Page 20 of Admiring His Omega (Hobson Hills Omegas #12)

C ain handed Truffle to Gramps Wilson and let Betty out of the truck. The Kunekune followed them back to the house.

“Thanks. I’m not sure how long this will take.

” Cain fought panic as he thought of Bianca, alone and scared at the police station.

It was one thing to tell himself she would be his daughter one day and another to feel the unexpected fear of a parent for their child.

He hadn’t realized the relationship had grown to that degree. Now he knew.

“We’ll have her out in a few hours,” John said. Cain’s dad watched him, eyes bright with worry. “You love that kid. Don’t you?”

Cain nodded. “She’s my daughter. I don’t know what happened, but I know her well enough to say that if she killed someone, it was either an accident or in self-defense.”

Susan knelt down and fed a bit of broccoli to Betty. “I called Jasper a moment ago. He is on his way here.”

They all startled when Mal whistled at them from his truck. “Super Bensons unite! Come on. We have a teenager to save. You too, Susan.”

Cain’s mom stood, eyes widening. “Me?” She pointed at herself.

“You have a comforting presence and a way of putting others at ease. My Bia may need that. Van and I are a mental mess right now.”

“We haven’t even properly met. How do you know all of that?” Susan jogged to the truck and got inside.

“Uh, reasons.” Mal winced.

Cain sighed and pulled his dad to the truck. “We will be back soon. Thank you, Gramps.”

The old man grinned. “It’s a fine thing to see the last Benson all twisted up with love. Remember, Sheriff McKenzie is a good man. You can trust him to do right by Ms. Bianca.”

Cain nodded and opened the driver’s door. “Get over. You are not driving there.”

“Why not?” Mal asked, hands shaking and a wild look in his eyes.

Cain helped Mal climb awkwardly over the console. “Buckle up.” He looked in the backseat. His parents watched him with intense interest. “What a way to meet your future son-in-law and granddaughter.”

John shrugged. “It doesn’t involve costumes like meeting Carter’s Elijah did.”

“Costumes?” Mal asked.

“Star Wars themed wedding.” Cain backed out of the drive and sped toward town.

Mal’s foot tapped the floor like an over-anxious rabbit. “Themed wedding, huh? I would have liked to see that. Hey, if we get married, we should do a D&D themed wedding. Wouldn’t that be something?”

Susan’s reflection in the rearview mirror looked pained. “I will start looking for costumes. Any suggestions?”

“Elf druid and a cat warrior. Long black and white fur for the cat.” Cain took a breath. “Bianca will be alright.”

“I thought she was doing better.” Mal looked close to tears. “She was so sad and scared when we first left, but time and therapy seemed to help. I don’t know what is going on, and it bothers me.”

Susan rested a hand on Mal’s shoulder. “Children have a way of hiding the worse from their parents. She will explain when you see you, I’m sure.”

Cain parked outside the police station, and they all hurried inside. Van stood at the front desk, pacing with a small infant in her arms. Cain froze in place, eyes widening.

Mal hugged her and the baby. “It’s okay, Van. I brought the lawyers.”

John stepped up. “Do you know the situation and exactly what she’s said? She has to have an adult present to be properly questioned.”

Cain stared at the baby. Curly brown hair topped it’s head and curious green eyes watched him. It’s Teddy .

Mal noticed his silence and watched him, eyes softening. “Do you want to hold our son?”

Cain nodded.

Van snorted and handed the baby to Cain. “You look like a dork right now.” She looked a mess herself. “All I know is Bianca didn’t want Teddy to see her in there, but she’s confessed to killing Eugene Scott.”

“Who the fudge is that?” Mal asked.

Suddenly scared out of his mind, Cain tuned them out and rocked his son. Teddy was so tiny. Cain and Mal were responsible for this small human. He thought back to the plants in his apartment in Atlanta. His cleaning lady took care of them. Otherwise, they would have died long ago.

Susan hugged him, eyes watering as she watched him. “You have a son and a daughter, Cain.”

“I do.” His laugh sounded a little wet. “Will you watch him, Mom?”

“I would be honored.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “I will be right here if Bianca needs me.”

“Eugene Scott’s body was found back in October,” John explained to Mal. “He murdered his wife in August and disappeared.”

“He was her boss at the grocery store,” Van said, nodding. “He was also the married man that got Bianca pregnant.”

“Wait, he was in his forties.” Mal’s face turned a bright shade of red. “That fucker manipulated a teenage girl into having sex with him. I’m going to kill him.”

