For Better or For Worse (Book 2)

The Story of Rixon Reilly

So many stories of where I've been. And how I got to where I am.
—Brandi Carlile

Shawn stares across the room at the police officer, and I know exactly what's running through his head.

"Wait...then why was he here yesterday?" I ask, because I can see that Shawn is frozen stiff.

The officer frowns. "You saw him?"

I nod, pointing to Shawn. "He was the one who called me and told me that Shawn was hit by a car. He was the one who got Shawn into surgery right away. And now...now he's at home taking care of Shawn's little sister."

The sheriff looks as surprised as I feel, his eyes darting between you and Shawn. "You're the emergency he told me about?" He ran a hair through his graying hair. "You're just a bunch of kids..."

"What?" My head is spinning; I don't know what the hell is going on right now.

"Rixon told me that there was an accident on Elm Ave, but he told me that it was a personal situation to him. Yesterday was supposed to be his final day, he was just supposed to be packing his things and signing resignation papers. He was not on duty, but when he heard word of the accident and the name Shawn Mendes was mentioned, he sprang to his feet with this look of such concern in his eyes I thought he might just burst into tears.

"And then Rixon practically begged me to let him be the officer that went to investigate and clean up all of the loose ends of the accident. I allowed it because he said it was a personal promise he had made to himself. But I thought it was a family thing."

The officer finally makes eye contact with me, his kind eyes full of confusion. "But you're all a bunch of teenagers. It doesn't make sense."

"Wait, wait, wait," I hold up my hands for silence, trying to put the pieces together. "Did you say he said it was a 'personal promise?'"

The officer nods, his face looking forlorn and weary. He looks worn beyond his years, yet his brown eyes have a very familiar feeling to them, like I've seen him before. I feel bad, baffling him like this and firing questions at him when this has nothing to do with him.

"Officer, can you tell us where a police officer usually goes after they resign from this department?" Shawn asks, obviously concerned only about Aaliyah.

"Well, lots of places. But this is a different situation."

"Why so?"

"Because police officers don't usually resign just to resign. It's usually retirement, though that's obviously not Rixon's case. He said it was 'person issues needing to be attended to.' Whenever something is marked as private or person, the department isn't allowed to press for details or ask for elaboration. So we allowed him to just...resign."

"Just like that?" I have trouble believe it's that simple.

"Yep."

I exchange glances with Shawn, who seems as frustrated as I feel. We are both so confused.

"Thank you, officer."

Before he turns to go, he smiles at us, a reassuring one, as if to tell us that he's here to help.

And it shoots a pang of familiarity through my body; his tired smile and the kindness in the way he is always just trying to help.

And then it hits me.

"Wait!"

The officer looks over his shoulder, inches from closing the door between us. I step closer to him, wiping my clammy hands on my thighs.

"Officer, why do you keep calling him Rixon? Shouldn't it be Officer Reilly to you?" I pause, watching the sadness fall into place on his face. "What's your name officer?"

He turns around to look directly into my eyes, and I don't need an answer. I know what he's going to say before it comes out of his mouth.

"My name is Officer Reilly," he mumbles. "And Rixon is my son."

*****

I knew it.

"Officer Reilly, please tell us anything you know. Your son is staying with my little sister, and if he resigned, we have no idea where they are." Shawn says gently, sitting up straighter in his bed.

Officer Reilly looks at us both, and then sits down in the recliner beside the bed. He leans forward, his elbows on his knees for support. "Rixon was drafted into the US Marines last year, right after the whole trial with Shawn's father. He was deployed for seven months, up until the end of the October, after Halloween. The past few weeks, he's been off his game at the department. We gave him a leave of absence, per se, for his time in The service. But when he came back, he was a different person. Being a deputy didn't excite him anymore, he had lost all of his enthusiasm for enforcing the law.

"As if being a Marine had changed him into a completely different Rixon. When he asked for papers of resignation, I thought he wanted to reenlist. But it turned out that he didn't want to go back to the US Marines boot camp, he just wanted to be done as a police officer. I haven't had a chance to interrogate him, or find out why, all I know is that he's been taking care of a little girl named Aaliyah these past few days.

"All I know is that he's obsessed with her. I know him better than anyone, and I can tell that my son loves this girl more than he's ever loved anyone, except maybe his own younger sister, who he hasn't seen in a year since his enlisting. He's not going to give up on her too easily, and he's definitely not going anywhere."

I'm stunned into silence, and when Shawn doesn't respond either, Officer Reilly laughs. "I know, that was my reaction as well."

He stands up, nodding to Shawn. "You stay here and rest. You," he turns to me. "You come with me. I'll take you to Rixon's apartment so we can have a proper chat, all five of us."