Chapter 34 #2
I go to stand in front of her, taking her trembling hand in mine. My voice is rough, but steady. “You hear that, baby? Sounds to me like you’re the bravest one here. You survived more than any of us ever could. That doesn’t scare us. It sure as hell doesn’t scare me.”
Jasper’s hand finds her waist, grounding her—grounding me, too. His voice is rough, unbreakable. “If this is what broken looks like, I’ll fucking break for you a thousand times. You’re not dragging us down. You’re the reason we’re standing.”
Blake sags in the chair, fight gone, eyes empty.
Sawyer wipes away her tears, her shoulders pulling back, her head high. “I’m not ashamed anymore, not about any of it. You don’t get to define me, Blake.”
I press my lips to her temple—soft, a promise. Jasper leans in, forehead to hers, holding her close.
“We’re still here, baby,” I whisper, voice steady as stone.
“And we always will be,” Jasper says, just as sure.
SAWYER
I take a shaky breath, glancing between Jasper and Riot. “Can I… talk to him alone? Just for a minute. Maybe he’ll talk to me if it’s just us.”
Jasper’s jaw ticks, but he nods, stepping in close. “You so much as look at us and we’re through that door. Got it?”
I nod, feeling the weight of his worry, the possessiveness in Riot’s gaze as he squeezes my hand. “Just shout, Hellcat. We’ll be right here.”
When they finally leave, the door clicks shut, the air shifts with expectation. I face Blake, chained and broken, but still wearing that sick, delusional smile.
He blows out a breath, like he’s been holding it. “Thank fuck, Sawyer. Did you really have to let them break my fingers before you got some sense into you? They’re fucking crazy. Now get me out of here, baby, and let’s go.”
He jerks his wrists against the cuffs, grimacing. “C’mon. This is enough. You made your point. We’ll leave—just you and me. Forget all this. I forgive you.”
His voice is almost pleading now, desperate and slick. He’s still trying to twist it—still thinks he has any power left. But I don’t move. I just stare at him as I let the silence answer for me.
He shifts in the chair, frustration flickering in his eyes. “Sawyer, let’s go. You’re not like them. You’re mine. You always have been.”
I fold my arms across my chest, chin lifting. “That’s where you’re wrong, Blake. I never was.”
“You’re making a mistake. When you finally come to your senses, it’ll be too late. They’ll drop you the second you’re not useful to them. And then what?”
I take a slow, deliberate step closer, feeling stronger with every word.
“You’re the only mistake I ever made, Blake. And I’m done letting you speak for me.”
Blake’s eyes search my face, a flicker of panic surfacing as he realizes I’m not unchaining him. He softens his voice, desperate and sticky-sweet. “Sawyer, baby, please. You know I love you. I’ve always loved you. None of this would’ve happened if you’d just stayed. You know we’re meant to be.”
The words roll off me like oil and water. “Love isn’t what you think it is, Blake. What you did to me isn’t love. It’s an obsession. It’s control.”
He shakes his head. “No, no, you don’t understand. You’re all I’ve ever wanted. I did everything for you. Everything.”
My voice is calm, but it trembles at the edges. “You hurt me. You planned every second. You took things that weren’t yours to take. That isn’t love, Blake. That’s just you trying to own something you never deserved.”
“You can’t just throw this away. You need me. I know you better than they ever will.”
I step forward, my voice deadly soft. “You don’t know me. You never did. And you’re never going to touch me again.”
His eyes shine with something twisted—anger, regret, maybe even grief. But I don’t care.
He leans forward as far as the chains will let him, his eyes are burning with anger. “You’ll never be able to get rid of me, Sawyer. You hear me? You’re mine. You’ve always been mine.”
My skin crawls. I keep my face blank, refusing to give him the fear he wants.
Blake’s voice rises, ragged with anger and something close to panic. “You don’t get it, do you? You are trying to ruin everything I’ve been doing. I’ve worked for years to make this right. I did everything for us—you think you can just walk away?”
“You didn’t do any of it for me. You did it for yourself. You want to own me. Control me. But you lost, Blake. I’m not yours. I never was.”
He slams his cuffed fists against the chair, the sound echoing through the basement. “No, Sawyer. You can’t ruin this. You can’t ruin us. I’ve waited too long—gone too far. You’re not leaving me. I won’t let you.”
I take a single step back, my heart pounding, but my voice is ice. “You don’t get to decide anymore. This is over, Blake. You’re done. There’s nothing left, so tell me everything I want to know.”
RIOT
I lean against the wall outside the basement door with my arms crossed, listening for anything out of the ordinary.
