Remember Me: Oakville Series:Book Two (30 page)

“What exactly is it that you think is yours?”

“You don’t get it do you? You took everything from me!” he screams, his face just inches from mine. I can’t help but cower. The rage that’s burning in his eyes is directed right at me. In his mind, he does blame me for all of his hardships. How did I take everything from him? I didn’t have any more control over any of this than he did. His parents screwed him over, not me. “They had at least set up a college fund for me, so I figured I’d be in their will too. I had it all planned out. Every last detail of how I was going to get rid of them. Then you told me your grandpa was sick and you had to go back home, so I followed you and waited. It paid off. I didn’t have to get my hands dirty at all, Mother Nature took care of it for me.”

I jump up from the table and run to a clump of bushes, the meal I just ate coming back with a vengeance. I can’t believe he planned on killing my grandparents for money. How can he be this unstable and hide it from me for so long? Am I that stupid? It feels like I’ve left my entire insides in those bushes by the time I stop.

“Don’t you want to hear the rest? I’ve been a busy guy,” he says in a sing-song voice. “Thing is, there was still someone standing in my way and she had to go too. So, one night, I snuck into the house when you and dear old grandma went on one of your walks.” I feel bile rising and burning in my throat again. I know where this is going and I’m not sure I can handle hearing it. He looks so proud of himself. Not an ounce of guilt showing on his face. He’s a monster. “I hid in the closet of her bedroom. Before she went to bed that night, she prayed that you would move back home with her. I waited until she fell asleep, then covered her face with a pillow. Of course, everyone in this Podunk town would think she just couldn’t live without her husband.” Heat begins to rise in my face and my body is shaking, the rage that is running through me becoming harder to contain. Without thinking, I lunge for him.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” I punch, kick, and even bite anywhere I can. I’ve lost all control of myself. I’m yelling and crying and I have no idea if any of it makes sense. He just laughs at me, before he head-butts the side of my face and everything goes black.

I’
VE BEEN
going crazy all day. Beasley left a while ago to see if he could track Amber’s cell phone or credit card activity. He says he needs to know she’s at least safe. We still haven’t heard from her. Beasley has tried calling, over and over again. She won’t answer and doesn’t return any of the hundreds of messages. I know she’s upset and wants some time alone, but it’s not like her to just disappear. She wouldn’t intentionally let Beasley worry about her. Paul stayed here to babysit me. I don’t know what every one’s afraid I’m gonna do.

“Are you really doing okay?” Paul asks.

“Honestly, no. I’m not.” I’ve failed in so many ways. What if I’ve lost her forever? She has shed one too many tears because of me. I promised her I would never hurt her, but I did. I was being a whiney little baby. I couldn’t handle the fact that there was nothing I could do to protect her or our babies. I felt like less of a man, like I wasn’t doing my job as a husband or a father. I was ashamed of myself for being weak. If I were a real man, I would have just told her how I felt. “I’ve lost it all. One minute, I have everything I’ve ever wanted, and the next, it’s all ripped away from me. She’ll never forgive me.” If Paul weren’t here, I’d be crying like the useless little bitch that I am. I walk over and take a swig of whiskey right from the bottle. Fuck it. I’m just gonna drink until I don’t hurt anymore. Won’t solve anything, but at least I can be numb and maybe forget for a little while. Before I can take another, the bottle is grabbed from my hand.

“You’re kidding, right?” Paul snaps. “Just like that, you’re giving up.
Again.
If you want to feel sorry for yourself, go right ahead. Don’t expect me to throw your ass a pity party, though. Here I thought the two of you were actually meant to be together. Like fate or some shit. I must have been wrong, because if that were the case, you wouldn’t be rolling over and giving up like a little bitch just because things are a little hairy.” He shoves past me and almost knocks me on my ass, slamming the door behind him as he goes to sit on the front porch.

Picking up the whiskey bottle he took from me, I take another swig, then hurl the bottle against the wall, watching as it explodes into shards of glass. That’s what I feel like. What if she’d be better off without me? Ever since we’ve been back together, she’s been through one nightmare after another. Her life was normal until I came back into it. Leaving her alone may be the very best thing for her. She can have a normal drama free life again. Just thinking about walking away from her sends a stabbing pain straight to my heart.

“Sit your stupid ass down. Now! You’re gonna listen and listen good, so keep your damn mouth zipped until I’m done,” Beasley orders as he shoves me toward the bar stool.

