18. Chapter Seventeen
Reed
Watching Ali take her revenge and steal something from the bastard who stole everything from her will live in my head forever. I will always think she looks beautiful, but today, with her enemy's blood sprayed over her, she was stunning. I had to be inside her. The need to fill her, show her my feelings, and mark her as mine was too great to deny. It was the perfect way to release the—what felt like a lifetime of—frustrations.
After returning to the house, I helped Ali clean, disinfect and bandage my name on her ass and the cuts on her knees and palms. I left her with her brother and went in search of my crew. I found them in my office; everyone, including Demon, has a glass of my ten-year-old scotch in hand. I shut the door and turned to face them.
“Dean?” I ask Gabe.
He stands, offering me his full glass before pouring himself another. “Dead. I don’t know how Ali swung the poker with so much force, but she did. It went through the side of his head, killing him instantly, I assume. A death too merciful for the likes of him.”
I nod, moving behind my desk. Like me, Gabe has been waiting for months to finally serve out justice for Tara. Depending on the number, the plans for the man or men were detailed. The ideal was to torture them for hours making sure to hurt them as much as they hurt her that night. We didn’t have to imagine what she went through. No, we know what she went through on her final night alive. When she went missing, we started to hunt down anyone seen with her. Which led us to the dark video of her. The sister I never knew existed until she appeared on my doorstep a year ago.
The video was shot perfectly, so that whoever was behind her was never in the frame. They also never spoke besides grunts and groans of pleasure. As my little sister pleaded, begged and cried for them to stop.
“I’ve been asking Gabe here about the situation with your sister,” Demon says, pulling me from the memory of the video that haunts me. I look up, meeting his dark eyes. “I’m sorry for your loss.” The sincerity is evident in his eyes. I nod because I can’t find the words to say right now.
“Demon thinks that maybe…” Gabe says, glancing at the ceiling before continuing. “Maybe Tara is still alive,” he finishes in a whisper.
I drain the rest of the scotch and hold out the glass. Nick jumps up to refill it. “He does, does he?” I narrow my eyes and stare at Demon. “Well, please do enlighten me with your fucking theory?” I take the glass from Nick and drain it fully again.
“Gabe said that her body was never discovered. Correct?” Demon asks, rubbing his hands together.
“Correct we buried an empty casket, but the amount of blood—”
Demon interrupts me. “The human body can lose up to forty percent of its blood before it becomes fatal. According to Gabe, the police could never tell you exactly how much blood there was. Only that there was a substantial amount, and by testing, it matched the DNA you provided when you reported her missing.”
I refuse to allow myself to hope that my little sister is out there somewhere alive. I have long since accepted the fact that she is gone. “While your theory is good. It is just that; a fucking theory,” I say, turning my attention to Gabe. “Look, I know—”
Glass shatters around me as the scotch he once held runs down the back wall behind me. “You know nothing. Nothing of the pain I’ve felt knowing she is gone. That because of a stupid fucking fight between us, she was hurt that night. So don’t sit there behind your desk and try to tell me what you know, Reed. Because your words mean nothing to me.” Gabe’s breathing turns labored, and his hands start to tremble.
I raise my hands, pushing away from my desk and stepping over the shards of glass. “You’re right. I don’t know what you’re feeling. I apologize. I don’t want you to get your hopes up only to be disappointed once again when this theory turns out to be nothing,” I say, slowly approaching Gabe. He stands there with his eyes narrowed and hate swirling in them, but I will take his rage because I was careless with my words.
“If there is a small chance that she is still out there…” Gabe chokes on his words, and I waste no time wrapping my arms around him.
“Then we will not stop until we have found her. I miss her too,” I say, admitting the truth I tried to bury inside me.
“I have people and resources that I will be more than willing to share,” Demon says. I nod my head but do not let go of my best friend.
“Then I say it’s time to get to work,” Jessie says. He, Nick, and Demon leave us alone. Once the door shuts, I pull back away from Gabe.
