BLUE
My nerves are shot to hell. Pacing in the police station lobby, all I can think about is how badly I need to lay eyes on him, see for myself that he’s in one piece.
It was one thing getting the report from Ricky, but it’ll be different getting to hold West for myself.
Dane, Sterling, and Joss have been here just as long, and they’re anxious, too. The scene we saw during the live stream was terrifying, forcing us all to consider what it would do to us if Vin had taken West’s life. I’ve known fear, but what I felt while watching that footage was something far worse. Something that reached deeper into the soul than fear ever could.
The double-doors squeal and I spin on my heels, only to be disappointed when I see a woman walk past with her nose buried in a file. This wait is killing me.
“What the fuck?” Dane groans, clearly frustrated by the lack of updates.
All we know is that West is in back with Detective Roby, like he has been for hours now. The sun will be up soon and the only thing that’s kept me from going crazy is walking from one end of the room to the other.
The door whines on its hinges again and, this time, when I turn a gasp leaves me.
“Ma’am, you can’t run in here,” a voice calls out from behind the front desk, but I ignore it completely, because all I can see or think about is West.
My body slams into his and he lifts both my feet off the ground, sweeping me up into an embrace.
“I was so scared,” I breathe against his neck. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”
It’s irrational to blame anything that’s happened tonight on him, but I’m out of my head right now.
He laughs quietly into my ear, sounding every bit as exhausted as I expected him to, but still, he pacifies me with a response.
“Promise. You have my word on that.”
My feet are on the tile again, and when Dane approaches, I’m not sure what I thought would happen next, but I wasn’t expecting him to grab West as tight as he does. It’s a hug, yes, but it’s the kind you give someone you weren’t so sure you’d ever see again.
Which, for so many reasons, is perfectly fitting.
Sterling and Joss follow Dane’s lead, and despite all that’s gone on throughout this highly charged, terrifying day, the Golden boys are going to be fine. Better than fine.
The others are a few paces ahead, letting West and I trail behind to talk a bit.
“Are you good?” he asks. “I can imagine you lost your shit when you saw Pandora’s stream.”
How can he worry about me at a time like this? I’m not even a little bit surprised, though.
“I’m okay. It would’ve been worse if Ricky hadn’t called as soon as the video ended. He let me know you were fine, and that Roby had things under control.”
“He’s okay? He took off pretty quickly.”
The urgency in his voice when asking about Ricky catches me off guard. It’s almost like, on some level at least, he cares.
“Yeah, he’s fine,” I answer.
We descend the steps and casually stroll the sidewalk toward Sterling’s car. I hadn’t had a moment to even think about it until now, but with all this shit behind us, there’s no need to pretend anymore. No need to hide that we’re together and in love.
Vin’s reign of terror in Cypress Pointe is over.
In my periphery, I’m aware of the white SUV that’s just parked near the curb on the other side of the street. Realizing this has West’s attention, too, I keep my eyes trained there, shocked to see his mother climb out.
Even from this distance, it’s clear she’s been crying—from her red-rimmed eyes, to her flushed cheeks. Tucked beneath her arm, there’s a small leatherbound book.
“Is that—”
“The ledger,” West answers.
I glance at her again, wondering what brought her to this moment. She and West have been on the outs lately, but it would seem she’s on her way inside to hammer the final nail into Vin’s coffin.
“Should you go talk to her?” I ask, peering up at West.
He shakes his head. “No. She needs to do this on her own, needs to see she’s strong enough.”
As if having just heard West’s words, his mother approaches the steps of the station and stares up at the building, breathing deep. A few seconds later, she finally finds the nerve to go inside.
West stares at the empty space on the sidewalk where his mother just stood, only glancing toward me when I squeeze his hand.
“Let’s get out of here.”
His response to my suggestion is to lean in and warm my lips with his. The relief I feel holding him again, kissing him again, it’s unmatched.
As God is my witness, the fear ends here, and I swear I’ll never be ruled by it again. From here on out, the only emotion that’s ever allowed to consume me… is love.
