Drowning (Tears of Sin Series) (26 page)

“I
T
’
S TIME TO MAKE HIM
stop. He's out of control, and I won't be responsible for someone's death.”
I hurry to Seth’s side, and his fingers link with mine, tugging until I’m half lying on the bed beside him. I try not to land on his busted ribs, but he doesn't seem to care. We lay like this until he falls to sleep, content in each other’s arms, even if we have an audience. Gabe helps me off the bed.
“Tell him I'll be back this afternoon.” I give Gabe a quick hug.
“I'm going to stay and watch out for them.” He’s such a big cuddly hero. “Evan had to go talk to our promoter and cancel the gig we had lined up for next week.”
“I’m sorry that everything’s so messed up right now. I know how important these things are for you guys.”
Rowena's house is set back from the road, and I have to park out front like a visitor. Seth's truck is large and difficult to maneuver up the narrow driveway. I don't have the key code, and I doubt she'd give it to me. I punch on the buzzer and wait for the housekeeper to let me in. “It's Alice.”
There's no answer, but the gates swings wide. “I'm so going to hate this.”
Rowena meets me at the door. “Alice. She's in her room. I can't get her to eat or drink anything. Please forgive her.”
I've never in all my life expected to see this side of Row. She almost seems humbled. Human. “She told you what she did?”
“Yes, and I'm sorry that she hurt you, but we have to make her get better.” I don’t waste time wondering how anyone this self-absorbed could even care for her daughter.
I hurry down the hall to Molly’s room and bust through the door. “Get your sorry ass up.”
She jack knives on the bed and turns toward my voice. “Alice?”
“What you did was wrong. On every level. I really didn't think you were capable of something so shrewd, but you've been taught by the best manipulators. So, I'm going to forgive you. Not for you, but for me. I've learned that revenge is for the weak. It's not about that. But, so help me god, Mole, if you ever pull something like this again and go against everything that's right in your heart, I’ll ditch your ass for good.” She's crying, and it saddens me that the tears don't affect me the way they used to. I think we'll get back to that place, but everything is too new.
“Okay. I love you, Alice. I knew. I knew it was you, I think. But I didn't want to believe that he could do that to you. You who were so full of life. I lived every day jealous of that kind of freedom.”
“You didn't do this out of jealousy. I think that seed was there, but you did this thinking you'd protect both him and her. I can't blame you for that. I wish I had that kind of loyalty toward our parents, but I don't. So, today at noon, we're going to go meet a team of lawyers who will take us to the police station.” They’d interviewed Seth earlier, but he’d been hesitant about telling them all the facts. We just weren’t sure how deep Harrison’s corruption had spread. “We're going to stop him for good. No one else gets hurt.” There’s a moment in every woman’s life when she knows that for once, she stood on her own two feet, faced the world, and flipped it off. I just had that moment, and it feels fucking awesome.
“Okay.”
Rowena is hovering in the doorway. “What will happen to us?”
“Row,” I tip one corner of mouth up at her, “ever heard of divorce?”
“Oh, my god. This is going to ruin us. I knew you’d eventually be the downfall of this family.”
“You'll be okay.”
It takes an hour to get Molly ready, but we make it to Mr. James’ office with time to spare. I’m not expecting to see Seth lounging on the sofa in his father's office, and I am instantly furious. “What the fuck?”
He crosses his arms. “I'm not letting you do this alone.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You can’t even see.” I cross the room and kneel at his ankles. “You almost died just yesterday. What the hell are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking this will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done. And I’m with you. All the way.”
I wrap my arms around his legs—that was the most undamaged part of him—and lay my head on his lap. I may have been drowning all my life, but this man will be my lifeline. I’ll be his anchor. Together we’ll fucking conquer the world. “You’re with me?”
He threads his fingers through my curls. “To the end, baby.”
The meeting with the lawyers goes exactly as planned, and when we have our plan together, we head downtown. We ride together in Mr. James’ hired car to the police station. It takes two of us to keep Seth upright while climbing the stairs in front of the building. I drop him into a wooden chair in the lobby, and he winces.
“Sorry.”
He pries one eye open, reaches behind me, and pinches my ass. “No, you're not.”
