Page 7 of Too Far

Decker holds out a hand, and I grasp it, allowing him to steady me on the wooden planks. Once I’ve got my footing, he pulls me in and hugs me fiercely.

“Fucking hell, K,” he murmurs, cuffing my neck.

He doesn’t need to say another word. I know the gravity of my actions. Maybe now he’ll open his eyes and comprehend just how far gone we all are for this girl.

Releasing his grip on me, he pushes me toward Nicky. I lock eyes with my brother—one of very few people in my world who understand the physical aches and the mental anguish that come with chronic illness. A silent reckoning passes between us, but the moment is too heavy for me to fathom right now.

“Don’t,” I growl, cupping the back of his head and bringing it to mine. I wait for him to focus on me before I speak so I’m sure he understands. “I’d do it all again, just like that. For you. For her.”

Tears well up in his eyes, and a pained groan escapes him.

It’s difficult for him to accept this level of love; to feel worthy of any kind of sacrifice made on his behalf. That’s a big part of why he and Kylian got on so well when they were kids. The emotions… the deep and heavy… neither one of them like to exist on that plane.

But that’s what makes us human.

That’s what makes usfamily.

“You’re worth it, Nicky. This family is worth it.”

He hangs his head, sniffs, nods. The guy is shutting down, so I won’t push him any more. Despite not being locked up today, he’s got to be in immense pain. He needs rest. Support. Meds. A chance to fully recover before our next game.

Pulling back, I tip my chin toward Kylian.

None of this would have been possible without him.

“They can’t find any evidence,” I confirm.

“Of course they can’t.”

I smirk at his smugness. “You did good, Boy Genius.”

He glances at Locke, then over at Joey. With a nod, he gives me a pointed look. “So did you.”

Finally—fucking finally—I reach the end of the line. When I do, I give her my full attention. Just being this close to her sends a wave of calm through me. Instantly, the tension in my shoulders ebbs and the vise clamped around my heart loosens.

She takes a tentative step forward, almost as if she doesn’t know how to act or what to say. That hesitation grates on my nerves, snapping my resolve and all the level-headedness I’ve held tight to all day.

“Get the fuck over here.”

Her pupils blow out at my demand.

She’s barreling into my arms on the next breath.

The second she makes contact, I scoop her up and grip her tightly through the little shorts she changed into while I was away.

I pull her into my chest, desperate to be close.

She wraps her perfect legs around my waist, then cups my face and studies me.

The concern in her expression is like a punch to the gut, but I raise my chin and give her a half smile. “Miss me, Mama?”

She shoves my shoulder so hard I have to take a step back to keep from toppling off the dock into the water.

“Don’t you ever do something like that again, Kendrick. I swear to god—”

With a palm on her ass, I squeeze, silencing her midsentence.

“I’m gonna stop you right there. It was the right thing to do, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”