Dean

Insanity slashes through the night as I weave through traffic. My mind is racing. Pleading for one last cry for help. I should have known. Should have sensed something like this would happen. Miles went too easily. It’s clear now he wasn’t ready. He might never be, and that’s the scariest part of this whole fucked-up life he’s been living. Some people aren’t ready to let go of their addictions until it’s too late. Until the world no longer exists, and the people left behind are the ones to pick up the pieces. To do what they think is right.

Leila sits beside me in the darkened cab of my truck. I park, shut off the engine, and take a calming breath. “Know you care about Miles. Think you’ve had enough of an emotional breakdown for the night. Stay here, Leila. I mean it.”

“No. I’m as much a part of this family as you. He might need my help. I’m going.” She’s out the door, her still damp hair falling out of the half-assed mess she piled on top of her head. Legs running in the direction I don’t want her to go. Stubborn girl. Strong and determined to shelter everyone she loves. Just like her dad. I feel the smile I should be wearing tugging the corners of my mouth. It won’t come.

Stepping out, I light up a smoke and cough when I inhale. It’s the last one I have. Kind of fits after the night I’ve had. It appears everything seems to be coming to an end. None of it in the way I expected.

Leila and I must have sat on the floor for over an hour. Neither of us speaking until she went to take a shower. I’ve no doubt all the tears we both bottled for years unleashed in a raging current from the aftermath of self-destruction in the middle of Landon’s room. My eyes still burn from the crying. In that room, with my child curled up on my lap, my broken heart bled out my tears, yet somehow, my grief has lifted. Until I received a phone call from Roman.

His rushed-out words told me as much as he could before he dropped the call.

I stub out my smoke, my boots pounding across the road, down the sidewalk, and through the gate. I come to a halt when what I see turns my face soft. Fucking Miles. Not sure what possessed him to take off and come back here. Sure glad Tatum saw him before he lost control. My woman is giving her all to help Miles. Determination is laced through her sweet, sweet tone. Standing quietly behind them all, I feel my chest grow tighter with each jagged word Miles says. His pain grounding him to his spot.

Unknown emotions squeeze my chest. I’ll never know how I went from seeing Tatum on the beach to here. To being completely captivated by her and wondering how I was ever able to live without her before, because I sure as hell can’t imagine living without her now. I’m falling. Hard.

I want to cut in and help break him. Seems to me she’s doing a damn fine job of doing it herself. I stay put, Leila by my side. Her hand over her mouth to hold in the sobs I’ve no doubt have her splitting apart.

Desperation pouring out of every single one of us.

I’m witnessing something none of us have been able to do. The complete breakdown of my friend. His insanity whipping around us. The man has hit rock bottom. Those sharp edges are digging into his skin. Piercing holes through his flesh.

Thank fuck, Brock isn’t here to see this. He’d crash in a giant heap, and the guilt that’s held him hostage would destroy him.

The cracking of Miles’ voice echoes through the stagnant air. The lights from the parking lot exposing his face. I’ve never seen him this out of sorts.

I straighten when a voice off to my right creeps up my spine.

My body seizes up. Rage. Shooting streams of it cloud my vision. Increasing to a wild beast trying to bust free from his leash when Sam stands between two vehicles, smirking.

“Tatum. Seeing you tonight happened to be a coincidence. Thank you, baby, for leading me to the story I needed, because I have to say, this one is much better than the one I was working on. I’d dare to say it’s better than Dean’s. I mean, we all know his son was a drug addict. Wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he was feeding that shit to his kid himself. Can’t believe you belong to a piece of fucking garbage who’s afraid to tell the world his kid was an addict. Poor kid was another victim of just how messed up celebrities’ lives are. I’m surprised his daughter isn’t fucked up as badly as poor Miles here is. All passed out drunk after bleeding his heart out. Years ago, I would have done anything to protect you from the poison these rich fuckers taint this town with. All of them get away with doing illegal shit with nothing but a slap on the wrist. Getting away with all the things people like me and you would never get away with. The first time you let that fucker touch you was the last time I cared. What you’ve done here, though, is giving me the story of the year. Hell, of the century. People are going to be talking about this for years.”

Loathing grates down my spine at Sam’s words. Rage boils in my blood, my anger pit-less and sludgy, thick, blistering damn near out of control.

A revolting kind of fury takes hold of me when Tatum lifts her head, turns around, her eyes rimmed in red. Lips trembling, shoulders shaking as she takes in his stone-cold, smug appearance when he steps out of the shadows within ten feet of me, another man behind him with a camera perched on his shoulder.

Seeing Tatum’s reaction, hearing Roman hiss, watching Grim slam the back door closed to a hopefully passed out Miles, and the cry tearing from my daughter’s throat is all I can take. I’ve had enough of this motherfucker interfering with our lives.

“Warned you years ago that if you didn’t stay the fuck away from me, I’d kill you. It seems you always show up at the wrong time. This time, you have no one to defend you. Not sure how you got back here. Only know you aren’t leaving the same way you came in. There isn’t much you people do that surprises me anymore. But I’ll be a dead man before I let you put the people I care about through the hell you put me through.” This is inexcusable. My son is gone. There isn’t anything I can do to bring him back. I’ll be damned if I’ll let him ruin Miles’ chance of getting his life in order. Hell would have to turn arctic first.

