Chapter 31

31

Melissa

F lanked by Colton and Mitch, hiding still in Ethan’s arms, all I can do is look around and listen as the aftermath of Jake’s murder unfolds in steady, heavy tones. I watch Ramon’s goons get Jake’s body out and carry him to the trunk of one of the Escalades.

“Use a tarp. It’ll take forever to clean that blood, otherwise,” Ramon instructs his men, then turns his attention to us. “An apology won’t be enough for everything that has happened between us,” he adds, focusing on me, in particular. “But I don’t regret letting you live when we first met, Melissa. I followed my instinct. I wanted to see what you were like. In a way, I suppose, I was already having doubts, but it wasn’t until your friends put things in a different perspective that I realized how far Jake had gone with his scheme.”

“I never stole a thing,” I tell him.

“Yet you took the fall for Jake.”

“It was the only thing I could do. My court-appointed attorney told me to confess so I could maybe get a shorter sentence. Turns out that wasn’t the best advice, but I didn’t have any evidence to counteract the prosecution’s either.”

“Yes, I was there,” Ramon says. “It’s in the past now. You can’t undo any of it, just as I can’t undo what happened earlier. Please, Melissa, accept my apologies. Rest assured, the cartel will never bother you again.” He glances at Colton. “I believe your friends procured the evidence they need to clear your name.”

Colton scoffs. “Provided you leave Laurel Buchanan alone.”

“I have no business with that girl. I already got my retribution,” Ramon replies. “Our business here is concluded.”

“Is it, though? You killed Kyle and Jason,” Mitch cuts in.

I gasp, horror crushing my very soul. “Oh no!”

“The truth had yet to reveal itself, and I needed to make sure you all understood the stakes,” Ramon sighs. “I am sorry, but there is nothing I can do to change that. I will pay for proper burial, and I will instruct my lieutenants to keep this entire district clear and safe on top of the local police.”

“The best thing you can do is take your cartel business and get as far away from Long Pine as possible,” Colton says.

“Consider it done.” Ramon gives him a cool smirk. He walks out, accompanied by the rest of his goons.

Colton watches him like a hawk, while Ethan and Mitch analyze the situation through the dirty windows. A tremor takes over my body, but Ethan’s firm grip keeps me grounded as I let the adrenaline flow through me. As I try to ascertain my condition overall—aside from the horrific fright of everything that just happened, I feel… fine. Relieved even. At peace. The nightmare is coming to an end, and while I don’t like the way it happened, I am thankful for it.

“Give me a ten-minute head start before you call the sheriff,” Ramon says over his shoulder. “It will be better this way.”

As soon as they’re all in their cars and driving off, Colton turns around and comes closer, cupping my face with both hands while I’m still tucked away in Ethan’s arms.

“Is it over?” I ask with a trembling voice.

“It is,” he says.

“Really?”

“We got Laurel’s confession on tape, enough leads to follow up and make a case before the judge. You’ll be cleared, Melissa. Your conviction will be overturned, and your sentence will be vacated. It’ll be okay,” he replies.

Mitch plants a soft kiss on my cheek. “You should’ve told us you’re pregnant.”

“Oh,” I mumble, my face burning red. “I didn’t know when or how to, given everything that was going on. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Colton says and kisses me on the lips. I welcome the heat; I welcome the love pouring from him like ambrosia from the gods themselves. “In retrospect, I think it was wiser to keep us in the dark. Had we known, we would’ve made ourselves vulnerable, desperate, prone to deadly mistakes.”

I glance back at the window. The Escalades’ red taillights shrink in the depth of the winter night. “I thought I’d lost you. All of you,” I whisper, tears stinging my eyes.

“You’re not going to get rid of us that easily,” Colton chuckles softly.

Lost in their embrace, I find comfort and peace again. This time, however, it feels whole. Permanent. So real I can never deny it.

“Come on, there’s a lot we need to do before dawn,” Mitch says.