“Already dead, dipshit.” Van nudged his shoulder. “Let’s go see Bianca.”

Susan held Teddy and sat in one of the chairs near the door. “Dean is on his way too. I’ll take Teddy to his house and come back.” She looked at Mal. “He is a good friend of mine and can be trusted with your son. The Wilsons know him as well if that helps any.”

“Oh, I know.” Mal grinned. “He’s my confidential informant on the Wilsons. He loves helping me plan my pranks.”

Cain snorted a laugh. “Of course he does. It really is always the quiet ones.”

With the issue of Teddy settled, they hurried to the sheriff’s office.

The station wasn’t as bare and institutionalized as many of the police stations he had visited.

The walls were tan and had pictures of police officers and community awards on the walls.

The building was old, so it had scoffed hard wood floors that squeaked in places as they walked.

Bianca sat in a padded chair across from Sheriff McKenzie’s desk. She was wrapped in a warm blanket and had a cup of steaming cocoa in her hands. Roe, Cain’s friend, sat next to her, a comforting hand on her arm.

Her lips trembled when she saw them. “I’m sorry, Mal, but you were right. Being an adult means taking responsibility for your actions. I couldn’t just plan my life while a person’s death hung over me.”

“What has she said?” John’s eyes narrowed on Sheriff McKenzie. “She is still considered a minor and should have a guardian present to be formally questioned.”

The sheriff arched a brow and leaned back in his seat. “Bianca, do you want to tell them what you just told me?”

She nodded and took a deep breath. “The night Mal and I left Hobson Hills, well earlier that evening, I got a call from Eugene.” She closed her eyes. “He was my boyfriend, but had broken up with me a few weeks earlier when I told him I was pregnant.”

Mal’s eye twitched, and Cain grabbed his hand. “Steady,” he whispered.

“That night, he said he was sorry and asked me to meet him in our spot. I went to the clearing behind Farm Fresh. He was there, but he was… he was covered in –” she stopped, face full of fright.

“He was covered in blood. I asked him what happened, and he told me his wife died, so we could be together if we left right then.” She started shaking.

“I knew that wasn’t his blood. I knew it, so I turned and ran, but he caught me. ”

Mal and Van knelt on each side of her. Cain stood behind her, hand on her shoulder. He hated this. She never should have been in that kind of situation.

“He had a gun,” she said, starting to sob.

“He hit me with it and told me to be still. He said that she was dead, so we were leaving town right then.” Bianca shook her head.

“I didn’t want to go, but he didn’t care.

I struggled and he wrapped his hands around my neck.

” She opened her eyes and took two deep breaths.

“I kneed him in the groin, and he let me go, but he pointed the gun at me. I ran.” She swallowed hard.

“Two shots. He fired two shots at me, but it was getting dark. I got into his car and locked the doors. He shot at me, so I started the car. I thought it was in reverse, but it wasn’t. ”

“It’s okay,” Mal whispered, patting her leg. “You’re alright now.”

“I drove into him,” she admitted softly. “He bounced off the car like in the movies. It was horrible. I looked in the mirror and he was on the ground. I drove off.” Her shoulders shook. “I just drove off and left him there. Dead.”

“This is a clear case of self-defense,” John said, crossing his arms over his chest. “The man had just murdered his own wife and threatened to kill Bianca.”

“I agree,” the sheriff nodded. “She was completely justified in her actions. However, she didn’t drive to the police station. She drove home and left town.”

“I didn’t want to have the baby in jail.” Bianca cried harder. “I murdered a person. Teddy shouldn’t have to be part of that.”

Sheriff McKenzie sighed. “You wouldn’t have gone to jail. Bianca, Eugene Scott didn’t die from being hit with a car.”

“Care to explain?” Cain asked, arching a brow.

“He wasn’t dead?” Bianca asked, voice small and hopeful.

Sheriff McKenzie shook his head. “I can’t tell you how he died, but it wasn’t by being hit by the car. He did have a couple of broken ribs and bruising, and his car also had damage, so we knew he had been hit, just not by who.”

Bianca melted into her chair, her relief palpable. “I didn’t kill him. Oh, God. I didn’t kill him.”

The door slammed open and Paula ran inside. “Wait! Bianca didn’t kill Eugene Scott. I did.”

Sherriff McKenzie sighed, and Roe stood up, waving Paula to his seat.

“Sit down and wait for your dad,” Cain said, patting Bianca’s shoulder to keep her in her seat. “Then you can tell us what happened.”