Kevin is on his knees in the dirt, hands cuffed behind his back. Tom Parker stands over him with a expression of barelycontained disgust. The Guardian Peak team forms a loose circle, arms crossed, looking like the most dangerous men I've ever seen.
And they are dangerous. I know that now. But their danger isn't pointed at me. It never was.
Kevin looks up when I appear. His face is bruised, his lip split, his expensive suit covered in dirt. He looks smaller somehow. Diminished.
"Natalie." His voice turns pleading. "Baby, please. Tell them this is a misunderstanding. Tell them I just wanted to bring you home."
I stare at the man I was married to for six years. The man who controlled every aspect of my existence. Who made me believe I was worthless, unlovable, lucky to have him despite the bruises he left on my body.
I used to be afraid of him. Terrified, even.
Now, looking at him cuffed and bleeding in the dirt, all I feel is pity.
"I am home," I tell him. "And I never want to see you again."
I turn my back on him and walk into Cade's arms.
Behind me, I hear Tom reciting Miranda rights. Hear Kevin shouting, demanding, threatening. Hear the other men's quiet laughter at his impotent rage.
But none of it matters anymore.
The monster under my bed turned out to be just a man. A small, pathetic man who couldn't handle a woman choosing to leave him.
And I'm done being afraid.
Later, after Tom has taken Kevin away and the team has helped clean up the cabin and Vivian has arrived with enough food to feed an army, I find myself alone on the back porch watching the sun set over the mountains.
Cade joins me, pressing a cold beer into my hands.
"How you doing?"
"I don't know." I take a long sip. "Relieved. Exhausted. Weirdly numb."
"That's normal." He settles into the chair beside me. "Adrenaline crash. It'll hit you tomorrow, probably. You might cry for no reason. Might feel like the world isn't real. Just ride it out."
"Voice of experience?"
"Multiple experiences." He reaches over and takes my hand. "You did good today, Natalie. You stayed calm. You followed the plan. A lot of people would have panicked."
"I did panic. In the safe room. I was terrified."
"But you didn't let it control you. That's the difference." He squeezes my fingers. "You're stronger than you think."
I lean my head against his shoulder and watch the sky turn orange and pink.
"What happens now?"
"Tom's charging him with everything he can make stick. Between the restraining order violation, the threats, and the assault when he tried to rush Mace, Kevin's looking at serious time. And that's before we factor in the private investigator he hired, which opens up a whole other can of worms."
"He'll fight it. He has good lawyers."
"So does Vivian." Cade's voice is warm with amusement. "She's already made some calls. Apparently there's a whole network of prosecutors who'd love to see an abusive asshole like Kevin Pierce get what's coming to him. He's going to have a very bad time in court."
For the first time since this morning, I smile.
"Remind me to thank her."
"You can thank her by eating some of that lasagna she brought. She's been stress cooking for hours and if we don't make a dent in it, Deck's going to have to roll her home."
