“It’s over,” I whispered.
I wasn’t sure if that was true or not.
But at least Tinsley was okay. She wasn’t hurt.
“This is fucking insane,” Kip said. “We need to go find Cole right now.”
“No,” Barr said. He pointed to Ado. “He will. Right?”
“Look,” Ado said. “I kept to my word. Mac is on his way. He knows everything. Just believe me.”
“Get the fuck out of my house,” Claire said. “Or I will make it so you never talk again.” She stepped over Tucker. She meant business. “You have no idea what you brushed up against with me. And you have no idea what Tucker was planning on doing to the three of you. And I have others waiting. One fucking phone call and you can’t imagine the hell that will show up.”
Ado slid against the glass door and turned, scrambling to get out.
I looked down at Tucker. His hand shook as he covered what actually looked like his shoulder. At least it was on the right side of his body. Not his heart.
Tinsley stared down at her father. But she didn’t speak.
“You meant everything you just said,” I said to Claire.
She turned, her face in a scowl. “Of course I did. And if you don’t get out of here, you’ll be dragged into it too.”
“What… what’s going to happen?” Tinsley asked.
Claire walked to Tinsley and pulled her away from me.
“The cops will think someone broke in,” Claire said. “Okay? I was having a meeting here with Tucker. Maybe something more. Right? I’ll get changed into something more relaxing and provocative. Turn on the water works. It’ll be okay. He’ll get to the hospital. But you have to leave, Tinsley. You can’t be here. This isn’t meant for you. Go with Pres. He’ll protect you. He’ll keep you safe.”
I placed my hand to Tinsley’s back. “I’ll always protect you and keep you safe, sugar.”
Barr and Kip stepped up to Tinsley too.
“We all will, love,” Barr said.
“Let’s go back to the guesthouse, girl,” Kip said.
Tinsley nodded. “Okay. Yeah. Sure.”
I kept my hand at Tinsley’s waist as we started to walk.
Claire grabbed my arm and sank her nails into my skin.
We looked at each other.
Eyes burning for a hundred different reasons.
I nodded to her.
She nodded back.
Her world was dark.
But my world…
As long as I had Tinsley, there would always be some sense of light.
* * *
We got away from Claire’s house but we didn’t get all that far before we saw two vehicles blocking the road. I had told Barr to drive so I could sit in the backseat with Tinsley. She was wrapped up in my arms but we didn’t say a word to each other. Which was fine by me. I’d take the stolen moments for now.
Blocking the road was a large SUV and a car that was low to the ground, small, and had the appearance of being super fucking fast.
There was no need to wonder who was driving the vehicle, because Mac stood outside the car, smoking a cigarette. He had sunglasses pushed up to the top of his head, keeping his messy hair out of his face. There were a couple others with him. All dressed in black, with their sleeveless leather jackets, never afraid to make it known who they were and what they were capable of.
Barr stopped my SUV and got out without hesitation.
“Shit,” Kip said as he went after him.
“Come on, sugar,” I said.
I didn’t necessarily want Tinsley to be exposed to BC more than she had been, but I didn’t want her alone in my SUV. For all I knew, Mac could have been in on this the entire time and could have someone slip into the driver’s seat and take off with Tinsley in the backseat.
Barr lit a cigarette and had no problems going toe to toe with Mac.
The history there was rich and really bad.
I pulled Tinsley forward and eased her toward Kip.
“Take care of her,” I said to Kip.
Kip put an arm around Tinsley’s shoulder. “I’ve got you, girl.”
“No need for the tension,” Mac called out. “This is a conversation without violence. At least I hope.”
“That’s where you’re wrong already,” Barr said.
He wound up and grabbed his arm.
“I can understand the need there, Barr,” Mac said. “Heard you saw a ghost earlier.”
I felt Barr seething.
“Where’s Ado?” I asked.
Mac pointed to the SUV.
Someone opened the backdoor and reached inside.
Out stumbled a beaten Ado.
“Fuck,” Barr said.
“I appreciate what he did,” Mac said. “That’s why he’s still breathing. I mean, not breathing through his nose, right? That’ll take a little while to heal.”
“You’ve got guys running wild on you,” I said to Mac. “You left a mess here. You think this is going to go away?”
“Yeah, it is,” Mac said. “We’ve got Cole and Bain.”
“What do you mean by that?” Kip asked.
“Do you want me to open the back so you can see?” Mac asked.
There was a sense of dark and deadly honesty in his eyes.
I shook my head. “No. I want all of you out of my town. And if anyone so much as breathes the wrong way or whispers Tinsley’s name, I will take BC down. You have no idea what I’m willing to do to protect what’s mine and what I love.”
Mac nodded. “That’s fair, Pres. We have no issues here. You and me. BC and BFH. Everything Cole told you was true. He was on his own. I knew it though. For a while. Watching him. Waiting for him to make a move.”
“So you knew he was down here?” Barr asked. “You knew he attacked Pres?”
Mac grinned. “I was just curious to see what he could do on his own. What kind of balls he had. And I wanted to see if the Rulz would finally break. Things have been changing around here, you know?”
