Chapter 48 Rust
RUST
I stop on a backroad to smash Wolfe’s gear with the biggest hammer in my toolbox. Then I send a text from his burner phone to Dalton, hoping it’ll buy us some time without arousing suspicion.
I opt for something straight forward and simply type ‘It’s done.’
The phone gets the hammer treatment as well and I throw the collection of destroyed tech into a nearby river.
Rot in hell, Night Wolfe. You deserved worse than what you got, asshole.
We stop at the first drive-thru we come across and get a bucket of fried chicken, coleslaw, fries and drinks.
I park on a lonely hill overlooking the suburbs of Phoenix.
Sitting in the truck, we watch the sunset and listen to the radio.
We eat without exchanging a single word.
Tally’s been through hell and back today and I don’t want to put pressure on her.
I wait for her to speak first. I wait until we’re done with our meal and the orange sun fades into shades of purple, then blue, then black. Until the stars rise beside a pale moon. Tally takes my hand as if to let me know that despite everything, she wants to be right here with me.
Out of nowhere, the beginning notes of ‘Carried Away’ by George Strait play on the radio.
“That’s our song!” we both burst out and laugh about our synchronicity.
Tally looks at me through lowered lashes. “You remember.”
“I’d never forget the song we slow-danced to on our first real date.”
“Back then, swayin’ with you in the headlights on a dirt road behind the trailer park was the most romantic thing I could imagine, but you kept raising the bar. It’s probably why I could never settle into another relationship after us.”
A jolt of pain zips through the hollow behind my ribs.
“Love without you always felt like a melody written in the wrong key.” She cups my cheek. “Congratulations, Big Guy. You ruined me for every other man.”
I kiss the inside of her palm and switch on the low beams, illuminating the hilltop. Then I turn up the music.
“Not to be a shameless flirt and raise your standards even further into the stratosphere, but would you dance with me in the headlights again, Trouble?”
Tally giggles. “Twelve years I’ve been waiting for that question.”
My heart pounds as I get out and open her door, leading her into the glow. God, she shines brighter than the stars. In her old boots with an exhausted smile on her face, she’s still the most gorgeous person in the world.
I want her on the good days and the bad ones. Through health and sickness.
She’s the only one I’ll ever want.
I wrap my arm around her waist while my other hand slides over the back of her neck, pulling her in close. She melts into me with a sigh. I bask in her scent, in the softness of her body, the warmth of her skin under my fingertips.
We sway gently, in rhythm with each other’s hearts.
I’m only complete with her in my arms, like my body was forged to hold her. Protect her. She’s a queen, a goddess, and she could conquer the whole world on her own, but with me, she lets herself be vulnerable. She trusts me enough to let her armor fall away.
To be the one man allowed to witness her beautiful surrender is the highest privilege I’ll ever earn.
The song ends and I frame her face with my hands. “Whatever your future brings, I want to be a part of it.”
Her eyes go wide.
“But this ain’t me asking you to change your life for me.
You take the wheel, you pick the road, just let me be there along for the ride,” I add quickly.
“If you want to keep touring until you gotta worry about breaking a hip on stage, I’m in.
Or if you want to do the whole picket fence and kids thing, I’ll build a home for us. ”
“You’d be the best dad,” she whispers, pupils blown.
Suddenly I’m having a hard time focusing on my words. How could I not when I’m imagining a horde of cute, curly-haired toddlers with her smile and my eyes?
“And if you want a little of both or something completely different—you guessed it: I’m in. All I need is your hand in mine, Trouble. Every night, I wanna rest my boots under your bed cause anywhere feels like home with you.”
She laughs quietly. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you that I want to try again. Try us, I mean. For real. Seemed awkward, suggesting to your ex-husband to get back together.”
“I think after one accidental murder and one very non-accidental murder, we’re past awkward.”
She chews on her lip. “But do you know what bein’ with me, bein’ with Tally Creed, actually means?”
“Yep. It’s gonna be a media circus and I’ll be the main attraction. I’ll get hounded by paparazzi. Torn apart by the tabloids. Every aspect of our relationship will get analyzed and criticized on the front pages.”
