Beautiful Surrender (Pride and Honor Book 4)

by Ember-Raine Winters

  “It’s go time,” I said quietly. I knew they would hear me through the earpiece.

  A projector screen slid down in the room and the lights dimmed as a video started playing. We had already posted this particular video on our website. The look on Barnes’ face as he and his goons brutally beat my pregnant mother was sick. He enjoyed hurting her.

  The next video was a mash-up. There was a picture of the pilot that had been killed a month ago with his family holding his baby grandson. It may have been a bit over the top, but his murder had been a big part of the missing plane investigation. That was followed by surveillance video of Barnes talking to two known Russian mafia henchmen. It was dark but their faces could be seen clearly. One man opened the trunk of his car and Barnes looked down into the terrified face of the pilot before putting a bullet in him. The shocked gasps that echoed throughout the room were drowned out by all the people who were starting to flee. They could see what might happen next and smartly decided to leave instead of doing something stupid like pull out their phones and start recording the scene. I had a feeling that this was going to end badly by the murderous look on Barnes face. We had him and he knew it.

  I had expected him to leave as well, so when he pulled out a pistol from his sidearm and pointed it at my head I was a little shocked. “I should have made sure you died with that pathetic excuse for a woman who birthed you.”

  “Fuck you,” I yelled and lunged for him only to be grabbed by a strong set of arms and pulled back behind him. I beat on his back and he just stood there like I wasn’t trying to punch a hole through him.

  “It’s over Barnes. The FBI and LAPD are outside waiting for the signal. You’re done,” Trey said calmly. I stopped beating on him, then remembering where he had stashed his gun after we walked in, I grabbed it and pointed it at Barnes. All the rage I had ever felt towards him came bubbling to the surface and I cocked the gun aiming for his head. Stepping around Trey I held the weapon as steady as I could.

  “Put it down, Dad,” I sneered. “You think you can pull the trigger faster than I can?”

  We stood there in a face off, me with my gun pointed at him, and his at me. My laugh was maniacal even to my own ears but I was dealing with twenty-seven years of pent-up hatred. First for the father I thought had abandoned me, and then for the man who had taken my mother from me, who took my life from me. Revenge would be so sweet. I just had to pull the trigger and I could make him feel all the pain I had felt my entire life. I just had to squeeze the trigger…

  It happened in the blink of an eye. I heard the click of the gun and Trey was diving in front of me. I watched as I squeezed the trigger and Barnes crumpled at the same time Trey landed on top of me with a thud.

  A warm sticky substance had already started to coat my dress and the metallic scent of copper filled my senses. It took a second to realize that I wasn’t the one bleeding, and I rolled Trey over off of me. His shirt was already staining with the blood he was losing from the bullet wound.

  “Trey!” I shrieked. “Trey. Oh my God.”

  He coughed and his lips were stained red as well. He was just barely able to reach one bloody hand up to my cheek and smile. “I love you, Kenzie. Don’t ever forget that, okay.”

  “No! Trey hold on. Please hold on. You’ll be okay. You have to be. I love you, Trey. You have to fight. If not for me, do it for Mikey and your whole family who loves you,” I screamed. Tears were running down my face as I kissed him, hard.

  “It’s okay. It will be okay.” He smiled softly and closed his eyes.

  “No!” I wailed and laid my head against his chest. I heard nothing but blood rushing in my ears as I held on to him and prayed that he would be all right.

  Someone grabbed me from behind and I thrashed wildly as whoever it was pulled me away from Trey. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and whispered nonsense into my ear. I was still wailing and crying into his chest when I felt a slight sting to my arm and everything went black.

  EPILOGUE

  GRIFFIN

  Two months Later

  The sounds coming out of Kaylee had been horrible. I had never witnessed the birth of a baby before, but it was here and I would be damned if I wasn’t there to welcome our baby girl into the world. Kaylee was a champion. She knew exactly what she needed to do and even through all the horrible pain, she refused the drugs. She said she had already been through it twice before and may as well do it natural again.

