Page 21

Chapter

Twenty

GABE

“ W ho do you think this Kane guy is?” Reed asks while he grabs another piece of crumbling drywall and pulls it from the wall.

“No idea, but if Tara trusts him, then I do as well.” I promised Tara that I would stand beside her while she set the world on fire to get her revenge, and that’s what I plan on doing.

I also don’t plan on questioning her while she does it.

She needs to do this, and I understand that need better than anyone, even Reed.

The thought of her doing this kind of stuff—taking people’s lives and putting herself in dangerous positions—scare the shit out of me, but I’ll just have to work through that fear.

“You motherfucker.” The statement is not only yelled, but is also doused in anger and pain.

I spin around and watch Ricco storm across the room to Miles’s lifeless body.

He is across the room from us, but I still feel his emotions.

It charges the air around us, causing the hair on my arms to stand up.

Ricco hauls Miles up and starts punching him over and over.

I shoot Reed a what the fuck look before racing forward.

I wrap my arms around Ricco and pull him back.

“Stop. Dude, the fucker is dead.”

“It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. He touched her. I thought she changed her mind, that she didn’t want someone with my past, but it was all him,” Ricco yells, then spits at the corpse on the ground.

“I want to bring him back so I can kill him all over again. She’s mine. Damn it.” Ricco suddenly goes lax in my arms before he whispers, “And I failed her.”

I pull him from the room into the hallway.

“Failed who?” I turn us around, blocking his way back into the room.

Only then do I let him go.

Ricco stumbles forward before leaning against the wall with his head in his hands.

“Heidi.”

“You didn’t fail her,” Tara says, walking down the stairs and straight up between us.

I grab her hand, ready to pull her back if Ricco makes one wrong move.

“Yes, I did.” It’s clear that Ricco has lost all his anger, and guilt is now crushing him.

Guilt I’ve felt and seen in myself.

I put the pieces together.

I step up beside Tara and place a hand on his shoulder.

“No, you didn’t. Bad things like this happen all the time, and it sucks when it’s someone we care about. It makes us want to burn the world down if that will help them feel better, but the thing about all this is that… The only thing that will make them feel better is knowing we won’t leave them. We have to prove to them that we don’t see them in a different light. That what happened to them didn’t change them nor did it change how we feel about them.”

“Heidi doesn’t blame you for any of this. In fact, she blames herself the most out of all of us,” Tara says gently as if dealing with a child.

“The only person here that is to blame is that piece of shit in there. Heidi is upstairs right now, worried you don’t want her anymore. That all of this changes?—”

“Nothing could make me not want her.” Ricco looks up at us, and gone is the guilt.

“But how am I supposed to explain why I didn’t look for her. She’s been gone for over a month, and I didn’t notice. I took the words that bastard sent me to heart.” He almost rips his pocket, trying to get his phone out.

After a second, he turns it around to show us what he’s talking about.

It’s a message from Heidi, or what appears to be Heidi.

Heidi

I’m sorry to do this over text message, but I can’t do it anymore.

I’m not cut out for your life anymore.

I’m sorry. Don’t contact me again.

Tara takes a step forward, takes Ricco’s phone, and locks the screen.

“More than likely, she knows about this message; if not, show it to her. It won’t have the effect you think it’s going to. I promise. That girl cares about you and doesn’t want to lose you. Go talk to her, Ricco. Listen to her because she will tell you what she needs. Most of all, like Gabe said, she just needs to know that you still care about her.”

Ricco nods and leaves us.

Tara turns toward me, and I can’t help myself.

I push her against the wall.

I run my hands all over her body gently, taking note of the places that seem to cause her harm.

She doesn’t say anything and just lets me do my own thing.

I gently lift her shirt and see a bruise forming on her stomach.

“Princess,” I whisper as I drop to my knees and gently kiss her abused skin.

Like I told Ricco, the urge to burn the world down hits me like a freight train, but I push it down.

I gently take Tara’s hands and kiss her red wrist.

“I’m fine. I’ll be bruised and sore for a couple of days, but that’s it. Heidi took the brunt of everything. He didn’t even have time to touch me.”

