Grayley would be fine. He was dehydrated and a little malnourished, but he’d be just fine after some much needed rest and lots of fluids. He already looked better, hooked up to an IV drip and whatever else the nurse gave him. She named some kind of medication, but I was clueless. I didn’t care what they gave him, as long as Grayley would be fine.

Tray’s brother had his two co-workers bring us to the hospital. Tray and Chance had reconvened at Tray’s home. I figured they had plenty to talk about. Later, one of Chance’s co-workers mentioned that Lily—Galverson’s daughter—was waiting for Chance at their hotel. I’m sure that was going to be an awkward conversation. I couldn’t muster up much sympathy for the girl, but I guess I should’ve. She just lost her father, right? I should care.

Hell, I didn’t know what it was like to have a father anyway.

I sighed as the car was pulled over just outside my home.

One of the agents stayed behind with Grayley. The other picked the short straw and got to chauffeur me around.

Dumb luck for her. Because she was about to see some major fireworks.

Both of Shelley and Kevin’s cars were in the driveway.

“You alright?” Her name was Karen, the agent that worked on Chance’s team. Or at least that’s what Tray had explained to me. I met her eyes in the rear-view mirror. She looked nice, a bit concerned, but mostly just curious.

“I’ve been through the wringer and don’t really have the energy to walk into a second one right now,” I replied dully.

“Folks going to be pissed, huh?” Like I said, she was nice. Just nice.

“Karen,” I murmured, “you don’t know the half of it.”

“I can come in with you, if you’d like. Chance told me to make sure you’re alright and bring you back to the house. You’re my job right now, Miss Matthews.”

“It’s Taryn.”

“Taryn, it is.” Karen beamed.

Karen was a bit too peppy for my usual mood, much less what I was in now.

“I’ll just go in and pack my bags,” I murmured, already out the door and heading up the sidewalk. I could hear yelling even before I opened the door, but the sound was even more abrasive, lambasting me once I actually opened it.

“You will listen to me, young lady!” Kevin shouted, finger pointed in the air. “You will change your attitude or you’ll be going right back to that rehab.”

“Dad!” Mandy gasped.

Mandy was home. And why didn’t that surprise me?

I blinked in as I took in the sight. It was so much of a family meeting that I almost felt left out. Austin sat on the stairs, cradling his head. Shelley sat against the wall, arms folded across her chest. Devon was at the kitchen table, looking a little nervous. And Mandy and Kevin were toe to toe in the kitchen.

“You have brought so much shame on this family and I will not stand for your disrespect, young lady.”

“So you’re going to ship me off again? Oh wait! You weren’t even the one to do it in the first place!”

“No, but I would’ve. And I won’t hesitate to do it this time.”

“Kevin,” Shelley moaned, “stop, please. I can’t handle anymore.”

“Please, Mom! You can’t handle this?! What a joke. You should be the one in rehab, not me and everyone knows it.” Mandy scoffed.

“Amanda!” Shelley exclaimed, self-righteously. “I’ve never!”

“Never what, Mom? Never had the truth out in the open? Where do you think I got my first dose? Wasn’t on the streets, that’s for sure. And moving your little stash from the candy machine from underneath your bathroom counter to underneath your mattress didn’t work. I still found ‘em, Mom,” Mandy taunted, and the sight was kind of beautiful.

Ouch.

Shelley looked like she was about to either explode or faint. Either one, would be entertaining.

“You, young lady, need to say goodbye to your boyfriend because it’s the last time in a very long time that you’ll see him again.”

“What?!”

“But—” Devon started, but quieted instantly.

“You can’t do that!” Mandy screeched. The honest to God perfect cheerleader mask had fallen from grace. Instead was a living breathing human being.

Thank God.

“I mean it. You are grounded until your father and I figure out what to do with you. That means no boyfriend, no phone, no computer, no television, and no parties.” Who knew Shelley had it in her to be stern? And actually parent?

“What about school?”

Points for Mandy—she’d be fighting to go anywhere at this point, even school.

“No school. Not until we decide what to do.”

“You mean where to ship me off?” Mandy griped.