“Look, I don’t want you to leave this room thinking I don’t want Tara to be out there. Because I do, but I worked so hard to accept the fact that she was dead. Opening that door to the possibility is hard. But you’re right. If there is a chance we should stop at nothing to find her,” I say, waiting for him to look at me.
Finally, he opens his eyes. His dark green eyes are still watery, and I hate that more than anything. “I know Reed. I know you better than most remember. I’ve always had this feeling inside here,” he says, laying a hand over his heart. “That she is still out there, but all I’ve found are dead ends. Maybe I can finally discover the truth with the resources someone like Demon offers.”
“Okay,” I say. “Why don’t you head home or crash here? I’m going to go check on Ali and then get the boys from Grandmama.”
“So, you and Ali?” Gabe wiggles his brows and laughs.
“What about us?” I push him before walking away. He quickly catches up to me.
“It’s serious?” Gabe asks, stopping me before I can head down the stairs. Ali’s laugh floats up, and I smile softly at the sound.
“Do you remember what you told me when you first saw Tara?”
“That it felt like a piece of myself that I hadn’t even known was missing had suddenly been found,” Gabe says with a faraway look in his eyes.
“Same thing,” I said, pointing down the stairs. Nothing else needs to be said between us. He nods at me and takes the stairs two at a time. Gabe hollers a goodbye into the dining room before leaving out the front door.
Ali
After Reed left to find the guys, I excused myself to change. I wash off the blood and pull on a clean sundress, without panties, because my ass is on fire. Stopping in the kitchen, I find a bottle of pain relievers and swallow two with a glass of water.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” Caleb asks me from the dining room.
“No, not really. But can I ask you a question?” I pull out the chair next to him trying not to groan as I sit down and take his hand in mine. He nods at me with a sweet smile on his face. Oh, how I’ve missed his smile over the years. “Reed asked me a question this morning, and it got me thinking. I’ve been calling you Caleb out loud and in my head, but is that what you want me to call you? When Reed asked me what name I wanted him to call me, I told him that I would like to continue going by Ali.”
Caleb cocks his head. “I’ve been doing the same thing. Calling you Sarah,” he says, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. “I never stopped to think if you felt the same way I do about our biological names.” His hand tightens around mine, and I return the squeeze.
“As if that person died the night of the fire?” I ask timidly because, unlike him, I didn’t actually die.
“Yes. I’ve been Max for longer than I was Caleb. Caleb was a naive little boy who thought monsters only existed in fairy tales. I’m no longer that version of me. I’ve seen true evil in this world, been true evil to some, and done things that had to be done but changed who I am. So, to answer your question, I would rather you call me Max, and in return, I will call you Ali.” Max, as I will forever see him as, smiles and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Now I have a question for you. Well, two, actually.”
“Okay,” I say, shifting in my seat because my ass is on fire.
“This thing between Reed and you, how long has it been going on?”
“Honestly, a few days,” I say, blushing.
“Is it serious?” Max asks, not sounding anything like I imagined he would. I thought he would sound as if he was hesitant about it or maybe even disbelieving. But instead, all I hear is curiosity in his question.
“It feels serious. I know it doesn't make sense to anyone else besides Reed and me. Since the night that Mom and Dad died, I’ve been searching for a place that feels like home. A place that fills me with warmth but mostly with a sense of being loved, cared for, wanted, and most of all, safe. I always thought it would be a tangible place, like a house or apartment, but I found that in a person instead. Is it so naive of me to want to grab hold of those feelings that I’ve long since given up hope of finding?” I try not to look anywhere but in Max’s eyes because I want him to hear, not just listen to what I’m saying.
“No, it doesn’t make you naive or anything other than brave,” he finally says, causing my sore muscles to relax. “Does it really matter what anyone besides you and Reed thinks anyway? At the end of the day, if he is the person that makes you feel like the best version of yourself and treats you exactly how you desire to be treated, then what’s the harm in that.” Max pulls his hand from mine to cup my face. “All I want is for you to be safe, happy, and loved. If Reed is the man to do that, I will welcome him into our family.”
