Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
“Ahh, yes,” the detective says. “Unfortunately, there simply wasn’t enough evidence to continue pursuing a case. It’s been dropped, unless you have something substantial to add. Something that could hold up in court?”
Addison shakes her head. “What … What are you saying? She just walks away from this with nothing more than a slap on the wrist? She drugged me, right along with Colby. She egged him on, laughed when I could barely stand up. And you just … you let her go?”
Tears spring from her eyes as Hudson steps into her side, pulling her into his side and holding her close. The detective gives her a forced smile, trying to figure out what the hell to say in this situation, but not having a damn helpful thing to say, he simply bows his head. “I’m sorry, Miss Morgan. Our hands are tied. I wish there were something more we could do to offer you justice.”
Addison shakes her head as my chest truly starts to ache. The bombs this man has dropped on Tanner’s family tonight will never be forgotten. I mean, fuck. How much more can these people take? Rape. Coma. Arrest charges. Bigamy. And now this.
The cops leave, closing the door behind them and not a moment later, Addison falls into Hudson’s arms, crying into his chest as he holds her tight. “It’s not fair,” she sobs as Tanner falls back a few steps and crumbles onto the second bottom step, dropping his face into his hands.
I sit down beside him as Sara desperately tries to console both her children, not a single one of us capable of easing the pain in the room. Taking his hand, I curl into Tanner’s side and am relieved when he welcomes me in, putting an arm around me and pulling me in closer. “I killed him,” he murmurs so softly I have to strain to hear him.
Reaching up, I take his chin and force his broken stare to mine. “It was self-defense, Tanner. You did what you had to do to protect the people you love. If anybody else was in your position, they would have done exactly the same thing. It could have easily been Riley or Logan. You’re not a monster, Tanner. You’re the love of my life and the reason I get to wake up each day. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead right along with him.”
Tanner knocks my grasp off his chin and looks at me with such pain in his eyes it nearly kills me. His fingers trail down the side of my face, pushing a stray lock of golden hair behind my ear. “You look at me like your hero, like I’m deserving of your love, but the truth of the matter is I lost control. I couldn’t stop. I beat him until he stopped breathing, all while you and Riley screamed for me to stop. But I couldn’t stop, Bri, and more than that, I didn’t want to. I wanted him to die. I wanted him to feel the consequences of what he did. I wanted him to hurt and know that I was the one who did it. I killed him, Bri. There was nothing heroic about it. I’m a killer, just like the fucking Hardin brothers.”
He pauses, shaking his head as he comes to terms with the words falling from his lips. “I promised you that you’d never have to see me lose control like that again. You deserve so much better than this, you deserve—”
“Don’t tell me what I deserve,” I snap, pulling away from his touch and getting to my feet, standing on the bottom step to look him in the eye. “I know what I want, so don’t get all high and mighty on me now, Tanner Morgan. Pulling away from me is doing nothing but punishing us both, and that right there is exactly what I don’t deserve. I’m not letting you go, Tanner. We’re going to face this together.” I drop down in front of him, resting my hands against his knees. “I know you lost control out there. I saw you, Tanner. I saw the look in your eye. You wanted him dead, but after what he did … it’s justified. The way he hurt the people you love, the way he hurt your sister. You’d just watched him stab Jax and boast about hurting Addison again. I will never hold that against you. Yes, you lost control, and that’s something we’ll work on. Hell, we have been. The other day at school, you held yourself back from that asshole in the hall instead of beating him black and blue. You’re not the monster you think you are, Tanner. You’re the best man I’ve ever known.”
Tanner reaches forward, gripping my arms and yanking me hard into his chest, wrapping his arms around me as though he’ll never let go. “You’re my whole fucking world, Killer. I can’t do this without you.”