Jasper’s pacing, jaw tight, every few seconds glancing back like he might bust through and drag Sawyer out himself.
I’m tense too, don’t get me wrong, but if there’s one thing that girl’s proven, it’s that she can hold her own.
Hell, she’s braver than half the men I’ve ever met.
My phone buzzes. It’s Silas.
I flick the screen and hold it out so Jasper can hear. Silas’s voice is urgent. “We’re on our way back. Found some things you’re gonna want to see. Lock down the house and keep everyone upstairs until we get there.”
Jasper’s brows knit, and I can see him already working through a dozen worst-case scenarios. “What things?”
Silas grunts. “You’ll see. Just prepare yourselves.”
The line clicks off and Jasper hands my phone back while running his other hand through his hair.
“What do you think it is?” I ask, keeping my tone even, because one of us has to.
He shakes his head. “No idea. But I don’t like it.”
I shrug, nudging him with my shoulder, trying to break the tension. “Hey. Whatever it is, we can handle it.”
He cracks the smallest smile, finally looking me in the eye. “I’m more worried about her, but she’s tougher than both of us, you know.”
I smirk. “You aren’t kidding.”
That gets a short laugh out of him, the sound low and warm. “She’s braver than I ever gave her credit for.”
“She’s brave as hell,” I agree. “And she’s ours. You see the way she walked down here? Head high, not a single fucking flinch. Makes me wanna ruin every man who ever doubted her.”
Jasper nods, eyes softening. “She’s gonna be okay. We’ll make sure of it.”
We stand there, side by side, listening to the muffled sounds from behind the door—ready for whatever comes next. And I think we both believe that she doesn’t need saving anymore, but we’re more than happy to get to be the ones standing beside her while she lights the matches.
I turn around just enough to peer through the half-open door—
And what do I see?
Sawyer, standing next to Blake, swinging a goddamn baseball bat with the kind of fury that’d make any major league scout weep. The crack of wood on bone echoes up the stairs, and Blake howls, cursing, writhing in the chair.
I grin widely, can’t help the pride that flares in my chest. “You gotta see this, Reign,” I call over my shoulder, voice full of wicked glee. “Our girl’s channeling Negan down there.”
Jasper moves in beside me, eyebrows raised. We both watch as Sawyer lifts the bat for another swing, her hair wild, cheeks flushed, looking more alive than I’ve ever seen her.
Jasper exhales—half laugh, half awe. “Remind me never to piss her off.”
I shake my head, still grinning. “I think Blake finally figured out who the real monster is.”
And honestly? I’ve never loved her more.
Sawyer finally lets out a ragged breath and hurls the bat to the ground, letting it clatter across the basement floor. She doesn’t look back at Blake as she stalks towards us, eyes blazing as she heads up the stairs without a word.
I whistle low, glancing at Jasper. “Fuck, I’m hard now,” I say, not bothering to lower my voice. “You see the blood splatter on her? That’s some real top-tier shit.”
Jasper shakes his head, lips twitching with a smirk he can’t hide. “Yeah. Remind me to buy her a Louisville Slugger for her birthday.”
We trail after her towards the kitchen where she’s already got a glass under the tap. I grab one for myself and lean against the counter, watching her as she gulps half the glass in one go.
“So…” I ask, wiping a bead of sweat from my brow, still feeling that thrum of adrenaline. “Did you get anything outta him? Or did you just beat the crazy out of him for fun?”
Jasper arches a brow, waiting too.
Sawyer finally cracks a slight, wild grin. “He’s still not feeling very talkative, but I feel a hell of a lot better.”
Jasper grins, stepping in to tuck her hair behind her ear. “That’s all that matters.”
I chuckle, knocking my glass against hers. “Next time you wanna blow off steam, call me so I can come watch. I saw you hit him with a bad and I was instantly hard. I’ll even bring popcorn.”
She laughs this time, the sound a little raw but so goddamn alive it makes my chest ache.
That’s my girl.
SAWYER
I’m still finishing the last of my water when the back door swings open and heavy boots thud against the floor.
Silas appears first, carrying two battered file boxes stacked so high I can barely see his face.
Micah follows, lugging another one, his shoulders tense, jaw set in a way that makes something uneasy ripple through my chest.
They march straight to the big kitchen table and drop the boxes with a thud that echoes through the room. Dust puffs into the air, motes catching the sunlight. Micah walks back outside without saying a word. For a second, nobody says anything. Even Riot, usually quick with a joke, stays silent.
“What’s all that?” I ask, voice rough.