Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ithink I’m going to be sick. My uncle is here. He… What he did to my mom…
I bolt up from the ground and run out of the room. I don’t stop until I reach the bathroom. Falling to the floor, I lean over the toilet and empty the contents of my stomach. Oh god, this is not happening.
Someone sits behind me and brushes my hair away from my face. Sammie. “It’s okay,” he says.
“Everything I thought I knew… was a lie.”
“No, it wasn’t,” he tells me.
“My dad wasn’t even my dad, Sammie.” I choke out a sob.
“Yes, he was. It takes more than a sperm donation to be a father. And the man you grew up with, he was your father, Poppy. Nothing will ever change that.”
“How did she love me?”
“You’re pretty fucking easy to love.”
“She was raped. How did she look at me every day without being disgusted?” I ask him.
“Again, you’re fucking easy to love. And how you came about being doesn’t define who you are now.”
“I blamed your family, and it was mine.” I cry harder.
“No, it was one person. Your cousins didn’t know, Poppy.”
“I want to leave. I want to leave this ranch and never come back here,” I tell Sammie.
“If that’s what you really want, I’ll take you home. But, first, I need to know what you want me to do with your uncle.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s your family. I’m not going to kill him if you tell me not to.”
“Did he kill my mother? My father?” I ask.
“I’m not sure, but we can go back in there and find out,” Sammie says.
I wanted the truth…
“It was easier when I thought it was your family that killed them, not my own.”
“Yeah,” Sammie agrees. “But you can’t put the actions of one person against the rest of your family, Poppy. I really don’t believe your cousins knew anything.”
“I know.” I saw the look on Jaxson’s face.
He didn’t know. “Okay, let’s go back. I’m sorry I lost it.
” I stand and turn on the faucet. Washing my face before I lean over and slurp a mouthful of water.
I squish it around and then spit it into the sink.
I repeat this process two more times. “OMG, what is your mother going to think of me? I’ve dragged you all down here into this mess. ”
“Babe, I’m pretty sure my mother likes you more than she likes me.” Sammie laughs.
“Doubtful.”
“It doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that I love you.”
“You love me?” I still, my eyes lifting to meet his reflecting back at me in the mirror.
“Yeah, I do.”
“I told Alice that I loved you today,” I admit.
Sammie smiles. “You told your best friend you loved me?”
“Mhmm.”
“Okay,” he says, brushing my hair behind my ear. “Let’s go face this, so we can go home.”
“You’re coming to LA with me?” I twist around and smile up at him.
“I can. Or you could come to Vegas with me.” Taking my hand, Sammie leads me back into the living room.
I pull out of his grip and walk over to the bar, picking up Jaxson’s good whiskey. I pour some into a glass and bring it to my lips, swallowing the entire thing in one go. Slamming the glass down, I turn around and face everyone.
“Nope,” I mutter, turning back around. I refill the glass and swig the amber liquid, enjoying the burn in my chest before steeling my resolve. When I finally spin and look out into the room, everyone is staring at me.
“If you don’t marry her, I think I will,” Alfie says.
“I will kill you,” Sammie grunts.
“Nope, I will,” Mrs. Russo chimes in. “Nobody takes something from my children, not even you.” She aims an accusatory finger at her nephew.
“Relax, Auntie Lai. It was a joke. I’m never getting married.” Alfie smirks.
Louie slaps his son on the back of the head. “Don’t poke the bear when the bear is a psychopath, idiot.”
“Okay. I just want to know why?” I look at my uncle. “Why did you kill my mother?”
“She was going to ruin everything,” he says. “I had to stop her.”
“And my father?”
“Same reason. He found out what I’d done all those years ago and came at me. He lost it. I couldn’t let him burn all of this to the ground. This ranch is my sons’ legacy. I wasn’t going to let anyone take it from them.”
“Oh, fuck off,” Jaxson growls. “You didn’t do this for us.”
“What’s going on?” Jaggar walks into the room. Shit, he doesn’t know.
“Come on. I’ll fill you in,” Joel says, walking up to meet his brother in the doorway. “I need a beer.” He grabs Jaggar by the shoulder and leads him out of the room.
“Wait! You can’t leave me here with them. They’re going to kill me,” my uncle cries out.
“No, they’re not going to. I am.” Jaxson walks over to the cabinet on the far wall. He opens a drawer and pulls out a pistol.
“Hold on. You can’t do that,” I call out to my cousin.
“Yes, I can.”
“No, he’s your father, Jaxson,” I remind him.
Without another word, Jaxson pulls the trigger. A loud bang rings out through the room and then my uncle is slumping over in his wheelchair.
