As refreshing as Clyde dying sounded, I wouldn’t lose Ty to prison over it.
“You really think he expected us not to go to the police?”
“I think he thought he could scare us into submission,” he replied, shrugging. “But I’ve got news for his sorry—”
I jumped when my phone rang. Picking it up without looking to see who was calling, I pressed it to my ear. “Ty?”
Please God, let it be him…
“Angel, you okay?” My eyes slid closed at the sound of his slightly panicked voice. “Baby, talk to me.”
A lump formed in the base of my throat, making it hard for me to speak. “I’m okay, but I need to see you,” I managed to say, my voice steady. “Can I…” Opening my eyes, I pulled in a deep breath. “Is it okay if I come by the station?”
Silence bled through the phone.
He knew something was wrong.
“I mean, I know you don’t care, but I don’t want Pop, Cap, whatever to get upset if I show up unexpectedly.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck if he does,” he growled, his tone hard as could be. “Heidi, if you need me, you come find me. If Cap has a problem with that, then I’ll handle it. And if for some reason you can’t get to me, then I’ll come to you. Doesn’t matter if I’m at work or anywhere else. You are the only thing that matters.”
Feeling my heart climb into my throat, I stood abruptly, making my chair skitter backward. Moving across the room quick like, I snatched my purse and keys off the countertop. “I’m leaving now.”
Glancing over at Chase, I gave him a quick wave and mouthed, “See you later.”
One side of lips tipped up in a half smile. “Later, Bug.”
“Storms are starting to roll in so drive careful,” my guy continued, drawing my attention once more. “And leave your goddamn phone in your purse. The last thing we need is for you to have an accident because you’re texting.”
“I’ll be careful, and I won’t use my phone,” I replied, moving toward the door. “See you in a few minutes.” Wrapping my hand around the doorknob, I took another breath. “I love you, Casanova.” Saying those words made my heart swell so big it dang near burst. “Until my dying breath.”
It was the last time we spoke before everything fell apart.
* * *
My stomach was in knots.
I’d always hated driving in the rain, but what I hated, even more, was driving in the middle of a violent thunderstorm, much like the one that currently surrounded me, it’s booming thunder and bright flashes of light a reminder of the power it held, and the damage it could inflict.
You see, like my mama, my night vision had never been the best, and despite slipping on the glasses that I normally kept tucked away in my purse minutes earlier, I found it nearly impossible to see through the sheets of rain that pounded the roof of my car and blanketed the highway before me.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t sticking to the oil-slicked asphalt, the reflection of the raindrops gleaming like millions of little diamonds, instead of sinking into the black pavement like they should’ve.
Dear Lord, this is crazy…
Chewing on my bottom lip, I leaned forward in my seat, gripping the steering wheel with both hands. Through narrowed eyes, I stared out the windshield, my gaze fixed on the painted lines that traveled the length of the road.
I’m not going to lie, a little bit of panic and a whole lot of fear nipped at the base of my spine as my car crept down the winding and desolate road, my pace no faster than a snail’s. Between the driving desire to reach Ty and the impulsive need to continually check my rearview mirror for blue lights, I felt as if I was coming out of my skin.
It was not a good feeling.
A startled yelp slipped past my lips when my phone suddenly rang from the passenger seat, causing me to jump. “Jesus,” I hissed, reaching over to grab it out of my purse despite telling Ty I wouldn’t use it while I was on the road.
It’s not something I normally would have done, but with everything that was going on, I didn’t want to risk it being something that couldn’t wait.
Finding it on the first try, I reluctantly tapped the screen and lifted it to my ear, once again not bothering to look at the name flashing across the front. “Hello?”
“Heidi…” I sighed in relief when Ashley’s voice came through the phone. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” I replied, fighting to keep my voice from breaking and revealing the torrent of emotions that swirled inside me. “Are you?”
“No,” she whispered in reply, making my hand shake against the steering wheel. “Because I have to let him go.”
I didn’t need to ask who she meant by him.
I already knew.
“What?” I asked, my heart beating double-time. “What do you mean you have to let Chase go?”
“One day he’s going to find out,” she whispered, her voice filled with so much anguish I found it hard to breathe. “And when he does, I can’t be here.”
“Ashley—”
“I’m going to break his heart when I leave,” she said, interrupting me, “and he’s going to hate me because abandoning him is the one thing I swore I’d never do. But I’d rather him hate me for walking away, than look at me with disgust when he finally realizes exactly who, and what, I am.”
I was speechless.
Hard as I tried, the words I so desperately needed to say wouldn’t come.
“I’m not what he thinks I am,” she continued. “I’m not… good.”
“You have got to be shitting me,” I fussed, taking a line out of Shelby’s book. “Ashley Moretti, you are one of the best damn people I’ve ever met. You may not realize it, though I don’t know how that’s even possible, but you are—”
“—a whore,” she interjected harshly.
“You are not a whore,” I fired back through gritted teeth.
