Chapter Eight
Elise
The following morning, all the women congregated in the club’s gym.
I was exhausted but happy for Layla and Bowie, but I was also confused and a little pissed with John.
He had a nerve to think we could pick up where we left off after everything that had happened. I loved him, and I always would, but at the same time, I was over it, and I had been for years.
Loving John Stone didn’t give him an automatic pass.
Watching the love of my life have a family with another woman shattered something inside me. It was like I said. I knew the way we imploded was neither of our faults. Still, I couldn’t help but feel resentment because he’d given somebody else everything he’d promised me.
Maybe it was irrational to feel that way; Robert manipulated John as much as he did me, but I couldn’t help being pissed about it.
Admittedly, when I saw the arrowhead, a tiny part of me yearned to forgive, forget, and move on. But after years of thinking John didn’t care, it wasn’t easy to reprogram everything I thought I knew. At best, it would take time; at worst, I wouldn’t succeed at all, and that was something we both had to navigate.
I wanted to be friends and get to a place where we could spend time together without me fantasizing about punching him, but it would take time. I’d worn a mask for years, smiling, nodding, and playing nice. I could continue, if only to keep the peace.
Kennedy, Cara, and Iris all huddled together, watching Sophie jump onto the boxing ring, pull the ropes apart, and squeeze through.
I couldn’t help noticing her fit, toned body.
Sophie had a baby recently, but you’d never have guessed it by how her black skin-tight gym shorts and the matching top showed off her slim figure. There wasn’t an ounce of excess fat on her toned limbs or surprisingly muscular abs. Her build was much like mine at her age, except she was way fitter, and although she had boobs and an ass, they were smaller than mine were back then, obviously because she worked out way more than I ever did.
My daughter ran her hands through her long, dark hair and slicked it up into a high ponytail, which she secured with a black hair tie from around her wrist. “Ned, you’re pregnant, so I don’t want you training with anybody in case things get too physical. Stay down there and take note of what we do. Elise, Cara, and Iris come up here, and I’ll take you through some self-defense moves. We’ll practice in pairs.”
Iris, Cara, and I hauled ourselves up and squeezed through the ropes Sophie held open for us. Then, she took us through a warm-up until we were primed and ready.
“Self-defense is about making things as difficult as possible for your attacker,” Sophie explained. “We want him to either give up because you’re not an easy target or at least buy yourself time to get away and raise the alarm. Always remember the body parts that make men vulnerable. Eyes, throat, solar plexus, and dick. Digging your thumbs in an eye socket will incapacitate anyone. Hell, pull out their eyeballs if you need to.” She suddenly charged into Cara, who let out a girlie squeal and fell into a heap on the mat.
“Hey!” Cara snapped, taking hold of Sophie’s outstretched hand and pulling up to her feet. “I wasn’t ready!”
“That’s lesson one,” Sophie stated. “Always be prepared and feel out your surroundings.” She looked at Cara and gestured downward. “Straighten your leg and lock it at the knee.”
Cara did as she was told, and when Sophie suddenly charged at her again, she managed to stay on her feet.
“There!” Sophie declared. “Preparation could save your life. Whenever you’re away from the compound, in a store, or just in the street chatting with a friend, I want you to get into the habit of standing with one leg locked. Atlas told me he’s arranging stun guns for us, and he’ll take us through the training for them.”
“What about mace?” Iris suggested. “That shit stings.”
“Mace is good for indoors but not out in the open air. You risk hurting yourself if it blows back into your eyes or throat. There’s nothing wrong with having a canister by your bed, or even in your car, but I wouldn’t advise using it outside.” A slow grin spread across her face, and she waggled her eyebrows. “I can’t wait to play with our stun guns. It’s gonna be fun.”
Over the next hour, Sophie took us through the basics. She corrected my stance, my footwork, and even how I punched. By the time the hour was up, I was shocked at how much more confident I felt. I’d learned more in an hour with my daughter than I had from years of studying YouTube videos.
Soph went easy on me because of my sore ribs. Even so, by the time she dismissed us, sweat poured from me. My muscles screamed with pain, but my blood pumped, and I was exhilarated and felt way more confident in dealing with an attack.
A door banged in the distance, and voices floated down the stairs to the gym. Straight away, I recognized John’s deep timbre, followed by Atlas’s chuckle.
