by Jackie D.
Calvin wrapped both hands around his glass and continued to stare at the liquid. Tyler knew there were no answers there, but it seemed to be a habit of his when he was thinking. “When Brooke was a little girl, I remember thinking she’d be a force to be reckoned with as an adult. There was no obstacle too big, and no challenge she wouldn’t meet head-on. Her need to prove herself, to prove her independence, is hardwired into her. I’d tell my wife how it was going to take an equally strong man to make her happy.” He looked at her and smiled. “You may not be a man, but you’re worthy of my daughter. She met her match with you.”
Brooke returned to the table, and he stood to kiss her. He hugged her for longer than Tyler had ever seen. He rubbed her arms, and it looked like he was fighting back tears. Tyler stood, and he hugged her as well. The embrace seemed to more of an apology than a farewell.
“See you on Saturday?” Brooke seemed to need reassurance.
He picked up his jacket from the back of the chair. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Tyler wasn’t sure if Janice would make an appearance at the wedding or not. Her gut told her that her stubborn streak would keep her away. If that was the case, it would be for the best. Tyler didn’t want anything to ruin their day. She didn’t want it tainted with Janice’s dirty looks or mean comments. She’d thought she and Calvin had made some progress, but not all relationships could be saved.
* * *
Carol made use of every square inch of her small cell. She could make it around the room in twenty paces. She’d done it over two thousand times. It had become a habit of hers, to count her steps in this small room. The simple task helped to clear her mind and settle the pit that was growing in her stomach. She’d made her request almost sixteen hours ago, but it didn’t seem that anyone was in a hurry to accommodate her.
Finally, she heard a clanging at the door and a voice telling her to put her hands through the small hole at the front of her door. This whole process was ridiculous. She was going to be shackled at her hands, then her feet in some bizarre effort to keep her from hurting anyone, including herself. She also knew it was to prevent her from running away. But where would she go? They’d shoot her before she was within a foot of the gate.
The large, hulking man told her to stay close against the wall, to not look around, and to keep her mouth shut. She did as she was told. It was a weird feeling, to suddenly feel so submissive, so willing to bend to the whims of others. But Carol was a survivor, and she’d do whatever was necessary. The guard used his keycard to access another room and pushed her inside, slamming the door behind her.
She shuffled over to the metal table and took a seat. “Thank you for coming.”
“What is it you want, O’Brien?” Caden’s arms were crossed, and there was a fury in her eyes that Carol assumed was reserved for people she truly hated.
Tyler leaned forward on the metal table, intertwining her fingers. “You have ten minutes.”
“I want a reduced sentence. I’m going to give you something that neither of you has in exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table.”
Caden laughed. “Do we look like prosecutors to you? We can’t give you that, and even if we could, I’d never make a deal with you.”
“I want to testify against Walker. I’ll give you everything I know.” Carol wished she still smoked. A cigarette sounded wonderful right about now. She’d given up the habit two decades earlier but might take it up again now.
Tyler pointed in Caden’s direction using her thumb. “Like Styles said, we’re not the right people to talk to about this.”
“Aren’t you, though? Hasn’t this always been about us? Who will win? Who will lose? You two know me better than anyone else. You know me well enough to have finally caught me. So, you know that I’m not lying when I say that I’ll give you everything. I’ll give you the inner workings of the white nationalists, everything. I’ll give you the people they haven’t found yet. The people who remain hidden in the system. Think of what that would do for your careers.”
Caden snorted. “This isn’t a game. No one has won or lost. You’ve built an entire organization with the sole intent of igniting hate and fear. You tried to have the president and vice president murdered. You’ve tried to have each of us killed on more than one occasion. Now, you think you can call us in here and we’ll help you?”
Carol shrugged. “People do funny things when they’re backed into a corner.” She tried to smile, but she knew she wasn’t nearly as charming in her orange jumpsuit. “I’ve done some pretty horrible things, I know that. I can’t change any of that now. I know it doesn’t make sense to either of you, but I did what I had to do to succeed. There was no other option for me.”
Tyler looked at her with so much disgust in her eyes, Carol had to look away.
“There is always a choice. Countless people have been hurt or killed because of you. You ignited a brand of fear in this country that we haven’t seen since the Civil War. Spare us your musings about your feminist roots. You hurt more people than you will ever know. You’ve endangered more people than you will ever know. Now, you have a rare opportunity to do the right thing, and you want something in exchange. It’s not good enough for you to finally do something right, there has to be something in it for you. You make me sick.”
Carol admired Tyler’s resolve. If nothing else, the girl had spunk. “Oh, please. Your naiveté may work on your girlfriend, but it doesn’t work on me. You think I created the hate in this country? You think I personally put a pitchfork in their hands? I may have given those people a direction, but they never needed a purpose. They were raised with hate in their hearts, I didn’t do that. I know it’s easy to blame me. It makes you more comfortable to point at a single person, to lay the entirety of the issue at their feet. But be realistic, if it weren’t me, it would’ve been someone else. People hate people who are different because it’s easy. It’s easy to look at your shitty life and blame a force that you don’t understand. We’ve made it easy in this country, and that didn’t start with me, and it won’t end when I’m gone.”
