Authors: Cheryl McIntyre
Link
I get back to the gym, excited to tell Rocky the good news about the house. We got it. Joel’s bringing over paperwork tonight to start the process. I head straight into the office.
Rocky’s seated behind the desk, the remnants of a salad in front of her. I grin. “Oh, good, you got lunch, and it’s
healthy
.” I say healthy like it’s a dirty word, but she ignores it.
“I got you something, too,” she murmurs, sliding a plain white bag to the edge. She hasn’t returned the smile. In fact, she’s barely looked at me.
“Thanks,” I say carefully. I pull up the chair in the corner, musing over her mood. It’s probably hormone-related, but there’s no way in hell I’m asking. I open the bag and remove the small Styrofoam container. Good thing I’m not hungry because she didn’t get me much.
Rocky holds out a plastic fork, and I take it as I pop the lid. The sweet minty scent hits me. I’m confused for a beat, and then I spend several seconds sorting it out in my head. She knows I lied about where I got the pie, which means she knows why I lied. And then it occurs to me that she went there. She went out to Gillian’s to see Garrett.
“It’s good,” she states. “I had two pieces.”
“
You went there
.” It’s not a question—it’s obvious she did—but I need to hear her say it.
“I did, and I was interested to find that Garrett Marshall recently quit unexpectedly. Didn’t even come back to collect his last paycheck.” Rocky pushes her chair back, getting to her feet. Her hands come down on the desk and she leans toward me. “What did you do, Link?”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Then what
is
it?” she chokes. “Are we waiting for another body to turn up?”
I drag my fingers through my hair. That’s warranted.
“No. I didn’t kill him.”
“Then what did you do, because I know you went there, and I know nobody seems to know what happened to him. Oh, god. Do you have him locked up somewhere?”
“No. Rocky, no. I didn’t—” I release a harsh breath. “Would you sit and calm down? I’ll tell you, but you have to calm down—you know it’s not good for the baby.”
Her eyes widen in a mixture of shock and ire. “Don’t fucking tell me to calm down. What’s good for the baby is having a father that doesn’t try to play judge, jury, and executioner. I thought we were past this.”
“We are. Sit. Down,” I command. Her gaze narrows, but she sinks into the chair, arms folded over her chest.
“The night I found out about your visit with Bates—the night I heard his
message
—when I left, I went crazy. I tore the house up, trying to rid myself of all the rage that’s been sitting inside of me for years, but it didn’t work. All I could think about was how I let Bates live against my better judgment and he was still tormenting us. I knew months ago I should kill Garrett for you—but you talked me out of that too, and I just kept picturing what he did to you… Imagining him coming back to hurt you like Bates has.”
Rocky sucks in a breath, but doesn’t say anything.
“I went to his house—”
“How did you know where he lived? I read everything available about him online. His address wasn’t on there.”
“I’ve watched him,” I admit. “Off and on for months. I went into Gillian’s once—the night I had the grasshopper pie—and I threatened him. I told him to take down his dating profile and if I ever found out he hurt another woman, I’d castrate him.” My eyes meet hers. “He knew what I was talking about. He didn’t even try to deny it.”
I don’t know if that gives her any peace, but her lashes flutter and moisture builds in her eyes.
“So that night, after Bates’ message, I went to Garrett’s house. His apartment wasn’t secure. It was almost
too
easy to slip in through the unlocked kitchen window. I followed the sounds of his snoring into the bedroom, and I watched him. It pissed me off that he had no trouble sleeping—because he should. People like that should be wracked with remorse. I had my knife, and part of me wanted to kill him—
but I didn’t
.
“I woke him. I let him see the knife and understand how easily I could have hurt him. I needed him to have trouble sleeping. I needed him to worry, wondering if or when I was coming back.
“He begged for his life, and I told him I’d let him live as long as he left the state and didn’t return.”
“How do you know he actually left? How do you know he won’t be back? How do you know he won’t come after me now?” She fires the questions off, one after another. She trembles and I get up, moving beside her.
“He’s a coward, Rocky. He won’t come after you. He pissed his pants, right there in his bed. After I left, I sat outside for a while, and watched him pack. He left that same night.”
“Why did you lie? Why didn’t you tell me?”
