Teagan

Wham!

My eyes fly open, and my heart jumps through my chest.

Immediately, I recognize his voice.

Tempers flare, and yelling ensues.

In the middle of the night, it’s suddenly a freaking crazy house.

My frazzled emotions are screaming at me to get up and go face this, but there is a paralyzing fear holding me back. So much has happened that it seems like so long ago since Kai carried me out of that drug den, but the reality is that it wasn’t. Just a short time ago, I was spiraling hard. I lied to everyone. I ran instead of dealing with my problems. I self-medicated with drugs and sex.

It all seems as if everything I did was nothing more than a nightmare, and Smith is a representation of all of those mistakes I made.

But, now, he’s here, in this house, and the nightmare becomes real once more.

I look at the burner phone I swiped from Burke. Even though I would never really like to see the love of my life beside the man I climbed to my lowest with again, it would be a lot easier to face this with Kai by my side.

Time to woman up and be the badass I used to feel like.

After a few calming breaths while I block out the chaos coming through my walls, I put my feet on the floor and stand. Only a few shaky steps take me from my temporary bedroom door. As I make my way through the house, I follow Burke’s voice and the sound of fists hitting flesh. I find him in the living room and come to stop in the threshold.

“Stop.” The calmness within me as I speak throws me off-balance, and at the same time, all the action in the room ceases. Callen and Rylan, who are hanging back, both turn toward me. Burke looks up, his hand raised while his knuckles bleed, scarlet drops falling onto the body beneath him.

“Teagan, go back to your room. You don’t need to see this.” Burke huffs, more than a little out of breath.

“Let the girl stay. This is her fight. You men are always trying to save the princess.” Rylan scoffs. “Sometimes, a woman just needs to fight her own damn battles.”

“Stay the hell out of it, Executioner Barbie,” Burke throws back at her without taking his eyes off me.

“She’s right, Burke.” Rylan gives me a proud look of approval. “I need to face him. I need to say my piece. It’s important. I know you feel like anyone who hurts me fucks with all of us, but I was the one who went through this.”

Smith sneers through the blood on his face. “I thought you were dead.”

“You thought wrong.” My voice shakes.

“You aren’t killing him, Teagan. I won’t allow that burden to rest on your shoulders for the rest of your life.” Burke rises and stands over Smith, who is handcuffed and in a ball on the floor.

Rylan steps forward and opens her mouth to come to my aid, but I cut her off.

“I don’t want to kill him. I just want to talk to him. When I’m done, you can do whatever you want to him.” I pause and tilt my head to the side. “See? Those stupid meditation classes have taught me I can’t run from my problems. He’s here, so it’s time for me to face him.”

The room stands still, and silence takes hold.

I’m certain that Burke is at war with himself, heavily weighing his options. A smaller part of him wants to give me what I’ve asked, but another part of him is scared to acknowledge that I’m old enough and strong enough to handle my own problems.

His eyes melt as I give him a nod of encouragement, and I know I’ve won him over. Looking down at Smith with a grimace, Burke spits on him before roughly pulling him to his feet.

“Let me get him settled and secured in the back bedroom, and then you can have some time, Teagan.” Burke drags Smith away from the group. I release my deep, nervous breath. Callen follows behind him, and I’m left alone with Rylan.

“It’s okay to want to do things on your own, especially when others have your back. You’re strong enough to speak your mind to that motherfucker, and if, at any time, it feels like too much, it also isn’t wrong to ask us for help.” Rylan even walks like a boss bitch as she comes closer.

“I find it hard to believe that you ever need help.” I can’t stop the nervous laughter in my voice. “Let alone ever have to ask for it. You’re this badass, take-no-shit kind of girl.”

“I am pretty badass.” The wink she shoots me pulls a grin from me. “But everyone needs help sometimes. Callen has rescued my impulsive ass more times than I can count. As long as you understand that you’re tough all by yourself, then you’re even stronger when you need people to stand beside you.”

Burke comes back into the room, looking like he’s already changed his mind about letting me face Smith, but doesn’t say anything.

“You ready, girl?” There is so much faith in Rylan’s eyes as she looks at me that my back straightens a bit.

“I’m ready.” For once, I believe I am.

“Give him hell, Teagan.”

Rylan tenses but quickly relaxes as I bring her in for a tight hug.

After I let her go, I glance at my brother before lifting my chin high and stepping forward to go face it all—my mistakes, Smith’s abuse, and my own damn ghosts. Burke grabs my elbow as I near him.

“I’ll be right here if you need me.” For the first time, I don’t feel like a little girl with him.

“Thank you.” Simple enough.

Deep breaths. Strong steps. Clear mind.

I open the door to my redemption.

Smith is slouched over in a chair, bindings around his wrists and ankles as well as ropes connecting him to the chair. He doesn’t speak, and I take a moment to formulate my words.

“I’ve made mistakes. You aren’t completely to blame for where I ended up. I shouldn’t have run, and I should never have gone off with you. The drugs were an escape that I sought out myself, but you aren’t innocent, not by any means.”

With every word spoken, my confidence grows.

“Get off your high fucking horse, you slut,” he mumbles with hatred.

“Go ahead and slur at me derogatorily. At the end of the day, no matter what happens to you, I pulled myself out of my own mess, and fuck, that feels good. I’d say that I wish the same for you, but there’s no reason for either of us to pretend Burke isn’t going to kill you. We both know he is.”

“Does your rambling have a point? If he’s going to kill me, then let’s get it over with already.” Blood drools from the corner of his lip and runs down his chin.

“What’s the rush, Smith? Don’t you want to spend a little time with your favorite party girl first?” My eyes cast downward, and the faded marks running up and down my arms jump out at me. The telltale sign that, not that long ago, I was shooting poison straight into my veins.

“Get on with it,” he grumbles.

“You played with me like a toy and then beat me when I misbehaved. I was in such a bad way that I didn’t even realize how fucked up that was. I’d been hurt before, and somehow, that previous experience made me feel like I deserved a relationship like the one I found with you. Don’t even get me started in how I feel about you releasing that tape.” I lean down and press my fingers against his throat. The beat of his pulse vibrates on my fingertips. “You need to know that I didn’t deserve any of that; no one does. A woman, people in general, can’t be treated like that.” My fingers dig harder into his skin. “What I deserve is someone who respects me and someone who doesn’t see me as the damaged goods that you used me as. I deserve love. Maybe you wouldn’t have ended up such a vile creature if you had it.” My fear of him turns to pity, and a small piece of my burden lifts. “Obviously, you’ll never understand the power of love, but I do, and that’s what matters.”

Smith unsuccessfully attempts to shrink away from my touch.

“Quit talking and kill me yourself, you dumb bitch.” He spits, and the saliva hits his own chest. “If you’re so whole and healthy now, then quit whining and put your past to rest.” Blood drips from his gums and coats his teeth, and with a smile, he says, “Kill me.”

“You’re going to die, but it won’t be at my hands. The people who love me will take care of that.” Slowly, I pull away from him, and I look over Smith, at my past, and say, “Maybe you think you branded me when you released that tape, but all you did was help me find my power. You don’t get credit for that though. My self-worth is all thanks to me and the people in my life who know I can’t be branded by one video out there on the internet.” The cool metal of the door handle does nothing to dim the strength of the flame currently burning inside me. “Good-bye, Smith.”

Closing the door on him makes me feel ten feet taller.