“They’ll dig up every skeleton in your closet. And if you ain’t got any, they’ll invent some,” she warns.
“You should know by now that I’m excellent at corpse disposal.”
Her brows knit. “Are you sure about this? Once we step into the spotlight together, there’s no way back.”
“Let them talk. Let them snap the pics. I don’t care about the noise because I know we’re dancing to our own rhythm.” I pause. “There is one thing I’m worried about though…”
She grips the front of my shirt. “What? What is it?”
I put on an exaggeratedly forlorn expression. “Will you still love me if my forehead looks gigantic in every paparazzo shot?”
“Shut it! I’m not doing the chipmunk worm discussion again.” She laughs, shaking her head. “It’s my turn to talk now.”
“I’m all forehead–I mean ears!”
She giggles again and it’s the most wonderful sound I’ve ever heard. “Stop, I’m bein’ serious!”
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.”
Tally puts a hand on my chest. “When we went on this road trip, I promised myself I was over you. I lied to myself when I said I was only in this to write new music and have phenomenal sex. Stayin’ friends with benefits was never an option because you strum my heartstrings and make my soul sing.
My pulse dances to the melody of your voice and I want it to be the soundtrack for the rest of my life. ”
I choke down happy tears as I grab my wallet from my jeans. Dropping to one knee, I pull out her old wedding ring. “Does that mean you’re ready to take this back?”
Tally squeals. “You kept my ring!”
“Of course. That thing practically embedded itself in my forehead after you launched it at me like a golden projectile. I never knew you had such a strong throwing arm.”
“I’m a woman of many talents.”
“Tally Creed, will you marry me… again?” I ask, offering the ring.
“Fuck yeah!” She holds out her hand, fingers wiggling.
I slip the band on and rise to kiss her. “Our new life together starts now.”
Her expression dims as she twists the ring. “First, I have to take down Rex. I want a fresh start for us.”
Squeezing her hand, I smile. “I understand.”
“After all he has done to me and to you and to so many other singers, I wanna make it hurt. Really hurt.”
“No problem. Give me 30 seconds alone with him and my shotgun.”
She sighs. “Death would be an easy way out for the scumbag. I want him to rot behind bars where he can spend his miserable life stewin’ in the knowledge that I won. That we beat him.”
“Alright, what do you have in mind?”
“Public humiliation. A career-ending scandal. I want to stomp him like a roach while the world watches. For once, I want him to be in the headlines of the tabloids he loves so much. I want to bankrupt him. And when the evidence discredits his social status, nobody will believe him if he tries to get me blacklisted.”
I nod. “Sounds perfect. You want some input or do you have a plan for all this?”
Her smile turns downright villainous and damn, that’s hot. “What about exposing Rex live at the concert in LA tomorrow?”
I whistle. “Diabolical. I love it.”
“I’m good enough with a computer to cut out a few important highlights of Wolfe’s confession to play for the crowd. When we get to the city, I’ll buy a new laptop and prepare a separate USB stick for the concert. Then we can still give the USB from Wolfe to the cops. But there’s a catch.”
“It’s never easy.”
Her lips pinch. “We can’t let Rex get suspicious until the concert starts. Until the moment I take the stage, he’s gotta believe he’s in control. That means keepin’ the tracker in my guitar case.”
“Smart,” I agree.
“But we’ll need some help in LA. Somebody to keep Rex away from me and get the confession footage to the tech team. Like a bodyguard. We need a distraction, too. If I had a double dress up as me and cause confusion at the venue while we sneak in the back entrance…”
“We could hire some actors. It’s LA. They’re everywhere,” I suggest.
“No, we need people we can trust, not strangers who’ll turn my revenge into a social media project.”
“Caleb would be perfect. For the bodyguard role, not the playing you part. He doesn’t have the right curves for that.” I exhale a long breath. “Guess it’s time I told him what happened in Vegas.”
Tally snickers like a schoolgirl planning a prank.
“And I think I know somebody who’d do a great job pretending to be me.
” Her head tilts and she taps her chin. “How surprised would Erin be if I called her now, told her the truth about my identity and casually offered to fly her out to LA on a red-eye?”