Chapter Fifteen
"I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away."
Sia 'Titanium'
Rise & Fall
The next morning was a flurry of activity. I didn't even have a moment to think about where we were all going. We woke up late after Jack had kept me up for hours "making up for lost time" as he put it. Jake had been pounding on the front door for several minutes before we finally crawled out of bed.
My parents and the Garretts had brought breakfast and were going to arrange dinner while we left for the courthouse early. Everyone but me, Jack, and Jake were staying behind until it was time for the hearing.
"Is Sean meeting us there?" Jack asked as the three of us walked out to his truck.
Jake checked his cell phone and nodded, "Yeah, he said he was right behind us and not to go in until he got there."
Jake drove while Jack and I sat in the back seat. He held me against his side, his fingers slowly moving up and down my arm and I had no plans of putting any distance between us. I may be ready to face this, but it didn't mean I was happy about it. How can anyone hold themselves together completely while facing the very reason you might not have been alive today?
I was alive. I survived and Roger was going to be punished for the many things he had done wrong in his life. Holding myself together was going to take more than just my arms.
"I've got Dr. Graves on speed dial if you need him, baby. And we are all going to stand by you so try not to worry too much," Jack said to me when he covered my shaking hands with his.
"Thank you, Jack."
He kissed my temple and leaned back in the seat while Jake drove the winding roads to the courthouse.
It's funny how time flies when you don't want it to, whether it's if you are having fun or dreading the next few hours. Every traffic light was green and there was a parking spot in the second row just waiting for us.
It was laughable.
I would have given anything to have just a few more minutes in that car with Jack and my brother, just sitting in the silence, knowing that I was safe and that in that moment, no one could touch me.
"Shit, that was almost too easy," Jake laughed when he shifted the truck into park. "God wants this over with as much as the rest of us, huh?"
We all laughed sardonically as we sat in the truck and took a few minutes to process. Jake shook his head and grumbled every few seconds until he finally spoke up.
"Ari?" Jake said.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" I asked with a frown. Jake had done nothing to feel sorry about and I wracked my brain for a reason.
"For not telling you the truth when I should have. I shouldn't have kept things from you. None of us should have. You're my sister and I trust you with everything. I should have given you the reason Jack left instead of keeping you in the dark. Then maybe none of this would have happened."
I leaned forward and put my hand on my brother's shoulder. "Jake, you have no reason to be sorry about that. None of us can know if anything would have been different, but I wouldn't change the last few years."
His head whipped around and he stared at me like I had grown another head.
"Look at us? You have this incredible business that is flourishing thanks to me," I winked. "You've met so many people that have made such a difference in your life. Jack has a business that kicks ass and he gets to be with his best friend and draw crazy shit on people whenever he wants." I took a deep breath and focused on the good, like Dr. Graves told me to do whenever I was feeling overwhelmed. "Yes, I've been through a lot, but I can kick your ass now if you try anything and that's something I wouldn't take back at all."
Jake was smiling and I felt Jack's silent laughter against my side.
"Okay, okay. Ari took her smart ass pills today," Jake rolled his eyes. Winking at me didn't cover the worry I still saw on his face, though. "Let's do this shit."
We all climbed out of the truck and started for the front steps of the building. The levity we had felt only moments before was quickly shattered when we heard the voice shouting behind us.
"You little bitch! You think you'll get away with this? You'll never get away from me. I own you!"
It was like the rotation of the earth just stopped. Everything around me slowed down and time just... stopped. The three of us turned as one and before I could register the gun in Roger's hand, Jack was pulling me behind him and Jake was charging the man that had hurt his little sister.
The scream that tore from my throat was drowned out by the blast of the gun. Jake froze inches in front of Roger and slumped forward.
My heart stopped.
It just... stopped.
Thudded against my chest once, then nothing.
Jack was moving quickly and knocked the gun from Roger's hands, throwing him to the ground in the process. I vaguely heard the sound of fists hitting flesh, but my focus was on my brother.
He fell to his knees, clutching his chest. My legs felt like I was running through three feet of mud. I couldn't see his face. I couldn't see my brother's face and that was the only thing going through my mind as I forced my feet to move faster. I got to him before he fell to his back with a groan.
"Oh shit, oh shit," he gasped and his hands came away from his chest soaked with blood.
His dress shirt was stained red and the color was spreading over his chest with each breath he took.
"Jake! Oh God, oh God, oh God."
My hands shook violently, but I tore my jacket off and pressed it against his chest hoping that somehow it would stop the bleeding or it would wipe away the red in front of me and all of this would turn out to be a nightmare.
Jake's breathing was ragged and his face was deathly pale, he tried to push my hands away but I kept them in place. "Ari, get out of here," he choked out. The words caused him pain, I could see that. His face twisted and his eyes squeezed shut every time he tried to look at his chest.
The man had been shot and damn him for still trying to take care of me.
"No! I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. Just hold on, Jake."
I turned my head and saw Sean attempting to pull Jack off an unconscious Roger, but he kept getting thrown off. Sean didn't stand a chance against Jack's determination. He couldn't even get his arms fully around my man's shoulders to get a good grip. He wasn't going to stop.