Kevin cleared his throat. “Your mother is right. You can say goodbye to Devon and then you need to go to your room for the rest of the night.”

“I can’t believe you guys! You are such hypocrites! You’re always gone. Always! And now you suddenly decide to be my parents?!”

Throw in a foot stomp and you’d have an official temper tantrum.

I loved this Mandy.

“We are not hypocrites and do not speak to your father like that.”

“Stop it! Just stop it!” Austin cried out, hurtling to his feet. “This is bullshit. Every fucking word, it’s all bullshit.”

What did I say before? My mini-me.

“Austin,” Shelley gasped, taken aback. Even Kevin had been shocked to silence.

I was so proud of them. A little of me had rubbed off on both of ‘em.

“I think it’s bullshit that we needed Taryn to man up and do your jobs. She’s the one who took Mandy to rehab, she’s the one who saw it was a problem and just did something about it. Mom, you don’t do shit fir me. And Dad, you’re never here to do anything with me. And when you are, you’re always in your office. I think it’s bullshit!”

Mandy looked over to Devon, but her eyes saw me in the doorway.

“This isn’t about Taryn,” Kevin started.

“No, it’s about you two and you just suck as being parents,” Austin retorted. “You don’t even know where Taryn is anyway. No wonder she’s always gone. Why the hell would she want to be around here when you guys aren’t even around?”

Oh boy. Stab me straight in my heart.

“I’m here now, Austin,” I spoke up, quietly.

He was a little punk, but in that moment, I saw the little boy in him.

“I’m sorry that I haven’t been around,” I added.

“And where have you been?” Shelley asked sharply.

I sighed. “I don’t think this should be turned around on me.”

“You took my daughter to rehab and you disappeared. Mrs. Bates told me that you’ve been dating that Evans boy. I do not want Tray Evans in your life, Taryn. He is a bad influence and he deserves to be in jail.”

Oh, if she only knew.

I said icily, “Right now, I think Tray’s the best influence I could have in my life. Especially considering it was his father who sold my adoption to you.”

Shelley and Kevin—both froze. Completely still.

“I don’t see why you should even make demands as to where I’ve been considering the fact that you got paid how much? Ten mil, is what I heard. I was an easy enough reward. Got the money and I’m not even around that much for you to deal with me and my ‘stealing’ ways.”

“Who told you that?”

I’d had enough of this. I couldn’t squelch the disdain in my voice as I said slowly, “There’s a reason why you were paid to adopt me, and it’s the same goddamn reason why I was able to figure it out. As far as I’m concerned, I’m done with you as my parents. This family is ridiculous. You have so many problems and I’m thinking I’m the healthiest one here. Mandy and Austin are my brother and sister, no matter what, but you two—no fucking way are you my parents. No fucking way in hell!”

“You need to watch your language,” Shelley retorted. I saw the anger spark in her eyes, the rigid set in her shoulders.

But I plowed ahead, not caring, “I’m thinking my language is the least of your concerns. You wanna screw up your daughter and son? Fine, go ahead. Keep using drugs, keep letting your husband leave and avoid everything that goes on here. Just keep pushing your head in your fucking drug pillow and pretend that life’s alright. It’ll work its way out in the end when someone in this family ends up killing themselves. That’d be a great ending to your fucked up life.”

“Shut up,” Shelley whispered, “shut up.”

“Please, don’t shut up!” I threw back. “That’s your problem. You don’t say anything and hide. You both hide. Kevin, I’m pretty sure you don’t have to go to all those fucking medical conferences.”

I saw the relief in Mandy and Austin’s eyes. And it was enough, at least for me, to keep going.

“Whatever,” I bit out, moving past to the stairs, “I’m just here to pack my bags. I’ll be leaving shortly. Mandy, Austin, I’m at Tray’s if you need me.”

After my bag was packed, the kitchen was still quiet.

Whatever.

I didn’t bother to say goodbye when I shut the door.

“Taryn!”

I turned back and saw Austin at the door. He looked uncertain.

