The UN Series Complete Box Set

by Shantel Tessier

  I chuckle as I hear his phone ringing.

  “What’s up, man?” he asks smiling. “Yeah. Tate and I are at home. Why, what’s up?” He nods his head to himself once and then the smile drops off of his face. He looks up to me and his dark brown eyes harden. He doesn’t say anything else. He just pulls the phone away from his ear and places it on his lap.

  “They found Jonathan,” he says, and my jaw tightens.

  “Where is he?” I question, ready to get this shit over with him.

  “At the bakery.”

  My eyes widen in surprise. “Why is he there?” What would he be doing up at the bakery?

  Parker swallows. “Well…that’s where Missy is.”

  “How does he know that?” I demand as I take in a deep breath. He’ll kill her if he gets his hands on her. I should have left long before now.

  “Slade said he had got a notification that the alarm had been disarmed at the bakery. He looked over the surveillance cameras. And fifteen minutes in, two guys walked in. The cameras showed that your mother and Missy were taken but he’s just sitting in there as if he’s waiting on something.”

  Me! He’s waiting on me.

  I spin around and run into my room. I get into my nightstand and grab my gun out of it.

  Parker walks in on his phone once again. “Okay…Yeah. He’s on his way.” He hangs up and looks at me.

  “The camera got a license plate number. I’m going to locate the car. Slade is gonna meet you up at the bakery.”

  I nod as I walk by past him and he speaks. “I’ll call backup in. They should beat you there.”

  I spin back around. “No. I don’t want backup.” The bastard is mine!

  He sighs heavily. “Tate. I can’t do this again. I am a cop. I can’t hide this.”

  I walk up to him and speak. “You have to. Don’t worry about me. Put everyone you have on that car to find Missy. She is the one who needs you, not me.”

  He runs a hand over his head nervously. “We both know it’s not about Missy. This is about you wanting time alone with him,” he says gritting his teeth.

  I grab him by his shirt and yank him towards me. “This is about Missy. Do you think I want her getting hurt?” I snap. I release him and take a deep breath. “I do want it.” I’m not gonna deny it. “Now make it fucking happen,” I snap.

  I stand there and dare him to argue with me. If I have to, I’ll knock his ass out so he can’t say a fucking word.

  He sighs, giving in. “Okay. But I can only hold them off for so long.”

  ******

  There’s a time in your life when you decide to quit fighting. You just wanna give up. And that’s not always a bad thing. When you finally let go—it frees you. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted, to be free of the pain. The memories. The world that has so much hate.

  When I broke Missy’s heart for the last time, I told her I was tired of fighting. I was tired of trying to love her. And it was true. Every day I had to fight that feeling. No matter how tough I acted out or how much rage I felt—she was able to take it away with a few simple words or a simple touch of her soft hand. She brought me to the point where I wanted to fight the demons. But then I would think of what weak meant. Weak meant that you had something someone else could use against you. Missy was that someone for me—I needed to fight that.

  I needed to quit pretending that I was good. So I fought that as well. But what else did that leave me with? All I’ve even known was the part that fueled my hatred. The devil in me that wanted to see the angel fall. Bring it to its knees at my feet. Everyone wants to know that kind of power. I crave it.

  And I have never found it—‘cause I fought it. Until now. It took my weakness to make me find the darkest side that I have. And if you ask me? That’s not being weak. That’s being unstoppable.

  “You shouldn’t go in there alone,” Slade says as he grabs my arm.

  I look down at it. “He wants me,” I say, yanking away from him. “Missy is already in harm’s way. No one should have to be,” I snap.

  “Parker is going to find her,” he says. “Let me go in with you. He’s sitting in the back part. I’ll just stay in the front in case something happens. That way he can’t see me,” Slade offers. “We can catch him off guard.”

  I tighten my hand around the gun. “Fine. Come on.” I turn around and start to walk toward the front door of Angel’s Dream as I tuck the gun into the back of my jeans.

