Page 51 of Burning for the Truth

He turns slightly red but doesn’t confirm or deny. “Yeah, well, I wanted to give you this.”

He rounds his desk and pulls out my badge and gun. I stare down at them for a moment. This is who I am, but part of me hesitates for an entirely new reason. One only known to me.

He appears stricken at my hesitation. “Please don’t say you aren’t coming back. I promise as long as I’m chief, I’ll help you reach any goals you have here—”

I hold up my hand to stop him. “I’m back, it’s just…there’s something you need to know.” He looks at me quizzically before I tell him what no one else knows.

Once I’m done talking to Chief Trudeau, I clip my badge back to my belt, feeling more whole than I have in a long time. I slide my hand up to the ring hanging on a chain around my neck and smile. For the first time since I read Drew’s letter, I feel at peace.

I go toward the interrogation room where Michael sits, handcuffs in front of him with his hands resting on the table. Chief Trudeau keeps my gun momentarily and gives me the okay as he buzzes me into the room. He agreed to be on the other side of the glass for me. I’m not sure anyone else could. I won’t forget what happened, what was taken from me, from everyone who loved Drew, but I have to forgive him for my own sake. I won’t harbor anger and any grudge. Both are toxic and I need a fresh start free of the chains of the past if I ever truly hope to move on and be happy.

Michael looks up expectantly as I enter the room. I sit across from him and wait for a moment. “I told you I wasn’t leaving.”

He seems almost relieved. “Yeah, you did say that. I remember something about you being stubborn too.”

“Listen, this isn’t conventional. Not everyone will understand my ability to forgive you, but I do. I believe you’re sorry, at least for your part in Drew’s death.”

He nods. “I am. I’m truly sorry. I’ve pled guilty. I’ll probably get twenty-plus years to life. And I don’t expect you to truly be my friend after what I’ve done. I’m not sure I could if the roles were reversed. I won’t hold you to it.”

I smile. “I’m not going to pretend to be your biggest fan right now, but like I said, I forgive you. I know you were blinded by grief and wanting revenge, even if you shouldn’t have, and I may not talk to you regularly, but I’ll check up on you and see how you’re doing, okay?”

“That sounds good. More than I deserve from you, I know,” he says sadly.

“Try to forgive yourself. And then maybe you can heal too,” I encourage. “And you know you have Jake. I heard he was…taken aback by all this coming out, but he’s your family and he cares about you. Give him a little time to absorb everything and I’m sure he’ll stay in contact.”

“Yeah, Jake is a good man, and you’re right, he’ll be here for me. I guess we didn’t have to burn for the truth after all, did we?” he asks brightly.

“No, sometimes it’s right in front of us waiting to be acknowledged, and once we do, things seem to work out…even if it’s not how we expected.” I get up and turn to leave. “Take care, Michael.”

He looks at me one last time. “You too, Briella.”

“Iwish she had let me go with her,” I say as I pace back and forth in the barn with Tate, Sterling, and Hawk.

Tate laughs. “Briella has a mind of her own. Surely you know that.”

“I do. It’s one of the things I love about her,” I say.

Tate comes over to me. “Dude, she’s going to be fine. Y’all will be fine if you ever sit down and talk.”

Hawk snorts as he tries to hold back a laugh while he brushes Whiskey and Gypsy. Both were unharmed when the stable burned. It’s already being rebuilt as we speak, but for now, they are in the barn.

“Did you have something to say, Hawk?” I ask him, momentarily putting a stop to my pacing.

“Nope, nothing here. You’ll be fine, seriously. It’s just I saw all three of you as die-hard bachelors and now all of you are so whipped it’s…well, it’s a sight to see is all,” he quips, still chuckling to himself.

Sterling narrows his eyes at Hawk. “You remember this moment when it’s you freaking out over a woman.”

Hawk guffaws. “That’ll never happen.”

I can’t help but dig a little. “I heard you have a past with a certain someone named Brittney. You know her, right? She works at High Road Bar and she’s best friends with the woman I love…”

He flashes me a look. I’m not sure if it’s anger, denial, or misery. “Don’t, man.”

I hold my hands up in surrender. “Okay. I know there’s something there you’re not saying, but I bet I’ll find out.”

He puffs his chest out a bit and presses his lips together.

“Boys, I think we found his Achilles’ heel.” I laugh and shake my head. “I’m done…for now.”

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