I looked up to see my son-in-law come into view with John close behind.
“How’s it goin’, ladies?” the SAA boomed as he reached the bottom of the steps. “Did my Stitch put you through your paces?”
Sophie leaned onto the ropes with her arms outstretched. “They were amazing, but then ladies are much more intelligent fighters than you brawlers. We think on our feet and have to be more creative.”
Atlas came to a stop, planted his feet apart, and folded his arms crossed over his chest. “Bullshit,” he barked.
Sophie smiled prettily. “Shall I prove it, big man?” She beckoned him over with her index finger.
Atlas moved quickly for a big guy because, within seconds, he’d hauled himself up into the ring.
An uneasy feeling prickled through my stomach as I felt a presence next to me and looked up to see John standing close by my side.
“She’s gonna kick his ass,” he crowed.
My mouth gaped, and I jerked a finger toward the ring. “You can’t let her fight him, Stone. He’ll hurt her. Look at the size of him.”
John chuckled softly. “Don’t underestimate our girl, Leesy, she can fight. And if you think Atlas would harm a hair on her head, you’re crazy. He’s protective to a fault—”
As he finished his sentence, Sophie shrieked what I could only describe as a war cry and leaped on Atlas’s chest.
He wasn’t ready for her, so he staggered backward, and his ass hit the floor with a loud thud. The instant Atlas got his breath back, he bucked his hips so forcefully that he sent Sophie flying off. However, instead of falling on her ass like her husband just had, she managed to flip herself so her feet hit the floor as she landed in a crouch.
My jaw hit the floor. “Jesus. She’s incredible.”
“Yep,” John agreed proudly, puffing his chest out. “Sophie’s a black belt in Krav Maga. She’s so damned good that I made her to come here a year ago and train my men in Martial Arts. How do you think she and Atlas got together? It’s not like they ran in the same crowd.”
My breath caught in my throat as I watched Atlas grapple roughly with my daughter. Sophie swiftly turned, ducked under his arm, and flipped him over her shoulder as if he only weighed ten pounds.
I could tell that my girl could defend herself during my self-defense class. Still, I never imagined she was so capable. Never before had I come across a brighter or more caring woman. Maybe I was biased—I mean, she did come from me—but watching Sophie flip a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound man over her shoulder like he was light as a feather made me realize just how much strength my daughter possessed, both inside and out.
On the surface, Sophie and Atlas seemed like they didn’t have much in common, but watching them spar, it was easy to see they were matched perfectly. My girl was a wonderful ol’ lady, and one perfect for a man like Atlas. Sophie challenged him, mind, body, and spirit, and it was clear he worshipped the ground she and Belle walked on.
My throat heated because it suddenly hit me how little I knew about my daughter. She was a doctor, a mother, and well-respected, but I needed to dig deeper.
My head snapped to the right, and I caught John’s gaze. “Do you know much about her parents and what kind of childhood she had? Asking Sophie that stuff feels like I’m forcing things, and I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. Why did she learn this stuff? I need to understand, but more than anything, I need to be able to protect her from Robert.”
John touched my arm reassuringly. “Colt’s doin’ a deep dive now. He put together a file on her back when she first came around the club, but he thinks he can get more now we’ve got some background information and he has higher clearance levels. I’ll show you, but you won’t like some of what you read.”
Heat curled in my chest. “Did somebody hurt my daughter?”
“Only once,” he muttered. “Sophie was smart and got out immediately. Kennedy made it so he couldn’t hurt her again.”
My chest ached. “I’ve missed everything. There’s so much I don’t know about my girl. She’s my daughter; I should know her better than anybody. I’m so thankful I got her back, but I’m worried because what if I say or do something wrong? What if I screw everything up and lose her again?”
A pained expression morphed across John’s face. “Come to my office in thirty minutes. I’ll tell you everythin’ I know. It’s a fucked-up situation, but I think you’re handling it so fuckin’ well, Leesy. You may not feel comfortable yet, but you will. Soph loves the idea of you, and after everythin’ you did to protect her, you’ve got Atlas in your corner. It’ll all work out, I promise, baby.”
My gaze swept to my daughter, and I smiled when I saw she had her husband pinned to the floor and had straddled his chest. She leaned down and touched her mouth to his before they both burst out laughing.
