Bad Influence (Seven Deadly Sins #2) ✅ Completed

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Distractions I Could Do Without

“Chase,” I said surprised and somewhat annoyed to see him. He looked more than a little rough, like he hadn’t been sleeping well. I felt a small rush of sympathy that was quickly doused by a larger wave of annoyance. Why was it people couldn’t just answer their phones whenever I called? He’d spent days ignoring my calls and texts, and now, when we had to go see Andy, he wanted to pop in and be a distraction? 

I would never understand boys.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, my eyes cutting to the small crowd behind him before looking back at him. Considering my level of aggravation, his answer was going to have to be amazing – at the very least stupendous.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, his father placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze and spoke instead, “Actually, Eliza, do you think we could step back inside for a few minutes? We’d like to talk to you about a private matter.”

“Private, huh?” I repeated, sparing a second glance at Sheriff Sutter. His face was pinched tight, his jaw strained from the effort of not speaking. I could only imagine all the things he was dying to say to me, especially since Mrs. Andersen wasn't around to defend me. She could put a Rottweiler to shame.

I crossed my arms across my chest, knowing I looked defensive but considering that's exactly what I was feeling at the moment, I figured why bother hiding it?

“If it’s so private why is the sheriff here?” I asked now.

No one said a word. Justin at least had the decency to look embarrassed even if Chase didn’t. I felt Lust rise up but it wasn’t her usual flirty self that flowed through my body. If possible she was even more irritated than I was. I felt the heat of her anger rush through my extremities and flow down my fingertips. She was getting good and pissed, and honestly I was right there with her.

Since nobody jumped to answer that one, I dropped my hands back to my side. I gave Chase my best scathing look, my eyes taking him in from head to toe as I spoke again, “Sorry, can’t.” My words were short and crisp. “Maybe you should try answering my calls once and a while. I’m sort of busy right now.”

I turned to walk past him. Chase didn’t respond but his father stepped to the side and blocked my exit. “Eliza, we’re really sorry for just turning up unannounced like this, but I really think we should talk.”

“About what Mr. Crawford?” I asked, purposefully not using his first name. I wanted to be clear that weren’t really on a first name basis anymore. Not if he was going to bring the sheriff around just to ‘talk.’ Friends didn’t bring law enforcement officers over to friends’ places of business without fair warning.

That was just plain rude.

“About your aunt and her whereabouts for one thing,” he replied.

“And for another?” I asked knowing this was about much more than where Celeste was hiding. Everyone assumed I was too stupid to figure things out, but considering everything that I was dealing with at the moment. I was done playing to people’s low expectations of me. If random people wanted to ambush me then they were sure going to have to explain why.

Justin sighed and ran a palm over his face. He was dressed in a plain navy polo and blue jeans but he looked tired too, like whatever was affecting Chase was also affecting him on some level. His next words proved as much.

“Chase has been…having nightmares. He’s been saying things in his sleep…disturbing things that he refuses to talk about the next day. He won’t talk to anyone, not me or his friends…” His voice trailed off for a minute and he spared a glance up at the store sign behind me, as if he knew everything that was wrong with his son was tied up in my aunt’s shop. “We just want to talk about what’s been going on at the emporium, that’s all.”