The knot grew in her throat when she saw T lift his shirt releasing gun from the clip on his belt. It was like a brick wall slamming against her jolting her to wake up. She couldn’t do this. It was like a slow-motion movie, watching him turn to her and walk towards her lifting his hand with the gun.
She stepped back, slamming into Bogs and her body shuddered uncontrollably.I can’t do this. Everything in her head, all the reasons she should, none of it made sense. How had she come this far in thinking she could actually walk in a room and shoot someone? In her eyes, he was the devil but she could not do this. If she did, he would be part of her future. How was she supposed to look at her dad, her brother, and Bogs knowing she took another person’s life.
She jumped from the pressure on her shoulders and whipped around. Bogs’ eyes widened and she could sense the fear coming from him. She shook her head, breathing heavy, the air was so thin she tried to swallow to gain her breath back.
“I can’t do it. I can’t…” She turned her head to see T and Stone staring back at her. She shook all over unable to stop in a panic. “I can’t.”
Bogs immediately stepped forward engulfing his arms around her and she latched onto him, her arms tightening over him as her eyes welled. “I’m sorry.”
“Shhh…nothing to be sorry about.” He hugged her closer, his hands trailing over her back. She felt her feet moving from under her and the cool air against her face. The door opened and he moved in closer wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
She cried so hard unable to catch her breath. “I should be able to do it, I tried so hard to convince myself it was the right thing. I love my mom, I just can’t…”
“Hey, stop. You not doing it has got nothing to do with whether you love your mom. Listen up, pretty girl, it’s okay. Doesn’t mean that you didn’t love your mom any less so if that’s where your head is at, you fucking stop, you hear me.”
“Why can’t I do it?” She shoved her face against his chest, gripping his shirt as though it was a life line. He didn’t answer but it wasn’t necessary anyway. She realized she was asking herself, not him. She couldn’t gauge how long she sat there with him, holding on, but her body eased slightly. His arms held her tight and every so often she could feel his lips brush against her temple.
The other door opened and Stone slid inside the backseat leaving the door open. She turned her head, watched him gaze over at Bogs and then down to her. “I’ll hang with her while you finish up.”
She whipped her head.Finish up what?She didn’t want Bogs to do what she couldn’t. “What are you gonna do?”
He cupped her face in his hands. “Shhh… calm down. I’m gonna talk to the guys, nothing else, I promise.” He kissed her softly brushing his thumbs along her cheeks. “Stone’s gonna stay with you but I’ll be quick, then we can get out of here.”
She nodded feeling the tears well up again. “I just couldn’t do it.”
Bogs reached closer kissing her forehead. “I didn’t want you to.” He stayed with her a few more minutes before her body relaxed again. She was sure she’d fall apart again but for now she was calmer.
He stepped back assessing her before closing the door. She stared down at her clasped hands. She saw his hand before feeling it landed on her knee. Stone’s hands were scraped up and scarred with light white lines across the knuckles. His hand rested on her knee unmoving. She turned her head and glanced up to him staring at her. She opened her mouth but clamped it shut when he scowled.
“Don’t say you’re sorry. It’s like Bogs said, you got no reason to be sorry.”
She sniffled, hearing her dad’s words in her head. “My dad made me promise not to let him be part of my future.”
Stone’s face softened and he gripped her knee. “And you kept your promise.” The corner of his lip curled. “That brother of mine, he’s wants your future, and if he’s lucky, you’ll give it to him.”
She glanced out the side window. The door remained closed as she waited.
****
Bogs rushed to the door, swinging it open and hurrying down the hall to the last door on the right. He rounded the corner to see T, Trent, and Declan leaning against the wall. Other than them, the room was empty.
“She okay?” T asked, stepping toward him, concern shadowing his eyes. “I should have waited to pull out the gun, it fucking freaked her out.” It was rare that T second guessed anything he did or the effects it had but this was different.Though he hadn’t come out and said it, Bogs knew how T felt about Kenzie. She was one of the girls, their girls.
“It set in motion what was supposed to happen. I knew she’d back down. She didn’t want this, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself she did. She’ll be alright, man.”
“How’d you know?” Declan asked.
Bogs shrugged. It was impossible to answer with words. He knew Kenzie. In the short time they’d been together, he just knew deep down she wouldn’t be able to do it. Not because she was weak but because she was strong. “The only thing pushing her forward was guilt. I knew she’d make the right decision for herself and she did.”
He hadn’t let himself believe otherwise.
“So, what the hell was Plan B, anyway?” T looked over his shoulder at Trent. Bogs was curious about that, too. He knew in his heart she wouldn’t go through with it but if she had, he had no clue what Trent had planned. When he came in, he half expected to see Harris in the room.
Trent cocked an eyebrow, a small smile played on his lips. “Plan B happened about two hours ago.”
Declan chuckled. “Yeah, about ten swat cars raided his place a few hours ago. The guy had about a pound of meth in his place. Mandatory twenty years. It’s a shame, not even a plea will help his ass out this time. Harris isn’t gonna see the light of day for the next two decades.”
“Struck a deal with the devil for that one?”
