Chapter 29
Tide
Maybe I am a little bossy. Maybe I am a little straightforward. I don’t see the problem with that. She went through with it. We’re officially married and lying on the floor of our new house. I can’t complain. I’ve fucked Mylah on every surface in here. I’ve made it our home.
“I don’t know what to say about all of this,” she whispers.
“Don’t say anything. We’re good, darlin’.”
“I’m married.”
“Yeah, I know you are. You’re officially mine forever,” I tell her. She turns and lays her head on my chest as I pull her in closer.
“Isn’t it weird?”
“What?”
“That we’re married. It was so fast.”
“I love you, Mylah. Nothin’ weird about that.
I told you we were doin’ this right and now we are.
” Mylah sighs as I run my fingers up and down her naked back.
I could live like this forever. I could stay here in this bubble with her, but I know I can’t.
There’s Beth to deal with. And Christian.
I don’t know how I feel about that part.
On one hand, I want him to pay if he knew about this, but on the other hand, he’s my son.
Either way, Mylah is my wife and I can’t bear to think about what she went through as my fingers graze over the scars that remain.
“What do you think we’re having? A boy or a girl?”
“Does it matter? As long as it’s healthy.”
“I know, but I’m curious,” she laughs a little. I love this playful side of her.
“I hope it’s a girl that looks just like her momma.”
“You really want a girl?” she asks, looking up at me now.
“A little version of you? Hell yeah, I do. What are you hopin’ for?”
“You know every mom hopes for a girl but it doesn’t really matter to me. I agree as long as it’s healthy, I’m good.”
“You’re gonna be a great mom, Mylah.”
“I hope so. This all happened so fast and I didn’t have time to process it all. I’m just…happy.”
“I’m glad you’re happy. That’s all I want for you,” I tell her.
“So what’s next?”
“What do you mean?”
“We have the house, the baby, the marriage. What’s next?”
“Whatever you want, baby. I’ll give you the fuckin’ world if you want it.”
“I just want you, Tide. That’s it.”
“Good thing you have me then, yeah?” She sighs once more, and we stay like this for a long time until I feel her breathing even out. I know she’s asleep when my phone rings. I reach for it and press the answer button quickly so as not to wake her.
“Yeah?”
“We got Beth. You wanna wait till tomorrow?” Patch says. His words ring in my head. They got her. They found her already. I glance down at Mylah sleeping peacefully on my chest, and I know this needs to end.
“No. I’ll meet you at the warehouse.”
“You sure? You don’t wanna wait and spend time with Mylah?”
“She’s asleep. Let’s handle this shit. You have Christian, too?”
“Bane’s on his way over there now. He should be here by the time you get here,” he says.
“Good. I’ll be there soon,” I tell him before hanging up. I set the phone on the floor next to me before slowly shifting Mylah off me. I lay her on the pillow and lean down, pressing a kiss to her head.
“I’m gonna finish this, baby,” I whisper to her.
She doesn’t stir or move, and for that I’m thankful.
I climb off the floor, grabbing my clothes as I go and pulling them on quickly.
I take one last look at Mylah with the dogs lying right behind her.
I smile knowing that she’ll be safe while I’m gone.
I slip out the front door, locking it up behind me before climbing on my bike. I use my feet to push it out into the road so I hopefully don’t wake her.
Once I’m far enough away, I rev it up and take off. Adrenaline courses through my veins as I think about everything. Why she’d do that? Why he’d help her? According to him, he and Mylah were good. She tells another story, one I believe.
I haul ass to the warehouse before killing the engine and climbing off my bike. I glance around and see the others all parked out here, too. They weren’t going to let me handle this alone.
“You made it,” Ban says with a grin as I walk inside.
“You know I wouldn’t miss this shit,” I tell him, grinning from ear to ear.
“Not a chance in hell.” I walk over to where they have Beth and Christian both tied up in chairs and look between them.
“I’m gonna ask questions, and I want fuckin’ answers. Don’t give me no shit and I won’t have to hurt you.” They both nod their heads when I pull the gag free from Christian’s mouth.
“What the hell is this, Pop? Why am I here? Like this?” he asks, looking down at the restraints that hold him in place.
“There’s no easy answer to that. In fact, I was hopin’ you could enlighten me a little,” I say as I walk to stand right in front of him.
“What do you mean?”
“You gave your mom money. A large amount of it, too. Why?” Christian glances over at her and then back to me, the look of confusion on his face.
“What are you talking about?”
“The money you gave her, Christian. What was it for?” I growl.
“I didn’t give her any money. What the hell are you talking about?” My eyes move from him to Beth before coming back.