I swear the only sound I could hear was Jake's breathing becoming more and more labored and not the shouts all around us. My ears were still ringing from the gunshot. Suddenly, my heart thudded once more, starting back up with a vengeance.
"Jack!" I screamed, praying he would know what to do next. My brother was dying under my hands and I had no idea what to do.
Jack's fist froze in mid air and his head turned. Time slowed once more, everything happening seemed to take a lifetime and all I wanted was for it to speed up and help me get my brother taken care of.
Jack's eyes found me kneeling over my brother by the time Sean successfully pulled him away from Roger. His face... God, his face. It immediately crumpled at the sight of his best friend lying on the ground, covered in blood.
My mind couldn't think past the blood gushing out of my brother and the concrete underneath him turning wet and red. My jacket was soaked, my hands were soaked, and Jake was still breathing, but it didn't sound good.
"Please, Jake," I cried and his eyes opened wide and round.
The bullet had hit his chest, but I had no idea how close it was to his heart and I didn't dare lift my hands.
Jack was by my side in the next second as I stared down into my brother's dulling brown eyes. The eyes of a man who had wanted nothing but the best for his family and had sacrificed so much of himself to get it.
"Fuck! Jake, keep your eyes open, buddy. The ambulance is on its way," Jack insisted.
My brother nodded, but he closed his eyes
in pain and let out a ragged breath and whimper. My big bad tattooed brother was... dying right in front of my eyes.
Jack pushed my hands aside and lifted my jacket off of Jake's chest to see the wound. "FUCK!" he shouted and his eyes filled with tears. "You idiot. Why would you do that, Jake?"
"I couldn't let you be the only hero," Jake whispered with a weak grin. "I told you before and I'll tell you again... you may be... my sister's boyfriend... but that doesn't mean I'm not still her big brother."
Jack dropped his head and kept pressure on the wound, cursing his best friend and reassuring him that he would kick his ass once he was better. My hands found one of Jake's, but the blood kept making my fingers slip and I wanted to scream.
He had already taken so much. Why this? Why Jake?
The steady pounding of my heart filled my ears. My hands pulled away from Jake and I suddenly found myself standing and turning away from my brother and Jack.
"Ari, sweetheart..." Jack called, but I ignored him. He was taking care of Jake and I had something to do.
I found the gun that I had watched clatter to the ground when Jack first made contact with Roger. It was only a few feet away. Two steps and my knees were bending, my fingers were wrapping around the handle, the cold sting of the metal mixing with the heat of Jake's blood on my hands.
My heart was still beating steadily.
"Ari!" Jack shouted.
My feet moved towards Sean and Roger. Sean on his phone giving instructions to whoever was on the other end, and Roger who was spread out on the ground, his face bloody and bruised and already swelling from the power behind Jack's fists.
His eyes were closed, but I knew better. How many times had I been manipulated into believing the worst had passed? How many times had I been convinced that he was done?
Never again.
I was less than ten feet away when Sean looked up and froze.
Rage boiled through my blood and in the back of my mind I heard a voice telling me to stop, to let the police take care of it, let anyone else take care of it. Instead of listening, I raised my arm and pointed the gun at the man that had beaten me, humiliated me, raped me, nearly destroyed me, and had now tried to take my brother away from me.
"Ari, give me the gun," Sean said gently, taking a step toward me with his hands in front of him.
"Cuff him first," I said between clenched teeth, my eyes never leaving the prick on the ground that I knew would open his eyes any second.
"Drop the gun, Ari. He's down and I don't want you to hurt yourself."
"He's not down," I growled and I was right. Roger's eyes flickered open and he started to move.
Maybe it was the evil I knew was coursing through his body or just the sheer determination alone to ruin me that kept him alive. Maybe it was his body's way of taking over because his mind was so fucking deranged. No matter the reasons why, he still opened his eyes. He still moved.
Sean was facing me and begging me to give him the gun. Roger's eyes met mine and his lips stretched into a bloody smile. It was barely a second, so fast my eyes wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't been looking for it. Roger's hand slid into his jacket pocket and withdrew another gun.
I knew the man wouldn't stop. Not until he was dead.
Sean turned around, finally seeing what I was seeing. Finally seeing why there was only one way for this to end.
"Ari!" Jack screamed and his quick footsteps behind me were the only sounds in the deafening silence until the click of Roger's gun, aimed directly at me.
I pulled the trigger and everything went still. Quiet.
Blood soaked Roger's shirt directly over his stomach and he fell back to the ground and didn't move. Buzzing filled my ears and a hand warmed my shoulder, but I held tight to the metal in my hand, my fingers aching with the pressure.
Another hand came into my view and covered the top of the gun, gently pushing my arm down and sliding the heavy weapon out of my blood soaked hands. The buzzing still filled my ears, but the warm, sexy sound of Jack's voice was there, pulling me back.
"Sweetheart." Jack's breath tickled my ear and his hand on my shoulder gave a little pressure until I was turned to face him fully.
I had no idea where the gun went, but I didn't care. Jack held my face in his hands and looked frantically into my eyes.