I swat his hand away. “No, I'm not. You should have stayed at the hospital.”
He grins, or at least, I think it's a grin. His face is so grossly swollen. I miss seeing those blue eyes. And when he really apologizes for being such an ass, I want to see them. The receptionist gets us a detective, and we're led back to the captain’s office. “He'll want to hear this.”
This is going to get real ugly. Having one of the state’s leading political candidates under investigation is going to bring a lot of heat on the department. The captain is a burly man with a gruff attitude. He takes the box of zip drives from me and asks if he can view one. “Would you like to step outside, Miss?”
“No. I'm fine.” I could handle this now. I’m surrounded by people that love me. Really love me. They give me the courage to face down the evidence and finally put it behind me.
Seth grabs my hand and tugs me toward him. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
The screen comes on and there is my father's voice, torturing me long before he cracks a whip against my skin. Mole is whimpering against Seth's dad, and Rowena is somewhere behind me. Quiet. Reserved. Holding it all together until she can sneak away and lick her wounds.
The captain rakes a hand down his face and shuts off the video. “I'm so sorry, Miss.” I nod my head, and Seth presses my knuckles to his battered lips. “He do this to you too, boy?”
“Yes, sir. And shot my friend who is still in the hospital.”
“Deacon...oh, where is that file?” He shuffles some folders around on his desk. “We interviewed him this morning.”
“Yes, sir. Harrison has men working for him that do the dirty work. But, E. Harrison busted me up personally.”
He glances at the officer to his left. “Bring him in. You brought lawyers with you. What is that about?”
Mr. James steps forward. “We just wanted to make sure all of our assets were covered. And they have my best interest at heart.”
“I see.” He stands, so we all do.
I step forward, away from Seth’s reach. I have to find out what to expect on my own. “Captain, will this be enough to keep him behind bars.”
“With your testimony and his?” He tips his head at Seth. “Yeah, I don't think he'll ever get free.”
“But he claims to own some of the force.”
“My force? Pft. If he does, we’ll sniff them out, and they’ll serve the time.” He nods at me. “Don’t you worry, miss. We’ll get this bastard.”
Rowena withers against the door and one of the suits grabs for her. “Miss Harrison?”
She straightens, and it's like it didn't happen. “Thank you, Alice.” She turns and leaves, helping lead Molly away with her.
“Rowena...”
“Yes?” She swings around, blonde hair popping out away from her face.
“I didn't do this for you.”
She nods and walks on. We both know that this was not even for me. It's for my new family. The one I have to protect. The James’ brothers. And now their father.
Seth drops an arm over my shoulder. “Let's go home, Dad.”
“I'd say that's a good idea.” Mr. James hands a card to the captain and leads the way out of the station.
We return to the hospital to check on Deacon, and he's awake and sitting up in bed. He glances up at our surprised faces. “Hey, you look worse than me.”
Seth sags into a chair with a fine layer of sweat over his face. “Fuck you.” Deacon grins and the two share a moment that I feel almost like a voyeur watching. “So, they canceled our gig for next week.”
“What the fuck, man?” Deacon begins pulling on lines attached to his fingers and chest. “We got to get out of here and salvage that shit.”
“No. Stop pulling all your stuff off.” I reach over and put his leads back on his chest. “Stop.”
He glances up at me and grins. “If I knew that getting shot would get your hands on me, I'd have done it a long time ago.”
Seth growls from across the room and Deacon laughs until he grabs his head.
I smile down at him. “Not so ready for the blaring of amps yet, huh?”
He tugs on one of my curls and hugs me with his good arm. “I'm so glad you're safe. That we all are.”
We stay until they give Deacon another painkiller and then head back to Seth's dad’s. Gabe is driving, and so far the brothers haven't spoken. It's like we're all waiting for a big explosion or something. I think everyone is stunned by the last few days. No one is even mentioning that I’m finally free. I haven’t broken that down in my head yet. I tell them all that I'm going to take a shower and then head to bed. Really, I want to give them time to sort their shit out, and I'm still unsure about my relationship with Seth. I love him. I think he loves me still, but I'm not sure if it's enough.