  I come up to the door and yank it open. I’m not worried that he’ll kill me right off the bat. The fucker likes to make his punishments slow. And right now I’m pretty sure he could shoot me five times and I would still run at him head first. Nothing could stop me! Not until I save her from the monster. He wants to make me pay? I’ll pay alright—with my life if it comes to that.

  I reach over and flip the light switch just to see if it works. The front room is empty, but there is a table over against the wall that is knocked over and a chair lying on its side. “What happened over there?” I ask Slade. I know he knows. He saw the tape.

  He looks away from me. “Missy.” His voice is clipped.

  “He put his hands on her?” I growl. Why else would the shit be knocked over?

  He nods his response, and I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart and need to destroy something. “Stay here,” I whisper harshly.

  I take another deep breath as I push the door to the back open. I come to a stop by the fridge when I see Jonathan sitting at the table that the guys and I have sat at so many times before. He’s sitting there laidback and relaxed as if I invited the bastard over for tea.

  I look around the room just to check for Missy—Nothing! But her cell sits on the table in front of him.

  “Where is she?” I ask grabbing the gun form behind my back and pointing it right at his head. What if Parker can’t find her? I’m not willing to take that chance.

  “It’s been a long time, son,” he comments, not answering my question.

  Just the sound of his voice makes my skin crawl. “Jonathan,” I growl.

  He finally looks up at me. “That’s no way to greet your father.” His voice is calm and he even smiles.

  I take a deep breath trying to calm my rage. I’m so furious my body is shaking and I don’t wanna miss.

  He stands. “You know that saying that men prefer women who remind them of their mothers?” he asks. I don’t speak as I hold the gun trained at his head. “Well, that statement holds true for you.” He smiles. “Missy? Is that her name?”

  “You know her name, you son of a bitch,” I snap shouting.

  He chuckles. “Yeah. I suppose I do. Well, Missy is just like your mother.” His blue eyes look into mine and they shine with delight. “She begged.” She begged? Did he kill her? “She’s much stronger than your mother, though.” He claps his hands once. “I’m proud of you, son. I picked a weak one. I like that you prefer the challenge.”

  “Where is she?” I scream as I tighten my trigger finger.

  “Ah,” he says as in thought. “She’s not here,” he says as he looks around. “A friend has her.”

  “If she gets hurt…”

  “You’ll what?” He takes a step toward me. “Kill me?” he asks as if that would be an absurd idea. “You failed once at that. Surely, you wouldn’t try it again…”

  I lower the gun a little bit and fire. The sound of the gunshot and his scream makes my ears ring and I smile. He falls to the ground grabbing his knee.

  “I will,” I say as the adrenaline pumps through me. I look up when I hear someone entering and see that it’s Slade running in. He looks me up and down—looking to see if I was the one who was just shot or if I was the one to fire the gun.

  “Anything?” I ask. Parker swore he’d call Slade the moment he reached her. He shakes his head.

  With ringing ears and shaking limbs, I lean down in front of him and press the gun to his temple. “Last time. Where is she?”

  Jonathan looks up at Slade and his lig
ht blue eyes harden. “How is your wife and daughter doing?” he asks and my heart stops. What could he possibly know about Sam and Sadey?

  Slade stands there and stares down at him in total shock.

  Jonathan chuckles. “She is just as stupid as her mother,” he says referring to my sister and her mother Marie. “She had no idea that Tate was her brother.” Then he looks up at me. “Hell, Laura would drop you off over there at Marie’s almost every day and she never suspected that you were the son of the man that she loved.”

  “Stop,” I demand.

  He doesn’t. “Jack was a good man. I’ll give him that,” he says as he leans back and grunts as he tightens his hand over his knee. “Too bad the guy died in that awful car wreck,” he says with a heavy sigh. He then places his free hand over his heart mockingly. “But everything happens for a reason…”

  I pause for a second. The way he said it... “What are you saying?” I ask, feeling my chest tighten.

  He gives me a smile that makes him look like the devil himself. “I’m saying it’s amazing what you can accomplish from prison.”

