All Folked Up, page 35
I stared at the auto mechanic, at his bushy beard and longish hair and open, interested expression. He’d always seemed so sweet and harmless. And odd.
Cletus once fixed my old truck for free but lied to me about it. I’d dropped it off on a Friday, and when I returned to pick it up a week later, he told me there was no charge, saying my truck was in perfect condition and he couldn’t find anything wrong with it. He’d argued with me for close to fifteen minutes, telling me to take it to another mechanic shop, one where they would agree to fix imaginary car problems.
I’d been close to tears when I marched across the parking lot and yanked open the door. I sat inside my truck and prayed the engine would turn over in one breath while cursing Cletus Winston in the next.
But then, the engine turned over with no problem. And not only that, the noise it had been making was gone, and the gas pedal worked without having to pump it, and the brakes didn’t screech, and I could use the radio and the wipers and the blinker all at the same time without the car simply shutting off, and the AC blew cold air.
There had been a ton wrong with my truck, obviously. And he’d lied to me, pretending the car had fixed itself, and refusing payment.
I’d always liked him after that, but I’d been surprised at first when Jennifer and he had ended up together. However, upon further contemplation, it made sense. Most everyone in town thought of Jennifer as simple, just like they thought of Cletus as simple. Simple and sweet.
“Since you’re here, I might as well tell you,” I agreed, forgetting my injury for a moment. My mouth smiled and I immediately winced at the sharp pain.
“I hope the other guy looks worse,” he said, his eyes on my jaw and lips, and I’d never heard his voice sound so . . . menacing.
A flash of memory from when Isaac had busted into the room, the quick and lethal actions he’d taken, played in my mind, and I nodded, saying dully, “I think Isaac might’ve killed him.”
Cletus nodded, not looking at all horrified or surprised, but he said, “Let’s not talk about that. Maybe save that story for therapy and the trauma counseling in your future. Why don’t you tell me what happened with you and Isaac. How’d you two end up together?”
“I’d like to know this story too, if you don’t mind telling it.” Jennifer returned with the bag of ice and a plate of shortbread thumbprint cookies, dollops of what looked like raspberry jam in their centers. Where she’d found the cookies—or how she’d conjured them—I had no idea.
“Uh, well.” Now my memory rewound to the night of my retirement party. My lips wanted to smile, but I stemmed the instinct. “Y’all seem to know that Isaac is working undercover.”
Jennifer nodded, handing me the bag of ice. “We’ve known for a while, yes.”
“Well, he . . . he asked for my help with his latest investigation. Actually, he didn’t ask.” I chuckled without smiling, bringing the ice bag to my jaw.
“He didn’t ask? Then, why did you help him? How’d that happen?” Jennifer nibbled on a cookie.
I shrugged, too tired and overwrought to be anything but honest. “I guess he sorta blackmailed me.”
Jennifer gasped, a hand flying to her chest. “I can’t believe he blackmailed you! That’s terrible.” She looked truly appalled. So upset, she put the cookie back on the plate.
“Yeah. Terrible,” came Cletus Winston’s dry agreement, his eyes sliding to his wife. “Who would ever do such a thing?”
Now her gaze sliced to his. “Cletus Byron Winston.” His name sounded like a warning.
“A true miscreant of a human. Unconscionable.” He made the reprimands sound like compliments, as though he admired Isaac for blackmailing me.
I was left speechless but also entertained. There was a story here between them, I was certain of it.
Jenn didn’t appear speechless or entertained. She lifted a finger and wagged it at him. “This is not the same. You can’t compare yourself to Hannah.”
Cletus cleared his throat but made no attempt to wipe the small smile from his features. “Right, right. Not the same at all as when you blackmailed me into ‘helping you.’” He put these last two words in air quotes. “And your dear, formerly estranged brother was blackmailing Hannah for the sake of catching bad guys. What were you blackmailing me to help with again? I’ve forgotten.”
Jenn huffed while scowling at her husband.
