Sweet Sin, page 4
Until Gunnar came sauntering in, telling me about Sasha Munoz.
My mind is finally working again.
None of this should’ve surprised me. But it did. I was actually going to try to be happy here in the small town. Although screwing one of my parolees the first week on the job was a big mistake.
But damn. Falcon Bellamy makes me happy. He says he’s innocent, and I believe him.
I should know better.
After what I’ve seen in my lifetime, I know the word innocent has many meanings.
I don’t know what these guys think they’re going to do with me. My grandfather is their boss. Or is he? Surely he can’t be behind this.
He would never let them touch me.
The image of my brother’s body lying in a pool of blood is seared into my head for eternity.
It’s not my grandfather.
They’re not coming after me to do more dirty work. How could I have thought that? They can find hundreds of mercenaries who will be happy to look the other way.
No.
It’s a rival family who’s doing this. A rival organization.
It could be one of many, but already I’m sure who must be behind it.
Miles McAllister.
The man I was supposed to marry.
Our marriage would have created an alliance between the Bianchis and the McAllisters.
But I said no.
And they let me say no. Twice.
I hastily get into my clothes and do as Falcon requested, throwing his T-shirt and underwear into the changing room. I grab both of our phones and head back to Falcon, where he’s still sitting with Giancarlo.
The other one—the dark-haired one—is still out cold.
I hand him his phone. “Here you go.”
He looks at it. “Shit. I’m out of juice. Let me see yours.”
I hand him mine. “Who are you going to call?”
“The only person who I know will help us.”
“Your dad?”
“God no. I can’t bother my father with this. He needs to be focused on Raven. Just an old friend. At least I thought he was at one time.” He looks at my phone. “Shit. I don’t even know how to get hold of him. I hope he has the same number.”
“You remember his number?”
“I’ve known his cell number since he and I both got phones when we were twelve. I can only hope he still has the same one.”
Falcon taps some numbers into the phone.
Then, in the distance, the wail of sirens—like a wolf howling at the moon before he attacks.
These sirens will save the two men…but Falcon and I? We’ll be…
I can’t even think about it, but we have no choice. We have to face what we’ve done.
“Shit.” Falcon stands. “Let’s go.”
I grab his hand, wincing at the pain from my cuts. “They’ll come after us.”
He sighs. “I know. You’re right. But damn it, Vannah, I’m not going back in the slammer.”
“You haven’t done anything. This is all me.”
“This isn’t on you. This is all self-defense. But I’m an ex-con, Vannah. They’re going to presume I’m guilty.”
“I’ll tell them you’re not.” I point to Giancarlo on the ground. “All you did was knock that other guy out. I’m the one who did…this.”
“Savannah, you tell me then. Do we need to leave? For your safety?”
My lips tremble. “To be honest, Falcon, I don’t know.”
“Do you think this is someone from your family?”
“No. They may be mad at me for leaving, but they would never see me harmed.”
“A rival gang then,” Falcon says.
“Gang?”
“Family. Whatever you call yourselves. This isn’t much different from how it was on the inside, Vannah. You take care of your own, and you take out anyone who fucks with your own. Seems you and I have a lot in common.”
I say nothing.
I don’t talk about my family or their business. To this day, Gert and Jordan have no idea. I was good at my job as a parole officer. I looked the other way when I had to, and with luck, I didn’t have to do it that often.
Falcon meets my gaze head on, his eyes full of dark fire. “All right. Then you tell me, Vannah. Do we stay? Or do we hightail it out of here?”
I don’t even have to think about it. I vow to protect Falcon. He won’t go back down on my watch.
“We get the fuck out of here, Falcon.”
7
FALCON
That’s all I need to hear.
I don’t have time to go into my house and get cash out of my safe, I don’t even have time to get my car and hightail it out of here.
But luckily, I know this land. I know it better than I know the back of my own hand.
My brother Hawk would help me, but I won’t drag him into this.
But I don’t have any qualms about dragging Leif Ramsey into it.
Fucker didn’t even visit me in prison.
But he’ll help me now. He has to.
I grab both guns, make sure Carlo is still breathing, and then I take Vannah. We head out of the yard, the dogs following.
“What are we going to do with them?” she asks.
“There’s a safe house about three miles from here.”
“A safe house?”
“Yeah. Hawk built it after I was sent away. Just in case.”
“Just in case… What?”
“Does it matter? Can you walk three miles?”
“Yeah, I can do it.”
“Good. We’ll be going through some wet areas, but you’ll be all right. We’ll take the dogs with us, and I’ll make arrangements for them once we get there.”
“Falcon…”
“Yeah?”
Her face is so pale, as if all the blood has drained out of it through the cuts on her hand. “Are we going on the run?”
“I hope not. But if we have to, then yeah.”
“I have to call my friend Jordan.”
“What for?”
“The blond guy. She’s dating him.”
“For fuck’s sake.” I rub my hand over my forehead. There’s a fucking bulldozer inside my brain. What the hell am I thinking?
