by Brooke Page
“We can try for another baby. I know you want a son.”
Colby only stared, a slow smirk beginning to rise on the corner of his lip. “Would it even be mine?” He cocked his head at me. “I suppose we’d still be related. After all, I always wondered about Tessa.”
My brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“You got pregnant awfully fast,” he muttered. “She does have his skin, his cheekbones, and she’s fucking stubborn.”
“Tessa is your daughter,” I assured. “You both have the same tan complexion and...”
My train of thought turned, my jaw dropping while I looked at Colby. His scowl heavy in place, cheeks taut, that same demeanor, the same gleam of uncertainty in his eyes. The facial structure of an angry, lost boy… I grabbed at my chest, more tears rolling down my cheeks when I looked back to Vance, realization setting in.
They were related. Colby and Vance were the same.
Colby’s shoulders sagged, his eyes softening, pain haunting them. “I have to turn into a monster for you to figure it out?” he murmured. “Damaged, like him,” he pointed at Vance, “is that how you want me to be? So messed up that I have to screw over other people’s lives like he did? Have to basically sell my soul to keep you? Why couldn’t you have loved the nice guy? Why did you have to go to The Shore when I asked you to move in with me? This never would have happened.” His eyes were red, a mix of pain and anger exuding them.
“I didn’t know, I swear.”
Colby swallowed and nodded, trying to control his emotions. “I didn’t either,” he turned to Vance, who was glaring at him intently. “I had no idea until dear old Dad showed up on my front door with a picture of Lauren, asking me what I knew, then showed me a picture of him and my mother, then one of him holding me when I was little, and you know who else was in that photo?”
Vance scowled, waiting for him to continue.
“YOU,” he shouted, spit flying from his mouth.
Vance still didn’t get it, staring at him while he processed what Colby was saying.
Colby shook his head, a mock laugh escaping his lips. “Lauren figured it out, why can’t you? You were good enough to fool Marcus that you worked for the Feds, but you were never smart enough to realize he had another son?”
“No,” I was in disbelief, my head bouncing back and forth between a puzzled Vance and a vengeful Colby. “I would have figured it out.”
“Bullshit,” Vance spat. “I’d have known if I had a little brother…” His voice faded, along with his eyes, as if he were reliving a moment in his past.
“I’m afraid it’s true, I mean, we do look a lot alike. The only difference between us besides our hair color and eyes, was my mom got me out of there, and I was mindfully oblivious, until Marcus came knocking on my door, offering me a job, filling me in on what my long lost brother was up to, including how he was fucking my girl, trying to sell her to Vultures.”
“I wasn’t trying to sell her,” Vance snapped. “I saved her.”
“He told me you’d say that. That he had a hunch you might be fucking him over, but he said blood is thicker than the mud the world will drag you through.”
Vance’s chest rose and fell as if he’d been on a long run, his eyes spinning all over the room while he thought.
Their likeness was astounding now that I knew. Even their stance was similar, I’d been so accustom to Colby’s well-natured and happy personality, where as Vance was tougher, an egg that wouldn’t crack unless you tapped at him slowly.
But now I’d seen his softness, the same smile that was infectious like Colby’s. It was what made me fall so deeply in love with him.
“How did he find you?” Vance asked.
Colby’s eyes narrowed. “When he looked into Lauren. That thug you sent to off her mom, he reported back to Marcus. It’s not every day he got sent across country. Did you really think he’d do what you ordered without talking to the head guy in charge? You weren’t that important to Marcus.” The venom in Colby’s tone was vicious, and the pent up anger he was holding in was coming to a head.
“He didn’t follow directions,” Vance growled. “She was never supposed to die.”
Colby’s lip curled. “That was my decision.”
My eyes widened, my heart still slamming against my chest. “What?”
Colby slowly turned to me, his glare menacing. “Your mom was the job that made me official, introducing me into this fucked-up life. It was his call that reunited me with my long lost father. His order was completed by me.”