“Come on.” I gestured to the car and I knew it was the right thing to do. His shoulders seemed to relax, so I threw my arm over his shoulder and murmured, “You can stay at Tray’s if you want.”

The punk couldn’t say anything, but I saw tears in his eyes.

Karen turned in surprise when Austin and I crawled into the back. “Plus one, huh.”

“Yep. What can I say? He’s a little shit, but he’s attached at the hip.”

Austin grinned and looked out the window.

I saw one of his hands was trembling slightly, but he tucked it under his leg.

When we got to Tray’s I wasn’t really surprised to see the driveway packed with cars.

It was mass chaos when we walked in.

Karen quickly vanished down the hallway and I told Austin to hang out while I put my bag in the pool-house.

When I got back to the main house, there were three agents in the kitchen, talking quietly. They shut up the second I entered, but I passed ‘em by, in search of Austin and Tray.

I found Austin in a back room. It looked like a smaller media room and he had already hooked up the PlayStation.

“You okay in here?”

“Yeah,” Austin mumbled, not meeting my eyes. But that was okay. He was a fourteen year old boy. A lot had happened, but his cool image needed to be protected. He’d earned some ‘escape’ time.

“I’m going to go find Tray, so if you need something just ask. Okay?”

He shrugged.

Tray was in the library with his brother and two other agents. Karen was talking to Chance in a back corner.

“Hey,” I greeted, moving to Tray’s side.

“Hey.” He sighed, curling an arm around my waist. He pulled me down to his lap.

“How are things here?”

“Jace turned evidence on Galverson and Broozer. Everything’s out in the open and the Feds are moving in. Chance told me that they’ve been monitoring Galverson and have enough with everything that we have on him too.”

“He’s dead. What good is it to turn evidence on him?”

“Jace will get out and Galverson’s entire empire is going to get destroyed. All his men, everything. They’ll either scatter and head to the hills, or they’ll be prosecuted and sent to prison. It’s over. Everything’s over. And Broozer will get prosecuted too. Chance said that was why Jace was waiting as long as he did. He wanted to take down Broozer with Galverson.”

“What’ll happen to Jace?”

“I don’t know. Right now, Chance said that he’s being protected. But he won’t be protected forever. Probably Witness Protection or something.”

Jace was going to away.

I tucked that away with everything else. It could be processed later.

“What about your dad?”

Tray shrugged. “He’ll probably run and hide.”

“So they’ll want to prosecute him too?”

“Yeah.”

I sighed and burrowed against his shoulder.

I was exhausted, drained, but at the same time, I felt free.

“What about your brother? You and him?”

“I don’t know.” Tray sounded just as exhausted as I was.

“You and me?”

Tray tucked his chin on my head and held me tighter. “We’ll be just fine.”

It was enough.

“Austin’s here,” I murmured, starting to feel drowsy. “And Mandy’ll probably show up later. I’m done with Shelley and Kevin.”

“You moving in here?”

“I pretty much already did.”

Tray grinned against my hair. “Yeah. You kind of did.”

“That okay with you?”

“Well, who would turn down all that sex?”

I punched his arm, but it turned into more of a caress.

“Speaking of,” I murmured, tilting my head to look up at him, but still against his shoulder.

“Speaking of.” He met my gaze. “Let’s schedule a nice long orgy tonight.”

And I laughed.

Before long, I fell asleep, even with all the bustling around us. But I was sheltered in Tray’s arms, safe.

So I dozed.

*

When I woke up, I found myself in Tray’s bed, in the pool-house. God, it felt so comfortable!

I meandered out though, had to. I had a little brother to check on and a phone call to Mandy was needed. Not to mention I should call Geezer and Trent about Grayley. Who even knew what happened to Gentley? Tray probably handled that, he seemed to handle everything else.

The agents were all gone when I got inside, and I saw why a second later.

I’d been sleeping for six hours.

“Hey,” Tray called out from behind me.

“Hi.” I yawned. “Everyone take off?”

He just grinned. I could hear the TV from downstairs and some laughter.

“Who’s downstairs?”

“Carter and the gang.” Tray just kept grinning.

“What?” I asked, now suspicious.

