Who Killed Aylee?

Chapter 15

Penny

I sit waiting in Silas truck waiting for the truck again. The truck full of woman and children, guns and ammo. The truck full of everything that is wrong in my life. The truck holding every bit of my past and messed with my future. My head on a constant swivel. Look for anyone in the bushes. In a tree. It's making my chest tight and heart race. I sat there waiting for twelve minutes. We are officially 7 minutes behind. My hands grip the steering wheel creating white knuckles losing every bit of feeling. I have become comfortable wait with Silas and in this moment I wish he was here to lace his fingers with mine and calm me.

My door opened quickly. I swing at the man who opened it. He moves out of the way too quickly for my hand to hit him. It took me a minute to register Silas's face.

" Move over baby." He says commanding to take over.

" No, why are you here?" I question him. " You shouldn't be here."

" Believe me baby, I know. Move over." He presses again.

I move over watching him get in the driver's seat. He leans over and pulls me in for a kiss like it's his last kiss I'll ever give him. Taking my breath away. He rests his forehead to mine and we take a minute to become calm. Then he looks ahead and points.

I see Thatcher and Miller show up with the box truck and then when they step out I see so many blue and red lights swarm the truck. I sink in the truck to watch my brother getting arrested with the whole crew. He turns on his radio under the dash. I never noticed it before.

I never really noticed much about his truck. Such an old truck I just figured it was part of the radio. I spent more time in this truck at night than in the daylight.

" Ten- four Lieutenant we have Thatcher Saint in custody, with Miller Callahan."

" Good job, take them back to the station and book them in."

" I have Asher Dunkin, I'll follow you to the station."

" Where is the princess?" My chest does summer-salts. I look at Silas with panic I'm sure planted on my face. But he looks so calm and so okay with all this. So aware of the situation.

He reaches underneath and grabs something under the radio and grabs the mic piece. I watch as he holds it sideways in his hand up to his lips. So normal to him, blue and red shades of light on his face. His eyes fixed on me. " Special Investigator Patrick Haley has her for questioning." He lifts a badge from under his normal everyday black sweatshirt and it dangles on his chest glistening blue and red.

I am now in shock. I have no words. His eyes pleading for understanding. He wants to make sure I understand. He lied to me this whole time. He locks the doors and starts the truck. I still can't form words. I can't connect the dots. How is this possible? How is this even right?

He drives us back to our flower field, it is dark and we can't really see anything. My eyes are searching for the colors of the flowers. A shape something that makes sense. SOmething I know is not a lie.

" Baby?" He whispers.

" No, you don't get to lie to me for so long and then try to just fit into that role. I get out and walk into the flowers sitting in the same spot we were just laying in when things made sense. When we were happy. We talked about my plans and life.

" I want to explain." He begs, shaking my head and pacing the flowers. " My name is Patrick Silas Haley. I am a Special Investigator with the state of Indiana." I continue to pace. " I was brought in a week before your uncle died." I nod my head yes trying to understand. " I was on The Princess detail. I was your watcher." When he died it was perfect timing to send a fake message to the club about his friend Silas. I was able to understand the club without tapping the house. Even though I still tapped the house."

" Aylee?" I ask

" I don't know Penelope." He said " I tried but they won't let me look and when I ask I get cryptic answers." He runs his hands through his hair frustrated too. " I tried baby, I tried so hard to figure it out for you and your uncle's death."

" I figured as much" he just stands there hands in his hair, trying to figure out what else to say.

" He wasn't killed by the same person." I say

" I tried to stay away from you. I even got mad at you that night. Yelled at you. Tried to get you to hate me, to stay away but you kissed me. I couldn't stay away after that."

" Well" I say, stopping my pace to look at him.

" I know. Then I called you on the phone to get you help. You have been helping those girls this whole time. I knew I kept telling the guys it wasn't you. That the girls were there the whole time, so it had to be when we dropped off the load and walked away." His arms are moving all over trying to prove a point.

" Penny?" I ask, his eyes go sad.

" True, everything I told you about me was true. Even my name. Just not my job. I had to save you Penelope. I had to save you because they were not going to. Everything was going to fall on you. I had to get you out." He pleads for understanding. " I couldn't save her all those years ago but I can save you now,"

" The necklace?" I ask, holding in my fingers.

" Penny's, she loved that thing. I just modified it a little. There is a tracker in it. It goes to me only so I would know they took you."

" You?" I ask

" Silas, you can still call me Silas. In Ohio I was Patty. When my foster dad died I was recruited into the force. Hated where I was and I went everywhere. Did all kinds of jobs, undercover and not." His exploitation seems real.

" You?" I ask again. Pointing to his chest.

" Yes, me." He says putting his hand on his chest. " I needed to get you answers. I want to find out who killed Aylee for you. I want to give you everything."

" Everything?" I ask. I'm not even mad, just confused and frustrated. " You knew they would be taken in tonight?"

He nods his head " first off we need to go to the house together. I am not leaving your side. Your next Penelope. They will either take you to prison or the Coach will take you out."

"My dad?"

" Not sure? I just heard him give an order from a call in the jail to a burner phone saying if anything happened again, they had full approval to do whatever they want with you." He points to the necklace. " That's why I gave you that."

" You?" I ask again

" I can't leave you." He admits " I'm all in here. Everything about me is wrapped up in you now. Our connection. Our days together were real. Every single second."

I am not really sure what else to ask. I'm so exhausted now that I feel like I'm floating in a pool of oil. Just stuck in place but floating. I take three steps and stare up into his green eyes. Wrapping my arms around his waist and hugging him so tight. Because no matter what he saved me so many times. He was there for me when I didn't even know it.

" Penny and Patty?" I whisper into his chest, laughing.

" Yeah cute right?" He laughs too, feeling his fall into me. Holding me tighter. " My mom was Peggy and my dad was Walter. Not the best of names, but that's me."

" Thank you Patrick Silas Haley." I whisper.

" You're very welcome, Penelope Grace Saint." He speaks it into my hair.