Caden leaned against the wall on the other side of the room, apparently wanting as much space between them as possible. “You may not have given it to them, but you capitalized on it. You found illness in the hearts of people, and you sold them a fake cure. Your charlatan ways hurt more lives than we’ll ever know.”
Carol sighed. Their belief that they were better than her was irksome. “I did. I saw an opportunity, and I took it. Now, I’m going to give you the tools to fix it.”
Tyler checked her watch. “You unleashed something that can’t be put back in the bottle. Putting you on trial, seeing you pay for your decisions, won’t erase the hate in anyone’s heart. We know that. But what it will do is show people that it won’t be tolerated. At best, you’ll spend the rest of your life in jail. Your legacy will be one of evil, corruption, and hate. In thirty years when kids read about you in history books, your story will be one of warning.” Tyler knocked on the door, signaling they were done. “That will be the only way you’re remembered.”
Carol watched as they both moved toward the door, to leave her alone, once again. “You know what?” She waited until Tyler turned to face her. “They will remember me.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
Dylan looked herself over in the mirror one last time. She’d bought the suit two years prior but never had an occasion to wear it until now. She ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath. She was looking forward to the day’s festivities. It’d be the first step she took toward fitting back into normalcy. The last few years had been a whirlwind. Drugs, money, death, and mayhem had been her way of life with the Russians. Now she’d have the opportunity to know what it was like to live outside the eye of the storm.
She was looking forward to this transition, as scary as it felt. She had so many things she wanted to say to Emma. So many things she needed to say. She still wasn’t sure if it was going to be good enoug
h. She knew that if she didn’t take the chance, she’d always regret it. She’d turned in her request for transfer, something she never imagined doing. Being someone else, being invisible, no longer appealed to her. Even if Emma didn’t take her back, she’d awakened something in her. Dylan wanted something different from life now, and she’d always be grateful to Emma for that change.
Dylan’s phone buzzed, and she picked it up to check the text message. A few minutes later, she was getting into Tony’s car. “Thanks for coming with me.”
Tony ran his hand down the front of his chest, adjusting his tie. “I don’t get invited to many weddings. I’m happy to go with you.”
“How long are you here for?” Dylan wanted to engage in casual conversation, an attempt to tamp down the anxiety she felt growing in her stomach.
“I can’t tell you.” He smiled at her. “You’re not on my team anymore.”
“I’ll always be on your team, Tony.” Dylan patted his leg.
“You beat the odds this time. I was sure you’d be killed.” Tony flipped his turn signal as if he’d just said the most mundane sentence possible.
Dylan couldn’t help but chuckle. She enjoyed Tony’s straightforward approach and no-nonsense summaries. “Yeah, I wasn’t sure there for a while myself. It was a close call.”
Tony pulled up to the valet. “Well, I’m glad you’re still alive.”
She opened the car door and got out. “Thanks, Tony. Me too.”
They walked into the venue, and Dylan was overwhelmed by the beauty of the area. The flowers and lights were a beautiful touch and added a sense of elegance mixed with casual warmth. The view overlooking DC was the real showstopper. Dylan walked over to one of the large windows and looked down on the Potomac River and the Washington Monument. It was breathtaking. She smiled, happy to be here to share this day with people she had grown to count as friends.
All that was left to do was lay her heart bare to Emma. She wasn’t sure what the outcome would be, or how she’d leave her tonight. She’d never been in a situation like the one she was in with Emma. She’d never found anyone worth fighting for, or worth showing herself to. This was uncharted territory, and she should be terrified. But that isn’t what she felt. She was going to lay it all out there and hope Emma would see the truth on her face. It was all she could do. She was ready to take the leap.
* * *
Emma and the other bridesmaids watched as the hairdresser put the final touches on Brooke. The day had already been filled with laughter, tears of happiness, and a few glasses of champagne. Emma searched her mind trying to come up with a better word than “stunning” to describe how Brooke looked, but that’s what she was, stunning. Brooke was beautiful, there was no denying that. Today, there was something else that made her exquisite. She was exuding happiness, contentment, and love. Watching Brooke smile when she thought no one was looking brought Emma a sense of warmth she couldn’t quite explain.
Nicole handed Emma her flowers. “It’s time for us to line up.”
Emma took the flowers and peeked around Nicole. “Still no Janice?”
Nicole glanced at Jennifer, who was shutting the door. Jennifer shook her head. “I guess not.”
Brooke walked over to the three of them and gathered them up like a bundle of sticks, hugging them as a group. “Thank you all for being here today. It means everything to me.”
Nicole beamed at her. “I’d kiss your cheeks, but I don’t want to ruin your makeup.”
“I’m so glad you and Kyle made it.” Brooke kissed Nicole’s cheek.
“We wouldn’t have missed it.”
There was a knock on the door, and a moment later, Captain Hart stuck his head through. “You ready, sweetheart?”
Brooke hugged them all again. “I’ll see you all in a minute.”