Ethan pulls away for a moment and takes out his phone. “I’ll handle the sheriff. We need them at the ranch, too.”

“Oh, God,” I say, tears flowing freely down my cheeks at this point. “Kyle and Jason… Did they really?”

“I’m sorry. There was nothing we could do,” Colton says, then tells me about how everything went down from the moment they learned I’d been taken. “By the time we got to the ranch, they were already dead.”

“That bastard,” I grumble, anger working its way through my heaving chest.

Colton sighs deeply. “We’ll give the boys a proper funeral, help their families. We’ll need some time to recover, to regroup, to figure out what we’re going to do next.”

“We’re going to get Melissa’s name cleared, first and foremost,” Ethan says as he gets off the phone with the sheriff. “Kavanaugh is sending a crime scene unit over to the ranch and two of his deputies over here to draw up an incident report. They’ll take all of our statements first. We’ll head down to the station tomorrow for the full interview and whatnot. He’s already processing Laurel. The DEA is in town. A whole team.”

I shake my head slowly. “I can’t believe this. It really is over.”

“And you’re not going anywhere,” Colton says, then takes me in his arms. “We need to redefine your role on the ranch. Your role in our lives, too.”

I glance at the puddle of blood on the floor, already congealing and darkening into a thick reddish brown. “He nearly ruined my life.”

“He’s gone now,” Ethan says.

“Are you hearing me, Melissa?” Colton interjects.

“Huh?” I give him a curious frown while simultaneously melting in his embrace.

“Okay, let me try that again,” he laughs lightly and gives me another kiss. I feel it differently this time. It’s infinitely more profound, reaching my soul on a deeper level. “I love you, Melissa. We love you. We love you so much, it almost fucking killed us to lose you, even if it was just for a few hours. And that right there,” he adds, gently placing a hand on my belly, “that’s our child…”

“Children,” I reply.

“Right. ’Cause you had to make it extra challenging,” he jokes, and I giggle. “Our children, Melissa. We’re going to be a family. If you’ll have us, that is.”

“Of course, I’ll have you. I’ll have the three of you for the rest of my life.”

Mitch smiles gently and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, his touch almost electric, sending pleasant chills down my spine. “Good,” he says.

“We’ll figure the rest out, one day at a time,” Ethan exhales sharply. “Right now, I just want to put this whole fucking nightmare to rest.”

Once we’ve given our statements, the sheriff’s deputies let us go back to the ranch. We arrive at a gloomy scene, somewhere around four in the morning. The CSI van is pulled up outside the house, while two police vehicles are parked next to it. Another deputy guards the main gate, letting us through.

“Sammy and Darla are inside,” Kavanaugh says as he meets us on the front porch. “They’re okay. Shaken aplenty, but the doc checked them out before he helped the coroner with your boys. I’m sorry, fellas. I really am.”

“So am I,” Colton replies, staring at the front door for a moment. “Are they still in there?”

“No, we got their bodies out, but the living room is off limits for a few more hours. The rest of the house is yours, though,” Kavanaugh says. “I’ll have my deputies keep an eye on the place for forty-eight hours. The DEA is already expanding their search for Ramon Esparza and his crew.”

“You won’t find them,” Ethan says. “They’re long gone, and they have no intention of showing up in the area again. They got what they came here for.”

“I’m guessing that’s Jake Miller,” the sheriff grumbles.

“Yeah. Melissa’s safe, and we have everything we need to push forward with her exoneration. That’s all that matters right now,” Colton says. “I doubt we’ll get anywhere with bringing Kyle and Jason’s killers to justice.”

It feels wrong and it makes me sad.

It breaks my heart altogether when Darla and Sammy come outside. It’s so cold, and they don’t even have their coats on. I’m wrapped up in my parka and glued to Mitch’s side. I’m warm and calm, but they’re shivering and reeling from a horrendous tragedy. They saw their friends get killed, and they will never be able to forget that.

“I thought I’d lost you all,” Darla bawls and throws her arms out.

