Chapter Forty-Four #3
Pulling out, he stands and goes to the master bath.
I hear the water turn on for a few seconds before he turns it off again.
Coming back, he sits on the bed and starts cleaning me.
The gesture takes me back to the first time Reece raped me.
He made me stay like that until he came home again.
Gavin has hard edges, but he’s soft for me; he would never hurt me on purpose, I know that.
“Where’d you go? Are you okay… did I hurt you?”
“No, Grav. Just thinking about how lucky I am to have you back, and how I’ll never be harmed again.”
We both get up and change into comfortable clothes. He decides on basketball shorts, and that’s it. I put on a bralette and a pair of leggings.
“Let’s go cuddle up on the couch with Charlie. You can pick whatever movie you want to watch.”
“I need a good laugh. How about Deadpool?”
“It’s the mask, isn’t it?”
“Maaaaybe,” I say, laughing as I bolt out of the room and run down the stairs. Gavin and Charlie are not far behind me.
Gavin lies on his back with one arm behind his head. I crawl over him and press my back against the cushion.
Turning on the movie, I watch until my eyes grow heavy and sleep takes me.
Bang, Bang, Bang.
We both must have fallen asleep. Suddenly waking from the banging coming from the front door. Charlie starts to growl, the hair on his back standing up.
“Charlie, shhhh. It’s okay, buddy.” Moving me off him, Gavin gets up and heads to the door.
“Osage County Sheriff’s Office! Open!”
Gavin slowly opens the door and steps back with his hands raised.
“Are you Gavin Demitri Petrov?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Gavin, we have a warrant for your arrest.”
I jump off the couch and run to the door. “What is the warrant for?” I almost yell.
“Murder, ma’am, I’m going to need you to step back,” Deputy Beau Donnelly announces as he takes Gavin’s arms and handcuffs them behind his back.
“Gavin Demitri Petrov, you are under arrest for the murder of Reece Declan Monroe.” My heart all but falls out of my chest. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” This can’t be real.
“You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you.”
He looks at me. “Call Peyton. She will help you. Get a lawyer. Don’t speak to anyone until you have one, okay, Любовь? I love you.”
My voice cracks. “Can I please hug him before you take him…please?”
“Make it quick.”
I run and wrap my arms around his torso. Tears instantly start trailing down my face. My body shakes. I lean up and kiss him as hard as I can, an unspoken promise.
“I love you so much, Gavin.” My resolve shatters, and my body starts shaking even harder.
“Любовь, call Peyton. I love you.”
That’s the last thing he gets out before they forcefully duck his head and make him take a seat in the sheriff’s patrol car. This can’t be it; our second chance just started, only to end in the back seat of a police car. And they take my husband away, with lights and sirens.
I fall to my knees. I can’t fucking breathe. A sob racks through my entire body. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I unlock it, trying to navigate Peyton’s contact through the tears. Hands shaking, I press the call button and wait for the ring.
“Hey, love birds. Are you guys sick of each other already?”
Sobbing, I try my best to get what I’m trying to say out clearly. “Peyton.” Sob… “They came and arrested Gavin.” sob… “I need you.” sob…
“Oh shit, I’m on my way. Don’t move.”
I don’t know how much time has passed. I start to pick myself off the floor when I hear something pull into the driveway, but it’s not Peyton’s car or Brenden's… It sounds like a motorcycle. Confused, I make my way to open the door. Peyton’s on the other side, holding a motorcycle helmet.
My confusion grows as I look for Brenden.
But he’s not the one on the bike. It’s Gavin and Brenden’s co-worker from the shop, Nate Lawson.
My brows furrow as I look at Peyton. “Where is Brenden… why is Nate dropping you off?”
“Long story short, Nate and I are… uhhh…” she sighs as she quickly bypasses me into the house. She can see the confusion on my face, but ignores it.
“What happened with the whole cat and mouse thing you have going on with Brenden?”
“I told him it wasn’t anything serious. Nate and I have been talking for the last few months. I just haven’t said anything because you have had enough to deal with the last few months.”
“And Brenden doesn’t know?”
“No, but he will find out soon enough, I guess.”
“Sooner than you think. I texted him to come here as well. He just watched Nate drop you off. And he looks pissed.”
“Love that for me, but I’ll deal with that later. We need to start calling attorney offices.”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Peyton? Really? Nate of all people? You really are the cold-hearted bitch that you say you are.” Brenden says coldly.
“Grow the fuck up, Brenden. I told you I didn’t do relationships.” These two might actually be the death of me.