“And do you? Do you still love me?” I had no right to ask, but I had to know. If his answer was no, I would have to find a way to deal.
He just stared at me without saying a word before his hand moved across his head then he released a frustrated sigh.
“Come here,” he demanded, with his eyes on me like he could will me to move.
I was almost afraid to be near him again, but when I was close enough, he pulled me against his chest and closed his arms around me.
For the first time in years, I felt like I could breathe, even though he held me so tightly that I struggled to do so.
What felt like forever passed before he let up enough to cover my lips with his. I was lost in it, so much that when he pulled away, I still felt the connection.
“Let’s go,” he said after he stepped away.
“Where?”
Sinclair glanced at me and released a cocky laugh, but didn’t say a word. I knew exactly what was coming, but I expected it.
The second Sinclair stepped foot outside that gate, an expiration date had been placed on William’s life.
Chapter 43
Sinclair “Story” Taylor
“Whose place is this?” I looked at Alana after she entered the apartment with me behind her.
“Yours.” She lifted my hand and placed the keys in it.
I looked at her in confusion. “Mine, how is this mine?”
“Because I purchased it for you. It’s in your name, so you own it. William paid for it, or rather his money did, but he doesn’t know. I come here a lot. I have been doing it for years. I don’t really know why, other than it made me feel closer to you.”
“Why the fuck would I want an apartment he paid for, Alana?” My voice elevated and she tensed.
“Because you deserve this and much more. I never really thought you’d ever get out and be able to see it, so it was more for me than it was for you. But I needed a place I could go to be with you. I couldn’t visit you in prison. You wouldn’t let me, and William… well, he would have probably taken my life if I did. So this was my place, our place.”
I thought about it for a minute and looked around. It was nice as hell and I saw Alana all over every detail, from the colors to the furniture.
“I need you to get a few things for me. I’ll need a phone and clothes. I have to get in touch with Trooper so I access my money. As much as I appreciate you doing this, I have my own and I’ll take it from here.”
She slipped her hand into her purse and pulled out a phone, which she handed over to me. “The only numbers in it right now are mine and Sophie’s. I’m sure you have Trooper’s. I’ll get what you need.”
“We’ll talk when you get back,” I said, looking her in the eyes.
She nodded to agree then left.
I still needed to know how the hell she’d made this possible. There was a debt to be paid, and I didn’t want that on her, but it was already too late. At this point, all I could do was try to lessen the burden on her shoulders from getting me out.
Most people in my position would have been out for blood when it came to the situation with Alana. She did the unthinkable to me, and I’d lost ten years of my life because of it, but I understood why. Alana had been raised by her father, who was street through and through, but she wasn’t built for his lifestyle. That was the main reason she’d ended up with William in the first place. She was always searching for something I couldn’t give her.
I was who I was. The streets were my home, and as much as she loved me, she never made peace with that. Somehow, she thought life would be better with someone who could give her more.
Maybe I should have been upset, and maybe I shouldn’t have forgiven her, but love was love. That woman was everything to me. I couldn’t deny that. I tried, but she was and always would be the reason my heart beats.
After doing a tour of what I had to accept as my place for right now, I sat on the bed in the master suite with my phonein my hand. I needed to call Trooper to let him know what was going on.
I dialed several times and didn’t get an answer, so my next thought was to call Sophie. Pulling up the two contacts listed as hers and Alana’s, I placed my finger on hers, then paused.
I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t make the call. She was my daughter and I couldn’t find the courage to let her know I was a free man. That came with a certain responsibility I was ready for, although I wasn’t sure if she was.
