelle nods. “You had me go to Marie’s.”

It was the only way I could keep her safe until I could fly from San Diego to West Virginia. I told her to sneak out of the house and go somewhere to hide. She chose her best friend’s house, and I talked to Marie’s mom to make sure it was okay.

I made it there in less than twenty-four hours, but the entire time I was sick to my stomach that my mom or Shep would find her. I went straight to our mother’s house, afraid I was going to kill Shep.

Instead, I made my mom a onetime-only offer for her to give me custody of Janelle, and I’d leave Shep intact.