Page 61 of See It Through

I got up, following Elena out to the foyer. Throwing open the coat closet, she produced a baseball bat and handed it to her husband. They exchanged a long look that needed no words. The intensity between them was enough.

“I’m in,” I said firmly. “I need to be there.”

Hannah whirled on me, her jaw tight. “Don’t you dare. This is ridiculous.”

I pushed her hair away from her face. “It needs to happen. Cleve has to see how many people are in your corner. He can’t keep coming after you. We’ll put an end to it.”

She jerked away from me, her mouth set in a scowl. “I’m going to be so pissed if I have to bail any of you out. And don’t even think about getting yourselves hurt.”

Cormac patted her shoulder as he headed out the door. “No one’s getting hurt. Eat your dinner. We’ll be back by dessert.”

“Shut up, Maccie,” Hannah gritted out.

Elena went to her daughter and wrapped her arm around her waist. “Shhh, darling. Let them do what they have to do. Sometimes, all it takes is a little threatening with a bat to set someone straight. Let’s hope Cleve is smart enough to heed this warning and leave my girl alone.”

I was the final one out of the house. The last thing I saw before I shut the door was Hannah’s flushed, pissed-off face.

Chapter Twenty-five

Remington

Cleve Jones lived downa dirt road on a patch of dead prairie. The junk covering his dried-out grass was prettier than his post-war brick ranch-style house.

Lock’s truck came to a stop in his crumbling driveway, dust kicking up in a cloud around us. The four of us climbed out, Lock and Caleb both with baseball bats hanging loose from their hands.

Like he’d known we were coming, Cleve was sitting on his concrete slab front porch in a worn-out lawn chair. In a pair of stained sweats and an undershirt that had been white once upon a time, he hadn’t dressed up for guests. He was swigging a beer, several empty, crushed cans strewn around his feet.

“You’re on private property,” Cleve shouted. “Turn right back around.”

Lock’s steps didn’t stutter as he strode up to the porch. “Like to have a word, then we’ll be on our way.”

Cleve let out a loud belch and crumpled his beer can, tossing it on the ground in front of Lock.

“I already know what you have to say. Just because your kid doesn’t have a sense of humor doesn’t give her a right to sic the cops on me.” He clucked his tongue. “That’s some petty bullshit.”

Lock knocked the end of his bat against the porch. “Seems you need to work on your comedy routine if you think trying to drive a woman off the road is the height of hilarity.”

Cormac stepped forward, his arms crossed. “I don’t think it was funny. Maybe you should explain the joke to me.”

Cleve rolled his eyes, but he was so blitzed they bounced around his skull until he got them set straight again.

“Not explaining anything to you, baby Kelly.”

Caleb slapped his bat against his meaty palm. “Let’s talk about you messing with my sister’s tires. You’re gonna be paying for those repairs, Jones.”

Cleve reached into the cooler beside him and took out another beer. When he popped the lid, fizz spilled over his hand and onto his sweats. He didn’t seem to notice, and if he did, he didn’t care.

“Yeah, I’m not paying for shit,” he stated. “Cops were already out here. I’ll tell you what I told them: I wasn’t there. Didn’t touch her tires. Don’t know anything about it. To me, it sounds like someone doesn’t like that girl. Can’t imagine why that would be.”

Then he started laughing like he’d said the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Caleb stepped forward, but Lock put his arm out, holding his son back.

It took a lot to make me angry, and right now, my blood boiled with fury. I’d seen Hannah after he’d scared her on the road. I’d held her through quaking trembles after her tires had been slashed. There was not one thing funny about any of this.

“You piece of shit.” I only got one foot on the porch steps before Cormac grabbed the material of my shirt and dragged me backward.

“Gotta stay calm as you can,” he muttered. “Hannah won’t be happy if you get arrested, remember?”

Knowing he was right, I sucked in a heaving breath, my fists balled at my sides. I needed to get back to Hannah, make sure she was all right. I couldn’t do that if I was locked up.