Can't Walk Away (The Thomas Family Chronicles #1)

by Ashlee Taylor

  Looking over to him, I laughed again myself. “Let them come in, this is going to be good.”

  I sat back on the couch, crossing my ankle on my knee as I waited for the others to come inside. Antony dragged in Anderson and then proceeded to dump him next to Anise, who didn’t once comfort her fallen father, instead she scooted further away from him.

  Anderson looked from his daughter back to us, confused at her actions. After all, every move he made was for her to get closer to me, so he could get further into my family. To see that shot to shit and his daughter not giving a fuck finally resonated with him. He shook his head and stared down at the wooden floor.

  “Do you know why you’re here, Anderson?” I questioned, his eyes looked from the floor to me. “I mean other than the obvious, of course. Your daughter made a play for my family. You do remember what the consequences of that is, don’t you?”

  Anderson nodded. He knew the moves she had made would end her life, knowing him, he already knew his fate and accepted it.

  “Well, I don’t understand why I’m here. You killed Bobby, your girl is fine, and I don’t get what the big deal is.”

  I chuckled a little at her audacity.

  “Anise, you know exactly why you’re here. You know exactly what’s going to happen. I’d be remiss if I didn’t treat you in the same manner you treated’ my girl,’ as you called her. You may have tried to break her, but she isn’t broken. She’s still with me. You caused her to lose our child, but we’ll have others. You took her away from our daughter, so I will be taking you away from your mother.”

  Anise gasped again, trying hard to scoot her way over to Anderson, who didn’t bat an eyelash.

  “It’s inevitable the chain of events that will happen here tonight. I can’t say I’m sorry. All I can say is damn, it took me long enough.”

  Flicking my hand up to one of Antony’s men—Roman, I think—he leaned in and I whispered what I needed, asking if he had a problem with hitting a woman. When he looked at Anise and a smile graced his lips, the words that came out of his mouth thrilled me. “Not after what she did, sir. Killing a child is off limits.”

  “Good. Now let’s get started, shall we?”

  Watching him walk over to her, he looked to me for my next response. “Oh Anise—my, how your wrist is uninjured.” I chuckled as Roman took her hand in his and she tried a pitiful display to get her hand back. He bent it back and then sideways before we all heard a pop followed by a scream. The scream was so loud and piercing that Anderson jumped slightly, however he didn’t move another muscle.

  “Shut her up,” I called out over the loud shrieks.

  Roman balled up his fist and his hand went straight across her jaw; it looked like something out of a comic book or cartoon but she stopped the screeching. I looked over at Antony, who had a huge smile on his face. I knew that he himself was itching to get in on all the fun. I wanted to just hand over the reins to him and let him finish it, but I needed to do this. I needed her to suffer.

  Even though none of this was helping the situation, it would give Christianna peace of mind that she’d never be in danger of these people again.

  Anderson looked like he was on his last legs, he would certainly take his last breath soon. How that would happen would be at Jerry’s hands.

  “Anderson, it was your money, or lack thereof, that fueled this fire that caused your money-hungry cunt of a daughter to go after me and mine. With that, I have no choice but to give you, as a gift, to my good friend, Jerry. You do know Jerry, right? After all, you used his name as bargaining chips and as an insurance policy.”

  Jerry guffawed while Anderson shifted. Anise, finally realizing that her time was about to come to an end, watched as Antony lifted her father off the ground. Jerry held a knife to his throat before saying a few parting words. “This is for what you did to Christianna.” The shiny silver of the blade glittered like diamonds as it slid across the throat of Anderson Michelino. His blood shot out and rained down all over Anise, who was trying as hard as she could to scurry away.

  I was just about to pull out my gun and shoot her where she lay, instead Jonathan put a hand up to halt me. “I got this.”

  Jonathan took my dad’s gun from him, pointed it directly at a frightened Anise, and smiled a smile I hadn’t ever seen before. Cocking his head to the side, Jonathan pulled the trigger, and like that, Anise was dead.

