30. Reagan

Chapter 30

Reagan

B lood drips from the dead man’s neck, pooling on the gravel beneath him. It’s leaking out of his ears, nose, and eyes. The metallic scent fills my nostrils as Penn wraps his arms around me, pulling me close. His body is a solid wall of warmth and comfort that shields me from everything that’s just happened.

“I knew you’d come. I knew you’d find me. I dropped my phone. I almost didn’t make it in time before he got her,” I whisper into his chest, my voice trembling with relief. I let the earthy scent that is distinctly him fill my lungs as I inhale him in. My heart seems to pound in syncopation with his, a rhythm that steadies the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

“I’ll enjoy punishing you for not calling me before you left the house,” Penn leans down and presses a soft kiss to the top of my head, his lips curling into a mischievous smile. “But when you find out how I found you, we’re probably going to fight and you might even castrate me,” he murmurs, his tone low and teasing but with an undercurrent of playful threat. He pulls back to give me a real kiss before he says, “Massive, actually. But I’m going to fucking love making up with you after we do. Even if you cut my dick off.”

I raise an eyebrow, curiosity piqued by his cryptic words. “I assumed there was a tracker in the SUV I borrowed,” I say, and Penn starts laughing hysterically.

“You know, that probably would have been a good way to track you, but I didn’t even notice the Escalade missing. All I knew was that my wife was gone and didn’t have the courtesy to tell me that she was leaving.” Penn glowers at me, and I realize that no matter what, he’ll always just be a man who wants what he wants when he wants it.

For some reason, the fact that I’m his object of desire has warmth coursing through my entire body. I should be more shaken, more unnerved, but I think I’m still in shock. My sister is okay, and Penn Blackwood, of all people, showed up for me again when no one else ever has. Life seems pretty good right now, even though the future is extremely uncertain. I’m going to need to figure out what to do with my sister and how to keep her away from my father, because he clearly gives no fucks about what happens to her. My actions have consequences. I knew this to be true and yet this was a slap in my face.

But before I can get more in my head over things I can’t control at the moment, a commotion nearby steals my attention. My curiosity will have to wait about how Penn found my exact location; there are more pressing matters at hand. Reese is trying to box Ramsey on the head and he’s practically turning her upside down so that he can walk unobstructed.

“Ouch, you little brat. Don’t bite me! Your sister’s fine, I’m taking you to her right now,” Ramsey groans, glaring at me as he walks across the open field of tall, dead grass. “ The two of you are checking me for ticks when we get home. This is fucking bullshit!” Ramsey yells at me and my husband. Penn cackles at how absolutely ridiculous this all is.

“I’m not little and I’m not a brat. You’re massive. I’m a normal sized person!” Reese yells at him, swatting him hard on the ass as he tries to keep her from wiggling out of his hands.

“Let’s deal with that first, and then you can explain how you found us,” I say to Penn, trying to sound stern but unable to hide the relief in my voice. Penn’s presence has already begun to chase away the lingering fear I’d had not too long ago.

“Deal. I’m a betting man, and my money is going on Thumbelina. Ramsey doesn’t stand a chance,” he says with a grin. The warmth in his eyes tells me everything I need to know.

Reese and I lock eyes, and she smiles at me, and it’s now that I realize how resilient she really is. I treat her like she’s breakable, like she can’t handle anything on her own, but she gave as good as I did today, and it brings me comfort knowing she’s going to be alright with or without me. As soon as I take care of our father.

Reese, now tossed over Ramsey’s shoulder, flashes Penn a grin as if to say watch this.

“Put me down, I don’t know you!” Reese screams, but I can tell by her tone she’s not scared, and she absolutely does know who Ramsey is. She begs to talk to him every time we video call, and he lurks around every time my phone rings. She’s giving him a hard time because she can, and I can’t blame the girl for that. “Stranger danger!”

My gaze lands on Ramsey who is struggling to bring Reese back up the small hill she ran down. Her petite frame kicks and fights against him and he looks like he wants to toss her like a boomerang.

“Ramsey, what the hell?” Penn calls out, his voice teasing. “Why are you trying to kidnap your cousin?” It’s the way he says it with a straight face, like he wasn’t the one who sent Ramsey after her in the first place.

“Help me out here, would you?” Ramsey pants, sweat beading on his forehead as he strains against Reese’s struggles. He shoots a frustrated glance at us. “This is worse than fucking hockey practice. I’m trying to be a nice guy and she’s not my fucking cousin.”

When they’re closer, it finally hits me, everything that we’ve just been through. I rush over to them because I need to just see for myself that my sister is really okay.

Ramsey is holding her flush to his chest, and I give him an odd look because she’s not fighting him, playfully or otherwise, any longer. “You can…uh…put her down now, Rams,” I tell him, and I swear Mr. never bothered about anything blushes. He lets her slide to her feet and Reese is in my arms hugging me. It’s hard to remember that she’s a senior in high school because she’s so short compared to me.

“Reagan, I—” Reese starts, her eyes wide when we pull back from the hug, but she stops herself when she sees Penn approaching as well.

