Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Rafe

Aunt Lori: None of you had better come home with black eyes.

Me: What are you talking about? We’re just playing pool.

Aunt Lori: Zach once said that and then ended up coming home with his head shaved and no shoes.

Me: Do I want to know?

Aunt Lori: Probably not. Just play nice. I don’t want any of your celebration pictures to have black eyes.

Me: Understood.

Aunt Lori: Still no on the suit of armor, then?

Me: No, Aunt Lori. But I did get you those new cowboy boots. The ones with hearts on them.

Aunt Lori: I suppose that will be good enough. But just wait until you see my outfit!

Me (typed but deleted): Oh, no. It better not be you in a skintight bodysuit with cat ears, like you joked about.

Me (actual reply instead): It’s my shot at pool. We’ll talk more later.

W aiting to see how people reacted to Abby’s interview had been torture at first. But after a few trolls and videos filled with gaslighting, people started to stand with my wife.

While Abby had refused to show pictures or name any of Travis’s past victims, she’d shared as much detail as possible before mostly discussing her own experience.

Revealing it all had made her nearly break down a few times. But she was strong and had managed to rally, later lightening as we joked with her family and ate far too many brownies and scones and cake.

And on the fourth day after Abby’s interview was posted, one of the other former intern teachers posted her story to social media and later gave an interview. After that, things snowballed.

Two days ago, Travis had disappeared from social media entirely. Not long after, news broke about two other victims coming forward and the San Jose Police Department starting a formal investigation.

While they were a long way from arresting or charging Travis, the news had lifted Abby’s spirits. And since fewer and fewer strangers were coming to Starry Hills now that Travis was being charged, we’d decided to come to The Watering Hole to celebrate a little. And watching her across the room, laughing with her friends over drinks, made me smile.

Then something poked my side. I frowned as West said, “Are you going to take a shot or keep staring and drooling over my sister?”

Beck snorted. “You were doing the same thing a second ago, with Emmy.”

West muttered, “I didn’t think you saw that.”

Zane slapped him on the shoulder. “I didn’t see it, but you know Beck sees everything. I swear he has eyes on the back of his head.”

Beck rolled his eyes. “It’s not my fault you and Zach were never as stealthy as you thought you were.”

Zach jumped in. “Hey, considering we’re eight years younger than you, I thought we did a pretty good job.” He pointed at his brother. “After all, you never knew we took Dad’s motorbike out when we were seven. It’s a good thing you never wanted to be a detective.”

Beck shook his head. “As if you’d be a good one. You’re too impatient.”

Zach shrugged. “Hey, I always had Amber to help me. She’s really good at sneaking around.” He paused and then chalked the tip of his cue. “Not that we needed her help or anything.”

Zane said, “Should we count how many times he’s brought up Amber tonight? I think he’s going to get lonely on this six-month-long trip he’s taking.”

Zach raised his middle finger. “She has a boyfriend, and we’re just friends. Kind of. I think.”

Zane snorted. “You think?”

He tossed his chalk cube, and Zane ducked. Zach said, “As if you can talk. How many years has it been since you dated anyone? You must be getting tired of your hand.”

I jumped in. “You don’t have to date someone to sleep with them.”

Zach smirked. “Ah, but I know something you don’t. You see, Zane wants…”

Zane put his brother in a headlock. “Don’t you fucking dare say anything, or I’ll march over to the BFF Circle and spill some of your secrets, brother.”

I looked at West. “Do we need to break them up? Because I don’t want to be barred from this place now that I’m finally home.”

West replied, “Nah. They both have secrets, and it’ll end in a stalemate.”

I whispered, “Do you know what they are?”

West shrugged. “We all know Zach’s. Zane’s I’m still trying to work out.”

As Zach and Zane bickered, Beck took his shot, knocking a ball into the corner pocket. I was just about to take my turn when Abby rushed over and stopped in front of me, her cheeks flushed. “Dance with me.”

West frowned. “Hey, we’re in the middle of a game here.”

Abby gestured toward where Zane still had Zach in a headlock. “You might want to deal with that instead. They’re about to brawl.”

“Are you sure?” West asked as he glanced at the twins. “They always argue.”

Abby nodded. “Trust me, I’ve learned the signs of an oncoming explosion.” She took my hand. “And while you calm them down, I can dance with my husband.”

As Zach and Zane struggled more, West cursed.

Abby tugged my hand, and I followed as I said, “Sometimes your family is a lot of work.”

“Only if you don’t know how to handle them. The twins act out sometimes just to get attention.”

We reached the open space for dancing, and I pulled Abby close. “Zach and Zane are fucking twenty-eight years old.”

“Ah, but it’s not for us or even my brothers. They both have women they want to notice them. Not that I think acting like children is going to help. But they won’t listen to me.”

I leaned my head closer and whispered, “So you know the identity of Zane’s mystery woman, don’t you?”

“She works at the bar sometimes and has a shift tonight. Her name is Mariah Fraser-Williams, and she’s making drinks right now.”

I discreetly turned my head and took notice of the short woman. She had dark brown hair, dark eyes, and light tan skin. “Wait, Fraser-Williams? Didn’t she marry Zane’s friend? I think Emmy mentioned it at one point.”

Abby nodded. “His best friend. They enlisted together, but Darren Williams died on a mission. Before he died, Darren asked Zane to look after Mariah and their son, Asher, if anything should happen to them. And now that he’s back in Starry Hills full-time, he does.”

I was about to comment on how that sounded complicated, what with Zane wanting his late best friend’s wife. However, before I could utter a word, Abby frowned and asked, “Who is that woman? And why is she charging toward us?”

After turning, I saw a woman about thirty, wearing tight jeans and a strapless top, glaring at me. “I have no idea. I’ve never seen her before.”

The woman stopped in front of us, and before I could blink, she slapped my face.

Abby moved toward the woman, but I held her back and barked, “Who the hell are you and why did you slap me?”

There was a very small chance she was a one-night stand that I didn’t remember. And yet, I’d never treated anyone badly enough to have them hunt me down and assault me.

The woman spoke with a British accent. “How dare you pretend not to know me, you bastard!” She lifted her hand and flashed the ring on her finger. “I’m your wife.”