Chapter 51
fifty-one
PRESENT DAY
KATE
Islam into a firm chest that smells like home, and I crumple. Brandon clutches me tightly, supporting most, if not all, of my weight. Sobs rack my body.
“I’m here,” he says, voice tight. “I never sent that text, Kate. Tanner took my phone, and—”
“I know,” I cry. “I realized that. You wouldn’t do that to me.”
I’m vaguely aware of a small crowd surrounding us. A man in an industrial jumpsuit, a security guard with a radio pressed to his mouth, Rick, Val, and even Camilla’s husband, Daniel, stand nearby. A pair of cuffs dangle from Daniel’s hand, glinting in the weak basement light.
Amantha puffs up short beside us, gray eyes horrified.
“Are you okay?” She pats down my dress as if searching for a gunshot wound, then yanks me into a hug. I wince where her arms squeeze what I’m sure is a bruised line across my shoulder blades.
Brandon notices, eyes darkening into a fathomless black.
Tanner fully awakens just in time to watch six men storm into the elevator. A blossoming bruise already shadows his jaw where I struck him.
Brandon and Val waste no time hauling Tanner to his feet, but Brandon pins him against the wall with a corded forearm.
I don’t need to be close to know there’s murder in his expression.
Val stands coiled behind him, ready to snap.
“If you ever,” Brandon spits the words like bullets, “come near Kate again, it’ll be the last thing you do.”
Tanner’s eyes pull wide as he takes in the two massive men, and he jerks a nod.
“Fine,” he rasps. “Fine.”
Brandon gives one last forearm shove against Tanner’s sternum before stepping back.
Val and Daniel close in. Val wrenches Tanner’s body around, pinning him as Daniel snaps on a pair of cuffs.
The security guard mutters something into his radio about dispatch, and I don’t miss Tanner’s flash of fear.
Amantha withdraws her comforting arms as Brandon returns with furious strides. He gently retrieves me from my best friend, tucking me against him. I can hear his heartbeat thundering through his tuxedo jacket from here.
Daniel prods Tanner forward, years of law enforcement experience evident in Daniel’s strides toward the stairwell. Hopefully Yours has no choice but to oblige.
I don’t look at him as they pass.
A shudder courses through me, and Brandon responds by tightening his hold.
Val trails after them, stopping to clap a hand on Brandon’s shoulder.
“Daniel told me there’s enough evidence from Kate’s phone and your testimony to lock him up for the night.
He’ll have a bail hearing in the morning, but if this is his first offense, he’ll likely walk right back out.
” Val all but growls, and his chestnut eyes soften as they land on me.
“Daniel said he’ll have an officer reach out to you tomorrow about a restraining order. ”
I nod, feeling numb from my tongue to my toes.
The rest of the men follow the procession, but Amantha lingers.
“You sure you’re okay?” She wrings her hands, tears coursing down her cheeks.
A trembling breath escapes me, but I burrow closer to Brandon.
“I’m safe now,” I say aloud, trying to convince myself. As if it will erase the terror I’ll likely relive in my nightmares.
“She’s safe,” Brandon declares.
“Call me if you need anything. Anything.” Amantha gives us both a gentle hug, then follows her fiancé up the stairwell.
The shadows seem deeper here in the basement. Lines I’ve never noticed before crease Brandon’s face. I watch the adrenaline ebb, watch his movements toward me become more cautious.
“Turn around, Kate,” he whispers. “Let me see.”
I oblige, stepping around and sweeping my long hair over my shoulder to expose my aching shoulder blades. They might as well have been pummeled with a baseball bat.
Brandon sucks in a sharp breath before exhaling a curse.
“How bad is it?” I mumble.
“Like you’ve been branded across your back,” Brandon growls. “I’m going to kill him.”
“No, you’re not,” I say firmly. “He…”
Any defense for Tanner dies a morbid death on my tongue.
A tremble takes up residence in my lip, and Brandon presses a light finger against it.
“Don’t relive it, Kate,” he pleads, voice raw. “Stay with me.”
I burrow my nose against his lapel.
“You saved me,” I whisper.
But his jaw only clenches. “I tried, Kate. You have no idea how hard I tried.”
I meet his eyes. “No, I mean I thought of you while I was trapped in there. I didn’t have anything to protect me. But you reminded me to fight.” A tiny twitch in my lip flutters, and I encourage it into a weak smile. “Guess those boxing lessons came in handy.”
Brandon’s pain becomes slightly more amused. “You’ve always had a killer right hook, Kate. I didn’t have to do much. And based on the gnarly bruise I saw on—” His fists curl into rocks.
I take them both in my hands, massaging them.
