Almost Innocent (6 page)

Dec moved and stood in front of me, blocking the other patrons from view. “Little G.” His voice was full of authority, and I couldn’t help but look up. “I need you to stand up and go to the truck with Niall.”

I scowled, shaking my head. “I’m not leaving you alone with them.”

“Who?”

“Them.” I motioned to the room I could no longer see. “The lynch mob.”

Amusement danced in his eyes, but his face stayed serious.

“I mean it, Dec.” I crossed my arms to show I was serious. “I don’t trust them.”

He tore his eyes away from mine and surveyed the room. When he glanced back at me, I couldn’t read his expression. “You mean the old people?” His lips twitched, finding amusement where there wasn’t any, and I narrowed my eyes. He tipped his head. “Truck. Now.”

“No. Not without you.”

He shook his head. “You gotta stop worrying about me, Gabs. I got this.” He stepped back, giving me room to slide out of the booth. “This isn’t up for debate. You either go with Niall now and walk out, or in five seconds, he’s going to throw you over his shoulder.”

“Real mature.”

“You’re lucky I’m giving you a choice.”

I grabbed my jacket and purse and slid out, bumping his arm roughly with my shoulder as I passed. I was so irritated with him and Olivia and the entire situation that I didn’t even think to glare at the people staring. After the man named Niall lifted me into the truck, virtually locking me inside as he stood guard outside my door, I realized that Dec had gotten me out and once again was facing wrath alone.

Bastard.

Years ago, I’d needed someone to shake me and make me see what I couldn’t—I was a stupid girl in over her head. I didn’t know any better.

That girl was long gone.

Half the time, I convinced myself she’d never existed, ashamed to admit I’d once been so foolish and weak. Declan would never forget her though. You could hide from the past, but you couldn’t erase it from the minds of the people who lived it with you.

For a few minutes, an amazing and blissful few seconds, we had been two old friends catching up. Dec had stopped looking at me as if I needed to be coddled, as if I needed to be watched every second because I wasn’t capable of making my own decisions. It was awesome, and I wanted that moment back again.

I took a deep breath, letting my mind wander to the woman who had ruined it. I hated Olivia. Despise-from-the-deepest-part-of-my soul hated her. I’d lie and tell everyone that what she’d said hadn’t hurt—I’d heard it all before, and I was too old to let someone else’s hatred bother me—but that was bullshit.

Hearing those words again, the old accusations thrown back in my face, was brutal. I could run to the ends of the earth, and it wouldn’t be far enough to outrun the many theories about what happened that night. It didn’t matter what the police report stated in black and white or what Declan admitted he’d done; the people here would twist each little detail and make it a story to suit whatever need they had.

That was one reason Grady and I left. There were more of course, but I wanted to protect him from the lies he’d hear about his parents. The “facts” that everyone stated with such certainty, even though they had no basis in truth, would hurt my beautiful boy.

I would do anything I could to protect him. That was my job. That was the only job that mattered. God knew I’d done what I’d had to do to ensure his safety more than once.

He wasn’t the only one who needed my protection now though. Dec was back and clearly not taking care of himself as he should. My friend needed me, just as I’d needed him all those years ago, and I would do whatever I could to pay him back.

A
s I watched
Gabby navigate around tables, Niall’s hand on her back gently leading her toward the door, my anger grew. Not toward the woman walking away with attitude in her step, but toward the one who had just ruined my night.

I would wreck Olivia. Destroy her. I would do whatever it took to make sure that she regretted the moment she chose to walk up to my table.

I didn’t give two shits what Livie thought about me. She’d been a miserable bitch toward me before everything with Dustin went down, and I hadn’t expected her to be any different now that I was home.

But I would not have her spewing her hate all over Gabby. She’d had it out for Gabs ever since Dustin shot her down all those years ago, but I’d assumed that after twenty years and three failed marriages, she would have gotten over her petty jealousy. I’d been wrong.

The look of surprise on Gabby’s face, the quick way she paled, the way her eyes darted to mine and then away in shame when Livie accused her of planning Dustin’s shooting, killed me. There wasn’t much about that night that I’d been honest about when I accepted the plea deal—or before for that matter—but one truth had never been left out. Nothing about that night was preplanned.

I hadn’t heard that particular theory in years—it was just one of many that had circulated around town in the months after Dusty died. I’d thought that after the details of the night came out, once everyone found out what had happened, that they’d forget it and move on. From her response, Gabby had believed that too.

The door hadn’t even closed behind Gabby before Tori, the manager, made a beeline straight for me, her face dark with worry. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Callaghan.” She placed her hand between my shoulder blades and turned me away from the other customers. “I just heard what happened.”

I shook my head so she would know I didn’t blame her. “I want her banned, Tori. She tries to come in here again, you make it clear that she’s not welcome. She’s not welcome in any of my restaurants or clubs.”

Tori nodded before pushing graying bangs out of her eyes. “Olivia is being put on the list as we speak. Everyone here is aware, and I will personally call the other managers, Mr. Callaghan.”

“Declan,” I corrected, glancing over her shoulder to see if Katie, the waitress, was bringing our food yet. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You can’t control all our guests.”

