Chapter Thirty-Seven
Lincoln
I take in the three brothers surrounding the three of us, each of them with different emotions crossing their faces.
Rowan looks like he’s trying to be the adult that he’s supposed to be, but I can tell that he’s fighting an internal battle at wanting to stand up for his baby sister.
And the other two-they look pretty similar to how Bos, and I imagine how I looked, last night when we were barging into that cocksucker's house-ready to kick ass and take names.
“There’s got to be another way that doesn't involve violence,” Raleigh says, her voice soft and weak, her eyes red from the tears that have left streak marks down her face. “I want him to pay just as much, if not more than the rest of you. But hurting him will only land you guys in trouble, and I don’t want to see anything happen to any of you,” she says, sweeping her gaze over her brothers and then turning her head up to peer at me, wanting me to understand that she’s including me in that statement. “You all mean too much to me to sacrifice yourselves because of him.”
“But he can’t just get away with hurting you like he did,” Ryker growls. “I get what you’re saying, I do. But, if something isn’t done then he will think that it was within his rights to do to you what he did and it fucking wasn’t.”
“What about going to the cops?” Serenity asks from beside Raleigh, but all three of her brothers immediately begin shaking their heads no.
“Going to the cops won’t do anything. The Stevens family has the cops in their pocket,” Rowan explains, looking as dejected as I feel.
“What if she files a restraining order against him but in a different town?” I ask, Rowan already shaking his head no. “Hear me out,” I say, holding up my free hand. “My dad is looking into what can be done about his claims that he owns her but if she files a report in Hawthorne instead of here, it’s in the system and can be used against him. And I doubt that the Hawthorne cops are also in their pockets.”
“You’d be surprised,” Ryker quips, but moves his head back and forth as if the idea does have merit. “But, it’s not a bad idea. It’s definitely a hell of a lot better than not doing jack-shit.”
“Are you sure that this is what you want?” Serenity asks, turning towards my girl. I can see the concern written all over her face and it makes my heart swell that she has people in her corner, people that I know will make sure that she’s okay and taken care of, even when I’m unable to.
“Yes,” Raleigh says with a sigh. “I can’t just let him get away with this. He thinks he owns me. He’s not going to stop. He will just keep on coming and keep on coming, until…” She stops midsentence, her head dropping as she curls in on herself. “Until he gets what he wants,” she mutters, her voice a near whisper that comes out broken, as though he’s already won.
“That’s not going to happen,” I tell her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into my chest. *Over my dead body will that happen.*
“And you really believe that this will work?” Rowan asks, pinning me with a look that says I better be fucking sure.
“I think it’s better than just beating his ass and then getting charged with aggravated battery,” I tell him honestly.
“Then it’s settled.” The eldest brother continues. I watch his features soften as he takes in his baby sister, his voice not as rough when he says, “But Ray, this is ultimately your decision. If at any point you change your mind, just say the word and we will call it off.”
Dad meets all of us, Serenity, Rowan, Ryker, Ryler, Raleigh, and myself, at the police station in Hawthorne in half an hour. He has a look of confusion on his face as he takes in the six of us, but at the subtle shake of my head, he nods in understanding and gestures toward the entrance of the station.
“Collin,” an older officer says, looking from dad to the rest of us as he stands up and makes his way around the front of his desk, as we all shuffle inside of the precinct. “What brings you in here?”
“Is Morris around?” Dad asks, reaching out to shake the older officer's hand. “We have a matter that we would like to discuss with him.”
“Uh, yeah,” the officer says, turning around and looking back and forth. “He’s not in his office but he should be here somewhere.”
“Right here,” a detective that Dad is good buddies with says, stepping out of a room down a hall to our left. “Collin, what can I do for you?”
“Do you mind if we…” Dad says, gesturing towards an office with his head and right hand.
“Right, right. Yes, follow me,” he says, his gaze tracking over each of us as he passes us.
Once we’re all in his office, the girls sitting, the rest of us standing over them like vultures, we get down to business, Dad explaining what he’s been able to find regarding this agreement between Mr. and Mrs. Stewart and Brady’s dad before Raleigh relays the events of the night before. I watch as tears fill her eyes as she recalls all the gory details, Morris taking note of everything that she tells him, sometimes interrupting to ask questions of his own, but never in a way that would make Raleigh or any of us think that he is blaming her for what Brady did to her.
Once we’re all done, Morris looks at all of us then at Raleigh, his facial expression softening as he says, “I am so very sorry that this is happening to you but you did the right thing by reporting him. I will file all of the necessary paperwork and begin building a case against him. Scum like that family think that they can get away with anything, even murder, but not this time if I have any say in the matter.”
“Thank you,” Raleigh says, her voice soft as she nods at Detective Morris, unable to meet his eyes. Burying her face in my chest, I pull her closer, wrapping my arms around her protectively, knowing that having the relay the details of the night before over and over again, first to her brothers, and then now to Morris, couldn't have been easy for her but my girl is strong and she is a fighter.
Just as we are leaving, dads cell rings. Pulling it from his pocket, he glances at the screen, his brows furrowing before he says, “Excuse me. I have to take this.” As he steps out of the door, I hear him say, “Bos, is everything okay?”
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