Holy shit! He looks about ready to rip my head off. There’s this huge vein on the side of his forehead that’s throbbing swiftly along with the fast pace of his heartbeat. His face is so red, I’m a little worried he might have a damn stroke. He’s pretty scary when he’s mad. I decide it’s probably in my best interest to do as he says. I look over and see Paul leaning against the wall, his expression a mixture of amusement and surprise.

“I know what you’re thinking and I advise you to stop it right now. You leave my daughter and I will hunt you down and shoot you. Remember, I can legally carry a gun and make up an excuse to shoot your dumb ass.” Paul chuckles. Beasley shoots him a look that shuts him up instantly.
Ha! Take that you smug son of a bitch.
When I look back to Beasley, he’s giving me a hard stare and it makes me shrink back a bit. “You know the both of you would be miserable without each other. Ya’ll tried that once for six years. Remember?” He paces as he runs his hands through his hair. “We all know you’ve been an ass lately, but that’s over now. Reattach your balls and help me get your wife back here, then you can beg for her forgiveness. If she throws you out on your ass, you get back up and keep trying until she forgives you. Do not give up. That’s not you and it sure as hell isn’t my daughter.” Beasley’s eyes never leave mine as he sits on the stool beside me. I can’t tell if he’s trying to read my thoughts or ensure I’m good and scared of him.

Paul goes to the cabinet, grabs a glass and a new bottle of whiskey, and places them in front of Beasley. I give him a questioning look.

“You’ve had enough. I’ll be doing the driving. Beasley, here, needs to calm down.” He’s right. Shit, they’re both right. I couldn’t live without her any more than she could live without me.

“I love her so much. It kills me to know I did anything that caused her pain. I would never hurt her on purpose Beasley. Never.”

“I know you wouldn’t, Son. It’s the only reason you’re not gator food right now,” Beasley says so seriously. There’s no doubt in my mind the lengths this man would go to in order to protect his daughter. “So would you like to know what I found out now that your nuts are nice and secure to where they belong again.” His seriousness fades and he bursts out laughing. Paul and I follow. For an older man, Beasley is pretty damn awesome. I’m lucky to have him as a father-in-law and a friend. He begins to tell us what he’s found. The last hit on Amber’s cell phone was around Homestead last night. There’s been nothing since so she must have it turned off. She probably got sick of us all calling. What was she doing in Homestead?

“I also ran her credit card activity. She only used it once in Marathon Key. I also ran Jax’s, he hasn’t used any of his at all and that makes me nervous.”

“What’s so strange about him not using a credit card?” Paul asks. I’m wondering the same thing. Out of everything, why does that make Beasley nervous?

“It’s about a one-hundred and sixty mile trip to Marathon. They would have needed gas at some point. Who pays for gas anymore with cash unless they are trying to stay off the radar?” Beasley explains. He watches the two of us waiting for it to sink in. I’ve never seen Jax pay for anything with cash the whole time I’ve known him. He doesn’t even tip with it at the bar.

“So, you think Jax may be trying to hide where they are?” I ask

“Yes, I do. The only purchase Amber made was at a small boutique in Marathon and I have a feeling Jax didn’t know about it.”

“Then it looks like we are all going on a little road trip,” Holly announces from the doorway. I didn’t hear them come in. Angel, Marcus, and Becky are with her. There is no way Beasley is going to let this circus tag along.

“No. The two of us will go,” he says, motioning between himself and me. I can already see this isn’t gonna work. Paul and Angel look pissed. Marcus, I know, wants to go but he never wears his emotions like the rest of us. I don’t think anyone will challenge Beasley, though. Holly marches right up to Beasley and stands toe to toe with him. The two stare each other down.

“You may scare these panty waists, but you don't scare me, Beasley. We are all going, and that's final,” Holly informs Beasley while poking her finger into his chest. I can see the corners of his mouth tip up. He raises his hands in surrender.

“Okay, but you have to promise to do as I say when we get there. I’m the cop and the father. We do this my way,” he says, looking around the room at every face. He waits for everyone to acknowledge their agreement. Of course, Holly has to be stubborn and last, but she finally agrees. Beasley, Paul, and I take Beasley’s truck because he has the police radio just in case we need it. The rest all pile into Angel’s SUV.

I know my girl can handle herself, she’s proved it over and over again, but this time is different. She’s more vulnerable. She doesn’t need Jax adding all this extra drama onto the full plate she already has right now. We’re all missing something. I just can’t figure out what it is. There has to be more to this than Jax wanting some money.