“The kind that will legally bury him.”
There was a brief pause.
Then, “Consider it done.”
She ended the call, and Anthony slid his phone back into his pocket. He looked my way, meeting my gaze. “Now we wait.”
A devious smile spread across my face.
I didn’t care how long it took for this Ari lady to find the information Anthony needed; I’d wait as long as I had to. Seeing my father hauled away in handcuffs and thrown into prison would be worth every second that it required.
That was the damn bottom line.
Twenty-Five
Ty
My apartment smelled like my Angel.
Two weeks had passed since Kyle helped me move her stuff into the once-barren bedroom across the hall from mine. Since then, her sweet vanilla scent had permeated every surface in my apartment, my bed in particular.
I loved it.
Chase, not so much.
He bitched non-stop about it.
Not because he didn’t like it, or resented having to share his space with Heidi. But because he swore it smelled like we were living in a bakery—minus the sweets; he claimed it constantly made him hungry.
Cruel and unusual punishment is what he called it.
The kid had always been dramatic, but lately, he’d gotten ridiculous, especially since Ashley hadn’t been around as much, which surprised me. With Heidi here all the time, I was certain she’d have become a permanent fixture in my living room.
I was wrong.
Ever since Chase and I’s sperm donor showed up at my door, she’d been coming around less and less. It killed me because her not being here was hurting my brother, but what could I do?
Nothing, that’s what.
I liked Ashley—a lot—but the truth was, she had an ugly past, one which still haunted her despite the progress she’d made since being adopted by Anthony and Shelby at seventeen.
It wasn’t her fault, and I blamed her for nothing but seeing the unmistakable change in Chase over the past two weeks was tearing me up inside. He’d come so far, but I could see him backtracking, sliding right back into the cycle of destructive behavior he’d fought so hard to break during his senior year of high school.
I didn’t know what to do…
Or how to make it stop.
I could keep him safe from our father, I’d been doing it all my life, but I couldn’t save him from heartbreak. If he and Ashley couldn’t find a way to get things back on track, I wasn’t sure what would happen.
My brother loved her with everything he had.
Without her, he’d be lost, and I was scared shitless that I wouldn’t be able to bring him back from the darkness I knew was waiting to swallow him whole.
“Shit,” I mumbled to my empty apartment, running my palms down the sides of my face. “I’ve gotta do something. If I don’t, Chase is going to lose his absolute—”
Knock, knock, knock.
Trepidation uncoiled inside me as someone rapped on my apartment door. I had no idea who it was, but judging by the soft taps, I knew who it wasn’t.
Relief washed through me.
The last thing I wanted—or needed—was to deal with my scumbag father again. With Heidi at work and Chase at the gym, there would be no one to keep me from killing him.
Fucked up or not, it was the truth.
Knock, knock, knock.
“I’m coming!’ I hollered as three more knocks sounded, each softer than the last.
My boots pounded against the hardwood floor as I hoofed it down the hall and into the living room. Reaching the door, I didn’t bother to check the peephole or ask who was there before twisting the knob and pulling it open.
When my eyes crashed into a pair of honey-brown ones, a smile tilted my lips. “It’s about time you showed back up, shorty,” I said to a nervous looking Ashley. “It hasn’t been the same around here without you.”
A look of surprise crossed her face. “Is Chase here?” she asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the next. It was a question I suspected she already knew the answer to, but I wasn’t about to call her out on asking it anyway.
If I upset Ashley, Heidi would gut me with a spork.
Shaking my head, I tried to read the mixture of emotions flashing across her face, one after the other. “He’s at the gym.” Taking a step back, I moved to the side, giving her room to come in if she wished. “I have to leave to pick up Heidi in a few minutes, but you can wait here for him if you want.” Indecision danced in her eyes. “Or you can ride with me. Christ knows my woman wouldn’t mind. Hell, she’d probably be more excited to see you than me.”
That got her to smile.
“I doubt that,” she whispered, continuing to fidget in place. “It’s funny, ya know…”
I lifted my chin in the air. “What is?”
“Everyone always said you were obsessed with her,” she answered. “But now she’s obsessed with you too.” Tilting her head to the side, she chewed on her bottom lip, seemingly mulling something over. “Well, I guess it isn’t obsession so much as love, right?” Though the smile remained on her face, I watched as her eyes filled with anguish before mine. “I’ll never know what that feels like.”
“Ashley—”
“He doesn’t know, Ty,” she whispered, dropping her gaze to the ground beneath her feet. “Chase may think he loves me, but he doesn’t know who I am… what I am.”
My entire body froze.
I was the last person she needed to speak about this with, but I couldn’t push her away. She’d spent the majority of her life being tossed aside like a piece of trash.
It was a cycle I damn well refused to continue.
“Ashley, look at me.” When she shook her head in refusal, I slipped my index finger under her chin and tilted her head back, gently forcing her face to meet mine. “You are not what has been done to you in the past. You understand me?”
I expected her to fall apart.
She didn’t.