“Yes, I am. You know it, I know it, and most everyone in the entire town knows it. It’s only a matter of time before Chase finds out. After today, I’m sure he’ll start digging—he already is—and when he does, he’s going to find enough dirt to bury every feeling he’s ever had for me.”
“No,” I said, squeezing the wheel so tight I was convinced I could break it in half. “I won’t let you throw away one of the best things that has ever happened to you because of fear that someone else instilled in your head. Especially when that someone is a child abusing scumbag who I’d like to stab in the eye with an icepick!”
I sucked in a much-needed breath.
“You are not what was done to you as a child, nor are you what was done to you as a teenager. Those things that happened to you, as horrible as they were, do not define you, and what those people forced you to do isn’t your fault either. You were a victim, Ashley.”
My head felt as if it would explode.
“And now you’re a survivor.”
For a second, I thought I’d gotten through to her.
Turns out, I was wrong.
Even though I couldn’t see her, I felt her entire demeanor shift. “I can’t do this,” she said, each word louder than the last. “I can’t keep pretending to be something I’m not, and I can’t live in a place where people hang my darkest secrets over my head, like a guillotine prepared to strike.”
Something shattered in the background; the first of her sobs quickly followed. “I’m not what he needs”—another sob—“and I’m not what you need either.”
Wait…
“You are not leaving me!” My panic increased ten-fold at the thought of her not being around anymore. “Ashley,” I cried, as both my voice and my heart broke. “You can’t go. Please”—I glanced in the rear-view mirror, checking that no one was behind me—“just let me come get you. I’m on the way to the station, but I can turn around. Are you still at home?” Not wasting a second to take a breath, I kept talking. “Please talk to me…”
My vision blurred as my eyes became flooded with tears.
“Ashley, I’m begging you, say something.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
My chest was being ripped open, my heart eviscerated.
I couldn’t breathe.
Absolutely could not breathe.
“Dimples you can’t—”
Bright headlights suddenly beamed through the windshield, blinding me.
A blaring horn followed, making me scream.
Dropping the phone, I grabbed the wheel with both hands and wrenched it to the right. My tires squealed as I slammed my foot on the brakes, making the tail of my car whip around, and sending me into a spin.
Round and round.
Scared out of my mind, I released the brake, stomped on the gas and cranked the wheel to the left, attempting to regain control.
The move was in vain.
A second horn sounded.
Then, bone-jarring impact.
Boom!
I felt no pain, only fear as my Focus rolled before launching over the side of the road. Once airborne, there was nothing left for me to do but hold on and scream.
So that’s what I did.
I held on.
Boom!
I screamed.
Boom!
And I prayed.
Please God…
The windshield shattered and rain began splattering me in the face as the car started to flip, nose over rear. Letting go of the wheel, I lifted my arms, shielding my head and neck.
It was no use.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Knowing that I was about to die, I screamed once more, both terrified and angry at the injustice of it all. My life, the one I’d fought so hard to build, had only just begun and now it was to be ripped away from me, stolen before I had a chance to live it.
Images, one after the other, flashed before my eyes.
My friends.
My family.
And the man who owned my heart.
Ty…
The seatbelt cut into my neck as the car continued to flip, its metal frame groaning as it was shredded and bent. Glass exploded next to me, and more wetness rushed in.
Boom!
In the distance, thunder roared.
Above me, lightning flashed.
I screamed again.
One final impact came.
Boom!
My leg snapped, followed by my neck.
Then, I took one last breath…
And my entire world went black.
Thirty-Five
Ty
Standing in the center of the rec room at the station, I was two seconds away from ripping Tuck’s goddamn head off, followed by Hendrix’s.
For the past few hours, they’d been talking in hushed tones and giving me side glances. I didn’t know what either of their problems were, but I was about to put my fist in both of their faces.
Dickheads…
Holding a pool cue in my hands, I leaned back against the wall, crossing my legs at the ankles. “Either one of you pansies want to tell me what the issue is?”
I waited for Hendrix to throw a smartass remark my way, followed by a threat to beat my ass. When he did neither and chose to stand against the wall opposite me, his face devoid of all emotion, I knew something was wrong.
At the end of my rope, I walked over to the pool table and slammed the cue down, tearing a small section of the felt. “Somebody better start talking, else I’m going to start throwing punches and ask questions later.”
I glanced up at the clock.
Shit…
As much as I wanted to charge both men and stomp their asses into next week, I couldn’t. Heidi would be pulling up at any minute, and she was my first priority.
I was already on edge after hearing her voice crack on the phone earlier. I didn’t have the slightest damn clue what had upset her, and I didn’t bother to ask because I needed to see her face when she told me what was going on.
After seeing the dozen calls and text messages that I’d missed while out on back-to-back calls, I had an inkling that whatever had upset her was going to piss me right off. And with the way I’d been feeling all day—off balance and on edge—somebody would likely end up on the receiving end of my wrath.
“Fuck, man,” Hendrix cursed, shaking his head at Tuck. “You’ve gotta tell him. Shelby can beat my ass later for putting you up to it.”
