by Callie Rae
James raises his hands to his head, but continues to look at me.
I smile. “Game over.”
Once James is cuffed, Detective Cruise helps me up. I wince. That’s going to bruise.
“You did good. Tate was shitting the entire time.”
“I need to see my family,” I tell him as I begin to take off what’s left of my shirt and the vest underneath, handing it to him along with the wires.
He nods. “I’ll have a unit take you to them at the station. You’ll have to give your statement before you leave.”
I nod, then glance around, seeing guys in tactical gear everywhere. It’s like a small army. Guys are on the ground, handcuffed, and they slowly move them one by one. There’s a large truck that the crates are being loaded up into.
I spot a blanket lying over a body, blood seeping through from underneath. My breathing comes in hard. My chest feels like it’s cracking open. That could have easily been me.
“Have a medic check out that bruise before you leave too. Can’t have any more liabilities on our hands,” Tate’s old, raspy voice says. This time it’s not in my ear.
I face her as she marches toward me. She looks angry.
“You are stupid.”
“Yeah,” I say.
She watches me a moment, and then she rests her hand on my shoulder. “But you handled that well. Good job.”
Chapter 37
Fallon
Jesse’s dad was arrested. Each crate had over thirty illegal firearms, and there had to have been fifty or more crates. We met up with Jesse at the police station, and I’d never been so happy to see him in my life. I watched the entire thing unfold on a monitor, and my heart lurched the moment I heard the shot ring out as the tactical team shot Vic down.
That was the moment I realized that I was still alive inside, because I lost it. Jesse couldn’t leave me. And I couldn’t leave him.
We’re at the basketball team’s final game of the year. It’s Jesse’s final game as a senior.
The coach wasn’t too happy with Jesse for quitting, but he agreed to let him come back and play out the rest of the season. Jesse lost his verbal offers when the schools heard he’d quit to take his father down.
I see a flash out of the corner of my eye and look over to the gym doors. There stands a perfect, ethereal little girl. She’s smiling at me, and somehow, I know this will be the last time I see her. I lift my hand slightly and then she gives me the biggest and cheesiest smile ever as she waves back at me. And slowly, completely opposite to how she arrived, she fades away. Her departure leaves a hole bigger than I can ever fill, but also gives a part of me back. One that isn’t scared any longer.
Jade nudges me as she points to the boys playing in sync, as they always do. They are the perfect team.
We haven’t quite figured out that whole life-after-high-school thing yet, but I’m looking forward to figuring it out with him by my side.
Cason passes Jesse the ball. Jesse sets up to take the shot, and it arcs smoothly through the air and hits nothing but net. The buzzer sounds, and the Cherry Creek Lions have won the game. Jade and I both jump up, screaming, and we make our way down to the floor. Jesse’s eyes find mine, and I run, jumping into his arms as the crowd floods the gym floors. I wrap my legs around his waist and drape my arms over his shoulders.
“Hey,” he says with a smile.
“Hey,” I say back.
“You’re beautiful,” he says.
My heart swoons.
“I love you,” I whisper quietly.
His smile widens, and then his lips are on mine.
Cason’s voice interrupts our moment. “Hey, break it up. No PDA on school property.”
Jesse doesn’t break the kiss, but he does throw up a middle finger.
Cason comes up to us and wraps his arms around us, effectively breaking us apart. “Get a grip. We gotta go. Loverboy has a surprise for you.”
His eyebrows wiggle, and I look back to Jesse.
“A surprise? What could it be?”
Jesse wiggles his eyebrows. “I guess you’re gonna have to come with me to find out.”
I smile. “I’d go anywhere with you.”
We roll up to the Depot, and it’s packed with people from school. Once the boys showered and met us at the Denali in the parking lot, Jesse drove us out here.
I don’t know what makes this a surprise, but I don’t care. All my people are safe, and I feel a little bit more alive.
Jesse walks up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist as two cars line up. I look closer and see Crank jump out of the driver’s seat of the black car.
“Yo, Jesse, y’all coming?” he hollers across the track.
I turn to Jesse. “What is he talking about?”
Jesse grabs my hand and walks us out onto the track to the black Charger. Crank tosses him the keys and walks off.
“Wait. Are you racing?” I ask Jesse.
He smiles. “I am. Is that okay?”
I walk up to him and give him the biggest kiss I can. “It’s perfect. I’m so proud of you.”
“Wanna go for a ride?”
My smile widens. “Sure.”
We get in the Charger, and I buckle up. “So, who’s in the other car?”
“Oh, you’ll see.”
The flag girl walks out and asks the drivers if they’re ready. Both rev their engines, letting her know they’re good to go. She raises her flag, and then it drops.
