Chapter 23
Tide
She didn’t. She didn’t fucking do this. She wouldn’t have. She would have left it to me to handle. No. Mylah is a different breed. She did this. She let her go. She fucking let Beth go.
I turn to look at her as she sits up in the bed, rubbing her eyes.
“What?”
“Don’t you fuckin’ what me. You let her go. What the hell were you thinkin’?” I roar louder this time. I’m pissed, beyond pissed. I had Beth down there for a reason, and now Mylah has fucked that up.
“You can’t kill her, Tide.” I scrub my hand over my face at a loss for words right now. Why is she getting in the middle of this? Why is she in my mess? I crack my neck from side to side as I look at her. Riley must feel the tension in the room because he’s on high alert sitting next to her.
“You had no right, Mylah. No fuckin’ right to do that!”
“Yes, I did. She didn’t deserve that.”
“We don’t know the full fuckin’ story, Mylah! She could be lyin’. She could be involved in this. We don’t fuckin’ know right now. She’ll fuckin’ disappear now, and I’ll have to hunt her ass down,” I tell her. She shrugs her shoulders and lies back down on the bed like nothing is happening.
“Then she’s gone.”
“You don’t get it, do you? These people had you fuckin’ taken, Mylah. You want them to walk for that?”
“No, Tide. I don’t want them to walk for that, but I also don’t want them dead.
You said you weren’t going back to prison, and I want to keep it that way.
” Fuck. Why does she do this to me? Why does she make me crazy?
I run my hand through my hair at a loss here.
I get where she’s coming from, but this is how we do things.
I turn and walk out of the room, needing space, needing air. I storm past the guys and out the front door, where I grab a cigarette and light it up. The door opens, and Ban comes out, standing next to me.
“She’s a stubborn one,” he says as I smirk and nod my head.
“That she is.”
“She has a good reason, Tide. She doesn’t wanna lose you, and I get that. We don’t want you back in the pen either.”
“But that means lettin’ them walk, Ban and I can’t do that. I can’t know that they’re the ones that did this to her and let it go.”
“Maybe death isn’t the right answer, brother. Maybe there’s other ways of takin’ them down.” I turn to face him, unsure what he’s getting at here. I don’t think there’s any other way of hurting them aside from killing them.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Christian has money. He’s a fuckin’ accountant for fuck’s sake. We get Mystic to work his magic.”
“How so?”
“What would cripple Christian? Losin’ his clients? Stealin’ from his clients? Hell, he could end up in prison for that shit.” Ban smirks at me, and I see where he’s going with this. Christian wouldn’t make it in the pen. He would no doubt be someone’s bitch.
“I like where you’re goin’ with this. But what about Beth?”
“What about her? She’s all about her looks. We take that away, and what does she have?”
“I don’t know, Ban. I just can’t wrap my head around all this. Why the hell would Christian even do this?” I ask him. I just don’t get it. This doesn’t seem like something Christian would do.
“What if it’s not even him, Tide? Beth was all too quick to throw him under the bus, yeah? What if it isn’t Christian?” It makes sense. Why would Beth offer that information to me? It makes no sense.
“You’re right, brother. This doesn’t make sense.”
“Not even a little. Why would she want to see her own son dead?” He’s right. I’ve been too hotheaded to see it, but he’s right. This wasn’t Christian.
“Fuck, Ban. I don’t have any issue with killin’ Beth,” I remind him.
“I know you don’t. But we need proof. Where would she get that kind of money?” That’s the question, isn’t it? Beth didn’t have much when we were together, and the fact that I ended up in prison more times than I can count, I didn’t have shit to offer her. So where would she get that kind of money?
“Let’s see what Mystic can get for us.” Ban slaps a hand on my shoulder and smiles.
“Now you’re thinkin’.”
“I’m not thinkin’ right, brother. She’s pregnant too. And she doesn’t know if it’s mine. Fuck, Ban.”
“You wanna raise it? You want it to be yours? Then that’s what you do. Christian doesn’t need to know shit at this point.”
“You’re right. But there’s always gonna be that naggin’ feelin’ in the back of my mind with not knowin’, yeah? There’s ways to find out, aren't there?”
“Yeah. There is. I’m sure Mylah would agree to it, too.” I nod my head before fist-bumping him and walking back inside. I need to talk to Mylah. I need to straighten this all out.
I walk down the hall and straight into the bedroom where she lies on the bed. Her eyes are closed, but I can tell by her breathing that she isn’t asleep.
“We need to talk.”
“There’s not much to say.”
“There is. You gonna get a test done on that baby?”
“I can if that’s what you want.”
“I need to know that it’s mine, Mylah. Either way it’s mine, but I just need to know.” She lifts her head to look at me, and I see the sorrow in her eyes.
“Even if it’s not yours, you still want it?”
“I want you and everything to do with you. That baby is a part of you.” Tears spring to her eyes before she wipes them away.
“When is the doctor coming?”
“He had an emergency, but he’ll be here tomorrow.” She nods her head before I walk over and sit on the edge of the bed.
“Everything is gonna be fine. We got this, baby.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I’m gonna handle things a little differently than usual. We have a plan.”
“You’re not going to kill them?”
“No. I’m just gonna make them wish they were dead,” I tell her truthfully. She nods her head as I slip my cut off and lie back down next to her. She slides over next to me and cuddles into my side like she always does.
“I just…I don’t want you to hate me, Tide.”
“I could never hate you, baby. You mean too much to me for that.” I pull Mylah closer to me and hold her like I may never let her go. And I might not. This is it for me. This is what I wanted for a long time now, and now I have her.
There was a time when I didn’t think this would work.
That I couldn’t keep her. That I’d never have her.
I knew she was with my son. I knew they were together, but I also knew there was something more between us.
I could feel it every time I saw her. I could see the look in her eyes, the feelings inside of me.
And as I close my eyes, ready for sleep to come, I know this is all mine and I don’t plan on letting her go. Either one of them.