Page 159 of Beautifully Reckless
“We know that wedon’tknow much. He’s a ghost when it comes to a fixed address. But what wedoknow is that the surprise police visit to the Western during lockdown, and the raids a couple of days ago werenotsanctioned.”
“The fuck. How did he manage that?” Devon barks, straightening from his slouch beside his cousin on the screen.
“Either he’s got an army of corrupt cops following him,” Bec answers, leaning closer to the screen, “or a friend in high places who made itlooksanctioned, in which case he’s likely using unsuspecting officers to do his dirty work.”
“How do you know that?” Ringo asks, stepping back to sit on the stool next to me, his hand blindly finding mine.
“Jason Zimora,” Bec responds. “He’s a local cop in Fox Pines. He’s pretty much got the Redfield district working for the Marx family now.”
“What? No!” I shoot up from my seat, dropping Ringo’s hand. “You can’t trust him. He’s a cop.”
“Trustus, Abbey. He’s on your side,” Amanda says, holding up a folder, which could be anything, since I can’t see inside it. “Jason pulled the files from the day you went into the Redfield station to make a report. He saw who the officer on duty was, and after questioning him in a way that guaranteed the truth, Jason discovered that the officer reached out to Ian Allen the minute Donny’s name came up.”
“Jason wants to clean up the Timber Valley District,” Bec adds, “which is why he’s working with us, and the Marx crew.”
I roll my eyes. “The Marx crew are criminals.”
“That’s right, darlin’, we are,” Devon drawls. “But so is your sugar daddy. You haven’t already forgotten who you married, have you?”
I shoot Devon the best glare I can muster, and all it does is make him laugh.
Ugh. He’s infuriating.
“Have you fucking forgotten you’re talking to my wife?” Ringo snaps, the lethal tone in his voice sending a chill down my spine.
Chuckling, Devon holds up his hands in surrender, relaxing back in his seat.
“Alright. Alright. My apologies,Mrs Musgrove.”
“Let’s stay on track,” Amanda interjects. “Abbey, your concerns are valid, for sure. But you could also say thatweare criminals too.” She gestures between herself and Bec.
“That’s right,” Bec adds. “But in this case, it’s about choosing the better option. Jason Zimora isn’t the type of cop who breaks the law for his own gain. He does it because he knows crime will always exist, so he chooses the right side. The side that wants to wipe out child trafficking, rapists, and sick cults that prey on the vulnerable to do their bidding.”
“They are right, Angel. There will always be crime,” Ringo adds, his deep voice pulling my attention as his fingers thread through mine. “It’s better to have some level of control over the people committing it, because it helps to police the rogue crims.”
I nod, because it’s beginning to make sense now.
I can’t actually picture a world where crime doesn’t exist, so this perspective feels clearer. It makes much more sense.
“What about the parents? Have you decided what we should do about them?”
Griffin’s question has me stiffening, and I blink at the screen, before shifting my gaze to Ringo as he starts speaking.
“Hold off for now. That’s Abbey’s call, iforwhen the time comes.”
My parents?
Are they talking about killing my parents?
I suppose they are since everyone else that’s been discussed tonight has a target on their back, so why would my parents be any different?
As they all discuss logistics and plans of attack, I zone out, surprised they even included me in the conversation to begin with. I’m glad they did. But now I’m feeling a little numb with the weight of it all.
It’s easy to forget the mess I left behind in my old life.
To forget about how cruel my mum could be, or how cowardly my dad was, never once standing up for me. Or how my sister Maggie, dobbed me in without a second thought when she found my pregnancy test. And how eager she was to help our parents force sedatives into me, all in the name of control.
Unfortunately, I’ve also forgotten my littlest sister, Tahli, is still there. Stuck in that house withthem.