  “You had him killed?” I ask as I try to take in a deep breath. He had my father killed? “Why?” I ask and my teeth clench. “Because I belonged to him?” I ask my voice rising.

  “I never fucking cared about you,” he spits out. “I had it done because that son of a bitch deserved to die!” he shouts. “Your whore of a mother loved him. She was so in love with him…”

  I lower the gun and swing it, hitting him across the face. I go to jump on him but Slade grabs a hold of me and pulls me back. I go to push him off but he spins me around. “Don’t,” he says firmly. “Don’t be like him.” He shakes his head.

  “How can you say that?” I demand ripping my arm from his hold “He just admitted to killing your wife’s father.”

  We both turn to look over our shoulder down at Jonathan as he laughs. Blood runs down his face and he holds his knee tightly. Then his laugh cuts off as he start to cough. He looks up at me. “You might be Jack’s bastard child but you will forever be like me.” He smiles showing off his bloody mouth. “We’re one and the same.”

  “I’m nothing like you,” I say shaking my head. Missy has taught me that. He continues to smile and I lift the gun and point it at his face once again. “Tell me where she is.” This is his last chance.

  The smile drops off of his face and his eyes narrow on me. I start to pull the trigger. I’ll find her myself. I don’t need him in order for me to save her. I’ll tear down this entire city block by block until I have her back in my arms.

  “Goodbye, you son of a bitch,” I say and pull it back but I hear the chime from the front door as it opens.

  “Tate?” Missy’s panic voice calls for me.

  “Stop.” I then hear Parker’s demanding voice shout.

  Before Slade and I can react, the door swings open and I see the beautiful blond run into the kitchen. Her eyes land on mine and she sighs in relief as a smile spreads across her face. She looks down to the floor and it drops off as she stares behind me and gasps in terror. I spin around her just in time to see Jonathan produce a gun out from behind his back.

  My heart stops as he lifts it and points it right at her. “I want you to feel the loss that I have all of these years,” he states with hatred.

  And I do the only thing I know to do. I’m not a monster like him. She has taught me that. I once told her that I would sacrifice myself to save here. And she has shown me that when you have a chance-take it. Here is my chance.

  ******

  MISSY

  My ears ring as gunshots sound in the bakery. I’m knocked to the floor and I can’t breathe as something is crushing me. I open my eyes, ignoring the pain in my back and head, and look up to see Tate lying on top of me with his eyes closed.

  “Tate?” I call out frantically.

  I can hear people shouting, but I can’t understand them. My ears are still ringing. He’s lifted up off of me and I scramble to get to him as he’s placed on the kitchen floor but arms wrap around me and pull me back. “Let them work,” Slade yells over all the commotion into my ear.

  “Tate?” I cry out as I watch him lie on the tile floor. The same one that he had me down on just a month ago when I thought he was a burglar. Jonathan sits slumped over behind him. Blood runs down his chest, soaking his shirt. Dead.

  Parker gets my attention as he rips Tate’s shirt off before holding pressure to his chest. I place my hand over my mouth to silence my cries as blood pools underneath him. My shirt clings to me, also soaked in his blood.

  Other officers are speaking into their radios calling for an ambulance. One hovers over Tate as he gives him CPR. “Please,” I cry out. “Please save him, Parker,” I plead as I gasp for air.

  Parker speaks to the officer so fast I can’t make out what he’s saying as the shirt he holds over the wound continues to soak up Tate’s blood.

  “Why?” I cry out. Why would he do that? “Tate?” I scream wanting him to hear me. He has to wake up. “I love him. Please.” My body shakes in Slades arms.

  It feels like an eternity as Slade holds me tightly unwilling to let me go to him. “Tate,” I yell out to him. He has to be okay. He has to live.

  The officer giving CPR checks for his pulse and then looks up to Parker.

  Parker looks from him to me and I see the tears that fill his eyes and I know it. “I’m sorry, Missy,” he says and his voice breaks. My heart shatters as I watch the other officer move away from him.