Immediately, we’re flying. I close my eyes and breathe just as Jesse’s hand snakes over to mine, wrapping his fingers tightly around mine.
Then a crunch of metal wakes me up from my moment. I turn back to see that the other vehicle has flipped. “Jesse, stop! He wrecked.”
I begin to panic as the car comes to a stop upside-down with smoke drifting up from under the hood.
Jesse pulls his car to a stop. I jump out of the car and take off running to the crash.
Jesse runs behind me and catches me. “Stop.”
“That car is smoking. We have to get them out of there!”
Why can’t he see that?
“Look,” Jesse whispers.
I pause, trying to do what he’s asked of me. That’s when I see a guy crawling out of the driver’s side window. He looks pretty beat up.
Then I still.
It’s Jordan.
Jesse lets me go, and I turn to him.
“This is your surprise.”
He nods. I watch him for a moment, then turn back to Jordan, who is crawling away from the wrecked car. No one is helping him. Everyone is circling around the vehicle, but they’re all watching me.
I make a decision right now.
I begin walking toward him, and Jesse reaches for me to stop me.
I look back at him. “I’m good.”
He searches my face for any indication that I’m not. When he doesn’t find it, he lets me go.
I walk right up next to Jordan’s slumped form on the ground. He looks up, and I see the fear flash in his eyes the moment he realizes it’s me.
I squat down next to him. “It hurts, doesn’t it?”
Jordan nods.
“It could be worse.” I see a gash on his thigh, and I press a finger into it.
He screams. He’s too beat up to stop me, though.
“You’re gonna get a ride out of town, and you’re never going to come back here. You will never lay an eye or a hand on my family again. Next time, I’ll let the boys do worse.”
He nods again.
“You’re scum. Useless to this world,” I say.
Then I stand up and I kick him in the ribs, where I’m sure he already has a fractured rib or two. And I kick him again. I continue to kick him until Jesse comes over and grabs me from behind.
“That’s enough,” he whispers, his voice calm and soothing.
I turn to him and grab onto his shirt. He wipes my face, and that’s when I feel the tears. I hadn’t realized I’d been crying.
> “You’re safe, and it’s over,” he whispers.
“It’s over.” I sag against him. “It’s finally fucking over.”
And then I pull his mouth to mine and drown my worries in the strength of our love, knowing I have a family who will love me, care for me, and protect me.
It’s finally over.
Epilogue
Cason
The beer is going down smooth as hell. I watched Fallon beat her demons tonight. Literally. She broke that man, and I don’t blame her.
Fallon and Jesse walk up, and I look her over from head to toe.
“Ruth, I knew you had an arm on you. But damn, girl. You should’ve been a soccer player.”
Fallon rolls her eyes, but the laugh that escapes her tells me that she finds it just as funny as I do. I sober up as I watch her. I’m in awe of how far she’s come.
“You good?” I ask her.
Her smile fades, and she looks at me the way she always does: with acceptance and love.
“I’m good,” she says, and she steps in close for a hug.
I wrap my arms around her and squeeze tight.
“I’m so damn proud of you,” I tell her.
She leans back to look up at me. “I couldn’t have survived this without you, Cason.”
The corner of my mouth lifts in a smile, and I pull her in for another hug. “I’m just happy you’re back. That we’re whole again.”
“All right, Cason, hands off my girl,” Jesse growls.
I chuckle, letting her go. Jesse immediately pulls her into his arms. I reach into the ice chest behind me and hand over a few beers.
I raise my beer up. “To family.”
“To family, even though you drive me crazy,” Jade says.
“Oh, please. You love me, sis.” I drape a hand over my sister’s shoulder.
She rolls her eyes and elbows me in the ribs.
“Hey now!” I shout, jumping away.
“Cut it out, you two,” Jesse says, this time with a little less bark in his bite.
“Cason?”
I know that voice.
I still. This can’t be right. But everyone’s eyes are locked on something behind me, and I know I didn’t imagine someone saying my name.
I turn around and find her standing there: skin and bones, hands shaking, and eyes sunken in. But even I can’t deny her eyes are clear.
My birth mother is sober.
Also by Callie Rae
Cherry Creek Series
When Shadows Follow
When Shadows Fracture
When Shadows Fall
Standalone
McCatherine (Part of the Fix Your Crown anthology—Coming 9/28/21)
About the Author
Callie Rae writes romance novels. She lives in southern Louisiana with a daughter, two furry pups, and one fat rabbit named Josie. You can find Callie in her garden pretending her thumb is green. Otherwise, she is mommin’ with the best.
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