“Hey, now. Look at me,” I instruct, and he obeys. “Keep your eyes on me.”
The green hue of his eyes looks like trampled summer grass. A quiver in his lip sends my fingers to his cheek.
He covers my hand with his, pinning my touch against his face. Another shudder rocks the massive man, and moisture soon seeps across my fingertips.
“Brandon—”
He yanks me against his body—careful not to touch my back—as wave after wave of emotion crashes over him.
“I was so scared, Kate,” he cries against my hair.
I rub his back in small circles until his quaking subsides. Running my hands up the lapels of his tuxedo, I knot my hold around his neck, pulling his face down to meet my lips.
Our kiss is lined with heavy emotion, but it feels like clouds breaking after a storm. I taste his sorrow, and he tastes my relief. Our lips move like a silent prayer for tomorrow.
He breaks the kiss, breathing a staccato rhythm that warms my mouth.
“Let’s get you home, Kate.”
Home sounds so appealing, so safe now that Hopefully Yours is no longer a threat. Wistful longing escapes on my exhale.
“Okay.”
Voices echo off the arched ceilings as we exit the stairwell.
Every muscle in Brandon’s face hardens as his eyes land on a familiar crowd.
The entourage that preceded us is still here, surrounding a sullen Tanner who remains detained on one of the benches.
Two uniformed officers have arrived, dispatch vehicles flashing blue and red from the street.
Daniel stands astute by one of the officers jotting down notes for his report. Val towers beside where Tanner sits, keeping uncomfortably close. Rick speaks quietly with Amantha next to the lofty entrance doors.
Tanner dares to flick up his eyes as we approach. Brandon responds by pulling me behind his body and out of sight.
But that won’t do.
Because I have a thing or two to say.
I roll my sore shoulders back and sweep around Brandon. He tenses but doesn’t intervene. Val, on the other hand, blocks my path with a hard look. I jerk my head, and understanding softens his expression.
Tanner’s eyes meet mine, lighting up like I might save him.
I bite back a scoff.
“Kate,” he says, pleading, “this was all a misunderstanding. A mistake.”
“Damn right it was,” I growl.
“Please, you’ve gotta talk to them. Make them listen.”
“No,” I snap. “You listen, and listen well. Because these will be the last words you ever hear from me.”
Rage shakes my voice, my body.
“You are sick. You are twisted. You are nowhere even near the caliber of a man who deserves me. In fact, I deserve real love, not manipulation.” Emotion gathers behind my glare.
I scan the lobby, taking in face after face of people who mean so much to me.
And there are many who are not even here.
Fierce appreciation for my beautiful life sinks into the marrow of my bones.
I step closer, leveling my gaze with Tanner’s.
“And I’m worthy of it all,” I say.
Because it’s true. It’s no longer superficial but a visceral fact. No one will ever again be able to convince me otherwise.
Tanner tries to stand as I walk away, but Val shoves his shoulder back down.
“You’re done,” he growls to Tanner. But the small smile Val aims at me makes me grin.
“Thanks, Val,” I say.
The officers must have wrapped up their report, because they read Tanner his rights, then order him to stand and follow them to their vehicle.
Rick and Amantha push open the wide museum door, anchoring it so it’ll stay. Then her phone rings, and I hear the word “mom.” It’s late, so I assume Susan took Anthony home to sleep.
The officers bark the order again at Tanner, and a look of sheer panic flits over his face. The crowd parts to give the officers room, but it’s a window Tanner’s apparently been waiting for. He rockets to his feet and bolts toward the entrance, handcuffs and all.
Clamor echoes as the stunned group bursts into action. Tanner barrels toward the open door, but the corner of my eye spots Rick.
Hands in his pockets, lips pursed in a merry tune, Rick steps closer to the open exit and lifts a single leg in time for Tanner to catch it.
Tanner’s massive body catapults forward, skidding down the museum steps. Without his hands free to brace him, skin scrapes concrete before he tumbles to a stop.
We rush out the door to the landing. Officers thunder toward Tanner as Amantha pulls up short beside me.
“I’ve always loved these museum steps,” she pants, catching Val with a grin.
A disbelieving laugh puffs out of me.
The officers force Tanner into the back of one of the police cars.
Daniel and Val jog toward the parking lot, since Daniel was intent on being present while booking him. Amantha gathers me in a quick but gentle hug before scampering off to get home to Anthony.
Spring-scented wind fills the night air as a gentle kiss finds the top of my head.
“Come on, love,” Brandon says. “Let’s get you home.”
Stars dust the cloudless sky as I stare from the passenger’s seat. Brandon steers his Camaro with one hand, the other refusing to release mine. The cab of the car smells so comforting, I try not to cry all over again.