I want to remind her she didn’t tell me about seeing Bates, but we’re definitely even on that front, so I just give her the truth. “I knew you wouldn’t approve, and then you went to the emergency room because I had stressed you out. I didn’t want to tell you and give you another reason to be worried.”
She drops her forehead to my stomach. “He’s alive.”
“Yes.”
“As scared as I was that you killed him, I’m also disappointed right now. How sick does that make me?”
“I think that makes you normal.”
She snorts out a laugh. “Is that everything? Is there anything else I don’t know?”
I hesitate and she lifts her head, staring up at me. There’s no judgment in her gaze. I brush my fingers over her cheek, and then I tell her about my visit with Bates, ending with my plan to make sure he never hurts anyone again.
Rocky
Link’s plan is a good one. I understand why he needs to do it, and I fully support it, knowing this is the last thing standing in our way.
Step one: Link took photos of Anthony’s ex-wife and two children. He did this before I even knew the plan existed. They were poor quality, but clearly showed Anthony’s house and car. Bethany and Emma were easy to make out as well, but I think the most significant part is the baby carrier his wife is carrying. He missed the birth of his daughter. These photos might be as close as he’ll ever come to seeing her.
Step two: Link prints the pictures off and mails them to Anthony at the prison, along with a note, asking Anthony to add him to his visitor’s list. The note is simple and to the point. A request for a meeting. The photos are to ensure he’ll comply.
Step three: We wait for Bates to be transferred to the same prison as Anthony. We didn’t have to wait as long as I expected for that to happen. He was transferred the day after his sentencing.
Step four: Have a sit-down with Anthony, in which Link threatens to cause harm to Anthony’s family.
Step five: Coerce Anthony, who is already serving two life sentences, to kill Bates.
I only made one adjustment to the plan. I altered step four, with the addendum that he could do it his way if my way didn’t work. I didn’t feel right about threatening Bethany and the girls. Though Link would never harm them, it still felt wrong.
Revised step four: Have a sit-down with Anthony in which Link agrees to watch out for Anthony’s family and help them in any way he can if Anthony kills Bates.
I chose not to attend the sit-down, mostly because I couldn’t talk Link into taking me with him and I didn’t want to fight with him. Though I don’t know what was ultimately said during their time together, in the end, Anthony agreed.
According to Link, it didn’t take much convincing for Anthony to get on board. Bates ruined his life, too. He nearly killed him, and just as Bates used the love Link and I have for each other against us, he used Anthony’s love for his family against him for years to control him and keep him quiet.
But none of us will be his puppets any longer.
Link and I are snuggled on the couch, watching a movie when there’s a knock on the door. We both look at each other, hoping this is what we’ve been waiting for and not the news we’ve feared instead.
My stomach churns, threatening to expel the popcorn I recently gorged myself on. I take a deep breath, willing my nausea down.
Byers stands on the stoop when Link opens the door and my pulse hums in my throat.
“Sorry to come by so late, but I have some news.”
“No, no problem,” Link says, stepping back to make room for Byers. “Come on in.”
His eyes land on me, where I sit, tensed on the couch. “Hey there, missy. How’s that little one treating you?”
I rub the small bump that’s recently formed in my stomach and force a smile. “Pretty good as long as I feed her properly.”
“Her?”
Link shrugs. “Rocky insists it’s a girl, but we don’t know for sure yet.”
Byers nods. “Listen to that intuition,” he replies. “It never steers you wrong.”
“What’s the news?” Link prompts.
Byers scratches his chin, gaze holding Link’s as he says, “Greg Anthony killed Carter Bates this afternoon. There was an altercation. Both men were injured. Anthony survived. Bates didn’t. I thought you’d want to know.”
I put my hand over my mouth, not from shock, but to keep myself from puking. I can’t believe it worked. I can’t believe… It only took ten days for Link’s plan to come to fruition. I can’t believe he’s dead.
I can’t…
My eyes flick over to Link.
“I can’t say I’m disappointed to hear that,” he utters.
Byers nods slowly. “Me neither, son.” He turns for the door, but pauses with his hand on the knob. “I’m officially retired. I’ve closed the case on Woods. There was more than enough circumstantial evidence to charge Bates, and with his record… I think it’s safe to say the right person has been brought to justice.”