GABE HUNTS DOWN A BEER
, and I pull the bottle in my pocket out. I hate resorting to the painkillers, but my face throbs like a bitch, and I am winding down on energy. Dad hands me a glass of water and leaves the room. I feel a setup coming on. Gabe sits in Dad's favorite chair and crosses a booted foot across his thigh.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said earlier...well, not all of it.” Gabe scratches his chin, and glances up at me. He's fuzzy, but I can see his scowl.
“I'm sorry too. I was wrong.” I give him my most repentant smile. “I should have stood by her. But I still kind of understand why Molly did it.”
“So do I.” He stretches his arms above his head like this isn’t a difficult conversation.
“Really?”
He pops his knuckles, one crack at a time. “Yeah, but that shits over. I can't trust that kind of person.”
“Gabe—”
“No. Don’t try to change my mind on this.” Gabe downs half his bottle. “We okay?”
We would always be okay. We were bros. “Yeah, are you okay?”
“I will be.”
I stand and walk over to him. I peer at him through the slits that have opened around my eyes. “Come on.” Gabe stands and crushes me until I grunt. “I love you, bro.”
We're latching onto each other for more than a minute before he lets me go. We both know. I'd almost died and left him alone. My father is coming around, but he's got a lot to make up for.
Gabe clears his throat, and asks, “What are you doing out here?”
I laugh. “I know.”
“Go make it up with her and get back in her bed. I swear to god, bro, you fuck that up, and I'm going to find her the biggest, hottest, dude to fuck her for days...maybe me.”
I punch his shoulder. “Watch it.”
I stagger my way up the stairs to my room. I can see enough to navigate my way. The slits for my vision aren't fun to open, but I'm getting there. Alice is still in the shower, and I rip off my T-shirt and land on my bed. I toe my boots off while I wait.
She comes out in a towel and nothing else. “Seth,” she hisses. “I thought you'd still be downstairs.”
“Do you want me to go?” I’m hoping she says no.
“No.” She fumbles through my drawer and pulls a shirt out. She drops the towel and yanks it over her head. I love that she doesn't have any shame. She crawls over me and slides between the sheets. “You can get the lights on your way out.”
“I thought I didn't have to go.”
“You don't have to yet, but you will. I'm not over it yet.” She rolls toward me, and I ignore the lancing pain in my side.
“Alice.” I’m okay with her making me pay, for now, but eventually she’d have to get past this if we were going to have any kind of relationship together.
“Don't. No declarations while I can't see your eyes. I know. I think I know. Just don't.”
I drop to the pillow and breathe through the ache in my chest. The phone in my pocket buzzes and I take it out. “Hello?”
“Seth James?”
“Yes.”
“This is Captain Ryder. We have Mr. Harrison in custody. I just thought I’d let you know that you can rest easy.”
I hang up and wrap her in my arms and kiss her forehead. She's shaking, and I know that her armor is only skin deep. Below, she's just as scared as I am. “They have your dad.”
“I kind of figured it wouldn’t take them long.”
“Why are you shivering?” I brush my hands down her arms.
“I can’t believe it’s over.” A tear leaks from her and onto my arm. “I can finally live.”
Three weeks have passed since Harrison was arrested, and eventually, we’ll all have to prepare for court. Alice has been staying here in my dad’s house while I recover, but in a different room.
“Al?” I peek around the partially closed door to the guest room.
She's bent into a pretzel on the floor. Hot and sweaty, but hot in a different way too. My cock jumps against my zipper. She slips and bumps against the floor.
“Shit. I didn't mean to startle you.” I reach down and lift her to her feet. “Baby, you don't have to kill yourself.”
She laughs. “This is how I stay in shape and relieve stress.”
I lean against the door jam and shove my hands in my pockets. I quirk a brow at her, twist my lips, and give her my most evil grin. “You're stressed?”
We both laugh.
I’m kind of nervous about dealing with her right now because she’s keeping me at such a distance. “Do you want to go out of for lunch today?”
“I'm having lunch with your dad in his den at noon.”
I haven't been able to get her out of the house in three weeks. I'm not sure how to break through the wall she's built. My face has been healed for days and I'm glad to look normal. The bruising is still there, but it's fading. My ribs are still a few weeks from being perfect, but I feel much better.
