Chapter 37
Sadie
As Jeremiah told me about the night in the alley, my head was spinning.
He had lived a life so far beyond what he lived now that it was almost impossible to comprehend how he was the same person.
I had never pried, past that one night in Dallas, because I saw how he had shut down after talking briefly about his parents and his history with friends.
As much as I wanted to know him, I knew when to back off.
Knew which subjects I had the courage to broach.
I had no idea that he was ever homeless, living on people’s couches and wondering where his next full meal would come from.
Or that he was friends with someone who would steal and smile about it.
Someone who would get him involved with the wrong people.
But then again, I had never been as desperate to survive.
All my problems, from my ex-boyfriend to my debt, seemed so small now.
But I still had questions…
Jeremiah’s eyes turned a shade darker as he continued his story. I found myself internally bracing myself for what came next, hoping it wasn’t where my mind had fallen into a dark pit of possibilities.
I gave him a reassuring nod, prompting him to continue.
“I knew I had to get us out of there. I had to rack my brain for something. Anything. To not only get us out of there, but also get us out of there alive.”
“So, what did you do?” I asked.
“I had to go forward acting as if we were going to go through with the errand Markus had for us. He wanted us to rob a local convenience store of an owner who had done him wrong in some shady business deal. It was his attempt at revenge without it falling back to him, and we were his pawns. He said it was our initiation.”
“Initiation? Into what?”
“His street gang.” Jeremiah’s lips pressed together tightly.
My eyes widened.
He blew out a breath. “I know.”
“And Anderson didn’t tell you anything about why you were there in the first place?”
Jeremiah shook his head adamantly. “Not the full details. Just that it was an opportunity to make some quick cash, which we desperately needed. I had no idea it involved a back alley and the leader of a street gang backed by his goons. Or that he wanted to be a part of their gang. I knew he was desperate. We both were. I just didn’t know how desperate he was. ”
I shook my head in disbelief. To think I had just reveled in the flirtation that man had bestowed on me down in the lobby. The man who would lead his best friend down such a dangerous path. I felt ashamed for falling for his act. He was too slick to be any good.
“What happened next?” I murmured, scared to know.
“Markus wanted us to meet the following night to go over details at one of his empty warehouses along the Hudson. I suppose the dark alley was just a test before he let us in on where his operations went down. I had no intention of going. I wanted to leave, toss the gun, and never speak of it again. But Anderson agreed, and I went along with it because there was no way Markus was going to let us walk away unscathed if we refused. We were already in too deep.” Jeremiah shook his head as he looked out the window, a distant look in his eyes as he recanted the night in this very city.
“The next thing I knew, red and blue lights flickered at the end of the alley. For a moment, my heart sped up, foolishly thinking we might be saved from Markus by the cops. But no. Anderson panicked. He shoved the gun into the back pocket of my jeans, searching for a place to hide. Markus was already on his bike, putting his helmet on, as the other members in his gang revved their engines. The sounds of their motorcycles and the blare of the siren that then sounded was deafening. I couldn’t catch my bearings through the rain, the lights, the sounds. ”
I ran my hands through my hair, feeling the stress run off Jeremiah, as if he were back in that alley. I couldn’t imagine how he felt, having no way out. The walls closing in.
Jeremiah sighed at the ceiling. “The next thing I knew, I was running behind Anderson through the thick of the rain, our sneakers slipping on the wet concrete. I was running for my life. I knew we weren’t going to be saved by the cops.
We were at the wrong place at the wrong time, and there was no way we would be able to talk our way out of it. ”
“What about Markus?” I asked, hoping he would say this scary man had been taken off the streets.
Jeremiah looked back to me and shook his head.
“He took off. His bike narrowly missing the cop car. The rest of his gang followed, peeling out of the alley. They split off in two separate directions. The cop car took off in one direction. As soon as Anderson and I emerged from the alley, we were tackled to the ground by two police on foot. As if they had been waiting.”
“They must have been tailing Markus then.”
“Yeah, and we were the two idiots that got caught while they escaped.” Jeremiah scoffed.
“But the gun…”
“Yeah. They found it on me.”
“But you were innocent!” I said frustratedly. “Anderson was the one…”
“I know, but it was in my pocket. They hauled us both off to jail for fleeing from the police, but I was the one charged with illegal possession of a firearm.”
“He didn’t take the fall for you?”
“Nope.” Jeremiah shook his head, clicking his tongue.
“I lost everything because of it too. Not only did I lose my best friend, but my family wouldn’t see me after they heard the news.
