“So you did what they asked.”
“I did. But not for the reasons you think. I admit I treated Miss Wells like crap, but only because I wanted her to run far from this place and stay gone. Leanne is not rational when it comes to Alec. And John is checked out most of the time, knowing his wife’s mental health is on the decline. But he gets her new pills and buries his head in the sand. I had a real bad feeling that something would happen to Sorrow if the truth came out. I can handle losing my job and having my reputation tarnished. I deserve it for failing to do my job right in the first place. What I couldn’t live with was something happening to Sorrow if I failed her again.”
“Damn, I did not see that one coming.” I look over at Kellen, who shrugs at me. But he’s not wrong. I felt for sure he hated me, and now, well, I’m not sure what to think.
“To summarize, do you think Sorrow Wells was responsible for the death of Alec Bannerman?”
“No. I think Alec Bannerman was responsible for his own death. He grabbed the wheel of the car when the roads were already treacherous. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, and he was intoxicated. His actions caused not just his death but that of Miss Wells’s unborn child.”
“No. You shut your mouth!” Leanne jumps up, shouting.
“Order. Keep your client quiet, Mr. Fredrick, or I’ll have her removed. I’m tired of having this conversation.”
“But he’s lying. That whore killed my baby. She’s the one who should be dead. All she had to do was listen to him and be a better girlfriend, and Alec wouldn’t hit her. She just wouldn’t listen. Why wouldn’t you listen?” she screams at me, thrashing as court officials make a grab for her when she starts moving my way.
“Order. Bailiffs, have this woman removed from my courthouse. Mrs. Bannerman, I find you in contempt of this court.”
I look at Banner with wide eyes. “Did that just happen?”
“I think it’s safe to say the jury is seeing her true colors.”
“I’m sorry. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”
“Me too. But they stopped being my family the second I found out what they did to you. As long as I’ve got you and Katy, I’ve got all the family I need.”
“What the fuck am I, a mirage?” Kellen grunts, his sentiment echoed by those behind us.
I grin, reaching up to kiss Banner’s cheek. “Looks like you’ve got more family than you know what to do with.”
“I think it’s safe to say we both do.”
I moved in with Banner that night. As that only involved moving one house over, it didn’t take long. Katy helped me unload the van and put clothes and things away in Banner’s room after I checked with her a dozen times to make sure she was okay with this.
“I’m more than okay with it. It gives me peace of mind over what comes next,” she tells me, sitting on the edge of Banner’s bed as she folds one of my T-shirts.
“How so?” She bites her lip, so I move to sit next to her and take her hand. “You know you can tell me anything.”
“I know. I’m just nervous, I guess. I’ve decided I don’t want to go to college. I never did. I really do want to enlist.”
“Okay. Do you need a lift to the recruitment center?”
“Just like that?”
“You’ve wanted to be a soldier the whole time I’ve known you. I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Do you know how many people know exactly what they want to do at that young age and follow through?”
“No.”
“Well, neither do I, but I bet it’s not a lot.”
She grins, but it falters after a minute or two. “You think Banner will be mad?”
“Mad? No. Worried, nervous in that way only a big brother can be, yes, abso-fucking-loutly. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do what you love. He’ll deal with it because he loves you. And anytime he worries, I’ll distract him.”
“Oh eww, I did not need to know that.”
“Your mind is the one in the gutter, not mine.”
She nudges me with her elbow, laughing. “Right, I’m sure your thoughts were pure and innocent.”
