“That Andrew Jones?” I ask him.
“She wanted him dead!” he yells. “She was going to do it whether I helped her or not.”
“Is that what you think about all the people you’ve helped commit murder?” I ask him. He doesn’t answer and I nod at Mason to grab the shit from the trunk.
“You can tell her husband that; I’m sure he’ll understand,” Mason says and then tosses handcuffs at his feet. “Put those on. First your feet, and then your hands.”
“Please,” he begs. But there’s no mercy for what he’s done.
It takes a good fifteen minutes to tie him up. The gagging was the hardest part.
The trunk slams shut and the dark night seems so empty. Empty is what I needed though. It’s done and over.
Mason turns the car on and we leave in silence, listening to the fucker in the back.
My heartbeat slows and the end feels so fucking close. Every loose end finally being resolved.
“Thanks for doing this,” I tell Mason, ignoring Andrew’s muted thumps in the trunk as we go over a speed bump and then another.
“No problem,” he tells me like I’ve only asked him to pick up milk on the way home or something.
“I just needed to do something about it all.”
“And it’s not like he doesn’t have it coming to him.”
I nod my head and listen to Andrew’s muffled screams.
“You sure he’s going to be here?” Mason asks me as we pull up to a vacant lot.
Even as we pull up, I can see James inside, moving a curtain in the bedroom.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I tell him.
I know James is here. He’s waiting for sentencing and not going anywhere near the city. He’s hiding.
And I know what that’s like.
“You ready?” Mason asks me and I nod my head. “Let’s do this.”
We’ll leave Andrew bound and gagged on James’ porch and ring the bell. Or call him or text him. Haven’t figured that part out yet. Maybe I’ll just knock on the door. It doesn’t matter anyway since he already knows someone’s here.
A gift from me to him. A truce of sorts.
Sorry I wanted to kill you, here’s the fucker who tried first. That sort of thing. I know James knows how to handle a gun and both of us need justice.
Andrew’s slamming every which way, but it’s 4 a.m. in the suburbs. There isn’t another house for nearly half a mile. Even if I took the gag out of his lying mouth, there’s no one here but us and James.
I pull out the note as Mason tugs on my shirt and gets my attention.
James is right there in the doorway, rifle ready.
“Just leave him here,” I tell Mason and we let Andrew drop to the ground with a muffled scream piercing the air.
I tuck the note in before we drive down the block to make sure James goes and gets him. Which he does. I watch as he reaches down and picks up the scrap of paper and then we drive off.
It’s a note that says I’m sorry and that none of this shit should have happened.
They’re only words, but they come with revenge wrapped up in a fucking bow.
Chapter 32
Kat
* * *
It’s a truth unyielding,
With death will come life,
Maybe to lessen the sting.
* * *
Memories will decay,
But it doesn’t stop the sadness,
Nor keep the pain away.
* * *
It’s not about the ending,
Or the pain from yesterday.
It’s always been about the journey,
And the love that’s here to stay.
“Do you think he told the cops?” I ask Evan as I pick up the newspaper and read the article.
Samantha got life in prison. Pleaded guilty to multiple murder charges.
James pleaded guilty to his charges as well. But he hasn’t been sentenced yet. It’s rumored that he gave up information to cut a deal. He’ll be out of jail in a year or less according to what the rumor mills are saying. The dealer got off scot-free and now people are saying he skipped town in case more evidence comes in. It pisses me off that he didn’t get what he had coming to him, but Evan seems to think the past will catch up to him.
“Told them what exactly?” Evan asks me as he takes a picture frame off the wall of his parents’ dining room. He considers it for a moment before grabbing a handful of bubble wrap to package it like he has the others.
The moving company is going to be here tomorrow, but Evan wanted to box up the pictures and a few other things himself.
“That you were there,” I say the words quietly, as if it’s a dark secret no one can ever know. “With Tony,” I add.
Evan shrugs. “He didn’t have any proof since we swiped the photos,” he says and looks me in the eyes, gauging my reaction as he lowers the wrapped picture into the box. “And no reason to say anything. He wanted Samantha to go down, and we made that happen.” His lips are pressed into a thin line as he makes his way around the table to pull out the chair next to mine.
“You really want to talk about this?” he asks me.
I glance between the article and him, swallowing my words and not knowing how to feel. The entire situation makes me uncomfortable. Worse than that … dreadful.
“I want to know it’s going to be okay,” I tell him the truth. “I want to make sure you’re going to be okay.”
Evan smirks at me and then leans forward, kissing the tip of my nose, which makes me close my eyes. “You’re cute, you know that?” he says.
I reach up quickly to grab his hand and keep him close to me. “I’m serious,” I say as I look him in the eyes.
“Baby, I told you there’s nothing to worry about,” he says as he brushes his hand against my cheek. He pinches my chin between his thumb and forefinger and stares into my eyes. There’s a look there that makes me all warm and fuzzy. He’s always been able to do that and I love him for it.
