Chapter 31 Ty #2
Dad watched her go. “I can’t blame her if she never wants to lay eyes on me again.
” He sat in the chair she’d just vacated and rested his elbows on his knees.
“I honestly had no idea who had ended Josef and Portia’s lives.
When Liza told me everything she’d witnessed, it wrecked me, Ty.
It’s devastating what that child went through. ” He pinched the bridge of his nose.
I patted his arm. “What’s done is done, Dad. We can’t go back and change things. Our actions moving forward will show everyone involved what values the Keller family holds. That’s all we can do... move forward with integrity.”
Dad lifted his gaze. “You might not want to hear this right now, considering that you just woke up, but our family secret won’t be getting out. Castro succumbed to his injuries.”
My jaw dropped. “He’s dead?”
Dad nodded. “Apparently, you did more damage to Castro than he could heal from. You punctured a major artery. He couldn’t recover.”
I closed my eyes, recalling the fight. I had been so focused on my own wound that I hadn’t realized I’d punctured his neck when I had my paws wrapped around him.
Shit.
“I didn’t want to kill him. He needed to be tried for his crimes and punished accordingly.”
Dad sighed. “Good riddance is all I’ll say. Although, I can understand Liza feeling jilted since her parents won’t ever get the justice they rightfully deserve. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she decides to give us all a big fuck-you and tell the entire world our secrets.”
I cleared my throat. “No. Liza isn’t like that.”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s the impression I got when we discussed everything. She just wants to move on.” Dad rose to his feet and shoved his hands in his pants pocket. “That reminds me. There’s something I’d like to do for Liza once you’re back on your feet. Maybe it can be an offering of peace.”
The next three days were torture while I waited to be released from the medical ward. I was bored and anxious to get back to some sort of normalcy.
The nurses and Dr. Anderson took good care of me, but as the future alpha, they went over the top in assuring I was healing as I should be. Anyone else would’ve been released after day two, but not me.
My parents had spent a lot of time with me, playing cards and chatting about random happenings within the pack, but Liza never came back. Bryce even showed up one day with a bouquet of bacon that had been twisted into the form of roses, but no Liza.
At the end of the third day, I was ready to get the hell out of there. I had to sign a shit load of medical release forms before Dr. Anderson would agree to discharge me.
Standing on my own two feet again was painful since the gash in my side was still healing, but I didn’t care. I only had one mission in mind. I had to make things right with my mate.
After showering and trading a hospital gown for normal clothes, I drove straight to Liza’s house. She wasn’t there, so I drove to her office.
Sabrina met me at the front door. “Oh, hey, Ty.”
“Where’s Liza?” I didn’t have time for niceties.
I’d spent the past three days mulling over what I needed to say to Liza, and I could only hope that she hadn’t already concluded that she wanted nothing to do with me or my family.
“I’m sorry. She’s not here.” Sabrina looked at me with pity. I assumed Liza had told her everything.
“Where is she, then?” I tried not to sound too desperate, but it was useless.
Sabrina sighed. “She decided to take some vacation time, but I don’t know where she is right now. Sorry.”
“Fuck!”
I pulled my phone from my pocket as I jogged back to my car. Liza didn’t answer, which wasn’t shocking. I’d been trying to call her for the past three days and my calls always went straight to voicemail every time.
Then a thought occurred to me as my tires squealed out of the office’s parking lot. I hung a left and drove in the direction of Heather Falls.
I parked near the house Castro had built and walked past the site where I had fought him to his death.
Following the same path we’d taken a few nights earlier, I found Liza standing in the lavender field. She didn’t turn to look at me, but she could sense my presence.
“It’s funny how my allergy is gone now that I remember everything.” She took a deep breath. “I think my subconscious reacted to lavender because of the bad memories associated with this field. Every horrific thought was connected to the flowers.”
She sat down, and I followed suit, not sitting too close. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
I waited a few moments before speaking up. “Liza, I’m sorry. Not just for the lies, but for all the pain and suffering my family has caused you. I know money can’t fix any of it, but there’s something you need to know about.”
Liza looked at me, one eyebrow raised in interest.
“Your parents set up a trust fund in your name. It’s been accruing interest for many years, and they were well-versed in the art of making smart investments. You are a very rich woman.” I pulled a folded piece of paper from my back pocket and handed it to her.
She unfolded it and stared for a moment. Eventually, her mouth dropped open in shock as she made sense of the long string of numbers at the bottom of the sheet.
“The bank is already aware of your name change, so you have full access to the money. There’s a safety deposit box in your name, as well. The president of the bank assured me that they can unlock it for you when you’re ready.”
Liza stared at the paper in disbelief.
“Oh.” I pulled another piece of paper from my pocket. “I have one more thing to give you.”
I handed over an address written in my dad’s handwriting. “This is where your parents are buried.”
Liza’s eyes widened. She was stunned.
“Dad wanted me to share a message with you. He said that greed tends to make people blind, and that sometimes the outcome of greed lives with you forever. Your parents were not bad people, despite their way of life. They loved their daughter and their pack. They deserved a proper burial.”
Tears streamed down Liza’s face, and I ached to hold her. I scooted closer, and she instinctively fell against my chest, releasing the emotions overwhelming her.
After a few minutes, she pulled her soaked face from my chest. “You still aren’t forgiven.”
I didn’t let go.
Liza wept on my chest. “I miss them so much.”
I held her even tighter, refusing to let go.
She wrapped her arms around my waist, hugging me back. “I’ll sic my brothers on you if you ever lie to me again.”
I kissed the top of her head. “I’ll gladly take the beating.”
Once her tears stopped, we sat in silence, looking out over the lavender field. It was peaceful and beautiful. A far cry from the darkness that had hung over it only a few nights before.
Liza broke the silence with her soft, quiet voice. “I’m so pissed that Castro won’t face his crimes. I hope he’s burning in Hell.”
I took her hand and kissed it. “Karma always has a way of giving people what they deserve. An eye for an eye. Maybe this was the justice fate felt he deserved.”
She sat in quiet contemplation for a moment and then smiled weakly. “You may be right. Fate always seems to be one step ahead.”
She nestled her head back against my chest, and we sat in silence, watching the sun set over the lavender field.
We finally stood to go. Before we made it to Liza’s car, she turned and took one last look at the home Castro had attempted to recreate.
“Goodbye,” she whispered to her past.