by K. Langston
“Well, if it isn’t the traitor!” His accent was thick as rage burned in his black eyes. “And he brought his friends…”
“It’s over, Del Marco,” Bodie said, his steely gaze pinned on the men before us.
A malicious smile tilted Del Marco’s lips. “Oh, it’s far from over, Diablo.”
My damp palm clutched the stock of my .9mm hidden beneath Cassidy’s bent legs and covered by the blanket. My finger ready for whatever was about to happen.
Del Marco swung his arm sixty degrees to the left, training his gun on my brother.
A hot stone of dread sat in my gut, burning with determination.
“Let go of my daughter, pig.”
Justin’s arm remained across Selena where she stood motionless, her eyes wide with terror.
“Selena, darling, come to Daddy,” Del Marco urged gently.
She pushed past Justin’s arm, shuffling forward timidly.
“Selena, you don’t have to do this,” Justin said, his tone hard with a hint of panic.
She stopped in her tracks, turning back to my brother.
“You can stay with us,” he continued. “We’ll protect you. I will protect you.”
Her entire body shook but her eyes pled with him. She didn’t want to go any more than we wanted her to. I prayed she would listen to him, because I would hate for her to get struck in the crossfire.
Cass moaned and shifted in my arms. I kept my eyes ahead, pushing down my fear for her.
Del Marco’s eyes moved back and forth between them, his face flamed with fury. “What are you doing, Selena? Come. Now!”
Her tear-filled eyes remained on my brother. He nodded at her, extending his hand to her as if she were a frightened deer. My heart plummeted when she turned back to her father. I thought it was the end but then her shoulders straightened, her chin lifting defiantly. “You hurt people, Father, and I don’t like it. I don’t want to live like this anymore.”
Pain flashed in his eyes before stone-cold fury took over his expression. “You have no choice. You come to me or you die with them.”
“Then kill me,” she sobbed. “I won’t do this any longer.”
“Selena, get back!” my brother ordered, fear thick in his voice.
“I gave you everything,” Del Marco bellowed, rage prominent in his dark eyes. “And you think you can betray me like this? Recuerdas lo que le hize a tu madre?” (Do you remember what I did to your mother?) The more out of control he became, the more distracted he was.
I felt Bodie shift next to me and heard the cock of his gun. I kept my eyes trained on the bald one who had the muzzle of his gun aimed at me, hoping like hell he had his sights set on the other one.
Pain flashed in her eyes. “Si lo recuerdo padre. Lo recuerdo cada noche cuando cierro mis ojos.” (Yes, I remember, Father. I remember every single night when I close my eyes.)
“Well, now you can join her!”
“Selena, get down!” My brother leaped, throwing his body in front of hers, gun aimed at Del Marco as they both fired simultaneously.
Then chaos ensued.
I took out my target with a clean shot to the head while Bodie took out his. When all three of them were down, I turned and found my brother and Selena on the ground, blood pooling next to them. That fear only burned hotter when I realized the blood was Justin’s.
Selena screamed, an agonized cry exploding past her lips as she leaned over my brother. Her hands trying to cover his wound.
I dropped down next to her, Cass still in my arms. “Justin, man. Where are you hit?”
“My shoulder,” he gritted out, pain twisting his face.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Selena sobbed, scooting back against the concrete wall.
Bodie dropped down next to me, a fearful Max clinging to him. He pulled out his cellphone, hitting a number. “We need a medic, now!” he bellowed to whomever was on the other line.
My eyes moved to Cass as she began to dry heave.
“No!” Selena screamed.
My head shot to the side where I saw Del Marco sitting up, gun trained sloppily on us while he swayed.
My heart froze when I heard the gunshot, time standing still. Then I realized the shot came from Selena, my brother’s AR clutched tightly in her grip, aimed at the lifeless body of her father.
It’s been two days since everything happened, and I still haven’t been able to wrap my head around it all. Reid hasn’t left my side since we got here unless it was to see his brother, who was also being released today. He’d taken a bullet in the shoulder. It had gone straight through so he didn’t require any surgery.
Selena hadn’t left his side either, according to Reid, who also told me this morning that she would be staying with Justin and their grandfather until she could get on her feet. She’d even come by to visit me as well. I told her if she ever needed anything not to hesitate to give me a call. I hated to think she didn’t have anyone. Even though I knew Justin would take care of her, it would still be hard on her. She’d killed her father, and despite how evil he was that has to have one hell of an emotional impact on someone.
Max had been released yesterday. She’d suffered a broken rib and extensive bruising, but other than that, she was fine. Her parents had flown out to be with her and take her back home. She’d not wanted to leave without me but Reid insisted that he would take care of getting me home safe so she reluctantly conceded.
Reid’s soothing touch and gentle kisses had been exactly what I needed the last couple of days, but my heart was still heavy. Bodie was alive, and yet, I wasn’t sure how to deal with that.
Part of me was happy, relieved. I’ve missed him so much, and now knowing he was alive had healed a part of me that had been broken for so long.
