15. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Do you need anything?” I asked.
It had been a couple of weeks since we got Oya back but I was still having a hard time dealing with what happened. She said she was fine, but it was hard to accept it when I saw how bruised her body was.
“No, I don’t need anything.” She smiled. “I’m fine. Stop worrying so much.”
“I can’t help it.”
She gently kissed my lips. Before I could deepen the kiss, the television caught both of our attention.
Taylor, this has just come into the news center.
This is breaking news from the police department.
Oakland PD has announced the death of Congressman Thomas Williams. According to reports, the congressman has been found dead from an apparent drug overdose at a local motel in downtown Oakland, California.
Oya gripped my hand, but her eyes remained transfixed on the screen.
According to Oakland Police officials, Congressman Williams was found deceased today along with an unidentified female at a local hotel.
She gasped, gripping my hand tighter.
The police are approaching this investigation carefully, but initial reports are that both Congressman Williams and the unidentified woman apparently died from a drug overdose.
An employee of the hotel who doesn’t want to be named, and who allegedly found the bodies has told our very own Manny Cruz that the room where the congressman was found was littered with condoms, alcohol, drugs, and drug paraphernalia.
The lead detective on the case said they will be making no statements until they’ve notified the next of kin.
We will provide you with an update when we learn more.
I turned the television off. I wondered how Messina was going to handle Williams’ body. He must have paid the police and coroner off because there was no way in hell those bullet holes could have been covered up without pockets being padded.
“Did you do this?” she asked.
“No. A Sinner’s associate made it look like an overdose. Once I killed him, I went to you.”
“So, nothing’s going to happen to you?”
I pulled her into my arms, then hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead. Since I told her that I had killed him, she’d been terrified I was going back to prison. I tried to reassure her everything was under control, but she had a hard time believing it.
“Nope. You’re stuck with me,” I said trying to break up the sullen mood. I didn’t want her worrying about me, but I couldn’t say that it didn’t make me feel so fucking good that she cared.
Her cell phone rang, and she sighed. “That’s probably Andrew,” she said, standing up.
“Give him my condolences.”
She arched her brow.
“He was an asshole who deserved to die, but that’s still his father.”
Of course, I wasn’t going to miss the motherfucker and I did what I needed to do but I wasn’t that much of an asshole that I couldn’t feel sorry for his son. Who just so happens to be a good fucking guy.
She nodded and walked towards the kitchen.
I laid my head back against the couch and closed my eyes. Shit had been non-stop with the shop, Oya, and the club. We hadn’t had a break in a long time. Maybe I could get Oya to go on a vacation. We both needed a break.
My phone buzzed and I opened my eyes, picked it up, and groaned when I saw the message from Reaper. I tossed the phone back on the table just as Oya sat back down on the couch beside me.
She squeezed my thigh. “What’s wrong?”
I sighed. “Just got a message from my brother. My Ma wants us all at the house in the next few minutes.”
“Is anything wrong?”
“Probably something dealing with my father. It always has something to do with him.”
“Drew asked a ton of questions, but I didn’t tell him what happened.”
I nodded. Something had been weighing on me since everything happened. I needed to know if she wanted this to continue. She was my everything, but I needed to know if her feelings changed for me since I killed him.
I knew she cared for me. I didn’t question that. But I did kill her ex, no matter the circumstances. I needed to know if she could deal with that. Would she still look at me as the same person?
“Are we good?”
Her brows pulled together, confusion covering her face. “Why wouldn’t we be?”
“I need to know that your feelings for me haven’t changed, Oya. I killed him.”
She crawled into my lap, straddling my thighs. I palmed her ass through the fabric of her flowery dress. I looked deep into her eyes, inhaling the scent of her skin.
“I want to know that you can accept me for the person that I am. I’m not the good guy of this story Oya, which I think you know by now.
Well, at least I hope you do. I’ve done some terrible things in my life, none of which I regret.
This is who I am. A Sinner is what I’ll be until the day I die. Can you handle that?”
For a moment I believed she was going to say no.
She was an upstanding individual, the complete opposite to the tattooed biker ex-con but I couldn’t deny the look in her eyes.
Even if we hadn’t said it to each other yet, she loved me as much as I loved her.
I hadn’t pressured her to say the words and she hadn’t pressured me.
It could be we both didn’t want to get hurt, or run the other person away.
But there was no doubt what I felt in my heart.
This woman was my other half. I loved her.
“I can handle it,” she whispered. “You are who you are Gavin. And I wouldn’t want you to be anyone else.”
My mouth crashed into hers. Our tongues warred. This was one thing I loved about Oya. She was an independent, dominant woman. She’d eventually give me her submission and let me take control, but she didn’t give it readily.