The room began to spin, and I had to set my hand against the wall for balance. This couldn’t be happening. Colby couldn’t have been the one that killed my mom. “I don’t understand.”
“You’d never have come back to me if I didn’t do something drastic,” he muttered.
“You killed my mom?” I choked.
Colby’s scowl deepened. “She would have done it without me. She begged me for it, shoved the needle in herself and injected it all on her own. Did you really think your junky of a mother would have stayed away from it? I know you had hope, but come on, Lo, even I knew she was spitting lies at you. Your mom was born a drug-addicted slut, and would die one.”
My breaths were becoming short, the room closing in around me. How was this happening? I nearly passed out when Colby caught me.
“Don’t be so dramatic,” he grumbled, keeping his arm around my waist. “You should be begging me to keep you after fucking my half-brother. I should take Tessa and disappear, leaving you to be fucked and sold to some creep in this cell. It was the original plan to begin with, if I wouldn’t have drugged your mom. Do you understand that? Vance was going to sell you, Lo. He was going to give you a nasty cocktail that would turn you into a wild, lust-filled sex addict. A spitting image of your mom.”
I pounded my fists on his chest, demanding for him to let me go, but he kept his arm snug around my waist, his other hand still holding the gun. “Chill out, I’m not going to do that. I still don’t understand why you think I’m the bad guy.”
“What happened to you?” I cried, still fighting against him. “Why would you do this?”
“Love makes you do crazy things,” he breathed. “Ain’t that right, Vancy?”
Vance was no longer glaring at Colby, but had his attention on the ground where all of the shards of mirror were scattered. His arms flexed from pulling on the restraints.
His head slowly lifted toward Colby. “If you love her as much as you say you do, you’d let her go.”
“Are you really going to question how I feel about her? Do you know all I’ve done for this woman? Even when I knew she didn’t really love me back?” Colby snarled. “And where exactly am I going to let her go? Back to the man who was going to sell her?”
“That’s not what happened, and you know it,” Vance spoke calmly. “You said it yourself, I was working for the FBI. I love her, and I had to make this same choice seven years ago. Let her go.”
My heart thudded at his words. It all made sense now. Any reservations on Vance’s loyalty disappeared. He had all of me, and I was bound and determined to not let him slip through my fingers like the warm sand at The Shore.
“Colby,” I begged, fighting the tears. I relaxed my hands, needing to switch his mood and bring out the old Colby, the kind and compassionate man who wouldn’t hurt a fly. I knew his weakness, and although I’d broken his heart worse than I had thought, he still would do anything for me. “Let’s go. We can get the stash of money in our basement at the house, run away, and forget all of this ever happened. You, me, and Tessa.” I set my hand on his chest, needing to calm his erratic breaths. “That’s all I want, is for us all to walk away.” I lied, but it was the only idea I had.
His gaze cautiously turned to mine, Vance’s blood still fresh on his cheek. He was so guarded, when normally his heart was on his sleeve. No longer was I staring at my best friend, but at another lost soul, broken by the pain of what life handed to hi
m.
Bravely, I set both of my hands on his cheeks, ignoring the wet streaks. I stroked them, a genuine sympathy for what he had been through. He was just as messed up as the rest of us.
“Look what this is doing to you,” I whispered. “We can walk away, right now.”
He closed his eyes, a single tear beading in the corner. “If only it were that simple.” Resting his forehead against mine, his free arm wrapped around my waist, the gun still firmly grasped in his other hand. “I’m sorry, but I have to finish this…” He lifted the gun, and before I could stop him, he pulled the trigger.
“No!” I shrieked, shoving away from Colby and diving toward Vance. The front two feet of his chair left the ground from the force of the gun shot, plopping back to the concrete along with Vance’s body. His face contorted, his body trying to squirm away from the pain. I slammed my hand over his stomach, blood seeping all around it. “You’re going to be okay,” I assured, my voice trembling.
He grunted, wincing from the pressure of my hand.