“Maybe not,” she whispered back, “but people come here because they want a relaxing atmosphere. Having a woman yell accusations at the owner doesn’t do a lot of good for our image.”

“Good thing most people don’t know I’m the owner,” I pointed out, my voice no louder than hers. “All they know is that two of your guests had a disagreement, and they were all escorted off the property. Your image is safe.”

Tori twisted her lips, letting my words sink in. Before she could argue with my logic, Katie came out of the kitchen carrying a large plastic bag. “Here you go, Declan.” She smiled kindly, but she still seemed nervous. “I even threw in dessert. Your favorite.”

“Thanks, Katie.” I took the bag and slid a hundred dollar bill into her hand. “I hope the rest of your night goes better.”

“Yours too.” She smiled shyly, tucking the bill into her back pocket. “You’ll bring her here again, right?”

I paused as I turned to leave, my mind already in a million different places. “Who?”

“Your date.” Her tone let me know she thought I was an idiot for asking the question. She put her hands on her hips. “A first date like that one deserves a do-over. You need to make it up to her.”

I nodded, not bothering to explain that Gabby and I hadn’t been on a date. I knew from the moment the hostess greeted us at the door that every staff member would assume that was what it was. Why else would we be there during the dinner rush hour on a Friday night? They weren’t used to seeing me with anyone other than Mark, and even that was an anomaly. It was usually just a table for one.

I’d—well, technically it was Callaghan Industries—bought the property years ago. Downtown, waterfront, the old mill district was begging to be refurbished and house something beautiful and beneficial to the town. So I’d had Mark check it out, and we invested a small fortune. Once the property had been restored, we began the tedious process of finding appropriate businesses to fill up the empty space.

Mark had brought my wishes to life beautifully, overseeing the installation of three restaurants, four high-end night clubs, two apartment buildings, fifteen retail rental spaces, a parking garage, and a hotel. By the time I’d gotten out, he had managed to fill almost all of the housing units and all but two storefronts. And employ almost a thousand people who’d been out of work. It was a solid start. There was much more to do though.

I nodded to Niall as I crossed the parking lot and called him to my side of the truck. “Richard Martin is the assistant manager at Bayview,” I told him quietly, “and his wife, Daisy, is the merchandise coordinator. Relieve them both of their duties.” A stab of regret hit me. I’d known Daisy and Dick my entire life, and they’d been good to me. When I built the hotel, they were some of the first people to get job offers. Too bad they’d raised a cunt for a daughter. “Make it clear that next time Olivia spreads her lies, their home won’t make it out of foreclosure again.”

Niall nodded.

I climbed into my truck, setting the bag on the seat between Gabby and me. Gabs had her arms crossed, and she was glaring at me in a way everyone else was afraid to. It was comical.

“Don’t you ever think of pulling that shit again!”

I started the truck and backed out of my spot before responding. “I thought you’d be hungry. Next time I’ll just grab my food.”

She sighed animatedly, and I would swear I could see her tapping her foot angrily. “I’m not some random creeper you can manhandle. Last time I checked, my dad was dead. You don’t get to tell me what to do. Who in the hell was that Declan? What in the hell is going on?”

I fought a smile. Still a spitfire who got pissed at me over the dumbest shit. “I thought we’d drive down by the river. There’s a new boat launch that I found a few weeks ago. We can eat there.”

“Are you listening to me? I want answers. I’m serious.”

“Oh, I heard you.” I flipped on my blinker and pulled into the dark lot. “I just figured I’d ignore you until after dinner. You’re always much more reasonable after you eat.”

I parked facing the water, turned on the dome light, and turned off the engine. When I glanced at her, her mouth was open slightly, and her eyes were narrowed. Getting her wound up was half the fun.

Truth was, Gabby was probably the only person who I let refuse my orders. Even my mom and Fi caved when I held my ground long enough. Gabs had always been different. I listened when she talked, even when she didn’t think I did, and I respected her wishes. Most of the time.

The only times I didn’t were for her own good. I’d vowed long ago to protect her no matter what the cost. I would never stop. I couldn’t.

“You are such a dick.”

I laughed. “Never claimed to be anything else.” I held out her Styrofoam container. “You gonna eat before it gets cold?”

She yanked it out of my hands, still glaring.

I waited until she was a few bites into her burger, hoping her blood sugar had spiked a little and that she’d calmed down. “Don’t listen to Liv, Gabby. She’s just a bitter drunk still living in the nineties.”

“I want to tell people the truth.”

I froze mid-chew, staring at her. After a few seconds, I swallowed my bite almost whole. “Not happening.”

She moved her container to the dashboard and turned in her seat, facing me, her knee up on the seat. “Dec.” Her voice was soft, almost comforting. “It’s time.”

“The fuck it is.”

She nodded, fingers fidgeting with the seam on her thigh. “Everyone needs to know what really happened that night. Did you not see Livie? She thinks you’re a monster! She thinks that—”

“Let her!” I yelled, louder than I intended. “She’s nothing. Who the fuck cares about what some cumbucket like her says?”

