Synching With the Devil's Son

Chapter 100

Bella's P.O.V.

Lucien and I leave the police precinct laughing hysterically. Lucien unlocks the car and opens the door for me, helping me climb in. He jogs to the drivers side, starts the car and puts it in gear, heading toward Trish's house. We are still laughing and gesturing, imitating how John and Skylar looked when we brought them into the police station. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall in those interrogation rooms," I say, still giggling.

Lucien looks at me, smiling in agreement. "I wonder what outlandish story they're going to tell about being hunted in the mountains by two demons."

I deepen my voice in an attempt to sound like them. "I swear, Officer, they chased me through the woods then flew me back to their car," We chuckle for a few more moments and then sit quietly, heading over to Trish's house. I look at Lucien's profile, how perfectly formed he is, and decide I want his expertise on something that has been bothering me since this morning. "Do you think I should I tell Tommy I know about that night? About how he tried to help me and got knocked out for it?"

Lucien ponders my question, and then glances at me. "You are very sweet to consider his feelings, but I'm going plead the fifth and leave that up to you. I think he deserves as much punishment as you are willing to hand out since he never went to the police with what he knew," he tells me. After a moment he says, "I suppose you could let him know your attackers are in jail."

I nod in agreement. "I wonder why he never went to the police," I say out loud, not expecting an answer.

"I bet if you release him from his guilt, he will tell you," Lucien says softly. Good point.

We arrive at Trish's house and I can see Tommy's Hyundai in the driveway, signaling he's here already. Lucien parks on the street and we walk up to the front door hand in hand. Since I am so used to being here, I open it without knocking and say, "Hello?"

"Hello! Come in! Come in!" I hear Trish's Mom yell from the kitchen. Lucien puts his arm around my shoulders, I wrap my arm around his waist, and we walk into the kitchen together.

Trish looks up as we enter and she sends me a small smile. I acknowledge her and then turn to the man standing silently near the oven. "Tommy, it's good to see you again!" I tell him effusively. "This is my boyfriend, Lucien Amon. Lucien, this is Trish's cousin, Tommy Kincaid."

Lucien's P.O.V.

I take Tommy's proffered hand and look at him closely. He is a will built man in his late twenties, tall and broad with a clean shaven face. His brown hair is cut short, his brown eyes are deep set and lie under bushy brows. He's good looking, but not nearly as attractive as his cousin, Trish. "Nice to meet you," I tell him quietly. His grip is brutal, he's the kind of guy who tries to intimidate with his handshake, so I give him a little more than he's expecting. His eyes widen at little at my grip and I smile inwardly. I've known at lot of people like Tommy, and I like to subtly put them in their place.

"Nice to meet you too. Trish told me Bella has a new beau," he says, looking me up and down. I can see a disturbance behind his eyes. Yep, he's still hung up on that night, worrying about what he should have done for Bella.

Bella's P.O.V.

I can see Lucien's calculated gaze aimed at Tommy, so before he says anything I interject, "Are you really willing to sell your car to me for half its value?"

Tommy nods his head, turning his attention to me. "Sure! You're Chris' little sister. I have to sell my car, and you need one, so allow me to help you out."

'Interesting choice of words', I think. "Well, thank you Tommy, and I'm pretty sure I know what I can do to repay you for offering me such an amazing deal."

This piques his interest. "Is that so?" he asks.

"Yep," I tell him. "Let's go outside so we can talk and you can show me your vehicle."

Lucien, Tommy and I walk outside. His Kona sits, shining brightly in the late afternoon sun, it's black polished exterior glows enticingly. Tommy starts talking. "I'll sell her to you for seven thousand, she's three years old but only has eighteen thousand miles on her, she's all wheel drive and..." I'm aware of the vehicles attributes, but I listen politely while he tells me all it has to offer.

"That all sounds great, Tommy, but I have to tell you something," I say, glancing at Lucien. He leans agains the car and crosses his hands over his chest, waiting patiently for me to continue. Drawing strength from him, I say, "They turned themselves in."

Tommy looks at me sharply. "What do you mean? Who turned themselves in?" he asks.

"John Henry and Skylar Schmidt," I tell him.

He stares at me for a moment, then glances at Lucien who is still leaning against the car. Then he licks his lips nervously and I decide to end his misery. "Look Tommy. I know you were there that night. I know you tried to stop them and I want to thank you for trying," I tell him, reaching for his hand.

He looks at me with glassy eyes. "Bella...I....I'm so sorry. I was useless to you. We'd been drinking...and...and...John isn't so bad, but Skylar...he's...he's scary...he has gang ties and no conscience. He punched me and then put a choke hold on me before I could stop John. The next thing I remember I was waking up at his house. I wasn't sure what happened to you until Chris told me. When I confronted Skylar, he threatened to hurt my Mother or Trish and her family if I went to the police. I was such an idiot. I should have let the police handle it, but I was leaving a few days later and wouldn't be here to protect my family from that seriously deranged asshole." He takes a deep breath and wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. "I didn't want to involve your family either, couldn't stomach the thought of Garrett or Chris suffering because of something Skylar did to them, or to you again. I'm so sorry Bella."

I feel a lingering anger simmering under my skin, but my purpose here is to absolve him of his guilt, not make him feel worse. "I forgive you, Tommy," I tell him, taking his hand. He pulls me into a fierce embrace, his body shuddering. I pat his back gently, glancing at Lucien who is watching us closely.

"Thank you Bella. I've felt like shit since that night and I'm so grateful you are okay." Well, for a long while there, I wasn't, but we don't have to rehash bad memories. We stand by the car and talk a little longer, so Lucien steps over to me, wrapping his arm around me for comfort and support. I get Tommy to admit he's been sending us money every month, and he confirms my suspicion his guilt is the reason he's willing to sell his car to me at such a low price. Even though I know all about his involvement and have forgiven him, he still sells me his car for seven thousand dollars. I give him my money and he hands me his keys. It's hard to believe I have a fully functioning car again!