Tears well in my eyes, and I try to blink them away. “I love you,” I whisper.
“I love you too. Now tell me all about these two nephews of mine,” Max says, wiping the tears as they fall from my eyes.
A part of me wants to ask him about his life since the night of the fire, who the young man was who excused himself as soon as Reed and I walked through the door, and what he plans to do about the Ricci family. But I don’t because today has been full of enough pain and suffering. So, instead, I tell him all about Caleb and Jacob, whose names rightfully shocked him since I named them after him and Dad. We laugh about their antics as I show him pictures and tell him stories. Too soon, his phone rings as Reed descends the stairs, and Max says he has to go but promises to return soon. We hug, kiss each other's cheeks, and say goodbye.
Reed walks up behind me, wrapping his arms around my midsection, and asks in my ear, “How are you feeling, Little One?”
I sigh and lean back against him. “Sore but freer than I have ever felt before,” I say before asking him. “What about you?”
“Almost complete,” he says, nudging my head to the side so he can kiss my neck.
“And what would make you complete?”
“A few things, actually. If we go get my little men.” Heat blooms in my chest at the adoration coating his words. I’ve always wanted someone who adored my boys as much as I do, and I’ve finally found that person.
“And the other things?”
“Finding out if my little sister is still alive or dead,” he says into my neck. I gasp and spin around in his arms.
“You have a sister?” I ask, shocked.
“I do. Her name is Tara. She has been missing and presumed dead since April of this year. We had given up hope of finding her body, but now that Demon has offered his services because he doesn’t believe her to be dead, we are going to resume the search.” His blue eyes darken as he speaks.
“If there is anything I can do to help, I will. You don’t even have to ask,” I say, pushing onto my toes to kiss him.
“Thank you. Now, about my little men,” he says against my lips.
I throw my head back and laugh at the authority in his voice. The same authority he uses in class and turns me on like nothing else has. “Yes, Professor Black, let’s go get the boys.”
Reed growls and pulls me closer as I try to step back toward the door. “Fuck I love when you call me that. I’m going to make a fool out of myself come Tuesday because I’ll be hard as steel the whole time you are in my class.”
“Guess it's too bad that I didn’t have to drop your class like I was planning on,” I say with a cheeky smile.
Reed’s eyebrows shoot up, disappearing under the black hair falling onto his face. “You were planning on dropping my class?”
“I had to. I couldn’t afford to pay for it, and well, to be honest, I thought I needed space from the Professor, who was quickly becoming my fantasy.”
“Good thing this Professor was so determined to keep you that he paid your bill,” Reed says.
This time, I’m taken by surprise by his words. “You… you paid it?” Reed nods, laying his forehead against mine. “Why?”
“Because from the moment I felt you walking down the hall, I knew I had to have you. I wanted to provide for you, protect you against everything, and be the person you depended on.” Reed’s raw honesty makes me fall even more for him. “I have never felt like that before in my life and there was no way I was risking losing my time with you over something like three hundred and sixty-two dollars.”
“God, I think I’m falling in love with you,” I say, pushing my mouth against his. Instantly, he opens up for me, and our tongues meet in a beautiful dance. “You’re going to take it all from me, aren’t you? My worries, troubles, stress, and my love,” I say, pulling back enough that my lips brush his as I speak.
“Like I said, you were always mine to steal,” Reed says, closing the space between us. After another kiss that leaves me breathless and wanting, he grabs my hand and pulls me toward the front door.
I’ve had a lot of things stolen from me.
My parents.
A childhood growing up with my brother.
My virginity.
My safety.
I have always despised the individuals that took those things. But this time, having everything stolen from me doesn’t feel so bad. In fact, it feels perfect.
“You can have it all, Reed,” I say as he locks the front door to our home behind us.