Caden was the first in line. She looked amazing in the black tuxedo that seemed to match her hair perfectly. The deep ebony color of her suit set off the color in her eyes perfectly. She stuck her arm out to Jennifer after kissing her cheek and whispering something in her ear that Emma couldn’t hear, but it made Jennifer laugh and blush. Nicole took Kyle’s arm behind them. Emma watched as Nicole ran her fingers through his hair, ensuring that he looked perfect.
“You’re with me,” Patrick said to Emma. He stuck out his arm for her to take. The boyish charm Brooke had described flowed out of him effortlessly. “You all look incredible.”
She’d only recently met Patrick but already knew she liked him. “Thank you.” She leaned closer to him. “Are you nervous?”
He covered her hand with his own. “I just hope I don’t trip over my own feet and take you down with me. Tyler would be very disappointed to discover her training sessions with me at the Farm didn’t alleviate my klutziness.”
Emma squeezed his hand. “We’ll help balance each other.”
Emma heard the music start, and her heart started thumping in her chest. She had no idea why she was so nervous; this was Brooke and Tyler’s day. Maybe it was the thought of having people watch her move down the aisle, or maybe it was the thought that she might trip and fall. As the door opened, she knew exactly why her heart was pounding in her stomach, why her hands were tingling, and why she could feel the blood pumping in her ears. Dylan.
Dylan watched her with so much intensity it felt like she was actually touching her. Emma’s skin felt like it was on fire as Dylan’s eyes tracked her. She felt her body shudder under her gaze, and she forced herself to take several deep breaths to stay focused on the task at hand. She finally made it to the front and took her place. The room stood as Brooke and her father crossed the threshold, every set of eyes focusing on the bride. But Dylan, Dylan continued to stare at Emma. The longing on her face and the love in her eyes almost brought Emma to her knees. She thought she’d feel the familiar pang of loss when she saw Dylan, but that’s not what was there. Loss had been replaced by a need she hadn’t anticipated.
Chapter Thirty-eight
The amount of nervous energy coursing through Tyler could have lit the entire city. Her hands had been shaking, and there had been sweat starting to pool at the base of her back. Then the doors opened, and Tyler got the first glimpse of the rest of her life, and the entirety of the world fell away. With every step that Brooke took toward her, the nerves seemed to disappear, and a sense of calm consumed her.
There were tears in Brooke’s dad’s eyes as he walked his daughter toward Tyler. When they finally reached the end, he hugged Tyler and kissed Brooke. He released Brooke’s hand and sat next to an empty seat, reserved for his wife.
Brooke stepped up next to Tyler and mouthed “I love you” before the judge started speaking. Tyler had never felt so sure of anything. Their lives prior to their meeting didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that they would be together forever. Tyler didn’t need a piece of paper to solidify that, but it was tangible proof to the rest of the world that they were unbreakable.
When it was time for Tyler to say her vows, she took Brooke’s hands to stop herself from kissing her when Brooke smiled up at her. “Brooke, you aren’t just a person I met and fell in love with. You are something that happened to me. You changed everything. You not only gave me a greater sense of purpose, you gave me a home. You’ve taught me what it means to be intimate. Before you, I had no idea what intimacy really meant. You showed me that true intimacy is trust. Trust that you can lay everything before another person, all your mistakes, your dreams, your failures, and your aspirations. You trust that person to hold those secrets in their heart and protect them like they were their own. Before you, I couldn’t imagine life outside of work. Now, when I look toward the next fifty years, the one constant is you. I can’t promise you that I’ll never hurt your feelings, that I’ll be perfect, or that I’ll always do the right thing. I can promise you that you will always come before me, that I’ll apologize when I’ve made a mistake, and that I’ll always treat you with the respect and loyalty that you deserve. I don’t need to
promise to love you forever because my love for you is a fundamental part of who I am. I wouldn’t be me without you.” Tyler placed the ring on Brooke’s trembling finger.
Brooke looked at her with so much love in her eyes that Tyler felt it swell in her own body.
“Tyler, I’ve never told you this, but I knew I loved you from the first time I kissed you. I had never experienced a connection with someone the way I had with you. No one has ever looked at me the way you do every single day. I didn’t realize until you that I’d never really been seen before. You’re the bravest, most loyal, must decent person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. There isn’t a version of my future that I don’t see you in, and I promise there never will be. You’re my now, my forever, and whatever comes after that. There is only you, there will only ever be you.” Brooke placed the ring on Tyler’s finger.
Tyler heard the judge announcing the completion of the ceremony, but she couldn’t make out the words entirely. She didn’t know if she’d waited for him to tell her to kiss Brooke, she just couldn’t stop herself. The cheers and clapping from their friends and family was the only way she registered the ceremony was over. Caden was slapping her back and hugging Brooke. It was so perfect it felt almost surreal.
When they turned to walk back down the aisle, Tyler caught a glimpse of Janice ducking into another part of the building. She glanced over at Brooke, but she hadn’t noticed. She was busy hugging her bridesmaids and her father. Tyler hoped Janice wasn’t leaving. She wanted her to stay; she wanted her to be part of their family. She wanted that for Brooke.