I watched the way Mac’s eyes moved to Tinsley.
I laughed. “Yeah, things have been changing. In a way that isn’t good for you.”
“So consider this my deepest of apologies. One of my guys got out of hand. And it’s been dealt with.”
“Maybe not for us,” Barr said.
“Then I’ll leave Ado,” Mac said. “Peace offering. Do what you want with him.”
“Not interested,” I said. “But…”
I stepped closer to Mac.
He oozed nothing but violence.
I wasn’t afraid even for a second.
We stared at each other, silently fighting to see who could be more cocky than the other.
“Barr,” I said. “Kip. I think we need to make sure we send a clear message here.”
“Finally,” Kip said.
Mac folded his arms and watched as I swung and hit the guy standing next to him.
Barr and Kip took their turns, going after two other guys.
It was quick.
But it served its purpose.
“Get the fuck out of here,” I said to Mac.
“Pres,” Mac said. “This little moment between us… we might have a bigger problem coming.”
“Fine,” Barr said. “You want to start that, then we’ll be ready.”
“Wait,” Tinsley called out.
Everyone froze.
Everyone looked at her.
She walked to the side of the road.
I had no idea what the hell she was doing.
Then I saw the rock in her hand.
A big one too.
Bigger than her hand. Heavy enough that she kept her other hand close by in case she needed both hands to carry it.
Without hesitation, she ran toward the SUV and threw the rock as hard as she could. It smashed right through the passenger front window.
“Now we’re done,” Tinsley said.
She turned and snapped her fingers and walked away with her hips cutting
left to right through the air. She climbed into the back of my SUV and that was that.
Barr flicked his cigarette at Mac’s feet. “Get out of our fucking way, Mac.”
“Since I’m heading back, Barr,” Mac said, “need me to tell anyone anything? Maybe a quick hello? A little kiss on the cheek?”
Barr stepped forward and Kip pulled him back.
Mac and BC loaded up and drove away.
We stood in the middle of the road, the three of us trying to process what had just happened.
The Rulz…
I opened my mouth to say something to Barr and Kip but my words were stolen by the sound of a horn.
I turned my head and Tinsley was in the front seat of the SUV, beeping at us. Waving her hands. Wanting to leave.
“Better not piss her off more than you already have,” Kip said to me, punching my shoulder.
“I’ll drive again,” Barr said.
I stared at Tinsley, trying to fight the urge to smile.
Maybe it was no longer the Rulz.
Now it was the Rulz featuring Tinsley Ditkiss.
* * *
Barr and Kip refused to leave the guesthouse.
Tinsley didn’t want them to leave either.
She hugged them and thanked them for what they had done for her.
I told them if they came within ten feet of the bedroom door I was going to break their hands.
Barr smoked.
Kip drank.
I locked the bedroom door just to be safe.
Tinsley crashed down to the bed and let out a long breath. She put her face into her hands.
I kept my distance.
“Sugar, that was a lot at once,” I said.
Tinsley looked at me. “You think?”
“It’s been a lot too,” I said. “Because of me. Because of my life.”
“Because of things you’ve said,” she said.
“Yeah. That too. I need you to know something, Tinsley. What I said… I meant it in that moment. And that was a bad moment for me. I tried hard to do everything I could for my mother knowing that one day she was going to die. Which is strange because everyone is going to die someday. Right?”
“Well isn’t that just morbid?”
“But it’s true, sugar. And when that’s thrown in your face… not a lot of people think about it. I watched it. I think somewhere inside me, I thought when the time came, something would happen. I’d be alone with her. And she wouldn’t be feeling pain. Or maybe she’d get one last burst of energy and become the old version of herself. It’s stupid to think that. But it comforted me for a long time. I just pictured her being able to get up out of that bed and talk to me. To come down to the water with me. Or tell me some crazy story that I could never be sure if it was true or not. That didn’t happen, sugar. Not because of you. Not because of Ruby. Not even because of my father. That could never happen.”
“Oh, Pres…”
Tinsley stood up.
I put my hands out. “Wait. What I said hurt you. And I’m sorry that I hurt you. My father said something to me about not being there when she died and I let it get to me. But the truth… which Kip pointed out… she would have wanted me to be where I was. I mean, maybe not exactly like it was. I don’t think my mother envisioned her only son fighting some drug dealers and helping a junkie… but you know, I was doing what I felt was right. I was doing what I needed to do. Because I was doing something for the person I loved. The person I love. I love you, Tinsley. And I would chase anyone around the world for you. Anything you ever need or want… it’s all yours. I mean, me. Everything I have. It’s all yours. Because without you, I don’t have anything. I don’t want anything.”
I reached for her hand and pulled her close to me.
Tinsley put her hands to my chest and let out a breath.
“I love you, Pres,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure you had time and space to figure it all out.”
“Trust me, sugar, I’ve got it all figured out.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Then what’s the plan?”
My hands moved to the back of her legs and I picked her up. I positioned her body against mine right where I needed her.
Outside the bedroom I heard Kip burst into a fit of laughter. And I could just barely smell the smell of Barr’s cigarette smoke.