“Back away, Lo,” Colby warned.
I ignored him, keeping my hand in place and using the other to tug on the ropes that were chaining him to the chair, finally freeing his arms, only to have them limp to his sides.
“Damn it,” Colby growled, grabbing my bicep and yanking me backward. “Go back to Tessa, now.”
I fought against him, needing to get back to the bullet wound on Vance’s abdomen. The blood was gushing again, and I needed to cauterize it.
“He needs help!” I pleaded, freeing my arm and smooshing my hand back over the heaping hole. Vance garbled in more pain from my intrusion.
Fighting back tears, my voice lowered. “Don’t you dare give up, Vance Everett.”
The sparkle in his sea green eyes was fading, and a lone tear escaped his eye. I bit my quivering lip, willing myself to stay strong, because he needed me more than anything right now. He gazed down at me, a shaky hand lifting to brush a strand of hair from my eyes. He cupped my cheek, his thumb stroking underneath my eye. It was only the two of us in this moment, soaking up what we had of each other.
Colby’s menacing tone barely registered in my brain. “I’m going to tell you one more time, Lauren. Go back to Tessa.”
I held onto Vance’s fading gaze, fear that I was losing him again expressing from my shedding tears. “I love you,” I cried, needing him to know he would always have my heart.
A low rumble emerged from Colby’s chest, a full on growl leaving his lips. He grabbed my scalp, yanking on my hair and dragging me off of Vance.
“Colby, stop!” I yelped, shooting my hands backward and grasping his wrists.
He spun me so we were face to face, his eyes red and demonic. “I’m done being the nice guy. You’re my property, you’ve always been. Quit fighting, forget this prick, and let’s go start our happy life together.” Spit dripped from his mouth, his cheeks hollowed and his brows knitted.
More tears burst from my eyes. He was a monster, and forever would be with Vance’s blood on his hands.
My eyes squeezed closed, my heart and mind morphing into its own monster.
I was done with it all.
Sick of living my life as if I were hanging from a cliff by only the tips of my fingers.
Tired of my happiness being stripped away when I’d finally gotten a grasp on it.
I was going to put an end to it all.
My eyelids lifted slowly, Colby’s fury still rapidly firing into me. Letting go of his wrist, I steadied my sporadic breathing and wiped away my tears. “Okay.”
Colby narrowed his eyes, his mouth in a grim line. “Okay?”
I nodded. “Let me say goodbye and finish this.”
Colby eyed me suspiciously, watching me thumb at the tattered bracelet on my wrist. I took it off and grasped it in the palm of my hand. Letting go of my hair, his features were still tight, but he nodded toward Vance. “Hurry.”
I turned away from him, back to Vance. He was fading away, and I had to say goodbye, one last time. Keeping the little bit of strength I had, I held in my tears with each footstep toward him. His head was lolled forward, his hands covering the seeping bullet hole.
I kneeled in front of him, taking his lifeless face in my hands. “I’ll always love you,” I promised against his swollen face, kissing his rough skin. Shallow breaths escaped his nose, and I knew he didn’t have much time.
Taking the bracelet I had clung to since he gave it to me, I laced it through his fingers. I kissed his bloody knuckles, pressing his palm to my cheek. His hand was cold, sending chills through my bones. Taking one last, long look at his beautiful features, I let go of his hand, setting it back over his wound, then stealthily grabbed a large shard of glass from underneath his chair.
Power surged through me when I stood, vengeance feeding me strength. With the sharp glass firm in one hand, I palmed the new necklace from Vance that rested over my heart.
I wouldn’t be controlled by anyone the rest of my life.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Vance
I’d had guns pointed in my direction before, but the trigger had never been pulled. The immediate pain was excruciating, as if my stomach was being ripped into multiple pieces. The warmth from my blood heated down my thigh, dripping on the floor. My ears were ringing, and not from the screams that escaped Lauren’s mouth after the bang of the gun. My eyes closed, and darkness took over.
