Bullets & Bonfires

“You’d risk your job for this girl?”

“Absolutely.”

He cocks his head and studies me through narrowed eyes. “You marrying this girl?”

“That’s really none of your business.”

“You’re being a real insubordinate ass right now, Hollister.”

“Yes. I’m marrying her.”

He lets out a long, slow breath and flicks his gaze to the wall behind me. “Take a vacation.”

“What? I didn’t do—”

“It’s not a punishment. You’ve racked up plenty of time. Use it.”

“All right.”

And I know exactly where my first stop will be.

The Joseph family lives in an affluent suburb right outside Empire City. The homes here are not the run-of-the-mill McMansions you find in most suburbs. Most of them date back to the nineteenth-century. Federal judges, neuroscientists, and venture capitalists call this area home.

A lot of crooked-as-fuck politicians and their lackeys do too.

I park my truck in the circular driveway and stroll up the sidewalk. Officially on vacation, I’m wearing jeans and a simple, untucked, button-down shirt.

I ring the bell and a woman I don’t recognize opens the door. “I need to speak with Mrs. Joseph about her son’s case.”

I hold the manila envelope to my chest and follow the woman further into the house. Mrs. Joseph is at the dining room table speaking on the phone in a low voice. She ends the call when I enter.

“I’m here to speak to you about your son’s case.”

No dummy, Mrs. Joseph looks me up and down. “Who are you?”

“Liam Hollister. A friend of Brianna’s.”

Her expression hardens and she stands. “Get out before I call the police.”

“Ma’am, are you actually aware of what he did to her? Why he was in jail in the first place?” I ask as I approach the table.

“They got into a silly argument.”

“He gave her a black eye.”

“She probably provoked him,” she argues.

That stops me cold. Is she that delusional about who her son really was? “Are you kidding, lady?”

I unclasp the manila envelope in my hand. “Sit down,” I order in my hardest voice.

She sits and I lay out a row of photos in front of her. From the first beating. The one that landed Chad in jail.

They’re harsh. Brutal.

“Please tell me what kind of provocation warrants this?”

She shoves the pictures away. “My son wouldn’t do that. She must have done it to herself.”

“That is a deep river of denial you’re swimming in, lady.”

I pull out more pictures. From the day her son was killed. The bruising around Bree’s neck. “This is what he did not even two hours after you posted bail and he was told to stay away from her. You trying to tell me she deserved that too?”

“I…” Tears well up in her eyes, but I don’t give a shit if I’ve upset her. Her son turned out to be a monster who tormented Bree and got what he deserved. I refuse to have Bree be bullied by this family ever again.

“You need to drop this she-lured-him-to-the-house bullshit and let them close this case. I’m sorry you lost your son, but he gave her no choice.”

I place my hands on the table and lean forward. “Do you understand me?”

She glares right back.

I lower my voice because I want her to listen very carefully. “If you don’t drop this nonsense, I will leak these pictures to the press and let everyone know what kind of son you raised. Not everyone’s going to be as blind as you are.”

She uses one finger to pull the first picture closer and studies it for a while. “I always thought she was so good for him. They seemed happy together,” she says.

“Chad fooled a lot of people.”

She winces. “I don’t understand it. He wasn’t abused. We raised him better than that, I swear we did.”

I’m not here to dissect her parenting skills, but I can’t imagine the pain she’s going through right now. “Some people just aren’t wired right, Mrs. Joseph. That’s not your fault.”

“We gave him everything.”

Maybe that’s the problem.

But I think I’m making progress with her so I don’t voice that opinion.

“Will you do the right thing?” I ask.

Her jaw tightens and she meets my stare. “Yes.”

“Thank you. Get Chris some help, Mrs. Joseph.”

This woman’s done taking orders from me. Her eyes narrow. “Get out,” she spits at me.

I gather up all but one of the photos because she’s still holding on to it. Maybe she needs the reminder, so I let her keep it.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

After a few weeks of moping around, I finally feel ready to do something besides hide out. Don’t get me wrong, if a person needs to hide out there’s no better place than the Hollister compound. But I’m also restless.

Liam and I are staying at his parents’ to help Kimber with her recovery. I’m sure our friends think that’s weird, but I’m happy and it feels like home. Always has.

It’s also a way for us to save money since Liam hasn’t gone back to work yet. Something that I know is my fault, but Liam assures me is fine.

It’s a hot July afternoon, but up in the mountains there’s actually a breeze, so Kimber and I are sitting in the backyard.

“Where are you, baby girl?” Liam calls out.

“Out back!”

Kimber picks up her head at the sound of Liam’s voice and stares at the back door until he comes through it. I set my book down and turn around.

His lips curve into a smile the second he sees me, and he places a kiss on the top of my head. “Feel like going for a drive?”

“Sure.”

Kimber and I follow him out to the truck. He hoists her into the back seat where she immediately sticks her head out the window and waits for the ride to begin.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

When we’re on the highway, I realize we’re headed toward campus. “My Teaching Assistant job doesn’t start for another six weeks,” I remind him.

“I know.”

Forty-five minutes later, he steers the truck onto a small tree-lined street near the university and pulls into the driveway of a modest brick bungalow.

“Where are we?”

“You’ll see.”

Kimber waits patiently for Liam to lift her out of the truck and set her on the ground. I take her leash.

“Who lives here?”

He answers my question by taking a set of keys out of his pocket. “We do.”

“What?” I stare at the keys as he drops them in my palm.

His hand settles at the small of my back and guides me up the sidewalk. “Come on.”

Inside, the place is empty. Light hardwood floors reflect the sunlight streaming in from the large bay windows in the front of the house.

Slowly, I walk through the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. “Liam, how?”

“I rented it. They allow dogs.” He tilts his head toward the sliding glass door that leads to the fenced backyard. Kimber wags her nub as she stares through the glass at a couple of squirrels frolicking on the patio.

Liam chuckles and follows me to the bedroom at the end of the hallway. “This must be the master bedroom—” I let out a gasp when I see the built-in window seat on the left.

“As soon as I saw it, I knew this was our place.” Liam’s hands settle on my shoulders. “You like it?”

“I love it.” I turn and stare up at him. “It’s perfect.”

“We can rent to own if you decide you really like it here.”

A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. “But I thought you hated the city, country boy?”

“Well, I better learn to love it, because I just got accepted into the Empire Police Academy.”

“Oh my God! You did?” I st

op jumping around for a second. “But you loved your job. I don’t want you to give that up because of me.”

He pulls me into his arms. “I love you more.”

“Liam—”

“Bree, this is a good change for me. It pays more. I have a better chance of being promoted. It’s going to be good for us.”

I raise an eyebrow and trail my fingers down his chest. “You won’t be my sexy sheriff anymore.”

His arms tighten around me. “I’ll always be yours.”

Hearing that never gets old.