Atlas sat up, tagged Soph’s waist, and hauled her over his shoulder as he maneuvered himself back on his feet. He gave her ass a light tap and whispered something in Sophie’s ear that made her giggle joyfully.
The idea of somebody hurting my baby made me physically ache. Everything I’d done was to keep her safe. Discovering her life hadn’t been perfect sent a stab of pain through my chest, and for the first time since being reunited with my daughter, I felt a sense of doubt.
What if, after everything I’d done to protect Sophie, I’d still let her down?
I fought back tears, staring down at the photographs in the file John had just given me.
Sophie’s blackened eyes stared back at me; her expression vacant.
My stomach churned with nausea.
“When did this happen?” I demanded, unable to tear my gaze from the images.
“About six years ago,” he rasped. “Way before our girl came home.”
I turned the page to see a medical report alongside a charge sheet. “Domestic violence?” I breathed. “Her boyfriend did that to her?”
“Her husband and a cop,” John informed me quietly. “Her friends and family liked him; thought he was a decent dude. Fuck knows what happened, but over time he became more controllin’ and crazy jealous. She was in the process of leavin’ the asshole when he lost his shit and did that.”
Moisture welled in my eyes as I flicked through the images before scanning the police report. “How could he get away with a misdemeanor? Look at her face, John. He should’ve gotten a felony charge and gone to prison.”
“Kennedy made a deal,” John told me. “They didn’t go for the felony as long as he agreed to give Soph a quick divorce, waive the right to alimony, and go to anger management classes. He lost his job and eventually lost everything else, including his goddamned life. His body was discovered a while ago in some drug den. He’d overdosed.”
“I wish he was still alive,” I bit out. “Just so I could kill him again.”
“Don't worry, Leesy,” he retorted under his breath. “He met his maker. We made sure of it.”
My eyes widened as John’s words sunk in. “Did you kill him?”
He smirked. “Nope.”
My eyes narrowed on his expression. I always could tell when he was lying to me. “Sophie’s my daughter, too, John. You better tell me.”
He leaned forward, elbows to the desk, and steepled his fingers together, studying me intently.
“John!” I snapped again.
His mouth twisted slightly, and he sighed. “Let’s just say, when Atlas found out what happened to his ol’ lady, he wasn’t happy. I didn’t know she was mine then, but I still felt connected to her. Seeing that report made my mind up.”
I dipped my chin, meeting John’s stare head-on. “I swear I won’t ever repeat what you tell me.”
He brought a hand up to rub his beard. “Wasn’t lyin’, he did die of an overdose, but we were behind it. We protect what’s ours, Leesy. Layla, Sophie, Cara. Ned. You . I know the club didn’t treat you well, but things around here have changed. We look after our ol’ ladies, and if any of my men hurt their woman in any way, they’d be out. Hell, I almost threw my own son outta the club after he fucked Cara over. If he hadn’t ended up in prison, I probably would have packed his bags for him.”
“I think Bandit was sorry for what he did to me,” I said, my tone low.
John’s lip curled. “Not as fuckin’ sorry as he should have been. You’d lost your dad, Ma, me. Nobody could’ve blamed you for seeking comfort elsewhere.” He let out a humorless laugh. “Hell, I did.”
“But I didn’t, John,” I corrected.
He stared at me wistfully. “My pride was dented. Couldn’t face anyone, so I jetted. Biggest regret of my life. Should’ve stayed around, baby. Should’ve known.”
Gold met green, and my heart fluttered.
John had changed a lot since we were together, but he was still a striking and extremely handsome man.
Over the years, I’d heard chatter about him from the women within my circle. Even the stuck-up, snobby women who I detested always talked amongst themselves and mostly said the same thing—John was entirely fuckable.
To me, he was still Stone. I noticed the physical changes; I wasn’t blind. But I’d always known there was more to him than the bearded, muscled biker who sat astride his motorcycle wearing a tight Henley and a sexy grin. Underneath, he was still much like the man I once knew, just older, wiser, and a lot less arrogant.
Getting to know John again had been interesting and, dare I say it, even enjoyable.
I knew he was much more sensitive than most people realized. If I was honest, he impressed me because, at some point during the time we’d been apart, he'd learned he had nothing to prove to anyone. The Stone I knew had been conditioned by his dad to put himself first and never admit to his mistakes.
The fact he’d apologized to me for his part in what happened proved he’d grown.