  It was finally over, all of it. All the problems that we had were dead. Now Layla could be safe as well as Christianna. No one would ever get close to them.

  Dad and Antony were talking about how to handle the mess. I heard different scenarios, but they kept resorting back to the same one: torching the house to remove all evidence. When Luke and I walked out, Roman was flipping the gas and blowing out the pilot lights. Dad said he had a trick to this, we’d have to be far enough away to see everything. We all drove down the road. Lucky to be far away from civilization, but close enough to watch as Roman stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest moments later, the house blew into a huge fireball that seemed contained, but at the same time decimating the house three people had been killed in.

  We left in relative silence, everyone happy at the turn of events. All I wanted to do was get to the hospital and tell Christianna how sorry I was for being a dick. That was until Luke reminded me that visiting hours had been over for some time. It was nearly eleven. Even though I saw it was dark, it didn’t register with me that it was that late. I didn’t care about the time or inconvenience, I wanted to see my girl.

  Luke convinced me to wait until the morning and I conceded. I knew that I wanted to stop by the jewelers to pick up that ring I had custom made for her. I hoped that if she saw the ring along with my heartfelt apology, everything would be back to normal.

  When we pulled up to the house, I was shocked to see cars here. Three of them in total but only one I recognized. I noticed Luke looked as confused as I did. One of the cars belonged to Alex, which caused me to panic. Halfway up the driveway, I jumped out of the car and ran the rest of the way into the house.

  In the living room sat Alex and her mother, along with my mother. Minutes later, Luke walked in with Dad and Jonathan.

  “Are Christianna and Layla all right?” I asked, looking for an answer.

  Alex stood up and walked over to me, her hand moved faster than I’d ever seen anyone’s hand move and it went straight across my face.

  “Yeah, they’re fine now. Especially after she found out that her baby was dead.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Fuck is right. She was so hurt and betrayed she asked me to take her home.”

  “She’s here?” I asked but didn’t wait to hear the answer, I turned for the door.

  “No asshole, she isn’t here. Matter of fact, she isn’t in any of the houses. She needed time away from you. She needed time with just her and Layla.”

  I felt as if my legs were as weak as cooked noodles. I began to sway on my own two feet before I collapsed into a mess on the floor.

  “She left me.”

  Even after everything I had done, it didn’t stop me from losing one of the most important things in my life.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Christianna

  I woke up the next morning feeling my usual self, well, usual self without the wrapping around my head. Layla slept through the night for me. I don’t know if it was something she’d been doing or if she’d done this just for me. She was still sleeping when I rolled out of bed. I built a pillow wall around her so I could go off and use the bathroom, maybe even take a shower.

  When I walked into the bathroom, I was shocked at the way I looked. I wanted to cry, curl myself up into a ball, but I had to remain strong. I had to show my daughter that I was a fighter, that I wouldn’t let this get me down.

  I unwrapped my head and noticed the purple and black bruises that were fading to yellow with green in some places on my face. I closed my eyes, forcing the tears that were starting to stin
g my eyes to cease. When I pulled my shirt over my head, I was able to catch a glimpse of my torso. There was the perfect shoe print in the form of a bruise right in the middle of my stomach.

  My emotions could no longer hold in all of the feelings that I was experiencing, I fell to my knees and just wept. I wept for me, for my family, for Layla and the child I had lost. I was crying for everything that had gone on. I cried for the people who set out to hurt us.

  This was where Alex found me, she thought I was in pain. She was clutching me at the same time, trying to cover me up.

  “What’s wrong, Christianna? Are you hurt? Do you want me to call an ambulance?”

  I shook my hand feverishly as I tried to help myself off the floor. Alex assisted me until I stood up straight. Her face was inches from mine, her eyes trying to read my mind. That was until I dropped the towel. She glanced away at first but caught sight of it in the mirror. Her audible gasp sounded almost like a scream in the bathroom’s echo. It didn’t matter that I stood there naked, exposed—she needed to see the reason for my distress.