They were my one and only phone call from jail, but they didn’t come to bail me out.
My mother was too ashamed, and my father now had another reason to despise me aside from just existing. ”
Jeremiah’s voice softened slightly. “He died five years later. I wasn’t even invited to the funeral.” I couldn’t resist the urge to reach for his hand, running my thumb across his palm.
“It’s not like I liked the guy, but he was my father.
And my mom…she was now alone. I tried to help her afterward.
I sent her a check to pay off her mortgage shortly after his death.
My way of making it up to her, but she never cashed it.
Never called. Nothing.” He shook his head in sad frustration. “She always had too much pride.”
My heart broke for him, seeing the look on his face.
A look he had never let me see before, probably hidden by the layers of masks he wore.
It all made sense now. His lack of trust in people.
His cold demeanor in an effort to push everyone away.
He was protecting himself because no one ever had.
Not his family. Not his only best friend.
He squeezed my hand and looked at me intently. “Now, do you see why I don’t want Anderson around you?”
I nodded.
“He’s trouble, Sadie.”
“But why is he trying to cause trouble now? Shouldn’t he be thanking you for saving him?”
“Well, just like he took everything from me, I took everything from him.”
An icy shiver ran up my spine at his words. His tone.
“What did you do?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“After I served my time in house arrest at a homeless shelter, I caught up with Anderson, who had moved in with his baby mama. He tried to act all chummy when I showed up on their doorstep, like I hadn’t just served a sentence for him, but he quickly learned I was there with a vendetta.
I told his girlfriend everything. How he had tried to induct us into a street gang, putting his baby and her in danger, and that he had been cheating on her with a stripper at a nearby club.
She kicked him out, took his kid away. Just like me, he lost everything. ”
“She deserved the truth…” I said thoughtfully, but I now understood the hate that was probably swirling in Anderson’s heart for his former best friend. Him being at our apartment building tonight probably wasn’t just coincidence. It made my heart leap to my throat.
“And he deserved everything else that came for him. When we went our separate ways, starting our own business ventures, I saw to it that I beat him to every punch. We were both underdogs, clawing our way to the top, but I was always one step ahead of him on the ladder to the top. I know it eats at him, even to this day.”
I shook my head, the corner of my lip tugging into a smile.
“What?” asked Jeremiah.
“It’s just crazy how you two managed to get where you are today. After the lives you’ve had. It’s almost unbelievable you both made it out. You’re a freaking billionaire and this guy writes a book about becoming a successful businessman.”
I looked to the book next to me on the couch, Anderson’s smiling face looking up at us both, and quickly turned it over. Asshole.
“Not as successful as me.” Jeremiah winked.
“I’m sure you’ll never let him forget it.”
“No. Of course not. But I can’t help but feel like he’s coming back for revenge.”
“But his book, spilling all these details…” I mused. “Surely, you’re even.”
“Not to him,” Jeremiah muttered.
I swallowed hard, my stomach becoming unsettled. “How far would he go to get even?”
“As far as he has to.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Me either. So please, stay away from him. If you see him again, avoid him at all costs. He’s a plague, Sadie.”
“Okay.” I nodded firmly, but his warning only made me feel more scared.
People did desperate things when they were poisoned with the idea of revenge. Everything I had learned about Anderson made him seem like someone we wanted to avoid. Possibly, even dangerous. I put my hand on my stomach instinctively. Protectively.
Jeremiah noticed. “I’ll do everything I can to protect us from what he’s planning,” said Jeremiah, placing his hand over mine.
It seemed like the perfect time to show him exactly what he was protecting. What we both were protecting. I reached in my purse and pulled out the ultrasound scans. His blue eyes grew wide, their storm quickly dissipating as his eyes landed on the glossy pictures I held out to him.
“Wow,” he whispered in quiet disbelief.
“Pretty amazing, huh?” I asked, scooching closer. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we stared at the very first pictures of our baby.
“Incredible.”
“I’m sorry you weren’t there today,” I murmured, nuzzling my head into the crook of his neck. “It didn’t feel right without you.”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry for being a jerk.” He pressed his lips to my hair.
“Thank you for telling me everything,” I said. “I know it wasn’t easy, but everything we’ve been through and the messes we’ve talked through, have only brought us closer.”
“I know,” he said. “It’s not easy for me, so please go easy on me.”
I laughed softly. “It’s like pulling teeth.”
He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. “Thanks for being patient with me.”
I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, his familiar stubble tickling my lips, before settling back onto his shoulder. He was home, and I always wanted to come back to him, no matter what.