Sarge hoped with Jasmine’s death I would come to the wrong side of the line. I hadn’t. And I’d walked. Knowing I wouldn’t be swayed to join them, they’d let me walk. That’s why there had been a large gap in the years since they’d contacted me.
From what I could tell, Alex had no idea all this was going on.
The squad who’d tried to raid my safe house in Atlanta had been killed days before they came to Colorado and that’s why the team had only been Hampton, Eric, and Sarge. There were to be no loose ends. Hampton’s men killed the ones holding Felicia.
They’d planned to kill Hampton and Felicia as soon as Maren and I were safely in route to our destination.
Fuckers.
Sarge knew better than to beg for his life. He’d taken the bullet stoically. Eric spit and had been an asshole to the end. All of this—the loss, the pain, the sadness—was to try and keep me in Black Division.
Regrets.
I’d always regret my decisions that cost me Jasmine and Faith. They’d forever be part of who I was. But, maybe, just maybe, I was being given a second chance at life.
Forgiveness.
Could I forgive myself? I hoped so. Maren entered my life like a ray of sunshine showing me that there were things worth living for. She’d accepted me for who I was regardless of my scarred soul. Maren wanted me as I was. Stupidly, I’d pushed her away. I needed to prove myself to her.
“You look deep in thought. Do you remember it all?”
I nodded at Hampton’s question. The reason they’d gone after Hampton was to get to me. They needed his help to get me into situations. Before Maren, there was nothing to lose in my life. Hampton was a casualty because of his association with me.
We’d put all the bodies inside the cabin and set it on fire. The same had been done at the shed. There’d be no way to trace the identities after Hampton removed the teeth in case dental records were used. With the combustible resources we’d used, the fire should’ve burned hot enough to leave no traces of the body. Hell, it’d be hard to tell how many people died there.
After all that had been done, we’d gotten in the car and drove off. Shit, I’d lost a lot of blood and pushed beyond my limits to keep my family safe.
“Yeah, I remember it all.”
Maren cried while I held her until I’d passed out in the car. Her brother had been left in the cabin to burn. The memory of her staring at the cabin in complete silence would haunt me forever. There was no other choice and I hoped to hell she forgave me for it.
Hampton interrupted my thoughts. “She’s a strong girl, Bane. I’m sure she’s hurting, but she’s putting up one hell of a front. Just remember her world’s been rocked. Give her time to adjust.”
“I know.”
How much time would she need? Would I even be able to convince her I was the right choice? Would I be able to let go of the past so I could love with my whole heart? That was what Maren deserved.
As promised, about twenty minutes later, Maren walked through the door with a sweet smile on her face. Ha
mpton gave her a hug and indiscreetly left. “You’re looking better. How are you feeling?”
Sitting next to me on the bed, Maren looked me over as I grabbed her hand. “Better. What did the doctor say?”
The baby and Maren were all that mattered. I’d survive. Maren touched her stomach. “The baby is perfect from what they can tell. All my blood work came back good. The spotting happens in some cases. They said not to worry, but if it happens again to come back. He put me on vitamins and folic acid. I need to have my next visit in about a month wherever we end up.”
Relief coursed through me. There had been an underlying fear of Maren not keeping the baby. With her plans for the future, I knew she was keeping the baby. Of course she was keeping the baby. My head was a mess from all the drugs. My thinking was delayed—slowed.
I leaned back trying to stay casual. “Have you been sick anymore?”
“No, not so far. Just queasy from time to time.”
“Good.” Then a thought occurred to me as I shot straight up wincing from the pain. “What name did you use at the hospital?”
Gently, she pushed me back down. Her sweet aroma enveloped me. “Don’t worry. Hampton has been taking good care of me. No one knows my real name, not even John Willbanks. I used Kendra Childers from the bag I was supposed to use when we walked away from each other. You’d packed it before you set the cabin on fire.”
Oh, fuck. I could hear the hurt in her voice. “Maren—”
She held up her hand and gave me a loving kind look. “It’s okay, Bane. I get what we were, I do. You can be as involved as you want in this baby’s life since we’re now connected. But if you still need to walk away, I’ll understand. We were pawns in their game.”