  Her fingers trembled over the perfectly positioned shoe print that lay smack dab in the middle of my stomach.

  “Oh Christianna,” she said before hugging me again.

  We stood in silence for several minutes while Alex cried softly on my shoulder. I motioned for the shower when I pulled back and she helped me. She ran off and grabbed one of the bags the nurse gave me to cover up my arm. Alex left me to get myself clean. I ended up standing under the spray for more time than I would have liked before I set about getting myself clean.

  I struggled to get myself out in one piece. I dried myself off and put on one of the complementary hotel robes. When I went out in the bedroom to look for my clothes. I noticed that Layla wasn’t on the bed. I went in search for her and Alex. I found them in the living area. Alex was trying to feed Layla, but Layla was too busy laughing at her.

  I didn’t wrap my face back up though, I just wanted some sort of normalcy. I knew that it would be hell on me, but I really couldn’t have cared less.

  Layla was excited to see me, she started calling out “Ma” while I walked around to the other side of her and sat down. Alex let me have her food so I could feed her. It was amazing how much I missed these little moments with Layla. What would life have been like if I didn’t make it back to her? The what-ifs kept coming.

  “Hey,” Alex called out. I looked up to see if she was on the phone but she was staring at me. “Whatever is going on in your head right now, get out of there.”

  I finished feeding Layla and then Alex took her to get cleaned up. Alex gave Layla some toys and put her into her playpen before coming to sit down with me.

  “I saw Nicholas last night.” My eyes registered the shock. “Before you get upset with me, I want you to know that he doesn’t know where you are, no one does. I went to his house last night with Mom—they were all there, even Dad.”

  Dad? What was going on? I scrambled to find my pad of paper and a pen to ask the question that was playing on my lips but I couldn’t say it.

  What’s going on with Nicholas and Dad? Why were they there? I held up that notepad, I needed her to answer me quickly.

  “Dad was with Nicholas and a bunch of scary men, after I slapped Nicholas,” she said and I slammed my hands down on the table in front of me. “Sorry, I slapped him for being an asshole and not telling you about the baby. Then Mom found out about the baby. Dad didn’t seem shocked. It seemed Dad knew all along…Mom and Dad ended up arguing.”

  I threw my arms up in the air in exasperation. Why did everyone want to keep secrets? I didn’t understand what was going on in my life.

  “Before you get even more upset than you are now, I need you to listen to me. When Nicholas found out that you left him and had taken Layla, he was devastated. Christianna, he loves you. He loves you so much. I don’t know what in the hell they did last night, but whatever it was they acted like everything was back to normal.”

  What do I do?

  I hoped I was giving her a pleading look. I needed someone to help me.

  “If it was me, I’d call him and try to talk it out. If it doesn’t work, then you both can co-parent. I got the talking to of my life from Luke, I think there are a lot of things that Luke needs to say to you.

  You’re funny. I can’t move my jaw, I wrote, trying to give her my best smirk.

  “Well, you know what I mean.”

  Ripping off a piece of paper, I jotted down what I needed to say. It was so lengthy she actually exhaled comically.

  I handed her the paper and let her read it for herself before smiling and pulling out her phone.

  “You’re doing the right thing.”

  No, I wasn’t doing the right thing. The right thing would be to run far away from here. The right thing would be to go on about my life as if Nicholas never reentered it. Unfortunately it’s not just me in this equation, it is also Layla, who adored her father. In the short time they’d been together they’ve been inseparable.

  I knew I needed to clear the air with him once and for all. If not for us, for our daughter. I didn’t have high hopes on what would happen, I just needed to give him a chance.

  Alex finished her phone call and then made another one. I was standing on the balcony overlooking the city when our mom came through the sliding glass door. To say I was shocked to see her here would be an understatement.