“You’re tellin’ me you didn’t give her a hundred and fifty thousand?”
“What? No! Why would I?” Christian looks shocked to even hear that. What the hell is going on? He didn't give it to her? How the hell did she get it then?
“To get rid of Mylah.”
“Get rid of Mylah? She left! Why would I need to get rid of her?”
“Because you knew she was with me. It’s simple, really,” I tell him.
“You think I did something to Mylah? She made it clear she didn’t want to be with me, Pop. I’m not one to hold someone against their will.” Is he telling the truth? Could he be? That doesn’t explain how Beth got the money from him. He has to be involved in this somehow.
“Then how did she get the money, Christian?”
“I don’t know! I didn’t know there was money missing,” he exclaims.
“You’re a fuckin’ accountant!”
“I don’t check my own accounts daily. I don’t understand what’s happening here.”
“You wanna know what happened? Someone paid a high-level trafficker to take Mylah. They sold her, beat her. They damn near broke her, but she’s stronger than that. She didn’t let that happen. And now? Now she’s mine,” I tell him as I raise my hand and show him the ring on my finger.
“You didn’t. You fucking married her?” He roars.
“She’s havin’ my baby. Might as well make her my wife.” I shrug like it’s no big deal, just to put on a show for him. I want his reaction. I want to see if he actually had anything to do with this.
“This is all fucked up.”
“Why’d you do it? Why have her taken?”
“I didn’t! I swear to you I wouldn’t do that. Was I pissed off about the whole thing? Yes, I was, but I’m not that kind of person!” He’s right. He isn’t. He isn’t like me, and I thank God for that every day. Things might have ended differently if he were.
“Then how’d she get the money?” Christian looks at her and then back to me, shaking his head.
“I don’t know. I have no idea.”
“Gag him,” I say. Ban walks over and shoves the gag back in his mouth when I turn to Beth. She looks scared, and that’s something she should be.
“You. You set this all up. Why?” When the gag is pulled from her mouth, she begins to scream for help. I step closer and slam my hand over her mouth, not willing to listen to her screaming.
“I’m gonna move my hand and the next time you scream, I’m gonna cut off a fuckin’ finger,” I tell her as I pull my knife from the back pocket of my jeans. “Why?”
I slowly pull my hand away from her mouth and wait. She sniffles a few times before looking at Christian.
“He did it. He’s lying to you, Tide. He set this whole thing up,” she says as Christian mouths behind his gag.
“Why?”
“Why do you think? You stole his girlfriend. You fucked her and waved it in his face!”
“He didn’t do this,” I say softly as I listen to my son screaming behind the gag.
“He did. He set it all up.”
“Then why did he give you the money?”
“To keep my mouth shut,” she says quickly. I shake my head, a sick smile tugging at my lips.
“You know what’s funny? There was only one hundred and fifty thousand missin’ from his account, and that money went to you.
You know what else is funny? That’s the exact amount the motherfuckers were paid to take her.
You think that’s a coincidence?” Anger surges inside of me because I know she’s sitting here lying to my face.
I can tell by the look on hers. She did this.
How could she fucking do this? What kind of sick bitch is she?
“I swear I didn’t do this, Tide. Why would I?”
“Because you wanted him back. You knew you weren’t gonna get him back, so you figured you’d get rid of the competition. Make it easier on you,” Bane tells her as he steps up next to me.
“That makes sense,” I add.
“You think I would do something like that, Tide? Do you really?” She cries now as I bring the knife to her cheek.
“You left your son. You left me. You were angry and jealous. Yeah, I think you did this,” I tell her as I drag the blade down her face. Blood bursts to the surface as she screams and cries harder.
“I didn’t!”
“Tell the fuckin’ truth, or I’ll fuckin’ carve your ass up right here in front of your son!” I demand her as I drag the blade up the other side of her face. She screams louder when I pull away and wait.
“Fine! I fucking hate her! I hate that she got what I wanted. I hate that she was in the middle of all this. All I fucking wanted was you, Tide! That was it!”
“So you sent her off to be raped and killed? That make you feel better?”
“I hate her! I hate everything about her. So yes, I thought I’d get rid of her. If she wasn’t around, then there was no one else to hold your attention. You could have looked at me again.”
“We were never good, Beth. Never. We were fuckin’ toxic, and you know it.
But the day you walked? The day you left me with a kid, I didn’t know how to raise?
Well, that showed me the real woman you were.
You were nothin’. You were fuckin’ trash, and there was no way in hell, Mylah here or not, that I would have fucked with you again. ”
“What do you wanna do here, Tide?”
“I want her dead.”