  “I hate you,” she yelled at me and I smiled. “Don’t smile at me like that. This is all your fault.”

  “Calm down, baby. It will be okay. You’re almost done. Just one more big push.” She glared at me then, so I decided shutting up would be in my best interest. It was probably the right choice because the second the contraction was over she relaxed and smiled up at me.

  “I’m sorry, I love you.” The nurse was watching the monitor and looked at her a minute later.

  “I need one last big push, hun and then we will meet your new baby.”

  Kaylee nodded and sat behind her, helping her push forward. A minute later the most beautiful sound I had ever heard came from the little gooey bundle in the doctor’s arms. I walked over and looked at her in complete awe. She was perfect in every way, and I felt a tear slide down my cheek. I finally had the one thing I never thought I would have. It was all because of the beautiful tired woman sitting in that bed smiling the most perfect smile I had ever seen. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. When the doctor put that little baby girl in my arms and I looked down at her perfect little face, I knew that I would give anything to make them both happy as long as I was alive. I almost lost them both, and I would make sure that never happened again.

  **

  TASHA

  I woke up in a cold sweat. The nightmares had gotten worse. I kept searching for a baby that wasn’t there and crying when I couldn’t find him. It was an awful dream, and I kept waking up night after night holding onto my rounded belly. Twitch was there rubbing soothing circles on my tummy and I sighed and snuggled into his side.

  “Another nightmare, darlin’?” he asked and kissed my temple.

  “Yeah, I know Barnes is gone and everything has been quiet for a long time, but my brain won’t stop conjuring those memories.”

  “I know… you know I do.” He sighed and pulled me close. His hand rested on my belly and I laid there thinking about all that had happened.

  Barnes had survived the gunshot wound to the stomach and was sitting in a maximum security federal prison awaiting trial. The whole world had been buzzing about the upcoming court case and many newspapers and media outlets had been hounding us for the last couple months to tell our stories. That was one of the reasons that Twitch decided we needed a vacation.

  I walked out on to the balcony of the suite Griffin had booked. I could smell the salt in the air and hear the waves crashing against the shore. Distantly, I heard a phone ringing but I didn’t pay much attention until Twitch wrapped his arms around me from behind.

  “Sorry, but we have to cut this short. Kaylee went into labor.”

  “What? She’s two weeks early. Come on, we gotta go,” I said rushing back into the room to start packing our things. Even with all the bad things that had happened to us over the last year, I knew from that moment on it would be nothing but good times ahead. We had lost too much and been through too much shit for it not to be smooth sailing up ahead.

  MAC

  Sitting at home was not helping my anxiety. Kaylee had gone into labor hours ago and Griffin had asked us to stay with the kids until after the baby was born. Johnny was a champ with Lance and kept him busy so he wouldn’t worry about his mom and the new baby. Leanne was off drawing by herself. The last two months had been tough on them. The nightmares were hellish and everyone once could see the evidence and pain from them in their eyes. They were haunted by those memories. We did our best to help and make life as happy as could be. Griffin found them the best trauma
counselor in the state, and he was working with all three of them every day. It was going to be a long road ahead, but eventually they would learn to cope. A day didn’t go by that I didn’t wish I had put a bullet in the son of a bitch who had the nerve to touch those kids.

  Marcy walked out of the bathroom looking a little green and flopped on the couch right next to me. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she smiled as she watched Johnny play with Lance.

  “He would be a great big brother,” Marcy sighed dreamily.

  “Yeah, he would. I think he likes Lance a whole lot. He’s always playing some crazy game with him,” I replied and squeezed her before kissing her head.

  “Well, we can find out how amazing he would be in about nine months,” she said softly.

  A slow grin spread across her face as I realized what she was telling me. “No, really?”

  “Yes, I just took the test a minute ago. When it came up positive, I did it again. There are four positive pregnancy tests in the bathroom.”

