“That’s fine.” Chesley stands. “I came to say my peace and thank you for saving Abigail. And until Lawson and Ingram are dead, and I’m still breathing, I’ll be doing what I can to protect your family.”
Chesley leaves and I’m tempted to follow him out, but am frozen in place. I don’t know if our lives will ever be fucking normal, and at this point I’m thinking they never will be. Not as long as those two assholes are alive.
“What are we going to do?” Evans asks as he turns to face me.
I shrug. “I don’t know about you, but I think a visit to Lawson is in order.”
“What kind of visit?”
“The kind that puts a bullet between his eyes. Lucky for us, you have the rifle and scope, and I have the talent needed to get the job done.”
CARA DRIVES THE BLACK Escalade with the six of us in it down the highway to the penitentiary where Lawson is being held. I never expected for Chesley to ask to come along, but he did and is riding shotgun next to Cara. It’s probably best that he stays up front. I’d hate to turn around in my seat and find him in a headlock courtesy of Archer.
I’ve been back in Coronado for two months now, living the single life of being attached to my phone at all times. If weren’t for Evan, I would’ve gone back to Vermont and tortured myself, and likely lose Penny and Claire entirely. He persuaded me, recalling how he had to deal with Nate and Ryley as examples, and said leaving Penny was the best thing for us. He’s been right.
Penny and I talk every other night. At first, I was the one doing the calling, but she’d surprise me every now and again. The best shock was when I answered one afternoon and Claire was on the other end. When I heard her voice, I lost it. It took me minutes to gain my composure, but now she calls every day after school and we talk about non-trivial things like the weather, how I’d like to see her use a bow, and what California is like. I know how Evan feels as he eagerly awaits EJ to call him dad. I had it once before and am praying I get it again someday.
One of the hardest parts for me is wondering what Claire thinks of me. She knows I’m her biological father and can’t cook, but for all I know she sees me as the man who showed up one day and ruined her life. I liken myself to being a fucking tornado—I came in and destroyed everything, only to leave devastation in my path. I want to ask Penny, but I’m afraid of the answer.
The other monumental challenge in my life is finding out that my grandmother is alive and well, living in Florida, thanks to Marley and her detective ways. Grandma was easy to track down and I knew hours after I asked Marley to find her. Once my grandmother received word that I had died, she sold her home and moved, saying it was too hard to be in California without me. Since then, I know she’s gone to visit Penny and Claire, making sure they both know they were never far from her thoughts.
One of the highlights after returning to California was the hearing Rask and I had about our identities. After meeting with a judge, he returned our status to living and all our assets were unfrozen. He also made sure we still had full military status and encouraged us to file a lawsuit against the Navy. The judge even went on record saying that he’d testify upon our behalf. Before he slammed the gavel down, he apologized and promised that not everyone is as corrupt as our admiral. I’m slowly starting to believe that.
Once Cara turned everything over to the Department of Justice, they moved in swiftly to detain Ingram. This time the evidence was too much to let him walk away. Surprisingly, Chesley wasn’t lying when he said he’d do what he could to bring him down.
When we pull up to the gate, Cara flashes her credentials and fills out the necessary paperwork. The guard radios ahead and tells us to follow the road until we meet up with another guard. He doesn’t get out and check our vehicle for weapons, which is a shame. I laugh when we pull away.
“No car search? How’d you pull that off?”
“I don’t know,” Cara answers as she drives forward. “Someone must really like us.”
“Or they want him dead, too,” Chesley mutters as he gazes out the window.
I don’t plan to shoot Lawson, but only scare the shit out of him once we’re done with our meeting, although the option is there if I want it. I’ve never been so callous about someone’s life like I am with his. He doesn’t deserve to live.
The next guard flags us down and shows us where to park. The six of us climb out of the SUV and wait to be frisked. When that doesn’t happen we all look at each other. I know for a fact that beside myself, Archer is carrying. I don’t know about Rask, but I’m gathering by the smirk on his face he is. River, however, is stoic and hard to read. I wouldn’t put it past him to be the one to take Lawson out.
The guard takes us through a series of doors, away from the general populated areas. Each time the door locks in place behind us, I jump. We’re at the mercy of the guard and I hate feeling like I have no control over the situation.