CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
H: Do me a favor, babe. Whatever you hear through the grapevine today, give me a chance to explain when I get home.
I wish I had been able to tell her what’s going down, what’s going to happen now that I’ve spoken with Brooks and gotten approval from the state. I wish I could have let her in on all of this, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t make her keep a secret, couldn’t let her feel any more guilty than she already does. I promised her I would take care of Jefferson, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. This man will never have a hold over us anymore.
L: That makes me nervous, Holden. Please don’t do anything stupid.
H: I’m doing my job, Leigh, just don’t worry. I love you, no matter what you hear, I love you.
L: Doesn’t make me feel better, but I love you, too. I trust you with everything.
H: That’s all I ask. I’ll be home as soon as I can.
“We ready to do this?” Tank asks as the group of us suit up.
Normally it wouldn’t take all of us to go arrest someone, but you never know with Jefferson Strather. Especially since we’re about to take him into custody. I’m leaving nothing to chance. “I’m ready.”
The five of us break into three cars. I’m driving on my own because I need to be alone with my thoughts, need to calm myself down so I don’t hurt this guy the minute I see him. As we pull up to Leighton’s childhood home that we’ve visited so many times before, I get a sense of satisfaction. This is something I could do for her that she could never do for herself. Make him pay for the misery he put so many people through.
As we park and sort everything out, we each climb the steps of the older home. I knock on the door with authority.
“Jefferson Strather! It’s the police! Open up.”
I wonder for a few minutes if he’s going to. Or maybe if he’s going to come out with guns firing. That’s been a fear of mine since the warrant came through, but it’s why I wear a vest, and why I have these guys with me to protect me.
There’s noise inside the house, and I stand tall, ready to do whatever it takes to get this guy off the street and out of my life. He opens the door, surprised to see us all standing there, but he plays it off well.
“Son-in-law, what can I do for you?”
That pisses me off. “You can start by shutting the fuck up and coming out here. We have a warrant for your arrest.”
He opens the door, shock on his face. “What do you mean?”
I turn him around, slapping cuffs on his wrists, tightening them. “Jefferson Strather, you’re under arrest for the distribution of illegal moonshine with the intent to distribute a deadly product, second degree murder for selling a bad batch of moonshine, and tampering with physical evidence. You have the right to remain silent…”
It feels good as I shove him in the back of my squad car. He’s yelling to Merle to call his lawyer, but I think I kind of see relief in Merle’s eyes. Maybe he’s sick of the business, too.
“You think you can fuck me the same way you fuck my daughter?” he screams at me through the window of the car.
I walk over to it, open the door and lean in. “I told you more than once that I protect what’s mine and I’d rain down hell on you, motherfucker. You gave me enough rope to hang yourself. You should’ve left her alone, you should’ve left this alone when that still blew, and you sure as fuck should have buried that body a lot better than you did.”
He looks at me with wide eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“I don’t have enough proof yet, besides my gut, but damn my gut has never steered me wrong yet. The crime lab won’t have my results back for three more months, thanks to a motherfucking back log of assholes like you. But Jefferson, I know that body we found in the woods is Leighton’s mother, and I know you’re the son of a bitch who killed her. You bet your ass as soon as we get those fucking dental records back, I’m sticking that charge on you. And then I’ll tell your daughter you killed her mom, but made her think she left her, her whole life. How do you think she’s gonna react to that?”
“I’d like to see you try,” he snarls at me.
“You didn’t think I could do this.” I grin at him.
“Ain’t like it’ll ever stick since you got information from your wife,” he spits the words out.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong, Jefferson. Both your kids hate your guts. The reason Brooks is behind bars is because you were a shitty example for a parent and he actually wants to make something of himself. You made this easy because you’re such a piece of shit. This is a good arrest, and I think the boys in the pen will definitely have something to say to you. Especially when it all comes out about Leighton’s mom. They don’t take well to men who kill women.”
He’s finally speechless as I slam the door in his face. Fuck that felt good.
“I’ll drive him over.” Ace grabs my keys from my hands.
“Thanks, I’d rather not. I’m gonna go see Leigh, let her know what’s happened.”
As I watch my guys leave, I turn my attention to the most important person in my life. A life we can now live without the fear of retribution coming back at us. There will always be people making moonshine, there will always be people who tiptoe around the law, but I won’t have to worry about Leighton anymore.
Leighton
I’m nervous as I wait for Holden. He asked me to let him explain what was going on, if I heard what happened. Holy hell did I hear what happened. My dad’s arrest was the talk of the town this afternoon. Everyone wanted to know if I knew it was coming, did I have a hand in it? I had to admit to all of them I had no idea it was happening.
“Are you mad?” he asks as he walks into the house.
I didn’t even hear his truck, which tells me just how out of it I was. “No.” I shake my head. “I always knew he’d slip up. It was only a matter of time. Will I have to testify since I’m the one who identified the bottles?”
“No.” He sits down next to me, pushing the palm of his hand against my jaw. “Your brother will be the one testifying because he also identified them. He’s doing this to get a lesser sentence and to save you.”
My heart drops when I hear Brooks is doing this. “How?”
“I went to visit him, explained to him I could help get the sentence reduced, and told him I wanted you as far away from this as you could be. We talked. He understood, and he agreed. Your brother isn’t all bad. He cares about you.”
Tears spring to my eyes as I listen to what he’s said. As I think about the reasons we’ve been together, I feel a dropping of my stomach. “What about us?” I ask, because even though we’ve shared words of love, I’ve known my whole life to never count on anything as fact.
“What do you mean what about us?” he questions, pulling me so that I’m sitting in his lap.
I hold up my hand, showing him my wedding ring. “You did this to protect me.”
“I did that to have a claim on you with hopes you’d fall madly in love with me while we were pretending. I thought you knew that.” He kisses my jaw softly, his whiskers leaving behind a slight mark I can feel.
“I do, I just needed to hear you say it again.”
I feel him smile against me. “I’ll say it every day as long as you say it back.”
“I love you, Holden, and I don’t think I can ever imagine my life without you. Thank you for giving me everything. A family, a sense of security, love, and a home I never thought I’d have.”
He enfolds his arms around me, holding me tight. “Thank you for giving me hope I’d lost, Leigh. Without you, I’d just be a guy going through the motions. You make me hope for a future, and I’m excited to be sharing it with you.”
“I have a secret,” I whisper, putting my forehead to his. “I’m not scared anymore.” I run my hand over his buzz cut.
He pulls back and smiles at me, the dimples showing, the eyes shining. “I’m not, either.”
And in a relationship that started based on secrets, that’s the best one we’ve ever shared.