“You filming this, Carl? It would appear I’m being threatened.” His sick laugh echoes through the dark. The street light is skewing the evil glare in his eyes. Fucked-up thing is, he is speaking, but it’s like he didn’t hear me at all, like he doesn’t give a fuck I’m there, because his eyes are on her. “You were warned, Tatum. I told you these men were toxic.” Fury robs me blind. Bastard has no idea how toxic I’d like to get.

It’s even more screwed up how toxicity got us all here in the first place. The lethal dose of reality that dragged Miles to the pit of despair. The secret Sam kept from Tatum that drove her to the water’s edge. The poison his fangs deliver to the people who feed off his blood to spin the truth of our lives out of control, and for the hell he put me and Leila through. All of it boils into a toxic, raging river throughout my entire body. It shakes the ground underneath me. It burns through my veins until it has me thirsty for his blood. Wish like hell I could kill him. Rid this world of one more spiteful human.

“As you can see, your warning meant nothing to me, Sam. I’m not afraid of you, but you sure as hell better be afraid of me. I was set to carry on with my life, to say the hell with you hurting me and getting someone to take pictures of me. But this, I will not stand by and allow you to hurt people I care about. Go back to New York. Stay the hell out of our lives and leave us be, or so help me God, I will ruin you.”

Pretty damn sure Tatum nearly freezes in panic when Sam moves forward, stopping within a foot of her. I advance, ready to take him on so we can get the hell out of here before a crowd gathers behind the gates. Don’t care much if they see me. It’s Miles who needs to get out of here unscathed.

“Ruin me? How? Take me to court? Demand for me to turn over all copies of the tape? It will be too late. People will see just how much of an alcoholic Miles is.” Dread thumps through my brain. I know his meaning; we all do. I’ll rot in prison for life before he exposes Miles’ painful past.

“Tatum.” I walk up to her, lift my chin toward Roman and Grim. Their anger grabs me in the chest. So fucking tired of being angry all the time.

Both Tatum and Sam’s heads swing in my direction. Don’t much care what Sam looks like; it’s her I want to defend. It’s her who on the inside is beaten down and broken. She might be over the man. Might hate him for what he’s doing. The hurt will always be there.

Need her to know that what she did here tonight means more to me than she’ll ever know. In the end, it’s going to mean everything to Miles.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispers.

“Right where I need to be, Tatum.” I take a second to allow satisfaction to work its way in, knowing what I’m about to do will gut Sam like a fish. I take hold of her hand, pull her to me, and kiss the living hell she’s been through out of her. Sucking all his dirty air out of her lungs with one suck on her tongue, sweeping it away when my tongue mingles with hers. He should know by now that I’m a man who protects, and I do it the best way I know how. In this moment, it’s staking my claim. Having him crawl out of his skin because I’m touching the one thing he’ll never touch again.

“No one is taking anyone to court. Warn you about something else, and it’s the last warning anyone will spew. You got people back here lurking, you better call them off now unless you want them filming you getting the shit beaten out of you. Got people I care about needing me. Which means you are wasting my time. This woman is mine. She is worth more than all the money I have. I’m going to show her off, cherish her for the treasure she is. Give her everything she needs. Everything she deserves. Before I do any of that, I’m going to show you what you don’t do to a woman. Every word I said wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. This is private property. Which means that tape doesn’t belong to you. You’ll be sued for entering this parking lot. Sued for intruding on a private conversation. There won’t be any big story coming from you. Not tonight,” I spew, revenge for all he’s done dripping from my words.

There isn’t anything more despicable to me than stomping all over someone to get what you want. Using them up until they’re wrung dry.

“You lay one finger on me, and—” I cut him off with a quick jab of my finger to his chest.

“And what? I go to jail? I don’t give a fuck about going to jail. You of all people should know that by now. Do I have to kill you before you realize that? You can come after me all you want. Making money off someone’s loss is where I draw the line. What’s about to happen you brought on yourself.”

A loud roar tears free from deep within me as I lunge forward, grip him by the throat, and squeeze. His buddy isn’t expecting my sudden movement. Thank fuck Roman is. With one hand, he shoves him up against the hood of a car, knocking the camera out of his hands. “Grab the tape, Grim,” Roman snarls. I can feel him wanting in on the action. But this is all mine. I was brought down here for this reason alone. Someone answered a prayer without me even asking.

“There’re only a handful of things that have ever felt better in my hands. Two of them are standing behind me, one is whispering in my ear not to kill you, and the other are my drumsticks. I’d give the last up for all of them.”

Shock creeps over his expression before it spreads out in the same kind of award-winning smile.

“Don’t even try and make me believe you set me up. Just in case you did, let me make sure my time is worth it.”

A pleasant sound rips from my throat as I slam my fist into his face.

A fist to the stomach takes the air out of him, sending him to the ground. Something inside of me shatters and releases. “Jail or not, my family will be waiting for me when I get out. Tatum will be waiting for me, motherfucker. Wanted to do this the last time we were in this position.”

Pent-up rage and anger swirling into redemption for all the pain he’s caused me over the years, for laying his hands on Tatum, for not giving me the peace of mind to allow my boy to rest, and for looking at my daughter has me lifting my boot and slamming it into his face.