“Alls I’m saying is, it must run in the family.” He looked smug.
She scowled harder.
Cletus leaned forward, plucked her hand out of the air between them, and brought the back of it to his lips for a gentle kiss, his eyes bright as they moved over his wife. “You know I’m not opposed to blackmail, dearest. Not at all. I’m just pointing out that any future progeny will inherit it from both sides of our family trees. Two dominant extortion genes. I couldn’t be happier.”
Jennifer tried to get me to lie down and sleep, but I couldn’t. Worry had me on a spin cycle. We ended up playing cards. After a while, I got the sense they were both letting me win, mostly because Jennifer lauded me with praise at the end of each hand like I was a child.
“Oh! Great job. You are so good at this game.” Jennifer’s genuinely cheerful exclamations were especially cute, like she’d taken it upon herself to be my personal cheerleader.
Whereas Cletus pretended to be upset every time he lost. “I’m not playing with Hannah. She cheats.”
Jennifer would then smack his arm lightly and scold him for saying such things. He’d glare at me but the effect was ruined by the warm twinkle in his eye.
These two were adorable. Wholesome and in love in a way that reminded me of my grandparents.
My grandparents had died within hours of each other. My grandmother passed in her sleep, and my grandfather died later that afternoon while sitting in his rocker after her body had been taken away. My momma had always talked about their marriage like it was a fairy tale. I remembered them fondly, but I’d stopped believing in fairy tales a long time ago, deciding my memory of my grandparents—and my momma’s memory—had been skewed and warped by time, fashioned by nostalgia, and our own wishes for a better life.
Looking at Cletus and Jenn, how they flirted and bantered, the light touches and long looks where they spoke with their eyes, I thought maybe such things as happily-ever-afters and true love existed.
Jennifer had just dealt a new hand when Cletus’s cell buzzed on the table. He picked it up without checking the screen, saying, “Hello?”
I leaned forward, hoping it might be Isaac and further hoping I’d be able to hear his voice. Cletus didn’t say anything for a while, just listened, and I couldn’t tell if the person on the other side was Isaac or not. On the precipice of asking Cletus, I snapped my mouth shut as his eyes moved to mine and held.
“She’s fine,” he said. “Jenn made cookies, but I didn’t save you any. We’re playing cards. I’ll let her know her momma is safe and is being protected by the sheriff’s office, that your target is still at-large, that you’re safe, finished at the safe house, and that you’re on your way back. Furthermore, I won’t tell her about you two needing to get married ASAP.”
“Cletus!” Isaac’s shout was audible through the phone.
Jennifer’s wide eyes cut to mine and we shared a startled stare. She rolled her lips between her teeth, giving no more of her thoughts away. Meanwhile, I didn’t know what to feel first: relief about Isaac’s safety, gratitude that he’d checked on my momma and took measures to keep her safe, worried about Tavvy still running around, or surprised about my impending marriage.
He’s safe. That’s all that matters. He’s okay and he’s coming back here.
And I wasn’t really surprised about us needing to get married so quickly if I took a moment and thought the situation over. We were leaving together. I’d have to marry him eventually when we left. Now or later, didn’t matter to me.
As Cletus hung up the phone, I had to fight a sudden yawn so as not to aggravate my mouth. My bones felt so tired, and my eyelids drooped. I leaned my elbows on the table and gripped my forehead.
“Are you okay, honey?” Jennifer placed a gentle hand on my bicep. “I’m here for whatever you need.”
My mind was free of thought. Blank. My muscles felt rubbery and useless. And with every blink, I had more and more trouble keeping my eyes open. “I think I need to lie down.”
Was that my voice? My words sounded slurred.
“Cletus.” Jenn said his name like it was both a request and a command.
The next thing I knew, Cletus Winston had lifted me from the chair and was carrying me in his arms like I was a child. He walked me into a dark room, waited for Jennifer to pull back the bed’s covers, then placed me in the middle of the mattress.
