Page 29 of Weather the Storm
“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to calm down and tell us what happened.” Thankfully, his tone has changed from stern to soothing, which I know will go a long way toward putting Magnolia at ease.
She launches into giving the cops a play-by-play of her afternoon, stuttering her way through her coffee date and shopping trip with the girls. Fury races through my veins when she tells them that the light for the parking lot was out, though Officer Dickhead doesn’t seem too concerned about it.
“And you said you know who did this?” he asks again.
“I-I think it w-was my h-husband.” Her shoulders drop and her chin trembles. “B-but that d-doesn’t make s-sense. He’s…he’s in Ch-Charleston.”
I stiffen a little at her use of the word husband—husband, not ex-husband—but right now isn’t about me, so I let it slide. She and I will hash that out later, when she’s not about to lose it.
Officer Byrnes, however, caught it, and has no plans of letting it go. “Your husband?” He glances down and checks his notes. “Didn’t this feller here introduce you as his girlfriend?”
The helpless look on Magnolia’s face claws at my heart. I’d give fucking anything to wipe away her pain.
“W-we’re…e-estranged.” I breathe easier for hearing that, knowing she’s not completely tied to that cocksucker.
“Gotcha. My wife and I are as well.” I’m not one to favor the end of a marriage, but right about now, I’m glad this man and Magnolia have some sort of common ground.
“O-oh,” Magnolia gasps at his straightforwardness. “I’m s-sorry to hear that.”
Officer Byrnes shrugs off her apology, clearly uncomfortable with the turn in the conversation. He scans his notes, looking desperate to get back on track. “You said your husband lives in South Carolina?”
“Y-yes, sir.” Magnolia looks down and studies her feet. “I…I’m s-sure it w-wasn’t him. I-I overreacted.”
Magnolia looks like she’s two seconds away from melting down, so I do my best to move things along. “So, what now?”
“Now, Officer Benson will finish up his report, and we will be in touch if anything useful turns up in the photographs. Otherwise, we will file everything with her insurance company, and they’ll handle it from there.”
“Th-that’s it?” Magnolia asks with a tremor to her voice.
“Unfortunately, ma’am. I wish we could do more.”
Magnolia begins to softly cry once again, and I swear to God, I can feel the fissures in my heart. Her tears are my kryptonite, and I’ll do anything to erase them. A woman as beautiful and kind as her shouldn’t ever know the kind of pain she does—the kind my mother did. The difference between the two of them, though, is that my girl is willing to fight, even if she doesn’t know it.
Officer Benson walks over to us, flipping through the images on his camera screen as he does. “All right, we just need you to sign off on the paperwork, and we’ll ask the businesses across the street if they saw anything as well as checking for any security cameras in the area. I hope your night improves.”
We thank both of them, and I tuck his business card into my back pocket. With a hand pressed to the small of Magnolia’s back, I guide her to my truck. “Hang tight just a second, okay?” I ask as I pull open the driver’s side door.
“Sure, S-Simon.”
Not wanting to let her out of my sight, I quickly flip up the center console so she can sit right next to me. I turn back to Magnolia to see her still trembling, silent tears snaking down her cheeks. I fucking hate seeing her like this. I remember getting mad as a kid when my dad would beat on my mom, but seeing my girl this upset rivals that in a way I can’t even begin to describe or understand.
It’s like I feel this primal need to protect her, to take care of her.
“C’mon, Goldilocks.” I lift her into the truck, toss her purse and shopping bag on the seat next to her, pull my phone from my pocket, and follow right behind her, securing her seat belt. Our thighs are pressed together and I can feel her shaking. “Gonna call Mateo, okay?”
I make quick work of dialing his number, knowing he’ll answer even though it’s technically after hours.
“Simon, mi amigo, what’s up?”
“Shit’s hit the fan,” I say on a sigh. “Someone vandalized Magnolia’s new ride, fucked it up real good.”
“No shit?” Mateo asks in disbelief.
“No shit. It’s gonna need a tow.”
“You got it. Where’s the car now?”
“The public lot downtown—trust me, you can’t miss it.”
