“You’re welcome,” I say with a smirk, and Miller throws his head back laughing.

“Case! Stop being an arrogant son of a bitch! What if he wants to press charges?”

“He won’t,” I say matter-of-factly.

He sighs. “Do I wanna ask how you know that?”

“Better if you don’t, sir.” I know all the men who work at Pekin. He doesn’t stand a chance against what I can have done to him. And if he ever tries to contact Taylor again, I may just make him disappear … just because I can.

“Jesus Christ,” he hisses. “Just get your ass back here and I expect you and Miller in my office tomorrow at noon.” The line goes dead, and I throw my phone down in the center console.

“Well, that didn’t go as planned.” Miller sighs.

“It went about as good as I had imagined it would.” I look at her again, and I can’t help but feel proud of her. I know her heart is hurting, but she stood up for herself. She went and saw for herself what she needed, and she didn’t back down. I was afraid she was going to fall for his shit, but she held her own. That’s my girl!

“Do you think he’ll talk? Rat you out?”

I shrug. “If he does, he’s done. I don’t think he wants to die,” I say in all honesty. “I’ve killed before, and I don’t mind doing it again. Especially someone who is willing to put his daughter’s life in danger. A woman I’m in love with.”

“Shit, son.” Miller whistles. “I can’t say I’m surprised. I saw it coming.”

I chuckle. “Could have warned me.”

“Nah. Where’s the fun in that?”

It takes us a total of three hours to get back to my house. And as soon as I get home, Miller hops in his truck to head back to the hospital to see Brecken. And promises to see me tomorrow at Jones’s office.

I open the back door and pick up a very sleepy Taylor out of the truck. I carry her into my house and put her on my bed. She doesn’t even move as I cover her up. I leave her there as I walk into the kitchen to get a drink. My hand fucking hurts, and I have a headache.

“How did it go?” Blane asks walking into the kitchen.

I unscrew the cap on the gin. “Not good.”

“What happened?” he asks with a frown.

I look over at him. “Well, I punched your father in the face.” I tighten and release my fist. It may be sore, but it feels good.

“You what?” he demands.

“He asked Taylor to offer herself as a drug dealer in order to set him free. After she informed him our deal was off.” I fill him in as his eyes widen. “I felt he deserved it.”

“Son of a bitch!” he yells out.

“My thoughts exactly,” I say as I tilt back the gin and swallow a good size gulp of it.

“Can you guys keep it down in here?” Savannah asks walking into the kitchen as she rubs her eyes. I’m surprised Blane was even up. It’s almost eleven. Today has been a long ass day and the fact I spent six hours driving, three hours to and from Pekin, isn’t even the exhausting part of it.

“Sorry, baby, go back to bed,” Blane says as he bends over and grips the countertop.

“Blane.”

We all turn to see a very shaken up and sleepy looking Taylor standing in the hallway. She wraps her arms around herself and rubs her upper arms.

“I’m so sorry, sis …”

She lifts one hand to stop him and then goes back to rubbing her arms. “You can save it, Blane,” she mumbles as she looks up at him with puffy red eyes. “I just need to know one thing.”

“Anything.” He nods to her.

I take a deep breath and hold it because I know what is it she is about to ask and it’s gonna kill her.

“How did Mom die?” She sniffs.

His face falls, and he swallows nervously. “Taylor, you know …”

“No!” she shouts, and her small body shakes as she interrupts him. “Quit treating me like I’m twelve and tell me the truth.” She takes a deep breath. “How did Mom die?”

He reaches up and rubs his hand over the back of his neck. He takes a few deep breaths of his own before he lowers his head to look down at the floor. He can’t even look her in the eyes when he says it. “An overdose,” he whispers. “Mom died of an overdose.”

Her shoulders shake, and her eyes well up in tears. A sob comes out and she doesn’t even try to disguise it. My heart breaks for her. This beautiful woman has been filled with nothing but lies for as long as she can remember, and I hate that I was part of that.

She looks up at me with a tear-streaked face. “Did you know this?” Her voice shakes just as much as her body does.

“Yes,” I say straightening my back. “After I found out Blane had a sister, I pulled up every bit of information I could get on your family.” She sucks in a deep breath. “I didn’t know you weren’t informed of the cause of death until our first date that night at the restaurant. I didn’t feel like I should be the one to tell you.” I have lied to her and held information from her. But I’m laying it all out on the table now. Anything she wants to know, I will answer to my best ability.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

 

TAYLOR

I feel so broken. So lonely! My mom was a druggie? Died of an overdose? How is that even possible? No memory I have of my mother involves drugs of any kind.

Blane takes a step toward me and I hold up my hand. “Don’t,” I cry out. I don’t want them to feel sorry for me. I don’t want them to baby me. I wanted the truth. Is that too much to ask? Is it that hard to be fucking honest?

I turn around giving them my back and make my way back to Case’s room on shaky legs. I come to the end of the bed and fall down onto it, sobbing into the comforter.

I feel the bed dip and then small arms wrap around me. I look up to see Savannah lying next to me. Tears slowly run down her face and she whispers, “I’m so sorry, Tay. I didn’t know …”

I wrap my arms around her cutting her off and squeezing her tightly as I cry into her shirt. I just wanna go back to sleep. I just wanna forget this day and move on with our lives.

It’s been a week since I saw my father. A full week since I learned about the true cause of my mother’s death. And it’s gotten a little easier. I still cry, but now, I only cry when I know I’m alone and no one can hear me. Like when I’m in the shower or bath. When everyone else leaves me alone. Case has been busy trying to find out who shot up Seven Deadly Sins, so he’s gone a lot. Blane and Savannah keep to themselves and I have been spending time alone with Brecken at the hospital. I think they know I prefer to be alone, and I welcome the silence. The numbing, deafening silence I allow myself to live in.

I know it’s my fault. I’m the one who needs to get over it and move on. But it’s hard to look my brother in the eyes. I understand why he didn’t tell me when I was twelve. I mean what kind of twelve-year-old would understand what an overdose meant? I remember watching my father do drugs after my mom passed, and I couldn’t comprehend his behavior. Or why he did them. But I’m twenty-one now and Blane has had plenty of chances to tell me since then.

I haven’t spoken much to Case either. Not because I’m mad at him, but because I don’t know what to say. I feel selfish. Immature. How can I be torn up about my mother’s death when I know what he went through when he lost his family? How he lost his parents? He hasn’t tried to touch me. He kisses me on the forehead in passing, but that’s all. Even when we’re in bed, he makes no move and I hate it. Maybe I need him to take away the hurt I feel.

I open my eyes as I hear the door to his bedroom open and shut quietly. It’s gotta be past midnight. I heard Blane and Savannah get home earlier when the sun was still up. I took a long bath and then crawled into his bed.

I keep my eyes closed as I hear him get undressed and then I feel the bed dip as he gets in behind me. He leans over and kisses my bare shoulder and then I feel him roll over giving me his back. I open my eyes and stare at the darkness for several minutes before I hear him softly snore. I sigh heavily as I close my eyes. Maybe tomorrow will be the day I crawl out of my hole.