“You promise?” I ask him softly and he pecks my lips once then goes in for a deeper one before answering me.
“Well, we do have a baby coming,” he says, still staring at my lips. “So I’m sure we’ve got some things to be worried about, but that mess is over.”
The stir of desire drifts away slowly as I peek back down at the article. The picture they chose is one of Samantha giving James a death stare as she was arrested. The papers paint her as a villain and I couldn’t be happier.
“And you got that package too,” Evan says, bringing my attention back to him. My heart flickers once, then twice as I bite my lip and shrug.
“It was real nice of him,” Evan says and I feel the need to smack his arm playfully as he stands up to keep packing.
I place my hand on my belly and tell him, “It was a goodbye and good luck gift from a friend.”
“A friend you kissed,” Evan reminds me.
“A friend who was there for me when you weren’t,” I remind him.
His shoulders stiffen a little as he stops midway from taking another photo off the wall. “I know,” he says beneath his breath.
“It was a nice gift though, wasn’t it?” I ask him.
Evan looks at me with an eyebrow raised and I have to laugh.
“He doesn’t have our new address anyway and he didn’t put his on the package either.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Evan says.
“I really like it.” I shrug my shoulders and remember the gift. It’s a baby book, called I’ll Love You Forever. I can’t read it without crying.
“It was nice of him, but it better be the last of him,” Evan warns me jokingly. I love the trace of a smile on his lips. He knows I’m all his.
I lean back in the chair, and a yawn escapes before I can stop it. I’m halfway to telling him off in some way or another, but the words are stopped.
“You ready to go home?” he asks me and I nod my head but add, “Only if you’re all done.”
He tak
es a look around the half-packed house and shakes his head. I have to admit watching him cleaning up his father’s place makes my heart hurt.
“You know our baby is going to be tough, right?” he tells me when I start to let the emotions get the best of me.
I rub my swollen bump in smooth circles and pray our baby is okay in there and doesn’t know how sad I am in this moment. I just want love for him.
“I hope so,” I whisper as Evan comes back over to me. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me into his chest. I’m more than grateful as I wrap my arms around him and let my cheek press against his shirt.
“It’s true. When a mom goes through hell during pregnancy and handles it as well as you have, the baby can handle anything, you know?”
I let out a sad but genuine laugh into his shirt and try to calm myself down as he rubs my back.
“I hope our baby isn’t as emotional as me,” I tell him.
“I’m pretty sure you have good reasons, babe,” he says and then kisses my hair.
I peek up at him and smile as his lips touch mine.
“And now everything’s behind us,” he adds.
I feel the need to remind him, “There’s good behind us too, isn’t there?”
“So much good,” he says and then kisses me again before splaying his hand on my belly. “And so much more to come.”
Epilogue
Kat
* * *
Little blips, they come and go,
In rhythm and in time.
Black lines that paint a picture,
And soft lullabies in rhyme.
You’re everything, and the reason I need,
To love and to forgive.
My only wish is to keep you safe,
For as long as I shall live.
It’s real. I’m really pregnant. “I can see his heart beat.”
“You’re so convinced it’s a boy?” Evan says although he doesn’t take his eyes off the monitor. A trace of a smile is on his lips and it only grows when the little one moves.
“We’ll find out soon,” I tell him with a little more glee in my voice.
“Soon as in right now,” the doctor says. Dr. Harmony holds the wand right above my belly button. My belly is covered in clear goo and there’s more than a little bump now that I’m fifteen weeks along.
I’m quiet as the sound of a steady heartbeat comes through the speaker. Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub. The only thing that distracts me for a moment is Evan taking my hand in his.
“Our little baby,” he whispers.
“Your little boy,” the doctor corrects him, pointing to the screen. She keeps the wand there for a moment, tapping on the keyboard to take photos and then removes it and the soft, rhythmic heartbeats are gone. But I heard them and that sound will stay with me forever.
“He’s healthy?” I ask as my heart swells.
“Perfectly healthy,” Dr. Harmony says as she wipes down the equipment and tosses the paper towels into the trash.
“I’ll be back in just a bit with some pictures for you two.” She has a pretty smile; it’s one that reaches her eyes.
“Thank you,” Evan and I say in unison.
“A boy,” I whisper to him before he cuts me off with a kiss.
“I can’t believe we’re going to have a son,” Evan says, running a hand down his face. “It’s real.”
“Does it feel real now?” I ask him and he only nods, still looking at the frozen picture on the monitor.
Evan takes my hand again and kisses my knuckles before nodding his head.
My gaze moves from Evan to the screen. The little heart beating in a perfect rhythm.
“I have a feeling it’s going to be really, really good,” I tell him and get a little choked up.
“It is,” Evan says and kisses my hand once more. “I know it is.
* * *
Evan
* * *
The morning brings a bright light,
Hope and laughter too.
