Jonah shook his head. “I am so fucking sick of you saying that, Talon. This affects all three of us. We all died a little that day. Ryan and I not nearly as much as you. I get that. But I should’ve been there for you. I should’ve protected you. And Ryan, he’s only here because of you. Because you protected him like I should’ve done for you. You think we don’t both harbor a hell of a lot of guilt over that? You know we do. I say it’s time we all move forward.”
I scoffed. “It’s real easy for you to say, Joe.”
“You know what? No, it’s not easy for me to say. Do you think I’m looking forward to sitting our baby sister down and explaining what happened twenty-five years ago? Are you kidding me? But she deserves to know how she came into this world, why she goes by her middle name, why her mother fucking committed suicide, for God’s sake.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Joe kept right on yelling.
“Dad went to a lot of time and trouble and money to cover this up when it happened, but I’m wondering if he didn’t do us all a disservice back then. We were never allowed to deal with it. We swept it under the rug. Then poor Mom couldn’t deal with it. So she fucking offed herself. It’s time for this all to be over.” He slammed his hand down on the wooden arm of the Adirondack chaise longue he was sitting in.
Ryan’s lips trembled, but he did not speak. That was Ry. He accepted the fact that this was my decision. I was his big brother. I was his hero. I had saved him that day. He would never go against my wishes. I knew that as well as I knew that my name was Talon John Steel. If I fought Jonah on this, Ryan would be right behind me, having my back.
But was it worth the fight anymore? If I worked through this and came out alive on the other side, could I have a life with Jade?
Because a life with Jade was what I truly wanted. Ached for. I would never be able to live without her. She had become my obsession. As vital to me as the oxygen I breathed.
So I did the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I turned to Ryan, and I said, “It’s time.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jade
Colin was here? Hadn’t my ex-fiancé already given me enough heartache and headache to last the rest of my life?
“Could you tell him to go away, Felicia? It’s Saturday night, and I really don’t want to be bothered.”
“All right, Miss Jade.”
A few minutes later, Colin walked out onto the deck.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Jade. He just stomped right past me. I couldn’t stop him.”
“Oh my God. I’m sorry, Felicia. Are you okay?”
“Of course. He didn’t touch me or anything.”
I eyed Colin. “Darn good thing, or I might have him arrested for assault and battery.” I said the last through gritted teeth, referring to him having Talon arrested for the same. Granted, Talon had beaten the snot out of him, but I couldn’t say I was too sorry. This was the guy who’d left me at the altar a few months ago.
“Why in the hell are you back here?”
“Your new boyfriend and I have a court date on Monday. Have you forgotten?”
“I struck a deal with Talon’s attorney. You don’t even have to be here, Colin.”
“Yes, but I have a few words to say to the court. Like maybe I’m not happy with the deal that you struck.”
“You’re going to be getting full restitution.”
“I don’t give a shit about restitution, Jade. You know I don’t need any Steel money. I have my own. I want to see the guy rot in prison.”
“He’s not going to prison for a misdemeanor assault, no matter what you do. Have you forgotten that we have an eyewitness? Namely me?”
“Yeah, also the prosecuting attorney on the case. No way should you be handling this, Jade.”
I opened my mouth but shut it quickly. He was right. I had so many conflicts in this case, but my boss, the unethical Larry Wade, had insisted I take it.
“If I read the Colorado statutes correctly, he can get up to six months in prison for misdemeanor assault.” Colin smirked.
“Yeah, and as the city attorney on the case, I don’t think it’s worth the taxpayers’ time or money to pursue this any further. I’m pretty sure the court’s going to agree with me.”