Curiosity was turning into something else, and Matt quickly pressed one.
A buzz and then a click and Matt heard the line open.
“Hello?” he asked.
“Matt? Is that you?”
His heart froze in his chest when he recognized the voice, Ariel’s voice, though she sounded afraid, tired—more worried than he’d ever heard her.
“Ariel! What is it? What happened?”
“I can’t say much, but I’m down at the sheriff’s department. I’ve been arrested.”
“What?”
“I’ll explain everything,” she said, her voice lowering.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice softening as well. Whatever was going on, she didn’t need him freaking out on her as well.
“I’m okay. But can you do me a favor?”
“Ariel, you’re my wife. You don’t need to ask me for favors. I’ll be there in”—he glanced at his watch—“twenty minutes.”
“No. Please, go pick up Dani. It’s almost time for her to get out of school, and I don’t want her to be worried.”
“Okay,” Matt said. “I’ll drop her off at the Mallicks’ and then I’m on my way.”
“No!”
“What’s happened, Ariel?”
“I can’t go into it, but you can’t take Dani to them, Matt. Just take her home. And in the morning, I’ll need you to bail me out.”
“So you just want me to leave you in jail?”
“Trust me, I don’t like it either, but I don’t have any other choice,” she said, her voice tight and strained, annoyance bleeding through.
Matt felt more than a little annoyed himself, but decided not to press the issue. A recorded phone conversation from the sheriff’s department was probably not the best place to go into detail, so he’d do as she wished.
“Are they taking care of you?”
“Cyrus is doing his best. But don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Just, please, go get Dani.”
“I’m on my way. Ariel?”
“Yes?” she said.
“I love you.”
He pushed the End button and headed out of his office, stopping only long enough to tell the receptionist to cancel the rest of the day’s appointments.
Chapter Twenty
He reached the elementary school about five minutes before dismissal, and watched as the waves of children rushed from the building.
But Dani was nowhere to be found, and after about ten minutes, Matt went inside.
Mrs. Atkins, Mandy’s mother, was in the small office, looking much the same as she had when Matt had been in elementary school. She glanced up at Matt in surprise.
“Mrs. Atkins,” he said.
She nodded.
“Do you know where Dani is?” he asked.
The woman’s face shuttered, and Matt could see her preparing to stonewall. He cut her off before she could get started.
“It’s a bit of an emergency, and I need to take Dani home.”
“If I recall, your name is not on her emergency checkout list. If you could contact someone who’s on the list, I can give you information, but otherwise, I’m unable to divulge anything about our students.”
“Mrs. Atkins, you know for a fact that Dani’s mother and I are married. And you’ve known me my whole life.”
His plea fell on deaf ears. Mrs. Atkins’s face remained stony.
Choking back the rage that was welling inside him, Matt asked, “Can you at least tell me if she’s somewhere safe? I’d hate for a small child to be walking home alone.”
She softened just a little and then nodded.
“Yes, Dani is fine,” she said.
Matt nodded. His next destination was clear.
••••
He heard Dani laughing before he even climbed the stairs of the Mallick home. He hadn’t gotten any specifics, but knew for a fact that whatever was happening had something to do with Matilda Mallick, one way or another.
He knocked on the door, which was opened almost immediately.
“Dr. Poole,” Matilda said, talking as if they were strangers, something he’d wished was true before, but never as much as he did now.
“Matilda, I’ve come to take Dani home.”
“You’ll do no such thing. You’re a stranger and you will not be taking my granddaughter anywhere.”
“Matilda, come on.”
“Come on nothing. Her mother has already proven herself irresponsible, and I’m not going to send my granddaughter away with some stranger.”
Matt took a deep breath and maintained his calm. Arguing with Matilda, especially now, would not be fruitful. “You know I’m not a stranger, Matilda,” he said.
“Maybe not, but you’re not going to take my granddaughter.”
“Fine,” Matt said.
He knew Dani wasn’t in any physical harm, so he had to relent. But this would have to be addressed. As soon as he found out what the fuck was going on.
Chapter Twenty-One
The bench attached to the wall was hard, despite the thin foam mattress that covered it. But then again, Ariel didn’t suppose jail was intended to be comfortable. She looked around again, noted the small basin-toilet combination and then let her eyes drift to the bars that separated her from her daughter and her husband and her life.
She still could barely believe that she was here. Matilda had been goading her for years, and she’d finally lost control. Too bad it was in the worst possible way and at the worst possible time. She was going to lose her daughter, and it was all her fault. If she had just managed to keep it together, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. Yet here she was. And she had no one to blame except herself.
Not even Matilda, really.
Ariel had long ago acknowledged the dysfunction, had known that things were going to turn critical at some point, and sooner rather than later. But it had always seemed smarter not to provoke that inevitable outcome.
She scoffed. Smart. Look where that had gotten her.
She tried to keep her maudlin thoughts at bay, but it was difficult. Maybe once she was out of here, she’d get a better handle on where things were going next.
She heard the door open and looked up.
Her mouth dropped open when she saw who it was. Matt. Come to do what, save her?
The joy that she felt at the sight of him scattered at that thought. He couldn’t save her, and he shouldn’t have to.
“Ariel, are you okay?” he called across the floor.
She nodded, her voice having left her.
Matt held her gaze for a moment but then he broke it and looked at Cyrus who approached.
“How much to get her out?” Matt asked.