“I do!” she screamed back. “I care! It kills me every time someone says that shit about you. Don’t you get that? I can’t bear the thought of you dealing with it every day for the rest of your life!”

I threw the rest of my burger back into its container, my appetite gone. “What good is the truth going to do? It doesn’t take away the last twelve years. It doesn’t bring Dustin back. Telling the truth will only bring problems.”

Her face fell. “No. But if people knew, they’d understand.”

I laughed even though there was nothing humorous about the situation. “No, they wouldn’t. People like to preach against domestic violence—everyone knows it’s a problem—but how many people actually get involved? Do you know how many times I’ve heard men—men I admired by the way—say shit like, ‘It’s none of my business’ or ‘What happens behind closed doors should stay behind closed doors’? I’ve heard it my entire life. No one gave two shits that Dustin was a controlling and abusive prick. If Moira knew what really happened, she’d be angrier. I’d be the man that killed his brother for something that was none of my business.”

“They need to know the truth. The whole truth.”

“No.” I shook my head angrily, realizing that this was the one thing I would never budge on. This was the one time I would not give in to her. No matter how much she wanted it. This would always be the issue that kept Gabby and me apart. “Not fucking happening, Gabriella. You try, and I will fucking fight you every step of the way.”

I started the truck, backed up, and peeled out, not even caring that the food could go flying. I was so pissed off, I almost didn’t see the car that pulled out of the empty lot next to where we’d been. The car that followed close enough not to lose me but far enough back that I wouldn’t notice. I took the long way back to my house, half convinced I was overly paranoid and imagining it.

When it made the right turn onto my street after me, I knew we were being followed. I knew every car in my neighborhood, and the late model piece-of-shit Ford Taurus wagon didn’t belong there. The beat-up silver Mitsubishi Eclipse, parked on the street outside my neighbor’s house, proved I wasn’t going crazy. When my neighbors had company, they parked in their driveways, on the correct side of the gate, not out on the street.

Someone was going to a shitload of trouble to make a point.

Or they were going after Gabby.

My mind whirled. It might be retaliation for today, but even those boys didn’t have the balls to come after me in my hometown. Not to mention that it was too early for blowback from that fiasco.

It could be someone checking in on me—word travels fast in this business, and the fact that I’d lost so much money would be common knowledge by now. They’d want to make sure I wasn’t going to run. I hoped my Ireland family would have more faith in me than that, but money makes people do funny things.

“Dec?” Gabby’s concerned voice broke through my inner monologue. “Where are you going?”

I got to the end of my street and turned left, heading back toward the main road. “I’m driving you home.”

“What in the hell is wrong with you? We’re right here. Take me to my car.”

“Don’t move, but look in your mirror.”

She glanced to the side as I pulled out my phone, hitting the contact without even looking down. Mark answered on the second ring, slightly out of breath and very irritated. His libido could wait—this was important.

“There’s a car following me. Another parked outside my house.”

Gabby’s head snapped back in my direction the same time Mark swore.

“Where you at?” he asked.

I rattled off the intersection I was approaching, telling him I was headed south.

“On it.”

I tossed the phone onto the seat next to me. “I’m taking you home.”

“It’s two hours away. You’re already exhausted.”

Fucking Gabby. Most women would be worried, scared even, asking questions that I couldn’t answer. Gabs was only concerned about how far I’d have to drive.

I shrugged. “I’m not letting you drive yourself.”

“What about my car?”

“Where are the keys?”

She held up her purse. “There’s a spare set in the glove compartment, but I think I locked it up.”

“It’ll be in your driveway when you wake up tomorrow.”

She didn’t respond. After ten minutes, another set of lights joined the one behind me, and the car following us disappeared. The panic in the back of my mind lifted, and I felt as though I could breathe again. I twisted the knob to turn on the radio, desperate to drown out the silence. We didn’t speak for the next two hours.

When I got to her city, I almost drove straight to her house. I caught myself at the last minute, but not until after I had turned onto her street. Turning down the radio, I glanced at her. “You gotta tell me where to go.”

“How’d you know I lived here?”

“Your letters,” I replied, the lie rolling off my tongue. “But you gotta tell me which house.”

“The last one on the left.”

The house was pitch black when I pulled into her small drive and shut off my engine. “I’ll walk you in.”

Gabby only nodded, pulling keys from her purse, and walked up the stone path onto the small farmer’s porch. She unlocked the door, opened it, and reached inside to flip on the outside light. “Thank you for driving me home. And for dinner.”

I’d completely forgotten about the uneaten food. “You want me to check out the inside?”

Her eyebrows rose, and she laughed bitterly. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just ask me that.” She stepped inside. “Good night, Declan.”

“Night.” I turned, needing to get away from her before I said something stupid that I’d regret.

“Dec?” Gabs called as soon as my foot hit the first step.

I turned, unsure of what she needed and wondering if she’d changed her mind and wanted me to check the house for her.

“My letters never had my address.” She twisted her lips, staring me down. “You told me once that if I was ever going to send you anything, I needed to use a post office box so that it couldn’t be traced back to me. All I ever listed was a PO box in Portland.”