“What?” Savannah asks.
“We’re going back. We’re going to wait. We’re going to talk to the paramedics and to the police when they get here. We’re going to tell the truth, Savannah.”
“But my family… Your family. You can’t go back. And I…”
“I’ll make sure you’re protected. But this is insane. I was raised to respect authority. You may not think so, but when I told you I was innocent, I wasn’t lying.”
“Then why did you—”
I hold up my hand to stop her. “We’re not getting into this right now. Right now, we’re going back to the house.”
The sirens are louder now.
“They’re here, Vannah.”
I take her hand and lead her back in the house. I’m still wearing nothing but jeans, but at least she’s fully dressed. I head to my room, pull on a clean T-shirt, and shove on a pair of slippers.
And then the commotion starts. A fire rescue truck, an ambulance, and three police cars pull up.
Pounding on the door.
I open it. “Thanks for coming. The injured are in the back.”
Officers and paramedics enter carrying two stretchers. They walk through my house, and then out the back door into the yard where the two men still lie.
“You know who they are?” someone asks.
I shake my head. “Don’t have a clue. They came out here brandishing two weapons.”
“All right, sir. We’ll get your statement later.” He gestures to the others.” Let’s see these guys first.”
“Tend to the blond one first,” I say. “He’s lost a lot of blood.”
Two paramedics rush toward him, get him on a stretcher, and head back out to the ambulance.
“What about this one?” another officer asks.
“I clocked him in the head with his own gun. He’s got a pulse.”
“Probably a concussion.”
Two more paramedics get Abel onto a stretcher.
Once the two men are on the ambulance, three police officers remain.
Officer Bandy, according to his name tag, takes out a small tablet. “All right, sir. Time to get to the bottom of this.”
I shrug. I can play it cool as a fucking alley cat even though my insides are in panic mode. “There’s not much to get to the bottom of. The lady and I were in the hot tub, and those two jokers came into the backyard.”
“Did you hear them?”
“Not at first. The dogs started barking.”
“I see.” Bandy makes some notes. “Mr. Bellamy, we know you just got out of prison.”
“Yeah, I figured you’d know that. Everyone does. I’m an innocent man.”
“You pleaded guilty to manslaughter.”
“I did. For my reasons. None of which are up for discussion at this point.”
“Very well then. Let’s sit down, and I’ll get your full statement.”
Another one of the officers is talking to Savannah. She’s got her game face on, and I’m not sure where it came from. She was freaked out as anybody when she stabbed that man. But now? It’s as if she were sitting at her desk in her office, talking to a new parolee.
Nerves of steel and everything.
Somehow, she got ice to fill her veins.
“I’d like to be with her,” I say, nodding to Savannah.
“She’s doing fine, Mr. Bellamy. You have a seat.”
I rake my fingers through my hair.
Carlo’s blood is all over me. I could use a shower. I could use ten showers.
I lead the officer to my kitchen table and gesture him to take a seat. I open the refrigerator and grab a bottle of water. “You want one?”
“Yeah, sure. Thanks.”
I grab another, unscrew both caps, and hand one to him.
He takes a long drink. “All right. Full name.”
“Falcon Cooper Bellamy.”
“All right. Tell me, from the beginning, exactly what happened.” He clicks on the recorder.
I take him through everything, but when I get to the part where Savannah comes out of the pool area, I stop.
“Is that the end of your story?”
“For now.”
Bandy frowns. “Look. I get that you’re trying to protect your lady friend.”
“I’m not protecting anyone. I just think you need to get the rest of the story from her.”
“Jack over there will get it from her. I need to get it from you, Mr. Bellamy.”
“What if I say I want an attorney?”
He looks up from his tablet. “You got something to hide?”
“Nope. I’m just not sure I want to say anything more without an attorney. You know, since I’m an ex-con and all.”
He sighs. “Just tell us what went on, Mr. Bellamy.”
I blink. “I’m the one who stabbed him.”
“You think you can help her by lying?”
“Christ.”
He’s right. What am I doing? I spent eight years of my life locked up because I lied about something I didn’t do. I just hope to God Carlo pulls through. Savannah can’t have a death on her conscience.
I pour out the rest of the story.
“How many times did she stab him?”
“Three. Twice in the chest, and once in the neck.”
“And was he incapacitated by the time she stabbed him the third time?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t see all of it. I was busy dealing with the other asshole. Once all the commotion started, he tried to get away from me. I didn’t want to kill him, so I pistol-whipped him and knocked him unconscious.”
“All right. So how can you be sure she only stabbed him three times?”
“Because there were three open wounds.”
Bandy make some notes. “Okay. Then what did you do?”
“She was wearing a robe because she had been in the changing room in the pool house. I told her to take off the robe, and I used it to try to stop the bleeding from his neck. The other two wounds on his chest seemed shallow, and they were starting to clot. I was really worried about the one on his neck because I thought she might have pierced his carotid. But thankfully it finally started to clot up. I hope he makes it.”
