Page 30 of Catch My Fall

He nods. “Alright, but just know that we’re not going to stop until every single one of those sick bastards are six feet under. Every one of them that touched you, they’re dead men walking on borrowed time.”

“A—fucking—men,” Rafe chimes in.

“Damn right,” Alec grumbles beside me. “Can’t fucking wait.”

Gage goes to say something else, but his phone buzzes in his pocket and he reaches in to answer it. “Yeah…? Okay, I’ll be right there.”

“Problem?” Rafe asks.

“Just something at the club. I’ve got to go,” Gage announces, his eyes flicking to mine. “I love you, sis, never forget that. I’ll see you later.” And with that, he stalks off back into the main building.

Rafe rises to his feet. “I should go too. Ivy asked if I could take her for ice cream after school, and naturally I caved.”

Since finding out he had a daughter he knew nothing about a few months back, she has him wrapped around her little finger, but I don’t think you’ll find my brother complaining.

“I’ll catch you later, little Hudson.” He gives me a wink before nodding goodbye to Alec and heading the same way Gage did.

I turn to Alec. “Ollie told me that night that you were coming for me. You know, for the first time in a long time, there was hope in my heart.”

He places his hand hesitantly over mine, squeezing gently. “I wasn’t going to stop looking for you, Sierra. Even if I spent the rest of my life searching, giving up was never an option. I will always come for you.”

Warmth spreads through me as I hold his gaze. I give his hand a squeeze back and he must see it as progress on my part because his mouth stretches into a wide smile.

“Can you do me a favour?” I ask.

“Anything.”

“Can you take me to see Ollie? I need to see him, to thank him.” I owe him everything. Without him, Alec would never have found me.

Alec’s face falters. “Princess, I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to find the right time to tell you but… Ollie didn’t make it.”

My heart sinks.

No…

“By the time he got to the hospital, he’d lost too much blood. The doctors did everything they could to save him,” Alec continues.

Tears burn in my eyes. He risked everything to help Alec get me out of there and it cost him his life.

Oh my God, his family…

Guilt sinks like a lead weight in my stomach. “It’s my fault. I should never have given him your number.”

“Sierra, he made his choice. He chose to help you because he knew what Sloane was doing to you was wrong. He died a hero, doing the right thing. You didn’t force him to do anything, so do not feel guilty, princess. None of this is on you.”

I know I shouldn’t feel guilty, but I do, I can’t help it. If it hadn’t been for me, he’d still be alive.

“What about his family?”

“They’ll be taken care of, Gage will make sure of it. Do you want to go back inside?”

I nod, swiping a tear from my cheek.

He rises from the bench. “Come on, I’ll wheel you inside.”

“Well, I don’t have much choice seeing as you won’t let me walk.”

He chuckles as he turns my wheelchair in the direction of the entrance. “I think there’s a little of the old Sierra in there somewhere.”

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