“Care if I join you?” I’m almost to the point of begging. I miss spending time with her.
“Actually, I do.”
Okay, not what I expected. Seth zero. Alice one-hundred-and-one. That’s how many times I’ve tried to make plans with her. “You know, you can't stay here forever.”
She laughs. “Kicking me out, already?”
“Hell no. I want you here, but it's not healthy. To hide like this.” To hide from me. I’d get through to her somehow.
“That's what you think I've been doing?” She rakes a towel beneath her hair, wiping the sweat from the back of her neck. Her clean up routine is almost as hot as her workout.
“Well, yeah, isn't it?”
“No, it's not.”
“Then what is it?”
She grabs the side of my face and pulls me down. Her lips meet mine and meld us together, but the kiss is too brief. “I've been making sure you stay home and rest. If I'd have let you, you'd be out, playing the drums or taking care of everyone else.”
She's right, and I feel duped. “You are in so much trouble.”
“You going to spank me?” Her eyebrow darts up and a smile tips up one side of her mouth. “I dare you.”
She’s come so far with me. The last time I’d mentioned spanking, she’d nearly left me for good.
“Woman, you’re killing me.” I grab her hand and lead her to the den. “Sure I can't join you for lunch?”
“Nope.” She slips inside, and I'm left to wander about the house by myself.
Evan walks through the front door followed by Deacon, who is getting around much better than we all expected. I give them a half-hearted wave. “Hey guys, what's up?”
“Meeting.” Deacon and Evan disappear inside the den without another word. Gabe thumbs my left nut on the way past and slips inside. It's tearing me up, and I can't take it anymore. Why would everyone else get to go in there and I'm not invited?
I slam through the door, and they all glance up. Alice is signing something. She stops and glances up at me, a big cheesy smile plastered on her face. “Hey baby. Just couldn't wait for me, huh?”
They all look happy. Not guilty. What the fuck. “What is going on here?”
Alice stands and rushes up to me. “You are going to be so famous. I couldn't let you go on your own. I just signed with the J Squared record label.”
All the beatings finally warped her mind. “What are you talking about?”
Gabe grabs my shoulder and slams me into a chair. “Read this.”
I grab the paper and skim through the recording contract. “What is this?”
Gabe’s chest puffs out. “Well, you know that little penny stock I had.”
I scan through the paper. “Yeah?”
“It turned into a hot deal for me, and I bought a label. We're the J Squared recording company.”
“You bought a recording company?” I look at my dad. Alice sits on the arm of my chair, running her hand along my neck. I can’t keep my dick from stirring at her touch. What the fuck is going on? “Is this for real?”
My dad nods. “Legal and legit.”
My stomach is turning. Alice slides to my lap. “You knew?”
“Only for the last few days.” She smiles and kisses me. “It’s a big deal, huh?”
“It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”
She nips my chin. “I thought I was your dreams.”
“You are my reality. And it’s a damn fine life I live. I love you, Alice.” I intended on giving her a chaste kiss, but she licks against my mouth, and I’m lost. I thrust my tongue between her lips and steal as much of her as I can before she withdraws. My brother, friends, and dad hoot in the background.
She gives me three quick pecks to end the kiss. “Seth, don’t ever let anyone tell you you aren’t a hero. I love you, and you’ve saved me. I’m glad I’m your reality, because you’re my dreams, my home, and my family. My hero.”
“So, if you love me, and I’m your hero, why have you been keeping me at arm's distance?”
She smacks my chest. “You’ve been injured, dummy.” She nips my chin. “What kind of girlfriend would I be if I demand sex while you can’t even open your eyes? I love you too much to let you hurt yourself.”
“Say it again.” I cup her face in my hands. “Say it, baby.”
“I love you, Seth.”
I’ve been waiting forever to hear her say that. I sit in a dazed coma watching her brown eyes sparkle. She loves me. I have my family. I glance back down at the piece of paper in my hands. My new band is contracted. Tears of Sin will be taking the world by storm. With me to drive the pace, Gabe to provide the melody, our two backups keeping the harmony ripped, and our lead wailing out the magic in our songs, I couldn’t be any happier than I am at this very moment. I may have risked everything for love, but in the end, love risked everything for me.