Chapter 52
Kendrick
Everyone’s retreated to separate sides of the beach by the time the red and blue lights of a police vessel cut across the water.
I grew up on the lake, and being the son of the Lake Chapel sheriff means I’ve got more insight into what’s coming than most. The clock is running out for all of us.
As soon as they dock, we’re done.
Someone’s life is about to take an unexpected turn for the worse.
It’s like the two-minute warning, but with so much more at stake.
I survey my brothers, my girl. Kylian has one protective arm wrapped around Jojo, but his focus is cast down on his phone. I know without asking that he’s working overtime to get rid of as much evidence as possible.
He knows how to play his part. Just like I know how to play mine.
Decker hasn’t come outside, meaning Kylian updated him and he knows exactly what’s going on. Keeping Misty out of this so we can handle it without her input is crucial.
We all have roles to play. Some are harder than others.
To her credit, our girl’s keeping it together beautifully. She’s rattled, but her focus is on Nicky. Her arms are wrapped tight around his waist, her chin nuzzling into his shoulder as she reassures him in soft, hushed tones.
I breathe through the emotion that tightens through my chest as I take him in.
He’s so fucking wrecked right now. And not because of what he did.
Nicky’s been flaring for weeks—has been since the fucking Sharks took her and we spent those three days desperately trying to get her back.
No one understands what he’s dealing with better than me.
Even at that, I don’t have a good grasp on how the chronic, unrelenting inflammation from his rheumatoid arthritis eats away at him.
I’ve been in remission for nearly two years.
Even at its worst, I can look forward to the moment my lupus flare will recede and I’ll get a fucking break.
Not Nicky.
His baseline pain is beyond what most people deal with on their worst day.
Throwing a punch and lashing out isn’t who he is. He’s a fucking philosophy major. A pacifist through and through. He’s not well right now. Not himself. Operating from a place of desperation and pain.
There’s absolutely no way he can sit on the cold, unyielding bench in a cell for even an hour without severely impacting his physical and mental health.
It can’t stand.
I won’t allow it.
Decidedly, I make my way over to them, zeroed in on Kylian.
“What sort of evidence are we dealing with?” I ask, tipping my chin toward his phone.
I assume he’s already knocked out the Wi-Fi and cut off the towers and satellites for all the major service providers.
A benefit to living in the middle of the lake?
We can control every outgoing message and attempted upload so long as the devices haven’t left the isle.
“Blocked. Done. Even corrupted the one phone so there’s no way to recover footage. It’s still their word against ours, though. And I can’t do much about the bloody nose or nasty bruises that fucker will be sporting in a few hours. Nicky’s got a mean left hook.”
“Kylian.”
He meets my gaze, which takes concerted effort on his part. He can hear the trepidation in my tone, I’m sure of it, so he’s pushing past the discomfort for my benefit. I need to level with him and make sure he understands what’s about to happen so he can keep the others calm.
“I know what I’m doing.” I lick my lips and steal a glance at Locke. “Make sure he ices and rests that hand. Don’t let her panic. Keep Cap grounded. Keep her safe.”
His light blue eyes narrow behind his glasses and scan my face, blinking quickly as he processes my words. After a breath, he gives me a quick bow of his head. It’s all the confirmation I need.
I glance over my shoulder, gauging the distance between the police boat and the dock. I’ve got thirty or forty seconds until they dock, then maybe another minute before they reach us, depending on who’s on that boat and just how much authority they feel like swinging around today.
“Jojo.”
Her eyes snap to mine, and my stomach twists with dread. She looks so goddamn worried. Forlorn, distressed. I was off base with my assumption. I’m not the only one who knows exactly what state Nicky’s in right now and what that jail cell will do, not only to his pain, but to his spirit.
She sees him. She sees us all. She’s a beacon of hope to each and every one of us, lighting up our world when and how we need her.
“Come here.”
She rushes me, somehow understanding the gravity of the situation before I’ve even made my intentions known.
I cradle the back of her head and bow low, breathing in the sweet, feminine scent and committing it to memory.
“That’s my girl,” I murmur into her hair, caressing her spine. With a quick dip, I can’t resist giving her peachy ass a squeeze.
Fuck. Everything has changed between us so quickly. The depth of my desire for her, the lengths I’ll go to make her happy, to keep her safe. It all happened too fast. But I have no regrets. I wouldn’t change a damn thing.
“You hold us together, Jojo. You know that, right? Be good. Be strong for them. Don’t let them fall apart.”
“K—”
I cut her off with a bruising kiss, pushing my tongue into her mouth, desperate for this moment. Desperate to claim her, to make sure she goddamn knows I’m coming back for more.
She matches my energy, just like she always does. She kisses me like it’s the first time and the last time. I pour everything I am and everything I want to be for her into our kiss.
It’s a vow. A promise. It’s everything I’m too chicken to say yet but desperate to make sure she feels.
Forcing myself to pull back, I nod to Kylian, and he springs into action. He wraps his arms around her from behind the second I let her go.
The red and blue lights reflect in the lenses of his glasses as we lock eyes.
He nods once.
It’s time.
Behind us, the production folks and photographer are recounting the scene, growing increasingly agitated as they approach with officers by their side.
A cursory glance at the group confirms they sent Officer Rodriguez, plus a greenhorn I’ve never met. I’ve known Rodriguez since I was a kid, which makes this both easier and harder.
Locke’s eyes are filled with dread, focused on the officers as they grow nearer.
“Don’t fight it, Nicky,” I advise, cupping the back of his neck as gently as I can manage but squeezing enough to get his attention.
His Adam’s apple bobs beneath the ink covering his throat as he nods, though he doesn’t look my way. He’s too intent on what’s unfolding twenty feet away.
I step in front of him and lean in close until our foreheads are touching, forcing him to meet my gaze.
“Don’t fight it,” I repeat. “It’s for you. It’s for her and for everything we’re going to be. You got me?”
He doesn’t have time to answer. Doesn’t have time to process my words.
Officer Rodriguez is right behind me now, so I spin to intercept the play and cut her off at the pass.
“Nicholas Lockewood,” she starts, glancing at me, then back at my brother, “you are under arr—”
“I did it.”
Silence.
Silence so loud, I swear my eardrums might burst.
“I threw the punch,” I admit, stepping in front of Locke and holding my hands out in front of me. The photographer opens his mouth to argue, so I lunge forward, moving too fast for anyone to stop me. I’m right up in his face before Rodriguez realizes what’s going on.
“I’ll fucking sack him again if he opens his mouth. And this time, I won’t hold back.”
The greenhorn springs into action.
I let him pull me back, clasping my arms behind my back so it’s easier for him to cuff me.
Nicky’s yelling in my direction.
Jojo’s sob pierces through my heart.
Rodriguez watches me with calculated consideration, scanning over my friends—my family—before meeting my gaze once again.
Sighing, she knows I’ve got her.
I admitted to the crime.
There’s no evidence to the contrary.
Given who I am, and my pops’s position with the force, her hands are more than tied.
They’re cuffed.
Just like mine are about to be.
“Kendrick Taylor, you are under arrest. You have a right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have a right to talk to a lawyer and to have them present when the police interrogate you…”
I don’t need to hear my rights.
All I need to know is that I did the right thing.
For him. For her. For us.