“You have any idea how long you’ve been sleeping?”

“Like six hours or something. I must’ve been tired.” I yawned again, but there was something else. Something was off. I don’t know…just a feeling.

“It’s Thursday.”

So?

Holy shit!

“Oh my God.”

“You slept for two fucking days, Taryn.” Tray laughed. “You must have to pee.”

And I did. I suddenly felt the need right then and there.

I peeled out of there for the bathroom.

Wow, two days. Two entire fucking days. Two days. Two entire fucking days.

Tray had made a sandwich for me when I got back to the kitchen.

“Two days?” I asked weakly, leaning on the counter.

Tray grinned and shook his head. He moved to me and lifted me on the counter. He kept his arms around me, trapping me against him.

“Two days.” Huh.

“Two days.” He grinned again, leaned in and kissed me.

It felt good. I closed my eyes, feeling his mouth work its magic and I wrapped my arms around him.

“Hmmm,” I sighed against his mouth, “can we disappear for another two days?”

Tray answered by deepening the kiss. I opened my mouth for him and his tongue swept in. Holy hell, this guy.

“Oh my God!” Carter screeched from the doorway. “She’s alive!”

Tray and I kept kissing, content to ignore him.

“Okay, seriously,” Carter remarked, “Room. Now, please, while I still have an appetite for food.”

“Park it. Please!” That was Mandy and it was enough for me to look up, tearing my mouth away from Tray’s, but he wasn’t deterred. His lips moved to my neck and those hands were still quite busy.

Hmmm.

“Hey,” I said breathlessly.

“Hi,” she replied, eyebrows arched, watching Tray’s expertise in person.

“You escaped.” I noted, trying to hold on and concentrate.

“Yeah.”

I wedged an arm between me and Tray and held him at bay while I asked, “How are the parentals? And Austin?”

“The parentals are going to marriage counseling. You and Austin leaving got through to them…I think. And I’m still in the shithouse, but they said I could come over here to see you. Austin and I didn’t tell ‘em that you’ve been asleep for two days.”

“Yeah…uh—”

“Don’t sweat it. Tray said some serious shit went down.”

That made me smile. The short stint in rehab did something because I was watching a real human being in front of me. Not the perfect plastic cheerleader who was okay with a cheating boyfriend.

She swore now. Big change.

“Yeah.” I laughed, dodging around Tray as he switched maneuvers and pulled me backwards against his chest. He started kissing my neck and slid a hand down my back, between us. When he dipped underneath my waistband, I sucked in a breath.

Mandy just grinned knowingly.

“I’m going to tell the gang downstairs the two of you are a bit…detained. And that you’re awake and well.”

Tray lifted me in his arms and started to stroll around the room when the doorbell peeled.

He kept walking to the pool house and Mandy called out, “I’ll get the door. Don’t interrupt your sexing.”

Sexing. I grinned against his lips.

Walking into the pool house, Tray pushed me against the wall, sliding a hand underneath my shirt and cupping my breast.

Before long I had my fingers snagged on the inside of his jeans and was working at his zipper.

Hearing a knock at the door, both of us cursed swiftly.

“What?” Tray barked, sighing raggedly, his hand still playing with my breast.

“Uh—” Mandy said, cautious and rightfully fearful of her life.

“What, Mandy?” I called out.

Tray cursed under his breath and I had to kiss him for that.

“Um…you have a visitor…at the door.”

“Who is it?” Seriously. I’d gone without sex for almost a good week now. A good hard ride was very much in order right now.

“Uh…you’ll want to see this person. Trust me.”

Something in her voice had me stepping away from Tray and opening the door.

And it was there—in her eyes. I knew who was going to be at the door before Mandy even spoke.

I opened the door and saw Jace standing there. …

Jace was here.

“Hey,” he murmured, watching me intently.

“Leave. Please.” My voice actually cracked, a real godforsaken crack. I was always composed and he could make me do this. Fuck him.

“Taryn—” he trailed off. I saw his eyes look over my shoulders. Looking back, I saw Tray watching us, but he nodded to me and moved back into the kitchen.