She arranged the comforter over me and the familiar smell of lye soap, sandalwood, and sweetness filled my nose. The same smell as the sheets in the Donner family cabin.
Tucking me in, Jennifer said, “Don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll take care of it all. Just sleep. We’ll put some water by the bed if you get thirsty. Rest, sweet Hannah.”
I nodded, my eyes closed, and I didn’t hear her leave because I was already asleep.
Chapter Thirty-Two
*ISAAC*
“Everything always feels impossible, until it’s inevitable.”
― Cletus Winston, Totally Folked by Penny Reid
“He’s gone underground.” Danforth sounded like I felt. Extremely pissed off would be an understatement.
This was our second call of the night. I’d reached her through the emergency number and filled her in on the events of the evening while I drove to the safe house, answering her questions with facts, succinct and to the point. When you’re in law enforcement, you learn the difference between “succinct” and “to the point.” One has to do with the length of your answer, the other has to do with relevancy.
I hung up before we’d finished our conversation but after she’d confirmed for me that the safe house hadn’t been breached. I’d reached the Bandit Lake turnoff. Clearing out anything that could identify me was a priority. It wouldn’t do Jennifer any good if Isaac Sylvester disappeared but the fact that he was a federal agent was revealed. She’d be walking around this town with a target on her back. Retribution follows you everywhere in this line of work, even after death.
Driving the wrong way on the one-way loop, I’d parked the car about a half mile from the safe house, pulling it into the weedy driveway of a neglected and abandoned cabin. Then I pulled out my phone and checked the security video for myself, scrolling through the last twelve hours of our footage as well as the GPS infrared data and the neighbor’s video footage by tapping into their system’s app. I trusted the GPS infrared data the most.
I’d made it in and out with no problem, not pausing to destroy anything, but rather wiping down all surfaces myself and carrying my sparse belongings out the door with me. Instead of taking the black Ford Charger, I switched cars to one I’d stashed in the neighborhood just in case something like this happened, a car the regional office knew nothing about.
They wouldn’t be able to track me unless I wanted them to. Right now, I didn’t want.
This life was a chess game and it was time to get at least three moves ahead. It’s not that I didn’t trust Danforth. I didn’t trust anyone. Not when the regional office had a mole who’d blown a giant hole in my investigation and almost got Hannah killed.
So when she asked on my drive back to Repo’s hideaway, “Are you still near the safe house? Why can’t I see your location? Where did you take the contact?”
I said, “This will be the last time we talk. Do you have any other questions for me related to tonight’s events?”
Her sigh was loud in my ear. “I only ask because I have an update for you. The contact is now eligible for witness protection, if they want it. I rushed this through. You’re welcome. We will find Epstein eventually, and the evidence from the club is enough to charge him and deny bail, especially if the contact testifies. This plus the recordings we got from their phone will keep Epstein behind bars.”
“Once you catch him,” I pointed out, careful to keep the anger out of my voice.
Now they wanted Hannah as a witness? Now? Maybe it was the adrenaline still coursing through my bloodstream, but I wanted to tell Danforth to fuck right off with the offer of witness protection, even though I knew she was trying to help.
I’d already started making arrangements for us to leave tonight. I’d arranged for one of the local sheriff deputies to contact Hannah’s momma and ensure the woman was safe. They’d parked a surveillance car outside the farmhouse just in case Levit or one of his men showed up.
Then I’d called Cletus and gave him an update. He’d been a real dick about it, but what was done was done. Getting the marriage certificate would be no big deal, but I needed someone to marry us and I needed witnesses who were trustworthy. Assuming Hannah agreed.
Yet, whether Hannah married me or whether she went into witness protection wasn’t my decision. It was hers. I’d tell her about the offer from Danforth, but I wasn’t worried she would accept it. She’ll marry me.
“Right. Well. This is it,” Danforth said, sounding tired. “Thanks for your service, soldier. Good luck in the future and I hope we never speak again.”