Tinsley smiled. “Problem?”
“Never,” I said. I brushed my lips to hers. “I think we need a shower anyway.”
I walked her to the bathroom and kicked the door shut behind me.
I locked that door too.
I turned on the water and made sure it was on full blast and full heat.
My hands then set their sights on Tinsley.
Leaving her clothes in a messy pile on the floor. Leaving invisible kisses from her lips to her neck down to her chest and then down some more…
Tinsley groaned and slapped her hands to the wall as I wrote her a love letter that I could never possibly do by hand with a pen and paper. I made her hips dance without a single note to a song playing. My hands traveled up and down her body, memorizing every inch of her skin, knowing that time would forever work against us.
But that was okay.
I had right now.
I had the taste of her desire on my lips.
I gently kissed up her body, inch by inch, not stopping until I tasted her neck again.
Tinsley grabbed at the back of my shirt and clawed at it.
“I fucking hate you for that,” she whispered.
“Your body didn’t,” I said with a laugh.
I broke away from Tinsley and she stepped into the shower.
I watched her figure for a few seconds, grinning in a way I never knew I could grin.
Then I joined her.
I had to stay close to her to keep her safe… right?
* * *
Claire called just after breakfast to let Tinsley know that Tucker was going to be okay. I had been on what felt like my fiftieth cup of coffee because after putting Tinsley to bed the night before I went down to the beach and stood there alone to collect my thoughts.
Tucker had to have surgery but everything went as smooth as it could. He had feeling in his shoulder and right arm, which was obviously a good thing.
That was the extent of the conversation. It was Tinsley who wanted to go see him.
I had no problem taking her to the hospital to see Tucker.
No matter what, the entire situation was a giant mess for Tinsley.
Her mother lived as a junkie for so many years. She never knew who her father was. He had been just as messed up but had gotten clean and was now forever tied to Claire doing who knew what.
At the end of the day though, Tinsley had both of her parents alive.
Her mother was clean and still living the good hippie life. And her father had taken a bullet meant for her.
I walked Tinsley to the hospital room door and stopped.
“Go,” I said.
“Come with me,” she said.
“No, sugar. This is your thing. It’s your family.”
“Pres…”
I touched her cheek. “Tinsley. Go do what you have to do. I’ll be waiting right here for you. You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want. Just coming here is enough. We can leave. Or you can go in that room and thank him. Shake his hand. Whatever you want, sugar. Remember that. You’re the strong one. You’re the strongest person I know.”
Tinsley sucked in a breath and nodded. “Okay.”
She entered the hospital room and I stood in the hallway by myself.
I stepped back and leaned against a wall and waited.
I ran through a bunch of random thoughts.
Everything from my mother passing away to what happened with my father to what happened with BC.
When Tinsley emerged from the hospital room, she was carrying a dozen roses.
I lifted an eyebrow. “Those for you?”
�
�Yeah,” she said. She swallowed hard and laughed. “He made Claire bring them. In case I showed up.”
“You took all twelve,” I said.
“Yeah,” she said.
Tucker always brought Tinsley roses. And she would always just take one. Her way of telling him she appreciated the thought but she wasn’t ready to figure out their father, daughter issues.
I guess taking a bullet for his daughter changed that.
Tinsley shrugged her shoulders. “Claire called him to come over. To bring others with him. I don’t even want to know what that means. He showed up and said he saw Cole with the gun… and when Cole moved his arm, he just jumped in front of me. He said it was instinctual. A father’s love. A father’s protection. He started to cry as he told me that. He wasn’t even really sure how he felt as a father until then.”
“Wow,” I said.
“I appreciated the honesty,” she said. “So I took the roses this time. And I told him when he gets released, I’ll meet him for breakfast or lunch or something.”
I touched Tinsley’s shoulders. “That’s good, sugar. Do me a favor and stay here.”
“Why?”
I opened the hospital room door and went inside.
Tucker sat in the hospital bed, looking tired.
He looked at me and nodded.
“I appreciate what you did,” I said to him. “Jumping in front of that bullet. If I lost her, I wouldn’t have made it through the night.”
“I’m happy for her,” Tucker said. “And for you. That you two have each other.”
“I wasn’t done talking,” I said. I gripped my hands to the bedrail. “I’ll say it again, Tucker. I appreciate what you did. And I think it’s admirable that she took the roses. All of them. And that you two want to talk. Navigate these waters. But let me make something very clear. Whatever the fuck you and Claire have going… keep it away from Tinsley. Anytime you two meet up, I’ll be nearby. Just in case.”
Tucker’s eyes widened. “Hey, listen…”
“I wasn’t fucking done,” I said. I moved my right hand and grabbed Tucker’s face. I squished his cheeks so his lips made a fish face. “And if you ever hurt her… I swear on my life, man… if I ever see her cry because of you. Or you lie to her. Or you try to cheat her out of anything in her life. Look me in the eyes, motherfucker. I will make sure that it’s not your shoulder that gets fucked up. Understand?”
PRES: a bay falls high novel Page 20