  “We’re having a baby?” I asked in wonder and reaching for her still flat stomach.

  “Mac, you can’t feel it yet.” She giggled but didn’t push me away.

  I couldn’t believe how everything in my life had changed in a blink. I had gone from a lonely miserable fool to a dad in the blink of an eye. I finally had everything I ever wanted. Kissing Marcy’s lips, I sighed happily. “Thank you. This is the best gift I could have ever gotten.”

  “Your love and forgiveness is the best gift I have ever received. I love you, Mac.”

  “I Love you, Marcy.” I kissed her softly and chuckled as both boys yelled, “Eeew.”

  **

  KENZIE

  I sighed and wrapped the shawl around my shoulders to combat the chill of the early morning air. I bought an apartment near the beach because I wanted to stay close to my new family but couldn’t have them suffocating me all the time. I was used to being on my own and the idea of having that many people there all the time… it was just too much. After I realized it was Barnes I shot and not Trey, someone had dosed me with a sedative. Buck told me later that it was an EMT and she did it because I wouldn’t stop screaming. They were afraid I was going to hurt myself, so I ended up on suicide watch for the next three days. The entire time I was there no one would tell me what had happened or if he was okay.

  Every day since I’d been released, I followed the exact same routine. I got ready for the day and drove down Sunset. After a while Twitch, Mac, and Griffin had to literally force me away from Trey’s bedside. I cursed and cried and screamed, but they ended up carrying me out of the hospital and set me down on a bench outside. I had no idea how long it had been since I had actually seen the sun. They threatened to tell security not to let me in the building if I didn’t start taking care of myself. The nurses were all super sweet and told me they would call me if there was ever a change.

  That’s what I did every day. I woke up, ate, and drove to the hospital to sit by Trey and beg him to wake up. One day, the doctor let it slip that while I’d been holed up in the psychiatric ward, the love of my life had died three times on the operating table. I still couldn’t reconcile my big tough Trey to the frail man lying in that hospital bed for the past two months. Laying in a coma. It was killing me not to see his goofy grin and hear him call me Barbie.

  As I walked into the hospital dispensing with the usual hollow pleasantries that I normally did, something felt different. The nurses smiles were a little brighter, their eyes shining with unshed tears as I walked into his room and stopped.

  “Hey, sunshine.” Trey smiled. I couldn’t help the shock. I stayed rooted to the floor as river fell from my eyes.

  “You, y-you’re,” I stuttered.

  “Are you gonna just stand there all day or come give me a kiss?” He grinned at me and I flew at him. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I had waited so long. I was touching every part of him just to make sure it was real.

  “Oh my God, Trey. I thought I lost you. I waited forever to see that smile. I love you so much. I thought you were gonna die and it would have been all my fault.” I cried and then realization struck and I smacked him. “Don’t you ever do that to me again.”

  He full on laughed and then looked at me closely. “I love you, Kenzie and you know what? You’re stuck with me because I don’t ever plan on leaving you again.” He kissed me passionately. As long as I had Trey everything in my world would be okay.

  The End

  More Books by Ember-Raine Winters

  Romantic Suspense

  Beautiful Delusions

  Beautiful Sacrifice

  Beautiful Deception

  Beautiful Confusion: A Pride and Honor Novella

  Book 4 in The Pride and Honor Series

  Beautiful Surrender Coming September 2017

  Steamy Contemporary Romance

  There’s Something About Vegas

  YA Dystopian Romancer

  Born to Resist

  Born For War

  Author Note

  Thank you so much to all of you amazing readers for reading Beautiful Surrender! I appreciate every single one of you. I always love hearing from readers so if you ever want to connect with me, just drop me a line on any of the stalker links I listed below!

  I hope you enjoyed reading Beautiful Surrender. These characters have been on quite a journey in this series and I am so glad to finally give them their happily ever after! Stay tuned Christmas of 2017 for their Christmas story!

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