“I don’t want you here. I can’t handle you being here,” I whispered. I was being honest. And with Jace, I was always honest. I thought he’d been, too. It was how our relationship he’d been. No lies. No tricks. Just—honesty. But I was wrong.

He sighed, but murmured, “I lied.”

“I’m sorry,” he added, raking a hand through his hair. His dirty-blonde hair that made so many girls melt for him, literally. “I’ve been lying for so long that I don’t…but you need to know that there’s so much that I never lied to you about. It’s why—”

“I needed to leave.” My adoption, the entire reason why Jace wanted me out. He couldn’t lie to me.

Was my heart supposed to break for him?

“Yeah.” It was understood between the two of us. We felt what the other couldn’t say, we understood their point of view, but it sucked ass because it hurt us—it hurt so much.

I loved Jace and that love had never been given a voice. It had never been given the chance. And he’d ripped that from me. From us.

“What happened to Brian?” I had to know. He connected us, he divided us, and he destroyed us all in the end.

“Brian found out about your adoption and he was coming to tell you. Galverson sent some of his men after him. They staged the accident. I wasn’t told until later about it.”

“When?” My voice was raw, hoarse, but it was real. And it was desperate. I needed answers.

“Just before the funeral. That’s when I called Chance in. I couldn’t do it anymore otherwise I’d risk the entire operation. I wanted to murder Sal so fucking bad. You have no idea how hard it was for me not to.”

“Oh,” I replied bitterly, “I know exactly how hard it was.” I’d wanted to murder him.

“I’m sorry. For what it’s worth.”

I looked up and met his eyes. I saw a grayish tint in their green depths and I knew that I still loved him.

Fuck him, fuck him to fucking hell.

“What are you sorry for?” I asked raggedly.

“For lying to you, for manipulating you, for…I should’ve stopped Brian. I could’ve stopped the accident, but I—”

He couldn’t have. He was doing a job. One more worthy and honorable than I’d ever know, but he’d lost a brother. While I’d lost my best friend/boyfriend/and security blanket.

We’d both lost Brian and it was an ache we felt in our hearts.

“Maybe.” I wasn’t letting him off the hook, but I understood that no one can control the future. Not ever.

“Terry,” he whispered, ripping his eyes from mine.

“What did you lie to me about?”

“Huh?”

“You said that you lied, but there was a bunch you didn’t lie about. So what were the lies?”

“Oh,” he sighed tiredly, “just who I am, I guess. Almost everything about me. The Seven8, letting it run drugs, hiding how much I hate drugs, just…I guess everything about me.”

“So what didn’t you lie about?”

“I cried those nights, you know,” he murmured hollowly. “You’d always leave Brian at rehab and it was our date. You and me, comforting each other, but you never noticed that I cried right alongside of you. Those nights nearly broke me.”

“What about Ben and Cammy and…everyone?”

“No one knew about me. You were pretty much the only one who might’ve figured me out. I couldn’t risk that, I’m sorry, Terry.”

“So you and Cammy…were you really together?” I was not holding my breath. It didn’t matter at all to me.

“Yeah, we were. I cared about her.” He shrugged, “She just didn’t know that I loathed her a little bit every time she snorted some coke.”

He chuckled, eyes far-off, “Remember those nights when Brian would have a temper tantrum and you’d hide in my room? I loved those nights.”

That was right. It was our little sick joke on Brian. He’d get mad about something and I always threatened to leave the house if he didn’t stop acting like a baby. I’d always leave the house, but I never went home. I’d just circle the house and crawl up to Jace’s window. He always had it open and ready for me. And every time I’d climb through, he’d just watch me silently and I’d either curl up behind his bed or in his closet. One time I was able to hide under all the covers on his bed. I’d fallen asleep that night and Brian had been furious with me. I woke up the next morning and Jace had been right next to me. That was the first time I felt a tingle from him.

For a week after that whenever Brian would have a tantrum, I actually left the house for mine.

“Yeah,” I murmured.

“Fuck, Terry—”

“I know.”

“I loved Brian so fucking much and we—”

“I know.”