But I was also hurt. Angry. Betrayed. And while Reid had silently comforted me, we hadn’t talked much about it. He kept saying he wanted to make sure I was better before we dealt with it, but I had no idea where to even begin to pick up the pieces.
How do we come back from this?
Reid’s kiss pulled me from my unpleasant thoughts. “You ready to get out of here?” he asked, curling his hand around the side of my neck.
“Yes, I can’t wait to crawl into my own bed. I want to sleep for an entire month,” I teased, wishing I could stay locked in his arms the entire time.
Or maybe even a lifetime.
Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, Reid stood in front of me, wearing a tender smile. We couldn’t leave until the nurse returned with my discharge papers.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I think we need to talk about that.” Fanning his hands on my thighs, he gave them a gentle squeeze.
My tummy fluttered with excitement while my pulse raced. “Talk about what?”
He grinned before leaning in to claim my lips, kissing me with an intensity and passion that set my body and soul on fire like only he could. He cradled my face between his warm palms, teasing my lips with his. “Forever, baby.”
I curled my arms around his neck and wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him down on top of me to kiss him deeper. He obliged. God, I couldn’t wait to get out of this hospital and spend days wrapped in his warm embrace.
I’d never been happier than I was in this moment. Despite everything that had happened, the pain, the suffering, it had all been worth it.
It had led us here.
And the man I loved had forever on his mind. I didn’t need to hear much more than that.
“Watch it, woman. These walls won’t be able to contain the ways I want to show you just how deep my love is for you.”
I gasped as tears rimmed my eyes, my heart thrashing around in my battered chest. “You love me?”
“What do you think I’ve been trying to say here?”
“It’s different when you actually say the words out loud.”
“I love you,” he proclaimed, each word falling from his lips like a solemn vow.
Forever.
“I love yo
u, too.”
His kisses turned softer. “I’m going to make you so fucking happy.”
“You already do.”
Reid kissed me again but pulled away when there was a knock at the door. He straightened, pulling me to sit upright.
The door slowly swung open, revealing my brother. My heart stopped at the sight of him and my mouth went slack. His dark eyes held mine as he shuffled nervously on his feet, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Hey.”
“Hi,” I whispered, barely able to get the word past the lump forming in my throat.
I swallowed hard, pain and elation both fighting for a place in my wounded heart as I stared back at the one man I’ve loved my whole life. The man who always took care of me, who practically raised me, only to leave me broken and alone.
“I think this needs to wait until she’s feeling better,” Reid said, taking a protective stance in front of me.
“No, Reid. It’s okay. I want to talk to him.”
Looking over his shoulder he asked, “You sure?”
I nodded.
His eyes held mine, unsure, but then he leaned in and kissed my head. “I’ll be right outside that door if you need me, all right?”
“Okay.”
Reid turned to leave but not before he addressed Bodie, “You make her cry and I’ll fuck you up, got it?” He didn’t wait for a reply before he walked out, leaving us alone.
“I can’t remember him ever being so intense,” he joked, but I was too hurt to even crack a smile.
Bodie’s playful grin vanished as he slowly walked toward me and took the seat next to my bed. Shoulders slumped forward as he took my hand between his. The same set of hands that used to hold me when I cried, that picked me up when I fell as a child. “I’m sorry, Cass, so fucking sorry. I know it means shit right now but—”
“Yeah, it does,” I choked out, anger overriding my pain. “How could you do this to me?”
He grimaced. “Please try to understand, I did it to protect you. It wasn’t to hurt you.”
“To protect me?” I asked. “Bodie, I thought you were dead! Do you have any idea the pain and heartache I’ve gone through? Both Reid and I!” I wouldn’t forget about him. Bodie’s death hurt him just as badly.
So many lies. So many people hurt.
My brother’s dark eyes filled with remorse. I saw how much it hurt him too, but I couldn’t think about his feelings right now. I’d been in agony for so long.
“I owed Dante a lot of money. He told me that if I didn’t come up with it, he was going to kill you both. I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t know what to do. My back was against the wall and my addiction had gotten out of control so I reached out to Del Marco. It was a big risk but it paid off in the end. Dante got his supply from him but once intercepted, he would cut it, doubling his supply and income. In exchange for the information, Del Marco agreed to pay my debt and protect the two of you, which had been my only concern.”
My heart broke at the tortured sound of his voice. Regardless of his decisions, none of this could have been easy for him.
“I don’t understand. Why fake your own death? Why not just leave? We had a funeral for you and everything. Do you know how much pain you’ve put us both through? After losing mom—” A sob seeped through my lips, the pain still fresh in my mind.
“You’ll never know how sorry I am for putting you through that. But in order to pay back the debt Del Marco paid for me, I had to go work for him. It was the only way. And I knew I couldn’t walk away from either of you and still be alive.”
“But I saw your body. Your favorite T-shirt. Who the hell was that in our house then?”
“Junkie off the street. Vinny was the one who helped me orchestrate it all. We never anticipated you identifying him as my killer,” he said.
“Why did Del Marco kill him?”
His face was filled with regret. “He didn’t. I did.”
I gasped. “What?”
