Chapter Eighty

Delanie POV

It’s been hours since Ajax left and I hadn’t heard a word. It was just Harvey and me. It was kind of awkward because I didn’t know what to talk about but I was also worried about Ajax.

Things with Oscar and Ajax had been stable during the last few months. They didn’t speak much because Oscar didn’t leave his house at all. A part of me believed Oscar would punish his brother for a murder he didn’t commit just because he could.

“I’m sure this is one big misunderstanding,” Harvey said.

“Yeah…” I sighed.

I stared out the window and watched as the sun hid behind the trees.

“I wonder who it was and why they would go as far as to kill her. It’s scary.”

Harvey nodded. It seemed like he was lost in thought. Just then Annika bellowed. Her sudden scream startled me.

“Geez,” I said.

“Someone must be hungry,” Harvey said.

I’ve never heard her scream that way. My heart raced and I hurried to her room. I got there and the room was cold, the curtains were blowing in the afternoon wind. Harvey was right behind me. Annika wrestled with thin air. I breathed a sigh of relief and picked her up from her bed.

She wouldn’t stop crying though.

“I’m sorry Honey,” I said, rocking her gently. “Daddy’s not here.”

That seemed to make her madder.  I tried her bottle and she wasn’t having it. I think she needed her Dad. Now I felt like crying.

“Why don’t you let me try?” Harvey asked.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

Harvey nodded and held his arms out for the baby. I settled her into Harvey’s arms. It was a cute picture of a man dressed in leather with tattoos on his neck cradling a little girl in soft coloured. She settled instantly in his arms.

“She’s absolutely beautiful. I can imagine you looked like this when you were a baby.”

I smiled. “She has her Dad’s eyes.”

“Yeah, you got your Mother’s eyes.”

Harvey settled on the rocking chair. I handed him the bottle. Annika received the bottle eagerly. Someone definitely was hungry.

“Delanie are you sure you want to set your Mother free? Are you ready to go down that road?”

“I would if I could. Max practically vanished off the face of the earth.”

“Everything has a loophole, sweetheart. I would love to have her back. We left so much unsaid I’m just worried about her state of mind when she’s out.”

“Are you sure we can find a loophole?”

He nodded firmly. “It’s possible.”

I stared at the baby suckling on her bottle. Maybe I could give her a grandmother and grandfather.

“Let’s do it. We’ll tell Ajax when he’s back.”

Annika finished her bottle. Harvey handed her back to me to burp her. Harvey definitely did the trick she was much calmer now. It was time for her bath. I set her down and went about looking for her clothes.

“What’s this?” Harvey asked.

“What?” I turned.

Harvey moved the rocking chair aside and squatted on the spot where the chair was.

“This… flowers are growing out of the wall.”

I stood beside him and cocked my head to the side. I’d never seen the dark green flowers in the shape of a heart growing out of the wall. We could see the roots sticking out of the cement.

“That’s odd. What is that?”

Harvey yanked the flowers out of the wall. There weren’t many plants, about five flowers sticking growing. He got them out completely and crushed them in his fist.

“That’s not good,” he said.

“Why? What does it mean?”

“Oh, I don’t mean to scare you. It could just be moisture in the walls. I’ll check the wall outside before we get carried away.”

“Harvey, are you sure?”

“I’ll check outside first honey. Just don’t keep the baby in this room for now okay?”

It was hard for me not to worry when he told me not to keep Annika. I nodded regardless. Harvey walked out the backdoor to check the walls of the house. After giving Annika a bath which was one of her favourite things I settled with her in the living room.

Harvey still wasn’t done inspecting the house or had he left? I heard a call pull into the driveway.

“That must be Daddy,” I said.

Annika responded with a little squeal.

I carried her out the front door. Ajax smiled when he saw us. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

He met Annika and I by the door. He kissed her forehead and kissed me next.

“It will be. We found the murder weapon. It’s from the pack house.”

My jaw dropped. “But would a wolf need a weapon to kill someone? You certainly wouldn’t.”

“It could be anyone Delanie. Everyone has access to the pack house.”

“Are you going to shut it down?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t want to raise their suspicions. Decker may not have killed her with his hands but he could be behind it.”

“Ajax, maybe you should talk to him. Your whole feud is over a misunderstanding. A bad one… but maybe there’s something you can do to remedy it.”

His features hardened. He kissed my cheek but didn’t entertain the conversation.

“Where’s Harvey?” He asked instead.

“He’s checking out the house. He found some plants growing on the wall in Annika’s room. He was concerned.”

Ajax raised his brow. “I’ll go check on him.”

“What is it about these plants that I don’t know about?”

“I’ll be right back, Del.”

Annika cooed from over my shoulder. I sighed heavily and walked back inside the house.