Blowback

by Stephanie Summers

  “I understand,” I squeaked out.

  “There’s a very large dog up here as well, just so you know,” Jet said. “I don’t think she’ll do anything to you, but I just wanted to make you aware.”

  “I’m coming up now.”

  Jet kissed me quickly on the lips, and whispered, “You’re going to be okay.”

  The officer made his way up the steps. I saw his hands, holding his gun, enter the room before the rest of him. My arms ached to drop to my sides, but I kept them up.

  “Need both of you to stand up and step away from the weapon.”

  We did as we were told, though I wasn’t sure how I managed. My body was ice cold and still trembling.

  “Another officer is going to join me. Stay where you are.”

  The two cops—the man who’d come in first and a woman—inched their way forward, eyeballing anything and everything they could.

  The female cop patted me down.

  “I’ve got a gun in my waistband… in the back,” Jet said.

  The male cop listened and removed it, placing it on the bed.

  “Is there a reason you had a gun, son?”

  “I always carry it, but I had it because I had reason to believe she was in danger. The man lying dead over there is my father.”

  “Why didn’t you call us if you thought she was in danger?”

  By this time, the female cop let me lower my arms and placed her arm around my shoulders, assuring me that I was okay.

  “With all due respect, sir, all I could do was focus on getting to her to make sure she was okay.”

  “I’ve got to call this in. I want both of you downstairs until a detective can get here to question you. Ma’am, we’re going to have to collect some evidence, so you cannot come back in here until after they finish.”

  I nodded, not able to find any words to express myself.

  The next few hours went by in such a blur. So many strangers traipsed through my home, looking for clues as to what went down and asking Jet and me questions. I recalled everything I could to the best of my abilities, but my words didn’t feel like my own. I couldn’t really be telling the police that I’d shot a man and killed him. I knew Jet wanted to take the blame, but the evidence would point to me. There was no use in trying to cover it up. The whole situation was too unreal.

  But the sad truth was, I was a murderer. How could I ever come back from that?

  CHAPTER 30 – JET

  The police finally left, but not before Niall’s body was loaded up, and we were told there wouldn’t be any charges pressed at that time. They’d determined he’d come into her house uninvited and intent on killing her. Officially, their investigation would continue, but we were given no reason to believe she’d ever be arrested. I’d already decided I’d confess to killing him if it came down to it. She didn’t deserve to go to prison, but maybe I did.

  I packed some things into an overnight bag, taking her and her dog and loading them into her car. I’d come back with Big to retrieve my bike some other day, but in the meantime, I had to get her out of there. Would’ve taken the cat, too, but I never could find him. I’m guessed he hid somewhere and wouldn’t come out until long after everyone had left.

  She was silent in the car, only shaking her head when I asked her if she wanted to go to the hospital. Her knees and hands were pretty skinned up but nothing major, so I didn’t press the issue.

  I couldn’t even focus on the fact that this was our ticket to freedom. No way could I be happy about something that had devastated Evie so badly.

  Taking her to my house maybe wasn’t the best idea, but I needed her close. I needed to make sure she was okay. And Niall was no longer alive to threaten us again.

  “Where are we?” she asked, peering out the window.

  “My house.”

  “His house?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh my God,” she said and sobbed. “Is Georgia here?”

  “She’s at a friend’s house.”

  “I killed her father,” she whispered.

  “You defended yourself from a man determined to kill you. It was you or him, darlin’. You have to see that.”

  She didn’t answer. Kill or be killed was a lesson I’d come to terms with long ago, but she couldn’t comprehend it or accept it then. If she hadn’t defended herself, neither of us would’ve been alive, because Niall very likely would’ve killed me as soon as I walked in the door.

  We got out of the car, taking her dog along, and entered the house.

  “Will she be okay in the backyard? It’s fenced in. If not, she can stay inside. She might like it better out there though since she’s never been here before.”

  She nodded, and I took the dog, guiding her to the back door. Once I got her settled, I returned to Evie and took her hand. Bringing it to my mouth, I pressed my lips against her soft skin.

  “You’re gonna be okay,” I said and picked her up, carrying her to my room. Once Big had left the night before, I’d gone to work clearing out the cameras Niall had placed around the house. They blended in well, but once I knew what I was looking for, they weren’t hard to find. At least I didn’t have to worry about anyone else watching us in Niall’s absence.

  I placed her gently on the bed and went to the bathroom where I ran her a hot bath. She hadn’t moved at all in the short time since I’d left her. Undressing her quickly, I scooped her into my arms again and carried her to the tub, placing her into the water.

  “I hope it’s not too hot.”

  “It’s fine,” she said with no emotion, though a tear drop slid down her cheek and dripped into the water.

  “Scoot up.”

  Stripping off my clothes, I got into the tub behind her and held her tight. She cried off and on as I washed the events of the day from her body, taking extra care with her wounded skin. I remembered how gentle she was the day she’d patched me up when Niall cut me. I wished I didn’t have to do the same for her now.

  Pushing her hair aside, I kissed her shoulder and said, “Please say something… Anything.”

  “I just want to sleep.”

