“Brother,” I breathe, “he’s the fucker who sat on Ashley’s back while she was raped. Dirty found more footage, he’s been running facial recognition ever since to find him…”
We both look at each other, and he breathes heavily as his face pales worrying me.
Indecisiveness stares back at me, and I furrow my brows and ask, “You don’t think she was a part of Ash’s attack, do you?”
He shakes his head as he looks at Porsche driving away before he states, “I don’t fucking know, but I’m going to find out, go confront your wife!”
He rushes towards his bike, and I swallow hard as he speeds out of his spot and goes after the Porsche while I message Dirty.
Me:
Track a blue Porsche, opposite the tattoo shop. Anchor has gone after it but may lose it. It’s the guy who sat on top of my wife while she was being raped.
I press send before putting my phone away and climbing on my own bike, fucking hoping Anchor is not about to find out his ex-girl is a part of the Pillars. He’ll never be able to come back from that, and he’ll begin to question his gut instincts.
Starting my bike up, I back out of my spot, pull off down the road, head in the opposite direction from where Anchor went, and head home ready to have it out with my wife.
Fuck, I hope I don’t have to lock Ash up…
I walk into our home ten minutes later and call, “Pixie?” but she doesn’t answer, and I tense, quickly looking towards the table, where I see her keys, and I relax and round the couch, sit down next to Ginger, groaning.
I don’t know if I’m ready for the fight she’s about to give me, but I’m going to gear up for it.
She’s been adamant to leave me for over a year now, fuck, actually, it’s been nearly a year and a half, but I won’t let her go, I need her.
Ginger, the terror of a cat, purrs from beside me as I feel Ashley’s presence, her vanilla and coconut scent filling my senses as my phone beeps and I check it, unlocking it to a text from Anchor, and I open it.
Anchor:
I lost the fucker but bumped into Summer’s mama.
Apparently Summer left town after fucking her ex for a week then abandoned him, I’ve spoken to Dirty and he’s trying to follow the scent, we’ll get Ashley’s revenge brother and mine.
“What is he talking about?” Ashley asks, and I admit, “The man who sat on your back, helping that fucker rape you, I saw him today after trying to fucking find him for months, and Anchor froze. Apparently, he was Summer’s ex, the girl Anchor wanted to claim, but she went back to her ex. He thinks she could have had a hand in your attack.”
“I don’t know if I believe that, Ty,” Ash says from over my shoulder, and I turn my head and look at her. Her hair is down, her eyes a little red, and my jaw ticks because I know she’s been crying.
“Why?” I ask as I take her in, light blue paint covering her old t-shirt dress, and a little bit of hope builds in my chest.
She’s been decorating Tyson’s room, which means she sees him cominghere…
That has to be a good thing, right?
“I saw them together once, and I have to tell you, she was entranced by him, like, fully, wholeheartedly, in love with him,” she says, and I remind her, “People can deceive you, pixie.”
She nods and agrees, “They can, yes, but that kind of love, I’ve only seen it one other time.”
I frown and ask, “When?”
Looking me in the eye, she whispers, “With you and me…” and fuck, my heart.
“Pixie,” I whisper, and her eyes tear up.
“I realized something today,” she admits and I hold my breath, “that even though forgiving you will be the hardest thing I ever do, I can’t see my life without you in it. If I am being honest, I realized it when I saw you gazing down at Tyson with the same look you used to give Cole when he was that small, the look I began doubting after it came out you wanted me to abort our son.”
My eyes tear, and I don’t give a fuck if it makes me a pussy.
I admit, “I always wanted Cole, Ash, don’t get me wrong, I was scared as shit that I’d fail at being a dad, especially at that age, but I always wanted him. I just didn’t want him while we were still in high school and you had dreams you wanted to fulfill.”