Bandy raises an eyebrow. “Do you?”
“What the hell? She was defending herself and me. Those two were trespassing and holding us at gunpoint. But yeah, I hope he pulls through. You think I want her to go through that? Knowing she caused a person’s death? She didn’t break any of your goddamned laws, but I don’t want her to deal with having inadvertently taken a life, even if the son of a bitch fucking deserved it.”
The officer tries to stare me down. “You of all people should know what it feels like to take a life.”
I stare right back at him, silently daring him to push this. “We’ve been through this, sir. As a matter of fact, I don’t know what it feels like to take a life. I’m innocent of that crime.”
“Yet you pleaded guilty.”
“Right. And I’m sure that’s the first time that’s ever happened.”
Bandy narrows his gaze. “Who are you protecting?”
“Doesn’t matter. That case is cold and closed, and it’s not what you’re here to investigate.”
“Yet your first instinct was to protect your girlfriend today.”
“She’s not my girlfriend.”
“But you were in the hot tub together?”
“What we were doing—what two consenting adults were doing—before those two shitheads trespassed on my property and held us at gunpoint is not anyone’s business.”
The officer draws in a breath. “Good enough. Anything else you need to tell me?”
“I did the best I could to stop his bleeding. I hope it was enough.”
“I hope so too.” He rises. “I’m going to go check on Jack and your lady friend there.”
Savannah and the other officer are out on the deck.
I follow Officer Bandy.
“Jack, I’m done with Mr. Bellamy here. How are you doing?”
Jack taps on his tablet. “We’re just wrapping it up. I think Ms. Gallo here may need a doctor’s attention.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Savannah? You okay?”
She nods. “I think I was in shock for a while, though.”
“Perfectly understandable,” Jack says, “considering what you’ve been through.”
Jack grins at Savannah, and I don’t like the way he’s looking at her. My hackles rise.
But I know better than to mouth off to an officer. Not at this point in my life. And not under these circumstances.
“We’re going to need to get forensics over here to brush for fingerprints and other evidence.”
“Why do you need to brush for fingerprints?” I ask. “You’ve got the two guys in custody.”
“Sorry. Fingerprints and other evidence is just what we say. Other evidence.”
“What other evidence? You’ve got the two weapons. You’ve even got the piece of glass Savannah used. You know who we are. You’ve already got my fingerprints on file somewhere.”
“Standard procedure, Mr. Bellamy,” Jack says.
Savannah gives me a weak smile. “Falcon, it’s okay.”
“Fine.” I let out an exasperated sigh. “Vannah, let’s get you to the doctor.”
She nods. “All right.”
Jack hands a card to Savannah. “You need anything at all, you just call me.”
“Thank you.”
Over my dead body.
“I’d say welcome to the area,” Jack says, “but this has been a harrowing first week for you. A new job, the death of a friend, and now this.”
What all did Savannah tell him?
The officers both rise. “We’ve got all we need for now. Like I said, forensics will be over—”
I raise my hand to stop him, but he continues to talk over me.
“—yes, I know you think we have all the information we need. But you’re an ex-con, Mr. Bellamy, and Ms. Gallo here works for the law. So we’ll be out here on investigation. Just leave everything as it is. Good day.”
8
SAVANNAH
“We’ve got all we need for now. Like I said, forensics will be over—yes I know you think we have all the information. But you’re an ex-con, Mr. Bellamy, and Ms. Gallo here works for the law. So we’ll be out here on investigation. Just leave everything as it is. Good day.”
Right.
I won’t be working for the law much longer. Once Bridget finds out I was at my parolee’s house, in the freaking hot tub, while two criminals assaulted us, I’ll be fired for sure.
I let out a breath once they’re gone.
Falcon meets my gaze. “You okay?”
I breathe in gradually, trying to slow my heartbeat. “Not even slightly.”
“I know, Vannah. I’m sorry.”
“I’ll be unemployed by tomorrow.”
“Not necessarily.”
I scoff, though my heart’s not in it. “Are you kidding me? This will be all over the news, and once my boss finds out I was here with you, I can kiss my job goodbye.”
“It won’t be all over the news.”
“Sure it will be.”
“It won’t. I’ll make a few calls. Are you forgetting that my old man kept most news outlets from reporting on my situation eight years ago? This is nothing compared to that. I’ll call my father, and he’ll work his magic.”
“You think he can?”
“I know he can.” He stares into my eyes. “But Vannah, do you still want to be a parole officer? Seems like your family wants you back.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think so, Falcon. I mean, that was my first thought, but then I dug deeper. My own family wouldn’t send armed gunmen to take me. I don’t know why I didn’t see it earlier. I was just so freaked out.”
“What was this all about then?”
“I’m pretty sure the McAllister family was behind it.”
“The McAllisters?”
“I guess you’re not up on organized crime in Texas.”
