Dirty Nails (15 page)

Twenty Two- Recovery

              The police showed up quickly. Two men took statements from me asking me what felt like hundreds of questions. They couldn’t believe that I was the missing girl from all those years ago. I did my best to fill them in on everything, but it was overwhelming. Even worse, we were still inside the house.

              They roped off several parts of the house and took lots of pictures. I was so over the whole day, but they said that they’d probably need more statements from me at some point. They told me not to leave town, and needed to know where they could reach me.

              I gave them Cam’s number.

              “Do you have some place to go ma’am?”

              “Yes,” I said. “Am I free to go now?” I’d already been there for hours longer than I’d wanted too.

              “Yes, but you mentioned one of these men was a friend of your family.”

              “Abram.” I answered. “He has no one else and I want to know where he will be buried. I have no money to do it, but he’s my friend.”

              “I understand ma’am. There are a lot of steps that we have to go through before he can be buried. It’s very vigorous, but you will be notified.”

              “Thank you.” I replied. “I would like to get a few of my things before I leave.”

              “Of course.”

              Careful of where I walked, I made it quickly to my room, my old room. I had left my things with Cam when he helped me escape before, everything except my bag of nails.

              I picked them up and wrapped the string around my wrist. The weight of the bag felt familiar. Many times that day I’d felt like I needed them, but couldn’t get to them. Right then, the feeling was gone. So much relief was swarming through my body that there was no need for pain, at least not then anyway. But there was no way that I could let them out of my sight. They were my reminder of everything I’d been through, and a little piece of my parents that I wasn’t ready to let go of. I’d probably never be able to.

              I walked around once more, but took nothing with me. Nothing was really mine, and I just wanted to put that part of my life behind me.

              The policeman showed me out, and I started to walk. I was walking away from all the pain and misery and walking towards the man that set me free.

              Cam!

              Once I was in plain view of the car I stopped. He stood there leaning against the hood. His long legs were crossed; his arms were folded loosely over his chest, and his eyes were burning holes into my skin.

              I exhaled a long slow breath, then bit down on my lip. This was it. This man was waiting for me. He had saved me when I didn’t even know I needed saving.

              I couldn’t stand the anticipation. I lunged forward and wrapped myself up in his body. My clothes were dirty and I smelled like vomit, but he didn’t care. He held close. I never wished to be out of his arms ever again.

              His head was bent down and it rested right in the crook of my neck. “Thank you.” He whispered and I felt his warm lips caress my neck.

              “You never have to thank me. I should be thanking you. You saved me. You gave me life. You taught me to see beyond the outside layers. That there is so much more to people if you look deep enough.” I smiled sweetly at him.

I heard him mumbling really low and into my neck. I don’t know if he was nervous or upset. I couldn’t see his face.

              When he finally pulled back I could see that his face had softened. He rested his hands on my hips and cocked his head to the side. His glare was always so intense. This time wasn’t any different. He had a way of making me feel like he could see every flaw, every broken piece of me, and he was only just staring at my face. I wouldn’t change that about him though. It just showed me that he was passionate.

              “You’re mine Sadie.”

              “I’m yours.”

              “You won’t leave me too, right?

              “Never.”

              “You love me too, don’t you?”

              I nodded my head and felt the tears well up. He had yet to say those words. “I do.” I answered.

              “I promise I’ll take care of you.” He said.

              “I promise that I’ll let you.” I pushed my chest up to his body and looked up at him. “Will you take me somewhere?” I asked.

              “Where?” He eyed me curiously.

              “Home.”

              He pressed his lips gently against mine, and in that moment I knew I was already home, right there in his arms.

THE END

Epilogue- Dirty Nails

              It had been exactly one month since I’d used my dirty nails. Exactly one month since we buried Bram. And exactly one month since Cam asked me to spend the rest of my life with him.

              There was no questioning it. We belonged together. Of course I said yes. There was no other answer. He was it for me. He may have asked me while he was balls deep inside me, but I found it to be sexy and I loved it. It was perfect. It was us.

The two of us had been holed up for the past five days in an apartment that belonged to one of Bram’s men. Bram had left everything to Cam, the house, the money, and the cars. Cam didn’t want the house. There were too many memories there. So he made an exchange with one of the guy’s, the house for his apartment. The rest is history. We don’t like to go out much. Every moment that we spend together is used thoroughly.