“He found out from someone on the inside that I was DEA. I couldn’t have him blowing my cover. Not yet. I had to make sure you two were safe first. That’s why I sent you the letter. I knew you would go straight to Reid and he would protect you until I could get to you.”
“You sent me that letter?”
He nodded, his expression pained.
“How did you get involved with the DEA?” I asked.
“Two years in they came to me. I knew I couldn’t live that life forever so I bought whatever they were selling. I was sober by then. Thinking a hell of a lot more clearly. I knew that it was the only way to take Del Marco down for good and be reunited with you.” His hand reached out to cover mine. “I’ve done a lot of shit I’m not proud of, and I know it will take time, but I hope that someday you’ll be able to forgive me. That someday we can move past all of this and be a family again.”
I nodded. “I want that, too. I’ve missed you so much,” I said as the tears began to fall.
“I’ll never forgive myself for causing you pain but it had to be done. It was the only way. I would have never been able to live with myself if anything had happened to you…or Reid for that matter.”
I turned my face away, clenching my teeth, because even if his intentions had been in the right place, it didn’t change the hell he put me through.
He squeezed my hand, his thumb stroking smoothly where the IV had been.
“At the end of the day, Cass. It’s always been just you and me. You’re all I have.”
My watery eyes snapped to his, the pain in his voice ripping through my already tattered heart.
“I want my sister back,” he continued. “Please, let me make this up to you. I love you.”
Those words were my undoing, and even though I was still angry, I couldn’t help but embrace him. “I hate you for doing this to me,” I cried, burying my face in his chest, inhaling his familiar scent.
“I know. I hate myself,” he murmured, holding me tighter.
We held each other for a while, soaking one another in. Pulling away, I reached around my neck and released the clasp to his necklace. “Here,” I said, handing it to him. “And you better not ever take it off again.”
Bodie smiled, rubbing his finger across the engraving on the back. “I remember the day she gave these to us.”
“Me, too. She told us to take care of each other and never lose our way.”
“I swear, Cass, I’ll never lose my way again.” He pulled me in for another hug then a few moments later, Reid walked back in. He watched us, his eyes angry, yet it was easy to see he felt the same pain.
The three of us. It had always been the three of us.
My brother stood, his eyes holding Reid’s as he extended his hand.
Reid stared at it for a moment and my broken heart was worried he wouldn’t accept it.
The fear was laid to rest the moment Reid extended his hand, taking it in his own.
“Thank you for taking care of my sister,” Bodie said. “I hope someday you’ll let me make things right again.”
Reid swallowed hard and nodded, but he let the words hang between them. A promise of hope that someday we could all be a family.
We had a long road ahead of us, and deep down I knew things would never be the same again, but with time, we could heal the wounds of our past and find peace for our future.
Six months later
“Happy New Year, Gidge,” Reid said, before his mouth met mine in a kiss that harbored so much love and hope for the future.
“Mmm, Happy New Year, handsome,” I replied, holding him close.
We stood out on the back deck, wrapped in a blanket, bracing the cold chill of winter to watch the fireworks.
Reid had been offered a job with the FBI not long after we returned home and his new position landed us here in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, a small town about an hour away from Sunset Bay where Ryder and his family lived. When he told us about the little beach town with its beautiful coast and quaint boardwalk, I
never imagined it would be as breathtaking as this. The moment we arrived, Reid and I shared a look, and we both knew without saying it out loud that we’d found our home.
Reid and Jameson had grown rather close since they started working together. We’ve even had him and his lovely wife, Emily, and their precious daughter, Rosa, over for dinner once. When they were here, Emily invited me out to lunch and shopping with her and a few of her friends. I haven’t taken her up on the offer yet because I’ve been so busy, but I’m thinking I may. I really enjoyed chatting with her.
But I miss my best friend terribly.
Max has been different since Mexico. Quiet. Which is not like her. I could sense there was tension between her and my brother, because every time I brought him up she would quickly change the subject. And good luck getting anything out of my brother, who had become an expert at evading my questions when it came to Max.
He visits at least once a month, but it’s an overnight stay then he’s gone the next morning, on to his next mission. I worry about him a lot but he loves his job, and I couldn’t be more proud of him.
I continued to work from home, editing, but there was something else I’ve been wanting to do. Something I was deeply passionate about. I’d wanted to talk to Reid about it for weeks, but I’d been too nervous.
I ran my hands up and down his arms, loving the way they fit around me. Held me. Reassured me that no matter what he had my back.
So why was I so nervous about telling him?
“What’s on your mind, babe?”
I snuggled in closer to him, pressing the side of my head to his chest. “What makes you think there’s something on my mind?”
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Because I know you. Talk to me. What is it?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking.”
“Clearly.” He smirked.
Swallowing hard, I summoned my courage. “I want to open a surf shop. Sell custom boards and other surf stuff. I also want to offer free lessons to those who can’t afford them. I’ll still edit as a source of income until I get it off the ground, but I really want to do this. Surfing makes me happy and it gives me peace. I want to spread that peace around.” I watched him carefully, looking for any indication that he liked the idea, but he remained quiet. “Well, what do you think? Am I crazy? Reid, talk to me!”