Instead of crying like most women would have done had they been in her shoes, Ashley turned inward on herself, hiding behind a shield of armor similar to the one Heidi had used against me for so long.
I wasn’t having it.
“Don’t hide,” I said, employing the tone I used when having a serious talk with my knucklehead brother. “It won’t solve anything. Trust me on that.”
She visibly swallowed and glared at me accusingly. “You hid.”
I nodded. “That’s my point. It didn’t solve a goddamn thing. In fact, it did the complete opposite. I hurt people while trying to cloak my pain. Lots of them.”
She turned her head, pulling away from me. “But you’re not b-bad.” Her voice broke on the last syllable. “You’re n-not.”
“No, I’m not.” Turning so I was facing her fully, I looked down at one of the sweetest women I’d ever met, and one I’d be proud as hell to call my little sister. “And neither are you.”
Her head snapped back in my direction. “You m-mean that?”
A smile crossed my face. “I may be an asshole, but I’m not a liar.”
Her shoulders shook as she bit back a sob. “H-how?” she asked, her voice cracking once more. Blowing out a breath, she took a small step back. “I mean, how do I…”
“… silence your demons?” I finished for her.
It was her turn to nod. “Yeah.”
“Simple,” I replied. “You let my idiot brother love you.”
“But what if I’m not”—she waved a lone hand in the air, desperately searching for the words she wanted to say—“ready?”
“He’ll wait.” The look on her face screamed that she didn’t believe me. “Trust me.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
She needed assurance. I understood that. “He will.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you’re his life.” She stilled, and I continued. “You have been since the moment he first talked to you, and you will
be until the day he dies.”
For the first time since she showed up at my door, a tear fell from her eye and slid down her cheek. “You can’t know that.”
I slid my hands into my pockets. “Ashley,” I said, chuckling. “I know my little brother better than I know myself. Trust me when I say that you’re it for him. If for some reason y’all aren’t together in the future, I am one-hundred percent certain he’ll become the male equivalent of an old cat lady.”
“Oh my God,” she said, giggling. “I can’t believe you said that.”
“What? It’s true. Can you imagine—”
“Sweetness…” I snapped my mouth shut when Ashley whipped around at the sound of Chase’s voice. Their eyes met, and Chase stood a little taller, working to keep his face impassive. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you, but I…” Ashley peeked at me over her shoulder before looking back to Chase. “Are you mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad?” he asked, his brows furrowed.
“Because I haven’t been around much. I just…”
Knowing they needed space to talk things out, I pulled my keys from my pocket as I stepped past Ashley and into the hall. “I’ve gotta get going. My Angel gets off in thirty minutes, and Christ knows I don’t want to get castrated for being late.”
Ashley giggled.
I winked at her in return.
“How about you two head inside and finish this conversation?” I gave Chase a pointed look. “Remember to lock the goddamn door this time. You may think you’re Johnny Badass, but you never know when an ax murderer will come for a visit.”
Or worse, our father…
Chase ignored me.
His focus was on his girl.
Like always.
“Alright, I’m leaving.” Stopping next to Chase, I fisted my hand and lightly punched his shoulder, drawing his attention. “I’m taking Heidi out for supper, so we won’t be home until late.” I hooked a finger and pointed back at Ashley. “Take care of her, alright?’
He dipped his chin in affirmation. “Always.”
I glanced at Ashley one last time. “Later, shorty.”
Without waiting for her to reply, I headed down the concrete walkway that led to the parking lot. Once I’d reached the end, I turned and looked back to the place where Chase and Ashley stood, their arms now wrapped around one another.
I released the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
Then, with my heart beating double-time, I ran for my truck.
Twenty-Six
Heidi
Ten minutes to go...
Seated behind Charlotte’s desk, I stared at the illuminated numbers on the front of my phone, counting down the seconds as they ticked by, each seemingly slower than the last.
“Move faster,” I whispered to the empty room, sounding like a complete idiot. “For the love of sweet baby Jesus, I’m ready to run out of here...”
And straight into Ty’s waiting arms, I mentally added.
Three days had passed since I’d last seen my guy and I was close to losing my mind. Between me working overtime and him floating between the fire station and First Defense, we were being pulled in different directions, missing each other by an hour or two each time one of us started a new shift.
We’d called.
We’d texted.
We’d even FaceTimed.
I was quickly reaching the end of my proverbial rope of patience. The entire situation was driving me crazy because when I’d wanted him to leave me alone, he was always around, but now that I craved him more than my next breath, he was absent.
I didn’t like it.
Not one single dang bit.
Something had to give, but just what that something was, I wasn’t sure.
He had to work, and so did I, but we couldn’t keep doing this.
Our relationship was too new, and we had a lot of lost time to make up for. Call me a baby if you wish, but I flat out refused to go days at a time without seeing him.
It didn’t help that without him I couldn’t sleep worth a crap anymore, which resulted in me being iller than a hornet.