  He’s gone! “No.” I shake my head not believing it. “He wouldn’t leave me,” I cry, trying to shove Slade off of me. He wouldn’t save me only to leave me. Not like this.

  Parker looks up to Slade and nods his head. He releases me and I crawl to

  Tate as his body continues to lie there, motionless. “Please. Tate,” I beg, placing my hands on his bloody chest. My jeans start to soak up the blood that pools beneath me. “Please don’t leave me.” I look up and see everyone staring down at me. “Why aren’t you doing anything?” I yell as hot tears run down my face and neck.

  I lean over and place my lips on his. “I love you,” I sob and my tears fall down onto his face. “Don’t be a coward,” I yell, getting mad. “Don’t stop fighting!” I demand. “Fight for me,” I plead, pressing on his chest; starting compressions myself. I can do this. I was in school to be a nurse after all. “Fight for us,” I demand taking in one deep breath after another.

  I purse my lips as I press on his chest as hard as I can trying not to vomit from the copper smell of the blood that lingers in the room. There’s so much. It’s everywhere.

  I sob as my hands slip; it’s hard, the blood that covers him is making it slippery and I can’t get a good grip.

  I blink through the tears that blur my vison. “I’m begging you,” I say through gritted teeth. “Please. Don’t leave me here. I need you,” I say as my arms start to weaken.

  I see Parker’s hands on my hands and he presses down, stopping me. “No,” I shout, frantically trying to push him away.

  “Missy,” he snaps, grabbing my hands. He stands and yanks me up off of my feet. I try to fight him but he drags me over to the other side of the bakery and shoves me up against the wall. “Stop. I can save him,” I sob. I was supposed to save him. I was supposed to be his chance at something better.

  ******

  Have you ever heard that saying—no one ever really dies? A part of them lives in you? I really never thought about how true that statement is. But I had also never experienced a loss before. But it’s true, they are always there in your mind and your heart. Memories are all you have left of them.

  I stare down at the gray stone. This is my first time here. I didn’t think I could do it. Facing what you lost is just like facing your worse fears. They bring back emotions that you have tried to keep hidden.

  I stood up to my fears and let all of my secrets out. My mom, dad, and Laura sat there as I told them how much I loved Tate
. What we shared in Vegas and about our baby. I expected to feel free, like a heavy weight lifted off of my shoulders. It didn’t. It just pulled me down even more to the point of suffocation. Without Tate there, I was drowning. Sobs racked my body and my chest felt like it was going to explode from the pressure. But with the help of their love and kind words, the weight is slowly lifting. It will take time—they said.

  People say love and loss go together. That without one you can’t experience the other. Although Tate never said it, I imagine he loved me. Why else would he have jumped in front of that bullet for me? But my love for him caused me loss. That is the chance you take when you give someone your heart—the willingness to break it. And I know without a doubt I would give it to him again. He will forever have it.

  I look up from the headstone as a hand softly grabs mine. I tighten my hand in hers when I see the tears slowly run down Laura’s cheeks. I knew nothing about Laura when I picked her up from the airport, except that she was once married to a monster. That she once feared for her and her son’s life every day. The day at the bakery, before Jonathan showed up, she let me into her past a little. Once we were all together—after that horrible day—I told my parents and Laura what they needed to know. I hated that it took a tragedy for me to open up to my loved ones that would have been there all along.

  It’s crazy how little you know about someone. Why those chose the path they did. After I informed them of what all happened between Tate and me, she pulled me to the side and told me some secrets of her own. Talking to her helped me understand her a little bit more. All I could think about was Tate. I wish he would have answered her calls, just given her a second to explain how much she had lost before him and how much she loved him.

  “I’m sorry, Missy,” she whispers as she closes her eyes. I can only imagine what memories looking at the headstone could bring for her.

  “Me too.” I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything to save you. I say a silent goodbye. It may have taken me a while to face the loss but I won’t make that mistake again. I’ll continue to come back until the day I die.