Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“This is a calculated move on your part. But you’re a reactor, Boone. All of this is complete bullshit. But if you’d learned your mother had something to do with the loss of our child, you would’ve blown the world apart if it meant that she was going to go down.” She looked at me pointedly. “And seeing as she’s not in smithereens right now…”
She knew me so well.
“I caught him before he could do anything stupid,” Denver said quietly. “Happened to be running by the house to get some files for Sawyer out of his safe. A combination only Sawyer and I knew. He had a gun in his hand…”
I looked away, not proud of myself in that moment.
I was a reactor.
I didn’t always make the best decisions when I was surprised or enraged—both of which I was in that moment—and I was on the verge of ruining my life when Denver had caught me.
“Talked him down,” Denver continued. “Took him with me. We went to Sawyer after I got the papers, and then we spoke about everything in length. Sawyer and I shared that we were already aware of the issues and that we were working on uncovering everything.”
“But why did y’all wait so long?” She shook her head. “Why play this game? Why not just act?”
“Because there are a lot of players, and a lot of moving parts.” Dad leaned forward in his seat, his eyes locked on my girl. “But mostly because Gail had some helpers in her escapades.”
“Who?” Nettie crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the rise of tension in the air.
“Your parents.” Sawyer dropped the bomb. “We didn’t move, because if we had, your parents would’ve been the main ones exposed for the things that they were doing to help. And with that, your sister’s career would’ve been kissed goodbye. Yours, too.”
Because we both knew what scandals did to reputations, even if those scandals didn’t directly involve you.
A few months ago, the small town finally became aware of Minnie and Barton Wheeler’s proclivities—mostly crimes against children—and the town had reacted as we’d expected. With outrage.
It’d taken every single favor my father had to make the school board see that Eddy was still the right girl for the job. That her parents’ activities had no bearing on who Eddy was as a person.
Denver and I had rallied our resources as well, making it to where if the school board decided to let Eddy go, then they’d lose the support of the Dixie Wardens MC, as well as multiple other businesses that funded their school programs.
We hadn’t had to worry about Nettie’s job, though.
She’d established enough of a good reputation on her own that we hadn’t had to interfere there too much—though we’d still leaned on a few of her sponsors that had threatened to pull out after learning of the scandal.
Though, Nettie would never know that I’d threatened those sponsors with their lives if they pulled their support.
I would die before she knew I supported her in any way necessary.
And I do mean any way.
Lying? Cheating? Stealing? Killing? If it protected Nettie, the world was my oyster.
“Holy shit.”
“As to what they were doing to help Gail, mostly funneling money through the church. Cleaning it. Giving her a way to get money without forcing her to clean it in a more obvious way. Your parents took the ‘donation’ and then would give it back to her in cash. Gail paid for all of your parents’ needs. Pretty much funded everything they needed. In return, they gave her clean money and helped her hide certain activities from us in the event we were suspicious about something.” Sawyer sighed. “We just moved slow, documenting everything. Lucky for us that we did know that the FBI is involved. We had plenty to hand over that proved our innocence.”
Nettie rubbed at her face. “You know, nothing should surprise me anymore when it comes to these two. I’m just glad that they’re in jail. That their fifteen-year sentence will probably end with them dying there.”
Nettie’s parents were older. Already in their seventies.
It was highly likely by the end of their sentence, they’d be dead. If they made it that long. Inmates didn’t take kindly to child predators.
“Your mother isn’t going to be happy that I’m living with you, Boone,” Nettie pointed out.
“Me caring about what my mother thought ended with her taking everything that was precious away from me,” I said stiltedly. “Maybe it’ll egg her into doing something stupid, like giving herself away.”
Nettie snorted and gathered up her purse. “Your mother is anything but stupid, Boone. That is why she was able to hide everything so well for all these years. She plays the long game and has since I met her. I do not expect this to go well.”