  Standing, I got her up, dried us both off, and dressed her in a nightshirt before I slid into a pair of boxer briefs. I tucked her into my bed shortly after. Just as I was about to turn off the light and leave her to sleep, she said, “Stay with me.”

  So, I did. We stayed there until the next morning, and I never let her go all through the night. Sleep eluded me for the most part. She tossed and turned, but I didn’t mind. I used the time to think about what everything meant now and how I should’ve been there to make sure this didn’t happen in the first place. I blamed myself for everything.

  She nuzzled into my chest as I wondered what was next for us.

  “Please tell me that was all a really bad dream,” she said softly placing her hand on her forehead, partially covering one eye.

  Pulling her tight, I said, “I wish I could.”

  “I guess I have no room to judge you now.”

  I sighed to myself. She hadn’t changed her mind at all about me since the last time we discussed it.

  “I’m sorry. That came out way worse than I meant it.”

  “It’s alright. I can take you wherever you want to go today. If you want to go home, that’s fine, but I’d rather you maybe go visit Sophie or, hell, even take a trip to see your parents instead. I can get someone to clean your house up before you get back.”

  “Why would I go somewhere else?”

  “Why wouldn’t you?” I asked and slid out of bed. Scrubbing my face with my hands, I stood up, ready to make my way to the bathroom.

  She got out of the bed and cut me off, placing her hands on my hips. “He’s gone.”

  “Yeah, but nothing else has changed,” I said, stepping away from her and pulling on a pair of jeans. “I’m still the guy you were repulsed by just a few days ago, and just because Niall is dead, it, doesn’t mean it’s over. I still have to deal with the consequences of that.
”

  “Jesus Christ… Are you going to be in danger now?”

  “Honestly… I don’t fucking know. It could go either way. There are enough people under him who would take over in a heartbeat since I want no part of it. But, of course, there will be those who think I killed him or set it up for him to be killed, and they may be gunning for me… and that’s not even scratching the surface of the other shitstorm brewing. I mean, I have a mother out there who is just as fucked up as Niall. She knows where I am now, and I can’t see her. I won’t. I can’t forgive her for signing me over to him. I want nothing to do with any of them.”

  “Let’s just leave.”

  “And go where?”

  “Anywhere. I can’t go back home.”

  “Evie, listen to yourself. Did you forget everything you said to me about why you didn’t know if you could ever be with me?”

  “I remember every word I said.”

  “Then why the sudden change of heart? None of that has changed. I’ve done my fair share of bad things. Truth is, Niall wasn’t that much worse than me.”

  “Don’t you dare say that. You’re a good person Jet. I was stupid to question that before. And you want to know why I can see that so clearly now? Because this,” she said, motioning her hands toward me and back to herself, “is the only thing that makes sense to me. No matter how hard I’ve tried, and God knows I have, I can’t shake you. Never have been able to, and now that you’re here in front of me when I thought…” She shook her head subtly. “Waking up next to you is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever experienced. I don’t want to lose that… or you.”

  “You should want to get as far away from me as you can.”

  “Stop,” she exclaimed. “Just stop. We don’t get to choose who we love, but even if we did, I’d still choose you because you give me the same butterflies in my stomach as you did when I was sixteen and hadn’t even spoken to you. You changed my life the day you asked to borrow that magazine, and I truly believe we’re meant to be together. Maybe this whole situation is fate’s way of fixing the mistake that was made when we were torn apart the first time.”

  “Fate has a pretty fucked up way of making things right, doesn’t it?” I asked with a grin on my face. “You really mean all that?”

  “Every word of it.”

  Leaning in, I kissed her softly on the lips.

  The sound of footsteps running down the hall put me on high alert. I reached for the gun I had stashed under the mattress, inching to the door.

  “Stay here,” I whispered. “I think it’s Georgia, but she shouldn’t be home from school this early. I’m going to check it out.”

  Cautiously opening the door, I poked my head out in time to see Georgia duck into her room. “It’s her,” I said as I popped back in and sat the gun down on the nightstand.

  Evie had tears welling in her eyes. She brought her hand to her mouth, covering it as a gentle sob left her.

  “She’s going to hate me, Jet.”

  “Stay here while I go talk to her.”

  “No, I should be there. I want to be there.”

  I took her hand, and we went to Georgia’s room. When we knocked lightly on the door, she opened it a second later.

  “Hey, chipmunk,” I said and hugged her. “What are you doing home from school? And why didn’t you go back to Katie’s?”

  “We got out early. Something about the water line being busted. Katie’s mom didn’t tell me if I was supposed to come home or go back over there, so I just came home,” she said, looking past me toward Evie.

  “This is my friend, Evie.”

  “Hi, Evie.”

  “Hello.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked, eying me cautiously. It had to be a shock to her system for me to open without picking on her. Maybe I should’ve stuck to the norm.

  “Sit down, chipmunk.”

  She did as she was told and sat on her bed. Evie sat in a chair by the desk, and I sat beside Georgia.

  “I have something to tell you.”

  “Okay.”

  I took her hand and said in a quiet voice, “Niall is dead.”