I jumped slightly as a loud rap sounded from the door.
John complained under his breath before calling out, “Come in.”
My neck craned to see the door crack open and Colt appear. “Found some info. It’s about the woman who adopted Sophie.”
My stomach jolted nervously as John motioned for the other man to enter.
Colt grabbed a chair and set it down next to mine before taking a seat. Then, opening the thick file in his hands, he set it on John’s desk.
I leaned forward to study it and immediately noticed a photograph of a woman in an old-style nurse’s uniform.
Something about her jogged my memory. Wracking my brain, I tried to place her.
“This is Lois Abbot,” Colt announced, tapping his index finger on the image. “She worked at Baines Memorial thirty-five-years ago. She’s Sophie’s adoptive mother.”
My eyebrows drew together as I studied the face of the woman who raised my daughter. The feeling of familiarity prickled through me again, and I murmured, “I’m sure I know her from somewhere.”
Colt turned the page over and pointed to a report. “Read that, Duchess. She treated you twice. You were taken into hospital on two separate occasions and treated for exposure.”
John’s brows went up slightly.
“Lois looked after you both times and wrote these reports,” Colt continued, pointing to a section of the paper. “She confirmed on both occasions that you were mentally unstable.”
My chest tightened as painful memories hit me from all sides.
Strangely, I didn’t remember much about that time except the ache of grief in my chest. Explaining my depressive state to John would be difficult because I hated even thinking of it. But I had to try if we were going to get to the bottom of what had happened to Sophie.
“The first time I ended up in hospital was the day we were told you’d been killed in action. I was there when they told your mom and saw her collapse. I lost my shit and had some kind of breakdown. I’d recently lost my dad and found out I was pregnant, so losing you ended me. The second time was when Bandit almost shot me.”
John’s jaw clenched, and a muscle ticked in his jaw.
Colt tapped the report again. “It says here that Lois noted your pregnancy and voiced her concerns to you, but you avoided the subject.” His index finger slid down to a highlighted section. “She wrote that you didn’t want to know if the baby was healthy.”
“It wasn’t like that,” I protested. “Earlier, I’d had the run-in with Bandit. I was alone, and I’d gone to him for help with the baby. He was angry because he had the wrong idea about me. I was a mess and didn’t know how the hell I’d raise her alone, but I always wanted her.”
“Look,” Colt interrupted, pointing to another section further down. “Henderson went on record to say you didn’t want the baby. He told them you’d gotten pregnant through a sexual assault, and the intention was to give her up for adoption.”
I stared at the report, taking in Robert’s damning words on the piece of paper.
As shocked as I was that he’d been so brazen with his lies, I wasn’t surprised. I didn’t put anything past my husband. Jesus, he’d arranged for some sick bastard to rip my baby from my body and stood and watched it happen.
“I suspect Lois spoke to Robert about adopting your child,” Colt suggested. “We’ll never know for sure, but I think she was protecting Sophie. She treated you twice, and both times, you were close to a breakdown. It would’ve been easy for Henderson to feed her a few well-placed lies. I wouldn’t put it past him to tell her you were unstable and he was worried for the baby’s safety. And your state of mind at the time, although understandable, would have indicated he was telling the truth.”
John’s mouth twisted. “I’m gonna kill that motherfucker,” he snarled.
Colt flipped another page of the file over and pointed to some baby pictures. “Here’s all the images I could find of Sophie.”
One particular photograph caught my eye. I picked it up to study it more closely. “This is one of the pictures Robert gave me. I have it back at the house with the others.”
“Others?” John questioned.
“I got a few when she was a baby, but when she hit her third birthday, it went down to one every year. It was Robert’s way of keeping me compliant and also a reminder he was the one in control. The last one I got was on her tenth birthday. Agent Sears introduced himself to me soon after, and we started working against Robert.”
“Why did they stop?” Colt asked.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “I assumed at the time it was because Sophie was getting older and coming into her looks. Maybe he couldn’t risk me ever recognizing her.”
“I don’t think so. Sophie lived too far away. The chances of you ever meeting her were less than zero.” Colt flipped the pages of the file again and pointed at some official-looking documents. “This is Sophie’s and Lois’s birth certificate. They’re fakes.”
My head reared back slightly. “I don’t understand.”
