Murphy
After dinner,Alexa passed out and I had to carry her upstairs. Exhaustion tugs at me. Even though we turned today into something good, the ugliness of everything we left behind still hangs between us, waiting to be dissected.
We’re in the center of the king-sized bed, watching some comedy, but neither of us are really paying attention to what’s on the big-screen television.
Heidi glances at her phone. I peer over her shoulder and note all the missed calls and texts from her brother, Rock, Hope, and even Charlotte.
Marcel’s face as he spat out the secret he’d been hiding for so long haunts me every time I close my eyes.
Asshole.
Shit, I’m even angry with Charlotte, which jacks up my fury at Marcel even higher.
“Ugh. I can’t deal with any of their texts. I’m so mad,” Heidi whispers. “They’ve all been lying for months.”
The hurt in her voice rouses the savage beast in me again. I curl my arm over her shoulders. “I know.”
She clears the messages on her screen and pulls up Trinity’s number.
Heidi: Can you let everyone know Blake and I are fine?
Trinity: What’s wrong???
I’m proud of Heidi. The immature asshole in me wanted to let them all stew and worry about us for a few days. Thankfully, my wife is more of an adult than I am.
Heidi: Family vacation. We’ll be away for a few days.
She shuts off her phone and sets it on the nightstand. “There.”
My phone buzzes.
Wrath.
“Fucking great,” I mutter. Not in the mood for his bullshit, I decline the call and shut my phone off again. Everyone I need is right here in this room.
“Now can we talk about it?” Heidi asks.
“What’s there to say?” I have so many questions. Technically, the answers ain’t my business, but I can’t help wondering how the fuck this even happened. “I still can’t believe it.”
“Me either.”
She snuggles closer to me, careful not to disturb Alexa. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She strokes her hand over my chest. “Thank you for getting us out of there.”
“Let’s leave,” I whisper, running my hand over Alexa’s hair.
“Uh…” Heidi lifts her head and gestures to the spacious hotel suite around us. “We did.”
“No, I mean let’s leave New York.” The words come out slowly as a plan falls into place. “Let’s move.”
She blinks. “And go where?”
“I don’t know. Tennessee? The Deadbranch charter is always open to me.” The Virginia charter would welcome us too, but it doesn’t feel far enough away.
Her nose wrinkles. “We’re not close to anyone there.”
I’m not sure if I should mention this but I’m done keeping secrets from Heidi. “When Priest visited, I got the feeling Steer might be sent down there soon.”
“Really? Well, at least we’d know someone.” She tilts her head. “If anyone was moving to Tennessee, I assumed it would be Rooster.”