Page 8

Arden

I slowly open my eyes and smile when I see that Levi is on his side looking at me. He is propped up on his elbow as he gently strokes my hair. “Hey,” I say.

“Hey.” he speaks softly. “How are you feeling?”

“Perfect. I’m with you,” I say. “What time is it?”

“Ten,” he says carefully. I look around and see Wilder, Macie, and Jett are here.

“It’s morning,” I say.

“It is.” Levi says.

“What did you do?” I ask, frowning deeply at my brother as I sit up.

“I made sure you’d sleep. You needed rest,” Wilder says. “And yes, I drugged you. I’m not sorry, and I’ll do it again. Levi is lucky I didn’t do it to him too.”

“What aren’t you all telling me?” I ask. “Macie looks guilty of something.”

“Our parents got together and got our stuff here,” Levi says, taking my hands and turning me to face him. “We are going to stay here for a while so you can be surrounded by family.”

“Okay,” I say. “What else?”

“He’s dead, Arden,” Levi says gently. “Caleb is dead.”

“You?” I ask.

“No, I stayed here with you. Macie and I never left your side. She even cuddled with you for a while when you were having a night terror,” Levi tells me. “Wilder and Jett took care of it.”

“How?” I ask, glancing between Wilder and Jett.

“Wanna see?” Jett asks with a bright smile.

“Jett,” Levi sighs.

“Fuck no. She deserves to see what her brothers did for her,” Jett says, sitting on the bed with us. “Come here.”

“Did he cry?” I ask as I move closer to Jett. Levi just laughs as he pulls me into his lap so Jett can sit beside us. Macie and Wilder move in closer so we can all watch.

“Oh, it was beautiful. He even pissed himself,” Wilder says.

“How did you find him?” I ask.

“The van was registered to him. We just waited for him to leave his house, followed him until he was in an area that we could take him down, and then took him into the woods. His van is in a lake,” Jett says. He pulls his phone out and navigates to a video.

“Wait. Please,” Caleb begs as the video starts. He is stripped naked with his arms tied to a branch above his head so that he is barely on his tiptoes. The phone is propped up and both Jett and Wilder are wearing masks.

“How many?” Wilder demands. His voice is far deeper and full of rage.

“How many what?” Caleb asks, sniffing back tears.

“How many women have you raped?” Wilder clarifies.

“I haven’t…”

“Liar,” Jett snaps, punching him in the abdomen, making Caleb grunt as the wind gets knocked out of him.

“Sixty-five,” he mutters. “Arden… Was the only one I kept alive.”

Jett and Wilder say nothing as Wilder searches the ground. He picks up a large stick covered in bark and walks around behind him. “Let’s see how much you like someone fucking your ass,” Wilder says in that same nearly unrecognizable tone.

“Wait. Please. Please don’t,” Caleb begs. Wilder ignores him and forces the branch into his ass. Caleb instantly starts screaming, but Jett wraps tape around his head, sealing his mouth shut.

“One for every innocent life you took,” Wilder growls. One after another, Wilder pulls the stick out and slams it back in as deep as he can. Caleb screams and sobs behind the tape, growing weaker as blood leaks out of his ass. On the last one, Wilder shoves it deeper than before and leaves it inside of him. Jett comes over and pours gasoline on the stick and his crotch area.

“When you misuse it, you lose it,” Jett sneers as he pulls a flip lighter from his pocket. Caleb starts shaking his head and screaming as Jett lights it and inches closer and closer to his dick. Jett laughs maniacally as he teases Caleb with the flame, but the moment it touches the head of his dick, the fire spreads rapidly. When it reaches the stick in his ass, and both Jett and Wilder step out of the frame. Caleb screams and thrashes as his dick burns. The last frame of the video is of Caleb’s head dropping.

Jett locks his phone just in time for me to hug him tightly. Levi lets Jett pull me over to his lap when I start crying. “He’s gone, Arden. You are safe now. Your baby is safe. Your husband is safe.”

“Thank you,” I sniffle. Wilder grabs me and hugs me so tightly that I can hardly breathe. It’s his emotion that brings out near sobs as the pain of the situation unfolds in my head.

“I love you so damn much, Arden. I will do anything for you,” Wilder whispers. “You supported me endlessly with Tina, so I owe you this much.”

“I love you too,” I whisper. “Are you going to get in trouble?”

“No, honey. Money goes a long way,” he says, holding my face between his hands. “It’s over and you are safe. Spend time here finding a way to navigate this and take care of my niece or nephew.”

“I think I know what I want to name them,” I say to Levi as I move back to sit with him.

“Oh?”

“Mhmm. If it’s a girl… Charlotte Melody Andrews. If it’s a boy, Charles Mel Andrews. Either way, Charlie.”

Levi tears up and I turn in his lap to straddle him and hold his face as they run down his cheeks. “Why?” he asks, choking on his emotions.

“Because I want their memory to live on through our child. I might not have known Charlotte or had the honor of meeting Melody, but they still exist in you. I want our child to know they have a big sister looking down on them. I guess that would make Charlotte like a stepmom, but either way, I truly do feel like they are looking down on us. I truly think that it was them who sent this baby to us.”

“I feel like I am missing something,” Levi says.

“Levi, man…” Wilder says. “Arden was never on birth control because she was told as a teen that she’d never conceive a baby… She was never meant to be pregnant.”

“I always knew I would get my miracle baby someday when it was meant to happen, and I really do feel like this is our chance to make sure that your wife and daughter’s memory can live on through them,” I say. “I want our child’s name to mean something and there is nothing better than to name them after two of your favorite people.”

“Fuck, I love you so much,” he says as he hugs me tightly.

“I love you too, Levi… Is that a yes?” I ask when he pulls away.

“Yes. I love it,” Levi says. “I was terrified of falling for you, but you sucked me into your orbit. No matter how hard I fought it, I knew you were it for me. I know that with you, I will never have to worry or wonder if I took a step too close.”