Seagulls cawed around me, the shade from their spanned wings coming in and out like a slow fan. I squinted, but the salty air didn’t sting my eyes like normal. Waves were gently lapping overtop my stomach, my feet above water and locked into a board, my hands holding onto a bar attached to a massive kite. It only swayed in the wind, not moving me across the water like it should be.
“Are you ready, Vance?” the silky voice of a woman murmured. It was soothing, awakening memories that I had longed to hear since I was a little boy.
Blinking once, the owner of the voice came into view.
She was beautiful, an angel of the sea. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back and her eyes glimmered. An inviting aura surrounded her while she sat in the water on a regular surf board. She giggled, waiting patiently for me to respond.
“Momma?”
“Hi, sweetie. I’m so proud of the man you’ve grown to be.”
I scowled, and she laughed. “You remind me of your father when you do that.”
The hatred that consumed me whenever his name was mentioned wasn’t there, and I found myself laughing with her. There was no animosity in my heart at all, and the peace I felt was intoxicating, and had only been brought on by one other person.
“Lauren,” I whispered.
My mother was beside me now, her warmth surrounding me. “You love her.”
I nodded. “With all that I have.”
She smiled. “So go back to her.” As if it was that simple.
“How? I don’t even know where I am, or where she is. The last thing I remember is her with Colby.”
“You of all people know things aren’t always what they seem. If she gives you peace, then she’s your sea. Trust it.”
I grinned, then looked across the horizon. The sky was so beautiful, a boldness to the purples and pinks, oranges and reds. It was nothing like I’d ever seen before. It was inviting, and the idea of never leaving was persuasive. I brought my attention back to her. “What about you?”
She met my grin. “I’ll be here,” reaching out, she pressed her hand to my wetsuit covered chest over my heart. “And here.”
Leaning over, she kissed my cheek, her eyelashes fluttering against my damp skin. Butterfly kisses… My eyes instantly closed, a comfort only a mother could give being released into me.
“Find your peace, Vance.”
“Vancy?” A voice muffled, “Vance!”
His chanting grew louder, along with the feelings in my limbs, and the incredible amount of pain all centered to my abdomen. A groan of agony emerged from my chest.
“Oh, thank fuck! Stay with me, buddy!”
It was Colt, his hands applying a tormenting amount of pressure to my stomach.
“Holy shit,” I moaned, the pain in my stomach nearly unbearable. “That fucking hurts.”
“You were shot. I’d be worried if it didn’t hurt.”
I squinted, trying to get up on my elbows, but Colt shoved my stomach down harder. “Vancy, what the hell are you doing? Don’t move, and don’t fall asleep, either. Medics will be here soon.”
“Where’s Lauren? And Tessa? Did Colby get away?”
He stared at me, his eyes crinkling when I said Colby’s name. “Don’t worry about them, you need to worry about you. I want you to count out loud.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Do it, Vance. I need you to stay awake.”
I lay back down, cursing myself for even trying. This hurt so fucking bad. I winced, cocking my head to the side, noticing a pair of legs lying on the floor beyond Colt.
“Fine. One, two, three.” A drowsiness began to settle over me, and I found my eyes closing while I counted on, “ten, eleven, twelve…”
***
The second time I woke, my face was covered by a rubber mask, an itchy rubber band around my ear. I swatted at it, yanking it from my face.
“Hey, buddy, I don’t know if you should take that off yet.”
The stark white of the room was harsh on my eyes when I tried to follow the sound of Colt’s voice. He was sitting in a chair next to my bed. He was grinning, but there were bags under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept in days. “How are you feeling?”
“Rough.” When I attempted to stretch, my body refused and muscles I didn’t know I had ached. My face pounded, my arms battered, but it was my stomach that caused the most pain. It hurt to take a deep breath.
“You did get beat to shit. Do you remember anything?”
Taking cautious breaths, I jogged my memory, reliving the horror that had taken place. “Where’s Lauren? And Tessa? And Colby?”