Indecent Danger (Danger Incorporated #3)(55)
Caroline winced at the blunt statement but then nodded her head, a sad expression on her face.
“Tom’s right. Bruce spent most of his time with Iris, and honestly our marriage was to the point that I was glad that he did. He never missed an opportunity to tell me what a disappointment of a wife I was and being with him had become increasingly difficult. We’ve basically been living apart for the last six months.”
“You should have left him a long time ago,” Tom muttered, restarting his pacing.
“I should have,” Caroline agreed. “But I didn’t. He had me convinced our problems were all my fault and if I just changed everything would be better. I finally realized that nothing was ever going to make our relationship a good one. I’d screwed up picking a husband and I guess I thought that I had to suffer for my mistake. That this was my punishment.”
“You were young and you made an error in judgment. Suffering the rest of your life for it seems like overkill,” Travis argued. “Especially when he was cheating on you.”
“I’m not sorry he’s dead,” Caroline whispered, her voice tortured and low. “He used to yell at me, calling me names. Sometimes he’d physically intimidate me by backing me into a corner and then screaming at me. He made me feel like nothing. Now that he’s gone I’m finally free.”
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The poor girl.
Bruce was worse than Travis had thought and that was pretty damn bad.
Tom rounded the couch and sat on the arm of Caroline’s chair, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Caro. You don’t have to talk about this.”
The man gave Travis a glare of dislike as tears began to slide down Caroline’s cheeks. Travis didn’t feel good about this line of questioning but the police would be much less gentle.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
The door flew open and Alana breezed in, a smile on her face until she took in the scene before her – Caroline crying, Tom comforting, and Travis sitting there uncomfortable and grim. She dropped her purse on the floor and held out her arms to the distraught young woman.
“Sweetheart, what’s the matter? Come here, honey. Let me give you a big hug.” Alana jerked her head toward the bar. “Tom, get Caro a drink. A strong one.”
“It’s ten in the morning,” Tom protested but did as the older woman asked after she gave him a quelling look. “I guess one wouldn’t hurt.”
“I’m sorry I’ve upset you–” Travis began but Caroline held up her hand and shook her head.
“I’ve been upset for a long time, honestly. I’ll admit the events of the last week haven’t helped but these tears aren’t about you. They’re about my life and what a mess I’ve made of it.”
“Honey, you’re going to be fine.” Alana perched on the edge of the chair and wrapped her arms around the young woman. “The world will always try and bitch slap you but you just have to get up and kick them in the balls right back. Don’t let anyone tell you to lie down and take their crap.”
Travis crossed his legs, uncomfortable with the thought of anyone getting kicked in the privates no matter what they’d done. Tom was shifting on his feet as well as if he wasn’t happy about the imagery either. He finished mixing some champagne and orange juice in a flute and came to sit down on Caroline’s other side, handing her the drink.
She made a face but Alana tapped the glass and gave Caroline a stern look. “Drink. It will relax you. You’ve been living on caffeine for the last several days so this isn’t any worse.”
Travis narrowed his eyes as he took in Tom’s worried countenance and the way the man’s hand patted Caroline’s knee. Travis had always assumed that Tom was Bruce’s friend but perhaps he was more Caroline’s friend.
“Are you going to see Martin today?” Travis decided changing the topic of conversation would be a good idea.
Alana dragged a decorative throw off the back of the sofa and tucked it around Caroline despite the temperature outside of near eighty degrees. He was impressed by the woman’s motherly instincts even if he wasn’t as impressed by her devotion as a wife.
“Yes, Tom is going to drive me there this morning.”
“I want to go too,” Caroline pushed down the cashmere fabric so it was around her waist instead of her neck. “I need to see that Granddad is okay.”
Tom and Alana were already shaking their heads before Caroline even finished talking.
“You need to rest,” Tom replied, another pat to her hand. “Going to the county jail is only going to upset you.”
“I’m a grown woman and it won’t hurt me to be upset. Not being upset that my grandfather is in jail for murdering my husband would be much worse, don’t you think?”
“Your grandfather is a strong man and he will be fine in any situation.” Alana dug into her purse and pulled out her phone to check her messages. “I agree with Tom on this. You should stay here and rest.”
The scene was rather surreal. Alana and Tom were treating Caroline like she didn’t have a brain in her head. The look on the young woman’s face told the story as well. She was tired of it and was about to say something scathing. Perhaps Travis could do something to alleviate the growing tension between the three.