“Hey, little hellion,” Penn says gently, trying to soothe her or be as soothing as a six-five football player can look covered in blood. “The old fuck is dead. Nothing to worry about now.”

“Thank God, he was so gross,” Reese huffs, her posture easing somewhat as she looks between Penn and me. “They just let him take me. I was trying to find Niall because I thought maybe he’d help me. But he just told me to go, not to argue, or I’d end up in trouble.” She looks disappointed, and I can understand that. Niall is her oldest friend turned boyfriend, but I suspect that this will be enough to have her think of him differently now, and I don’t blame her at all.

“Who’s Niall?” Ramsey snaps, and then he must realize how broody he sounds, because he looks at me and adds, “I’ve just never heard you mention him before.”

“Of course that’s why you wanted to know,” Penn replies with a grin and Ramsey crosses his arms across his chest.

“We haven’t been dating that long,” Reese mumbles, her face flushed from embarrassment, if I had to guess. “He’s nice, he just…”

“Should have fucking killed that guy before he got you in the car,” Ramsey barks. “What’s his last name? Nevermind, I don’t need it.” He’s so worked up; I think he forgot he moonlights as a goddamn hacker.

“Please do not blow up her school. We’ve got enough mess to clean up,” I tell him playfully, but I’m serious. I don’t know what the fuck it is with these Blackwood men, but when they like something, it belongs to them, and nobody better stand in their way. If I’m not mistaken, I think Ramsey has decided that he has a bit of a soft spot for my sister.

“Did you get hurt?” Penn breaks the tension by grabbing Reese by the hand and spinning her in a circle like a ballerina on a music box. I smile, wrapping my arms around his torso and hugging him. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to do this, but I’m thankful for it now.

“No. I kicked him in the face a bunch of times, though.” Reese grins at Penn and then backs up so he can wrap his arms around me. “I wanna scrub my skin where he touched me with bleach,” Reese answers, her voice trembling slightly. “I’m just…really glad you guys found me in time. He was saying really creepy things like if I was good for him, he’d make me on e of his wives.” She makes a gagging noise that I’m sure isn’t just for effect.

Ramsey doesn’t say a word, but my eyes are drawn to him when he takes a big breath in and storms away toward the cars.

“Where’s he going?” Reese pushes up on her tiptoes because he’s already far away with the ground-eating strides he’s taking.

“If I had to guess, I’d say to desecrate a corpse.” Penn says playfully, wiggling his eyebrows. “Come on, let’s get you out of here. I have some things to discuss with my wife.”

As we make our way back up the hill, we hear Ramsey grunting and what sounds like bones breaking. He has the tire iron in his hand and he’s wailing on the dead man who tried to kidnap Reese in the most unforgiving way. Blood spurts and Ramsey pauses only to wipe the droplets from his face. I reach for Reese, thinking that she’s going to be scared of the gory scene, but she’s already tossing off her shoes and running toward Ramsey.

“She’s not as fragile as you think she is. She’s learned a lot from you, I’d say,” Penn tells me, grabbing my hand and linking our fingers together. His finger rubs across my ring before he squeezes my hand four times.

I watch as Reese reaches Ramsey, and he pauses, metal mid-air, probably afraid he’s going to hit her with it. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but I can see her pointing up at him and he’s smiling down at her, like he finds her entertaining.

“That’s my boy,” Penn says even though his cousin is too far away to hear him when Ramsey hands the bloody metal to Reese. I’m shocked when she swings it, trying to hit the man in the face. The iron is too heavy, awkward and heavy for her small frame, so Ramsey guides her, holding the weight of it as he stands behind her and letting her swing it at the man who would have changed her entire life. She, with his assistance, hits the man over and over until she collapses in Ramsey’s arms. I know what she’s feeling because everything we’ve been through is starting to hit me, too. I feel lightheaded and deadweight all at the same time. I lean against Penn, and he shoulders my weight without complaint.

“She’s not going to date a Blackwood, I’m putting my foot down now,” I say to Penn playfully, because despite what I want him to think, being with a Blackwood really isn’t the worst thing in the world.

“I’ve never seen him like this with anyone. Maybe it’s just because he knows what almost happened to her,” he suggests, shrugging his shoulders.

“Yes, because the Blackwood men are renowned for their sympathetic nature,” I snort, which makes Penn laugh.

“I can’t wait to give him shit about it in the group chat,” Penn tells me.

“I can’t wait to tell her that she should consider becoming a nun if Ramsey is going to be the other option.”

“He’s a good kid,” Penn says, like he isn’t just a few years older than his cousin. “I mean look at him.” I do look and I feel like tearing up at the way he’s holding my sister, her head on his chest and his large hand cupping the side as if to protect her.

“Fine, but if they get married, everyone in attendance is going to be conscious,” I point my finger up at him and he holds his free hand up defensively like I’m a loony toon making things up out of thin air. “Don’t look at me that way, Penn Blackwood. Everyone is conscious. The whole time.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he concedes, pulling me to his chest and kissing the top of my head.