  Shock spread over her face. Where I expected there to be tears, there were surprisingly none.

  “How?”

  “Niall wasn’t a good man. You know that, right?”

  She nodded, tears beginning to glisten in her eyes.

  “A long time ago, when you were barely more than a baby, we lived in another town. Evie was my girlfriend, but Niall threatened her in order to control me. I had to leave her behind when we moved up here. He would’ve killed her if I hadn’t started working for him.”

  “You mean fighting for him?”

  “How did you know about that?”

  “I’m not stupid, bub. I hear things. I see things. I mean, every time you fight, it ends up on YouTube. I constantly have to hear from my friends how awesome it must be to be your sister.”

  “Shit, Georgia. I never wanted you to know any of that.”

  “I know what kind of man he was, too, and the things he did.”

  My heart broke. I hadn’t shielded her from any of it after all, despite my best efforts.

  “So what happened to him?”

  “I ran into Evie recently, and I met a friend of hers. That friend had a brother who was kidnapped as a child, and as it turns out, he is me. Now, I don’t know if Niall kidnapped me or just took custody, but I challenged him to face me. Taking him out was the only way I could guarantee that you and Evie would be safe from him. I still love her just as much as I did back then. Niall caught wind that she was back in the picture and skipped out on the fight. He went to her home and was going to kill her to punish me.”

  “You killed him?” she asked me.

  “No,” I said. “But I should have.”

  “Georgia, I’m so sorry,” Evie said, tears rushing over her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

  I took a deep breath, and continued, “Evie shot him to save her own life. He died almost instantly.”

  She looked past me to Evie and back at me. Standing, she slowly walked over to Evie and placed her hand on her shoulder.

  “Please, don’t cry… You had no choice. Niall was a terrible person, and he deserved what he got.”

  “Georgia,” I said. “Do you understand that he’s gone for good? Never coming back. He’s dead.” I couldn’t believe her reaction. It had to be shock or misunderstanding or something. There was no way this girl didn’t feel anything over her father being killed.

  “I understand, but I also don’t really care.”

  “How can you say that?” Evie asked. “He was your father.”

  “No, he wasn’t. Jet is the only father I’ve ever had. Niall never cared about either one of us, and we’re free of him now. I know the only reason he didn’t abuse me was because of you,” she said, turning back to me. “I heard him more times than I can count holding me over you, threatening to hurt me so you’d do whatever it was he wanted. Now we’re free. You’re free, bub. I just want you to be happy. If you love her, I don’t see any reason why she can’t be a part of this family.”

  She embraced Evie, holding onto her as she began to cry. The two of them cried together, Evie kissed Georgia’s forehead and said, “I’m here for you. Anything you need. If you need to talk about it, I’ll listen.”

  Georgia looked at her and smiled. “Me, too. It’ll be nice to have another girl around for once.”

  Watching them made my heart swell and my soul feel complete. For the very first time in my life, I had everything I ever wanted. My sister was safe and the woman I loved with every piece of me was at my side.

  People say to appreciate the life you have because things can always be worse. My life was as bad as it could get, and I never knew anything to be better than what I had until Evie came into my life. I never could appreciate the shitty hand I’d been dealt, could never see anything good about it, but things were different now.

  For the first time in as
long as I could remember, I truly was appreciative. I had Evie back and my sister was safe and sound. The feeling of happiness and gratitude was foreign to me, but one I grew accustomed to easily enough. I’d hoped and prayed so many times for as long as I could remember for things to be different, for my life to be different, but when it finally happened, and my life changed, I didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse. Once I truly let go of my past and embraces my future, I knew it was a blessing.

  Turns out when you finally get what you’ve always dreamed of, you stop dwelling on the bad things that dragged you down before. You start to view life in a whole new exhilarating way. Waking up in the morning wasn’t such a burden anymore and the nightmares could finally stop because Niall was gone and he’d never be a threat again.

  No matter how big or small, some moments had a way of defining our lives, and I looked back to the one that set me on the path leading me to where I was now, knowing that had it not been for that one simple request I made to her years ago, I never would’ve ended up with her by my side for the rest of my life.

  EPILOGUE

  “I’m out,” I yelled to the staff at The Warehouse. I’d had the old one torn down and a new place built where I could train people to fight. It was big enough to actually go legit, and I officially named it The Warehouse. I no longer had to fight, but the feeling of training up and comers with potential to go on to some of the bigger fighting organizations was awesome. “I’ve got too much shit to do and not enough time to do it. I’ll see you all tonight.”

  “Walk you out?” Flint asked.

  “Yeah, sure, but if you’re going to drop a load of bullshit on me, I suggest you wait until at least next week.”

  “It’s nothing bad, I swear.”

  “Alright,” I sighed. “But I swear to Christ if you’re lying I’m gonna knock your ass out.”

  He chuckled, but I was serious. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could go wrong.

  “Just wanted to let you know that I was able to finally make the deal with the cartel for the drugs. I’m taking over operations. Everyone is on board. You’re officially out, my man.”

  Stopping in my tracks, I stared at him.