“In the space of three months, Lois obtained these documents and moved from Elko up in northern Nevada, down to Vegas,” Colt informed us. “That’s not unusual, except when they left, Lois and Sophie Abbot disappeared off the face of the earth, and Lois and Sophie Green appeared with a back story in place.” He nodded toward the documents. “Sophie’s original birth certificate is fake too, unsurprisingly, and I gotta say, Lois must’ve paid some cake for ‘em. They’re among the best forgeries I’ve seen.”
“Jesus,” I breathed.
“There’s more,” Colt stated. “Every month, he deposited a thousand bucks into Lois’s bank account. It stopped around the time they moved. I’m thinkin’ that maybe he did or said somethin’ to make alarm bells ring, or perhaps it merely boiled down to woman’s intuition. The fact is, there’s no trace of Lois or Sophie under the name that Henderson knew ‘em by, and I’ve dug deep on this, Duchess.”
Staring down at the document, I pressed my lips together with frustration.
For years, Robert had been blackmailing me with the threat of harming my daughter, so discovering he hadn’t even known her whereabouts felt like a kick in the teeth. I was relieved she’d been kept safe but furious with myself for believing my husband’s bullshit.
“That’s good, right?” John asked. “It means Henderson doesn’t know who Sophie is now?”
Colt dipped his chin in assent. “Yeah. I don’t think she’s in any immediate danger. Also means we may be able to play the mayor. He thinks Elise’s photographs and mementos are in his care. I reckon we can use that to get Brett back into his circle, if we’re convincing enough.”
A newfound sense of determination made my tone harden. “Robert played me for years. It’s time for payback. I can convince him.”
John sat back in his chair, his gaze glued to me. “I dunno. It’s too risky—”
“I can do it, John,” I insisted, interrupting him. “You have to trust me.”
One side of his mouth hitched. “Trust you as much as I trust any one of my brothers, but I’ve got this. You can rest easy. Let me deal with him.”
“I appreciate that, John,” I bandied back. “But I’ve been working my ass off to take Robert down for thirty years. If you think I’m happy to sit back now when I’m so close, you don’t know me very well. He took everything from me; now I’m going to take everything from him.” I turned to Colt. “Can I use your phone?”
His head reared back slightly. “Seen that look before, Duchess. What’s on your mind?”
I cocked a knowing eyebrow. “There’s no time like the present.”
“Whoa!” John threw himself forward, his golden eyes fixating on me. “Don’t we need to at least plan this?”
“Plan what?” I challenged. “I know how to get him eating out of my hand. He’s a narcissist, John, and a big one at that. And I’ve been playing the part of the injured wife for so long; it’s second nature to me now. No plan in the world can tell me how to play him more than I already know. After all, I’ve had years of practice.”
“She’s right, Dagger,” Colt insisted. “I wouldn’t risk the case. We’ve been working on it for too long.” He unlocked his cell and handed it to me.
John looked between us briefly before he slumped back in his chair and jerked a nod. “Put him on speaker, and I’ll record the convo.” He pulled his cell from his pocket and placing it on the table.
Centering myself, I breathed in and out slowly before pressing my husband’s number into the cell. After three rings, the line connected, and Robert’s voice barked, “Henderson. Who’s this?”
After a brief pause, I murmured, “Robert?” making sure to keep my voice timid.
He grunted. “You’ve got a fucking nerve.”
“I need my stuff, Robert,” I whispered, injecting fear into my tone. “I want my pictures and keepsakes.”
“Come and get them,” he spat.
“You’ll kill me,” I cried.
He laughed.
I took a sharp intake of breath. “Please, Robert.”
After a pause, another soft laugh came through the line. “You’ve got some balls calling me for a favor. You’re lucky I haven’t made a bonfire and thrown your shit on it. You’ve betrayed me, Elise, and I don’t take kindly to traitors. If you want your stuff, come and get it.”
John’s face twisted.
“I’m not going back there, Robert,” I reiterated. “You’ll kill me the minute I walk through the doors. We both know our marriage is at an end, so let it be done, and we can both move on. It’s not like we were in love or that you were even faithful to me.”
“I loved you,” he bit out.
“No, Robert,” I argued softly, “You just wanted what you couldn’t have. If you loved me, you would have done anything to make me happy. Instead, you took my baby, locked me up, and made my life hell. I’m not coming back, ever. Now, you know what I want, so tell me what I need to do to get my photographs back.”