Mitch and I are the first to catch her, while Ethan and Colton hug Sammy so tight, I can hear his bones crackling.

“Are you two okay?” Mitch asks.

“It’s so good to see you boys.” Sammy pats them both on their shoulders. “We’re as well as we can be all things considered.”

“The crime scene fellas will send a cleaner in the morning,” Darla sobs in my arms, then gently kisses my cheek. “Gosh, Melissa, I’m so glad you’re okay. We were fucking mortified. I am so sorry; I had no idea what that idiot was planning. Louisa, the little shit, she was in on it.”

“Yeah, it’s okay, Darla. I know it just happened, and it happened fast,” I tell her. “What matters is we survived, and we’re going to honor Kyle’s and Jason’s memory.”

“We’re going to take care of their families, too,” Colton adds. “They deserve that much for getting caught in the crossfire like that.”

“Those poor boys,” Darla mumbles, then gives me a worried look. “How are you feeling, honey? Babies okay?”

“I think so, yeah,” I reply. “It was scary as hell, but I kept it together for these two little lives.”

Sammy comes closer. “That’s your survival instinct, kiddo. We all have one, even when we think we’re gonna freeze up and get ourselves killed. You did what you had to do to protect those precious ones.”

He hugs me, and I hug him back. I welcome the fatherly affection, too. I bask in Darla’s loving cuddles. And every second that goes by reminds me of how lucky I truly am to be a part of the Path to Freedom Initiative. I wouldn’t be where I am today without these incredible people.

“Our guys are going to finish up with the crime scene by dawn,” the sheriff politely interjects. “Like I said before, y’all have the rest of the house to yourselves. Just don’t touch the living room until I give you the go ahead.”

Sammy clears his throat and turns to Darla, prompting the rest of us to go quiet. There’s a sense of anticipation swirling through the biting January air.

“I made you a promise, you firecracker of a woman,” Sammy says with a trembling voice. “I don’t have a ring on me right now, but I’ll get you one as soon as the jewelry store opens, I promise. But I gotta ask you…”

“Sammy,” Darla gasps. “You’re crazy.”

“No, I just love you. I’ve always loved you, Darla, even when I wasn’t supposed to. Maybe that’s why I acted the way I did when we finally got together. Part of me didn’t feel like I truly deserved you. Like it was too good to be true, after so many years of yearning… I love you, honey, and what’s left of this life, I wanna spend it with you.”

“Oh, Sammy.” She tears up again, but this time, the most beautiful smile blooms across her face. “You’ve lost your goddamn mind to shack up with a crabby old lady like me.”

He chuckles and takes her in his arms, and it’s the sweetest thing to witness, as they finally surrender to one another, as they finally accept each other as they are—as they’ve always been. “I may be old and rickety, I may have a foul mouth and a few bad habits I’m never gonna lose, but you know I love you; you know I’m loyal. You know I’ll take a bullet for you, baby.”

“Fine, I’ll marry you. Just don’t bust out into a song,” Darla jokes and rolls her eyes, then laughs as Sammy lights up like a firebug and gives her a long, heartfelt kiss.

I look with joy as Colton, Ethan, and Mitch happily congratulate the newly engaged couple. Kavanaugh chuckles and slaps Sammy on the back.

“You’ve finally done it, old pal. You finally got the nerve,” he says.

“I promised her,” Sammy quips. “I promised Darla that if we survived tonight, I’d make an honest woman out of her. I’m a man of my word, y’all know that.”

“You most certainly are,” Darla says, softening in his reassuring embrace.

This is the closest we’ll ever get to a happy ending, considering everything that happened here tonight. I wasn’t sure I’d make it back. Staring down the barrel of that gun… all I could think about was the future my babies would’ve missed out on. For a second, I prayed their souls might find their way back into this world.

I lock my arms around Colton’s waist, feeling his heart thud against mine.

“I’m home,” I tell him softly.

“Yeah. Yeah, you are,” he says.

And I believe him.