And with time comes a new love,
Faded dreams become anew.
* * *
Just remember to hold tight,
And fight for what you love.
For our lost ones will watch over,
And keep us safe from up above.
* * *
“We should name him Henry,” Kat says as we walk into the house. Near the Manhattan Bridge is an expensive ass area to live, but the park is so close and this area is where Kat wants to be for our little one, so how could I say no?
She tosses the keys onto the side table, walking past a row of cardboard boxes and a stack of dishes I just brought back from the old place last night. “I’ve thought a lot about it. And I think we should.”
“Henry,” I say my father’s name and a swell of unexpected emotion catches me off guard. I slip the jacket off my shoulders and move to busy myself, opening the window in the dining room and ignoring the look Kat gives me.
“I know it hasn’t been a long time since he passed,” Kat says. “It feels like it was yesterday.”
She holds her swollen belly and pulls out the head chair in the dining room. At least this room is mostly put together. Kat’s nesting has her up all hours and doing shit she shouldn’t do. Like carrying heavy boxes and climbing on the furniture to hang curtains.
“I wish he was here,” she says and gets teary-eyed. “But we can give him this, you know?”
Her voice is tight with emotion and I nod my head, understanding what she’s saying but not liking talking about it.
The wind blows through the house, gently moving the napkins on the table so I’m quick to tuck them into the holder and try to form a response.
“He’d have loved to help us move down here, I think,” I tell her.
“At least this time you hired movers,” Kat says with a bit of humor, but her voice is solemn.
She winces with pain and grabs a hold of her belly, her eyes closed tight and my heart races.
“Babe?” I ask her and she ignores me. Like she’s been doing. For some dumbass reason I keep thinking she’ll respond during these Braxton Hicks contractions.
I watch her carefully and walk slowly over to her and wait, afraid to do anything wrong.
I may have fucked up being a good husband, but Pops showed me how to be a good father and I won’t let him down.
“Oh my gosh that was a long one,” Kat finally says as her body visibly relaxes.
“Do you want to go in?” I ask her. My nerves are all on edge. I’m fucking terrified, but I won’t tell Kat.
She rolls her eyes at me. “For one contraction? I think not.”
She reaches into the bag at her feet and pulls out a water bottle. “Besides, I read a baby comes when you’re ready and relaxed, and we have four more rooms to set up and get settled in before this little one will be ready. And another two weeks until our due date.”
“So what do you think?” she asks me.
“About what?”
“About naming him Henry?” She tilts her head to the side and her long hair falls over her shoulder.
“I think Pops would have loved that,” I tell her, taking in a deep breath. “I think he’d be proud.”
Lowering myself to the floor in front of her, I let my hands rest on her thighs and bring my forehead down to rest on her belly. “What do you think?” I ask our son and Kat’s belly shakes as she laughs.
“You think it’s funny, but he’s going to know my voice.” Kat doesn’t hesitate to lean down and kiss me. The first one is a peck, but then she moves her hand to my jaw and keeps me still for a longer one, a deeper one.
It’s slow and sensual and makes my blood heat.
“I know he will, and I love you for it.”
I take her small hand in mine and look deep into her eyes. She’s seen so much of me. All of my bad and the little bit of good I have in me. And she still loves me. There’s no way I could doubt that. “I know this year has been rough, but I’m going to do eve
rything I can to make our lives easy for … forever.”
A small smile seems to tickle Kat’s lips, still wet from our kiss, and she moves her fingers to them.
“I mean it, Kat. I love you and this baby more than anything.” Tears come to my eyes and I only pray she knows that I love her just as much as she loves me.
After a moment, she nods. “I know you do, and I know you will.”
I nod my head and move my hand to her belly, feeling our little one kick just beneath the small bit of pressure. It still gets me every time.
“He knows too,” Kat says with a smile that lights her eyes.
“So, Henry?” I ask her, feeling a swell of pride in my chest.
She nods her head, her eyes getting glossy as she puts a hand to her belly.
“Henry.”
* * *
Diary Entry 3
* * *
Hey Pops,
* * *
I wanted you to know, every day I think about what I should do to make you proud. Even the days I fuck up. I guess those days especially.
Lately I’ve been doing good. I think you’d agree. Sometimes I do stupid shit. Like when little Henry peed through his diaper. I changed his diaper but didn’t change the onesie. Kat let me have it for that one.
Common sense and all that goes out the window when it comes to him.
He’s so small, Pops, I can hold him in one hand. I’m scared I’m gonna break him some days. Kat tells me I’m fine, and that I look good holding him. But I’m so fucking terrified I’m going to mess up.
I guess I’m just nervous to mess up so I keep waiting for her to tell me what to do.
She’s taking good care of me. Especially in that department.
She’s not going to mess up and that’s the only thing that makes me think it’s all going to be alright.
Kat’s not gonna let me get away with anything anymore.
Scarred: Sins and Secrets Series of Duets Page 17