Page 99 of Risking it All

I forced my head up and saw Relic struggling on the ground with the masked person. Needing to be free, I kicked at the body covering me, thrashing until I was free. Relic hugged the person, spinning them, landing on top, then punched the hell out of his face. Relic’s dad sat up beside me, looking dazed, blood running down his arm. The masked man reached for the gun on the ground. No. This couldn’t happen. Relic couldn’t be shot, too.

I shoved myself up and sprinted toward them, kicked the gun out of his reach and snatched his arm with both of mine to keep him from trying to grab it again.

Relic kept up his assault, and I shouted at him, “We have him, Relic!”

That broke Relic out of his violent trance. His chest heaved, and he forced his eyes from the man below him to do a quick assessment of me. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, but your dad. He’s shot.”

Relic whipped his head in his dad’s direction, cursed at the sight of blood, but his dad waved his hand in the air. “It’s a graze. I’m good.”

Sirens wailed in the distance, and I glanced at the person moaning on the ground beneath Relic. Fear, confusion and shock shot through me. I scrambled away, my brain unable tocomprehend what I was seeing. Brayden Gentry. Oh my God, Brayden Gentry tried to kill me.

Chapter forty-nine

Relic

Icouldn’t let go of Macie. I knew I needed to. I knew I needed to let her parents have a moment alone with her, but I couldn’t. Seeing Brayden point that gun at her. Feeling like I couldn’t reach her fast enough. Seeing her terrified expression…

I shook, head to toe. Macie hugged me tighter and buried her face into my chest. I kissed the top of her head again. I loved her and I could have lost her. This entire world was too fucked up.

“Son,” Dad mumbled beside me. “Can I have a moment?”

Macie lifted her head and met my eyes. She had a million questions, and I wasn’t sure I had any answers. I was as shell shocked and confused as she was, but I placed a hand on her cheek, caressed her soft skin, and all of me melted when she placed her hand over mine.

“Thank you,” Macie whispered to me.

“For what?”

“Saving my life.”

I didn’t do anything. “You’re the one who showed me I had a life worth living.”

She gave me a sad lift of her lips. I kissed them and then pulled back. “Give me a moment with my dad.”

Macie turned into the waiting arms of her parents. Police officers were everywhere, and I didn’t know what to do or how to handle anything. I’d punched the shit out of Brayden. He sat on the ground in handcuffs while EMS checked him out. His nose was probably broken, his lip busted and swollen, but the bastard would be fine. Odds were his rich parents had already been called, and they had a fancy ass lawyer on retainer.

“The idiot’s already talking,” Dad said in a low voice to me. “You don’t need to tell the police about Marsh’s involvement or the other kid who was part of the carjacking. Brayden’s already naming names and asking for deals.”

“Eric’s going to be a bear.”

“More like a nuclear explosion.” Dad tilted his head toward the tree in the front yard, away from the officers, indicating that was where he wanted to talk. I followed his wild eyes as they scanned the area. He twitched. Maybe high, maybe jumpy from the adrenaline rush, maybe it was the fact we were so close to so many in law enforcement. None of it mattered. He reached Macie before I did. He saved her life. “Thank you for saving Macie.”

“You love her.” Dad met my gaze for a moment. “I’ve never been much of a father to you. I don’t know how to make up for that. I don’t know if there is ever a way I can make up for that, but I knew I couldn’t let her die. I didn’t want you to feel the same way I did after your mom left. I didn’t want you to be so young with so much damn hurt.”

I didn’t remember Mom. Didn’t know if Dad had been much of a father before she bailed on us, but for the first time, I had empathy for him. I would have been crushed, broken beyondrecognition if Macie had died. Was that how he felt after Mom left? Like he lost the love of his life?

Even still, that didn’t excuse any of his choices or how he treated me, but now a part of me didn’t hate him so damn much. I gestured toward the wound on his arm. EMS bandaged it, but then Dad denied care. “You should go to the hospital for that.”

“I can’t,” he replied.

“If it’s money,” I began.

“I’m taking the fall for this one,” Dad cut me off.

My mind went still as I tried to figure out his statement. “What?”

“I just interfered with Eric’s business. He’s forgiven a lot of shit for me, but I knew I was on shaky footing. Eric kept me alive to use me as a way to get to you. He wants you, son. In fact, he considers you his son. Of all the things I regret, allowing him near you is my biggest. Point is, I did this. Not you. I dragged you into it. Not the other way around.”

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