Despite the situation, that pulled a smile out of me. “Me too. Have a nice life. And take care of yourself.”
“You too, McFly. You too.” With that, she hung up.
Pulling into the circular driveway, I didn’t bother to keep my approach silent. Caution and standard procedure dictated that I should have, just in case Levit had discovered Hannah’s hiding place. But I didn’t have the energy and it would delay seeing Hannah.
As much as I didn’t like Cletus Winston, I did trust him to keep Jennifer and Hannah safe. Undoubtedly, he was a sneaky shithead. And just as undoubtedly, he loved my sister.
But I did text Cletus when I put the car in park.
Isaac: I’m back. Don’t shoot me when I walk inside.
I didn’t need him thinking I was a perp and knocking me out with a goofy gadget as I entered the house. I suspected, if there existed a person in world who would deploy booby traps and goofy gadgets, it was Cletus Winston.
Gingerly opening the door, I was a little surprised Cletus didn’t have a bucket of hot tar fall on my head. But when Jennifer was the first person to greet me, I presumed he’d had plans which she thwarted.
“Everything okay?” My sister pulled me into a big hug. “You didn’t encounter any trouble?”
I shook my head. “Thank you for staying with Hannah. How is she?”
“She’s asleep. As soon as she heard you were safe, she passed right out.” Jennifer proceeded to lead me into the kitchen and fill me in on what happened after I’d left. She also placed a plate of cookies in front of me, which I ate, taking satisfaction from the fact that she’d probably hidden them from Cletus.
My sister loved me and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
“About the wedding . . .” Jennifer stood on the other side of the kitchen island, facing me where I sat on a stool and devoured the cookies.
“What about the wedding?” I asked around a bite.
“Cletus can marry you, but we’ll need witnesses.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Cletus can marry us?”
“That’s right.” The man in question strolled into the kitchen. “It’s one of the seven licenses I have.”
“What are the others?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.
“That’s need-to-know information,” he said, coming to stand next to Jenn and draping an arm around her middle. “Who should be the witnesses? I assume you already have the marriage paperwork taken care of?”
I nodded, too tired to parse through his questions for landmines. I didn’t have the paperwork yet, but I would soon. The adrenaline was finally starting to recede. Experience told me it would take a while and I’d get the shakes.
“Can we talk about this in the morning?” I asked, polishing off the last cookie. “I assume y’all will be sleeping here too? Or are you leaving tonight?”
“We’ll sleep here,” Jenn said before Cletus could speak. “There’s two bedrooms. Hannah’s in the main. But we’ll head out early to prepare for the ceremony. Do you think I’d be overstepping if I brought her a dress?”
I shrugged tiredly. “I don’t know. Ask her. But, Jenn, I appreciate the kindness and the gesture.”
“She’s going to be my sister-in-law. It’s the least I can do.”
Jennifer and I stared at each other, trading smiles as well as thoughts with our eyes.
Jennifer: I love you.
Isaac: I love you, too.
Jennifer: I’m so thankful we’re back in each other’s lives.
Isaac: You have no idea. I—
“All right! All right! Quit it.” Cletus waved a hand between us within our line of vision. “Use words. I’m standing right here.”
“Anyway.” Jennifer turned in Cletus’s arms and placed a kiss on his cheek. “We’re going to bed now.”
“That’s more like it,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the kitchen.
I didn’t watch them go. I walked to the sink and pulled my toothbrush out of the bag I’d taken from the safe house. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I changed into new clothes, deciding the ones I’d been wearing needed to be burned.
Then I walked into the room where Hannah slept, crossed to an upholstered armchair, leaned back, and closed my eyes, waiting for the crash. I didn’t want to get in bed with her, not until my body accepted it was over, not until I’d accepted we were safe.
“Isaac?”
At the sound of Hannah’s voice I opened my eyes, blinking around the dark room. My shakes had subsided and I’d almost fallen asleep in the chair without meaning to.