My entire body froze. “Start talking,” I barked, my heart pounding against my rib cage. “Now, Cole!”
Hendrix ran his hands down his face.
Next to him, Tuck crossed his arms over his chest and turned to face me. “It’s Clyde,” he said, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “He came after Chase and the girls today.”
The vein in my neck bulged.
Red bled into the corners of my vision.
“Sorry bastard scared the hell out of my niece!” Hendrix yelled, fisting each of his hands at his sides. “I don’t know what happened exactly because Shelby won’t tell me. But what I do know is that Tony has half of Toluca PD out looking for that soon-to-be-dead cocksucker.”
His hard stare bored into my fire-filled one.
“As soon as they find him, Anthony may kill him.” A sadistic smile crossed his face. “That’s if my sister doesn’t get to him first.”
The sound of my pounding heart filled my ears as beads of sweat broke out along my forehead. Chest tightening, I found it hard to breathe as every muscle in my body drew tight, preparing to strike.
“What”—my nostrils flared—“did he do to my woman?”
Tuck spun around, facing the wall, and for a second I thought he’d shove his fist through it. Surprisingly, he didn’t. “He didn’t hit her,” he replied, knowing the exact information I sought.
“He touch her?”
His silence was the only answer I needed.
“What about my brother?”
“Chase is fine,” Hendrix answered, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Pissed, but fine.”
Nodding, I reached into my back pocket and removed my wallet. After tossing it onto the pool table, I did the same with my phone and money clip.
“My Angel should be pulling up any minute,” I said, looking from Tuck to Hendrix. “When she gets here, bring her inside and fix her something to eat. I will be damned if I allow her to go hungry.” I paused. “Grilled cheese with ketchup is her favorite.”
Heidi was so simple.
I loved that about her.
“When she’s done, send her to bed in the bunkroom.” I gave him a pointed look. “In my bunk.” Hendrix’s upper lip twitched. “She can grab a shirt out of my duffle to sleep in.”
Unbuckling my belt, I ripped it free of the loops that held it in place.
Clutching it tight in my hand, I lifted my chin in the air. “Think you shitheads can handle all that?”
“What are you doing, Jacobs?” Hendrix asked, pointing to the items I’d laid on the table, followed by the belt I held in my hand. “Don’t do something you’ll—”
“Regret?” I smiled, but there was no warmth behind it. “I’m not going to regret a goddamn thing I’m about to do.” Shifting my gaze to Hendrix, I said, “I’m probably about to go to jail, though.” I pointed down at my money clip. “Come bail me out, will you?”
He quirked a brow. “What’s the belt for?”
My smile grew. “Payback.”
Without saying another word, I headed for the side exit.
I’d almost reached it when Cap stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
Placing his oversized paw on the center of my chest, he shoved me backward and into the wall. My shoulder blades slammed into the sheetrock, making my teeth rattle. “You aren’t going anywhere.”
“Cap,” I growled, standing tall. “I’m not in the mood for your shit, so how about you get the hell out of my way?”
“I’m not letting you do this,” he replied, his face stern.
“It’s
not your choice,” I fired back, readying myself to throw the flurry of punches I knew would be needed to get past him. I was a big guy, but Cap was huge. As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t go toe-to-toe with him. Neither could Hendrix or Tuck for that matter. “Not going to say it again, Cap. Move.”
He crossed his burly arms over his barrel-sized chest. “I know you want to kill him,” he said, surprising me. “So do I.”
“Then get out of my—”
“He’s taken enough from you already, Ty.” He rested a huge hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Don’t let him take your freedom too.” He took my silence as an invitation to keep talking. “If you go to jail, where’s that leave Heidi? How about Chase? Think with your goddamn head before you do something you’ll live to—”
His words were suddenly drowned out by the blaring of the station’s outdated siren. In between wails, he dropped his hand from my shoulder and took a step back. “Go to the bays and change into your gear.”
“Heidi—”
“—Will be taken care of,” he said, finishing my sentence. “Tank can stay behind since he’s my weakest hand. I’ll let him know that she’s on the way.”
Knowing that Tank, who was old enough to be Heidi’s grandfather, would take good care of her, I dipped my chin in agreement.
Cap gestured toward the door behind me; the one which led to the apparatus bays. “Go.”
Still clutching my belt, I held my hands up in a placating gesture and stepped back.
His eyes moved from me, to Tuck and then to Hendrix, who still stood in the same place as before, their feet glued to the floor. “What the hell is this?” he asked, his cheeks tinged red with anger. “Monkey see, monkey damn do?” He pointed to the door. “Get your sorry asses to the bays before I put each of you on boot duty for the foreseeable future.”
I kept moving back. “This isn’t over, Cap.” I meant every word. “He touched my Angel, and he scared Ashley. For those two things alone, he deserves to die.”
“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “He does.”
Every Wrong You Right: A Redeeming Love Novel (Book 6) Page 27