“No one hurts you and lives to tell the story, Poppy.” Jaxson slowly lifts his gaze to meet mine. “No one.”
I’m frozen to the spot. I don’t know what to say, what to do.
“Sweetie, let’s get out of here.” Mrs. Russo wraps her arm around my shoulder and starts guiding me out of the room.
I stop in the hallway where Joel and Jaggar are standing. Jaggar looks at me, walks up, and wraps his arms around me. “I’m sorry,” he whispers.
“Why are you sorry?” I ask him.
“I didn’t know I was your big brother. I should have been protecting you better,” he tells me.
My brother? Oh god, it was bad when I was just their cousin. I do not need them to start thinking of me as a sister.
“I’m still just your cousin, Jaggar. Also, you’re only a month older than I am.” I shove at him.
“Still older. And I’m going to do better,” he promises. “Love you, Popps, always. No matter what you want to be.”
“Thank you.” I force a smile. “Love you too, most of the time.”
“You’re leaving again, aren’t you?” Joel asks.
I nod.
“Where are you going?” He looks to me and then behind me.
I follow my cousin’s line of sight to Sammie, then over to his mother. His family has really been so kind, and I was a bitch, blaming one of their own for something they didn’t do.
“Vegas,” I say.
“Good. I’ll come visit,” Joel tells me.
“Okay.”
“Anything happens to her, I’m coming for you,” Joel says to Sammie.
“Nothing is going to happen to her.” Sammie pulls me to his side.
“I need you to get me out of this town,” I whisper.
“Done,” he says to me before peering over at Jaxson. “You going to need help cleaning up?”
“Nah, I got it. Take her home.” Jaxson nods in my direction.
Sammie leads me out to the car. His mother sits on one side. He sits on the other.
“This isn’t your fault,” Mrs. Russo tells me. “Whatever that bastard did, it has nothing to do with you.”
“I don’t know how she did it,” I say. “How could you look at a child, knowing what happened to you to make her?”
“When you’re a mother, you will get it. A mother’s love is different,” Mrs. Russo explains.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For bringing you all down here, for blaming your family. For all this trouble.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. We help family. It’s what we do,” Mrs. Russo says. “And you’re family.”
“Thank you.” I lean against Sammie’s shoulder. And then a thought hits me. “Wait… What about Sheriff Searlait?”
“I paid him a visit. It’s how I knew to get your uncle. He squealed like a pig.” Mrs. Russo smiles. “You don’t have to worry about him. He’s now roasted like a pig too.”
I blink and nod, because what the hell do I say to someone admitting they killed a cop for me?
Sammie wraps his arm around my shoulder and pulls me towards him. “Just so you know, our life isn’t always this exciting. Sometimes it’s really boring.”
“You live in Vegas. I doubt your life is ever boring.”
“We live in Vegas, and it’s not going to be boring now that I’ve got the best housemate ever.” He kisses the top of my head.
“Who?”
“You.”
“Yeah, I’m not moving in with you. Yet,” I tell him. “I’ll find my own place.”
“Why not?” he asks with a pout.
“You really are spoiled,” I laugh.
“He really is.” Mrs. Russo laughs with me.
“I want to date longer before we live together. It’s normal, Sammie.”
He leans in, his mouth against my ear. “If you live with me, I can guarantee you orgasms every night and every morning.”
I feel my face heat up. My elbow pushes into his chest. “Stop,” I hiss. “You cannot say shit like that to me in front of your mother.”
“I agree with her,” Mrs. Russo repeats, just like she did on the plane.
“You didn’t even hear what I said.” Sammie rolls his eyes.
“I don’t need to hear to know it’s not appropriate.” Mrs. Russo smiles. “I’ll help you find an apartment, Poppy. Until then, you can always stay with me. There’s plenty of room at the house.”
“She’s not living with you,” Sammie grunts. “I’ll find her a place.”
“Um, I can find my own place,” I say. “I do have my own money, you know.”
“I know, but we own buildings. You can just have an empty apartment in one of them,” Sammie insists. “Actually, I’m pretty sure the apartment right under mine is about to be vacant.”
“Do not kick someone out of their home for me, Sammie,” I warn him.
“Wasn’t going to do that.” Sammie frowns. We both know he was going to do just that.
“Can I stay with you until I do find a place, though?” I ask him.
“You can stay as long as you want.” He kisses my forehead again.
“I just want to say that I’m so happy for you two,” Mrs. Russo hums.
“Mom,” Sammie grunts.
“What? You’re cute, all loved up. I like it. And God knows our family could use some good right now.”
“Imogen is going to be okay,” Sammie assures his mother.
“Yeah, I know she will be.” Mrs. Russo turns and looks out the window.