“It wasn’t just Dad, you know. Yeah, Dad did his best to brainwash Brian against me, but it was you too. Bri met you first, that was the bottom line and even if I could’ve taken you away from him…you’d never let me. Because that’s who you are.”

It was true. I really had loved Brian, but what I felt for Jace was different. Just totally different. And now…it was a bittersweet love.

“I’m sorry,” I said hoarsely, “I have no idea what you went through.”

“Yeah, you do.” Jace grinned sadly. “You just weren’t ever given the chance to know your parents. I was, but they didn’t want me around.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

“I know.”

We both knew.

Brian was gone, buried and at rest. He was happy, finally at peace, and the best version of Brian would’ve wanted me to say this. So I looked up and spoke, clearly, “I loved you, Jace.”

Jace met my eyes quickly, a sheen of tears misting over his beautiful eyes.

I added, “I loved Brian and I loved you, but they were different loves. And I’m sorry that I was never brave enough to choose between them. I think I ripped the two of you apart because I just avoided what everyone knew was there. I’m sorry, Jace.”

“I love you too.” It wasn’t past tense and we both knew it.

Jace lifted a hand and brushed a tear away from my cheek. I hadn’t even realized I was crying.

But it broke the dam, that simple soft touch.

Jace drew me against his chest as I sobbed. I let my arms encircle him as I pulled him tighter to me and I felt him bend his forehead to my shoulder. I felt his own tears on my shirt.

He cried right alongside of me.

Jace had made a decision for me a year ago and because of it, everything he’d lived for had been unraveled. And I was in a better place in life. I had a brother and a sister.

I had Tray.

Who would’ve ever thought it? At first glance a rich, shallow, spoiled boy who had morphed into a man who was capable of what most would shudder from thought.

But right now, this was me and Jace. And we were mourning more than just us.

We both loved Brian. We both had intense, dysfunctional relationships with Brian. But we both loved him and only the other could understand what was ripped out of us from the inside.

Brian had been the rebel innocent that both Jace and myself had never been allowed. And he knew it and he hated it because he wanted what Jace and I had. He didn’t want to be innocent, protected. He wanted the respect and power that Jace had carved out and what I demanded from necessity.

But it was all over and done with now. I’d thought before, every time I said goodbye, each of those times had been the last. But I’d always known it wasn’t. I still had ties to Brian, I still had ties to Pedlam, and to Jace.

But this really was it.

Jace was leaving.

“What’s going to happen now?” I asked, against his shoulder.

His arms tightened around me. “I’ll go in Witness Protection and I’ll testify when they need me.”

“Are you in danger?” Déjà vu. I’d asked that so many other times.

And I felt Jace’s cocky answering grin against my hair. “I’m always in danger.”

“Shut up.”

“On it.” He sighed, but still chuckled. He hugged me one last time and murmured, “Don’t ever let Evans get away with anything. The guy needs to be held accountable. That’s your job now.”

“I did it to you and Brian. I can handle my own.”

“I know.” Jace sighed, pulling back slightly. “But I still really hate the guy.”

That was quite alright with me.

I saw his car waiting, Jace saw my eyes trail over his shoulder. So I murmured, huskily, “I love you.”

“I know. Me too,” he whispered and bent for my lips.

It was the second time I’d kissed him since our cheated night.

It was soft, tender, and loving. It was the Jace that only I knew, no one else.

He pulled away and nodded once, in farewell, and walked to his car. As he climbed into the backseat, something inside of me went with him. Some part of me was sitting in that backseat of his, right alongside of him.

But it was the part that needed to go, because I felt every chapter in my book close.

Who knew closure could be so painful and so refreshing at the same time.

Fucking bittersweet. I hated this feeling. Really, really fucking hate it.

I felt Tray behind me without looking, without any sound.

“Hey,” he whispered, sliding an arm around my waist and pulling me against his chest.

“Hi.”

He kissed my neck and asked, “Everything alright?”

“It’s over.” It was the only answer I had. It’d be alright and a part of me already felt it was alright. But for now…I’d closed the last page of that book.

And it just hurt.

But I think it was supposed to.

It’s called healing.