After spending night after night in his bed, wrapped up in his strong arms, I’d grown accustomed to the safety and security only he could provide. It didn’t matter that his sheets smelled like him, nor did it matter that Chase was right down the hall.
Without Ty next to me, I simply didn’t feel whole.
“Hey...”
Startled, I ripped my eyes from my phone and jerked my head up at the muddled sound of a familiar voice.
I blew out a breath when I saw Chris standing in the open office door, his wide shoulders nearly touching each side of the frame. Arms crossed over his chest, he wore a fitted white t-shirt that was stretched tight across his torso, showcasing the slab of carved muscles that laid beneath.
“Hey,” I said, blowing out a breath. “You need something?”
Chris was a good guy, and I liked him just fine, but he was even more intense than Evan, and that was saying something. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was about him that set me on edge, but I always found myself walking a little straighter when he was around.
It’s because he’s such a hardass...
He stepped further into the room. “You going to give me trouble today?”
I scoffed and clutched my chest in an Oscar-worthy performance. “Me? Cause trouble? Why, that doesn’t sound like anything I’d do.”
The look on his face was not one of amusement.
“Oh really?” He took another step. “Is that why I had to run down two flights of stairs and chase you out into the parking lot—late at night, I might add—after you refused to wait for me before walking out?”
Not this again.
“Listen, we have been over this, and I’ve already been fussed at and chased down via golf cart as punishment,” I said, standing. After grabbing my purse from the bottom drawer of the desk, I picked up my cell and slid it inside. “So let’s not rehash it.”
His face remained impassive.
It drove me batty because I could never figure out what he was thinking. As a former Navy Seal, I’m sure it was a handy talent he’d acquired over time, but I didn’t like it. For all I knew, he could’ve been ready to murder me with his bare hands.
“Besides,” I continued as I rounded the desk and crossed the room to where the ancient time clock hung on the wall. “You didn’t even come out to the parking lot.”
“I was there.” His words were flat, monotone; completely robotic.
“Then how come I didn’t see you?”
“Seems to me, you were too wrapped up in something else to notice me burst out the door after you.” By other things, he meant Ty. At least, that’s what I thought he meant. “I could’ve been on fire, and you wouldn’t have spared me a glance.”
“Uh...” I didn’t know what to say. “Sorry?”
His face softened the least little bit. “Don’t say sorry. Just don’t do something so damned stupid again.”
Sliding my purse high onto my shoulder, I crossed my arms over my chest, mimicking his stance. “What if I do?” I asked, my sass on full display. It was stupid of me considering Chris’ intensity, but I couldn’t help but goad him. “What will you do?”
I needed to see the man smile.
Just once.
Dropping his arms, he balled his hands into tight fists. “Morgan may let you get away with acting reckless,” he said, referring to Evan, “but I won’t. You and I don’t have a problem right now, but the next time you put yourself in a dangerous situation, we’re going to have a mighty big one.”
I cringed as my right ear began to ring.
“Calm down there, King Kong,” I said, pressing my ear to my shoulder. “Your big ol’ voice is making my ear buzzers go off.”
Concern crossed his face. It was the first emotion he’d shown since stepping foot into the office. “You alright?”
“I’
m fine,” I replied, righting my head. “Just need to take these stupid things out. I’ve had them in too long.”
Lifting my hands, I quickly removed one of my hearing aids, followed by the other. Holding them tight, I slid my purse down my arm and searched through the contents until I found my travel case. Irritation nipped at me as I placed them inside and snapped the plastic shut.
I was so done with the pesky things.
If it were up to me, I ‘d never wear them again, but unfortunately, I had no choice when I was at work.
Meeting Chris’ gaze once more, I said, “Are you done fussing at me now? Because if so, I’d like for you to escort me outside.” I smiled. “Because I’m ready to go.”
He nodded toward the hallway, silently answering my question.
I held up my index finger in response. “One second.” Turning to the side, I grabbed my time card from the metal rack hanging on the wall and punched out. After returning it to its assigned slot, I once again faced the mountain of a man before me. “Now I’m ready.”
Without uttering another word, Chris stepped out of the office and led the way to the exit. I followed behind him, studying his every move. I had no idea why exactly, but the man intrigued me. There was just something about him that seemed so... broken.
As a natural born fixer, I wanted to help him, but considering that he was locked down tighter than Fort Knox, it was an impossible task.
At least for me it was.
But maybe not for someone else.
Reaching the heavy metal door that led to the parking lot, Chris shoved it open without so much as a backward glance and stepped to the side, holding it so I could pass through. “Ladies first,” he said, mouthing each word slowly, and earning a smile from me.
“Thanks.” I moved past him and stepped into the afternoon sun. “Well,” I said, patting Chris on the chest. “See you in a few days, Mr. Hardass.”
I didn’t wait for him to respond before walking away.
Gravel crunched beneath my feet as I made it to the end of the concrete ramp and started to cross the parking lot. I’d only made it three more feet when a familiar awareness prickled my skin.
Every Wrong You Right: A Redeeming Love Novel (Book 6) Page 20