Jeremiah
I’d fucked up with Elle. I had reacted badly. But she had completely blindsided me at the worst possible time. I was fighting for my freedom and she just blurted it out in the hallway.
As soon the trial was over for the day, I tried to call her.
No answer.
As usual.
There were several missed calls – some from Lauren. Others from numbers I didn’t recognize at first.
I listened to the voicemail from Lauren. She hadn’t gone to the police, and like Elle, she’d avoided my calls since the night I talked to her in my home.
“Well it’s out now. My parents heard that Amelia and Grace are my daughters, thanks to the press. I’ve left town temporarily, but be warned – they aren’t going to let this go. And to answer your previous questions, I am not going to turn on my family. I’m sorry. I’m not strong enough to do that.”
The line went dead. With dread, I pulled up the next voicemail.
“Hello, this is Vincent Barry, I’m George Holt’s attorney. I’m calling to discuss George’s granddaughters, Amelia and Grace Jenkins. Please give me a call at your earliest convenience.”
Damn. I stood on the steps of the courthouse, fear running through my veins. I stared off in the distance, not even realizing the voicemail had ended until the next one began.
It was George himself. “Think you can hide my granddaughters from me, huh? Lauren may have had a moment of selfishness, but she will come to her senses, you can count on that. Those girls will be raised by their mother.”
The line went dead again. I stopped the voicemails. I’d heard enough. I had to get to my girls. Then I’d talk to Sam. There was no way Lauren’s family would take them away from me. I wouldn’t let those monsters near my children.
Liberty being as small as it was, the daycare wasn’t very far from the courthouse. I still drove there as quickly as I could, not wanting to carry the girls in the cold if I could help it. I parked in the lot and hopped from the car.
Right away, my gaze fell on a red Porsche parked near the entrance.
Oh hell no, I thought. Only family in Liberty that drove cars like that were the Holts. I knew Piper would never hand over my girls to someone other than me, but I also knew George and Alex were big men.
I quickened my pace, and as I approached the Porsche, the door swung open, nearly hitting me. George Holt stepped out of the passenger side. His son, Alex, had been behind the wheel.
My girls weren’t in the car as far as I could tell. That was a relief.
“What are you doing here?” I growled.
“I’m here to see my granddaughters,” George said with a smirk. “Maybe take them home, if you’ve come to your senses and realize they belong with their mother.” “Never.” I clenched my fists at my side.
George laughed. “We’ll let the court decide that, and let’s face it – you might have money, but you have nothing compared to us.”
“Money can’t buy you everything. Not in Liberty,” I said, walking up to George and standing an inch of him. I felt his breath against my face. He didn’t move back. “Your reputation precedes you. And once the truth comes out about the bribes, your family is the one going down. You’ll be the ones in cuffs and orange jumpsuits.”
George reared his head back and cackled. “Do you hear that, Alex? Jeremiah thinks we’re going to prison.”
“You will. Mark my word. Your wife was already seen accepting bribes and-”
“Elizabeth? Dear, old Elizabeth accepting bribes?”” George chuckled and rubbed his face. “No, we’ve already cleared that up. Brody even spoke to the police on our behalf. Brody purchased some antique chairs from my wife and was merely paying for them. We have the receipts and everything to back it up.”
“Why would you meet in an alley after dark to exchange money for antique chairs?”
“That alley is also where people park when they visit the local shops, isn’t it?”
“The shops were closed. It was eleven at night.”
“The diner was still open, and Elizabeth had popped in to pick up a salad she really loves. Since she was in the area, she decided to meet Brody. It’s all innocent.”
“Bullshit.” I knew a lie when I heard one. It sounded like a good one, but there were holes in his story. Too many holes. Like why would Elizabeth drive herself into town? She often had staff pick up things like that for her. But I knew no matter what questions I asked, George would have an explanation. They’d worked on their story, and Brody was working with them.
The question was, did the police buy it? Since I hadn’t heard of any arrests, apparently they’d worked something out.
Dammit, Lauren. I need you to go to the police, I thought to myself.
George continued smirking and I wanted to punch that smirk right off his face.
“Is there a problem here?” A man’s voice spoke from behind me.
I turned to find Grant Barnes, Piper’s husband and the owner of the property, standing behind us. He was a good guy, ex-military, a friend of Elle’s growing up as well.
“Not at all,” George said, backing away from me. “I was just leaving.”
George climbed into his Porsche, but before closing the door, he offered some parting words. “I will see my granddaughters, Jeremiah. One way or another. I will see them, and they will be coming home with me shortly.”
He slammed the door, and the car sped off. I watched it as it left the parking lot, my blood boiling. I was relieved that they were gone but worried about what the future might hold.
“What was that about?” Grant asked.
“I guess you haven’t heard the news?”
“Nope. Don’t really keep up with the news or gossip really.”
Probably the only person in Liberty who hadn’t heard yet.
“Don’t worry, you’ll hear about it before long,” I muttered. I marched into the daycare. I wasn’t about to waste any more time talking.
I needed to get my girls and take them home where they belonged.
Ooo000ooo
“Lauren, please call me back. We have to talk.”
Dammit, Lauren. She’d left town, leaving me to handle this.
Amelia and Grace were on the floor beside me. I didn’t want to leave their side; I was even thinking of moving their cribs to my room. If I ever managed to sleep. I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of everything. My phone rang, and I wasn’t sure if I hoped more for Elle or Lauren to be calling me back.
“Jeremiah, I told you – I’m not dealing with this. It’s your problem, not mine,” Lauren said without a greeting.
“Your dad is threatening to take the girls away.”
Lauren was quiet for a long time. “I don’t know what to tell you. This is why I was worried about having them.
They’d have been better off if I’d-”
“Stop it. Don’t you dare say it.”
I stared at their sweet faces. Grace lifted her head and offered a few gurgles and a smile. Amelia gripped the handle of a rattle in front of her, her eyes staring at it like it was the greatest thing ever.
My heart broke for my babies. So sweet. So innocent. They deserved better than this mess.
“Jeremiah, I can’t do anything. Just be careful, because my parents will stop at nothing to get what they want.”
“Thanks for telling me what I already know.” I helped Amelia with the rattle, helping her shake it. Her eyes lit up when she heard the sound it made. “You’re really not going to do anything? What if they call you to the stand, would you lie and commit perjury about what your parents put you up to?”
“I won’t turn on my family, Jeremiah. I can’t.”
“So that’s a yes? You’d commit perjury for them? After everything they’ve done to you.”
“Goodbye, Jeremiah. Please don’t call me again.” The line went dead.
Shit.
I tried Elle again. No answer. Straight to voicemail.
“Elle, please listen to me. I’m sorry, for everything. I’m sorry about how I reacted. It was just a shock to me. I was terrified to be the father of two children, and to find out I’m going to be a dad to another one? Well, it scared me, but-”
There was a beep signalling that my message was cut off. I had the opportunity to re-record it or delete it.
I deleted it. She wouldn’t listen to it anyway, and it had been a mess. It likely would have made things worse. I needed to get my shit together, form a coherent thought. But with everything going on, I wasn’t sure if that would happen anytime soon.