The investigation into the night that I killed Max had ended rather quickly, and the police found no fault. They did need me to go to the police station to pick up some things that they believed belonged to me.

There were two boxes, both of which I recognized from Max’s closet. One box held pictures of me, and I was uncertain about what could be in the other box. In the car, I opened the second box and I found pictures of Cam’s mother Flori, lots of pictures. But the one thing I never expected to find was a letter, one written by her to Max.

Cam and I sat there reading the words and there were so many things that we discovered.

Here were her words.

Dear Maxwell,

              For a long time now I have loved another. I know that you know. Your brother and I never expected to betray you this way. We love each other very much. These feelings are not something that I wish to fight. I want to be with him, and it makes me sad when I think of the pain that this will cause you.

              Things haven’t been right with us for some time now. We have drifted apart, and of course your temper gets the best of you at times.

              This wasn’t the main reason that I was choosing to write you this letter though. There is a secret that I have been keeping from you, a secret that I haven’t told Abram either. Not yet. But I intend to.

              Cam is not your son. He’s Abram’s. I know that you thought by some miracle that I conceived your child. That even though the doctor’s claimed you to be sterile that we had miraculously made it happen, but we didn’t. He isn’t yours and I’m sure of it.

              I’m sorry Max. I’m sorry that you will never have the son that you longed for. I’m sorry that I lied to you about it all, but for what it’s worth, I did love you. Please take care of yourself. I wish the best for you.

              Your dearest,

              Flori

              Cam and I were in shock after reading it. All of those years he had believed that Max was his father. Never once had Bram told him different or his mother. We couldn’t figure out why. Unless Flori never told Bram, but even that didn’t make sense. The only conclusion that we could think of was that Max might have threatened her. Either way Cam always loved Bram like a father. So knowing the truth helped fill the missing pieces in his heart.

              We had come a long way from the two scared, angry people that we were before. We were in love. We were happy, and though day-to-day living was hard for each of us, we managed.

              I hadn’t needed my dirty nails anymore thanks to Cam. He showed me this great trick with ice and it has helped me a lot. Instead of running the nails up my forearm, I use the ice. The cold sends a numbing sensation through my arm and replaces the pain that the nails once gave me. The bag of nails still hang on the post of my bed just in case, but only so that I never forget.

              I have a haunted past filled with dirty lies, and secrets. But I plan to leave those there, and fill my future with bright, beautiful memories.

Cam still mumbles when he’s nervous and my arms are filled with horrible scars, but we don’t care. Our love is blind to those things, and we will forever belong to each other, demons and all.

Acknowledgments

              This book was so different for me to write. It forced me to step out of my comfort zone, but in the best possible way. I fell in love with it almost instantly and though I was nervous, I couldn’t wait to share it.

              I need to thank Shelby Salinas. She is a special friend of mine, and one of the best beta readers ever. She was the first person to read Dirty Nails, and her thoughts kept me wanting to write. I love how she immerses herself into my story and shares with me every emotion she’s feeling. Thank you Shelby for fitting me into your busy schedule and for loving my books!

              Huge thank you to Raquel Auriemma. You are a beta reader master. I am so thankful for all of the hours that you spent reading over and over my work. It meant so much to me, and I’m glad that I had you with me for this journey.

              My BAFF Micalea Smeltzer has been my rock, and pushed me to such great lengths. I love you Superman and your friendship means so much to me!

              To the bloggers who have supported me know matter what. You know who you are. I can never repay you for all of your kindness and love. Thank you so much.

              I have to say thanks to my Royals. You guys have been unbelievably supportive and I have gained so many new friends. I love you all!

              Thank you readers for taking a chance. For reading my words and telling a friend. For sending me messages, and telling me what you loved about my stories. For your continuous support and love. You’re the BEST!

About The Author:

Regina is a contemporary romance writer from Kentucky. She lives there with her husband, kids, and cat. She can be found behind her computer, a good book, or watching sports. She loves to hear from her fans. You can find out what's coming next if you follow her on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthReginaBartley, read her blog www.reginabartley.com, or follow her on twitter @regina_bartley.