“Drop the charges,” he demanded. “Say you made it all up.”
“Done,” I agreed.
He paused briefly before saying, “It’s a good start, but that’s not enough.”
“I’ve nothing else to give you, Robert,” I cried, ramping up the panic in my voice. “Please. I need my photographs.”
“You went to him ,” he snapped.
“No, Robert, I didn’t. They pulled Brett’s car over and brought us both here. You beat me half to death, so I wasn’t in any position to argue. The club offered me a safe haven, and I’ve taken them up on it. I’m not stupid enough to come home and let you kill me, or even worse. Now, tell me what you need from me. I don’t care about the jewelry or the clothes. I just want my photographs.”
He paused before murmuring, “There is one thing you can do.”
“Anything, just tell me,” I implored.
Robert cleared his throat. “Those bikers have Brett. I want him back.”
Bingo.
“He’s still here?” I mumbled, putting on a confused tone. “I assumed they let him go.”
“He’ll be locked up somewhere in the compound,” Robert advised me. “Get him out of there and get him home before they kill him,” his voice lowered, “that’s if they haven’t already.”
I stayed silent for a moment. “I wouldn’t know where to start. I could ask one of the men where he is. Surely they can help.”
Colt stifled a laugh.
“No!” Robert snapped. “That club would never free him, Elise. They’ll kill him before they let him go. You have to do this without anybody knowing.”
“I don’t know, Robert,” I whispered. “If the club finds out I helped Brett escape, they’ll kick me out. I’ll have nowhere to go.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to choose what’s more important to you: the club or your pictures . I’ll give you twenty-four hours. Use the time wisely and keep your ear to the ground. I’ll wait for your call, but don’t take too long.” A click sounded, and the line went dead.
Slumping back in my chair, my gaze went to Colt, and I handed his cell back, griping, “He’s so damned sure of himself.”
“For the leader of a sex trafficking ring, he’s fuckin’ stupid.” Colt took his phone and pocketed it.
“The asshole’s called the shots for thirty years,” I explained. “Robert can’t understand he’s losing control. I’ve been so compliant over the years that he underestimates me. He thinks he holds all the cards purely because he knows I’ll do anything for my daughter. Is it sick that I find karma in the knowledge I can use his weakness to my advantage?”
“Not at all,” Colt replied. “Especially when we both know he has no intention of givin’ you those pictures. He’ll fuck you over.”
I shrugged uncaringly. “I’ve got my Constance in flesh and blood. He can burn them for all I care.” Turning to John, I inquired, “So, what happens next?”
I froze when I saw Stone staring at me like he’d never seen me before.
“You okay there?” I prompted.
“Who the fuck are you, and what have you done with my Leesy?” he questioned. “The way you just handled him—Jesus, woman—you nearly had me fooled.”
Over the years, I’d had to learn to look after myself. John knew the eighteen-year-old girl, and I kept forgetting that my involvement in all the subterfuge was new to him. I got why he was shocked; in the past, when we were together, he’d tended to run roughshod over me, but he’d have to learn I’d since grown up and found a backbone.
“I’ve lived with a monster for a long time, John. What did you think I’d do, curl up in a ball and let him destroy me? Maybe if he hadn’t taken Sophie from me, I would have. I’d lost you, Dad, Connie—everyone who mattered. I couldn’t bear to lose her too.”
He leaned toward me, and gold met green. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I assured him.
“No, Leesy,” he replied. “It’s not. But I’m gonna say it and mean it every fuckin’ day until it sinks in.”
The sincerity in his tone made the knot in my stomach loosen.
I wasn’t used to such kindness. After living with an animal for so long, John’s meaningful apology almost embarrassed me. Even when we were together, he’d rarely said sorry, and on the few occasions he had, it was usually to wheedle out of something he’d done, or to get his own way.
Over the years, I’d noticed the changes in him. I’d seen how well-liked and respected he’d become, and even though he had a reputation for being steadfast and liking things done a certain way, it was also known he was a man of honor.
I’d been around the dregs of humanity for a long time, so it was easy to recognize when something was fundamentally good. Watching John love on his club, his kids, and his grandchildren brought a warmth to my chest I hadn’t felt in years.
John Stone two-point-oh was close to smashing through the bricks I’d built around my heart.
I was in trouble.