  “Hello sweetheart,” she said and I lost it. As if I were a little kid, I scooted into her arms and cried. She held me as she had many times in my life. When I got it all out, she sat me down on the nearest chair, her hands never letting go of mine.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t know about your baby. I think your father and Nicholas both handled this the wrong way. I’m so thankful that you’re still here, that we didn’t lose you.” She whimpered and I took my hand and wiped some of the tears away.

  “I think Nicholas is good for you, good for Layla. Your father told me about what happened yesterday and we’re going to give you both a chance to work this out. He knows that there is a chance that you’ll walk away from him, and as hard as it will be, he’ll let you. But darling, I need you to go into this with an open mind and an even more open heart.”

  I nodded slightly before she hugged me again. “Layla is coming with me tonight. Nicholas will be here shortly. If you need anything you call me, I’ll be by the phone.”

  Mom kissed and hugged me again before Alex scooped Layla up to leave. I hugged and kissed her goodbye, I would leave both my mind and heart open in anticipation.

  When they were gone the whole place was quiet. I could barely hear the traffic outside. I stood on the balcony and looked out on the world. The sun would be setting soon and the skies would look beautiful. Fall was quickly becoming my favorite time of year.

  I didn’t know how long I was standing there when I felt this feeling, a feeling as if I was being watched. I turned slightly toward the sliding doors—that’s when I saw him.

  His hair was messy and all over his head, his eyes looked like he was about to cry. I walked slowly toward him. He looked like he was shaking as I approached. I didn’t know how to take this side of him.

  “Hi,” he said, and I didn’t realize how much I missed his voice.

  I gave him a slight wave and a little smile.

  “I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry I didn’t tell you what happened to our baby. I wish you had gotten the news from me instead of hearing it from the doctor. I just didn’t know how to tell you, and then I was focused on making sure Bobby and Anise would never get a chance to hurt you again.”

  I stepped off to the side and sat down. Nicholas followed, sitting close to me but still giving me space. “They won’t ever hurt you, Angel. I took care of them.”

  I jumped slightly at his admission. I grabbed the paper and a pen and started to write, What do you mean?

  “When I agreed to come here, I made myself promise that no matter what I would never lie to
you. So, I’m going to tell you the truth. They’re both dead, I killed them both. I shot Bobby in the head before I made sure Anise got to feel everything you suffered. She’s dead too. Jerry killed Anderson for what he started. It’s over.”

  No more, I wrote.

  “Okay, baby, I won’t say anymore.”

  I couldn’t hear anymore. I knew that in his life, what he stood for, it meant that this was normal. I knew he’d killed before, I didn’t flinch at his admission. I don’t know why I felt differently now about hearing about him having killed someone. Maybe it was because I didn’t know them, or maybe it was just the reality of the whole thing.

  When I looked at Nicholas he was focused on me and my face. He was waiting for me to do something. I suspect that he was waiting for me to tell him it was over. The truth was, I didn’t think it was over. It couldn’t be over.

  Did I love him enough to look past all this? I wondered as my eyes stayed locked with his.

  I did, I did love him enough. I loved him because he had promised me that he would make things right and keep us safe, even though neither of us could have ever anticipated that Bobby was playing for the wrong side. He looked us all in the face and lied to us. He’d been around our daughter and at any time he could have seriously hurt her. More importantly, he was the reason why we lost our baby.

  Loving Nicholas meant that no matter what, I would always be by his side. I loved him, he was it for me. My life, my future, and it was about time he knew that.

  So when I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck, I not only shocked him, but I shocked myself in return. Nicholas held me as if I was going to disappear at any time.

  “Oh baby, I love you. Does this mean we’re okay?”

  I nodded and he held me tighter.

  “I love you, I love our daughter. I swear I’m going to spend the rest of my life loving you and showing you both how much you mean to me.”