I shake my head.

“Doesn’t matter, he hurt you. You was taken again while I was fucking asleep upstairs. I should have felt it the moment you was in danger. I know you said none of this is anyone's fault but Miles’s, but Princess…” I press another kiss to her stomach. “Please forgive me for not protecting you again.”

“Gabe, listen to me. There is nothing to forgive. I would not have changed anything that happened. I don’t want to see you hurt and while I know you can take care of yourself I’m glad I was here instead. Heidi needed me to help her, not you.”

“Tara, someone named Kane is here for you,” Carlos yells from the stairs.

“Send him down,” Tara replies. She pushes her hands through my hair. “Come on, love. Let’s get this done.”

It was all hands on deck after that. Reed helped Kane load up Miles’s body in the back of Kane’s truck. We learned how Tara met him and what he would do with the body. I have to say it’s a solid plan and one I never thought to use before. Who knew pigs were helpful for something besides pork chops and bacon. Ricco took Heidi after she was looked over by Elio and left in Vance’s car. Carlos and his men started a fire in the basement that would quickly take care of the rest of the house. Vance’s job was to take Miles’s car and get rid of it. The rest of us piled into our vehicles and headed home.

“Demon, we have to do a deep dive into Miles. I don’t need another loose end like him coming after me or Heidi,” Tara barks as soon as she shuts the door.

“I’ve already got Jessie on it. I’ve been checking in with him, and so far, it looks like no one will miss him. He quit his job, gave up his apartment, and drained his checking account when he came after you.” Demon turns around and sets his laptop on the console so Tara can see everything they found.

I slip my arm over Tara’s shoulder and pull her closer. “It looks like he made it easy for you, Princess.”

“It might look that way, but I have to be sure. If it was just me, I would be okay with this,” she waves her hand toward the computer. “But Heidi is involved now, and I can’t let?—”

“Figlia, we will make sure that no stone is left uncovered. We will go all the way back to birth if we have to,” Elio says from the driver’s seat.

“From what Heidi told me, Houston and Miles were both taken from the same crack house. Their parents were friends, but the system split them up. They reconnected in their early twenties. I don’t know how I missed Miles when looking into Houston…” Tara’s fingers fly over the keyboard, and the screens switch from one thing to another. She’s spiraling, and I hate seeing it. My stomach sours watching her stress and beat herself up. She says she doesn’t blame anyone but she clearly blames herself.

“Princess,” I say, laying my hands over hers. She still tries to move her fingers, but I press harder until they are flat against the keyboard. “Let the guys do this. They will find out everything and make sure it’s okay. You need to relax. You’ve been through hell today, and we still have Ned to deal with.”

Tara turns, and her eyes narrow. “I’m fine, Gabe. What happened today is nothing?—”

“Bullshit, you were kidnapped and physically hurt by someone. Yes, it could have been worse, but what you went through is still a lot.” I pull her hands from the computer and lay them on my lap before cupping her face. “I know you’re strong, Princess, but you’re not a fucking robot.”

Her gorgeous eyes fill with tears. Tears that make me feel like knives are being shoved deep in my heart. “I’m fine.” Her voice breaks, and since I’m staring at her, it’s easy to see that she hates that little break.

“I know you are.” I lean forward and kiss her forehead. Wiping off the tears as they fall, I whisper, “But if you’re not, I’m here for you. Lean on me. Let me be strong for however long you need. Place the weight of everything on me for a little while. You have been carrying the weight alone for too damn long.”

Tara collapses against my chest; her hands grip my shirt, and I hold her tightly. Demon slides the computer away. Reed places a hand on Tara’s leg, and Elio leans over to quickly turn the radio up. His gaze collides with mine in the rearview mirror for a split second. He nods before turning his attention back to the road. We all allow Tara to break down in peace and without shame.

“I love you,” I whisper as I lay my cheek on Tara’s head. Now that we have Ned and Tara is back where she belongs, this madness can end once and for all. Then, we can move on and start our lives again. I’m going to ask her to marry me, and then I’m going to put my baby in her belly. We have a lot of time to make up for, and I’m done waiting.