"Ari."
I blinked up at him and my eyes focused on the aqua blue staring back at me. Sounds filtered in all around me, voices shouting, sirens blaring, and Jack's voice.
"It's over, baby."
I closed my eyes and let Jack pull me into his chest and bury his nose in my hair. My hands shook as I curled my bloody fingers into the back of his shirt. His hard arms were around me and held me tight as I cried into his chest.
It's over.
"They're taking Jake. We need to call your parents."
Jake!
"Jake!"
"Shh, they have him in the ambulance. Let's go so we can meet them at the hospital. He was still awake."
Relief swept through me, but it was short lived. I didn't know if someone could survive a bullet to the chest.
Jack swept his arm underneath my knees and carried me back to the truck. I spotted Sean running to catch up to us and my body went solid.
"Jack!" Sean called, but Jack didn't stop.
Once I was seated in the truck and buckled in, Sean was there and Jack was telling him, "Not now."
"Wait! I just wanted you to know that there were several eye witnesses. Ari, you aren't in trouble, okay? I'll take care of it, but expect officers to come to the hospital to get a statement."
I nodded absently in acknowledgement before Jack shut the door and made his way around the front of the truck with Sean still talking.
"Keep me posted," Sean said and then we were pulling out of the parking lot and Jack was speeding behind the ambulance that carried my brother.
All the while, not one molecule of thought went into whether Roger was dead or alive.
It was over.
***
"What do you mean he's still alive?"
Sean's shoulders slumped and he looked at the ground, something in his eyes afraid to tell me what was next.
Apparently, not everyone died of bullets to the stomach either.
Jake was in surgery, but things were looking good. I hadn't been expecting any bad news until Sean walked into the family waiting area and told me the one thing I didn't want to hear.
"He's still alive, in critical condition, but they think he will survive." Sean cleared his throat and looked me in the eyes for a moment before looking over at Jack sitting next to me.
Jack looked relieved and I wanted to be angry with him for it, but a part of me was relieved as well. I didn't know how I would handle the idea of actually killing a man, even if it was a man that didn't deserve to be alive.
Jack had already contacted Dr. Graves who was on standby until we heard about Jake. He was afraid that this would set me back and he didn't want to wait any longer than necessary to get me whatever help I required.
"He's paralyzed."
My eyes immediately went back to Sean and my heart raced furiously as I waited for more.
"The bullet went straight through, missed all his fucking organs and hit his spine. Shattered it. They said he won't be walking anywhere ever again."
I didn't know whether to jump in rejoice or cry because of what I had done. I knew he was an evil man, but he would suffer for the rest of his life, however long that would be.
I hoped Dr. Graves would know what to tell me and I hoped that my actions wouldn't put me back into that pit I had recently climbed out of. I didn't feel the pull, but the darkness had a way of creeping up on me when I least expected it.
Jack pulled me onto his lap when Sean walked away, leaving us to mull over the news. Roger would never be hurting me again. Me or my family. He would never be cheating anyone out of anything, he would never be putting his hands on innocent waitresses and he would never have any kin
d of control over me. Ever. Again.
I made the decision right then and there to accept what I had done. To acknowledge that I had hurt him and move on.
Maybe it wasn't healthy and it wasn't morally accurate, but I was finally free.
Freedom. God, I wanted to scream it at the top of my lungs.
It was like being renewed, cleaned of every horrible thing that had ever happened to me. It was relief.
Pure, unadulterated, soul searing relief.
"Hey, you okay?" Jack asked and lifted my chin to place a soft kiss on my lips.
I sighed and closed my eyes, resting my head on the expanse of his shoulder. "Yeah. I will be."
The doctor came through the doors minutes later and all of us went on high alert. My parents were holding each other as they stood and listened.
"Mr. West is out of surgery and everything is looking good. The bullet grazed a lung and there were bone fragments dangerously close to his heart, but I am confident he will make a full recovery. We'll keep him in recovery until he is stable and that's when we will let him have visitors, but please, only a couple of you at a time. He needs to rest."
"Will there be any problems once he is recovered?" my mother asked, wiping away a tear from her cheek.
"We can't know that yet. Once he wakes up, we'll run some tests and just take it a day at a time. I don't expect there to be any major lingering effects from the bullet wound, but I can't be sure until we assess him over the next few days."
That sounded promising.
We waited another hour or so, Reggie and Molly making sure everyone had coffee, food, or a jacket if they got cold. Amanda was back and forth from the ER and constantly checking in over text with her parents. Jack Sr. and Carol never left my parent's side and they promised that their home was open to them for as long as they needed and not to worry about a thing while they were in town helping Jake recover.
When the nurse finally came out to tell us we could visit Jake, Mom and Dad insisted that Jack and I go in with them. The walk to my brother's room felt like a walk down to the gallows. My chest squeezed tight as my mind replayed everything that had happened. The sight of my brother falling to the ground after the deafening sound of the gun will forever be ingrained in my memory. I wanted to ask him what the hell he had been thinking, but I knew, if the situation was reversed, I would have done the same.
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