“Judge’s gone, so we can’t do anything until tomorrow,” Cyrus said. He sounded so damn sorry and apologetic that Ariel knew it was genuine. Matt however did not appear swayed.
“Cyrus, this is ridiculous and you know it.”
Cy shrugged. “What I know, and what I can do are two very different things.”
“I should punch you right now,” Matt said.
“Don’t do that, Matt,” Ariel called. “I like not having a cellie,” she said.
Both men looked back at her, and as insane as it seemed, the three of them laughed.
It broke some of the tension of the moment.
Cyrus grabbed his enormous key ring and tilted his head toward the cell.
“The mayor will kill me if he finds out, but I’ll deal with that later if I need to. Go talk to her,” he said as he approached.
“Thanks, Cyrus,” Matt said, and Ariel could hear the concern and belief in his voice.
“No problem. Figure she’s not a flight risk. I’ll give you two a little privacy,” Cyrus said as he unlocked the cell. And with that, he grabbed his jacket and hat and left the station.
When they were alone, Matt stood on the outside of the cell, and Ariel felt tears well in her eyes.
“Don’t do that,” Matt said, entering the cell and pulling her into his strong embrace.
“Where’s Dani?” she asked, letting the tears run down her face unabated.
“With the Mallicks,” Matt said.
She stiffened and Matt tightened his arms around her shoulders. “It’s only temporary. And I didn’t want to upset her any more than necessary.”
He was right, but that Dani was where she was, where she might be permanently, made Ariel feel worse than she had all day.
“I’m going to call a lawyer tomorrow. Two lawyers, actually.”
“Matt…”
“I’ve covered this, Ariel. You are my wife and I’m going to take care of you. Dani too. I went to check her out today, and they wouldn’t give me any information. There was nothing I could do about it. That’s going to change, hopefully starting tomorrow. I’m going to talk to a criminal lawyer so we can get these charges taken care of. And I’m going to adopt Dani.”
Shame warred with gratitude, and Ariel didn’t know which was worse. “Matt, I’m so sorry.”
“What happened?” he asked.
Ariel stared at the bars and again felt the rage spark. “She’s suing me, Matt. She’s trying to get custody of Dani. Trying to take her away from me,” Ariel said, voice breaking over the last word.
Matt squeezed her tight, and she let him, needing his strength.
“I knew it had to be something. That’s not like you,” he said, whispering in her ear.
“I know better, and I gave her all the ammunition she needed.”
“You made a mistake, but it won’t cost you your daughter.”
“You don’t know that,” Ariel murmured.
Matt pulled back, stared down at her with fierce conviction in his eyes. “I know that. And I want to do everything in my power and outside of it to prove the truth. Matilda Mallick has no claim on Dani, and she won’t ever get her. I promise.”
He grasped her shoulders, still staring down at her, and she wanted so desperately to believe.
“I…”
He pulled her in for another hug and then walked her back to sit on the hard bench.
“It’s okay,” he said.
Ariel had never wanted more than right now to let herself trust someone, let someone support her, and so she did. She crawled into his lap, and there she stayed all night. Matt held her the entire time, never letting her go.
••••
The next morning, Matt was so stiff he didn’t think he could move. But it was worth it, more than worth it, to show Ariel he would be there for her. Always.
“The judge will be in in about half an hour,” Cyrus said. “Should be able to get you processed out of here pretty soon, Ariel.”
“Thank you, Cyrus,” she said.
Matt hugged her again, noting the dark circles of worry and exhaustion under her eyes, wanting to get her home so she could see her daughter, rest, and then get on with the fight to come.
“Has he done something, too?”
He wasn’t surprised to see Matilda stroll into the sheriff’s department.
“Where’s Dani?” Ariel said.
Matilda didn’t speak, but instead glared at Matt and Ariel with superiority. She thought she had this in the bag, but she would soon learn how mistaken she was.
“Danielle is at school where she belongs,” Matilda finally said.
“And why are you here? Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” Matt said.
Ariel tightened the hold on his arm, and Matt could hear the warning, one that he wouldn’t heed. Matt had long ago stopped cowering, and he wouldn’t start again now.
“I’ve done nothing but try to be an upstanding citizen and good role model for my granddaughter, something she is severely lacking,” Matilda said.
“If you came here to needle Ariel, you need to go ahead and leave.”
Matt stood as he spoke, hand entwined with Ariel’s, something that did not go overlooked by Matilda.
“Ariel, I’d like a moment. We can discuss this like ladies, come to a resolution.”
“If you have something to say, you can say it in front of my husband,” Ariel said, emphasizing the word
husband
.
Matilda blanched but recovered. “Fine, he can stay since this matter concerns him as well.”
She glanced back at him then, and then returned her gaze to Ariel. “Despite what you think, I only want what’s best for Danielle. And you, believe it or not. The way I see it, you have two options: You can go off with your new husband and leave Danielle with her family where she belongs. Alternately, you, and only you, may move into my home if you would like to be close to her. I won’t stand for whatever foolishness goes on at your house, but if you would like to be a part of her life, I’m willing to open my door. Daniel would want that.”
Matt was so livid, he wanted to smack her, something he’d never wanted to do to any woman, to make no mention of an older one.
“So you want Ariel to give up her home, her husband and come live in your house under your rules?”
Matt couldn’t believe it, but then again he shouldn’t have been surprised. Some people, people like Matilda Mallick always got what they wanted. Why should this be any different?
“What do you want, Matilda?” Ariel asked.