Page 38 of Badges
His features twist. “Nope. I burned all that trash a few years ago. Wanted nothing to do with Chris or his friends after…” He trails off, then steps behind April to rest his palms on her shoulders. “That part of me is dead, too,” he whispers.
I watch Elena’s expressions morph from confusion to frustration.
Funny how I’m learning to read her.
April pats his hand, then forces a smile. “Elena, tell me about your sister. I always wanted siblings, but it never happened.”
Pain tinges the corners of Elena’s mouth, yet her gaze fills with warmth. “She’s a firecracker. Always pushing the limits. She never takes ‘no’ for an answer. Mom hated it.”
“I like her already,” April laughs.
I don’t need to hear the bonding. This whole conversation sparked an idea.
“Ford?” I gesture towards the porch.
His ever-present glower deepens as he shakes his head.
“We don’t need to close the door,” I say in a low enough tone that it won’t distract the girls.
All he does is grunt, but follows me.
Once we’re standing in the last of the day’s sun, he takes another swallow and growls something that sounds like a prompt to talk.
Man of many words.
“Do you think Val would have kept any old photos?” My own drink is just about empty.
His shoulders rise and fall.
I just blink and stare at him. I’ve known him practically my whole life. He’ll speak when he’s ready.
He turns enough so he can watch April through the door, then readjusts his dark cowboy hat. “Yea. I bet she does. That was pretty close to when they got married. But who knows? She was pretty fucking pissed at him over Sarah, too.”
A moment of silence drifts between us.
I’ll never forget that night.
“Well, it sounds like he kept similar company. Whoever is behind all this shit hired those two assholes who took April, hired those boys who kidnapped Lori and Sophia, and now are holding a little girl hostage to force Elena to do awful things.” Resting my palm on the porch post, I let my focus trail out over the dry summer grass towards sunset.
The peace out here is a camouflage for the anger raging inside of me.
With the sun giving my cheek a last kiss before dipping below the hills, I grit my teeth and turn back to Ford.
“We gotta find him and bury that son of a bitch,” I whisper.
I trust Ford. We’ve helped each other dig the graves for our secrets.
His nostrils flare, then gives me a stiff nod. “I agree. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
Green eyed monster
Elena
“So, what’s her nameagain?” I ask Wade as I slide out of his truck.
My ankle itches where the GPS monitor is wrapped. For some reason I keep waiting for it to explode or send an electrical shock through me now that we’re out of the house.
“Valerie. And this is herex-husbandthat we’re asking about, so keep that in mind,” he grunts as he falls into step next to me.
