Chapter 29

chapter

twenty-nine

Pierce sat on the edge of the bed and scanned the sparse room he'd called home for the last several years. He'd rented the garage apartment from a nice old lady who gave him an excellent deal in trade for help around her garden. He liked her. She was equal parts sweet and prickly. And he liked the apartment, as sparse as it was.

His duffel bag lay open at his feet, half-packed with essentials—clothes, a couple of knives, and the memories he couldn't leave behind. Every item he stuffed into the bag felt heavier than the last, each one a reminder of the weight on his shoulders, the guilt, and the failure that clung to him like a shadow.

Jesus.

He'd been here before just a little over a week ago, doing the exact same thing he was now—packing up his meager life, planning to leave the only family he had. Only this time, it was harder. This time, his heart ached with a longing he'd never experienced before.

Rhiannon's face flashed through his mind, her vibrant smile and the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. He could still feel the warmth of her skin against his, the softness of her lips as they kissed. In such a short time, she'd become a lighthouse in his dark world, offering him a glimpse of a future he'd never dared to imagine for himself.

But that was precisely why he had to go.

Rhiannon deserved better. Better than a man with his past, who brought danger and destruction wherever he went. Better than a life spent constantly looking over her shoulder because of the secrets he carried.

He'd tried to keep his distance, to protect her, but every time she'd pulled him closer, and for a while, he'd let himself believe that maybe they could have something. Maybe he could have something.

But he knew better. He'd known from the start that people like him didn't get happy endings.

She deserved someone whole.

The zipper of the duffel rasped against his nerves as he yanked it closed. He stood, slinging the bag over his shoulder, and looked down at Raszta, who watched with an expression that clearly said, "We're really doing this again?"

"Not you this time, buddy. You're staying here with Rhia and our friends. You need to be here when she comes home from the hospital."

He had to leave before she did, before she could ask him to stay. Because if she asked, if she looked at him with those eyes that saw through all his walls, he wouldn't be able to go.

Just as he reached for the door, it swung open.

Zak stood there, arms crossed, his face set in a hard line of disbelief. Behind him on one side was Sawyer, his ever-watchful dog Zelda. At his side was Donovan, who looked pissed. None of them spoke at first, but Pierce could feel their disapproval radiating off them like heat.

Zak broke the silence and muscled through the door. "You weren't going to say goodbye?"

Sawyer and Donovan followed, blocking the exit.

Pierce clenched his jaw and shrugged, trying for nonchalance. "It's better this way."

"For who?" Sawyer asked, point blank. "Because it sure as hell isn't better for us. Or her ."

Pierce swallowed the knot in his throat, avoiding their eyes. "She deserves a normal life. A life without my shit. I'm doing what's best for her."

Zak's brows furrowed, his voice sharp with frustration. "You think running away is what's best? After everything you two have been through?"

"It's not just about her," Pierce shot back, trying to keep his hands steady. "This isn't just some fairytale romance. People are still out there—people who want to use what I know. And as long as I'm around, she'll never be safe."

"You're wrong," Donovan said. "You think disappearing will fix this? Because I haven't known Rhiannon long, but even I know that you leaving like this will destroy her."

Pierce's chest tightened, guilt gnawing at him, but he stayed silent. He knew Donovan was right. He knew leaving would break Rhiannon's heart. But staying? Staying felt like a betrayal, too. Like he was dragging her into a life she hadn't signed up for.

Zak's voice softened, the hard edge giving way to something more understanding. "You've changed, Pierce. Since you joined Redwood Coast Rescue, since you took on Raszta, since Rhiannon came into your life—you're not the same man who created Tectra-X. You've found a place. You've found people who care about you. Hell, you've even found a woman who loves you despite your many flaws. And now you're just going to walk away? Because you think you don't deserve any of it?"

Pierce swallowed hard, unable to meet their gazes. "I don't."

Donovan hissed out a sharp breath. "Well, that's bullshit."

Pierce's head snapped up, startled by the vehemence in the big guy's tone.

"You think we don't know what that's like? Every one of us has been there, feeling like we don't deserve the people around us. Like we're better off alone. But that's the thing, Pierce—none of us are better off alone."

Zak nodded in agreement. "You're part of this team now. We've all made mistakes, carry our own demons. But running? It doesn't solve anything. It just makes the hole you're digging for yourself deeper."

Pierce's fingers tightened around the strap of his bag. Their words were getting under his skin, chipping away at the resolve he'd been clinging to. But before he could say anything, another voice joined the conversation.

"Are you leaving?"

The men parted as Rylan stepped through the doorway, his expression unreadable.

Pierce tensed, unsure if he should expect a battle or a celebration. With their recent history, either was a possibility. "What are you doing here?"

For a long moment, he just stood there, scanning the room. Finally, he met Pierce's gaze.

"A favor for my sister," Rylan said quietly. "I thought you were going to get her killed. Hell, I thought maybe you already had. But she made me realize how wrong I was. You saved her. Over and over, you saved her. You've always protected her, throwing yourself in the line of fire for her. I didn't see that at first, but I see it now." He took a step forward. "You and Rhiannon… you're meant for each other. You're not perfect, but neither is she. And that's okay. The only thing that matters is that you make each other better."

Pierce felt his throat tighten. "Rylan, I ? —"

Rylan held up a hand to stop whatever he was about to say. "Everything you've ever done since meeting her was meant to keep her safe. But leaving her now? That's not protecting her. It's abandoning her. And I'm telling you, as her brother and as your friend, you're the best thing for her right now. So don't fuck it up. She just found out our mom has cancer," he added softly. "She's been through hell. Don't make her go through it again by breaking her heart."

Pierce blinked, the weight of Rylan's words sinking in. He'd spent so long believing that running was the only way to protect the people he cared about. That staying meant putting them in danger. But standing here, surrounded by the people who had become his family, he realized how wrong he'd been.

Zak, Sawyer, Donovan, and even Rylan—they weren't just telling him to stay for Rhiannon. They were telling him to stay for himself. To stop running. To stop hiding from the things he wanted.

A deep breath shuddered through him, and he let the duffel bag slip from his shoulder, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

Zak smiled. "That's more like it."

Sawyer nodded, his lips curving into a faint grin. "Welcome back."

Pierce's heart pounded in his chest, but this time, it wasn't from fear or guilt. It was from something else. Something lighter. Hope, maybe.

"She's staying at my place." Rylan stepped forward and gripped his shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. "Go talk to her."

Pierce nodded, his throat too tight to speak. He'd come so close to throwing it all away—to walking out on the best thing that had ever happened to him. But now, as he stood there with his teammates, his friends, he realized that maybe, just maybe, he didn't have to run anymore.

Maybe he did deserve happiness.

And maybe that happiness was waiting for him in the arms of the woman he loved.

If she'd have him.

If she still wanted him.