Her hips rocked against my erection as I sucked her plump bottom lip before biting it. She hissed and I licked the sting. I pulled away, gripping her hips as she still rocked against my hardened length.
“You know I love you, right?” I asked.
Her movements still and her eyes widened.
I chuckled and pecked her lips. “You don’t have to say it back.
I just needed to tell you. Shit in this life can get hectic.
Shit can go down so quick that you’re not prepared and may not have the chance to do things and say things that need to be said.
So, I want you to know that I love you, Oya Williams.”
The smile that crossed her face lit my entire world up.
Feelings assaulted me that I never believed I would ever feel.
I don’t know if I never felt worthy of someone, but I knew I didn’t feel worthy to have someone like her.
But I made the vow to myself to make this woman happy until the day I died.
Chapter Sixteen
I stood beside Oya, stoic. No emotions showed on anyone’s faces except our Ma’s.
King was here with Alana, and Reaper comforted Ma.
Today I was numb. It was the only way I could describe the feeling encompassing me.
I wasn’t happy and I wasn’t sad that this day had come.
Everyone was born to die. This day was just inevitable.
I can’t say I didn’t love my father because I believe I did. I just didn’t like him. He was a terrible father and an even shittier husband.
When I was younger, I had an unconditional love for him.
For both my parents. It didn’t matter what he did, or how he treated me, he was still my Da, and I needed him to be better not only for himself but for us.
He just never cared what any of us thought.
He never cared to be that better person for us or for himself.
The clouds hung heavy in the skies. I hoped it would rain so it would give us all an excuse to leave. None of us wanted to be here except our Ma. But we all made the decision to show up, so she didn’t have to go through this alone.
I watched as she tossed a red rose on his shiny black casket before they started to lower it into the ground. Thank fucking God it was about over.
When we found out he had lung cancer despite what he had done, I couldn’t say that I was happy. My brothers were happy. They believed Karma was a bitch and he got what he deserved for how he had treated our mother and especially for doing what he had done to me.
I couldn’t agree or disagree with that, but I knew that everything worked out how it should have.
Me being there that night my father assaulted someone changed my entire life.
Changed the person I was. I couldn’t, in good conscience, say it was all bad.
I was a business owner and if it hadn’t been for prison, I wouldn’t have that business.
And if it weren’t for Forbidden Ink, I’d never met the woman who has stood by my side regardless of all the things that would normally make a woman run.
She accepted me for the man I was. She accepted the Sinner. So, even though my father was a piece of shit, something good had come out of it.
Oya squeezed my hand pulling me from my thoughts. I caught sight of my brother and Alana leaving. I knew he wouldn’t stay here longer than he needed to be here.
We understood each other a little better now since I told him what Da had done. Even though the heavy weight of that secret was finally lifted, where our relationship went from here remained to be seen. I’d like to have one and I believed so did he. All we could do was wait to see where it went.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
Every time I looked at this woman, I was reminded how lucky I was that she was here. She could have told me to go to hell especially after I killed her ex, but she stood beside me. And that was something I was grateful for, and I’d never forget or take it for granted.
I looked at my mother. She was wrapped in Reaper’s arms, tears streaming down her face.
I hated to see her so distraught over him.
Regardless of what he put her through she loved him.
Had loved him since they were in high school.
I felt for her. I could sympathize because my fucking heart would be shattered into a little thousand pieces if I were in her position.
“Let’s go say goodbye to, Ma. Then we’ll head out.”
Oya intertwined our fingers as I led her over to my brother and my Ma.
Before her, I would have shied away from holding hands, hugs, or any public displays of affection.
However, when I was with her, I needed the constant connection.
She indulged me and sometimes initiated the connection before I had the chance.
When we reached my mother, she lifted her head from Reaper’s chest and embraced me.
“I’m glad you came although I would have understood if you didn’t.”
I pulled away from her. “I came for you, not him.”
She sighed. “I didn’t know he had done that to you. I wished you would have said something when it happened. I’m sorry.”
“We’re going to head on out,” I said, ignoring her apology.
Back then I didn’t think she would have believed me, and I still don’t, but now wasn’t the time to talk about it. He was dead and what was done couldn’t be changed.
“I love you, son.”
I love you too, Ma. Call me if you need anything.”
She nodded with tears in her eyes, and we walked away.
I hadn’t forgiven my father and I wasn’t sure I ever would, but I had made peace with what happened. And now that he was gone, I could truly let that part of my life go and move on.
I looked at Oya and smiled. I had a brighter future ahead and I couldn’t wait.