I watch, replaying his statement as he opens the door.
“He might not have been the one who committed the crime, but I believe the right person took the blame.”
Link’s head snaps up, staring into the back of Byers’ head.
“And Link?” He glances over his shoulder, eyes intent on Link’s.
“Yes, sir?” he replies roughly.
“Make the most of the second chance you’ve been given.”
It’s evident Byers knows—maybe not everything—but he knows
something
, and he’s not acting on it. I don’t know if it’s because he’s retiring, or because he agrees the men responsible for Link and Olivia’s attack should pay the ultimate price, or if it’s his fondness for Link. Maybe it’s a mixture of all the above. He knows, but he’s giving Link another chance.
Link nods, “I plan to.”
After
Life Goes On
(Even after all the struggles, life just keeps moving forward.)
Link
There are only two unequivocal truths to every life.
One: You are born.
Two: You will die.
Whatever happens in-between is entirely left up to you and fate and the big man upstairs.
My past has taught me fate is neither friend nor foe. Fate does what fate wants, no matter the consequences. And God? He and I have a love/hate relationship. I loved Him, but for some reason, He has always forsaken me…
Or so I believed.
I realize now, that everything He has put me through brought me to this exact place. Had anything been different, I wouldn’t be holding my baby girl in my arms.
I kiss my daughter’s forehead, careful not to wake her, and lay her in her crib. Rocky and I are overdue for some much-needed alone time before she starts her art classes next week.
I draw the curtains, switch on the monitor, and close the door to Olivia’s room behind me. Rocky chose her name after I decided I wanted to cover the tattoo on my chest. It felt like it was time to let her go. After all, life is for the living. When I told my girlfriend, her belly fully rounded with our child, she asked me to keep it, explaining she’d like to name our daughter after my late girlfriend. I was whole-heartedly against it until she clarified why.
Our daughter wouldn’t be here had it not been for Olivia. The price for my child’s existence was Livie’s life.
I finally found the redemption I searched for in my baby girl. She has changed a name that caused me anguish into a symbol of love and courage and strength.
The other woman who helped me learn that is waiting for me.
Down the hall, Rocky is submerged in the tub. She grins when I come into the room, already half-stripped.
“I almost started without you,” she breathes.
I pause, cocking an eyebrow. “Please do,” I encourage. “I can jump in anytime.” She flicks her wrist, sending drops of foamy water across the tile.
“Everything’s more fun when you share with a friend.”
I chuckle, unbuttoning my jeans. “I love the way you turn our eight-month-old daughter’s songs dirty.”
“Get in here and have your way with me.”
I don’t need to be told twice. I slip out of my remaining clothes and step into the hot water. It sloshes over the side as I settle in, dragging Rocky onto my lap. She rests her knees on either side of my hips, bringing us flush together.
My fingers slip into her hair, pulling her closer. I nibble on her bottom lip, sucking it into my mouth. She hums happily, and the sound is like music. I love when she’s happy.
Her damp hands cup my cheeks as she deepens the kiss. She’s taking control, and I gladly hand it over to her.
My cock twitches against her, already begging for entrance, and she doesn’t make me wait. Her hand slides between our bodies, guiding me inside of her. Her pace is relaxed—torturous, and perfect. I drag my fingers from her hair, down her back, slipping into the water to grasp her ass.
Her lips move to my neck, trailing her tongue up to my earlobe. “I can even turn a bath dirty,” she says.
A laugh sputters from my lips. “God, I love you,” I breathe.
Her body stills, muscles going taut. Her eyes meet mine and I say it again, answering the question so clear in her gaze. “I love you. More than I’ve ever loved anyone.”
And it’s true. Frighteningly so. What I felt for Livie pales in comparison to the ever-growing love I feel for this woman. She has given me everything I didn’t know I needed, and so much more than I wanted.
“I love you too, Link.”
“We have the house, the kid... There’s only one thing left to do.”
“What’s that?”
She starts moving again, grinding into me, and it’s difficult to answer her when she feels so fucking good.
I place my hands on her face, our gazes locking. “To get married,” I state, and then I kiss her.